The Battle of Beaver Dams was a small battle on June 24, 1813 during the War of 1812. Through a ruse staged by the British commander, Lieutenant James FitzGibbon, a force of Mohawk, Odawa, and British soldiers ambushed and captured a larger army of Americans.

According to the traditional account, FitzGibbon had been first warned of American invasion plans on June 22 by local resident Laura Secord, although the first intimation of the American approach may well have come from Native scouts. Acting on the intelligence, he assembled a group of 50 British soldiers and marched in support of the nearby bands of Native American allies under Dominique Ducharne. The latter force tracked and ambushed the American army, pinning down some elements with sharp musketry and overwhelming others in brutal hand-to-hand combat.

FitzGibbon arrived on the scene and offered terms of surrender, promising to avert what appeared to be rapidly deteriorating into a massacre. Boerstler, unaware of true British numerical inferiority, complied.

The defeat at Beaver Dams discouraged further American incursions along the Niagara frontier for the remainder of the year.

In Canada, the battle is remembered largely for the heroics of Laura Secord.

Referring to the respective parts played by the various Native Americans and the British, local legend had it that, "The Caughnawaga got the victory, the Mohawks got the plunder and Fitzgibbon got the credit".

References

• The Canadian Encyclopedia
• Stanley, G.F.G. "The Significance of the Six Nations Participation in the War of 1812." Ontario Hisory LV(4), 1963.

Schlacht bei Beaver Dams