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One of the most fiercely contested battles of the War of 1812 was fought on this site, in he quiet country lane of William Lundy. In the early evening hours of July 25, 1814, the advanced guard of the British Army, under Lieutenant General Gordon Drummond, posted itself on this hill overlooking the Portage road. just to the south of this position was Brigadier General Scott’s brigade of American Regulars. Scott believed that he was opposed by only a small portion of the British Army, and decided to advance. He was completely unaware that the British offensive on the American side of the river has been cancelled, and that the bulk of their army was once again on Canadian soil. At around 7:15 pm, Scott’s brigade advanced towards the high ground over Lundy’s Land, and the battle began.
The heavy firing drew units from both armies, and soon they were locked in a “meeting engagement”, with both commanders calling for reinforcements. The American Army under General Jacob Brown reinforced Scott from the south, while British units arrived from the north and west. With darkness falling’ the battle became confused, with neither side being able to properly identify friend r foe. At one point, the 25th US Infantry regiment under Major Jesup gained the rear of the British left flank. In the confusion the British second in command, major General Riall who had been wounded,m was captured.
At around 9:00 pm of this hot summers evening, both armies paused while new units arrived on the field. y this time it was completely dark and the only illumination was from the full moon. Fifteen minutes later, a dramatic change occurred in the battle when Colonel Miller, in command of the 21st US Infantry, attacked and captured the British guns located in the cemetery. In a counter move, the 89th Regiment under Colonel Morrison, the victor of Crysler’s Farm, opened up a destructive flank fire on Miller's men at point-blank range. Despite this destructive fire, the 21st held on, and the British retired down the rear slope of the hill.
During this phase of the battle, the British engaged in a series of desperate frontal attacks in order to win back their artillery. By midnight, both armies had been completely exhausted, with some of the bloodiest hand-to-hand fighting yet seen in the war. Though he was sill in possession of the hill, General Brown’s army was too badly mauled to hold the position, and he ordered a withdrawal to Chippawa. Thus ended the battle of Lundy’s Lane: tactically a stalemate, but a strategic victory for the British, for after this battle, the Americans never launched a major offensive on the Niagara Frontier again.
(Collins, Gilbert, Guidebook to the Historic Sites of the War of 1812, 1998, pages 108-109,)