The brave and loyal old man – James Kerby

Kerby was born in 1785 near Sandwich (Windsor) Ontario. By 1805, he was working in Queenston as a clerk-bookkeeper for Thomas Clark. Kerby’s connection to Clark led him into the militia when Clark became the commanding officer for the 2nd Lincoln Militia in 1809. Kerby was appointed regimental adjutant to the 2nd Lincoln Militia.  

With the outbreak of the War of 1812, Kerby was placed in command of an artillery company. On the morning of October 9, 1812, his company was manning the British batteries on the Niagara River opposite Black Rock (Buffalo, N.Y.) when it was ordered to open fire on the Detroit and Caledonia, ships which had been captured by an American raiding party. Kerby performed well in this action and it was not long before he would see combat again. On November 28, 1812, the Americans launched an offensive at Frenchman’s Creek. Kerby received his first official commendation for his service during the failed American attack. By December 1812, Kerby was still serving along the Niagara by firing at American troops moving along the American shore. During one action, a 24-pound gun burst and severely wounded Kerby’s right hand.

By March 1813, Kerby joined the Volunteer Incorporated Militia Battalion, essentially a full-time militia unit composed of volunteers, in which Kerby was appointed captain. In May 1813, the British retreated from the Niagara after the Americans captured Fort George. Kerby participated in the British advance guard in the Niagara until the Americans withdrew from Fort George in December 1813, after burning the town of Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake). When the British launched their attack on Fort Niagara in December 1813 Kerby directed the embarkation of the troops for the assault and participated in the storming of Fort Niagara in Youngstown. For his actions, Kerby was awarded a sword valued at fifty guineas. 

Kerby's gravestone

By July 1814, the Americans launched another assault on the Niagara. On July 25, 1814, during the Battle of Lundy’s Lane, Kerby, who had been promoted to Major, found himself in command of the battalion after his commanding officer was wounded. Kerby remained in command of the battalion during the Siege of Fort Erie where he was wounded in the shoulder and the hip. By February 1815 with the War of 1812 over, Kerby after serving for two years of continuous military service was able to resume his civilian life.  

After William Lyon Mackenzie’s unsuccessful insurrection in 1837, Kerby was authorized to raise a militia force to resist any renewed invasion by Mackenzie. Kerby formed the Queen’s Niagara Fencibles and he was placed in command of all troops on the Niagara frontier from April to June 1838.

Kerby’s wife and mother both died in 1839; in 1846 his son died at 24 and the death of a son-in-law meant that one of Kerby’s daughters and her small child became dependent on him. Kerby continued to be active in the militia and in 1846 he became commanding officer of the 1st battalion of the Welland Regiment.

Throughout his time in Fort Erie, Kerby served as warden of St Paul’s Anglican Church until his death. Kerby was instrumental in the establishing of the church by successfully petitioning the government to use stone from Fort Erie to construct part of the church, as well as donating a silver chalice. On June 20, 1854 Kerby died in Fort Erie and is buried in the cemetery of the church he was so influential in establishing.

Kerby’s obituary notice was published in “The Church” of Toronto on the June 29th, 1854. An excerpt reads: “Many a tear has fallen, and more will fall, on the grave where the brave and loyal old man reposes in the quiet cemetery of the little village church, on the bank of the noble river, which was witness to his gallant achievements in his country’s cause.”

On Sunday September 15 at 2 p.m., a plaque will be unveiled for James Kerby through the federally funded Graveside Recognition program. Kerby is the first War of 1812 veteran in the Niagara to receive this plaque. For more information, please click here.    

The forgotten Battle of Frenchman’s Creek

It was Saturday, November 28, 1812 when the Americans made a renewed attempt to invade the Niagara above Niagara Falls at Frenchman’s Creek.

After the failed invasion at Queenston Heights, the Americans amassed a force under the command of Brigadier-General Alexander Smyth. The Americans gained some initial success by dispersing a small British force and spiking the British guns, but soon the American invasion ran into problems. The force sent to destroy the bridge over Frenchman’s Creek did not bring enough axes for the task. After destroying part of the bridge, the Americans were forced to retreat due to incoming British forces from Fort Erie.

