Betsy Doyle: Hero of American War of 1812

Wife of a captured soldier ran the cannon of Ft. Niagara

When her husband was captured by the British during the War of 1812, Betsy and her children were living at Ft. Niagara. When the fort came under attack, she helped load glowing hot cannonballs called “hot shot” into cannon on the third floor. She carried the glowing hot cannonballs up the stairs, under fire for an entire day. When many of the soldiers grew timid and fled she donned an American uniform and stood guard duty to shame them. When the fort was lost in 1813,, she fled with her children some 310 miles in the dead of winter to Albany, New York where she helped the army as a nurse. She often went without pay and died in 1819. Her husband never saw her again when he was released from prison at the end of the war.

The cost of freedom was high for the Doyle family, but her valor lives to this day. Valor is in you. Set it free.