On June 26th 1812, while Major General Isaac Brock was entertaining American officers at Fort George in Newark (Niagara on the Lake), he received news that a state of war had existed between the Americans and the British since June 11th 1812.
Major General Brock was 42 years old and was an imposing figure at 6’3″. Brock announced the declaration of war to his guests. After saying goodbye and wishing each other well, the Americans departed.
This marked the beginning of the War of 1812. This war would continue for the next three years before it would end.
The commander of the American forces in the Niagara Frontier was General Stephen Van Rensselaer. The Americans had 6,000 soldiers along the frontier while the British had 1,200 regular soldiers bolstered by various militias.
The Americans attacked Fort Niagara (Youngstown, New York) forcing the British to abandon the fort for the safety of Fort George along the western banks of the Niagara River.