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i^'^'S^fM^^^^W^J^yc^-.-^^^ 
 
 Si^^^S^^l^^iw^^^pi 
 
 
 BATTLE OF 
 
 qUeeMstoinI 
 
 iIeIgmts 
 
 BY ERNEST CRUIKSHANK. 
 
 '^^Pi^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
Li 
 
 ■'v-.at 
 
 
 I 
 
 ATHR 
 
 A LE 
 
Lundy's Lane Historical Society. 
 
 s 
 
 QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 
 
 A THRILLING NARRATIVE OF THE FAMOUS BATTLE WHERE GENERAL BROCK 
 
 DIED DEFENDING HIS COUNTRY. 
 
 BY ERNEST CRUIKSHANK. 
 
 A LECTURE DELIVERED AT DRUMMONDVILLE, ONT., DEC. 
 
 18, 1880. 
 
 IPIS/IOE lO OEO^TS. 
 
 WELLAND: ' 
 
 ^ 
 
 Printed by W. T. Sawle & Co., Telegiuph Oftick. 
 
 1890. 
 
1 
 
 • {■ 
 
 Battle of Queenston Heights. 
 
 [by ERNEST CRUIKSHANK.] 
 
 Most Canadians are sufficiently familiar 
 with the stately column which crowns the 
 summit of Queenston Heights, and looks 
 down upon an expanse of scenery which can 
 scarcely be paralleled for variety and 
 sublimity, save by the view from the edt);e 
 of the plateau, on which an obelisk marks 
 the spot where "Wolfe died victorious." 
 Most of them know, also, in a ;;eneral way, 
 why it was placed there, and that Brock 
 died to preserve what Wolfe had died to 
 conquer. 
 
 It is not necessary to trace the march of 
 events immediately succeeding the declara- 
 tion of war by the United States, on the 
 18th of June, 1812 ; how Brock cheered up 
 the despondent, decided the wavering, and 
 over-awed the disloyal among the inhabi- 
 tants of the province by a settled policy, 
 to use his own words, of "speaking loud 
 and looking big ;" how, prevented by the 
 express instructions of his superior from 
 attacking the enemy beyond the Niagara, 
 he assembled an enthusiastic body of volun- 
 teers, and taking with him almost every 
 regular soldier at his disposal, flew to repel 
 the invader at the Detroit ; how he promptly 
 determined to cross that river contrary to 
 the opinion of his most trusted olHcei's ; and 
 how his audacity was rewarded by a com- 
 plete and bloodless victory, is tolerably 
 well known to every Canadian. 
 
 But, while conquoring at Detroit, he could 
 I not fail to be apprehensive that disaster, 
 I might have befallen the weakened garrisons 
 Ion the Niagara, and scarcely twenty-four 
 I hours were permitted to elapse before he 
 Iwas on his w^ thither, carrying with him 
 lall the troops that had accompanied or pre- 
 joeded him from that quarter, fully alive to 
 [the troth of the Napoleonic maxim that "in 
 
 war-time is everything." Brock hoped to 
 duplicate his exploit by the capture of Fort 
 Niagara and the dispersal of the forces as- 
 sembled on thrit frontier. That it would 
 have been an easy task, there can now be do 
 reasonable doubt, although superior in 
 numbers, the American troops there were, 
 by the admission of their commanders, in a 
 very iudifferent state of discipline, without 
 any heavier ordnance than six pounders, 
 aud but few of them, and without artiller- 
 ists. A few days later, when the true ex- 
 tent of Brook's success was made known, 
 their demoralization became complete. The 
 most absurd rumors were believed and 
 spread. Fugitives from Detroit, anxious to 
 excuse their cowardice, gravely reUted that 
 a hundred fresh scalps had been deposited 
 at Elliott'd feet, and that he had paid for 
 tliem at the rate of six dollars each. Not 
 only the Western Indians, but those resid- 
 ing in Michigan and Canada were said to 
 have tiiiken the hatchet, and to be already 
 on their way to devastate the border settle- 
 ments of Ohio. The appearance of tivo 
 British war-vessels on the south coast of 
 Lake Erie threw the inhabitants of Chau- 
 tauqua county into a paroxysm of terror. 
 Fearful memories of Cherry Valley and 
 Wyoming were recalled, and a general 
 dight began. The militia became clamorous 
 tor pay, and sought furloughs under every 
 possible pretext. When refused they feigned 
 sickness or deserted. 
 
 The intensity of Brock's disappointment 
 may be imagined when he learned, on bis 
 arrival at Fort Erie, on the '22Qd of August, 
 that an armistice had been proclaimed five 
 days before. Persistently hoping against 
 hope that peace might be established with- 
 out bloodshed, the Governor-General of 
 
 
liATTI.K OF (^UKKNSTON Hkli.H'lS, 
 
 Canada, as soon as he was informed of the 
 repeal of the obnoxious orders in council 
 aaaigned by the American government as 
 the chief cause ot their declaration of war, 
 dispatched his Adjutant-General, Colonel 
 Baynes, to General Dearborn, commander 
 of the United States forces in the state of 
 New York, who had his headquarters at 
 Green Bush, near Albany, to propose a ces- 
 sation of hostilities till the decision of the 
 cabinet could be ascert-iined. He tound 
 Dearborn in a favorable humor. He had 
 indeed been vaguely instructed to mike a 
 diversion in favor ot General Hull upon the 
 Niagara, but was in no position to assume 
 the offensive there or elsewhere at that mo- 
 ment. Most of the American merchant 
 vessels on Likke Ontario were blockaded at 
 Ogdensburg. Sackett's Harbor, his priacipal 
 naval station on that lake, was nearly de- 
 fenceless, and had been threatened with an 
 attack; the forces assembled on the Niagara 
 were unprovided with artillery ami necess- 
 ary munitions of war. Ho readily assented 
 to uaynes, proposals as far as the forces 
 under his immediate command were con- 
 cerned, as he could still continue his pre- 
 • parations for defence and invasion with 
 entire freedom. But Hull was believed to 
 be in full tide of success. It was confidently 
 reported that he had taken Maiden and was 
 marohint; up the Thames. Dearborn there- 
 fore warily declined to extend the armistice 
 to his operations. 
 
 General Van Rensselaer, who commanded 
 the American forces on the Niagai a, received 
 the news with feelings of relief and satiatac- 
 tion. Although refugees from Canada had 
 assured him nearly a week before, that all 
 the regular troops had been withdrawn from 
 the posts opposite to meet General Hull, he 
 still remained incredulous and apprehensive 
 of an attack. Yet his force already ex- 
 ceeded two thousand men, of whom one-half 
 were regulars. He perceived in an instant 
 what an immense advantage might be de- 
 rived from the cessation of hostilities, if the 
 terms could be construed in such a way as 
 to enable him to bring up troops and stores 
 from Oswego and Uaoketts Harbor, by water 
 instead of by the tedious overland route. 
 Unless this concession were secured the 
 armistice would be of little immediate benefit 
 to him. The agreement was so loosely 
 worded as to leave this matter in doubt. 
 His Adjutant- General was at once sent to 
 Fort George with directions to inaiston this 
 interpretation. 
 
 Colonel Christopher Myers had been left 
 in command there by General Brock To 
 garrison all the posts, he had less than threr 
 hundred men of the 4l8t regiment The 
 
 absentees of the flank companies of the 
 Lincoln militia were called in and increased 
 the number of militia in service to about 
 four hundred. The remainder of the in- 
 habitants were busily engaged in the harveit 
 fields, but an additional draft of five hun- 
 dred men were warned to hold themselves 
 in readiness to march to his support. The 
 two armed vessels, Prince Regent and Earl 
 iA.oizjk, were moored in the mouch of the 
 river to protect bis left flank, while the new 
 schooner. Lady Prevost, was anchored off 
 Fort Erie to assist in the defence of that 
 post. Efforts to strengthen the fortifications 
 along the entire line were coatiuued as far 
 as his means would permit. A day or two 
 before the armistice was announced, Colonel 
 Roger Sheaffe of the 49ch, arrived and as- 
 sumed command. Letters recently received 
 from Prevost insisted on the policy of con- 
 ciliating the enemy by every means in his 
 power, and Sheafle finally consented that 
 both parties should enjoy the unrestricted 
 navigation of Lake Ontario as long as the 
 armistice continued, although an express 
 from Detroit had informed him a few min- 
 utes before of the capitulation of the entire 
 American army there. 
 
 All the advantages secured so far by the 
 superiority of the British squadron on Lake 
 Ontario were thrown away by a stroke of 
 the pen. The blockaded vessels at Ogdens- 
 burg were removed to Sackett's Harbor to be 
 armed, and troops and stores of all kinds 
 hurried forward to Fort Niagara. Tidings 
 of Brock's almost incredible success had 
 preceded him, and as he rode down to Nia- 
 gara he was met midway by many of the 
 magistrates aud principal inhabitants on 
 horseback, who presented him with a con- 
 gratulatory addfCRs, to which be replied 
 with his characteriatic readiness and tact, 
 quietly disclaiming any personal credit, and 
 ascribing his triumph to the fitjielity and 
 alacrity with which he had been supported 
 by the people of the province and the stead- 
 iness of the troops under his command. 
 The volunteers that had accompanied him j 
 were filled with natural exultation, and 
 their easy victory had inspired them with 
 a certain amount of contempt for their 
 enemies, which was rapidly communicated 
 to their friends and acquaintances. The I 
 arrival of the American general and the I 
 regulars of his army, a few dxys later, be-j 
 came the signal fur a frantic outburst of I 
 enthusiasm, and aged loyalists whu still | 
 nourished bitter memotius of the Kevolu 
 tion, proclaimed that Saratoga had been at I 
 last avenged. 
 
 Quite as profound was the dismay u<' 
 caaioned in the minds of even the most san- 
 
HA r ILK OK i^UEENSION HKUIHIS. 
 
 guine of his antaptoniHta. "Three days ago," 
 wrote Peter B. Porter, their quarter-mas- 
 ter geaeral, to the Governor of New York, 
 'the heroes of Tippecanoe and the garrisons 
 of Detroit and Mackinao, amounting to 
 ahout 500, were marched like cattle from 
 Port Erie to Fort George, guarded by 
 (Teneral Brook's regular troops with all the 
 < |urade and pomp of British insolence, and 
 I w<' were incapacitated by the armistice and 
 our own weakness from giving them the re- 
 ] lief they anxiously seemed to expect. With 
 ^000 men on this river, the whole ot Upper 
 (jtinada and the Indian country would have 
 Iheeninour possession Now, Detroit and 
 li brave army taken, the Indians let loose 
 upon our frontiers, the inhabitants flying in 
 [every direction. Brook with his army and 
 ladiaos and thousands of inspirited Cana- 
 idians, and a powerful train of field and 
 I garrison artillery taken at Detroit arrived 
 Ion this frontier and ready to act. Indeed 
 lit h now reduced to a certainty that the in- 
 I habitants of this froucier are doomed to feel 
 the scourge and desolation ot the war. The 
 Ihour that closes the armistice ivill bring 
 Iruin to most of them who live on this frou- 
 Itier. Wo have been daily amused for two 
 Iraouths by news of heavy ordnance and 
 ] Hying artillery. They come as far as I'tica 
 land then disappear. This letter is written 
 I in a state of mind little short of distraction. 
 Vosterday a number of men were shot at 
 Tort George in view of our troops. They 
 [are supposed to be the unfortunate fellows 
 wtio joined General Hull in Canada and 
 wer«7 surrendered at Detroit, and foV whose 
 protection provision should have been made 
 I in the capitulation at the expense of the life 
 of every man in the garrison. The public 
 I mind is wrought up almost to a pitch of 
 imadnesSt. Jealousy and distrust begin to 
 |to prevail towards the general oillcers." 
 •fohn Love1h> private secretary of General 
 I V^an Rensselaer, wrote about the same time 
 Ito a friend: "Hull's surrender has cemented 
 ■Canada beyond anything you can conceive, 
 lit has also a serious effect on the Indians 
 Ittlong the whole frontier. The sensation 
 Jproduced by the sight of prisoners marched 
 |pi«t is inexpressible." 
 
