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DURING HIS COMMAND IN THE CANADAS; ^WHEREBY IT WILL APPEAR MANIFEST, THAT THE MERIT OF PRESERVING THEM FROM CONaUEST, BELONG NOT TO HIM, . . „■ , / Q IP . r^ , . n ; -' f^ MONTREAL. PRINTED BY W. GRAY. jaarBiB'iW JULY, 1815. 1 *. 1. •^■'" «" «^i»4 •■■ . ^%. V Ik . X "k: X"^ XX ■■•■■^■::-.-r:.-.-r: ■»< •■•'■■•■■■"■•<-m:: -<~..i:' '■<'■..:• ''■ - •■'::>'r -'■.; ■•■< --■:'i< • .>i-;-'-r -n x x: •»; VERITAS OK A Collection of Papers pub- iished in the Montreal Herald, (Cani^la.) To the lEditot of ike Montreal tlerald- SIR, THE delusions 'ibhich havh for some time been practised upon the public, have become of late so gross, that it becomes a du- ty to attempt to counteract their effects, especially as they are intended to deceive people at a distance ; particularly in Great Britain, as to the late and present state if this Country, The last addrejfes from this place and^ebec to His Excellency Sir George Prevos'T) are so fulsome and false, that they appear to offer a chaU knge to any matt armed with a pen, who shall dare to oppose or expose the sentiments therein ex- frejfed. That Challenge, feeble at any pen is, I accept^ on { 4 ) an behalf of all the inhabitants of the Canadas who may value their permanent safety and ivelfare^ more than time serving interests ; and truth and independance^ more than misrepresentation and servility. In consequence^ I hereby pledge myself by a simple narrative of ^IK Georse's administra- fion, civil and military y bottomed upon plain but undisguised facts ^ \^ for truth shall be my guide ^ howevtr unpalatable to some it may be) to prove that the public is grossly imp'^tsed upon ; that Sir George, neither by his foresight^ conciliation^ ex- ample ^ or impulse, called fotth the energies of the militia of either Province ; 2nd that the merit of preserving them from conquest belongs not to him* Finally, that he has left the people of this Pro^ vince, far more seriously divided in sentiment than he found them, Montreal had the honor of giving the first im-- pulse in Lower Canada, towards a determined resistance of the enemy. Let us endeavour also to have the honor of exposing falsehood, and bring- ing back the people to the exercise oj their sound political senses. I shall begln^ Mr. Editor, next weeky to oc- cupy some oJ your columns, chiefly with Sir George^ s military conduct^ and continue in your succeeding Heralds, until I have gone through what I propose, Alltbejavor I entreat is, that instead of abuse ^ I may be met tn the fair field of argument and matter of fact. « VERITAS.^^ Mentreae, ^tk Jpril^ 18 15, '. h 1 ,': .\ >.:'-^j .\:' : Itf. '..Vt'.ij .,.i..-.^'.-y , % ' y/ v';'' To the Editor of the Montreal HeralcT SIR, [No. !.] IN pursuance of my promise, I now proceed, by a plain relation of facts, to expose the deceptions that have been so un* remittingly practised, with a view to impose u- pon His Majesty's Government, and our fellow subjects at a distance, by attempting to erect Sir George Prevost into an Idol of adoration, that every one was to fall down and worship, or submit to be branded as factions and disaffected. Many of different sentiments would silently have allowed the matter to pass over, had there been any kind of decency or measure in the in- cense offered ; but the Addreffes have of late been so fulsome, and so devoid of truth, that the most torpid who feel for the honor ot their country, must be roused to offer their reasons for refusing to join the idolatrous, in this new species of political worship. Another powerful motive impels me to come forward on this occasion, which is to chdeavor to prevent the stream of materials for the history of the iate war, from being polluted by the de- leterious mixtures of falsehood and misrepre- sentation, which panders and sycophants are ia-> fusing therein. ^;, "^ , ■ ■ '* . s ■ ■ ■ "' « Such a proeeediDg mar posiiblr, br some, be I- if V ( <5 ) ■:f„ ^ *••. called libellous, but what I mean to write can- not be a libel, unlefs historic truth be such. Ac- cusations however of that description, will come with a bad grace from those who have systema- tically framed and circulated a scries of the most grievous calumnies and libels against the mem- ory of Sir James Craig, and these vnder the sanction of Sir George Prevost, inasmuch as may be fairly inferred, from his receiving an Addrefs from a former House cf Aflembly, stuf- fed with grofs abuse of his predeceflbr in office, and praise of himself ; which he swallowed without remark or reproof : — and also as may be inferred, fn m the eountenjfnce given at Head Quarters to tbit miserable Paper the Spec* tateur^ which apj ears to have been set up at first, and to he contmued for no other purpose than to vent calumny and abuse against Sir Jas.- Craig, both Councils of this Province, and al- most every respectable character in the comuiu- nity ; wtiilst it iieaped upon Sir George Prevost, tliC most Servile adulation, bottomed upon false- hood. # The war being over, the language of truth can be fcarlesly used, without injury to the sa- fety and interests, as in future they cannot be affcdfced by a discuffion of the question, whether fcir Qleorgc's merits as to the past, have been over-rated or not. Notwithstanding we had for years before, becQ threatened with war by the United Sutes, yet Sfir C«orgc having entered upon the cxerdsc of • hie ).'\- "^ i^'l^^) 4 ' his funiflioils, apparently with a determinatioa to act contiary to his prcclecelFor in cveiy tiling; and Sir James Craig having imforiuiiately emp- loyed one Henry, who proved a traitor, to pro- cure intelligence of the then designs of the m- , crican Government against this country ; Sir George would employ none, and took no pre- caution whatever to get information, even of the war when declared. Mr. Fofter our wise Minister at Washington, sent notice of the dc- / claration of war ; it is true, hut by a chance con- * veyance to New- York, to be forwarded from ' thence to Lower-Canada, ov some safe acciden- tal hand, no doubt to save expencCy and it arrived - at Montreal several weeks afterwards. To Up- per Canada he sent no notice at ali. The want of intelligence of the enemy's military designs and movements, has been so notorious through-*^-' out the war, that I shall pointedly touch there- on hereafter. Happily individual diligence and zeal made . up for these grois and unpardonable ne/lects^ The war was known at Montreal and at Queen- «ton in Upper Canada by private exprefles,insix days after its declaration at Washington, and at Quebec and York, the seats of Government,* in twenty four hours more. '%■ Some of those about Head Quarters, doubted the intelligence, and considered it some mer-^^ eantile speculation ; but upon re-consideration, they were thrown into the othdr extreme, and fell into 8uch a state of alarm as is now scarcely^ credible. I ' ■ i i f ^ ! u credible, and which the subjects of it would be glad to have buried in oblivion — for really from the Chateau downwards, the first impulse tvith many at ^lebec^ was to push ofFthcir wives and families to England, as ;/ must soon be besieged. Fortunately it was otherwise at Montreal ; for here the first impreffion was, to remain at our posts and prepare for their defence — hence the flank and artillery companies of the first or En- glifli Battalion of Town Militia, of their own mere motion (before orders or arms were ifiued to them) instantly began to exercise in marching onthe C hamp de Mars, every morning at 5, and every evening at 6 o'clock. They continu- ed after they got arms, with great perseverance and diligence to learn the use of them, and being joined by another company of that Battalion, became afterwards Embodied Volunteers, active and zealous in defence of the Country. The flank companies of the Canadian Town Militia, to their praise be it spoken, soon after caught the example, and followed it ; whilst in the country the common language then was, nous restergns tranquiles chc% nousy or nous mar- cherons torn ensemble^ which in plain Englifh arc • pretty synohimus. The town Sedentary Mi- litia were not tardy in following the example of their flank companies, and the Champ de Mars for the whole Summer of 1 8 1 2, actually resem* bled a be hi .% from the multitudes actively em- ployed upon it, in learning military exercises, Hic I "irrM i i wimii r I I The month before the war, there had been a draft of Militia to be embodied tor three months, which occasioned great discontents over the Province, and which in the Country Parilhes of this Island broke out into open violence; at Nou- velle Heauco, and at Pointe aux Trembles, near Quebec, it was nearly as bad. ' <• "t ^'^i It was strongly suspcdled, that this discontl ment was fomented by some of those, aow the staunch advocates of Sir George Prevost, Be this as it may, it is certain that not one of his - now self called friends and favourites, stepped forward to undeceive their countrymen, and preach submission to the laws ; for after an op- - position by some of the refractory, to a party sent to apprehend Militia Deserters, a multitude from the country Parishes aflembled at Pointe Claire and La Chine, about a week after the war was known ; some in arms, and all de* termined to go to La Prairie, where the Militia ^ Drafts were, and bring them away in triumph. Whilst .this was in progress. Sir George was on his way from Quebec, and before he arrived, or could poffibly be consulted, decision became necessary. Accordingly a Committee of the Ex- ecutive Council resident here, lost not a moment in sending out a mission to reason with the tu- multuous and warn them of their fate, if they persisted in their conduct and designs ; and which mission to give it due effect, was imme- diately followed by a detachment of troops and • srtiUery furni(hcd by Generel Vincent, as he said^ Vi.' ' • 'iff < . Vr '. ft' TO ) said, upon the requisition of the said Com- mittee ; a magistrate was also sent to accom- pany the military force. 1 he members of « that miflion, the said magistrate, as also some Gentlemen of their own accord, from the im- pulse of humanity, did their utmost by reasoning, to persuade the insurgents, whom they met at La Chine on their way to La Prairie, to disperse, but without effect. — They persisted, and beca- me so insolent, that the application of the mili- tary force sent out became indispensable; but it was applied with great forbearance and humani- ty by Lt. Col. Pienderleath, 49th Regt. who commanded ; and only one man fell a sacrifice, although some returned the fire of the troops. , Next morning all the flank companies rf the Town Militia, after being armed, marched out to the assistance of the troops, whom they join- ed at La (^hine, and the whole united, marched on to Pointe Claire. The insurgents retired from La Chine in the night preceding, and learning •what was paffing, now disperse^!. Detach- ments were sent out from Pointe Qaire, and some ofthc most forward of the Infurgents were apprehended, v/hilst others were notified to come to town and surrender, or abide the con- sequences. The day after this, tlie troops and town ml- litia marched back by another road in triumph, and a proud triumph it was C;* he latter, and to iheir immortal honor, to have aided in showing the refifajaory, th»t there was apow^r to punifli, as f : ^^i. ( ■I ) m- m- of me ^' as well as protect ; and further by their exa • pie, to have contributed in bringing back tneir countrymen to a fen^e. of their duty ; as from that moment matters took quite a different turn. But who will pretend to decide, what t'^e ex- tent of the effect of a contrary example on that critical occafion might have been ; or even had the Town Militia remained indifferent Specta- tors ; or had the Committee of Council been lefs prompt in their meafures, or had they waited to confult the Governor. In either of thefe pof- fible cafes, the infe£lion of infurre6:ion might have fprerid like wild fire, and Pointe Claire and Nouvelle Beauce, been joined together by the intermediate parifhes ; for the multitude of ev- ery country is giddy, and there are always felf fly led Patriots ready to blow the coals. I fhud- der to think of it, but thank God, inftead of this, Sir George (who had no hand whatever in bring- ing about this happy change) had only to come and thank the town militia on their return, and next day to receive the fubmiflion of the late leading infurgents, feveral of whom were com- mitted, tried, and convided. , ' Sir George gave one of his Parliamentarj' friends (when he waited upon him at the Gov- ernment Houfe, Montreal, on that occafirn) a mod violent philippic, for his* double dealing in the buiinefs ; but he has been (ince re-admit-* ted I^to the corps of puffers of his pretended fame— whilft thofe who at that time were the . means ( 12 ) means of faving him and the Province, and at , all times have been foremofl in giving the ex- , ample of a determination to refid the enemy, are calumniated as a fadtion, becaufe they are - non-adorers. Thofe who are now his b'^fom friends, are many of them men (who to fay no worfe) ftir-ed not one ftep in the day of need, to gire an example to their refra^iory country- men— -but who were ready after the impulfe was given to profit by it fo far, as to condtscend ^ to accept of lucrative fituations in the militia,,. fomeof whom however foon refigned, when they found that fuch fituations were not to be ;„ linecures. ^ Now let it be borne in mind, that the difcon- tents above faid about the militia drafts, origin-\^ ated from an act pafled and executed during Sir" George's own adm.iniftration. Here, then was a fine opportunity for demonftrating hy deeds ^ inftcad of words ^ the devotion of the Canadian population to their political idol, and of his great influence over them, but nothing was feen or felt ot either, until aftei the active example of the Englifh at that alarming crifis, had pro- duced the happy change which enfued ; and which change has enabled his fatellites (carefully concealing the caufe) by falfehoods and mifrcp- refentations, to make fuch ufe of it, in the end- iefs addrefles manufactured fince, with a view to impofe upon people at a diftance, who do not know the real ftate of the cafe.^ — Surely it can- |w»t be fuppokd, that Sir George was fo negli- gent (ilM 13 ) ,) gent of his duty atfuch a crifis, as not to have ufed his influence, if he had any; but wliether he did ufe it or not, is for him and his friends to fettle. — All we know is, that there were no vi- fible ufeful efteds of it^ at that alarn/mg period. "; There is a piece of hiftory about the Militia Act which fliould be had in remembrance. — The leaders in the then Aflembly, now warm friends of Sir George, gojt a claufe infer t^d in the Hill, to prohibit fervice in the militia by fubfti- tution, a meafure unprecedented even in the an- nals of Bonaparte's tyranny, and another claufe to prevent militiamen, when embodied, from being employed as fervants to officers. — Thefe "weie efpecially intended to create difcontent a- mong the Englifli part of the population, asbe- being fuppofed to attack their feelings in tender points, confequently as general dilcontents in the execution of the militia adl were expected ; it was thought that by adroit management, it would thence be eafy to afcribe their origin to the Englifh.* The loyalty and zeal, however, of that clafs, defeated the plan ; the draft took place, and the Englifh furniflied their quota promptly ; but contrary to cxpedtation, the complaints were fo violent among the Canadians about the prohibi- tion of fubftitution, thatfomeofthe authors of that • Bjt English, I mean those born in Great Britain, or Ireland , or in any other part of the King's dominions, oi British or Ixisb deicent* ( I ( 14 ) ;? th at mod: tyrannical meafure, were actually re- proached and infulted for it. — The claufe about militiamen as fervants was broken through by fomc of its f ramers, who had became officers, doubtlefs not intending it to affect themfelves. What a proud confideratioa it is for the En- glifh, who have given an un bought and unre- mitted fupport to the Government in whatfo- ever related to the defence of the country during the war, to reflect, that the mod pointed neg- lect and unjuft infmuations, ha/e been (and I trull ever will be) unable to make them fwerve from their duty to their King and Country. — ■ And it adds to that lofty fentiment, to be able to fay with truth, that if the Governor's alledged enemies had been as cool and indifferent at the outfet, about the defence of the Country, as ma- ny of his pretended warm friends were, the Pro* Tincc would have been loft. VERITAS. N. B. In my next I shall ^.Toceed to some of the operations lb Upper C^iuda. ( T5 ) [Na II.] * 'd ■ '' \' To the Editor of the Montreal Herald Sir, My first number having had refer- ence to transactions in this Province, let me pass on to Upper Canada. — After the declara- tion of war by the United States, had obtained belief at Quebec, Sir George Prevost dispatched orders to Captain Roberts, commanding at the Island of St. Joseph, to ad: upon the defensive. General Brock was at York, when he receiv- ed the account of the war, which was conveyed from Queenfton in a very short time ; and im- mediately after he sent notice thereof to Lt.Col. St. George, at A mherstburg, and to Capt. Ro- berts. This express was foon followed by ano- ther to St. Joseph, whereby General Brock di- refted Capt Roberts to attack Michilimackinac immediately, if he saw a prospect of success. That Officer, who had onlv a handful of in- valid Veterans unders his orders, was stimulat- ed to act by the traders there, who saw the im- portance and necessity of instant decision, in or- der to circumvent the enemy, and secure the In- dians in that quarter, who were then not af war with the United States. Those traders pro* mised their zealous co-operation, which they faithfully performedt Captaia Roberts con« curring ( I6 ) ! > .1^ % cnrring in tbeir opinion, determined (muc!i to his credit) to follow the instrudions of General Brock, his immediate Commander, in j)refer- ence to those of Sir George ; and accordingly an expedition was organized, consisting of 30 or 40 Veterans, 200 traders and t^icir engagees, with about 400 Indians, who proceeded to at- tack the American fort Michilimackinac ; which, upon a landing being effected upon tliat Island, furrendered by capitulation, the 17th of July 181 2, (a month after the declaration of war at Washington,) without a drop of blood spdt on cither side. Colonel St. George, at Amherstburg, receiv- ed from General Brock, information of the war in time to enable him to lay hold of the bag- gage and medicines of General Hull's army, as the vessel therewith was entering Detroit river, in the hope of our ignorance of the purpose for which that army was approaching by land from the interior. This circumvention of KuW, affected him greatly, and marred his af- ter proceedings. He however crossed over to the Britifh side at Sandwich, on the 12th of July, 1812, with an exterminating proclama- tion in his hand, (brought froin Washiirigton) after a previous cannonade by him of that de* fencelefs village. Information of this invasion was soon re* ceived by General Brock^ at Fort George, where lie iiad .speedily toived from York, with an in«* ' ■ ■ . ' tec*'^os m { 17 ) I N tention of attacklnc; Foit Niac^ara ; but hp hesi- tated about that mea'^Mre from v.inous consiifer- ations, piu:t whereof were Ills having had no Glacial account of the wf*r, nor any order from Sir George Pre vost to guide his proceedings. Indeed it is asserted and behcvcd, that the for^7 n:cr did nor receive from the latter any written order or instruction for six wetk.s after the war- was dt^clared. 80 fu^pelcfs it seems, did Sir' George consider tlie state of Upper Canada, that iic avoided mcdtlling therewith, leaving the gallant Brock to his own counsel, and thereby cunniijgly reserving to himself the power of censure or praise, according to events. Thus commenced that indecisive conduct^ which unhappily Sir George so stedfustly ad- hered to, during the whole course of the war. General Brock issued at Fort George an ad- mirable proclamation, in counteraction of Hull's ferocious one, and sent Colonel (now General) Procter, with a fmall reinforcement (his means allowing of none other) to Amherstburg, where he assumed, the command, whilst the Generaj returned to York, to meet the Legislature 0£ Upper Canada, which, as Prefident of that Pro- vince, he had called together, for an extra feffion upon the war being known. This feffion was Ihort, and on the Oth of Auguft, 1812, he left York with about 100 volunteer Militia, which Were increased about Long Point, the whole proceeding by land and water to Amherstburg. Owing to the g^reat exertion and personal ex- ,\ ( i8 ,) -?»