No, its not Napoleonic and it isn't even in Europe, but while on a recent family trip to see Niagara Falls, I stopped by to see this historic fort that had played such a strategic role in the control and settlement of the Great Lakes area of North America.

Located at the mouth of the Niagara River (where it flows into Lake Erie), Fort Niagara was strategically positioned to control access to the Great Lakes and the westward route to the heartland of the North American continent during the 17th and 18th centuries. Here, on a flat, slightly elevated peninsula that commands the juncture of the waters, the fort controlled the portage route around Niagara Falls and access to the interior country. Few American historic sites have had such intensive military occupation as this point of land at the mouth of the Niagara River.

The French established the first post here, Fort Conti, in 1679. It consisted of a wooden house for trading goods and a small stockade. It burned before the end of the year. Its successor, Fort Denonville (1687-88), a strong palisade, was equally short-lived. During the winter, its garrison of 100 men succumbed to isolation, the cold, starvation, Indians, and disease. By April, only 12 soldiers remained alive. In 1726, France finally erected a permanent fortification with the construction of the "French Castle." Britain gained control of Fort Niagara in 1759, during the French and the Indian War, after a nineteen-day siege. The British held the post throughout the American Revolution but were forced, by treaty, to yield it to the United States in 1796. Fort Niagara was recaptured by the British in 1813 but was ceded back to the United States in 1815 at the end of the War of 1812.

The War of 1812 between the British and the Americans was Fort Niagara's last armed conflict and it has hereafter served as a peaceful military post. The garrison was expanded beyond the walls of the original fort during the U.S. Civil War (1861-65) and later served as a barracks and training post during the remainder of the 19th and 20th centuries. The last army units were withdrawn in 1963. The U.S. Coast Guard represents the only military presence on the site today.

Fort Niagara, as it appears today, is a product of over three hundred years of military history. Most of its buildings are original and were erected between 1726 and 1872 by either France, Great Britain, or the United States. For a brief tour of the Fort, I refer you to the above picture.

Gate of Five Nations (1756) -- The main entrance to the fort is located on the river side of the South Bastion. The French named the gate to honor of the original Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. The drawbridge was protected by five cannon located in the Dauphin Battery (notice the five dirt embrasures).

The South Redoubt (1770) -- The British constructed this building before the American Revolution to protect the main gate and provide an elevated platform for cannon. The ground floor boasted a fortified gateway with a guard room for 20 soldiers located above. On December 13, 1813, attacking British troops had to break down the door of the South Redoubt to subdue its American Defenders.

The Land Defenses (1755-1872) -- Although rebuilt in concrete and brick in the 1860s during the American Civil War, the fort's walls follow the lines laid out by the French in 1755.

--The Outer Works include the large triangular earthen "ravelin," some smaller earthworks and a ditch. The ditch was kept dry and, with the other outer works, protected the main walls from cannon fire and assault. The outer works are restored to their appearance during the British siege (of the then French-held fort) of 1759. The British siege lasted 19 days. During the siege the British established gun batteries within 100 yards of the Fort. Intense cannon fire from British guns demolished the Fort's North Bastion.

--The Inner Works, consisting of the brick and concrete casement galleries, were built along the lines of the old earthworks between 1863 and 1872 due to tensions between the U.S. and British Canada during the Civil War. Guns were never mounted in the Casements but both the north and south galleries were designed to hold four 24-pound cannon each. The fire from the southern gallery guns would interlock with that of the north gallery across the ditch. Firing slits for riflemen and a powder magazine are located at the end of each gallery.

The North Redoubt (1771) -- Another "fort within a fort", the only difference between this and the South Redoubt was that the northern one held a powder magazine on its ground floor. Both buildings incorporate two styles popular in Britain in the 18th century -- classical Roman arches and doorways in the stone walls topped by Chinese-style roofs.

The River Defenses (1839-43) -- During the war of 1812 between Britain and the U.S., Fort Niagara proved vulnerable to artillery fire from British Fort George (built on slightly higher elevation) across the river. This problem was remedied during the mid-1800s by the erection of the massive river wall. A "hot-shot" battery faced the river and the British Fort Mississauga directly across the river. "Hot shot" was obtained by heating cannon balls in a nearby furnace until they were white hot. When fired into a wooden ship or building, hot-shot would quickly set it afire.

The French Castle (1726) -- The oldest building in the Fort, as well as in North America's Great Lakes' region, the 'Castle" was originally the sole structure of Fort Niagara. The building originally served as a trading house but was, in design, a strong citadel capable of resisting any Indian attack. The ground floor included storerooms, a powder magazine, bakery, guardhouse, and well. Living quarters and a chapel were on the second floor. Overhanging or "machicolated" dormers on the attic level provided defensive firing positions for muskets and light cannon. The wooden roof of the Castle was removed during action in the War of 1812. Earthen ramparts were constructed atop the Castle with cannon placed on the attic floor to bombard British Fort George.

Finally, since this is a Napoleonic Wargaming Club I thought I might expand on the history of the fort by detailing some of the major military actions that occurred there.