Battle of Frenchman's Creek plaque

After learning that the British guns had been spiked, Smyth sent William Winder with a force of about 300 to cover the evacuating troops. However, Winder’s force came under heavy fire soon after landing from over 300 British reinforcements. Smyth attempted to send his 3,000 reinforcements across but only about 1,200 could fit in the boats. With torrential rain and freezing temperatures, Smyth decided to postpone the invasion. Smyth never managed to renew his invasion of Canada before withdrawing his force to winter quarters.

In the end, the British suffered more casualties during the Battle of Frenchman‘s Creek than at Queenston Heights with 17 killed, 47 wounded and 35 missing.

On Sunday, November 25th the Fort Erie Bicentennial Committee will be having a commemoration service for the Battle of Frenchman’s Creek. Don’t miss the commemoration of this historic event. Click here for more details.

An unlucky general - General William Winder

In order to be a successful military command one must have skill to successfully lead troops and win battles; however, luck is also a factor. Unfortunately, William Winder was not the most fortunate commander during the War of 1812.

Winder was a prominent Baltimore lawyer before being appointed to command the Fourteenth U.S. Infantry. He led this regiment during the Battle of Frenchman’s Creek in November 1812. During this battle, Colonel Winder was ordered to send his men across the river to cover the American withdrawal. Winder sent part of his forces across when the British suddenly appeared with over 300 men. Winder’s force was seriously outnumbered and the men scampered back to the boats with the British in pursuit. The unlucky appearance of the British cost Winder almost 30 casualties.   

William Winder

After Frenchman’s Creek, Winder was promoted to brigadier general in early 1813; many had mixed feelings about this appointment. One contemporary described Winder as knowing “no more of Military affairs than his horse.” Others were more kind and commented that Winder would be “a tolerable good General” with more training. Despite some misgivings, General Winder took part in the successful capture of Fort George in May 1813. After the fort’s capture, General Winder, along with General Chandler, advanced to Stoney Creek in pursuit of the retreating British forces. The Americans set up camp at Stoney Creek on the night of June 5 with plans to advance upon the British the next day.

The British decided to launch a surprise attack against the American forces in the middle of the night. The British successfully silenced some of the American sentries as they advanced towards the American encampment. When the British opened fire the surprised American camp jumped into action. The Americans managed to recover from the initial surprise and began to create a stiff defence. However, fortune was not with Winder that night. As he redeployed his troops to protect the American left flank, Winder left a gap in the American lines as well as leaving the artillery unsupported by infantry. The British managed to exploit this mistake by routing and killing the U.S. artillerists. In the confusion, General Chandler proceeded towards the captured U.S. artillery not realizing he had walked into the hands of British troops. Shortly thereafter General Winder made the same mistake, but he managed to draw his pistol and pointed it at Sergeant Fraser of the British 49th Regiment. Fraser pointed his musket at Winder’s breast and exclaimed, “if you stir, sir; you die.”  

Battle of Stoney Creek

After Winder’s capture, he was eventually sent to Montreal to await exchange back to the U.S. The British were reluctant to exchange Winder since many British officers thought him to be a talented general. Winder managed to secure his release from British captivity just in time to be appointed by President Madison to command the newly formed military district around Washington. Winder’s unlucky streak continued with the British invasion of Washington in August 1814. Winder was not given proper resources for the defence of the capital and was unable to prevent the capture of Washington. After the war, Winder managed to survive a court martial and was discharged from the military in 1815.

Winder went on to continue his law practice in Baltimore when he died nine years later from tuberculosis at the age of 49. Winfield Scott described Winder as having the elements of a good soldier but no luck.    

If you want to find out more about Winder’s unlucky engagement at Stoney Creek, you can join Battlefield House in their 31st re-enactment of the Battle of Stoney Creek. The re-enactment goes from June 1 to 3 with a full list of activities. Don’t miss the night battle re-enactment on Saturday, June 2nd at 8:30 p.m. To see the full schedule of events, click here.