-9 example of their beloved Commander, they reached that place about the I2th of that month, before which time Hull had re-crossed to De- troit, after committing vanous excesses,- having failed in his attempts to pu ^ the little river Ca- nard, above Amherstbur^, and having lor.t a convoy of provisions, which was captured by a party of the 41st Regt. and IndianvS, that had been sent into his rear by Colonel Procter, be- fore General Brork ai rived, in order to inter- rupt Hull's communications, and intercept his supplies. Hull on learning the ari'lval of Brock, was appalled, a' he liad previoufly received informa- tion of the capture of Micliilimackinac, where- by the northern hive of Indians, as he termed them, was let loofe againft him. General Brock loft not a moment, and march- ing up to Sandwich with what troops and mili- tia he had colledted, and a band ot Indians un- der the brave and ever to be lamented celebra- ted Chief Tecumfeth, he cannonaded the enemy in their pofition at Detroit, and next day palTed over with his wl ole force to the American fide fome miles below, with a determination to af- fault that poft ; but General Hull prevented that neceffity, by capitulating, to furren ^er him- ielf and his army of 2500 men, with 25 pieces of cannon, which took place on the 1 6th of Auguft, 1 8 1 2. This moft important event was effected without lofs, and an invaluable acquifi- tion ( 19 ) ■#■'■ tionof mufqiietry and cannon thereby obtained, whereof we were greatly in want, eipeclally of the former, for ihe militia, who now had the honor of equippinpf themfclves with the fpoile they fo meritorioufly aided in capturing from the enemy. General Brock, alike humane as brave, allowed the American Militia to go home, and after providing for their return in safety to Kentucky and Ohio, leaving Colonel Procter in command at Detroit, he flew back as it were to Fort George, which he reached on the 24th of the before mentioned month. Then or before^ was communicated to him the information of that deadly armtjlice^ concluded by Sir George Prevoft with General Dearborn, which had fo fatal an effect upon all the future operations, and which tied up the hands of the gallant Brock, from executing his intended plan of fweeping the American Pofts, to Sackett*s Harbour inclufive — an operation that mod cer- tainly could have been then effected. This ariniftice propofed by Sir George Pre- vofl merits ferious confideration, from its ope- ration being fo greatly in favor of the enemy at that time, and fo difadvantageous to us. — A period mofl precious to us, if we had profited of it with vigour, was thereby loft in inad.iOn, and the enemy in confequenee, allowed to recover from the paniCj into which they were thrown by Hull's capture. The tranfport of the America^ Stores,, ord- D riancc ^ It!,' ( 20 ) . ^ rancc and provifions, of each of which they were muc'i in want, not beii Such however was the effe£l of the impulfe he had given, and the valour and zeal whcre- withthc regular troops, militia, and Indians, had been infpireJ, that tae vahiible effects thereof furvived him, and gave a brilliant vi<^ory on that day to his fucceifjr. General Siieatfe, a lo- ver* of armiftices alf >, who in proof thereof, made one of his own^ w^iich threw away moft of the advantages of that vldtory ; for be negleded (although ftrongly urged thereto,) to take Fort Niagara, which could have been done on the af^ ternoon of the day of the Queenfton battle, without lofs, as the enertiy had temporarily, en- tirely, or almoil entirely, then evacu ted it. Had he done this, and at fame time crofled over a part of his force to Lewis Town, as he was ^^r- ged to do, and as Brock would h ive done, had he furvived, the whole Niagara line would have beerf cleared of the enemy, and all our alter dw ^ers ia that (quarter prevented. MX It ^^ f\iS i ^: ■fff- ( " ) It has been urj;cJ in favor of Sir George's ti- mid ilefenfivc f/.'lcin, t'lat it was proper, in or- der to avoi.l irritatinp; the enemy, and thereby uniting them ; — as alfothat his force was inade- qnatc to offenlive warfcirc. Now no po'iti'jns were ever more untenablt: ; for to think of conci- liating an cpemy, ny leaving to him the full be- nefit of maturing in fccurity all his means of an- noyance againll: you, and at the fame time muz- zling youifclf, is a moil extraordinary dodrinc Surely to do fo, mull enfure fyiccefs to that ene- my, as we know, that fuccefr. will unite dif^or- dant parties and interefls; whilft defeats pro- mote dii'union, and would fiave ftrengthencd the anti-war party in the States, by furnifliing to them unanfwerablc arguments, when depi«£ting the folly and impolicy of the w.ir, which had been fo wantonly declared by the Mavlifonian party, ' Were fads in fupport of this view of the fub- jed neccflary, they would be found, in the ef- fects upon the public mind in that country, pro- duced by the capture of Michiliraakinac and Detroit, with Hull's army. Did thefts events irritate and unite the enemy af^ainft us ? no ; they increafed irritation it is true, but againft their own Government, In difcufling the merits or dements of Sir George's deftnfive fj(/iem^ it is proper to define, what I mean > y offenfive and dtfenjive. Accor- dingly, I do not mean to contend for fuch a fyftem T h 23 ) fyftem otoperatlons^as would have aimed at a military occupancy during the war, of any one Pod in the ^^t ites along the Canada frontier, cx- ceptit^g Fort Nia'j;ara, and perhaps Ofwcgo, with fuch Ports within the Indian territory only as might liavc been nccclfary for their 'Ar\(\ our cie^ fence : but I do moft ftrongly contend, that a fyftem of attack upon the depots ot the enemy along our frontiers, whether military or naval, -for the purpofe of deftroying tlicm before com- pletion, and then retiring into our own territo- ry, would have been the heft, the cheapeft, and in all points of view, the moft effectual defence for thcfe provinces, conjointl7 with a refpedt- able naval force upon the Lakes, to cover and give fecurity and efficiency to fuch a mode of warfare. I alfo contend, that this would not have irri- tated, butdifunited the enemy, becaufe the with- drawal in fucceffiou of our attacking force, im- mediately after the attainment of the obje(fls thereofrefpectively, would have proved by fadls, not to be mifunderftood, that our purpofe was not attack beyond the ftrid line of what was in- difpenfable to ward ofFtheefFedts of the prepara- tions making at thofe depots, with a view to our fubjugation. And as to deficiency of means, or of force, un- der the orders of Sir George, for executing fuch a fyftem of attack, I deny the fad. Look only at what was done by the adli f e energy of a Brock, with. .( >4 ) with a handful of men ; alfo what more he would have done had his hands not heen tied at a period fo ill timed; and cnntraft thefe with the drowfy ina£livity of Sir George Prevoft, and Its fatal confequences. It is adivity and ener- gy of mind which are valuable requisites in the qualifications of a military commander, and not the locomotive fac ilty of a Poft-boy, which can be better executed, in general, by a fubftitute than a principal. Moft military men will allow, that a long line capnot be effedlually defended by a few troops, if the enemy hd left wholly at liberty without counteraction, to choofe his time and place of attack; whereas, if inftead of attempting to. de- fend the whole line, the Icfs important points were abandoned for a time, and the force con- centered in one or more important portions ; SLndJuc/j force when fo concentrated, converted into an adlive, inftead of a paffive one, by either attacking the enemy at once, in his chief prepa- ratory depots; or by threatenirng fever al of them, turn feints into real attacks as opportunities of- f^ed ; the tables would, by fuch a fyftem, be turned, and the enemy (efpecially an undifci- plincd one) be reduced to the defenfive. According to the well known principle in mechanics, that velocity is equal lo weight, a fmall force, by well diredted adivity of operation^ maybe made tpproduceagrcatereffe^, than three times ^* ( 25 ) times its numerical ftrcngth couUl, when tied to the difheartening fyflem ot mere. defence. Let me pause here, and leturnto Lower-Ca- nada, for the purpofc cf making this remark^ which no fopbiftry can overturn, viz : — that the capture of MichiUmakinac, with that of Detroit, and General Hull's army ; nnd the occular proof thereof afforded to the population of Low- er Canada by the march of that General, his of- ficers and regular troops, as prifoners through Montreal ; came fo opportunely in aid of the i La Chine burmefs,as in conjundion therewith, and the previous adivity and zeal difplayed at Montreal; to Jirike dumb the preachers of pru^ denccy to fix the wavering, and to confirm the great bulk of the people in loyalty Now in the name of truth, what fhare or me- rit had Sir George Prevoft in all this ? None ! notwithlbnding all the falfehoods fo induftri- oufly circulated by the * Editor of the Quebec Gazette, Note * Thij Gentleman is now calling out for a truce or ar'- mistice, which doubtless would be very convenient for the purpo- pose of h's party, in order that the poison infused by his and their Jalse representaiioiis, might take full effect, by with-holding the aiittflofe of truth ; hat thdt cannot be, after such continued de- ;ep[i )ns, l d more especially after the most Jnlse and impudent two per cent doctnne, promulgated by that Editor,' wherein he makes the approval, ol Sir George's measures, t/ie criterion of loy- alty ;— consequently by that /ule, those who stirred theanselves mo*t actively ia the support oUhe Government, during the war, and at its commencement marched touuppress an insuirectiou striking at the vital* of our defence, are to be htXd as disloi/al ; and the insurgents with their abettors at tAat time, good men and irue—for true 'it is, that most of th& former are nm-addresaserg, whilit all of the latter are addressers. ( ^^ ) ' t ■ i' ' K . m !! . K w Gazette, and reprinted at Halifax. He was mere- ly a paflive inftrument at that time ; neither did be give any orders or impulfe, nor did his now pretended friends give any example, to pro- duce or contribute io^fuch happy events. In the whole of these events^ all that he had to do, was to reap the fruits of what others had sown ; hut much of which fruit was allowed to perifli with- out being ufed; and yet at this day it would be fuppofed (if we liftened only to the addreflers, and could banifh the ufe of our memories) that all was owing to Sir George. It !S well known that a perfon by repeatedly 'mentioning a ftory, however unfounded, at laft believes in it, and fo it may be with many, who aid in the delufion pradtifed and praftifmg ; but it is in the recolIeir George's lyftem of operations; if an)'- fyftem or plan there ever was, which may be tioubted, feeing the vacillating meafures pur- fued' upon all occalions ; as hardly a regiment coubdbe moved fbom one place to another^^ \j without I ( 3^ ) without half a dozen counter orders ; and con- fequently to repair a difafter, always coft us double or quadruple the expence, and number of men, that would have been neceflary by time- ous precaution to prevent it ; bcfides thereby always receiving, inftead of giving the law to the enemy. The moft palpable and fatal error however of all, is yet to be told, viz : that of not prestrving the command of the Upper Lakes, I ufe the word preferving inftead oi acquiring^ on this oc- cafion, becauie Sir James Craig left Sir George Prevoft a moft decided luperiority upon thofe Lakes ; for on each, we had feveral veflels of force, and the enemy had only the Oneida brig of 1 6 guns, upon Ontario, and the Adams of about the fame fize, but half armed and manned, upon Erie. The latter veflel was juft rebuilt at Detroit, when captured by General Brock, and became a prize to us, until thrown away by fome ftrange mifcondi^6t, along with the Caledonia, belong- ing to the North Weft Company, which veflels came down with American prisoners, and part of the guns taken at Detroit ; when on arriving at Fort Erie, to accommodate the landing of thofe prifoners upon the American fide, they incautioufly were anchored fo far over towards that fhore, as to be boarded in the night, taken and carried away. The Adams got aground afterwards, and was deftxoyed : but the Cale-^ 4oni|i, ( 33 ) donia, although injured, was preferved by the enemy, and became an inftrument in the difas- trous capture of our fleet upon Lake Erie the next year. • The command of the Lakes ^ and efpecially thofe bordering upon Upper Canada, is To evi- dently an objedl ot primary confideration in the defence of the Canadas, and the upper province in particular, that it furnifhes matter of aflo- nifhment, how a military man could be fo ig- norant of, or blind to, its importance^ as to allow it to be wrefted from him, when the means of the preservation of that command were fo com- pletely in his power. In conjundion with the naval command of thofe internal waters, the friendfliip of the In- dians was a point of equal importance, at the commencement of the war. The forefight and energy of a Brock preserved the latter, — ^The cold indifference of a Prevqft loft the Jormer ; and yet the AddreiTers * have the fhamelefs ef* frontery to lay, ** the fmallnefs of the regular *' army with which your Excellency was left to ** witaftand tne whole efforts of the United States, m Note * The arts used to obtain signatures to tbe Addresses, are in many instances most shameful. Officers of mihtia have called their men together, and made them sign, or rather make thcsir marks by roll call, in other cases, ibe people have been impounded in the Chnrch after Mass, (but my information leadi me to believe that the Clergy had no agency in this,) and there •re instances where youthsv who could writu, have been made tf ligQ, to CBcrcate the tictual Bumbcr of liguatures. ( 34 ) " Statcfi, for two years, and the Infufflctency of ** the Naval force on the Lakes ^ have expo fed htt " Majejlys arms to some rcvcrfes^* whilft it is notorious from the fadls above ftated, that thii insufficiency on the Lakes^ proceeded entirely from negledt of the idol thus addrefled. How came they to dare to venture upon fuch an impojltire ? Is it becaufe they reckon upon the like banilhment of the ufe of memory in the reading of thofe AddrefTes in Canada, as is neceflary in all the operations of the junto ; or if not fo, is it the idea that no perfon here, durft attempt to expofe // ; or finally is it, that at a diftance (as the Addrcfles are manufadured for exportation) they counted upon no one finding it out, as ihey meant to keep their own counsel. However, I do entertain fome hope, that they have reckoned without their hoft ; and that Le Bon Vieux Temps and myfelf, who are fellow labourers in the fame vineyard, for the correct- ion of falfehood, and fupport of truth, without having any knowledge of, or communication with each other, will open the eyes of many, if we cannot of all the blind ; for of the cure of the honeft really blind patriots, I cannot doubt, but of the wilfully blind, they muft be left to be cured by their own folly, and the contempt of all independent minds* Upon the fubjeft of the upper Lakes, their negled in i8i2,cannotbeexcuf€d, even upon the Sit 'I '»■;• ( -hS ) •• # 't, ' .4 the principle of ignorance or inadvertancy ; for the comm'jn table talk that fummer at Mont- real was tlie incorrtpctency of the Officers aad men on board the King's fhips on Lake On- tario (and that talk is fuppofed to have been al- ways better known at Head Quarters, thaii the defigns of the enemy,) and that a ftrong remedy was nectflary, or th command thereof would be loft. Of that incompetency there was fur- nifhed the moft ftriking proof by Commodore Earle, when he went over in the Royal George with others to Sacket's Harbour, in fummer I S 1 2, to deftroy the Oneida Brig ; and on ar- riving there, finding her hauled into the* inner harbour, and one or two of her guns landed and/ planted on the bluff point, (for then there w^ no garrifon) without cover, which fired at Y\^ ; the gallant Commodore immediately turned bis tail or flern to the enemy, and returned to Kingfton re infeifa^ but with whole "bones. Yet no notice was taken of this at He.'iQ Quar- ters, nor any remedy attempted, and lie remain- ed in command ot the Ontario Squi\dron, until the arrival of Sir James Yeo, and |;hen forfooth was offended at being fupcrseded; Sir George in not noticing this conduct of Earle, might pofTibly have had an anticipatory feeling of what might happen to himfelf at that place, at a future day. It is proper to remark, that Commodore Earle ddll not belong to the Royal Navy. % f Every v '1 J. I ( 36 ) Every one wondered wliy Sir George did not make an energetic application to Capt. Pafcoe, of the Tartarus floop c f war, (who arrived at Quebec from Halifax after the war was known t!;ere) tolay up his fhip, and march with hit officers and crew to Tiake Ontario, for the pur- pole of deftroying the Oneida Brig, and every craft on that Lake, belonging to the enemy ; whiich affurcdly in fuch cafe, could have been completely accomplifhcd, and the faid officers and crew brought back to Qiiebec, in lefs than eight weeks after their departure, if their return to that place fhould have been infilled upon. Wc all know, that Sir George could not have ,^*cmmanded Capt. Pafcoe to do fo, but we alfq ti. ow the anxiety of a Britiffi officer, in either fervAce, for active employment ; and that if a ftron^* cafe had been made out, which furely at at that I'inie required no ingenuity, as a plain ftatement of the truth, would have been fuffi- cient to co tivince Capt. Pafcoe that the falvation or lof<» of tht' Canadas, might depend m^oh his ac- quiefcence or ^ efufal. In fuclj cafe, who. can doubt, that he would have con lented; and fur- ther, that he wc/uld have been applauded and promoted for fo dv'>ing, whilft thoufands.of lives and millions of mpn ey, would have been, fayed by- the meafure, if db'e vigilance had l?ecn con- tinued afterv^ards, to pi c*yent the aei^ i^pxn beings forped at Saqki^i's > Ha|d^ W* Inftead ot this, fo little ft *eling had Sir George upoi^ this grand arm of def(.*{xce» that a lifelefs common \ m^ '. K '( 37 ) ♦ ^i . " f ■ common place attempt was made, to get feamem at Quebec, avS if in time of peace, for 8 or lo dollars a month, when merchants were giving more than twice as much ; but what would sea- men have availfd under fucii Officers as Farlc ? J will further afk the Qnebec Addreflcrs, who are alfo alive to the insufficiency of the Naval force •n the Lakesy why all the fhip carpenters of Quebec and Montreal, and all the batteau car- penters of the Province, were not engaged to keep up the fuperiority we had in armed ve(^ fels on the Upper Lalcec, at the conimencemetit of the war, and to build batteaux,the negle£t of which latter, alfo occafioned infinite detriment to the military fervice ? I will alfo afk them^wn^^tticf tfiiy ever lizard, that a Quebec Ship Builder, who wojuld have contracted for a 36 gun Frigate on Lake Oxii' tirio, to be fpeedily built, was not laid afide, for the fake cfathoufand pounds iii his demand beyond what Sir George wodtd agree to^ve^ After all this, it is the acm^ 6f amiranqe \o\^ finuate, that Miniflers were to blame for fuch infufficiency, efpecially as they could only haye a knowledge of our wants here through S(^r t^eorges information ; and if he was filent 01 der festive in explanation of His Wants, i6^^ not ml^ «^^r/, ought juftly to be blamed, 3ut it »p known, and has been declared in (Parliament bj Miniflcts, that they never furnifhed lefs, amd F 2 frcquer^Hy ;i ( ) m frequently much more, than the requifitipn from hence. When a defe(P*ve military force is mentioned, let it bei recoiled ed, that Sir George had the^ v ncfit ofitwo ftrong additional regiments, v^rhich arrived early in fumm^r 1812 to replace two weak ones, and he very properly kept the whole. Appearances warrant the bdief^ that Sir George was firft roufed from his torpor about the Lakes and Indians, by the memorial of the . Committees of trade, prcfented in October 1 8 1 2, (fmce rcpublifhed in the Quebec Gazette, from a Halifax paper) wherein^ the importance of thofe objeds was forcibly dwelt upon^ and the neccflity of having Officers and feamen from the Royal Navy, strongly pointed out. Accord- ingly, an exv;rtion in shipbv.ilding on the lakes was made in winter 1 8 1 2', and oiTicers and fea- men from the Royal Navy arrived early in May The exertions ofthe«.*nemy at Sackttt's Har- bour, theu an open unfortified place, was such before the end of summer 18 12, as to produce, in 0iaces. ■ ' . There was another striking impropriety la building at York, without providing the means of fecurity there, as the works of defence, pro- jcd:ed by General Brock (when he contempla- ted, before the war, the removal of the naval dtpot fromKingsioa to York, by reason of the proximity of the former to the States in winter by the ice) were dicontinued by orders from be- low, and liever resumed. The position inten- ded ( 40 ) ded to have been fortified by General Brock, near York, was capable of being made very strong, had his plan been executed ; but as it was not, nor any other plan of defence adopt- ed, a ship yard without protection, became an allurement t-o Jie enemy, as was felt to the cost of the Inhabitants of York, I shall defer to a future number, the conside- ^ration of the enemy's naval preparations upon Lake Erie, and our supinefs there in summer 1813, The storm that had been long threatening the I owcr Pri)vince from Plattsburg, at length seemed ready to burst upon it, as notice was given at Montreal on the evening of 1 7th of Novembe.' 1812, that the enemy were advan- cing, and that upon a certain signal of ajarm being fired trom the citadel, the troops and em- bodied militia were to pfepare to crofs over to Longueil Next afternoon the alarm guns were fired, and the troops and Battalion of Englifli embodied Volunteers, were in consequence put in mction. The latter, although they had to collect over the town and different suburbs, were upon tie beach equipped for fervice nearly as foon as the regulars, where they had to wait two hou,rs for boats, which being at length pro- cured, they crofTed the river in the dark, and marched to Laprairie, where they arrived at m'dnight, and were then diftribuled in quartern The Canadian flank companies of the town^ went over the day following or afterwards, and the ji- y ■ :r:-:m\{ 41 ) /^\,- 'V.