The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

War of 1812 Connections City of Hamilton Culture Division that the majority of goods flowed through Kingston and Queenston and Fort Erie, largely skirting York, Long Point and Burlington Heights. The use of the Heights by the military became a practical necessity as the tensions generated by the Napoleonic Wars (1798- 1815) spilled over into North America. Legal trade along the Niagara River was brought to a standstill over the enforcement of the Embargo Act (1809), which officially disallowed trade between the United States and Great Britain. Unofficially, it encouraged a healthy smuggling trade between Upper and Lower Canada and the Border States. With the loss of Fort George and the other posts along the Niagara River in the spring of 1813 and naval losses on Lake Erie in the fall, the Niagara River/ Lake Erie route was no longer safe for British shipping. In contrast, the Royal Navy on Lake Ontario continued to provide security for shipping to the newly established post on Burlington Heights which thereafter became an important depot of supply, rest and recuperation for the British army until the end of the war. War of 1812 Connections, City of Hamilton, Culture Division -3-