ill w§ iiiiH :iii|: iii:: ^IMiliHim; HISTORY OF THE SECOND WAR BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND GREAT BRITAIN; BY JOHN LEWIS THOMSON. TO WHICH ARE ADDED, SKETCHES OF THE MILITARY OPERATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE PRESENT TIME, INCLUDING BLACK HAWK^S WAR, THE SEMINOLE WARS IN FLORIDA, AND THE AYAE AVITII MEXICO. PHILADELPHIA: H G A N AND T H I\I P S N. 1848. t-35^ Entered, iifcnnliii!; to Act of Congres'S in the ye;ir 1818, by II G A N & 1' H O M P S O N , in the Odlcc of the Clerk of the District Court of the United States in and for the Eastern Dis- trict of Pennsylvania. STERKOTYPED fSV GEOIUJE CIIAULKS, NO. 9 UrcKCiE STREET, Til ILADELl'lIIA. BY THE EDITOR. Mr. Thomson's History of the Second War between Great Britain and the United States, was written and pub- lished very soon after the termination of that eventful con- test. The author had the advantage of abundant resources for his work. Besides the great mass of official documents at his command, he was in possession of numerous letters and journals from officers who had served in thtwar, and he was personally acquainted with many of the conspicuous actors in that grand drama. These circumstances, known to the public at the time, gave authority to his w^ork, and it passed rapidly through six editions. The copyright having passed into the hands of the present publishers, they determined on republishing it, with the addition of a history of the military transactions of this country down to the present time, including the War IV PREFACE. with Black Hawk, the Seminole Wars in Florida, and the War with Mexico. In editing Thomson's History, it was thought expedient to add a chapter on the Creek War, conducted by General Jackson, and to enlarge the account of that great com- mander's operations in defense of New Orleans. The history of the subsequent military operations of the country has been drawn from official documents, and the personal narratives of actors in the stirring scenes narrated. A work of this description has long been demanded as a contribution to the general history of the republic. In pre- paring it for publication, the editor has endeavoured to de- serve the public approbation, by care and fidelity in every part of the work. v,^r^ SECOND AYAK WITH GREAT BRITAIN. CHAPTER I. COMMENCEMENT OF THE TTAR, 13 IT. NAVAL CAAIPAIGN OF 1812, 42 ITT. HOSTILITIES OF THE CUEEK INDIANS, CI IV. OPERATIONS OF TAVLOR AND WINCHESTER ON THf: NORTH-WESTERN FRONTIER, GO V. OPERATIONS OF fiENERALS HARRISON AND HOPKINS, 77 VI. OPERATIONS ON THE NORTHERN FRONTIER IN 1S12, 82 VII. NAVAL CAMPAIGN OF 1812, CONTINUED, 112 VIII. OPERATIONS OF WINCHESTER AND HARRISON IN THE NORTII-WCST, . 125 IX. COMMENCE.MENT OF THE CAMPAIGN OF 1913, 146 X. OPERATIONS ON THE NIAGARA FRONTIER, 188 XI. OPERATIONS OF THE NORTH-WESTERN ARMY. BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE. BATTl OF THE THAJIES, 202 XII. OPER.' TIONS ON THE NIAGARA FRONTIER, 225 XIII. COMMENCEi>-ENT OF THE NAVAL CAMPAIGN OF 1S13, 247 XIV. OPERATIONS ON THE DELAWARE AND CHESAPEAKE BAYS, 263 XV. OPERATIONS OF THE BRITISH ON LONG ISLAND SOUND, , 288 XVI. NAVAL OPERATIONS IN 1813, 300 (V) VI CONTENTS. CHAPTER XVII. COMMENCEMENT OF THE CAMPAIGN OK 1814, 328 XVIII. OPERATIONS ON THE NIAGARA FRONTIER, 349 XIX. FURTHER OPERATIONS ON THE NIAGARA FRONTIER, 384 XX. INVASION OF VERMONT. FURTHER OPERATIONS ON THE NIAGARA FRONTIER, 400 XXI. THE CREEK WAR, 421 XXII. CAPTURE OF WASHINGTON. DEFENSE OF NEW ORLEANS, 434 XXIII. CLOSE OF THE NAVAL CAMPAIGN OF 1814, 486 THE FIRST SEMINOLE W^AR, 499 BLACK HAWK'S WAR, 507 THE SECOND SEMINOLE WAR, 515 ■ ^ ^ ♦ ^ » WAR WITH MEXICO. CHAPTER I. COMMENCEMENT OK THE MEXICAN WAR, 509 II. BATTLES OF THE RIO GRANDE, 524 III. CAPTURE OF BARITA AND MATAMORAS, 506 IV. STORMING OF MONTEREY, 576 V. BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA, 594 VI. OCCUPATION OF CALIFORNIA AND NEW MEXICO, 609 VII. CAPTURE OF VERA CRUZ, 616 VIII. MARCH TO THE CAPITAL, 626 IX. CAPTURE OF MEXICO, 639 OKIfAMENTAL HEADPIECE, BATTLE OF TIPPECANOE, COLONEL CASS, BATTLE OF MAGtJAGA, DETROIT, ORNAMENTAL HEADPIECE, . ESCAPE OF THE CONSTITUTION . COMMODORE HULL, UNITED STATES AND MACEDONIAN, ORNAMENTAL HEADPIECE,. ORNAMENTAL TAILPIECE, GENERAL HARRISON, DEFENSE OF FORT HARRISON, ORNAMENTAL TAILPIECE, , ORNAMENTAL HEADPIECE, ORNAMENTAL HEADPIECE, . DEFENSE OF OGDENSBURG, BATTLE OF aUEENSTOWN, , FORT NIAGARA, INDIGNATION OF THE TROOPS, ORNAMENTAL HEADPIECE, COMMODORE BAINBRIDOE, . CONSTITUTION AND JAVA, MASSACRE AT THE RITER RAISIN, . PAGE 13 15 23 29 35 42 43 47 58 61 65 66 69 76 77 82 84 88 99 107 112 118 120 131 (vii) Vlll ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE SIEGE OF FOIIT MEIGS, ...... . 141 OHNAMEXTAL HEADPIECE, . ...... 146 COMMODOllE CUAUXCET, ...... . 148 CAPTUIIE OF FORT GEOIIGE, ....... 165 IJEFKNSE OF SACKETt's IIAIIIIOUR, ...... 177 SOUTU-EAST VIEW OF SACKETt's UAKUOUU, ..... 181 hetreat of the iihitisu from sackett's harbour, .... 184 orxajikstal headpiece, ........ 188 young cornplanteh, ........ 194 attack on black rock, ........ 195 tecumseh, ...... ... 202 battle of lake erie, . . . . . . . .211 commodore perry, ........ 214 governor shelby, . ....... 216 general harrison crossing the thames, ..... 224 ornamental headpiece, . ....... 225 general macomb, ........ 230 general ripley, ......... 233 general wilkinson, ..... ... 235 burning of lewistown, ....... 242 ornamental tailpiece, ....... 246 ornamental headpiece, ........ 247 hornet and peacock, ........ 249 gallant action of the general armstrong, ..... 259 enterprise and boxer, .... ... 262 ornamental headpiece, ........ 263 attack on havre de grace, ....... 271 burning of fredericktown, ..... 275 ornamental tailpiece, ...... 287 ornamental headpiece, . ..... 288 ornamental tailpiece, • . . . . . 299 ornamental headpiece,. ..... 300 cruise of the argus, ...... 301 captain allen, ....... 305 CAPTAIN PORTKR's CRUISE IN THE PACIFIC, .... 308 COMMODORE PORTER, ...... 312 PEACOCK AND EPERVIER, ..... 317 COMMODORE WARRINGTOWN, . . OOf) WASP AND AVON, ..... 324. CAPTAIN BLAKELY, . , ^ ot)C ORNAMENTAL TAILPIECE, Oor( ILLUSTRATIONS. IX I'AOt; ounamentai. headpiece, . . ...... 328 attack ox oswego, . . . . . . . . 336 BUnNIXG OF DOVEH, ........ 342 OHNAMEXTAL TAILPIECE, ....... 348 ORXAMENTAL HEADPIECE, ........ 349 BATTLE OF CHIPPEWA, ....... 355 COLONEL MILLER AT LUNDt's LANE, ...... 370 GEXEBAL MILLER, ........ 374 ORNAMENTAL TAILPIECE, ....... . 383 ORNAMENTAL HEADPIECE, ....... 384 GENERAL GAINES, ....... . . 390 DEFENSE OF FORT ERIE, ....... 393 ORNAMENTAL HEADPIECE, . ....... 400 BURLINGTON BAT, ........ 406 BATTLE OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN, ....... 410 COMMODORE MCDONOUGH, . ...... 413 GENERAL BROWN, ...... . . 417 GENERAL JACKSON, . ....... 421 THE PROPHET, ......... 425 WEATHERFOHD, . ....... 432 ORNAMENTAL TAILPIECE, ........ 433 BLADENSBURG, ........ 434 COMMODORE BARNEY, ........ 439 FORT M<^HENnT, ........ 443 BOMBARDMENT OF FORT M<^HENRT, ...... 450 FORTIFYING OF NEW ORLEANS, ...... 480 BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS, ....... 48.3 ORNAMENTAL HEADPIECE, ....... 487 HORNET AND PENGUIN. ........ 493 ESCAPE OF THE HORNET, ....... 495 FRANCIS HILLISHAGO, . ....... 499 ORNAMENTAL TAILPIECE, . . .... 504 BLACK HAWK, ....... . . 507 GENERAL SCOTT, . . . , . . . .511 OSCEOLA, .......... 515 MASSACRE OF DADe's DETACHMENT, ...... 519 MICANOPE, ......... 521 BATTLE OF OKEE-CHO-BEE, ....... 529 BATTLE OF PALAKLAKLAH A, ....... 535 ORNAMENTAL TAILPIECE, .„..,.. 538 CORPUS CHRISTI, ......... 541 ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE POINT ISAHEL, ....•••• ^'*^ CAPTURE OF CAPTAIN THOHNTOX, ....••• ^^^ FOllT miOWN, BATTLE OF PALO ALTO, TACPBATA, CHAPULTEPEC 556 557 DEATH OF llIXfiGOLn, .....••• 559 OHNAMENTAL TAILPIECE, ........ 565 OU.VAMEXTAL HEADPIECE, ... .... 56G MEXICAN GENTLEMEN, ........ 575 ORNAMENTAL HEADPIECE, ....... 576 THE AMEUU'AN ARMY ENTERING MARIN, ON ITS MARCH TO MONTEREY, . . 578 STORMING OF FORT TENERIA, ....... 580 STORMING OF MONTEREY, ........ 582 THE IIISUOP'S PALACE, ........ 586 STREET FIGHT ON GENERAL WORTh'h SIDE, ..... 591 WORTH AT MONTEREY, . ... ... 593 SANTA ANNA, ......... 594 BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA, ....... 599 GENERAL TAYLOR AT BUENA TISTA, ...... 601 HEAD MULETEER AND SERVANT, ...... 608 GENERAL KEARNT, ....... . . 609 CAPTURE OF PANCCO, ...... . . 615 GENERAL M^ORTH, ......... 616 SIEGE OF VERA CRUZ, ....... . 619 AMERICAN FLEET SALUTING THE CASTLE AFTER ITS SURRENDER, . . . 623 MEXICANS LEAVING VERA CRUZ, ..... . 625 COMMENCEMENT OF THE GUERILLA WARFARE, ..... 626 GENERAL TWIGGS, ........ 628 JALAPA, ....,..,., 630 BATTLE OF CERHO GORDO, ...... 631 CAPTURE OF TUSPAN, •••... 632 RATTLE OF CHURUUUSCO, ••.... 634 MEXICAN OFFICER, ....... 638 CITY OF MEXICO, ..... 639 . 645 647 PUEBLA DE LOS ANOELOS, ...... 651 ORNAMENTAL TAILPIECE, ..... 656 CHAPTER I. About the close of the year 1811 the Indian affairs on the southern and north- western frontiers of the United States assumed an aspect of a much more alarm- ing nature than that which had been marked by any of the previous depreda- tions of the neighbouring tribes. Inces- sant incursions were followed by the extinction of whole families, and the seve- ral nations seemed emulous of excelling each other in acts of the greatest horror. An unextinguishable hostility was mani- fested by the most powerful chiefs and warriors, whose enmity towards the fron- tier inhabitants was excited, and kept alive by an industrious circulation of (13) 14 EXPEDITION TO PROPHET S TOWN. inflammatory addresses, and alluring gifts. The conduct of the British traders was far from being consistent with the pacific disposition Avhich their government had been professing ; and the facility with which the Indians became possessed of every de- scription of offensive weapons, known to be beyond their means, either to manufacture or to purchase, led to suspicions of their having been supplied by its appointed agents. The result of investigations which were made by the governors of Ohio, and of the Michigan and Illinois territories, gave strong confirmation to these suspicions, and it was ascertained that great quantities of missiles, arms, and ammunition, had been delivered to the dif- ferent nations, contiguous to the British posts. The influence of a Shawanese, who styled himself " the Pro- phet," and who neglected no means to excite the most violent animosities against the people of the United States, had produced among the Indians on the borders of the Wabash, a disposition to massacre and plunder, to so enormous an extent, that the vigorous interference of the government was no longer to be delayed. Mea- sures were therefore immediately adopted, in conjunction with Governor William H. Harrison, to repel by force, any further out- rages which could not be prevented by amicable treaty. The militia of Indiana, and a regiment of United States infantry, commanded by Colonel John P. Boyd, were accordingly ordered to march, under Governor Harrison, to the Prophet's town, to demand restoration of the plunder which the Indians had com- mitted, and io reduce them to terms, which would secure the future peace of that territory. In the month of November, 1811, this body of troops were within four miles of the Prophet's town (having already marched thirty-four days) before the Indians had any expectation of seeing them ; when one of the chiefs came out, and proposed that Governor Harrison should encamp near them until morning, at which time the Prophet would willingly enter into a treaty of peace. This proposal was agreed to, and the army were encamped in line of battle, with orders to keep on their accoutre- ments, and to lie upon their arms, so that they might be ready for action without one moment's delay. At four o'clock on the morning of the seventh, the camp was attained with great fury by the savages at one point, where the bayonet, however, soon BATTLE OF TIPPECANOE. 15 Battle of Tipptcanoe dispersed them, and where three Indians were found within the line of sentinels seeking^ the commander. The morning: was excessively dark, and the men could only be distinguished by the watchword, or the flashes of the musketry. By the aid of this momentary light, the Indians were seen crowding into the camp ; but they were entirely routed by several vigorous and intrepid charges. The conduct of Colonel Boyd and the 4th regiment, after the action had become more general, intimidated and put the Indians to flight ; at the dawn of day they were closely pursued, and numbers of them killed. The cavalry were now first brought into action, but the savasres fled from them in grreat confusion, abandoned their town, into which they had been driven, and escaped across the river. Fifty-three Indians were lying dead about the encampment, and their loss, in killed aiid wounded, was estimated at one hundred and fifty. Of the 4th regiment, seventy-seven were killed and wounded. The loss of the whole force amounted, from the most accurate account, to one hundred and eighty-seven. Most of the militia under Governor Harrison, behaved with great courage and bravery ; but to Colonel Boyd, whose experience in the Mahrattah (India) service, well qualified him for a combat with the Prophet's-warriors, is much of the =1^, 16 THE PRESIDENT S MESSAGE- success of this battle to be attributed. Tranquillity being now restored to the territory of Indiana, the troops returned to Fort Harrison — distance one hundred miles — and the militia to their homes. Many months had not elapsed, however, before the Pro- phet, in connexion with Tecumseh, a chief of great valour, and of equal ambition, threatened a renewal of hostilities, not only against the inhabitants of Indiana, but of the adjacent territories.* To o-uard ao-ainst future encroachments from the savas^es, and to protect such of the inhabitants as had yet escaped their fury, it was necessary that the peace establishment should be aug- mented, and new regiments raised, of a nature to cope with the Indian warfare. Indications of hostility to the interests of the United States were about this time evinced in the conduct, as well of the British ministry, as of their public ships of war on the American coast, in neutral ports, and on the ocean. In the event of a more decided character being given to this state of relations between the United States, Great Britain, and the Indians, the necessity of a larger army would become still more urgent. In providing against these threatening evils, the second session of the twelfth Congress had been protracted to an unusual length, and on finding remonstrances to be unavailing, the president, on the first of June, 1812, laid before the two houses a detail of the various enormities committed agfainst this nation by the British government and the officers representing it. Their immediate attention was required to this subject, as it was thought necessary, by the greatest proportion of the people, that such encroaching injuries should at last be resisted by the most elTectual means. Documents being in possession of the executive which placed the insulting practices of the British, against the commerce and national honour of the United States, beyond all doubt, the communication set forth, "that the cruisers of that nation had been in the continued practice of violating the Ameri- * Although the affair on the Wabash, which has been distinsruished by the name of "The Battle of Tippecanoe," was previous to the declaration of war, it is indispensable to the introduction to its history that it should be at least briefly referred to— the limits of this work do not admit of as full a description of a victory which has reflected so much lustre on the American character, as the author is desirous to give, or the reader perhaps to receive. THE PRESIDENT S MESSAGE. 17 can flag on the great highway of nations, and of seizing and carrying off persons saihng under it; not in the exercise of a bel- Hgerent right, founded on the law of nations— against an enemy, but of a municipal prerogative over British subjects; "That they had been in the practice also of violating the peace and the rights of our coasts by hovering over and harassing our entering and departing commerce ; and that to the most insulting pretensions they had added the most lawless proceedings in our very harbours, and wantonly spilt American blood within the sanctuary of our territorial jurisdiction ; "That they were aiming to sacrifice our commercial interests, and were laying waste our neutral trade, not because we supplied their enemy, but by carrying on a war against our friendly com- merce that they might themselves pursue an intercourse with their enemy ; "That they were plundering our vessels on the high seas under pretended blockades, without the necessary presence of an adequate force to maintain them, and that to these transcendent acts of injustice the cabinet of Great Britain added at length the sweeping system of hlockade under the name of orders in council, which had been moulded to suit its political views, its commer- cial jealousies, or the avidity of British cruisers ; "That, at the very moment wdien their public minister was holding the language of friendship and inspiring confidence in the sincerity of the negotiations with which he was charged, a secret agent of his government was employed in intrigues, having for their object a subversion of our government and a dismember- ment of our Union ; "That the warfare which was just renewed by the savages on our frontiers, which spared neither age nor sex, and was distin- guished by features peculiarly shocking to humanity, could not be referred to without connecting their hostility with the influence of British traders and garrisons, nor without recollecting the authenticated examples of the interpositions of the oflicers and agents of that government. And, "That in fine, on the side of Great Britain, there was a state of war against the United States ; and on the side of the United States a state of peace towards Great Britain." b2 18 GENERAL HCJLL S EXPEDITION. The committee of foreign relations, to whom this message was referred, reported a manifesto to the House, in which, after recapi- tulating these grievances, they recommended, as the only mea- sure to prevent future aggression, an immediate appeal to arms ; and on the 18th of June, an act was passed declaring war against the kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the dependencies thereof; which received the executive sanction. A small army, consisting of the 4th regiment of infantry, and three regiments of Ohio volunteers, was ordered, under the com- mand of Brigadier-General Hull, to protect the frontiers against the incursions of the savages. After the declaration of w^ar, this force being nearest to the most convenient point of invasion, was directed to repair to the town of Detroit, on the river of that name, and opposite Sandwich, a beautiful and extensive village in Upper Canatla. On the 5th of July, after a tedious and fatiguing march of thirty-five days, during which he was obliged to fortify his camp, at every position which he occupied at night, to prevent a sur- prise from a party of Indians, who, aided by the British, had closely and constantly reconnoitered him, and who had planned an attack upon Detroit, which the approach of his army frustrated, he arrived at that post with two thousand five hundred men. He had no sooner garrisoned the American shore of the Detroit, than the British began to throw up breastworks and to erect bat- teries on the opposite side. The first of these was destroyed by a w^ell-directed fire from the fort, and the persons employed at it were obliged precipitately to retire ; a second, which was situated about three miles l^elow, was destroyed in like manner, by a few pieces of cannon despatched for that purpose, and worked witli so much skill that the enemy was compelled to abandon his de- sign of fortifying at that point. Active preparations were now making for an immediate inva- sion of Canada; boats were constructed capable of containing a regiment, and the passage of the whole army was to be effected at the same instant — the width of the river being favourable to the crossing of the troops, either alcove or below the point selected to oppose their la,nding, the enemy was allowed, on his third attempt, to erect, without annoyance, a battery of seven small GENERAL HULLS EXPEDITION. 19 cannon and two mortars. Every preparation having been com- pleted, the eml^arkation took place on the 12th. The army landed on the Canadian shore, above the fort, and entered Sandwich wdthout opposition. Tiiose of the inhabitants who had not been compelled to repair to the defence of Maiden, were without arms, and therefore made no show of resistance to the Americans, by whom they were honourably respected in their property and per- sons. Possession was had, in a few days, of the whole country from the river Thames, or la Tranche, so called from the even- ness and beauty of its bank, to a rivulet within five miles of Maiden, wdiither the British regulars and Canadian militia, with several hundred Indians, had retired. Prior to the occupation of Sandwich, however, the enemy had removed his most valuable stores, and whilst he was throwing up breastworks, and apparently fortifying that place for defence, the largest division of his troops was employed in transporting them to Amherstburg. If General Hull's instructions admitted of his strikino- a blow o immediately on his arrival at Detroit, a favourable opportunity was culpably neglected. But, on hearing a proposition from his officers to cross the river' below, to cut off the communication be- tween the two divisions at Sandwich and Amherstburo-, and suddenly to rush upon and carry Fort Maiden by storm, he alleged the necessity of waiting for positive orders for the invasion of Canada before he could embarlc his troops for that purpose. Whilst the force at Maiden was weakened by the employment of the men at Sandwich, this project might have been carried into effect, and his army, besides prisoners, would have obtained a large accession of stores and ammunition. When he arrived at Sandwich, the British army, with these and other stores, and an augmented Indian force, had collected at, and were placing Maiden in a state to sustain a siege. To attempt the reduction of that garrison by storm, after the enemy had effected this con- centration of his forces, it was necessary to proceed against it with a train of battering cannon, and ladders of a sufficient height and number to scale the walls at various points. The American army had neither of these at that time in readiness, and its operations were delayed for one month in preparing two twenty-four pounders 20 LOSS OF MICIIILIMACKINAC. and three howitzers. In this interval such advantages were gained as result from subsisting on the resources of the enemy's country, and the capture of some camp articles, and a small supply of arms, by reconnoitering parties. Meanwhile, the British and Indians at St. Josephs, had been making preparations for an attack on Fort Michilimackinac,-^ (a position on an island of that name and in General Hull's com- mand,) and on the 16th, four days after the occupation of Sand- wich by the troops of the United States, the British embarked at St. Josephs, and reached the island early on the following morn- ing. Their force, consisting of three hundred and six white troops, and seven hundred and iifteen Indians, was commanded by Captain Roberts, of the British regulars, who sent in a pri- soner to inform the commandant that if any resistance was made the garrison and inhabitants would be indiscriminately put to the sword. Tlie inhabitants knowing that the fort had but fifty- seveti men for its defence, escaped from the island, or fled for refuge to the enemy, in great numbers; but many of them had no opportunity to do either, and were obliged to remain and abide the issue of the day. The commandant of the garrison. Lieute- nant Porter Hanks, of the artillery, determined to give as gallant a resistance to the assailants as his small force would allow him. The island of Michilimackinac is about nine miles in circum- ference, of irregular form' and broken surface. It is separated from the main land by a strait of about seven miles broad, its greatest breadth is three miles, and its elevation above the lake, on its highest ground, about one hundred and sixty-eight feet. A proposal was made to government, in 1797, to erect a citadel on this elevation, which w^ould be impregnable. Two square stone houses, united by a stockade, stand in the rear of the fort, wdiich is situated on a bluff rock rising from the water, but is entirely overlooked by the high ground at a distance of six hundred yards. The island itself is of a circular form, highest in the centre, and resembling a turtle's baclv ; from which circumstance it is said to have taken its name — (Michilimackinac, or the Turtle.) The enemy had landed on the back part of the island, and urged * Pronounced — Mackinaw. LOSS OF MICHILIMACKINAC. 21 his approach within cannon shot of the fort, where he gained the eminence commanding- it, and from which he directed a piece of heavy cannon against its most defenceless side. The Indians were arranged on the edge of an adjoining wood. The British commandant now sent a flag, with a demand for the snrrender of the fort and island, and communicated the first intelligence which the o-arrison received of the declaration of war. The movement of the British and Indians had been nntil this moment considered as one, among the many outrages, to which the frontier of that neighbourhood had been exposed, and the American commandant had resolved to shut himself up and defend the fortress to the very last extremity, though it should result in the total annihila- tion of his force. But, on being informed of the actual state of hostilities, he was aware that if he held out, the enemy, whose present number could not be effectually opposed, might be largely reinforced, and that the fall of the garrison would be followed by the threatened indiscriminate slaughter, as w^ell of the soldiers composing it, as of the non-combatant inhabitants of the island. The only measure which could save them from the brutal mas- sacre of the savages, was a surrender of the fort to the British, and Lieutenant Hanks very prudently entered into terms of capitulation, in which he secured a promised protection to all private property, though he put the enemy in possession of a for- tress susceptible of being rendered the strongest in America. It will be observed that the loss of Michilimackinao took place on the 17th of July, and that General Hull, already apprized of the war, arrived at Detroit on the 5th — and the reader will judge whether this intelligence could not have been transmitted to Michilimackinac, a distance of two hundred and fifty-four miles, and whether that post ought not to have been immediately rein- forced. The enemy had knowledge of the existence of hostilities, through the activity of persons concerned in the North-west Fur Company, nine days jyreceding the arrival of the American dis- posables, whilst the American garrison was suffered to remain in ignorance for twelve days after — and to the Adgilance of one side, and the tardiness or negligence of the other, is this disaster to be ascribed. Preparations were still going on at Sandwich for an attempt 22 HULL AT SANDWICH. on Maiden, when the army were informed of the affair at Michi- hmaclunac hy the capture of two vessels, in which the prisoners taken there had been embarked. Unless the contemplated attack on Maiden sliould result in the success of the American arms, the situation of the troops would become critical in the extreme ; the possession of Michilimackinac gave the enemy many decided ad- vantages, and if the capture of that post should be followed up by an assault on Fort Chicago, all the fortified stations west of Detroit would be in his hands, and the whole of his Indian forces might be thrown upon that frontier. Detroit would be an easy conquest, and the American army might be so encompassed that its retreat would be impossible. The Indians from the shores of the north- western lakes were already released from constraint, and the British commander was collecting large bodies of them to move down upon Detroit and the intermediate garrisons. Depending on the arrival of reinforcements, however, for which, in anticipa- tion of these events General Hull had despatched numerous expresses ; and being assured of the importance of the occupation of Amherstburg, he remained at Sandwich, carrying on an ex- cursive war by small parties, and reconnoitering the enemy's outposts w4th incessant vigilance. Skirmishes were frequent. In one of them Colonel M'Arthur made capture of a quantity of arms, ammunition, flour, and other provisions, and upwards of one thousand blankets. Colonel Cass, of the 3d regiment of Ohio volunteers, was or- dered with a detachment of two hundred and eighty men, to reconnoiter an advanced post of the enemy upon a long bridge, crossing Riviere Aiix Canards, or the River of the Ducks, about four miles from Fort Maiden. A company of riflemen, com- manded by Captain Robinson, was concealed near the bridge, with directions to fire upon and divert the attention of the guard stationed upon it, as soon as the remaining part of the detachment should be seen on the opposite bank of the river, which was in- tended to be forded about five miles below. An unlocked for difficulty at the ford caused so much delay in the movement of the detachment, that it did not appear at the appointed ground until sunset, when, having marched, without a guide, too near the bank of the river, its progress was obstructed by a tributary Colonel Cass. creek; to pass this, a march of another mile was necessary, and time was consequently allowed for the enemy to prepare for his defence. On coming down the creek, Colonel Cass found the British already formed, and received from them a distant fire of musketry. The detachment moved on, however, in good order and with great spirit and alacrity. The British, who had been reinforced at intervals during the whole afternoon, and whose number was made up of the 41st regiment and some Indians, made several other attempts to fire, but were as often compelled to retreat, the detachment continuing to move up, regardless of their opposition. They were driven more than half a mile, when the darkness of the night made further pursuit hazardous, and Colonel Cass was content to possess the bridge and some adjoin- ing houses until morning, when, after reconnoitering the neigh- bourhood and not finding the enemy, he commenced his return to the camp at Sandwich. No accurate information could be obtained of the force opposed to the detachment, but the loss of the enemy was reported by deserters at eleven killed and wounded. The detachment lost not a single man. The bridge was after- J 24 RECONNOISSANCE BY M ARTHUR. wards fortified by the British v/ith six pieces of artillery, but this being deemed insufficient for its defence, they removed both bridge and battery and planted their cannon behind a breastwork constructed from the timber. Three days after (19th July) Colonel M' Arthur with one hun- dred and fifty men from his own regiment, (Ohio volunteers,) on relieving a detachment wdiich w^as out, proceeded to the reconnoitering ground of Colonel Cass, whence he discovered the enemy — eiglity-five regulars, forty Indians, and one hundred and fifty militia protected by this battery. The Queen Charlotte of twenty guns being at the same time anchored in Detroit river, at the mouth of Aux Canards, with a gunboat cruising about her. The firing was kept up for nearly an hour between the battery and a few riflemen in advance of the troops, but at too great a distance to have effect, whilst M'Arthur was examining the Queen Charlotte. On finding the enemy so well protected by the battery, the riflemen were ordered to retire to the detachment, but M' Arthur's desire to ascertain the true situation of the enemy, induced him to Gfo near the broken brido-e with a g-lass. He discovered that the Indians had principally left the battery, and was almost at the same instant informed by a messenger from the detachment that a number of them were seen passing to a road in its rear. He was now attended by Dr. M'Anaw and Captain Puthuff", who, on turning their horses to ride with him to the detachment, w^ere fired upon by al^out thirty Indians, from their concealment in a brush, at the distance of only one hundred yards. They escaped, however, without being hnrt, a ball intended for M'Arthur having struclv his horse's head below the l^row^band, and glancing to the ground. His men were led to the pursuit of the Indians, and drove them across Aux Canards to the battery, between the detachment and which the fire was kept up at long shot for three hours, without other injury to the Americans than the wounding of two men, thousrh several broadsides had been discharofed from the Queen Charlotte. The chief, Tecumseh, celebrated for his dexterity with the tomahawk and rifle, not less than for his relentless cruelty in the use of them against the inhabitants of the frontier, was at the DISPOSITION OF THE TROOPS. 25 head of the Indians. The escape, therefore, of M'Arthur and his companions from a troop of savages, trained and commanded by such a warrior as Tecumseh, was almost miraculous. It was no less fortunate that the detachment bravely moved up at the report of the fire of the Indians, and put them to immediate flight. M'Arthur encamped for the night within two miles of Aux Canards, and on the following morning returned to the army, with Colonel Cass and one hundred men, by whom he was then joined. Between this time and the beginning of August, no event took place which could afford the American troops an opportunity of displaying their true character. The inclemency of the weather was very unfavourable to the operations of an army. Sudden transitions from extreme heat to intense cold, followed by violent storms of rain and hail, rendered them both sickly and discon- tented. They had been all enamoured of an expedition which promised them so much honour and renown, and when they landed on the Canadian shore they were filled with such assur- ances of conquest as made their impatience for achievement almost ungovernable. The tardiness, wliich now seemed inseparable from the conduct of their commander, dispirited them, and de- stroyed whatever of confidence they might have reposed in him before. The result of a council of war, however, which it was found necessary to convoke, revived all their desires, and a spirit, no less active than that with which they had set out, pervaded the whole encampment. In two days more, by proper exertions, every arrangement would be completed for the investment of Fort Maiden. At the end of that time the heavy cannon might be ready; if they should not, the council recommended an attempt with the bayonet. The British garrison had been constantly deserted by the embodied Canadian militia, and a vigorous attack upon it, however gallant the defence, could not but be attended with ultimate success. The deliberations of the council corres- ponded with the opinions of the general, and the day was ap- pointed on ^vhicli the assault was to take place. The cannon were well mounted, and embarked on floating batteries ; the ammunition A\-as already placed in wagons provided for its conveyance; the troops were animated hy the prospect of a c 4 26 VAN HORNE's EXPEDITION, combat, and not at all doubtful of a certain and brilliant victory. A company of volunteers from Ohio, under command of Cap- tain Brush, had arrived at the river Ilaisin, with a quantity of provisions for the army. Although the troops were already sup- plied for many days, these provisions might be necessary in the event of conquest. The distance from Detroit to the point at which they had arrived was thirty-six miles, and their march was liable to be intercepted by scouting parties from the enemy. Major Vanhorne was therefore despatched, with one hundred and fifty men, to meet and escort them to their destination. He had nearly reached Brownstown, on his second day's march, when he was attacked in front, and on l3oth flanks, by a very superior force, regulars and Indians. A warm engagement followed. To the Americans the odds were fearful, but their resistance was obstinate. A retreat became indispensalDle, but to succeed in it, the exercise of great judgment was necessary. The volunteers had confidence in that of their commander, and he brought them off, with the loss of nineteen killed and missing, and nine wounded. Among the former were Captains M'Culloch, Bostler, and Gilcrease, who fought with that gallantry which has never failed to distinguish the citizens of the state to which they be- longed ; among the latter was Captain Ulry, since dead, whose conduct was no less noble than that of his companions. Major Vanhorne had scarcely been sent from Sandwich, when a change of measures was adopted by the general in opposition to the wishes and entreaties of all his officers. The enterprise against Maiden was abandoned, and he announced his intention of evacuating Canada and posting himself at Fort Detroit. The promulgation of his intentions was attended by an order to l^reak up the encampment and to recross the river in the night. Conster- nation and dismay were visible in the countenance of every, the meanest soldier ; their confidence was destroyed, and they con- sidered their commander as timid and irresolute. The presence of their own officers, on whose capabilities they implicitly relied, alone prevented one universal burst of indignation. Reluctantly, and with much murmuring, they obeyed the order; and at day- break of the morning of the eighth they found themselves garri- BATTLE OF MAGUAGA. 27 soned at Detroit. Here the intelligence of the late skirmish was received. The communication, which had been opened by the army between Raisin and tlieir present post, was shut up by the savages. It was indispensably necessary that it should be again opened, or the provisions at that river could never reach the garrison, which, in a few weeks, would be in want of rations. To Lieutenant-Colonel James Miller the command of a strono- detachment was for this purpose assigned. He immediately took up his line of march with three hundred regulars and two hun- dred militia. The regulars were of the 4th regiment, which had acquired imperishable renown, under the gallant Colonel Boyd, at Tippecanoe. The British and Indians anticipated the return of the detachment which they had driven back, and calculated that it would be largely reinforced. Their own body was therefore in- creased to a number, competent as they supposed, to drive off, or perhaps to capture them. They were seven hundred and fifty stronsf, and miorht be reinforced durinsf an ens^ao-ement from Maiden, opposite to which was the village of Brownstown, which they had taken possession of a few days before. They fortified the ground at a place called Maguaga, nearly four miles from Brownstown, by felling trees and erecting breastworks. Behind these they intended to conceal themselves until the Americans should attain the point at which they might deal out to them what measure of destruction they pleased. The Indians were commanded by their great leader, Tecumseh ; the united force by Major Muir of the British army. On the 9th, the American troops, though they proceeded with great caution, reached the ground on which the enemy desired to see them before they discovered their ambuscade. Captain Snel- ling, commanding the advance, was attacked from it, and sus- tained a combat until the main body came up, when the British and Indians sprang suddenly from behind the works, formed a line of battle with great celerity, and commenced a brisk fire, accompanied with all the demonstrations of savage war. Sudden and unexpected as was the attack, the intrepid commander of the American force was not the least dismayed ; his troops received the shock without shrinking, and with a coolness and sagacity 28 BATTLEOFMA.GUAGA. which are commonly looked for in soldiers of long experience, he as suddenly drew up his men, and after a rapid fire, charged upon the enemy with such unlooked for firmness, as to throw them into complete disorder. The obstinacy of the Indians, however, would not admit of flight ; they might not act in concert with the British, and resorting to their own kind of combat, they were resolved not to abandon the contest. But the British had now recovered from their confusion, and a scene of indescribable horror ensued. Five hundred Indians, led on and encouraged by the regulars, (many of whom were like themselves, almost naked,) frightfully painted, and sending forth such dreadful whooping and yelling, as might have appalled almost any other troops, were fighting on every side of the American detachment; but on every side they were gallantly repulsed. No such means could induce these brave men to forsake their standard, or to disgrace their nation. They saw danger strengthening around them, they knew what kind of destiny awaited their defeat, and they were resolutely determined to repel the foe, or to yield only with their lives. Colonel Miller found himself contending against a force more than one-third superior to his own, but he was animated by the same spirit which was exhibited by his men. Over such men, headed by such a commander, the enemy could not hope to be victorious. The firmness of the Americans had that effect upon the British and Indians, which it was intended by their savage noises should be produced on them. They found that they had no terrors to resort to which could attain their end, and they began from necessity to give ground. The obstinacy of the detachment was equal to the determined character of the Indians, and the latter became first intimidated. The united forces were driven, inch by inch, into Browns- town, and would have been beaten into submission, had not a squadron of boats been ready to receive them at that place. They made as rapid a retreat across the river as their oarsmen knew how, and returned to Maiden with an inferior force to that with which they had left it. Their loss was, in regulars, seven killed and wounded ; of Indians they left nearly one hundred on the field. In the stout contest, which the detachment kept up for more FORT CHICAGO ABANDONED. 31 than two hours, there were killed fifteen, and wounded between thirty and forty. The officers Avho principally distinguished themselves were Captain Baker, Lieutenants Larabee and Peters, and Ensio-n Whistler. The lirst of them was shot three different times during the battle; the second lost his left arm, and the two latter were also wounded. Colonel Miller remained at Browns- town lUitil tlie meridian of the next day, when he received orders to return to Detroit. The troops were exhausted by so vigorous an engagement, and they would have been unable to proceed further. A fresh detachment would probably be sent upon the same expedition ; and Colonel Miller, knowing how necessary it was that his men should be refreshed, was not averse from this order. Captain Brush was still waiting at the river Raisin for an escort, when he received a letter from General Hull, of the 11th of August, in the following words: "The state of the communi- cation between this [Detroit] and the river Raisin is such, that a sufficient detachment cannot be sent to bring on the provisions with safety. You will therefore remain at the river Raisin, and in conjunction with the regiment, Le Croix's corps, and your own, protect the provisions and yourselves until further orders. The detachment sent for the purpose are so fatigued, after a severe and victorious battle, that it will return here." In a post- script to this letter, it was left to the discretion of Captain Brush, on consulting with Colonel Anderson, and the bearer of the letter, to proceed by a route on an upper road, crossing the river Huron; on determining on which, immediate notice was to be given at Detroit. Colonels Cass and M'Arthur were despatched, on the evening of the 14th, with three hundred and fifty men, to assist in the transportation of the provisions through that channel. On the same day on which the victory at Maguaga was achieved, Captain Heald, the commandant at Fort Chicago, since called Fort Dearborn, received orders to proceed imme- diatety with his command to Detroit, by land. Accordingly on the 15th, after delivering to the friendly Indians, in conformity to his instructions, all the goods in the factory, and such provi- sions as could not be taken away, and destroying the surplus arms and ammunition, he commenced his march with fifty-four regu- 32 SURRENDER OF HEALd's PARTY. lars and twelve militia, the whole amount of his force, and was escorted by Captain Wells, of Fort Wayne, and a few friendly Indians of the Miami tribe, sent thither for that purpose. As the place Avould now be defenseless, the inhabitants, principally women and children, were directed to accompany the troops. The little party had not proceeded more than one mile and a half, between a high sand-bank and the lake, wdien it was dis- covered that a number of hostile Indians were preparing to attack them from Ijehind the bank. Captain Heald immediately ordered his compc^ny to ascend it; and they had scarcely done so, when an action commenced, in which, after firing one round and charging with great velocity upon the Indians, the latter were ol^liged to give way in front, but joining the party on the American flanks, they kept up their fire, and got possession of all the horses, provisions, and baggage of every description. The friendly Indians standing aloof, refus- ing to talce part in the contest, and ap})arently awaiting the issue, that they might determine on which side to belong, made it necessary for Captain Heald to draw off his few men, and take possession of a small elevation in an open iwairie, out of shot of the bank or any other cover. Here he received an offer of pro- tection from an Indian chief on condition of his surrender, which, without much reliance on its faith, he accepted, because of the great disparity of force, the Indian warriors amounting to nearly five hundred. Their loss was about fifteen. Of the Americans, twenty-six regulars and all the militia w^ere killed : among them. Captain Wells and Ensign George Roman, both officers of great gallantry. Two women and twelve children were also killed. The Indians had it now in their power to move to any part of the country through which the communication had been formed between the river Raisin and Detroit, and numbers of them were accordingly posted at several points on that road, whilst a stronger party proceeded against Fort Wayne, v Their absence was talven advantage of by Captain Ilcald, whom they had taken to the mouth of St. Josephs, and who now, with his lady, procured a convey- ance to Michilimackinac, where he was received ]iolitely by tlie commandant. Captain Roberts. Mrs. Heald was wounded by six shot — the captain by two. GENERAL BROCK's SUMMONS. 33 Any attempt to accelerate the transportation of the provisions would now be useless, for on the 13th the British had taken a position opposite Detroit. They were occupied in throwing up breastworks during- that and the two following days, at the end of which time they had completed a battery of two eighteen- pounders and an eight inch howitzer, without any interruption from the American fort. Major Denny, of the volunteers, who had been left in garrison at Sandwich with two hundred and fifty infantry, and a corps of artillerists, was obliged on their approach to make his retreat across the river. This he effected in good order. On the 15th a flag of truce was received from the British, with the following summons: "Sir — The force at my disposal author- izes me to require of you the surrender of Fort Detroit. It is far from my inclination to join in a war of extermination, but you must be aware that the numerous body of Indians, who have attached themselves to my troops, will be beyond my control the moment the contest commences. You will find me disposed to enter into such conditions as will satisfy the most scrupulous sense of honour. Lieutenant-Colonel M'Donnell and Major Glegg are fully authorized to conclude any arrangement that may lead to prevent the unnecessary effusion of blood. I have the honour to be, &c. ISAAC BROCK, Maj. Gen. " His Ex. Brig. Gen. Hull, com'g at Fort Detroit." To this summons it was returned for answer, that the "town and fort would be defended to the last extremity." The British then opened their batteries upon the town, and continued to throw their shells into the fort from four o'clock until midniglit. The fire was returned until dark with little effect. At dajdigbt the next morning the firing again commenced, whilst the British, under the protection of their ships, were landing their forces at Spring Wells. At about ten o'clock they proceeded in a close column, twelve in front, along the bank of the river towards the fort. From Fort Detroit the enemy could not have been prevented from landing, had he attempted it, even in its more immediate vicinity. Its situation had been originally chosen without skill ; the town actually standing between it and the river, and the foot 5 34 SURRENDER OF FORT DETROIT. of the scarp being more than two hundred rods from it. On the evening of the 15th it was, therefore, suggested to General Hull that the British should be opposed on the margin of the river, that there w^as a position at that point whence they could be de- stroyed, with the utmost certainty, as fast as they could land ; and that a strong battery, wtII manned there, would be a better secu- rity than the Fort of Detroit. The suggestions of General Hull's officers were too often dis- regarded. The enemy had now landed, and no obstruction could prevent his approach until he should be either in the rear of the town or of the fort, when all the strength of the latter might be successfully brought against him. The 4th regiment was stationed within the fort; the Ohio volunteers, and part of the Michigan militia, behind pickets, from wdiich the enemy's whole flank could be annoyed ; the residue of the militia were in the town to resist the Indians, and two twenty- four pounders, loaded with grape shot, were posted on an emi- nence from which they could sweep the advancing column. The superiority of position was apparent on the side of the Americans, and their force at least equal to that of the enemy. They had four hundred rounds of twenty-four pound shot, already fixed, and about one hundred thousand cartridges made. Tlieir provi- sions were sufficient for fifteen days, and every man of them awaited the approach of the enemy with a full and eager expecta- tion of victory. The head of the column had advanced within five hundred yards of the American line, when General Hull ordered the troops to retreat to the fort, and not by any means to open the twenty-four pounders upon the enemy. The feelings of the soldiers were not now to be restrained, as they had been a few days before at Sandwich. Indignation at the conduct, and contempt for the capacity of the commanding general, could not longer be disguised, and they loudly uttered their discontent. They entered the fort, however, which, though crowded so that any movement was impracticable, was scarcely capable of con- taining them. Here they were directed to stack their arms, and they had the mortification to see the flag of their country struck to the invaders, and the fort surrendered, without the discharo^e of a single gun. A white flag was suspended from its walls, and ^^^ SURRENDER OF FORT DETROIT. 37 such was the astonishment, even of the enemy's troops, that a British officer rode up to ascertain its meaning. It was the first instance, perhaps, which they had ever known, of the surrender of a mihtary post without a previous arrangement of the terms ; and they had Kttle expectation of so tame a submission. Those brave troops, who had but eight days before beaten and put this same enemy to flight, were now obliged to march out in review, and lay down theii* arms to an inferior force, who had done no other thing towards the capture of the garrison than showing themselves before it. Not only the heroes of Brownstown, but the detachments then absent from the fort, the volunteers and all the provisions at Raisin, and those of no inconsiderable amount, the fortified posts and garrisons, and the whole territory and inhabitants of Michi- gan, were delivered over by capitulation to the commanding general of the British forces. Forty barrels of powder, two thou- sand five hundred stand of arms, and an armament, (consisting of twenty-five iron, and eight brass pieces of ordnance,) the greater part of which had been captured from the British in the revolu- tionary w^ar, were surrendered with them. The detachment w^hich had been sent out under Colonels Cass and M' Arthur, had received orders the niglit before to return ; but when they arrived within sight of Detroit, before which the enemy was already sta- tioned, it became necessary to use excessive caution in their nearer approach. They were accidentally thrown into a situation, the best for annoying and cutting off the retreat of the enemy, w^hich could possibly be selected ; and if they had heard any fir- ing, or had seen any indication of an engagement, they might have attacked the rear of the column, and placed the enemy's raw troops between their own fire and that of the fort. They could not imagine what measures were in operation, when an uninter- rupted silence prevailed between two hostile armies within fight- ing distance of each other ; the arrangement for a surrender was the last among their surmises, because they knew that the garri- son was superior to any force which could then be brought against it. Their doubts were relieved by a message from General Hull to the following effect: "I have signed articles of capitulation for the surrender of this garrison, in which you and your detach- D 38 REMARKS ON THE SURRENDER. ment are prisoners of war. Such part of the Ohio miUtia as have not joined the army, will be permitted to return to their homes on condition that they wdll not serve during the war. Their arms, however, will be given up, if belonging to the public." This despatch was forwarded by Colonel M' Arthur to Captain Brush. The volunteers and militia returned to their respective homes, but General Hull and the 4th regiment, and part of the 1st, were taken to Montreal, whence they were destined for Que- bec. General Brock issued his proclamation announcing to the inhabitants of Michigan the cession of that territory to the arms of his Britannic majesty, and establishing regulations for its civil government. The capitulation of an immense territory, and the surrender of the whole north-western army, which was composed of men feelingly alive to the honour of their country, ambitious of distin^uishinff themselves in arms, and most of whom had left their families and their friends to encounter the fatigues and dan- gers of a long campaign, excited a sensation among the people from one extremity of the country to the other, not less indignant than that which was felt by the troops themselves. When General Brock said that the force at his disposal authorized him to require the surrender, he must have had a very exalted opinion of the prowess of his own soldiers, or a very mistaken one of the ability of those which were commanded by the American gene- ral. The force at his disposal was inferior to the garrison of Detroit, even in the absence of the detachments. In a letter to Sir George Prevost, he states the American force at two thousand five hundred — which, however, could not be correct, as it had met with losses in the different skirmishes — and his own at six hundred white troops, and six hundred Indians. By the return of his quartermaster-general, it consisted of — British regulars, infantry and artillery, . . . 382 Indians, principally Chippewas, Hurons and Pottawatamies, 650 Militia, in regular uniforms, ..... 362 Total, 1394 Of these, few of the Indians were visible, as they generally skulked in the woods, and did not advance upon the fort with the British column. The force of General Hull's army, by the morn- GENERAL li U L L S DESPATCH. 39 ing report, was one thousand and sixty, exclusive of the detach- ment of three hundred and fifty men, and three hundred Michi- gan mihtia, then out on duty, Avhich would have made seventeen hundred and ten ; superior to the enemy hy three hundred and sixteen. On the arrival of Captain Brush from Raisin, his total force would have amounted to more than eighteen hundred and sixty. Had the troops remained at Sandwich till the provisions were brought on, the surrender of this force to a body of troops inferior in quality as well as number, would have been prevented. The British did not appear at that place until they had heard of its evacuation, they were induced to follow up the American army, because of its abrupt departure from the Canadian shore, and it has been matter of conjecture whether General Hull's conduct was the result of cowardice, mental imbecility and moral depra- vity, or corrupt perfidy. In his official despatches to the govern- ment he accounted for it by saying, " the surrender of Michili- mackinac opened the northern hive of Indians, and they were swarming down in every direction. Reinforcements from Niagara had arrived at Amherstburg under the command of Colonel Proctor. The desertion of the militia ceased. Besides the rein- forcements that came by water, I received information of a very con- siderable force under the command of Major Chambers, on the river Le Tranche, with four field-pieces, and collecting the militia on his route, evidently destined for Amherstburg, and in addition to this combination and increase of force, contrary to all expectations the Wyandots, Chippewas and other tribes with whom I had the most friendly intercourse, at once passed over to Amherstburg and accepted the tomahawk and scalping knile. There being now a vast numl)er of Indians at the British post, they were sent to the river Huron, Brownstown, and Maguaga, to intercept my communication. '.' Under this sudden and unexpected change of things, and having received an express from General Hall commanding op- posite the British shore on the Niagara river, by which it appeared that there was no prospect of any co-operation from that quarter, and the two senior officers of the artillery having stated to me an opinion that it vrould be exti'emely difficult if not impossible to 40 pass the Turkey river and the river Aux Canards with twenty- four-pounders, and that they could not be transported by water, as the Queen Charlotte, which carries eighteen twenty-four- pounders, lay in the river Detroit above the mouth of the river Aux Canards, and as it appeared indispensably necessary to open the communication to the river Raisin and the Miami, I found myself compelled to suspend the operations against Amherstburg and concentrate the main force of the army at Detroit, fully in- tending at that time, after the communication was opened, to recross the river and pursue the object at Amherstburg, and strongly desirous of continuing protection to a very large number of tlie inhabitants of Upper Canada who had voluntarily accepted it under my proclamation ; I esta1)lished a fortress on the banks of the river a little below^ Detroit, calculated for a garrison of three hundred men. On the evening of the 7th and morning of the 8th instant, the army, excepting the garrison of two hundred and fifty infantry and a corps of artillerists, all under the command of Major Denny of the Ohio volunteers, recrossed the river and encamped at Detroit." But the greater part of the statement contained in his de- spatches was contradicted by his officers of the highest grades, and particularly that in wdiich, after describing the approach of the enemy, he continued — " It now became necessary either to fight the enemy in the field, collect the whole force in the fort, or propose terms of capitu- lation. I could not have carried into the field more than six hundred men, and left any adequate force in the fort. There were landed at that time of the enemy a regular force of much more than that number, and twice the number of Indians. Con- sidering this great inequality of force, I did not think it expedient to adopt the first measure. The second must have been attended with a great sacrifice of blood, and no possible advantage, because the contest could not have been sustained for more than a glay for the want of powder, and but a very few days for the w^ant of provisions. In addition to this. Colonels M'Artliur and Cass would have been in a most hazardous situation. I feared nothino- but the last alternative. I have dared to adopt it. I well know GENERAL HULL PUNISHED. 41 the high responsibihty of the measure, and I take the whole of it on myself" With this account the government were not satisfied ; nor was the court-martial before wdiom, on being exchanged for thirty British prisoners, he was tried. After an investigation of all the facts, that court declined mak- ing a decision on the charge of treason, which was alleged against him, but said that they did not believe, from any thing which had come before them, that he had been guilty of that act. On the second charge, for cowardice — and the third, for neglect of duty and unofficerlike conduct, they condemned him. A sen- tence of death w^as passed upon him ; but in consideration of his revolutionary services and his advanced age, he was earnestly recommended to the mercy of the president, who remitted the sentence, l3ut directed a general order to be issued, by which his name w^as struck from the rolls of the army. Could that genius and enterprise, which distinguished the other officers of the north-western army, have been imparted to its commander, a more glorious issue to the American arms must have been the necessary result. The conduct of the several de- tachments, and the ample success of each excursion, gave an almost incontestible proof that a vigorous prosecution of the war- fare would have obtained complete victory. Had the effect of these successes been followed up by a rapid movement of the army itself, and proper advantages been taken of the desertions from the enemy's garrison, the whole country would have been subjugated, or laid open to future expeditions, and the object of the present would doubtless have been achieved. Weakness and imbecility, however, supplied the place of military talent, and the result was different from that which w^as looked to by the army and the nation. 42 NAVAL CAMPAIGN OF 1812. CHAPTER II. Kafeal ©ampalg® ©I IlM^a Contemporaneous with the disaster at Detroit was a succession of brilhant achieve- ments on the ocean, paralleled perhaps, but never yet surpassed; the intelligence of M'hich entirely dispelled the temporary gloom which pervaded the minds, and filled with grief the hearts of the American people. At the commence- ment of hostilities, such of the United States vessels of w^ar whose equipments were entire, had orders to proceed immediately to sea. A squadron of three frigates, one brig, and one sloop of war, sailed on the 21st of June from New York, in quest of several of the enemy's frigates, known to be at that time cruising off the en- trance to that harbour. On the 3d of July, the frigate Essex, Captain Porter, went to sea from the same port; and the Consti- tution, Captain Hull, sailed from the Chesapeake bay on the 12th. The brigs Nautilus, Viper, and Vixen, were at the same time cruising off the coast, and the sloop of war Wasp was at sea, on her return from France. On the morning of the 17th, an English squadron, consisting ESCAPE OF THE CONSTITUTION. 43 Escape of the Constitution. of the Africa, a ship of the hue, the frigates Shannon, Gaerriere, Belvidere, and tEoIus, and a brig and schooner, the nearest of the frigates being within gun-shot, gave chase to the Constitution. A cahn prevaihng during the whole day, towing and warping were unremittingly resorted to ; but the enemy, by attaching all the boats of the squadron to two of the frigates, were gaining so much upon the Constitution, as to bring their bow guns to bear upon her, though they received several discharges from her stern chasers. The chase continued all night. On the following morning (I8th) at daylight, the Constitution, taking advantage of a fresh breeze which just then sprang up, spread all her can- vass, outsailed, and escaped from her pursuers, and arrived at Boston on the evening of the 26th — whence slie sailed upon a cruise on the 2d of August. The chase continued for sixty hours ; the ship's crew were all that time at their stations, and the escape of the frigate from seven sail, two of which were warped up by more than six times the number of men and boats employed by the Constitution, has been considered as an incontestible proof of the superior skill and seamanship of her commander. The 44 ESSEX AND ALERT. officers of the pursuing ships, one of whom was afterwards cap- tured by Captain Hull, have spoken of it in terms of the highest admiration. Congress having authorized the president to issue letters of marque and reprisals, the ocean was very soon covered with pri- vate armed ships from almost every port in the United States. One of the first which sailed was the schooner Atlas, commanded by Captain David Moffat ; who, on the 3d of August, fell in with two armed ships of the enemy, and at 11 a. m. engaged them both. The action commenced by a broadside of musketry from the Atlas, and was continued without intermission until noon, when one of the enemy's ships struck her colours. The whole fire of the Atlas was then brought against the largest ship, wlien that which had already struck again opened her broadside. A few shot from the Atlas, however, drove every man from her decks, and compelled her a second time to yield. At twenty minutes, p. m., the largest ship struck also, and on taking pos- session of them, Captain Moffat found them to be the ship Pur- suit, of four hundred and fifty tons, sixteen guns, eighteens and nines, and thirty-five men ; and the ship Planter, of twelve guns, twelve-pounders, and fifteen men. During the action the Atlas was very much disabled in her rigging, and had two men killed and five wounded. Among the latter, a seaman of the name of William Curl, who behaved with great coolness, and refused to quit liis quarters, though he had received a wound which after- wards proved to be mortal. The three vessels were making a port, when a British frigate hove in sight and recaptured the Planter ; but the Atlas, and her largest prize, arrived safely in the Delaware. On the 13th of August the frigate Essex, which had now been cruising forty days, fell in with the British sloop of war Alert, Captain T. L. P. Langhorne, of twenty guns, and one hundred and thirty men ; wdio immediately ran down upon the frigate's weather quarter, gave three cheers, commenced an action, and after eight minutes firing, struck her colours, with seven feet water in her hold, her hull cut to pieces, and three of her men wounded. The officers and crew of the Essex, which received not the slightest injury, were highly amused at the boldness of CRUISEOFTHEESSEX. 45 the enemy, who must have calculated on an easy conquest over the American frigate. A few broadsides, however, deliberately fired into the sloop of war, brought down her colours ; and after concluding an arrangement with Captain Langhorne to that effect. Captain Porter dismantled her of her armament, and put- ting all his prisoners, being about five hundred, on board, sent her under the command of one of his officers. Lieutenant J. P. Wilmer, as a cartel to St. Johns, in Newfoundland ; whence she was instructed to sail for New York with whatever American prisoners might be given in exchange. About seventeen days after, late in the afternoon of the 30th, Captain Porter chscovered, and stood, under easy sail, for one of the enemy's frigates, wliicli was at the same time standing for him. The Essex was cleared, and the crew anxious for an en- gagement. Being apprehensive that the enemy might not find him in the night, Captain Porter hoisted a light at the masthead, and at nine o'clock discovered a signal of two flashes and a l)lue- liglit, at about four miles distance. The Essex stood on for the point at which this signal was given until midnight, but not get- ting a sight of the enemy he hove to, under an expectation that the hostile ship would do the same, until morning. To the great surprise of Captain Porter, and the mortification of his crew, at daylight the enemy was not to be seen. On the 4th of September, in attempting to get into New York, the Essex was intercepted and chased by two large ships of war, who gained her wake and came up with great fleetness ; but she escaped from them by manoeuvering in the night, having first hoisted American colours and fired a gun to windward. One of the ships being considerably to windward of the other, and about five miles astern of the Essex, it was determined to heave about as soon as it became dark, and in the event of not being able to pass, to fire a broadside into her and lay her on board. The vdnd heading the Essex off", however, at thirty minutes after eight she bore away, and being cut off from New York, effected her escape into the bay of Delaware, where she arrived on the 7th without the loss of a man — having made nine captures in addi- tion to the Alert. The Alert returned from St. Johns, and arrived 46 CONSTITUTION AND GUERRIERE. at New York on the 16th of September, with two hundred and seventy American prisoners. On the '28th of August the Constitution returned to Boston from a cruise commenced upon the second of that month, and signahzed by a briUiant and victorious contest with a British ship of war, the commander of which had repeatedly threatened the capture of any one of the American frigates which it might be his fortune to encounter. The frigate Guerriere had been sailing off the coast for several months previous to the declaration of war, and had frequently shown herself at the entrances of the different ports, with her name written in large characters upon a flag at one of her mastheads, and at another the words "wo? the Little Belf — in allusion to an affair which had taken place between a sloop of war of that name and the United States frigate President, in which the latter ship retorted an assault committed on her, in time of peace, by discharging two broadsides at, and nearly sink- ing, the sloop of war.* Captain Hull had been informed of the * On the 16th of May, the Little Belt, commanded by Captain Bingham, and mount- ing eighteen guns, was hailed by the President, to know what ship she was. The captain of the Little Belt repeated the question, without answering it, and Commodore Rodgers again asked, " What ship is that?" This demand was followed by a shot from the Little Belt. The President returned it, and received a broadside from her. Com- modore Rodgers then gave a general order to fire, and having silenced the other, again inquired what ship she was. He now received an answer which informed him of the character of the vessel, and he lay to, in order to assist her in repairing her damages. " This occurrence," says Mr. Cooper, in his Naval History, " gave rise to much dis- cussion in America, and widened the breach which already existed between the American and English nations. TJie account given by Captain Bingham differed essen- tially from that of Commodore Rodgers, and official investigations were made on both sides. On that of the Americans, a formal court of inquiry was held, and every sea offi- cer in the ship was examined, as well as a great many of the petty officers. The testi- mony was very clear, and it was in a great measure free from the discrepancies that usually distinguish the accounts of battles, whether by sea or land. The fact that the Little Belt fired the first gun, was established by the oath of the officer who ordered the gun fired in return. This gentleman distinctly testified that he gave the command, tmder a standing order of the ship, and in consequence of having seen the flash and heard tlie report of the Little Belt's gun. He not only testified that he heard the report of the gun, but that he also heard the noise made by the shot which had entered the mast. Other officers and men corroborated this account, and in a way to render their evidence not only consistent with itself, but with probability. As the President was very fully officered, the number and respectability of the witnesses put at rest all cavil- linjr about the facts." CONSTITUTION AND GUERRIERE. 47 Coiiiiijoduix' Hull. appearance of a single ship of war, to the eastward of the coast, and immediately stood in that direction. Between the 2d and the 19th of August, he made several captures of merchantmen, and recaptured an American brig which had been taken by the Avenger. On that day, in lat. 41 deg. 42 min. N., and long. 55 deg. 33 min. W., he discovered a large frigate of the enemy, set all sail in chase, and came up with and captured her after a spirited engagement of forty-five minutes. She proved to be the frigate Guerriere, of thirty-eight guns, but carrying forty-nine, and commanded by Captain James R. D acres. She was dis- covered at about two, p. m. and at foui*, the Constitution was closing fast upon her. At ten minutes past four the enemy hoisted English colours, and commenced the action by firing several guns. The Constitution's fire was reserved until she could be put in such a position that every shot should take effect ; and the sailing-master, Aylwin, brought her so skilfully into action, that Captain Hull's views were completely accomplished. But the enemy not comprehending them, suspected the Americans of 48 CONSTITUTION AND GUERRIERE. timidity, or of ignorance in the art of gunnery, and discharged his broadsides with an assurance of cripphng his antagonist before he might open his battery. The crew of the Constitution anxiously awaiting the orders of their commander to fire on the foe, were themselves filled with surprise at his receiving so many rounds without yet returning them. Captain Hull, at his station how- ever, was with great judgment reconnoitering the enemy with his glass; until finding that the ability and excellent seamanship of his sailing-master, brought up the ship to the exact station upon the enemy's beam from which he knew he could effectually annoy him, he issued his orders to fire broadside after broadside with the greatest possible rapidity. His crew^, now perfectly entering into a plan which none but an able seaman could have conceived, executed his commands with as much alacrity as was required, and after fifteen minutes close and constant cannonading, the enemy's mizzen-mast having gone over his starboard quarter, the Constitution was placed upon his larboard bow, in a raking posi- tion, from which she swept the decks of the Guerriere with grape and musketry. The enemy's ship became now unmanageable, and the Constitution prepared to lay her on board. Lieutenant Bush attempted to throw his marines on her deck, when he was killed by a musket-ball, and the Guerriere, at the same moment, getting clear of the Constitution, shot ahead; but it being impos- sible to get her before the wind, she was exposed to every raking fire of her opponent. Her fore and mainmasts went over the side; her hull was cut almost to pieces, and at twenty minutes past five she surrendered. The execution of the Constitution's fire was dreadfully severe, and the management of the vessel reflected great credit on her ofiicer. Her loss was but seven killed, and seven wounded. The Guerriere's loss was about one hundred and two — in wounded sixty-two, in killed and missing upwards of forty. The Constitution had some spars and much of her rigging shot away ; after repairing which, and getting out the prisoners, she set fire to and blew up the Guerriere, which was in so sinking a condition that she could not be brought into port. Captain Hull spoke in high terms of the crew, from the smallest boy in the ship to the oldest seaman. The ofiicers behaved with great gal- CONSTITUTION AND GUERRIERE. 49 lantiy. The brave and amiable Lieutenant William Bush, the first naval officer who fell in this war, distinguished himself by intrepidly leading on the boarders, wlien he received the ball which deprived his country of his services. Mr. Aylwin, who manoeuvered the ship so well throughout the battle, was severely wounded, and on his return to port was promoted to the rank of a lieutenant. The first officer, Lieutenant Morris, ^vas danger- ously wounded ; his conduct procured for him the applause of the government, and a promotion to the rank of a post-captain. Captain Hull was received, with a degree of joy bordering on enthusiasm, by the citizens of every town throug-h which he passed on his way to the navy department. Many of the state legislatures voted him their thanks and a sword ; the freedom of several cities w^as presented to him, each in a gold box; and the people of Charlestown and Philadelphia subscribed for the pur- chase of two elegant pieces of plate. The Congress of the United States voted him, and his officers and crew, their thanks — and the sum of fifty thousand dollars. The Guerriere was one of the finest and largest class of frigates in the British navy; a fact which is certified in a letter to Lord Keith from a British officer. Captain Thomas Lavie, of the frigate Blanche — in which ship, on the 19th of July, 1806, off the Faro Islands, after acontei^t of the same length, (forty-five minutes,) he captured the French frigate Le Guerriere, commanded by Mon- sieur Hubert of the legion of honour. His letter states, " Le Guerreire is of the largest class of frigates, mounting fifty guns, 7inth a complement of three hundred and seventeen men'' The squadron which had sailed on the 21st of June, under the command of Commodore Rodgers, and which consisted of the President, of forty-four guns, (flag ship;) United States, forty- four, Captain Decatur; Congress, thirty-six. Captain John Smith; Hornet, sixteen, Lieutenant-Commandant Lawrence; and Argus, sixteen, Lieutenant-Commandant, Sinclair, returned from the cruise, and arrived in Boston harbour on the 31st of August, with about one hundred and twenty English prisoners on board, hav- ing been out seventy-two days. These vessels had been off the English channel, along the coast of France, Spain, and Portugal, within thirty miles of the Rock of Lisbon ; thence to Madeira E 7 50 PRESIDENT AND BELVIDERE. Commodore Decatur. Island, thence off Coroand Flores, and thence back to the Banks, and by Nova Scotia to Boston. They were, most of this time, in search of the Jamaica fleet; thongh on the third day out their attention was diverted by the appearance of a large sail, wdiich was afterwards known to be the British frigate Belvidere, Captain B. Byron, and to which they gave chase. The President being a superior sailer to tlie rest of the squadron, was brought wdthin gun-shot of the enemy. The breeze inclining to the westward and becoming lighter, however, the Belvidere had the advantage; at one p. M. she hoisted English colours. At four, the wind having changed, so that the two vessels sailed nearly alike. Commodore Rodgers determined to fire his bow chase jruns at the rigo-ingr and spars, in the expectation of crippling the enemy, so that her escape w^ould be prevented, or at least that the President might be enabled to come up. The fire was returned from the enemy's stern guns, and was kept up on Ijoth sides until thirty minutes past four, when one of the President's chase guns bursted, and killed and wounded sixteen men — among the latter the commo- dore ; and by the explosion of the passing-box, from which the gun was served Avith powder, both the main and forecastle decks in its neighbourhood were much shattered. The helm was then ACTION ON LAKE ONTARIO. 