^:.;;,.- the whole country militia in the adjoining coun- ties, were in movement, with an alacrity that will for ever do them honor, vl^ The weather became very severe, and the e- nemy retired after encountering a picket of in- dians near River La Cole, who were so well ma* > j naged as to occasion the enemy, to fire upon each other in the night, whilst the picket fell back ani escaped without lofs. Upon its being known that the enemy had retired, the troops / ^ and militia returned to their quarters and homes, ^:^' which closed the operations of 18 12, in Lower -^ Canada. Almost every body was sensible what might ^ have been done by us on Lake Ontario in 1 8 1 2, and 4 sad mortification at the want of exertion ^ there ensued. All, however, looked forward with hope to the winter, when a confident ex- pe£lat7on was entertained, that past negled:s wou'd i>e then compensated for, by a coup de mai> ' . r he troops acrofs the ice, to deftroy the nest ui l^v)rnets collected at Sackett*s Harbour, whilst in tneir torpid state. The winter came, and seemed to have been niade by the Almighty to favor the enterprize, for the ice was never known so good* AH were or ^he tiptoe of expedation, whien Sir George c^M • np in February, and proceeded on to Kingston. A movement of troops was looked for, but alas none was made, and all evapora- ted i«/«;»c.; but a dcgttltory attack upon Og- Jiensburg, ' / I. .■ If I !f- ( 42 ) clensbiirg, in crrsfqiifrcc of a lird of nc^^ativc permission given \y His Fxccllcrcy on passing the post at PrtscrTt, the fiicccf? rfvhich attack proved that the cnenr.y w< re tl:en wholly un- . prepared at Sackett^s^ as tlitir Commander was actually at Alhany, and no preparation for re- sistance there tl](>nght of, as no attack wajr ex- peded, until awaked h\ the fate of Ggdenshiirg, when all wa? hurry and buftle, in every quarter. They then bt^: ;o collect a force to prevent, what ouglit by l. t time to have been by us ef- feded I and there can be no doubt about our fuccefs, had we made the attempt without crea- ting previous alarm. . The public being thus again disappointed in their favourite delem a est Carthago (Sackeifs Harbour)^ relapsed into a gloom, which conti- nued until dissipated by t^ e eled;rifying neWvS of the arrival of Sir James Yeo, at Quebec, on 5th May 1813, in the Woolwich, with officers and seamen of the Royal Navy, for the ships built and building at Kingston, the frigate at York having been, as was to be expedcd, previoufly burnt. Sir James and hfs people reached King- stone in lefs than two months Irom Portsmouth, The Almighty appeared again to favor us, • and the exertions made at Kingston after the ar- rival there of those officers and seamen, to equip the fleet, was so great, that an attempt was de- » termined to be inade upon Sackett's Harbour, whilst Commodore Chauncey ad his fleet were up the lake. Sir George had accompanied Sir James (/' f '7 ( 43 ) s/-' rZU . ... • James to King^ston. Troops accordingly wercf embarked, and Sir 6eorge himself was most unfortunately along with them. The fleet failed — the wind blew propitiously, and they were soon off the wished for Harbour of Sacbetts, but no attack was made that day. Here again R rpped in that accursed indecision which 18 so ruinous in military operations, and it is generally fupposed, the troops would have teturned without making any attempts to land, had not fomc American troops, next day (which coming from Oswego in boats, had been cha- sed from an Island by our Indians) come and furrcnded themselves to our fleet. • This encou«*aged a landing to be made, ;%[♦* though the wind having become contrary, it thwarted a naval co-opefMion, but it i?^as^iiot neceflary to the fuccefs of the enterprise. , r The troops were diseni^arked, but withpi^t artillery^ and advanced with their tisi^al , spi»fit^ when the enemy in dismay fled, .whilst o^ men coming to a block house, which ma^ere*^ siflance, were checked. : During this ^dvai^iop so hopelefs did the enemy consider their situar tion, that they burnt a barrack or store, . spil^e4 the guns of a battery, a^d began their retfeat through the village, fettingfire to ttieif n^.V^ frigate the Pike, then on the stocks ; anidG$|^ eral Brown who commanded, ha4 actually written a proposal of <:apitulatiQn, which h^ had appointed a flag of truce to carry to our O Commaaderi ( 44 ) / k 11 ti. . Commander, whilst a few men were kept in the block house to give an appearance of resists ance, in order to obtain better terms. At this period, in an evil hour, §ir Cieorge Prevost, miftaki.ig the enemy in running away, with the dust thereby thrown up, for a coiumii of reinforcements arriving ; immediately gave or- ders for a precipitate reimDarlcation, and then was exhibited, the extraordinary military spec- tacle of a r^reat, I will not say a fight, liack to back ! Zv .■ ■ • ■ ' , > ■*.'''- ■ ■ ■ ■ . The enemy upon, observing this, could hard- ly believe their senses, but after a little reflec- tion , went to, extingu) {h the fire in the frigate, whic'i they efFttifted (heir>g built of »:;reen wood) J>efore she sudaiitied ;any material injiify. H,erc ended the seciond.qxpediti'jn to Sacketts Harbour. V^w i would alk in respect to it, whether the burning pf a store by tne enemy himself, was not ah tin eq u ' vocal proof of a n i n - leution to furrender-f and further, that if the feving of lives was the only motive for retreat, !!W ly the attack was not niadethe evening before, iwhen the enemy was lefe prepared to resist ? 6r yrhy was it made WiSfout artillery ? or finallv, ^hy was not the bio A:-hQU8* merely niaiked, pr Witched by a part of our force, and the rest carried round to burn the ship, and dock yard, &c. all w ie 1 was practicable almost without ^he loss of a man, or the poflihility of being preyented by the^nem^ in the block bouse. • « . ' . * ' * ■ * . . The ( 45 ) Tbe above fads about Sacketts harbour wer« lonp; ago known, and have lurnifhed matter of cndlefs conversation, regret, and m >rtiiicatiori. They have hee:i confirmecl hy military visitors and others, to and from t .at place since the peace ; and it is now furt \er known, what was previously susnevEled, that sn far from Sacketts being now a second Gibraltar, as was the idea at head quarters, there has been no period wheii it would not have fallen before 300O Bntiih troops, well commanded and appointed. It is high time to. close this number, and tS crave your indulgence until next week, for a continuation. VERITAS. /^ i^bntreal, 26t:h April, 1^1$. « a Noi B',!f ( 4*5 ) j:no. iv.] ';! V;t ! 1. ■(: To the Editor of the Montreal Herald Sjr, In a former number, I mentioned the armis- tice concluded after the battle of Queenston, by Central Sheaffe, upon a jyroposal from the en- emy. It continued as long as it suited their purpose, and when their preparations in boats, &c. were complete, General Smy the, who had fuccecded Van Rensselaer rn the command of the American Army, and who even amidst the habitual boafting oi oiHcers in their fervice, was considered so pie-eminent in that faculty, as to acquire the furname of Van Bladder— sent not- ice to General SheafFe, that the armistice would cea^e on the 20th of November 1 8 1 a. On the 28th of that month, he made an attempt to crofs over a large force, and land below Fort Erie, having before landed a party which burnt fome houses and barns near that Fort, before they were attacked and repulsed. — General Winder commanded this corps^ and was reptil- •ed by Lieut. Ckilonel Bishopp^ Inspeding Field Officer, whciisf<)rce consifted chiefly of militia, — rSraythi^, jfter tarious demonftrations fot re*, newiog the attempt, put hit men into winter quartersi ■^■I w - :( 47 ) quarters, where they became very sjckly, and he was obliged ta decamp, to avoid the rage of his own troops and militia* General SheafFe entertained an idea of eva- cuating Fort Erie, which at that time, would have had the most pernicious efFe^l, but it wa$ dropt upon being remoftrated against. The Upper Canadl Militia upon the Niaga- ra line, underwent in the autumn of i8i2, fa-r tigues and privations, which did them great ho- nor in supporti ng» and are scarcely credible,— They were harrassed with duty, from unavoid- able neceffity, and without neceflaries, allow- ance9, or a*ny thing to fupport them, out the cause in which they were embarked, and the zeat infused into them by their beloved Brock, unhappily then no more. It has been a common remark, that any notice taken of the Militia of the Upper Provihce by Sir Georgip, was in a cold forbidding manner, as if extorted by neceffity rather than proceeding from choice ; and the sentiment is gener^ in that Province, that he seldom gave them the aid ia troops for their defence, that his means w«re equal to ; and generally when given, was too late, being only put in motion at a great dift- anc£, after a disafter I'vas known, and then, as if fearful of sending too many. His. duty, however, extertd^d alike to the pif^iSlioii of both jjrovince^ but we hear of no addressed (4^ ) I addresses m him f r m Upp'^r Canada, uponbis departure, beinj; eir'u^r pre>> crn, some diftance above York, which had be- longed to government, and intended deftroying i'att's Mills, but were prevented by the fear -of Indians being in tliat neighbourhood. Thus, and before at Fort t^e, ti e enemy, without provocation, cOmm^ced tliat system of burning and destroying public and private buildings, which tlicy prosecuted afterwards upon so rqa- ny occasions, without compundtion or feeding, although they alTeded to consider the retaliation executed at Walhington upon Public Buildings only, as an unprecedented barbarity ; and in this they were seconded by an unprincipled par- ty in the British Parliament, who seem always alive to the diflrefl'es of an enemy ^ but deaf to those of our own subjects ; as if they were unrr 'Worthy of protedion from the ravages oi thai mcmy^ however atrocious. Nay, it would ao tiially appear, from the speeches in Parliament, that those fadlipus declaimers were afraid that too hard conditions wotild be imposed at Ghent, upon America, notwithstanding her base decla- Tation of war against us, whilst fighting for the independence ot nations. General I '( 50 ) General SheafTe has been blamed for the UfW judicious didi'lbution and management of thft troops he had, but it muft be evident, th»f he had not the means of making an efTedliiAl refiftance, againfl Aich a iuperiority, covered by a fleet ; although it is thought that, had he re- turned, and attacked the enemy immediately atter the explofion, their defeat .vould have been certain. It muft excite aftoniOiment, how a frigate and a quantity of ftores and providong could have been placed in a fituation fo totally unprovided with the means oi defence : for of the few regulars that General SheafFe had, 100 of the 8th Regiment were there by accident^ baving, at that lime halted on their march from Kiogftonto Burlington and Fort George. The American fleet returned yrow Niagara to Sacketts, for a frelh cargo of troops, with which they again failed, and proceeded to the former place^ where they were landed, and preparation^ made for crossing over, to attack Fort George. On the 27th of May, 18 13, (after having on the a4th and 25th cannonaded Fort George fiQta .Jie American Fort, batteries and (hips,) iJie enemy landed a large force at day break, on Ihe Britifh fide, under cov^r of a heavy and deftrudive fire from their fleet, when having ad- vanced, they were gallantly, but ineflfedually met and oppofed by iome of our troopo and mi- litia, who were obliged to give way, and with thofe left in Fort George, to fall back to Queens*- ton 1 ( 5') ton, after difmaatling the Fort, and dcflmying the (lores. Our lofs wafi confultrahle, nnd General Vin- cent, who cornmandcJ our troops, found it ne- ceilary to continue his retreat to the htad of the ' l.akc, after withdrawing what force we had a- iong tlie Niagara lime, U|)to Fort Erie inehilive, and concentrating the whole near Burlington heights. The intermediate country helng nr w at the mercy of the cuemy, t\v^ puihed forwanl a large force^ under Generals Winder and Chand- ler, a9 far as Stoney Creek. Their inten^iotJ'l was to attack our united force, w' v^^rein they were cii^fcum vented, by the gJlant and daring manoeuvre propofed to General Vincent, which was embraced, of attempting to carry their camp i by furprize. This was executed before day break, oh t' e f)th of Jun«, by about 500 of the Stlvand 49th Regiments, who attacked about 2jpo Qf the enemy, -)dvantageoufly pcfted, who were defeated with the lofs of a number of kiU I^d^and tl^e two Generals abcvemeniioned with 5 other officers, and about 100 Hicn made pri-" foners, and four pieces of cannon,, whh tbclr fiorfes and tumbi ils captured. Our troops fc on after retired, when the enemy became io pan'c ftruck, as to deftroy a quantity of provifions and b?iggage, and retreat precipitately ^10 miles 10 the forty mile creek, where they were joined by General Lewis, with a reintorcement* From tiiat place they alfo fled, (upon die appearance H mi '''it ,t> % ( 5^ ) t «, '/» of Sir James Yeo, and our fleet, with ibmc troupi. on board, w.io cannonaded and fummoned them) leaving cheir tents (laid ing, an J hardly halted until t.:^y readied Fort George. Sir J^mes took and deftroyed many of their boats with provifiops, but unfortunately our numbers were too fmaU to take advantage of this panic, e!fe the enemy might havcbeea expelled to their own fide. Commodore Ghauncey hearing of the attack upOii Sacket's Harbour, had rfturned there with his fleet, w'lere he resnaineJ until the end; of Julyi when the Pike was ready. In the inter- mediate time, Sir Jas. Yecf was ?i..nce, and I.t. Col. Battersby with part of the Glengary Regt. being on the march to support him, the enemy gave up the attempt, and stood over to Niagara. Sir James Yeo having equipped another brig, failed from Kinglton on the 31ft of July with fix fail, and meeting the enemy with 1 1 fail, off the I2> mile Creek above Niagara, on the loth of Auguft 18 1 3, a partial action ensued, which ended in our capturing the Julia and Growler of two guns and 40 meu each, whereupon Chauncey having the wind in his favor, took shelter under the guns of Fort Niagara. The enemy had lost the night before he Scourge of 10 and Hamilton of 9 guns, which overfet in a squall, and the whole of their crews, wilii the eivception of a few, perished. > r . Both fleets soon, after came down the Lake, . and that of the enemy on feeing ours, went in- to Sackett's Harbour on the 1 8th of Aug. but failed again the fame day or the following. Ours entered Kingfton Harbour, and after em- barking fome heavy artillery * for our army on the Niagara line, again proceeded up the Lake on the 20th of Auguft. Nothing of moment happened between the flectsuntil 20th Sept. when the American, which had •*..* .. ^.y:^- • ,';-;: - " Colonel Proctor commanding, th^ Right pi- ^ vifion of the army at Detriot, having received i' information, that an American corps ofiip-., wards of looo men, under General Winches*,, ter, had reached French To>wn, River Raisin^, 26 nxiles trom Detroit ; and alfo learning, that| General Harri3on with another corps, was oa ^ the march to join, did not h. itate to adopt the bold resolution(alti.ough adding under orders. of Sir George's ufiial defensive description) of an- • ticipating thf e^euiy, by attaclping Winchester's force before the otner could form a junction,.^ Accordingly Colonel Proctor^ marched, to exC'^, cute this determination \yith fome regulars,, militia, part of the Marine Pepartment, and a< bpdy of Indians und^r the ^iiief Roundhead,, and on t e 2 2d of January i8i3,at day brcak^ made so hol>.■■' 'V ' .1 % !, f . ( (i 58 ) <\i. :M' ^^u^ bad on former occasions suffered so fcverely from American cruelty. Our loss was about . iSokllled and wounded, exclusive of Indians. 'j^ • I The Americans having afterwards cstablivsh- cd themselves at the rapids of the Miamisv of the Lake, Colonel, now General Proctor, a- gain went to attempt to dislodge them from • their fort, when en the 5th May 18 13 (whilft carrying on the siege) a body of about 1500 oft the enemy under a General Clay, having des- *^^ cended the River in 30 large boats, with a view tc form a junction with their comrades in f e| fort, who co-operatihg with them, the)' attacked'**; dir positions on both sides of that river, and^J succeeded in carrying our batteries on the Weft I; side, the flankers 6f the 41ft regiment having,? only time to fpike the guns. About ijoof theV 41ft with a fresh batid of Indians sent to recov- er the guns and battery, turned^ the fate of the day by a gallant effort, in which the Indians were highly conspicuous. The guns were re-^ taken and about 556 of the enemy's descending^ ^ .Vce made prifoners. The remainder gained^ the fcMt. The loss in killed, and wounded was sever^^ on both sides. Some of the 41ft had been tak^ en when the battery was carried by tSe enemy, but were exchanged after the action was over*. General Proctor however was finally obliged to rsdse the siege and return to Detroit, as the In* dians, accoraing to tiieir custom after success^ :rctiri \ - '', '" ■■ ->■ , ^ » ■^ .'■: ■ ' ."'";"'■'•''■'" : ; ■ . ■ t- , ■ - -J' ' ''''. ■•. (> <.-t ' » f?*! f9 ) entire to enjoy the plunder theyliad ol^ta!ned from the captured boats of t le eiemy. To'^vrards the end of July i^i,^, General* Prodlor made an attempt with ab«>i»r 40.5 troops, and a body of Indians upon Fort i\T.:igs, at Sm- dusky, defended by a Major Cr)s2;'aa ; w'Viiih being cannonaded without effect for fonie davs, was on the 2d of .Au;j:ust atte.npfed to b:^ cir-v ried by afTiult, by a oarty of the 4^^ 3c, wnp b^^ haved gallaa^:Iy, b'lt were repulse'^ with t e ! ifs of Lt. Col. Short and a Lt, killed, and about 90 |.\ killed and wounded. '^* ^ It has been said that there was a want of coa» cert among, and co-operatio.i by the Indians 9H this occasion, but the fact Js, that the attack of '.;. fortified posts, 13 neither adapted to their arms, nor to jtheir mode of warfare. As a general principle, we hav^ erred greatly in expcifling from Indians, the aid that regular discipline can alone fupply. It has beeii too common for officers of the line to undervalue them on this accotint ; but it is just as absur *^ t6 expect t^em to change their habits, apd "j^^the part of disciplined troops, as it \youl I he to ex-j pect, that our best battalions, woajd g9 it^to the woods without baggage^, artille''y ^n^ f:^if pf , visions, and trust to their fusees alpn^fbrsub* sistence and for the attacl^ of the enemy, I^Ctjl are excellent when in their proper e!?»nent, bv^f Indian warriors in a' settled cpmitry aipe jke./|% Piit of the water. W'e restraia. them frOin tSeif ^y >-,f, •■»■■■ ^:l t /, J i^ ^ (^O ) u / y. own mo-^e of warfare, without bein^ abie to get them to adopt ours ; so that in such situations they are (as in the cafe of the Indians who re- treated to ^ncafter and Burlington) a burden inftead of a benefit ; but whilft we held Detroit and the command of Lake Erie, their fef vices were moft valuable, as may be feen from thfe re- peated efforts and heavy lofles which it coft the enemy to diflodge us, and which they never could have effeded^ if we had retained the naval /uperiority of that Lake. Whilft upon the fuhject of the Indians, I xannpt but notice the concluding paragraph of a *• circular to all officers in command of pofts," dated ^t Montreal 7th Dec. 18 12, figned by the Adjutant Geiieral, and publifhed in the Quebec Gazette of 8t 1 April 18 13, in what is called a •* note dedicated to His EiKcellency James Mad^ ison^ Efquine " T his is a long labored demi- joffip'^al produfliion, intended to refute the ac- ^ufatioas ipade by nlm and other Americans^ abour. pretended cruelties committed by the In-, idians^ and Pur alledged participation therein. ^: * Now as Madifon and others well knew thai * ihcy were aflerting what was falfe, and did fo for politicail purpofes* there was juft about as much wifdom, in the reafoning in this famous note, as in *lie attempt onc(i made to wafh a bLckimoor white. What a ufelefs wafte of time k is to argue with an intentional Liar, becaufe foi» «ui a«v$r make a woovert of him. The • - ... folly %\ ■ ■ ' V |; 5i ) folly however bfthis note, ! /Tiotili! fiaVc pauei over, but for its milchlevous tendency at t c time m regard to the Indians, a8thecrnclu«)ing paragraph runs thus ; ** His ExceMency difap- proves of any co-operation with th^ Indians not conneded with the fyflem of defence of the Pro- vince," doubtlefs the wiie defcnfive fyftem laid do^n Hy his Fxcellency iof the guidance of thofc officers ; and in the extradl of a letter to Gen- eral Sheaffe contained in the fame note, will be found thefe words," Sir George Pfevoft is much averfe to allowing the regular troops to be enga- ged with the Indians in offenfive operations,** he might have faid with or without them. ^5. Now what can this mean. In plain Fngliih fimply this.