 Under these circumstances it is not sur- 
 Iprisinsr that when General Dearborn,having 
 lletrned tliat his government had peremp- 
 jtoriiy declared to enter into fresh negotia- 
 Itions, and believing the rumor of the capture 
 jof Maiden, instructed Van" Rensselaer t6 
 Iterminate the armistice at once, that 
 ■the latter exercised the discretionary power 
 |allowed him of prolonging it until the last 
 }f his artillery had arrived. But when the 
 {last division of. boats hove in sight, and all 
 
 the benetit that could be reasonably ex- 
 pected from its continuance had beun se- 
 cured, notice was given that it would end 
 on the 8th of September. 
 
 Four hundred batteaux loaded with 
 artillery and stores had come in from Os- 
 wego ; great quitntities ot provisions had 
 been collected ; a large number of scows 
 and boats suitable for the passage of the 
 river had been built ; several thousand 
 additional troops had arrived and more were 
 on the march, yet the American general 
 hesitated to assume the offensive. The 
 panic created by ti.e surrender of Detroit 
 bad by that time reiched Albany, and Dear- 
 born wrote to warn himthatan attack upon 
 his position was imminent. British troops 
 had been seen ascending the St. Lawrence, 
 and he mnst be prepartid to tall back if hard 
 pushed and not be caught in a trap like 
 Hull. The disembarkation of detachments 
 of soldiers both at B^ort Erie and ^Niagara, 
 close upon the heels of this information, 
 alarmed and perplexed them. Colonel Fen- 
 wick, commanding h . Fort Niagara, report- 
 ing that an attaok was expected by him, the 
 stores were removed, the siege-guns buried, 
 and every preparation made for the hasty 
 evacuation of the post. 
 
 Stephen Van Rensselaer, who held chief 
 command by virtue of his rank as Major- 
 General of the New York state troops, was 
 an utter novice in all military affairs and 
 could scarcely even be termed an amateur 
 soldier. The> last patnxm of liensselaer- 
 Wyck and the leading Federalist in the 
 state, his appointment was a sharp stroke of 
 party tactics on the part of the governor 
 who discovered in him a prospective and 
 dangerous opponent The recent Congres- 
 sional elections had seemed to indicate that 
 the Federalists had regained the contideuje 
 of the people of New York, and most of 
 their leaders were uncompromising in their 
 hostility to the war. If Van Rans<ielaer 
 accepted, his immediate following would be 
 committed to its prosecution ; if he refused, 
 his conduct could be denounced as unpat- 
 riotic. 
 
 Five generations of the Van Rensselaera 
 had reigned in the ancient manor-house near 
 Albany, and their estates stretched along 
 the Hudson from Barren Island to Cohoea, 
 extending inland for twenty-five miles on 
 either side of the river, and comprising a 
 thousand square miles of territory. Under 
 the Dutch governors they had assumed al- 
 most regal state, exacting oaths of ullegiaoce 
 from their tenants, and they still maintained 
 many of their feudal customs giving per- 
 petual leases, receiving the rents in dozens 
 of fowls and bushels ot wheat and personal 
 
...^_ . ,-.n. 
 
 BATTLE OF QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 
 
 service, and holding reguUr quarter talea. 
 In the Congressional district in which 
 Albany was situated their influenoe was 
 paramount, and members of the family re- 
 presented it for twenty years. Stephen, the 
 present head of the house, was an amiable 
 and benevolent but rather dull man of about 
 fifty years of age. On all strictly military 
 subjects, he was compelled to rely upon the 
 advice of his Adjutant-General and cousin, 
 Solomon Van Rensselaer who baH been bred 
 a soldier, had served in the United 
 •States army for ten years, and had held his 
 present appointment for as many more. He 
 had been wounded in Wayne's oampaij;n 
 against the Indians, and posscsserl the re- 
 putation of a brave and skilful officer. 
 
 Remaining but a few hours at Niagara, 
 the indefatigable Brock hurried on to King- 
 ston where he inspected the militia, ex- 
 amined the growing fortifications and wrote 
 to Sir George Prevost for permission to 
 attack Sackett's Harbor, where the Ameri- 
 can shipping on Lake Ontario had taken 
 refuge. With his present superiority upon 
 the lake he assured him that its capture 
 would be an easy matter. A portion nf the 
 American troops at Niagara would be 
 probably recalled for its relief, and while 
 they were marching overland he would sail 
 up the lake and throw his whole force 
 against the posts they had left. But tu the 
 governor this daring scheme of operation 
 seemed far too hazardous, and in reply he 
 desired Brock not to provoke the eaemy by 
 needless annoyance, but remain strictly on 
 the defensive, and even hinted that he 
 had risked too much when he ventured to 
 cross the river at Detroit. 
 
 This plan having been'rejecte'l, Brock re- 
 turoud to Niagara where he found that Van 
 Rensselaer had already given notice of the 
 termination of the armistice. Lewiston 
 Heights were whitenerl with the tents of a 
 lar^e encampment. Other camps were vis- 
 ible at Schlosser, Black Rock, and in rear 
 of Fort Niagara. Batteries had been eroded 
 on the cominandiog ground opposite Fort 
 Oeorge and at Lewiston, and armed with 
 heavy guns. A large flotilla of boats, suit- 
 able tor the transportation of troops, lay 
 moored under the guns of the foit at the 
 mouth of the river, and ethers had been 
 taken up to Lewiston. Forty batteaux, 
 each capable of carrying thirty men, were 
 known to have been built in Tonawanda 
 creek. Every day large bodies of men could 
 be seen exercising and marching to and fro, 
 attended by a numerous train of field artil- 
 lery and detachments of cavalry. b!very- 
 thing pointed to an immediate attack, while 
 
 Brock found himself at once greatly in want 
 nf officers, men, and artillery, and wrote to 
 Prevost that he must have a thousand more 
 regular soldiers to defend that frontier, and 
 the latter replied, that not another m>n 
 oould be spared for ^p^r Canada 
 under any circumstances. Without delay 
 the British commander set to work to supply 
 his lack of men and means with his wonted 
 energy. Detachments of troops were ordered 
 up from Kingston and down from Amherst- 
 burg. Batteries were built and mounted 
 with cannon taken from the fortifications of 
 Detroit. An extensive system of beacons 
 was established stretching from the Sugar 
 Loaf and Point Abino along the lake 
 and river to Lnndy's Lane and Queenston, 
 and thence inland to Pelham Heignts, by 
 which the movements ot the enemy could be 
 instantaneously signalled over the entire 
 peninsula by night or day. Two thousand 
 captured muskets and the accoutrements of 
 Hull's regular troops were distributed among 
 the militia of the province. His tireless 
 activity and watchfulness excited the ad- 
 miration even of his enemies. "I send you 
 Brook's seal," Lovett wrote to a friend, 
 "with his appropriate motto ; 'He who 
 guards, never sleeps.'" Earthworks of 
 some description were constructed on every 
 commanding point along the river from 
 Queenston tc its mouth, and at any menac- 
 ing movement of their troops, alarm guns 
 were fired and horsemen galloped out in 
 every direction. 
 
 Nor were the embarassments of the British 
 general, from lack of clothing and ready 
 money, less annoying and serious. A num- 
 ber of the wealthier inhabitants, who formed 
 ^hem8elveB into a company known as the 
 "Queenston and Niagara Association," had 
 at that critical moment in July, when the 
 fate of the province hung in the balance, 
 loaned him several thousand pounds of ready 
 money which enabled him to equip his ex- 
 pedition for the relief of Maiden. The con- 
 tents of General Hull's military chest and 
 ten thousand dollars sent him by the Gov- 
 ernor-General had enabled him to satisfy 
 the most pressing demands since. But the 
 pay of his troops, both regulars and militia, 
 was several months in arrears, and they 
 were unable to obtain the most trifling 
 article without paying cash for it. They 
 were-without tents or camp utensils of any 
 description. Their clothing hung about 
 them in tatters ; their shoes were in holes; 
 and they always suffered dreadfully from 
 cold and wet, yet their patience and cheer- 
 fulness excited his warmest praise. With the 
 exception of a few men from the militia 
 who generally went to their homes and 
 
BATfLE OF QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 
 
 afterwards reioiaed their companies, there 
 wore scarcely aoy desertions. 
 
 On the other side ot the river bodies of 
 fresh troops were constantly arriving, but 
 their militia was represented as 
 being very much dissatisfied and extremely 
 inetliciet :•. Sickness prevailed in their 
 camps and funerals were daily observed. 
 Several men of the 6th United States In- 
 fantry deierted in a body and attempted to 
 swim the river, six of whom perished in 
 sight of both armies. Undeterred by the 
 fate of his unfortunate comrades, another 
 man of the same regiment plunged in next 
 day and swam over amid a shower of bullets 
 Two companies that had arrived during the 
 armistice, each consisting of sixty men, he 
 
 Said, had already been reduced one half by 
 esertion. 
 
 By the middle of September, two com- 
 panies of the Royal Newfoundland and six 
 of the 49th regiment arrived from Kingston, 
 and ninety men of the 4^1st ceme down from 
 Detroit. These slender reinforements were 
 ostentatiously paraded in view of the enemy 
 as they arrived and marched from place to 
 place with marked effect as we have already 
 observed. Three hundred Indians had come 
 in and two hundred more were promised, 
 but Brock placed little dependance upon 
 auxiliaries of such uncertuio temperament. 
 "They may serve to intimidate," he said, 
 "but no effective service can be expected 
 from this degenerate race." To Preyost he 
 wrote that there was no doubt great discon- 
 tent existed among the American forces, 
 "and muoh might be done, but keeping in 
 mind Your Excellency's instructions, and 
 aware of the policy of permitting such a 
 force to dwindle away by its own inefficient 
 means, I do not contemplate any immediate 
 attack." But to hts brother a few dayb 
 later he disclosed his renl impatience at his 
 forced inactivity.' "My instructions oblige 
 me to adopt defenaive measures, and 1 have 
 evinced greater forbearance than was ever 
 practiced on any former occasion. It is 
 thought that without aid of the sword, the 
 American people may be brought to a due 
 sense of their interests. I firmly believe 
 that at this .moment I could sweep every- 
 thing before me from Fort Niagara to Buf- 
 falo, but my BuooesB would be transient. " 
 
 In fact the arrival of his reinforcements 
 had almost produced a panic in the Ameri- 
 can camp. Party strife raged among the 
 
 I officers with unabated fury. Porter and his 
 friends styled the commanding general a 
 
 I traitor, while Solonyb Van Rensselaer an- 
 nounced his intention of publishing Porter 
 as "a poltroon, coward, and scoundrel," In 
 
 I this dilemma General Dearborn suggested 
 
 that the Governor of the sbate should 
 assumed supreme command himself and 
 march thither with as large a toroe 
 of militia a^ he could assemble, while he en- 
 deavored to draw off part of the British 
 troops by a movement towards Montreal by 
 way of Lake Champlain. Tompkins was too 
 shrewd a politician to peril his reputation by 
 such a step, but he displayed great vigor in 
 pushing forward troops, and stores, and in- 
 vested Van Rensselaer with authority to 
 call out an almost unlimited number of 
 militia from the neighboring counties. 
 Dearborn at the same time dispatched regi- 
 ment after regiment of regular troops to 
 VtkU Rensselaer's assistance, while the sec- 
 retary of war sent sailors to equip and man 
 the boats and vessels at Buffilo, and was 
 urging forward another army to reoov<)r 
 Detroit. Two thousand men from Pennsyl- 
 vania were at the same time ordered to 
 march to the Niagara. 
 
