John Macdonell
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Lieutenant-Colonel John Macdonell (19 April 1785 – 13 October 1812) was aide-de-camp to British Major General Isaac Brock during the War of 1812 dying in the Battle of Queenston Heights. He was born on 19 April 1785 in Scotland and came to Canada when he was seven years old. There he studied to become a lawyer and was called to the bar at the age of 23, opening his own law office. An interest in politics earned him a seat on the legislature and an appointment as attorney-general.
He also became a colonel in the local militia and, at the outbreak of the War of 1812, became secretary and provincial aide-de-camp to General Isaac Brock. He was therefore with the General on 13 October 1812 when an American musket ball struck Brock. Inexperienced but courageous, Macdonell then led the charge up the hill which broke the American lines. This resulted in a victory for the British forces, but also Macdonell's death.
On October 16, 1812 Col. Macdonell, along with General Brock, was buried in a bastion at Fort George. In 1824 Both bodies were moved to Queenston Heights, and a monument placed on their graves honoring them. It is documented that when moving the remains someone noted that while Col. Macdonell was in a later state of decomposition, General Brock's remains were near perfect. In 1840 the monument was destroyed by Irish-Canadian Benjamin Lett. When a new monument was built, there was no mention of Macdonell on it. But inside the monument there is a brass plaque which reads:
- Beneath are deposited the mortal remains of Lieut. Colonel John Macdonell P.A. D.C. and Aide-de-camp to the lamented Major General Sir Isaac Brock. K.B. Who fell mortally wounded at the Battle of Queenston on the 13th October 1812 and died on the following day. His remains were removed and reinterred with due solemnity, on the 13th October 1853.
John Macdonell is the subject of a song, Macdonell on the Heights, by Stan Rogers.