-— Get all the aid you can from the Indians for our piirpofes, but tak^ efpecial care, and I ftridly eryoui one and all of you,, that \( they (hall be ret^iated upon by the enemy fpij aflfording us this aid, aqd in confequence get their villages and fields of corn ,^e(lj:oyehtj:eon they wete employed, ventured ti|)0^- r e j.eavy refponfibility ol evading orders, that t- cir.Cimvidlion led theinf to feel, would be prodi ^tiv'e of rufnous confeqi;ience8 I have al- ready obferved that the opl^ armed veflTel the enemy Jiad Of i lake Frie* wad captured hy GciX" crjll Brocik at Detroit in Augt/ft 1812, and yet in iSij^ thejr h.d built and^^^quippcd fuch a ftixeaud^cripture the whqle'of bur fleet there, alhhougH molj ^alldntly deferided. '- It was ihy^ntentiofi to have,comprifed in this litimber, the |to1s negleds fe|j)ecting Lake Erie and the naval tataftrophe therfeon ; but as I find thit cannot be done without ^extending this to ^n inconvetiient length for yotir paper. I muft defer k to ^ifiy i^^xt. ,^ VERJTJS. ♦ In the conclusion of the Editorial parafrnph of Quebec Gazette 8d September )8M, fvill be seen this circumstince forcibly noticed, 88 also ib^t ?t the declaration of war, the enemy bad only the Onei- da upon Lake OutarKpi^ now how he could forget this on roanufac- turijHg The Quebec A4drc$^ to Sir George-, is rather itrange ; unlesg he cduhted- upon the bad memories of his readers. 'ifjh^terid of acting, the P^^rt of the W.i|gpner and Hercules, he (Sir George) hs'd put his own shoulder iramediatelv to the wheel of Laketlefence, instestd of calling out at the eleventh hour for aid from Gre<-t Britain, nt 3000 miles distance, we should have got out of the slough of Lake iof^riQrity, or raUmr we^huuld never have got ixkto xV '( ^3 ) tV;-" \yv^-' • I. [NO. v.] m%m€. 1 if- To the EJdor^j ihe Montreal Herald Sir, ( y • 1 My ^aft number having clofed wUhout enTrinf^ into ihe neglects rcfnccting Lake Erie, flpvoceeiJ to remark, th.it ignt ranee of the f/t forts made by the enemy on tliat lake whillt in their progrtfs^ cannot be pretended ; for inde- pendent ot the repeated reprefentations made by Gener?! I'rodor and Captain Barclay^ and thje infortnidon that was, or might have been had, througli other attainable channels ot intelligence, the American newljapers furnifhed fufficient, bein^ filled with the preparations making at Erie (Prefqu' Ifle). The Aurora of 29th June 1813, fays, **T e new floops of war lately built at Krie are noble veflels, they are of the fize of the Wafp and Hornet, each mounting eighteen 32 H). carronades, and two long 12's. One is called the Lawrence, the other the Nia- gara. * Again, Albany, July ist, a letter from trie, dated 20th June, 18 13, mentions that •* the Qneen Charlotte and a Britifh fciiooner are on liie lake, and Capt. Perry has brougiit 5 vef- ! •M I ' *'i ^1% >\U'i H ii'. it: ■ . *. ( ^4 ) n . '• ■> veflel8 from Buffalo, which hickily cfcape d them in a fog. Wc have now 1 1 veiTcls, two of wl'ich will carry 20 guns eac'\." And Pitts- burgh, July 2 1st — Fxtrad of a letter from a gentleman at Erie, I9tb inft. "Our town is allhuille; 5 of the enemy's vefltl8 are now within a mile and a half of the town ; they ap- pear full of men, and if they fhould attempt a landing, I feir much, our militia, from thtir want of difcipline, would make a very poor fight ; Commod re Perry has not men iufKcient for a brig.** Commodore Perry writes to tne fecrctary of the navy, outfide F.rie bar, 4th Au- puft 1 8 13 — " I have great pleafure in inform-^ ing you, iijat I hav2 fucceeded m getting over the bar the United States' veflels the awrence, Niagara, Caledonia, Ariel, Scorpion, Somers, Tigrefs, and Porcupine. 1 he enemy have been in fight all day, and are now about four leagues from us ; we (hall fail in purfuit of them at three to-morrow morning," Now what excufe can there be for Sir George in having quietly fufiered all this to pafs in an open port, protected neither by troops nor for- tifications up to Aug. 1 8 13. Why did he not direct the means of attack upon that place, for the deftrudion of thofe veflels to be furniflied, whilft we commanded Lake Frie from the cen- tre diyifion, which was lying inactive Inftead of this, he feems to have been blind to, or re- gardlefs of the increafing means of deftrudioa of our naval force upon that lake, as not an at* , • tempt »l \ / Si . \ . '•■•> K<5S ) tempt was made to deftroy the one or lave the otbei. ^t the period when Con:. Perry wrote as a- bove, the Derroit, our largcft veflff 1, was n »t equippc I ; tnd Capt Barclay feeing the Ame-' rican force, very pro^^erly returned into port to get her ready. He mide aflonilhing exertions with fo great a deficiency of means, for he had neither proper guns, (lores, nor feamen. To fapply thv2 former, Amherftburg was difmantled ' of its cannon and meial of eight different call* bres thereby furnished : the like never happen- ved before to a veffel of one deck ; and every, feaman knows the ruinous confequence of fucb a motley mixture of guns. Some of thofe gunsj although mounted upon carnages, were rather of the fize of fwivels, being 2 and 4 pounders ; but unfortunately although inefficient as to de- fence or attack, they increafed our nominal force and gave to the enemy an opportunity of fwel- ling our relative ftrength, without wounding their tender confciences, as they gave the num- ber of guns, omitting their fize. The crews of all our veffels were of a like motley compofi- tion, and not fifty Britilh feamen were diftribu- ted amongft the whole. Tne reft '"ere troops, landfmen, lake-failors, and militia; as to ftores and equipment of all kinds, every fuccedaneum was obliged to be employed in defeat of what was proper. It may be asked who is, or arc to blame fpr this? / V , ' ' V%,' , i.y A- 1 ('-<56 ) thift? I anfWer, both Sir Geor^and Sir jfiamefer; The former then comaianjed hot i fcrvice^, and* ' turnilhed, or Gus;ht to have furiiilhed, the- , • means, as moreover holding the purfe firings of expenditure; and the latter wss t^e naval / chief commandf-r upon t >e iukes; out H^emjd to have forgotten that he was reiponrii)le fo- lake;'.'. Erie — each has much to *;nfw .if tcr refpedling-' Seamen, Tinquefliona^ly, were procurahle at ; ■ jQuebei% eit ler by energ'i^tic, voluitary, or ,.• €omp 111 five means, if apphed in due feafoi, to ' whicli an embargo would have greatly cmtri^' : buted, and m.ght have bcc^n employed without ; 'commercial injury. It is aflerteJ, that tie lata Capt. Kempt oiRcially propofed to Head Quar- >, , ters in June 18(3, a plan for fecuring a fupply \' of feamen for the lakes, but it was not liftened , to. It !S alfo knowu, t:;at he, and the com* v Hiander of a iloop of war, when the capture of s the Growler and Eagle upon Lake Champlain was hea. J of, brought up that month, u^on he- * ., lug applied •"o, a number of volunteer officers, "* andfeamen from that Hoop and tranfports, who • went to IHe aux Noix to man thofe captured vef" /elsy f6r the purpofe of proceeding upon fome fervicef along with troops 1 pon that Lake, but ; ^ they not being ready, the whole returned, un- '^f til the like entt?rprize was refumed by Col. Mur*;,. ray and Cant. Everard as before mentioned. Th e ^■ fame f^immer, Capt. M'Culloch of the Royal navy, an Agent Jor Transports ^zdsn^d up a num-*' ber of volunteer fcameu tiierefrom, who ferved w. C I *■ :'.". -,. .. Can it be poffible to adduce ftronger proof of what was pradicable in refpect to manning our Lake. Erie fquadron, (had pmper precau-* tions been taken m due time) than the fads juft > mentioned. _ ^ ^ But independent of thefe refources, v^hat good reafon can be offered for Sir jfames* conduct ia \ fending up Capt. Barclay to that Lake with a handful of meti^ wnich were increafed afterward$ by fo fmall a number, and thofe the retufe of \, the Ontario crews ; his own fhips are faid td have been overmanned, and even if not lo the fcamen fpared could have been replaced from be* low, whilft thefervlce upon Lake Erie was go- • --, ■ ing on* ^i/:'':*v.i,, v^v-<' r.w> T^ '''/*''"'• v'-'''^'- ?■■-"'■'' r:'',' A ^^ ■ I blame not, but on the contrary applaud. Sir James' prudence in aflting on Lake Ontario I- Mpon the defenfive, againfl fuch a fuperiority of force, as Com. Chauncey had acquired, as he doubtlels faved Upper Canada thereby ; but when he determined upon defenfive operations, ^ the motive w^ the ftronger for affording to Cap- ' tain Barclay the certainty of a vidory through • naval means upon Lake Erie, efpecially whea he faw that nothing was to be attempted by a \ land force, for the deftrudion pf th^ enemyi I increaimg fleet at Erie. ■' \: l Had Cajpt. Barclay been furniflied with a ^F " . * , ' ■-,■■■ '^■- ■■■•■■ -t.-W ■'-■■-■..'.■ 1 •' ■ .J- - /v* ■' <■ 'i. - 7) '; '":il ' I - .'j. ■ .-.■,■ ■ ■. . «'-V V ! t^ *■-'»■■ *■» -■■■■. ,V' -'-i • •■' '^^■rv-'-'^ .■k*1 , I 'V. ':.^' Ji; >- 8f1i ml m.i ^■1 m :,>;■- >c^:'>. ( 68 ) 1! ''-T.t iufficicnt number of feamenfor the vefTels he had, their cannot be a doubt, that even with the troops furniftied hiro by General Prodlor, the Ameri- can Erie fquadron would have been deftroyed. Yet under all tliefe marked negleds by Sir GeOrge, we find him (as feems to have been a, common pradice with him in refpedl to the navy, althoughfo pointedly averfe to rifking any thing himfelf, or to permitting others to run a.iy rifk by land) urging Captain Barclay to meet the enemy, as will appear by the letters read at General Prodor's trial, which I give merely from memory, but were in fubftance as follows, viz : In that from Sir George Prevoft to Gene- ral Prodor, in Auguft i8 13, Jic fays, " the ex- perience obtained by Sir James Yeo, refpeding a fleet infinitely fuperior to the one under his command, will fatiffy Captain Barclay, that he ha** only to darcy* (alas, how little did the writer practise what he thus preached) " and the ene- my will be discomfited," and a few days atter, the Military Secretary writes, " His Excellency trufts that on the arrival of the feamen (meaning the handful fent up) Capt. Barclay will be able to make his appearance on the Lake to meet the enemy." What inconfiftency of conduct in Jhib a character y to ufe sitcb language to sucb men^ for it is well known, that neither Sir James Yeo, Captain Barclay, nor Capt Downie want- ed luch ftimuli to do their duty ; their perfonal temperament, and the ftate of their armaments, feemed rther to require the fuggeftioa of cau- tion, la their procee Jings. : - The ' * . . . ^ '(J ( ¥ ) ^-':^,- The flrangc ncgledl of tne Commiflary on the Nia|;ara line, who by an ill judged economy, * that has fince coft us fo dear, loft the oppor- tunity of provifioning the right divlfion, when practicable, which added to the above ftimu- lants, and conjoined with Capt. Barclay's innate CTiterprize and zeal, led him to fail on the 9th of Sept. 1 8 13, from Amherftburg, in the Detroit of 18 guns, with the Queen Charlotte of fame number, fo inadeq'.ately equipped and priepared, along with the Lady Prevoft of 14, Hunter 8, Little Belt 2 ; and alfo a fmall tender, the Chip- peway of i. The enemy had three large brigs, each fuperior to the largeft of our fquadrony and 6 finallerveflels. -' .' '- : The Commanders of the hoftile fleets were aware of the importance of the, ftake for which they had to contend, and each did it ample jus- tice. They got fight of each other on the mor- ning of the loth Sept. and by a kind of fimul- taneous confent, refolved to meet, and try the liTue. The lake was undulated by a gentle breeze, which at firft favored us, but it veered N«TE * This Gentleman afterwards when too late, paid one third more for flour, than he could have had itat in good season. CEcono- my and in-.H livity at the commencement of a war, invariably lead to a waste of blood and treasure during its progress : never was thii truism more completely exempliiied, than in the practice of H/ Cie<)r;:;e, in th(^ late war. At the outset penurious to an extreme iii every point of preparation for active operations 5 and inactive to a d(»'!:ree of torpidity,asifthe enemy, by our forbearance, and by yielding to them the point of honor, could have been coaxed into pence ; we have seen the expenditure of treasure and of life thereby quintupled. During the whole of the war, secret service money wa» so miserably apjilied, that our want of intelligence was proverbial, A contrary system might have produced real (instead of iictitioUi) savings to an immense amount. . * ; :'■ ■ i '■■ ■ ■ r .^ -"^-''v I qt ••' V -^ ■ , 'U xoiiud '>f^ CJ \ ■" ■) r? :! - \ t-f . m I,..,,,. |:l 11: -ft ■ kl';! . V-' l^^■ '^■v'-:'n ' ( 70 ).: ' ■ ^ 'Ul ■ ' , . • , ■ ' ■r... 1 t-. ^' * ' ■ :,' •• ■ .■>. . v' -, '■ 1 .A . V •■ ■v^ i ' round before the fleets came to adion, and gave the enemy an opportunity of choofing their dis- tance, which they did, fo as to give full efFe£i: to their fuperiority in long guus, and to leflen the cfFedt of our carronades. , > They had thus in their favor the fuperiority 'f^of heavy metal j of fize and number of vessels, ;'^:y^hich discharged at each broadfide 340 lbs. of , ;/t)alls beyond ours ; of number of regular bred ■ ; feamcn, and of general phyfical ftrength ; the •^jexcefsot number of veflels, enabled them to ; Have a referve ; a point of infinite moment. "^ Jn our favor, we had nought, to contend a- gainft fuch odds, but the innate zeal and courage of our officers and men, the remembrance of , former deeds, and the renown to be acquired in J the event of fuccefs ; whilft the forlorn neceflTity of the rifk run, ^vould acquit them of dishonor^ if defeat fhould ensue. ^; ■> , V v/^ The fleets began to engage a quarter before ^ noon, and at half pafl: three the ad:ion ceafed , ..by our difcomfiture. So gallantly did our in- ;i*feri or force maintain the fight, under the difad- vantage of a difl:ance chofen by the enemy, that Com. Perry was obliged to quit the Lawrence, ,, H.; I'^hich foon after furrendered, but not a boat, ^n officer, nor a feamen had the Detroit left ■ftrhereby tc '^e able to take poflTeiTion. The comr piodore remove I his broad pendant to the Nia- Ip^ia, which had kept aloof hitherto in the con?- |d[li Wiieu obferving an opportunity for retriev- '-'X-- '' i«: •■). ■A- ,r.-v^. ;».•' (, .vl, I ft \ S-' '-^ V' . .<.- t- 7> ) ■"'} . u \' • 4 wv^j I al of the day, he carried down that veflel, and the referve gun veflcls, to make a frefh attack upon our difahled line ; unfortunately at this moment, the Qaeen Charlotte in wearing, in order to bring her other fi;le to bear, came round upon the wrong tack, and nearing the Detroit, they (by that power of attradlion incident to floating bodies, and which there was not phy- fical ftrengtli remaining in either of our veflels, fufficient to counterad ,) fell on board ejxh other, and in this difubled lituation becoming an un- manageable and inert mafs, were attacked by the above faid frefh force of the enemy, and com- pelled to ftrike. : \ - > >• I r ('V From this detail, it will be obvious, that un- der all our diladvantages, the victory was fnatch- ed from us by that unprecedented accident of being unable to take poffeflion of the Lawrence when fhe ftruck, and the equally extraordinary fatality of our lofs falling fo heavily upon the few naval officers and feainen that we had ; for the ,; ift and 2d in command of each veflel were kil- led or wounded, and that lift otherwife diftref- , fingly numerous. ''■' v; ' v,*^ - ' ; - ...The gallant Barclay might fay with Francis < "the I ft, after the battle of^Pavia," that he had loft all but his honor," for It was a conteft fup-; ported by him in a ftyle worthy of one who had ferved under the immortal Nelfon, as he had (done. Well might his appearance on his trial, 4raw tears fiom his Court Martial, mutilated as -/ ^ , / ii4 1A» ' ' a . (72 ) X- ' I i' < he was by the lofs of one arm, on a former oc- cafion ; and the other requiring artificial iupport tobeof any ufe, by reafon of a grape (hot through the (houlder blade, which grazed his fide, bc- fides receiving feveral other flefli wounds in the battle 'J loth September. '" But what feaman or foldier is there, who would not prefer fuch mutil.it ion, to thefpuri- ous honours which adulation confers, for the pretended faving of lives by the retreats of Sao ketts Harbour and Phttfburg, thofe diftrefling monuments of indecifion. . The confequences of rhi lofs of that fleet were, as was to be expedled, very difaftrous indeed, it having reduced us to the neceffity of . abandoning all our pofitions beyond Lake Krie, and therewith rifking the lofs of Indian friend- fhip, which indeed was threatened by them, with , a view to induce us ft ill to make a ftand fome- where in that quarter. The retreat commenced from Sandwich on the 24th of September, 18 1 3, after finally difmantling the forts of Amherft- burgand Detroit (already ftripped of their artil- lery for our fleet,) and deftroying the public buil- dings and ftores. Our remaining force confift- \ ed probably of about 850 men, and 1200 to 1500 Indians, who ftill adhered to us in adver- fity. The whole took the route of the River Thames^ followed by boats with fome provifions >ftore£ and baggage. yi >• :'hS f-\ The enemy, utider General Harrifon, ap^ peared J 1- •~^: .' h i A- •iV- X>' s = r*- A-* *pcared off Amherftburg on the 26th, and next day proceeding by water to that river ; they, on reaching it, landed about 4500 men, or per- haps more, who being accompanied by water by fome gnn boats, they afcended the Thames in the trad of General Prodor*s corps, the rear guard whereof with the boats, (lores and bag- gage, were come up with, and captured on the 4th of Odlober. On the 5th, they alfo came up with the main body, near the Moravian vil- lage, whom they defeated, taking about 600 prifoners. General Prodlor, with fome officers and men, to the number of about 250 ia all, , firft and laft, efcaped, and got to Aiicafter. ■ ^ The Indians made a more fuccefsful (land at another point, having obliged part of the enemy oppofed to them to give way, whom they har* [ raffed in their return to Detroit ; but lofmg their great Chief, the celebrated Tecumseth, who fell like a Hero in the field of battle, and learning the ; fate of our troops, a large body of theq:! retired * i in the fame dirtf^ion, and also affembled at An- :* cafter. .••■:-^'V v The body of Tecumfeth having fallen intb ; the hands of the Americans, it was literally in part flayed by them, with a ferocity difgraceful to the name of soldiers and chriftians ; but it is an (^ftablifhed fad, that the back settlers of Ken- tucky, &c. are far more favage and cruel, than thofe they affed to denominate savages. -SJ K,' I give no opinion about General Prober's re- .-.. ..^ . treat t\ ^ki t \ .>; •> • t ( .'74 ) ill. ! vli . :«iv i^i| / / treat and aflion, as lie ^as been tried by his Peers, who will pafs judgment according to evi- r .V- • dence, but his conduct has been harfhly spoken ^*'*r' . of, andefpecially in the general order oi 24th No- ' i vemhcr 1 8 1 3, whcrethere is a feverity of reproof, >i' that no officer, however high in rank, could be entitled to give to a General Officer, previous to any regular invedigation ; at leafl: where his : r own military feats were either u.iheard of, or of ■ trifling import. Yet, fiich is the limited nature ,», of human forefight, that the language of that ge- . neral order, which certainly in point of literary '\ compofition, was ably wirten, might, without a , forced con flru(fli on, be made to apply to Sir George's own cafe in September 1 8 1 4. The misfortune that thuv^ befel the right divi- "' {ion, had like to have proved fatal to the centre ' divifion. General Vincent, panic ftruck, re- . treated from St. David, (General De Rotten-!, burg having some time before gone down to Kingfton,) towards Burlington, alter deflroying, , quantities of (Icfes, provifions, and tnd'an goods, ,< andthepoft at Long Point was called in wi.h precipitation, as ifHarrifon and his men could have come through the intermediate wildernefs unimpeded, or without their advance, if attempt-j ;• ed, being previoufly afcertained*j.,J\^ ^ ^^ ' • The infedlion of this panic extended to Head Quarters, from whence orders ilTued for the e- vacuation of all our pofls beyond Kingflon, and for the retreat of the troops to that place, which fr<;ni M ■,-i^i- \ir-t ''■" ' ' If' :K / ■ --N > •r-,' .'•J < v\ W*' '', ■^f 75 ) '<■■'.