Nov 17, 2016 - Sale 2432

Sale 2432 - Lot 315

Price Realized: $ 812
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 500 - $ 750
(WAR OF 1812.) Burton, Benjamin. Letter from an English officer describing the Battle of Fort Erie. Autograph Letter Signed to mother Lady Burton of Pollacton, County Carlow, Ireland. 3 pages, 14 1/4 x 9 1/4 inches, plus address panel without postal markings, on one folding sheet; short separations at the intersection of folds, seal tears affecting signature. (MRS) Chippawa, ON, 14 October 1814

Additional Details

In this battle, Americans besieged in Fort Erie attempted a sortie on the entrenched British troops. Though both sides suffered heavy losses, the British lifted the siege soon after. Lieutenant Burton, son of Sir Charles Burton of Pollacton, describes it as an English victory: "We had another very hard fought battle before Fort Erie on the 17 Sept. The enemy came out of the fort in a very galant manner, about 6000 strong, and attacked our camp which was defended in a most noble state by our British. It lasted about 4 hours, and our loss & theirs was very considerable, however, they got the worst of it. We took about 100 prisoners." Provenance: sold by Henry Bristow of Ringwood, UK to the consignor in 1988.