On May 14, 1814, about 800 American regulars and militia under Lieutenant-Colonel John Campbell disembarked nearby the mouth of the Lynn River. The following day, meeting no opposition, they burnt the settlements of Dover and Ryerse's Mills and ravaged the surrounding countryside. Private dwellings were destroyed and livestock slaughtered. Campbell claimed that he acted in retaliation for similar raids against Buffalo and other points on the Niagara frontier by troops under British command. A Court of Inquiry instituted by the United States army subsequently condemned his destruction of private homes.

Location

In Heritage Park, near Main and Prospect streets, Port Dover

Themes

• Politics and law
• War and conflict