-'. from a paragraph in an Albany paper, appeared to be known to the enemy, as foon or fooncr, than to General Vincent at Burlington. > The enemy confiding in the accuracy of tlieir information, after advancing parties upon the route towards Burlington, and committing vari- ' ous ravages, as aifo after making demonftrationi at Niagara to convey under cover of their fleet > a body of troops by boats into our rear, moved the principal part of their force fuddenly dowri ; the lake to Sacket*s harbor, the American Genh there declaring, that he was not to be duped by the appearance of our building barracks at . Burlington, as he knew the orders which had been given for the retreat of the Britifh troops in that quarter, and that the advanced guard had in confequence already proceeded to Yoik. The execution of thofe orders for retreat was repeatedly urged fr©m below, and at laft in fo . peremptory a manner, that they would have been carried into eflfe^i:, had not the ftrbng and zealous remonftrances of fome oflficers of rank, interpofed to prevent a meafure fo pregnant with ruin. It will fcarcely be believed, but is not \ the lefs true, that in thofe orders, no notice was ' • taken either of the fick, of which there was then a large number v/ith the army, and a larger at ^^ York, nor of the inhabitants or Indians, neither was the depot of provifions andftores deemed^,,, ;, worthy of notice, although the polls of Burling* ; ton, York, and Kingfton, depended principally ~>j^ on that depot for lupplies. • - ?. ;';■■ ■■7' - " r • iy 1 -^ 1..;: ^ i . ». '":y(i /i>i- < 7^ ) ^ , / In addition to thofe gloomy confiderations, the feafon of the year, and ftate of the roads prefenteu infurmountable obftacles to the exe- cution of thofe orders, without the facrifice of all the ordnance, ammunition, (tores, and bag- gage of every defcription. " And admitting that one half of the effedliv^ regular force could have reached Kingfton, which was by no means probable, what wa« to have become of the civil officers of Government, and their families, with all the other loyal inhabit- ants refident in the Diflri^ to be evacuated, Suppofing that thofe alfo ci I have reached KingftoK, and that the Indians v;ould have al- lowed them to depart, (the Indians however in fuch cafe, on feeing themfelve^ deceived and abandoned to their fate, would more probably, from the impulfe of defpair, have plundered, burnt and deftroyed every thing within their reach) what muft have been the confequenee ? when it is well known that the garrifon of Kingf- ton, about that time, had only seven day's pro^ vifion injiore^ and that fupplies were forwarded thereto from Burlington and York at an imt- menfe expence and risk. Under fuch circumftances, Kingflon muft liave beefi alfo abandoned, for want of fubfift- _ence, and the fhips, (lores, and public build- ings deftroyed or left to the enemy. A retreat from thence to Montreal, under an accumulatiou of dUlrefs and difficulty augment- ing ■ ^" " :- m ■J".; I' V. r- A J. ".' i; 77 ) ' ■( )-' •A ^ .■^' ,,, ,•! ft inj; at every ftep from the ftatc of the roads, and the niimher of wretched inhabitants compelled to fly from fear of the enemy, and a dread of the exafperated Indians, would have produced liorrors, fufiicient to appal the ft outeft minds. To all this may be added, the certainty that a large force of the enemy would have been brought to hang upon the flanks and rear of fuch a cavalcade, (for an army it could not have been called) so that such a panic wo Id have been created in the country, as to have rendered re- sistance to the descent of the enemy to Montre- > a! unavailing. »;, v , None but thofe who were directed to carry tho*?e orders into execution, and who in confe- quence had the subject pressed upon their con- sideration under all its direful bearings, can form a proper estimate of the heart rending scene that such a retreat would have presented to view. We therefore owe a debt of gratitude and rc» gard of no common magnitude, to those officers, who at their own responsibility and risk, re-^.. monstratcd with effect, against the fatal measure { and not only prevented the calamities which would have been consequent thereuponi but be* came ultimately the cause of clearing that coun- try of the enemy, by the recapture of Fort George, and capture of Fort Niagara, with all their happy results. ' And yet the man who gave the orders afore- 4i voKi said » ." ■h^:^:: ■ tf/. •f ; ^k y .'S*:-^'-' ■•-iH . •-. I . < 78 ) Raul, is adJressed as the saviour ofthe Canadas. It may be truly said, that they have been faved in spite of his blunders, and defect of exertion, VERITAS. /^ Montreal, 9th May, 1815. ':i^! F-r ^v- ■ \ \f ^'4«%, .-■ -'.-i;'r ;'•;, -f. 'O, , ■*•* ■' ■- ■'':•**' ■:,v^-- \* No, VI. 'anadas. :n faved ertion. TJS. ',■ -U),.' i A ».VI. T • - ( 79 ) [NO. VI.] ■ ♦'■ '■■ •». 1 " ^' ■:% '-■■^•s , To : ••• J;; ( 80 ) i .eral and indeed very high puces, fixed hy the N'agistrater ; the one half of which they would now be happy to get. Many who were duped by the arts of the disaffected, now feel compunc- tion and sorrow at their folly. . , v , , Thi;' meafure of Genera' De Rottenburg cre- ated complaints, which were artfully laid hold of by a Junto of disaifected persons, but self •vtyled patriots^ whf seeing their object likely to be defeated by this prompt and decided mea- sure became fi:riou8 in their denunciatipns a- gainft the military in general, but especially General De Rot-enburg and Lieutenant Colon- el Pearson, wl o then commanded at Prescott. ^ The Chief of this Junto, was a man who had quitted Prescott the moment he heard of war be*! g declared, and came to reside at Montreal, either from cowardice, or as considering it to flflbrd a wider field for cxeitions favorable to the views ot the entmy. He begark his career by libelling every class In this community, and a^ terwards attacked the officers abovesaid, for do- ing their duty^ in a periodical essay, under the signature of the •' Anti-Jacobin,'* which was at first puhliihed in the Courant, but the Editor getting alarmed, at the abusive matter it contain- ed ; the work was taken up by a wretched Pa- per Ccillcd the Spectateur, that had commenced operations upon a congeriial plan. j,,f .^ (v^t.;-? This paper yet continues^ but is dwindling y, into deserved insigaifkancc 1 he Aati-Jaeo- ,■'■■' f t y^jpj^n^^' ■ -f". ^' ' • ( 8i ) bin * has fome time dropped his signature, but occasionally deigns to enlighten his fellow sub- jects with the fruits of his brain, under occa- sional signatures, or under the mask of editorial remarks. ^ It would occupy too large a space, to enter into a formal discussion of the question about the right of declaring Martial LaWj and therefore I shall content myself with observing, that to ar- gue that such a power can in no case be exercised^ without a previous Legislative Act^ is as absurd as to say, that an individual has not the right of self preservation if attacked, but must. Instead of defending himself, apply to the civil magistrate for protection^ and consequently risk being des^ troyed before he can obtain that protection. General laws apply to ordinary cases, but there are cases that require extraordinary and prompt remedies. Rebellion or invasion assuredly come within the latter class, and durmg the ex- istence of either of them, or absolute danger thereof, martial-law may be constitutionally proclaiir i by the Sovereign o^ his Representa- tive ; and to do so, may be as indispensable to the sai'ety of the state, as the instant application of personal force to the preaervation of an in- dividual when attacked* A> ^ ' ' ' ♦ The part of this number which relate* to Marital Law, and tho plan for starving the troops m Upper Canada, was written before I tew the letter an the last HeraSd, sent from Leeds ; but if comes ia m a most powerful illnstfaiiea ef mj docUriae tberevo. ^ 4 ^^/^ 1 <^<; ■/ ■f \ \ /. ^-. I«»^ '^,- mil ■ 'v/ "..'■■ < •>K. ;■]<• ( 82 ) U . Tha* the application of the power abovcsaid was not made upon a trivial occasion, is mani- fest ; for the question was reduced to this- — Shall the army be starved at thetin^e the enemy is known to be prepared for, and determined upon immediate invasion ? or shall an authori- ty he exercised to defeat the plots of the disaf- fected, and thereby save the Province against that invasion ? So certainly will every honest and loyal man say y^/, to the second part of the question, that I venture to assert, that in such a predicament had the officer at the head of the Government, been so neglectful of his duty, ai to be dismayed into inaction, by Jemocratic clamour or threats, he would have deserved condign punishment. ^ General De Rottenburg, I conceive, was per- fectly yW^^^ in what he did, from the neces- sity of the case, and Lieutenant Colonel Pearson in obeying his orders, was aho so ; and I hav« been astonished to learn, that Sir George Pre- vost, upon finding that the Lieut. Colonel was daily abused and threatened with prosecutions and persecutions by the disaffected Junto, for his zeal in executing his orders about subsist- ing the troops, coolly observed, that if he had got into k strape, let him get out of it the best way he can. Sir George's duty was- to have en- quired whether the Lieutenant Colonel had act- ed from corrupt motives, or fron\ zeal in a ne- cessary measure, and if the latter, it was incum- bent upon the Commander of the Forces to havl5 supported him. ( 83 ) I have a right to ascribe the conduct of the Junto t«> disaffection ; for what good subject^ when the enemy was at the door, would have taken m asures to palsy our means of defence. To give aid to the enemy, is treason, and what more efficient aid could he given, than what I have mentioned. It only wanted proof of 4 correspondence with the enemy, respecting those proceedings, to have made tiiofe concert!* ed therein, punishable for High Treason, u ,«, The enemy had been for some months col- lecting a force at Plattsburg for a f. con d inva- sion of Lower-Canada, and in September ad- vanced to the frontier, as if intending at one time, to penetrate by Odell-Town, and at ano- ther by the Chateaugay , and Salmon Rivers. The Sedentary Militia to the south of the St. Lawrence, for a considerable v/ay down, were then called out to aid the regular troops and em- b^>died militia in repelling the attempt. The enemy after feveral demonstrations and count- ermarches, entered by the Chateaugay country, and having advanced under General Hamptoj?, with nearly 8000 men, on the 26th of 0(3:. 18 13, attacked our advanced poft, confifting of about 300 men, under the immediate com- mand at Lieutenant Colonel De Salaberry, who had chofen his ground and ftrcngthenecj it by abbatis, with fuch judgment, and defended it with fuch fpirit, as to repulfe, according tp; the General Order on the occafion, a body of ia^>aye twenty tii^t^s th^ir i;iuinh^r. T^te/lpr^c,^ ..y^^r Mi Hi I* iJ-r I;:,'- %.d;, ■'.■■(■.-■ { 84 ) Oie Lieiif. Col. was chiefly Canadians, an 1 thoy acquitted themfelvcs in a manner that Aocs liim, the other olficcrs^ and them, great credit. I Thclofs wc fuftained was trifling;', but that of the enemy pretty fevere, and retreating with* cut lenewing their attack, they returned ta Plattsburg. tlpor^ this, a qucftion arifes, which itiftead of heing favorable to Sir George's clairrt to the merit of calling f rth the energies of the population, rat'ier proves that he reprcfled thofe energies; becaiife we kufw the faft, that the enemy were defeated, (whether they had a*; many in adlion as allcdged, or not ^) and thert allowed quietly to retire without pursuit : why- were t ey not followed up, by the very large b dy oi other militia and regular troops in thaJt quarter ? The not following them up was an infult to the 01 her troops and militia, after what ^00 onfy had (Joi,ie. ., . , • . : ^"^ Did Sir Cyeorpje wafit cbnficfence in himself, or in them, or from w!iat other caufe did fo ftrange a neglecft proceed ? If his other force was not within fupporting <^r ftriking distance, what can he said of his military talents ? and why Was he fo deficient in intelligcitce of the enemy's movements, as not to nave had a body concentrated and ready qn the instant to take advantage of this success ? [n short I am be* wikiered on the occasion, if he really believed to the extent of what he public lied, as also at the order iffued oa the 4th of November, for tHe difmiifai i B5 ) rp^vied by Captain . JMulc^(itfr> Hotilla) tl;ieir boa^8.r aiji^ ciaff paiTed bgfTpfeott, tlL-iij. ^M Jlie Am^jpay ft^QJ'e, moft of the troops 1 aviiTg landed -hove, and marcjbed round, to avoii the expelled tJinnonade froiii c »i "Oft 1 k I*:, •-..I ( 8^ ) • ' On the 8th, 5000 men under General Boyd pafled over at Point Iroquois to the Canada fide, 15 miles below Prefcott, where he was joined by |3bo American Dragoons, who had crofled at 'Hamilton ; Gene a! Wilkinfon with their remaining force being then in their boats. When it was found that their ob)ed was not Kingfton, but Lower Canada, after their departure from C^irenadier Ifland, Lt. Colonel Morrifon was fent from Kingfton with the 49th and 89th Regiments, which joined our flotilla of gua- J)oats, and proceeding down, were reinforced ^sthey pafl!ed Fort Wellington, with a part of its garrifon, under Lieutenant Colonel Pearfon ; the 49th was commanded by Lieutenant Col. Plenderleath, all of them distinguifhcd oflicers. Upon approaching the enemy, our force landed ,,^d overtook them on the 9th, after which, jjieif rear was fo harrafTed as to determine Gen. Boyd to retrograde with 4000 men on he i iths aA,d attack u^, whilft General Brown, with the . xeJft pf their disembarked troops, marched oo. ^'- LieolehitVt Cc^^rtbl Nlornfon obrerving tliTs, ""'lettred, uritil he came to a pofitiop felefted on ; Jils way dt)wn, ih cafe of fuch an event, where ^^lie detiermihed to receive their Mta^k. A bart- ^ pc enfued, and tb€ enemy wcr« beaten in a maf- ' Iferiv ttianner, with a fevere lofs in killed and "^ Voundedy and 400 men captured wkk a fidd iitOiL 3.j«:] ;-. '«rT:f^ ifi »'* •¥ i- \ Cojionel Morrifoa and the other officexi^ and ''nr ind ( 87 ) men under his command, had uncommon merit ill conquering under fuch a difproportion of forc(, as he had in all but 800 men ; and the modeft (lylc in which he relited theadlion, en- hanced that merit when put in contrast with the bombast of the enemy. Captain Mulcafter and his gun-boats moft zealoufly co-operated, and had a fliare in producing the defeat. The enemy upon this, retreated rapidly down the .river, and would have been deftroyed or taken, if we had had the good fortune to have ha4 the 19th Light Dragoons there on the occafion. Our troops continued to follow them.-*-General Brown had met rcfillance in front from fomc militia, who being obliged to retire, the vy'holp of the enemy came on and united at Cornwall, where hearing that the Olengary militia, com- manded by Major Dennis of the 49th, were colledingin force upon their flank, v-hilftCoI. Morrifon was prefling their pear j they got a- larmed, and haftily crofTed over on the 13th of Nov. ta the American fide ;it St. ^f^gi^, and then proceeded to Salmon River, on the, fouth fide of Lake St. Francis, whicU thtjy afcende^ with all their boats arid cratt as high as the French Mills.. Thus ended the third attempt at invasion of the Lower Province, which ikcy had prepared for at immense expence. t u fqn In their march down tnrpugn a part of Upi- per Canada, ti>ey did much mifchief, which would have been ftill greater, but for the alarm thev were in ; and which alarm incieafed as they advanced^ 1' ' Iw/ if I /■■■ (' 88 ) advanced, on finding tlie population In that quarter univerfally lioftlle to tlicm. They on thi$ ex pre fled a fenfe of their error, in not hav- ing landed in Augulla, where tliey knew they had numerous friends. ,,,r.. ■ i. ■■ i i 1 J / . V . . ' • . ' < \.l n the General Order and official letter of Sir George, he fays that Lieut. Colonel Morrifon, with a corps of ohfervation, and the gun boats' fc^llowed in piirfuance of bis order ; hnt this is doubted by many, and by fiich confidered as on^ of th6fe'''furnR habitually given by him to ar/y thing fortunate^ as if emanating from bis arrangc- thetits. Be that as it may, it is thought by ma- ny', that had a corps of marines (part of two batts, that arrived trom Halifax at Quebec in October) who were at the tirrie on their march to Corn- wall and Prefcott, not been recalled to Coteau du Lac ; they in conjundlion with the Glengary militia, would have given a good account of General Boyd's divifron.' For this-'coiintef or- der, 1 fjo-not think that Sir C>eorge is' to trlame, as he cotild net divine that the enemV, Jnfte^d of k^ef)iVig Idfloaf , ' atYcl ijefccnding m'piiVi^ wou\A fOfe'time by lanrding upott the Upper' Canada fide and marching;'^ '-^^ '^■'^^ '^-^^:. ^'^ ^'^'^ tqra93;r. h'iiiii 0:.xk^Li*.a_.8udT. .?.IiiM d'<>! il V Hie .ufuai .unforfrnate indecifron' "however ftept in to fave th&enemy en this accafio^ in aaci- flo^a,-;b£^h Ofcrered! WUllowed (ferlt is (M 'F ( 89 ) tliat per ni Tion wis even afked) to proccecl im- mediately to SaliTion river, they (the ene nv) were then in fo tlKheartcnd and huddled-togeth- er a condicion, that the wrhole or the greater oart of t'lein, v^'oiald probably have been taken or de- ftroyed ; or at all events, every thing afloat. I Tnflead of this, thcv were allowed to enter that river and difcin!)ark in quiet, with all their cannnn, llores, and provif^ns, and take up a pofition w'lich (by t'tat fpecies of induftry that A.nerican troops poifefs in a high degree, ofciit- tinjx down trees and forming block houfes and abattis therewith, efpecially w' en fpurred onby a fenfe of their own iin nediate prcfervatlon) was foon rendered tormidable. They however did not feel at (i/ y^. K I (' -A il- i I M:^^ ¥i . ' ( 9^ ) The procecdinpjs at Montreal confequent upon a knowledge of Willvinfoa's defccnt, re/iia'm to be defcrib^d. Iiarly on the morning of the gdi November that inform ition was firil liaJ, by i!i officer from Fort Wellington, who Hated that the Army had pafled it on the night of t:ic Jt'i, and as it was full moon and clear weather, tlie apprehenfion was, that the enemy would puih on night and day, and be almoft at the heels of the bearer of the intelligence. The difmiflal of the militia on the other fide of the river, was inftantly countermanded, and expreflcs lent to recall thofe whofe i.iarch home- ward had commenced. 7 he whole of the mil- itia on the north fide from Three-Rivers up- wards, were ordered out, and the Montreal Volunteers with the three Sedentary Town Bat- talions, marched in the afternoon for La Chine and towards Pointe Claire, and in the night took up quarters along the St. Lawrence, from the upper part of the Pariili of La Chine ex- tending downwards, their right being upon the left of a corps of marines which had marched in the forenoon, and were halted higher up. ^ome of the militia of the adjoining parifhes, were polled from the right of the maiines to the end of the Ifland. Upon the morning of the 9th Nov. orders were alfo difpatched to the Meuron Regt. and other corps, to march to the village of Caughnawago and its neighborhood. 'f.-v^ The country battalions of militia as they arri* T «i ft ■ f 91 ) Vcci in town were claflTed by Goh M'Gill, td whom the command here at that period was coa-*- Hded, an J thofe fit for fcrvice were armed, equip- ped, and marched on by battalions to different pofitions, whilft men infirm, ot beyond a certain age, were fent home. .^ ' In this prder, thd attack was waited for, and the enemy expected fpcedily to appear ; when to the general furprise, nothing farther was heard of them unrilthe 13th, when the joy- ful news of the battle of Chryftler's farm was received. About this time, a body of feamdh for thd Lakes, anu the 70th Regt. arrived at Quebec. The whole of the former and part of the latter were pufhed on to Montreal by the Steam Boat, a mode ot conveyance ot ich certainty and cele- rity, as to have been highl) ufeful to the publie fefvice, during the war, and brneficial to the proprietor. y^T- mi- 9 Sir George was at La Chine during all these operations, and (hortly afler the reception of thr enemy having entered Salmon River, ordered the iliilitia to return to their respedive abodes, commencing th -:r march on the i8th Nov. and in sU':cession oi tl . -e, so as to admit df pafling through ivlontreal, ondifFeientdayS, and depb- fiting their arms and ammunitibti. All this was done v^ith regularity and good humou?, and throughout the whole, never did any people c- vincc greater alacrity, which I am informed the3r ^:il would ^T^Z% IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 145 2.5 12.2 12.0 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 ^ 6" — ► V] <^ /a o ^A ^?J /A Photographic Sciences Corporation : V SSf MAIN STREET WSa^TER.N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 10 \ -.''■ &M "hM* ^r :>/.■''■ tvould ever hjiVe done, and ever will do.^ if not perverted by the machinations pf some fad^lous ahd reftlefs agitators. ' ica >-»?^^^r "^r l^fft ,M'H ■k<^-p0'',fi^^'i ' -* /. . Let us revert to Upper Cjfnafla, and the cir- cumftance under which the intended retreat to Kingfton ^Vas at firft avoided in autumn 1813, and finally countermanded. The delay of that retreat (the order for which was unknown at the time to individuals) and the departure of the chief force of the enemy from the Niagara fron- tier for Sacket's iHarbour, (the laft whereof was Genera! Harrifon with his people, who had re- '^jmbarked and come downfiforr^ Detroit by Vfa,ter) renovated co^fidiwice ar^qngft th^et^ifpops^an^in- b: bitants aboi^^ B^rUngtipHj who h^d l^ee^ ^ufr £ering moft feyerel^, but; now bej^ao^a Yfifti iox ^ refumption of the offensiye, alxhjo^gli, inc<^t^j^T tent with the orders, frpi^ JJ^j^d C^y^;t'er%5pi^i|i, ^pijifequenGe i|.npal^.t^ble t,0 Qene^a] Vii^cfi^!;^, who al^though a good man in private lil"^, '*^^3.- larmed at public refponfibility. ' . , - ' ' ' •.'■.■ Tf)e Inbahhqntsj^ this tliB^e rj^^j^^ntcfj, tohixi^ the , rayag^s^ committing, l^y, the . Aiyj^rkafi. G^r)). iM^Cl.ureJ and'that^'\^*^^^^^ inoq^ate, regji^ftir. a?l4 Indian fprqe-i^ a^thmyl^^ gpng Qf,deftfpy^r5 sind plunderers, m^ight be d/iyer^ol^ ai:^4 tfee; crpg^ df tne cpuntiy fay^j}, fp^jpul^lif; a^^^ p/iVii^p i^^ This repr€fentatic?i^ ^ ^jr^^, f^C9^4^», ** n^oti i^ftit gated by (?4 JVl4y;T^y,;\5rfi6 J(t?dged,h^^ tlie fucqef? pf t}je;. inciafe fp, fugg^A;,ap4 a had 1 1 - ( 93 ) had an inftantaneous effect upon M*CIur<*, then about the ^o mile creek. Col Murray*.^ per- miflion at firft wa& confined to rhe 40 mile ; thea upon a frelh reprefentation from l;>im of its sue* cefs, it was extended to the 20 mile, and after- wards to the 1 2 mile cre«k; whiph he was upoti no account to pafs; but upon arriving there, and finding that M*Clure w^s in fuchf a panic, that immediate advance would probably drive the A* merican deftroyers to their pwn $idden,|j;{j,^., , i, v this'e#6a^d'm e^hfrr6^''of' M^'CIufe, WW pteelphkt^lj^ahkhdbrica'Fort' GeOrg^, (and fle^ a^rois th(EpriX^e^'\i'i:tfh his lAfe) withbut deftrdyi. # vf' i^g it; brit aft^l^-irit^ft'ba/bitbViilf and atrifcious;^ *^ J .;'. 