Which French fort at the mouth of the Niagara River fell to the British in 1759?

The French fort at the mouth of the Niagara River that fell to the British in 1759 was Fort Niagara.

Fort Niagara guarded the connection between Lake Ontario and the Great Lakes and served as a major French supply base for western outposts. Its position made it strategically important to both France and Britain during the French and Indian War, the North American theater of the Seven Years’ War.

British forces under John Prideaux began the siege in July 1759. After Prideaux was killed by an artillery accident, Sir William Johnson assumed command. The French garrison, led by Pierre Pouchot, surrendered on July 26 after a relief force was defeated at the Battle of La Belle-Famille.

A common mix-up is Fort Frontenac, another French post on Lake Ontario captured by the British the previous year. Fort Rouillé, near present-day Toronto, was abandoned and burned by the French after Niagara fell; it was not the fort captured in the 1759 siege.