During the French and Indian War (about 1755-60), Fort Niagara underwent one of the most classic sieges in the military history of North America. In 1755 a large body of regular French troops under the command of Captain Pierre Pouchot arrived at the Fort with orders to transform the post into a defensible position. By the spring of 1756, the Fort was greatly enlarged with new earthworks to supplement the "Castle". For the next two years, the Fort's French garrison supported their Indian allies in their raids against the British colonies as far south as Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Early in the summer of 1759, a British army under Brigadier General John Prideaux began moving west from Albany, New York. On July 6th, the British army of some 2,000 regular soldiers and 1,500 Iroquois warriors arrived at the Fort and began to lay siege to the post. For more than two weeks, the six hundred-man French garrison resisted the British efforts. But the British dug trenches toward the walls and placed heavy guns within 100 yards of the Fort and slowly pounded Fort Niagara to pieces. By July 24th, the trenches were only 80 yards from the Fort and the French were near collapse. Finally, after hearing that his "relief column" had been routed in a sharp struggle with the British and Iroquois only a mile from the fort, Captain Pouchot asked for terms of surrender. On July 25th, Fort Niagara became British.

The British occupied Fort Niagara from its capture from the French in 1760 until 1796 when they were forced to relinquish the Fort to the Americans under terms of the Treaty of Paris (the negotiated end to the American Revolution). During those 35 years, the Fort usually had a substantial garrison and its commander exercised wide authority over the Great Lakes country. For the Americans, Fort Niagara became an important border post (as there was no border before the end of the revolution). When America declared war on Britain in 1812, the garrisons on both sides of the Niagara River were ill-prepared for it. At the outbreak of hostilities, the Americans could muster only 150 men at Fort Niagara. The British were equally weak due largely to the demands of the Napoleonic Wars on the Continent. In 1812, there were only 2,000 British soldiers in all of upper Canada. But both sides began preparations for the conflict that was sure to come.

Fort Niagara began its active involvement in the war on October 13th, 1812, when it commenced a bombardment of Fort George across the river in support an American landing force that crossed the Niagara River. The fire was returned and a brisk exchange ensued. During this action, it became obvious that Fort Niagara was at a decisive disadvantage -- exposed as it was on its river side and by the fact that Fort George stood on higher ground. During the exchange the Americans were actually forced to abandon the Fort and huddle outside its landward defenses. To counter this advantage, the Americans removed the roofs from the Castle and the two redoubts and mounted cannon on the upper floors. This proved to be increase the guns' effectiveness, for in the next exchange between the forts (on November 21st), the Americans gave better than they got.

In May the following year, the guns of Fort Niagara and its attached batteries joined an American fleet in an all-out bombardment of Fort George. The British resisted valiantly but their batteries were silenced and the wooden buildings of the fort caught fire and burned. Under cover of the bombardment, American troops landed on the Canadian shore and assaulted the fort. Despite a fierce defense by British regulars, Fort George fell to the Americans. However, in June, the American forces in Canada were defeated and were soon bottled up in the forts at the mouth of the Niagara River. As American troop strength declined during the fall and early winter, the British planned a retaliatory expedition.

On the night of December 18-19, 1813, red-coated soldiers marched up the river from the newly reoccupied ruins of Fort George and crossed to the New York shore. After capturing American pickets (without firing a shot) the 562-man assault force continued towards Fort Niagara. The British caught the American garrison by surprise. When they arrived at the Fort, most of the garrison was asleep and the commander, Captain Nathaniel Leonard, was off-post visiting his family in a nearby town. The British advance party appeared at the Fort's gate just as it had been opened to allow a sentry detail to pass. A British sergeant approached the gate in the darkness and managed to wedge open the door with his body and allow the attackers entry. The sleeping garrison put up little resistance. Only the 'red barracks' and the guard detail in the South Redoubt were able to organize a defense. Although the barracks were soon cleared with the bayonet, the South Redoubt stood firm. A party of British soldiers finally broke down the door and fought up two flights of stairs to subdue the 65 stubborn defenders. The unfortunate Captain Leonard arrived at the Fort the next morning only to be surprised by the British sentries at the door. The British occupied the Fort for the remainder of the war but again were forced to return it to the Americans in 1815 under the terms of the Treaty of Ghent (signed in 1814).

Today, the surviving walls and buildings of Old Fort Niagara are maintained by the Old Fort Niagara Association, Inc., a not-for-profit educational organization. The Old Fort is a registered national historic landmark..

For this history, I borrowed heavily from two publications produced by the Association. A History and Guide to Old Fort Niagara by Brian Leigh Dunnigan ($3.50 US) is a 72-page pamphlet providing a short but detailed history of the military operations at the Fort as well as its buildings. Welcome to Old Fort Niagara is a small pamphlet produced to guide visitors in a walking tour of the Fort. Both these publications and additional information may be obtained from: Old Fort Niagara, P.O. Box 169, Youngstown, New York, USA 14174-0169 or at www.oldfortniagara.org . If you're planning a trip to this area, I highly recommend a visit.