51 put to starboard, and the discharge of the President's broadside wounded, and considerably injured, though it did not destroy, the spars and rigging of the Belvidere. The President began now to lose ground, no hope was left of bringing the enemy to close action, except that derived from being to windward, and the pro- bability that the breeze might favour the President first, and the commodore ordered her to be steered close after him, and the bow chase guns to be kept playing on his spars, rigging and stern. At five, the enemy's stern guns annoyed the President so mucli, that the commodore determined on another broadside, which being discharged, was found to have wounded the fore-topsail yard of the Belvidere : after this, the pursuit was kept up until eleven p. i\i. The President gave two more broadsides, but the Belvidere having stove and threw overboard her boats, and every thing which could be possibly spared ; and having cut away her anchors, and started about fourteen tons of water, outsailed the squadron and effected her escape. Six men were killed and wounded by the Belvidere's fire, and sixteen by the accident on board the President, making in all twenty-two, among whom, beside the commodore, were five midshipmen, one lieutenant of marines, and one lieutenant of the ship. While these events were transpiring on the ocean, several naval affairs took place upon the lakes, more inferior in their magnitude than in the heroism of the persons concerned in them. On the 30th of July, the brig Julia of one thirty-two-pounder, and two sixes, was fitted out at Sackett's Harbour, with orders to proceed to Ogdensburg. On the 31st, upon entering the St. Lawrence, within sight of Brockville, ten miles from her destination, she discovered the Earl Moira of eighteen guns, and the Duke of Gloucester of ten, lying to. The Julia bore down within three- quarters of a mile of them, and came to action. At half-past four p. i\i. the enemy opened their fire, and the engagement continued three hours and a half, during which time, numerous attempts were made to board the Julia by the boats of the Duke, but the thirty-two-pounder being well fought, the enemy were obliged to relinquish that plan. Both vessels hauled up under the land battery, and kept up a heavy fire. At eight o'clock, the Julia pro- ceeded to Ogdensburg, without the loss of a man. The enemy's 52 LIEUTENANT ELLIOT S EXPEDITION. loss has never been ascertained. In all the engagement three shot only struck the hull ; one went through the jib, and another pierced the gun carriage of the Julia. Her crew were all volun- teers; Lieutenant H. Wells having the command, Samuel Dixon being sailing-master, and Captain Benedict being on board with a small company of riflemen, acting as marines. Lieutenant Jesse D. Elliot, of the United States navy, had l)een ordered to the Niagara river, to superintend the building of the . vessels at Black Rock for the service on Lake Erie. The British brio- Detroit, of six-pound long guns, formerly the United States brio' Adams, whicli had been taken at the surrender of Detroit, and tlie brig Caledonia, of two small guns, both well a})pointed and supplied with blunderbusses, pistols, muskets, cutlasses, boarding-pikes, and battle-axes, came down the lake and anchored under tlie protection of Fort Erie, on the morning of the eighth of October. Lieutenant Elliot planned an expedition against them, which, because there were but few seamen at the station, was to be executed by volunteers from the army. This plan was com- municated to General Smyth, who immediately agreed to supply the regulars to man two boats to attack and cut out the enemy's vessels. Several companies of artillery and infantry, who arrived at the rock only a few days before, on hearing the proposal for volunteers, stepped forward to a man, and such was the eagerness of all the troops, tliat it became necessary to resort to lot. Fifty men only were wanted : Lieutenant Elliot having heard that the same number of seamen were at a short distance from him, on their route to the naval station, and who arrived at twelve o'clock on the morning of that day, and whom, though they came off" a march of five hundred miles, he determined should be also of the expedition. At four o'clock in the afternoon the selection was com- pleted, and the men stationed in two boats, (fifty in each,) com- manded by Lieutenant Elliot and Sailing-Master Watts. Li the same boat with the former, was Lieutenant Isaac Roach, and with the latter, Captain N. Towson, both of the artillery, and officers of great merit, who had been fortunate enough to draw the suc- cessful lots. About three hours before daylight of the following morning, the boats put off from the mouth of Buffalo creek, and in two hours were alono-side the vessels. CAPTURE OF THE DETROIT AND CALEDONIA. 53 In ten minutes the crews of each were secured, the topsails sheeted home, and the vessels under way. The wind not being sufficiently strong to get them up against a rapid current into the lake, they were obliged to run down the Niagara, by the forts, under a strong fire of round, grape, and canister, from a number of pieces of heavy ordnance and flying artillerj^ They anchored within four hundred yards of the enemy's battery. The officer commanding these was hailed, and informed that if another g-\u\ was fired, the prisoners should be brought on deck and share the fate which might attend the American crew. This threat was disregarded, but the humanity of the American officers prevented them from executing it, though a constant and destructive fire was kept up from the enemy. The Caledonia succeeded in get- ting under the batteries at Black Rock ; but the Detroit could not be got across. All her guns were therefore placed upon the side next the enemy, and a fire directed against the batteries as long as the ammunition lasted. During the contest several attempts to warp her over to the American shore were unsuccessfully made. The fire from the batteries was so destructive, that Lieu- tenant Elliot, expecting that she would soon be sunk if she remained in that situation, determined to drift down the river out of their reach, and prefer making a stand against the flying artil- lery. The cable was accordingly cut, and the Detroit made sail with light airs, but the pilot having abandoned her, she brought up on the American shore, on Squaw Island. The boarding-boat was immediately got ready and sent with the prisoners to the American side of the river, with directions to return for Lieute> nant Elliot and whatever property could be got out of the brig ; the boat, however, could not get back to her. Lieutenant Elliot was, therefore, obliged with Lieutenant Roacli and four prisoners, to make the shore in a skiff" which they discovered under the counter. Protection was then asked for the brig from Lieutenant- Colonel Scott, of the second regiment of artillery, who immC' diately despatched a company of that corps, under Captain J. N. Barker, with a few pieces, to be stationed opposite the island. A boat from the British shore approached the brig with forty men, who succeeded in getting on board, but the fire of four pieces of artillery soon compelled them to abandon her, and she was left in E 2 54 WASP AND FROLIC. such a condition that it would be impossible to float her. Captain Chambers, and part of the 5th United States regiment, afterwards crossed to Squaw Island and burnt her with her valuable cargo of furs. The Caledonia's cargo was estimated at two hundred thousand dollars. In all these proceedings the American loss was three killed, three severely, and four or five slightly wounded. Major Cuyler, an officer of great bravery, was killed by the first shot from the enemy's batteries, as he stood on the beach ; and Midshipman John C. Cummings was wounded in the leg by a bayonet as he was boarding the Detroit. The regulars were un- used to tliis species of service, but they had entered into it with zeal and alacrity, and their conduct was such as entitled them to the approbation which they received from their officers. Captain Towson and Lieutenant Roach were actively engaged during the whole enterprise, and contributed to its success as much by their counsel as by their intrepidity. Captain Talbot Chambers (now major) it was who destroyed the brig on the island. The artil- lery which was stationed on the shore, when the Detroit was abandoned by the crew, was served with skill and dexterity. The loss of the enemy, by the deserters' report, was about seventy. The United States sloop of war Wasp, having returned from France and refitted, put to sea again from the Delaware, on the 13th of October, on a cruise. On the 17th she discovered five sail steering eastward, and as several of them had the appearance of ships of war, she was placed in such a situation that she might escape from, or assail them, as circumstances might require. Keeping in the course she had descried them, on the following morning at daylight, they were seen ahead, and on being made out to be a convoy of six sail, under convoy of a sloop of war, the Wasp gave them immediate chase. The convoy, under a heavy press of sail, all made their escape and left the sloop of war to contend with the Wasp, though four of them were heavy ships, and mounted sixteen and eighteen guns. The weather was ex- tremely boisterous, and the sea so rough, that the Wasp's guns had been already several times under water, she nevertheless, pre- pared for action, and at thirty-two minutes past eleven came down to windward in handsome style, on the larboard side of the sloop of war, and hailed her within about sixty yards. She was the WASP AND FROLIC. 55 the British sloop of war Frolic, Captain Whinyeates, of twenty- two guns, and at this moment showed Spanish colours, but upon being hailed, she immediately hauled them down, hoisted the English ensign, and commenced a fire of cannon and musketry.* The action becoming close, the Wasp received a shot which took away her main-topmast, threw it over the fore and fore-mainsail braces, and made her head yards unmanageable during the re- mainder of the action. She w^as soon after w^ounded in her gaff and mizzen-topgallant-sail, but kept up, notwithstanding, a close and galling fire as her side was going down with the swell of the sea, and every shot consequently struck the Frolic's hull. The English, as they almost invariably do, fired as their ship was rising, and therefore, either missed their aim, or struck only the rigging of the Wasp. The Wasp shot ahead, gave a well-directed broadside, took station on the larboard bow of the Frolic, and gradually neared her, until she lay her on board, although while loading another, and the last broadside, the rammers of the guns struck the side of the enemy's vessel. The Frolic had long before slackened her fire, and her jibboom having now entered between the main and mizzen rigging of the Wasp, two of the latter's guns were brought through her bow ports and swept her whole deck. The borders were immediately called, and such * The following is an extract from Captain Jones's official account of the battle : " The courage and exertions of the officers and crew fully answered my expectations and wishes. Lieutenant Biddle's active conduct contributed much to our success, by the exact attention paid to every department during the engagement, and the animating example he afforded the crew by his intrepidity. Lieutenants Rodgers, Booth, and Mr. Rapp, showed, by the incessant fire from their divisions, that they were not to be sur- passed in resolution or skill. Mr. Knight and every other officer acted with a courage and promptitude highly honourable, and I trust have given assurance that they may be relied on whenever their services may be required. "I could not ascertain the exact loss of the enemy, as many of the dead lay buried imder the masts and spars that had fallen upon deck, which two hours' exertion had not sufficiently removed. Mr. Biddle, who had charge of the Frolic, states that from what he saw and from information from the officers, the number of killed must have been about thirty, and that of the wounded about forty or lifty — of the killed is her first lieutenant and sailingmaster ; of the wounded, Captain Whinyeates and the second lieutenant. "We had five killed and five wounded as per list; the wounded are recovering. Lieutenant Claxton, who was confined by sickness, left his bed a little previous to the engagement, and thougli too weak to be at his division, remained on deck and showed by his composed manner of noting incidents, that we had lost, by his illness, the services of a brave officer." 56 WASP AND FROLIC. was the anxiety of every man to be the first upon her deck, that several of them were pulled down upon their own ship from the bowsprit of the Frolic. Lieutenant Biddle, who was a supernu- merary officer of the Wasp, had mounted the hammock cloth to board, but his feet getting entangled in the rigging of the Frolic's bowsprit, Midshipman J. G. Baker, in his enthusiastic ardour, caught the lieutenant by the coat, drew him back upon the Wasp's deck, and was himself the first officer on that of the enemy. Lieutenant Biddle, however, immediately sprang up, ascended the Frolic's bowsprit, and upon getting on her deck found not a single man alive, except a seaman at the wheel and three officers, who threw down their swords and yielded. The Frolic's colours were still flying, and Lieutenant Biddle jumping into the rigging, pulled down the English ensign himself Her birth-deck was crowded with dead and wounded, and her main-deck slippery with blood ; her loss could not be accurately ascertained, as many of the dead had been swept into the sea by the falling of her rig- ging, and others were buried under the spars which had fallen on the deck ; but by the declaration of her own officers it could not be less than thirty killed and about fifty wounded . The Wasp lost five killed and five wounded. Lieutenant Biddle was put on board the Frolic with a prize crew, with orders to make a southern port, but the approach of a British ship of the line, the Poictiers, Sir J. P. Beresford, of seventy-four guns, made it necessary for both ships to make sail for the most convenient port. The Frolic was so much damaged, and the Wasp so disabled in her rigging, that the enemy closed upon them fast, fired a shot over and passed the Frolic, pursued the Wasp, and made capture of both, and ordered them to Bermuda. Thus terminated a spirited and brilliant contest of forty-three minutes, in the capture of an enemy's vessel, four guns superior at least to her antagonist. The conduct of the American officers and seamen showed that they were not to be surpassed in prompti- tude or courage ; to that of Lieutenant Biddle, and Lieutenant Rodgers, first of the ship, and every other commissioned and warrant officer on board. Captain Jones has given official tes- timony. A seaman, of the name of Jack Lang, gave a very extraordinary UNITED STATES AND MACEDONIAN. 57 instance of bravery and eccentricity, by mounting the enemy's bowsprit before any of his brother sailors had attempted to do so, though called back by his commander, and by the jocose manner in which he descended from it to the deck of the Frolic, with many humorous expressions peculiar to his profession. Lieu- tenants Booth and Mr. Rapp, and Midshipmen Gaunt and Baker, the latter of whom died in Bermuda, behaved with great personal bravery. Lieutenant Claxton, wdio w^as confined by sickness, left his bed, went upon deck, and noted the incidents of the engage- ment with great composure. When Captain Jones returned from Bermuda he received from his countrymen as many flattering testimonials of their approba- tion as they had previously given to Captain Hull. The legisla- tures of Massachusetts, New York, and Delaware, of which latter state he was a native, presented him with their thanks, and several elegant swords and pieces of plate. The order of Cincinnati admit- ted him into the society as an honorary member, as they had Captain Hull ; and the Congress of the United States voted him, his offi- cers, and crew, twenty-five thousand dollars, in consideration of the loss they met with by not being able to bring in the Frolic. The next naval action took place on the 25tli of Octo- ber, and terminated in the victory of the United States frigate United States, over the British frigate Macedonian, the command of wdiich, upon her being brought into port, refitted and taken into the service, was given to Lieutenant-Commandant Jones, wdio, as a further testimony of the high opinion which the execu- tive entertained of his gallant conduct in the capture of the Frolic, was now promoted to the rank of post-captain. The events of that engagement, in the order of succession, should have been recorded in the present chapter. They will l^e found, however, in another naval section of the work. Though the enemy gained no advantages over our forces on the ocean which could counter-balance the disasters he sustained by these successive triumphs of the American arms, his superior class of ships made capture of several of our smaller vessels of war. The squadron which had pursued the Constitution on the 18th of July, captured a day or two after, the United States schooner Nautilus, of twelve guns, commanded by Lieutenant- 58 LOSS OF THE VIXEN. Commandant Crane; and on the 22d November, the United States schooner Vixen, Lieutenant-Commandant George Wash- ington Reed, of the same number of guns, was captured, after a chase of nine hours and a half, by the British frigate Southamp- ton, Sir James Lucas Yeo. Though the Vixen was commanded by a skilful and scientific seaman, and manned by as gallant a crew as any other American vessel, every effort to escape was found to be fruitless, and she was at length surrendered to a ship as much her superior in sailing as in force. She had not long been captive to the enemy before both vessels ran ashore and were immediately wrecked. The frigates' crew became mutinous from intoxication, and the property which was saved from both wrecks was retrieved by the generous and indefatigable exertions of the American sailors. Captain Reed, himself, was as actually engaged in the direction and encouragement of the men, as any of the British officers, and he received the public acknowledg- ments of Sir James, accompanied by an offer of his parole to return home. But such were the noble sentiments by which he was ever actuated, that he would not leave his officers and men, and preferring to remain with them in an unhealthy climate, to which they were taken, he became a victim to an obstinate fever, brought on by the anxieties and fatigues to which, by his unpleasant situa- tion, and his unremitting attention to the comforts of his men, he was necessarily exposed. His interment was attended hj the British officers, and a detachment from the garrison, and his fune- ral obsequies were accompanied by those honours due to his rank which are seldom withheld from a l^rave enemy. A splendid triumph seldom fails to excite the general joy, and to call forth the universal admiration of the people. The rapid succession in which the naval conquests followed each other — the superiority of seamanship and gunnery which was exhibited in each, and the fact being now well ascertained that the inexperienced crews of the American navy could not only sustain a conflict with, but might actually capture the veteran seamen of the enemy, whenever chance should bring them together, upon equal terms ; the attention of Congress was turned to the marine establishment, and the majority of the nation were desirous that measures should be immediately adopted for its enlargement. PRIVATEERS. 59 In the naval part of the war, the national ships were actively assisted by privateers. Twenty-six of these vessels, carrying two hundred and twelve guns, and two thousand two hundred and thirty-nine men, were fitted out from New Yorlc, and seven- teen vessels, carrying one hundred and forty-three guns, and one thousand five hundred and thirty-eight men, from Baltimore, in 1812. The other seaports contributed proportionally to this force, by which the commerce of the enemy suffered very severely. Our space will permit but a slight notice of their operations. The Nonsuch privateer of Baltimore, Captain Levely, carry- ing twelve twelve-pound carronades, and (at that time) between eighty and ninety men, on the 28th of September, 1812, fell in with a ship and schooner under British colours, the ship carry- ing sixteen eighteen and twenty-four-pound carronades, and two hundred men, including soldiers; and the schooner six four- pounders, and sixty men. " When within reach of the ship," says the logbook of the Nonsuch, " she gave us a broadside. Bore down upon her, and hoisted American colours, and re- turned ten broadsides, accompanied each time with a heavy vol- ley of musketry ; the ship and schooner keeping up a heavy fire upon us with their great guns and musketry. The engagement lasted three hoiu's and twenty minutes, when the bolts and breachings of our guns, fore and aft, were carried away, on both sides. We could then only fire our musketry, or should have certainly captured them both. Dismounted several of the ship's guns, and damaged her very much in her hull and rigging. From the confusion which appeared on board, we judge that we must have killed a number of men. She bore away for Mar- tinico. We being much crippled in our rigging, could not pursue her. Our crew all fought like true Americans." The only other action which we shall notice, is thus described by a resident at Laguira, who saw it. " On the 9th of December, the private armed schooner Sara- toga, commanded by Captain Charles W. Wooster, made her appearance off Laguira. The same day the first lieutenant went on shore, and reported that they were twenty-four days from New York, and had seen nothing. On the 10th, Captain 60 PRIVATEERS. Wooster ran down and anchored in the Roads, but in a few minutes was advised in a note from the American consul, to weigh and keep out of the reach of the batteries, as the com- mandant had said he would sink her if she came to. He immedi- ately comjDlied with this advice, and stood off. He soon disco- vered a schooner standing- down the coast, and some miles to wind- ward of Laguira. He boarded and captured her. She was laden with dry goods to the amount of twenty thousand dollars. The next day, at nine a. m., after the fog cleared off, the Saratoga was some miles to leeward of Laguira, in shore of a brig, but neither near enough to fetch in. At eleven a. m., the brig tacked off shore, and soon after the schooner did the same. It was known on shore that the brig was well armed and manned, and it was generally believed she would take the Saratoga, or at all events beat her ofT. The inhabitants all left ofi' their business, from the command;mt to the beggar, to see the engagement. The brig being so far from the schooner, it was some time before she came up with her. They being so far off, the spectators on shore could but just discover them from the house-tops; and just as they had given up all hope of seeing the battle, they discovered them both tacking to shore again. They continued standing in until within two leagues of the town, when the Saratoga commenced the action from her starboard bow guns, which was returned from, the brig's larboard quarter. The action now be- came furious, so that both vessels were hid in columns of fire and smoke ; but in a few minutes the tiring ceased. When the smoke cleared off, no other colours were flying except the American, on board the Saratoga, which was victorious. On the 13th, the second mate and twenty-five seamen arrived at Laguira, in the brig's long-boat, which Captain Wooster had given them, to- gether with every article belonging to them. The second mate was the only officer that was alive after the action, there being great slaughter on board the brig. On board the Saratoga they had but one man sbghtly wounded. The brig was the Rachel, from Greenock, mounting twelve long nine-pounders, and carry- ing sixty men. She had on board a cargo of dry goods, &c., invoiced at fifteen thousand pounds sterling." HOSTILITIES OF THE CREEK INDIANS. Gl CHAPTER III. |ijfi^ti!itic«5 of t|)c 'Bxetk InlniuK^, NTELLIGENCE of the recent mis- fortune of the north-western army, of the assault upon the troops from Fort Chicago, and of the advantages which were consequently expected to follow those events having been communicated by early despatches from the tribes on the northern to those of the Creek nation on the southern frontiers ; fears were entertained that the result of a council of the chiefs of that nation, which was to be held on the 22d of October, would be unfavourable to the interests of that department of the Union, and that a coalition would be formed between the Indians of the two extremities, which might require all the energies of the government to suppress. To this council 62 HOSTILITIES OF THE CREEKS of the Creeks, their neighbours, the Choctaws, the Chickasaws, and the Cherokees were invited, and if the deliberations of such a convention should be influenced by the elation evidently pro- duced by the late successes of their northern red brethren, the whole frontier from Tennessee to the bay of Mobile, and all the settlements between Georgia and the Mississippi, and Tennessee and Florida, would be subject to their depredations. The Semi- noles, a tribe attached to the Creek nation, were already at war with the white people on the borders of East Florida, and had murdered several citizens on the Georgia side of the St. Mary's. The same hatchet which is raised by one of a chain of tribes, linked together by common or confederated interests, is generally grasped by all. The Creeks were not dilatory in following an example which they at first pretended to restrain, and their out- rages surpassed those of any of the northern nations. The British, availing themselves of one of the best harbours in the Gulf of Mexico, sent several of their vessels loaded with the implements of war to Pensacola. The commandant at St. Marks, a small Spanish settlement between East and West Florida, informed the chiefs that the English would soon be there with guns, knives, hatchets, and ammunition for the red people, whom they considered to be their friends. These were put into the hands of the Indians, and they commenced their hostilities against all the defenseless inhabitants of Tennessee and Georgia. The presence of an army became now necessary in the south, and the states there were authorized to call forth as many of the militia, as, in conjunction with the regulars, might be thought competent to quell the associated tribes. The Indians of the Creek nation are not sul)ject to any kind of restraint in war, they will neither give nor receive quarters, and pursue no other mode but that which leads to entire extermination. The force necessary to combat such an enemy must, therefore be extensive, and the executives of the ditferent states made every exertion to arm and equip the whole quota of the militia. The Seminoles had been committing depredations of the most daring nature, before they had any intelligence from their northern friends : and uniting to their forces a number of nesrroes whom they had captured at Florida, they made frequent incursions into BATTLE OF LOTCHWAY TOWN. 63 tlie state of Georgia, murdered many inhabitants, and carried ofF much valuable plunder. On the night of the 11th of September, about twenty American troops, principally marines, under com- mand of Captain Williams of that corps, were marching with two w^ao-ons towards Davis' creek. When within ten miles of their destination they were attacked by a party of Indians and negroes of about fifty in number, with whom they contended until every cartridge was expended. Captain Williams, in the course of that time, received eight wounds, and was carried off by two of his men, leaving Captain Fort, of the volunteers, to command his troops, and to keep up the contest; but he being also wounded, and finding the strength of the party to be diminishing, retired in the best manner he could, and left the Indians in possession of the wagons and teams. The night was excessively dark, and several of the men, who were wounded, had concealed themselves in the bushes. On the following morning a detachment was sent from a block-house a few miles off, to which some of the men had escaped, to examine the ground. They found Captain Williams, with his right leg and left arm broken, his left leg shot through with one, and his right arm with three balls, and a wound through the lower part of his body. One man was killed and scalped, and the whole number of wounded was six. The Indians destroyed one wagon, but took the other to carry off their dead and wounded — of whom the number was much greater than that of the marines. Captain Williams languished for three or four days, and expired at Davis' creek. He was a brave young man, and noted for his sedulous attention to the duties of his station. On the 24th of the same month, Colonel Newnan, of the Georgia volunteers, left Picollata with about one hundred and seventeen men for the Lotchway towns. On his third day's march, wdien within seven miles of the first of those towns, he was met by a body of about one hundred and fifty Indians, all of whom were mounted. This meeting was very unexpected to the Indians, but they immediately dismounted, formed a line of bat- tle, and marched a few paces in advance. This movement was intended to intimidate the Georgians, but Colonel Newnan gave orders for the charge, and determined to put an end to the encoun- ter by entirely subduing the Indians or putting them to flight. 64 BATTLE OF LOT CH WAY TOWN, The battle-ground was situated midst a number of swamps, which bounded three of its sides. The Indians remained hrm until the Georgians had advanced within fifty paces of their line, when they fled to these swamps for safety. The whole of the musketry being fired at them with precision, made great execution, and among others, killed their leader. King Paine. His tribe, on hearing of his fall, were resolved on rescuing his body from the enemy, and returned to the action for that purpose. Several charges were now made, and the Indians were constantly driven back, until at length they determined on one desperate effort, and recovering all their strength and spirits, they made a push against the Geor- gians, which, though it was received with firmness, could not be resisted with much vigour. The Indians obtained the body of King Paine, gave up the conflict, wdiich liad now^ lasted upwards of four hours, and carried off their killed and wounded, supposed to be between twenty and thirty. Before night of the same day, the Indians w^ere reinforced from their towns by other Indians and negroes, and renewT.d and kept up the action, with the greatest obstinacy, until they began to think the volunteers invincible, and again fled. Their force in the second attack w^as upwards of two hundred, but they were repulsed with nearly the same loss as in the first ; wliilst the volunteers loss in both, was one killed and niiie wounded. Colonel Newnan's situation Wcis becoming extremely hazard- ous; the enemy's numbers were hourly increasing, and they began to surround him on all sides : he therefore threw up a small breast- work, from which he was determined to defend himself until his troops should be reinforced also. He had already despatched expresses to procure additional nuTnbers. His w^ounded men ren- dered him unable to retreat or to advance ; and he repelled every assault which was made upon this little work until the 4th day of October. The Indians were continually harassing him, day and night ; and finding they could make no impression on his fortification, they glutted their insatiable vengeance by shooting all his horses. On the 4th, a perfect silence prevailed in Colonel Newnan's camp, and the Indians suspected from that, and the circumstance that their fire had not been returned the day pre- ceding, that he had deserted it in the night. Under this assur- BATTLE OF L OT C H W A Y TO W N. 65 ance they approached the works, without any thought of opposition until they were within forty paces of them, when the Georgian troops suddenly showed themselves, compelled the Indians to retreat with precipitation, and after several rapid discharges of musketr}^, killed and wounded about thirty warriors more. They then decamped, without being molested, and were stationed about ten miles off, on the Picolatta road, where they were obliged to await the arrival of fresh horses and provisions. Colonel New- nan's account of this affair bestows a high degree of credit upon every volunteer of his detachment ; and their intrepid conduct, as well as his judicious arrangements, served to give a checl^: to the combined red and black warriors, which promised security to the neighbourhood, at least, until larger forces should be or"-anized. Besides the loss of King Paine, the Indians had three of the prin- cipal chiefs and their young governor slain ; and Bow-legs, their second in command, severely wounded. r 2 6G ORGANIZATION OF THE N R T II - WE ST E R N ARMY Gtneidl Harribon. CHAPTER IV. VIMEDIATELY after the surrender of the garrisons at MichiUmackinac, Chicago, and Detroit, measures were adopted for the organization and equip- ment of a new army. An offer had ,^ been made to receive volunteers into the service from the states and territo- ries in the neighbourhood of Michigan, and they came forward w4th an alacrity which made it unnecessary to hold out allurements. The recovery of the surrendered territory, and the re-establishment of its former civil government, were the strong motives which induced all the brave and patriotic men in its vicinity to take up arms and march against the invaders. The inhabitants of that territory were now governed by an authority too rigorous to be compatible with those notions of liberty inspired by the genius of their own con- stitution, and they were awaiting the expected succour from their friends with the deepest anxiety. The new army was in readiness almost instantly, the different corps concentrated with unprecedented celerity, and by the early part of Septeml^er their disposition was completed. Two thou- DEFENSE OF FORT HARRISON. 67 sand Pennsylvania volunteers, under Brigadier-General Crooks, left Pittsburg for the shores of Lake Erie; General Tupper's briofade of Ohio volunteers was to retrace the road which had been formed by the first army, from Urbanna to the Rapids ; and a brigade of Virginians, wdien they should arrive, under General Leftwhich, was to pursue the same route. General Payne's bri- gade of Kentucky volunteers, the first of the present army wdiich was in readiness, and the 17th United States regiment, under Colonel Wells, were to proceed to Fort Wayne, and descend to the Rapids of the Miami of the lakes, which place was assigned for the general rendezvous. The command of the second north-western army was given, by the unanimous washes of the troops composing it, to General William H. Harrison ; the immediate command of the Kentucky troops under General Payne, devolved on him, by his being bre- vetted a major-general by .the governor of that state. Forts Harrison and Wayne were at this time garrisoned only by a few regulars and volunteers ; numerous British and Indian forces had already marched from Maiden to lay waste the Ohio frontier, and the latter post would naturally be their leading point. General Harrison, therefore, immediately marched to its relief with Payne's brigade and the regulars. The former post (Fort Harrison) was invested on the 3d of September by the Prophet's party from the Wabash. On the night of the 4th they set fire to one of the block-houses, contain- ing the contractor's property, and followed up that act by a reso- lute attack upon the fort. The garrison was commanded by Captain Zachary Taylor, of the 7th United States infantry, and consisted of only eighteen eifective men. The flames w^ere rag- ing — the Indians, about three hundred in number, were howling in their usual horrid manner, and the w^omen and children of the barracks were crying for protection which they did not expect to receive. When the block-house should be entirely consumed, a large entrance w^ould be open to the enemy ; no efforts had yet succeeded to extinguish the fire; its ascendency bafiled every attempt — and the men themselves began to despond. Two of the stoutest jumped over the pickets, with a hope of escaping in the dark ; but one of them was cut to pieces and scalped, and the 68 DEFENSE OF FORT HARRISON. other returned with his arm broken, and implored to be re-admit- ted into the fort. Under these discouraging circumstances, Cap- tain Taylor never suffered his presence of mind to forsake him ; and applying the only resource now left him, he ordered a small party to dislodge the roof of the house, so that it might fall in the space, whilst a few men in another house were to keep up a con- tinual fire upon the Indians. His plan succeeded — the men became confident in their exertions, and a breastwork was formed under a heavy shower of bullets, along the cavity which the de- struction of the block-house produced. A desperate defense was now made, and a constant and rapid fire kept up until six o'clock in the morning of the 5th. Several furious assaults had been repulsed, and the Indians, at the approach of day, judging the number of the garrison to be greater than it actually was, retired with a quantity of captured cattle, after having shot all the horses belono-ino- to the fort. Doctor Clarke was the most indefatigable man in the engagement, and Captain Taylor's good conduct was so highly applauded, that the president soon after promoted him to a majority. Two men only were killed, with the exception of the deserter, and one wounded. The Indians always carry off their dead, unless their numbers are too small, and their loss is seldom without great difficulty ascertained. All the provisions were consumed by the fire, and the garrison compelled to subsist on green corn until reinforcements should come on with supplies. The little band, which was now reduced to fourteen men, repaired the damages sustained by the fort, and constructed a strong forti- fication across the space. The bastions were all put in the best state of defense, and every precaution adopted to sustain a second assault. To the great joy of the garrison, however. Colonel Wil- liam Russell arrived about the 16th, from Illinois, with six hun- dred mounted rangers and five hundred infantry, and Fort Harrison became sufficiently manned to resist the attack of a much larger body of the Prophet's warriors. The situation of Fort Wayne was now more critical than that of any other fortress in the west. The Indians, who had pro- ceeded from the battle-ground of Chicago, were afterwards rein- forced by those from Maiden, and they laid siege to this fortress in very large numbers. The troops in garrison amounted to DEFENSE OF FORT WAYxNE. 71 seventy. On the night of the 5th of September the Indians commenced an attack, they fired principally upon the sentinels, but did no injury. On the 6th, several of the men went out of the south gate of the fort, but had not proceeded more than seventy paces when two of them were killed, and by the exertions of their companions their bodies were carried into the fort, to pro- tect them against savage indif^nities. Durin^ the nio;ht another O CD CJ CD O attack was made by the whole force of the Indians, and wdien they approached the fort, it was confidently expected that they would scale the works, but the incessant fire of the garrison com- pelled them to abandon their designs. What they could not do by force they then attempted by stratagem. Resort was had to all kinds of artifice, and they at length brought up two wooden pieces, which they had contrived in imitation of cannon, to per- suade the garrison that the British had supplied them with bat- tering pieces to reduce the place. These were brought up, and one of their chiefs threatened to batter down the walls unless the troops would immediately capitulate, or to storm them on the following day, when they would be reinforced by seven hundred other warriors. In three days they menaced an entire massacre, but the troops in Fort Wayne, still hoping that it would be relieved by the arrival of the expected volunteers, resolved to hold out until every article of provision should be exhausted. No other attempts were made upon the fort until the 9th, when a firing was commenced and continued at intervals all day, but without doing any damage. On the succeeding day they began their war-whoop, renewed their fire, and were again unsuccessful. Not a man was killed in any of their attacks, the only wounds which they inflicted being upon those who ventured w-ithout the fort. On the evening of the 12th, General Harrison's forces reached the garrison, and the whole Indian body precipitately fled. The depredations which they had committed about the fort were as inhuman as they were extensive. All the stock upon the neighbouring farms was destroyed ; the corn, all the small grain, and everv house burned; and all the horses and cattle killed. The Indian agent, Stephen Johnson, was murdered, and his body treated with shocking indecency : and, indeed, the commission of no act indicative of savage vengeance was omitted. The approach 72 MIAMI TOWNS DESTROYED. of the regulars and volunteers, prevented perhaps, the destruction of the fields at a greater distance, and secured a supply of Indian corn for the garrison. But the great augmentation of the troops made it necessary to obtain supplies of other provisions, from the towns of those tribes which had been so active in destroying what the farms miglit have afforded. It was now high time, too, to make the Indians feel those effects of the war which their repeated cruelties had provolved, and to convince them that the American troops were not quite so contemptible and degraded as the Indians implied them to be from the surrender of the late commander-in- chief on the same station. General Harrison, therefore, divided his forces into scouting parties, under the command of his most active ofiicers. Several expeditions were forwarded against the Indian settlements, and some expectations entertained that they might Ije drawn into iDattle. But they did not betray the same willingness to combat these corps which they had heretofore shown to encounter others. The Kentuckians w^ere held in great dread by most of the Indian warriors, and the expression of ''Kentucky too viuch,''' has not unfrequently accompanied their orders to retreat, in the form of justification. On the 14th, General Harri- son despatched Colonel Wells, with his own and Colonel Scott's regiments, and two hundred mounted riflemen, with instructions to proceed up the river St. Joseph, which, with the St. Mary's, forms the Miami of the lakes, and to destroy the Pottawatomie towns at Elk Hart. Another detachment, consisting of Colonels .Allen's and Lewis' regiments, and Captain Garrard's troop, under command of General Payne, but which the commander-in-chief accompanied, proceeded, on the same day, to the destruction of the Miami towns on the forks of the Wabash. The object of each expedition was accomplished without opposition, the Indians of those tribes having abandoned their villages, and the different detachments returned to the fort on the 18th. Several Indian tril^es, who constantly resisted the solicitations of the enemy to join their standard, had before this time expressed their desires of being taken into the service of the United States ; arrangements having been made between General Harrison and the executive government, wdiich authorized him to employ them, he had accepted the services of Logan, a chief of reputation as a HARRISON SUPERSEDED. 73 warrior, and was accompanied by him on his march towards Fort Wayne. On the arrival of the troops at that place, Logan went forward with about seven hundred men, raised an Indian yell, and pursued the retreating tribes. This signal was answered by them, at the distance of only one hundred and fifty yards; but the intervention of the river and several other obstacles, prevented the pursuit being attended with effect. General Winchester, of the United States army, arrived at Fort Wayne immediately after the expedition against the Indian villages, and the command of the detachments under General Payne and Colonel Wells, was resigned to him in obedience to the orders of the war department. The volunteers, who had centred all their affections in the person of the commander of their choice, were not satisfied with this change until General Harri- son reminded them of the revolutionary services of his successor, and communicated to them the instructions from the department confirming him in the command of all the troops but those which were assigned to General Winchester. The strength of this army was continually augmenting. A^o- lunteer associations to a greater number than it was politic to receive into the service, were formed, equipped, and ready to march against the enemy in the same day, and a selection was made from among them of such a force as was at that time re- cjuired, in conjunction with the troops which had already marched, to make the army complete. But such was the patriotic impetuo- sity of the western people, that many of the corps who were not fortunate enough to be received, immediately provided themselves at their own expense, and insisted upon accompanying their fel- low-citizens to the field. The siege of Fort Wayne having been raised by the Indians, it now entered into the views of the two g-enerals to march forces to the relief of the intermediate garrisons between that place and Detroit, against which an ultimate movement was to be made ; the leading object of the expedition Ijeing to regain the ground which had been lost, and to retrieve the late disaster, not only by repossessing that fortress, but by the capture of Maiden and all the great rallying points of the northern Indians. Through the G 10 74 LOSS OF LIGETT's PARTY. exertions of the indefatigable governor of Ohio,* every necessary supply was forwarded with the greatest possible despatch, and General Winchester therefore advanced to Fort Defiance, whilst General Harrison fixed his head-quarters at St. Mary's; distance from each other sixty miles. The troops destined for Defiance amounted to about two thousand. On the 22d of September, they marched cautiously in three divisions, the baggage being in the centre, and a company of spies, under Captain Ballard, pro- tected by Garrard's troop of dragoons, about one or two miles in front. As it was necessary to guard against surprise from a watch- ful enemy, whose principle it is to assault his foe while sleeping, they encamped each day at three o'clock, and threw up breast- works around the tents, at the distance of about twenty paces. On the fourth day's march. Ensign Ligett of the regulars, and four of the volunteers, proposed, and were permitted to go forward and discover the strength and situation of the enemy at Defiance, which was then distant about twenty-five miles. B ut their enter- prise, which was too hazardous for any but experienced men, en- tirely failed. These adventurous young men were assailed on the night of the 25th, and though they defended themselves until their strength was exhausted, were overpowered, killed, tomahawked, and scalped in the usual barbarous manner of the Indians. On the 27th, Captain Ballard, who was reputed in that army for his courage and prudence, was ordered to go out with his company of spies, supported by forty of Garrard's dragoons, and bury the bodies of the young men, whose death was now known of in the camp. When within aliout two miles of the spot where they had been kiUed, Ballard discovered an Indian ambuscade, but as he had marched his men in two divisions, placing one on * Hisexcellency, Return J. Meiirs, afterwards postmaster-general of the United States, whose active zeal in the service of his country was manifested by his administration of the civil affairs of the state over which he presided, before and after the commencement of hostilities. When the invasion of Ohio was threatened by General Brock after he took possession of Michig-an, Governor Meigs, with incessant diligence, highly honour- able to his patriotism, equipped, provided, and organized one army after another, until the safety of the state was secured, and the mass of the inhabitants of that devoted ter- ritory fled to him for protection. Several members of his own family were among the volunteers, and one of his brothers was one of the three men killed at the siege of Fort Wayne. GENERAL WINCHESTER LEAVES FORT WAYNE. 75 each side of an Indian trace, tlirougli which the enemy supposed the vohmteers would advance, the ambuscade became useless, and the Indians succeeded in gaining an eminence ; whilst they were forming. Captain Ballard gave thein a galling fire, which they immediately returned, accompanied by a loud and terrific yell. Ballard ordered up the horse and charged upon, and put them to the route. Pursuit was given, but the enemy knew the country better than the dragoons, and escaped into the swamps and thickets with the loss of four or five wounded. No injury of consequence enough to name was sustained by the volunteers. On the 2Sth, Ballard's spies were again sent forward, and dis- covered a fresh trail of Indians. On communicating which to the general, he ordered twenty troopers to cross the river to as- certain whether the wagons could pass, and on finding a tolerable ford, the whole army crossed about five miles above Fort De- fiance, and encamped on its bank. At one hundred yards from the edge of the river, another trail was discovered, when Captain Garrard was despatched, with twenty of his troops, to proceed and ascertain by whom it was made. Three miles below General Winchester's encampment, and two miles above Defiance, the enemy were observed to be encamped in large numbers, with war poles erected and the bloody flag flying. When the army commenced its march from Fort Wayne, the troops were provided with six days rations only, but Colonel Jenning's regiment was to meet them with provisions at Fort Defiance. At a certain point on the Aux Glaize, the colonel was directed to halt and erect a block-house, which having done, he ascertained by his spies, that the British and Indians were encamped near the fort, and with- out reinforcements it would have been imprudent to have pro- ceeded further. Late on the night of the 29tli, he therefore for- warded an express to General Winchester, to make known his situation, forty miles above Fort Defiance; and as the troops were now nearly starving, Captain Garrard proceeded with great de- spatch to Colonel Jenning's regiment, to escort with his dragoons, a brigade of pack-horses with provisions for their relief, and effected a hazardous tour in thirty-six hours, though all the time drenched with incessant rain. General Winchester, seeing that his force was far inferior to 76 W INC 11 ester's EXPRESSES TO HARRISON. that of the newly discovered enemy, and finding himself in their immediate vicinity, despatched expresses to General Harrison at the St. Mary's, to obtain reinforcements, and to apprize him of the situation of the left wing. Expecting the required relief in a few days, he put his encampment in a state of defense, by fortifying himself on the front and sides, and kept out reconnoi- tering parties, who were to communicate with him the moment the enemy should come out to attack him. On the other hand, the enemy had possession of Fort Defiance, and were repairing and enlaro-ino: its armament. THE BRITISH EVACUATE FORT DEFIANCE. 77 CHAPTER V. ■-g^-^,^-^ ENERAL HARRISON, on receiving Ge- neral Winchester's despatch, immediately took up his march with General Tupper's mounted men, and arrived at the encamp- ment near Defiance, when he moved forward with the whole force to attack that fort. But the British and Indians had evacuated it, as soon as they heard of his approach, and taking away the cannon with which they had increased the armament, proceeded down the Miami to the rapids. The mounted men were ordered to pursue the retreating enemy, and to destroy their encampment at that place; and General Harrison left Fort Defiance on the 5th, to join the right wing of the army, and to concentrate the whole at the appointed rendezvous, at the Miami of the Lakes. After his departure. General Winchester countermanded the order to General Tupper, and the expedition against the Indians at the rapids, was conse- quently frustrated. Until the contemplated concentration could be effected, no movement could be made which would promote the ultimate object of the campaign, and the troops at Fort Defiance, which 78 DEATH OF LOGAN. now assumed the name of Fort Winchester, remained in that garrison until the 14th of December. In this interval, Logan, with about thirty friendly Indians, at- tempted to examine the movements and situation of the enemy on the Miami, where his party was discovered and dispersed. Logan and six of them returned, the remainder escaped in another direction. On the 22d of November, he was again ordered by General Winchester, to take two Indians and go forward to make dis- coveries. Early in the day they were met and captured by the celebrated hostile chief, Wynemack, and a party of five Indians. Logan resorted to a stratagem, by which he persuaded Wyne- mack that he had come to join him, and he and his tw^o men were therefore allowed to carry their arms and march in front. Loo^an havino^ communicated to his comrades his determination to rescue himself or perish in the effort, they suddenly turned upon their enemy on the first opportunity, and each brought his man to the ground ; Wynemack being among them. The re- maining three fired in return, shot Logan and one of his Indians and retired. Logan exchanged the shot, notwithstanding his wound was mortal, and springing with his wounded companion upon the horses of two of those whom they had just killed, whilst his third man protected him in his retreat, he returned to Fort Winchester. On the 28tli he died, w^ith the firmness of a brave warrior, sincerely regretted by the whole garrison, who knew him to be a distinguished, and considered him a useful leader. At Franklinton, General Harrison was actively employed in forward- ing ammunition, pieces of ordnance, ordnance stores, provisions, &c., and arranging depots for their reception on the road, which was designated for the right wing of the army. On the 18th of November, he sent Lieutenant-Colonel J. B. Campbell with a detachment of six hundred men on an expedition against the Indians of the Miami tribes, residing in the Missis- sinewa towns. On the morning of the 17th December the de- tachment charged on the first of those towns, drove the Indians across the Mississinewa river, killed seven warriors, and took thirty-seven prisoners. During this contest a part of the detach- ment was sent to the other towns, A\-hich were immediately T E C U M S E II. 79 evacuated by the inhabitants, and soon after destroyed by the de- tachment, which then returned to the ground first occupied. On the morning of tlie ISth, at dayhght, the camp was attacked by a number of Indians, of the Miami and Delaware tribes, amounting to about tliree hundred. The attack commenced on the rio^ht of the line, which w^as occupied by Major Ball's squadron of horse, who gallantly contended against them for one hour, and sustained almost the whole conflict. The Indians then fell back, and were courageously charged by Captain Trotter at the head of his com- pany of Kentucky dragoons. In this charge Captain Trotter was wounded in the hand : the Indians fled with great velocity, and were pursued as far as was thought prudent. Captain Pierce, of the Zanesville troop was killed, whilst he was charging the foe. Lieutenant Waltz was shot through the arm, but being resolved on losing no share of honour, he remounted his horse, and in that act was killed by a shot through the head. He was of the Pennsylvania volunteers. Captains Markle and M'Clelland of the same corps, and Captains Garrard and Hopkins were complimented by the commanding general. Lieutenant-Colonel Simmerall, Major M'Dowell, and Captains Hite and Smith, are said to have distinguished them- selves with persevering bravery ; and the whole detachment exhibiting throughout a great degree of patience, fortitude, and coolness, rendered the victory more honourable to the American arms, by respecting the high and inestimable principles of hu- manity, and rendering them, as they ever ought to be, inseparable from bravery. The general's orders, on their departure, were to that effect, and the most rigid obedience was paid to them. The battle being ended, and the object of the expedition com- pletely accomplished. Colonel Campbell took up his march for Greeneville on his return, having first forwarded an express for reinforcements, Tecumseh being reported to be in the neighbour- hood with five hundred warriors, and the name of Tecumseh had now become terrible. If the detachment should be intercepted an obstinate engagement must follow, and by the morning report of the 24th, three hundred and three of the men were rendered unfit for duty by being frost bitten ; an attack from a superior body of Indians could not therefore be sustained with any pros- 80 PREPARATIONS OF GENERAL HARRISON. pect of success. The detachment reached Greeneville, however, without being once molested, and the citizens received the troops with marks of admiration for their gallantry, and for the lustre which they had thrown upon the north-western army. In the destruction of the first town the American loss was one killed and one wounded. In the action of the following morning, eight killed and twenty-five wounded ; the Indian loss in killed was known to be forty, the number of wounded could not be ascer- tained. The prisoners were brought away by the detachment. It has been thought to be unaccountable that the Indians did not attack the detachment in its retrograde movement, but this cir- cumstance may be attributed to the loss of their prophet, who it is supposed hy many, was killed in the second engagement. Notwitlistanding the season was already so far advanced, and the difficulties in marching against the enemy were every day increasing. General Harrison was too steadily determined on the recovery of Michigan, and the subjugation of Maiden and the country surrounding it, to l)e put aside from his views by any such obstacles. Every implement was provided which might possibly be necessary, the military stores and trains of artillery were already at the different depots, and the troops from Penn- sylvania being at Mansfield, those from Virginia at Delaware, and those from Ohio at Fort M' Arthur, the purposed concentration could be almost immediately effected. General Winchester with the left wing, moved from Fort Winchester to the Rapids, in con- formity to the previous order of General Harrison, who was now commissioned a major-general in the army of the United States, and appointed to the command of the north-western army. A line of posts was to be established, and strong fortifications erected as intermediate places of rendezvous, at equal distances between Defiance and Detroit ; and that he might with more convenience superintend the building of these, the commander-in-chief fixed his head-quarters at Upper Sandusky. A brigade of Kentuckians had been sent into the Indiana ter- ritory, under General Samuel Hopkins, with instructions to attack every settlement on the Wabash, and then to fall upon the Illi- nois. On the 11th of November they marched from Fort Harri- son with a view to the destruction of the Prophet's town. Seven GENERAL HOPKINS EXPEDITION. 81 boats, with provisions, forage, and military stores, commanded by- Colonel Barbour, accompanied the expedition, and the troops marched on the east side of the Wabash to protect them, until the 19th, when they reached the town, and w^ere engaged three days in the destruction of it and a large Kickapoo village adjoining, while General Butler, with three hundred men, surrounded and destroyed the Winnebago town on the Ponce-passu creek : each of these towns had been abandoned by the Indian warriors, and a small party was sent out to reconnoiter the surrounding woods and to seek out their hiding-places. Several Indians showed themselves, fired on the party, killed one man and compelled the others to retire. This occurrence was no sooner made known to the troops than sixty horsemen offered to proceed to the ground to bury their companion and to encounter the enemy. When they attained the point, near the Indian encampment, they were fired upon from an ambuscade and eighteen of the party were killed and wounded, among them several promising young offi- cers. The enemy had taken possession of a strong defensive position, in which there w^as no hope of effectually assailing him, having a deep rapid creek in its rear in the form of a semicircle, and being fronted by a high and almost perpendicular bluff of one hundred feet, which could only be penetrated by three steep ravines. The death of these gallant young men excited a spirit of revenge among the troops, and they moved forward under a heavy fall of snow, determined to attack the enemy in his strono-- hold at every risk. But on arriving at the place they found that the Indians had evacuated it and crossed over Ponce-passu on their retreat. There being now no certain point to which the operations of the troops could be directed, General Hopkins gave orders for their return to Fort Harrison, where they arrived after an absence of sixteen days, having in that time traversed one hundred miles of a country of which, to use the words of their commander, they had no cognizance. 11 82 OPERATIONS ON THE NORTHERN FRONTIER. CHAPTER VI. )i?iraH©ng oe t|)$ KsrllufSJ! Jpiontifj in flL©Jl^a 'HILST these events were transpiring in the western department of the Union, dispositions had been made and troops collected at the different stations along the Niagara river, from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario; and beyond the latter along; the shore of the St. Lawrence. Excursions from the American to the British shores of the rivers had been frequently made, and on some oc- casions were followed by smart skirmishes. The chief command of these forces was given to Major-General Dearborn. The im- mediate command of the troops on the Niagara to Major-General Van Renssellaer of the militia of the state of New York. Briga- dier-General Smyth was stationed at Black Rock. The troops on the St. Lawrence were principally garrisoned at Ogdensburg, and commanded by Brigadier-General Brown, also of the New York militia. On the 15th of September twenty-five British boats passed Madrid up the St. Lawrence, laden with military stores and mu- nitions of war. About one hundred and forty of the militia from Ogdensburg and Hamilton, with one gun-boat, posted themselves on an island to obstruct their passage. The enemy, approaching CAPTURE OF GANANOQUE. 83 the head of the river, brought himself immediately in front of this island, when a rapid and well-directed fire made him ply for the opposite shore, where he took shelter in the woods. The militia had no small boats to pursue the flying squadron, and the British had time to rally, to procure assistance, and to return to a con- test. This they did with little delay, and after an action of three hours, they were reinforced by two gun-boats and a large body of men from Prescott. The militia being then outnumbered, their ammunition nearly exhausted, and their loss one man killed and two wounded, abandoned the enterprise and retreated to their respective quarters. The injury sustained by the enemy has never been known. Captain Forsyth of the rifle regiment being at the garrison of Ogdensburg, projected an expedition against a small village in the town of Leeds, in Canada, called Gananoque. In this village was the king's storehouse, containing immense quantities of arms and ammunition, and Captain Forsyth was resolved on its destruction. In the night of the 20th instant, therefore, a num- ber of boats being provided, he embarked with seventy of his own men, and thirty-four militia men. Before daylight of the 21st they reached the Canadian shore, and landed imobserved at a little distance from the village. The enemy soon after discovered them, and they were fired on by a party of one hundred and twenty-live regulars and militia. Forsyth drew up his men and returned their fire with such effect, that the British retreated in disorder and were pursued to the village, where they rallied and resolved on making a stand, and disputing the passage of a bridge. An action took place here which resulted in the same manner as the former. The enemy again fled, making his escape over the bridge and leaving ten of his number killed, eight regulars and several militia men prisoners, and the villao-e and storehouse in possession of the American party. Captain Forsyth lost one in killed and one wounded. After releasing the militia prisoners on their parole, and taking out a quantity of arms, fixed ammunition, powder, flints, and other articles of public property, and setting fire to the storehouse, he returned to Cape Vincent with these and the eight regulars prisoners. In retaliation for this daring exploit the enemy determined on 84 ATTACK ON OGDENSBURG. Defense of Ogdensburg. attacking and destroying the town of Ogdensburg. Opposite to this is situated the Canadian village of Prescott, before which the British had a strong line of breastworks. On the 2d of October they opened a heavy cannonading on the town from their bat- teries, and continued to bombard it with little intermission until the night of the 3d ; one or two buildings only were injured. On Sunday the 4th, having prepared forty boats, with from ten to fifteen armed men in each, they advanced wdth six pieces of artil- lery to storm the town. General Brown commanded at Ogdens- burg in person, and when the enemy had advanced within a short distance, he ordered his troops to open a warm fire upon them. The British, nevertheless, steadily approached the shore, and kept up their fire for two hours, during which they sustained the galling fire of the Americans, until one of their boats was taken, and two others so shattered when they retreated. The success of the detachment which had proceeded against the briffs Detroit and Caledonia, on the 9th of October, excited a EXPEDITION AGAINST QUEENSTOWN. 85 strong spirit of enterprise among the troops at the different sta- tions along the Niagara. The whole number under the command of General Van Renssellaer, amounted, as it is said, to five thou- sand eight hundred, and were disposed of in the following manner. Two thousand and nine hundred, with which he was himself stationed at and near Lewistown. Thirteen hundred regulars, under General Smyth, near Black Rock, distance from Lewis- town twenty-eight miles. Five hundred militia and volunteers at Black Rock and Schlosser. Six companies of field and light artillery, (three hundred,) and about five hundred of the 6th and 13th regiments, and three hundred of the 23d, under Major Mul- lany, at Fort Niagara. The general was pressed from all quarters to give the troops an opportunity of distinguishing themselves, and his own opinion was that the crisis of the campaign was rapidly advancing, and, as he informed the commander-in-chief, " That the blow 7nust he soon struck or the toil and expense of the camjiaign go for nothing, for the whole will he tinged with dishonour.'' NDER these circumstances, and in- fluenced by these impressions, he or- dered the regulars, under Lieutenant- Colonel Fen wick and Major Mullany, to leave Fort Niagara and proceed to his head-quarters at Lewistown. The same orders were issued to General Smyth's brigade. — When the British General Brock had made arrantrements for the civil government of Michigan, and had appointed such officers as he thought necessary to its admin- istration, he transferred the command of Detroit to Colonel Proctor, and moved his own quarters to Fort George that he might facilitate the preparations on the Niagara frontier. But General Van Renssellaer received intellio-ence which was thouo^ht to warrant a movement into Canada, and was at the same time informed that General Brock had returned to Detroit, upon hear- ing of the preparations in the west for the recovery of that post, and had taken with him such troops as could with safety be spared from Fort Erie and Fort George. He therefore promised II 86 EXPEDITION AGAINST QUEENSTOWN. his army that they should cross over and act against Queens- town, and it was for this purpose that the regulars were ordered from Fort Niagara and the Rock. The possession of Queens- town was important to the success of the American arms in Canada, in this or in any future campaign. It is a handsome town, below the Falls of Niagara, at the head of the naviga- ble waters of that strait, and immediately opposite Lewistown, a place of depot for the merchandise for all the country above, and for the public stores for the line of posts along the Niagara and Detroit rivers. It has an excellent harbour and good anchorage ; the banks on both sides are elevated, and the landscape is among the most splendid and sublime. It was intended that the attack upon Queenstown should be made on the morning of the 11th at three o'clock, and the em- barkation was to take place from the old ferry opposite the heights, to which situation experienced boatmen were employed to navio-ate the boats from the landinor below. The river here is one sheet of violent eddies, and an officer who was considered to be the most sliilful for such a service was sent ahead, but in the ex- treme darkness of the night, passed the intended point of embarka- tion far up the river, and very unaccountably fastened his boat, containing nearly all the oars of the other boats, to the shore and abandoned the detachment. The ardour of the officers and men was not the least abated through the night, though they were exposed to a tremendous north-east storm which prevailed for twenty-eight hours and in that time deluged the whole camp. But they were mortified by this distressing dilemma, cind the appearance of daylight having extinguished every prospect of success the detachments returned to camp, and an express was sent to Black Rock to countermand the orders to General Smyth. The miscarriage of tlie plan had no other effect than to increase the ardour of the troops, and they impatiently awaited for the arrival of orders which would bring them into personal opposition with their enemy. Arrangements were therefore made to that effect, and the night of the 12th was designated for the operation. Two columns, one of three hundred militia, under Colonel Van Renssellaer, and another of three hundred regulars, under Lieu- tenant-Colonel Christie, were to pass over together. Thirteen SCOTT S ARRIVAL. 87 boats were provided for their convejance, and when the heights should be carried, Lieutenant-Colonel Fenwick's flying artillery- were to cross over, then Major Mullany's detachmei:^t of regulars, and the other troops to follow in order. Early in the night Colonel Christie marched his detachment by the rear road from Niagara to camp. At seven in the evening Lieutenant-Colonel Stranahan's regiment moved from Niagara Falls ; at three o'clock Mead's res^iment, and at nine, Lieutenant-Colonel Blan's reo-i- ment. Each corps w^as in camp in proper time. At the dawm of day the boats were in readiness, and the troops embarked early in the morning of the 13th, under cover of a commanding battery mounting two eighteen-pounders and two sixes. Whilst these preparations were going forward, the British at Queenstown were surreptitiously apprized of the contemplated movement of the American troops, and they despatched expresses to give intelligence to General Brock, w^ho was at that moment quartered at Fort George. The heights v/ere lined Avith troops, and measures were instantly adopted to repel the debarkation. The boats had scarcely put off from the American, before they received a brisk fire of musketry from the w^iole line on the Canadian shore. The American batteries were immediately opened to sweep the opposite shore, and three British batteries played with great severity upon the boats. Lieutenant-Colonel Scott, of the artillery, who had marched with uncommon expedition from Niagara Falls, arrived in time to reply to the enemy's fire with two six-pounders. The eddies in the river were violent, the shot from the enemy fell in heavy showers on the boats, and the difficulty of combating the former, and avoiding the latter, not only embarrassed the officers, but put many of the oarsmen into confusion. A grape-shot from a bat- tery below Queenstown, which enfiladed the place of crossing, struck the boat in which was Lieutenant-Colonel Christie, wounded him in the hand, and alarmed the pilot and boatmen so, that the boat fell below the intended place of landing and was obliged to return. The boats in w^hich Major MuUany followed the two columns fell also below the point, two of them into the hands of the enemy, and the Major returned. But Colonel Van Renssellaer, who commanded the whole detachment, and whose 88 T)ETERi\IINATION OF THE TROOPS. Battle of Queenstown. boats formed the van, moved to the enemy's shore, succeeded in touching it at the designated place, and effected the landing of the van, consisting of one hundred men, under a tremendous fire directed upon him from every point. In ascending the banks the colonel received four balls. Captain Armstrong, Captain Malcolm, and Captain Wool, were wounded, and Ensign Morris was killed. Lieutenant Valance was killed in crossing. A party of the British then issued from an old fort below Queenstown, but on being fired on by the Americans immediately retreated. A strong battery which fired incessantly upon the van, obliged it to retire under the banks, where lay Colonel Van Renssellaer, who, though in excruciating pain, with great difficulty stood up and ordered his officers to proceed with rapidity and storm the fort, and if possible, to ascend and carry the heights. The men were instantly rallied. About sixty of the most determined, com- manded by Captain Ogilvie, seconded by Captain Wool, though wounded, and Lieutenants Kearny, Carr, Hugginan and Sam- mons, and Ensign Reeve, of the 13th; and Lieutenants Ganse- voort and Randolph, cautiously mounted the rocks on the right of the fort, gave three cheers, assailed and reduced it after three GALLANT CONDUCT OF CAPTAIN WOOL. 89 desperate charges in which they were met with firmness ; they then carried the heights, and thus gallantly executed the whole order of the colonel, driving the enemy down the hill in every direction. A party of them retreated behind a stone guard-house, where a piece of ordnance was briskly served, but a fire from the battery at Lewistown was so effectually directed upon it, that it was in a few minutes silenced. HE British then retreated behind a large stone-house. The American artillery -men were ordered to turn the guns of the fort upon them, but Lieutenant Gansevoort had has- tily spiked the cannon and they were there- fore now useless. The enemy's fire was silenced, however, with the exception of one gun, which utis out of reach of the American cannon, and the boats were crossing unannoyed but by this battery. Reinforcements ar- rived after this brilliant success, under Captain Gibson T)f the light artillery, Captain M'Chesney of the 6th, and Captain Lawrence of the 13th infantry, and Colonels Mead, Stranahan, Allen, and other militia officers. At about ten o'clock the British line was reformed, and flanking parties sent out. Lieutenant-Colonel Christie suc- ceeded in getting across the river with five hundred men and took command. General Brock having received the expresses which were for- warded to him, arrived at this moment at the head of a reinforce- ment of regulars from Fort George. He had led them around the heights to the rear of the battery, when Captain Wool de- tached one hundred and sixty men to meet them. The detach- ment was driven back, but being immediately reinforced pressed forward again, and was- again driven back to the brink of the precipice forming the Niagara river above Queenstown. Seeing that nothing short of a miracle could save the detachment from being beaten ; finding that the part}^ were nearly without ammu- nition, and supposing it useless to sacrifice the lives of brave men, one of the officers was in the act of hoisting a white flag on a bavonet when Captain Wool, knowing that if the men held out a short while longer they would be relieved by reinforcements, H 2 12 90 DEATH OF GENERAL BROCK. tore down the flag, and ordered his officers instantly to rally the men and bring them to a charge. At this moment Colonel Christie arrived with such a reinforce- ment as made the detachment amount to three hundred and twenty men, to whom he immediately repeated the orders of Captain Wool, (whom he directed to leave the ground to get his wound dressed,) led them on to the charge himself, and making a forcible appeal to the bayonet, entirely routed the British 49th regiment of six hundred men, and pursued them up the height until he regained the ground which the detachment had just before lost. Part of the 41st were acting with the 49tli, both of which regriments distinoruished themselves under the same com- mander in Europe, and the latter had obtained the title of the Egyptian InvincilDles, because they had never on any occasion before, been known to give ground. General Brock, indignant almost to exasperation at the flight of this regiment, was attempting to rally them, when he received three balls at the same instant, which immediately terminated his brave career. His aid. Captain M'Donald, fell at his side mor- tally wounded. At about two o'clock in the afternoon, Brigadier- General Wads worth of the militia, Lieutenant-Colonel Scott of the artillery, and Major MuUany crossed the river, and took the several commands which had l^een assigned to them. Captain Wool obe3^ed the order of Colonel Christie, crossed over to Lewis- town, had his wounds dressed, and returned to the scene of action. General Van Renssellaer had crossed over to Queenstown, and considering the victory complete after the repulse of the 49tli, and the death of General Brock, he commenced preparations for encamping in the enemy's country. But in expectation of fur- ther attacks by other reinforcements, he directed that the camp should be immediately fortified, and committed this service to Lieutenant Totten, a skilful ofiicer of the engineers. The enemy was reinforced at three o'clock by several hun- dred Indians from Chippewa, who, under the direction of the British in the town, commenced a furious attack upon the American troops, whose M'hole number did not exceed nine hundred and t\\-enty. As they approached through the woods and an orchard, the troops not knowing their number, at first SHAMEFUL CONDUCT OF THE MILITIA. 91 faltered. Lieutenant-Colonel Christie and Lieutenant-Colonel Scott behaved with great coolness, and making every possi- ble exertion, led the men promptly on, and in a short time the Indians being- routed, fled before the bayonet and rifle, leav- ing several dead and one of their chiefs a prisoner. Greneral Van Renssellaer observing that the troops were embarking very slowly, and fearing the necessity of a strong accession of numbers, crossed over to Lewistown during the assault of the Indians, to facilitate the movements of the militia. Twelve hundred and upwards o them were standing on the American shore inactive and, appa- rently, unconcerned spectators of the battle. At the very moment when victory was perching on the ban- ners of their country, the ardour of the unengaged troops entirely subsided, and no effort could induce them to cross the line and share in the glory of the day's triumph. Thrice already had the battle been won ; three assaults of the enemy had been vigorously repulsed, and the conquest of the town and heights must neces- sarily follow. One third part of the disengaged men would secure it, but they had witnessed at a distance the furious attack of the Indians, they had seen the bodies of their wounded fellow soldiers brought back to the garrison, and they refused to go fur- ther than the laws of their country authorized the general to com- mand them. They claimed the privileges allowed them by the laws of their country, whose honour and renown they refused to assist in promoting ; they beheld as gallant exploits as the world perhaps ever knew, but still they were not animated by the same spirit of enthusiasm, nor the same degree of valour. Peremp- tory orders were disobeyed, solicitations disregarded, and all argu- ment exhausted to bring them to a sense of that duty which the general vainly hoped had urged them in the first instance to press for an opportunity to act. Lieutenant-Colonel Bloom, who had been wounded in one of the tliree engagements, mounted a horse and rode among them with the general, but his example had no more effect than the general's persuasions. Meanwhile, another reinforcement was seen coming up the river from Fort George. The battery on the hill was considered as an important check to their ascending the heights, and measures were immediately taken to send them a 92 RETREAT OF THE AMERICANS. fresh supply of arms and ammunition. The reinforcements, however, obUqued from the road to the right, and formed a junc- tion with the Indians in the rear of the heights. The American troops being scattered in pursuit of the Indians, lost an opportu- nity of raking the reinforcing column as it approached the heights, and were taken a little by surprise. Knowing that the troops at the heights must be nearly ex- hausted, and their ammunition as nearly expended ; overwhelmed with mortilication and disappointment at the refusal of the militia to cross, and seeing that another severe conflict which the reduced detachment could not long sustain without great loss would very soon take place. General Van Renssellaer despatched a note to General Wadsworth, acquainting him with the conduct of the militia, " Leaving the course to be pursued much to his own judgment, with an assurance that if he thought best to retreat, he (General Van Renssellaer) would send over as many boats as he could collect, and cover his retreat by every fire wdiich he could possibly make with safety." The last British reinforcement amounted to eight hundred men, and when drawn up in line with their light artillery, and flanked by their Indians, at about four o'clock an obstinate contest ensued, and was kept up for half an hour, with a tremendous discharge of flying artillery, musketry, and cannon, until the American detachment finding that they were not to be reinforced, their strength being nearly exhausted, and those of the militia who had already distinguished themselves, being unable to fight longer, received orders to retreat upon the reception of General Van Renssellaer's note, which they did in good order, down the hill to the point at which they had landed. Many of the boats had been destroyed, others had been taken, and there remained but four or five to take the whole of the de- tachment to Lewistown. These were crossing when the last affair took place, and the boatmen becoming panic struck, had fled from their duty, and the boats were conseqiiently dispersed, so that few of the Americans escaped from the Canada shore. In this distressing dilemma, they were obliged to surrender tliem- selves prisoners of war, to the number of three hundred and eighty-six regulars, and three hundred and seventy-eight militia; sixty-two of the regulars and twenty of the militia being ^vounded. REMARKS ON THE BATTLE. 