On the night of August 12, 1814, seventy seamen and marines, led by Captain Alexander T. Dobbs, R.N., embarked in this vicinity to attempt the capture of three armed U.S. schooners lying off American-held Fort Erie. One of the six boats used had been carried some 25 miles from Queenston, while the others were brought overland from Frenchman's Creek. Masquerading as supply craft, the force boarded and seized the Somers and Ohio, the Porcupine alone escaping. Two of the attackers, including their second-in-command, Lieutenant Copleston Radcliffe, R.N., were killed. This daring exploit was the last naval action fought on the Great Lakes during the War of 1812.

Location

Crystal Beach Waterfront Park, Fort Erie (Note: Drive to the lakefront via Ridgeway Road. The park is on Terrace Lane but Terrace Lane is a one-way street. Drive to the end of Ridgeway Road and turn left onto Terrace Lane to get to the parking lot.)

Themes

• War and conflict