Battle of Crysler's Farm

and

Battle of Crysler's Farm 1813

There are two plaques at this location.
Both can be seen on this page.

Photos by contributors David & Kellie Clifford - Posted April, 2009

Plaque Location

The United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
The Township of South Dundas
Along the St. Lawrence River, immediately adjacent to
Upper Canada Village, about 12 km east of Morrisburg

Coordinates: N 44 56.750 W 75 04.404

Plaque Text

Here, on the farm of John Crysler, was fought one of the decisive battles of the War of 1812. On 11 November 1813 Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Morrison, with 800 British and Canadian regulars, militia and Indians, engaged an American force of 4,000 under Brigadier-General John Boyd. The open terrain was suited to the training of the well-drilled British regulars who, after two hours of heavy fighting, routed the enemy. This victory ended a major American thrust at Montreal.

Photo by contributors David & Kellie Clifford - Posted April, 2009

Photo by Alan L Brown - Posted June, 2009

Coordinates: N 44 56.586 W 75 04.242

Plaque Text

In November, 1813, an American army of some 8000 men, commanded by Major-General James Wilkinson, moved down the St. Lawrence en route to Montreal. Wilkinson was followed and harassed by a British "corps of observation" consisting of about 800 regulars, militia and Indians commanded by Lieut.-Col. Joseph Morrison. On November 11, Morrison's force, established in a defensive position on John Crysler's farm, was attacked by a contingent of the American army numbering about 4000 men commanded by Brigadier-General J.P. Boyd. The hard fought engagement ended with the Americans' withdrawal from the battlefield. This reverse, combined with the defeat of another invading army at Chateauguay on October 26, saved Canada from conquest in 1813.

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War of 1812

Here are the visitors' comments for this page.

Posted February 23, 2011
The obelisk here is among the earliest federal commemorations of a historic site. It was erected in 1895, with a companion at the site of the Battle of the Chateauguay, 93 km east-northeast, in Quebec. To mark both successful defenses at once made sense, because the battles represent two prongs of the same campaign to conquer Montreal in the War of 1812. These two U.S. defeats ended the St. Lawrence campaign of 1813, with Chateauguay coming first on October 26, just two weeks before Crysler's Farm. Much of this battlefield now lies underwater, flooded in 1958 to create the St. Lawrence Seaway (see 'Lost Villages of the St. Lawrence' plaque page). Sites like this are interconnected with others, but plaques at one often stand isolated, speaking only of what happened there. It's a challenge to grasp the overall picture. Good interpretation--through wayside displays, visitor centers, and staff--succeeds when it integrates one historic site with others, so visitors can appreciate the fuller context. -Wayne

Posted February 8, 2011
The several references on this plaque to "American" troops would better be described as United States forces. Except for the British, all combatants--including Canadian militia and Native Americans--were American. -Wayne

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