 There long continued efforts to enlist the 
 Indians residing in New York and Pennsyl- 
 vania actively on their side now promised 
 to be successful. Already in July Erastus 
 Granger, the American Indian agent for the 
 state of New York, hold a council with the 
 Senecas at Buffalo, during which he pro- 
 posed that they should permit two hundred 
 of their young men to join the American 
 army, J'his they refused to do, but con- 
 sented to send some of their chiefs to Grand 
 river to dissuade the Indians from joining 
 the British. In this mission they were un- 
 successful, but Granger appears to have 
 represented to his government that they 
 were anxious to he employed themselves, 
 for a« early as tl 27th of July, the secre- 
 tary of war wrote to Dearborn, enclosing a 
 letter to Granger, authorizing him to or- 
 ganize the warriors of the Six Nations con- 
 ditionally. At this time it was quite im- 
 possible for him to know that any 
 Indians had joined the British. About the 
 middle of September Van Rensselaer hold a 
 grand council with the Tusuaroras, and ad- 
 vantage was craftily taken of the appearance 
 of a Itritish scouting party upon Grand 
 Island, which was still the property of the 
 Senecas, to excite alarm amongst them lest 
 they should be deprived of these lands. 
 They were induced to declare war formally, 
 and Red Jacket pompously announced they 
 would put 3000 warriors in the deld. Sev- 
 eral hundred Indians were also brought 
 down from the Alleghany river and a great 
 feast and war dance held in the streets of 
 Buffalo. Almost at the instant that these 
 events were taking place, the secretary 
 again wrote to Dearborn : — "By letters re- 
 ceived from Erastus Granger it appears that 
 
 liinmiTii ,,^ijaaMM*iwa* 
 
8 
 
 BAITLE OF yUEENSrON HEIGHTS. 
 
 It the youn^ men ut the Six Nitious can no 
 
 I longer bu reatraiueii, and thut in caue of 
 
 ' rufustil on the part of the United States to 
 
 accept their services thuy would join the 
 < Indians under the British standard. Mr. 
 Granger has therefore been authorized, 
 afte>' every attempt to secure their neu 
 t'-raltty has failed, to emptby them. ' In singu- 
 lar cuutrcidiction to (he statements contaiued 
 in this letter stands a spee.'h delivered at 
 the anoieut council ground of the Six 
 Nitions hy sixteen chiefs, repreaeuting five 
 * tiibes of the confederacy distributed as far 
 west as Touawanda, on the 29th ut Septem- 
 ber. "Having been told repu*tedly by your 
 agents to remain neutral, we were very 
 much surpriseii at the council held at Buf- 
 falo Creek, ut buiui; invited to take up the 
 tomahawk. We are not unfriendly to the 
 Uuited State.4 but are few iu nainlier, and 
 can do but little, but are willing to do what 
 we can, and if you 8)»y so we will go with 
 ' your peoi^ld to battle. We are anxious to 
 
 know year Mishes as soon ii8 possible, be- 
 Ciuse we are afraid some of our yuuug men 
 m.iy disperse among distant tribes and be 
 hostile to you." By the beginning of Octo- 
 ber it is certain that about 300 warriors 
 ; joined Van Rensselaer's army, but they 
 
 i seemed to have sent some apologetic mes- 
 
 I sage to the allied tribes in the British ser- 
 
 i vice, fjr these assured Brock that they 
 
 { would not act against him with any spirit. 
 
 "So i imagine," he observed with his ac 
 ! customed shrewdness, ''if we continue to 
 
 show a bold front, but in the event of a 
 disaster the love cf plunder will prevail in a 
 manner to be the most dreaded by the in-' 
 habitants of this country." 
 
 The American militia were constantly in 
 I the habit of stealing down to the river and 
 
 )^4/%X,//\ firing at the British sentries, the batteries 
 '^nd private houses on the opposite bank, 
 and excited an intense ttnd alntost ferocious 
 feeling of hatred among the troops under 
 Brock's ouinmand, but he had the satis- 
 faction of being able to report at the end of 
 two months of inoessant annoyance and 
 alarm, that his regulars had not been di- 
 ' minished by a single death at the hands ot 
 
 I the enemy, nor by a solitary desertion, and 
 
 that his entire f<>roe was in good he^ilth and 
 spirits in spite of their privations. A letter 
 I from a spy, apparently residing near Fort 
 
 Erie, to General Van P.onsselaer.gives a very 
 striking picture of the situatiim and feelings 
 of the people at this time, "General Brock," 
 he remarks, "has paid attention to every 
 particular that can relate to the future re- 
 sources of the province under his charge as 
 well as to its immediate defence. The har- 
 vest has been got in tolerably well and 
 
 greater preparation is made for sowing fall 
 grain than ever before. The militia law is 
 modified as much as possible to Buit the cir- 
 cumstances of the people, and metsures 
 tsken to prevent them feeling the burden of 
 the war. The women work in the fields, 
 encouragement being given for that purpose. 
 When Hull's proclamation appeared it had 
 its effect, there being security promised fur 
 private property, and the people would 
 willingly have submitted, but when it was 
 found thdt private property was sei/^ud 
 without compensation the public seutimf^nt 
 entirely oi; inged. The sucoess of General 
 Brock establiiihed the general eeutiment ; he 
 has since made the most of it, has become 
 ptTdOually highly popular; to short, has 
 taken every measure that a judicious officer 
 will take in his circumstances fur the secur- 
 ity of the provinca A determination now 
 prevails aiiiung the people to deteud the 
 country." 
 
 No dread of impendiug disaster . ever 
 damped his spirits or abated his activity, 
 luipressibly sanguine himself he pusseshed 
 the mrj faculty of imbuing all who came in 
 contact with him with unbounded contidence 
 in his abilities and respect fur his character. 
 I'o maintain his position in the force of the 
 overwhelming numbers gathering in his 
 front might at times have seemed well nigh 
 hopeless, yet no sign of despondency ever 
 appeared in his manner or conversation. 
 Hia wontecl sagacity was displayed in the 
 seieclion of members of hia military family. 
 John McDonnell, the attorney -general of 
 tho province and M. P. P. for Glengarry, 
 and .lames Givias.of the Indian department, 
 a man thoroughly familiar with the laoi;uage 
 and cuttoms of the Indians of the province, 
 were appointed provincial aides-ile-oamp. 
 Robert Nichul, a millmMiii^ of Port Dover, 
 who knew intimately every part of the 
 coun''ry between the Niagara and Detroit 
 and almost every man in it, was made 
 astiAtauu quartermaster general. 
 
 When ttie assembly Mas prorogued un 
 address to the people of the province had 
 been prepared and signed by nearly tho 
 whole ot the members, urging them to de 
 feud their country and pledging their aid 
 and adviiie in the ^ause, and must of them 
 had now taken t.ie field ita come opacity. 
 Many of the surviving loyalists, too old and 
 feeble to bear the fatiguo of a campaign, 
 tendered their services to perform garrison 
 duty. 
 
 The weather had been extremely dis- 
 couraging. July had been excessively hut 
 and dry, but August brought floods of rain. 
 Wheat sprouted iu the tields after b> iug 
 reaped and much of the harvest was ruined. 
 
BATTLE OF QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 
 
 September aa a rule proved cool and pleisant, 
 but October was ushered in by furious 
 storms, and sudden changea of temperature 
 which prevented most of the Indian corn 
 from maturing, and blighted the lingering 
 hopes of the farmers. 
 
 Besides several large scows for the 
 transport of cannon, the Americans had 
 bb){ua to build three gun-boats at Black 
 i: ick, the destruction ot which 15rock 
 frankly confessed he would have attempted 
 had he not been restrained by his insiruc 
 tious. The Indiana were strictly prohibited 
 fium crosaiog the river under any pretence, 
 and were closely watched and guarded. . A 
 party which ariived from the west to v'sit 
 Colonel Glaus, biiuging with them a bundleof 
 scalps, were sharply rebuked and pledged 
 not to oifend in that way again These 
 rigid precautious had the '^tfecc of diminish- 
 iug tho number of thc^ie with the army 
 uutil it (lid nut much exceed one hundred. 
 A variety ot motivbs ".bsolutely forced 
 Cruneral Van Rensselaer to assume the 
 uli'tiusive. Duriug September six regimeuts 
 of regular infantry, live of New York 
 militia, a battalion of rifles and several 
 b<itteriea of artillery had joined his army. 
 The fennsylvduia contingent had assembled 
 at Meadville on the 20ch, and was marching 
 to Buffalo. Forage and provisions had 
 already begun to grow scarce, and the 
 autuutn raius would undoubtedly increase 
 the ravages of disease already frightfully 
 prevalent among his militia. Dearborn 
 tttronxly urged him to attempt the 
 passage of t^e river, aa he declared they 
 inusd reckon upon obtaining possession of 
 Upper Canada before the winter set in, 
 a!i»uriug him at the same time that Hanisun 
 would uivttde the province by way of 
 Detroit with six (HVNieven thousand men, 
 while another strong body of troops was 
 already aHsembled at Sackett'a Harbor, 
 where a squadron was fitting out to contest 
 poHtie^sion of Like Ontario, and he, in 
 persou, would thieaten Montreal from Lake 
 Chaiiipl.'un. The ultimate auccess of these 
 operatinnt. he regarded as almost certain, 
 l>ui he warned him that much would depend 
 ou his movements on the JNiagara, Monroe, 
 Secretary of State, openly ascribed the in- 
 aotiviiy of ths armies in New York to the 
 ellocts (if disaffection, which he declared 
 hiiil piraly/.ed the etforts of the adminlstra- 
 tiou and rendered the measures of Cunwiress 
 inoperative. The militia now clamored 
 loiioly to be led against the enemy, and did 
 nut hesitate to accuse their commander of 
 luUiiwarmness and cowardice, whiljB tome of 
 their olhsers announced their inteu 
 tiou of invading Canada without waiting 
 
 for ordera from him, yet a trifling incident 
 served to indicate how little dependencA 
 was to be placed on their aasistence. A 
 sentinel near Schlossen was shot on hia beat 
 in the night by some unknovn person, and 
 an entire company instantly threw away 
 their arms and took to their heels, never 
 stopping till they had gained the main 
 camp at Lewiston. Early in October he 
 summoned a council of war, to whioh he in- 
 vited General Smyth, who had just taken 
 command ot a brigade of regular troops at 
 Buffalo ; General Hall, of the New York 
 militia, and the commandant of each resi- 
 menfi of United States troops, Smyth 
 showed his contempt for the mili'xia general 
 under whom he waa forced to serve by 
 neglecting to attend ot even to apologize for 
 hia absence. Van Kensielaer had intended 
 to conGentr\te the whole of hia regular 
 troops near Fort Niagara and the militia at 
 Lewiston, and attempt the paasage of the 
 river siuiultaneously at both places, but 
 in consequence of Smyth's misconduct this 
 schuine was abandoned and he determined 
 to crosi from the latter place, only aa he 
 felt iiatistied that the forces he had already 
 assembled then were amply sufficient for 
 the purpose. ^ taffolBcera, under one pre- 
 text and another, had visited the British 
 lines and the result of their observationa 
 coupled with information received from hia 
 apies had made him pretty thoroughly ac- 
 quainted with the members and conipoaition 
 of the forooa opposed to him. 
 
