Capture of Fort Niagara The Capture of Fort Niagara took place late in 1813 , during the War of 1812 between the United Kingdom and the United States . The understrength American garrison was taken by surprise , and the fort was captured in a night assault by a select force of British regular infantry . Background . Fort Niagara was an important American post near the outlet of the Niagara River into Lake Ontario . During the early days of the war , it was involved in several exchanges of artillery fire against the British at Fort George on the other side of the river . On 27 May 1813 , the Americans won the Battle of Fort George . This left Fort George in their hands , and they briefly captured the entire Niagara peninsula , but they were then driven back to a narrow enclave around Fort George . Later during the year , almost all the regular soldiers on the Niagara front were redeployed to Sacket ' s Harbor to take part in an attack down the Saint Lawrence River against Montreal . This left Brigadier General George McClure of the New York militia with only 60 regulars , 40 volunteers from the New York militia and 100 Canadian Volunteers ( renegades fighting for the United States ) to hold Fort George . Burning of Newark . In late 1813 , Major General Francis de Rottenburg , the British Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada , had been alarmed by defeats in the west ( the Battle of Lake Erie and the Battle of the Thames ) and American concentrations to the east . On 9 October he ordered the troops on the Niagara peninsula to retreat hastily to Burlington Heights at the western end of Lake Ontario . He intended to abandon even this position and concentrate his forces at Kingston but during the first week in December , de Rottenburg was replaced by the more forceful Lieutenant General Gordon Drummond . Drummond was aware that the American attack on Montreal had been defeated , leaving the American Army stranded in poorly - supplied winter quarters in Upper New York State . He immediately cancelled de Rottenburg ' s plans for further retreat , and ordered the units at Burlington Heights to advance instead . On 10 December , McClure learned of this advance . He had despaired of receiving any reinforcements and decided his position was untenable . He hastily evacuated his troops to Fort Niagara . The artillery could not be withdrawn from Fort George and was thrown into the ditch surrounding the fort . Earlier in the year , the United States Secretary of War , John Armstrong , had given permission to destroy the nearby village of Newark if it became necessary to prevent British troops finding cover close to Fort George . The inhabitants were to be given several days ' notice , and care was to be taken that they were not to be left destitute . As the Americans abandoned Fort George , the order was unaccountably given to burn down the village without warning , leaving the inhabitants without shelter or possessions in the depths of winter . Part of the village of Queenston was also torched . It was alleged that the pro - American Canadian Volunteers performed most of the destruction . This action was undoubtedly contrary to the conventions which governed warfare at the time , although several similar acts had already been committed by both sides during the war . The burning of Newark was to be the pretext for the British to carry out several outrages later . Battle . Once the British had recovered Fort George , Fort Niagara was vulnerable to a British attack . Its defenders consisted of Captain Nathaniel Leonard ' s company of the 1st Regiment of Artillery , a company of the 24th U . S . Infantry , and small detachments ( mainly convalescent wounded or sick men ) from other regular units . Captain Leonard was in command of the fort . He had been attracting unfavourable reports from his superiors since taking charge of the fort in 1812 and was a notorious drunkard , but orders to replace him as commandant had not been carried out . The defences of Fort Niagara had been allowed to deteriorate and damage to the outer defences caused by artillery fire in 1812 and early 1813 had not been repaired , although this was not to be a factor in the fort ' s capture . Drummond had ordered boats to be brought forward from Burlington . They proceeded by water to the mouth of the Four Mile Creek , from where Canadian militia carried them overland on sledges to Fort George . On the night of 18 December , a force consisting of the 100th Foot , the grenadier company of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Scots , and the grenadier and light companies of the 41st Foot , with some small detachments of militia , crossed the river above Fort Niagara . The force numbered 562 and was under the command of Colonel John Murray , the commanding officer of the 100th Foot . They were equipped with axes and scaling ladders and under orders to use the bayonet so as not to lose the advantage of surprise . They captured American pickets posted in the village of Youngstown , the men having been trying to stay warm instead of keeping watch . One of the prisoners was forced to reveal the American challenge and password . The British force then advanced silently towards the fort . An advance party of some artillerymen and the grenadier company of the 100th under a lieutenant and a sergeant approached the gate , where the sergeant affected an accent from the southern American states and confused the guard long enough to gain entry . By the time the defenders became aware of the deception , it was too late to stop the British from rushing in . Resistance came mainly from two buildings , the South Redoubt and the Red Barracks , which was being used as a hospital . Some of the defenders barricaded themselves inside the South Redoubt of the fort and held off repeated attempts to break into the building . However , when they refused demands that they surrender , the British commander offered no quarter to the defenders . When the attackers forced their way into the building , the infamous order was given to " Bayonet the whole " . Casualties . Only six of the attackers were killed , with five wounded . The British report on the engagement listed 65 Americans killed , 14 wounded prisoners and 344 other prisoners . However , Robert Lee , an American civilian who had been visiting the Fort when it was attacked , gave a sworn deposition on 18 January 1814 that the British report giving 65 Americans killed had been " issued very soon after they took possession of the fort and did not include a number that were afterwards found bayoneted in the cellars of the houses " . Lee thought that " at least eighty " Americans had in fact been killed . Captain Leonard was captured at his home two miles away , allegedly drunk . Aftermath . A force consisting of the centre companies of the Royal Scots and the 41st under Major General Phineas Riall followed Murray ' s troops across the river . They captured several outposts and batteries , and proceeded to burn almost every village on the American side of the river , including Lewiston and a nearby settlement of Tuscarora Indians , in reprisal for the burning of Newark . Some Indians accompanied Riall ; one source stated that up to 500 " Western Indians " , who had remained with the British after the Battle of the Thames the previous autumn , took part . Many of the Indians ( and some British soldiers ) became drunk on looted liquor and several American settlers were scalped . Riall was eventually prevented from advancing further south by some militia and Canadian Volunteers who destroyed the bridge over the Tonawanda Creek . Having returned to the Canadian side of the Niagara , Riall marched upstream past Niagara Falls , carrying the boats . On 30 December , Riall crossed the Niagara again , downstream of Black Rock and defeated American forces at the Battle of Buffalo , after which the villages of Black Rock and Buffalo were set ablaze and the navy yard on Buffalo Creek was destroyed . Fort Niagara remained in British possession until the end of the war . Battle Honours . In the tradition of British Army battle honours , this action was first awarded in 1815 as Niagara . Eight currently active battalions of the American Army ( 1 - 3 Inf , 2 - 3 Inf , 4 - 3 Inf , 1 - 4 Inf , 2 - 4 Inf , 3 - 4 Inf , 2 - 7 Inf and 3 - 7 Inf ) perpetuate the lineages of three American infantry units ( the old 14th , 19th and 24th Infantry Regiments ) that were present at Fort Niagara .