Fort Wellington was built during the War of 1812 to defend the St. Lawrence River shipping route between Montreal and Kingston from possible attack by the United States. It was called into service again in 1838 when invasion from the United States was once more imminent. The fort continued to be used for military purposes, with occasional periods of abandonment, until it was transferred to the Department of the Interior in 1923 to be opened to the public as an historic site.
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Battle of the Windmill
During a four-day period in November, 1838 British troops and local militia defeated an invasion force of 300 American " Hunters " and Canadian rebels. The Battle of the Windmill victory prevented the invasion force from capturing Fort Wellington, Ontario, and cutting the St. Lawrence communications link, which would have left Upper Canada open to invasion.
