One of those most revered names from the War of 1812 is that of Maj.-Gen. Sir Isaac Brock. Referred to as the “Saviour of Upper Canada,” Brock has roads, churches, universities and towns named after him — but why? Through this chronicle, we are going to delve into who Brock was and why he was so beloved in both life and death.

Amanda Gamble
Special to Niagara Now/The Lake Report

Following the Battle of Queenston Heights, the Upper Canadian Legislature passed a bill to erect a Monument to Maj.-Gen. Sir Isaac Brock.

Over the following decade, the government solicited donations from the public, and held a competition for the design, which was awarded to Francis Hall for his Tuscan-style commemorative monument.

In August 1824, a local newspaper noted an accident had occurred at Brock’s Monument, when a Scottish stonecutter named Donald Keith was hoisted to the top of the monument by a pully “for motives of curiosity.” 

About four feet from the top, the pully broke, and Keith fell to his death, and two others were wounded. This was the only accident associated with the construction of Brock’s Monument.

On Oct. 13, 1824, Brock and Macdonell’s bodies were removed from their first burial, in the bastion at Fort George and a military procession carried the bodies from Fort George to Queenston Heights.

Over 8,000 people came to witness the second funeral procession, including the brothers of John Macdonell and John Brant. 

In 1827, the monument was completed and opened to the public and became a popular picnic spot for visitors coming on steamships, locals, and veterans. 

Over the next 13 years, the monument was open and one could visit the whisky bar, climb the steps to the top and step outside for a panoramic view of the area.  

However, on April 17, 1840 (Good Friday), residents of Niagara were woken by a loud explosion, and smoke coming from the heights. 

A man named Benjamin Lett, an Irish sympathizer, had placed a bomb at the base of the steps of the monument, destroying the wooden stairs inside, and causing serious damage to the column.

There was great public outcry over the news of the destruction of Brock’s Monument, and on July 30, 1840, a large outdoor meeting was held at Queenston Heights to discuss what to do. 

There was so much interest in the meeting that July 30 was declared a national holiday in Toronto and Niagara. 

It was estimated that over 8,000 people attended the meeting, including the lieutenant-governor, with some camping for several days on the heights.  

John Beverly Robinson, a veteran who fought at the Battle of Queenston Heights, and the chief justice of Upper Canada, spoke at the event, and noted the following:

“Among the many who are assembled here from all parts of this Province, I know there are some who saw as I did, with grief, the body of the lamented general borne from the field on which he fell … They can never, I am sure, forget the countenances of that gallant regiment which he had long commanded, when they saw deposited in the earth, the lamented officer, who had been for many years their pride.

If it were intended by those who committed this shameful outrage, that the injury should be irreparable, the scene which is now before us, on these interesting heights, shows that they little understood the feelings of veneration for the memory of Brock, which still dwells in the hearts of the people of Upper Canada.”

Francis Hall, the architect of the original monument was at the meeting, and after assessing the damage, noted that the monument could be fixed. 

But those in attendance felt that just fixing the monument didn’t pay proper tribute to Maj.-Gen. Sir Isaac Brock, and so it was determined that a bigger and better monument to Brock should be erected on the heights. 

Thus, plans for a second monument began. 

A committee was set-up to oversee the construction of the second monument. Over the next 13 years, money was raised through public donations. 

Of particular note was the money donated by Indigenous allies, who contributed more per person than any other segment of the population of Upper Canada.

Join the Friends of Fort George at Brock’s Monument this Saturday, Oct. 5 at 11 a.m., for a special featured presentation on Brock’s Monuments. Tickets for this special presentation are available here: friendsoffortgeorge.square.site/special-event-tickets 

Amanda Gamble is the executive director of the Friends of Fort George, a non-profit, charitable organization that supports Parks Canada for the protection, preservation and interpretation of Niagara’s national historic sites.