On July 4th every year, Americans from around the country get together and celebrate our Independence from the British Empire. This celebration typically involves fireworks, hot dogs, and a lot of alcohol (not always the best combo). Our freedom is indeed something to celebrate, and it is good to dedicate this day to it. But when we awake in a haze the next morning, we typically don’t pay any attention to July 5th.
July 5th, 1814 is one of the most important days in our Army’s history as an American Infantry unit would face a British unit of slightly superior strength, and win in open combat. This would mark the first time a regular American Infantry unit would defeat a regular British unit in open combat. This battle was not the “greatest” in our nation’s history, but it would be the one to set our standard of victory.
In 1812 the 22nd Infantry Regiment would be formed in Carlisle Pennsylvania to fight in the War of 1812. This war would not be a war to gain independence like we had fought 30 years prior, but a war to secure it. The British Empire had been capturing our ships and enslaving our sailors. Congress would declare it’s first war as a nation and create more infantry regiments to fight.
The 22nd would be sent to Fort Niagara in Youngstown New York to defend it from the British Fort right across the Niagara River. They would serve in defense of this fort and all along the Niagara and St. Lawrence Rivers fighting the British and Canadian Militias. After an unsuccessful campaign up the St. Lawrence River which ended in the humiliating defeat at Crysler Farm the Niagara Campaign’s Army would winter in French Mills and Sackets Harbor.
The 22nd Infantry Regiment would be split into two commands. One part would go fight in Plattsburgh New York while 200 soldiers would be sent to Buffalo New York to fight under General Brown in the Left Division’s march into Niagara Canada (called Upper Canada at the time) . They would be put in First Brigade under General Winfield Scott and be attached to the 9th Infantry Regiment where Major Leavenworth was in command.
They would train in Buffalo and on July 3rd get in boats and attack Fort Erie. After the capture of Fort Erie, General Brown would have First Brigade move outside the fort and set up a defensive position closer to the Chippewa River. Fort Erie was built to house 200 soldiers, not the entire Left Division.
The morning of July 5th General Scott got his men up early in the morning to drill. The British force under General Riall started to move in closer and set to attack the American Force. Riall feared that they were greatly outnumbered because he did not know that Fort Erie had been captured and the rest of the division was there and not in the woods with them.
The 22nd would take the first contact of the battle as a sniper almost killed Captain Joseph Henderson. He said the musket ball, “entered the knapsack upon which I was seated and then entered the sapling against which I was leaning my head.” This would be the first of three times Captain Henderson was almost killed in this battle.
When General Scott got wind that the British were here and ready for a fight, he gleefully prepared his men for battle. As Riall’s men formed up and attacked, the 22nd along with the 9th Infantry formed the furthest right line west of a barn right next to the artillery, while the 11th was deployed to their left in a similar formation. The 25th Infantry was to form the furthest left all the way to a fence.
As the fighting started and cannon fire was raging the men of 1st Brigade staid steady and acted with the upmost discipline and nerves of steel. The British Commander thought that
this was the Buffalo Militia and had no respect for their fighting ability. As General Riall’s observed them he was reported as saying in awe, “Those are regulars by God!”.
The men of the 22nd and the rest of 1st Brigade fought valiantly. From the direction of artillery fire (even though their commander Townson had been injured), the hand-to-hand bloody fighting in the woods, to the disciplined movement and fighting of the regular Infantry companies, this was a masterful fight. General Scott would defeat General Riall and forever cement our legacy of victory.
Historian Henry Adams wrote of this battle:
“The Battle of Chippewa was the only occasion during the war when equal bodies of regular troops met face to face, in extended lines on an open plain in broad day light, without advantage of position; and never again after that combat was an army of American regulars beaten by British Troops. Small as the affair was, and unimportant in military results, it gave to the United States army a character and pride it had never before possessed.”
This battle set the standard for the rest of the war. Not only was the 22nd Infantry a part of setting the standard then, but we continued that tradition in every conflict and war we have fought in since. Our history is something we can look back to with great pride and learn how we ought to conduct ourselves in today’s Army. We must continue to fight hard to maintain and push that standard every day.
One of those men we can look to is Captain Joseph Henderson whom we had mentioned before. Even after he was nearly killed three times during the battle of Chippewa (one of those times a musket ball took off his hat) he continued to lead with courage, even after the fighting. He was a surgeon before the war and after the fighting had ceased and he checked on his men, he would put down his musket and get to work on his wounded soldiers. Leadership does not stop when the battle’s over. 8 men from the 22nd would be killed in the Battle of Chippewa.
When you see photos of cadets at West Point wearing the grey uniforms, know that that is in honor of the Battle of Chippewa and the victory there. Due to a lack of blue cloth, the soldiers of most of first brigade were wearing grey instead of blue uniforms. West Point honors that today, and so should we, but how?
Well, if you are currently serving, honor this legacy by continuing to push that standard. Train hard everyday in physical fitness, marksmanship, and maneuver. The biggest threat to you is the same enemy today as it was back in 1814, complacency. If you let complacency win you will not continue to push the envelope and improve. Work hard everyday to honor the regiment.
For us vets out there we need to fight complacency too. But our roll in continuing that legacy is never to let our story die. Continue to talk about our regiment and nation’s history so people know that sacrifice is required to keep them free. Share our story with each other and family, not for our sake, but for the sake of those who never made it back. Let all of us work towards keeping our beautiful colors flying high and proud.
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