1 j^ t i rtM\kd^ti6 ^f)lihet W {iiifficiin^ ' force to exi^ ^r : -* pWf^tliy irifkh^'dfth^ aajbiir^ihg at: night, i-^; ofi'th^'^ideh'ofiDecfen^b'er; 1.81^,' the town of r^. IN?^'i»rifk;^antfyi^i^^'oift^intt!)thJope^^ air (th^ . gfoiijfid th^cbSf^rfed With's^dV^Jfenie hundi-feds^ .^ •' of f^rhille^, Witfh6i^'pf6\/i^t)rts^r* covering, to V: fJek^fhr^tet"at^2t dtftadc'e. Tfia^t miscreant du- riii^thlrc(5ttlftiahy;*\^^^c6iinfelied by a traitor^"- ; of ^hHkti^ ^f^^lcbck^, anil ^^dth ex^^^ W >. pradifmg every kiilft'of mlfchief agaii^ll flie Idi^ '^' yal^part ofthe inhabitants, whofe houies and ,' barns, in many inftances befojre, ^bey bad burnt orpUlaged, ^^, ^^,i,„. ,, ,. y ■X esi-:. \''-':,-^,:S: ■;-- (•• • .,^^ / I- ■ ir* rt'i ,:.| i^.-- ( 94 1 ■•-^J ^ 4' fearly on the 1 2th Col. Murray entered Fort George, in fight of the ftill fmoking ruins of Newark; Lieiit. Genl. Drumniond and Major Gen I. Riall had arrived from England early in November, btit remained in the Lower Province upon service, whilft Wilkinfon'g inyaliop was pending; but when that was over, ^Hjey pro- ceeded to the Upper Province ; General Drum- mond, as originally intended, relieved General De Rottenbui^g in the military pommand, and m tlie prefiderlcy of that Province, whereupon the latter camfe d<*>wn to Montreal. jStaying a fhort time at Kingfton, they went on to York, where General Drummond being fworn into office, they proceeded to the arpy above, and Beached Fort George soon aftpr its recapture. Col. jVlurr^y hadj)lanned a favorite ulterior o- perat^ipn, whii;h Pjefit Drummond happily had the manllneft to fanc]t}op, without permission frqm Head Quarit^ers. Accordingly all prepara- tions for it beings ^'^^^y? Jhe trpp|)? tor the enter- prise crofled tH^_ Niagara, ny.erV^Jpe fpjles above, in the night between the J 8th and 19th of De- cember 18 1 3 ; yhfin the division thereof under Col. Murray, in^^ndcd for the attack of Fort Niagj^ra, procee(^ed downwards, anjd an hour hpforeday light on the i9tH, it ^as carried by affault^ with the Bayonet alone. 1 he bold and daring features of the plan were followed by the moft happy execution, which verified the favorite military adage of f^foriunafavetfortibus^^ ' The .*•«/ »**«w»*"*^ J VV ■•<■ •! , < '€:■ ■^K. >,;- li t: m ) * ,.V'-« The forc6 under Cof. Murray, eonsiflcd of about 560 men, composed oftbe looth Regt. commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton, with the Grenadier company of the Royal Scots, and flank companies of the 41st. also iome mi- litia, the latter under Col. Kirby ; all behaved like heroes. The forlorn hope was led by Lieut. Dawson of the looth. In the advance two pic- kets were surprised and cut oflf or captured, be- fore they could give any alarm, the Sentries on the Glacis at the Gate were killed or taken, from one of whom the countersign was obtained, be- fore the enemy were apprised of their danger; at the moment they discovered their situation, the gate was forced, whilst a party that had been sent round to another quarter, scaled the pic- kets of the Fort ; the garrison being quartered in stone buildings, a severe but fhort contest en- sued, when they surrendered, with the lofs of 80 killed and wounded, and 350 prisoners — Our lofs did not exceed 10, including the gallant commander, who was wounded, and Lt. Now- land looth killed ; 27 pieces of ordnance, with a large quantity of stores, fmall arms, and provi- sions, were found in the fort. r* The other division of the force which landed, was under General Riall, and consisted of de- tachments of the Royal Scots and 41st Regi- ment with a hoc y of Indians, who drove the ene- my from Lewis Town heights, and advancing upwards on the fouth side of the Niagara river to Fort Schlofler (which they deftroyed) went as V •^ ^ f ■ Wi ■ - )y,. -{ •>': ^V> r .^^v V '97 proof of what zeal and enterprise can effe(fl, and how little lois fometiines attends the mo&t ha- zardous attempts, whilst military inactivity and indecision, prey upon the Soldiers minds, ge- nerate discontent, and promote desertion, .'^" It is extraordinary, that any part of the merit of the ahove operation fliould have heen claim- ed hy Sir George ; yet on reference to the Ge- neral Order of 12th January, 1814, on the bur- ning of Newark and consequent retaliation it will be found to be more than insinuated there- in, tha,t such retaliation (afluredly not more se- vere than a fense of j uftice and protc. •■'©■'■, i*S* tf-ii- -5: i;;^'"'i^i"-\>'">*#^*^ ^i'^-0^ \^-r^' iff-.l l-i... Na ( 99 ) ^iwr [NO. VII] ■■ ■ The American Major Holmes, who commanded nt Xhe deftrudlion and pillagfe of Saint IVlary^^i Wi>s guilty of a piece of 8uch favnge atrociry,^a4> to deferve being noticed, as it is attcftcd by perloos of credit, who were eye witncfTes of the'fa6l. After employing a horfe and cart during tiie day to convey away the plunder; they in the eve- ning, tied the former to a houfe, in fach rrtart- ner as not to be able to escape, and then fet lire to it, when the poor animal was burnt to death, ^'hilft the American ti^uops vvere looking, on. and enjoying the fcerie tvith a fiend like fatis- fadion. All the cattle, garden (luff, did other provifions. which they could not carry off, they deftroyed, with a, view to ftarve thofe who ,efca-f ped from their clutches ; and let it' be remem-^* beredjthere was not a military man, or nien lii' public cmployrnent,'br article beldnging to "the* public there of any feirid. The brutal Mdlmes \^as killed iti the aitack lipon MiCvhiUmaJsiiaiCf afterwards. < r ^ .One of the great objects of this expedition Was to get hold oif the North' ^A^eft. Ftr r s wliTchj lOrtunalely elcaped. , - Lfi': .! nom.T iLnCi ; A Lieutenant of the Royal Navy?,: and: abdiftp 2o feamen formed part of tiie^ reinfordemetiv fentwith Lt. Col. M^Douall. j" These' muriiiedl ttie Nancy Schooner, which was armed,vandreiili-« ployed to tranfport pcovifions for :thfc gitijEifoaif. - lO o 2 but & but obrip:e(l to l>c dcftroyed, to prevent lier cap^ ture by the American fleet. Lieut, Worflcy liai afterwards a brilliant retaliation, having Ivith hit handful of feamen in bogts, aided by I.ieut. BuU ger, and fome troops in boats furnifhed from t(je garrifon, moft gallantly boarded the Amcri* can armed Schooner Tigrcfs, of i long 24 pr. and a 1 2, and carried her fword in hand. With her, they fome days afterwards carried the Scor- pion, of I long 24 pounder. Each had jO men. ^ r»ft Colonel M*Douall detached Major M'Kay, of the Michigan Fencibles, with a small force, to Prairie des Chiens ; where^ aided by the Indians and a fmall 3 pounder field piece, he took the American Fort, mounting 6 guns, and flanked by a large gun boat, carrying alfo a confiderable number. Major M'Kay s exertions faved the Americans captured by him from the Indians^ who had before been outraged by them, but not one has had thejuftice or candpur fince tapu<»! blifh the fadt. It is a wonder, they did not proclaim that he had scalped jthe whole* On the 4th of May i8ii4>our fleet under 51^^ James Yeo, failed from Kingfton with GeneraK Dmmmond) and 800 troops on board, exclufive of feamen and marines 4 and appearing oflT Of* wego, landed fome of each clafs, who carried- thef- Fort by aifault, Witha lofs to us. of about 90 kil-- led anu wounded. A cipt^in of manner wa^^ aunoni; the former, and that moil yaluabie Naval ■ I ) ' Officer y I '• ( . ( m ) Officer Capt. Miilcan^er, was fo fcverety V^rouncl- cd, as to have beon considered incapable of fu- ture fervice, but lie has happily recovered. Wc captured and dcdroyed 12 pieces of ordnance, and fome (lores, blirnt the barracks, difmantled th^ fort, and brought off a schooner an^ fomc boats vvith ordnance, naval, and other ftorcs. fa^ ^ The enemy loft about 100 killed and wound- ed, and 60 prlfoners. We failed however in the material ohjefl:, as the principal ftorc3 for the Anttcrican fleet were at the Onondago falls; ' ^rt credulity - ( 105 ) credulity to the la ft, from no other visible caufe, than that it would have interfered with the grand Camp ofinfruSiioti about to he fbj*med. Exclufive of all the above Corp^, there were re- inforcements daily expet Prifig in Crtn- fequeDce applied to Sir George for Ydt4*» trdops fo accompany Mim^ with \ view oT atterrlptlilg fodeftroy thiae(l.J)iifhm'^tit, irldthe vclTeU in f^dX Crcefc, Whi-.ther affoat obupOri the f!ocks, ^ vrhich, next XA S-icket's rtarbduf, Wa& an objepli- ere was form'^d'yi/ Chamhly^ what ' is cil^ ei ' a ' Carr^ of lf\flrul^ion^ comprifing the gr*eater p^art "of the force above enumerated, and from w:liich mi^ht;' a'iid ^fi^ht to have been detached, a fierce for the .attack of Sacketc's Harbor; or f^r the relnfbr'coMefit of the Niagara frontier, . ferioufly thfoit^qed as \K ibdnwai imt& invafimj ia theppliuk^ of ^^^^fTl *IV « ip s. or W 'T j^ffon mhq bad-fyps to Tec or jC^Ks to htwr. Had ^he;^f)rft mcntiopedqtje<^,bc^n a|;tained, the en,if e'T^.y: \youId no,t Ipjajft^v^ntfjred tp profg into Pp^ ^ per Ca^nad^ j qr^Siv • ^-'corg^ ^vf^. ^bftinateijr bent on Jetting Sacketi'ft alone, ti;f^j|c\i^fpJ:f^mcn| of the Niagara ffor^tifr bccanic the more imperi- oiifly rf^ttfldry 'to fecur e ¥ afeklbft fhi' etieniy *i acetimulitlng fdfcf^ which hiid- bdeii pven feent biy ibmc of our 0wr\ oiBcers Tis|f< ttfiiming frorti ca{)tWity, '■ biit Vvhofc reports ths^t-jedti Were utter- ly « dtfregardcdki v/vVi:i lu '■■.. ^ ' ^ ' ' ^ ' '-i'M'^^ • rrt}. r y-'l *i- :iS''1 1 f . rljbvs tfiis; (^^p/ afi^sJf^^H f^wfl>^4 the me^ h,i ^lov^ihg,4h(}f»,)p.,J3raai^ .a^jnft .ouf^T^y *^^W(if. ' ^1^°' •'^ff ^> t)^erpby> dpoinpd, to f 9W|l?i^ which is quite inexcufable, feeuag we had..tn^ means of prevention in our power ; for fo infat- mvi& wa^:l^r0es«^, thmVdr a man w«i^nt irormr Lowi3f €Atistda^o their aixd^ until theiiidi of >Jtily;uafeet< > had-Heen nfcigleHaed to bfepWi- Tiddd iii du^ feaifpn ^ at^ tuither I wiHafk, :3wtlethcr this tdfiluf^es df t great frbvifiori W;*rf- sbyjtvw.: tba^cif Lobg; Ft>ilit%pdii t^lee'^&fc m^ Ui yrcfii^i ^etc^Abt toft iSb ^ jmi4 Idft'to r\ ; • v* il )!' t m: it:' J ;: it- ( tm ). ix%({r&f^i WlhVfchefkfl frbisi cfprnot fend. ^x\giit^bf)iybi\t!s fttfte^loh} ' Had >• regiment been9ur ajttenijjin&ent in JUne and Ju^* ly, iuch a nunicrous body ofjroopaatrived from Bordeaux, 1 1 at It .l)ecame evident Si|: Gieorge ^'5^ityjbc\!^lt&ed therely: Piece tneaTrfein- forccments'^^fc fto^w difpa^th^il itl) Upper. Cari- lli;VyHtt^a yeiylai^ foit^ to do Mnetbittg ; l)ut what ^t was^ \iemained doubtftil, "MtiJu^ a litiftlc'bf . prej^ar^tlibri;* began acrofs dVc liver, wfiifb' was cdntrftucjd ior months at Mfiditcexperic*.^^^ '^•^-'-•''^^' ' -■'^?-'^ ' f 0ffih9pf ofifnt ]^ foeiiig (tbafcfi^gDfitc obgeft of |Wfi)^ j^ Jn^poRt^^iKiO the pnotedioii of the Cip nadas) /i6^ deftru^on of the depot at SaekettUHer* dor^ nccomplijhedn " - - * , 'lot o:>f« « ■ • v';' lo:{ ' - "/ . f^ ?.'V'if ^rrl ^^ :•', ** ,' >rTihe foundatioi^ of that hope refted upoh its -kriligworifhy of et«ry effort atid eyerf rift, je^|(^ wa9 Arengthoned by feeing fo many more teOPj^' th2^»0Ui? chjjpf had,j#:ea car knew Jlf^Wjtp 4tti|^ojr*t ; \% Vaa thWefore thought, dtat ^.i^^eiuli l««r^jftltfMmjfidf t(»»pcHedtOTtbisfc dlftlfetfifliV l^r^t^.^^huitmly[ymi)iL its iap- #re was cffi^aed. ^ • ^ ' ' Is f 1 M Ip (• ar ) .■.■■;,■ 'r In an evil hour ho^evei^ khdH^fSme wange jicrvprPty of intelledl; 'Sir Gcor^jj^!fhuffii5?'that place x^ a peftiiencc," and w^t'oflT Wifh 4 2jdoo men tr^ Plartfbufg, whicb fdnflp^ftatt^rcd them- fclves pro(?:ci*ded f^cm a wjfti ^o^^ef ^ffll' a^fii- fitc; until tPt'la^e^ihin at K;ri|(^n'\ij^YT^^iS/^ but when he was ifeen to ietbtTi under a'f^fftit t^ his own creafJ^n, all hope Was 16ft; aqd; {fie inoft glooniy dtfpiiir and InmgiiiViofi fiitcfeyi^fed. ^ Upon hi* arrrwd ac Plattffcuiighv liKiK a fcdrii of military imbecibil/ty on^is part Avas witoeffed, as L^ incredible, .^e neitf»r te^€«d tH ftiifll^ ]efl con)l)in2M:ion of plan^ dritigdr of eKe^Utilffl^ per wasany obje^ of the expedition tfifihie; ^iii- )efs through its cflfeflr, that of bringing OA tHe deftru^on t&'tUffie^ty without making an e£» fort to favc it, or to refcue the d^j' fipoin thedi^ grace of hein^ ^-^^^ fpe(^atorjB of that defirup* ti on. \y(^ld t(i God that tjiis T /^l expeditio|A eoiild be blotte^ put from hiflory. It caft^ f n indelible flaiii, upon our arn^f<{ih as lar.as t^e condu<5t'of a coinniander, ix^ fp^e^f tli^ feclingv and hi^ fpirit of the gallant troops under hi^ 9j:« ders. coulH^o) thit caa nevier be fwcieniljr depbred.' ""./':^'' ' ; ' ^^^^ ' '*— ''^^-'^ Rfii' ;>3t'>:5' ^*f W '^ As it is to hecomea ^bjeiSibfttilftfflryinvcftU -pteori, i IhouM have dccHnerfH^pre^giis inqi^i- ipy into its de^oeHt^,' had iHe%[n^^ «et be& forced upoif toe^by tlie iiiftifefe iitfd iiilfome com|Jlimeiit8 of his f iffeflds aW aidii^rf* &n, Who ^ll iafift 1^60 Kii c^ndua therein being ■ h V |^'« I •>» V V;', %'.■•■ . ' _ ' '., ■v ::^.v.4 "a ) , • ; ■^- b^lng n maftcr'^Dtece of n.Ilitar)' skilly . foi|nd jadgmcntt and gicat Immaaity. -To go to tii^l ^ith fucK pocket^fulls of figuaturea to addrefles, procured in th^ manner, and by the arts whid>, y/CTc i^ptorioi^s, and thpfe from pcrfons wherjC<^ of not one in a^ thoufa ' was capable of uuclcr^ landing the ^ubjc^ matter vipoa which he waa ^dt; £b peiremp^orilyrtp proQtur>ce ^tjvnquaUr fied dipclupnt i wrif?^f ^A my: ,m^^r the ^ppear-^ ahcc of ah attempt to brow-beai government and bit CQUffc-^artW ij^o an, iwqiittal, rtght- or ,Hrroi^ under . mx^ Idea of iidvcrtinib^ injurious itgn&^ueneea in thi« *countr^. All' this wl lli do ^m injury infte^cjfgpod J Ifbr truth and jiifJ iktyfill prevail, Jmd; ,wh^ocyiet:>the refult o£ -tfce Xr' 1 may be, it MrUlibe'^ietVfl fiibmittedtd iiere, the cpinioa of fycophama ti^he comampjs JliOtwithftandiDg, . 31 w ^ii t am 01 jfol ^^^CatJtaln Dowriie of the fc)Yal'^avy atrivea TFor^ Kmgflonto. take th^ gprnBO^^nd pf the. fleet itine aux Nbix, a week after the. Con2i^UQ& 6ur largelt yetujl, "^ras launched,, andabp^t.ic ^ays before tVeYatal a(ft ion, 'The greater /part OT his crew had juft arriyegL tOr f yrcrc arriving^ ^eiiig drafts' froth di JBTerent mips^ and unk^Wi to the officers and to each other. There was Ijp Xeifurtfor 4tfcipline: prew^^ M^ ^^^^ . f asi o^c^TORly occupiedfiji 5Q' one l^ V )L ■I rt w ras one ( «B' » '^: '^ ...-i-i ' one nif^iAure (3f it in tfTiii' material point, that when the vdlTtjls w bufy in hxing ring- bbltSj &c. for the gUns And carronades, with fhoj lockers, &c. All thU wjfe known to Sir Gebjrge, aful yet his impatience at the delay of the ap* pcarance of the fleet before Pla,ttsburgh v/as e3ct:*em6 , . ' . ' Portr Downie A^si« placfed in a fad dilenflnia; for from circumftances whereof he had heard in refpe£t to another quanet, he had reafon to ^ppr^hertd that Sir George would fi(h for an opportunity oLthrbwing upon him the confe- quences of keeping the army idle^ from an 'aU ledged want of Ipeedy co-op«ratiortj or of fur- oifhing an excufe for its retreat ; and on the o- ^^er hand, if he went prematurely into adion, bis own refutation might be ruined. After fomo ;• deliberation, /&/> zf j/ flept in Xo make him risA ' fbe latter as the lefs of two evils. Many muft recoiled the broad hints given before the day of the adion, by perfons belonging to Head Quar- tei*s, who remained in town, that the army waa. ' feady, but had been kept in IjJAftivlty for fom% d^^slar Plattsburg, mer^t^ becaufe the fleets' ^k'SgWyhsid hot come up to co-operate. And »Vp they will rccpflj^d^ hf^^'lpddenly the^^mne chkqg^fl after the auftfen .w^? beard/of^ri&rt^ intuicnc^ afiid huraaniiy IKpt Br(tKe olq^ bi- *^ ing f I ^i ■ I': m p4 ) ing; now gone) to €ffe(f^ a retreit witH cctenff , 9r>dvvv:hlch ^^^as managed without the aid of na* jTMl^cc-topcxatiMi* I I Tne chapter of accidents ^as fadly againft lis in the battle oF the^ i.lth Sfpt. 1814. Th^ I Co/) fiance before jttie got intd her ftation^ had l\vo anchdrs {hot away, arid the Wind veering ind ^fflji^ her, ihe was Jcorhpclled td anchor oiit or'het intended ftatioh with ibf only one that i'emaihVdr The gallant Downie was killed at the commencement; One of our veflels got a- ground/ilnd thereby becatiie tifelefs, whillt twd thiv^ of our gun boat& fhamefuHy fled, towards the clofe of the a6tioni \l^hen it would have beeii of imnneitfe in\portanee to lififiid thatjhip to bring the gun« qf h^r lead damaged fide to bear upon the enjcmy* , That operation Was fd difficult from having but One ani;hor that it cbuld not be per^ formedj as the whole fire of the enemy was at the time upon her, which conipellcd her to ilj:ike when in a finking flatCt Tn^order however to conVey in accurate idea upon the fubject of the expedi ion to PlattC-.i^. burg, by reafoning upon Sir George's officii letter, I cxtrad the tnllovving parts of it, viz. —".That on the 3d of Sept. our army feized theenemyV entrendrf*-^ ^ ^ ■ • ''' '' Creek* h. a-vv ■'?: ( 1^5 ) \ Creek, which they abaadotied and left to be defended by the gun boats '* He then dcfcribes the pdfition of the enemy " on an elevated ridge iouth of the ^^aranac, with its redoubts &c. arm- ed with heavy ordnance, with their flotilla, the Saratoga, Surprifc, Thunderer, Freble, and lo gun boat8**( which gUn boats pleafe to remark rea- der, were a moment before faid to be at DcaJ Creeky^ at anchor cut of gun (hot from the Ihore^^ Headds, that *'hc immediately communicated the circumftance to Captain Downie, who had ttic Confiance, Linnet, Broke, and Shannon** (Capt. Pring calls the latter tlie Chub and Finch) " and X2 gun boats, and requefted his co-operation {mark that) and in the mean time batteries were conftru of tbe fleet" (but ia the name of honor and gpod ^ti£ litijr did pa not cihoftraie he/ore) <^ without k M l# iSiU • » ( II6 ) 'I m i T^ithout wl/ich the further prosecution of tlie fcrvicc was hccome impracticable ? I did not hc- iitate to arrcll the courfe of tlie troops advancing to the attack, hccaute thfe molt complete fucccfii would haVe been unavailing, and the poffcnion of the enetriy's works offered no advantage to compenfate for the Icfs \ve mufl have fuftained in acquiring poifcffion of them." Now would if ho( be fuppofcd, that all this was done in the time that Sir George was turn- ing himfelf rohnd from looking at the fleet, to look at his troops, aind vice versa ! but what inufl the aflonimment be, when it is found, that the Conliance resided two hours and a half, and the Linnet 15 minutes longer ! Surely the troops, ivhofe Commander was fo impatient to fee the fleet come up, ought to have been ready" to have entered the enemy's works the moment they did appear. H:ld they fo entered, it is un-* queftionabJe that our fleet vvrould haVc been vic^* torious, or had they been permitted to enter, even whep recalled, it is almoft demqnftrable^ that the eJneriiy'a fleet- miift have furrendered, of at leaft ours have been retaken. There m^jhtsomt truth in Sir George's oflt-* cial narrativej but much is concealed, A letter' was fent to Gapt. Downie,ftrongly urging himi to come on, as the army had been long waiting t for his co^operatidn^ (ftating as a proof of itii that it had been under arms £roni day light tihe^ day before, in expedadGn of fhe fleet) arid clof^ i^gfor^ tii^ t^a;; nothiiig;bmt th^ Aate4)C.t7uid,'^ Juarhi^ ^ pre* \, ',t.. (( 117 ) 1 ' prevented the flrct from coming tip. This lafi Infinuatinn cnnTcye," Much ftrefs is laid by Sir George and his friends upon the allegation thai the enemy's fleet was out of gun (hot from the fhorc, which is not true. But why not have entered the enemy's works, and given practical proof of the range of fhot againft their fleet inftead of making conjec- tural aflertions ? Had that been done^ widely* different would naye been the ifllie. ■J ■ So. thoroughly did Capt. Downie depend up-v on co-operation by land, that he harangued his men when going into a<^Ion, to this effedt," My iads, we fhall be immediately afl[ifted by the ar- ; niy aflipre — Let us fhow them, tiiat our part of ' the duty; is well done.*' Poor fellow How he was miftaken. In lo minutes after he fell, and left Sir Geor^^^e to rejl his own ftory.«— This fpeech proved to have in the end a pernicious effe^ upon the crew, when the promises it con- veyed, were feeanot to be fulfilled afliore. It is a fadt, that the American Commodore was fo impi ^flfed with the idea that tnetr works aihore would ilill be carried, that he did not take pofl^effion oi our vessels for along time af. fer the action terminated ; he being employed in getting bis own out of reach from the fhore^ apprehending that their own batteries would be turned againftthemi*^In the evening He expref* fed an expedatioui that next morning the Brit«> lih colours would be feen flying upon the A- merican works; and when General Macomb came off at day light, to' fay that our army had |eu:eated in the ni^ht of the mh, leaving their ■li ids ^as lot if. of |ec- lely . ■^•'*f- '\:^:'-..:'U-,M: ■■119 /)■:;-:.',•-''■: ^fick and wounded behind^ and destroying quan- •titioinf Stores and Provifion^, Commodore Mc- Donough would not credit, the fad; but when' jit w&s perfifted in, he cautioned Macomb to be- 'ware 'of a ru/e de guerre ^ as the Bi:iti{h d^jnys. would either retufri next night, or was theU proceeding by forced 'marches to Sadeti's ilar-- fbour, ' '" ' " ■';' 3k>v\i, , 1^ • ■ ,.xVMi\: I.'