John Macdonell

Lieutenant Colonel John Macdonell of Greenfield (19 April 1785 – 14 October 1812) was an aide-de-camp to British Major General Sir Isaac Brock during the War of 1812, dying in the Battle of Queenston Heights.

He also became a lieutenant colonel in the York Militia[1] and, at the outbreak of the War of 1812, became secretary and provincial aide-de-camp to General Isaac Brock.

Despite being a lawyer by trade with little military experience, Lieutenant-Colonel Macdonell, along with Captain John Williams of the 49th Foot,[2] led a second attempt to retake the Redan, one that was very nearly successful.

His remains were removed and reinterred with due solemnity, on 13 October 1853.At the Redan Battery, a plaque mounted on a trio of large stones also serves as a monument to Macdonell.

The plaque reads: Site of Redan Battery | Near this spot Lieut-Col. John Macdonell Attorney General of Upper Canada was mortally wounded 13 October 1812.In his 1984 album From Fresh Water, the late Canadian folk singer Stan Rogers immortalised Macdonell in the song "Macdonnell on the Heights".