Battlefield Park

Considered a turning point in the War of 1812, the Battle of Stoney Creek raged all around the Gage family homestead. The 100 foot high Battlefield Monument stands as a symbol of peace and commemorates those soldiers who died on June 6, 1813. The Eagles Among Us sculpture is dedicated to peace and reconciliation after the war.

The Battle of Stoney Creek

On June 5, 1813, Brigadier-General John Chandler (US) led an army of about 3000 soldiers in an attempted invasion of Canada. Their encampment was in the vicinity of what is now Battlefield Park. That evening, armed with information supplied by Billy Green, some 700 British regulars of the 8th and 49th Regiments, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel John Harvey, left their encampment on Burlington Heights to attack the US force. British troops engaged the invading American army early the following morning, under cover of darkness. In the fighting that ensued, heavy losses were sustained by both sides.

Following the capture of their two senior officers, Brigadier-Generals Chandler and Winder, the Americans were defeated and withdrew. This victory is credited with preventing Upper Canada from being overrun in 1813.

Battlefield House

See below for link.

The Nash-Jackson House

Built in 1818, the Nash-Jackson house originally stood at the north-east corner of King Street East and Nash Road. The property formed part of what was William Gage's land grant and was deeded to Susannah Nash, his eldest daughter, in 1815. James Gage, a nephew of William, was the original owner of Battlefield House.

Once named Grandview, the house was constructed beside a single storey frame structure erected in 1794, which had served as a field hospital following the Battle of Stoney Creek on June 6, 1813. This was demolished in 1910.

The house was owned and occupied by five generations of the same family. Leone Jackson, great-granddaughter of Susannah and Samuel Nash, lived in the house her entire life and died in 1996, having raised three children on the family farm.

The Jackson family gifted the house to the City of Stoney Creek and it was moved to the park in November, 1999.

The Monument

The Battlefield Monument was unveiled to an audience of 15,000 on the centennial of the Battle of Stoney Creek, June 6, 1913, by Queen Mary in London by means of a transatlantic telegraph cable. Designed by the architectural firm of F. J. Rastrick and Sons, the monument stands 100 feet tall to commemorate a century of peace between Britain and the United States. It was the brainchild of the Women's Wentworth Historical Society under the leadership of Sara Calder.

Eagles Among Us

Unveiled June 6, 2014, Indigenous artist David M. General's sculpture, 'Eagles Among Us' is dedicated to peace and reconciliation and was commissioned by the City of Hamilton to commemorate the bicentennial of the Battle of Stoney Creek. The sculpture comprises four nine-foot-high granite eagles representing healing and reconciliation in Indigenous cultural traditions.

Battlefield Creek runs through the park.

Source:

Hamilton Civic Museums➹

Hamilton Historical Board (defunct)➹