Battle of Queenston Heights
13 October 1812 — Canadian forces and allies resist the American invasion across the Niagara River during the War of 1812.
Setting & objective
The required goals are Defeat the Americans to retake Queenston. Optional goals include Retake Queenston Heights; Build two Outposts in the flagged areas near the riverbank; Build a Trading Post on the Lenape settlement; Reach the trapped British regulars before they are are overrun.
How to approach it
Retake Queenston first, then use the riverbank Outposts and Lenape Trading Post to secure the approaches. Reach the trapped British regulars before they are overrun if the force can safely divert. The optional rescue and alliance can strengthen the counterattack, but do not leave the main army divided between both riverbanks.
Defend the crossings and secure the allied objectives
Battle of Queenston Heights is a Historical Battle set during the War of 1812. The Canadian force must defeat the Americans and retake Queenston. The scenario begins in the Fortress Age and can advance to the Imperial Age; its standard setup provides 900 Food, 900 Wood and 900 Coin, six Settlers, six Musketeers and 29 State Militias with a Militia Officer. Moderate difficulty reduces starting resources to 800 of each and starts with 15 State Militias; Hard begins with 500 of each and the same 15 militia. The 200 population limit leaves room to reinforce after the opening defense. American attacks approach from the Niagara River to the east and Queenston to the south, while British troops are scattered and surrounded. The first responsibility is to keep the Canadian Town Center and Settlers safe while the army holds the approaches. Do not send the whole force in one direction: reserve enough troops to stop a river landing or an attack from Queenston. The Militia Officer and Musketeers can anchor a defense while State Militias move to the threatened crossing. Once a wave is stopped, use the pause to gather resources, rebuild the army and advance only if doing so will not leave the base exposed. The primary victory condition is to defeat the Americans and retake Queenston. Secondary objectives reward control of the surrounding battlefield: retake Queenston Heights, build two Outposts in the marked riverbank areas, place a Trading Post at the Lenape settlement and reach British regulars before they are overrun. These goals reinforce one another. Outposts improve vision and defense at the river approach; the Lenape Trading Post can provide an allied foothold; rescuing British regulars adds troops and prevents an ally from being lost. Complete the rescue when the route is secure rather than sacrificing the main army to reach it during an active attack. The scenario includes British, Haudenosaunee and Lenape allies. The Haudenosaunee village lies southwest and has its own settlement and forces, while the British army is distributed across the map. Use allied positions to extend control instead of treating the mission as a single Town Center defense. Secure a path between the river and Queenston, then move the army in a group to clear the heights and town. Keep siege units behind the frontline and protect Settlers when they construct the optional Outposts; the structures are useful only if they survive long enough to cover the crossing. The setting is the 13 October 1812 battle in which American forces invaded across the Niagara River into Canada. The Canadian side draws on local York and Lincoln militias and Indigenous allies, including Mohawk, Lenape and Haudenosaunee forces. The scenario’s objectives therefore combine defense, coalition support and counterattack. On higher difficulties the reduced starting resources make early losses more costly, so use the initial State Militias to blunt the first push, retain the Settlers for the marked construction objectives and avoid optional detours until the approaches are stable. After defeating the Americans, complete any remaining secondary tasks only if the scenario still permits them.
Order the counterattack around the secondary tasks
Use the initial militia to delay attacks while Settlers remain available for the Outposts and Trading Post. The two riverbank Outposts cover flagged approaches and give the army warning before an attack reaches the Town Center. The Lenape settlement is southwest of the player’s position, so a Trading Post there should be built after the direct threat is contained and the route can be defended. The trapped British regulars are a timed rescue objective in practice: send a mobile force as soon as the path is clear, because reaching them after the Americans have overrun the position loses the reinforcement opportunity. Retaking Queenston Heights opens ground for the final push, but protect the workers and do not drain the northern defense to do it. Standard difficulty provides more State Militias and resources than Moderate or Hard, so the same opening can require a tighter defensive posture at the higher levels. Preserve Musketeers for the approaching enemy force, reinforce from the Town Center, then move south against Queenston once the river and allied positions are stable.
Retake the river position and rescue the trapped regulars
The main objective is to defeat the Americans and retake Queenston. Optional tasks ask the player to retake Queenston Heights, build two Outposts near the riverbank, ally with the Lenape by building a Trading Post and reach British regulars before they are overrun. The optional objectives provide a way to secure the approaches and add map support, but they require the army to move on several fronts. Establish the riverbank Outposts before launching the final push if they can be protected; use them to watch routes rather than leaving them undefended. The Lenape alliance can support the campaign plan, while the trapped regulars are time-sensitive and need a direct rescue route. This Definitive Edition Historical Battle is based on the 1812 invasion of Canada. Scout the crossing and keep the force together when moving from the river objectives to the town, so a detachment is not caught between American reinforcements.