Mapping the War’s Impact in Niagara

The relationship between battles, occupations, and experiences of loss and displacement are evident in spatial and temporal mapping of the Niagara District during the war. The project website includes an interactive map with an embedded timeline that illustrate these connections. Although traditional battle narratives mention the nearby settlements and towns affected by the fighting, they rarely focus on the individuals whose lives were disrupted and whose property was imperiled. Mapping battles, skirmishes, invasions, occupations, and contested areas alongside representations of losses recorded in the war loss claims of Niagara’s inhabitants provides a unique perspective on how people experienced the war in the district. For instance, the map shows that the primary battles in the region were limited to seven specific locations. Fighting that occurred in populated areas such as Newark, Queenston, Lundy’s Lane, Chippewa, and Fort Erie caused damage to local property and was sometimes followed by looting of houses. Yet a significant number of losses were experienced in areas of the district in which there were no major engagements, demonstrating the impact of raids and foraging in contested areas. Similarly, the geographic extent of American occupation in the district clearly correlates with the townships that experienced the highest rates of looting. This kind of mapping allows easy recognition of spatial patterns in the district that lend support to generally accepted but unexamined observations about the impact of war on the civilian population.

This is an interactive map of major events of the War of 1812 in the Niagara District and the approximate residences of women who submitted claims for losses incurred during the war. It allows users to manipulate the map and timeline, and to click each icon for more information.

Similarly, mapping events on a timeline shows how major battles and occupations correlate with inhabitant’s experiences of loss. The interactive timeline on the project site includes time periods in which the British or American army controlled specific forts along the Niagara River. Although these facts are well-documented in written histories, mapping them alongside other events on the timeline shows how inhabitants in certain areas experienced looting and burning in direct relation to the presence of friendly or enemy armies in the immediate vicinity. For example, the residents of Newark experienced looting and displacement when the American army invaded and took possession of Fort George in 1813. After the American occupation, the British regained control of Fort George and Fort Erie on the southern end of the river. For the next year, inhabitants in the district were free from looting (though some experienced appropriations by the British army). When the Americans invaded again to capture Fort Erie, the British withdrew to Fort George and left the district open to contest. For the next six months, residents were at risk of plunder and burning that had previously ravaged Newark, Lewiston, Buffalo, Black Rock, and Port Dover. The value of digital mapping technology is the ability to represent both spatial and temporal changes in relation to one another. The ability to map these interactions together improves our understanding of the inhabitants’ experiences during the war.