Queenston woman walks 20 miles through the bush to warn FitzGibbon; Americans march into an ambush

By the summer of 1813, the war along the Niagara frontier had settled into an uneasy, dangerous stalemate, with American forces occupying parts of Upper Canada and British positions stretched thin. Laura Secord, a civilian living in Queenston, overheard American officers quartered in her home reveal plans for an imminent attack on a British outpost. She slipped out alone and walked roughly 20 miles through difficult terrain to reach Lieutenant James FitzGibbon and deliver the warning. FitzGibbon used the intelligence to prepare — and when the American force arrived, it walked into an ambush…