Campbell's Raid 1814

Photo by Alan L Brown - August 24, 2004

Plaque Location

The County of Norfolk
In Port Dover, in a small park on the SE corner of Main Street and Queen Street

Plaque Text

On May 14, 1814, about 800 American regulars and militia under Lieutenant-Colonel John Campbell disembarked nearby at the mouth of the Lynn River. The following day, meeting no opposition, they burnt the settlements of Dover and Ryerse's Mills and ravaged the surrounding countryside. Private dwellings were destroyed and livestock slaughtered. Campbell claimed that he acted in retaliation for similar raids against Buffalo and other points on the Niagara frontier by troops under British command. A Court of Inquiry instituted by the United States army subsequently condemned his destruction of private homes.