Laura Secord

THE STORY OF LAURA SECORD

Laura Ingersoll was born in 1775 in Great Barrington Massachusetts and came to Canada in 1795. She married James Secord in 1797.   On October 13, 1812 during the Battle of Queenston Heights, American soldiers crossed the river from Lewiston into Queenston and scaled the heights. James, a militia sergeant with the artillery fought at the Battle. Laura was at home when she learned that her husband had been wounded in the fighting. She climbed the hill in search of him. She found him with blood flowing from a wounded shoulder and knee. She helped him back home and dressed his wounds. The NiagaraPeninsula was a no-man's land in the summer of 1813. Neither side had firm control of the area and the war had become a series of brief, frequent skirmishes. The Americans held FortGeorge. The British had four outposts to the west, the nearest of which was in DeCew's stone house on the escarpment south of present day St. Catharines. There, Lieutenant James Fitzgibbon had a special force of fifty men which harrassed the enemy in every possibly way. When Fitzgibbon captured several American riflemen, their captain, Cyrnius Chapin, sought revenge. He persuaded his commanding officer that he could surprise Fitzgibbon's outpost, capture the British office and his men, and destroy the munitions stored in the DeCew house. One June afternoon, Chapin and his officers commandeered the Secord home for a meal. Mrs. Secord served them and overheard the Americans discussing their plan. Afterwards, Laura and James decided Fitzgibbon must be warned. James could not walk any distance because of his wounds, so Laura decided to take the word to Lieutenant Fitzgibbon herself.

Early the next morning, on June 22nd, 1813, Laura quietly set out on her journey. She went first to St. David's to see her half-brother Charles Ingersoll who was ill and would serve as an excuse for her trip if the Americans stopped her. To avoid the main roads, she went through fields and woods. Laura followed the course of 12 Mile Creek, which flowed past DeCew's house. Towards evening when she had gone about 32 km (19 miles), she stumbled into a Native encampment which was an outpost to Fitzgibbon's headquarters. Terrified, she convinced the chief that she had an important message. He brought her to Fitzgibbon and she told the Lieutenant her news. Two days later, on June 24th, the British and First Nations warriors intercepted and engaged the Americans at the Battle of Beaver Dams. Trapped in open ground by the enemy, the American commander surrendered his 542 troops to a British force of 300 First Nation warriors and Fitzgibbon's 50 soldiers.