Old Fort Erie: Grounds Tour
| The Monument at Old Fort Erie was originally erected in the ruins of the fort in 1904 and now stands over a mass grave that was uncovered during the fort's restoration in 1937-1939. Here lie the remains of 150 British and 3 American soldiers, killed during fighting here in 1814. Looking east, across the Niagara River, is the city of Buffalo N.Y., U.S.A. |  |
| The Outer Gate consisted of large wooden double doors with iron studding and reinforcements. Over the ditch was a wooden trestle bridge which could be dismantled quickly in case of attack. In the ditch around the fort, the soldiers placed a 9 foot (3 metre) high log fence called a palisade. Also sticking out of the earth wall were rows of spikes called fraising. Sentries would be posted by the outer gates at all times and duty consisted of patrolling an area in an alert but random fashion and challenging anyone who approached. |  |
| The Ravelin was an addition built by the British around 1810 when war with the U.S. seemed imminent. The ravelin was a large earthwork designed to protect the inner gates from artillery fire. It also served as a gun battery position to fire at ships on the river. Temporary structures were also built here to provide facilities for the incomplete fort. In 1815, a small officers' quarters was erected here. |  |
| The Curtain Wall was a 3 foot thick, stone wall, which connected the two barrack buildings and held the main or inner gate. You can clearly see the original, darker flintstone on the lower half of the wall and the limestone that was added in the 1930's reconstruction. |  |
| Sally Ports were common entrances through curtain walls. Notice the design to prevent direct enemy fire and access during an assault. The earthwork you pass through was not part of the fort's original design. Almost all the British forts in Upper Canada were cut in half during the War of 1812 to make them smaller, tougher and easier to defend. |  |
The Redoubts were separate fortifications that could be defended from all sides. The British intended to build full gun bastions as part of the fort but only the foundations were ever completed. The Americans used these foundations and erected redoubts with artillery guns, as a first line of defence.
In September 1814, the American garrison numbered more than 3,500 men and almost all of these soldiers lived in a large, fortified camp attached to the old British fort. If you look outside the fort toward the bandshell, you can still see the remains of the American Defences that stretched for a mile or 800 metres south to Snake Hill. |  |
