Fort Amherstburg
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into Fort Malden. (Discuss) Proposed since February 2026. |
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2010) |
| Fort Amherstburg | |
|---|---|
| Amherstburg, Ontario | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Fort |
| Controlled by | United Kingdom |
 | |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1796 |
| In use | 1796-1850s |
Fort Amherstburg, also known as Fort Malden was built by the British in Upper Canada at the mouth of the Detroit River to replace Fort Detroit, which Britain was required to turn over to the United States in 1796 as a result of the Jay Treaty. The land had previously been granted to Col Henry Bird, for service during the American Revolution (Bird’s Invasion of Kentucky). The land was taken back from him so that Fort Amherstburg could be built upon it.
The Royal Canadian Volunteers began construction of the fort in 1786. The fort served to maintain British influence among Indigenous tribes in the west. The was expanded in the years before the War of 1812, and included the King's Navy Yard for the construction and maintenance of Provincial Marine vessels on the Upper Great Lakes (Lakes Erie, Huron, and Superior). During the War of 1812 the fort was Britain's main defence on the Detroit frontier.[2]
The War of 1812 escalated quickly with American General William Hull invading Upper Canada in July 1812. Soldiers from the fort repelled the invaders at the River Canard. After Hull withdrew back to Fort Detroit in August, British Major General Isaac Brock and the Shawnee war leader Tecumseh met at Fort Amherstburg to plan the attack of Fort Detroit in the British Indian Department building next to the fort. Hull surrendered after a brief siege. The fort was the staging area for the British victory in January 1813 at the Battle of Frenchtown, and for the attacks on Fort Meigs and Fort Stevenson later that year.[3]
In September 1813, the British commander, Major General Henry Procter, ordered Fort Amherstburg destroyed and began a retreat east towards Burlington Heights. The retreat was the result of the British naval defeat at the Battle of Lake Erie, including the capture of the flagship, HMS Detroit (1813) (built at the King's Naval Yard) which severed Procter's supply line. Procter's decision was also based on the fact that most of the fort's guns had been placed aboard the vessels of the British squadron and were lost during the engagement. Procter was subsequently defeated a few weeks later by forces led by Major General William Henry Harrison at the Battle of the Thames.[4]
Harrison ordered a new, smaller fort built on the same site but with a reduced perimeter. The north-west bastion and part of the adjacent wall still remain today. After the end of the war, the British reclaimed Upper Canada and Fort Malden.
After the War of 1812, the British let the fort fall into disrepair until the threat of rebellion grew in Upper Canada in the 1830s. The fort was repaired to full military use and was garrisoned with men from the 34th Regiment of Foot (famous for their routing the French 34th regiment during the Napoleonic Wars).
After the 1837 rebellion, the Fort was no longer necessary as a military installation. It was changed from a military institution to a psychiatric institution. Its employees resided in the smallest barracks building, and the other two large barracks housed inmates sorted by gender. Trees were planted on and around the fort property to provide much-needed shade, which had not been wanted by the military as it would have obscured their view of an attacking force. After some time, the psychiatric institution moved to St. Catharines, Ontario, where it still exists.
After that second use for the grounds ended, the fort property was used as a woodmill until the property was sold off as private residences. The two large barracks buildings are no longer on the grounds. One was moved into the town of Amherstburg where it burned down during the 1920s while being used as a stable. The other barracks building technically still exists today. It has been moved from the fort grounds, divided up into three and sold as individual residences. They maintain the same shape as they had had as barracks, and at least one of the houses was found to have its original walls still intact.
Fort Amherstburg continues today in a military tradition and is a historic site (known as Fort Malden) that is frequently visited by tourists from around the world. Every Canada Day, an 1812 6-pounder field cannon is fired before a large display of fireworks is commenced. The Fort is garrisoned with summer staff who wear the same pattern of uniform and ladies who wear clothing styles of the early 19th century. Visitors can see what fort life was like in the early 19th century through cooking demonstrations and musket firing demonstrations. The biggest event at Fort Malden would be on the Canadian Civic Holiday weekend where re-enactors of time periods ranging from Ancient Rome to World War II gather and perform combat demonstrations and have a full encampment.
Structures
[edit]The first fort consisted of:
- ordnance blockhouse/barrack
- guard house
- powder magazine
- Indian Department Storehouse
- Indian Department Council House
- Indian Department Storekeeper's Residence
- privy
- fire engine shed
- ordnance shed
- kitchen.
The second fort had:
- large barracks
- officer's barracks
- guardhouse
- jail
Numerous other buildings dotted the fort.
Affiliations
[edit]The museum is affiliated with: CMA, CHIN, and Virtual Museum of Canada.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Lossing, Benson (1868). The Pictorial Field-Book of the War of 1812. Harper & Brothers, Publishers. p. 266.
- ^ "Fort Malden National Historic Site". Parks Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
- ^ Hitsman, J. Mackay; Graves, Donald E. (1999). The Incredible War of 1812. Robin Brass Studio. ISBN 978-1896941134.
- ^ Antal, Sandy (2011). A Wampum Denied: Procter's War of 1812 (2nd ed.). Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press. ISBN 978-0773539372.
External links
[edit]42°06′25″N 83°06′47″W / 42.107°N 83.113°W
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
