When the Americans attacked Queenston, they crossed the Niagara River from Lewiston. In doing so, they were pounded by batteries such as Vrooman's Battery located just north of Queenston. The Americans suffered losses of men and boats and were in some confusion. Major John Wool, however, found a fisherman's path up the Heights and captured a vital battery from the British.

General Isaac Brock, the British commander and administrator of the province, was at Fort George convinced that the attack would come there. The attack forced him to gallop to Queenston. When he arrived, he saw that the battery on the Heights had been captured and, in typical fashion, quickly organized and led a counterattack. He paid the price for his prompt action when a sharpshooter killed him.

While this was happening, Lt.Col. Winfield Scott took command of the American forces on the Canadian side and tried to establish control. Iroquois and British reinforcements under General Sheaffe circled around Queenston and climbed the Heights at a point midway between Queenston and St David's. On reaching the top of the Heights, the reinforcements began to counterattack the invading Americans, who started to retreat. At the edge of the cliff, the Americans found that there was nowhere to go. Scott was expecting more American militia to cross from Lewiston to reinforce his outnumbered troops, but the militia, hearing the yelling and screaming of the Iroquois, refused to cross the river, leaving Scott no choice but to surrender.

Strangely, Brock is often given credit for the victory even though he died early on. The real victor, Sheaffe, was given bad press by Canadians because he had to abandon York (Toronto) later in the year. The British, who seem to have had more sense, rewarded Sheaffe with a baronetcy and promotion to Lieutenant-General but had to pull him out of Canada. It took 140 years for him to get some form of recognition in the Queenston Heights Park, where Brock has a huge monument.

Incidentally, both John Wool and Winfield Scott had prominent roles in the American Civil War. By 1861, they were two of the four general officers of the American Army. John Wool, aged 77, was a brevet Major General and had been a Brigadier General for twenty years. Winfield Scott, aged 75, was a brevet Lieutenant General and had been General-in-Chief of the American Army since 1841.