93 The estimate of killed in the detachment was at ninety. When the last detachment arrived from Fort George the whole Ameri- can force was formed into line, in three divisions, and amounted to only two hundred and forty men, the 'militia refusing to act longer, and many of the regulars being then already wounded. The victorious enemy treated their prisoners, while on the fron- tier, with the most generous tenderness, but for want of will or power, they put no restraint upon their Indian allies, who were stripping and scalping not only the slain, but the dying that re- mained on the field of battle. The lifeless body of Ensign IMorris, who was brother to the amiable and distinguished naval officer of that name, was stripped to his shirt, and indignities too savage to be recorded were committed on his person. The body of General Brock was committed to the grave with the usual mili- tary honours, and the guns at Fort Niagara were fired during the ceremony as a tribute of respect for a gallant enemy. There was no officer crossed the line, upon this memorable day, who did not do honour to his country. Colonel Scott was in full dress, which with his tall stature rendered him a conspi- cuous mark for the enemy — it has been said that several Indians told him of their havincr shot at him, but he received no wound. " . . . • A. company of volunteer riflemen under Lieutenant Smith, who took the Indian chief, behaved with the courage of veterans. — Lieutenant-Colonel Fenwick was wounded three different times, and each time severely ; he nevertheless continued fighting, and was particularly distinguished through the wdiole day's engage- ment. — Captains Gibson, Wool, and M'Chesney, have been spoken of as having done the same. The British forces in the different battles, with the exception of the first, was at no time less than eleven hundred ; in the last and fourth engagement it was much greater. Their loss is not known. With regard to close and courageous fighting, the vic- tory on this occasion belonged to the Americans ; but with regard to the loss which was sustained, it was exclusively yielded to the British. An arrangement was eiitered into on the 14th by Avhich a few prisoners were paroled, the remainder were taken to Montreal. Whilst the troops were embarking at Lewistown in the morn- 94 ATTACK ON BLACK ROCK. ing, the bcitteries at Fort George opened a cannonade upon Fort Niagara, which was returned and kept up with hot shot on both sides for several hours. From the south block-house of the American fort the shot was principally directed against the vil- lage of Newark, and several houses were set on hre, one or two of which were entirely consumed. This battery was commanded by Captain M'Keon, and the guns were worked with great abili- ty. The enemy commenced throwing shells, as there were n ) defenses against these, Captain N. Leonard, the commandant at Fort Niagara, preferred ordering a retreat from the garrison rather than expose a handful of men to their danger. The bursting of a twelve-pounder, by wdiich two men were killed, deprived the fort of its best battery. The retreat had scarcely been ordered, when a number of boats loaded with troops, were deserved to put oil from the enemy's shore, upon which Captain M'Keon returned to the fort w^ith a guard of twenty men, remained in it daring the night, and was joined next morning by the rest of the garrison. Very few were wounded, and none killed except the two men by the barsting of the gun. Early in the following week the British batteries below Fort Erie opened a very heavy fire upon the village and fortifications of Black Rock, and kept it up at intervals during the day. There being no larger pieces than sixes at the breastworks, very few shot were returned. Several cannon-shot struck the battery, and two or three passed through the upper loft of the west barracks. The east barracks were destroyed by a bomb thrown from a twenty-four-pounder, which blew up the magazine, and burnt a quantity of the skins taken in the Caledonia. General Porter, of the New York militia, was sitting at dinner in his quarters, when one twenty-four-pound ball struck the upper loft of his house, and another entered it through the roof. On the 22d the enemy landed at St. Regis, a village without a garrison of any kind, and from which he could move imme- diately upon the camp at French Mills. The tribe of Indians inhabiting the village were friendly to the United States, and as it entered into the views of the enemy to pursuade them from the ser- vice of the American government into which they might probably enter, and to flatter them into their own, Sir George Prevost, under BATTLE OF ST. REGIS. 95 the authority with which he was clothed, had forwarded to this tribe, in the form of a present, a quantity of baggage, consisting ot blankets, guns, specie, &c., under an escort of soldiers, and ac- companied by despatches, in which he solicited their alliance. The force was variously stated from one to three hundred, and Major Young, commanding the American militia from Troy, at the Mills, determined on immediately attacking them, as it was understood they were halting there for an increase of numbers. He detached Captain Tilden to the St. Lawrence, with a view of 2:ainino- a circuitous route to one of two houses in wdiich the British were said to be quartered, and to secure the enemy's boats which were stationed there, to prevent his retreat. Captain Lyon was detached with orders to take the road running along the bank of the river St. Regis, with directions to gain the rear of the other house, and Major Young with the remainder of the forces moved on in front. When within fifty yards of either house, he heard a firing which convinced him that Captain Lyon was engaged. One round was suflicient. The enemy surrendered, but not to the number reported to have landed, and the Americans made forty prisoners, and took one stand of colours, thirty-eight mus- kets, the despatches, and all the baggage. Two batteaux were taken by Captain Tilden, and the troops returned to their encamp- ment at about eleven o'clock. The British lost four killed and one mortally wounded. At one o'clock in the morning of the 17th November, four British barges approached the American shore, about a mile above Ogdensburg, and on being hailed by a sentinel and refusing to answer, were immediately fired upon. The report of his piece brought several riflemen to his assistance, when the barges opened a smart fire of grape-shot, without effect, and soon after retired to Prcscott harbour. On their way thither they fired several shot into the town, which were returned by a six-pounder. This affair was followed on the night of the 19th by an incur- sion seven miles into the British territory by Colonel Pike and a part of the 15th regiment. He assaulted and carried a post which w^as defended by a large body of British and Indians, burned a block house, and put the garrison to flight, and returned with the loss of five men wounded. 96 BOMBARDMENT OF FORT NIAGARA. At six o'clock on the morning of the 21st, the British having prepared mortars, and planted a long train of battering cannon behind breastworks erected on the margin of the river, com- menced a bombardment of Fort Niagara, and opened a cannonade from the batteries at and in the neighbourhood of Fort George, which was kept up without a moment's cessation until sundown. They employed live detached batteries in this affair. Two of them mounting twenty-four-pounders, and one mounting a nine- pounder. The remainder were mortar batteries, from five and a half to ten and a half inches, from which were thrown great quantities of shells. These fortresses are situated nearly opposite each other, at the mouth of the Niagara river, and command the entrance from Lake Ontario. The guns of Fort Niagara may be brought to bear alternately upon Fort George and the town of Newark, whilst a salt-battery, being a dependency of Fort Nia- gara and mounting one eighteen and a four-pounder, is directly in a range with and calculated to do much damage to the enemy's garrison. The American fort had received an augmentation of force im- mediately after the cannonade of the 13th, several corps who had marched to Lewistow^n, having been ordered after the battle of Queenstown, to relieve the garrison, but it w^as not yet supplied with a sufficient cpiantity of artillery and ammunition. It w^as now commanded by Colonel George M'Feeley. In the course of the day the enemy threw two thousand red-hot balls, and one hundred and eighty shells. The shells proved to be' harmless, but the hot shot set fire to several buildings which were within and about the fort, but through the incessant vigilance of all the officers and men, but particularly of that gallant officer, Major Armistead, of the United States corps of engineers, who has on many other occasions distinguished himself, the fires were got under and extinguished, without being discovered by the enemy. Notwithstanding the vast shower of shells and cannon balls which was falling into the fort, tlie garrison performed their duty with unremitting alacrity, and served their pieces with coolness and composure. Captain M'Keon commanded a twelve-pounder in the south-east block-house ; Captain Jacks, of the 7th militia artillery, conunanded in the north block-house, a situation most N 13 BOMBARDMENT OF FORT NIAGARA. 99 exposed to the enemy's fire. Lieutenant Rees, of the 3d artil- lery, had command of an eighteen-poiinder on the south-east battery, from which several well-directed shot were made whilst the piece was pointed at the battery en barbette, mounting a twenty-four-pounder. Lieutenant Wendal, of the same regiment, had command of an eighteen and four-pounder on the west bat- tery ; Dr. Hooper, of the militia artillery, had command of a six- pounder on the mess-house, and Lieutenants Gansevoort and Harris, of the 1st artillery, had command of the salt-battery. Thus disposed they retvirned the fire of the enemy with vigour and effect. They directed several of the pieces at the to\\ii of New- ark, and repeatedly fired it with hot shot. The buildings within Fort George were also fired, and at one time one of the batteries was silenced. A part of the parapet falling on Lieutenant Rees, his left shoulder was so severely bruised that it became necessary for him to quit his station, and Captain Leonard, happening at that moment to arrive at the fort, took command of Lieutenant Rees's battery for the remainder of the day. The continuation of the bombardment increased the animation of the men, and they fought wi^h undiminished cheerfulness until the cannonading ceased. Colonel M'Feely spoke of all the garri- son in very strong terms, and of Lieutenant-Colonel Gray, Major Armistead, and Captain Mulligan particularly. During the bom- bardment a twelve-pounder bursted and killed two men. Two others were killed by the enemy's fire, and Lieutenant Thomas and four men were wounded. From the salt-battery the enemy was very much annoyed. A few shot from the four-pounder there sunk a schooner which lay at the opposite wharf, and such was the spirited earnestness of both officers and men at this bat- tery, that when in the most tremendous of the bombardment they had fired away all their cartridges, they cut up their flannel waistcoats and shirts, and the soldiers their trousers to supply their guns. An instance of extraordinary bravery took place in the garri- son in the hottest of the cannonade, and for deliberate coolness and courageous fortitude, was surpassed neither by Joan, maid of Orleans, nor the heroine of Saragosa. — Doyle, a private in the Xhiited States artillery, who had been stationed in the fort, was 100 OPERATIONS OF GENERAL SMYTH. made prisoner in the battle of Queenstown. His wife remained in the garrison, and being there on the 21st, she determined to resent the refusal of the British to parole her husband, by proffer- ing her services, and doing his duty against the enemy whenever the works should be assailed ; and she, accordingly, attended tho six-pounder on the mess-house with hot shot, (regardless of the shells which were falling around her,) and never quitted her sta- tion until the last gun had been discharged. General Van Renssellaer having resigned his command on the Niagara, General Smyth now contemplated a more effectual inva- sion of Canada than that which had so recently failed. From a description of the river below the falls, the view of the shore below Fort Erie, and from information which he had received of the enemy's preparations, General Smyth was of opinion that the landing should be effected between Fort Erie and Chippewa. This opinion he had delivered to General Van Renssellaer before the battle of Queenstown, and being in command, he was resolved that it should now be acted upon. The troops stationed at Black Rock and Buffalo were equally desirous of engaging the enemy, and the general promised them cqi^quest and renown. In order that he might visit the Canadian shore with a force competent to retain the posts which might be captured, he desired to increase his numbers by such an accession of volunteers, as would be wil- ling to perform one month's service in the army, to submit to the rigid discipline of a camp, and to encounter the enemy on his own soil. He immediately communicated his intentions by a procla- mation, issued on the 10th of November, circulated in the coun- ties of Seneca and Ontario, and inviting persons thus disposed to place themselves under his authority. This proclamation produced the intended effect. It held forth great allurements, and appealed to the patriotism of the American citizens. Under this proclamation numbers of volunteers came forward with the expected alacrity, and on the 27th of November the force collected at the station amounted to four thousand and five hundred men, including the regular troops, and the Baltimore, Pennsylvania, and New York volunteers, the latter being placed under the command of General Peter B. Porter, of the militia. On the following morning at reveille, the whole force was to em- PREPARATIONS OF GENERAL SMYTH. 101 General Porter. bark from the navy-yard at Black Rock and to proceed on the contemplated expedition. No possible preparation was omitted. At the navy-yard there were lying for the purpose of transporting the troops across the river, seventy public boats calculated to carry forty men each, five large private boats, which were taken into the public service cal- culated to carry one hundred men each, and ten scows for the artillery to carry twenty-five each, wdiich, together with a num- ber of small boats which were also provided, were to transport the w^hole of this army. After informing the citizens that for many years they had seen their country oppressed with numerous wrongs; their government, though above all others devoted to peace, had been forced to draw the sword and rely for redress of injuries on the valour of the American people, and that that valour had in every instance been conspicuous ; his proclamation continued in the following words : " But the nation has been un- fortunate in the election of some of those who have directed it 1 2 102 GENERAL SMYTH's PROCLAMATION. Ofie armij has been disgracefully surreridered and lost. Another has been sacrificed by a iwecipitate attemj^t to pass over at the strongest point of tlie enemy's lines with most incompetent means. The cause of these miscarriages is apparent^ The commanders were popular men, ' destitute alike of theory and experience' in the art of war. In a few days the troops under my command will plant the American standard in Canada. They are men accus- tomed to obedience, silence, and steadiness. They will conquer, or they will die. Will you stand with your arms folded and look on this interesting struggle ? Are you not related to the men who fought at Bennington and Saratoga? Has the race degene- rated ? Or have you, under the baneful influence of contending passions, forgot your country? Must I turn from you and ask the men of the Six Nations to support the government of the United States? Shall I imitate the officers of the British king, and suffer our ungathered laurels to be tarnished by ruthless deeds?* Shame, where is thy blush? No. Where I command, the vanquished and the peaceful man, the maid and the matron, shall be secure from wrong. If we conquer, 'we will conquer but to save' " Men of New York, " The present is the hour of renown. Have you not a wish for fame ? Would you not choose in future times to be named as one, who, imitating the heroes whom Montgomery led, have, in spite of the season, visited the tomb of the chief, and conquered the country where he lies ? Yes, you desire your share of fame. Then seize the present moment. If you do not, you will regret it : and say, ' the valiant bled in vain — the friends of my country fell — and I was not there !' advance then to our aid. I will wait for you a few days. I cannot give you the day of my departure. But come on. Come in companies, half companies, or singly. I will organize you for a short tour. Ride to this place if the dis- tance is far, and send back your horses. But remember, that every man who accompanies us places himself under my com- mand, and shall submit to the salutary restraints of discipline." * It was about this time understood that a number of friendly Indians proposed to be taken into General Smyth's army, but that he explicitly refused to let them accompany him into Canada. PREPARATIONS FOR INVADING CANADA. 103 CCOMPANYING a second proclamation of General Smyth, of the 17th of November, in which was recapitulated most of the appeal of the former, and in which he set forth that "disloyal and traitorous men had endeavoured to persuade the people from doing their duty," was an address from General Porter to the people of Ontario and Genessee, in which he informed them that General Smyth had a powerful army at Buffalo, under strict dis- cipline, in high spirits, and eager for the contest. That with this army he would in a few days occupy all the British fortresses on the Niagara. That as humanity suggested that this conquest should be achieved with the least possible sacrifice, General Smyth had asked their aid and co-operation for the purpose of obtaining a force that would overawe opposition and save the effusion of blood. That he intended himself to accompany the expedition ; that a vigorous campaign of one month would relieve their fellow-citizens of the frontier from their suffering's, drive off the savage knife, restore peace to the whole of that section of the country, and redeem the tarnished reputation of the nation. A large number of troops were now assembled at and near Buf- falo, where they were drilled, equipped, and organized for the intended invasion. Ten boats were appointed to precede the main body, to effect a landing, and to storm and carry the enemy's batteries. A number of sailors were engaged to navigate the boats, under command of Lieutenant-Commandant Samuel Angfus of the navy, assisted by Lieutenant Dudley, Sailing-Master Watts, who had distinguished himself in cutting out the Caledo- nia, and several other naval officers. At three o'clock in the morning of the 28th, these boats put off from the American shore, but they had not proceeded one-fourth of the way across when the British batteries opened a galling fire, and five of them were obliged to return. In one of these was Colonel Winder of the 14th infantry, who commanded the troops to whom this hazard- ous duty was assigned. The command of the 14th devolved therefore upon Lieutenant-Colonel Boerstler, who was in one of the advance boats with several resolute infantry officers. A se- 104 CAPTURE OF BRITISH BATTERIES. vere fire of musketry and grape-shot from two pieces of flying artillery was poured upon this part of the squadron, but they effected their landing in good order, formed on the shore, and advanced to the accomphshment of their object. Lieutenant-Commandant Angus and his officers, assisted by Samuel Swartwout, Esq., of New York, an enterprising citizen who happened to be at the station, acted as volunteers after the landino- of the troops, and joining their little band of sailors to the reo-ulars under Captain King of the 15th, they stormed the ene- my's principal batteries and drove him to the Red-house, where he rallied with two hundred and fifty men and commenced a rapid fire of musketry upon the assailants. Sixty regulars and fifty sailors composed the whole American force. The success at the battery, the guns of which were spiked, was followed up by a desperate assault on the Red-house. The sailors charged with boarding-pikes and cutlasses, the regulars with the bayonet, and after a hard, and destructive engagement they routed the enemy, fired the house in which he quartered, and made about fifty pri- soners. Lieutenant-Colonel Boerstler attacked and dispersed the enemy lower down the river, and took also several prisoners. Every battery between Chippewa and Fort Erie was now car- ried, the cannon spiked or destroyed, and sixteen miles of the Canadian frontier laid waste and deserted. The boats returned with the w^ounded and the prisoners, leaving Captain King and twelve men, who w^ere so anxious to complete the destruction of every breastwork and barrack of the enemy that they resolved on remaining in possession of the conquered ground until the main body of the army should cross over the strait and march to the assault of the British forts. Sailing-Master Watts fell at the head of his division of the sailors, while he was gallantly leading them on. Midshipman Graham received a severe wound, which caused the amputation of a leg. Seven out of twelve of the navy officers were w^ounded. Captain Morgan of the 12tli, Captain Sprowl and Captain Dix of the 13th, and Lieutenant Lisson, the two latter of whom were badly wounded, tooli a very distinguished part in the engagement. At daybreak the batteries on the American side were opened ; they were ready to cover the embarkation of the main army, and PREPARATIONS FOR EMBARKING. 105 most of the troops had arrived at the designated place. Three hundred and forty volunteers, who had rajhed under General Smyth's proclamation, well armed and provided, were marched by General Porter to the navy-yard. One hundred and fifty others Avere drawing arms at Buffalo, and had orders to follow immediately. Colonel Winder, being under an apprehension that Lieutenant-Colonel Boerstler and his men were in danger, made an unsuccessful attempt to land two hundred and fifty men at a difficult point down the river, his own being the only boat which touched the shore. AVhen the squadron returned from their successful enterprise, he put back and formed his regiment to join in the general embarkation. At sunrise the troops began to embark, but such was their tardiness, that at twelve o'clock the whole body, with Colonel Swift's volunteer regiment, were not yet in the boats. A considerable number of barges had been thrown upon the shores of the river and Conejockeda creek, by the high tide of the preceding day, others were filled with ice and water, and those which had been employed by Colonel Winder were lying about one mile below. To collect and put these in order for the reception of the troops required a delay of several hours more, and it was not until two o'clock that all the troops intended to be sent over at the first crossing, were collected in a group of boats at Black Roclv, under cover of the batteries ; where General Porter, having brought up the five boats which were below, joined and took his station among them. The number now embarked, according to the estimate of General Porter, were about two thousand, wdio were anxiously awaiting the order to proceed. General Tannehill's volunteers. Colonel F. M'Clure's regiment, and some riflemen and cavalry, in all about two thou- sand more, were still paraded on the shore, and were to constitute the second embarkation. In the mean time. Captain King and his twelve men, who were yet in the enemy's territory dismount- ing his pieces, were made prisoners, and about five hundred British troops had been drawn up in line, about half a mile from the river, sounding their trumpets and bugles, and indicating their readiness to receive the Americans. Late in the afternoon Gene- ral Smyth ordered the troops to disembark, and silenced theii murmurs l^y an assurance that the expedition was only postponed 14 106 TROOPS DISEMBARKED. until the boats should be put in a state of better preparation, and that they (the troops) should immediately after be put in motion. The dilferent regiments retired to their respective quarters : General Porter marched his volunteers to Buffalo, but the enemy was actively employed in remounting his guns upon the batte- ries. On Sunday, the 29th, an order was issued from the head- quarters of the commanding-general for the march of the troops to the navy-yard, to embark on the following morning at nine o'clock. The time and manner proposed in this order were dis- approved of by all the officers; and those of the highest rank addressed the general and stated their objections to the plan. The repaired state of the enemy's batteries rendered it inexpe- dient to cross at the point above the island, wliich covers the navy-yard ; below that point he lay much augmented, in conse- quence of the gallant affair of the 28th, and occupied a line of shore of nearly a mile, from which he would have a full view of the American movement, if made by daylight. To avoid the fire of the British flying artillery and infantry, it was proposed to General Smyth that the troops should be landed five miles below the navy-yard, at an hour and a half before day on the morning of Tuesday, so that this dangerous shore might be passed in the dark ; when, if the boats were discovered, the troops would suffer less from the enemy's fire. The place which was thus recom- mended was, of all others, peculiarly favourable to a safe and orderly landing, and the proposal was accordingly adopted, and the army were to embark at three o'clock and to land at half-past four, in the order of battle prescribed on the 28th. On Monday evening seven boats for Colonel Swift's regiment, and eight for the new volunteers, were brought up the river and placed at different points, so that the noise and confusion of em- barking the whole at one place might be avoided. At half an hour after three, these boats were occupied and took their station opposite the navy-yard. The regulars were to proceed on the rio;ht, General Tannehill's volunteers in the centre, and the New York volunteers on the left. General Porter, with a chosen set of men, wap> appointed to proceed in front to direct the landing, and to join the New York volunteers when on the opposite shore. On the arri v^al of the boats which were to compose the van. Gene- EXPEDITION ABANDONED. 109 ral Porter found that the artillery were embarkmg in the scows with as much haste as possible ; but one hour elapsed before the regular infantry attempted to follow, when Colonel Winder, at the head of the 14th, entered the boats with great order and silence. Every thing seemed to promise a speedy and successful issue; the troops to be embarked were now nearly all in readiness to proceed : General Porter dropped to the front of the line with a tlag to designate the leading boat, and the word only was wanted to put off. The front of the line was one-fourth of a mile from the shore, when the rear was observed to be retarded, and General Porter received orders from General Smyth to disembark imme- diately. He was at the same time informed that the invasion of Canada was abandoned for the season, that the regulars were ordered into winter-quarters, and that, as the services of the volun- teers could now be dispensed with, they might stack their arms and return to their homes. Previously to this order an interview had taken place between General Smyth and a British major, who came over with a flao^. The scene of discontent which followed was without parallel. Four thousand men, without order or restraint, indignantly dis- charged their muskets in every direction. The person of the commanding general was threatened. Upwards of one thousand men, of all classes of society, had suddenly left their homes and llimilies, and had made great sacrifices to obey the call of their country under General Smyth's invitation. He possessed their strongest confidence, and was gaining their warmest affections : he could lead to no post of danger to which they would not follow. But now, the hopes of his government, the expectations of the people, the desires of the army, w^ere all prostrated, and he was oljliged to hear the bitter reproaches and the indignant epithets of the men whom he had promised to lead to honour, to glory, to renown. The inhabitants refused to give him quarters in their houses, or to protect him from the rage of those who considered themselves the victims of his imbecility or his deceit. He was obliged constantly to shift his tent to avoid the general clamour, and to double the guard surrounding it ; and he was several times fired at when he ventured without it. An application was made to him by the volunteers to permit them to invade the enemy's JIO GENERAL SMYTHS APOLOGY. territory under General Porter, and they pledged themselves to him to take Fort Erie if he would give them four pieces of flying artillery. This solicitation was evaded, and the volunteer troops proceeded to their homes, execrating the man whom they had respected, and the general on whose talents and whose promises they had placed the most generous reliance. General Smyth, however, found those who gave their appro- bation to his measures, and who thought that he had saved his army by relinquishing the invasion of Canada. The public mind was for a long time agitated with doubts about the propriety of his conduct, in not prosecuting the campaign and breaking up the enemy's strong posts along the Niagara. Few, however, have hesitated to declare his culpability in inducing men to leave their homes for a month's incursion into the British territory, un- less he intended to effect it at every hazard which they might be willins: to encounter. But he has alleo^ed that his orders from the commander-in-chief were to cross with " three thousand men at once," and that he could not ascertain the number of troops which would go over but by seeing them actually embarked, and that when they were embarked they did not amount to more than fifteen hundred and twelve men, exclusive of the staff, being but half the number with which only his instructions authorized him to assail the opposite shore. That many of the militia not only refused to go when ordered into the boats by his brigade major, but that more than half of General Tannehiirs brigade had de- serted. In his official letter to General Dearborn, he stated that he had called together a council of his ofiicers, agreeably to his instructions in all important cases, and that they decided against the contemplated operations upon the ground of the insufficiency of force. Tliat he then informed the officers that the attempt to invade Canada would not be made until the anny should l^e re- inforced, and directed them to withdraw their troops and cover them with huts immediately. That the volunteers and the neigh- bouring people were dissatisfied, and that it had been in the power of the contracting agent (alluding to General Porter) to excite some clamour against the course pursued, as he found the contract a losing one, and would wish to see the army in Canada that he might not be bound to supply it. That the situation of GENERAL PORTER. Ill the force under his (General Smyth's) command had not been such as to malvc the propriety of a forward movement obvious to all : that circumstanced as he was, he thought it his duty "to fol- low the cautious counsels of experience, and not precipitation, to add to the list of our defeats." Whether General Porter's anxiety to see the army in Canada arose from so interested a motive as General Smyth has alleged, or whether he was actuated by a desire to see the campaign of 1812 closed with some brilliant achievement of the American arms, the reader wdll be better able to judge by remem1)ering the indefatigable exertions which that gentleman made use of to en- large the forces at Buffalo, by which the supplies of the army would be increased^ and of the personal share wdiich he w^as dis- posed to take in the most dangerous part of thnour and a halt, c.u On the 2d of December the enem v. ras about to rake her. upon Black Rock, probably witlerican crew on discovering the that his guns were unspikedj, was perhaps unprecedented ; the in a state to resist the imever surpassed in any other naval en- several six-pounders, oneden being brought on board, presented was so well directed th3atur, who, in testimony of the gallantry mounted a heavy gun, aaccepting it, saying that " he could not The troops were now an who had defended his ship so brave- Batavia for the reception amounted to one hundred and four; tions took place until the xty-eight wounded : among the latter, distinguished by titles deriits. The loss of the United States was w^as commanded by GenerJed, making a total of tw^elve. Among tre, and that upon the St. L John Musser Funk, of Lancaster, Northern Army. This lattds died of his wounds, regretted for of five thousand seven hundrhis constant coolness and couraofe. cavalry, field and horse artilleo damage whatever, and returned winter-quarters, and the hopes'^ in. The superiority of giumery the North-western army, which the side of the American sea- the Rapids of the Miami, the heaC'? whilst the enemy discharged Sandusky, making vigorous prepa. British and Indians at Detroit, and rw ship, and had been out of the winter in one of the enemy's garri^ht into the port of New to New York, where she ^e, and as such bought 112 NAVAL CAMPAIGN CONTINUED. lueir homes for a mo.. less he intended to effect it oT T E R V 1 1. wilhng to encounter. But he ha^ the commander-m-chief were to cross ^^ feBttmii?^. at once," and that he could not ascerta. which would go over but by seeino- them ^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^® ocean that when they were embarked they did i^® continuing to be tri- fifteen hundred and twelve men, exclusi^ ^^^^^^ victory succeeded half the number with which only his ins^ ^® people of the United to assail the opposite shore. That man^ Jnished at the ceaseless refused to go when ordered into the be ** ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^® nations of but that more than half of General Ta "^ admiration, and began serted. In his official letter to Generr^^^® I'i^"^? i^aval establish- he had called together a council of h '^^^^ ^^ ^ future rival to the instructions in all important cases, ar^^^my against whom it was the contemplated operations upon thf of force. That he then informed tl i^^^^ States, Captain Stephen invade Canada would not be made . separated from the squadron inforced, and directed them to w which she left Boston on the them with huts immediately, n^^rack of the British frigates until bouring people were dissatisf ^•' ^^ng. 29 deg. 30 min. W., she power of the contracting ag^^ Macedonian, Captain John Garden, excite some clamour again^ ^ji^^o forty-nine, the odd one being a contract a losing one, and -^o^iian was to windward, and entered that he might not be bo^ ^^^ distance. For half an hour after the UNITED STATES AND MACEDONIAN. 113 commeiipement of the action the United States had no opportu- nity of using her carronades, the enemy keeping out of their reach, and never once coming within the range of grape or mus- ketry. The action, therefore, was of greater length than usual, and continued under every advantage to the enemy until the United States neared him. The fire from her then became so vivid that the enemy's crew imagining her to be on fire, gave many demonstrations of their joy, and expected every instant to see her blown up. But the Macedonian's mizzen-mast was shot away by the board, her fore and topmasts by the caps, her lower masts badly wounded, her main-mast destroyed, and all her rig- ging cut up. Most of her guns were disabled, the largest part of her crew killed and wounde^, and having become a perfect wreck, she surrendered after an action of an hour and a half, at the moment when the United States was about to rake her. The enthusiasm of the American crew on discoverinof the enemy, and during the battle, was perhaps unprecedented ; the precision of their fire was never surpassed in any other naval en- gagement. Captain Garden being brought on board, presented his sword to Captain Decatur, who, in testimony of the gallantry of his enemy, declined accepting it, saying that " he could not receive the sword of a man who had defended his ship so brave- ly." The enemy's loss amounted to one hundred and four; thirty-six in killed, and sixty-eight wounded : among the latter, his first and third lieutenants. The loss of the United States was five killed and seven wounded, making a total of twelve. Among the latter was Lieutenant John Musser Funk, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who afterwards died of his wounds, regretted for his worth, and admired for his constant coolness and couraofe. The United States received no damage whatever, and returned to port only to see her prize safe in. The superiority of gunnery was decidedly, in this action, on the side of the American sea- men, who fired seventy broadsides, whilst the enemy discharged but thirty-six. The Macedonian was an entire new ship, and had been out of dock but four months. She was brought into the port of New London, and thence through the Sound to New York, where she was fitted out as a thirty-eight gun frigate, and as such bought k3 15 114 OPERATIONS ON LAKE ONTARIO. into the service of the United States at the value of two hundred thousand dollars. Captain Decatur every where received the congratulations of the citizens. The legislatures of Pennsylvania and Virginia voted him an elegant sword ; the Congress of the United States a gold medal. The corporation of New York voted him the free- dom of the city in a gold box, and had his portrait set up in their gallery ; and the select and common councils of Philadelphia, (in which city he was born,) voted him a superb sword, and ap- pointed a committee, of which Captain John Mullowney, formerly of the United States navy was one ; who in conjunction with Major-General John Barker, then mayor of the city, were to pro- cure it to be made of American y the cavalry. The Americans being now masters of the field, their gallant commander, who had been in every part of the action, directed the wounded officers and men of both armies to be taken care of, and the trophies of the victory to be collected and conveyed to the squadron. Among these were several pieces of brass cannon, which had been taken from Burgoyne at Saratoga, in the strug- gle for the independence of the states, and surrendered again by General Hull, thirty-five years afterwards, at Detroit. In the battle of the Thames the number of Americans engaged did not exceed fourteen hundred. The nature of the ground rendered an operation by the whole force impracticable, and the main body, therefore, formed a corps of reserve. They sustained a loss of fifty men in killed and wounded. The numl)er of tlie former, among whom w^as a brave old soldier of the revolution. Colonel Whitley, who now served as a volunteer private in a Kentucky regiment, amounted to seventeen. The enemy lost in regulars alone, upwards of ninety killed, and about the same number wounded, and surrendered in all six hundred prisoners. Among the Indians one hundred and twenty were killed, includ- ing their brave, but ambitious and inveterate leader. A squadron of horse, which had been ordered in pursuit of Proctor immediately after his flight, returned to General Harri- son with the baggage and private papers of the British com- mander, which they had taken within one hundred yards of his escort. By the speed of his horses, and his knowledge of the country, he successfully eluded his pursuers. The result of this victory was highly advantageous, not only to the operations of the army below, but to all the north-western territories, some of whose inhabitants were released from the re- straint of a conquered people, and had now a favourable prospect of future tranquillity. By this event the whole British force in that part of Canada was destroyed ; the association wdth each DESTRUCTION OF THE MORAVIAN TOWN. 223 other of the different hostile tribes to the United States prevented, and their reunion with the enemy entirely cut off. By the fall of the Shawanese chief the Americans w^ere disencumbered of their most pow^erful, inveterate and experienced Indian enemy, and a sudden check was given to that spirit of barbarian enter- prise to which that frontier had hitherto been subject. Tecumseh was a bold, intrepid, and active leader, whose undeviating prac- tice it was never to make a prisoner. He was ever ready to conceive a daringf and inhuman desisfn, and would execute it with unprecedented and remorseless perseverance. His ruling passion was the plunder and annihilation of the people, whom he be- lieved had encroached upon, and gradually deprived his ancestry of their soil. But, when he undertook an expedition accompanied by his tribe, he would relinquish to them the spoil, though he would never yield the privilege of destroying the victim. To the Indians of all other tribes, as well as to that among w^hom he was born, the loss of a leader like Tecumseh, on whose capacity and conduct as a warrior they could always rely, and who would en- courage and assist in their cruelties, was, therefore, irreparable. Such indeed, was the effect of his death, upon the tribes gene- rally, that many of the chiefs of most of the nations, having no confidence in any other leader, gave themselves up to the con- quering general, and negotiated with him terms of peace, which released his government from the necessity of subsisting their warriors. On the day following that on which the battle of the Thames was fought. General Harrison destroyed the Moravian town, and commenced his march for Detroit, where he negotiated terms of peace with other tribes, and received a flag from General Proc- tor, accompanied by a request, that humane treatment might be extended to the British prisoners. This request had been antici- pated by the American general, who had already given up the simple comforts of his own tent, to the wounded British colonels; and had instructed his troops before the battle, that the person even of General Proctor should be respected, if, by the fortune of the day, it should be thrown into their hands. At Detroit, Governor Shelley's volunteers, and the twelve months' men, were all honouraljly discharged. The fort was 224 JUNCTION WITH THE NORTHERN ARMY. garrisoned hy one thousand men, under General Cass, who was appointed provisional governor of the Michigan territory ; and the civil law was restored to the condition in which it was at the time when General Proctor instituted other ordinances for the government of the inhabitants. In the event of his success against Proctor, the commander- in-chief had been directed by the war department, to join the northern army on the Niagara ; and accordingly, having, besides these arrangements, stationed a respectable force at Maiden and Sandwich, on the 23d of October he embarked in the squadron of Lake Erie, with all his disposables, and sailed for the village of Buffalo, were he arrived before the beginning of November. General Harrison crossing the Thames. PLAN OF OPERATIONS. 99.^ CHAPTER XII. ORRESPONDENT with these move- ments of the north-western army, a plan of operations on the St. Lawrence had been concerted by the united tak^iits of the war department, which had been trans- ferred to the frontier, and General Wilkinson, who, having succeeded to the command of the army of the north, had established his head- quarters at Fort George. By this plan, the cap- ture and occupation of Montreal and Kingston, the grand rendez- vous of the British land forces, and the only secure harbour for their naval armaments, was contemplated; and the result of its successful execution could not fail of being fruitful with advan- tages to the future movements of the army, and the contem- plated conquest of the province of Lower Canada. The late overthrow of General Proctor, in the upper province, increased the expectations of the department and the army, and held out to each, the most certain prospects of eventual success. Two obstacles, however, presented themselves to the entire fulfilment of these expectations. The lateness of the season ; which, in a 29 226 FORCES ON GRENADIER ISLAND. country where the winter commences with great severity, would raise up insurmountable obstructions to the movements of the troops ; and the difference of opinion betw^een the commanding general and the secretary at war, as to which post should be the first object of assault. Each being tenacious of his own opinion, and both anxious for the consummation of the concerted scheme, it became necessary to hasten the impending operations, by the adoption of one or the other. The deliberation of a council of war was propo ed. To obviata the first difficulty, the removal of the second was indispensable, and the necessity of an imme- diate decision, upon a question involving the interests of the ex- pedition, became more obvious. A council was therefore organ- ized, and conceiving that the success of the design depended on an early movement of the designated force, they decided without hesitation on a descent upon Montreal. Arrangements were then adopted to collect and concentrate the different regiments on Grenadier island, a point between Kingston and Sackett's Harbour, which had been assigned as the best ren- dezvous, because of its contiguity to the head of the St. Lawrence. Orders were forwarded to Fort George, to Colonel Scott of the artillery, who had been left by General Wilkinson in command of that post, to embark his artillery and Colonel Randolph's regi- ment of infantry, on board a vessel of the squadron, and to proceed to the island. The general had left the garrison of Fort George on the 2d of October, with the largest portion of the troops, who were now awaitina: the remainder at the rendezvous, and had been actively employed in providing clothing and other equip- ments necessary to the soldiers in the course of their movement down the river. Between Grenadier island and Sackett's Har- bour, he had made frequent voyages, to see that the troops were well bestowed at the former, and that the different detachments which almost daily arrived at the latter, were immediately de- spatched thence. He had caused a sufficient number of boats to be prepared to convey the artillery through the St. Lawrence ; and having assigned the command of Sackett's Harbour to Lieu- tenant-Colonel Dennis, he thence proceeded to put the troops in motion at the island. By this time, the 23d, the force at that place amounted to RETREAT OF THE BRITISH TO KINGSTON. 227 nearly eight thousand men, and was composed of Colonel Moses Porter's light artillery ; a few companies of Colonel Scott's (2d) regiment of artillery; Colonel Macomb's (3d) regiment of artil- rery ; the 5tli regiment of infantry ; the 6th, commanded by Cap- tain Humphreys ; the 11th; the 12th, Colonel Coles; the 13th, commanded by Colonel Preston of the 23d ; the 14th, Lieutenant- Colonel Dix; the 15th, Colonel Brearly; the 16th, Colonel Pearce; the 21st, Colonel Ripley; the 22d, Colonel Brady ; the 25th; and Major Forsythe's rifle corps. Having issued the necessary orders, General Wilkinson re- solved on moving on the 25th ; and although the gales which had prevailed for several days continued with unabated violence, and were now attended with heavy rains, his anxiety to promote the issue of the expedition induced him to order the embarkation of the troops; and, butfeting with a disorder which had rendered his health extremely precarious, he remained on the island until the embarkation was nearly completed, directing the boats to take advantage of the momentary pauses of the storm to slide into the St. Lawrence. A few days before, intelligence had been forwarded by Colonel Scott, of the enemy's having evacuated the intrenchments in the neighbourhood of Fort George, and of their having burnt and otherwise destroyed all their camp equipage and many stand of arms, in order to facilitate the march of their troops to Kingston ; to which place they had been ordered as soon as General Wil- Ivinson's contemplated movement was discovered. They had been apprized of the intentions of the American general previous to the 9tli, and on that day they abandoned the whole peninsula on the Niagara, and directed their attention to the defense of Kingston, against which they supposed the Americans would move. To keep that impression alive, and to confine their plans to the protection of Kingston only. General Wilkinson fixed on French creek, which lies immediately opposite the point at which the British suspected he would land, as the general rendezvous of the troops after their entrance into the St. Lawrence. Brio-a- dier-General Brown (now of the United States regulars) was ordered forward to command the advance of the army at that place, and the rear was soon after strengthened by the arrival 228 DESCENT OF THE ST. LAWRENCE. at Grenadier island of the 20th regiment, under Colonel Ran- dolph. On the 1st of November the enemy appeared at French creek with a squadron of four large vessels, and a number of boats filled with infantry, and attacked the detachment at that place in the evening. General Brown hastily made arrangements to defend his position, and after a short cannonade the enemy's vessels were compelled to retire, by a battery of three eighteen-pounders, which had been erected and managed with great spirit by Cap- tains McPherson and Fanning of the artillery. The enemy fell down to a convenient harbour, and renewed his attack on the following morning. By the same judicious arrangements he was again repulsed, and a few hours afterwards the American squad- ron entered the St. Lawrence, and took a position near French creek, to command the north and south channels. On the 3d and 4th the rear of the army arrived at the general rendezvous. On the 5th the flotilla of transports got under w^ay, and arrived without accident below Morrisville. On the 6th the commander-in-chief ordered the flotilla to de- scend with the whole army, to a point within three miles of Pres- cott, and directed the powder and flxed ammunition to be de- l)arked, and transported by land, under cover of the night, below the enemy's batteries. Before either of tliese orders was put in execution, he proceeded in his gig to reconnoiter the place, and having concluded that the safest passage of the troops would be effected on shore, he ordered the delmrkation of every man, ex- cept the number necessary to navigate the boats, and the army marched by night, two miles below Prescott. Arrangements were also made for the passage of the flotilla, to the same point ; and General Brown being the general officer of the day, was charged witli the superintendence. Availing himself of a heavy fog which came on at eight o'clock in the evening, the commander-in-chief, believing lie could pass the enemy's fort unobserved, put the flo- tilla and the marching columns in motion at the same instant, and proceeded in his gig, followed by liis passage boat and staff, ahead of the former. An unexpected change of the atmosphere enabled the enemy's garrison to discover the boats, and the columns upon land, whose movements had been simultaneous. DESCENT OF THE ST. LAWRENCE. 229 Nearly fifty twenty-four-pound shot were fired at the general's passage boat, and the columns were assailed with great numbers of shot and shells. Neither of these attacks were successful, nor did the Americans sustain the slightest degree of injury. The flotilla had been halted by General Brown as soon as the firing was heard, and it did not resume its course until the setting of the moon ; when, in attempting to pass, at the same place, it was attacked also. It nevertheless pursued its passage to the place of destination, under a heavy, though ineffectual fire of three hours. During all this time, of three hundred boats of which tlie flotilla was comprised, not one was touched by a ball ; and before ten o'clock of the 7th, they all safely arrived at the designated ren- dezvous. From this place the commander-in-chief forwarded an order to General Hampton, commanding the left division of the northern army to form a junction with the division then descend- ing the St. Lawrence. On the 7th the difficulties in this descent increased. The in- disposition of the general became alarming. The passage of the troops was delayed half a day in extricating two schooners from the river near Ogdensburg, which were loaded with provisions, and had been driven to that place by the enemy's fire. In the couree of the morning, the commander-in-chief had been informed that the coast below was lined with posts of artillery and mus- ketry, at every narrow pass of the river. He therefore detached Colonel Macomb, with the elite corps of about twelve hundred men, to remove these obstructions. At three in the afternoon the army followed. Immediately after passing the first rapid of the St. Lawrence, the passage boat of the general was again attacked by two pieces of light artillery, wdiich Colonel Macomb had not observed in his march. No other injury was done, however, than the cutting of the rigging, the attention of these pieces being di- verted from that object by Lieutenant-Colonel Eustis and a few light gun-barges, between whom and the enemy a cannonade was kept up, without effect on either side. But Major Forsythe, who was in Macomb's rear, having landed his riflemen, and ad- vanced upon the enemy, three pieces were precipitately carried away. About six miles below^ the town of Hamilton, the flotilla came to, and the general received intelligence of Colonel Ma- u 230 DESCENT OF THE ST. LAWRENCE. General Macomb. comb's having routed the enemy at a block-house, two miles lower. The dragoons, which were attached to the first division of the army, had by this time assembled at a place called the White House, situated at a contraction of the river. On the morning of the 8th the flotilla proceeded to this point, and after having ordered General Brown to go forward with his brigade, to reinforce Colonel Macomb, and to take command of the advance of the army. General Wilkinson directed the transportation of the dragoons across the St. Lawrence. This business was com- pleted in the course of the night. Not long after the descent of this river was commenced Ijy the American army, the British troops, who had been concen- trated in the vicinity of Kingston, having discovered that that post was not the object of the expedition, immediately proceeded to Prescott. The day following that on which the Americans had passed this village, the British commandant sent a flag over to Ogdensburg, with a demand for the delivery of all the public property there, under the penalty of the immediate destruction of the town. Without waiting, however, for a compliance with this demand, the enemy embarked about fifteen hundred troops, and followed General Wilkinson's descent, with an intention of annoying his rear. On the 9th they had so far gained upon it, DESCENT OF THE ST. LAWRENCE. 231 as to briiif^ on a skirmish between the American riflemen and a party of British mihtia and Indians. After having killed one man, the enemy w^ere completely repulsed. N the course of this day, the cavalry, with four pieces of artillery, under Captain McPherson, w^ere attached to the command of General Browm, who was ordered to clear the coast below, as far as the head of the '^Longue ' Saiity After being obliged to halt several hours, by the rapidity of the current, to enable General Brown to make good his march, in time to cover the movements of the flotilla. General Wilkinson arrived at a point called tlie Yellow House, which stands near the saut. On the morning of the 10th he ordered General Brown to prosecute his march with all the troops under his command, except two pieces of artillery and the 2d dragoons. A regard for the safety of the men, induced the commanding general to march as many of them as possible, as the passage of the Longue Saut would be long and dangerous. This regiment, therefore, as well as all the men of the other brigades, with the reservation of a proper number to navigate the boats, were assigned to General Boyd, who was ordered to take necessary precautions to prevent the enemy, hanging on* the rear, from making an advantageous attack ; and if attacked, to turn upon, and if pos- sible to beat them. General Brown, in obedience to these orders, marched with the advance, then consisting of about eighteen hundred men, and composed principally of Colonel Macomb's artillery, some com- panies of Colonel Scott's regiment, part of the light artillery, the riflemen, and the 6th, 15th, and 22d regiments. At a block- house near the saut, which had been erected to harass the flotilla in its descent, he w^as engaged by a strong party of the enemy, with whom he contended for a few minutes, and at length com- pelled them to retire. This repulse was effected entirely by Major Forsythe, who was severely wounded in the engagement. General Brown then took a position near the foot of the saut. 232 BATTLE OF CHRYSTLER's FIELD. At the same time a number of British galleys and gun-boats approached the flotilla, now at the shore, and commenced a cannonade. The galley mounted a long twenty-four-pounder, which materially injured the American barges and it became necessary to run two eighteen-pounders on shore, and form a battery to resist the enemy's attack. One shot from this battery obliged the British to retire up the river; and it being then too late to trust the flotilla to the saut, the current in which allows no chance to land, or to pursue any other than its own course, the barges lay too until the morning of the 11th. At ten o'clock on that day the flotilla was prepared to sail; and the division under General Boyd, consisting of his own and Generals Covington and Swartwout's brigades, was already formed in marching order, when an alarm was heard from the gun-boats, and the commanding general was apprized that the enemy were advancing in column. The increasing indisposition of General Wilkinson rendered him incapable of taking the field ; General Lewis having declined the command in conse- quence of being ill also, General Boyd was ordered to turn upon and attack the British force. The enemy's gun-boats were advancing at the same time, with a view to attack the rear of the flotilla as soon as it should move off". The olflcers having it in charge were therefore directed not to leave the shore. General Boyd advanced upon the enemy, with his detachment formed in threb columns, and forwarded a body of General Swartwout's brigade, consisting of the 21st regiment, to meet and bring the enemy to action. Colonel Ripley, with this regiment, ranged through the woods, which in a semicircle skirted Chrystler's fields, and drove in several parties of the skirmishers. Upon entering the open field, he discovered the British advance, consisting of the 49tli and Glengary regiments. With these he immediately commenced an action, in which he twice charged these united regiments, either of which being more than equal to the 21st, and drove them over the ravines and fences by which Chrystler's field was intersected, when they fell upon their main body. Meanwhile General Covington had advanced upon the enemy's right, where his artillery had been planted, and at the moment BATTLE OF CIIRYSTLER S FIELD. 233 General Ripley. when the 21st assailed the British left flank, this brigade forced the right by a vigorous onset, and the result of the action was now looked to with great certainty. The gallant conduct of General Covington attracted the attention of a party of sharp shooters stationed in Chrystler's house, one of whom levelled his piece, and shot him from his horse. Tlie wound proved to be mortal, and in two days after the general died. The fall of their com- mander threw that brigade into confusion, and it very soon broke before the enemy's artillery, and, together with the 16th, took shelter behind the 21st, which was still engaged with the British left and centre. Four pieces of artillery had been planted to en- filade the enemy's right, but out of reach of support ; and when Covington's brigade fell back, the British commander wheeled part of his line into column to attack and capture them. A body of dragoons, under the Adjutant-General Walbach, attempted, in a very gallant manner, to charge the British column, but the nature of the ground prevented its being checked, and the intervention of the 21st between the cannon and the enemy alone retarded his advance. The British then fell back with much precipitation. The 25th, which had been disordered, was at this time in a ravine ; and on all parts of the field skirmishes and de- tached battles were kept up with various success. The 21st u2 30 234 RESULTS OF THE BATTLE. being out of ammunition, was withdrawn from the exposed posi- tions of the o-round, and a second attempt was soon after made upon the cannon. The death of Lieutenant Wilham W. Smith, of the h'Tht artillery, who commanded one piece, enabled the enemy to capture the only trophy they obtained. The coolness and bravery of Captain Armstrong Irvine, saved the remaining pieces, which he brought off the field. The action immediately after ceased. It had been fought with distinguished gallantry by about seventeen hundred undisciplined men, against the same number of British veterans, and its duration w^as upwards of two hours. The enemy's force consisted of detachments from the 49th, 84th, 104th, the voltigeurs, and the Glengary regiment. These retired to their encampment, and the Americans to their boats. The American loss on this occasion amounted to three hundred and thirty-nine. One hundred and two of whom were killed. Among these were Lieutenants Smith, Hunter, and Olmstead. The loss in wounded was swelled by the rank and worth of the officers on that list. General Covington, Colonel Preston, Majors Chambers, Noon, and Cummings ; Captains Foster and Town- send, of the 9th; Myers and Campbell, of the 13th; Murdoch, of the 25th; and Lieutenants Heaton, of the 11th; Williams, of the 13th; Lynch, of the 14th; Pelham, of the 21st; and Brown and Crary, of the 25th, were the officers composing it. In this battle the victory was claimed on both sides. An im- partial examination of the result, however, will either lead to the conclusion that it was a drawn battle, or that if any advantages occurred to either party, they were decidedly gained by the Americans. The front of the enemy had been forced back more than a mile in the early part of the action, and it never regained the ground thus lost. To use the words of the American gene- ral, his views and those of the British commander " were precisely opposed. The first being bound by the instructions of his govern- ment, and the most solemn obligations of duty, to precipitate his descent of the St. Lawrence by every practicable means; and the last, by equally imperative duties, to retard, and if possible, to pre- vent such descent. If then, he (the British commander) found himself victorious on this day, it was certainly in his power to COUNCIL OF WAR. 235 General Wilkinson. have eifected the one or the other object, and as he made no at- tempt to effect either, it follows incontestibly, that he had no fair ground on which to claim a victory." So far from obstructing the further descent of the river, the enemy never again assailed the column upon land, or the barges of the flotilla. Early on the morning of the 11th the army proceeded on its route, and reached Barnhart, near Cornwall, where it rejoined the advance. At this place General AVilkinson received a letter from General Hamp- ton, in which he declined a meeting at St. Regis, the place named in the orders which had been sent to him on the 6th, and in- formed the commander-in-chief that he intended to march to Lake Champlain, and thence to co-operate in the attack upon Montreal. General Wilkinson immediately concluded that it ■would be useless to prosecute his route to Montreal any further, and that every prospect of a desirable termination to the campaign was destroyed. He therefore summoned together the principal 236 Wilkinson's order. ollicers of that division of the army with which he was acting, who determined that the receipt of this despatch rendered it ex- pedient that the army should quit the Canadian side of the St. LawTence and go into winter quarters at French Mills, on Salmon river, which it accordingly did on the 13th instant. After having surmounted many 4)erilous difficulties in the descent of a river crowded with various obstructions, the further prosecution of its passage was entirely abandoned by the united determination of the commander-in-chief and his council of war. Whether the refusal, on the side of General Hampton, to form a junction with General Wilkinson at the St. Regis, instead of adopting his own plan of marching by Champlain and Cogna- wago, should have prevented the prosecution of the campaign to its original object, does not come within the province of these sketches to discuss. It is the business of the writer of them to be studiously impartial ; and he does not hesitate to acknowledge his belief, that many circumstances are yet to transpire before the public opinion can be regulated. The order of the command- er-in-chief, and the answer to that order, are the only papers which can, at this early day, be procured ; and the reader has an opportunity of making up his own judgment from them.* * Head-Quarters of the Army, District No. 9, seven miles above Ogdensburg, ) iVoi'. 6th, 1813, in the evening. ) Sir : — I address you at the special instance of tlie secretary of war, who, by bad roads, worse weather, and ill health, was diverted from meeting me at this place, and deter- mined to tread back his steps to Washington from Antwerp, on the 29th ultimo, t I am destined to, and determined on, the attack of Montreal, if not prevented by some act of God ; and to give security to the enterprise, the division under your command must co-operate with the corps under my immediate orders. The point of rendezvous is the circumstance of greatest interest to the issue of this operation, and the distance which separates us, and my ignorance of the practicability of the direct or devious roads or routes on which you must march, make it necessary that your own judgment should determine that point. To assist you in forming the soundest determination, and to take the most prompt and effectual measures, I can only inform you of my intentions and situation in one or two respects of first importance. I shall pass Prescott to night, be- cause the stage of the season will not allow me three days to take it ; shall cross the cavalry at Hamilton, which will not require a day, and shall then press forward, and break down every obstruction to the confluence of this river, with Grand river, there to cross to the isle Perrot, and with my scows, to bridge the narrow inner channel, and thus obtain foothold on Montreal island, at about twenty miles from the city ; after which our artillery, bayonets, and swords, must secure our triumph, or provide us ho- nourable graves. Inclosed you have a memorandum of my field and battering train, GENERAL HAMPTON S ANSWER. 237 Whilst General Wilkinson was engaged in concentrating the left division of the army at Grenadier island, preparatory to the pretty well found in fixed ammunition, which may enable you to dismiss your own ; but we are deficient in loose powder and musket cartridges, and therefore hope you may be abundantly found. On the subject of provisions, I wish I could give as favourable in- formation ; our whole stock of bread may be computed at about fifteen days, our meat at twenty. In speaking on this subject to the secretary of war, he informed me that ample magazines were laid up on Lake Champlain; and therefore I must request you to order forward two or three months supplies, by the safest route, in a direction to the proposed scene of action. I have submitted the state of our provisions to my general officers, who unanimously agree, that it should not prevent the progress of the expedition ; and they also agree in opinion, that if you are not in force to face the enemy, you should meet us at St. Regis, or its vicinity. I shall expect to hear from, if not to see you, at that place on the 9th or 10th inst. I am, &c. JAS. WILKLXSON. Major-General W, Hampton. P. S, I was preparing an express, which I should have despatched to-morrow, but for the fortunate call of Colonel Kinar. Head-Quarters, Four Corners, ) Kuv. 8, 1813. \ Sir : — I had the honour to receive, at a late hour last evening, by Colonel King, your communication of the 6th, and was deeply impressed with the sense of responsibility it imposed, of deciding upon the means of our co-operation. The idea suggested as the opinion of your ofiicers, of effecting the junction at St. Regis, was most pleasing, as being the most immediate, until I came to the disclosure of the amount of your supplies of provisions. Colonel Atkinson will explain the reasons that would have rendered it impossible for me to have brought more than each man could have carried on his back; and when I reflected, that in throwing myself upon your scanty means, I should be weakening you in your most vulnerable point, I did not hesitate to adopt the opinion, after consulting the general and principal officers, that by throwing myself back upon my main depot, where all the means of transportation had gone, and falling upon the enemy's flanks, and straining every effort to open a commu- nication between Plattsburg and Cognewago, or any other point you may indicate, on the St. Lawrence, I should more effectually contribute to your success, than by a junc- tion on the St. Regis. The way is in many places blockaded and abatised, and the road impracticable (or vhcels during winter; but by the employment of pack-horses, if I am not overpowered, I hope to be able to prevent you from starving. I have ascertained, and witnessed, the plan of the enemy is, to burn and consume every thing in our advance. My troops, and other means will be described to you by Colonel Atkinson. Besides their rawness and sickness, they have endured fatigues equal to a winter campaign, in the late snows and bad weather, and are sadly dispirited and fallen off: but upon this subject I must refer you to Colonel Atkinson. With these means what can be accomplished by human exertion, I will attempt, with a mind devoted to the general objects of the campaign. W. HAMPTON. To Major-General Wilkinson. 238 OPERATIONS OF GENERAL HAMPTON. descent of the St. Lawrence, General Hampton had determined on movino- the right division from Champlain down the Chateaii- gay, for the purpose of obtaining a situation from which it could with more facility co-operate in the contemplated movements against Montreal. On the 21st of October he put his troops in motion, having first arranged a line of communication as far up the St. Lawrence as Ogdensburg. An extensive wood, filled with hewn timber, and covered with Indians and the enemy's licrht troops, threw an impediment in the way of the engineers who were to cut a road for the passage of the artillery and stores. General Izard had been detached with the light troops and one reo-iment from the line, to turn them in flank, and to seize on the open country below. In this he succeeded, and the main army advancing on a circuitous road, reached the advanced position on the evening of the 22d. At a distance of seven miles from the ground on which the army encamped, w^as a wood which had been formed into an abatis, and was filled with a succession of breastworks, the rear- most of which was well supplied with ordnance. Behind tliese the disposable force of the enemy was placed, in front of them the light troops and Indians. Sir George Prevost was supposed to be the commander-in-chief of the forces and breastworks thus arranged. It was resolved to attack and dislodge him. Colonel Purdy, who commanded the first brigade, was ordered on the 25th to ford the river, and march down on its opposite side until he should reach the enemy's rear, where he was to recross the river and attack him in his breastworks ; whilst the second bri- gade, under General Izard, was to assail him in front. The fire from one w^as to be the signal of attack for the other. Colonel Purdy accordingly marched down on the opposite bank, but had not proceeded far when he received a countermanding order from General Hampton, issued in consequence of a communication from the quartermaster-general's department, which the general deemed unfavourable to the prosecution of his plan. In attempting to return to the place at which he had previously crossed the river. Colonel Purdy was attacked by the enemy's infantry and Indians, who were repulsed after a short contest, though they had thrown the American column into partial con- RETREAT OF GENERAL HAMPTON. 239 fusion. The British at the same time came out of their works to attack the second brigade on the opposite side. They were re- pulsed at this point also, and General Izard drove them rapidly behind their defenses. The first brigade attempted the construc- tion of a bridge of logs, and though it was assailed by a consider- able force of the British regulars, and received a sharp fire across the river, the bridge was completed and Colonel Purdy recrossed his men. He was again attacked, and several times resisted the charges of the enemy. The army commenced a retreat after losing about fifty men ; and as General Hampton received an ac- count of the enemy's being continually reinforced, he resolved, on the advice of a council, to retreat to the Four Corners. The army accordingly, on the 31st, returned to a position which it held many days before. In these various skirmishes, Majors Snelling and Wool were particularly distinguished. A 2)etite guerre was kept up on the lines by Colonel Clark, who commanded a regiment of infantry acting as riflemen, which had already, on several important occasions, been of great annoyance to the enemy. But this-incursive warfare was stopped soon after the return of General Hampton's division, and all the troops under his command were put into winter quarters in the course of the month of November, and the command resigned to Gene- ral Izard. Not long after the departure of General Wilkinson from Fort George, that post fell successively to the command of Colonel Scott, General Harrison, and General M'Clure of the New York militia ; under each of whom frequent skirmishes took place. In one of these. Colonel Wilcocks, with the Canadian volunteer mounted regiment, behaved with personal bravery, and gave an augury of the services which the American government might expect from this new species of troops. On the 10th of December it was ascertained that the enemy had collected a force of fifteen hundred regulars, and at least seven hundred Indians, and were proceeding on their march to Fort George, to expel the Americans from the garrison and the shores. The remnant of an army, of which the garrison was at that time composed, rendered the post altogether untenable, and General M'Clure determined on destroying the town of Newark and the ^ ■ 240 CAPTURE OF FORT NIAGARA. batteries by which it was protected, and evacuating Fort George, with a view to posting himself at Fort Niagara. Accordingly, havino- first o-iven the inhabitants full notice of his intentions, he put them into execution, and crossed his force over to the Ameri- can shore. Newark was left in flames, and the guns of Fort Georfre were rendered useless. The British forces arrived only in time to find themselves without shelter, and were obliged to fall back to Queenstown. From this place General M'Clure at- tempted to dislodge them by the batteries at Lewistown, but without effect. The British commander became highly incensed at the destruc- tion of the tow^n of Newark, and secretly resolved on the confla- gration of Buffalo, Schlosser, and Lewistown, and the capture of Fort Niagara ; the garrison of which they destined to be put to the sword. A surmise of these intentions of the enemy induced the American commander to transfer his head-quarters to Buffalo; to which place he immediately set out to provide for the protec- tion of its citizens, and called forth the neighbouring militia eri masse. Fort Niagara was at this time garrisoned by three hundred and twenty-four sick and effective men, and was commanded by Captain Leonard, of the artillery, who, notwithstanding the noto- rious fact of the enemy's being within two hour's march of the fort, neglected to provide against an assault by night ; and on the evening of the 18th took up his quarters at a farm two miles dis- tant from his command. At four o'clock on the morning of the 19th, the enemy, four hundred in number, crossed the Niagara "under Colonel Murray, and approached the principal gate, which was then open. Accompanied by his Indian warriors, he rushed furiously in upon the garrison, and in a few minutes put an end to all opposition. The only resistance which was made he re- ceived from the guard in the south-east block-house, and the sick wdio crawled out from their beds. What officers were within the fort, exhausted every means of defense of which the suddenness of the attack had not deprived them. On entering the garrison Colonel Murray received a wound in the arm ; soon after which he yielded the command to Colonel Hamilton — under whose superintendence the women of the garrison were stript of their BURNING OF LEWISTOWN. 