 No doubt was entertained of at least 
 partial success. lie confidently anticipated 
 being able to secure a foothold in Canada 
 where he could establish his arrry >.o winter- 
 ([uartera and prepare for an early campaign 
 next year. More than eight thousand 
 troops were assembled under hia command 
 of whom about half were regulars. Three 
 hundred artillery and eight hundred regu- 
 lar infantry occupied Fort Niagara, and 
 nine hundred regular soldiers and 2,270 
 New York militia were encamped near 
 Lewiston. At Buffalo General Smyth had 
 1,650 regular troops, three hundred and 
 eighty six detached militia, two hundred 
 and fifty sailors, and four hundred ludiana 
 besidej the local militia. Part of the 
 Pennsylvania brigade of two thousand men 
 had also arrived. Many batteaux and flat- 
 bottomed boats were in readiness at Black 
 Rock, Tonawanda, and Gill's Creek above 
 the Patia, and at Lewiaton and J^'our Mile 
 Creok below, and a auffiuient number could 
 be collected at any given point in a few 
 hours to carry over a thouband men. Hia 
 train of held artillery waa large and w«ll- 
 eqiiipped. 
 
10 
 
 BATTLE OF QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 
 
 To resist this formidable army, Brock had 
 fifteen companies of regular infAntry, which 
 may have mustered sixty rank and 61e each; 
 two othcers and thirty men ot the Royal 
 artillery, with five field guns ; a troop of 
 milicia diivers, and a troop of Provincial 
 Cavalry, besides the flank companies of the 
 five Linooln and two York battalions of 
 militia. The fourteen flank companies 
 probably did not average more thau thirty- 
 five oflioers and men each, or less than five 
 hHndred in all. The muster rolls of the 
 five Lincoln battalions show a total of nearly 
 two thousand men, but these were scattered 
 over the twenty townships then composing 
 the country, comprising the entire peninsula 
 from Burlington Bay to the mouth of 
 Grand river. Perhaps five hundred of these 
 could be readily assembled at a few hours 
 notice. Most of the Indians had dispersed 
 to their hunting-grounds. The exigencies 
 of the transport-service on the lakes had 
 obliged the Biitish general to send away 
 the armed vessels which had formerly 
 served the flank of bis position, and to 
 watch I* frontier which practically extended 
 from the Sugar Loaf on Lake Erie to l^our 
 Mile Creek or^ Lake Ontario, and to occupy 
 the numerous posts and batteries between 
 and maintain communication over a line of 
 sixty miles, he had actually less than a 
 thousand regular troops and six hundred 
 militia, with a reserve of possibly six hun- 
 dred militia and Indians Half of this 
 force was scarcely adequate to garrison Fort 
 George and the )idjacent batteries, and a 
 body of troops could hardly be marched from 
 one end of his line to the other in less than 
 two days. The concentration of large 
 bodies of men near Fort Niagara and Buf- 
 falo, where great numbers of boats were 
 collected, forced Brock to weaken his 
 centre and strengthen his wings, nnticipat- 
 ing that an attempt would be made to turn 
 either flank and land troops a iev miles in 
 rear of the works protecting it. Four 
 companies of the 49th, two of the 
 Koyal Newfoundland regiment, four 
 of militia and a small detachment of 
 Royal artillery, occupied Fort Erie, and 
 a series of batteries extending as low 
 as Frenchman s Creek ; four companies of 
 militia and one company of the 4l8t were 
 posted along the river between that point 
 and Chippawa ; the tUnk companies of the 
 40th and two of the York milttia held the 
 batteries near Queenbton ; the earthworks 
 at Brown's and Field's points were each 
 guarded by a militia company, while the 
 remiiiniug companies of the 49th and 
 Lincoln militia, and the field guns were 
 quartered in and about Fort George. A 
 
 chain of outposts and patrols maintained 
 const>int communication between all these 
 posts, and the Indians were held in reserve 
 in small parties several miles in rear. As 
 the number of regular artillerymen was quite 
 insufficient to work even the field-guns in 
 their possession, a corps of volunteer 
 gunners had been formed partly from the 
 regular infantry and partly from the militia 
 under Captains Kerby and Swayze. 
 
 The quality of these troops was unques- 
 tionably superior to that of any likely to be 
 brought against them. The 4i8t contained 
 i\ large proportion of young rer;ruits, but 
 was H fine body of men, and although the 
 men of the 49th had been ten years in the 
 country, drinking rum without bounds, 
 they were still respectable and ardent. The 
 flank companies of militia were generally 
 composed of picked men and had attained a 
 very creditable degree of discipline. 
 
 The successful result of an attack upon 
 two small armed vessels at Fort Erie aerved 
 to raise the spirts of Van Rensselaer's army 
 in a remarkable degree, and was actually 
 a serious blow to their opponent's wing to 
 the extreme scarcity of provisons apart 
 from the loss of the vessels. This occurred 
 early on the morning of the 9 h October, 
 and Brock arrived on the spot before sunset, 
 but having apparently satisfied himself that 
 no immediate attempt to cross the river was 
 contemplated there, returned to Niagara 
 next day. This hurried journey had the 
 effect of fastening Van Rensselaer's move- 
 ments, for a spy returned to his camp with 
 information that Brock had left Niagara in 
 great haste and was supposed to have gone 
 to Detroit. Encouraged by this report, and 
 feeling, as he expressed it, "That the 
 national character is degraded and the dis- 
 grace will remain corroding the public feel- 
 int; and spirit until another campaign, un- 
 less it be wiped away by a brilliant exploit 
 in this," he determined to strike while the 
 enthusiasm of his troops was at its heat over 
 the recent exploit, and fixed the hour and 
 place for crossing the river for three o'clock 
 next morning at Queenoton. The stream was 
 there at its narrowest ; a ferry had been 
 established for years, and although the 
 current was swift, the n^ivigation was well 
 ascertained and an indifferent oareman 
 could pull across in less than ten minutes. 
 His artillery, superior in numbers and 
 calibre, could cover the lunding from the 
 high groucd above Lewiston, where batteries 
 hiid already been thrown up. 
 
 Accordingly the regulars from Fort Ni- 
 agara, and strong detachments from Buffalo, 
 were ordered to join the main-body at Lew- 
 iston before midnight, and boats avifiuient 
 
 li^R 
 
BATTLE OF QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 
 
 II 
 
 to contain 500 men were secretly brought 
 overland from Gill's Creek. A furioas storm 
 of wind and rain swept over Sis camp while 
 the troops were drawn up in readiness to 
 enter the bouts, and the pilot of the expedi- 
 tion deserted in the darkness. In conse- 
 quence the attack was postponed. The rain 
 continued with unabated violence tor twenty 
 eight hours until the roads became almost 
 impassible. Van Rensselaer then desired 
 to wait a few days in the hope of reverting 
 to his original plan, but the impatience of 
 his troops seemed to be increased by their 
 recent failure, and the pressure brought to 
 bear upon him was too great to be with- 
 stood. His force was now still further in- 
 creased by the arrival of three. hundred and 
 fifty regular soldiers under Lieut, (jol. Chry- 
 stie at Four Mile (Jreek, east of Fort Ni- 
 agara. The appearance of these boats and 
 the detention of a large force near that place 
 led Brock to believe that an attempt would 
 hti made to land to the westward of Niagara 
 and prevented him from reinforcing the de- 
 tachments at Queenston, and though he had 
 bbcome aware of the attempt to cross the 
 river there, he regarded it simply as a feint 
 to divert his attention from the true point 
 of attack. The evident activity of the enemy 
 near Bu£falo at the same time restrained 
 him froia weakening the right of hia ex- 
 tended line. 
 
 The river as it issues from the gorge at 
 Queenston is barely six hundred feet in 
 width, and flows at the rate of about four 
 miles an hour. The clifls which wall it in 
 above are almost perpendicular, yet on the 
 Canadian side, in many places, were so over- 
 grown and almost concealed, by shrubs and 
 trees, which struck their roots into the clefts 
 aud crannies of the rocks, as to make it 
 possible for an ordinarily active man to 
 climb up with little diflTioulty from the 
 water's edge to the summit. A few hun- 
 dred yards west of the landing stood the 
 village, consisting of a stone barracks and 
 about twenty scattered dwellings surrounded 
 by gardens and orchards. The waggon-road 
 leading from Niagara formed the principal 
 street and wound up the heights beyond. 
 Another road, commencin{r at the landing 
 and crossing this at right angles, led to 8t. 
 Davids, throwing off a branch which as- 
 cended the heights about a mile to west- 
 ward, and finally united with the portage- 
 road above. In the angle formed by the in- 
 tersection of these two roads at the south 
 east corner of the village stood the large 
 stone house of the Hon. Robert Hamilton 
 with its walled courtyard and substantial 
 out buildings The adjacent plain was 
 dotted with many farmhouses near the roads, 
 
 and the .ields were generally enclosed by 
 ordinary rail-fences diversified, near the foot 
 of the heights by an occasional low stone 
 wall. Half-way up the side of the mountain 
 a small redan battery had been built with 
 its angle fronting the river and armed with 
 an eighteen-ponnder, and at Xrooman's 
 Point, nearly a mile below, a twenty-foar 
 pound gun had been mounted en haJbtitt on 
 a crescent shaped earthwork commanding, 
 although at very long range, both landings, 
 and the breadth of the river between. Capt. 
 Williams with the light company of the 49th 
 was stationed at the redan, and the grena- 
 diers of the same regiment under Capt. 
 James Dennis and Chisholm's sompany of 
 the 2nd Yorks were quartered in the village. 
 Outposts and sentries watched the river from 
 the landing toftrooman's Point which was 
 occupied by Capt. Samuel Hatt's company 
 of 'uhe 5th Lincoln. The entire force of 
 regulars and militia distributed about 
 Queenston did not exceed two hundred men. 
 Cameron's and Howard's companies of York 
 militia lay at Brown's Point, three miles 
 distant, but there were no other regular 
 troops nearer than Fort George. 
 
