Guns Across the River: The Battle of the Windmill, 1838

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

Guns Across the River is a very readable account of an almost forgotten
battle that took place on Canadian soil. Patriot Hunters invaded from
the United States and fought British regulars, Canadian militiamen, and
Royal Navy sailors. The locale was a “picturesque … windmill
anchored on a bluff overlooking the St. Lawrence River in Edwardsburgh
Township near Prescott, [Ontario].” The battle of the windmill, the
author writes, “had its humorous aspects … but unfortunately it
resulted in much death and suffering that was all the more tragic
because it was needless.”

Graves sets the scene by dispelling certain notions that have distorted
the events and their significance. Perhaps the two most important
misconceptions are (i) that most of the invaders were Canadian rebels
and reformers, and (ii) that their leader, Nils von Schoultz, was an
aristocratic Polish patriot whose aim was to serve the cause of liberty
in Canada. In three parts and 11 chapters, he describes the organization
of the Patriot Hunters and explains their appeal to many young men in
northeastern New York state. (Appendix D presents information on 189 men
who were known to have been present at the battle.) Raids were launched
against Canada from various points along the border, but the major
assault was aimed at Prescott on November 11, 1838. Part 2 gives a
detailed—at times hour-by-hour—account of the fighting around the
windmill and a nearby group of houses. Part 3 describes the aftermath of
the battle, including the fate of the invaders and the defenders (widows
of dead militiamen and injured fighting men).

Thanks to the defence provided in 1838 by the British army and navy,
Canada, unlike Mexico, did not lose a large part of its territory to the
United States. Graves has succeeded admirably in advancing our
understanding of a critical event in Canadian history. His book is well
written and clearly illustrated with pictures and maps.