Fort Wellington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort Wellington |
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Fort Wellington's blockhouse and latrine from the southwest, 2006
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| Location | Prescott, Ontario, Canada |
| Built | 1813–1814 |
| Original use | Military fortification (1813–14; 1838–1923) |
| Rebuilt | 1838–1839 |
| Architect | George R. J. Macdonnell and Thomas Pearson (first fort) |
| Governing body | Parks Canada |
| Website | pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/wellington/index |
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| Official name: Fort Wellington National Historic Site of Canada | |
| Designated: | 30 January 1921 |
Fort Wellington National Historic Site is an old military fort in Prescott, Ontario. It sits on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. For most of the 1800s, the British Army and Canadian militia used it. Later, the militia used it until 1923. That's when it became a National Historic Site of Canada, managed by Parks Canada.
The fort was first built in 1813 during the War of 1812. Its main job was to protect an important part of the St. Lawrence River. After the war, the British left the fort. But they rebuilt it in 1838 when there were new troubles, like the Rebellions of 1837–1838. Today, Fort Wellington is like an open-air museum. Visitors can explore its history.
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Why Was Fort Wellington Built?
Fort Wellington was built by the British during the War of 1812. It was meant to protect the top of the Galop Rapids on the St. Lawrence River. Before the Saint Lawrence Seaway was built in the 1950s, many rapids made it hard for large ships to travel.
If you were shipping goods downriver from Kingston, you'd stop at Prescott. Then, your goods would be moved to smaller boats called "bateaux" that could handle the rapids. The same happened for goods coming upriver from Montreal. Prescott was a vital spot for moving cargo and people into the Great Lakes.
Prescott was also very close to Ogdensburg, New York, an American town. This made it an easy target for the United States Army. Because Prescott was so important for trade and travel, it needed strong defenses. The fort was built on land owned by Major Edward Jessup, who founded Prescott.
Fort Wellington's Early Days
Building the First Fort (1813)
The first fort was made with strong earth walls called ramparts. These walls had sharp wooden stakes, called frieze pickets, sticking out. Around the fort, there was a dry ditch with a tall wooden fence, a palisade, and a sloping bank called a glacis. The only way into the fort was through a stone gate on the north side.
Inside the fort, there were wooden buildings hidden behind the earth walls. Tunnels, called Casemates, were dug into the walls. These were used for storage.
The fort's main weapons were two large 24-pounder cannons. They were placed on the corners of the ramparts. These cannons could shoot all the way across the river to Ogdensburg, New York. This meant any ship passing by was in range. Smaller guns protected other parts of the fort's walls.
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War of 1812 Actions
Fort Wellington was never directly attacked, which is unusual for a fort of its time. Historians believe its presence helped protect the area and made local people feel safer.
During the War of 1812, Prescott remained a key communication point. Fort Wellington was where the local militia gathered. In early 1813, it was also a base for British soldiers. On February 22, 1813, about 500 British soldiers crossed the frozen St. Lawrence River. They attacked Ogdensburg, destroying military buildings and American ships. They returned to Prescott with food, ammunition, cannons, and prisoners. This raid was a response to earlier American attacks on Canadian towns.
The fort's guns were used again in November 1813. An American army, led by General Wilkinson, was moving down the St. Lawrence River to capture Montreal. Wilkinson was so worried about Fort Wellington's cannons that he made his soldiers get off their boats. They marched through Ogdensburg at night while the empty boats slipped past the fort.
After Wilkinson's army passed, the soldiers from Prescott's fort followed them. On November 11, 1813, the two armies fought the Battle of Crysler's Farm. A smaller British and Canadian force defeated Wilkinson's army. This stopped the attack on Montreal and helped save Canada.
The fort was finished in 1814, around the time the war ended. After the war, fewer soldiers were needed. The fort slowly fell apart and was left by the British army in 1833.
The Fort's Abandonment
When the War of 1812 ended in December 1814, many British forts in Upper Canada were quickly closed. Fort Wellington was one of them. Even though it was abandoned, the land still belonged to the British government. The buildings inside the fort, which were built quickly, started to decay.
Building the Second Fort (1838)
In 1837, there was a rebellion in Canada. People were unhappy with the government. With few British soldiers around, the local militia quickly gathered at Fort Wellington. The government decided to rebuild the fort using the original earth walls from 1813. Work started in the spring of 1838.
The buildings you see at Fort Wellington today are from this time. The three-story stone blockhouse was finished in 1839. Other buildings like the officer's quarters, latrine, cookhouse, and guardhouse were also built. These improvements were made because of events like the seizure of the steamer Sir Robert Peel by rebels.
