HISTORY

March 4, 1814
Longwoods

For many weeks after Harrison's victory on the Thames nothing of great importance occurred in that region. The first change to this was an expedition under Capt. Andrew Holmes of the 28th US Regulars in February 1814. It consisted of 160 mounted men and two 6-pounders, and its object was the capture of Port Talbot, or Ft. Delaware, on the River Thames.

Holmes left Ft. Malden on 21 February, moving along the shore of Lake Erie. The ground was soft, and he was forced to abandon his two guns. After a clash with some Canadian militia who escaped, Holmes decided that the militia would warn the defenders of Port Talbot, and he determined to make for Ft. Delaware instead.

Holmes' troops encountered 300 British troops toward the evening of the March 3, at a place called the Longwoods where the Americans were encamped inside defenses. Early on 4 March, British forces exchanged a few shots with the Americans and then feigned a retreat, hoping to draw the Americans out of their defenses. They fought for about an hour, and then each gladly withdrew under cover of the night.