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| Illustration via the New York State Military Museum |
On 25 July 1814, British and Canadian forces, under the command of the valiant General Sir Gordon Drummond, successfully repelled an American invasion at what is now Niagara Falls, Ontario, forcing the aggressors to retreat to their position at Fort Erie. In this hour of peril, a local resident named Catherine Lundy nobly offered succor to the weary British forces and shelter to their wounded. In gratitude for her valor, it is told that a British officer bestowed upon her his very sword. This day of triumph - albeit one that came at a very heavy cost - was later memorialised in the lyrics of the Canadian patriotic standard, ‘The Maple Leaf Forever’:
At Queenston Heights and Lundy's Lane our brave fathers, side by side
for freedom, homes, and loved ones dear, firmly stood and nobly died.
And those dear rights which they maintained, we swear to yield them never.
Our watchword evermore shall be, the Maple Leaf forever!
Copyright 2024, Arthur Newhook. @Sunking278 and @FloydEtcetera on X, and at the same handles on FACEBOOK. MASTODON - @ArthurNewhook@mastodon.world, BLUESKY - @arthurnewhook.bsky.social. DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED at https://tinyurl.com/ArthurNewhook.
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