243 clothing, and many of them killed, and the persons of the dead officers treated with shocking indignity. In the mean tiinc Cap- tain Leonard arrived and was made prisoner, and out of the whole number of troops in the garrison, twenty only effected tlieir escape. The British flag was immediately after unfurled, and the enemy had the entire command of the entrance to the Niagara. In the course of the same morning about seven hundred Indians made an attack upon Lewistown, which was defended by a small detachment of militia under Major Bennett, who resisted the as- sailants until he was entirely surrounded, and then desperately cut his way through with the loss of eight men, and effected his retreat. This village, and those of Young's town, ivlanchester, and the Indian Tuscarora, were speedily reduced to ashes. — Whilst the Indians were engaged in firing Lewistown, INIajor Mallory boldly advanced from Schlosser, and attaclved their outer guard at Lewistown heights, and compelled it to fall back to the foot of the mountain. The Indians were soon reinforced how- ever, and the gallant Mallory was in turn obliged to retire. He retreated gradually to Tantawanty creek, occasionally turning upon, and fighting their advance guard, for two daj's, at the end of which time the Indians gave up the pursuit. In these affairs Major Mallory lost Lieutenant Lowe, of the 23d infantry, and eight men. General M'Clure having collected nearly three thousand militia at Buffalo, left them under command of General Hall, and repaired himself to the village of Batavia, about twenty-eight miles from Buffalo, to provide for its protection against a sally from Fort Niagara. He had previously sent Lieutenant Riddle to that place, with all the regulars in the vicinity, amounting in the whole to eighty men, to secure the public arsenal. On his arrival at Batavia, after having organized a body of militia there, he ordered the regulars back to Buffalo, to encourage, by their example, the undisciplined troops of his division. On the 30th the British landed six hundred and fifty men at Black Rock, and immediately proceeded to the village of Buffiilo. Before they reached it, however, they were obstinately opposed by Colonel Bleeksly and two or three hundred raw and undis- ciplined militia. General Hall had fallen back about three miles 244 BURNING OF LEWISTOWN. from Buffalo, when liis force was met by Lieutenant Riddle and his regulars. The British had already entered the village, and the militia fled with the greatest precipitation. Riddle offered to march with his regulars in front, and thus to excite the timid militia to repulse the enemy, and drive him from the village. But the general, yielding to the unwillingness of his men, declined the proposal of the regular officer, wdio thereupon rode towards the village, to reconnoiter. He advanced witliin half a mile of its suburbs, and seeing that with a handful of spirited men, he could himself save the place from destruction, he returned to General Hall, and entreated him to place two hundred men under his command, with wdiom he promised at least to rescue the women and children, wdio would otherwise be sacrificed by the Indians, if not to drive out the enemy. General Hall was of opinion that this plan was impracticable. Lieutenant Riddle, therefore, was prevented from attempting it. By the exertion of Major Staunton and Major Norton, each of whom belonged to the village, about two hundred men were collected, and expressed their willingness to combat the British and Lidians. These were advised that it was in vain to attack their enemy, and this advice was sanctioned by the general. At length, having become quite indignant at the timidity of the militia. Lieutenant Riddle took upon himself the responsibility of going forward with his own men, and of rescuing as much public property as they could bear away. He entered the upper part of the village, where he w^as informed by a citizen, that Colonel Ghapin, who had, long before the flight of the militia, been ordered to take post at Conejockeda creek, had surrendered the place to the enemy, under the condition that they were to plunder, but not to burn it. The Indians were at that moment firing the houses. Lieutenant Riddle, wdth thirty men, then took from the arsenal, which had not been discovered by the enemy, about three hundred stand of arms, and some other public property, and having made two Indian prisoners, returned to the position occupied by General Hall. On the following day, January 1st, (1S14,) a small party of dragoons were ordered in advance of the whole militia, wiiicli General Hall marched to the vicinity of the village, in order to ADVENTURE OF RIDDLE AND TOT MAN. 245 make a show of force. Captain Stone, who commanded the advance, accompanied by Lieutenant Riddle, Lieutenant Tot- man, of the Canadian volunteers, and Lieutenant Frazer, of the 15th regiment, infantry, made several prisoners on the margin of the village, and having delivered them to the general, the latter immediately ordered his whole force to retire, and called in the advance for that purpose. Riddle and Totman, not knowing that the dragoons had fallen Imck, were left in the near neighbourhood of the enemy, and upon being discovered by a squadron of the British horse, they immediately put s})urs to their own, and attempted to escape toward the rendezvous of General Hall's brigade. They very soon outstripped their pur- suers, and w^ere congratulating themselves upon their supposed escape, when another squadron of the enemy were perceived coming out of the road leading from Black Rock, and directing their course for Buffalo, between which and that road Riddle and Totman then were. Thus hemmed in on a narrow higrh- way, with a superior enemy in front and in the rear, they saw no probable prospect of escaping, and would have given themselves up, but for the treatment which other prisoners on the Niagara had recently received, and the practice, which had about this time commenced, of makins^ hostas^es. No alternative seemed to present itself, but that of cutting their way through the party in their front; and on this they mutually resolved. On their attempting to dash through, with violent impetuosity, the whole party discharged their pistols at them, one only of which took effect, and the unfortunate Totman fell from his horse. Riddle cut throuo^h with his sword, and havinsf ffained their rear, pushed his horse through a narrow lane on the left, and rode into a thick swamp, terminated by a forest. Through this the enemy did not choose to follow him, and he arrived at the head-quarters of the general on the same day, without liaving met with other obstacles. In a few days after, the British evacuated all the positions they had captured except Fort Niagara. This tliey put in a better state of defense, and from it they made frequent incur- sions, which were ever attended by acts of violence upon the neiirhbourino- inhabitants. 246 RESULTS OF THE CAMPAIGN. The campaign of 1813, in tlie north, was now drawn to its final close ; and though a high degree of fulgency was thrown around the American arms, no one advantage was obtained to atone for the blood and treasure which had already been ex- hausted. The cajiital of Upper Canada had been taken. It was scarcely captured before it was abandoned. The bulwark of the province, Fort George, had been gallantly carried ; but an infe- rior foe was suffered to escape, after being beaten, and the con- querors were soon after confined to the works of the garrison, and closely invested upwards of six months. The long contem- plated attack upon Montreal was frustrated ; Kingston still re- mained a safe and advantageous harbour in the hands of the enemy ; and a fortress, which might have been long and obsti- nately, and eff'ectually defended, was yielded with scarcely a struggle, and under circumstances mysterious in the extreme, to the retaliating invaders of the American Niagara frontier. In the course of the summer of 1813, the American army possessed every position between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, on both sides of the Niagara. In the winter of the same year, after hav- ing gradually lost their possessions on the British side of the stream, they were deprived of their possessions on their own. Another day may bring forward a developement of the causes which led to such unfavourable results ; and posterity will be much Ijetter enabled to throw the censure on the proper officers tlian those who are their contemporaries. HORNET CHALLENGES THE EONKE CITOYENNE. 247 iiftaff 1 CHAPTER XIII. tcEt ef itTje Hal all ©aimjiaign of 1318^ HE United States sloop of war Hornet, havini^ challenged to a combat the sloop of war Bonne Citoyenne, Captain Green, ^^'llo declined an acceptance of the in- vitation, she was left before the port of St. Salvador, by Commo- dore Bainbridge, with orders to blockade the enemy's vessel of war, containing upwards of half a million of dollars, and two armed British merchantmen, then lying in that harbour. This blockade was vigilantly kept up until the 24th of January, 1813, on which day the Montague seven- ty-four, hove in sight, and chased the Hornet into the harbour, whence, however, she escaped in the night. Captain Lawrence, who still commanded her, then shifted his cruising ground ; and after having captured a vessel of ten guns, laden with specie, 248 HORNET AND PEACOCK. and having run down the Coast for Maranham, thence off Siir- rinam, and thence for Demarara, outside of the bar of the river leading to which place, and with the fort bearing south-west, about two and a half leagues distant from him, he discovered a man-of-war brig, which lie immediately attempted to near, by beatim^ round the Carabana bank. In making this effort, a second sail, of equal size to the other, was also discovered, at about half past three, p. i\i. At twenty minutes past four, the strange sail, the British sloop of war Peacock, Captain Peake, of eighteen guns, and one twelve-pounder carronade, a shifting gun, showed the English flag, and the Hornet was immediately cleared for action, and Captain Lawrence made every attempt to get the weather-gage. The Peacock was edging dowai fast. All the efforts of the Hornet to weather her proved fruitless, and at twenty-five minutes past five, the American ensign being then up, in passing each other the two vessels exchanged broadsides, within half pistol-shot. The effect of this fire on board the enemy's vessel was extremely severe ; on board the Hornet no loss whatever was sustained. The Peacock, being then disco- vered in the act of wearing. Captain Lawrence bore up, received her starljoard broadside, run her close on board on the starboard quarter, and poured into her so heavy, constant, and well-di- rected a fire, that in fifteen minutes she surrendered, with her hull and rigging totally cut to pieces. At the moment of her surrender, she hoisted a signal of distress, and in the next mo- ment her mainmast went by the board. Lieutenant Shubrick, whose gallantry on this occasion was not less conspicuous than in the actions with the Guerriere and Java, in each of which he gave unequivocal proofs as well of his humanity as of his bravery, was despatched to bring her officers on board the Hornet. He soon returned with her first ofiicer, and a report that the Captain had been killed in the latter part of the action, that a great number of her crew were either killed or wounded, and that she was sinking fast, having already six feet water in her hold. Both vessels were brought to anchor, and all the boats immediately despatched to bring off the wounded, and as much of their baggage as could be found. All the shot-holes which could be got at were then plugged, the Smma 32 HORNET AND PEACOCK. 251 guns thrown overboard, and every possible exertion used to keep her afloat, by pumping and baiUng, until the prisoners could be removed. All efforts appearing to be entirely unavailing, the body of Captain Peake was inclosed in his own flag, and the ship sunk in five and a half fathom water, carrjdng down thir- teen of her own, and three of the Hornet's crew. With the ut- most difficulty, Acting-Lieutenant Conner and Midshipman Cooper, who were superintending the removal of the prisoners, effected their escape, by jumping into a boat which was lying on her booms, at the moment when the Peacock sunk. The loss of the enemy amounted to thirty-three in wounded, three of whom afterwards died. The number of killed could not be ascertained, but four men, besides the captain were found dead on the Peacock's deck ; and four men, in addition to the thirteen who sunk, were drowned. The loss on board the Hornet was one man killed, two slightly wounded in the action, and two se- verely, by the bursting of a cartridge. Her hull was scarcely injured, though tlie rigging and sails were cut, her foremast pierced through, and her bowsprit slightly injured. The officers and crew of the Hornet were not behind those of any other ship, in emulating the example of Captain Hull and his brave companions ; and the course and consequence of this engagement bore a striking similitude to that with the Guerriere. Acting Lieutenants Conner and Newton, and Midshipmen Cooper, Mayo, Gets, Smoot, Tippet, Boerum, and Titus, behaved with that bravery which had now become almost inseparable from the American name. Lieutenant Stewart, the first officer of the ship, was unfortunately too ill to keep the deck, and Cap- tain Lawrence was therefore deprived of the services of a meri- torious and valuable officer. This engagement took place in view of the ship of war which lay in Demarara river, the Espeigle ; and Captain Lawrence, being apprehensive that she would beat out to the assistance of her consort, the Peacock, the greatest activity prevailed on board the Hornet, to repair damages, as soon as they were sustained, and by nine o'clock all the boats were stowed, new sails bent, and the ship completely prepared for another action. The Espeigle, of equal force with the Peacock, did not come out. 252 CRUISE OF THE CHESAPEAKE. Captain Lawrence's crew had been on two-thirds allowance of provisions for several days; and the number of souls now on board amounting to two liundred and seventy, including those of the merchant prize, it became necessary that she should return to the United States. Siie shaped her course for New York, where she arrived about the twentieth of March. On the passage, her officers divided their clothing with tlie prisoners, who had lost their baggage ; the crew of the ship gave up each a portion of theirs to the crew of the Peacock ; and the private wardrobe of the captain, whose attentions to the wants of those whom the fortune of war had placed in his hands, and whose exertions to ameliorate their condition were unceasing, was given up to her officers. At New York, Captain Lawrence w^as received with universal joy ; and his reception in other cities was similar to that which had been given to other naval commanders. Many days had not elapsed after the arrival of the Hornet at New York, when the United States frigate Chesapeake, Captain Evans, of thirty-six guns, returned to the harbour of Boston, from a cruise of one h undred and fifteen days. During that time she had run down by the Madeiras, Canaries, and Cape de Verds, and thence down on the equator, where she cruised six weeks. Hence she proceeded down the coast of South America, and passed within fifteen leagues of Surrinam. On the 25th of Fe- bruary, the day after the conquest of the Peacoclv, she passed over the place at which that vessel had been sunk, and thence proceeded down by Barbadoes, Antigua, and most of the wind- ward islands, thence on the coast of the United States, between Bermuda and the capes of Virginia, by the capes of the Delaware within twelve leagues, by New York within tvv^enty, and thence by the east channel to Boston, w^here she terminated a cruise, on the lOtli of April, marked by the capture of four valuable mer- chantmen, the chase of a British sloop of war, and an escape from two line of battle ships. The command of this ship was then given to Captain Law- rence, her late commander. Captain Evans, having accepted the command of the New York station, and directions were imme- chately given to repair and re-equip her for another cruise. Com- modore Hodgers had returned to that port also, from a cruise, in CHESAPEAKE AND SHANNON. 253 which, though he did not capture any armed ship of the enemy, he drew from the coast such of his pnbhc vessels as were destined to blockade the different ports, and saved to the mercantile inte- rest of the country many millions of dollars. The President and Congress were at that time the only vessels of his squadron. To keep these in port, the British frigates Shannon and Tenedos, each being of the largest class, appeared off the entrance to the harbour of Boston, and sent in frequent reports of their size, strength, and armament. Early in the month of May, however, Commodore Rodgers put to sea; but the British frigates avoided him by sailing from the coast. In the course of that month the Shannon returned to the mouth of the harbour, and her commander. Commodore Brooke, sent in a challenge to the commander of the frigate Chesapealve. This challenge was not received l^y Captain Lawrence, but his ship being then in readiness, he understood the menacing manoeuvers of the Shannon to be an invitation, and on the 1st of June, with a crew almost in a state of mutiny, and unacquainted with their new captain, and without his full complement of officers, his first lieutenant, Page, being sick on shore, he sailed out to meet, and give battle to the hostile ship. The Shannon sailed from the bay and put to sea, the Chesapeake following in chase, seven miles astern. At half-past four the Shannon hove to, with her head to the southward and eastward ; and at half-past five, the Chesapeake hauled up her courses and was closing fast with the enemy. At fifteen minutes before six he commenced the action by firing his after guns on the starboard side, wdien the Chesa- peake gave him a broadside ; this was succeeded by a broadside from the Shannon, which killed the sailingmaster, Mr. White, and many of the crew, and wounded Captain Lawrence ; he re- fused to quit the deck, however, and ordered a second broadside, the return to which wounded the captain a second time, and killed the fourth lieutenant, Ballard, and Lieutenant Broom of the marines. The Chesapeake then ranged ahead of the Shannon, when her jib sheet, the slings of the foretop-sail j^ard, her spanker brails, and her bowlines and braces being cut, she luffed into the wind and took aback, and fell with her quarter foul of the Shan- non's starboard anchor. This accident gave a decided advantage 254 CHESAPEAKE AND SHANNON. to tlic enemy, and enabled him to rake the Chesapeake. Cap- tain Lawrence was all this while on deck, still persisting m his refusal to go below, when, having called for the boarders, he re- ~ ceived a musket-ball through the body, and in a languishing state was carried down. At this moment the ship was deprived of all her principal officers ; the first lientenant, Augustus C. Ludlow, had been mortally wounded ; several of the midshipmen and petty officers, besides the fourth lieutenant and the commanding officer of marines, were either killed or wounded, and the com- mand of the ship devolved on her third lieutenant, Budd. The bravery and seamanship of this officer being already known to the crew, some hope remained of saving the ship, and of captur- ing the superior enemy. But, as Lieutenant Budd ascended the spar-deck, an arm-chest on the quarter was blown up by a hand grenade thrown from the Shannon's tops. The boarders very soon followed Lieutenant Budd, but before they reached the deck, Captain Brooke had determined that the Chesapeake could only be carried by boarding, and having already so many shot between wind and water in his own ship, that he became apprehensive of her sinking, he threw his marines on the Chesapeake's quarter- deck, and headed them himself Lieutenant Budd immediately gave orders to haul on board the fore-tack, for the purpose of shooting the ship clear of the Shannon, and of attempting the capture of Captain Brooke, wdio had then two hundred of his crew on board the Chesapeake. On this effiDrt the fate of the ship depended, and most of the American crew, mindful of the dying words of their gallant commander, whose injunction on them was " Bon't give up the ship,'' several times attempted to succeed in it; but the boatswain having mutinied, and persuaded many of the men, who were dissatisfied at not having received their prize money of the last cruise, to join him below ; the few who remained firm to their duty were soon overpowered ; and Lieutenant Budd being wonnded and thrown down to the gun- deck in attempting to gain the quarter, the scheme entirely failed, and the enemy gained complete possession of the upper deck. A great proportion of the crew, who had escaped a wound, never- tlieless continued fighting ; and Captain Brooke, as he was cross- ing the ship, was shot through the neck by the Chesapeake's LL-:- CHESAPEAKE AND SHANNON. 255 chaplain, Livermore, ^vhom he instantly cut down ; but he, almost as soon, received a wound in the head, and was then transferred to his own ship. The enemy's crew were now commanded by Lieutenant Watt, who stabbed and cut down the wounded and vanquished without regard to their cries of surrender. He was killed on the Chesapeake's deck, according to one account, by one of the Shannon's sailors, as he was placing, by mistake, the Ame- rican over the English ensign; according to another, by an American sailor in the main-top, when, in the act of kiUing a wounded marine. The enemy had now the entire possession of the Chesapeake ; the English flag was flying at the different mast-heads, yet they continued to shoot at, and otherwise to wound her sailors. A volley of musketry was fired l^y them down upon the wounded, and one of the American midshipmen was assailed by a British marine with great violence after his submission to the Shannon's commander. N this engagement, the re- sult of wdiich is attributed to many fortuitous events, the superiority of the American gunnery was clearly evinced. The Chesapeake fired two guns to one of the enemy, and pierced the Shannon's side in so many places, that she was kept afloat with very great difflculty; whilst on the other side, the Shannon's broadsides scarcely injured the hull of the Chesapeake. At long shot, the engage- ment might have terminated differently ; though the captain and crew were strangers to each other, the ship just out of port, and not in a fighting condition, and many of the sailors quite raw. Her rate was thirty-sjjc guns, her force forty-eight. The rate of the Shannon was thirty-eight, her force forty-nine; and, in addition to her own crew, she had on board sixteen, chosen men from the Bella Poule, and part of the crew of the Tenedos. She 256 CHESAPEAKE AND SHANNON. lost in the eiigag-emcnt, besides her first lieutenant, the captain's clerk, the purser, and twenty-three seamen, killed ; and, besides her captain, one midshipman and fifty-six seamen, wounded. On board the Chesapeake, the captain, the first and fourth lieu- tenants, the lieutenant of marines, the master, midshipmen Hopewell, Livingston, Evans, and about seventy men w^re killed ; and the second and third lieutenants, the chaplain, Mid- shipmen Weaver, Abbott, Nicholls, Berry, and nearly eighty men. wounded. The greater proportion of this loss was sus- tained, after the enemy had gained the deck of the Chesapeake. Soon after the termination of the action, the two ships were steered for Halifax, where the bodies of Captain Lawrence and his gallant officers slain in the battle, were committed to the grave wdth the usual honours, attended by all the civil, naval, and military officers of the two nations, who happened to be in that port. Not long after these honourable funeral obsequies had been performed by the enemy, Captain George Crowninshield, bro- ther to the secretary of the navy, actuated by the laudable desire of restoring the body of the lamented Lawrence to his country and his friends, requested, and obtained, permission of the president to proceed in a flag vessel to Halifax, at his indi- vidual expense, for that purpose. The commanding officer of the British squadron, at that time blockading the eastern ports, Sir Thomas Hardy, readily assented to the free passage of Cap- tain Crowninshield's brig, and he accordingly proceeded to effect his object, accompanied by twelve masters of vessels, who volunteered to compose the crew. The body was brought to the port of Salem, and entombed with the remains of its ancestors in New York, where the highest funeral honours were paid by the citizens, as a tribute of their respect and admiration, to their late gallant countryman. The private armed vessels of the United States, the number of wdiich had greatly increased since the account is given of them in a foregoing chapter of these sketches, were still cruising over the Atlantic, continually capturing, and otherwise annoying the commerce of the enemy, and occasionally engaging some of his public ships, in such gallant combats as are entitled, and CRUISE OF THE C O I\I E T. 257 ousflit to be recfistered among: the accounts of the most brilliant O o o naval exploits. The Comet, Captain Boyle, of fourteen guns, and one hun- dred and twenty men, being off Pernambuco, on the 14th of January, discovered four sail standing out of that place. This squadron consisted of three English merchantmen, the ship George, Captain Wilson, of fourteen guns, and the brigs Gambler, Captain Smith, and Bowes, Captain , often guns each, who were bound to Europe, under the protection of the fourth vessel, a Portuguese national ship of thirty-two guns, and one hundred and sixty-five men. The latter having exhibited the colours of her nation. Captain Boyle, stood for her, and received a com- munication of her character and object, accompanied by an injunction not to molest the merchantmen. Considering that the Portuguese had no right to afford protection to a British vessel, in the nature of a convoy. Captain Boyle informed her commander of his determination to capture them if he possibly could, and immediately sailed in pursuit. As they kept close together, the Comet opened her fire upon the three merchant- men, who returned it with alacrity. The man-of-war delivered a heavy fire of round and grape, and received in turn a broad- side. The English occasionally separated from each other, to give the Portuguese a chance of crippling the Comet, whose captain, however, kept as near as possible to the merchantmen. Frequent broadsides were discharged, as opportunities varied, at the whole squadron, whose collected force amounted to fifty- four guns, and in a few minutes the ship George struck her colours in a sinking condition. Soon after the brig Bowes struck also ; but a broadside from the man-of-war prevented the Comet's boat from taking possession. Captain Boyle then repeated his attack upon the Portuguese, and obliged her to sheer off, with the loss of her first lieutenant and five men killed, and her captain and several men wounded. The third merchant- man, the Gambler, then also surrendered, and the brig Bowes, was immediately taken possession of So much were the others injured, that Captain Boyle deemed it improper to board them, and determined to lie to until morning, it being by this time excessively dark. Between the Portuguese and the Comet, y2 33 258 THE GENERAL ARMSTRONG. several Ijroadsides were exchanged in the course of the night, without any material effect. On the following morning, the man-of-war gave signal to the other ships to make the first port, and stood off herself with that view. The Comet brought her prize into the United States, making her way through a squad- ron which was blockading the southern ports. Before she arrived, however, she captured the Alexis, and Dominica packet, each of ten guns, and the Aberdeen of eight, in the presence of a British sloop of war, who was at the same time in full chase of the privateer. On the 1st of February, the schooner Hazard, Captain Le Chartier, of three guns and thirty-eight men, captured the ship Albion, of twelve guns and fifteen men, being one of a convoy for Europe. On the 23d she was recaptured by the cutter Cale- donia, of eight guns and thirty-eight men, from New Providence. Three days after, the Hazard fell in with both, engaged, and after an action of several minutes, compelled both to strike, but took possession of the prize only and carried her into St. Mary's. The Caledonia was very much injured, and most of her crew either killed or wounded. On board the Hazard, the first Lieu- tenant and six men were slightly wounded, but the hull and rigging were severely shattered by the grape from the two vessels. The private armed schooner General Armstrong, Captain Champlin of eighteen guns, being within five leagues of the mouth of Surrinam river, on the 11th of March, discovered a large sail to be at anchor under the land. The crew of the Ge- neral Armstrong supposed her to be an English letter of marque, and, consequently, Captain Champlin bore down wdth the inten- tion of giving her a starboard and a larboard broadside, and then to board her. The strano^er in the mean time had (^ot sail on her, and was standing out for the American. Both vessels thus approaching each other, had come within gun-shot, (the English- man firing the guns on his main deck,) when the General Armstrong discharged both the contemplated broadsides, and discovered too late that her antagonist was a heavy frigate. She nevertheless kept up her fire, though attempting to get away, but in ten minutes she was silenced l)y the enemy. The THE GENERAL ARMSTRONG. 261 last shot of the General Armstrong- brought down the enemy's colours, by cutting away her mizzen gaff, halyards, and her mizzen and main stay ; and Captain Champlin, presuming that she had struck, made preparations to possess her ; but the frigate opened another heavy fire upon the schooner, killed six, and wounded the captain and sixteen of her men; shot away the fore and main shrouds, pierced the mainmast and bowsprit, and struck her several times between wind and water. In this condition she laid upwards of forty-five minutes, within pistol- shot of the frigate ; but, by the extraordinary exertions of the crew and the aid of sweeps, she got out of the enemy's reach, and arrived at Charleston on the 4th of April. On the 3d of that month, the privateer Dolphin, of ten guns, still commanded by Captain Stafford, who had engaged and cap- tured two of the enemy's vessels, mounting twenty-six guns, was attacked at the mouth of the Rappahannock river, l3y seven- teen barges from a British squadron. The barges carried up- wards of forty men each ; the Dolphin was manned by sixty. Two letters of marque lying there also, soon yielded, but Cap- tain Stafford resolved on defending his vessel. The battle con- tinued two hours, wdien the enemy succeeded in boarding. The Dolphin's crew fought with great desperation on her deck, and the engagement w^as kept up many minutes longer before the vessel w^as captured. The enemy took down her colours, and lost in killed and w^ounded nearly fifty men. On board the Dol- phin four men were w^ounded. In the course of the summer the United States sloop of war the Enterprise, Lieutenant-Commanding Burrows, of sixteen guns, met, engaged, and captured, after a severe and obstinate fight, the British sloop of war Boxer, Captain Blythe, of eighteen guns, and brought her into port. The captains of both vessels were killed in the engagement. Lieutenant-Commandant Bur- rows expired at the moment the enemy's vessel struck her colours, and she was then taken possession of by Lieutenant M'CalL* At a harbour near Gwinn's island, Lieutenant St. Clair of * A more particular account of this action in the next naval chapter. 262 DECATUR AND DOMINICA. Enlerpribe and Bo\er. the navy, who had previously distinguished himself as an able seaman in the sloop of war Argns, anchored a small schooner mounting two or three guns, and filled with armed men, to repel the depredations which the enemy were about that time commit- ting along the shores of the Chesapeake. He encountered a schooner, who hailed and ordered him to come on board with his boat, which being refused, an engagement followed and terminated in silencing the strange vessel. She, however, renewed it a second and a third time, and was as often silenced. The nigrht was excessively dark, and when Lieutenant St Clair sent his boat to take possession, he discovered that she had made her es- cape, leaving him with one man wounded on board the schooner. This succession of sea engagements was closed by a brilliant attack made by a privateer upon a large sloop of war. The schooner Commodore Decatur, of ten guns, commanded by Cap- tain Dominique, engaged the sloop of war Dominica, Lieutenant- Commandant Barret, of fourteen guns, and after a well contested action carried her by boarding, and brought her into the United States. No event, probably, in the naval annals, furnishes evi- dence of a more brilliant and decisive victory gained by a vessel so inferior in size, strength, and armament, to her antagonist. MEASURES OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT. 263 CHAPTER XIV. HE declaration of war against Great Britain was no sooner made known at that court than its ministers determined on sending into their pro- vinces of Canada the veteran regiments of their army, and adopted effectual measures to forward to the coast of the American states a naval force competent to blockade its principal bays and rivers. Incensed at the successes of the American naval arms over the frigates and sloops of war of their nation, they hastened the departure of their different fleets, and in retaliation for the inva- sion of their provinces by the American troops, instructed their commanders to burn and otherwise to destroy, not only the coast- ing and river craft, but the towns and villages on the navigable inlets ; and more particularly in the southern department of the Union. Early in the spring of 1813 detachments of these fleets arrived at the mouth of the Delaware, and at the entrance to the 264 ATTACK ON LEWISTOWN. Chesapeake bay. Others were to rendezvous at Bermuda, and thence to proceed to the reinforcement of the blockading squadrons. In tlie month of March, the Poictiers seventy-four. Commodore Beresford ; the frigate Belvidere, and several smaller vessels of war entered the bay of Delaware, and destroyed great numbers of small trading vessels. In the course of that month, thej^ were repeatedly repulsed in their attempts to capture others whicli lay near the shore, by the militia of Delaware ; and several in- stances occur of sharp fighting, which tended to improve the discipline of the volunteers of that state. MONG other expedients for obtaining sup- plies, a demand was made upon the peo- ple of Lewistowai for a supply of provi- sions for the blockading squadron, whicli ' being spiritedly refused, on the 6th of April, Sir John P. Beresford directed Captain Byron to move as near the town, ^^^^^^^^J^ "3 with the Belvidere, as the waters w^ould permit him, and, having first notified its inhabitants, to bombard it until his demands were complied with. On the night of the 6th, the boml)ardment accordingly took place ; the enemy's gun- boats approached near enough to throw their thirty-two pound Ijalls into the town, but their bombs fell far short of their object. Colonel Davis, who commanded at that time, had already re- moved the women and children, and returned the enemy's fire from an eighteen -pounder battery, with which, in a few minutes, he effectually silenced one of the gun-boats. The cannonade continued nearly twenty hours; at the end of which time, the enemy drew off his vessels and descended the bay, having dis- charged upwards of six hundred shot, shells, and congreve rockets. The shells did not reach the towai ; the rockets passed over it; but the thirty-two pounders injured several of the houses. On the 10th of May, the same squadron proceeded from their anchorage to a place seven miles distant from Lewistown, and sent out their Ijarges to procure water from the shore. Colonel Davis immediately despatched Major George Hunter, with one hundred and fifty men, to oppose their landing, which the major NAVAL ACTION. 265 did with much gallantry, and compelled them to return to their shipping. The Poictiers and the Belvidere then sailed out of the bay for Bermuda; and the militia took up the buoys, which had previously been set in the river by the enemy. The Spartan frigate having entered the Delaware soon after the departure of this squadron, attempted, on the 31st of the same month, to land about sixty of her men near Morris's river, on the Jersey side, with a view^ to obtain provisions. A small party of the militia of that state, however, hastily collected and drove them off before they had an opportunity of visiting the farmers' houses. In the month of June, the frigate Statira and the sloop of war Martin, reinforced the enemy, and had captured many large merchant vessels bound up the Delaware. The whole trade be- tween the capes and Philadelphia, and many of the intermediate places, was liable to be intercepted ; and, unless they were pro- tected by a convoy, the small vessels usually employed on the river, did not attempt to sail. On the 23d, a squadron of nine gun-boats and two armed sloops, under Lieutenant-Commandant Angus, of the navy, convoyed three sloops laden with timber for a forty-four, then building at Philadelphia, under the eye of the enemy. The gun-boats engaged the two frigates, wdiilst the sloops effected their passage, and the Statira and Spartan moved from their anchorage to a situation out of reach of annoyance. A merchant sloop having entered the bay on the 22d of July, on her return from sea, was cut off by the Martin sloop of war, which had just reappeared in the Delaware. The sloop ran aground to avoid capture ; and although she was afterwards at- tacked by a tender and four barges well manned and armed, a hasty collection of militia with one field-piece, under Lieutenant Townsend, drove off her assailants, and saved the sloop. A detachment of the gun-boat flotilla, being at this time but a few miles off, were apprized of the attack made by the sloop of war, and Captain Angus immediately proceeded down the bay, with eight gun-boats and two block sloops. On the 29th he dis- covered the Martin, grounded slightly on the outer ridge of Crow's shoals, and determining to attack her in that situation, he anchored his squadron within three-quarters of a mile of the Z 34 •266 GUN- BOAT ACTION ON THE DELAWARE. enemy, and opened a fire from the whole hne. The Junon fri- gate came up to tlie assistance of the sloop of w^ar, and anchored wathin half a mile below her. Between both of the enemy's ves- sels, mounting in all sixty-nine guns, and the gun-boat squadron a cannonade followed, and continued about one hour and forty- five minutes ; in all which time scarcely a shot struck either of the gun-boats, whilst at almost every fire the latter told upon the hulls of the sloop and frigate. This difference of effect in the firing being discovered by the British, they manned their launches, barges, and cutters, ten in number, and despatched them to cut off the boats on the extremity of the line. No. 121, a boat commanded by Sailingmaster Shead, which, by some accident, had fallen a very great distance out of the line, and was prevented from recovering its situation by a strong ebb, and the wind dying away, became the object of attack from the enemy's barges. Eight of them, mounting among them three twelve-pound carronades, and carrying one hundred and fifty men, assailed the gun-boat at one time. Mr. Shead continued, nevertheless, to sweep her toward the squadron, and to discharge his twenty-four pounder alternately at one or the other of the pursuing barges, until they gained so fast upon him, that he re- solved to anchor his boat and receive them as warmly as the disparity of numbers would permit him. He then gave them a discharge of his great gun with much effect, though to the injury of tlie piece, w4iich being fired a second time, and the carriage breaking down, it became necessary to oppose the enemy, who were closing fast, by the boarders. With these Mr. Shead re- sisted them, until his deck was covered with men, and the vessel entirely surrounded by the barges. Such was the impetuous fury of the English sailors, that the Americans w^ere driven below, and the authorLty of the enemy's officers could scarcely protect them from violence. The flag was struck, and the boat carried off in triumpli to the men-of-war. In this assault the British lost seven killed and twelve w^ounded. On board the boat, seven men were wounded, but none killed. The squadron was all this time firing at the enemy's ships, who retired after capturing Mr. Shead, the Martin having been ex- tricated from her situation on the shoal. On board the flotilla not DEPREDATIONS ON CHESAPEAKE BAY. 267 a man was injured, and but one of the boat's rigging cut ; this was No. 125, commanded by Saihngmaster MoKere. The en- gagement continued nearly two hours, and was the last aifair of any consequence which occurred in the Delaware during this year. In and along the shores of the bay of Chesapeake, where the blockading squadron consisted of four seventy-fours, several frigates and large sloops of war, and a number of tenders and barges kept for the purpose of navigating the smallest inlets, de- predations of every kind, and to a very extensive degree, were carried on with unremitted avidity. The various farms, bounded by the different creeks and rivers, tributary to the bay, became the scenes of indiscriminate and unjustifiable plunder. The stocks of many of them were completely destroyed ; the slaves of the planters, allured from their service, armed against their masters' defenseless families, and encouraged to the commission of every kind of pillage. Along a coast of such an extent it was almost impossible to station troops to resist every incursion, or to draw out, and transfer from one point to another with sufficient celerity, even the neighbouring militia. But many instances occurred, notwithstanding, in which the invaders were opposed, and some- times severely repulsed, by a handful of militia, collected without authority, and frequently without a leader. On the shores of the Rappahannock, one of two divisions of the enemy was beaten and routed with loss, by a small party of Virginia militia. In the neighbourhood of Easton (Maryland) they took possession of several islands. From Sharp's, Tilgh- man's, and Poplar island, they obtained provisions for the fleet, and attempted many incursions to the opposite shores, their suc- cess in which was prevented by bodies of cavalry and infantry, which the spirited citizens of Maryland had arranged at different rendezvous along the shores of the bay, in anticipation of a visit from the blockading fleet. The commanding officer of the fleet, Sir John B. Warren, was at this time in Bermuda, making preparations for its augmenta- tion ; and the vessels then in the bay were commanded by Rear Admiral George Cockburn. About the latter part of April, this officer determined on attacking and destroying the towns most 268 ATTACK ON HAVRE DE GRACE. contiguous to the head of the bay ; and for this purpose, on the 29th, he led a few hundred of his marines, in the barges of his ship, the Marlborough, to the attack of Frenchtown, a place containing about six houses, two storehouses, and several stables ; and important only because of being a place of intermediate depot, between Baltimore and Philadelphia. A party of militia from Elkton, too inferior to the invaders to justify an attempt at resistance, retired on their approach, and Admiral Cockburn landed his marines and destroyed the storehouses, in which were deposited a quantity of goods belonging to merchants of those cities, of immense value, and a splendid architectural drop cur- tain and other paintings, belonging to the Philadelphia and Bal- timorQ theatres. The marines being no professed admirers of the arts, these were destroyed without much hesitation. The private houses were saved by the interference of some respectable citi- zens ; and after plundering the others, and setting fire to two vessels lying in the harbour, the British returned to their ship- ping. HE town of Havre de Grace, situated on the west side of the Susquehan- na, about two miles from the head of the bay, and through which the great post-road passes, was the next object in the plan of the admiral's operations. On the morning of the 3d of May he proceeded to its assault with nineteen barges, and when within a short distance of the town commenced a tremendous bombardment, accompanied by the firing of cannon and the discharge of numerous rockets. In ex- pectation of an attack from the enemy, the people of Plavre de Grace had made preparations for the defense of the place, and a battery had been erected of two six-pounders and one nine. At the time of the assaidt the inhabitants were in their beds, and there being no sentinels, the first notice they had of the ap- proach of the enemy was from the discharge of one of his pieces. The battery had been assigned as a place of rendezvous in the event of an attack ; but such was the surprise which the presence ATTACK ON HAVRE DE GRACE. 271 of the enemy excited, and so incessant his discharges of shells and rockets, that five or six men only were fearless enough to repair to their breastwork and resist the approaches of the British barges. This small party kept np a fire from the battery until the enemy's advance commenced its debarkation; when all, except O'Neill, an old citizen of Havre de Grace, abandoned their posts, and fol- lowing the militia, who had fled with shameful precipitation, left the women and children of the place to the mercy of the invaders. O'Neill continued, with great difficulty, to discharge one of the six-pounders, until in recoiling it ran over his thigh and rendered him incapable of further resistance in that way. But collecting all his strength, he armed himself with two muskets, and retreat- ing from the battery to the rear of the town, vainly endeavoured to retard the flight of the militia. In the mean time the whole body of the enemy had landed, and were actively engaged in destroying the houses. They set fire to those which had not been injured by their shells, broke the furniture, and cut open the bedding of the citizens to augment the flames ; destroyed the public stages, maimed the horses, cut to pieces the private baggage of the passengers, tore the clothing of some of the inhabitants from their backs, and left to others those only which they w^ore. Women and children, flying in every dn-ection to avoid a relentless foe, and to seek protection from their own countrymen, were insulted by the morose seamen and marines ; and the only house which yet remained entirely unin- jured, was sought by one and all as an asylum. In this, which Avas a spacious and elegant private mansion, several ladies of the first distinction had taken refuge, and among them the wife of Commodore Rodgers. An officer, who had just before made pri- soner of O'Neill, was entreated to suffer this house, at least, to escape the general conflagration : but as he was obeying the orders of Admiral Cockburn, the most he could do was to suspend his purpose until those unprotected women could prevail upon the admiral to countermand them. The only act partaking of the least degree of humanity wdiich the admiral could boast of on this occasion, was his compliance with these earnest entreaties. Having spread desolation through the whole town, and de- stroyed the doors and windows of a handsome church contiguous 272 DESTRUCTION OF CECIL FURNACE. to it, the admiral divided his party into three sections, one of whicli remained in the town to give notice of the approach ot danger ; the second proceeded on the road leading toward Baltimore, plundering the houses and farms between Havre de Grace and Patterson's Mills, and robbing private travellers on the highway of their money and apparel ; and the third went six miles up the river to a place called Cresswell's Ferry, whence, after commit- ting many acts of outrage, they returned to concentrate their force at the place of landing. Here the admiral ordered them to re-embark, and having crossed the Suscpiehanna, the whole scpiadron of his barges made round the point which is formed at its entrance, and shaped their course three miles further up the bay, where .the party relanded, repaired to those important and valuable works, Cecil furnace, where lay upwards of fifty pieces of elegant cannon, the only legitimate object of destruction which the invaders had yet met with. These they spiked, stuffed the muzzles with clay and broken pieces of iron, and knocked off the trunnions. Not content, however, with demolishing them and destroying other implements of war, tliey battered down the fur- nace, which was private property, set fire to the stables belonging to it, and as the last act of atrocity with which this expedition was destined to be marked, they tore up a small bridge con- structed over a deep, though narrow creek, and over which tra- vellers of every description were obliged to pass, or venture through a wider channel at the imminent hazard of their lives. Having attained all the objects of this enterprise, the British sailors and marines returned to their shipping in the bay ; and on the Gth they sailed from the neighbourhood of Havre de Grace, to the great joy of its distressed and ruined inhabitants. O'Neill, who had dared to resist them in the early stage of their proceedings, was taken on board the blockading fleet, and de- tained there several days. Such of the inhabitants as were not left entirely destitute, were deprived of those articles of property wdiicli could relieve others ; and it became necessary to apply for assistance to the principal and most opulent town of Mary- land. The citizens of Baltimore relieved the suflferers, and pre- parations were soon after made to rebuild the houses. In the relation of such scenes as those which occurred at ATTACK ON FREDERICK TOWN. 273 Havre de Grace, it seldom happens that an account is to be given of the killed and wounded in an action. In the slight resist- ance which was made by O'Neill and his companions, however, the enemy had three men killed and t\vo wounded. Of the inhabitants, one man was killed by the explosion of a rocket. Fraught with the immense booty that he had brought away from Havre de Grace, and finding his sailors and marines to be elated at the facility which the prospect of an attack on other equally defenseless towns held out of enriching themselves, the rear admiral contemplated an early assault upon such as he should discover to contain the most valuable spoil. The treachery of some citizens of the republic, and the easy intercourse which he kept up with his appointed agents, such as are employed by officers on all stations, enabled him to discover the situation of those towns and villages along the bay shore with as much readiness, as he could be wafted by his ships from one point of assault to another. On the river Sassafras, emptying itself into the bay, at a short sailing distance from the admiral's anchorage, and separating the counties of Kent and Cecil, stood nearly opposite each other, the villages of Georgetown and Frederick- town, containing, either of them, about twenty houses. These had attracted the attention of Admiral Cockl^urn, and he deter- mined on the possession of the property of the inhabitants. On the 6th, he therefore entered that river, with eighteen barges, each carrying one great gun, and manned altogether by six hundred men. Fredericktown was his first object. At this place one small cannon had been mounted, and about eighty militia collected, under Colonel Veazy, on the approach of the barges. The latter commenced a heavy fire, and having discharged an im- mense number of langrage rockets, grape shot, and musket balls within a very few minutes, more than one-half of the militia fled. Thirty -five only, under the colonel, stood their ground, and worked the cannon with such skill, that the boats, whose fire was principally directed at the battery, suffered very severely. The invaders were gallantly resisted for more than half an hour, when they effected a landing, and marching towards the to\vn, compelled the militia to retire. Colonel Veazy effected his 35 r= 274 DEPREDATIONS ON THE CHESAPEAKE. retreat in excellent order. Admiral Cockburn then marched at the head of his men to the village ; where, after having plundered the houses of their most valuable movables, he set fire to every buildinf in the town. The entreaties of the distressed women and children availed not with the admiral ; and he would not quit the place until he had entirely deprived them of every refuge. Whilst the flames were raging in every part of Fre- dericktown, the admiral moved over Sassafras river to George- town, and demolished all the stone, and burned the wooden buildings. The wretched inhabitants of the opposite towns were left to console each other, and tlie enemy's squadron of barges, glutted with fresh spoil, retired to their shipping. Succeeding this affair w^ere several repulses of small parties of the enemy from the shores of the bay. Many attempts were made to land at the different farms, and the barge crews fre- quently assailed the planters' houses and took off provisions, clothing, money, and plate. Aljout this time, too. Admiral Warren issued a proclamation from Bermuda, declaring, besides the Chesapeake and Delaware, the ports of New York, Charleston, Port Royal, Savannah, and the ^vhole of the river Mississippi to be in a state of rigorous blockade. From all these ports, however, notwithstanding the efficiency of Admiral Warren's force, the public ships of war of the United States, the private armed vessels, and numerous merchantmen were daily putting to sea. Prizes to these, which had been captured at immense distances from the coast, were continually sent into the harbours declared to l^e blockaded ; and neutral vessels did not hesitate to enter and depart at the plea- sure of those concerned in them. Admiral Warren shortly after arrived in the Chesapeake with an additional fleet, and a large nunflier of soldiers and marines under General Sir Sidney Beck- with. Between these officers and Admiral Cockburn various plans were designed for the attack of the more important assail- able towns. By the capture of the bny craft they were well supplied with tenders to the different vessels of the fleet ; and the strength of their armament enabled them to equip the craft in a warlike manner. The revenue cutter Surveyor, Captain Travis, was FORCE OF THE NORFOLK IMILITIA. 277 assailed hy the barges and tender of the Narcissus frigate, on the Kith of June, near York river ; and, after a gallant resistance, was captured by a force nine times superior to her own. This cutter was transferred to the British service, and frequently em- ployed in penetrating the narrow passes and rivulets along the shore. The depredations of the enemy, received about this time, however, a salutary check from several private armed vessels, which had been hired into the American service to cruise along the bay. N that quarter the enemy's force - consisted of seven seventy-fours, twelve frigates, and many smaller vessels; and from their suspi- cious movements and menacing attitudes, the citizens of all the surrounding towns became ap- prehensive of an attack. Hamp- ton and Norfolk were thought to be their more immediate objects ; and preparations were made at the latter to man all the works which had been pre- viously constructed. At Norfolk, the militia force very soon consisted of ten thousand men. At Hampton, a force of not more than four hundred and fifty men had yet been organ- ized. On the 18th three of the frigates entered Hampton roads, and despatched several barges to destroy the small vessels coming down James river. Two or three gun-boats being in the vicinity of that river, obliged the barges to retire, and communicated to the naval commander of the station. Commodore Cassin, intelli- gence of the approach of the frigates. The flotilla of gun-boats in Elizabeth river, on which Norfolk is situated, was then com- manded by Lieutenant-Commandant Tarbell. The frigate Con- stellation was moored at the navy-yard opposite Norfolk, and it was determined by Commodore Cassin to man fifteen of the gun-boats from the crew of the Constellation, and to despatch them against that frigate of the enemy, which was reported to be three miles ahead of the others. 2 A 278 NAVAL ACTIONS NEAR NORFOLK. On the lOth, Captain Tarbell proceeded with his boats in two divisions; Lieutenant Gardner having command of the first, and Lieutenant K. Henly of the second. The prevalence of adverse winds prevented his coming within reach of the enemy mitil four p. m. of the 20th, at which hour he stationed his divi- sions, and commenced a rapid fire at the distance of three-quar- ters of a mile. The frigate opened on the boats, and the can- nonade continued half an hour, to the great injury of the frigate, (the Junon,) when the other frigates were enaliled, by a fresh breeze, to get under way to the assistance of their companions. Captain Tarbell was then obliged to haul off to a greater dis- tance, still, however, keeping up a well-directed and incessant fire upon the enemy's whole squadron. The first frigate was by this time so much injured that her fire was only occasionally de- livered ; and, between the others and the gun-boats, the cannon- ade was prolonged one hour longer; in which time several heavy l^roadsides were discharged at the flotilla. Captain Tar- bell then withdrew from the engagement, with the loss of one killed, Mr. Allison, a master's mate, and three of the boats slightly injured. The enemy were supposed to have suffered severely. The frigate first engaged was so much shattered, that the vessels which came to her assistance, were obliged to employ all their hands to repair her. In this affair the Americans had fifteen guns ; the British one hundred and fifty and upwards. Captain Tarbell's conduct, as well as Lieutenants Gardner, Henly, and others, received the fullest approbation of the sur- rounding garrisons, and of the citizens of Norfolk. The firing during this action being distinctly heard by the enemy's fleet in the bay, and fears being entertained by the ad- miral about the safety of the three frigates, thirteen sail of the line of battle ships and frigates were ordered to proceed to Hamp- ton roads. In the course of the 20th, they dropped to the mouth of James river, where they learned the cause of the recent cannon- ade, and determined on forthwith reducing the forts and garrisons, on which the defense of Norfolk depended. An immense number of barges were apparently preparing for an attack on Crany island, the nearest obstruction to the enemy's advances. Captain Tarbell directed Lieutenants Neale, Shu- DEFENSE OF CRANY ISLAND. 279 brick, and Saunders, each of the Constellation, to land one hun- dred seamen on that island, to man a battery on its north-west side, and disposed the gun-boats so as to annoy the enemy from the other. At the dawn of the 22d, the British approached the island with their barges, round the point of Nansemond river, to the number of about four thousand men, many of whom were French, from time to time made prisoners l^y the English, and occasionally re- ceived into their service. The place at which they had chosen to land w^as out of the reach of the gun-boats, and when they had approached within a few hundred yards of the shore, the gallant Lieutenant Neale, assisted by Shubrick and Saunders, opened a galling fire from his battery, and compelled the enemy to make a momentary pause. The battery was manned altogether by one hundred and fifty men, including Lieutenant Breckenridge and his marines. An eighteen-pounder which "was stationed at it, was fired with such precision, that many of the barges w^ere cut through the middle, and would inevitably have carried down the crew, but for the immediate assistance rendered by the others of the sguadron. Every attempt to approach the shore having here- tofore failed, and the admiral's boat, the Centipede, upwards of fifty feet in length, and filled with men, being pierced in so many places, that she sunk as soon as she was abandoned, the enemy, whose seamen were falling in every barge, determined on return- ing to his shipping with as little delay as possible. But, even in his retreat, he suffered severely from the small battery. Whilst this gallant resistance was made to his approaches from the water, by the naval division on the island, the enemy's troops, who had landed on the main shore, and crossed a narrow inlet to the west side, were warmly engaged with the Virginia volun- teers. Previously to the movement of the barges, upwards of eight hundred soldiers had been landed by the enemy at the place above mentioned, and were already crossing the inlet, which, at low water, is passable by infantry. Colonel Beatty, who com- manded the military division on the island, made instant and ju- dicious preparations to receive the enemy. Under Major Faulk- ner, of the artillery, two twenty-four-pounders and four six- pounders, had been drawn iip to resist them. One division of this battery was commanded by Captain Emmerson, and two 280 DEFENSE OF CRANY ISLAND. Others by LieiUenants Howl and Godwin. The enemy's troops had not all landed wdien this cannon w^as opened upon them with great address ; and those which had not crossed the gulf, were compelled to retreat, by the velocity and precision of the fire. Those which had already gained the island, fell back to its rear, and threw several rockets from a house which stood there ; but they were very soon dislodged by one of the gun-boats, in which a twenty-four-pounder w^as brought to bear upon the house, and with great difficulty escaped from the island ; when, joining the troops who had been previously repulsed, they were all con- ducted back to the British fleet. When that division of the enemy which was composed of his seamen and marines, had been foiled in its attempt to land, Lieu- tenant Neale gave directions to his intrepid sailors to haul up the boats which had been sunk, and to assist the British sailors and marines, who were making for safety to the shore. The Centi- pede was accordingly drawn up, and a small brass three-pounder, a number of small arms, and a quantity of pistols and cutlasses, taken out of her. Twenty-two of her men came on the island with her, and surrendered themselves as deserters. In this warm and spirited engagement, in wdiich three thousand British soldiers, sailors, and marines, were opposed to four hundred and eighty Virginia militia, and one hundred and fifty sailors and marines ; the loss on the side of the invaders in killed, wounded, and drowned, was upwards of two hundred, exclusive of forty deserters ; on the side of the invaded, not a man was either killed or wounded. By the gallant services of the defenders of this island the safety of the town of Norfolk w^as, for a time at least, secured, and to the intrepid bravery and indefatigable exertions of Lieutenant Neale and his companions, Shubrick, Saunders, and Brecken- ridge ; of Lieutenant-Colonel Beatty and his officers, Major Faulk- ner, Captain Emmcrson, and Lieutenants Howd and Godwin, and two non-commissioned volunteers, Sergeant Young and Corporal Moffit, and the valiant men who assisted in the defense of the island, the gratitude of the citizens of Norfolk and the surround- ing towns, Portsmouth, Gosport, and others, has been frequently manifested. / EXPEDITION AGAINST HAMPTON. 281 Immediately after this repulse of the British a conference was held between Admirals Warren and Cockburn, and Sir Sidney Beckwith : the result of which was a determination to re ventre the loss they had sustained, and to facilitate the success of their next attempt by cutting off the communication between the upper part of Virginia and the borough of Norfolk. This com- munication they supposed to be entirely commanded by the small garrison at Hampton, an inconsiderable town eighteen miles dis- tant from Norfolk, and separated from it by Hampton roads. Their troops, exasperated at the failure of the recent expedition against Crany island, were well disposed to retaliate the conse- quences of a repulse ; and their commanders availing themselves of the intemperate spirit which was manifested throughout the fleet, resolved on forwarding an expedition against this weak po- sition with the least possible delay. All things being ready upon their part, they proceeded on the 25th, three days after the late engagement, with upwards of two thousand men, in a large squadron of their principal barges. Of these, the 102d regiment, two companies of Canadian chasseurs, and three companies of marines composed the advance, under Lieutenant-Colonel Napier. The remainder of the troops consisted of royal marine battalions, under Lieutenant-Colonel Williams, the whole commanded by Sir Sidney. A number of launches and rocket-boats, filled with sailors, and covered by the sloop of war Mohawk, Captain Pe- chell, were commanded by Admiral Cockburn, and directed to take a station before the town to throw in the rockets and keep up a constant cannonade, whilst the troops under Sir Sidney should land at a distance of several miles below the town, and gain the rear of the undisciplined American militia. The plan of opera- tions being thus arranged, the movement w^as commenced at the dawn of day, and with this irresistible force and e(|uipmeiit the enemy proceeded to assault a garrison of three hundred and ibrty- nine infantry and rifle, sixty-two artillerymen, with four twelves and three sixes, and twenty-seven cavalry, making in all a force of four hundred and thirty-eight men. On the approach of that division of the enemy which was to attack from the water. Major Crutchlield, the commandant at Hampton, immediately formed his troops on Little England 2 A 2 36 •282 ATTACK ON HAMPTON. Plantation, which was divided from the town by a narrow creek, over which a slight bridge had been previously constructed. The enemy's barges were approaching this creek and keeping up a fire of round shot, until they gained Blackbeard Point, when the four twelve-pounders were opened upon them vvilh so much ef- fect, that Admiral Cockburn thought it advisable to draw back and shelter himself behind the point. Thence he continued to throw his rockets, and twelves and eighteens, nearly an hour, without doing the smallest injury to the encampment ; his shot either falling short of his object or going over it. Meantime Sir Sidney had landed and was coming down the great road on the rear of the Americans, when Major Crutchfield being apprized of his march, had despatched a rifle company under Captain Servant, to conceal themselves in a wood near which the invaders would be obliged to pass. Captain Servant executed his orders with the utmost precision, and annoyed the advancing British column with great severity. But his force was too inefficient to sustain a contest of any length of time, and Major Crutchfield seeing that the barges would not approach until they knew of the arrival of Sir Sidney within the camp, drew out the infantry forces to the aid of the riflemen, and to prevent the ene- my's cutting off his retreat. As this portion of the Americans were marching in column near a defile which led to Celey'sroad, they were fired upon by the enemy's musketeers from a thick wood at two hundred yards distance. Major Crutchfield imme- diately wheeled his column into line and marched towards the thicket to return the fire and rout the enemy. He had not ad- vanced fifty yards before the British delivered him a fire from two six-pounders, accompanied by an unexpected discharge of rockets. Being now apprized of the danger of proceeding ui that direction against ordnance with so small a force, he wheeled again into column and attempted to gain a passage through the defile in the woods, at the extremity of which Captain Servant with his riflemen had heretofore kept the British in continual check. His column, \inder the fire from the two sixes, was not formed with as much celerity as it had been displayed, but he succeeded at length in putting it in marching order, and pro- ceeded to the defile. Captain Cooper, with the cavalry, was at ATTACK ON HAMPTON. 283 this moment engaged with the enemy's left flank, and notwith- standing the fatigue which his troops had already experienced in patrolling, he annoyed them so successfully, that the British general, augmenting the strength of that flank, issued a direction to cut him off. In this the enemy did not succeed, and Captain Cooper, drawing up his troops in a charging column, effected his retreat with great skill and intrepidity. The column under Major Crutchfield had now gained, and were passing through the defile, under a constant fire from the enemy's six-])ounders. It had just attained the wood, on the left of the riflemen, when a third six-pounder opened upon it, and in conjunction witli the others, threw into confusion the different companies of which the column w^as composed. Several platoons immediately took up their retreat ; hut those which were nearer the head of the column, led on by Major Crutchfield and Major Corbin, wdieeled with great judgment into the wood, and forming on the rifle corps, under their separate captains. Shield and Herndon, kept up the action wdtli an unflagging spirit, until it was deemed necessary for the whole body to retreat. Captain Pry or, who had been left in the encampment with the artillery, to continue the fire upon the enemy's barges, resisted their approaches until the sailors had landed in front of the town, and the British troops were in his rear. They had already advanced within sixty yards of his battery ; his corps were ready to yield themselves up as prisoners of war, and the royal marines w^ere preparing to take them. They saw no possibility of escap- ing, until their gallant commander gave an order to spike the gun's, and break through the enemy's rear. Intrepid as himself, they executed his commands ; and pressing furiously through the British marines, whom they threw into a temporary derange- ment, found their further escape obstructed by the creek. Cap- tain Pryor still determined on retiring beyond the enemy's reach, threw himself into the creek, and commanding his men to follow, with their carbines, effected the retreat of his corps in good order, and without an individual loss. Such was the disparity of force, when the barge crews and the troops of the enemy had effected a union, that the retreat of the whole American detach- ment became indispensable, and Major Crutchfield gave an order 284 SACKING OF H A ]\I P T N. to that effect. The British general pursued tlie retreating- cohimn about two -miles, without effecting any purpose, though the latter frequently halted, formed behind fences, and delivered a smart lire. The American loss in this action amounted to seven killed, twelve wounded, eleven missing, and one prisoner — total, thirty- one. The Britisli loss, by the acknowledgment of mnny of their officers, amounted to ninety killed, and one hundred and twenty wounded — total, two hundred and ten. Among these were one colonel and one captain of marines, killed ; and three lieutenants, wounded. Admiral Warren's official letter, however, allows 1mt five killed, thirty-three wounded, and ten missing — total, forty- eiglit. If the account of the affair at Hampton could be closed, by no furtlier reference than to the gallantry of Captains Ashly, Gary, Miller, and Brown, of the militia; Captain Goodall, of the United States artillery, and Lieutenants Anderson, Armistead, and Jones, who were all conspicuously engaged in it, a painful recital would have been spared of occurrences disgraceful to the arms of the enemy, unjustified by the principles of civilized warfare, and unparalleled even by the enormities committed on the north-western frontier. The troops under Sir Sidney, and the sailors under Admiral Cockburn, no sooner found themselves in possession of the town of Hampton, than they indulged in a system of pillage, not less indiscriminate than that wdiich had attended the visit of most of the same men to Havre de Grace. To these acts of cruelty and oppression upon the unresisting and innocent inhabitants, they added others of the most atrocious and lawless nature, the occurrence of which has been proved by the solemn affirmation of the most respectable people of that country. Age, innocence, nor sex, could protect the inhabitants, whose inability to escape obliged them to throw themselves upon the mercy of the conquerors. The persons of the women were indiscriminately violated. The brutal desire of an abandoned and profligate soldiery were gratified, within the view- of those who alone possessed the power and authority to restrain them ; and many of the unfortunate females, wdio had extricated themselves from one party, were pursued, overtaken, and possessed by RETREAT OF THE BRITISH. 2^5 another. Wives were torn from the sides of their A\'oiinded hus- bands ; mothers and daughters stripped of their clothing in the presence of each other ; and those who had fled to the river side, and as a h\st refuge had plunged into the water, with their infant children in their arms, were driven again, at the point of the bayonet, upon the shore, where neither their own entreaties and exertions, nor the cries of their offspring, could restrain the remorseless cruelty of the insatialjle enemy, who paraded the victim of his lust through the public streets of the town. An old man, whose infirmities had drawn him to the very brink of the grave, was murdered in the arms of his wife, almost as infirm as himself, and her remonstrance was followed bv the discharo-e of a pistol into her breast. The wounded militia who had crawled from the field of battle to the military hospital, were treated with no kind of tenderness, even by the enemy's officers, and the common wants of nature were rigorously denied to them. To these transcendant enormities, were added the wanton and pro- fligate destruction not only of the medical stores, but of the physician's drug-rooms and laboratories; from which only, those who Ijad been wounded in battle, and those upon whose persons these outrages had been committed, could ol)tain that assistance, without which, they must inevitably suffer the severest pri- vations. ^Ifr^ i ^^^ (^^y^ ^nd nights were thus consumed ^^^==, [^ Jg ^jll by the British soldiers, sailors, and marines, ^^P^/^Y^3^^ ^^^^ their separate commanders were all ^^^M^'T~f^/^^ ^^^'^^ ^^^^^^ quartered in the only house, the ^^^^^^^^^^^^ furniture and interior decorations of which •^-^^^^^^^^^^^p escaped destruction. On the morning of "^^^^^^^^^^^^^ the 27tli, at sunrise, apprehensions being entertained of an attack from the neighbouring militia, whom, it was reasonably conjectured, the recital of these transactions would rouse into immediate action, the British forces were ordered to embark ; and, in the course of that morning, they departed from the devoted town, which will immemorially testify to the unprovoked and unrelenting cruelty of the British troops. They had previously carried off the ordnance which had been employed in the defense of the town, as trophies of their victory ; but, when 286 ATROCIOUS CONDUCT OF BRITISH OFFICERS. they determined on withdrawing from the place, they moved away with such precipitation, that several hundred weight of provisions, a quantity of muskets and ammunition, and some of their men were left behind, and captured on the following day by Captain Cooper's cavalry. Having abandoned their intentions of proceeding to another attempt on the defenses of Norfolk, the wdiole fleet stood down to a position at New Point Comfort, where they proposed watering, previously to their departure from the bay, on an expedition against a town in one of the eastern states. Such was the agitation of the public mind throughout Vir- ginia, which succeeded the circulation of the account of the as- sault on Hampton, that representations were made to General Robert R. Taylor, the commandant of the district, of the neces- sity of learning from the commanders of the British fleet and army, whether the outrages which had been committed, would be avowed, or the perpetrators punished. That able officer im- mediately despatched his aid to Admiral Warren Avitli a cartel for the exchange of prisoners, and a protest against the proceed- ings of the British troops, in which he stated, that " tlie world would suppose those acts to have been approved, if not excited, which should be passed over with impunity ;" that he " thought it no less due to his own personal honour, than to that of his country, to repress and punish every excess;" that " it would de- pend on him (Warren) whether the evils inseparable from a state of war, should, in future operations, be tempered by the mildness of civilized life, or under the admiral's authority, be aggravated by all the fiend-like passions which could be instilled into them." To this protest Admiral Warren replied, that he would refer it to Sir Sidney Beckwith, to whose discretion he submitted the ne- cessity of an answer. Sir Sidney not only freely avowed, but justified the commission of the excesses complained of; and in- duced the American commander to believe the report of deserters, that a promise had been made to the fleet of individual bounty, of the plunder of the town, and of permission to commit the same acts, if they succeeded in the capture of Norfolk. Sir Sidney stated that ''the excesses at Hampton, of which General Taylor complained, 7vere occasioned hij a iwoceeding at Cranij island. That on the recent attack on that place the ATROCIOUS CONDUCT OF BRITISH OFFICERS. 287 troops in a barge which had been sunk by the fire of the Ameri- can guns, had been fired on by a party of Americans, who waded out and shot these poor fellows while clinging to the wreck of the boat, and that with a feelimj 7iatural to such a proceeding the men of that corps landed at Hampton.''' The British general expressed also a wish that such scenes should not occur again, and that the subject might be entirely at rest. The American general, how- ever, alive to the reputation of the arms of his country, refused to let it rest, and immediately instituted a court of inquiry, composed of old and unprejudiced officers. The result of a long and care- ful investigation which was forwarded to Sir Sidney Beckwith, was that none of the enemy had been fired on after the wreck of the barge, except a soldier who had attempted to escape to that division of the British troops which had landed, that he was not killed, and that so far from shooting either of those unfortunate men, the American troops had waded out to their assistance. To this report Sir Sidney never deemed it necessary to reply, and the outrages at Hampton are still unatoned. Many of the un- happy victims died of wounds and bruises inflicted on them in their struggles to escape, which baffled the medical skill of the surrounding country. 288 EXPEDITION AGAINST PORTSMOUTH. CHAPTER XV. ELINQUISHING the contemplated attack upon one of the eastern ports, and adopting a plan of operations against the towns and harbours to the southward of those which had already Ijeen assailed, Admiral Warren de- tached the largest proportion of his fleet, under Rear-Admiral Cockburn, to proceed on an expedition ao-ainst Ocracoke and Portsmouth, two flourishincr harbours in the state of North Carolina. Early in July, a force of eleven sail appeared off the first of those places, and on the 13th of that month, the rear-admiral crossed the bar with a great number of barges, attacked two letters of marque, the Anaconda of New York, and the Atlas of Philadelphia, and after being gallantly resisted by the small crews of those vessels, carried them by Ijoarding. The revenue cutter, which was then in the harbour, effected her escape, conveyed intelligence to Newborn of the ap- proach of the enemy, and thus frustrated the remainder of the admiral's plans. About three thousand men were then landed at Portsmouth, where they destroyed the private property of the inhabitants, and treated the place witii no more forbearance than they had shown at Georgetown and Fredericktown. The col- lector of the customs was seized and taken on board the fleet, and CAPTURE OF THE ASP. 289 the building destroyed in which his office was contained. After remaining two days in possession of these places, the enemy re- turned to his shipping, and not feeling himself competent to the attack on Newborn, now that its citizens were preparing to receive him, he departed with his squadron from Ocracoke, and sailed again for Chesapeake bay. The fleet, which had been keeping up the blockade in those waters, had been divided by Admiral Warren, and the different vessels distributed along the coast, from New London to Cape Henry, to watch the entrances to the harbours of Connecticut, New York, and the Delaware. In the Chesapeake, no further assaults were made upon the villages ; but the farmhouses, the neighbouring country seats, and the stock upon the lands, and the numerous islands which could be approached by the smallest barges, were indiscriminately plundered. Such islands were taken possession of as afforded quarters for the troops, and fre- ([uent excursions made from them against the defenseless land- liolders, in their vicinity. N the 14th, the United States schooners Scorpion and Asp, being under way from the mouth of Yeocomico river, were pursued by two of the enemy's sloops of war, and, finding it impossible for both vessels to escape through the bay, the Scorpion continued her course, while the Asp, a dull sailing vessel, returned to the river, and was run into Kinsale creek by her commander, Sailingmaster Segourney. The enemy's vessels anchored near the bar, and despatched three barges, filled with armed men, to assault and carry her. As these were approaching, Mr. Segourney opened a well-directed fire, and compelled them, in a little time, to return. Reinforced, how- ever, by two other barges, manned in like manner, they again approached the schooner, and carried her by boarding, though obstinately resisted by her little crew, to whom they refused to show quarter. Her commander had been shot through the body by a musket ball, and was sitting on the deck against the mast, when they carried her, and brought down her colours. In this attitude, and suffering under the severity of his wound, he was, at that moment, animating his men to repel the boarders, when ■ 2B 37 290 THE YANKEE AND EAGLE. one of the British marines stepped up and shot him through the head. He expired instantly, and the next officer, Mr. M'Clintock, seeing what would be the probable fate of the whole crew, ordered his men to save themselves by flight. Those who had not pre- viously been wounded, reached the shore in safety; and the enemy having set fire to the schooner, returned to the squadron, though not before they had been fired upon by a collection of militia, who retook the vessel, and extinguished the flames. The Poictiers, seventy-four, still commanded by Sir John P. Beresford, had been stationed for several weeks at Sandy Hook, for the purpose of blockading the harbour of New York. Numbers of small vessels had been daily captured by her, and one of them, the sloop Eagle, w^as converted into a tender to the line of battle ship, manned with two officers and eleven marines, and equipped with a thirty-two brass howitzer. She was constantly employed in the pursuit and capture of the coasters, and had already com- mitted various depredations. Commodore Jacob Lewis, who com- manded a flotilla of thirty sail of gun-boats, determined on pro- tecting the fishing boats and river craft, by tlie capture of this tender. He accordingly hired a fishing smack called the Yankee, and placing about thirty men on board, under one of his sailing- masters, (Percival,) and, supplying him with several articles of live stock, gave him instructions to proceed from the hook in tlio direction of the banks, with liis armed men concealed in the cahin and fore peak. The sloop Eagle, upon discovering her at the hook, immediately gave chase; and, on seeing the live stock, ordered the man at the helm, Mr. Percival, who, witli two men only on deck, was dressed in the apparel of a fisherman, to steer for the seventy-four, then lying at a distance of five miles. The fishing smack had her helm immediately put up for that apjia- rent purpose, and, being by this means brought along side, and within three yards of the Eagle, her commander gave the signal, ''Lawrence,'" and her men rushed up with such rapidity, and discharged so brisk and unexpected a fire, that the crew of the Eagle became panic-struck, and many of them ran below. Her commander Sailingmaster Morris, and one marine were killed, and Midshipman Price, and another mortally w^ounded. Per- civaVs men \\erc prepared for a second discharge, when a sailor BLOCKADE OF NEW LONDON. 