 Fatigue duty and frequent alarms had 
 begun to tell upon the health and spirits of 
 the men, and at dark on the evening of the 
 11th Brock letrned with concern that some 
 men of the 49th had become insubordinate 
 and even threatened the lives of their 
 officers, but an inquiry showed that thoir 
 misconduct was caused by drink, and they 
 were liberated with a reprimand. 
 
 All that day and the next, parties of 
 influence lined the opposite shore and tired 
 incessantly at any living thing that met 
 their eye or the Queenston side. The houses 
 near the river were riddled by their tire, 
 aud even a boat bearing a flag of truce be- 
 came a target for their bullets. 
 
 In a battery, named Fort Gray above the 
 village of Lewiston, two eighteen-pounders 
 were mounted with the intention of silen- 
 cing the gun in ^e redan, and two mortars 
 aud the same number of six-pounderR were 
 planted on the bank of the river to cover 
 the landing and drive the British out of 
 Queenston. Chrystie's and Fenwick's regi- 
 ments of regulars from Fort Niagara, and 
 three militia battalions trom Sohlossui^ were 
 marched to Lewiston by inland roads after 
 dark on the evening of the ^2th, and long 
 before the appointed hour of three o'clock 
 more than 4,000 men were assembled there 
 without exciting attention. Twelve boats, 
 each of which could carry thirty men, and 
 two others having a capacity of eighty each, 
 manned by veteran fishermen familiar with 
 the river, were moored at the lauding. The 
 
 ^ 
 ^ 
 
 1r- 
 
 t 
 
 I 
 
ti 
 
 BAT FLU OF QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 
 
 uight was iotensely dark, raia was atill fall- 
 ing g(>Dtly, and the winds and the roaring 
 of the river drowned the sound of thoir 
 movements. Everything seemed to conspire 
 to favor their enterprise. 
 
 Col. Van Rensselaer had originally been 
 •elected t6 command the advanue-guanl, but 
 when C'lrystie arrived, he stubbornly refused 
 to waive his rank and it was ta^r. agreed 
 that he should lead a column of three hun- 
 dred regular troops, while Van Rensselaer 
 headed an equal number of militia. The 
 militia composing this detachm<>nt were ac- 
 cordingly chosen with great care from 
 among the best drilled men, and by their 
 commander at least, were believed to be 
 superior to the United States troops in 
 point of discipline. Forty picked men of 
 the regular arcillery conducted by Lieut. 
 Gausevoort, all of whom had long been 
 quartered at Fort Niagara and knew the 
 river well, were selected to- head the other 
 column and were followed by four compan- 
 ies of the 13th United States infantry, which 
 was regarded as one of the crack regiments 
 of their army. Next in succession, Col. 
 Fenwick and Major Mullany were to cross 
 with 5.50 regulars, then an equal number of 
 militia and so on in order until the entire 
 division consisting of the 6th, 13th, and 
 23rd United States infantry, detachments 
 ot three regular artillery regiments, a bat- 
 talion uf volunteer riflemen, and the 16ch, 
 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20ch regiments uf New 
 York militia had been passed over. The 
 artillerymen, well provided with matches 
 and rammers to work the captured guna,>tnd 
 a detachment of engineers was detailed to 
 fortify a position as soon as it was taken. 
 The number of officers and men exceeded 
 four thousand of whom at least fifteen hun- 
 dred were regulars, and barring accidents, 
 the whole force might be ferried over in 
 ■even trips. The two largest boats were 
 also fitted with platforms on which a field - 
 piece with its carriage could be loaded. 
 
 In less than a quarter of an hour from the 
 time the boats pushed off, ten of them con- 
 veying three hundred men, reached the op- 
 posite shore at the exact spot selecteJ for 
 effecting a landing,qiMte unperceived by the 
 •entries. Three others, among them the 
 two largest, were carried down by the cur- 
 rent, and of theae only the smaller one suc- 
 ceeded tding below, while the two 
 others .. d by command of Col. Chry- 
 atie to ...cir own shore to make afresh start. 
 Most of those who had landed were regular 
 troops, comprising the detachment of artil- 
 lery and three entire companies of the I3th 
 infantry, and having sent back the boats to 
 bring over the next detachment, Van 
 
 Rensselaer assumed the command in the 
 absence of Chrystie, and attempted to form 
 up his men before advancing further. Their 
 presence was tnen for the first time dis- 
 covered by a militia sentry, who was so 
 aicitated by the tact, that instead of tiring 
 his muitket at once, he lau into the m^iin 
 guard to give the alarm. In a few minutes 
 Captain Dcanis advanced tovtards the land- 
 ing with forty-six men of his own -i^mpany 
 and a few of the militia, and found tne 
 enemy still in much confusion. His first 
 volley fell upon them, as it proved, with 
 fatal precision. Van Rensselaer himself was 
 struck down with six wounds, several com- 
 pany officers and a number of men were 
 killed or disabled, and the entire body re- 
 tired to the water's edge where they were 
 partially sheltered by the steep bank. 
 
 The batteries at Lewietnn, where the gun- 
 ners had been waiting with matches burning 
 for the signal, instantly opened fire, the 
 flrst round from their heavy guns being 
 aimed at the redan, but when the glare of 
 the musketry disclosed the pobition of a 
 small body of British infantry near the land- 
 ing, all six guns were turned upon it, and 
 Dennis drew his men back under the shelter 
 of the houses of the village. In this brief 
 encounter the loss of the Americans was 
 subsequently stated to have been eight 
 officers and forty-five men killed or 
 wounded. , 
 
 The gunners in the redan and at JRroo- ^ 
 man's Point began firing at random in the 
 diieotion of the Lewiston landing, in the 
 hope of striking some of the boats, and 
 Lieut. Crowther of the 4l8t, brought up a 
 tiny three-pounder tield-pieoe or itrasshopper 
 to sweep the road to the river. Van Ren8*e- 
 laer, being quite disabled by his wounds,- 
 was taken back to Lewiston, and the com- 
 mand devolved upoi^ Capt. John K. W.ool. 
 of the 13th, a brave but young and iaexperi- 
 enoed officer, who for more than two hours 
 seems to have been quite aatisfied to retain 
 his foothold beside the river, while the 
 batteries behind him were fast wrecking the 
 village of (jueenston. His men, however, 
 maintained a brisk but harmless fire from 
 the shelter of the bank. Reinforcements 
 were pushed over to his assistance, but mis- 
 fortune still attended them. Two boats 
 loaded with men were swept far out of their 
 course by the curient. One of these, com- 
 manded by Lieut. Col. Fenwick xti the 
 artillery, struggled ashore in the coye^ below 
 Queeuston and attempted to ascend the 
 bank there. They were at once attacked ; 
 Fenwick received a pistol-shot in the face 
 which i>artially blinded him, besides two 
 other wounda, and was taken prisoner with 
 
 ^\ 
 
f:! 
 
 BATTLE OF QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 
 
 linoBtofhis men. The o^her boat drifted 
 fairly within range cf liTootn&n'a battiiry 
 and was taken there. The river being so 
 narrow many objects could be distingaahed 
 J upon the opposite shore when lit up by the" 
 lilashingof Che artillery, and the ehouts and 
 Uhrieks of the combatants ocald be occasion- 
 [ally heard by thousands of interesk^d spec 
 Itatursat Lewiaton. Within half an hour 
 after landing WooIV fo;ce was doubled by 
 the arrival of two ( dier companies of the 
 1 13th, forty artillerymen under Lieut. Ran- 
 dolph, itxd a detachment of militia, and all 
 I the wounded men were removed, but no 
 lofKcer of superior rank came to assume com-, 
 Imand. 
 
 The gun in the redan continued to throw 
 jehtiUs at hbzard into the river with little 
 I reiiult beyond making the enemy's troops re- 
 luctant to enter the boats, although an 
 officer is said to have been killed at Lewis- 
 ton by one of them, and the darkoess and 
 distance rendered the twenty-fonr-poauder 
 at ^rooman's quite ineffective. On the 
 other hand, round shot from the Lewiaton 
 1 batteries soon reduced Hamilton's house to 
 a mere heap of ruins, anddrove Crowther's 
 toy gun out of range, while the mortars 
 pitched their shells into the village, and 
 their field-pieces searched the gardens and 
 orchards with grape. The movements of 
 the remainder of their troops continued, 
 however, to be remarkably dilatory. The 
 arrival of the wounded perhaps had some- 
 thing to do with this, and the m;;rch of a 
 cou»iderable body of militia was arrested by 
 the sudden illness of their commanding 
 of!icer At all events, boats remained lying 
 I idle on both shores. 
 
 lieing convinced by unmistakeable signs 
 
 I that an attack was meditated within a day 
 
 lor two, Brock had been engaged till mid- 
 
 I night in despatching orders for the assembly 
 
 lof the militia. It was no surprise then for 
 
 I him to be aroUsed shortly after 4«» o'clock 
 
 by the distant boom of artillery up thie 
 
 river. Ue rose at once, but still adherids 
 
 to his opinion that the true attack would 
 
 not be there, he remarked that it was only 
 
 I a war between the sentries. The steady 
 
 I cannonade and bin zing beacons alont; the 
 
 j heights convinced him at length that this 
 
 wsH something more serious, and he mounted 
 
 hie horse and rode otft of the gate just as a 
 
 I dragoon galloped up to announce that the 
 
 jenemy had lauded at Queenston. As it 'vas 
 
 ■not uncertain whether another id^pdiog was 
 
 [not intended in the vicinity of Niagara, khe 
 
 jBritioh general contented himself with giv- 
 
 ling iuatructions for Ctptain Ilolcroft to 
 
 Ifollow him with two guns and a party of 
 
 llndians, while the remainder of the garrison 
 
 remained under arms in readiness to act in 
 any direction until daylight more fully dis- 
 closed the designs of the enemy, and then 
 set off at full speed, accompanied only by 
 Captain Glegg and Lieut-Col. McDonnell. 
 At Field's and Brown'is Point he paused for 
 an ii)^^nt th direct the militia companies 
 (Diar^red tVht'e to follow him, leaving bo- 
 hjnd only a sufficient number of men to 
 man the batteries at each place. 
 
 Day dawned grey and ohiU with a thin 
 fog rising from the river. Four boats filled 
 with men were then seen to push ' otf 
 Lewiston, and at the same instant th^ head 
 of E^./;olumn of troops appeared above the 
 bank at the Queenston landing. Dennis 
 hastily called down the light company by 
 sound of the bugle from the heights to his 
 support, and concentrated his fire on this 
 force, which very soon retired avain under 
 cover of the '1i>ank, where their movements 
 were almost entirely screened from view, 
 although they had lost a few men by the 
 random fire of the light company during the 
 nldhiing. 
 
