Raid on Port Dover

British Empire

United States

The Raid on Port Dover was an episode during the Anglo-American War of 1812. American troops crossed Lake Erie to capture or destroy stocks of grain, and to destroy mills which were used to provide flour for British troops stationed on the Niagara Peninsula. The United States troops also destroyed private houses and other property. To some degree, the Burning of Washington by the British later in the year was influenced by the American actions at Port Dover.

Background

In the spring of 1814, the Americans were preparing an attack across the Niagara River. As the Americans held undisputed control of Lake Erie, the troops at Presque Isle were no longer needed to protect the improvised shipyard there, and were ordered to join the main American army at Buffalo, New York.

The idea of raiding the Canadian settlements near Long Point and destroying the mills there en route to Buffalo occurred both to Captain Arthur Sinclair, commanding the armed vessels of the United States Navy on Lake Erie, and Colonel John B. Campbell of the 11th U.S. Infantry, commanding the troops at Presque Isle. On 13 May, 750 troops were embarked aboard Sinclair's ships, and in the late afternoon of 14 May, they landed near Port Dover. The troops consisted of detachments of both regulars (including artillery) and militia. They were accompanied by several renegade Canadian guides, including Abraham Markle.

After a minor skirmish between American militiamen and some Canadian militiamen who were trying to remove goods from a storehouse, the Americans remained where they had disembarked during the night of 14 May. The next day, they marched to the village of Dover, where on Campbell's orders they burned the entire settlement, which had consisted of twenty dwelling houses, three flour mills, three sawmills, three distilleries, twelve barns and some other buildings. All livestock was shot, and their bodies left to rot. Some of Sinclair's sailors took the hind ends of the slaughtered hogs, but other than these opportune thefts, there was no plundering. Although the local women and children were allowed to remove their personal possessions from their houses before they were set on fire, they were able to remove only small items, so this was an empty gesture.

The Americans re-embarked, but landed again the next day to burn two more mills. They then returned to Presque Isle. During the entire raid, the only opposition had been some scattered Canadian militia, and a troop of the 19th Light Dragoons. The British had had some word of the impending raid, or had taken precautions against the possibility, and almost all the flour in the settlement (several hundred barrels) had already been removed to safety.

Aftermath

Sinclair, and several American officers (particularly among the militia) were enraged by Campbell's actions. Campbell insisted, both at the time and subsequently in a note to the British Major General Phineas Riall commanding the division on the Niagara Peninsula, that he ordered the destruction personally i.e. without sanction from his superiors or the United States government, in retaliation for the burning of the American settlements of Havre de Grace, Lewiston and Buffalo during the previous year.

The official notes of protest from Riall and complaints by Sinclair and other Americans prompted the Americans to hold a Court of Enquiry into the affair, presided over by Brigadier General Winfield Scott. The court concluded that Campbell was justified in burning the mills and distilleries which might be used to supply British troops, and that some adjacent buildings were unavoidably involved. However, Campbell was found to have made an error of judgement in destroying the houses and other buildings. No further disciplinary action was taken at the time, and Campbell was mortally wounded at the Battle of Chippawa on 5 July.