The original 24-pounder cannons were put back on the fort's corners. Two 12-pounder cannons were added, along with a 36-pounder carronade over the main gate. Two large 14-inch mortars were also placed inside the fort. A stone structure called a caponiere was built in the dry ditch outside the fort. You could reach it through a tunnel from inside the fort.
The Battle of the Windmill
After their defeat in 1837, many rebels from Canada fled to the United States. There, they found many Americans who sympathized with them and disliked the British. These groups formed an army of "Hunter Patriots." They believed Canadians were being treated unfairly and needed help from freedom-loving Americans.
In 1838, these Hunters carried out attacks in different parts of Ontario. Tensions grew when Canadian militia seized an American ship, the Caroline, and burned it. Even though the U.S. government officially opposed the Hunters, many local officials secretly helped them. For example, cannons "disappeared" from armories in New York.
In November 1838, a group of Hunter Patriots planned to attack Fort Wellington. They wanted to start a rebellion in Canada. But their attempt to land at Prescott on November 12 was a disaster. Canadian militiamen fired on their ship, which then ran aground. The Hunters eventually landed two miles downriver at Windmill Point. This spot had a small village and a tall stone windmill. The Hunters took over the village and the windmill. Their leader left, promising more help, and a Swedish immigrant named Nils von Schoultz took command.
The local Canadian militia commander quickly gathered his men. He surrounded Windmill Point and talked with the American military commander in Ogdensburg. A small American naval ship and an even smaller British ship, HMSV Experiment, worked together to stop more Hunters from reaching Windmill Point. During this blockade, a civilian ship used by the Hunters was fired upon by the British ship. The ship's helmsman was killed, and the Hunters retreated.
More militia and a few British soldiers arrived at Prescott. On November 13, they tried to attack Windmill Point. The militia pushed back the Hunter outposts but couldn't capture the windmill itself. Both sides had many casualties. The British commander decided to wait for more soldiers. He kept the area surrounded while the main militia force went back to Fort Wellington.
More British soldiers arrived on November 14, including artillery and Royal Marines. Heavy cannons were brought by ship from Kingston. More soldiers arrived from Montreal on November 16, just as the second attack was about to begin. Naval gunboats also arrived to shell the Hunters from the river.
During the second attack, the Hunters were quickly forced back into the windmill. The heavy cannons fired at the windmill, but its thick stone walls held strong. However, Von Schoultz and his men realized that Canadians were not joining their cause, and the promised help from Ogdensburg wasn't coming. Surrounded, with wounded men and running low on supplies, Von Schoultz surrendered. The survivors were taken to Fort Henry in Kingston. Some leaders, including Von Schoultz, were punished, while others were sent to Australia or pardoned.
From 1839 to 1923
Fort Wellington kept British soldiers after the rebellion. Today, visitors can see the fort as it looked in 1846. Back then, it had a small group of Royal Artillery soldiers and a company of riflemen. These riflemen were veterans of the British Army who volunteered to serve in Canada. They were paid better and could get land after their service.
The fort's job was to hold military supplies for the local militia. It also prevented surprise attacks. The British Army left Fort Wellington in 1863, and the militia took full control. The fort was used during the Fenian Raids in 1866.
During the First World War, the fort was a stop for soldiers traveling between Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal. Many Canadian soldiers on their way to Europe stayed there temporarily.
Becoming a National Historic Site
On January 30, 1920, Fort Wellington was named a National Historic Site of Canada. In 1923, it was given to the Dominion Parks Branch, which is now Parks Canada. Parks Canada now manages Fort Wellington and the windmill at Windmill Point, which is also a National Historic Site.
Parks Canada has special statements about Fort Wellington's importance:
- It was a main defense point between Montreal and Kingston during the War of 1812.
- Troops gathered here for the attack on Ogdensburg, New York, on February 22, 1813.
- When rebellion threatened Upper Canada, the fort became very important for defense again.
- It was the gathering spot for troops who stopped the invasion at Windmill Point in November 1838.
During the summer, Fort Wellington is open daily. You can take tours with guides in old uniforms. They show you the fort's buildings, including the storerooms and barracks. There's also a military museum on the third floor of the blockhouse. A new Visitor Centre opened in 2012. It has exhibits about the fort's history and a gunboat wreck.
The Battle of the Windmill National Historic Site is also open in the summer. Visitors can climb inside the windmill for great views of the river.
Legacy
On June 28, 1985, Canada Post released a stamp called 'Fort Wellington, Ont.' It was part of a series about forts across Canada.