 Observing that the battery on the heights 
 was now occupied only by a few men work- 
 ing the gun, Lieut. Granevbort pointed out 
 a narrow fisherman's path leading around 
 a rooky point and winding upwards to the 
 summit, and suggested that a detachment 
 might g^in the rear of the British position 
 unobserved by this route. Although 
 already bleeding from more than one wound. 
 Wool e»gerly adopted the proposal which 
 had also been favored by Van Rehsselaer, 
 and leaving a hundred men to occupy thn land- 
 ing and engage the htteution of the British 
 in that quarter, he instanly began the 
 accent at'the bead of the remainder, giving 
 strict orders to an: officer to shoot Stny man 
 who attempted* td turnback. 
 
 At this itwtatit Brock rode into the vil- 
 lage splashed with mud from head to foot. 
 Ite was at once recognized and welcomed 
 with a hearty cheer by the men of tne 49th, 
 in which regiment he had risen from sub- 
 alteran to colonel Reining in his horse for 
 a moment to acknowledge their salute, he 
 rode up the slope to the redan and there 
 dismounted. 
 
 A striking scene presented itself to his 
 gaze. A single glanced showed him 
 battalion upon battalion of tropps ^rawn up 
 in rear of the American batterie»* in readi- 
 ness to embark ; other detachments were 
 entering their boats, some already upon 
 the river, and an uncertain hamb^r in pos- 
 session of the Queenston lauding. Tiieir 
 guns were pouring round and grape shot 
 into the enclosures of the village where 
 Dennis still contrived to maintain a foot- 
 
»4 
 
 -BATTLE OF QUEENS TON HEIGHTS. 
 
 1 I 
 
 (jU 
 
 hold, and an occasional shell from their 
 mortar battery rose shrieking into the air. 
 So far everything seemed to promise well. 
 The party that had landed had not gained 
 an inch of ground in three hours, and near* 
 a hundred prisoners bad been taken with 
 small loss. 
 
 Watching intently the flight of a shell 
 from the gun beside him, he observed that 
 it burst prematurely, and turning to the 
 gunner, Brock advised him to try a larser 
 fuse. The Aords were scarcely out of his 
 mouth when a loud shout rose from the 
 hillside above, accompanied by a volley of 
 bullets whistling overhead, and a body of 
 the enemy came charginc; down upon the 
 rear of the battery. Resistance was out of 
 the question, and there was no time even to 
 mount, so leading their horses by the bridle 
 the three officers ran hastily down the road 
 to the village followed by the dozen men 
 working the gun, who fortunately had suf- 
 ficient presence of mind to spike it before 
 they came away. 
 
 All this was plainly visibly to the troops 
 at Lewiston, whose shouts could be heard 
 amid the roar of the O'Unon as their flag 
 rose over the battkry, and they pressed 
 down eagerly to thd boats. It was now 
 evident that the principal and probably the 
 only attack was to be made here, and Brock 
 despatched a hurried message to Sheaffe at 
 Fort George to turn every gun that would 
 bear upon the American batteries opposite, 
 and send forward the bxttalion companies 
 of the 4l8t and flank companies of militia. 
 Then mounting his horse he rode at a gallop 
 to the farther end of the village, where the 
 light company of the 49th was drawn up in 
 line awaiting orders. Again he was received 
 with a loud cheer, and wheeling bis horse 
 in the direction of the heights, he exclaimed, 
 "Follow me, boys," and led them at a run 
 to the foot of the ascent. There he paused 
 ifnd dismounted, saying : "Take breath, 
 boys-^you will need it in a few moments," 
 a signiflcant announcement, which provoked 
 another hearty shout. 
 
 The crest of the heights was densely 
 wooded in most places, and their sides 
 dotted with clumpn of small trees and 
 shrubs richly spangled with the crimson, 
 rnsset and golden tints of autumn. These 
 thickets in combination with the natural 
 inequalicjl^of the ground furnished excellent 
 covei for the American riflemen. The 
 redan was occupied by the main body of 
 their troops, but they were unable to make 
 any use of the captured gun. Freshly 
 landed men were already ascending to their 
 assistance, and the mortar battery had 
 .begun to throw shells in the direction of 
 
 Brock's party in the hope of checking its | 
 advance. 
 
 Convincpd of the great importance of re- 
 gaining the lost position before the enemy I 
 was heavily reinforced, be ordered Dennia 
 to join him with the 49th grenadiers and 
 Chisholin's company of York militia, leav- 
 ing only a few men in the village to hold 
 them in check in that quarter. When their 
 companies came up he detached Williams 
 with a section of his own company and the 
 whole of the militia, making about seventy 
 men in all, by a round about route to turn 
 the left of Woors position. Observing this 
 movement, the latter detached a party of 
 150 men to check it, but after a brief in- 
 terchange of shots, the Americans fell into 
 confusion and began to retire. Seizing the 
 favorable moment. Brock sprang over the 
 stone wall behind which he had direqted 
 his men to take shelter, and led the way 
 directly up the steep nsoeut towards the 
 battery, waving his sword and shouting to 
 the grenadiers, who followed him with a 
 ready cheer. 
 
 The rain had ceased and atrMUfp^gleams of 
 sunshine broke through the clouds. The 
 ground was thickly strewn with fallen leaves 
 slippery with wet, and yielding treacher- 
 ously, and as men stumbled and fell here 
 and there the line was soon broken. Wool 
 sent a reinforcement to support his advance 
 party and their fire soon bi>gan to tell. 
 "This is the first time I have ever seen the 
 49ch turn their backs !' Brock exclaimed 
 angrily as he noticed men dropping to the 
 rear, and the ranks promptly closed up. 
 McDonnell brought up the companies of 
 Cameron and Her^mrd which had just ar- 
 rived from Brown's Point much exhausted, 
 having run nearly all the way. The force 
 then engaged in the direct assault of the 
 heights including these companies numbered 
 about one hundred and ninety men. The 
 flank companies were uniformed in scarlet 
 and advanced with such steadiness, that 
 W ool was led to believe that he was being 
 attacked by four companies of the 49th. 
 ms own oomraaud had been increased to 
 about five hundred rank and file two-thirds 
 of whom were regular soldiers, yet notwith- 
 standing their advantage in numbers and 
 position, being at the same time pressed 
 warmly on the flank by William's detach- 
 Di<iut,they began to shrink from the contest. 
 
 Seeing that the supports were i 'ng at 
 the foot of the hill Brook shouteu Mc- 
 Donnell to "push on the York voluuteers." 
 A bullet struck the wrist of his sword- 
 arm inflicting a slight wound, to which he 
 paid no attention but continued to wave his 
 sword and encourage his men. His tall and 
 
 portly 
 
 as his 
 
 front 
 
 specia 
 
 iilthoi 
 
 peraor 
 
 riflem, 
 
 ley's l 
 
 than 
 
 ai'n at 
 
 4!)th o 
 
 hope 
 
 effect. 
 
 in the 
 
 sunk 
 
BATTLE OF QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 
 
 IS 
 
 portly figure and energetio eestureB, aa well 
 as his UDiform and position several yards in 
 front of the line, naturally made him a 
 special tjirget tor the bullets of the enemy 
 ttlthojgh he does not seem to have been 
 personally recognized by therti. At last a 
 rifleman, said to be one Wilklow of Motie- 
 ley's battalion, stepped out of a thicket less 
 than 6fty yards away and took deliberate 
 aim at him. More than one man of the 
 4!)tli observed this and fired hastily in the 
 hope of anticipating his shot, but without 
 effect. The fatal bullet struck their general 
 in the breast very near the heart, and he 
 sunk slowly to the ground and expired after 
 murmuriug a few broken sentences to those 
 nearest him to conceal his death from the 
 men and continue the tight. 
 
 McDonnell spurred his horse sharply to 
 the fruut and called upon the grenadiers to 
 avenge their leader's death. William's at 
 the same moment led forward his detach- 
 ment from the thickets on the right and the 
 combined force charged at once fiercely up- 
 on the front and flank of the enemy who 
 ^^ ere already in disorder and huddled to- 
 gether about the battery, out of which they 
 were quickly expelled and driven obliquely 
 upwards towards the summit of the heights 
 in the direction of the river. Being hotly 
 pursued, an officer even raised a handker- 
 chief or white cloth on the point of his 
 sword as a flag of truce, but this was quickly 
 snatched away from him by Wool, who by 
 great exertions succeeded in persuading his 
 men to make a stand on the very verge of 
 the cliff A body of fresh troops including 
 au entire company of the 6th U. 8. infantry, 
 and another of rifles opportunely came to 
 his aBsistance at this critical moment and 
 enabled him to prolong his line until he out- 
 Ifl-uked his assailants in both directions. 
 They had also fallen into much disorder 
 through the haste and impetuosity of their 
 (advance. Williams had been disabled by a 
 Ighaatly wound in the head, Daanis had 
 [been badly hurt, and a considerable num- 
 Iber of men killed or wounded. McDonnell 
 Ihiid as yet escaped unharmed, "ilthough being 
 ■the only mounted officer present, he natur- 
 Ittlly attracted the fire of the enemy by whom 
 iHo was supposed at the time to be the 
 iBiitiah general, and his hat and clothes 
 ■Were pierced in nmny places. But now 
 Iwhile attempting to restore order and form 
 the men for a fresh attack, his horse was 
 struck hy a shot, and as the animal plunged 
 fii ftK"ny, his rider also received a mortal 
 found and was thrown from the saddle. In 
 pF'ito of the efforts of Dennis and other 
 )tiiuerd, the British then gave way in turn 
 uidjutreated to the foot of the heights 
 
 carrying with them, however, the dead body 
 of their general and moat of the wounded. 
 They were not vigorously pnrsuei^ and did 
 not lose more than a dozen prisoners, most 
 of whom were too badly injured to bs re- 
 moved. Dennis refused to quit the field 
 and succeeded in collecting moat of his men 
 at the farther end of the village which waa 
 still occupied by Lieut. Crowther with a 
 squad of Provincial artillerymen in charge 
 of two small guns. 
 
 The result of this engagement had a very 
 inapirating influence upon the troops at 
 Lewiaton, numbers of whom instantly pro- 
 fessed great eagerness to cross the river and 
 share the glory of the day They still pos- 
 sessed a sufficient number of boats to carry 
 over the rem^iinder of the division before 
 ten o'clock; the passage of the river was 
 now for some time entirely unopposed, and 
 why they did not make better use of their 
 opportunities has never been sAtisfactorily 
 explained. As it was, considerable bodies, 
 both of regular troops and militia were 
 brought oyer, with a six-pound field-piece, 
 its carriage and tumbril. General Van 
 Rensselaer and Colonel Chrystie examined 
 the position on the heights and gave direc- 
 tions for its immediate fortification. Engi- 
 neer officers were set at work and field- 
 works commenced. The gun in the redan 
 was unsp ked and brought to bear on the 
 village. Colonel Winfield Scott, the future 
 conqueror of Mexico, having arrived from 
 Buffalo during the morning with a battery 
 of artillery, placed his guns in position at 
 Lewiaton and crossed the river to take com- 
 mand of the regular troops at Queen^ton, 
 who were re-enforced oy detactiments of 
 the 6th and 2,3rd U. S. infantry and 2nd 
 and 3rd artillery. About the same time 
 Brigadier-General James Wadsworth as- 
 sumed command of the militia brigade, con- 
 sisting of portions of Allen's, Bloom's, 
 Mead's and Stranahan's regiments, and 
 Moseley's battalion of riflemen. The pre- 
 cise number of men belonging to these corps 
 that passed the river it is impossible to as- 
 certain. Estimites by their own officers 
 ranged from one thousand to sixteen hun- 
 dred. Some companies of militia were rep- 
 resented by officers without men ; others by 
 men without officers, while af few were al- 
 most or quit^ complete. 
 