.;:;/; .:.x \^WJ-"J'..l:.i !0n }I "Vrllt IS know'rf that Ma'corob, -citWitRftattding all his* puffs about otir defeat, was aiCtually fitting in jgloomy defpair upon a GuHy whilft our troops ^wereadvancingon the iithi-and ready? t6 {id- Irehderthe moment that' the firflBritifh Soldier appeared upon the parapet ; and wheii it wiii notified that they had fuddenly halted, and^^ere then 6n the retreat, he started up dl most frantic \^ith joy, and could hardly beliey^ the eVidfendc oif his fenfes.— -He had only with liiiii about tj;6» of ihe lefufc bf the Aiuet-iti*'^^ ti^j^ Plattsburg duty, the efFedives liiVing previoufly 4^^njh«d c tf for jSackett's Hajrbour, ui^ider Gener- 4jl)l^d. To this may be ^ded \pqrhaps ,3009 Itoiims^, diii^flya^ll^dcd after S}r Geprge halted on the, 6th at Plattsburg, and on , which day^ h^ JBttighjt have ente^ed'their worjcsjatlw^fl withoi^ ^upppfition, hadj pur J troops npt he^n kept jiacfc for >;i.grand coup^i^d bejiold it3J%J^ / / /j f ( ^^^ 4^ Jis-to la^g^dfQlftSl liy the r<*fit«e ' iftei lAS Ibfs-of our flec*t'it'iP8 well known that twice the feudiber were 16ft by defMon; ^at aa affault Woiild have 1^ us ; arid this he knew iat tfec Ifane be ^wi^e, tiiBt •* the pofleffion of the ene* -'^z enemy's tvorks offered us no advantage » *• compenfate for the lofs we muft have fuftaia- . /^ : «ti in kcquiring pofleffion » of them." 1 ^ . Jpid Sir , George really believe, that we.had "Jofj; the, ufe of our reafonihg faculties ? was ihe ^rqund upon' which tbe men^ artillery^ and flores at ^aranacjlocd^ the objed of capture? oi:.>Ya;jl it not (afluredly it was) the men^ artillery\ and Ifiores^ Jlahding upoTiJbatgroundi&ndlf £0^ ^irhy ^:^ere^^ they /uj^erai'tQ e/capel Surely themilita*- tiyucharader of t;la« gallant army committtd.t^ • hid charge, and the manes of the gallant Downie, twhoperiihed under fuchcircuoLftances^ required iTome' facrifice*ij/- : i : , /^ .■.:. n: " •:r|f|3 ^r* m ,.jr wonder m what fchool Sir &Qorge learnt ilas ^iiR^iliating, doctrine, that a Britil^ Soldier'? life IS n^oire valuable to him than, his military hpti-or: ^an^ti ye^ to juf^ifyfuch a retreat, thai prj^^^ -^^iDid' n^ iH^lbS of our fltfdt%afe i'-tf^Mfy 'VifS/f> and^ yJd not that lofs abfolutelr in^boift 4t iipbri Sir George'as an imperious duty to- ltI^• hifK that :x^/ jj?» by capturing the enemyysihny, te^TS^6veijt Ifhe effba: which attrtreat undrt- fiidS diVdifcllanfces mtift produce, ornamented 'ial^K^ well knew ^it would be by American gafcoiiadelL ^hie rmi^hjievpus moral eff^, of.. ^he Platt^hprg bu(i^ef%^h^ bee?,, . and will ,1^ incalculable jbotj J»jifl9»^riC:ft?J^d in Europe j fortbat will be hf^ri| ^lij^^m^T^ficgnu .des * apd p^ce$i \yhere it wi^ CkfH^I;)l%§^l39 ^9X4ke ^omnnrndtr alQne was 4§ blame 0C( an< boi Bri hej thel of dor wh \m ^1 I . ^■' ':■ : ( 121 ).■ ^V ■>-^'; -.^ ii^ii;i^6. the army under him indignant on the oceafion. ■ t. ■•->. ' Were the events of Sir George's commaqd^ and efpecially the expeditions to Sackett's Har-' bor and Plattsburg to become examples for the* Britifh Army to foiiow ; from poflefTing the, hearts of Lions, they would foon be reduced to the timidity of Lambs ; an J the future enquiries of military men Mrould be, not who had nobly done his duty, but who had avoided a battle, or who liad (;ontrived to efcape unhUrt. It has been faid, that his General Orders and ©fficial letters were often compofed with a view to deceive at a diftance ; and his Plattsburg let- ter furnifhes dired proof of this accufatton be- ing corre<^. It is dated there the nth of September 1814, as if written on the fpotim- mediateiy after the naval battle, and before the degrading retreat commenced, whereas it U well known, that the letter did not go from Canada, until it was carried by Mr. Secretary Brentoii who failed from Brandy Pots on the 9th of Odt. consequently it was written in Montreal long after the date it bears.^— In proof of this, read the following paragraph of that letter, " As the ** troops concentrated and approacl^d the line " of feparation between thb Province,''' (is Platts- burg then in Canada) " and the United States, the American army &c." "What a fad flip of the pen or memory is here ! But if for Plattsburg nth September, there be fubftituted Montreal jiitt Sept, py any fubfequcnt dayi then the blun- ' ' der }l It :Vi 1:. ( ^2^ ) der will be explained. — ^It is true that fucli Wtl the celerity of his perfonal retreat, that on the 13th he ilTued an order dated at Odell-Town ; Itfit I ftrnngly idifpedV that on the i ith after the adion he was not in a ftate ta write leUers any where. — Another proof of its having been writ* ten at Montreal, and not at Plattsbur^-, is, that in the iirft General Order aftetwards, the gun-boats were in a manner commended for efFe6king iheir retreat in fafety (propably from the fym- pathetic fefeling of the moment) whereas in the revifion of that order, they are left out, bui men- tioned in thisfalfe dated letter 2L%.Jlying ; becaufe upon refle£V,ion, their not having done their duty^ might lead people afide from the confideration that he had n^t done hii own. But why was'th^letter dated at Plattsburgh ? I'ruly juft to deceive j^bn Bully ^nd prevent the rteceflity of then letting him know, how many jlien W'jre loft by delertion in that memorable rfetreat, and what quantity of provifions and ftores were deftroyed in itj or during the expe- dition. z ^ Montreal, a^d May, 1815* VERITAS. Of.' i.:,i| <•-; t • iif;;/: \Y.,\mi%i\.^ ^C m:i^t ^\^6 .4 « , J ii:r53:.j .Trtvlr :»i/p^HsA ^ W(y -^VHt* ':'^V, ♦ 1 ' • '»■• [NO. VIIIJ ffi -ftr ,W< « C j JHo com-^ Jibseddf apartof fh^ ftoyal Scot«^ an4 King's ^0^ k6ot^^i^?g^^ the Rioyai Artit J^^: t^W^ipm^ witti^ . wmc( militia, ^was bofig^ed to r^Qre t)1. the Mar- quis cf Tweeddale the latter, were among tlid wounded. TEe^tiitter ofEcCr had only joined ^1? iliijr before^ aod it is certainly a proud. cQ^i- lideration, and a favorable omen to our country, to see men of high rank among the moft for- ward ip nurfuLt of military fame, and incurring a!] tljri risks ifid' privation^ incident to the hbn* t)i;aqie proieSsiOil of arms throughout the war, It' is to be ofeferved that the'iriilitia of the neicrhj^ bbrhood . Uiider Lfeiit. Col Dickfon, boire tjicir ffii-f fe'^lri'th^" ffih^dtb' arid Iblscb of the d^y. 3' Gcnfefjc^l RiaH iiriding hk position tiifned ft^ ter ;tbi«' fldion? retrfeated : to^^ards Fort Gejorgej iseto rwj)icli,! and Fdrts Niagara ^and Miflilfige^ ii^ijtttg.itljiowa an additiohal force, he mad6 1 irapid flank movement, and gained the adlttlte creek, pn the route to, Burlington^ thereby, pre- ffrvfng his.cprnpunicaft^ Xhjs iifJiied the fef^ertiy m their'view^, wHicfi ^emto It^ii^^^C writtft'Bteir fledt^uhder C^mm^ c%mA tiCe : ' General Riklrs attacTc upon i he enemy, under lb great a difpropoitiori of force, a§ probably j "id I, has been censureat if he had. not done fo, arid broke in upon ^eir plan of operations, by f hat daring and imexpeded manoeuvre, thev- probably, tVithout the aid of their fleet, wouia (\yy appealing to thre;aten an attack upon 'our lines at Chipe\ya) have marched to their ltd, and have actually cut off our communication jvijth Burlington, as originally intendeu. ' In this view of the subject, his attack vras for- tnnate, and the, retreat afterwafas made by him^ Is deferving qf cfej'lit^from having been effefte(| in good order, /wUnout Ibfs* of men, artillery^ stords, or baggage ; fo tlVat the confidence of his troops remained, unabated. • Had.be retreated' \dl the firfl; infiance vsrithout fighUng, the pr6:# bability is, that his men would Jiave.beeadis* pirfted, ad confideiring fuph a retrograde mo v&i' qftcnt- then prenaaturg. - 1 T ^J 18 faid that. General Riali "yvas ignorant 65 tHe whole forcd of'thie enejnyljeihg united, anil ft'e doubtless confiderj^ci it important in fuch cafe tc( t:ripple^ rfli^m^ bfeifiire theljiindipn could be( formiedf, 61: their fleei appear." , v. . ^ ^k .That officer being afterwards • reiiiforced, ad-^ ¥ai!Stctd, and took up a poTitidn about the 20th of July, at the . 12 mile Cfcek. The enemy, oa' Che r5th4u}^aTie ♦ --^M^ "v.. . i 127 ) ' unequal contcft was maintained bravely for fomc time, hut being overpowered, our troops were retreating, when General Drummond coming up with detachments of the Royals, King's and .89th Regts, ordered them again to advance, when the conteil w,.:s furioufly continued for fometime ; but on the arrival of Col. Scott's brigade, confiftingof apartof the Royals, Kings and 103d, in all about 1200 or 1 500 men, the conflict was renewed with redoubled fpirit on both fides, and continued until paft midnight, when the enemy retreated precipitately to Chi- pewa, leaving a field piece and a howitzer, with two tumbrils in our pofleflion. They, at one time, had pofltffion of three of our field pieces, which were foon recovered. Theenemy*s lofsw^as about 1500, and amongft them Generals Brown and Scott, and many field officers wounded. Ours about 900 in all. The condudl pf bur regular troops was mofl . gallant, and the incorporated militia emulatecl t'h«m, and fuftained a feverc lofs. The coolnefs; intrepidity and zeal of General Drummond,, could hot be furpafled ; for although he received i bad l^ound in the neck, he carefully concealed kj'^'ttd remained 'in the ^eld, animating th^ troops, until the whole was over. General Riaft yf^s feyerely wounded 4i>d maifciprifonef by fome j^lh^ eij^eJwy'? k^^f^> which .^ ope tinae h?^d got i^topurfe^y:^. The conflict , hieing -in the dark^ V|Lripi|3,ixitfta|cq8*pf friends for £9^8, aiii4 viqc-vcTr. C '■•^ ,, ( 128 ) licut. Col. Pearfon, Infpc£ting Field Officer^ and Lieut. Col. Robinfon, comm^ndinc: the in* (corporatpd Militia, were alfo feverely wounded. Lieut. Colonel Hamilton, commanding the Se- dentary Militia had the goQ^ fortune not to be hurt, although l\\s exertions did him great cre- dit. Of inferior officers, above 40 were kille4. pnd wounded, pf which i8 9iilitia« It is matter of great regret that the contcft had not happened in day light, and in an open counr try, where fuperiority of difcipline could have^ been made available, againft the great difpro*^ portion of numbers, that we had to encounterj which were then above two to one, even afteir General Drummond, with tb^ reinforcement^ came up. On the 27th of July, the enemy ^^reated ^« crofs the Chipewa towards Fort Erie, laying wafte the country, and dfftroying the Pridges, having previoufly burnt Street^s mill and the viU lage of Saint Day id's, H4d we poflefled the means of immediate puffuit, ^here cannot be-i% doubt, that they would have been driven baclq to their own territory ; coofequently the fatal peglcdl to fend up timely f eijifoi-ipjemcnts, cannp^ Ve too often deplored. . , ' f "■^ur troops moved on with caption, and took* ^p a pofition before Fort Erie, but the enemy^ had in the mean time cftablifhed themfelves to gteat advarvtagc by abattis and other Workd, par^ ^tilarljr on fp^kc hill, and aifo by ftrengtlieaif iiig tlieFort, / ., y { 129 ) '^X)n the 3d of Augufl a well conceived plan '^as formed agaiii{^ Black Rock, which had it bocii cxw^cuted as intended, the enemy at Fort Erie muft have been reduced to the utanoft peril, it not to a furtendcr, hy roafon of the intercep- tion or deftrudljori of theirfupplies fromthe ftatcs. ,.Al^out 1000 men crofTcd over to the Ameri-^ can fide below Snake ifland, under Lieut. QoU Tucke/, but'by fofne unaccountable fatality, that plrt of the troop$ who got. over firil, negle<^ed to occupy a bridge, over .which the whole were to pafs, and the ^nemy were thereby enabled to fecure it by a fii^all corps of Hiflcmqn, who threW' ia fuch a fire upon our people, when they at-^ tempted to pafs, ^s to create a confufion tha^ ended in a preppitate retreat, whereby the obn ject of the expedition was completely fruftratcdv Had it fucceeded, an attack upon Fort Erie was Intended then to have been alfo made, . . ■■ - ■. • ;,..-r;r . ■ ' ■ ,.> . -An afTault upon that pofitipn was hoWevet rtiil contemplated, and as a meafurc preparatory thereto, Captain Dobbs, of th^ Royal Navy^ with a body of seamen, were convey ed. by jand, as alfo boats into Lake Erie. On the pight of the nth Augufl, 18 14, they descended that lake jahd in a itiafterly flyle, boarded and carrit*-^a third vefle! of sanie fbitefet iefeped capture by an accident. The three weni $it anchor ©IF Fort Eiri^ The two which wc cap- / Kl 11. '.' I'll i ■) '\ ( ( ».3o ) captured went clown the rapUts, into the rear of our troops. Oir loss was Lieut. Raclcliffe, df the Navy, and two seamen killfe ^ with 4 wound-^ cd. That of the enemy was in all. It no douht was intended that the general as-*; sault upon their work^, fhouUl have fpcedily followed the captin*c of the veflTels, hat circum- ftances occurred to delay it until the 15th hefore' day. At tne outset, we had a fair profperk». atfeveral poirlt8,'hut efpecially having cftablifhed' themfelves in Fort EH'it, wFien uithippify an ^je-"* plofinti there^trtbk place, (wV^tthef from'aeci(fem^ of defig'n^ is Yliira Cf)htaftb^d 'point, bu^ f thinlc the fornrter) whidi dHb^dyeJ fd m my of ourofw ficerftafid rtiefi, aS 66* occafion tli<6 rcHf to retirS ifith fii-ecip'itadba: ' Our lofs was n^qft fevcre, hiing in ^H in kij* led, wounded, and prifoners, about 900 ; and in «hlft tef^ Wafe cdrtifiri'fea rnifi^ rtSSft Valuable offi- (lers, amongft Wh^frt wrve-Gol. Scott and Diciit: Goh ' Drulnmotjd^, with' otfeirs-df Fnferio'rrathki l^ha'liftdf 'Wrouhded officers, including prifoners, 'Waii«fc(6cve 3c. . ' i . 6 -ci^JiS^i'J ' ^ , ' '-*''■«•■■ • "■/ ^.jjupc lofs of the criei?[>y nfiuit hstve been mtteg uiferic^i The refult of^his attack' is greatly to <^ ramen2;fd, .as the lofs it coA us w|is moft hoa-vyq^ but Ii. I find that I ?m: afTailed by a writer in the Courant, with a torrent cf scurrlloup. ab'jfe, wl.lch exceed?, the oratory of Billi-nefgate, or even that of the mofl violent American News- ■ paper. 'To fuch democrntic slang I (hall make no reply, (it being precifely of the like tenor as was uttered in the Affembly ot Upper Canada - by WUcocks and others, who afterwards went ^ over to the enemy] hut content myself with ob-»i.v ferving, thai the fcope and object of his do£lrin(?, feenis t-o he to maintain, that in no poffibie cah?,, can an extra<"^rdinary power be e^tercifed, hy fM King's-^RepKcfintUliic for tlie prefcrvaj;i,OA of th^.. That on the erve of, or pending an invafton, f although i>^ fhauld discover that* tfhe disaffecjec! f are labouring by machinations, both open and ^ cooqeale4, tp^ paUy the means of defence, and feel Goavi(3tioi;i that they muft thereby facceed iu tjh^ir vi^w,s, be evm thcn^ muft lUii confine^ j^ hini^lfio^ the fime line of proceeding, aa wouM bc^o^icablo to the o^f 'nary- courJfe of events, ' in l;im«8 of p^^ace and traaquiHtY ; aiwl rathe?: than, apply a% extraordinary rengedy,, ai thougb wjth:>:c«n4ii5^j s)i its groviag ef^^l for tfa^ |i ^ *-•* / * ■■■•■■■.■■ m '^33 ) ■-'■ , fec\irity of the Province commit|:ed to his charge, muft quietly fubmit to the proiped of certain eventual conqueft,and to the immediate flarva- tion of his troops. ; ^ ► Now this dcftrinel deny, and maintain, that it merits t)ie execration of every good fubjedt, hov^^ever difguifed under the mafk of an affected regard for conilltutional forms. Montreal, 31 ft May, 18 15, 41 ^ ^'>'.}^i'y \ -' r,f'* ~ f Ji •■i: \ - ■ ■' " ', •' a ;i /> ■ " • y^ '^' >■>' >v f 1 '^.^ --{'*• i ■j'-'^-' »» ' k *^ V , II- ,'i'-^'' *' 7< fell.- : •* •i-' "\ ^•Tf y :mim^,:'h;i^^:<:,m^^i:'^ ' ] ■■ : : ' ■■: ^-''■^*' '^ ■ .: : ■•z:-\":^' • 1 J .1. ^ ^■'y-^\r\n:Z!:^^^. . " • • 1 . ; V'V ^-■^!^*^-'1'-^%-'V,V::-' ' ~ \. m 'VA 4. v-y s No. mM 1 1^ If K f i i ( 134 ) '■ ' lift < ^3^ ) in 1813 ; their allowing us to retreat £rofXL the battle at Street's Creek, without attempthig to purfue ; their witnessing our disgraceful retreat at Plattsburg, without cne effort to give it the colouring falsely pretended by General Macomb, of his having repulsed our attack, inftead of the mortifying fact, that the disgrace arose entirely from the order given by Sir George Prevost, tvho prevented l^iooo men from doing what a- ny 300a t ' '^-^m could have effected. And fi- nally, neat* K -Orleans, where the American troops, from being completely und6i* c6vei*, sus- tained no lofs, whilst ours were wholly expofed, and mowed down by hundreds at a tiitie j yet not a man moVed out of their lines to follow up our repulse. In cases where no per^otial dan- ger is incurred, it requires no otnci: courage, than to stand until personal safety be afcertained. ; ' > . .... ■ 'in ^ and thus ending that campaign. lAfter our ship the St. L^vvrence of 100 guns was launched and fitted at Kingston, our fleet sailed from thence on the i6th of October with % a reinforcement of troops and stores for Niagara, ^ where they arrived soon after the Americans i^;? had retreated. Commodore Chauncey when he ^^ found that the 3 decker was ready, retired to Sacket's Harbour, and made no attempt to im- "^ pede the contemplated relief to our troops. It has })een regretted, that our fleet did not^p. car^ up a sufficient iforceat once, to have ena- bled • *•■; *■• i( ^! ) Ued Gtnccal 6rumtion4 to have imnjediately^ followed up. the enemy after their retrqat, and ia which case a great p^rt of them, with their can-,- non and stores, \vould probably have been cap^/ tured. In opposition to this, it has been main- tained, and I think with truth, that it would ' have been unpardonable in Sir James Yeo tp.^ have taken on board such a number of troops,* QTS to hav^ incapacitated his squadron from fight-*i ing the enemy to advantage, i^ the battle thatt ii was expected Commodore Chauncey would^ nsk, to endeavor to defeat the object we had ml view Our fleet returned, and mide a second^ ^, trip fpom Kingston to Niagara early ii\ Nor.t: C bift by this time the enemy had retired to theirl ^ own side. i:n^ >' ' '\^. In the yeas 1814,. the eoemy made several incursions into the upper part of Upper Canada^^; JFor the exprefs purpose of deftroying private' property, for on tht 15th of May, a detachment of their army under Colonel Campbell, landed; at Long Point on Lake Eriie, pillaged and laid' waste the adjacent country, bvirnt the village of Dover, witii all the mills, stores, distilleries, and' dwelling houses m the vicinity, carried awayt SUC& prc^erty a$ was portable, and filled thc^ cattle widiin their reach. Thelofs, bysuchdes- trudion aiad pillage, was eftimated at fifty thousand dollots. Do the ififh of August, some Americarf troops, v Jn^^aqpa their seijvic^ f^qv^ Detroit, fur-; wO»-i f. .c^fev^/ts^^i '. '^x^:i sxf -^^ ":-:'. m 4\\ II I -t J I m ;i .A ■ I ,■ I S*'::^l m I*' ":■.V• r -ilk'. t frised tlic settlement 6f Port ''Talbot, wlicrc i\\ff Committed the niost atrocious acts of violence, leavin^^, upwards of 2^d men, women and chil- creri, ih a state of hakedh^ls and want. On the ioth !!iptember, a iecond cxcufsion was made by the American garrison of Detroit, spreading fire and pi)lage through one of the feettleriients in the Western District of Upper Ca- nada, ivhcreby 27 families were reduced to mi- fiery. Early in Novemb f, fame year, General ^^ M* Arthur witn a large body of mounted Ken-, tuckians and Indians, madearapid march through the weftern and part of London Districts in that Province, burning the millsj deftroying the pr6- visions, and living upori the lohabitantSi , : Now, is it possible to cbnceiVe, that all those, and former acts of conflagration and pillage could have happened Without orders from the Ame- Hcan Govt, and yet if we had retaliated upon this principle in the Chefapeake or elfe where, (which ^vas completely in our power to have doile) Hvhat LXi outcry would have been raised by Mr, Madifon^ and re-echoed by the oppoiition in Hie Imperial Parliament, who on finding them- Telves beat from their grounds ofcenfureagainft our Government and officers forthc deftrudtion ^■iof the public buildings at Wafhington, when |)roved to have been merely retaliatoryj then took up a nevy pofition (equally untenable, viz. khat it Would have teen magnaniihous not to have . .followed thl exanipte of the Americans In tbei¥ tUdu9 at York and NewdYL ^k>w ; ^ ,1 •>•■ ( '41 ) 'V VIZ. jj Now in common fenfc, what does fucH dnrfj trine mean ? Do thefc mock patriots referve all their fympathics for the enemies of their coun- try, SL.ii regard with callous indifltLTcncp, the fuf*r ferings of their fellow fuhje£ls ? are the latter not entitled tp prptcftion and confideration, and as means of that prote(^ion, was it not incum* bent upon our officers, an>i a point f jiiftice, to turn againil the enemy their own w auxins, and thereby make them feel the confequences of their own enormity of conduft, with a view to pre^ , vept their repeating the like in future I . # < ; It is Very magnanimous to hefure to fpeak with «old blooded indifference about the infliction qf ruin upon friends at the diftance of 3,000 miles, by fire and devaftation In the moft aggravated. ihapes ; but I will venture to fay, that if Mr, V/hitbread's brewery and his princely manfion, with all their contenttf, had been at York or Newark, and ihared the fate of the buildings there consigned to the flames by the enemy , we {hould never have heard of hi^ le^ w^ upgn ^6« virtue of magnanimity* / 7^u; .