Rifles- First on the Beach, First in the fort

 The event at Ft. Niagara, NY on July 28-29, 2018 was the Grand Tactical event for the umbrella organization, the Crown Forces of North America (CFNA).  Many of this group joined the Brigade Napoleon for our Grande Tactique at Ft. George, Ontario on Jun3 8-9.

 The battle scenarios included a beach landing on Saturday from boats furnished and manned by the Royal Navy contingents; and a land assault on the fort by the British forces.

 The 95^th Rifles volunteered for the beach landing on Saturday.  We were rowed out from the camps onto Lake Ontario and the five boats of troops awaited the start of the battle.  As the main British force marched out to attack the American Force, the landing party had an excellent view of the developing land battle.  The beach assault force moved to the landing point and attacked the flank of the American force.  The boat crew landed us professionally with dry feet!  We joined the main force to drive the Americans from the field and win the day.  The spectator crowds (there were over 6,000 spectators on both days) had an excellent view of the fighting.  The Rifles were conspicuous by their enthusiastic volunteering to join the landing party and their fighting ability through the battle.

Saturday’s entertainment included a Regency Era dance and a Tavern (beer, cider and wine) organized by the Friends of Old Fort Niagara.

Sunday morning was spent in battalion drill, led by Sjt. Maj Wardle and Adjutant Pinn of the CFNA.  As part of an ongoing project to coordinate and enhance the drill of CFNA member units, we were introduced to new maneuvers.

The Sunday afternoon battle was held around the main fort.  It was a reenactment of the British assault to capture Ft. Niagara in the War of 1812.  The spectators could stand on a portion of the parapet that allowed for a panoramic view of the battle scenario.

 The Rifles, in combination with the Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles, performed skirmish and light infantry duties for the British battalion.  We attacked an outlying ravelin and captured the American defenders.  Then General Craig Williams shouted, “Rifles follow me”, and rushed for the main gate to the fort.  We pushed open the heavy gates and raced through the Sally Port to attack the American garrison on the parade ground.  Riflemen were the first of the forlorn hope to reach the fort parade ground.  The successful assault on the fort concluded an hour-long battle to secure the fort for the Crown.

Riflemen in attendance for this event were, Dan Cripps, Bill Goumas and Jim Tate.  We were combined with the Canadian Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles for this event.  This is the same group we worked with at Ft. George in June.  The Friends of Old Fort Niagara provided a sumptuous breakfast on Saturday and Sunday.  We had a company mess for Dinner and Supper meals.  The event organizers provided wood, water, porta-johns, ice and trash pickup through the weekend.  The British camp layout was convenient to all activities and to Sutlers Row.  The weather for the weekend was clear, sunny with a lake breeze.  It couldn’t have been a better weekend.

 Fort Niagara was first built by the French in 1679 and expanded through the French and Indian War and the War of 1812.  It served as a U.S. Army artillery post past the end of World War II.  The site is beautifully maintained by the New York Parks Authority as “Old Fort Niagara” (OFN).  We were very well treated throughout the weekend.  More information can be found on the web site www.oldfortniagara.org.

 Respectfully Submitted,

James Tate, Serjeant

95^th Rifles, 1^st Battalion, 2^nd Coy