291 on the ei'^^my's deck was seen creeping to the howitzer with a lighte'd match, one of the crew of the Yankee levelled his mus- ket and shot him in the breast, and in a second after, the flag- of the Eagle came down. The sloop and the prisoners were then taken into the hook, and dehvered to the commodore, who pro- ceeded with them to New York, where Morris and Price, who died immediately after landing, w^ere buried by the naval and military authorities. Mr. Percival was promoted to the new sloop of war Peacock, and the brass howitzer was transferred to the quarter deck of the commodore's flag-boat. In consequence of Commodore Decatur's having proceeded with the frigates United States and Macedonian, and the sloop of war Hornet, through the sound to get to sea from the eastward, and of his having been driven with his squadron into New London hy a superior detachment of the enemy's ships, that port was rigorously blockaded by the Ramilies seventy-four, two frigates, and several smaller vessels, under Commodore Sir Thomas M. Hardy. Every effort to get to sea under the auspices of dark nights and favourable winds, having proved unavailing in conse- quence of the enemy's being continually apprized of the designs of the American commodore, he was blockaded for many months without a prospect of escaping, either by the ordinary channel or by the sound. Between detached parties from each squadron several affairs of minor importance took place during the block- ade, and in one of them Midshipman Ten Eyck, of the United States frigate, made prisoners of two lieutenants, two warrant officers, and five seamen, in a house on Gardner's island. In- cursions into the neighbouring states were frequent from the British forces; but though extensive numbers of shipping were destroyed, the conduct of the sailors and marines under Sir Thomas Hardy was not marked by the indiscriminate commis- sion of unrestrained and wanton outrage, of which there w^ere too many incidents on the coast to the southward, and the houses of the different villages, as well as individual property, were there- fore, almost invariably respected. The general deportment of Commodore Hardy was that of a brave, humane, and gallant enemy, and had his conduct been emulated by other command- ers, the horrors, and distressed conditions of a state of war would 292 EXPEDITION TO SAYBROOK. have been ameliorated on both sides, and the necessity of many instances of retaUatory measures might never have existed. During the winter montlis of 1813-14, scarcely an event of consequence took place on any part of tlie coast, or at any of the shores of the bay and rivers in which the enemy's vessels were anchored. The town of Killingworth, alone, had an opportunity of repelling three or four distinct attempts to land, and of beating off superior numbers in British barges. Early in the spring of 1814, however, the enemy made several movements indicative of his intentions to pursue an active course of warfare. On the 7th of April about two hundred sailors and marines entered Connecticut river in a number of barges and landed at the town of Saybrook, where they spiked the guns at a small battery and destroyed many trading vessels. Thence they ascended the river to Brockway's ferry, destroyed all the shipping there, and amused themselves, without any apprehen- sions of an attack, upwards of twenty-four hours. In the mean time a body of militia had assembled, under command of a briga- dier-jreneral of Connecticut ; one hundred men and several field- pieces were stationed on the opposite shore, and two pieces and a party of men on the ferry side below ; Captain Jones, and Lieu- tenant-Commandant Biddle, of the Hornet, arrived with a detach- ment of sailors from the squadron ; and every thing was arranged for the capture of the whole party of the enemy. The success of the plan was inevitable ; the word only of the general com- mandino^ was waited for, and as he was making other arranore- ments than those adopted by these experienced officers, the enemy drifted down the river, with muffled oars, under cover of a dark night, cheered loudly when they had passed the town of Say- brook, and escaped to the squadron after destroying two hundred thousand dollars worth of shipping. Several shot were fired after them, but without effect. About this time the Liverpool Packet privateer was cruising, with great success, against the American commerce in the sound, and had already annoyed the coasting trade to an enormous ex- tent. Unless this cruiser was driven from the sound no coaster could sail from one port to another, with any assurance of safety. Commodore Lewis determined on an expedition against her. He COMMODORE LEWIS'S EXPEDITION. 293 sailed with a detachment, consisting of thirteen of his gun-boats, drove the privateer from the mouth of the harbours in the sound, and proceeded to Black Rock, New Haven, and Saybrook. At the latter place he anchored on the 23d of May, and found upwards of forty sail of coasting vessels lying there, bound eastward, but the masters of wdiich were fearful of the privateer and the enemy's barges. The commodore w^as applied to for convoy ; and, though he knew not wdiether he could yield any kind of protection against a frigate, a corvette, and an armed sloop, at that moment in the passage before New^ London, he took the coasters under convoy, and agreed to throw himself be- tween them and the enemy. On the 25th he accordingly sailed with the convoy bound for New^ London, and at 5 p. m. came to action with a frigate, a sloop of w^ar, and a tender, and continued the engagement until all the coasters had safely passed the ene- my and arrived at New London. This being done, although the whole object of his attack was achieved. Commodore Lewis determined upon trying the further effect of his hot shot. The boats were each supplied wdth a furnace ; and, whilst they were pouring hot balls into the enemy's sides, and frequently setting him on fire, they received in return, scarcely a shot from either of his vessels. Gun-boat No. 6 w^as alone injured ; and, being struck between wind and water, was immediately grounded, to prevent her sinking. The sloop of war had by this time withdrawn from the engage- ment ; and the fire of the gun-boats w^as principally directed ao^ainst the frigate. She was observed several times to be on fire ; one shot passed through her very near the magazine, seven- teen of her men w^ere already killed, and a lieutenant and a great number of men wounded ; and the captain w^as on the point of surrendering, when he discovered that the gun-boats had ceased firing. The night closed in immediately, w^as excessively dark, and the commodore found himself obliged to anchor his boats, and reconnoiter the enemy until next morning. He intended to board the sloop, but she was stationed between the two ships, and that project was therefore useless. At daylight, observing the enemy fowling away their vessels and retreating, he instantly made signal for pursuit ; but the report of the cannonade had 2b2 294 UTILITY OF GUN-BOATS. brought tlie whole British force, consisting of seven large sail, to their assistance, and the commodore abandoned his intention of renewing the action, and proceeded up the sound to New York, with the enemy in his rear, as far as Faulkner's island. The loss on board the flotilla was one man, by the recoiling of a gun. The frigate was supposed to be the Maidstone of thirty- eight, and mounting forty-nine guns ; but several sailors who deserted from her and were in this action, reported her to be the Hotspur of the same force. The consequences of this engage- ment, and that which took place below Crany island, have oc- casioned much speculation about the utility of gun-boats. In each instance it was undoubtedly proved, that, under such cir- cumstances as attended them, the gun-boats are capable of great annoyance to the largest ships of war. Commodore Lewis, whose activity and enterprise rendered him of all other men capable of manoeuvcrinn- them to advantag-e, saved an immense amount of property to the mercantile interest of the country, by his re- peated cruises with them in and near the sound. But the operations of the immense naval armaments, which were maintained by the enemy before the ports of New York, Boston, New London, and the entrance to the sound, were not to be cliecked by a flotilla of boats, however well appointed, consisting in all of but thirty sail ; and the whole eastern coast was therefore exposed to the ravages of the invaders. The towns and villages there were as exposed and defenseless as those to the south ; but a degree of forbearance was manifested l^y the commander on this station, which prevented the com.mission of such extensive depredations. Yet an insatiable thirst for plun- der, induced many of the British cruisers to seek the destruction of every species of public property, of the most flourishing manu- facturing establishments, and of vessels carrying on a trade be- tween the eastern and other ports; and the cupidity of the sailors and marines frequently led to the sequestration of private pro- perty. At the towns of Wareham and Scituate, they burned all the vessels at their moorings ; and at the former, which they ap- proached under a flag of truce, they set fire to an extensive cot- ton manufactory. But at a place called Boothbay, they met Avith a spirited opposition ; and in several desperate attacks, re- CATTURE OF MOOSE ISLAND. 295 peated on different days, and with various numbers, they were repulsed with considerable loss, by the militia of the neiglibour- hood. About the month of July the blockading squadron, under Sir Thomas Hardy, received instructions to assail and take posses- sion, in his Britannic majesty's name, of Moose island, near the mouth of the Kobbeskook river, opposite to the province of New Brunswick, and on the western side of Passamaquoddy bay. This bay was adjudged, by the British ministers, to be within the boundary of their possessions in North America , and after the capture of Moose island, their forces were directed to occupy all the towns and islands within its limits. On the 1 1th of that month, Sir Thomas proceeded with the Ramilies, seventy-four, one sixty-gun ship, three sloops-of-war, and three transports, con- taining between fifteen hundred and two thousand troops, with an intention of surprising the town of Eastj)ort, containing about one thousand inhabitants, and situated upon Moose island. Against this force, no kind of opposition could be made by a small garrison, containing but fifty-nine men, forty-eight of whom only were effectives; and Major Putnam did not attempt to molest the troops, who had already landed. Formal possession was then taken of the whole island ; the officers in the garrison paroled, the privates conveyed to the squadron, the fort, which then mounted but six small cannon, enlarged, refitted, and the battery extended to sixty pieces ; and a proclamation issued by Sir Thomas Hardy and Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Pillvington, in which they declared all the islands to have been surrendered by the capture of Eastport; allowed seven days residence to such inhabitants as should refuse to swear allegiance to his Britannic majesty ; and appointed a day on which they were to assemble for that purpose. About two-thirds of the people sub- mitted to these terms, under an expectation of retaining their ])rivilcges ; but, in the month of August, the province of New Brunswick, in council, ordered that the inhabitants of Moose island should not be entitled to the rights of their other subjects, notwithstanding their oath of allegiance ; but that they should be treated as a conquered people, and placed under the control of the military authority. Eastport was soon after well fortified, •296 DEFENSE OF STONINGTON. and remained in possession of the British until the conclusion of the war ; before which period, however, their garrison was frequently weakened by desertions of large bodies of their troops ; the officers were often compelled to perform the duties of senti- nels ; and the difficulties of subsisting the army and the people daily increasing by the extreme scarcity of provisions. Having thus secured the possession of Moose island, and pro- vided for its defense against any attempt to recover it by the Americans, Sir Thomas sailed to his old station, before New London. On the 9th of August he made signal for the Pactolus frigate, forty-four, the Terror bomb ship, and the Despatch brig of twenty guns, to weigh anchor, and sail with the Ramilies to the attack of the town of Stonington, which the commodore had been ordered to reduce to ashes. The appearance of this for- midable force before a town, wdiich possessed but w^eak and inadequate means of defense, excited an alarm among the inliabitants, which the message of Commodore Hardy, to move off the unoffending people of the place, w^as not calculated to subdue. But, having complied with the terms of the commo- dore's note, and disposed of the women and children, they re- ]Daired to a small battery, which had been erected, a few waudvs before, and in which were mounted two eighteen-pounders and one six. Those who had been drilled as artillerists were sta- tioned at these pieces; the flag was nailed to a staff, and a small breastwork, which had been hastily thrown up, was lined with musketry. Thus arranged, the handful of militia belonging to Stonington awaited the approach of the enemy with painful anxiety. Ex- presses were forwarded to General Gushing, of the United States army, commanding at New London, for a supply of men and ammunition ; and, to the neighbouring districts, for a hasty levy of militia. At eight in the evening, five barges and a large launch, filled with men, and armed with nme-pounder carronades, approached the shore, under cover of a heavy fire of round, canister, and grape shot, and a discharge of shells, carcasses, and rockets. The Americans, reserving their fire until the barges were within short grape distance, opened their two eighteen-pounders upon, DEFENSE OF STONING TON. 297 and compelled them to retire out of reach of the battery. The enemy then attempted to land at the east end of the town, at a point which they supposed to be the most defenseless. This being discovered by the militia artillerists, the six-pounder was immediately transported to that side of the town, and the barges were a second time compelled to retire. They returned to their shipping, with a determination to renew their attack with more vigour at the dawn of the following morning. The bombardment, nevertheless, continued until midnight. Before morning the enemy's squadron w^as augmented by the arrival of the Nimrod, eigh teen-gun brig, and at the dawn of day the different vessels were stationed nearer to the town, the Despatch being within pistol-shot of the battery. The barges approached the shore in larger numbers and met with as signal a repulse as on the preceding night. One of them was shattered to pieces by the four-pounder on the east side of the town, whilst a cannonade was kept up between the eighteen-pounder battery and the gun-brig, which resulted in her expulsion from her an- chorage She had received several shot between wind and water, and was obliged to haul off and repair ; the barges again returned to the shipping, and the five vessels drifted out of reach of the battery, made new anchorage, and continued to bombard the town during that and the following day. On the 12th Com- modore Hardy, relinquishing any further attempt to reduce the town to ashes, and having already lost twenty-one men killed, and upwards of fifty wounded, ordered his squadron to weigh anchor and proceed up Fisher's island sound. The inhabitants of Stonington were released from their apprehensions about the safety of their dwellings, and the women and children, some time after, restored to their homes. Notwithstanding the bombardment had been protracted to three successive days, and upwards of sixty tons of metal had been thrown upon the shore, not a man of the militia was killed, and the number of wounded did not exceed six. Among them was Lieutenant Hough, who, as well as Colonel Randal and Lieutenant Lathrop, greatly contributed, by their activity and skill, to the repulse of the enemy. Stonington contained, at the time of the attack, about one hundred houses; forty of these were injured by 33 298 VILLAGES OGCUriED BY THE BRITISH. the shot — but ten only materially — and but two or three entirely destroyed. OT content with possessing Moose island, and other islands of the bay, the British claimed, as a colony, all that part of the district of Maine lying to the west of, and between Pe- nobscot river and Passamaquoddy bay, and instructions were also forwarded to Sir John C. Sherbrooke, the governor of Nova Scotia, and Rear-Admiral Griffith, commanding the naval forces within that province, to take possession of all that territory. These commanders entered the Penobscot river on the 1st of Septemljer ; appeared before Castine, from wdiich the garrison fled, after blow- ing up the fort, and which the British immediately occupied. A proclamation was then issued by the governor and the admiral, in which they claimed as the territory of his Britannic majesty, that part of the province of Maine east of the Penobscot, in whicli there were more than forty villages, and upwards of thirty thou- sand inhabitants. After possessing Castine many of these villages were gradually occupied, and ordinances were established for the civil and military government of the people. Castine, also, remained in the hands of the enemy until the conclusion of hos- tilities. The United States frigate Adams, Captain Morris, had arrived in the Penobscot from a successful cruise, a few days before the occupation of Castine, and having run upon the rocks near that port, was obliged to be hove down at Hampden, thirty-five miles up the river, to have her damages repaired. On the 3d of Sep- tember the British sloop of war Sylph of twenty-two guns, the Peruvian of eighteen, and one transport and ten barges, ascended the river, manned in all with about one thousand men from Castine, under command of Commodore Barrie, with a determination to capture the frigate. Captain Morris erected several batteries on eminences near his vessel, supplied the militia, who were with- out arms, with the ship's muskets, and made every preparation to repulse the enemy. Notwithstanding these judicious arrange- ments, and the readiness of the ship's crew to resist the enemy's attempts, the militia could not be Ijrought to oppose an inferior ESCAPE OF CAPTAIN MORIIIS. 299 number of British regulars ; and, iiying precipitately from the ground, left no other alternative to Captain Morris than to sur- render his crew, or destroy the Adams and retreat to Bangor or Kennebeck. Under the direction of Lieutenant Wadsworth of the ship, the sailors and marines retired in good order over a bridge which crossed a deep creek ; but Captain Morris and a few men who remained to set fire to the vessel, having succeeded in blowing her up, was cut off from this retreat, and compelled to plunge into the river and eflect his escape hj swimming. Dis- appointed in the object of their expedition, the British returned to Castine, and conducted an incursive warfare against the towns in the vicinity of that port. 300 CRUISE OF THE ARGUS. in a©ll©a ^ HE government of the United States having deemed it expedient, in the spring of 1813, to send an ambassador to France, at which court they were not then represented ; the American ffun-brifj Ars^us, Lieutenant-Com- mandant WiUiam H. Allen, of eighteen guns, was despatched to L' Orient with Mr. Crawford, the minister-plenipotentiary ap- pointed to negotiate a treaty of commerce with that power. After having landed tlie minister she was ordered to cruise in the vicinity of the British channel, whci'e she arrived about the middle of June, and continued to cruise until the same time in August. During this period she captured in St. George's channel upwards of twenty vessels, coasters and others, and excited a great degree of alarm among the towns upon the English coast. In consequence of her activity in making captures, and the danger to British vessels in passing through the channel, the insurance upon coasters could no longer be obtained in England, but at an amount very far exceeding the double pre- mium ; and though numerous vessels of war, of all rates and de- scriptions were floating at the docks, the Argus was allowed to maintain her cruise in this neighbourhood for two full months. Tlie attention of the admiralty was at length, however, awakened; and, on tlie 12th of August, the sloop of war, the Pelican, Cap- tain J. F. Maples, of twenty-one carriage guns, was ordered to cruise in search of the hostile stranijer. On the i4th, at four a. i\i. CRUISE OF THE ARGUS. 301 t. ruise of tlie Argus. by the light of a schooner then on fire, the two vessels \vere brought in sight of each other. The Argus immediately close hauled on the starboard tack, and made preparations to receive the enemy. Failing in every attempt to obtain the weather gage, Captain Allen, at half-past five, shortened sail, and waited for the Pelican to close. A few minutes afterwards, the Pelican displayed her colours ; the Argus hoisted the American flag, wore round, and within grape distance, gave her a larboard broadside; which being returned, the action commenced within the ran^-e of musketry. At the first fire from the Pelican, Captain Allen fell. He w^as wounded severely in the leg, but remained on deck until several broadsides were exchanged ; when, beino- quite ex- hausted by the excessive loss of blood, he yielded the command of the Argus to Lieutenant Watson, and was taken below. INlean- time the Pelican shot away the main braces, the spring stay, o-afF, and trysail-mast, of the Argus. At twelve minutes past six, her spritsail-yard, and most of the standing rigging on the larboard side of the foremast, were lost; and Lieutenant Watson received a wound in the head, which made it necessary that he also should be carried below. The command of the Argus now devolved on Lieutenant William H. Allen Jr., mIioso unremitted exertions frequently defeated the enemy's attempts to get into a rakmg position. At sixteen minutes past six, the Pelican edged 2 c 302 SURRENDER OF THE ARGUS. off, with an intention of getting under the stem of the Argus, but Lieutenant Allen, by luffing close to, with his main topsail aback, and giving her a raking broadside, completely frustrated this at- tempt. But, in two minutes after, she shot away the preventer main braces and main topsail of the Argus, deprived her of the use of her after sail, and thus causing her to fall off before the wind, succeeded in passing her stern, and ranged up on her star- board side. At twenty-five minutes past six, the Argus having lost her wheel ropes and running rigging of every description, became entirely unmanageable ; and the Pelican, not Ijeing ma- terially damaged, had an opportunity of choosing her position. She continued her fire on the starboard quarter of the Argus, until half-past six, when Lieutenant Watson returned to the deck, and made preparations to board the enemy. The sliattered condition of the brig rendered that effort impossible ; and the Pelican took a position on her stern, and gave her a raking fire for eight minutes, when she passed up, and placing herself on the starboard bow, continued a raking fire there until forty- seven minutes past six. All this while the commander of the Argus wp^s endeavouring, without effect, to bring her guns to bear ; and, having nothing but musketry to oppose to the galling and effective fire of the enemy, he determined on surrendering the brig : a measure, which, in consequence of the loss of several officers and many of the men, of the shattered state of the hull and rigging, and of the impossibility, under these disadvantages, of getting otherwise out of the combat, he would have been warranted in adopting much sooner. At the moment her flag came down, the Pelican was pressing to board her ; and, being close along side, immediately took possession. Her loss amounted to six killed, and seventeen wounded ; five of the latter died soon after the engagement. The loss of the Pelican was three men killed, and five only wounded. Captain Allen submitted to an amputation of his leg, but every means of restoration to his health proved ineffectual ; and, on the 18th, three days after the action, he expired in Mill Prison hospital, whence he and Midshipmen Delphy, who had both his legs shot from his body, at the same instant, and Edwards were buried with the usual honours of war. ENTERPRISE AND BOXER. 303 Several United States sloops of war were, about this period, upon the stocks ; and, it being necessary that their building and equipment should be superintended by experienced naval officers, commanders were assigned to them, previously to their being launched into their destined element. To restore to the American naval list the name of a vessel which had been captured by a superior force, after the moment of victory over another vessel, one of these was ordered to be called the Wasp, and the com- mand given to Lieutenant-Commandant Blakely, at that time of the gun-brig Enterprise.* By this transfer the command of the latter vessel devolved on Lieutenant-Commandant Burrows, to wdiom instructions had been given for a cruise from Portsmouth. On the 1st of Sep- tember he sailed from that place, steered to the eastward, and on the 3d discovered and chased a schooner into Portland, wdiere he gained intelligence of several privateers being off Manhagan, and immediately stood for that place. The British gun-brig the Boxer, of fourteen guns and nearly one hundred men, had beentitted up at St. Johns, (New Brunswick,) for the purpose of a combat with the Enterprise, mounting the same number of guns, and very nearly the same number of men. To the crew of the Boxer, however, a detachment was added from the Rattler, upon her arrival on the United States coast. On the morning of the 5th, the Enterprise, in the bay near Pen- guin Point, discovered the Boxer getting under way, and gave chase to her. The Boxer fired several guns, stood for the En- terprise, and hoisted four ensigns. Captain Burrows having ascertained her character, stood out of the bay to obtain sea- room ; and, followed by the Boxer, he hauled upon a wind until three p. 3i. At that hour he shortened sail, and in twenty mi- nates the action commenced wdthin half pistol-shot. At the first broadside, Captain Blythe was killed hy a cannon shot through, his body ; and in a moment afterwards Captain Burrows fell by * The Enterprise is the same vessel which, in 1801, was a schooner, in the Mediter- ranean, commanded by Lieutenant Sterrett. Under that officer, slie enjrajjed and cap- tured in August of that year, during the Tripolitan war, the ship of war Tripoli, of four- teen guns and eighty-live men. In this engagement, she lost not a single man; whilst her antagonist had fifty of her crew killed and wounded. 304 ENTERPE,ISE AND BOXER. a musket ball. The command of the two vessels during the whole engagement was therefore mamtained by the lieutenants. Captain Burrows refused to quit the deck, and at four p. m. re- ceived the sword of Captain Blythe, from the hands of Lieute- nant M'Call ; expressed his satisfaction at the manner of his death, and expired about eight hours afterwards. The colours of the Boxer had been nailed to tlie mast, and her first officer was therefore ol)liged to hail Lieutenant M'Call, to inform him of her surrender before it was known that she was vanquished. She was immediately taken possession of and carried into Port- land, with her masts, sails, and spars cut to pieces ; and with twenty eighteen-pound shot in her hull. The number of her killed and wounded could not be ascertained, no papers being on board by which the strength of her crew could be known. Her officers admitted the loss of twenty-five killed, and fourteen wounded. The rigging of the Enterprise was much cut with grape shot, but her hull was not materially damaged. Her loss was one killed and thirteen wounded ; among the latter, the captain and carpenter's mate, mortally. Lieutenant Tilling- hast and Midshipman Waters, the latter of whom was severely wounded, behaved with coolness and determination ; and Lieu- tenant M'Call who succeeded his gallant captain, sustained the reputation of the navy by his conduct throughout the action. On their arrival at Portland, the bodies of the deceased com- manders were deposited with the usual military ceremonies ; and tlie prisoners were soon after removed to the interior. Both vessels were repaired with the utmost despatch ; and the Boxer being considered the superior vessel, w^as ordered by the Presi- dent of the United States to be delivered up for the benefit of the captors, and bought from them into the service. By the fall of these young officers, Captains Allen and Bur- rows, the naval service experienced a heavy and almost irretriev- able loss. Captain Allen had distinguished himself in a gallant manner, in the action with the Macedonian, at wliich time he was first officer to Commodore Decatur ; and, not long after, re- ceived the approbation of his government hy a promotion to the rank of a master-commandant, and to the command of the Argus. He sustained the reputation of a brave and courteous man, an r COIMMODORE RODGER S. 305 Captain Alleiv accomplished seaman, and a friend of unswerving integrity. Captain Burrows, whose intrepidity and fortitude instigated him to remain on the decl; of his vessel, in the agonies of death, until he knew of the surrender of the enemy, possessed these inesti- mable qualities in no less a degree. The loss of such men was a fruitful source of sorrow to those who had been their com- panions in arms, and to those who looked up to them for exam- ples of usefulness and heroism. Between this period and the commencement of the year 1814, the cruises of the ships of war of the United States were not attended by any of those brilliant achievements by which they had previously, and have since that time, been marked. In the month of February of that year, the frigate President returned from a cruise of about seventy days. At the entrance to Sandy Hook, after having passed the lighthouse. Commodore Rodgers found himself in the neighbourhood of three large men-of-A^-ar, the nearest being the Plantagenet, seventy-four, Captain Lloyd. c 2 3'J 306 CATTAIN Stewart's cruise. Being well assured of an attack from one or all of the enemy's vessels, he cleared ship for action; and, though his capture was inevitable, he determined not to lose the President, until he could no longer fight her. In consequence of the wind and tide being both unfavourable, he was compelled to remain in his situation seven hours, before either of them enabled him to cross the bar ; and, in all that time, to his great astonishment, ajid to the surprise and mortification of the prisoners on board, no dis- position was manifested to attack the President, though her character was known, and she fired a gun to windward, to signity her willingness to fight, since there was no apparent possibility of escaping. The tide having changed, Commodore Rodgers ])roceeded to New York; and Captain Lloyd, after returning to England, accounted for his conduct by alleging a mutiny in his ship, and had several of his sailors tried and executed upon that charge. In the succeeding month of April, the Constitution frigate, commanded by Captain Charles Stewart, was also returning from a cruise commenced on the first of January. On her arrival on tlie coast, she was pursued by two British frigates and a brig, and chased into Marblehead. The excellent seamanship of her commander enabled her, with difficulty, to escape ; and she reached Salem without injury. During her cruise, slie cap- tured the British public schooner Pictou ; and fell in with the frigate La Pique, Captain Maitland, who fled on the approach of tlie Constitution. No effort was left untried by Captain Stewart to overtake and bring her to action, but she escaped in the night, after a long chase; and Captain Maitland, on his arrival in England, was complimented by the admiralty, for his strict observance of his instructions, in flying from an American frigate. Repeated opportunities were about this time given to the enemy's squadron off Sandy Hook, to engage the gun-boat flotilla. A schooner had been driven ashore; and numbers of barges, well manned and armed, were despatched to take pos- session of her ; Ijut Commodore Lewis ordered a detachment of his sailors to land and protect her. With a small field-piece, and their small arms, they beat off the enemy, launched the CAPTAIN porter's CRUISE. 307 schooner, and carried her to her destined port, New York. A month afterwards, the Belvidere chased the brig Regent, laden with an immensely valuable cargo, close into the hook ; when the commodore, whose station was constantly at that point, immediately gave signal for a detachment of his flotilla to follow him ; and placing himself, with eleven sail, between the frigate and the chase, prevented her capture ; and fired upwards of lifty shot at the frigate, which stood off, without returning the Are. In a preceding chapter of this work, an account is given of a plan of a cruise in the South Seas, by a squadron composed of the Constitution, the Essex, and the Hornet, under Commo- dore Bainbridge. This cruise was broken up by the engage- ments of the Constitution and the Horiiet ; and as neither of those vessels was found by the Essex, at either of the appointed ren- dezvous. Captain Porter obtained such additional provisions as were necessary for a long cruise. He had received intelligence of the victory over the Java, and had been informed that the Montague had captured the Hornet. He therefore determined on prosecuting the original cruise with the Essex alone. Previously to his departure from the rendezvous on the coast of Brazil, he captured the British packet Nocton, took out of her eleven thousand pounds sterling in specie, and ordered her with liieutenant Fmch to the United States. He then shaped his course for the Pacific, arrived at Valparaiso on the 14th of March, 1813, provisioned himself there, and running down the coast of Chili and Peru, fell in with a Peruvian corsair, on board of which were twenty-four Americans, detained as prisoners. Captain Porter immediately threw the guns of the corsair over- board, deprived her of all her warlike implements, released the Americans, and recaptured, near Lima, one of the vessels in which they had been taken. From Lima he proceeded to the Galli- pagos islands, where he cruised from April until October ; and in that time captured twelve armed British whale ships. The Montezuma, of two guns and twenty -one men ; the Policy of ten guns and twenty-six men; the Georgiana, of six guns and twenty- five men ; the Greenwich, of ten guns and twenty-five men ; the Atlantic, of eight guns and twenty-four men ; the Rose, of eight guns and twenty-one men; the Hector, of eleven guns and twenty- 308 CAPTAIN PORTER .S CRUISE. Capt-iin I'orttr b tiuise in tlie Parific. five men ; the Catherine, of eight guns and twenty-nine men ; the Seringapatam, of fourteen guns and thirty-one men ; the Charhon, of ten guns and twenty-one men ; the New Zealander, of eight guns and twenty-three men ; and the Sir Andrew Ham- mond, of tw^elve guns and thirty-one men ; making in all one hundred and seven guns and three hundred and two men, and the total amount of tonnage, three thousand four hundred and fifty-six. Many of these vessels were pierced for eighteen, twenty, and twenty-six guns, and Captain Porter equipped several of them, and commissioned them as United States cruisers and store ships. The Atlantic he called the Essex Junior, equipped her with twenty guns, and assigned his first officer. Lieutenant Downes, as her commander. This officer conveyed such of the prizes as were to be laid up to Valparaiso. Here he learned that a British, squadron, consisting of one frigate, two sloops of war, and a store ship of twenty guns had sailed for the Pacific, in quest of the Essex, and he immediately returned to Captain Porter with this intelligence. The Essex had now been one year at sea, and, as she required many repairs. Captain Porter proceeded to the island of Nooa- heevah, or Madison's island, lying in the Washington groupe ; where he completely repaired the Essex ; and, having secured three of his prizes under the guns of a battery which he had previously erected, and manned with twenty-one marines, under Lieutenant Gamble of that corps, sailed for the coast of Chili BLOCKADE OF THE ESSEX. 309 on the 12th of December, and arrived there on the 12th of Janu- ary, 1814. He then looked into Conception and Valparaiso, where he learned that the squadron of \vhich lie had been in- formed by Lieutenant Downes, was conjectured to have been lost in doubling Cape Horn. He nevertheless continued in the neighbourhood of Valparaiso, and Avas anchored in that port with the Essex Junior, when Conunodore Hillyar, of the frigate Phoebe of thirty-six guns, mounting (thirty long eighteens, six- teen thirty-two-pound carronades, and one howitzer, on her decks, and six three-pounders in her tops) fifty-three guns, and having a complement of three hundred and twenty men; accompanied by the Cherub sloop of war. Captain Tucker, of (eighteen thirty- two-pound carronades, eight twenty-fours, and two long nines) twenty-eight guns, and one hundred and eighty men, arrived at Valparaiso. The Essex, which mounted (forty thirty-two pound carronades, and six long twelves) forty-six guns, and had her crew reduced by prizes to two hundred and fifty-five men ; and the Essex Junior, which was not competent to resist a sloop of war, mounting twenty guns, and having on board sixty men, were thus blockaded by a force of eighty-one guns, and five hundred men. After cruising at the entrance to the harbour for six weeks, the Phoebe hove too, fired a gun to windward, and hoisted a motto flag, with the words " God and Country; British Sailors' best rights ; Traitors offend both ;" in answer, as it was thought, to Captain Porter's motto of "Free Trade and Sailors' Rights." On the mizzen of the Essex, a flag was immediately hoisted, with the words, "God, our Country, and Liberty; Tyrants oftend them;" and she got under way, and commenced a fire on the Phoebe. Captain Porter conceived the movements of the Phoebe to l^e intended as a challenge to engage him ship to ship ; but, on discovering that the Phoebe ran down to her con- sort, he felt convinced that Commodore Hillyar would not engage the Essex alone. This conclusion was confirmed by the con- duct of the two vessels, in keeping constantly within hail of each other. Captain Porter having now learned that the Tagus and two other frigates had also sailed for the Pacific, in pursuit of him, 310 ATTACK ON THE ESSEX. not knowing what time they miglit gain the squadron ah-eady ]:)loclvading him, and seeing no advantages wdiich his country could obtain hy his remaining longer in port, determined on putting to sea; and expected, by drawing ott the Phoebe and Cherub in pursuit of him, to aflford an opportunity to the Essex Junior, to ^vdiich he had appointed a rendezvous of escaping. On the 28th of March, the day after this determination was formed, the wind came on to blow fresh from the southward, and the Essex parted her larboard cable, and dragged her starboard anchor directly out to sea ; the occurrences which followed are thus described in Captain Porter's official letter :*• " Not a moment was to be lost in getting sail on the ship. The enemy were close in with the point forming the west side of the bay ; but on opening them I saw a prospect of passing to ^^'indward, when I took in my topgallant sails, which were set over single reefed topsails, and braced up for this purpose : but on rounding the point, a heavy squall struck the ship, and car- ried away her main topmast, j)recipitating the men who were aloft into the sea, who were drowned. Both ships now gave chase to me : and I endeavoured in my disabled state to regain the port ; but finding I could not recover the common anchorage, I ran close into a small bay, about three-quarters of a mile to lee- ward of the battery, on the east side of the harbour, and let go my anchor, within pistol-shot of the shore, where I intended to repair my damages as soon as possible. The enemy continued to approach, and showed an evident intention of attacking us, regardless of the neutrality of the place where I was anchored. The caution observed in their approach to the attack of the crippled Essex was truly ridicu- * This letter, tonrether with an account of the entire cruise of the Essex — of the pos- session of the island of Nooaheevah, by Captain Porter, in the name of the United States — of the intercourse established with the natives in behalf of his government — of the destruction of the enemy's commerce in those seas — of the immense expense which it cost the British government to pursue and capture the Essex — and of the transactions wliich took place between the different tribes of natives in the Washington groupe, and the fleet with which he appeared there, are to be found in a " Journal," pub- lished by Captain Porter, and accompanied by several engraved plans of those places, of the harbour of Valparaiso, and a view of the battle between the Phcebe and Cherub, and the Essex. ATTACK ON THE ESSEX. 311 Ions ; as was their display of their motto flags, and the niiinbcr of jacks at their mast heads. I, with as much expedition as cir- cumstances would admit of, got my ship ready for action, and endeavoured to get a spring on my cable, but had not succeeded, when the enemy, at fifty-four minutes after three p. fli. made liis attack; the Phoebe placing . herself under my stern, and the Cherub on my starboard bow : but the Cherub soon finding her situation a hot one, bore up and ran under my stern also, where both ships kept up a hot raking fire. I had got three long twelve-pounders out at the stern ports, which were worked with so much bravery and skill, that in half an hour we so disabled both, as to compel them to haid off to repair damages. In the course of this firing, I had by the great exertions of Mr. Edward Barnewall, the acting sailingmaster, assisted by Mr. Linscott, the boatswain, succeeded in getting springs on our cables three different times ; but the fire of the enemy was so excessive that, before w^e could get our broadside to bear, they were shot away, and thus rendered useless to us. My ship had received many injuries, and several had been killed and wounded ; but my brave officers and men, notwithstanding the unfavourable cir- cumstances under which we were brought to action, and the powerful force opposed to us, were noways discouraged : all appeared determined to defend their sliip to the last extremity, and to die in preference to a shameful surrender. Our gaff, with the ensign and motto flag at the mizzen, had been sliot a^vay ; but FREE TRADE AND SAiLORs' RIGHTS Continued to Hy at the fore. Our ensign ^^•as replaced by another : and to guard against a similar event, an ensiorn was made fast in the mizzen rio-o-innr, and several jacks were hoisted in different parts of the ship. The enemy soon repaired his damages for a fresh attacl^: ; he now placed himself with both his ships, on my starboard quarter, out of the reach of my carronndcs, and where my stern tmns could not be brought to bear ; he there kept up a most galling fire, which it was out of my power to return, when I saw- no prospect of injuring him, without getting under way and be- coming the assailant. My topsail sheets and halyards were all shot away, as well as the jib and fore-top-mast-stay-sail hal vards. The only rope not cut was the flying-jib halyards ; and that being 312 ATTACK ON THE ESSEX. Conimudore Porter. the only sail I could set, I caused it to l3C hoisted, my cable to he cut, and ran down on both ships, with an intention of laying the Phoebe on board. The firing on both sides was now tremen- dous ; I had let fall my fore-topsail and foresail, but the want of tacks and sheets had rendered them almost useless to us ; yet we were enabled for a short time to close with the enemy ; and althougli our decks were now strewed with dead, and our cock- pit filled with wounded ; although our ship had been several time's on fire, and was rendered a perfect wreck, we were still encouraged to hope to save her, from the circumstance of the Cherub, from her crippled state, being compelled to haul olT. She did not return to close action again, although she apparently had it in her povv-er to do so, but kept up a distant firing M'ith long guns. The Pha'be, from our disaljled state was enal)led, however, by edging off, to choose the distance which best suited her long guns, and kept up a tremendous fire on us, which mowed down my brave companions by the dozen. Manv of my ATTACK ON THE ESSEX. 313 g-uns had been rendered useless by the enemy's shot, and many of them had their whole crews destroyed. We manned them again, from those which were disabled, and one gun in particu- lar was three times manned ; fifteen were slain at it in the course of the action ! But, strange as it may appear, the captain of it escaped with only a slight wound. Finding that the enemy had it in his power to choose his dis- tance, I now gave up all hopes of closing with him ; and as the wind for the moment seemed to favour the design, I determined to endeavour to run her on shore, land my men, and destroy her. Every thing seemed to favour my wishes. We had approached the shore within musket-shot, and I had no doubt of succeedino-, when in an instant the wind shifted from the land, (as is very common in this port in the latter part of the day,) and payed our head down on the Phoebe, where we were again exposed to a dreadful raking fire. My ship was now totally unmanageable ; yet as her head was towards the enemy, and he to leeward of me, I still hoped to be* able to board him. At this moment, Lieutenant-Commandant Downes came on board to receive my orders, under the impression that I should soon be a prisoner. He could be of no use to me in the then wretched state of the Essex, and finding (from the enemy's putting his helm up) that my last attempt at boarding would not succeed, I directed him, after he had been about ten minutes on board, to return to his own ship, to be prepared for defending and destroying her in case of attack. He took with him several of my wounded, leavin^ determined efforts for the recovery of his pieces, the British general began to despair of any better success from a third ; l3ut the fortunate arrival of another reinforcing party from Fort George, now protected by four of the British fleet, reanimating his troops, he put them in readiness for another charge, by forming a fresh line with the new detachment. Upwards of half an hour having elapsed since his second repulse, it was considered very doubtful by the Americans, whether their ability to maintain their ground would be put to another trial. Excessively fatigued by the violence of the last struggle, their canteens being exhausted, and no water (an article now almost as indispensable as ammuni- tion) at hand to replenish them, it would be wondered at if they had either courted or desired a renewal of the contest. But they were determined to lose no part of the reputation which they had that night acquired, and if the cannon were again to be defended, they would be defended with equal vigour and ani- THIRD CONTEST FOR THE CANNON. 377 mation. Their doubts were very soon removed by the approach, in a more extended hne, of the whole body of the British troops, who, independently of their reinforcements, had the advantage of being amply refreshed from the plentiful resources of Queens- town and St. David's. The advance of the enemy was no sooner made known to General Ripley's line, than the ardour of all his men instantly revived, and remembering the order of their gallant commander, to refuse their fire, they prepared to receive that of the approach- ing line. The British delivered their fire nearly within the same dis- tance as before, but they did not fall back from the fire of the Americans with the same precipitation. Their fresh line steadily advanced, and repeated its discharge ; the Americans remained firm, and returned it ; and an ol^stinate and tremendous conflict followed. The 21st again manifested its determined character, and, under the direction of Colonel Miller, dealt out a destructive fire upon its assailants. The right and left repeatedly fell back, but were as often rallied, and brought into the line, to preserve which, the exertions of the general and Colonels Miller, Nicholas, and Jessup, and all the other officers were constantly required. On the ^other hand, the fresh troops of the British, were as unshaken as their antagonists, the 21st ; but the regiments and sections which had been before repulsed, recoiled again, and were repeatedly urged forward by their officers. At length the two lines were on the very summit of the hill, each at the point of the bayonets of the other, and both appealing to that weapon with unusual force and rapidity. Such was the obstinacy of the contending parties, that many battalions on both sides were forced back by the vigour of the combat, and the British and American lines became mingled with each other. At that part of the height on which the cannon were stationed, the battle \vas most desperate. The enemy having forced himself into the very midst of Major Hindman's artillery, two pieces of which the officers of that corps were compelled to spike, he was warmly engaged across the carriages and guns ; and the slaughter which took place upon the eminence, sufficiently evinced his detenni- nation to recapture, and the resolution of the American artil- 2 1 2 48 378 FINAL DEFEAT OF THE BRITISH. lerists to retain the trophies which the gallantry of the infantry had won. The close and personal contests now prevailing from one end of the line to the other, produced a degree of confusion, which the coolness and energy of the general could scarcely suppress. The broken sections were at length, however, restored to the line, and having regained their several positions, compelled the enemy's right and left wings to fall back. The centre of his line, imitating the example of the flanks, also gave way, and the assault upon the artillery, after a dreadful conflict, being at this moment repulsed, the whole British line fled precipitately a third time. The personal and most active exertions of their principal officers could not retard the flight of the troops, and they retreated beyond the reach either of musketry or cannon. General Drum- mond, seeing that the repulse of this last and most determined effort had wearied and depressed his line, and feeling assured that it would be difficult to lead them on to another attempt, which, too, in all probability, would be followed by a more dis- astrous discomfiture, consented to relinquish his cannon, and retired beyond the borders of the field, over which were strewed the dead and wounded of both armies. At the commencement of the last charge, Major-General Brown, while attending to the formation of Lieutenant-Colonel Leaven- worth's battalion, was severely wounded by a musket ball, in the ricrht thio-h. A little while after, he received a second wound on the left side, and being compelled to quit the field, retired also to the Chippewa, and devolved the command on General Ripley. Though the British had been forced to withdraw from the action, that officer, not knowing whether they had yet yielded the victory, or whether they contemplated the adoption of measures, by which still to retrieve the honour of their arms, reformed his line, and held it in readiness to receive an attack, in whatever manner it should be made. Convinced of the necessity of the removal of the captured can- non, and of the immense loss which would thence be prevented. General Ripley had frequently despatched his aid to General Brown, for the means of transporting them from the field. No means were, however, at hand, most of the horses being already MENDACITY OF THE BRITISH. 379 killed, and the remainder necessary to draw off the American pieces. General Ripley, therefore, at the close of the engage- ment, ordered General Porter to detach a party of his volunteers to assist in their removal. But the British guns being unlim- bered, and in a dismantled condition, it was found to be imprac- ticable to draw them away, but by means of dragropes ; none of which were at that time on the ground. Reluctant as were all the troops of the line to abandon the trophies which had been gained by the resistless valour of the second brigade, to difficulties now found to be insurmountable, they were obliged to yield. It was at this moment, while in conversation with Lieutenant- Colonel Leavenworth, whose battalion was then condensed with the 25th regiment, and commanded l^y Lieutenant-Colonel Jessup, and who had been sent by that olhcer, for directions as to the dispositions of the first brigade, that General Ripley received an order from General Brown to collect the dead and wounded, and to return with the army to its encampment on the Chippewa. Li obedience to the wishes of the commander-in-chief, this order was put into immediate execution. Major Hindman, with the artillery, was already on his march, and the remnants of the regular and volunteer brigades, having first rolled the smaller pieces of the enemy's cannon down the precipice, returned to the camp in good order, and without molestation, about one o'clock on the morning of the 26th. In this instance, as at the defense of Sackett's Harbour, where it has been seen, the British troops were opposed and repulsed by the same commander, the enemy claimed another decisive and more brilliant victory. The governor-general. Sir George Prevost, and the commanding-general, Drummond, complimented the regulars and militia engaged in it, '■'for tlieir exemplary steadiness^ gallantry, and discipli?ie, in rejndsing all the efforts of a numerous and determined enemy, to carry tlie position of Lundfs lane^ and announced, " that their exertions had been croivned with success, by the complete defeat of the enemy''' If, upon ground of their own selection, and with a body of sixteen hundred and thirty-seven men, to assail an advance party of an enemy of only seven hundred and fifty, and after an hour's obstinate conflict, to repose on their arms, until they could be 380 REMARKS ON THE BATTLE. relieved by reinforcements ; — if, after a mutual reinforcement, their enemy's numbers should amount to two brigades of four- teen hundred and fifty infantry, a detachment of three hundred and sixty-seven artillery, and a corps of six hundred volunteers, makino- in all two thousand four hundred and seventeen men, and their own force should consist, according with a report of one of tlieir officers, of three thousand four hundred and fifty regulars, twelve hundred incorporated militia, and four hundred and eighty Indians, making in all, five thousand one hundred and thirty men, and, with this disparity of strength, they should be driven from the eminence on which they had advantageously posted themselves, wdth the loss, too, of all their cannon ; — if, after three desperate assaults, any one of them up- wards of twenty minutes in duration, for the recovery of their battery, and with the ability to interpose fresh lines, to be suc- cessfully repulsed, with immense losses, and after a contest of six hours (from half past five in the evening, until twelve at night) between some of the best disciplined troops of Europe, and the newly raised recruits, the former eventually to withdraw from the field, and leave their enemy in possession, not only of their cannon, but of one of their generals, the second in command, the first having narrowly escaped capture. If this be to effect the complete defeat and overthrow of their adversary, the Britisli troops certainly achieved a brilliant and decisive victory ; the governor-general of the Canadas was in the performance of his duty when he complimented them for their steadiness ; and the prince regent of England betrayed no precipitation, wdien he an- nounced it to the world, and permitted " Niagara" to be worn upon the caps of one of the regiments. The captured artillery, it is true, w^as reobtained hy its original owners, but its return to their possession was neither the result of any desperate effort to regain it, nor the evidence of a victory. They had entered into the engagement under circumstances highly advantageous. Their force could be continually augmented either by requisitions for militia, or by the concentration of their regulars from the neighbouring posts, and was already double the strength of the Americans. Tliey were surrounded by deposits of ammunition, and being in tlje RESULTS OF THE BATTLE. 381 vicinity of the garrisons, could at any time administer to the wants of their army. Not so the Americans. They were at a distance from any resources, whence they might derive either supplies or reinforcements. Their numbers had been lessened by repeated skirmishes with the enemy, and by the casualties commonly incident to armies. With the odds against them, they had been drawn into this tremendous struggle, the long duration of which so much exhausted their troops, and reduced their numbers, that after becoming the entire masters of the field, and keeping possession of it nearly an hour, they retired, with a force not amounting to the complement of two regiments. In this reduced state, and without the means of removing the captured property, they left the enemy's cannon at the foot of the eminence, on which they had proudly and gallantly wrested it from him. Had their means been less limited, they might have embellished the conquest not only with these, but other splendid trophies, j)ut all disputation for ever at rest, and left no alternative to the enemy, but an acknowledgment of his defeat and disgrace. In a battle, desperate and tremendous as this is represented to have been, the losses on each side must necessarily have been immense. In killed, wounded, prisoners, and missing, the total of both armies amounted to one thousand seven hundred and twenty-nine, the proportion being nearly equal, and the killed and wounded alone one thousand three hundred and eighty-four. On the side of the enemy, one assist- ant adjutant-general, one captain, three subalterns, and seventy- nine non-commissioned officers and privates were killed ; Lieu- tenant-General Drummond, Major-General Riall, and three lieutenant-colonels, two majors, eight captains, twenty-two sub- alterns, and five hundred and twenty-two non-commissioned officers and privates were wounded; and the prisoners and missing amounted to one aid-de-camp, (Captain Loring,) five captains, nine other subalterns, and two hundred and twenty non-commissioned officers and privates, making in all eight hundred and seventy-eight men. Many officers of distinction fell also on the other side, and the total loss was little less than that of the British. It consisted of one major, five captains, five subalterns, and one hundred and 382 REMARKS ON THE BATTLE. fifty -nine non-commissioned officers and privates, killed ; Major- General Brown, Brigadier-Generals Scott and Porter, two aids- de-camp, one brigade major, one colonel, four lieutenant-colonels, one major, seven captains, thirty-seven subalterns, and five hundred and fifteen non-commissioned officers and privates, wounded; and one brigade major, one captain, six subalterns, and one hundred and two non-commissioned officers and privates, missing ; making a grand total of eight hundred and fifty-one, and a difference of twenty-seven only, between the contending parties. Of the individual gallantry of the officers, from the highest in rank down to the youngest subaltern, the most positive evidence is furnished, by the long list of killed and w^ounded. Every man upon the field being engaged in the battle, the bravery of no one officer w^as distinguishable from another, except in those instances wdien, by the change of the enemy's movements, detachments w^ere thrown into situations, from which they could be extricated only by the most daring intrepidity. When the American forces returned to their encampment at the Chippewa, Major-General Brown directed General Ripley to refresh the troops, and proceed with them, early in the morn- ing, to the battle ground — with a view, no doubt, to reconnoiter the enemy, and if he loitered near the field, in a position from which he might be advantageously driven, to engage him ; but certainly not to assail a superior force, under circumstances, to the last degree unfavourable, and wdiich would inevitably result in the total destruction of the American army. The troops, now^ amounting to about fifteen hundred and sixty, being put in motion, in obedience to this order General Ripley despatched reconnoitering parties in advance of his main body. From these he learned that the enemy w^as posted on the field in advance of his former position on the eminence, reinforced as had been reported by the prisoners, his line drawn up between the river and a thick wood, his flanks resting on each, and his cannon stationed so as to enfilade the road. Under such circumstances, it would have been highly injudicious to have attacked him, and w^here no advantages are to be gained, the useless effusion of human blood is a stain upon the ability and valour as well as RIPLEY RETIRES TO FORT ERIE. 383 upon the judgment and humanity of the soldier. General Ripley, seeing the impossibility of regaining the field of battle, and the probability of his own flanks being compelled to fall back, by the immense superiority of the enemy's numbers, turned his army towards the Chippewa; wdience, having first destroyed the bridges over that stream, as well as the platforms, which he had previously constructed at the enemy's old w^orks there, he pur- sued his retreat towards the Fort Erie, and reached it in good order on the following day. There he determined upon making a decided stand against the British troops, whose regular and gradual approaches he anticipated. 384 OPERATIONS ON THE NIAGARA FRONTIER. CHAPTER XIX. ^iirlliec ©jperatbim^ en t|)g 'NafflgaTa iFreEtift. HIS retrograde movement of the Ame- rican army was no sooner effected, and the situations of the different regiments allotted in the encamp- ments, than the commanding general (Ripley) immediately directed the lines of defense to be extended, the fort enlarged, and new batteries erected. With the aid of the engineers, Lieutenant-Colonels Wood and McRee, defenses of abatis, traverses, intrenchments, and redoubts were instantly commenced, and from the 27th of July until the 2d or 3d of August, the troops were employed night and day, in placing the works in a state to sustain the expected and almost certain attack. Had Lieutenant-General Drummond followed up the victory which he claimed, he would have found the shattered American brigades scarcely in any kind of condition to resist him. But the cautious enemy did not choose to pursue a retreating army, whose troops had given him such signal proofs BRITISH APPROACH FORT ERIE. 385 of their intrepidity, until his own numbers were again enlarged. On the 29th of July, being reinforced by the right and left wings of De Watteville's troops, eleven hundred strong, he pushed forward to the investment of the fort. This rein- forcement extended his numbers to five thousand three hundred and fifty-two men, and with this formidable superiority of strength, he appeared on the 3d day of August, before a fort, which but a few days before was declared by the enemy to be a wretched stockade, altogether incapable of defense. Having driven in the American pickets, and formed his en- campment two miles distant from the garrison, he gradually ap- proached within four or six hundred yards of the fort, properly so called, commenced a double line of intrenchments, erected batteries in front of them at points from which he could throw in an eflfectual fire, and planted his cannon so as to enfilade the works. Seeing by these indications that the British commander was preparing for a regular siege. General Ripley availed him- self of the time thus lost by the enemy in opening his trenches, and carried on his defensive arrangements with unceasing alacrity. The approach of the British army, on the 2d of August, being discovered by Major Morgan of the 1st riflemen, to whom, with a detachment of two hundred and forty men, the defense of the village of Buffalo, which had regained its former flourishing condition, was intrusted, he suspected the enemy of making a feint upon Fort Erie, with a view to an actual attack upon Buf- falo. To defeat any such object, he immediately took a position on the upper side of Conejockeda creek, cut away the bridge crossing it, and threw up a breastwork of logs in the course of the niglit. Though the British general had no intention of making a feint, Major Morgan's precautions, in anticipation of an attack, were not uselessly adopted ; for, early in the morning of the 3d, a detachment^ of the enemy's 41st regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel Tucker, crossed the Niagara, in nine boats, and landed about half a mile below the creek. At the approach of day, the British colonel commenced an attack upon the de- tachment, and sent forward a party to repair the bridge under cover of his fire. Major Morgan did not attempt to retard the 2K 49 386 DEFENSE OF FORT ERIE. enemy's advances until he was within rifle distance, when he opened a fire which proved so destructive, that Lieutenant- Colonel Tucker fell back to the skirt of a neighbouring wood, and kept up the contest at long shot. In the mean time General Drummond threw over reinforcements, and the British detach- ment now amounted to nearly twelve hundred men. With this force Colonel Tucker attempted to flank his antagonist, by de- spatching his left wing to ford the creek above, and press down upon the opposite side ; this movement being observed, Major ^Iorgan sent forward Lieutenants Ryan, Smith, and Armstrong, to oppose the fording party. Between these detachments an engagement took place a short distance above the breastwork, and after several heavy discliarges, the enemy fell back to his main body, with considerable loss. Lieutenant-Colonel Tucker, finding that the object of his expedition against Buffalo, the re- capture of General Riall, and the destruction of the public stores there, could not be achieved without an immense loss, and knowing the desire of Lieutenant-General Drummond, to aug- ment, rather than decrease the force destined for the siege of the fort, on the opposite shore, he determined on abandoning the enterprise, and drawing of his troops to Squaw island, returned thence to the Canadian shore. With so small a force Major Morgan could not attempt to annoy him in his retreat. He is supposed to have lost a considerable number of men, many dead bodies being found in the creek, and upon the field, and six pri- soners being taken by the detachment. In this gallant little aff'air. Captain Hamilton, and Lieutenants Wadsworth and Mcintosh of the riflemen, and five privates were wounded, and two privates killed. By the 7th of August, most of the batteries and traverses about Fort Erie were completed. Upon a battery upwards of twenty feet high, and situated at Snake Hill, the southern extremity of the worlvs, five guns were mounted, aryi the command given to Major Towson, of the artillery. Two other batteries between Towson's and the main works, one mounting three guns, under Captain Biddle, and the other two guns, under Lieutenant Fon- taine, were also completed. The northern point of the fort had been extended to the water, and the Douglass battery, of two DEFENSE OF FORT ERIE. 387 guns, erected on the bank. The dragoons, infantry, riflemen, and volunteers, were encamped between the western ramparts and the water, and the artillery, under Major Hindman, stationed within the main works. Whilst these preparations were making, several partial can- nonades took place, without any known effect on either side. Before any regular firing was commenced, Brigadier-General Gaines arrived at the fort, and assumed the command of the army. General Ripley then returned to the command of his brigade. The British army was now strongly posted behind their works, and General Gaines determined to ascertain their strength, and endeavour, if possible, to draw them out. On the Gth, he sent the rifle corps, with Major Morgan, who had been previously transferred from the American shore, to pass through the woods, intervening between the British lines and the fort, and with orders to amuse the enemy's light troops, until his columns should indicate an intention to move; in that event. Major Morgan was to retire gradually, until his corps should have fallen back upon a strong line posted in the plain before the fort, to receive the pursuing British troops. HE object of this movement failed — Major Morgan having encountered and forced the enemy's light troops into the lines, with the loss of eleven killed, and three wounded, and made prisoners ; and not- mthstanding he maintained his position upwards of two hours, he could not suc- ceed in drawing forth the main body of the British troops. He therefore returned to the fort, after losing five men killed, and four wounded. By the 10th, the enemy's line was protected by several block- houses, and a long wooden breastwork. To examine these works, Captain Birdsall, of the 4th rifle regiment, was sent out with a detachment of the 1st, and his own company, amounting in all to one hundred and sixty men. After some skirmishing, he succeeded in beating in two of their picket guards, with a loss on their side of ten men killed, and one killed and three wounded of the riflemen. 388 DEFENSE OF FORT ERIE. On the 12th, a working party of the enemy, supported by a guard of his light troops, M^as discovered to be opening an avenue for the construction of an additional battery, from whicli to annoy the rear of the fort. Agreeably to the orders of General Gaines, Major Morgan detached about one hundred men, under Captain Birdsall, to cut them off; that officer immediately assailed the guard, and after a smart contest, drove in both it and the working party. In the event of the enemy's guard being reinforced from their lines. Major Morgan had been also ordered to hold his corps in readiness to support Captain Birdsall ; and as a large body of the enemy w^as observed to be approaching upon the detachment, the major promptly moved forward and engaged it. A warm and spirited conflict fol- lowed, in which several men were killed on both sides. At length, however, an additional party of the enemy coming up to the aid of that engaged, Major Morgan ordered his corps to retire, and had scarcely given a signal to that effect, when he received a musket ball in the head, which for ever deprived the garrison and the country of his valuable services. The corps was conducted to the fort l)y Captain Birdsall, and the body of its brave and lamented commander interred at Buffalo, with the proper honours and solemnities. During these repeated skirmishes, and in the intervals, be- tween the sorties of detachments, the besiegers and the besieged were diligently engaged in strengthening their respective works ; and from the 7th until the 14th of the month, an almost unceas- ing fire was kept up between them, with various effect. On the night of the 14th, the emotion and tumult in the British encampment gave certain indications of an intended attack upon the fort. General Ripley, always on the alert, Avas among the first to discover these indications, and having first ordered his brigade, stationed to the left, to be formed within the line of defense, he despatched his aid. Lieutenant Kirby, to inform General Gaines of his conviction of the enemy's contemplation. General Gaines was himself already persuaded that an attempt would very soon be made to storm the garrison ; and Lieutenant Kirby had no sooner delivered his message at head-quarters, than the firing of a picket, commanded by Lieutenant Belknap, DEFENSE OF FORT ERIE. 389 of the infantry, assured him that the moment had arrived. Dis- positions were immediately made to receive the assault, and the troops of the garrison anticipated its result with pride and enthusiasm. Lieutenant-General Drummond having appointed the morn- ing of the 15th for a vigorous and sudden assault upon the fort, had previously arranged the order of attack in three col- umns, to be made at three distinct points, with a view to harass and distract the garrison. His right column, under Lieute- nant-Colonel Fischer, of the 8th, and composed of parts of the 89th and 100th regiments, De Watte ville's, detachments from the royal artillery with rockateers, and a picket of cavalry, was to make a detour of three miles through the woods, and to assault the southern extremity of the works. His centre column, under Lieutenant-Colonel Drummond, of the 104th, and com- posed of detachments from that and the 41st regiment of infantry, of the royal artillery, seamen and marines, was to be conducted by Captain Barney, of the 89th, to the attack of the fort. The left column under Colonel Scott, of the 103d, and composed of that regiment, was to be led by Captain Elliot, to penetrate the openings in the works between the fort and the lake, and to scale the battery upon the bank. In advance of Lieutenant Fischer's column, the British pickets on Buck's road, together with the Indians of the encampment, were to be pushed on by Lieutenant-Colonel Nichols, to drive in the American outposts. The royals, another part of De Watteville's regiment, the Glengarians, and the incorporated militia, under Lieutenant-Colonel Tucker, were to be held in reserve ; and the 19th light dragoons, stationed in the ravine in the rear of the fort, to receive and convey the prisoners to the encampment, a duty which it did not fall to their lot to perform. General Gaines, not knowing at what points the assault would be made, prepared to receive it at all those which he suspected the enemy might judge to be assailable. The command of the fort and bastions was given to Captain Alexander Williams, of the artillery, which, with the battery on the margin of the lake, under Lieutenant Douglass, of the engineers, and thence called the Douglass battery, formed the north-east and south-east 2k2 390 EXPLOSION OF THE MAGAZINE. General Gaines. angle of the works. In a block-house, near the salient bastion, a detachment of the 19th infantry was stationed under Major Trimble. The batteries in front, under Captains Biddle and Fanning, were supported by General Porter's volunteers, and the corps of riflemen. The whole body of artillery, distributed throughout the garrison was commanded by Major Hindman. The first brigade of infantry, under Lieutenant-Colonel Aspin- wall, was posted on the right; and General Ripley's brigade supported Towson's battery, and the line upon the left. On the evening of the 14th, a few hours before the commencement of the assault, and whilst these dispositions were making to repel it, one of the enemy's shells fell into a small magazine within the American works, and produced an awful explosion. From one end of the British line to the other, a loud shout was in consequence uttered, but as no bad effect followed the explosion, the shout was repeated in the fort, and in the midst of the enemy's exultation, Captain Williams immediately discharged all his heavy pieces. At half an hour after two, on the morning of the 15th, though the darkness was excessive, the approach of Lieutenant-Colonel Fischer, with the right column, thirteen hundred strong, was distinctly heard on the left of the garrison. The 2d brigade, ASSAULT ON FORT ERIE. 391 the command of the 21st regiment having been given to Lieute- nant-Colonel Wood, of the engineers, and the artillery of Tow- son's battery were prepared to receive him. Marching promptly forward, Lieutenant-Colonel Fischer assailed the battery with scaling ladders, and the line toward the lake with the bayonet. He was permitted to come close up to the works, when the 21st and 23d regiments, and the artillery upon the battery opened a sudden and tremendous fire, which threw his whole column into confusion, rendered him utterly unable to sustain the contest, and prevented his making an impression upon the works. Having i'e tired some distance to reorganize his column, he immediately made new arrangements for, and varied the shape of, his next attack, so as to avoid those points, from which the greatest measure of destruction had been dealt out to him. According to the general plan, however, which it was incumbent on him to pursue, it was necessary that the battery should be carried ; but, with the means to effect this object he Vv'as badly provided. With scaling ladders of no more than sixteen feet in length, he could not possibly throw his troops upon a battery of about twenty- five feet high, and his second attempt, equally furious as the first, met with no greater success. He was again repulsed, and with considerable loss. Convinced of his inability to get possession of the battery, and feeling the deadly effects of the incessant showers of grape which were thrown upon him, he determined in his next effort to pass the point of the abatis, by wading breast deep into the lake, to which the works were open. In this attempt also he was unsuccessful, nearly two hundred of his men being either killed or drowned, and the remainder precipitately falling back. W ithout waiting to know the result of the attack, upon the right of the works, which had been al- ready made by the second and third column, he ordered a retreat to the British encampment, which he did not effect, without the loss of many of his rear guard, taken prisoners, in a sally made from the works by the order of General Ripley. The attack from the centre and left column, the first of seven hundred, and the second of eight hundred men, was reserved until the contest became very animated between Lieutenant- Colonel Fischer's column and the troops upon the left. From the 392 ASSAULT ON FORT ERIE. line of defenses, between the Douglass battery and the fort, and from those in front of the garrison, Lieutenant-General Drum- mond supposed reinforcements would be drawn to the aid of the southern extremity of the works, and with this view he had given greater strength to his right, than to his other columns, and in- tended to avail himself of the consequent weakened state of the north and south-east angles of the American post. The pickets being driven in, the approach of Lieutenant- Colonel Drummond was heard from the ravine, and Colonel Scott's column at the same time advanced along the margin of the water. From the salient bastion of the fort. Captain Wil- liams immediately opened his hre upon the centre column, whilst the approach of Colonel Scott was attempted to be checked by the Douglass battery, and Captains Boughton's and Harding's New York and Pennsylvania volunteers on its right ; the 9th infantry under Captain Foster, on its left ; and a six-pounder, planted at that point; under the management of Colonel McRee. At fifty yards distance from the line, the enemy's left column made a momentary pause, and instantly recoiled from the fire of the cannon and musketry. But the centre column, having advanced upon every assailable point of the fort, in defiance of the rapid and heavy discharges of the artillery, and having ascended the parapet by means of a large number of scaling ladders, its ofiicers called out to the line, extending to the lake, to desist firing — an artifice which succeeded so well, that the Douglass battery, and the infantry, supposing the order to proceed from the gar- rison, suspended their fire, until the deception was discovered. The left column in the mean time, recovered from its confusion, and was led up to a second charge, from which it was again re- pulsed before it had an opportunity of planting the scaling lad- ders, and with the loss of its commander, and upwards of one- third of its men. . Whilst the second attempt was in operation, the centre column was, with great difl^iculty, thrown back from the sctlient bastion ; and the troops within the fort, were quickly reinforced from General Ripley's brigade, and General Porter's volunteers. But Lieutenant-Colonel Drummond, actuated by a determination (not to be overcome by a single repulse) to force an entrance into ASSAULT ON FORT ERIE. 395 the garrison, and momentarily expecting- the reserve to be ordered up by the heutenant-general, returned to the assault a second and a third time. By the gallant efforts, however, of Major Hindman, and his artillery, and the infantry detachment of Major Trimble, he was, each time, more signally repulsed than before; and Colonel Scott's column having withdrawn from the action, upon the fall of its leader, Lieutenant Douglass was busily en- gaged in giving such direction to the guns of his battery, as to cut off the communication between Drummond's column and the reserve of Lieutenant-Colonel Tucker. HE new bastions which had been com- menced for the enlargement of the old Fort Erie, not being yet com- pleted, the only op})osition wliich could be given to the enemy's ap- proaches upon those points, was by means of small arms. The batteries of Captain Biddle and Captain Fan- ning (formerly Fontaine's) in the works intervening between Towson's battery and the fort, were, therefore, opened u])on the enemy with great vivacity, and his advances from the plain, frequently checked l^y those gallant and meritorious officers. After this third repulse, Lieutenant-Colonel Drummond, taking advantage of the darkness of the morning, and of the heavy columns of smoke, which concealed all objects from the view of the garrison, moved his troops silently round the ditch, repeated his charge, and reascended his ladders with such velocity, as to gain footing on the parapet, before any effectual opposition could he made. Being in the very midst of his men, he directed them to charge vigorously with their pilvcs and bayonets, and to show no quarter to any yielding soldier of the garrison.