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Drummond Hill Cemetery
The Battle of Lundy's Lane
by Stephanie Lechniak

“The poor fellows...could not have anticipated such a dreadful slaughter
as they have since awfully witnessed"
- US Representative Samuel Sherwood on Lundy’s aftermath

Having been deemed one of the most bloodiest battles ever fought on Canadian soil, the Battle of Lundy's Lane is one of the most important events in Canadian history. It is one of the last epic struggles of the War of 1812. Accounts of the battle have been well recorded in military records and history books, but what is harder to find are the more spookier tales. Stories of the ghosts that have to this day, remained on the battlefield, going about their daily duties as if time had stood still for that very moment in time.

The Battle
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On the evening of July 25, 1814, Drummond Hill, the highest point of land in the city, two evenly matched armies of Lieutenant-General Gordon Drummond and General Jacob Brown fought toe to toe through the afternoon and evening. General Drummond and his 2,000 British, Canadian and Native troops to established an arc formation along a dusty, dirt road (known as Lundy's Lane) while the American troops attacked across the open field with waist-high crops and split rail fences.

The battle continued into the hot night and it is said that the air was so still that the gunsmoke wouldn't clear. The men could only see for a spit-second when they fired their muskets, creating a quick spark of light. Unable to tell friend from foe in this humid, dark cloud, the men ended fired upon their own troops.

Six hours had passed and just after midnight, the American forces retreated. (heading to Fort Erie the very next day). After the American troops departed, the British literally collapsed from exhaustion, right there in the bloody battlefield that was strewn with hundreds of dead and wounded soldiers. British Lieutenant John Le Couteur recounts the aftermath of the fighting at Lundy’s Lane:

"I assure you, I never passed so awful a night as that of the action. The stillness of the evening after the firing ceased, the Groans of the dying and wounded, I went to several of them and got a Captain taken away. I could not sleep tho' I was quite fatigued and weak from 36 hours marching, fasting and Fighting. I was cold and wretched, what must not have been the misery of those Unfortunates who remained on the Field. A Soldier's life is very horrid sometimes....The scene of the morning was not more pleasant that the night's horrors. We had to wait on our slaughterhouse till 11 before we got a mouthful - when a great Camp Kettle full of thick chocolate revived us surprisingly, though we devoured it among dead bodies in all directions."

Lundy's Lane produced large numbers of casualties on both sides, totaling over 1,700. (The British with their native Canadian allies had lost 876 men and the American troops had 861 dead, missing or injured soldiers.)

William “Tiger” Dunlop, a 21 year-old assistant surgeon with the 89th British Foot, was quoted as saying the following:

"There is hardly on the face of the earth a less enviable situation that that of an Army Surgeon after a battle."

Although the British had control of the hill and Lundy's Lane, both sides claimed victory. Regardless, the battle clearly marked the beginning of the end for the American invasion of the Niagara region in 1814 and subsequent end of the war. The Treaty of Ghent was signed six months later and this Treaty ended the war.

The Hauntings
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The cemetery itself boasts numerous historical aspects. It holds the graves of both British and American soldiers who lost their lives in the Battle of 1841, and is also the resting place for Laura Secord, one of Canada’s heroines recognized for her contribution in the war of 1812. (Be sure to visit the sculpture of Laura Secord, with the creepy eyes that seem to follow you wherever you move! Although this in itself is quite freaky, keep in mind it's just an artistic device used by the sculptor!) There are also many important archaeological resources to be found in the area because of the many military artifacts buried there from the war.

To this day, Drummond Hill Cemetery is said to be one of the most haunted cemeteries in all of Canada. Although we here at Haunted Hamilton believe that a cemetery is the least-likely place to be haunted, this particular cemetery poses a huge exception! Spirits tend to haunt the place they called home, a place they loved, or the place where they tragically died. That is what makes this cemetery so unique - it is not only a cemetery, but also a historical battlefield. Many lives were ardently lost on this very same land, making it a hotbed full of ghostly activity.

It is said that apparition of five old soldiers, dressed as Royal Scots, can be seen limping across the battlefield, only to disappear far away in the distance. The apparition of three British soldiers have also been seen trudging up the hill, then marching, as if they are still going about their duties.

Another local group that conducted an investigation at the cemetery revealed that it was almost as if they were disturbing someone, or something. We too felt this during our countless investigations and visits to the cemetery (it is a stop on our Haunted Niagara Bus Trip).

To conclude this article, I am comfortable enough in saying that the Drummond Hill Cemetery is without a doubt, one of the most eerie places I have ever been to! On our last venture there, it felt as if someone was watching us, almost breathing down our necks. Dusk has settled in and it was the perfect moment to say our thank you and good-bye's to the spirits and leave the premise. We walked down the long, stone path, and made our way out of the gates. Deciding to take one last peek, I turned around and saw about one dozen black figures, peering from behind the graves, staring back at me.

Stephanie Lechniak

The brooding voice of spring is in the air,
The mighty winds are hushed, are very still;
Within a burial ground I wind my way
A sunny place upon a sunny hill.

I fain would read a legend here and there,
But Time has passed with his erasing hand;
And, on the battered stones that head these graves,
The half-intelligible letters stand.

The peace of God, which no man understands,
Beams kindly down upon the greening sod,
And, underneath, where sacred ashes lie
Of those who've gone before to meet their God.

Full many an unknown spirit lies at peace
With heart against the earth's warm heart close-pressed:
Their dust, as ashes of the rose that lie,
Its perfume gone, fallen to earth's soft breast.

The summer sky is kind to all alike,
And over all the skies are fair and clear;
And, in the solemn stillness of this hour,
It seems as if I were intruding here.

But no resentment these poor ashes feel,
For God has called their souls from here below;
And in this hour He speaks to my lone soul
He seems to call and I could wish 'twere so.

But God has measured out my length of days,
And His sweet will is all in all to me.
O Father, guide my thoughts, my life, my soul,
To thy great glory, till Thou callest me!

Lines Written in Drummond Hill Cemetery
By Ada Elizabeth Fuller
From Sunshine and Shadow

Resources
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Donald E. Graves. Where Right and Glory Lead, The Battle of Lundy's Lane, 1814 1997.
Galafilm War of 1812 Website: www.galafilm.com/1812/e/index.html
Friends of the Battle of Lundy's Lane Battlefield: www.battleoflundyslane.com
Ada Elizabeth Fuller. Sunshine and Shadow. Niagara Falls, 1919.
Bob Milne's Haunted Ontario Website: www.hauntedontario.com

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