Battle Hill National Historic Site of Canada
Colline de la Bataille
Battle of the Longwoods
Links and documents
Listed on the Canadian Register:
Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
Battle Hill National Historic Site of Canada is located on a rolling landscape in the valley of Battle Hill near Highway 2 (also known as Longwoods Road) west of Wardsville, Ontario. The site is associated with the Battle of Longwoods, which occurred on March 4, 1814 on an open landscape near what is now Battle Hill Creek. Following a short skirmish between the British Regulars and American forces, the British were forced to retreat back to Delaware, while the Americans abandoned their advance and retreated to Detroit. There are no known extant remains of the battle; however, the site is marked by a plaque and cairn positioned on a small rise of land and surrounded by an iron fence. Official recognition refers to a polygon of land near Highway 2 in Wardsville Ontario.
Battle Hill was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1924 because:
- here was fought the Battle of the Longwoods, 4 March 1814.
Following the British defeat at Moraviantown on October 5, 1813, the western section of Upper Canada lay open to American forces, who began a series of small incursions into the territory. Although pitched battles were rare, the British military authorities attempted to counteract these American forays into their territory by establishing posts of observation, and along with the local militia and their native allies, they began moving throughout the countryside. In late February 1814, the American commander at Detroit ordered a detachment to attack one such British outpost, located at Delaware. The American force, under Captain Andrew Holmes, encountered a Canadian Ranger Patrol on the way to Delaware and retreated to a hill, later named Battle Hill, near Twenty Mile Creek to await the arrival of the British. Once the British Regulars under Captain James Badsen arrived at Battle Hill, they immediately attacked the Americans but, due to heavy casualties, were forced to retreat back to Delaware. The Americans retreated back to Detroit, thus failing in their attempt to take Delaware.
Sources: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, June 1924, 1925, December 2007.
Key elements that contribute to the heritage character of the site include:
- its location near Battle Hill Creek, formerly known as Twenty Mile Creek, west of Wardsville, Ontario;
- the setting on a rolling rural landscape that includes the grassed hill surrounded by a small iron picket fence where the plaque and cairn commemorating the site are located;
- the integrity of any surviving or as yet unidentified archaeological remains which may be found within the site in their original placement and extent;
- the viewscapes from the battlefield to Battle Hill.
Government of Canada
Historic Sites and Monuments Act
National Historic Site of Canada
1814/01/01 to 1814/01/01
Theme - Category and Type
- Governing Canada
- Military and Defence
Function - Category and Type
- Battle Site
Architect / Designer
Location of Supporting Documentation
National Historic Sites Directorate, Documentation Centre, 5th Floor, Room 89, 25 Eddy Street, Gatineau, Quebec
Cross-Reference to Collection