* This order * General Gaines, in his official letter, speaking of Lieutenant-Colonel Drummond, observes, " The order of ' Give the Yankees no quarter,'' was often reiterated by this officer, whose bravery, if it had been seasoned with virtue, would have entitled him to the admiration of every soldier." 396 ASSAULT ON FORT ERIE. was executed with the utmost rapidity, and the most obstinate previous parts of the engagement formed no kind of parallel to the violence and desperation of the present conflict. Ca})tain Williams, and Lieutenants McDonough and Wat- mough, of the artillery, being in the most conspicuous situations, were personally engaged with the assailants, and were all se verely wounded ; tlie first, Captain Williams, mortally.* Not all the efforts of Major Hindman and his command, nor Major Trimble's infantry, nor a detachment of riflemen under Captain Birdsall, who liad posted himself in the ravelin, opposite the gateway of the fort, could dislodge the determined and intrepid enemy from the bastion ; though the deadly effects of their fire prevented his approaches beyond it. He had now complete pos- session of the bastion. About this time. Lieutenant McDonough's wounds rendered him almost incapable of further resistance, and he demanded quarter from the enemy, but Lieutenant-Colonel Drummond personally refused it, and repeated his instructions to his troops to deny it in all instances. The shocking inhu- manity of this order roused the exhausted spirit of the lieutenant, and, seizing a handspike, he defended himself against a numerous party of the assailants, until he received a pistol shot discharged at him l)y the hand of their commander. Lieutenant-Colonel Drummond survived this act but a few moments, the fall of McDonough being avenged hy a person standing near him, who immediately shot the colonel through the breast. The loss of their leader did not check the impetuosity of the enemy's troops, and they continued in the use of their pikes and small arms until the day broke, and repulsed several furious charges made upon them by detachments of the garrison. The * This amiable young officer was the son of Colonel Jonathan Williams, who had long been at the head of the United States engineer department, to whom the nation is greatly indebted for the construction of many of the principal fortifications; and who was a member elect of the fourteenth congress, from the city of Philadelphia. The captain was also formerly of the engineer corps, but having been transferred to the ar- tillery, and being anxious to share in the honours and the perils of^ the campaign of 1814, he solicited to be sent to the Niagara frontier, and received an order to repair thither from Fort Mifflin, a garrison which, for several months, he had commanded with reputation. Early in the spring of that year, though in a state of convalescence from a dancrerous fever, he proceeded to the lines, and joined the army of General Brown, in which no officer was more universally esteemed. ASSAULT ON FORT ERIE. 397 approach of daylig-ht enabled both parties to give a more certain direction to their fire. The artillerists had already severely suffered ; but, witli those that remained, and a reinforcing de- tachment of infantry, Major Hindman renewed his attempts to drive the British 41st and 104th from the bastion. Captain Bird- sail, at the same moment, drawing out his riflemen from the ravelin, rushed through the gateway into the fort, and joining in the charge, received an accidental wound from one of his own men, just as the attack failed. Detachments from the 1st brigade, under Captain Foster, Avere then introduced over the interior bastion, to the assistance of Major Hindman ; these detachments were to charge at a different point of the salient or exterior bastion, and were handsomely led on by Captain Foster and the assistant inspector-general. Major Hall. This charge also failed; the passage up the bastion not being wide enough to admit more than three men abreast. It was frequently however repeated, and thouofh it sometimes occasioned much slauo^hter amonfr the enemy's infantry, was invariably repulsed. By the operations of the artillery from a demi-bastion in the fort, and the continual blaze of hre from the small arms, added to the effects of the re- peated charges, the enemy's column, being considerably cut up, and many of its principal officers wounded, began to recoil; which, being observed by the besieged party, and the contest having entirely subsided on the left flank of the works, reinforce- ments were brought up from that point, and many of the enemy's troops, in a few moments, thrown from the bastion. The British reserve was now expected to come up; the guns at the Douglass battery had by this time been turned so as to en- filade that column in its approach ; Captain Fanning was already playing upon the enemy with great effect ; and Captain Biddle was ordered to post a piece of artillery so as to enfilade the salient glacis. This piece was served with uncommon vivacity, not- withstanding Captain Biddle had been severely wounded in the shoulder. All these preparations being made for an effectual operation upon the enemy's remaining column, and from the dreadful carnage which had already taken place, it was scarcely supposed that he would continue the assault much longer. But three or four hundred men of the reserve, were about to rush 2L 398 RESULT OF THE ASSAULT. upon the parapet to the assistance of those recoihng, when a tre- mendous and dreadful explosion took place, under the platform, which carried away the bastion, and all who happened to he npon it.* The enemy's reserve immediately fell back, and in a short time the contest terminated in the entire defeat of the assailants, who returned with the shattered columns, to their encampment. On retiring from the assault, according to the report of General Gaines, the British army left upon the field two hun- dred and twenty-two killed, among whom were fourteen officers of distinction, one hundred and seventy-four wounded, and one hundred and eighty-six prisoners, making a total of five hun- dred and eighty-two. Others who were slightly wounded had been carried to their works. The olficial account of Lieutenant-General Drummond docs not acknowledge so large a number in killed, but makes the aggregate loss much greater. His adjutant-general reported fifty-seven killed, three hundred and nine wounded, and five hundred and thirty-nine missing — in all nine hundred and five. The American loss amounted to seventeen killed, fifty-six wounded, and one lieutenant, (Fontaine,) who Avas thrown over the parapet while defending the bastion, and ten privates pri- soners — in all eighty-four men ; making a difference in their favour of eight hundred and twenty-one. During the cannonade and bombardment which commenced on the 13th, and continued * This explosion, to which alone the enemy attributed the failure of his arms, not- withstanding the signal repulses of his right and left columns, has been variously accounted for. It was occasioned by the communication of a spark to an ammunition chest, placed under the platform of the bastion, but by what means the narrator of this event has not been able, after an investigation of many papers written to him upon the subject, to ascertain. It is to be regretted, that a fact constituting so important a feature in this memorable defease, should never have been satisfactorily developed. Several letters from officers, engaged at the right flank of the American works, state it to have been the result of entire accident; whilst others relate, that Lieutenant McDonough, not having been immediately removed from the foot of the bastion, on which he had been twice wounded, and being highly exasperated at the determination which he saw in the conduct of the enemy's troops to show no mercy to the vanquished soldier, resolved upon devoting himself to stop the ])rogress of their inhuman career, and to this end threw a lighted match into a chest of ammunition, and by its immediate explosion, produced those tremendous eifects, which restored the bastion to the Americans, and terminated the conflict. GENERAL GAINES WOUNDED. 399 until an hour before the assault on the morning of the 15th, forty- five men of the American garrison were killed and wounded. Captain Biddle, Lieutenant Zantzinger, and Adjutant-Lieute- nant Watmough, of the artillery, and Lieutenant Patterson, of the 19tli infanty, among the latter. A night or two before the attack upon Fort Erie, the British general furnished Captain Dobbs, of the royal navy, with a sufficient number of troops to man nine boats, which w^ere com- pletely fitted, to attack the three schooners, the Somers, Porcu- pine, and Ohio, then lying at anchor off" the fort. The Porcupine succeeded in beating them off, but the Somers and Ohio were carried, after a gallant resistance, in which the enemy lost two seamen Ivilled, and four wounded ; and the schooners, one seaman Ivilled, and three officers and four seamen wounded. The cap- tured schooners were taken down the Niagara, and anchored near Frenchman's creek ; the Porcupine immediately after sailed for the town of Erie. In consequence of his immense losses in the assault, the enemy's force was reduced almost to the number of the troops within the garrison ; and until he was again reinforced, he did not think proper to carry on his operations. A few days brought him a reinforcement of two full regiments, and having enlarged his batteries, and made arrangements to force the Americans to the evacuation of Fort Erie, he opened a fire from his whole line, and threw in hot shot, shells, and every destructive imple- ment within his reach, without intermission, during the re- mainder of the month of August. On the 28th General Gaines was severely wounded in several parts of his body, by a shell Avhich fell through the roof of his quarters, and exploded at his feet. He was fortunate enough to escape suffocation, by gaining the door of the apartment, but being entirely disabled, he retired to Buffalo, and left the command again in the hands of General Ripley, who neglected no means to facilitate the completion of the works, which, with the assistance of the engineers, he had originally planned. •v^^ 400 OPERATIONS ON THE NIAGARA FRONTIE CHAPTER XX. HE o|jerations against tlie enemy's positions along the Niagara liad scarcely been entered upon, wlion the governor-general, k-^h* George Prevost matured the plan of an ex- pedition, having for its object, the invasion of the American territory from Lower Canada ; the defeat and destruction of the right division of the United States army, then lying in the neio'hbonrhood of Plattsburff, under Major-General Izard ; and tlie subjugation of the country to Crown Point and Ticonderoga. No offensive measures, against any part of Lower Canada, by this army, being in contemplation, and the apprehensions of the war department having been strongly excited about the safety of the left division, after its investment at Fort Erie, General Izard received orders to march for that post, with a reinforcement of PREVOST S EXPEDITION. 401 the largest proportion of his troops, and to assume the command of the garrison. Accordingly, after detaching about fifteen hun- dred men, under Brigadier-General Macomb, most of whom were either sick or convalescent, and requiring of General Mooers, of the New York militia, the aid of a few volunteer companies, for the defense of Plattsburg, he marched for Sackett's Harbour, ^vith upwards of three thousand men. Being thus left in com- mand of a position, open to the attacks of the enemy's naval, as well as his land forces. General Macomb neglected no precaution to prevent surprise, and to put his small army in the best state of discipline, though on the 1st of September, in consequence of the best brigades having been broken up, to form General Izard's division, he had but one battalion properly organized. Tlie works erecting were on that day unfinished, and the troops, therefore, divided into detachments to complete them. Transports, with troops, had been continually arriving at Que- bec, from England, and such was the secrecy and address with which Sir George Prevost made preparations for his intended expedition, that, before the 1st of September, he had organized a powerful army of fourteen thousand men, opposite Montreal, constituted of the most experienced generals, and distinguished officers of the British army. This comparatively immense force consisted of three brigades, and a corps of reserve, the brigades being divided into twenty-four divisions, and having a staff com- posed of two lieutenant-generals, five major-generals, and a pro- portionate number of assistants and deputies. The respective l^rigades were commanded by major-generals Robertson, Powers, Brisbane, and Baynes, (adjutant-general.) Major-General Kempt comuianded the reserve. Sir Sidney Beckwith was quarter- master-general to this army, and Lieutenant-General De Rotten- burg, the second in command ; Sir George Prevost commandino- in person. Al)out the 1st of the month, lie occupied with these troops the village of Champlain, and issued addresses and proclamations, inviting the citizens to his standard, and promisino- them the protection of his majesty's government. From Champlain he continued to make gradual approaches towards Plattsburg, until the 6th. Early on the morning of that day, he made a rapid 3l2 51 402 DEFENSE OF PLATTSBURG. advance, in two columns, one coming down tlie Beckmantown road, and tlie other along the Lake road. At a bridge crossing Dead creek, intersecting the latter. General Macomb had sta- tioned a detachment of t\\-o hundred men, under Captain Sproul, of the 13th, to abatis the woods, and to place obstructions in the road ; after which, he was to fortify himself with two field- pieces, sent with him for that purpose, and to receive orders fro]}i Lieutenant-Colonel Appling, who, with one hundred rifle- men, ^^'as reconnoitering the enemy's movements some distance in advance of this position. The brigade of General Brisbane, which approached tlirougli the Beckmantown road with more rapidity than the other, was met by about seven hundred militia, under General Mooers, who, after a slight skirmish with the enemy's light parties, with the exception of one or two compa- nies fled in the greatest disorder. Those who were intrepid enough to remain, were immediately formed with a corps of two hundred and fifty regulars, under Major Wool, of the '20th, and disputed the passage of the road for some time. But their fears also getting at length the belter of tlieir judgment, notwith- standing the enemy fired only from his flankers and patrolling parties, they followed the example of their comrades, and pre- cipitately retired to the village. Major Wool's regulars remained firm, liowever, and l)eing joined by Captain Leonard's park of flying artillery, and the 6th, and a detachment of the 34th regi- ments, continued to annoy the advanced parties of the British column, and killed Lieutenant-Colonel Wellington, of the 3d, or buffs, wdio w^as at its head. General Macomb, at this moment ]iersonally directing the movements in the town, soon saw that the enemy's object in making so much more rapid a march on its west, than on the north, was to cut ofl' Lieutenant-Colonel Appling's and Captain Sprout's detachments, despatclied his aid. Lieutenant Root, with orders to those officers to withdraw their forces from Dead creek, to join the detachment of Major Wool, and to fall upon the enemy's right flank. Whilst Lieutenant-Colonel Appling was proceeding in ol)edience to this order, he was encountered on the north side of the town by the light divisions of the enemy's 1st brigade, s(mt for the purpose of cutting him off, and wliich 2 1 DEFENSE OF PLATTSEURG. 403 had that moment emerged from the woods. Their numbers were superior, and had he been delayed an instant longer on the Lake road, he must inevitably have yielded. Here he engaged, but after a short contest, retired before them. Li the centre of the town he re-engaged them, and l^eing joined by Major Wool, was ordered to retire to the American works on the south of the Saranac. HE retreat was eifected in good order, and covered by a guard of one hundred and twenty men, under Captain McGlassin, of the 15tli infantry ; the detaclimcnls alternately retiring and keeping up a brisk and effectual fire upon the British columns. Having reached the Avorks with a trifling loss. General Macomb ordered Lieutenant Harrison, of the 13th under the direction of Major AVool, and protected by Captain Leonard's artillery, to destroy the bridge over the Saranac. This order was not executed without some difficulty, the Bri- tish having occupied the houses near the bridge, with their light troops, kept up a constant fire from the windows, and wounded Lieutenants Harrison and Turner, of the 13th and Taylor, of the 34th. These troops were, however, soon after dislodged by a discharge of hot shot from the American works, and in conjunc- tion with the right column, were engaged the remainder of the day in various attempts to drive the guards from the several bridges. But the planks had all been taken up, and being- placed in the form of breastworks, served to cover the American light parties stationed for the defense of the passages. The obstructions which had been thrown in the way of tlie column advancing by the Lake road, and the destruction of tlie bridge over Dead creek, greatly impeded its approaches, and, in attempting to ford the creek, it received a severe and destructive fire from the gun-boats and galleys anchored in front of the town. But not all the galleys, aided by the armament of the 401 DEFENSE OF PLATTSBURG. whole flotilla, wliicli then lay opposite Plattsburg, under Com- modore McDonough, could have prevented the capture of Ma- comb's army, after its passage of the Saranac, had Sir George Prevost pushed his whole force upon the margin of that stream. Like General Drummond at Erie, he made a pause, m full view of the unhnished works of the Americans, and consumed five days in erecting batteries, and throwing up breastworks, for the protection of his approaches. Of this interval the American o-eneral did not fail to avail himself, and kept his troops con- stantly employed in finishing his line of redoubts. Whilst both parties were thus engaged in providing for the protection of their forces, the main body of the British army came up with the advance ; and General Macomb was also re- inforced by the militia of New York, and the volunteers from the mountains of Vermont. Skirmishes between light detach- ments, sallies from the different works, and frequent attempts to restore the bridges, served to amuse the besiegers and the be- sieged, while the former w^ere getting up a train of battering cannon, and the latter strengthening their lines, and preparing to repel the attack. In one of tliese skirmishes on the 7th, a British detachment making a violent effort to obtain possession of the pass of a bridge, was handsomely repulsed by a small guard under Lieutenant Runk of the 6th infantry, who received a musket ball in his body, and expired on the following day. He was the only ofiicer killed during the siege. The New York militia and Vermont volunteers were now principally stationed at the different bridges crossing the Sara- nac, or in the wood opposite the fording places. From these positions they annoyed the enemy's guards, and poured repeated discharges of musketry into his masked batteries. Two of General Macomb's new works were called Fort Brown and Fort Scott, and opposite the former, it was suspected a very powerful masked battery had been constructed, in order sud- denly to demolish it, at a time of general attack. To discover the truth of this suspicion, and if possible to destroy or to muti- late such a work. Captain McGlassin, on the night of the 9th, volunteered his services to ford the river with a competent detachment. His enterprise was approved of by the general, DEFENSE OF PLATTSBUR.G. 407 who assigned him the command of fifty men. With these the captain succeeded in fording the river nearly under Fort Brown, and upon gaining tlie opposite shore, proceeded with great secrecy aljout three hundred yards. At this distance from the margin of the river, he encountered a guard of one hundred and fifty men, whom he instantly engaged, and with such vigour and address, as to deceive them, with respect to his own force, and after a short contest to drive them behind a vv'ork, \\-hich he discovered to be the suspected masked batterv. Having succeeded in tlie accomplishment of one of the objects of his enterprise, neither Captain McGlassin, nor his Ijrave de- tachment, could think of returning to the army, without having signalized the expedition by some act, more important in its consequences than the putting to flight an enemy's guard, hoAv- ever superior in numbers. He accordingly led up his detach- ment to charge upon the work, into wliich the British guard had fled, and by one or two vigorous onsets, in which he had but one man wounded, he carried the l)attery, and entirely routed its defenders, with the loss of their commanding officer and sixteen men killed, and several wounded. Being now in pos- session of a work which would have incalculably annoyed the batteries at Fort Brown, Captain McGlassin destroyed it with all possible haste, and returned to tlie American works with the loss of three men missing. For this gallant and hazardous essay, which had a tendency not only to deceive the British general with regard to the actual force of General Macomb's army, and to inspire the troops, militia as well as regulars, with a spirit of enterprise, but placed a principal work. Fort Brown, beyond the possibility of being silenced. Captain McGlassin received the public thanlvs of his commanding officer, and the l)revet rank of major from the president of the United States. On the morning of the 11th, the motives of the British general, in delaying his assault upon the American works, became ap- parent. Being assured of his ability at any time to destroy them ]jy a single effort, he was regardless of the manner in which they might be gradually strengthened, and awaited the arrival of the British squadron from Lake Champlain, in co-operation with wliich he contfmplated a general attack, and the easy cap- 408 ARRIVAL OF THE BRITISH FLEET. ture of the American fleet and army. On that day his fleet, consisting of a large frigate, the Confiance, of thirty-nine guns ; the brig Linnet, of sixteen ; the sloops Chub and Finch, (for- merly the United States sloops Growler and Eagle,) of eleven guns each; and thirteen gun-boats and row-galleys, mounting in all ninety-five guns, and having a complement of one thousand and fifty men, made its appearance, under Captain Downie, round Cumberland Head, and immediately engaged the Ameri- can squadron under Commodore McDonough, then moored in Plattsburg bay, and consisting of the ship Saratoga, the brig Eagle, the schooner Ticonderoga, the sloop Preble, and ten gun-boats, mounting altogether eighty-six guns, (the largest vessel carrying twenty-six,) and being manned with eight hun- dred and twenty men. The first gun from the Confiance was the signal for a general action, and Sir George Prevost instantly opened his batteries npon the works on the opposite bank of the Saranac. A tremen- dous cannonade ensued ; bomb shells and congreve rockets were thrown into the American lines during the whole day, and fre- quent but ineff'ectual attempts made to ford the river. At a bridge aljout a mile up the river, an attempt to throw over a di- vision of the enemy's army was handsomely repulsed l)y a de- tachment of regulars ; and an effort to force the passage of the bridge in the town was effectually checked by a party of rifle- men, under Captain Grosvenor. But the principal slaughter took place at a ford three miles from the works. There tlie enemy succeeded in crossing over three companies of the 76th regiment before his advance was impeded. A body of volun- teers and militia, stationed in a contiguous wood, opened a heavy fire upon them, and after a spirited contest, in which one of these companies was entirely destroyed, its captain killed, and three lieutenants, and twenty-seven men made prisoners, those who had attained the shore fell back in disorder, upon an approaching column, then in the middle of the river. The receding and ad- vancing columns mingled with each other, and being closely pressed by the volunteers, the whole l)ody was thrown into a state of confusion, from which the officers could not recover them ; numbers were killed in the stream, and the dead and BATTLE ON LAKE CHAM PLAIN. 411 wounded being swept along by the force of the current, sunk into one common i^rave. T was the result of the engagement ^ between the two naval armaments, which continued upwards of two hours, in presence of the contend- S ing armies, which determined the M action upon land. Its effects were ( sensibly felt by the British general, whose plans were completely frus- trated by its issue. After getting round Cumberland Head, Captain Downie anchored his fleet within three hundred yards of the line formed by Commodore McDonough, and placing the Confiance frigate in opposition to the Saratoga, the Linnet to the Eagle, Captain Henley, one of his sloops, and all his galleys, to the schooner Ticonderoga, Lieutenant-Commandant Cassin, and the sloop Preble, his other sloop alternately assisting the Saratoga and Eagle. The latter vessel was so situated, shortly after the commencement of the action, that the guns could not be brought to bear, and Captain Henley cut her cable, and placed her between the commodore's ship and the Ticonderoga, from which situation, though she exposed the Saratoga to a galling fire, she annoyed the enemy's squadron with much eflect. Some minutes after ten o'clock, nearly all the guns on the starboard side of the Saratoga being either dismounted or entirely un- manageable, Commodore McDonough was obliged to put out a stern anchor, and to cut the bower cable, by which means the Saratoga winded on the enemy's frigate with a fresh broadside, which being promptly delivered, the Confiance immediately after surrendered, with one hundred and five round shot in her hull, and her captain and forty-nine men killed, and sixty wounded. The Saratoga had fifty-five round shot in her hull, and had been twice set on fire by hot shot from the Confiance, but she sustained a loss of only twenty-eight in killed, and twenty-nine wounded, notwith- standing she mounted thirteen guns less than her antagonist. The Confiance had no sooner surrendered, than the Saratoga's broadside was sprung to bear on the brig, whose flag struck 412 BRITISH FLEET CAPTURED. fiiteen minutes after. Captain Henley, in the Eagle, had already captured one of the enemy's sloops, and the Ticonderoga, after having sustained a galling fire, caused the surrender of tlie re- maining vessel. The principal vessels of the British fleet being now all captured, and three of their row galleys sunk, the re- maining ten escaped from the bay in a shattered condition. Among the officers killed on board the Saratoga, was the first lieutenant. Gamble, and on board the Ticonderoga, Lieutenant John Stansbury, son of General Tobias Stansbury, of Maryland, who was shot upon mounting the netting, to discover in what manner the guns of his division might be brought to bear more effectually upon one of the enemy's vessels. Among the wounded were Lieutenant Smith, acting Lieutenant Spencer, and Mid- shipman Baldwin. The total loss of Commodore McDonough's squadron amounted to fifty-two men killed, and fifty-eight wounded. The enemy's loss was eighty-four men killed, one hundred and ten wounded, and eight hundred and fifty-six pri- soners, who alone amounted to a greater number than those by whom they were taken. , The capture of his fleet being announced to Sir George Pre- vost, he immediately withdrew his forces from the assault of the American works. From his batteries, however, he kept up a constant fire until the dusk of the evening, when, being silenced by the guns of Fort Moreau, under Colonel M. Smith, and of Forts Brown and Scott, he retired within the town, and at nine at night sent off" his artillery, and all the baggage for w^hich he could obtain transport. About midnight he made a disgraceful and precipitate retreat, leaving l^ehind him all his sick and wounded, with a request that they might be generously treated by General Macomb. At daybrealv of the 12th, this movement being discovered by that officer, he immediately despatched his light troops, and the volunteers and militia, in pursuit. The enemy, however, had retired with such celerity, as to reach Chazy before the pursuit was commenced, and a violent storm prevented its continuance. Immense quantities of provisions, bomb shells, cannon balls, grape shot, ammunition, flints, in- trenching tools, tents, and marquees were taken, and upwards of four hundred deserters surrendered themselves in the course of RESULT OF THE BATTLES. 413 Commodore McDonough. the day. Besides these Sir George lost seventy-five prisoners, and as nearly as could be ascertained, about fifteen hundred killed and wounded, among them several officers of rank. The loss of the American army, which, with the accession of the volunteers and militia, did not exceed twenty-five hundred men, amounted to thirty-seven killed, sixty-two wounded, and twenty missing. For the gallantry which they displayed in this splendid en- gagement. General Macomb, Lieutenant-Colonel Applino-, Ma- jors Wool, of the '29th, and Totten, of the engineers, whose ser- vices were eminently conspicuous in the construction of the works, and Captain Brooks of the artillery, received the brevet rank of the grades next above those which they held on the day of the action. Captain Youngs, of the 15th, had been put on l3oard the squadron, with a detachment of infantr}^ to act as marines ; and for his coolness and intrepidity, in a species of service distinct from that to which he was attached, was also breveted. Captain Grosvenor, of the infantry, and the brigade major, Lieutenant Duncan, of tlie artillery, were conspicuous 2m2 414 SORTIE FROM FORT ERIE. for their zeal and activity throughout the engagement ; the latter was charged with the delivery of the despatches to the war de- partment. Promotions took place also in the navy, and Commodore McDonough was immediately elevated to the rank of post-captain. The investment of Fort Erie was all this time continued ; the troops of the garrison were actively engaged in the comple- tion of the bastions and of the abatis on the right flank ; and the beseigers employed in the erection of additional batteries intended to enfilade the western ramparts of the American works. General Brown had returned to the post, and resumed the com- mand of the army, v/hich had been in the mean time reinforced by new levies of militia. About the middle of September, after these arrangements were completed, an attempt to dislodge the enemy from his intrenched works, and to deprive him of the means of annoying the garrison, was determined on. A sortie was planned, and the morning of the 17th appointed for its exe- cution. Lieutenants Riddle and Frazer, of the 15th infantry, had already opened a road from the southern angle of the gar- rison to a point within pistol-shot of the enemy's right wing, and with such secrecy, that it was not discovered until the actual assault was commenced. About noon the regulars, infantry, and riflemen, and the volunteers and militia, were in readiness to march ; and before two o'clock the sortie was made. The divi- sion issuing from the left, was commanded by General Porter, and composed of two hundred riflemen and a few Indians, under Colonel Gibson, and two columns, the right comm.anded by Lieu- tenant-Colonel Wood, and the left by Brigadier-General Davis, of the New York militia. These columns were conducted through the woods by Lieutenants Riddle and Frazer, and ap- proached upon the enemy's new battery, on his right, with such rapidity, as to surprise the brigade stationed at his line. His batteries, Nos. 3 and 4, were gallantly stormed, and after thirty minutes close action, both carried. Colonel Gibson and Lieute- nant-Colonel Wood, fell at the head of their columns, almost at the onset, and the respective commands devolved upon Lieute- nant-Colonel McDonald and Major Brooks. A block-house in the rear of liattery No. 3 was also carried, and its garrison made prisoners. Three twenty-four-pounders SORTIE FROM FORT ERIE. 415 and their carriages were destroyed, and after the prisoners were secured, and the American columns moved beyond its influence, Lieutenant Riddle descended into the magazine, and, tirst taking out a quantity of fixed ammunition, set fire to a train leading to several barrels of powder. The explosion took place much sooner than the lieutenant expected, and not being able to escape in time, he was covered with the combustibles and fragments of the magazine, from which he was extricated with the utmost difficulty. At the moment of this explosion, the right division of the troops which had been stationed in the ravine between the fort and the enemy's works, under General Miller, with orders not to attack until General Porter had engaged the ene- my's right flank, first came up to the assaidt, and in co-operation with Colonel Gibson's column, pierced the British intrenchments between their batteries Nos. 2 and 3, and after a severe contest, carried the former. In this assault, Brigadier-General Davis, of the New York militia, fell at the head of his corps. The enemy's second block-house, his batteries 2 and 3, and his unfinished battery No. 4, with the intervening breastworks and intrenchments, being now all in the possession of the Ame- ricans, General Miller's division inclined towards the river with a view to assail his battery No. 1, erected at the extremity of his left flank. At this point the enemy made a much bolder and more obstinate resistance. There his defenses were constructed with the most studied intricacy ; breastworks had been thrown up connecting his first and second battery ; successive lines of intrenchments intersected each other for nearly a hundred yards in their rear ; and rows of abatis and timber planted in multi- plied involutions, formed impediments to the approach of the assailants, produced some confusion in the column, and made constant appeals to the bayonet necessary. Before General Miller attempted this movement upon the bat- tery near the water, General Brown had ordered up General Ripley with the reserve, comprised of the 21st regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel Upham, and desired him, as the senior officer in advance, to ascertain the general situation of the troops, and to withdraw them from the enemy's works, as soon as tlie object of the sortie, the destruction of his batteries, was eifected. The 416 GENERAL RIPLEY WOUNDED. reserve, in obedience to this order, promptly advanced to the support of Miller's column, and came into the engagement as the enemy's force was strengthened from his encampment. This column Avas compose4 of the 9tli, the 11th, and part of the 19th infantry; the first being commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Aspinwall, who lost his left arm in the assault ; and the last, by Major Trimble, who was dangerousl}^ shot through the body. Under the immediate direction of the same gallant leader, who had carried the cannon upon the eminence at Lundy's lane, and aided by Lieutenant-Colonel Upham, with the 21st and part of the 17th, it made a rapid charge upon, and stormed the remain- ing battery, which was instantly abandoned by the British in- fantry and artillery. General Ripley then ordered a line to be formed in front, for the protection of the detachments engaged in spiking the ene- my's guns, and demolishing the captured works. This line he determined also to strengthen, in order to annoy the rear of General Drummond's retreating forces, and was in the act of forwarding these arrangements, when he received a dangerous wound in the neck, and fell by the side of Major Brook, of the 23d, whose command w^as at that moment engaged with a de- tachment on the enemy's right. His aid, Lieutenant Kirby, caused him to be removed to the garrison, and General Miller having ordered the right wing to fall back, the troops upon the left were shortly after recalled, and the operations ceased with the accomplishment of all the objects of the sortie. The troops then returned to the garrison with their prisoners, and many trophies of their valour ; and, on the third day after, Lieutenant-General Drummond, who had been joined before the sortie by Major-Generals De Watteville and Stovin, broke up his encamjnnent, raised the siege, and hastily retired upon Fort George ! In addition to the loss of nearly all his cannon, his force was again reduced at least one thousand men; and, not- withstanding the results of forty-seven days incessant labour were destroyed, and eleven of his officers, and three hundred and seventy-four of his non-commissioned officers and privates made prisoners, and transferred to the American shore, he called the event a repulse of an American army of five thousand men, GENERAL BROWN SUPERSEDED. 417 General Brown. by an inconsiderable number of British troops. Including the names already mentioned, General Brown's army lost ten officers and seventy men killed ; twenty-four officers and one hundred and ninety men wounded ; and ten officers and two hundred and six men missing — in all five hundred and ten. Not long after the enemy had been thus compelled to raise the siege of Fort Erie, the garrison was enlarged by the arrival of the right division, under Major-General Izard, who superseded General Brown in the command of the army. The accession of this division, and the strength of the defenses, which were all by tliis time entire, and some of them garnished with heavy cannon, rendered Fort Erie impregnable to the attacks of any other than a vastly superior force ; and the month intervening between the 17th of September and the 18th of October, was constantly employed in drilling, and harmonizing the discipline of the two wings of the army. In the neighbourhood of Cook's Mills at Lyon's creek, a branch of the Chippewa, it was under- 53 418 EXPEDITION TO COOKS MILLS. stood that quantities of provision were desposited for the use of the British troops, and General Izard directed General Bissell, commanding the 2d brigade of the 1st division, to march thither and seize them. On the 18tli he proceeded on the expedition, and after driving in a picket guard, and capturing its command- ino- officer, he tlirew two light companies, under Captain Dor- man, of the 5th, and Lieutenant Horrell, of the 16th infantry, and a company of riflemen, under Captain Irvine, across Lyon's creek, and encamped for the niglit, with picket guards stationed at proper distances. One of these commanded by Lieutenant Gassaway, and stationed on the Chippewa road, was attacked by two companies of the Glengary light infantry, which were beaten off with loss. On the following morning the lirigade was attacked by a force of twelve hundred men, under Colonel the Marquis of Tweedale. Captain Dorman's infantry, and Irvine's riflemen, received the first fire of the enemy, and sustained it with the greatest gal- lantry, wliilst General Bissell was forming and bringing up the other troops to their support. Colonel Pinckney, with the 5th regiment, was ordered to turn the enemy's right flank, and to cut off a piece of artillery which he had just then brought into action, whilst Major Barnard, with the 14th, was to charge them in front. These movements were instantly effected. The ene- my's left flank and his centre sunk under the fire of coiys cF elite, and the riflemen, and the charge of the 14th ; and his right flank was turned immediately after by the rapid and forcible move- ment of the 5th. The recoil of his line, and the approach of the American reserve, composed of the 15th, under Major Grindage, and the 16th, under Colonel Pearce, to enforce the success of the main l^ody, was no sooner perceived l^y the marquis, than he ordered his troops to retire from the ground on which they had engaged General Bissell ; and, expecting to draw that officer after him, fell back to his fortifications at the mouth of the river. As his retreat was made without much regard to order, all his killed, and most of his wounded, were left behind. He was pur- sued but a small distance, when General Bissell, ia conformity to his instructions, destroyed the provisions at the mills, and returncfl to his position at Black creek, having effected the DESTRUCTION OF FORT ERIE. 419 object of his expedition, with the loss of sixty-seven killed, wounded, and missing-. The whole army, with the exception of Lieutenant-Colonel Hindman's artillery, to whom the command of Fort Erie, and the works was intrusted, was now operating in the vicinity of Black creek and Chippewa. Its staff had been reduced by the removal of General Kipley to the American shore after being wounded, and the transfer of General Brown to Sackett's Har- bour, and of General Miller to Boston. Immediately after the repulse of the Marquis of Tweedale, General Izard directed its return to the garrison, whence, as the weather was about this time setting in extremely cold, and the season having arrived when hostihties usually ceased, it was determined to transport it to the American shore, to supply the troops wdth more comfort- able winter quarters. The fort was accordingly destroyed, and all the batteries demolished, and after a vigorous and brilliant campaign of four months, the Canadian territory was evacuated, and the army distributed in quarters at Buffalo, Black Rock, and Batavia. The volunteers and militia were discharged with the thanks of the government, and General Porter received various testimonies of approbation and applause from the state to which he belonged, for his constant display of bravery, and the liigh degree of discipUne which he maintained in his command. HILST these events were transpiring between the Ame- rican arm}', and the armies of Lieutenant-General Drum- mond and Sir George Pre- =. vest, an expedition had been fitted out in the north-western country, under the united command of Commodore Sinclair, with the fleet upon Lake Erie, and Lieutenant-Colonel Croghan, with a detachment of ar- tillery and infantry, to act against the fort and island of Michili- mackinac. But the expedition failed, notwithstanding the skill and gallantry of the officers engaged in it ; and the troops retired from the island, after having effected a landing, with the loss of the second officer. Major Holmes of the 32d infantry. The 420 EXPEDITION IN THE NORTH-WEST. enemy, apprized of the movement, appeared in large numbers to resist it, and being protected by breastworks, and aided by a body of Indians, exceeding the strength of Colonel Croghan's de- tachment, that intrepid yonng officer was compelled to withdraw his forces, and return to the shipping. On his way to the island, however, he destroyed the Fort St. Joseph's, and the enemy's establishment at Sault St. Mary's. The loss of the detachment in the expedition amounted to sixty-six killed, wounded, and missing. After leaving the island. Commodore Sinclair stationed two of his schooners, the Tigress and Scorpion, near St. Joseph's, to cut off all supplies for the British garrison at Michilimackinac. Lieutenant-Colonel McDowell, the commandant of that garrison, supplied Lieutenant Worsley, of the navy, with two hundred and fifty Indians, and a detachment of the Newfoundland re- giment, with whom, and one hundred and fifty sailors, he at- tacked the schooners on the 9th of September. After a severe struggle, in which he lost a very disproportionate number of killed and wounded, he carried the vessels, and proceeded with them to Michilimackinac. On the 22d of the following month, Brigadier-General McArthur, having collected seven hundred and twenty effective regulars and militia, proceeded on a secret expedition along the western shore of Lake St. Clair, and passed into the Canadian territory, at the mouth of that water. He penetrated two hun- dred miles in the enemy's country, destroyed more than that number of muskets, attacked a large body of militia and Indians, encamped on favourable ground, made about one hundred and fifty prisoners, and dispersed all the detachments to be found at the Thames, Oxford, or Grand river. During the march he principally subsisted on the enemy, and fired several of the mills, from which the British troops in Upper Canada were supplied with food. Having gained intelligence of the evacuation of Fort Erie, he abandoned his intention of proceeding to Bur- lington Heights, and returned to Detroit on the 17th of November. By this rapid expedition, the enemy's hostile intentions were diverted from another quarter, and his means of attacking De- troit entirely crippled ; the destruction of his suplies rendering such an attempt altogether impracticable. THE CREEK WAR. 421 General Jackson. CHAPTER XXI. ®^e €ts$l Hilar, 'N the long period wliicli elapsed be- tween the Revolution and the war of 1812, British agents were actively engaged in fomenting disturbances between the soutliern and western Indians, and the United States. Their most indefatigable allj was Teciimseh. He passed from station to station, harangued all the tribes on our borders, enumerated the wrongs they had sustained from the whites, and painted, in glowing colours, the advantages to l^e derived from an alliance with Great Britain. Most of the north-western Indians entered into his views and purposes, but in the south his intrigues were attended with but very partial success. The Choctaws, Cherokees, and Chickasaws, remained friendly to our country 2N 422 EXPEDITION AGAINST THE SE MINGLES. throughout the war ; and only a few of the most abandoned and vicious of the Creeks could he induced, at an early period, to take up the toinaliawk against us. In the Spring of 1812, a party of five Creeks massacred two families on the frontier settlements of the Tennessee river, and made their escape. Some other enormities were committed ahout the same time, and the hostility of the Indians soon became so decided, that the legislature of Tennessee passed an act for the organization of a large body of volunteers and militia. Hos- tilities, however, did not at that time ensue. The Creeks held a convention, in which they resolved to punish those who had committed aggressions, and declared their desire to remain friendly to the United States. Several of the murderers were executed, and addresses of the most pacific kind tei^dered to Colonel Hawkins, United States ambassador to their nation. About this time an expedition was commenced by Colonel Newman of Georgia, against the Seminole Indians, who were not considered by the Creeks as part of their nation. The enter- prise was successful, the enemy being defeated in several skir- mishes, with the loss of nearly fifty w^arriors. Thesmallness of the party engaged in this expedition, unfitted it for doing any thing decisive; and in autumn another was fitted out, consisting of fifteen hundred militia infantry, and six hundred moiuited volunteers. They marched from West Ten- nessee, for the defense of the lower country, the foot troops de- scending the river in boats, under the command of Major-Gene- ral 'Andrew Jackson, whilst the mounted men, under Colonel Coffee, marched by laud to Natchez, where both parties arrived and formed a junction in February, 1813. In the following month they were ordered home, and the whole expedition proved a failure. Meanwhile anotlier detachment of Tennessee volunteers, under Colonel Williams, marched to^^-ards the frontiers of Georgia. After reaching the St. Mary's river, and receiving a reinforcement under Colonel Smitli, they commenced an expe- dition against the Seminoles. Three battles were fought, in which the Indians were defeated witli the loss of thirty-eight warriors killed, and a still larger numlx-r in wounded and pri- INFLUENCE OF TECUM SEH. 423 soners. Their houses were burnt, all their corn detroyed, and about four hundred horses, with an equal quantity of cattle, carried away. Tlie detachment remained in the country, until they had destroyed all property, [ind utterly exterminated the Indians. The intrigues of Tecumseh and his brother, the prophet, still continued among the Creeks, and had a powerful effect with their younger warriors. But those chiefs who had been the most active in procuring the punishment of the renegadoes in 1812, were at the head of the party which was for peace in the nation, and friendship with the United States. In conjunction with these chiefs, Colonel Hawkins made strenuous but vain efforts to pre- serve peace. The greater part of their tribes had accepted the offers of Great Britain, their passions were roused against the Americans, and nothing but war could now satiate them. Dis- sensions ensued among the Creeks themselves, until the friendly party, which was much the weakest, implored the Americans to protect them, and subdue their opponents. Before the Americans had time to respond to these calls, the storm burst upon the southern settlements. About the 20th of August, 1813, some Choctaw Indians reported that three parties of Creeks were about making an attack on Fort Mimms, in the Tensaw settlement, on the east side of the Alabama, opposite Fort Stoddart, on the forts situated on the forks between the Tom- bigbee and Alabama, and on those situated more immediately on the Tombigbee. Fort Mimms, the principal object of attack, contained about four hundred people, including one hundred and thirty militia, together with a large amount of supplies and property. Unfortunately the hostilities of the Creeks had been so long anticipated, that the intelligence brought by the friendly Indians was disregarded, and by some disbelieved. With a negligence and culpability rarely equalled in the annals of border difficidties, the commandant remained entirely indifferent to repeated warnings, and subsequently brought destruction u])on himself and the garrison. On the morning of the attack, a large party of the enemy had approached through an open field, to within thirty jiaces oi the gate, before they were discovered. A sentinel then ga^e the 424 MASSACRE AT FORT MIMMS. alarm, but before the gate, which was wide open, could be closed, the Indians raised the war-whoop, and rushed through. Major Bearsley was immediately shot through the .body. The fort was defended by a double breastwork, so that, although the Indians had entered the gate, they still found another wall before them. This protracted the conflict for several hours. The savages fired from their positions upon the inner fort, whilst tlie garrison Ivcpt the port-holes, and maintained a fierce conflict with the Indians. At last the enemy succeeded in firing a block-house, which stood near the pickets, and from that the flames were communicated to the other buildings. Despair now seized the stoutest hearts ; destruction by fire or the tomahawk was inevitable ; and the screams of women, the agonizing cry of men, the crackling and tossing of flames, and the yells of In- dians, were terrible. As their only chance of life, the garrison banded together, and rushed through the ranks of the enemy. Man after man fell beneath the tomahawk until but about twenty escaped. Then the savages, lilve an army of demons, poured over the walls upon the weak and helpless. Children were dashed against the ground, and women scalped and mur- dered. The remainder took refuge in the principal dwelling- house. This was fired, and the dying wail of the mother and infant, the friend and relation, rose up with the roarings of tlie conflagration. Little by little, that awful sound grew weaker, then all was still. Three hundred and fifty persons had been hurried into eternity in a few hours, while their mangled bodies were strewed around, still throbbing with the remnants of life, or blackened and crusted by fire. Meanwhile preparations for marching into the Creek country were actively proceeding in Georgia and Tennessee. About the middle of September, more than three thousand militia, under General Floyd, entered the Creek country from the former state ; and soon after a still larger army arrived from Tennessee, in two divisions, one commanded by Major-General John Cocke, the other by General Jackson. The legislature of Tennessee also passed a law authorizing the governor to detach a corps of thirty-five hundred men to the scene of action ; and under the authority of the Mississippi territory, fifteen hundred men under JACKSON ENCAMPS AT TEN ISLANDS. 425 The Prophet, (Brother of Tecumseh.) Brig-adier-Geiieral Flourney were collected at Fort Stoddart. The Choctaw Indians also declared war against the Creeks, and tendered their services to co-operate with the Americans in the ensuing campaign. Early in November, General Jackson had arrived, and en- camped with his army at a place called the Ten Islands, on the Coosa river. From this place he despatched General Coffee with nine hundred men to destroy the Tallushatchee towns, about eight miles distant, where he had been informed that there was a body of hostile Creeks. On the 3d, the general arrived within two miles of the principal town, where he divided his command into two columns, the cavalry on the right, under Colonel All- corn, and Colonel Cannon with his mounted riflemen on the left. The former were ordered to cross a creek in their front, and marching upon the right of the town, encircle it on that side ; while the latter were to perform a similar movement on the left, until the two columns joined from opposite sides of the town, which would thus be completely inclosed. This plan was cor- rectly executed, and the troops succeeded in gaining their posi- tions without suffering any loss. Captain Hammond was then sent toward the town to draw the Indians if possible from their 2n2 54 426 JACKSON MARCHES TO TALLADEGA. shelter. Tliis stratagem had the desired effect. As soon as the captain had shown his detachment, and given the' savages a dis- tant fire, they rushed out against him in a furious manner. He then gradually retreated, drawing the enemy after him until they came within range of the right column, when they were charged and driven hack. For the first time, the Indians now perceived the trap wliicli had been laid for them, — that they Avere com- pletely surrounded wath overpowering numbers, and cut off from all possibility of retreat. " They made all the resistance," says General Coffee, "that an overpowered soldier could do, — they fought as long as one existed — but their destruction w-as very soon completed. Our men rushed up to the doors of their houses and in a few minutes killed the last warrior. The Indians met death with all its horrors, without shrinking — not one asked to be spared, but fought as long as they eould stand or sit. In consequence of their flying to their houses, and mixing with their families, our men in killing the males, without intention killed and wounded a few^ of the squaws and children, which w^as regretted by every officer and soldier of the detachment, but which could not be avoided." The Indian force in this battle, amounting to about tw^o hun- dred, were utterly annihilated — not one escaping' to report the news of so signal a defeat. About eighty-four squawks and children were taken prisoners, many of them w^ounded. The Americans lost five killed, and forty-one w^ounded. On the 7th of November, a friendly Indian informed General Jackson, that a large number of hostile Creeks were encamped near Talladega, which w^as hourly waiting an attack. This place w^as thirty miles from the general's position, and yet he set out that night, and arrived before the following morning within six miles of the fort. At sunrise he was within half a mile of the enemy's encampment, and proceeded to form the order of battle. The infantry were disposed in three lines, hav- ing the militia on the left and the volunteers on the right. The cavalry, forming the extreme wings, were thrown forw^ard in a curve, with instructions to keep the rear of their columns con- nected with the flanks of their infantry, so as to encircle and destroy the wdiole force of the enemy. BATTLE OF TALLADEGA. 427 IN this order the main body advanced slowly to- & ward the Indians, while the advance pushed for- - - ward and engaged them. Believing the attack- ing force to be the entire army, the savages charged them with fury, and continued a pursuit, until they were drawai witliin range of the ad- vancing force. At this time, a few companies of militia were struck with fear, and commenced a disorderly retreat. The action then com- menced along the whole line, and for some time was maintained wdth great spirit. But the disproportion of force was too great, , and the fire of the Americans too heavy, to afford the Indians any chance of success. They were compelled to retreat, and w^ere chased with great animation for more than three miles. After the action, two hundred and ninety dead Indians were found upon the ground, and many more had been carried away by the survivors. Jackson's loss was fifteen killed, and about the same number wounded. Three days after this affair, November 11th, General Cocke despatched Brigadier-General White with a considerable force, against the Hillabee settlements. He w\as obliged to march one hundred miles through a very rough country, part of which liad till recently been in full possession of the enemy. On the route he biu'ned two of their towns, and captured a third. Having arrived within six miles of the Hillabee towns, November 17th, where the Indians were stationed, he halted, arranged his order of battle, and despatched a body of troops with instructions to surround the town before day, and attack it at early dawn. The darkness of the night prevented their arrival before daylight, yet so completely were the Creeks surprised, that every warrior was killed or captured, without having time to offer the least resist- ance. About sixty were killed, and two hundred and fifty men, women, and children captured. General White arrived with the mounted reserve in time to have decided or improved the vic- tory, had the resistance or flight of the enemy rendered his co- operation necessary. About ten days after this battle a fourth victory was obtained over the Creeks by the Georgia troops, under General Floyd. 428 BATTLE OF AUTOSSEE. This officer marched against the town of Autossee, on the Talla- poosa, with about nine hundred and fifty militia, and four hun- dred friendly Indians. His plan was completely to surround the town, cut off all retreat from the river, and thus compel the gar- rison to surrender. The difficulty of crossing the Tallapoosa disconcerted part of this plan, and it was soon ascertained that beside the fort, which formed the original object of attack, the Indians possessed another, about five hundred yards down the river. Part of the troops were detached against this lower town, while the friendly Indians were sent over the creek to prevent a retreat up the river. A vigorous attack then commenced against the upper town, and a contest ensued which was cha- racterized by that fierce obstinacy ever shown by the red man when fighting an enemy from a sheltered position. By nine o'clock, however, both forts were carried, the enemy driven from them in all directions, and the buildings set on fire. I HE loss of the enemy in this action, though never correctly ascertained, was believed to have reached two hundred. The Americans had eleven killed, and fifty-four wounded, among the latter General Floyd severely, and his adjutant-general, Newman, slightly. As there were many other populous towns in this vicinity, which could send into the field a large number of warriors. General Floyd considered it inexpedient to pursue his victory, and accordingly retired to his former posi- tion on the Chatahoochee. In December, General Claiborne, with a force of regulars, militia, volunteers, and Choctaw Indians, marched up the Ala- bama river, to a new fort constructed by Weatherford, who had led the massacre at Fort Mimms. Apprized of his approach, the enemy secreted their squaws and children on the opposite side of the river, and prepared for battle. As the Americans advanced, they were attacked on the left column, composed of volunteers, but after a spirited struggle, succeeded in driving off their assailants, wdio fled through thick swamps toward the river. BATTLE OF EMUCKFAU. 429 The army then entered the town, stripped it of every thing valuable, and set the houses on fire. Thirty dead Indians were found on the field; the Americans lost one killed and six wounded. About a month after this battle, January 27th, 1814, a large party of warriors attacked General Floyd at his encampment, near tlie Chatahoochee. The Indians assaulted the camp with so much fury, that in a few minutes they were within thirty paces of the artillery. But after the battle had become general, their efforts grew desultory and ineffectual. The artillery and rifle companies played upon them with great effect, and at day- light a charge with the bayonet drove them back in utter con- fusion. General Floyd lost seventeen killed, and one hundred and thirty two wounded ; the Indians left thirty-seven bodies upon the field, and a large number of their wounded escaped. On the 17th of January, General Jackson broke up his camp near Ten Islands, and, with a force of nearly twelve hundred men, marched toward the Creek country. Next day he received a reinforcement of three hundred Indians, and on the 21st, was near the junction of the Tallapoosa and Emuckfau creek, where about nine hundred of the enemy were concentrated. Here he formed his army into a hollow square, and spent the night in re- connoitering the Indian position. UST at six o'clock on the following morning, the savages commenced a vigorous attack on the American left flank, and maintained the assault un- til daylight. They were charged by General Coffee and Colonels Carroll and Higgins, completely routed at every point, and chased about two miles, with great slaughter. General Coffee was then detached to destroy their encampment; but while preparing to do so, the right and left of the army were ao^ain assaulted, and the battle recommenced. A vio-orous charge, conducted by Colonels Carroll and Higgins, repulsed the Indians with loss, and confirmed the victory. Instead of pursuing his victory by continuing his march into 430 JACKSON REINFORCED. the Indian country, General Jackson set out on the following day for his former camp. In crossing the Enotichopco creek, an alarm gun gave notice of danger, and soon after an attack beo-an from a party of concealed Indians. Colonel Carroll was at the head of the centre column of the rear guard, its right column was commanded by Colonel Perkins, and its left by Colonel Stump. Having selected the ground on which he was attacked, Jackson determined to cross the creek above and below with his flank columns, fall upon tlie side and rear of the enemy, and cut them to pieces. This plan was disconcerted by the American rear guard, who, when fired upon, fled precipi- tately into the centre of the army, carrying consternation and confusion into the flank columns, and leaving but twenty-five men with Colonel Carroll, to arrest the progress of the pursuers. Although this ill-timed retreat threw the main army into con- fusion, yet Colonel Carroll with his handful of men, maintained his post as long as it was possible to resist overwdielming numbers ; and being then joined by Lieutenant Armstrong with the artillery, and Captain Russell, he still continued the contest with success. The artillery was then opened upon the enemy, followed by a vigorous charge, which broke their line, and drove them from the field in confusion. The general then pursued his way without further molestation. The loss of the Americans during the wdiole expedition was twenty-four killed and seventy- one w^ounded. Soon after this battle. General Jackson received a reinforce- ment of two militia brigades, under Generals Dougherty and Johnson, a regiment of regulars, under Colonel Williams, and several smaller corps. This accession to his force enabled General Jackson to recommence effective operations, and ac- cordingly on the 27th of March, we find him at the Horseshoe bend of the Tallapoosa. Here the Indians w^re intrenched in large numbers. The situation is remarkably strong by nature, and the Creeks had fortified it with a degree of skill and effi- ciency rarely evinced by the untutored red man. Across the neck of the bend, Avhere it opens toward the north, they had erected a breastwork of logs from five to eight feet high, possess- ing great compactness and strength, and extending on both y BATTLE AT HORSESHOE BEND. ^ 431 sides to the river. Through this were cut two ranges of port- holes, suitable for the exercise of small arms. The direction of the wall was such that an army could not approach it without being exposed to a cross fire from the enemy lying in safety behind it. The inclosure contained about eighty acres of ground, and in the furthest extremity of the bend was a village of moderate size. From the breastwork on the neck a ridge of high land extended about half way to the village, the summit of which was comparatively open ground ; but on its sides, and on the flat ground along the margin of the river, there had been a heavy forest, the large trees of which were now filled in such a manner, that every one formed a breastwork from ^\■hich the Indians could in safety assail our troops while crossing the river. Within this fortification, the enemy had collected all their warriors from six towns on the Tallapoosa, numbering in all about one thousand. Among them were several of the greatest prophets and chiefs in the nation, and the principal instigators of the war. E LYING on the strength of their posi- tion, their large force, and the prophetic assurance of success which their fanatic leaders had given them, they entertained no doubt of repulsing our army with the utmost ease. On the other hand, the strength of General Jackson's army, and the spirit which animated his men, in- spired him w^ith confidence, that he would be able to give them a signal defeat. The attack upon the breastwork commenced aljout ten o'clock, A. M., by General Coffee, while at the same time a party were detached against the village within the bend. The battle raged for two hours, without much execution on either side, when General Jackson determined to storm the fortification. Led on by Colonel Williams and Major Montgomery, the regular troops were soon in possession of the outside of the breastwork, when they were joined by the militia. For a lew minutes an obstinate struggle was maintained at the port-holes, after which our troops mounted over the breastwork and took 422 SUBMISSION OF THE CREEKS. Wcatherford. possession of the opposite works. This decided tlie contest. A dreadful slaughter of the enemy ensued in every direction. Each warrior defended himself with that bravery which despera- tion inspires; but overpowered by numbers, and surrounded on every side, they sunk down rapidly beneath the superior dis- cipline of their opponents. Of those who attempted to cross the river, "not one escaped; very few ever reached the bank, and those few were killed the instant they landed." On that disastrous day, less than one hundred of the enemy were able to effect their escape. Five hundred and fifty-seven dead bodies were counted, and at least two hundred and fifty were thrown into the river during the action. Three hundred women and children, with a few warriors were taken prisoners. The total loss of the Americans was forty-nine killed, and one hundred and fifty-four wounded. Among the former was Major Montgomery, an able and gallant officer, whose death was much lamented. This battle effectually subdued the hostile Creeks, and con- vinced them of the utter futility of a further coijtinuation of the war. Weatherford, and several other chiefs, delivered them- selves to General Jackson, supplicating peace on any terms which the United States might please to grant. The general retired to the Coosa river, and was soon after permitted to TREATY OF TEACE WITH THE CREEKS. 433 rotuni home with his troops, leaving small garrisons on the river forts. During the time while these operations were going on, some companies of Carolina militia, under General Pinokney, had entered the Creek country, to support the United States envoy, Mr. Hawkins, wdiile negotiating for peace. The terms oifered to the Indians were, that our government should retain as much of the conquered territoi-y as would he a just indemnity for the expenses of the war, and for the injuries and losses sustained by our citizens and the friendly Creeks ; that it w^ould reserve the right of establishing such military posts, trading-houses, and roads in their country, as might be deemed necessary, together with the right of navigating all their w^aters ; and that on their part they must surrender their prophets and other instigators of the war, and submit to such restrictions on their trade with foreign nations as our c;"overnment misfht dictate. Thus within seven months after the massacre at Fort Mimms, which may be considered as the commencement of the Creek war, the Indians were completely subdued, and their power broken for ever. 2 O 55 434 COMMODORE BARNEY. Bladenshurg. CHAPTER XXII. HE movements of the British blockading squadrons, on the eastern coast, during the summer of 1814, have al- ready been traced to the oc- cupation of Eastport and Castine, in the beginning of September. In their opera- tions along the shores of the Chesapeake bay, and the southern coast, they have not been followed beyond their attack upon Hampton and Ocracock, in the month of June. At that period, a flotilla, consisting of a cutter, two gun-boats, a galley, and nine large barges, sailed from Baltimore, under Commodore Barney, for the protection of the inlets and harbours in the several parts of the bay. On the 1st of June, being at the mouth of the Patuxent, the commodore discovered two schooners, one of which carried eighteen guns, and immediately gave chase. The EXPLOITS OF BARNEY. 435 schooners were joined, however, by a large ship, which despatched numbers of barges to their assistance, and the commodore in danger of being cut off from the Potomac, signaled his flotilla to sail up the Patuxent. In that river, he engaged the schooners and the barges, and after beating them off with hot shot, he an- chored within three miles of a seventy-four, stationed at its mouth. In the course of a few days the enemy was reinforced by a razee and a sloop of war, and joining the barges of these vessels to those with which they had already engaged Commo- dore Barney, they followed his flotilla into St. Leonard's creek, two miles above the mouth of which his gun-boats and barges were formed in line of Ijaltle, across the channel. From this point the commodore engaged them, and seeing a disposition to fall back, he immediately bore down, put them to flight, and pursued them to within a short distance of their shipping, ^\-hich consisted of a ship, a l^rig, and two schooners. In the afternoon of the 10th, the enemy made another attempt upon the flotilla, with twenty barges, and the two schooners. The commodore immediately moved upon them, and after a smart fire, drove the liargcs down to the eighteen gun vessel, which in attempting to beat out, was so severely handled that her crew ran her aground and abandoned her. These attempts upon the flotilla were coiistantlv repeated, and its blockade in St. Leonard's continued until the '26th, on the morning of which day, a combined attack of a corps of artil- lery, which had been despatched from AVashington to its assist- ance, a detachment of the marine corps, and the flotilla itself, was made upon the whole squndron, among which were two frigates. Tlic action continued upwards of two hours, and ter- minated in driving the enemy from his anchorage. His ships stood down the river, and Commodore Barney finding the block- ade raised, sailed out of St. Leonard's, and proceeded up the Patuxent. The British squadron at the different stations in the Chesa- peake, were now every day augmented, by arrivals of transports and ships of the line from England. The cessation of liostih- ties, which had taken place in Europe, enabled the British government to send out powerful reinforcements to their fleets 436 BARNEY DESTROYS HIS FLOTILLA. and armies already on the coast, and Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane had heen despatched with upwards of thirty sail, having on l)oard an army of several thousand men, under Major- General Ross. This force pntered the Chesapeake in the course of the summer, and between the land and naval commanders, a plan of attack upon Washington, Alexandria, and Baltimore, was soon after adopted. A few weeks before the repulse of Sir George Prevost at Plattsburg, Admiral Cochrane notified the secretary of state, of his having been called upon by the gover- nor-general, to lay waste and destroy all such towns and districts upon the coast as might be found assailable, and that he had in consequence issued his orders to that effect to all the naval com- manders upon the station. F this despatch was forwarded with the honourable intent of ap- prizing the American government of the contemplated attack upon the capital, the object was either wilfully, or through negligence, defeated. For previously to the receipt of tliis notice at the de- partment of state, the enemy was already ascending, in two divisions of his fleet, the Patuxent and the Potomac. In the first of tliese rivers, his force amounted to twenty-seven square rigged vessels, all of which proceeded to Benedict, the head of frigate navigation, and landed about six thousand regulars, sea- men, and marines. Commodore Barney, in obedience to the orders which he had received to that effect, blew up and abandoned his flotilla upon the approach of so pow^erful a force, and retreated to Notting- ham, on the 22d of August, where, with his seamen and marines, he joined the United States army, under Brigadier-General Winder. The enemy approached the Wood Yard, a position twelve miles only from the city, and at which General Winder's forces w^ere drawn up. These consisted of about five thousand men, two thousand five hundred of whom were from Baltimore, and offered battle to the British troops. But General Ross, upon BATTLE OF BLADEN S BURG. ' 437 reaching the neio;hbourhood of Nottinoham, turned to his rio-ht and took the road to ]\Iarll)oroiigh, npon which General Winder fell back to Battalion Old Fields, about eight miles from the city. The positions now occupied by the two armies were distant from each other about seven miles ; and General Winder desir- ing to know in Mliat manner they had encamped, rode with a small escort to JMarHjorough, and learned, from several prisoners who were taken, that the British general intended to remain there until the following day. About noon of the 23d, General Ross put his troops in motion, having been previously joined by Admiral Cockl)urn, and was met by the American advanced corps, under Lieutenant-Colonel Scott and Major Peter, who, after exchanging several rounds, fell back upon the main army. Early on the 24th, the enemy's column resumed its march, and reached Bladensburg, about six miles from Wash- ington, without loss. At Bladensburg, General Stansbury had taken an advantageous position, and by the greatest exertion General Winder was enabled to interpose his whole force before the enemy, including Commodore Barney's flotilla men and marines. At one, p. u., the action commenced. The Baltimore artil- lery, under Captain Myers and Macgruder, supported by Major Pinkney's riflemen, were stationed in advance, to command the pass of the bridge, and dealt out a very destructtive fire. But the British column advanced upon them in such superior force, that they, were obliged to retire. Upon seeing this, the right and centre of General Stansbury's brigade, immediately gave way, and in a few minutes he was deserted by his whole com- mand, except about forty men of Colonel Ragan's regiment, and Captain Shower's company. The 5th Baltimore regiment, under Colonel Sterret, stationed on the left of General Stansbury's brigade, maintained its ground, until, lest it should be outflanked, an order was given for its retreat. The reserve, under Brigadier- General Smith, of the District of Columbia, with Commodore Barney and Lieutenant-Colonel Beall on their right, still re- mained upon the hill, and continued the contest after the flight of the Maryland brigade. 2 o 2 438 BATTLE OF BLADENSBURG. As the militia retired, the British regulars advanced upon the main road, and coming immediately in front of Commodore Barney's flotilla, he opened an eighteen-pounder upon them, which cleared the road, and for a time disordered their column, and retarded their approach. Two other attempts made by the enemy to pass the battery were also repulsed, and General Ross marched a division of his troops into an open field, with a deter- mination to flank the commodore's right. This attempt also was frustrated by Captain Miller, of the marines, with three twelve-pounders, and the men of the flotilla acting as infantry. After being thus kept in checlv aljout half an hour, General Ross began to outflank the right of the battery, in large numbers ; and pushed about three hundred men upon General Smith's brigade, which, after exchanging a shot or two, fled as precipitately as the brigade of General Stansbury. In the panic produced by this disorderly retreat, the drivers of the ammunition wagons fled also, and Commodore Barney's small command was left to contend against the whole force of the enemy, with less than one complete round of cartridge. To add to the general misfor- tune, and to increase the difficulties even of retiring with credit, he had received a severe wound in his thigh, and his horse had been killed under him — two of his principal oflicers were killed, and Captain Miller and Sailingmaster Martin wounded. The places of these could be promptly supplied from the men acting as infantry, but the means of repulsing the enemy were expended, and the British infantry and marines by this time completely in the rear of the battery. Thus situated, the commodore gave orders for a retreat, and after being carried a short" distance from the scene of his gallantry, he fell exhausted by the loss of blood, and was soon after made prisoner by General Ross and Admiral Cockburn, who put him on his parole, and having first removed him to their hospital in Bladensburg, ordered the immediate attendance of their surgeons to dress his wound. Having thus obtained possession of tlie pass of the bridge, over the eastern branch of the Potomac, the enemy marched directly upon the capital, and immediately proceeded to the de- struction of all tlie spacious and splendid edifices by which it was adorned. The senate liouse, the representative hall, the BURNING OF WASHINGTON. 