Battle of Buffalo

On December 30, 1813, along the Niagara River in the State of New York, British and American forces clashed in what became known as either the Battle of Buffalo or the Battle of Black Rock, part of the broader conflict of the War of 1812. The engagement ended with the British pushing back the American defenders, leaving numerous buildings and ships in ruins. This assault was carried out as payback for the earlier burning of the Canadian village of Newark, known today as Niagara-on-the-Lake, by American troops.

Battle

Around midnight on December 29, Riall made his way across the Niagara, bringing most of his troops ashore roughly two miles below Black Rock in the darkness before dawn on the thirtieth. He assigned Lieutenant Colonel John Gordon and the Royal Scots the task of landing directly at Black Rock so the Americans could be struck from a second angle. Major General Amos Hall first learned of the British arrival when the light infantry company of the 89th Regiment, serving as Riall's advance guard, pushed back the American picket stationed at Conjunckaty Creek, known today as Scajaquada Creek, seizing both the bridge and the battery positioned there. In response, Hall sent militia forces led by Warren and Churchill forward to scout the situation. These men scattered at the enemy's first volley, prompting Hall to send out a second body of troops under Adams and Chapin, who suffered the identical fate. At this point Hall assumed direct command over what remained of his force, ordering Lieutenant Colonel Blakeslee to strike at the British left while he himself pushed the rest of his men toward Black Rock.

With daylight arriving, Hall unleashed what he called a very heavy fire of cannon and musketry upon Gordon's Royal Scots as they attempted to come ashore at Black Rock. Though a five-gun battery backed Gordon's landing, a number of his boats became stuck, and his regiment absorbed heavy losses before finally managing to reach the shore. Meanwhile Riall pushed his main body forward against the center of Hall's line, while a detachment peeled off from his left wing to strike the American right. Riall himself later noted that the Americans put up considerable resistance, yet after roughly thirty minutes their right wing collapsed into flight. Facing the danger of being flanked, Hall gave the order for a full withdrawal, and British forces chased the retreating Americans the entire two miles into Buffalo. Once they had taken the town, the British together with their Indian allies plundered it and set fire to every building except four. Riall's men also laid waste to the navy yard, destroying three armed schooners, namely the Chippewa, Ariel, and Little Belt, along with a sloop called the Trippe.

From there, Riall's force pressed on to Black Rock itself, where destruction was repeated, this time leaving only a single building standing, before the troops made their way back across the Niagara into Canada.

Aftermath

On January 22, 1814, Sir George Prevost, the British Commander-in-Chief in North America holding the rank of Lieutenant General, put out a proclamation. In it, he voiced regret that the suffering brought upon Newark's residents had made such a response unavoidable.