Snake Hill: An Investigation of a Military Cemetery from the War of 1812

Wesley B. Turner is an associate professor of history at Brock
University and author of The War of 1812: The War That Both Sides Won.

Some 700 metres west of Old Fort Erie (on the north shore of Lake Erie
near the entrance to the Niagara River) lay the remains of 28 soldiers,
several amputated limbs, and an ox—all buried in a hospital cemetery
between August and October of 1814. They were casualties of the British
bombardment and of skirmishing while the British besieged the American
forces occupying that corner of Canada. They rested forgotten and
virtually undisturbed until April 1987, when they were revealed during
the excavation of a basement foundation for a permanent home. The
discovery of skeletons of considerable age, many of them proximate to
military buttons, immediately aroused the interest of individuals in the
area, which quickly spread to scientists, the military, and politicians
in both the United States and Canada.

Snake Hill tells about this discovery; the historical background for
the interment of the remains (including amputated arms and legs); the
techniques used to uncover information from the bones, teeth, and
buttons; and the conclusions that can be drawn about the individuals as
well as conditions in the besieged Fort Erie. What emerges is “a
picture of a group of young men, tall and robust, from modest
backgrounds, faced with intensely demanding tasks which ultimately took
their lives.”

The book “provides a summary of two years of archaeological and
biological anthropological research,” written for the most part in
technical language, with numerous plates, figures, tables, four
appendixes, and lengthy references. The work was performed by an
impressive team of specialists in many disciplines drawn from both
Canada and the United States and was written up by no fewer than 19
authors.

Fortunately, the editors provide helpful overviews that place the
specific studies in context and summarize the conclusions. For those
with less scientific interest, the text (including a historical chapter
on the events), as well as sketches and photographs of skeletal remains,
present a horribly graphic picture of the “suffering and carnage”
endured by the men, and a number of women, under siege at Fort Erie.

Snake Hill enhances not only our understanding of the War of 1812 but
also our knowledge of life at that time.