439 C'oiiiinodore Haiiiey. supreme court room, the president's house, with all its exterior and interior decorations, and the buildings containing the public dejmrtments, were very soon demolished, and several private houses burned to the ground. The plunder of individual pro- perty was prohibited, however, and soldiers transgressing the order were severely punished. The principal vengeance of Admiral Cockburn, on whom, if the safety of the citizens' dwell- ings had alone depended, if he is to be judged by his former conduct, they would have rested on a slender guarantee, A^'as directed against the printing-office of the editor of a newspaper, from whose press had been issued frequent accounts of the admiral's depredations along the coast. 440 TROPHIES AND PUBLIC DOCUMENTS SAVED. The navy-yard, as well as a new lirst rate frigate, and a sloop of war, were destroyed by order of government, upon the ap- proach of the enemy, to prevent tlie immense public stores, muni- tions, and armaments deposited there, from falling into his hands. The patent office alone, in which were collected the rarest specimens of the arts of the country, escaped the insatiable veno-eance of a foe, whose destroying arm was directed against the most super!) monuments of architectural skill and public munificence. The public documents and official records, the flags and various other trophies of the repeated triumphs of the American arms, and the specie from all the banks in the district, had previously been placed beyond the reach of the cupidity of the invaders, and they returned from an irruption which excited the indignation of all parties in the Union, and drew forth tlfc deprecations of the principal nations in Europe. The president and the heads of departments, all of whom had visited the rendezvous of the troops at Bladensburg the day before the battle, finding that the force which had been hastily assembled, did not amount to the number called for by the requisitions upon the adjacent states, returned to the metro})olis to make arrangements for the augmentation of General Winder's army. This duty, which, in times of less danger, required the exercise of great energy, could not be performed before the enemy had encountered and defeated the corps already collected. The capture of these officers would have caused at least a tem- porary derangement of the government, and in order that its functions might be resumed immediately after the departure of the enemy, they retired from the metropolis upon his approach. General Winder had also withdrawn with the remnant of his force to Montgomery courthouse ; the citizens were incapable of opposing the hostile operations of the British commanders ; and the capital was therefore entirely at their mercy. That division of the enemy's fleet wliich ascended the Poto- mac, consisting of eight sail, upon wliich were moiuited one hundred and seventy-three guns, and commanded by Cajitain Gordon, was directed to attack the city of Alexandria. As they approached up the river, the commander of Fort Warburton, Captain Dyson, destroyed that garrison, and retired with his PLUNDER OF ALEXANDRIA. 441 artillerists, and the British squadron passed up to the city with- out annoyance or impediment. The people of Alexandria sur- rendered their town, and obtained a stipulation on the 29th of Au- gust, from the British commander, that their dwellings should not be entered or destroyed. The condition upon which this stipula- tion was made, required the immediate delivery to the enemv, of all public and private naval and ordnance stores ; of all the shipping, and the furniture necessary to their equipment, then in port; of all the merchandise of every description, whether in the town, or removed from it since the 19th of the month; that such merchandise should be put on board the shipping at the expense of the owners ; and that all vessels which might have been sunk upon the approach of the enemy, should be raised by the merchants and delivered up, with all their ap]:)aratus. These hard and ungenerous conditions were complied with, and on the 6th of Se})tember, Captain Gordon moved off with a fleet of prize vessels, which, as well as his frigates and other vessels of war, contained cargoes of booty. In descending the river he was w^armly opposed, and received considerable damage from two batteries, at the White House, and at Indian Head, under the respective commands of Captains Porter and Perry, of the navy — the former assisted by General Hungerford's brigade of Vir- ginia militia infantry, and Captain Humphrey's company of riflemen, from Jefferson county ; and the latter by the brii^ade of General Stewart, and the volunteer companies of Major Peter and Captain Birch. The batteries, how^ever, not being com- pleted, and mounting but a few light pieces, could not 'prevent the departure of the enemy with his immense booty, though they kept up an incessant fire, from the 3d until tlie 6tli of the month, upon the vessels passing down on each of those days. Commodore Rodgers, too, aided by Lieutenant Newcombe and Sailingmaster Ramage, made frequent attempts to destroy the enemy's shipping, by approaching him within the range of musket shot, with several small fire vessels. After the commu- nication of the fire, a change of wind prevented these vessels from getting in between the British frigates, though they excited much alarm among the fleet, whose men were actively employed in extinguishing the flames. These respective forces were 56 442 DEFENSE OF BALTIMORE. afterwards concentrated, and Commodore Rodgers took posses- sion of Alexandria, with a determination to defend it, notwith- standing its surrender, against another attempt of the enemy, whose fleet was not yet out of sight from the nearest battery. After the embarkation of the troops under General Iloss, wdiose loss at Bladensburg nearly amounted to one thousand men, in killed, wounded, prisoners, deserters, and those who died of fatio-ue. Admiral Cochrane concentrated the various detachments of his fleet, and made preparations for an attack upon the city of Baltimore. Despatch vessels were forwarded to all parts of the bay, to call too-ether the frigates stationed near the different shores, and among others the Menelaus, commanded by Sir Peter Parker, and then lying in the neighbourhood of Moor's fields. That officer determined on an expedition against a detachment of Maryland volunteers, encamped, under Colonel Read, at those fields, before he obeyed the call of the admiral ; and for that pur- pose landed with two hundred and thirty men, and made a de- tour to surprise and cut it off". The detachment consisted of one hundred and seventy men ; and its commander being apprized of the enemy's motions, was fully prepared to receive him. Sir Peter advanced to a charge, and being repulsed, opened a fire within pistol-shot, which continued nearly an hour. At the end of that time his force was driven back, with a loss of seventeen caiTied off", and thirteen killed and three wounded left upon the ground. Among the wounded w^as Sir Peter, wdio died immediately after being put on board the Menelaus. Colonel Read had three men slifrhtly wounded. The Menelaus joined the fleet upon the fol- lowing day, and sailed wdth it to the mouth of the Petapsco on the 10th of September. The fleet consisted of nearly forty sail, and the heaviest ves- sels, ships of the line, anchored across the channel, and com- menced the debarkation of the troops, intended for the land attack upon North Point, twelve miles distant from the city. By the morning of the 12th, about eight thousand soldiers, sailors, and marines w^ere in readiness to march upon the town, and six- teen bomb vessels and frigates proceeded up the river, and an- chored within two miles and a half of Fort McHenry. DEFENSE OF BALTIMORE. 445 HIS garrison, commanded by Lieutenant- Colonel G. Armistead, of the United Slates artillery; a battery at the lazaretto, cc),ii- manded by Lieutenant Rutter, of the flo- tilla ; a small work called Fort Covino-ton, by Lieutenant Newcome, of the Guerriere • a SIX gun battery, erected near it, by Lieu- tenant Webster, of the flotilla ; and lines of intrenchments and breastworks hastily thrown up by the people of Baltimore, were relied on for the defense and protec- tion of the city. At the forts and batteries, one thousand men were stationed; along the breast- works, about 'four times that number — and all under command of Major-General Samuel Smith, assisted by Brigadier-Ge- neral Winder, of the United States army, and Brigadier-General Strieker, of the Baltimore brigade. In anticipation of the enemy's intention to land at North Point, and to meet and repulse his light parties, or to engage his whole force at a distance from the main works. General Strieker was despatched witli part of his brigade, and a light corps of riflemen and infantrj^, from General Stansbury's brigade, under Major Randal, and several companies of the Pennsylvania volunteers. On the evening of the 11th, this detachment, amounting to three thousand one liundred and eighty-five effective men, reached the meeting-house, near the head of Bear creek, when the volun- teer cavalry, under Colonel Biays, were sent three miles, and Captain Dj^er's riflemen two miles, in advance. Early on the follo^^■ing morning. Captain Montgomery, with the artillery, Lieu- tenant-Colonel Sterret, with the 5th, and Lieutenant-Colonel Long, with the 27th regiments, were sent some distance forward. The artillery was planted in the middle of the North Point road, and supported on each flank hj the two infantry' regiments. The 51st regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel Amey, was sta- tioned a few hundred yards in the rear of the 5th ; the 39th, 2P 446 DEATH OF GENERAL ROSS. under Lieutenant-Colonel Fowler, in the rear of the 27th ; and the 6th luider Lieutenant-Colonel McDonald, drawn up as a re- serve, half a mile in the rear of the whole. The riflemen were ordered to skirt a low w^ood, with a large sedge field in its front, under cover of wdiich, as the cavalry fell back, to apprize General Strieker of the approach of the enemy, they w^ere to annoy the British advance, and retire in good order upon the main body of the troops. Soon after these dispositions had been made, the cavalry came in with the intelligence that the enemy's light corps w^ere rapidly advancing along the road, and at the moment when it w^as expected they would be engaged by the riflemen, that body was seen falling back without having opposed them, under a presumption that the enemy had landed at Back river, in order to cut off their retreat. The general im- mediately pushed forward ttvo companies from the 5th infantry, one hundred and fifty in number, under Captains Levering and How^ard, and commanded by Major Heath of that regiment; about seventy riflemen, under Captain Aisquith; the cavalry, and ten artillerists, with a four-pounder, commanded by Lieute- nant Stiles. This detachment having proceeded half a mile, was met by and instantly engaged the enemy's main body. The situation of the ground, would not admit of the co-opera- tion of the artillery and cavalry ; and the infantry and riflemen sustained the whole action with great gallantry, pouring in a rapid and effective fire upon the British column, killing Major- General Iloss, and several other oflicers, and impeding the ad- vance of the British army. Having performed the duty required of them by General Strieker, the whole detachment, with a trifling loss, fell back in excellent order upon the American line. The enemy then moved forward, imder Colonel Brooke, upon whom the command had devolved, and at half past two began to throw^ his rockets upon the left flank of the militia brigade. Captain Montiromery immediately opened his artillery upon him, and the British played upon the left and centre wdth their six-pounders and a howitzer. The cannonade continued with great vivacity, until General Strieker ordered the firing to cease, so as to draw the enemy within the range of grape and canister. Colonel Brooke then BATTLE OF NORTH POINT. 447 covered his whole front with the British Ught brigade, directed the 4th regiment, by a detour, to gain a lodgment close upon the American left ; and formed a line along General Strieker's front, with the 41st regiment, the marines of the fleet, and a detachment of seamen; and placed the 21st regiment, the 2d battalion of marines, and another detachment of seamen, in columns on the main road, with orders to press on the American right, on the first opportunity. General Strieker, seeing that his left flank would be the main object of attack, ordered up the 39th into line on the 27th, and detached two pieces of artillery to the extreme left of Lieutenant-Colonel Fowler's command. Lieutenant-Colonel Amey was also directed to form the 51st at right angles, with his right resting near the left of the 39th. The whole force of the enemy at that moment pressed for- ward, his right column advancing upon the 27th and 39th, and attacked those regiments with great impetuosity. The 51st, which w^as ordered to open upon the enemy in his attempt to turn the rest of the line, delivered a loose fire, immediately broke, fled precipitately from its ground, and in such confusion, that every effort to rally it proved ineflectual. The 2d battalion of the 39th, was thrown into disorder, by the flight of the 51st, and some of its companies also gave way. The remainder and the 1st battalion stood firm. Thus abandoned by the retreat of the 51st, General Strieker made new arrangements for the reception of the enemy, and opened a general fire upon him, from the right, left, and centre. The artillery sent forth a destructive torrent of canister against the British left column, then attempting to gain the cover of a small log-house, in front of the 5th regiment. Captain Sadtler, with his yagers from that regiment, who were posted in the house, wdien the British 4th regiment was advancing, had, however, taken the precaution to set fire to it, and the in- tention of the enemy was therefore defeated. The 6th regiment then opened its fire, and the whole line entered into an animated contest, which continued, with a severe loss to the enemy, until fifteen minutes before four o'clock. At that hour, General Strieker, having inflicted as much injury upon the invaders as could possibly be expected, from a line now but fourteen hun- 448 BATTLE OF NORTH POINT. dred strong, against a force amounting, notwithstanding its losses, to at least seven thousand men, ordered his brigade to retire upon the reserve regiment ; an order well executed by the whole line, which in a few minutes rallied upon Lieutenant-Colonel McDonald. From the point occupied by this regiment, General Strieker, in order to refresh his troops, and prepare them for a second movement' of the enemy, retired to a position half a mile in Evdvance of the left of Major-General Smith's intrenchments. Here he was joined by General Winder, wdio, with General Douglass' Virginia brigade, and the United States dragoons, under C^aptain Bird, took post upon his left. Whilst all these movements were in operation. General Smith was actively engaged in manning the trenches and batteries with Generals Stansbury's and Foreman's brigades, a detachment of seamen and marines, under Commodore liodgers. Colonels Co- bean and Finly's Pennsylvania volunteers, Colonel Harris's Baltimore artillery, and the marine artillery, under Captain Stiles. Colonel Brooke did not advance with his columns fur- ther than the ground on which General Strieker had been pre- viously formed, where he remained during the night of the 12tli. Early on the following morning, he received a communication from Admiral Cochrane, that the frigates, bomb ships, and flo- tilla of l)arges, v/ould take their stations, to bombard the town and fort, in the course of the morning. At daybreak of the 13th, the land forces, therefore, again moved forward and occupied a position two miles eastward of the intrenchments. The day was chiefly employed in manocuvering by both par- ties. Colonel Brooke frequently attempting to make a detour through tlie country, to the Harford and York roads ; and Ge- nerals Winder and Strieker adapting their movements to those of the enemy, the better to frustrate his designs. At noon the British columns were concentrated directly in front of the Ame- rican line, and Colonel Brooke advanced to within a mile of the works, drove in the outposts, and made arrangements for an attack at niglit. Generals Winder and Strieker were then or- dered to station themselves an the enemy's right, and in the event of an attack upon the breastworks, to fall upon that flank or on his rear. BOMBARDMENT OF FORT McHENRY. 451 Tlie assault was not made, however, and the enemy, proljably, thinking he would he outflanked, and having- discovered the strength of the defenses, withdrew from his position in the course of the night, and re-embarked his troops in the evening of the 14th. His retreat was not discovered until break of that day, in consequence of the darkness of tlie night ; and though a heavy fall of rain continued throughout the morning, General Winder, with his dragoons, and the Virginia militia, Major Randal, with his light corps, and the whole militia and cavalry were sent in pursuit. The excessive fatigue of the troops, all of whom had been three days and niglits under arms, in the most inclement weather, prevented their annoying the enemy's rear ^tith much effect, and they made prisoners of none but stragglers from his army. At the moment when Colonel Brooke advanced along the Philadelphia road, the frigates and bomb ships of the fleet, ap- proached within striking distance of the fort, Colonel Armistead had already disposed his force to maintain the cannonade with vigour ; a company of regular artillery, under Captain Evans, and another of volunteer artillery, under Captain Nicholson, manned the bastions in the Star fort ; Captains Bunbury and Addison's sea fencibles, and Captain Berry's, and Lieutenant Pennington's artillery were stationed at the water batteries ; and about six hundred infantry, under Lieutenant-Colonel Stew-art, and Major Lane, were placed in the outer ditch, to repulse an attempt to land. The bombardment commenced. All the batteries were immediately opened upon the enemy, but tlie shot falling very far short of his vessels, the firing ceased from the fort, or was maintained only at intervals, to show that the o;arrison had not sunk -under the tremendous showers of rockets and shells, incessantly thrown into the batteries. Thus situated, without the power of retaliating the attack of the ene- my, Colonel Armistead and his brave men endured their mortifi- cation with an unyielding spirit, during the whole bombardment, w^hich continued until seven o'clock on the morning of the 14th. Under cover of the night, the British commanders despatched a fleet of barges to attack and storm Fort Covington. The at- tempt was repulsed, however, and the assailants retired, with 452 OPERATIONS OF THE BRITISH. an immense loss to tlieir bomb vessels, and on the morning of Wednesday, the whole stood down the river, and rejoined Ad- miral Cochrane's fleet. The loss in the fort amounted to four killed, and twenty-four wounded : among the killed were two gallant young volunteer officers, Lieutenants Clagget and Clem. The entire loss of the enemy has not yet been ascertained. That of the Americans on the field of battle did not fall short of one hundred and fifty, which, being added to the killed and wounded in the fort, makes a total of one hundred and seventy-eight. The invaders having thus retired from what they called a demonstra- tion upon Baltimore, the safety of the citizens was secured, and the different corps were relieved from further duty. The plan of operations, however, which had been adopted by the British cabinet, to destroy and lay waste the principal towns and commercial cities, assailable either by their land or naval forces, was not to be abandoned because of this repulse, gallant and effective as it was. The cities of Charleston, Savannah, Bal- timore, and Washington, were destined to be l)urnt and plim- dered ; and New Orleans, the great emporium of all the wealth and treasure of the ^^■estern states, was to be seized, and held as a colony of Great Britain. The failure of her arms, in an assault upon either of these places, was not to prevent an attack upon another, no matter Avhat the slaughter; and the separate com- manders were directed to concentrate their forces, or draw from the Bermudas such an augmentation as should be necessary, and in the event of successive repulses upon other ol)jects, to l^end all their strength against the city of New Orleans, and its defenses on the Mississippi. At the Bermudas, a powerful and well ap- pointed fleet and army was for this purpose collected, and their arrival upon the southern coast daily anticipated. Admiral Cochrane had in the mean time directed a smaller squadron of vessels, then fitting out at Pensacola, in the territory of a neighbouring nation with whom the United States were at the same moment at peace, for an expedition against some of the defenses by which the entrance to New Orleans was protected, to make the earliest preparation for an assault upon Fort Bowyer, a garrison situated at a point called Mobile. In the early part of September, this squadron, consisting of LAFITTE. 453 two sloops of war and two gun brigs, mounting in all ninety guns, and commanded by Captain Percy, A\'as already on its way to the intended attack. During the summer, the British brig Orpheus had landed a number of officers in Appalachicola l)ay, who entered into arrange- ments with the disaffected Creeks of the southern states, by which they agreed to assist the enemy in their designs against Louis- iana. About the same time Colonel Nicholls sailed from the Ber- mudas to Havana, in order to solicit the co-o])eration of the Spanish authorities at that place ; but failing in tliis, he proceeded to Pensacola, and landed, contrary to the M'ishes of the captain-gene- ral. After establishing his head-quarters, he enlisted and publicly drilled bands of Indians, clothing them in the British uniform. Early in September, Nicholls addressed a ])ackage of letters to the noted Lafitte, at that time leader of a nujiierous band of lawdess privateers, whose principal station was at Barataria. The bearer, Mr. Lockyer, enlarged on the subject of them, urging Latitte to enter into the service of his Britannic majesty, with all those who were under his command, or over whom he had sufficient influence ; and likewise to loan the British army all the armed vessels at Barataria, to aid in the intended attack on the fort of Mobile. The captain insisted much on the great ad- vantages which would thence result to Lafitte and liis crews ; offered him the rank of captain in the British service, and the sum of thirty thousand dollars, payable at his option, in Pensacola or New Orleans ; urging him not to let slip an opportunity so favourable for acquiring fortune and consideration. On Lafitte's requiring a few days for reflection. Captain Lockyer observed that no reflection could be necessary, respecting proposals whicli obviously precluded hesitation, as he was a Frenchman, and of course now a friend to Great Britain, proscribed by the American government, exposed to infamy, and had a brother at that very time loaded with irons in the jail at New Orleans. Every other argument likely to work on the ambition or avarice of the })ri\'n- teer was used with artful address by this minion of IJritisli authority. Lafitte, however, refused to give a decisive answer ; but with a promptness that does honour to his patriotism, he hastened to forward a report of his interview, together with the 454 DESCRIPTION OF FORT BOWYER. despatches, to the American authorities at New Orleans. He also requested permission to enter the American service, and establish a military post at Barataria. This was not granted. Disappointed in this affair, the British began to concentrate their preparations at Pensacola and Appalachicola. In the latter place, besides troops, they landed twenty thousand stand of arms, with ammunition, blankets, and clothing, to be distributed among the Indians. They also used every jiieans to detach the southern slaves from their masters. Meanwhile the Americans had been organizing bands of militia, reinforcing the small regulars in New Orleans and other stations, and adopting other measures of defense. One feeling pervaded the south — hatred to the ruthless invaders who had burned cities and towns, devastated districts, and committed deeds of pul)lic wrong, lit only for ages of the darkest barbarism. As the movements of the enemy left no ground to doubt that Fort Bowyer was soon to be attacked, Major Lawrence, the com- mandant, made the utmost exertions to place it in a condition for a vigorous resistance, while the brave garrison ardently longed for an opportunity of evincing their zeal and devotedness for the honour and interest of their country. Fort Bowyer was a redoubt formed on the sea-side, l)y a semi- circular battery of four hundred feet in development, jicinked with two curtains sixty feet in length, and joined to a bastion wdiose capital line passes through the centre of the circular bat- tery. The bastion is capable of containing but t^vo })ieces of artillery. Inside, the fort is one hundred and eighty feet in length, from the summit of the bastion to the parapet of tlie circular battery, and two hundred feet for the length of the chord of the arc described. The interior front of the parapet was formed of pine Avood, which a single shell could have set on hre. The fort was destitute of casements, even for the sick, the am- munition or })rovisions. Beside tliese inconveniences, the whole work A\'as l)adly situated, being overlooked by several mounds of sand at the distance of from two to three hundred yards. On the summit of these it would have been easy for an enemy to mount pieces of artillery, so that their plunging fire would command the inside of the fort. ATTACK ON FORT BOWYER. 455 On tha 12th of September, four large vessels appeared near Mobile Point, and Major Lawrence ordered the whole garrison to enter the fort, [nid keep themselves in readiness for action. From that time each man passed the niglit at his post, and under arms. The whole garrison numbered but one hundred and tliirty ]nen including ofUcers, with twenty pieces of cannon, several of which were useless. On the morning of September 12th, six hundred Indians and Spaniards, and one hundred and thirty British marines, landed some distance from the fort ; and on the evening of the same day two sloops of war, and two brigs anchored within six miles. Parties reconnoitered the works next morning, and a few shots were fired upon them in the afternoon. Similar demonstrations were made on the 14th. At two o'clock, on the loth, tlie ships formed in line of battle near the fort. Major Lawrence then convened a council of officers, who unanimously resolved, " That in case of being, by imperious necessity, compelled to surrender, (which could only happen in the last extremity, on the ramparts being entirely battered down, and the garrison almost wholly destroyed, so that any further resistance would be evidently useless,) no capitulation should be agreed on, unless it had for its fundamental article, that the officers and privates should retain their arms and tlieir private property, and that on no pretext should the Indians be suffered to commit any outrage on their persons and property ; and, unless full assurance were given them, that they would be treated as prisoners of war, according to the custom establislied among civilized nations." At half past four, the enemy's four ships commenced the at- tack, which soon became general. The British had erected a land battery, which also opened upon the fort, which was soon wrapped in clouds of smoke. The flag of the Hermes, the prin- cipal \ esscl, was shot away, and for a few minutes, the firing on both sides ceased. It was soon renewed, and the Hermes, losing her anchor, was drifted within full range of the fort, where she re- mained more than fifteen minutes, exposed to a fire that sAvept almost every thing on deck. About this time the American flag was shot away, and the enemy's troops on shore believing that the fort had surrendered, marched toward it. A volley of grape- 456 JACKSON MARCHES INTO PENSACOLA. shot soon undeceived them, and they hastily retired beyond the mounds of sand. The Hermes had now run aground, and being utterly unmanageable, she was set on lire. The three remaining ships, with much difficulty got to sea. Tlie garrison continued their fire upon the Hermes until night, when she appeared in flames, burning until eleven, at which time the powder became ignited, and she blew up with a tremendous explosion. In this assault the enemy numbered thirteen hundred and thirty men, with ninety-two pieces of artillery ; while the garri- son consisted of but one hundred and thirty men, with twenty cannon, several of them unfit for use. The American loss was four killed and four wounded ; that of the enemy two liundred and thirty-two, of whom but seventy were killed. This noljle defense spread a thrill of exultation throughout the south, and inspired, in no little degree, that spirit of determined patriotism, which was soon to produce such glorious results. On the 21st, General Jackson issued a proclamation to the in- habitants of Louisiana, in wliich, after setting forth the perfidious conduct of the British on tlie coast, and their intrigues with Lafitte, he implored their zealous assistance in repelling the invaders. A similar address was published to the free coloured population. As the expedition against Fort Bowyer had sailed from Pen- sacola. General Jackson determined to reduce that place, not- withstanding its belonging to a neutral nation. Accordingly on the 6th of November, 1814, he arrived before the town with four thousaiul men, and summoned it to surrender. His flag was fired upon ; and on its return, reported to the general that both S})anish and English colours were flying from the walls. Be- lieving that so wanton an outrage originated entirely from the British, Jackson sent a letter to the governor, by a prisoner, de- manding a satisfactory explanation of the affront. The governor immediately despatched an officer with assurances of his having liad no participation in the insidt, adding, that if the general was pleased to renew the communication, he would guaranty the messenger a proper reception. Tins was done, and the fol- lowing conditions were offered : — To receive an American garri- son in the forts St. Michael and Barrancas, until the Spanish CAPTURE OF SPANISH GARRISONS. 457 government could procure a sufficient force to enable them to maintain their neutrality against its violation by the British, who had possessed themselves of the fortresses, notwithstanding the remonstrance and protest of the Spanish governor. That the American forces should be withdrawn, when such a force should arrive. These conditions having been refused, the messenger declared, agreably to his instructions, that however painful to the general's feelings, recourse would be had to arms. On the 7th of November, the American army marched to the attack in three columns. The centre was composed of regular infantry, with two pieces of artillery, under Major Woodruff. The remaining columns, with a battalion of volunteer dragoons from Mississippi, marched in the rear. When in sight of the town, the centre column Avas ordered to charge, which it did in the face of a S])anish battery, losing eleven men, but carrying the guns at the point of the bayonet. The Spaniards had four killed and six wounded. The governor now sent a flag of truce to the American general, and hostilities ceased. It was agi-eed that the block-houses of the town. Barrancas, and fort St. Michael should receive Em American garrison. But the commandant of St. Michael refused to obey the governor's order, and held pos- session of the fort. General Jackson offered him the same pro- positions that had been made the night before, and half an hour to determine. Then having resigned the command to Major Pierce, with eight hundred men, and instructions to get posses- sion of the fort before night, either by negotiation or force, he retired to his camp with the remainder of the troops. During the afternoon the St. Rose battery, opposite Barrancas, was blown up by the Spaniards; and at ten o'clock, p. m., Colonel Sotto, the commandant of St. Michael, surrendered without opposition. The fort was immediately taken possession of by the Americans. Public and private property in this sttition, and all otliers of the city, was respected with a carefulness that excited the greatest astonishment and pleasure among the inhabitants. Next morning the Spanish governor refused to issue an order for the surrender of Barrancas, alleging that it would 1)0 dis- obeyed. As it commanded the entrance into Pensacola bay,' and was of the utmost importance, Jackson determined on assaulting 2Q 58 _ 458 INFLUENCE OF GENERAL JACKSON. it. While preparations were making for this purpose, an explosion was heard, and flames were seen proceeding from the fort. The cause was soon ascertained; the British had per- suaded the commandant to blow up the w^orks, and retire to Havana, with all his force, amounting to three or four hundred men. The object of the expedition being accomplished. General Jackson determined to withdraw the greater part of his army from the Spanish territory, and march back to Mobile and New Orleans. He set out on the 9th, and after stopping for some days at the former place, he- reached New Orleans, December 2d. On the same day he reviewed the battalion of uniform companies of New Orleans militia, commanded by Major Daquin. Their appearance and behaviour afforded him much satisfaction. The arrival of General Jackson gave a new complexion to affairs in the city. Hitherto all attempts to adopt measures of defense had been feeble. The legislature had appointed a joint committee of both houses, to concert with the governor. Commo- dore Patterson, and the military commandant, such measures as might be deemed most expedient. But there was no concentra- tion of power, nor even of feeling. The citizens distrusted the abilities of their civil and military authorities. Unprofitable dis- putes increased the difficulty. Credit was destroyed ; the banks had all suspended payment, and business was utterly stagnant. But General Jackson united all parties, arrested all discord, and gave instant animation to the measures of defense. On the second day after his arrival, the general visited Fort St. Philip, in order to ascertain its condition, and to examine what parts of the river below New Orleans it might be expedient to fortify. He ordered the demolition of the wooden barracks within the fort, several additional pieces of artillery to be mounted on the rampart, and a thirty-two-pounder, and a mortar in the covered way. He also ordered two batteries to be constructed, mounting twenty -four-pounders. On the lOtli General Jackson wrote to the governor of the state, informing him that the river banks could be well defended, and urging the expediency of requesting the planters to loan their' slaves for the purpose of throwing up embankments. He stated the dangerous position of affairs, and the necessity of JACKSON PROCLAIMS MARTIAL LAW. 459 immediate action. The governor and legislature cordially re- sponded to his views, and were immediately seconded by the inhabitants. On the afternoon of the 13th, six gun-boats, under Lieutenant Jones, who had been sent out to vv'atcli the movements of the British fleet, encountered a number of the enemy's barges. Manoeuveringtook place until after midnight, when the lieutenant was forced to anchor near Malheureux island. On the same day a tender was set on lire to prevent its falling into the hands of the British. Early on the 14th, the enemy captured the tender Alligator. The whole British flotilla then attacked the gun-boats, and an action ensued, in wdiich one hundred and eighty-two men, distril^uted in boats, fought three-quarters of an hour, with twelve hundred veterans, in fortv-two laro-e baro-es, carrying nine and twelve-pounders, and twenty-four-pound carronades, in all numbering forty-three pieces. They had six men killed, and thirty-five wounded. The British had several barges sunk, and lost more than two hundred men. From this time until the 21st, every precaution w^as taken to provide against the expected attack. General Jackson armed all his troops, reviewed them daily, wrote by express to Generals Coffee, Carrol, and Thomas, to join him with all speed, and de- clared the city under strict martial law. " All classes of society were animated with the most ardent zeal. The young, tlie old, women, children, all breathed defiance to the enemy. It was known that the enemy was on our coast, within a few hours' sail of the city, with a presumed force of betw^een nine and ten thousand men ; M'hilst all the forces we had yet to oppose him amounted to no more than one thousand regulars, and from four to five thousand militia; yet such was the universal confidence inspired l)y the activity and decision of the commander-in-chief, added to the detestation in which the enemy was held, and the desire to punish his audacity, should he presume to land, that not a single warehouse or shop -was shut, nor were any goods or valuable effects removed from the city." On the 21st, twelve men were sent in a boat to a settlement of Spanish fishermen, on the left bank of the Bayou Bienvenu, above its entrance into Lake Borgne, in order to give notice of 460 REPULSE OF THE BRITISH. any attempt of the enemy to penetrate that way. The fishermen were in the British service; and, on arriving at their village, the detachment found but one there, the others, under pretence of fishing, having gone as pilots to the Britisli barges. The men kept u]) an incessant watch for the enemy until midnight of the 22d, when a noise was heard, and each man seized his arms. Five barges fdled with men, and provided with artillery, were soon perceived. Seven men entered their boat, but being per- ceived, were all captured. But four of the whole detachment escaped, and three of these, after numerous hardships, were sub- sequently captured. The enemy then pushed forward to General Villery's plantation, captured his son and several others, and t09k possession of the estate. Of the events which followed, we have the following account from Eaton's Life of Jackson : fAYOU BIENVENU, through Mdiich the landing was made, is an arm of considerable widtli, stretching toward the Mississippi, from Lake Borgne, and about fifteen miles south-east of New Orleans. It had been re- ported to General Jackson, on the 23d, that, on the day before, several strange sail had been descried off Terre au Boeuf To ascertain correctly the truth of the statement. Majors Tatum and Latour, topographical engineers, had been sent off, with orders to proceed in that direction, and learn if any thing w^ere attempting there. It was toward noon of the 23d, when they started. Approaching General Villery's plantation, and perceiv- ing at a distance, soldiers, and persons fleeing hastily away, they at once supposed the enemy- had arrived. What, how- ever, was but surmise, was presently, and on nearer observation, rendered certain ; and it was now no longer a doubt, but that the British had landed, in considerable force, and had actually gained, unobserved, the house of General Villery, on the bank of the Mississippi, where they had surprised, and made prisoners, a company of militia, there posted. *' Major Tatum, hastening back, announced his discovery. Preparations to act were immediately made by General Jackson. JACKSON RESOLVES TO GIVE BATTLE. 461 The signal guns were fired, and expresses sent forward, to con- centrate the forces ; resolving, that night, to meet the invaders, and try his own and their firmness. HE hour to test the bravcrv of his troops had now arrived. The approach of the enemy, flushed with the hope of easy victory, was announced to Jackson, a little after one o'clock in the afternoon. There were too many reasons, assuring him of the necessity of acting speedily, to hesitate a moment, on the course proper to be pursued. Could he assail them, and obtain even a partial advantage, it might be beneficial — it might arrest disaffection — buoy up the despondent — determine the wavering, and. bring within his reach resources for to-morrow, which might wholly fail, should fear once take possession of the public mind. It was a moment, too, of all others, most propitious to success. He well knew the greater part of his troops were inured to marching and fatigue, Avhilc those opposed to him were just landed from a long voyage, and were as yet without activity, and unfitted for bodily exertion. Moreover, a part only might have arrived from the shipping, while the remainder would be certainly disembarked as early as possible. These circumstances seemed to augment, in his behalf, the chances of victory, if now sought; but if deferred, they might, in a little time, disappear. He resolved, at all events, to march, and that night give them battle. Generals Coffee and Carroll were ordered to proceed immediately from their encampment, and join him with all haste. Although four miles above, they arrived in the city in less than two hours after the order liad been issued. These forces, with the 7th and 44th regiments, tlie Louisiana troops, and Colonel Hinds's dragoons, constituted tlic strength of his army, which could be carried into action against an enemy, whose numbers, at this time, could only be conjectured. It w[is thought advisable to leave Carroll and his division behind ; for notwithstanding there Avas no correct information of the force landed through Villery's canal, yet Jackson feared that this 2 0.2 462 ALARMS OF THE CITY. might be only a feint, intended to divert his attention, while, in all probability, a much stronger and more numerous division, Jiaving already gained some point higher on the lake, might, by advancing in his absence, gain his rear, and succeed in their views. Uncertain of their movements, it was essential he should be prepared for the worst, and, by different dispositions of his troops, be ready to resist, in wdiatever quarter he might be assailed. Carroll, therefore, at the head of his division, and Governor Claiborne, with the state militia, were directed to take ])ost on the Gentilly road, leading from Chef Menteur to New Orleans, and to defend it to the last extremity. " Colonel Hayne, with two companies of riflemen, and the Mississippi dragoons, was sent forward to reconnoiter their camp, learn their position and their numbers ; and, in the event they should be found advancing, to harass and oppose them at every step, until the main body should arrive. VERY thing being ready, General Jackson commenced his march, to meet and fight the veteran troops of England. An inconsider- able circumstance, at this moment, evinced what unlimited confidence w^as reposed in his skill and bravery. As his troops were marching through the city, his ears were assailed with the screams and cries of in- numerable females, wdio had collected on the way, and seemed to apprehend the worst of consequences. Feeling for their distresses, and anxious to quiet them, he directed Mr. Livingston to address them in the French language. " Say to them," said he, " not to be alarmed: the enemy shall never reach the city." It operated like an electric shock. To know that he himself was not appre- hensive of a fatal result, inspired them with altered feelings ; sor- row was ended, and their grief converted into hope and confidence. " The general arrived in view of the enemy, a little before dark. Having previously ascertained from Colonel Hayne their position, and that their strength was about two thousand men,* * This opinion, as it afterwards appeared, was incorrect! Their number, at the com- mencement of the action, was three thousand, which was shortly afterwards increased by additional forces. MODE OF ATTACK. 463 he immediately concerted the mode of attack, and hastened to execute it. Commodore Patterson, commanding the naval forces, with Captain Henly on board the Caroline, had been directed to drop down, anchor in front of their line, and open upon them from the guns of the schooner; which being the signal for attack, was to be waged simultaneously on all sides. The fires from their camp disclosed their position, and showed their en- campment, formed with their left resting on the river, and ex- tending at right angles into the open lield. General Coffee, with his brigade. Colonel Hinds's dragoons, and Captain Beal's company of riflemen, was ordered to oblique to the left, and, by a circuitous route, avoid their pickets, and endeavour to turn their right wing ; having succeeded in this, to form his line, and press the enemy towards the river, where they would be ex- posed more completely to the fire of the Caroline. The rest of the troops, consisting of the regulars, Plauche's city volunteers, Daquin's coloured troops, the artillery under Lieutenant Spoots, supported by a company of marines, commanded by Colonel McKee, advanced along the bank of the Mississippi, and were commanded by Jackson in person. " General Coffee had advanced beyond their pickets, next the svv^amp, and nearly reached the point to which he was ordered, when a broadside from the Caroline announced the battle begun. Patterson had proceeded slowly, giving time, as he believed, for the execution of those arrangements contemplated on the shore. So sanguine had the British been in the belief that they would be kindly received, and little opposition attempted, that the Caroline floated by the sentinels, and anchored before their camp, without any kind of molestation. On passing the front picket, she was hailed in a low voice, but returning no answ^er, no further question was made. This, added to some other attend- ant circumstances, confirmed the opinion that they believed her a vessel laden with provisions, w^hich had been sent out from New Orleans, and was intended for them. Having reached what, from their fires, appeared to be the centre of their encamp- ment, her anchors were cast, and her character and business dis- closed from her guns. So unexpected an attack produced a momentary confusion ; but, recovering, they answered her by a 464 BATTLE OF 23d OF DECEMBER. discharge of musketry, and flight of congreve rockets, which passed without injury, while her grape and canister were pouring destructively on them. To take away the certainty of aim af- forded by the light of their fires, these were immediately ex- tinguished, and they retired two or three hundred yards into the open field, if not out of the reach of the cannon, at least to a distance, where, by the darkness of the night, they would be protected. OFFEE had dismounted his men, and turned his horses loose, at a large ditch, next the swamp, in the rear of Lorond's plantation, and gained, as he believed, the centre of the enemy's line, when the signal from the Caroline reached him. He directly wheeled his ^ columms in, and, extending his line ^"^ parallel with the river, moved towards their camp. He had scarcely advanced more than a hundred yards, when he received a heavy fire, from a line formed in his front : this, to him, was an unexpected circumstance, as he sup- posed the enemy lying principally at a distance, and that the only opposition he should meet, until he approached towards the levee,* would be from their advanced guards. The circumstance of his coming up with them so soon was owing to the severe attack of the schooner, which had compelled them to abandon their camp, and form without her reach. The moon shone, but reflected her light too feebly to discover objects at a distance. The only chance, therefore, of producing certain injury, with this kind of force, which consisted chiefly of riflemen, was not to venture at random, but only to discharge their pieces when there should be a certainty of felling the object. This order being given, the line pressed on, and, having gained a position near enougli to distinguish, a general fire was given ; it was too severe and destructive to be withstood ; the enemy gave way, and retreated, — rallied, — formed, — were charged, and again re- Embankments formed along the river, to confine it in its bed. BATTLE OF 23d OF DECEMBER. 465 treated. These gallant men, led by their brave commander, urged fearlessly on, and drove them from every position they attempted to maintain. Their general was under no necessity to encourage and allnre them to deeds of valour : his own example was sufficient to excite them. Always in the midst, he displayed a coolness and disregard of danger, calling to his troops, that they had often said they could fight, now was the time to prove it. "The enemy, driven back by the resolute firmness and ardour of their assailants, had now reached a grove of orange trees, with a ditch running past it, protected by a fence on the margin. It was a favourable position, promising security, and was occupied with a confidence that they could not be forced to yield it. Coffee's dauntless yeomanry, strengthened in their hopes of success, moved on, nor discovered the advantages against them, until a fire from the whole British line showed their defense. A momentary check was given ; but, gathering fresh ai-dour, they charged across the ditch, gave a deadly and destructive fire, and forced them to retire. Their retreat continued, until, gain- ing a similar position, they made another stand, and were again driven from it, with considerable loss. "Thus the battle raged, on the left wing, until the British reached the bank of the river ; here a detennined stand was made, and further encroachments resisted : for half an hour the conflict was extremely violent on both sides. The American troops could not be driven from their purpose, nor the British made to yield their ground ; but at length, having suffered greatly, the latter were under the necessity of taking refuge behind the levee, which afforded a breastwork, and protected them from the fatal fire of our riflemen. Coffee, unacquainted with their position, for the darkness had greatly increased, already contemplated again to charge them ; but Major Moulton, who had discovered their situation, assured him it was too hazardous; that they could be driven no further, and would, from the point they occupied, resist Avith the bayonet, and repel, with considerable loss, any attempt to dislodge them. The place of their retirement was covered in front by a strong bank, which had been extended into the field, to keep out the river, in conse- quence of the first being encroached upon, and undermined in 59 466 BATTLE OF 23d OF DECEMBER. several places : the old one, however, was still entire, in many parts, and gave them security from the broadsides of the schooner, which lay of!" at some distance. A further apprehension, lest, by moving- still nearer the river, he might greatly expose himself to tlie hre of the Caroline, which was yet spiritedly maintaining the conflict, induced Cofiee to retire until he could hear from the commanding' general, and receive his further orders. URING this time, the right wing, under Jackson, was no less prompt and active. A detachment of artillery under Lieutenant Spotts, supported by sixty marines, formed the advance, and had moved down the road, next the levee. On their left was the 7th regiment of infantry, led by Major Piere. The 44th, com- manded by Major Baker, was formed on the extreme left ; while Plauche's and Daquin's battalions of city guards, were directed to be posted in the centre, between the 7th and 44th. The gene- ral had ordered Colonel Ross, who, during the night, acted in the capacity of brigadier-general, on hearing the signal from the Caroline, to move off by heads of companies, and, having reached the enemy's line, to deploy, and seek to unite the left ^\dng with the riglit of General Coffee's. This order was omitted to be ex- ecuted ; and the consequence was an early introduction of con- fusion in the ranks, whereby was prevented the important design of uniting the two divisions. " Instead of marching in colunm from the first position, the troops were wheeled into an extended line, and moved off in this order, except the 7tli regiment, next the person of the general, which advanced agreably to the instructions that had been given. Having sufficient ground to form on at first, no inconvenience was at the moment sustained : but this advantage presently fail- ing, the centre was compressed, and forced in the rear. The river, from where they were, gradually inclined to the left, and diminished the space originally possessed : farther in, stood Lo- BATTLE OF 23d OF DECEMBER. 467 roiid's house, siirrouin,lod by a grovo of clustered orange trees : this pressing the k;tt, and the river the right wing to the centre, formed a curve, wliich threw the principal part of Plauche's and Daquin's battalions without the line. This miglit have been remedied, but for the briskness of the advance, and the darkness of the night. A heavy fire from behind a fence immediately before them, had brought the enemy to view. Acting in obe- dience to their orders, not to Avaste their ammunition at random, our troops had pressed forward against the opposition in their front, and thereby threw those battalions in the rear. FOG rising from the river, which, added to the smoke from the guns, was covering the plain, — gradually diminishing the little light shed by the moon, and greatly increasing the darkness of the night : no clue was left, to tell how or where the enemy were situated. There was no alternative but to move on, in the direc- tion of their fire, which subjected the as- sailants to material disadvantages. The British, driven from their first position, had retired back, and occupied another, behind a deep ditch, that ran out of the Mississippi towards the swamp, on the top of wdiich was a high fence. Here, strengthened by increased numbers, they again opposed the a})proach of our troops. Having waited until they had come sufficiently near to be discovered, they discharged, from their fastnesses, a fire upon the advancing army. Instantly our battery was formed, and poured destructively upon them ; while tlie infantry, coming up, aided in the conflict, which was for some time spiritedly main- tained. At tliis moment, a brisk sally was made upon our ad- vance, when the marines, unequal to the assault, were already giving way. The adjutant-general, and Colonels Piatt and Chotard, with a part of the 7th, hastening to their support, drove the enemy, and saved the artillery from capture. General Jackson, perceiving the advantages they derived from llieir position, ordered their line to be charged. It was obeyed wilh cheerfulness, and executed with promptness. Pressing on, our troops gained the ditch, and, pouring across it a well-aimed fire, 468 REPULSE OF THE BRITISH. compelled them to retreat, and ahandon their intrenchment. The plain, on wliich they were contending, was cut to pieces, by races from the river, to convey the water. They were, there- fore, very soon enal)led to take another situation, equally favour- able with the one whence they had just been driven, where they formed for battle, and, for some time, gallantly maintained them- selves ; but were at length forced to yield it, and retreat. " The enemy, discovering the firm and obstinate resistance made l)y the right wing of the American army, and perhaps pre- suming its principal strength was posted on the road, formed the intention of attacking violently the left. Obliquing for this pur- pose, an attempt was made to turn it. At this moment, Daquin's and the battalion of city guards were marched up, and, being formed on the left of the 44th, met and repulsed them. " The time of the contest prevented many of those benefits which might have been derived from the artillery. The blaze of the enemy's musketry was the only light by which they could judge of their positions, or be capable of taking their own to advantage ; yet, notwithstanding, it greatly annoyed them, when- ever it could be brought to bear. Directed by Lieutenant Spotts, a vigilant and skilful officer, with men to aid him, who looked to nothing but a zealous discharge of their duty, it rendered the most essential and important services. HE enemy had been thrice assailed and beaten, and made to yield their ground for nearly a mile. They had now retired, and, if found, were to 1)0 again sought for through the dark. The general determined to halt, and ascertain Coffee's position and success, previously to waging the battle further, for as yet no com- munication had passed between them. He entertained no doubt, from the brisk firing in that direction, but that he had been warmly engaged ; but this had now nearly subsided ; the Caroline, too, had almost ceased her operations ; it being only occasionally that the noise of her gims disclosed the little opportunity she possessed of acting efficiently. DETERMINATION NOT TO PURSUE THE ENEMY. 469 ^' The express despatclicd to General Jackson, from the left wing, having reached him, he determined to prosecute the suc- cesses he had gained no further. The darkness of the night — the confusion into which his own division had been thrown, and a similar one on the part of Coffee, all pointed to the necessity of retiring from the field, and abandoning the contest. The bravery and firmness already displayed by his troops, had in- duced the belief, that by pressing on he might capture the whole British army : at any rate, he considered it but a game of venture and hazard, which, if unsuccessful, could not occasion his own defeat. If, incompetent to its execution, superior numbers or superior discipline should compel him to recede from the effort, he well knew the enemy woidd not have temerity enough to attempt pursuit. The extreme darkness — their entire ignorance of the situation of the country, and an apprehension lest their forces might be greatly outnumbered, afforded him sufficient reasons, on which to ground a belief, that although beaten from his purpose, he would yet have it in his power to retire in safety : but on tlie arrival of the express from General Coffee, learning the strong position to which the enemy had retired, and that a part of the left wing had been detached, and were in all proba- bility captured, he determined to retire from the contest, nor attempt a further prosecution of his successes. General Coffee was accordingly directed to withdraw, and take a position at Lorond's plantation, where the line had been first formed : and thither the troops on the right were also ordered to be marched. " Tlie last charge made by the left wing, had separated from the main body, Colonels Dyer and Gibson, with two hundred men, and Captain Beal's company of riflemen. What might he their fate — whether captured, or had effected their retreat, was at this time altogether uncertain ; be that as it might. Cof- fee's command Avas thereby considerably weakened. " Colonel Dyer, who commanded the extreme left, on clearing the grove, after the enemy had retired, was marching in tlie di- rection he expected to find General Coffee ; he very soon dis- covered a force in front, and hastened towards it. Arriving within a short distance, he was hailed, ordered to stop, and to report to whom he belonged : Dyer and Gibson advanced, and stated 2R 470 BRITISH REINFORCED. they were of Coffee's brigade ; by tins time tliey had arrived within a short distance of the Une, and perceiving the name of their brigade was not understood, their apprehensions were awakened, lest it might be a detachment of the enemy ; in this opinion they were immediately confirmed, and wheeling to return, were fired upon and pursued. Gibson had scarcely started Avhcn he fell ; Ijefore he could recover, a soldier, quicker than the rest, had reached him, and pinned him to the ground with his bayonet ; fortunately the stab had but slightly wounded him, and he was only held by his clothes : thus pinioned, and others brislvly advancing, but a moment was left for deliberation ; — making a violent exertion, and springing on his feet, he threw his assailant to the ground, and made good his retreat. Colonel Dyer had retreated about fifty yards, when his horse dropped dead ; entangled in the fall, and slightly wounded in the thigh, there was little prospect of relief, for the enemy were briskly advancing : his men being near at hand, he ordered a fire, which checking their approach, enabled him to escape. Being now at the head of his command, — perceiving an enemy in the direc- tion he had not expected, and uncertain how or where he might find General Coffee, he determined to seek him to the right, and moving on with his little band, forced his way through the ene- my's lines, with a loss of sixty-three of his men, who were killed and taken. Captain Beal, with equal bravery, charged through the enemy, carrying off some prisoners, and losing several of his own company. " This reinforcement of the British had arrived from Bayou Bienvenu after night. The boats that had landed the first de- tachment, had proceeded back to the shipping, and having re- turned, were on their way up the bayou, when they heard the guns of the Caroline; moving hastily on to the assistance of those who had debarked before them, they reached the shore, and knowing nothing of the situation of the two armies, came up in the rear of General Coffee's brigade. Coming in contact with Colonel Dyer and Captain Beal, they filed off to the left, and reached the British camp. " This part of Coffee's brigade, unable to unite with, or find him, retired where they had first formed, and joined Colonel ARRIVAL OF CARROLL's DIVISION. 471 Hinds's dragoons, which had remained on the ground where the troops had first dismounted, to cover their retreat, in the event it became necessary. " Jackson had gone into this battle with a confidence of suc- cess ; and his arrangements were such as w^ould have insured it, even to a much greater extent, but {or the intervention of circumstances that were not and coiild not be foreseen. The Caroline had given her signals, and commenced the battle a little too early, before Coffee had reached and taken his position, and before every thing was fully in readiness to attain the objects designed ; but it was chiefly owing to the confusion introduced at first into the ranks, which checked the rapidity of his advance, gave the enemy time for preparation, and prevented his division from uniting with the right wing of General Coffee's brigade. " Colonel Hinds, with one Imndred and eighty dragoons, was not brought into action during the night. Interspersed as the plain was with innumerable ditches, cut in different directions, it was impossible that cavalry could act to any kind of advan- tage : they were now formed in advance, to watch, until morn- ing, the movements of the enemy. " From the experiment just made, Jackson believed it would be in his power on renewing the attack to capture the enemy : he concluded, therefore, to call down General Carroll with his division, and assail him again at the dawn of day. Directing Go- vernor Claiborne to remain at his post, with the Louisiana militia, for the defense of the Gentilly road, he despatched an order to Carroll; in the event there had been no appearance of a force during the night, in the direction of Chef Menteur, to hasten and join him with his command ; which order was executed by one o'clock in tlie morning. Previously, however, to his arrival a different conclusion was taken. From prisoners who had been brought in, and some deserters, it w^as ascertained that the strength of the enemy during the battle w^as four thousand, and with the reinforcements which had reached them, after its com- mencement, it was then not less than six : — at any rate, it ex- ceeded his own greatly, even after the Tennessee division should be added. Although very decided advantages had been ob- tained, yet 'they had been procured under circumstances that 472 JACKSON FORMS HIS LINE. might be wholly lost in a contest waged in open day, between forces so disproportioned, and by undisciplined troops against veteran soldiers. Jackson well knew it was incumbent upon him to act a part entirely defensive : should the attempt to gain and destroy the city succeed, numerous difficulties would arise, which might be avoided, so long as he could hold the enemy in check, and halt him in his designs. Prompted by these consi- derations, — that it was important to pursue a course calculated, to assure safety ; and believing it attainable in no way so effect- ually as in occupying some point, and by the strength he might give it, make up for the inferiority of his numbers ; he deter- mined to forbear all further efforts, until he should more cer- tainly discover the views of the enemy, and until the Kentucky troops should reach him, which had not yet arrived. Pursuing tliis idea, at four o'clock, having ordered Colonel Hinds to occupy the ground he was then leaving, and to observe the enemy closely, he fell back, and formed his line behind a deep ditch that ran at right angles from the river. There were two cir- cumstances strongly recommending the importance of this place : the swamp, which, from the high lands at Baton Rouge, skirted the river at irregular distances, and was in many places almost impervious, had approached here within four hundred yards of the Mississippi, and hence, from the narrowness of the pass, was more easily to be defended ; added to Avhich, there was a deep canal, whence the dirt being thrown on the upper side, already formed a tolerable breastwork. Behind this his troops were formed, and proper measures adopted for increasing its strength, with a determination never to abandon it ; but there to resist to the last, and defend those rights which were sought to be outraged and destroyed. " The soldier who has stood the shock of battle, and knows what slight circumstances often produce decided advantages, w411 be able, properly, to appreciate the events of this night. Although the dreadful carnage of the 8th of January, hereafter to be told, was in fact the finishing blow, that struck down the towering hopes of those invaders, and put an end to the contest; yet in the battle of the 23d, is to be found abundant cause, why success resulted to our arms, and safety was given to the country. NUMBER ENGAGED. 473 The British had reached the Mississippi without the fire of a gun, and had encamped upon its banks, as composedly as if they had been seated on their own soil, and at a distance from all danger. These were circumstances awakening a belief that they expected little opposition, were certain of success, and that the troops with whom they were to contend, would scarcely venture to resist them : resting thus confidently, they would the next day have moved forward, and succeeded in the accomplish- ment of their designs. Jackson, convinced that an early im- pression was essential to ultimate success, had resolved to assail them at the moment of their landing, and ' attack them in their first position :' we have, therefore, seen him, with a force, infe- rior by one half, to that of the enemy, at an unexpected moment, break into their camp, and with his undisciplined yeomanry, drive before him the pride of Europe. It was an event that could not fail to destroy all previous theories, and establish a conclusion, our enemy had not before formed, that they Avere contending against valour inferior to none they had seen ; — before which their own bravery had not stood, nor their skill availed them : it had the effect of satisfying them, that the quantity and kind of troops it was in his power to wield, must be different from what had been represented ; for, much as they had heard of the courage of the man, they could not suppose, that a general, having a country to defend, and a reputation to preserve, would venture to attack, on their own chosen ground, a greatly supe- rior army, and one, which, by the numerous victories achieved, had already accpiired a fame in arms ; they were convinced that his force must greatly surpass what they had expected, and be composed of materials different from what they had imagined. "The American troops, which were actually engaged, did not amount to two thousand men : they consisted of part of Coffee's brigade and Captain Beal's company, - 648 The 7th and 44th regiments, - - - - 763 Company of marines and artillery, - - -82 Plauche's and Daquin's battalions, - - - 4S8 And the Mississippi dragoons, under Colonel 7 .g/. Hinds, not in the action, 2167 2h2 60 474 REMARKS ON THE BATTLE. which for one hour maintained a severe conflict with a force of four or five thousand, and retired in safety from the ground with the loss of l)ut twenty-four killed, one hundred and fifteen wounded, and seventy-four made prisoners; while the killed, wounded and prisoners of tlie enemj^, were not less than four hundred. UR officers and soldiers executed every order with promj)tness, and nobly sustained their country's character. Lieutenant-Colonel Lauderdale, of Coffee's brigade, an officer on wdiom every reli- ance was placed, fell at his post, and at his duty : he had entered the service, and descended the river, with the volunteers, tinder General Jackson, in the winter of 1812 — passed through all the hardships and difficulties of the Creek war, and had ever manifested a readiness to act when his country needed his services. Young, brave, and skilful, he had already afforded evidences of a capacity, which miglit in future, have become useful ; his exemplary conduct, both in civil and military life, acquired for him a respect, that rendered his fall a subject of general regret. Lieutenant McLelland, a valuable young officer, of the 7th, was also among the number of the slain. " Coffi'o's Inigade, during the action, imitating the example of their commander, bravely contended, and ably supported the character they had estaljlishcd. The unequal contest in which they w^ere engaged, never occurred to them ; nor for a moment checked the rapidity of their advance. Had the British known they were mere riflemen, without bayonets, a firm stand would have arrested their progress, and destruction or capture would have been the inevitalDle consequence; but this circumstance beino" unknown, every charge they made was crowned with success, producing discomfiture, and routing and driving supe- rior numbers before them. Officers, from the highest to inferior grades, discharged what had been expected of them. Ensign Leach, of the 7th regiment, being wounded through the body, still remained at his post, and in the performance of his duty. Colonel Reuben Kemper, enterprising and self-collected, amidst the confusion introduced on the left wing, found himself at the REMARKS ON THE BATTLE. 475 head of a handful of men, detached from the main body, and in the midst of a party of the enemy ; never did any man better exempUfy the truth of the position, that discretion is sometimes the better part of valour : to attempt resistance was idle, and could only eventuate in destruction ; with a mind unclouded by the peril that surrounded him, he sought and. procured his safety through stratagem. Calling to a group of soldiers who were near, he demanded where their regiment was ; lost themselves, they were unable to answer : but taking him for one of their own officers, they followed, as they were ordered, to his own line, where they were made prisoners. The 7th regiment, commanded by Major Piere, and the 44th, under Major Baker, aided by Major Butler, gallantly maintained the conflict — forced the enemy from every secure position he attempted to occupy, and drove him a mile from the first point of attack. Confiding in themselves, and their general, who M^as constantly with them, exposed to danger, and in the thickest of the fight, inspired by his ardour, and encouraging by his ex- ample, they advanced to the conflict, nor evinced a disposition to leave it, until the jirudence of their commander directed them to retire. •0^f®C?/ ^^^^ ^^^^' ^'iolence of the assault already — =£^=^^-^ — — made, the fears of the British had l)een greatly excited ; to keep their apprehensions alive was considered important, with a view partially to destroy the overweening confi- dence ■N^-ith which they had arrived, and compel them to act, for a time, upon the de- fensive. To effect this. General Coffee, with his brigade, was ordered down on the 24th, to unite with Colonel Hinds, and make a show in the rear of Lacoste's plantation. The enemy, not yet recovered of the panic produced by the first assault, already believed it was in contemplation to urge another attacli:, and immediately formed to repel it; but Coflee having suc- ceeded in recovering some of his horses, wdiich ^vel•e wandering along the sides of the swamp ; and in regaining part of tlie clothing his troops had lost, returned to the line, leaving to be conjectured the objects of his movement. 476 BRITISH ACCOUNT OF THE 23d OF DECEMBER. An English vrriter gives the following interesting account of the action of the 23d of Decemljer ; — " AVhen the shades of evening fell, the fires were made to blaze more brightly ; supper was despatched, and the men prepared themselves for rest; Imt a little before eight o'clock the attention of some was drawn to a large ves- sel, which seemed to be stealing up the river, till she came op- posite to the British station, when her anchor was dropped, and her sails leisurely furled. Various were the opinions entertained of this stranger. She was hailed, but no answer was returned. All idea of sleep, however, was now laid aside, and several musket shots were fired, of which not the slightest notice was taken. At length, all her sails beino^ fastened, and her broadside swunsT toward the camp, a voice was distinctly heard exclaiming, ' Give them this for the honour of America.' The flashes of her guns instantly followed, and a shower of grape shot swept down numbers of the British troops. An incessant cannonade was then kept up, which could not be silenced, as our troops had no artillery, and the few rockets that were discharged deviated so much from their object, as to afford only amusement for the enemy. Under these circumstances, therefore, all were ordered to leave the fires, and shelter themselves under the dikes, where they lay, each as he could find room, listening in painful silence to the iron had among the huts, and to the shrieks and groans of those that were wounded. " The niglit was dark as pitch ; the fires were all extinguished, and not an object was visible, except from the momentary flashes of the guns, when a straggling fire called attention toward the pickets, as if some more dreadful scene was about to open : nor was it long before suspense was cut short by a tremendous yell, and a semicircular blaze of musketry, which showed that the position was surrounded by a superior force ; and that no alterna- tive remained, but to surrender, or to drive back the assailants. The first of these plans was instantly rejected ; for the troops, rushing from their lurking places, and dashing through their bivouac, under heavy discharges from the vessel, lost not a moment in attacking the foe, without the slightest attention to order, or the rules of disciplined warfare : the combat, which was left to individual valour and skill, lasted till three in the BRITISH ACCOUNT OF THE 23d OF DECEMBER. 477 morning" ; and tliougli the enemy was linally repulsed, no less than five hundred of our finest troops and best officers were left on the field : the rest then retired to their former lurking places, to be out of reach of their enemy on the river ; which, when daylight appeared, was discovered to be a fine schooner of eighteen guns, crowded with men. In the cold dikes, however, they were compelled to remain the whole ensuing day, without fire and without food ; for whenever the smallest number began to steal away from shelter, the vessel opened her fire. " In the mean time, the remainder of the troops were disem- barking in haste to rejoin their comrades ; and as the schooner's guns were heard at the distance of at least twenty miles over the water, and in the silence of the night, the most strenuous exer- tions were made by the boats' crews : nor was a moment lost in returning to the island ; so that the whole army was brought into position before dark on the 24th ; but the advanced brigade was still fettered to the bank, while another large ship now cast anchor about a mile from their annoying enemy : as soon, how- ever, as darkness had set in, a change of position was effected, and the division was stationed in the village of huts : the front of the army being then covered by a strong chain of outposts, they remained quiet during the night ; and next day General Keene was relieved from further care and responsibility by the unexpected arrival of Sir Edward Packenliam and General Gibbs ; the former of whom had been despatched from England, to take the chief command, as soon as the death of General Ross was known. The arrival of Packenham, adored as he was l)y the army, elicited the utmost enthusiasm ; and he had scarcely reached the camp, before he proceeded to examine, with a soldier's eye, every point of attack or defense. Of the American army nothing could be seen but a corps of five hundred mounted riflemen, hovering about the British front, and watching every motion ; the city Avas not in sight ; and no advance could be made, imtil the vessels on the river were disposed of: as delay was now dangerous, nine field-pieces, two howitzers, and a mortar were brought down to the bank as soon as it became dark ; a battery was quickly throAvn up against the schooner ; and at dawn, on the 26th, a heavy cannonade A\'as opened upon 478 BRITISH ACCOUNT OF THE 23 D OF DECEMBER. lier with red-hot shot : nor was it long before her crew were seen hastening into their l3oats ; while the smoke first, and then the flames, began to rise from her decks ; and, in about an hour, slie blew up : the guns were then turned against the ship ; but not wishing to share the fate of her comrade, she set up every inch of canvas ; aiid being impelled both by sailing and towing, suc- ceeded in getting out of the range of shot. All apparent obstacles being now removed, the army advanced to a more forward posi- tion ; and arrangements were quietly made during the day till sunset : but from that period until near dawn the whole time w^as spent in wakefulness and alarm ; for the American riflemen harassed the pickets ; fired on the sentinels as w^ell as the officers who went the rounds ; and, disregarding all the usages of civil- ized warfare, thought only of diminishing the number of their enemies by picking off every individual wdiom they could reach. As soon as day began to break, they retired ; and our troops formed in two columns : the right, under General Gibbs, took post near the skirts of the morass, throwing out its skirmishers across the plain ; while the left, under Keene, drew up on the road near the river, and was covered by the rifle corps, which extended itself to meet the skirmishers of the right column : with this division went the artillery ; and at a given signal, the whole moved forward in high spirits, for about four or five miles, with- out the slightest check. At length they came in view of the American army, very advantageously posted behind a canal, wdiich ran from the morass to within a short distance of the road : along its line were formidable breastworks ; while on the road, and at various other points, were powerful batteries, aided by a large flotilla of gun-boats on the river, flanking the position. As the left column passed a few houses, built at a turning of the road, and which concealed the enemy from view, it was suddenly checked by a destructive fire from the battery and the shipping : scarcely a bullet passed over, or fell short of its mark; but striking full into the midst of the British ranks, made dreadful havoc : the houses also on the left, which had been purposely filled with combustibles, were now fired with red-hot shot ; so that, while whole ranks were mowed down by the artillery, the survivors were scorched by flames, or half suffocated with LOSS OF THE CAROLINE. 