Battle of Windmill

Windmill, Battle of
Windmill, Battle of, was an incident in the raids across the Canadian frontier by the American-based HUNTERS' LODGES. On 12 Nov 1838 Colonel Nils Von Schoultz, a Finn (mistakenly identified as a Pole), ran the schooner Charlotte aground some miles below Prescott, and took up a position in a 6-storey stone windmill and several stone houses nearby. A small vessel, the Experiment, cut Schoultz off from the US, while a force of 70 marines came by steamer from Kingston and about 700 militia arrived from the surrounding counties. These forces drove "the Hunters" from their outworks but could make no impression on the windmill. After 2 days of minor operations, Col Henry Dundas arrived with 4 companies of the 83rd Regiment, 2 eighteen-pounders and a howitzer. When resistance collapsed, on Nov 16, 137 invaders, including Schoultz, were taken prisoner. Hunters' losses were estimated at 80, and British and Canadian losses were 16 dead and 60 wounded.

Author HEREWARD SENIOR

Links to Other Sites
Battle of the Windmill National Historic Site
This Parks Canada site commemorates the 1838 Battle of the Windmill. Includes historical notes about Hunters' Lodges, the Family Compact and William Lyon Mackenzie.