The scene changed rapidly.  Early in February, 1813, Nairne was sent to Niagara.  Here for a time he was stationed at Fort George.  The Americans were now menacing Fort Erie on the Canadian side of the Niagara River.  But things were looking well for the British.  On January 22nd the British Colonel Procter defeated the American General Winchester at Frenchtown near Detroit and made him and 500 of his men prisoners.  Now young Nairne talked even of “extirpating” General Harrison whom the English were attacking in what is now the state of Ohio.  But again high hopes were dashed.  General Harrison succeeded in forcing the British to evacuate Detroit; then he invaded Canada, and before the campaign of 1813 was over he defeated the British badly at the river Thames in what is now Western Ontario.  Meanwhile about Niagara there was some lively campaigning.  In March Nairne describes an exciting night journey in sleighs from Fort George to Chippewa near Niagara Falls where an American landing was feared.  Echoes of more distant wars reach this remote frontier.  This was the winter of Napoleon’s terrible retreat from Moscow and word comes, “glorious news certainly if true,” that 140,000 French have been captured by the Russians.

Nearer home the chronicle was less glorious.  The American fleet appeared before York (Toronto), burned the Parliament Buildings and public records, and carried off even the church plate, and the books from the library, of Upper Canada’s capital, acts avenged by the burning of Washington later in the war.  Flushed with success, the Americans now prepared to attack Fort George in overwhelming force.  The 49th, Nairne’s regiment, were the chief defenders.  The attack came on May 27th, 1813.  There was sharp and bloody fighting.  Greatly outnumbered, the British were beaten; so hastily did they evacuate the fort that Nairne and others lost their personal effects.  He writes, somewhat ruefully, that he has now only the clothes on his back and his watch, a purse, a family ring, and some trinkets.  But this had its compensations; now he could carry everything in a haversack and blanket.  Even paper, pens and ink are hardly to be got; he is writing on the last bit of paper he is likely to have for some time.

For many weeks the young man took his share in this campaigning in the Niagara peninsula.  The British headquarters were by this time at Burlington Heights at the head of Lake Ontario, half way between Fort George and York, the ruined capital.  By June the British had turned on the foe with vigour.  On June 6th they rather stumbled into victory at Stoney Creek, capturing two American Generals, Winder and Chandler.  On June 7th a British squadron, under Sir James Yeo, appeared off Burlington Heights, bombarded the American camp on the shore at Forty Mile Creek and compelled a retreat towards Fort George.  Soon the British were menacing the enemy in Fort George itself.  Nairne’s letters, watched for, we may be sure, at Murray Bay with breathless interest,