479 smoke : the troops, however, were not long suffered to remain in this situation ; for, being ordered to quit the path, and form in the fields, the British artillery was brought up against that of the enemy; but being inferior both in number of guns and weiglit of metal, it w^as soon obliged to retire with great loss. The infantry, having formed in line, now advanced under a heavy discharge of round and grape-shot, till they were stopped by the canal, the depth of which could not be ascertained ; they were therefore ordered to take shelter in a wet ditch, sufficiently deep to cover the knees; where, leaning forward, they concealed themselves as well as they could behind some high rushes on its brink : in the mean time, the advance of the right column had been stopped by similar impediments ; and nothing seemed left but to withdraw the troops from their perilous situation : a party of courageous seamen were employed to remove the dismounted guns, which service they effected under the whole fire of the enemy ; and then regiment after regiment stole away, amid dis- charges similar to those which saluted their approach ; retiring to a position in the plain, about two miles from the enemy's works, and in full sight of their army." The action of the 23d saved Louisiana ; for had the enemy not been attacked with such impetuosity, when they had scarcely effected their disembarkation, they would either that night or the next morning, have marched against the city, which, in its then defenseless condition, with about five thousand men, mostly militia, must inevitably have fallen. The three following days were occupied in erecting fortifica- tions, and reconnoitering the enemy's positions. Early on the 27th, a battery of twelve and eighteen-pounders opened upon the American schooner Caroline, and in about fifteen minutes set her on fire. She was abandoned by her crew, and soon after blew up. The guns were then directed against the Louisiana, but without causing any damage. In the evening the British land forces drove back the American advance guards, and took possession of Bicnvenu's and Chalmette's plantations. All the buildings on the latter were blown up by order of General Jack- son. The British slowly continued their march, advancing in columns, ]5recedcd by several pieces of artillcr}^, some playing 480 THE ENEMY S ARTILLERY SILENCED. Fortifying of New Orleans. on the Louisiana, and others on the American intrenchments. The Louisiana suffered the cohimns to advance a considerable space, and then opened on them a tremendous and well-directed fire. The exami)le was followed by the land troops, and the enemy's artillery silenced. So excellent was the Louisiana's position, tliat on one occasion a single ball from her killed fifteen men. Her fire finally ])roke the columns, forcing them back to the plantations, where they covered themselves by some JDuildings on Bienvenu's field. They also abandoned several batteries estal)lished on the river the preceding night. Their loss was between two and three hundred men ; that of the Americans, seven killed and ten w^ounded. At this time the British regular troops numbered about ten thousand men. General Gibbs's division had landed, and Sir Edvv^ard Packenham had taken command of the army, with his head-quarters at General Villery's house. Some skirmishing took place on the 31st, and a cannonade was kept up between the Louisiana and some batteries until afternoon. During the night, the enemy erected two batteries at the distance of six hundred yards from the American lines, and about half that distance from the river bank. On tlio morning of January 1st, 1815, a thick fog covered the ARRIVAL OF REINFORCE PI ENTS. 481 ground until eight o'clock. At this time the Britisli opened a brisk fire from three batteries, mounting in all eighteen large guns. A shower of congreve rockets accompanied the balls, continuing with unprecedented activity lor fifteen minutes. This was answered by a steady fire from the American lines, and in less than an hour tliat of the enemy slackened. The head-quarters of General Jackson were destroyed, and himself and staff narrowly escaped being shot. Two gun carriages were also destroyed, and two artillery caissons blown up. At ten o'clock, some platoons of sharp shooters penetrated into the neighbouring woods in order to reconnoiter the American left ; but they were promptly met by General Coffee's brigade and driven back. The enemy's fire continued to slacken until noon, and at one o'clocls: the two batteries on the right were abandoned. The other threw a few balls and rockets, until three p. m. when it also ceased. Deep silence then ensued, and the assailants retired to their camp, after a most active service of ten hours. The Americans lost during the day, thirty-four in killed and wounded. On the 4th two thousand two hundred and fifty Kentucky militia arrived in the city, under Major-General Thomas. These troops being almost entirely destitute of decent clothing, were supplied by the legislature of Louisiana and the subscription of private individuals. On the 6th, Sailing-Master Johnson burnt a British brig, loaded with rum and biscuit, capturing ten prisoners. The same day an unusual stir was observed among the enemy, who covered the banks of Villery's canal, dragging boats, inspecting arms, marching and exercising. At the same time the Americans erected a small redoubt of two six-pounders, commanding the river bank and front of the line. General Jackson had now eight distinct batteries constructed, mounting in all twelve guns, of different calibre, the largest however, being a thirty-two-pounder, under command of Lieu- tenant Crawley, late of the Caroline. The works were one mile in extent, from the river to the Cypress swamp, and termi- nated in a bend to the left of about two hundred yards. On the right of these works were stationed the 7th regiment, IMnjor Plauche, Major Lacoste, and Major Daquin's battalions, and the 2S 61 482 BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS. 44th regiment, amounting in all to thirteen hundred and eighty- nine men, and commanded by Colonel Ross of the 44th ; the centre was composed of General Carroll's, and part of General Adair's division, and amounted to sixteen hundred men; on the left was stationed the command of General Coffee, whose bri- gade consisted of five hundred men ; so that the whole line was defended by three thousand four liundred and eighty-nine men. On the opposite side, the works erected by General Morgan were defended by two hundred and seventy-six of the Louisiana contingent, one hundred and seventy-six of the 2d, or Colonel Cavalier's regiment, and the 1st and part of the 6th, comprising one hundred and ten, under Colonel Degian, the whole amount- ing to five hundred and forty-six men. To these were added, on the night of the 27th, a reinforcement of five hundred men, from General Adair's Kentucky militia, under Colonel Davis. Commodore Patterson erected further batteries on the same side of the river, to annoy the approach of the enemy, if he should attempt it, along the levee on the right bank of the river, and in the line which covered General Morgan's troops were planted one twelve-pounder, and two l)rass sixes. During the whole night of the 7th, busy sounds of prepara- tion were heard in the enemy's camp ; and before daylight next morning, the American outposts entered camp, and announced that the enemy w^ere approaching in great force. At da\\n the news was confirmed; rows of glittering troops, and deep columns of infantry, stretched from the wood to the river, covering the whole field, and presenting a scene of terrible grandeur rarely witnessed in America. A rocket discharged from the wood toward the river was the signal for assault. The troops gave three cheers, and swept along in close column, with fascines and scaling-ladders. Clouds of rockets preceded them, and continued to fall during the whole attack. Three batteries now opened a tremendous fire upon them, but they still rushed on, until witliin reach of the Tennessee and Kentucky rifles, Avhich, ioined with the fire of artillery, mowed them down by companies. The rapid discharges now resembled rattling peals of thunder, and, notwithstanding the utmost exertions of the British officers, their columns faltered. They were then marched BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS. 483 Battle of New Orleans. obliquely, but this rendered the slaughter greater ; the files be- came mixed and broken, the whole column broke, and many of the troops ran to shelter themselves among the neiglibouring bushes. The remainder retired to the ditch, where they had been Avhen first perceived. At this place, the officers succeeded with much difficulty in rallying their troops, and drew them up for a second attack. In order to be less encumbered, their knap- sacks were laid at the edge of the ditch. The rear was also brought up as a reinforcement. This assault was received with the same steady fire that had repulsed the first. The British, however, advanced much nearer than before ; but were driven back in the utmost confusion, and in defiance of all the exertions of the officers, did not stop their flis'ht, until without the reach of damper. In the commencement of the attack, the honourable Sir Ed- ward Packenham fell a victim to his own intrepidity, while endeavouring to animate his troops. The command tiien de- volved on General Gibbs, who was also mortally wounded ; Ge- neral Keene was borne from the field, dangerously ^v•ounded. Many other distinguished officers fell, and the track of the column was marked with piles of the dead and dying. The 484 ACTION ON THE MISSISSIPPI. officers found it impossible to form the troops a third time, and they passed the remainder of the day near the ditch. Some of the enemy's troops had advanced into the wood, either to make a false attack or to ascertain if a real one were practicahle. Tliey were speedily driven back by General Cof- fee's rifles. During the attack on the left, a column had also ad- vanced on the right, drove in the American outposts, and entered an unfinished redoubt. The small garrison were cither killed or captured, and the British remained masters of the fort. Here, however, they were attacked by Colonel Renee's riflemen, cut to pieces, and the advancing column completely foiled. The British batteries, which had kept up a continual fire during the charge, were all silenced. During the main assault upon General Jackson's position, a second attack was made on the right bank of the Mississippi, against about eight hundred Louisiana militia, under General Morgan. The enemy crossed at daybreak, attacking and driving back about one hundred men sent to oppose them. It had been their intention to assault Morgan's position simultaneously with. the commencement of the main action ; but in this they were disappointed by being carried a great distance by the current. A small number of Americans, under Colonel Davis, who had just arrived from Jackson's position, and were hungry, cold, and exhausted, were sent to op])ose the British. After a spirited resistance they were driven back. The victors then pushed rapidly against the left of General Morgan's defenses ; but re- ceived so heavy a fire of artillery and musketry, as obliged them to give ground. They then attacked the right and centre, turned Colonel Davis's detachment, routed the Kentucky militia, and entered the works. They then attacked and carried the left. The defeat of the main army, under Packenham, rendered it use- less for the British to pursue this advantage, and the detachment returned to their boats. The loss of the British in the attack on General Jackson's position, was two hundred and ninety-three killed, twelve hun dred and sixty-seven wounded, and four hundred and eighty-four missing. Almost all their valuable officers were killed or wounded. General Jackson had but six men killed, and seven BOMBARDMENT OF FORT S T. F H I L I P. 485 wounded ; but the action with General Morgan swelled the total loss to about five hundred. N the following day, the 9th, Admiral Cochrane directed two bomb vessels, one sloop of war, a brig, and a schooner, to station themselves before Fort St. Philip, with a view to its bombardment and de- struction. On that day they commenced an attack, and continued throwing shells into the fort until the 17th in the evening, when the command- ant, Major Overton, opened a heavy mortar, (not until then in readiness,) and threw the line of ships into such disorder, that on the morning of the 18th, they retired to the anchorage of the fleet. The expedition which had been thus extensively planned in England, and for the fitting out of which an immense treasure had been exhausted, was thus resisted, and entirely destroyed, by the valour and perseverance of a small army, principally made up of volunteers and militia, and commanded by a general, whose military career, though brilliant and almost unparalleled, was commenced but two years before. The slaughter which attended this repulse of the invading army was on their side never sur- passed at any other battle. Besides their generals and other officers of high rank, the British lost in killed, wounded, and missing, about four thousand men. The American, killed, wounded, and missing, did not exceed five hundred. The British fleet, however, continued in the neighbourhood, and on the 10th of February, General Lambert having landed near Fort Bowyer, with a large body of his troops, demanded of Lieutenant-Colonel Lawrence the surrender of the garrison. In its rear an extensive and heavy battery had been planted, and the powerful force by which it was surrounded, made it expe- dient that the fort should capitulate on honourable terms, or that s 2 486 CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES. the garrison should submit to the sword. Colonel Lawrence chose that line of conduct which propriety and humanity dic- tated, and the enemy took possession of the fort. On the same day the British sloop of w^ar Brazen arrived off the station, with intelligence that a treaty of peace had been con- cluded upon between the American and British ambassadors at Ghent, wdiich had met the approbation of the prince regent of England. Not long after General Jackson was apprized, by the secretary of war, of the ratification of the treaty by the president and senate, and all hostilities immediately ceased. A regular and mutual exchange of prisoners was entered upon, and the volunteers and militia were honourably discharged, and sent to their homes, with the gratitude and applause of their country. NAVAL CAMPAIGN. 4S7 CHAPTER XXIIL VERY attempt to escape from the blockade of the fri- gates United States and Ma- cedonian, and the sloop of war Hornet, at New London, hav- ing failed, until the only sea- son at which they conld possibly escape had elapsed, the Hornet was ordered to remain at her station as a guard ship, whilst the frigates were to be moved up New London river to the head of navigation for heavy vessels, and there to be dismantled. Commodore Decatur and the crew of the United States were transferred to the fricrate President, then moored at New York. In the course of the winter, a cruise 488 PRESIDENT AND ENDYMION. to the East Indies was determined on, at the navy department, to be performed by a squadron, consisting of that frigate, the sloop of war Peacock, then also at New York, the sloop of war Hornet, and the Tom Bowline, a merchant vessel, bought into the service as a store ship. The Hornet was, therefore, directed to proceed to the same harbour. On the night of the ISth of November Captain Biddle passed the blockading squadron without being discovered, and joined Commodore Decatur, at New York. That port had been also constantly l)lockaded, and several frigates, sloops of war, and a razee, were at tliat time cruising off the hook. On the 14th of January, Commodore Decatur thinking it more likely to get to sea wdth the President singly, directed Captain Warrington to follow him with the Peacock and Hornet as soon as the Tom Bowline was in readiness, and having assigned the island of Tristun d'Acunha, as the first place of rendezvous, proceeded to the bay, with a view of escaping from Sandy Hook in the night. In consequence of the negligence of the pilot, the President struck upon the bar, and remained there thumping, upwards of two hours. This accident caused her ballast to shift, and, when extricated from this situation by the rise of the tide, it was discovered that she had entirely lost her trim. The course of the wind forbidding her return to port, the commodore determined, nevertheless, upon running out to sea, and did not doul^t but she would soon recover that ease in sailing for which she had Ijeen long celebrated. At daylight he fell in with the British scjuadron, composed of the Majestic, (razee,) the frigates Endymion, Tenedos, and Pomone, and the despatch brig, which immediately gave chase. The President was lightened as much as possil)le, but the superior sailing of the enemy's ships, enabled them to gain rapidly upon her, and the leading frigate, the En- dymion, of forty-nine guns, and mounting twenty-four-pounders on her gun deck, got close under her quarters and commenced firing. Commodore Decatur, finding that the Endymion was cutting up his rigging, without his being able 1o annoy her, determined to bear up and engage, and if possible to run her on board, and in the event of carrving her, to sail off and abandon the Presi- PRESIDENT AND ENDYMTON. 489 dent. But the enemy manoeuvered to avoid tliis plan, and the conflict continued two hours, and ended in silencing and beating off the Endymion, with her hull and rigging much cut up, her masts and spars badly injured, and a great proportion of her crew killed and wounded. The President was also considerably damaged, and lost twenty-five men killed, and sixty wounded ; among the former, Lieutenants Babbit and Hamilton, and Acting Lieutenant Howel ; among the latter, the commodore, and Mid- shipman Dale, who lost a leg, and died of his wounds at Bermuda. By this time the rest of the squadron came within two miles of the President. The Endymion had hauled off to repair, and Commodore Decatur made another effort to escape. But in three hours, the Pomone and Tenedos lay along-side, and the Majestic and Endymion were Avithin a short distance of him. The gal- lant commodore, not choosing to sacrifice the lives of his crew in a useless contest with a squadron of ships mounting not less than one hundred and ten guns, received the fire of the nearest frigate, and surrendered. He was taken on board the Endymion, to whose commander he refused to deliver his sword when required, alleging that if they had been singly engaged, that officer would inevitably have been captured, and that he had struck to the whole squadron. The enemy, however, asserted tliat the President had been conquered by the Endymion alone; that the damage was sustained in a storm which rose up after the battle ; and having repaired both vessels, sent the prize from Bermuda to England under her convoy. There she was light- ened and laid in doclv along-side an old seventy-four, which was deeply laden, to give her a smaller appearance in the water than the President. The United States frigate Constitution, which had been some time repairing at Boston for a cruise, sailed from that port on the 17tli of December, still under the command of Captain Stewart. After cruising in various parts of the ocean, and in the trade for outward and homeward bound convoys, until the 20th of February, she fell in with two strange men-of-war sail, at ten minutes past one, p. m., on that day. One of these being to windward, was bearing up for the Constitution, and at 2"- 30™- displaj^ed signals and squared away to the westward 1o join her 63 490 CYANE AND LEVANT. consort. The Constitution set every rag in chase, and a few minntes Ijclbre three commenced firing from her for\vard guns on the <'-an declc. At 3"- IfV"- the main royal-mast of the Con- stitution Avas carried away, and enabled the enemy's vessels to distance her fire. Before five a new royal-mast was completed, and a little vhile after the breeze freshened, and the ship to leeward taclvcd to the southward under all sail. At six the two ships liauled to on the larboard tack, in line, and in ten minutes the Constitution ranged ahead of the sternmost, brought her on the quarter, her consort on the bow, at two hundred yards distance, and opened a broadside, which was immediately returned. An exchange of l^roadsides continued until the three ships were completely enveloped in smoke, upon the clearing away of which the Constitution found herself abreast of the head- most ship, and Captain Stewart ordered both sides to be manned, backed topsails, and dropped into his first position. The ships on the bow baclved sails also. The Constitution's broadsides were then fired from the larboard battery, and in a few minutes the ship on the bow perceiving her error in getting stemboard, filled away with an intention of tacldng athwart the bows of the Constitution, and the ship on the stern fell off, perfectly unmanageable. The Constitution then filled away, in full pursuit of the former, came within one hundred yards of her, and o-ave her several raking- broadsides. She made all sail before the wind, with a view to escape, and Captain Stewart knowing her crippled situation would enable him to overhaul her at any time after securing her consort, wore round, and ranged along-side the latter ship, from which a gun was fired to leeward to signify that she had surrendered. Possession was then taken, by Lieutenant Hoffman, of his Britannic majesty's frigate Cyane, Captain Gordon Falkon, of thirty-four guns, thirty-two-pound carronades. Her commander and officers being brought on board, Captain Stewart sailed in chase of the other vessel, and in a short time discovered her, standing for him on the weather bow. In a few minutes the enemy fired a broadside, which being instantly returned, he tacked ship, made all sail, and at that 59 THE LEVANT CAPTURED. 491 moment received a rake from l]ie starboard Ijroadsido of tlie Constitution. Upon gaining his wake, Captain Stewart opened a fire frorji his gun deck chase guns with such eifect that the enemy hove to(^ and surrendered, willi live feet water in his hold, his masts tottering, and nothing but the smoothness of the sea preventing them from going overboard. Lieutenant Ballard was sent on board, and took possession of his Britannic majesty's ship Levant, Captain Douglass, of eighteen thirty-two-pound carronades, and two large twelve-pounders. The loss on board the Cyane and Levant amounted to forty men killed, and nearly double that number wounded ; on board the Constitution, where no other spar was lost than the Ibre top gallant yard, four men were killed and eleven wounded. On the 10th of March Captain Stewart entered the harbour of Port Pray a with his prizes, and on the 11th a British squadron, consisting of the Leander, Sir George Collier, the Newcastle, Lord George Stewart, neither of them carrying less than sixty guns, and the frigate Acasta, Captain Kerr, of forty-four guns, which had sailed from the eastern coast of the United States, in quest of the Constitution, appeared off its entrance. Captain Stew^art immediately made sail, escaped from the harbour with his squadron, and was closely pursued by the enemy's three ships. After a long and perilous chase, the Constitution and Cyane escaped their pursuers, and arrived safely in the United States, but the Levant, after whom all sail was made by the enemy's ships, ran into Port Praya, with a heavy fire of broadsides from the Leander and Newcastle, to put herself under the protection of the neutral port. The neutrality of the Portu- guese was not regarded by the British squadron, however, and they recaptured the Levant, and carried her into Barbadoes. A few days after the departure of the President from New York, the Peacock, Hornet, and Tom Bowline left that harliour without knowing of her capture. On the third after sailing from Sandy Hook, (the 23d of January,) the Hornet parted company with the Peacock and Tom Bowline, and directed her course towards the island of Tristan d'Acunha, the first designated rendezvous for the squadron. On the 23d of March she descried the British brig Penguin, Captain Dickenson, of eighteen guns, 492 . nORNETANDPENGUIN. and a twelve-pound carronade, to the southward and eastward of the' island. This vessel had been fitted out, and twelve super- numerary marines put on board, A^ith whom lier crew amounted to one hundred and thirty-two men, to cruise for the American privateer Youno- Wasp. Captain Biddlc immediately made sail, cleared the island, and hove to, until the Penguin, at the same time coming down, should he within striking distance. At forty minutes past one, p. i\i., the Penguin hauled her wind on the starboard tack, hoisted English colours, and fired a gun at musket-shot distance. The Hornet immediately luffed to, sent up an ensign, and gave the enemy a broadside. A constant fire Avas kept up for fifteen minutes, the Penguin all that time gradually nearing upon the Hornet, when Captain Dickenson gave orders to run her on board, and was killed by a grape-shot before he saw them executed. Lieutenant McDonald, upon wdiom the command of the Pen- guin then devolved, bore her up, and running her bowsprit in between the main and mizzen rigging of the Hornet, ordered his crew to board. His men, however, seeing the Hornet's boarders not only ready to repel them, but waiting for orders to jump upon the Penguin's deck, refused to follow him. At that moment the heavy swell of the sea lifted the Hornet ahead, and the enemy's bowsprit carried away her mizzen shrouds and spanker boom, and tlie Penguin hung upon the Hornet's quarter-deck, with the loss of her foremast and bowsprit. Her connnander then called out that he had surrendered. Though he was not distinctly understood. Captain Riddle ordered his marines to cease firing, and demanded of the Penguin whether she had struck. An ofiicer of the Hornet discovered a man taking aim at Captain Biddle, after the surrender, and called to him to avoid the fire. He had scarcely done so, when a musket ball struck the captain in the neck, severely w^ounding him, and passino- through his coat collar. Two marines, to whom the man was pointed out, who had discharged his piece at their commander, immediately fired at and killed him before he brought it from his shoidder. The Penguin just then got clear of the Hornet, and the latter wore round to give the enemy a fresh brpadside, when her commander called out a second time that he had sur- 2R CAPTURE OF THE PENGUIN. 495 Escape of the Hornet. rendered. The severest, exercise of anthoritj became necessary to prevent the Hornet's crew, who were incensed at the enemy's firing after he had struck, from discharging the broadside. Twenty-two minutes after the commencement of the action, she was taken possession of by Mr. Mayo, of the Hornet. The Penguin was so much injured, that Captain Biddle determined upon taking out her crew and scuttUng her — after doing which, he sent his prisoners to St. Salvador in the Tom Bowline, by which vessel and the Peacock he was joined on the 25th of the month. In this action the Penguin lost fourteen men killed, and twenty-eight wounded ; the Hornet, one killed, and eleven wounded ; among the latter, her first lieutenant, Conner, dan- gerously. Having bent a new suit of sails, and repaired his rigging, Captain Biddle was in a perfect condition to prosecute the cruise, and, together with the Peacock, after waiting the full time for Commodore Decatur at the island of Tristan d'Acunha, sailed on the l'2th of April for the Cape of Good Hope. On the 27th they discovered a British ship of the line, with an admiral's flag. The Peacoclv and Hornet immediately separated, and made all sail in different directions from the stranger, who came up in pursuit of the latter. The chase commenced at about two o'clock of the 27th, and continued until ten in the morning of the 496 RESULT OF THE NAVAL WAR. 30th, during which time the enemy's how guns were continually fired — his vessel frequently gained upon, and Avas as often dropped by the Hornet; and Captain Biddle, after tlirowing overboard every heavy article at hand, and all his guns Ijut one, at length effected his escape, and went to St. Salvador for the purpose of reiitting. On his arrival there, he gained intelligence of the conclusion of hostilities between the two nations, and soon after sailing thence, returned to the United States about the latter end of July, and was promoted to the rank of post captain. The capture of the Cyane, the Levant, and the Penguin, took place before the expiration of the time limited by the 2d article of the treaty of peace, to constitute their legality, and the only one of them wdiich got into port, the Cyane, was taken into the service of the United States. Thus terminated a war of two years and eight months, in which the naval arms of the United States were fifteen, and those of Great Britain four times triumphant; and during which the former lost three frigates, seven sloops, and five smaller vessels of war ; whilst the latter lost five frigates, nine- teen sloops of war, one of which was blown up by a land bat- tery, several gun-brigs and schooners, two brigs cut out from under the guns of a fort, and upwards of fifteen hundred mer- chantmen, captured by private armed vessels. The operations of the American armies were, at the commencement of the war, not quite so successful : — Defeat, disgrace, and disaster, in many instances, followed their movements; but the struggle was eventually closed by a succession of achievements, which re- flected the highest lustre upon the American name, and ranked the United States among- the first nations of the earth. 2t2 63 Francis IIillisha"o. THE FIRST SEMINOLE WAR. T the commencement of tlie war of 1812, numbers of Indians in the southern states, dissatisfied witli the American government, retired into Florida, where, being counte- nanced by the Spanish authorities, they formed themselves into small bands for the purposes of plunder and aggression. In September, 1812, a settlement on the St. Johns river was attacked, and eight persons murdered : and soon after an escort, consisting of a captain and twenty men, was surprised by a considerable party, the captain and another man Ivilled, six wounded, and all their wagons carried into St. Augustine. Similar outrages were committed during the whole war, to an extent that kept several of the southern states in con- tinual alarm. When Colonel Nicholls was expelled from Pcr.-^ncola by Ge- (499J 500 EXPLOSION OF THE ENEMY's FORT. neral Jackson, he went to Florida, and immediately commenced a refrular organization of the neo^roes and Indians. In order to strengthen this, lie visited England, accompanied by the dis- tinguished Seminole chief, Francis Hillishago, and concluded a treaty of friendship with that nation. Some time after leaving, he was .succeeded in the government by Ambrister and Arbuthnot. Things remained in this iinpropitious condition until 1817, wdien a small tract, called Amelia Island, was attacked by some adventurers, and the Spanish garrison expelled. It was then employed as a depot for smuggling goods. This lawless trade was carried on until December 22d, when by order of President Monroe, Captain Henley seized the island and drove away the outlaws. Previous to this, Colonel Clinch, with five hundred Indians and a number of United States troops, was sent against a fort erected by the savages on the Appal achicola. On the 10th of July, 1816, the army moved up the river in schooners and gun- boats. When near the fort, a watering party of seven men were attacked by Indians and negroes, five were killed, one escaped, and one captured, tortured, and put to death. The garrison numbered four hundred savages and negroes, who had twelve pieces of artillery. The colonel's gun-boats con- tained but a twelve-pounder, and twenty-five men each ; but although admonished of the enemy's force, he determined on an attack. He had scarcely commenced firing, when a hot shot struck the principal magazine, and the fort was blown up with a fearful explosion, carrying with it the shattered re- mains of two hinidred and seventy-three of the garrison. Only three of the remainder escaped unhurt. This event broke up a large horde of desperadoes, and terminated the war in that district. In the fall of 1817, the family of Mr. Garrett, in East Florida, was attacked during his absence from home, and his wife and two children butchered. Soon after a man named McKrimnon was captured, and tied to the stake preparatory to being burned. He was rescued only through the intercession of one Milly, daughter of the principal chief, Hillishago, who, like Poca- JACKSON ORDERED TO FORT SCOTT. 501 hontas rushed toward her father, and implored him to spare the prisoner. Being subsequently ransomed, he married his deliverer. In November, General Gaines, commander in Florida, re- ceived orders from Washington, to open negotiations with the Creeks, in order to transport them to the country ceded by the United States government. This the Indians refused to do ; and when their chief, Hornetlimed, was summoned by the ge- neral to appear at the fort, he answered by a haughty defiance. Next day Major David E.Twiggs was sent against the fort with two hundred and fifty men. After repelling an attack on the road and killing several of the assailants, he reached the town and found it deserted. After this aftair, Gaines despatched Major Muhlenburg, from the head-qaarters at Fort Scott, to Mobile, with three vessels, for the purpose of obtaining provisions. Beside the crew, he had on board a number of volunteers with their wives and children. Sickness obliged him to halt on the Appalachicola, where he was soon reinforced by forty men, under Lieutenant Scott. The major detached half of the crew, for his own use, and placing seven women, four children, and his sick on board the lieutenant's boat, he sent him back to Fort Scott. When near Flint river, the party were attacked by some savages under Hornetlimed, and all were killed except six soldiers, who escaped, and one woman made prisoner. The scalps were taken to the red pole at Mickasuky village and added to the number already there. On receiving intelligence of this outrage, the secretary of war wrote to General Jackson, ordering him to repair immediately to Fort Scott and take charge of the war. Eight hundred men were given him, with authority to draw volunteers from the neighbouring states, should that number be insufficient for the campaign. This communication reached General Jackson January l'2th, 1818. He then issued a proclamation to the Tennessee volun- teers, to join him in the coming campaign. This was eifectual, and a number were soon on their way to Fort Scott. On the 9th of March, the o-eneral himself arrived there, havin% Battle of Palo Alto. was composed of a heavy force of cavalry, occupied the road, resting upon a thicket of chaparral, while masses of infantry were discovered in succession on the right, greatly outnumber- ing our own force. '•' Our line of battle was now formed in the following order, commencing on the extreme right : 5th infantry, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Mcintosh ; Major Ringgold's artillery ; 8d infantry, commanded by L. M. Morris; two eighteen-pounders, commanded by Lieutenant Churchill, 3d artillery ; 4th infantry, commanded by Major G. W. Allen ; the 3d and 4th regiments, composed the 3d brigade, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Garland, and all the above corps, together with tv/o squadrons of dragoons, under Captains Ker and May, composed the right wing, under the orders of Colonel Twiggs. The left was formed by the battalion of artillery, commanded by Lieutenant- Colonel Childs, Captain Duncan's light artillery, and the 8th infantry, under Captain Montgomery, all forming the 1st brigade, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Belknap. The train was parked near the water, under directions of Cap- tains Grossman and Myers, and protected by Captain Ker's squadron. " About two o'clock, we took up the march by heads of columns 558 BATTLE OF PALO ALTO. in the direction of the enemy, the eighteen-pounder battery fol- lowing the road. While the other columns were advancing, Lieutenant Blake, topographical engineers, volunteered a recon- noissance of the enemy's line, which was handsomely performed, and resulted in the discovery of at least tw^o batteries of artillery in the intervals of their cavalry and infantry. These batteries were soon opened upon us, when I ordered the columns halted and deployed into line, and the fire to be returned by all our ar- tillery. The 8th infantry, on our extreme left, was thrown back to secure that flank. The first fires of the enemy did little exe- cution, while our eigh teen-pounders and Major Ringgold's artil- lery soon dispersed the cavalry which formed his left. Captain Duncan's battery, throvvn forward in advance of the line, M^as doing good execution at this time. Captain May's squadron was now detached to support that battery and the left of our position. The Mexican cavalry, with two pieces of artillery, were now reported to be moving through the chaparral to our right, to threaten that flank, or make a demonstration against the train. The 5th infantry was immediately detached to check this movement, and supported by Lieutenant Ridgely, with a section of Major Ringgold's l^attery, and Captain Walker's com- pany of volunteers, effectully repulsed the enemy — the 5th in- fantry repelling a charge of lancers, and the artillery doing great execution in their ranks. The 3d infantry was now detached to the right, as a still further security to that flank, yet threat- ened by the enemy. Major Ringgold, with the remaining sec- tion, kept up his fire from an advanced position, and was sup- ported by the left infantry. " The grass of the prairie had been accidentally fired by our artillery, and the volumes of smoke now partially concealed the armies from each other. As the enemy's left had evidently been driven back, and left the road free, and as the cannonade had been suspended, I ordered forward the eighteen-pounders on the road nearly to the position first occupied by the Mexican cavalry, and caused the 1st brigade to take up a new position, still on the left of the eighteen-pounder battery. The 5th was advanced from its former position, and occupied a point on the extreme right of the new line. The enemy made a change of position BATTLE OF PALO ALTO. 559 Death of RinRgoId. corresponding to our own, and after a suspension of nearly an hour, the action was resumed. " The fire of artillery was now most destructive ; openings were constantly made through the enemy's ranks by our fire, and the constancy with which the Mexican infantry sustained this severe cannonade was a theme of universal remark and ad- miration. Captain May's squadron was detached to make a de- monstration on the left of the enemy's position, and suffered severely from the fire of artillery, to which it was for some time exposed. "The 4th infantry, which had been ordered to support the eighteen-pounder battery, was exposed to a most galling fire of artillery, by which several men were killed, and Captain Page dangerously w^ounded. The enemy's fire was directed against our eighteen-pounder battery, and the guns under Major Ring- gold in its vicinity. The major himself, while coolly directing the fire of his pieces, was struck by a cannon-ball and mortally wounded. " In the mean time, the battalion under Lieutenant-Colonel Child's had been brought up to support the artillery on our right. A strong demonstration of cavalry was now made by the enemy against this part of our line, and the column continued 560 BATTLE OF PALO ALTO. to advance under a severe lire from the eighteen-ponnders. The battaUon was iiistantly formed in square, and lield ready to re- ceive tlie charge of cavalry, but wlien tlie advancing squadrons were within close range, a deadly fire of canister from the eighteen-pounders dispersed them. A brisk fire of small arms was now opened upon the square, by which one ofiicer (Lieute- nant Luther, 2d artillery) was slightly wounded; but a well-di- rected volley from the front of the square silenced all further firing from the enemy in this quarter. It was now nearly dark, and the action was closed on the right of our line, the enemy having been comjDletely driven back from his position, and foiled in every attempt against it. "While the above was going forward on our right, and under our own eye, the enemy had made a serious attempt against the left of our line. Captain Duncan instantly perceived the move- ment, and, by the bold and brilliant manoeuvering of his battery, completely repulsed several successive efforts of the enemy to advance in force upon our left flank. Supported in succession by the 8th infantry, and by Captain Ker's squadron of dragoons, he gallantly held the enemy at bay, and finally drove him, with immense loss, from the field. The action here and along the whole line continued until dark, when the enemy retired into the chaparral, in rear of his position. " Our loss this day was nine killed, forty-four wounded, and two missing. " Our own force eno-ao-ed is shown to have been one hundred and seventy-seven officers, and two thousand one hundred and eleven men ; aggregate, two thousand two hundred and eighty- eight. The Mexican force, according to the statements of their own officers, taken prisoners in the affair of the 9th, was not less than six thousand regular troops, with ten pieces of artillery, and probably exceeding that number — the irregular force not known. Their loss was not less than two hundred killed, and four hundred wounded — probably greater. This estimate is very moderate, and formed upon the number actually counted on the field, and upon the reports of their own officers." Early on the following morning, the enemy were observed moving toward the Rio Grande. The battle had by no means BATTLE OF RES AC A DE LA PAL MA. 56] been decisive; and they were evidently seeliing a more ad- vantageous position, in order to renew it. For this the American commander had carefully prepared. The wounded had been re- lieved on the previous night, the troops refreshed, and every thino- put in readiness for battle ; in addition to which a council of officers had resolved to continue the march at all hazards. The battle of Resaca de la Palma is thus described by an American officer : "At two o'clock p. M., we found the enemy drawn up in great force, occupying a ravine which our road crossed ; with thick chaparral, or thorny bushes, on either side before it reached the ravine, and a pond of water on either side where it crossed the ravine, constituting a defile. They were seven thousand strong ; we fifty-four weaker than on the previous day. The general ordered an immediate attack by all the troops, except the first brigade, which was kept in reserve ; and soon the rattling fire of musketry, mingled with the heavy sound of artillerj^, announced the commencement of the action. The enemy had chosen his position, w^hich he considered impregnable — was vastly superior to us in numbers, and had ten pieces of artillery planted in the defile, which s^vept the road with grape, and which it was ab- solutely necessary for us to take before they could be beaten. These pieces were flanked on either side by a regiment of brave veteran troops from Tampico, and we were obliged to stand an awful shower of grape and bullet before a charge could reach them. The battle had lasted some two horn's with great fury on both sides, and many heroic deeds had been done, but no serious impression made, when General Taylor sent for Captain May of the second dragoons, and told him he must take that battery with his squadron of dragoons if lie lost every man. May instantly placed himself at the head of his men, and setting off at full speed, with cheers and shouts, dashed into the defile, where he w^as greeted with an overwhelming discharge of grape and bullets, which nearly anniliilated his first and second pla- toons, but he was seen, unhurt, darting like lightning through this murderous hailstorm, and, in a second, he and his men drove away, or cut to pieces the artillerists. " The speed of his horses was so great, however, that tliey 71 562 BATTLE OF RESACA DE LA PAL MA. passed tliroufrh the battery, and were halted in its rear. There, turning, he charged back, and was just in time to rescue a Mexi- can general officer, who would not leave his guns, and was parrying the strokes of one of his men. The officer handed his sword to May, announced himself as General La Vega, and gave his ]mrole. May turned him over to an officer, and galloping- back to General Taylor, reported that he had captured the enemy's battery, and the gallant General La Vega, bravely de- fendinfr it, whose sword he had the honour to present his com- manding officer. The general was extremely gratified, and felt no doidot that a blow had been given, from which it would be difficult for the enemy to recover Colonel Belknap, lead- ing his regiment into the thickest of the fight, seized a Mexican standard, and waving it over his head, dashed on in front of his men, until his horse stumbled over some dead bodies, and threw him. Being a heavy man, he was helped on his horse by a sol- dier, who in the act received a ball through his lungs, and at the same moment a shot carried away the Mexican flag, leaving but the handle with the colonel. He dashed ahead with that, how- ever, and his regiment carried every thing before it. At this moment the Mexicans gave way entirely, and, throwing down their arms, fled in every direction, leaving all their stores, muni- tions of war, arms, standards, &c. The killed, wounded, and prisoners, including those who were drowned in the Rio Grande, do not fall short of eighteen hundred — so that the enemy's loss in two days amounts to at least two thousand men, something more than the number we had in our army." May's charge was the most brilliant event of this hard-fought battle. It was an opportunity for which the captain had been anxiously hoping ; and riding in front of his horsemen, he called to them to follow. The next moment they were sweeping to- ward the enemy. Before being perceived by them. May was stopped by Lieutenant Ridgely, who was about firing in order to draw the sliot of the enemy. This being done. May again dashed forward, and in a tew minutes was by the muzzles of the cannon. Suddenly a tremendous discharge poured forth along the ranks of the intrepid horsemen, rolling horses and men head- lono- on the irround. But nothins^ could stop the survivors. DEATH OF LIEUTENANT BLAKE. 563 Leaping over the cannon, they dfove the artillerists from their positions at the point of the sword. The batteries were defended by the celebrated Tampico veterans, hitherto regarded as in- vincible. They threw themselves furiously between their guns, and with their swords and bayonets fought hand to hand with the cavalry. One by one they sunk beneath the weapons of their adversaries; and even when the regiment was broken and crushed, one of them endeavoured to sustain its honour by wrap- ping the flag around him in order to bear it away. On the morning of this day, Lieutenant Blake, of the topo- graphical engineers, was killed by the accidental discharge of one of his pistols. This officer was much beloved, and on the previous day had performed a reconnoissance of the most daring valour. One who accompanied him gives the subjoined account of this feat : " After the line of battle had been formed, General Taylor rode along it to survey his command. Every man was perfectly cool, and had they been about to take dinner, they could not have been more indifferent. At this time the general had not the slightest knowledge as to whether the enemy had any artil- lery or not. The long prairie grass prevented any one from dis- tinguishing it, when masked by men in front of the pieces. AVhat was to be done ? It was an all-important point. Captain May was ordered to go forward with his squadron, reconnoiter the enemy, and, if possible, draw a fire from their artillery, but to no purpose; they took no notice of him. Lieutenant Blake then proposed to go forward alone and reconnoiter. I was close to him, and volunteered to accompany him. He consented, and we dashed forward to within eight ij yards of their line, the whole army looking on us with astonishment. Here we had a full view. The lieutenant alighted from his horse, and, with his glass, surveyed the whole line, and handed it to me. After making a similar observation, I returned the glass. Just then two officers rode out towards us. I mentioned it to Blake, and requested him to mount. He quietly told me to draw a pistol on them. I did so, and they halted. Had they thought proper, they could have fired a volley from their main line and riddled us both. We then galloped along their line to its other end, .564 EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS. there examined them ag-ain, and returned. Scarcely had Blake reported; when their batteries opened upon our line, and the worli of destruction commenced. Our examination proved to be correct." " The strength of our marching force on this day," says General Taylor, "was one hundred and seventy-three officers, and two thousand and forty-nine men — aggregate two thousand two hun- dred and twenty-two. The actual number engaged with the enemy did not exceed seventeen hundred. Our loss was three officers killed, and twelve wounded. Thirty-six men killed, and seventy- one wounded. * '* * *■ ■* I have no accurate data from which to estimate the enemy's force on this day. He was known to have been reinforced after the action of the 8th, both by cavalry and infantry, and no doubt to an extent equal at least to his loss on that day. It is probable that six thousand men were opposed to us, in a position chosen by them.selves, and strongly defended by artillery. The enemy's loss was very great. Nearly two hundred of his dead were buried by us, on the day succeeding the battle. His loss in killed, wounded, and missing, in the two affairs of the 8th and 9th, is, I think, moderately estimated at one thousand men. " Our victory has been decisive. A small force has overcome immense odds of the best troops that Mexico can furnish — veteran regiments perfectly equipped and appointed. Eight pieces of artillery, several colours and standards, a great number of prisoners, (including fourteen officers,) and a large amount of baggage, and public property fell into our hands." On the 10th prisoners were exchanged, and all the American captives, including- Captain Thornton, set free. On the same day Major Brown expired. On the 1 1th General Taylor visited Point Isabel, in order to arrange with the commander of the Gulf squadron, Commodore Conner, a plan for the campaign. Some of the objects of this plan are given in the following extract from a letter written to the war department at that time : " I avail myself of this brief time at my command to report, that the main body of the army is now occupying its former position, opposite Matamoras. The Mexican forces are almost TAYLOR S DESPATCH. 565 disorganized, and I shall lose no time in investing Matainoras, and. opening the navigation of the river. I am under the painful necessity of reporting, that Lieutenant Blake, topographical engineers, after rendering distinguished service in my staff, during the affair of the 8th instant, accidentally shot himself with a pistol the following day, and expired before night." 36 566 TAYLOR RE TIT TINS TO POINT ISABEL. CHAPTER III. [Ktute ©f ^^airUa uti^ ARITA is a small town on the Rio Grande, south of Matamoras. On returning- to Fort Brown, Ge- neral Taylor was informed that the Mexicans were there concen- trating their forces, for the pur- pose of establishing a military depot, which would give them command of the river. He there- fore returned to Point Isabel, where a large number of volun- teers from the southern and western states liad just arrived. Tliis enabled him to draw laro-e reinforcements for his main station, and to commence o offensive operations immediatel}^ In order to dispossess the enemy of their supposed position, DESCRIPTION OF BARITA. 567 he appointed a party, under Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson, to pro- ceed against that station. It consisted of two volunteer compa- nies from Louisiana, under Captains Stockton and Tobin, and one from Alabama, under General Desha. Commodore Conner was to co-operate. On the 15th Wilson crossed the river, and marched down to Barita. To his astonishment he experienced no opposition, nor was an enemy seen in arms. General Taylor had been misin- formed. An officer of Colonel Wilson's party thus describes the town, and the operations of his commanding officer : " I am here to select a site for the depot of our new base of operations, and to intrench. This village is about ten miles from the mouth of the river, and the same distance from Brazos Santiago, or Fort Polk, (Point Isabel.) The prominent features which might induce me to decide upon this, as the proper point for the depot, are, that it is the first high land you reach in ascending the river, that it is above hurricane tides, that the ground is naturally formed for a military position, commanding every thing around it, and commanded by nothing. It is equi- distant, and not very inaccessible from our other depots. The worst road is to Fort Polk ; while the direct line is only ten miles, the only road for wagons is over twenty. Colonel Wilson has four companies of his own regiment here, and four of volunteers. ''This movement up the river was intended to have been a combined one with Commodore Conner. It has been delayed two days in consequence of unfavourable weather rendering the bar too rough. The commodore's limited stay here compelled him to notify the general not to count upon his co-operation in an expedition up the river. This morning at daylight I started the Neva (a river boat) out from the Brazos. She entered the Pio Bravo without difficulty about eight a. ri., and some time after I rode down the beach. Colonel Wilson's command has been bivouacking for two days on our side of the mouth. We crossed them all over by twelve ; and before one p. i\i. the column was e?i route up the river. The banks of the river are but slightly higher than the surface of the water for some miles up. 568 Taylor's despatch. The whole country low, and filled with lagoons. There is a high ridge of sand hills, some twenty feet high, extending up and down the coast directly on the beach. The country back of this ridge is one vast plain of prairie and lagoon. The road up the river is tolerably good. The river is very serpentine. The road runs from bend to bend, the distance by river being nearly double that by road. The road up the right bauk is skirted to the left and south by lagoons, until you reach Barita; so that a march of a column up this side is by no means exposed to a thick attack." Meanwhile active preparations were going forward for cross- ing the Rio Grande and attacking Matamoras. Owing to the scarcity of means for transportation this work went on but slowly ; and the arrangements necessary to meet the expected resistance, caused still further delay. On the 18th, however, the crossing was effected, though with the loss of Lieutenant Stephens, a beloved and deeply lamented officer. The particu- lars of this affair, together with the capture of Matamoras, we give in General Taylor's own words : "I have the honour to report that my very limited means of crossing rivers prevented a complete prosecution of the victories of the 9th instant. A ponton train, the necessity of which I exhibited to the department last year, would have enabled the army to have crossed on the evening of the battle, take this city, with all the artillery and stores of the enemy, and a great num- ber of prisoners. In short, to destroy entirely the Mexican army. But I was compelled to await the arrival of heavy mor- tars, with which to menace the town from the left bank, and also the accumulation of small boats. In the mean time, the enemy had somewhat recovered from the confusion of his flight, and ought still, with three thousand men left him, to have made a respectable defense. I made every preparation to cross the river above the town, while Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson made a diversion on the side of Barita, and the order of march was o-iven out for one o'clock yesterday, from the camp near Fort Brown, when I was waited upon by General Reguena, empow- ered by General Arista, commanding-in-chief the Mexican forces, to treat for an armistice until the government should finally TAYLOR S DESPATCH. 669 settle the question. I replied to this, that an armistice was out of the question ; that a month since I had proposed one to General Ampudia, which was declined ; that circumstances were now changed ; that I was receiving large reinforcements, and could not now suspend operations which I had not invited nor pro- voked ; that the possession of Matamoras was a sine qua non ; that our troops would occupy the town ; bul that General Arista might withdraw his forces, leaving the public property of every description. "An answer to the above was promised in the afternoon, but none came ; and I repaired at sundown to join the army, already in position at a crossing some two miles above the town. Very early this morning the bank was occupied by two eighteen- pounders and three batteries of field artillery, and the crossing commenced : the light companies of all the battalions were first thrown over, followed by the volunteer and regular cavalry. No resistance was made, and I was soon informed from various quarters that Arista had abandoned the town, with all his troops, the evening before, leaving only the sick and wounded. I nii- mediately despatched a staff ofiicer to the prefect to demand a surrender ; and, in the mean time, a commission was sent by the prefect to confer with me on the same point. I gave assur- ance that the civil rights of the citizens would be respected, and our troops at once dropped down opposite the town, and crossed at the " Upper Ferry," the American flag being dis- played at Fort Paredes, a Mexican redoubt near the crossing. The different corps now encamped in the outskirts of the city. To-morrow I shall make suitable arrangements for the occupa- tion of the town, and for taking possession of the public pro- perty. More than three hundred of the enemy's wounded have been left in the hospitals. Arista is in full retreat towards Mon- terey, with the fragments of his army. " I deeply regret to report that Lieutenant George Stevens, a very promising young ofiicer, of the 2d dragoons, was accidentally drowned this morning ^vliile attempting to swim the river ^\"ith his squadron.'' During the night of the 17tli, General Arista, M-itli the troops left together after the battle of the 9th, had evacuated the city, 3 IS 3 72 570 CAPTURE OF MEXICAN TOWNS. and commenced a rapid march for the interior. He thus ex- cused his flight to his superior officer : " All the means of subsistence of this division being consumed, its activity paralyzed, and its artillery diminished, while that of the enemy has been greatly increased in the number of pieces and tlie calibre of his guns, in such a manner that, were he to open his fire, the city of Matamoras would be instantly destroyed, to the utter ruin of national and foreign interests, I have decided to retire from it, with the forces under my command, before be- ing summoned, and obliged to evacuate it with dishonour, which I shall thus avoid : for the march is slow, our pieces being drawn by oxen, and our munitions in carts. My object now is to defend the soil of those departments which have been intrusted to me; and, for tliat purpose, I am going to post myself at those points most convenient, and within reach of supplies, of which I will hereafter inform your highness, though your communica- tions must seek me by the road of China, or that of Linares. The step to ^vhich I have referred has saved the national honour; and I communicate it to your highness for yoin- information, re- commending you to secure the camp equipage, placing it in a convenient point, and preserving the sixteen-pounders in that city, to which, moreover, I will order a reinforcement." Colonel Twiggs was a])])ointed military governor of Matamo- ras, and by a just and energetic exercise of his functions, soon cleared the city of the lawless banditti that infested it, and re- stored order and confidence. The rights of the citizens were respected, and the people encouraged to look upon the Ameri- cans rather as friends than as invaders. Tliese pacific measures were furtlier strengthened by a proclamation of General Taylor in wliich he exhibited the tyranny of the Mexican authorities, and a desire of his government for a speedy and honourable ter- mination of all difficulties. Soon after the capture of this im]wrtant station, small jiarties took possession of the towns of Mior, Reynosa, and Camargo ; and thus the entire region of the Rio Grande was in possession of the Americans. But Taylor's difficulties were far greater than before. When Avriting to the governors of several states for reinforcements, he had explicitly stated his demand for but CORRESPONDENCE. 571 eight regiments. But after receiving notice of his danger, these officers with a laudable zeal, hurried on reinforcements, to such an extent, that the general found himself utterly at a loss as to the manner of their disposal. His means of transportation were very limited ; and no satisfactory orders respecting his future course arrived from Washington. In a letter to the department dated June 3d, he says : " I am necessarily detained at this point for want of suitable transportation to carry on often si ve operations. There is not a steamboat at my command proper for the navigation of the Rio Grande ; and without water transportation, I consider it useless to attempt any extensive movement. Measures have been taken to procure boats of suitable draught and description, and one or two may now be expected. In the mean time, I propose to push a battalion of infantry as far as Reynosa, and occupy that town. For any operations in the direction of Monterey, it will be neces- sary to establish a large depot at C'amargo, which I shall lose no time in doing as soon as proper transports arrive, unless I receive counter-instructions from the department. " I trust the department will see that I could not possibly have anticipated the arrival of such heavy reinforcements from Louis- iana as are now here, and on their way hither. Without large means of transportation, this force will embarrass, rather than facilitate our operations. I cannot doubt that the department has already given instructions, based upon the change in our position since my first call for volunteers. " Our last accounts of Arista represent his force to be halted at Coma, an extensive hacienda on tJie Monterey road, about one hundred miles from this point. He has pickets covering the roads leading to Matamoras, with a view to cut off" all commu- nication with the interior. The departmental authorites have issued a decree denouncing as traitors all who liold intercourse with us, or with those who do so. I am, nevertheless, disposed to believe that in some quarters, at least, our presence is not imfavourably viewed. We have no intelligence from the city of Mexico." The uncertainty experienced even by government as to the manner of conducting the war, together with their imperfect 572 CORRESPONDENCE. instructions to tlie general, will be seen from the following ex- tracts of a letter from the secretary of war, dated June 8th. " In my letter of the 28th ultimo, you were left to your own discretion and judgment as to the measures to be pursued before the end of the unfavourable season shall have passed, and it is not now intended to control that discretion. You best know what amount of force you will have under your command, and wdiat can be best accomplished with that force. " h is presumed you will hold both banks of the Rio Grande to a considcraljle distance from its mouth, and secure the unin- terupted use of that river for the transportation of supplies. I hope you will be able to take and hold in possession all places on it as high up as Laredo. " It is proper that I should advise you that a considerable force, which will be also under your command, will soon assemble at San Antonio de Bexar. The ultimate destination of this force is Chihuahua, if it should be determined that such an expedi- tion would have a favourable operation in the conduct of the war ; but it might be at once used to take and secure the several places on the Rio Grande. Though we have no despatch from you since those giving an account of the battles on the 8th and 9tli of May, we have such information as induces the belief that you are in possession of Matamoras, and that you are not now threatened with any considerable Mexican force. It is desirable that you should find yourself in sufficient strength to capture and liold Monterey with your present force. You are apprized that large reinforcements are preparing to join you. Besides the regular forces now under your command, and which will be speedily augmented, you will soon have nearly twenty thousand volunteers, (including those to rendezvous at San Antonio de Bexar,) who are to serve for one year. Your determination as to immediate movements will, therefore, be somewhat influenced by the consideration of the additional force which will soon join you. " The president is desirous of rcceivinf^v«;fS/AV' Quitman had approached on the east, over a causeway, with cuts and batteries, defended by troops without and within. Deep ditches flanking the causeway, made it difficult to cross on either side, into the adjoining meadows, and these again were intersected by other ditches. By skilful manuoevering, the New York, South Carolina, and 2d Pennsyl- vania volunteers, with portions of Quitman's storming parties, crossed the meadows in front, under a heavy fire, and entered the outer inclosure of Chapultepec, in time to join in the final assault from the west. In the commencement of this brilliant affair. General Worth had been stationed in rear of the castle, to act as circumstances might require. During the attack, one brigade had been with- drawn by Pillow, to assist his movements ; and on observing a large party of the enemy outside the works, General Scott ordered him to turn Chapultepec with his division, proceeding cautiously by the road at its northern base, in order, if not met by very superior numbers, to threaten and attack the rear of that force. Worth promptly obeyed these directions, although having but one brigade. In turning a forest, he came up with the troops under Colonel Trousdale, and aided in taking a Ijreast- work. Then passing Chapultepec, he attacked the right of the enemy's line, at the time of the general retreat consequent upon the capture of the castle. After this he entered the San Cosme road, and commenced a rapid pursuit of the flying enemy. At the same time Quitman Avas hurrying forward by the Belin aqueduct. Deeming the continuance of this pursuit highly important, General Scott sent two briijades-to assist Worth, and one for'the m DEPUTATION TO GENERAL SCOTT. 649 same purpose to Quitman. At a junction of tlic roads tliey found a formidable system of defenses, entirely abandoned. Into tliese Worth's troops entered, and commenced a street fight with the enemy, who were posted in gardens, at windows, and on house tops. Worth ordered forward the mountain howitzers of Cadwalader's brigade, preceded by skirmishers and pioneers, with bars and axes, to force doors and windows, and to burrow through v/alls. Soon the assailants were in an equality of position with the enemy, and by eight o'clock, p. ji., had carried two batteries. This brought them in front of the San Cosme gate, the only remaining obstruction to the grand plaza fronting the cathedral and palace. Here, in obedience to instructions, Worth halted, posted guards and sentinels, and placed his troops under shelter for the night. Meanwhile, Quitman, assisted by Generals Shields and Smith, had passed rapidly along the other road, carried a battery in the face of flank and direct fires, stormed the Belen gate at two o'clock, and entered the city. Here he halted, sheltered himself as well as practicable, and waited for further instructions. T four o'clock next morning, a deputation of the city council waited on General Scott, to report that tlie army and federal government had fled from the city about midnight, in consequence of which they demanded terms of capitulation. The general replied, that he would sign no capitulation, nor submit to any terms not self-imposed — such only as the honour of his army, the dignity of his country, and the spirit of the age demanded. About dayliglit. Worth and Quitman were ordered to advance slowly and cautiously toward the heart of the city, and occupy its commanding points. The latter officer proceeded to the great square, planted guards, and hoisted the colours of the United States on the National Palace. At about eiglit o'clock, the general-in-chief, dressed in full uniform, accompanied by his staff, and escorted by bands of music, entered the city, at the head of his arm}^ Before noon, a fire was opened upon the 31 " 83 650 SCOTT PROCLAIMS M A II T I A- L LAW. Americans, from the corners of streets, windows, and roofs of houses, by some two thousand convicts, liberated the night be- fore by the fljdng government. This cowardly war lasted more than twenty-four hours, notwithstanding all the exertions of the municipal authorities, and was not putdov/n until the army had lost many men killed and wounded, including several officers. General (Quitman was appointed military governor of the city, and Captain Naylor superintendent of the National Palace. The former returning soon after to the United States, was succeeded by General Smith. General Scott thus sums up the great achievements of his army : "This small force (eight thousand men) has beaten on the same occasions, in view of the capital, the whole Mexican army, of (at the beginning) thirty odd thousand men — posted always in chosen positions, behind intrenchments, or more formidable defenses of nature and art ; killed or wounded of that number more than seven thousand officers and men ; taken three thou- sand seven hundred and thirty prisoners, one-seventh officers, in- cluding thirteen generals, of whom three had been presidents of this republic ; captured more than twenty colours and standards, seventy-five pieces of ordnance, besides fifty-seven wall pieces, twenty thousand small arms, an immense quantity of shot, shells, powder, &c." General Scott's loss in the battles of August, was one thou- sand and fifty-two men, of whom seventy-six were officers ; on the 8th of September, seven hundred and eighty-nine, of whom fifty- eight were officers ; before the capital, eight hundred and sixty- two men, including seventy-eight officers; total, two thousand seven hundred and three, including three hundred and eighty- three officers. Having thus obtained complete possession of Mexico, General Scott proclaimed martial law, and levied a contribution upon the inhabitants. Business was resumed, and the city again became quiet and cheerful. Two months after, a proclamation was issued, requesting the inhabitants of other cities to lay down arms, and declaring the determination of the commander to spread his army over the coiuitrv, in order to enforce ol)edience. REVOLT IX PUEBLA. 651 Piiebla de los Angelos. During these operations before tlie capital, a revolt had taken place in Piiehla, which forced the American governor, Colonel Childs, to take refuge in the fortresses of San Jose, Loreto, and Guadaloupe. Here he Avas shut up by the inhal)itants, and a bombardment commenced on the 14th of September, which lasted twenty-eight days. The enemy cut off all supplies, and attempted to change the direction of a stream of water, run- ning through San Jose. The Americans were fired upon from houses, streets, forts, and mounds ; and frequently the bombard- ment continued through the entire niglit. On the 22d, Santa Anna arrived with large reinforcements from Mexico, and on the 25th demanded a surrender. This was refused. A combined attack then commenced, and continued until tlie 2d of October, when a revolt of Santa Anna's troops obli"-ed him to withdraw. Takini^ advantacre of this. Colonel Childs detached two parties on a sortie. Captain Wm. F. Small, who conducted one of them, succeeded in destroying a barricade of one hundred and fifty cotton bales, and driving back the enemy with a loss of seventeen men. The bcsieg-ers, altliouorh con- 652 BATTLE OF HUAMANTLA. siderably disheartened, continued their operations until the 12th, when General Lane arrived at the city with large reinforce- ments for the American army, and soon cleared it of the enemy. In his march to Puebla, Lane had encountered the forces of Santa Anna, at the town of Huamantla, (October 9th.) Leaving his train paclved at the hacienda of Tamaris, he sent forward part of his forces, with Captain Walker's mounted men in ad- vance, with instructions to drive the enemy from the town. When within about three miles, Walker observed parties of horsemen galloping in the same direction, and accordingly pushed forward at a rapid pace toward Huamantla. At the same time, about two thousand lancers came over the neighbour- ing hills, unseen by Walker, and approached the town. On arriving near the main plaza. Captain Walker discovered about five hundred of the enemy drawn up there, and imme- diately ordered a charge. The Mexicans were defeated, and driven tVirough the city, until the arrival of their reinforcements. After fighting three-quarters of an hour, the captain succeeded in taking two pieces of artillery, but was not able to use them. Lnmediately after this success, the gallant and chivalric Walker was mortally wounded. Perhaps no officer, sacrificed in our struggle with Mexico, was ever more sincerely lamented. The total loss of the Americans was thirteen killed, and eleven wounded ; that of the enemy more than one hundred. One brass six-pounder, a mountain howitzer, with some wagons, and a large quantity of ammunition were captured. =^^i-ENERAL LANE remained in Puebla ^'^■^ until the 18th, when, ascertaining that General Rea, with a considerable Mexi- can force, was at Atlisco, he ordered a movement for that })lace on the following morn- ing. The march was commenced about noon of the 19th, and at four p. m., the advance guard of the enemy vras discovered near Santa Isabella. A running fight took place, over a distance of four miles, when the Mexican main army appeared, ranged on a hill behind chaparral hedges. The cavalry dashed among them, and a bloody conflict ensued, attended with great loss to the CAPTURE OF GUAYMAS AND MAZATLAX. 653 enemy. They finally retreated, and were pursued to the town. Night had now arrived, but a fine moonlight rendered it still possible to continue operations. " Deeming it unsafe," says General Lane, " to risk a street fight in an unknown town, at night, I ordered the artillery to be posted on a hill, near to the town, and overlooking it, and opened its fire. Now ensued one of the most beautiful sights conceivable. Every gun was served with the utmost rapidity ; and the crash of the walls and the roofs of tlie houses, ^vlien struck by our shot and shells, ^\"as mingled with the roar of our artillery. The bright light of the moon enabled us to direct our shots to the most thickly popu- lated parts of the town." This bombardment continued three-quarters of an hour, when the general was waited on by the city council, who desired that the town might be spared. This was granted, and after destroy- ing considerable military stores ai^d arms, Lane left next morn- ing for Puebla. His loss was one killed, and one wounded ; that of the enemy, two hundred and nineteen killed, and three hun d red wounded . Li the same month the towns of Guaymas and Mazatlan were taken by a portion of the American fleet. On the 15th the Ports- mouth sloop of war anchored off the port of the former, and was joined soon after bv the frigate Congress, and the brio- Aro-o. The town was twice summoned to surrender, and on the lOtli was abandoned by the Mexican army. At six o'clock next morn- ing the Americans opened their fire from both vessels of war, and the two mortars, and continued it for more than an hour. They discharged into the town more than five hundred shot. One English resident was killed, some houses were burned, and others entirely destroyed. The town then submitted without further resistance. About the same time four ships of war took possession of the port of Mazatlan. On the 23d of November General Lane had another battle with the enemy at Matamoras. We give the account nearly in his own words : " Having been crcdi1)ly informed tliat the enemy were in force, at Matamoras, with some artillery, and that a military depot M-as there established, at which a large quantity of munitions of war 3i2 654 BATTLE OF MAT A MORAS. and other piiLlic property liad l^cen collected, and also tliat several American soldiers were confined there, in close imprisonment, I moved from Puebla toward that place at seven o'clock, on the evening of the 22d instant, with one piece of artillery, and one hundred and sixty men. Although retarded by five hours rain, we reached Matamoras at seven o'clock on the 23d — accomplish- ing a march of fifty four miles in twelve hours. Coming upon the advance guard of the enemy, we charged and drove them in upon the main body. In this short and sanguinary action from sixty to eighty of the enemy were killed and wounded. We did not lose a man. Twenty-one American soldiers were set free, and restored to the service, armed with muskets and mounted upon horses taken from the enemy. Three pieces of bronzed artillery, twelve tons of shot, twelve boxes of fixed ammunition, twenty-seven bales escopette and musJ^et balls, seven bales slow and quick matches, five hundred muskets, five hundred sabres, one hundred horses, medical stores and other public property fell into our hands. Of these the muskets, ammunition, artillery, and sabres were distributed among the men ; the remainder destroyed. ARL Y on the morning of the 24th, we moved . '-V. H, toward Puebla. While movinpr vvith diffi- jj^C^ culty through a long mountainous pass (Pass de Galaxra) five miles from Matamoras, the train became considerably extended. Tlie \^ artillery and four wagons containing captured property, and driven by Mexicans, had fallen in the rear, and were slowly progressing under my immediate superintendence, when it was reported that the enemy had ap- peared in front. Colonel Hays was immediately ordered to repair to the head of the column, and to engage the enemy with the advance guard. He formed a small party of observation, pursued by about two hundred lancers. These he charged, broke and pursued across an extended plain, and up a long precipitous ascent, toward the mountains from which they had made the attack. Here they were reinforced by a reserve of five hundred lancers, under General Rea. As Hays's men numbered but about thirty-five, and were not only destitute of NEGOTIATIONS OF PEACE. 655 sabres, but had previously discharged their revolvers and rifles, he ordered them to retire to their original position. This order they coolly obeyed under the fall charge of all the lancers. When the colonel reached the main body, the artillery opened upon ihe Mexicans, and they retired to the neighbouring mountains. Our loss was two killed and two wounded. " At aliout ten o'clock a. im. of the Soth, we arrived at Atlisco. After four hours' repose we moved on to Puelila, where we arrived without further molestation, at two o'clock in the after- noon, having been absent sixty hours." On the 12th of January, 1848, Colonel Hays with about one hundred rangers, and a few Illinois volunteers, was sent in pur- suit of the Padre Jarauta. On arriving at a hacienda near Teo- tihuacan, tlie party halted, unsaddled their horses, and lay down in careless repose. While in this condition, they were suddenly attacked by the padre and a party of guerillas. A sharp contest ensued, which lasted several minutes. About one liundred and fifty shots were lired by the rangers, and one hundred by the Mexicans — the balls of the latter passing over their opponents' heads, without producing any effect. Eight Mexicans were killed, and the remainder fled in all directions. Jarauta received several wounds, and was observed to reel in his saddle as though ready to fall. The Americans escaped without injury. After this skirmish, little of interest transpired in either army until the latter end of January, when General Scott, in company with Mr. Trist, opened negotiations of peace with the Mexican commissioners, Luis G. Cuevas, Bernardo Conto, and Miguel Atristain, assuming as a basis the articles formerly proposed by Mr. Trist, and rejected by Santa Anna. The most important of these were the cession of a large portion of California and all of New Mexico to the United States, for a stipulated sum ; the adoption of the Rio Grande as far as the Gila, for a boundary between the two countries ; the surrender of all posts, cities, fort- resses, etc., captured during the war; and the full ratification of the treaty of April 5th, 1831. The new treaty also provides that twelve thousand American troops should remain in the city of Mexico, until certain obligations are complied with. The remainder of the army are to be withdrawn. 656 RATIFICATION OF THE TREATY. As commander-in-chief of the American army, General Scott accepted this treaty from t]ie Mexican congress, and forwarded it immediately to Wasliington. It arrived in that city on the 20th of February, and was laid before the President, who, on the 2-2d, submitted it to the Senate, accompanied by a messcige. Considering the importance of the measure, it passed through that body with unexampled rapidity, being adopted with but slio'ht alterations on the 10th of March. The Senate being out of session part of the time, in consequence of the death of ex- president Adams. The vote stood thirty-seven to fifteen, four members being absent. This decided majority evinces the weariness with which all. parties had begun to regard tlie war, and the earnest desire for a speedy and honourable peace. §d4 •^y.. i THE END '''''"liiiiiiiiiiiillilllip >«"arv of coNoSiii- iiii^ Mk lilii liiiiiiiiil i i II 1' iMiiiii iiiii