 The sound of a heavy cannonade at the 
 mouth of the river excited the worst ap- 
 prehensions in the minds of the little band 
 that continued to occupy Queenston village, 
 until they were relieved by the arrival of 
 Capt>tin Derenzy, with several companies of 
 the 41st and militia, a detachment of Royal 
 Artillery with two field guns under Captain 
 
x6 
 
 BATTLE OF QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 
 
 Holcroft, and a party of lodians led by 
 Ciptain John Norton and Lieut. John 
 Brunt. Stragglers from tne tield, whom 
 they encountered on the road, reported that 
 Dennis' entire command had been cut to 
 pieces, and that five thousand mep had 
 landed. Accordingly they had advanced 
 much of the distance at the double, and 
 when they reached Queenston, were out of 
 breath and quite exhausted. Under these 
 circumstances it vrould have been folly to 
 attempt the recovery of the heights, where 
 the numbers of the enemy could have been 
 seen momentarily increasing, but Holcroft 
 planted his guns on the high ground below 
 the village, and endeavored to interrupt the 
 passage of the river. 
 
 Small parties of the enemy had entered 
 the upper part of the village, where they 
 had plundered some of the houses, but thej 
 had made no effort to occupy it in force. 
 After a few shots, finding that his pieceti 
 were too far away to reach their boats, 
 HolcrtJ^again limbered up, and guided by 
 Captafa Archibald Hamilton, to whom 
 every inch of ground was familiar from boy- 
 hood, dashed boldly across the ravine and 
 through the village until he reached Hamil- 
 ton's house, where he took up a position 
 within the courtyard partly sheltered by 
 the ruins of the wall. Derenzy at once sup- 
 ported him with a company of the 41st, and 
 there his fire soon becamn effective, although 
 he lost suveral of his best men. A few 
 case-shot drove away the enemy's riflemen, 
 and he then engaged the batteries ooposite, 
 firing also when an opportunity offered at 
 boats on the river. The battery on Lewis- 
 ton was still out of range, but the guns at 
 the landing were three times silenced, ani a 
 scow, and at least two other boats, sunk in 
 the act of crossing. Such was the precinion 
 of his fire, that from that time forward very 
 few men attempted to pass the river. 
 
 In the meantime Scott bad thrown out 
 pickets to the edge of the woods on the left 
 of his position, and the Indians were 
 detached in that direction to engage them 
 and annoy their working parties. This was 
 accomplished in fine style, as their approach 
 through the woods was undetected, and the 
 outposts were surprised and completely 
 routed with considerable loss. A large 
 body of infantry then advanced to repel 
 them, and the Indians instantly ran to the 
 woods again, whence they kept up an in- 
 cessant fire, accompanied with shrill whoops. 
 The suddenness of the attack and the 
 character of the assailants produced a 
 genuine panic, which extended itself even 
 to Lewiston, where a militia company on 
 the point of entering the boats abruptly 
 
 halted and refused to move. Norton con- 
 tinued to skirmish with, and annoy their 
 outposts, and although several times at- 
 tncked, always eluded his antagonists by 
 plunging into the woods, wnere they dared 
 not follow. Numbers of the American 
 militia deserted their companies, and at- 
 tempted to regain their own shore, and 
 thenceforth their force continued to 
 diminish. Besides the serious annoyance 
 and loss inflicted upon the enemy by this 
 movement, direct communication was again 
 opened with the garrison at Chipp>iwa. 
 
 Upon reaching Queenston Derenzy had 
 at once sent a messiige to General Sheaffe, 
 describing th° situation of affairs, and the 
 latter soon afterward arrived and assumed 
 command. He lost no time in ordering 
 every man th^tc could be spared from the 
 garrisons of Fort George and Chippawa, to 
 join him without delay. By two o'clock the 
 detachments from the former post had all 
 arrived, leaving it occupied only by a few 
 men of the K )yal Artillery and the Lincoln 
 militia, and those from Chippawa were 
 known to be rapidly approaching. The 
 force already assembled consisted of Hol- 
 croft's detachment of Royal Artillery with 
 two six-pounders, a squad of Swayze's pro- 
 vincial artillery with two three p(iunder8, 
 under Lieut. Crowther, five companies of 
 the 4l8t regiment, Capt.Jamea Crouk/ii' and 
 John McE wen's companies of the Ist 
 Lincoln, Willi im Crookcfs' and Nelles' com- 
 
 fanies of the 4ch Lincoln, Appl<>garth's, 
 latts' and Durands' companies of the 5th 
 Lincoln, a feiv troopers of Merritt's pro- 
 vincial dragoons, and the remnants of the 
 two companies of the 49ch and three of 
 York militia, engaged in the morning, 
 probably numbering in all rather more than 
 800 of all ranks, exclusive of the Indians, 
 who certainly did not exceed one hundred. 
 As the enemy's force appeared to be still 
 considerably more numerous than his own, 
 and they were i)usily engaged in fortifying 
 their position in evident anticipation of 
 another direct attack from below, , the 
 British commander determined tOyheave 
 Holcroft's two guns supported by a detach- 
 ment of infantry to occupy the village, and 
 prevent the passage of reinforcements, while, 
 with the remainder of his troops, he moved 
 around their flink, ascending the heights in 
 rear of the woods already occupied by the 
 Indians, and formed a junction with the 
 column advancing from Chippawa, which 
 would increase his numerical strength by 
 150 men. In this way he would at once 
 escape the enfiKdiog fire of the batteries at 
 Lewiston, avoid the steep ascent in the face 
 of the enemy, render their tield works use- 
 
BATTLE OF QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 
 
 n 
 
 less, and place his men on an equal footing 
 with them on the open and level ground 
 above. 
 
 The Indians redoubled their activity as 
 the co^ linn approdiched, keeping however, 
 w(ill under covet, and thoroughly succeeded 
 ill obviating any attempt to harass its 
 advance. Within an hour SheafTe gained 
 the cleared ground on the right of the 
 woods occupied by them, extending as far 
 as tho portage road, where he beheld Cap- 
 tain liichard Bulluck advancing from Chip- 
 pawa with his own company of the 4l8t,&nd 
 Captain Robert Hamilton's and Jno. Howe's 
 conipanie8ofthe2ad Lincoln, strengthened for 
 the occasion like mo»t others, by a number 
 of volunteers from the ranks of the seden 
 tary militia. Foremost among other aged 
 men properly exempt from service, whom 
 the emergency had impelled to seize their 
 arms, again was Lieut. -Col. R^lfe Clench, 
 once an officer in Butler's rangers, and 
 then the district judge, who had retired 
 from command of the Ist Lincoln battalion 
 • few years before owing to infirmity. 
 
 1'he combined force, numbering abont 
 930 officers and raten, was formed for the at- 
 tack with the liiiht company of the 41st, 
 under Lieut. Mclntyre, and the two com 
 piioies of the 49th, still commanded by the 
 dauntless Dennis.on the left of the line next 
 the Indians, supported by a small battalion 
 of militia under Lieut. -Col. Butler. The 
 centre and right wing were composed of the 
 five remaining companies of the 4l8t, hav- 
 ini,; in support the rest of the militia under 
 Lieut. Col. Thomas Clarke. The two small 
 field pieces, drawn by men with drag-ropes, 
 preceded the advance of the line, which was 
 necesaaiily deliberate. 
 
 The number of combatants actually 
 arrayed against them at that moment cannot 
 be exactly stated, but could hardly have 
 been less than nine hundred, of whom more 
 thau half were regulars, Like the British, 
 this force was made up of detachments from 
 many different battalions. Its ranks had 
 been much diminished by desertions since 
 the Indians had renewed the fight, numbers 
 <)t men stealing down to the river and lurk- 
 ing there in the hope of finding means of 
 escape. Perceiving., that Sheatf'e vvas pre 
 paring for a decisive" attack upon his posi- 
 tion, and probably having no desire to 
 grace his triumph as a prisoner, General 
 Wn Rensselaer determined to return to 
 Lewiston, with the lingering hope of enlist- 
 '"g a reinforcement from the large body of 
 mlitia still congregated there. He had 
 cean.ely entered his bciat.when the skulkers 
 'kt the landing crowded into it in such num- 
 bers, that it was iu actual danger of being 
 
 swamped by their weight, and pushed off 
 heedlebs alike of his threats and entreatiea. 
 
 His departure left Colonel Scott in com- 
 mand, having under him Colonel Chrystin 
 and Brigadier-General VVadsworth. Sheafle's 
 movements obliged him to abandon his un- 
 completed fieldworks, and take up a new 
 position on the crown of the heights, where 
 \ slight barricade was hastily extemporized 
 with fence-rails, \ttgi and brushwood, with 
 the left flank resting on the edge of the cliff, 
 and the liflemen on the other, facing the 
 Indians from among the brnsh-hut8,formerly 
 occupied by the 49th light company. The 
 gun in the redan could not be made to bear 
 in this direction, and his solitary field-piece 
 was therefore planted in front of the centre 
 of the line, near the site of the present 
 monument. 
 
 While waiting the attack, Scott received 
 a message from Van Rensselaer, stating 
 that he had been unable to induce a single 
 regiment, or even a company to advance to 
 his relief, but forwarding a supply of 
 ammunition and asssuring him, that if he 
 telt unable to maintain his position, boats 
 would be sent to remove the troops, and the 
 artillery would cover his retreat. Upon 
 Van Rensselaer s arrival on his own shore 
 he found a few men at the landing, whom 
 ne sent oyer, and then accompanied by 
 members of his staff and"oid Judge I'eck/j..— --^^^^ 
 grotesquely equipped for war ia s huge 
 cocked hat and long swoid, rode through 
 the cantonments, exhorting the groups of 
 lounging soldiers they met there on every 
 hand, to make an effort to rescue their com- 
 rades from their perilous situation, but 
 without producing the slightest effect, 
 
 Scott's men were already profoundly dis- 
 couraged at being called upon to fight 
 another action, and evinced an alarming 
 disposition to stray away from their ranks, 
 which ha endeavored to check by instruct- 
 ing tho sergeants to shoot those who should 
 attempt \:o leave their post without orders. 
 
 The contest was began by the advance of 
 the light company of the 4l8t, which fired a 
 single volley, and then charged with fixed 
 bayonents upon the riflemen on the right of 
 the American line, who, being unprovided 
 with weapons to resist this form of attack, 
 gave way in great confusion, leaving that 
 flank exposed. On witnessing the success 
 of this movement, Sheaffe gave the signal 
 for a general advance. The gun was taken 
 and the position carried almost without 
 resistance, and the entire body of American 
 troops forced steadily back upon the river, 
 the British line by the advance of the wings 
 having gradually assumed the form of a . 
 orescent, overlapping them on both flanks. 
 
TX 
 
 i8 
 
 BATTLE OF QUEENS PON HEIGHTS. 
 