\ k^r Thofe oppofitionifts' are not niore ga^pus tq the fi^flferings iof our^filMw fubje^s.fthaaofoijr allies. What concert! and reprobatip'n have they riot exprefled at the fit'etended cmelfies e^ercifed by the Indians in our intereft, againfl their ener mies : but which s^x\\^m^ h^s^erb^ea.; heard ; jtocomnoLiferate the fate of |h6fei pOcir,.'OTeatu/e$ , Wk^ llfer^ I4^rdef Rd in f^l4 Ww^i t^^ feU*Ti) >*' T- ,•■. '■ ^''^":' 'V ,»>. rfh I ( ^4^ ) ward, by the rcmoffelcfs Jackfon and CofTee, aa their own dilpatches prove ; Or at the fiyftem- 4itic burning and deftroying of Indian towns and corn fields to the northward, by the Ame- tican troops atld militia* ^ ,, Has any of them ever Ufted Up his voice in parliament, against the scandalous land .pillage iand other vexations and ipjuftice pradised a- jgainst the Indians by the Americans, and to •which they are re-conaigned, by its having been .t)mitted to be ftipulated in the late treaty of peace, that neither Great Britain nor the Uni- 'bd States, fhould ha:ve garrisons'Or ciiftom iiou- •Bes withan the Indian territory ; unlfefs it' be tin- dcrftood, that exemption thei^efrom mak^s Jialrt : of the rights towhich the fiAtivbs Were intitl^d in iSi I ; and yet "with all these outrages andne- • gleets ftaring them fnihe facie, we find them puniifig oV€r the world m searcli of adventures or bbjebtsj whereon to -exeri^isre their tender feelings, >iti the cause <)fhvi«iatvity.-i^nay, Mr. "Wihfitbread' seems ti^liiblinjgly aliVe with appre- hension that Great Britaiti ftiay : re-ihtcrfere to dethrone the Corsican, and does bis utmost to ^iiiripii'at moh/fgr frorn^ i^ of the Allied -^o^eVs, allpfwliom he libels i the most grofs ^^kti^^dctmeasufed lai%guage. . Yet suck is modern ^Ipatnotispx ! ■)';i3L: TJC l?*^ ' jAftcrr tile «ailipiii|A 6f ^i 8i ^ncloi^d,- Ottiaral igtlDrftnwm<5fid^&rtd Sir J'^mt^ Teo ckfnc ^dbv^ii to ^^^''- € • 1 , :_ upon Stlf :'f, ( 143 ) Upon the plan of operations for the next year : whatsoever tnat plan was, is now not material to be known, but much valuable time was lost in point of preparation, by hesitatingabout whether tobulld veflels at Turkey point, on Lake Erie, or on Lake* Huron. The latter was at last decided Upon, as it ought to have been at first ; but if re- port be true, Sir George was blamclefs in this delay. Had he been half as anxious to prevent the lofs of our lake Erie fleet, as it is said, he afterwards was to create a new one upon Lake Huron, (which certainly was the only secure .situation to build after that lofs) there never could have existed a queftion upon the subject, fend all the misfortunes of the right division of i&ur army would have been avoided, ,, . Before however the result of the incredible ex- pence incurred in winter 1814, cduld be known (and which expenoe, as also the similar excessive expenditure from winter 1813 onwards, were rendered nedeflary alone by the unpardonable jpreceding neglefts) the news of peace Very un- expcdt^dly arrived, and put a stop to further na- val ind military preparations. Some time after Sir George Wae ftiperseded arid recalled, in a Vilanner conveying, th^ most pointed iparks of Itiie disapprobation of his Majesty's QoVcminent. The peace is negatively glorious to "us, in so far asihat the enemy havie ^ot gjiiticd any one point for l^tiich jjShey went to war, and have lost va- luable indulgetLcies^ tlfat we bad granted them. ;iivibrinertreatiies: yet I cannot .but consider til (( ' H4 ) i> ,^''' m. W'' ' -i ^■ . tfjc terms of the tieaty urtsathjactory^ in not containing Ibmc provision for the future security ^cf the Canadas^ and dishonqrable^ in not provi- ding for the independence and protec\ion ofoup ■ Jndian AlUeu ' Although not coining within th^ fcope of my plan at the onset, yet I cannot pafs without ob- , , iervation, thefpecies of deception, by which the American Naval fervlce has obtained a degree of celebrity, to which it is not enthled in point of . . fadt. During the peace fuhfequent to the A- iTierican revoiation, political differences of opi- nion amongft their parties, prevented their build- ing line of battle fhips with the timber which r was provided for that purpofe ; bat the federal party then in power, as a trick upon the demo^ crats, who were out, worked up that timber into fh!ps* which they called frigates, by reafoa of not having tiyo complete gun-decks; but boafted of their being \\\ eff^dt '^'4 6 ir> disguife, which was perfectly true It has howayer since beer> found more convenient for their national vaai- '^ ty, to iilay off the trick upon us ; ai)d dropping the appellation of 74's in difgyife, to C4II theni pl^in 44 gun frigate$.. By thus disguifing their . r^alftrcngth, arid cautiouflyinall their official ac- counts, fpeakipg of them as frigates, and alfo con- ,, cealing their weight of metal, and number of n>en, they h^ve impofed upon the worMi or at jeaft the i^pn-profefSonal part of it, l?y inducing them to believe, that ia tjieir coinbats with us^ it wa3 irigat^^ pf ^4 gunj only ag^i^ft ^^^If^.^fi^. ' *ii'>-'ji'¥^'t \ lot ( H5 ) The fallacy of this will be frfanifefl from tlic foU lowing flatcmcnts : the Prcfideht, Conftitution^ and United States, rated at 44 guns, are each 1630 tons, and carry 56gtinsJ|f the following calibres, with each 480 to 500 picked men, viz : 32 long 24i)ound€rs discharging 768 lbs of ball, • 2 do 18 do »- < do [36 - -a ». 22 32ll)8. carrohadcd do 704 - (lam uncertain if they are not42l]). carronades) - ' 56 guns exclufive of howitzers in the top 1508 , lbs. — Now our 38 gun frigates with which they have had to combat, and which they captured, viz : Glierriere, Macedonian and Java, were each undrr looo tons, and the compliment of each 320 men and boys ; the atter fliip having fupernumeraries going to the Eaft Indies, had ' on board ^^77 meh and boys. Thi^y each car- tied 49 guns of the following description : s.^ i 28 long 18 prs. difcharging 504lb8. of ball, 2 do 9 do ■»**»ff^* » 18 l6car'ds. 32 do do 512 V 2 do 12 do ^do » r>4«t hi brafs gyn 49 guns ' r\- ! ^ (fo^v 1664 M t'.^tm It is proper to remark, tWdt the Drag6n, {hci lii'gest 74 in the Britifh NaVy, is two feet lhoft6r but two feet broader than the American 44 s. Her tonnage is 1798 and their's 1630; The average tonnage of 12 British 74's is only 1628, being the same as the said 44's. Upoli the whole therefore, it is evident, that what they h'4ire been puffing off 46 the world as equal com-* ''^* bat* .^^1 - J ( i4<5 ) batjhas beCn at least as 6 to 4; and ifthcir oVei^ proportion of able or profes^iopal seamen, to w.hat our ships cairy^ be considered, the diffe*^ rence is still greater^ perhaps two to one. In the sloops of war, there was the Tike dis*' {ropoition, as for instance, the American sloop iomct carried iS ci^rronades of 52 Ib^. 4 long 5 and 2 long j5 pounders, with 165 picked men — the Bri*:ish sloop pr brig Peac ck, had 16 carrcnades of 24lb3^ and 2 loi^g g'b» with 12^ men and boys. The $ame cheat, or rathet a much gteater^ is in progrefs with the 76's lately btiiU, which arc to carry 800 or 900 men each, and to discharge the following btoadfijd'^s, viz : )[61ong 4a prs» lower deck %6 do 24 do. Upper deck ' ^ JQ 24 do. qr. deck xo car'ds 42 dq* dk. for^caftle 4 do 24 do., poop 48 guns- of a side, in 41 ^ A Bntiih ship of 3 deck$^ r^ted at qSj catvies 112 guns, dkchairging a broadfide of >^ 14 loB^ 55i lower decfe 44S lbs. ^4 , do ^4 fl^'44^ ^^9 33$* ?ome , have i.|. " ' • . ' \ ■ - ' ■ .on^.J 14 dt> ir* upper da ^69> fi da Jiolqr.deck 38, 7 €aj:%3 :j I and %ec^ ^S guns «^ 4 si$h 10 att lioSibf ^4 71^ f^^^ !f>72 lbs; 384. 48. 429. 96. l6zo l\i^ I vv :d I- ( M7 ) The Ainencans h^vp also lately built a des-j cription of what they call frigates, to be rated 4§» ' guns and to carry 62 guns each with 600 men,^ Viz i 34 long 3 z pouriderg, ,r 4 do 24 do 24 car'ds 42 do -■ , The length of thbir gun-detk is aboV-e 180 feetii. . ^>./It is to be regretted, that in part we have sanctioned this deception, which the Americans have superlatively encreased; . It was common in our official accounts of battks with the French to state our ships according to their rate in thp Navy, ai'd the captured enemy at the actual number of guns he carried ; and thus the Hme- ticans have had the modeely to say, but most fal- sely, vhat they have captured British men o£ war at sea o( equal torce, which the French ne- ver could. Now the fact is, that neither have capiured our ships of equal force, and it U alike true, that we never conquered a French ship of of the like ar'ual iiiperiority to oUrs, as the A-* merican ships which we engaged really poflefled in intrinsic force. In the only actions we have had with Ame- rican ships of war. wherein the respective force was nearly al'ke, (for I fhall not notice the real difference of strength, it being on the side of the enemy) viz : the Shannon and Chesapeake fri- gates, and Pelican and Argus sloops ,; both were taken in a style, and in a space of which per- haps there is no naval precedent. It is a pity that every thing could not be reduced to arith- X metical '■*■*. ■ " m '-^ ,' 1 t ,'■) '1 li (148 ) ?V*^' '\* p« ^K *^- Ij H^ :y ^ J H ^^B&t-' --;-, ■Bw]''' "J- ^^brr '' i^i! ^^^BS^ ** i* "4 ^ rn'?tical calculation. For when fuch can be done, the deception ceases. ' . .' , . ^ ■ , • To prevent, therefore, impo.^ition upon the world, it should belaid down as an invaiiabie < rule in all naval a6lions, to state the actual num- l><:r,.sizc, and description of guns carried on both sides, with the real number of men on board at tlie time, and how many thereof are ra- ted able seamen ; were this truly done, there ^ould be an end of gasconade, and an invaria- ble criterion eftablifhed for afcertaining the real ftrength of nerves. Indeed no fhip fhould be i^ted lower than what fhe oarries. ^ A Britifli than of vvar's crew is compofed of 4 ckfTes, viz : able feamcn, ordinary fcamen, landsmen, including boys and marines ; if a fliip has a fourth ol her crew rated able, Ihe is confidered to be well manned, whereas an Ame- ^CfUi Ihip of war, for their having but few in ^number to mari, has half her crew or more, regu- Jarly bred feamen. By the capture of the Prtfi- dent and Chesapeake, the real ftate of their force and equipment will have been difcovered, and evince more efpecially as to the former, her wonden over proportion of force to her pre- 'tended rate. It is a fad that fpeaks volumes to the credit of our Navy, that in no inftance have our men of war declined the combat againft equal num- bers whatfoever the inequality of force, norfur- reiidered bejfore they were m a finking ftate ; ' ' where- ;il C M9 ) whereas I know of no cafe where an American fhip of war sought for an adlion', with one of ours of fuperior force ; but it is upon record that the redoubtable Commodore Rogers, in the f refident, run fixty hours in the North Sea, from the Alexandria frigate, magnifying her into a line of batt^*^ fhip, and at the corpmence- ment of the war, he was {o (by of the Belvider^, as to let her escape, altho' he had fome other A- merioan frigates aftern. The following has been handed to me as being a more corred: ftatement of the adion at Lundy's Lan -, and previous movements, than the abs- irad thereof given by me, and it being dated to be the refult of perfonal obfervation. I give it in the writer's own words, altho'in detail fome- what beyond the fpace that I had allotted to myfelf for this number. '— :-■ ;^::' * " General Brown retired fror Quebnfton on Sunday, the 24th of July, 1814; intelligence of which reaching the divifion under General Riall, at the iz mile Creek, the Glengary light infantry, and Incorporated Militia only, marched that night about eleven o'clock, for Lundy's La- ne, where they arnved next riiorning about 7 o'clock, in all abopt 700 men ; the Glengary's, commanded by Lieut. Col. Batterfby, the Mili- tia by Lieut. Col. Robinfon, and the whole un- der Lieut. Col. Pearfon, Infpeding Field Office?. General Brown, in the courfe of the after- jioonofthe 15th, received intelligence of^their weaknefs '.. II ilV 'h vt t.\ ( 150 ) ^eaknefs, and General Scott with about 1600 inen, infantry and dragoons, with feveral field pieces, came out from Chippewa about 6 o'clock to attack them. Moft fortunately General Drummond had that morning landed from York with the 89th rcgt. and with that corps, and detachments of the |loyal Scots and King's regt. drawn from the forts, in all about 800 men ; irnmediately march- ed towards Chippewa. The detachment on the south bank of the River Niagara, consisting of the4ift regt. after capturing the Poft at Lewiston was crofled to our own fhore, and returned to the forts, or remained at Queenfton, the light company excepted. The troops from Fort George, after dining at Queenfton between 4 and 5 in the afternoon, continued their march with Gen. Drummond at their head, and had got within half a mile of Lundy's lane, when they received intelligence that the American army were advancing. — Our Troops were halted and joined by the Incorpo- rated Militia, when Gmeral Drummond and llafF rode in advance to reconnoitre. The Glen- garies had remained at the Lane ; orders were immediately fent for our troops to advance, and the General had barely time to take a pofition when both his flanks were engaged. Veritas 1 ys, The uneq' a conteft was c^mtinued brave- ly for fome time, but being overpowered, the Uoops were retreating &c, Thi, wpuld lead tp 9f ( 151 ) a belief that at one time we had been beaten, but which was not the cafe at any one moment, nor did we yield them one foot of ground. A little before dufk the enemy received ft rong reinforce- ments, when the adlion became general, and though our left was very hard prefTed, it never was overpowered. About 400 of the enemy made a detor.r along the river on our lett, and gained the Niagara road in our rear, and it was then that they took General Riall and moft of our prifoners. The remainder of our Troops at the i^ mile creek were ordered to march at 3 th t morninp^, and were under arms at that fiOur, but by fome fatality the order was countermanded, and they did not move till pafl 12 o'clock.- — Then when General Riall fi ft learnt that the enemy were advancing, he fent an officer to meet Col. Scott of the 103d, with orders to retire on Queenfton. This order reached him about 3 miles from the field a fhort time before the adiion began, and before the Colonel received a counter order, he had made in purfuance of the firft order a retro- gade movement of nearly 4 miles, fo that it was paft 9 o'clock before he and his men could come up, who were then a good deal blown, and then it was fo dark, that but a partial advantage of their arrival could be taken. — Thus the action was chiefly fought by the troops originally enga- ged." It would be very fatiffadory to me, that this ft^t^ent ihould prove more correi^ than the { 152 ) other ; but I certainly did undeiftand, and I am not fingular in fo doing, that a part of our troopa overpowered by nu mbcrs, iiad at one time com- menced a retreat, but mod gallantly renewed the combat. 1 hoped to have clofed the military part of my narrative in this number, • but find that I muft defer it to my next. VERITAS. Montreal^ *jtb June i^l $, V •J •■,:• -.1% t No, > ( T C'^ ) ^■: (NO. X.) To the Editor of the Montreal Herald Sir, Having come to the clofe of my narrative of Sir George's military adminiftration, it only re-: mains'to make a fho.t recapitulation with a few remarks. To the unprejudiced It will be evident from the fa£ts adduced, that at the commencement of the late war, although fo long threatened, he had adopted no meafure for procuring early,or indeed any information upon the fubjed: ; and the whole of its progrefs was marked by fuch a deficiency of intelligence as almoft on every oc- cafion to demonftrate, that he was ignorant of the enemy, and without any plan of operations other than a difhearting defenfive fyftem, entire- ly dependent upon the develbpement of their movements, without attempt at circumventioa or counteradion, ^ That neither Sir George nor his pretended- friends, had any agency in the example which drew forth the fervices of the militia of the Low- er Province, or in quelling the difturbances which were produced by the execution of his own mili- tia aft. That i u ( 154 ) H: : till i 7i: That to General Brock's z al and energy, hfi as he was without orders, alonj^ with other caul- es in'iepcnden'" of ^ir Geon.^e, the prefervation ot Upper Canada in the firflinftance, and of Low- er Canada as a confcqueace, are mainly to be afcrihed. That at the begin'-jino; of the war we had a great fuperiority id vciTels on Lakes Ontario and Krie, which the crew of a sloop of war in 1 8 1 2 would have fecured to us ; hut which fuperiority he allowed by inaction and neglt^d to be wreft- eJ from us by means of the building of veflels that could have been prevented, and ef| ecially by fufferingthe formation of the naval cftablifh- luent at Sackett's Harbor^, which mi^ht have been deftroyed. That the lofs of our fleet upon Lake Erie, a-^ rofe from a like negled of the Prcfque Ifle eftab- li(hment, and from a great deficiency in the e- quipment and crews of our veflels under the cofn- mand of Captain Barclay, which it was the du- ty of Sir George, who then direded both fervi- ces, to have prevented. That in 1813, when he made an attack upon Sackett's Harbour, it was, when on the point of furrender, abandoned in a manner difreputable to our military charader. ' J.m 'ti': is«t- That by fome ftrangc Fatality, the attempt was never afterwards renewed, although it was evident to every man of common underftanding ' ^ acquainted It in rv I ^ la r r \y ■■ ■:.lr*55 ) '■ ■■■■'.: acquainted with the country, that the refult of the war on the fide of Canada, mufl: depend up- on the comniaad of the Lakes ; and that fuch command could not be maintained, but at an in- tolerable fexpence, ?ind then very prccarioufly, unlefs the. -eftablifhrnent at Sackctt's harbour could be deftroyed. That inadion and negledl at the piitftt, laid the foundation of a neceflity for a moft lavifh expenditure in the progrefs of the war, and efpe- cially in the lad ftage of it, to the extent of many millions flerling, whereby the government and the nation became diflatiffied, and finally were fo completely difappointed in their expectations from the very extenfive military and pther re* fources placed under the diredlion of Sir George, as to engender a general wifh for peace on al- lij^oft any terms ; and therefore whatfoever there may be in the conditions of peace, ivhich arc not what they would or ought to have been under different circumftances, may very fairly be afcribed to bir George's mifman- agement of thofe refources, and general incapa- city for the high fituation he held. » That the lofs of our fleet upon Lake Cham* plain, unqueftionably in jpart proceeded from a jprcmature attack by its Commander, Capt. Dow- iiic, and which attack would not have been made when it was, ha^ he not been urged thereto ; or even if not urged in exprefs terms, certainly nbt without a confidence in a joiat attack or co- *£ operatioa fill m i: ( i5<5 ) operation on the part of the army, but no fuch at- tack or co-open.t'on took place. ,-•.>. The lofs however of that fleet, mortifying as It was, is triflinp. when compared witii the hu- miliation refuhlng from the fatal expedition to riattfburpjh, and the dilgraceful retreat therefrom without fighting ; bqcaufe Sir George thereby caft a ftain upon our well earned military renown, which has had a moft pernicious moral effect at' a diflance, viewed as it has been through Ame- rican mifrcpiefentation^ and confcquently exag-" gerated into a military defeat,' iriflead of being confidered as it really Was, owing to the'grofs fault of the commander alone, in dire£l oppofl-i tion to the wifhes and feelings of almofl every- officer and foldiei in his army. ''■' • » '-^ ^ ^ And w^hat adds to the ; n^isfortune, is, that no reafoning or explanation can ever effectual- ly eradicate the falfe impreffion made by that la- mentable retreat, in which our gallant troops were fuch indignant actors, and which imprefli^ on may be the caufe of bringing about another war upon the part of the United States, at atj earlier period then would have been the cafe, had the fleet been faved aad the works of Plattlburg carried. ' • ' • " ...,,.; y The candid part of the American ofHcers, ri-C dicule Sir George's cdndud at Sackett's Harbqui^ And Plattfburg, although benefiting thereby as much as we can do, who are fuch heavy iiifferer^ therefrom, t ' ■ • " ' X ( 157 ) I (hall only add that the fcvere lofscs fiiftained by our troops in the hard fought campaign of 1814 on the Niagara line, arofe from the obfli- nate neglect of ^ ir 'George to furnifli reinforce- ments to bat part of the army on the opening of the navigation, nolwithftanding the matiifeft preparations of the enemy to make their real at-* tack in that quarter, ' " Moreover I am informed, that Sir Geoge and General Sheaffe, when at York in winter i8i2> were of opinion, that Upper Canada could not be defended vvith the then means; in which opini- ion a gentleman in high civil fituation there join- ed ; — fo that it may be truly faid, both Provin- ces were prei'erved by a kind of miracle in aid of the exertions of others, in fpite of the opinions, incapacity, and egregicus blunders of the Com- mandiir of the forces, and againft his intentions of evacuating the country beyond Kingfton, and General Sheaffe's wifh for a premature abandoa«i jnent of Fort trie. ."■■'■* i It was my intention to have given alfo a fketch of Sir George's civil adminiftration, but reflect-, ing that it has been already fo My depidl^d,^ b^ik N£RVA,in his admirably written allegory, I fha|^ for theprefent not profecute that intenti^Hi. ■■ ' ^ , V V V£RltAS^ ( Montrtal, "jtb June\%i^, FINIS,