The Second Battalion, 89th Regiment of Foot was raised in 1804 and recruited heavily in southern Ireland. The new unit boasted the uncommon black as its facing color. The battalion was posted in Britain until 1810 when it was sent to Gibraltar and had its first taste of battle - a stinging defeat in a failed raid on a town in southern Spain. This battalion arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 13 October 1812 and wintered over in that city. The battalion commander was Lieutenant Colonel Joseph W. Morrison. The 89th was sent to Upper Canada, passing through Quebec City in June 1813. The light company of approximately 55 soldiers was sent on to the Niagara peninsula where it fought gallantly at Stoney Creek. The remainder of the battalion moved to Kingston and was assigned to Major General de Rottenburg's Left Division.. Crysler’s Farm The day of glory for the 89th was 11 November and the place was Crysler’s Farm on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River. American General James Wilkinson with a large force was moving down river toward Montreal. Lieutenant Colonel Morrison with eight companies [480 soldiers] of the 89th, as well as the 49th, and a handful of Canadian Fencibles, Voltigeurs, militia and natives was tailing the much larger American army. Unable to attack the Americans directly, the British were certainly an irritant. When the Americans arrived at a series of rapids, Wilkinson landed Jacob Brown and his brigade with orders to clear the north shore of the river. Meanwhile, Wilkinson landed the rest of his forces on John Crysler’s property so that the boats, now lightened, could slowly move down the rapids. Brown succeeded in clearing the British and Canadians from the front of the American force. Morrison, with 800 men and two guns, wanted to provoke a fight with the American rear guard, approximately 1800 men organized into two brigades. The Americans rose to the challenge. However, the American attacks, including a charge by a squadron of dragoons, were disjointed. The American infantry, less well trained than the 89th and 49th, could not match the British rate of fire. After several hours, the American rear guard, unable to dislodge Morrison’s smaller command, pulled back. Wilkinson, apparently unwilling to confront Morrison with his entire command, called off the offensive and went into winter quarters just across the border at French Mills, New York. While the bulk of the regiment wintered at Cornwall, the light company participated in the attacks on Black Rock and Buffalo. After the town of Newark was torched by the American militia as they withdrew into New York state in December 1813, Lieutenant General Sir Gordon Drummond decided on an offensive of his own to clear the American presence from the Niagara Valley. His first attack succeeded in capturing Fort Niagara by a surprise, nighttime assault. He followed up this success with an attack to destroy the towns of Buffalo and Black Rock at the southern end of the river. The Light Company of the 89th joined the 8th Regiment under the overall command of Major General Sir Phineas Riall and landed north of Black Rock and successfully captured that town despite a spirited defense by local militiamen. They continued the attack southward and cleared Buffalo which Riall ordered burned. The Americans, civilians and military alike, abandoned the Niagara region and fled into the wooded areas to the east. A handful of Americans were scalped by natives accompanying Riall. Drummond looked for opportunities to reverse the loss of Detroit and western Upper Canada from the previous autumn. The land was desolate and unable to sustain large forces for any length of time. However, there was continuous raiding by Americans of settlements along the Thames River and along the southern shores of Lake Erie. In early march, a Canadian militia unit, Caldwell’s Rangers, located a force of 165 Americans of the 24th Infantry near Longwood, on the Thames. A mixed force of more than 250 regulars, militia, and natives, including the 89th’s Light Company and led by her commander, Captain James Basden, assaulted the Americans who were in a strong position behind an abatis. The British and Canadians were repelled and Basden killed. After the battle of Longwood, the Americans withdrew to Detroit. Lundy’s Lane In February 1814 the battalion companies of the 89th moved to Kingston and in July were sent to York in anticipation for the next American offensive. When Major General Jacob Brown crossed the Niagara River with the American Left Division on 3 July, Drummond forwarded troops, including the 89th, to the Niagara region. The 89th arrived in time to participate in the bloody battle of Lundy’s Lane. Morrison and his battalion were placed by Drummond immediately behind the battery on the ridge along Lundy’s Lane. The 41st Regiment was on the left and the 1st Royal Scots on the right of the 89th. Winfield Scott’s magnificent brigade exchanged fire with the stalwart British infantry and artillery battery without making a dent. Then, after dark, Brigadier General Eleazar Ripley's Brigade arrived and assaulted the hill. James Miller’s 21st Infantry attacked and captured the artillery battery, bayoneting the gunners as they bravely defended their cannon. The 89th, in immediate support, counterattacked. The 89th closed to within yards of the 21st and exchanged musket fire but after several volleys was forced to retire. Morrison ordered them forward again but, in the dark, they suffered the same results. It was during this assault that Morrison was wounded and brought to the rear. Then Drummond ordered a counterattack by his entire line. Time and time again, the officers and men of the 89th surged forward in the darkness, stopped, and delivered fire at point blank range with the Americans on higher ground. Drummond was wounded, as were Riall, Jacob Brown, and Winfield Scott. But the Americans held on and only withdrew after the last British attack. The next day Drummond reoccupied the hill and the Americans withdrew to Fort Erie. The 89th had been battered at Lundy’s Lane and was assigned garrison duty at Fort George and Fort Mississauga at the northern mouth of the Niagara River. However, after the disastrous night assault on Fort Erie on 15 August, Drummond sent for the 89th to join the siege camp. The 89th took turns with the other battalions manning the siege lines. On 17 September, Jacob Brown directed his men to sortie from Fort Erie and to destroy the British siege guns. The 89th was resting in camp at the time and the American attack, in a light rainfall, fell upon De Watteville’s regiment and the 8th Foot. The 89th sprang to action and along with the Royal Scots and under their commander, John Gordon, they entered the woods heading toward the sound of battle. The fighting was at close range and bloody. The Americans, having knocked the trunnions off of several siege guns, tried to extricate themselves and return to the safety of Fort Erie. However, the British punished them every step of the way. Ahead of the 89th were a number of natives and as the 89th moved forward, they passed scalped and maimed American bodies. Gordon was injured and evacuated. Eventually the Americans made it back into Fort Erie. Drummond had decided to break off the siege even before the American sortie. The British buried the dead and abandoned their camp. Drummond pulled back north so his men could be more easily supplied. He sent about 150 soldiers of the 89th back to York to recover from wounds while about 200 remained at Queenston as a garrison. Drummond hung on to the Niagara Peninsula until the Americans withdrew to the New York side of the river in November. The 89th missed the last battle of the campaign, Cook’s Mill. News of the Treaty of Ghent arrived in North America in February. In May 1815, the remnant of the 89th regiment of Foot was sent to Quebec and in June departed for Great Britain. Lieutenant Colonel Morrison was too disabled to return to active duty until 1821. For service at Lundy’s Lane, the 2nd Battalion, 89th Regiment of Foot was awarded the battle honor, “Niagara”. Back to Table of Contents -- War of 1812 #2 Back to War of 1812 List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by Rich Barbuto. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com