 Some of the fugitives braving; the fire of the 
 guos ia the village, rua dowa the hill 
 towirda the landiug ; Scott, himeell, and a 
 number of others surambled dowu the steep 
 bank to the water's edge, in the hope of 
 finding the promised boats ; VVadsworth and 
 Cliryotie, with more thin live hundred 
 offacers and men, surrendered on the verge 
 of ihe cliff. 
 
 Meanwhile the fire of Holoroft's artillery 
 had rendered the passage of the river so 
 dangerous, that the boatmen positively re- 
 fused to undertake it, and dispersed. As 
 no boats were waiting to receive them, a 
 few de«perati' men plunged into the river 
 and attempted to swim across, of whom 
 some perished ; the remainder tried to 
 secrete themselves among the rocks and 
 thickets along the shore. The Indi^^ns lined 
 the cliffs above,or perched themselves in the 
 trees whooping incessantly, and tiring at the 
 futi^itives whenever an oppoitunity offered. 
 Under these circumstances Scott was i{lad 
 to raise a white fltg in the hope of preser- 
 ving the lixes of the rest of his command. 
 For a few minutes, even after this was done, 
 the Indians continued their firing either 
 not observing or disregarding this token of 
 submission, until it is said that Sheaffe grew 
 BO indignant at their mibconduct, that he 
 dauhed his hat and sword on the (tround,und 
 threatened that he would resign the com- 
 mand if they were not at once restrained. 
 When this was accomplished, 290 officers 
 and men surrendered there. Some yet 
 evaded discovery, and forty were brought in 
 next day, swelling the entire number of 
 prisoners taken to an aggregate of 958, 
 among whom there was one general, six 
 colonels, three majors, seventeen captains 
 and thirty-six subalterns. 
 
 The loss in killed and wounded cannot be 
 ex'kctly stated on either side. The British 
 olficial return ia missing, but is said to have 
 footed up a total of only sixteen killed and 
 sixty nine wounded. It is doubtful whether 
 the casualties among the militia were id- 
 oluded in this. Two Cayuga chiefs and 
 three -varriors, whose names have been pre- 
 served were killed, and Norton himself and 
 eight others wounded, although this loas 
 was insignificant in point of number. The 
 death of Gen. Brock was felt to be an almost 
 irreparable blow, and by many of his op- 
 ponents was considered to have fully com- 
 Eensated for their defedit. Besides him, 
 lieutCol. McDonnell seems to hi>ve been 
 the only British officer kilted, and none but 
 Captains Dennis and Williams appear to 
 h&ve been wounded. 
 
 No complete return of casualties was at- 
 tempted by the Americana, probably owing 
 
 to the immediate dispersal of a large portion 
 of the militia. A week after the battle, 
 V.tn R>ins8e1aer stated 6fHoially that it would 
 be impossible to furnish a complete state- 
 ment, but estimated the number of killed 
 at sixty, and of wounded at one hundred 
 and seventy. It was but natural th'tt ho 
 should be disposed to minimize his losses, 
 and accordingly we find others incHned to 
 believe them very much greater. Lossing 
 and ,J. L. Thomson, neither of whom would 
 be prone to exaggeration in this respect, 
 agree in placing the number of killed at 
 ninety, but diminish the numbtr of 
 wounded. Contemporary aconuats gener 
 ally put both still higher. Colonel Mead, 
 a prisoner, estimated the killed and drowned 
 at one hundred, and the wounded at twice 
 that number, while Colonel Bloom, who 
 was wounded hut escaped capture, thought 
 that a hundred were drowned alone, and 
 three huodied killed and wounded. An 
 eye witness whose letter was published in 
 the Boston Mexsenijer stated that 1600 
 Americans were engaged, of whom 900 
 were regulars.and that the number of killed 
 was variously estiraited from l.'iO up to 400. 
 .\ letter iu the Ontario Repository nUo from 
 an eyewitness, computed the killed and 
 missing at '{250, while still another in the 
 Geneva Gazette raised the number to .300 
 But a British officer writing fro(n Vort 
 George on the 17th of October, fairly dis 
 tanced all others by the conjecture, that 500 
 of their men must haveperisbed in theactiob, 
 or in the river, relating in support of his 
 opinion that one boat was seen to sink with 
 about fifty men, while two others, each hav 
 ing as many on board, did not bring more 
 than hiilf a dozen ashore alive in either of 
 thorn. 
 
 There can be no doubt that their loss was 
 severe. A single company of the 13ih, lout 
 thirty men in killed or wounded, and four 
 out of the five captains of that regimaut en- 
 gaged, were disabled by wounds, Three 
 captains and three subilterns were killed, 
 and besides those who were taken prisoners, 
 two coloneU, four captains, and five subal- 
 terns were wounded. There were one 
 hundred and twenty wounded officers and 
 men among the prisoner'*, thirty of whom 
 died. The hospital atf Niagara was filled, 
 and the remainder laid in the courthoune 
 and churches. Oue hundred and forty others 
 had been' removed before the surrender to 
 Lewi8ton,aud of theae.not less than one bun 
 dred are related to have been buried within 
 a month, many of them dying from flesh 
 wounds through insufficient care. 
 
 Van Rensselaer's failure was complete 
 and disastrous. He bad lost ail his bust 
 
BAITLE OF QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 
 
 «9 
 
 complete 
 bU buac 
 
 otticerB.and the flowera of hit troops, and the 
 entire division engaged was practically ren- 
 dered incapable of resumine operations in 
 the field. Ten days afterward he abandoned 
 the struggle in despair, by throwing up tha 
 command. Hif* successor, General Smyth, 
 reported that be found his force dimi':iiahed 
 by more than two thousand men in conse- 
 quence of the defeat, half this loss having 
 been caused by desertion Several of the 
 militia regiments had to be actually dis- 
 banded in consequence, and the men still 
 remaining in camp allowed to return to their 
 homes. A letter written from Manlins, N. 
 Y., on the 3rd of November, contains the 
 dismal account "that the militia corps on 
 the lines have dwindled, and are dwindling 
 to mere skeletons, some of the companies 
 containing a less number of privates than 
 ofSoers. The rifle corps from this county 
 is reduced by sickness, prisoners, etc., to 
 less than the complement of a company, and 
 Major Moaeley in consequence has returned 
 home." 
 
 Besides the field-piece already mentioned, 
 and about a thousand stand of small arms, 
 the colors of one of the New York regi- 
 ments were taken. In November this tro- 
 phy was displayed in the courtyard of the 
 castle of St. Louis at Quebec, and is thus 
 described by the Mercury : — "It is made of 
 blue or purple-colored changeable silk about 
 a yard and a half square, with the arms of 
 the United States on one side and those of 
 New York on the other, both surrounded 
 by a circle of start*. " 
 
 Note, — The companies of Kowe and 
 Hamilton engaaed in this battle, being the 
 flank companies of the 2nd Lincoln battalion, 
 were formed from amocc the residents of 
 the townships of Stamford, Tborold and 
 Willoughby. The following copy of the 
 original muster-rolls of these companies will 
 not be devoid of interests to many of the 
 present inhabitants of this county : — 
 
 "We the non-commissioned oiiicerB and 
 privates belonging to Captain John Howe's 
 company of the second regiment of Lincoln 
 militit do sincerely promise and swear that 
 we will be faithful and bear true Allegiance 
 to His Mtijesty, Kmg George, and him will 
 defend to the utmost of our power, against 
 all traitorous conspiracies and attempts, 
 whatsoever, which shall be made against 
 His Person, Crown, or Dignity, and we will 
 do our utmost endeavours to disclose, and 
 make known to His Majesty, His Heirs, and 
 Successoro, all treasons and traitorous con- 
 spiracies, or attempts which we shall know 
 to be against him or them. So help an God. 
 William Kilverthorn, John Kalar, 
 Stephen Peer, John Sutton, 
 
 William Coaa, Benjamin Sutton, 
 
 Stephen Barber, 
 Jonathan Conklin, 
 Wareham Johnson, 
 William Big^ar, 
 Ebenezer Skinner, 
 John Pearson, 
 Jonah Hovey, 
 Isaac Hovey. 
 
 Sworn before me at Chippawa, 4th Sitpt., 
 1812, Thomas Dickson, J. P. 
 
 CAPT. ROBERT HAMILT0N'.S COMPANY. 
 
 Colin McCallum, 
 Aaron Sutton, 
 Hugh Uagerty, 
 Conrad Sider, 
 James Btird, 
 Edward Durham, 
 James Thompson, 
 
 William llawles, 
 Harman Pruyn, 
 Martin Anderson, 
 Paul Weaver, 
 Frederick Near, 
 Gabriel Smith, 
 Robert Fielick, 
 Thomas Bald, 
 Charles Anderson, 
 
 William Snart, 
 James Ostrander, 
 Adam Bowman, 
 John Dorshimer, 
 Thomas Bloomfleld, 
 Philip Bettes, 
 A Upper, Lieut., 
 Joshua Robins, 
 Adam Dennis, 
 
 m 
 
 Jacob Schram. 
 
 Sworn before Thomas Cummings, J. 
 6th of October, 1812. 
 
 P., 
 
 Danijel Davis, 
 Tliothaa Cain, 
 Reuben Green, 
 Francis Pettas, 
 Peter Basted o, 
 Benjamin Baboock, 
 John Gallopain, 
 Willian Agler, 
 Robert Hopkins, 
 Richard Griffith, 
 Henry Millar, 
 Christian Mester, 
 James Slaght. 
 
 Elijah Johnson, 
 John Complin, 
 Henry Stammack, 
 Arthur Mcintosh, 
 Antoine Edmetter, 
 Louis Blanchette, 
 William Gilmore, 
 Caleb Hopkins, 
 Este Mack, 
 John Thomas, 
 Dongald McLachlan, 
 Job M. L«yton, 
 Phineas Moulton. 
 
 Sworn on the 29th of August, 1812. 
 Robert Watterhouse, Darius Williams, 
 
 Thomas Forua, 
 William Thomas, 
 Andrew Neville, 
 Jonathan Doan, 
 Adam Killman, 
 John Williams, 
 John Lutz, 
 Robert Willson, 
 Abraham Teaters, 
 Moses Gilmore, 
 Cornelius Johnson, 
 James Ryan, 
 
 H. Vanalstine, 
 C. Vanderburg, 
 Phineas Smith, 
 Frederick Glans, 
 Thomas Lodge, 
 Perry Loucks, 
 George Bill. ^ 
 
 Gilbert VanWyck, 
 B. Humphreys, 
 John Bowman, 
 Calvin Cook, 
 John Howell, 
 
 Jacob V'anderburgb, James E. Wood, 
 
 John Cbristler, 
 John Scott, 
 Andrew Willson, 
 Mathias Gruvick, 
 George Marlatt, 
 Loyal Davis, 
 John Kelly, 
 Obadiah Swayze. 
 Hiram Swayze, 
 
 Sworn on the 4th of Sept., 1812 
 John Carl, John Smith. 
 
 S«orn on the 12th Oct., 1812. 
 
 Aivin Silverthorn, 
 James Scott, 
 ^eter Bowman, 
 Nathan Arnold, 
 John Morrison, 
 David Pierson, 
 John Skinner, 
 Peter B. Dowitt,