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Y.: Journal Frint. ■^tjU- V^ ^3, issr la K-' i preface. The Falls of Niagara are ampoR tlw most wonderful woriw of nature, and trince thei» first diseowry by Father Hennepin in 1678, rich and pot»r, high ftud low, king* and plobiauB, have done homage to this wonder of wonders. All nations of the world have furnished their quota of tourists to this eonter of •ttrnctioB. Consequently n -ny stirring events have taken place in this vicinity, which prove the old adage that " Truth is stranger than fiction." The Niagara Frontier is rich in historical facts, many battles having been fought near the Iwundary line in the early days. The writer, who has lived within the roar of the iuiigbty Cataract for o.ore than half 11 century, is well acquaiiised with some of the incidents herein narrated, and the facts contained in thte book have been secured from the most authentic Bouroes. The book will be found very valuable to aH intwested in our Frontier History, and will supply a want long felt by the traveling publie. r nai tite and tttlier liigb douo Al) islietl ter of irring^ siuity, Trntb iagara mauy ir til* The roar of II half I Bume 1, uud c have hentio 1 very rentier t long The rtia^ara River. This piclnresque river eztenda from Lake Eric to Lake Ontario, a distance of tbirty-xix mileH, and tbrough it pa»- kjes all the waters of the jGrreat lakes of the west, includinar Lakes Superior, MiobiKAD, Hnron, St. Clair and Erie, forming the largest and finest body of fresh water in the world. It has n fall from Lake Erie to the Falls of 68 feet on the American and 78 on the Canadian Bide. The An^erioan fall is 160 feet high and the Canadian or horse-rJioe fall is 150 feet in heiRbt. From the base of the falls to Lewistun, a dis'fanoe of seven miles, there is a fall of 10* feet: and from Lewiston to the month of the river at Ijoke Ontario, a dktanco of seven miles more, there is a fdl ol two feet, making a ifall of 334 feet from lake to lake. This river is dotted with nnmerons beantiful inlands, thirty mx in all, the largest of which is Grand Iriand con- taining almnt eleven thoasand acres of land. Bnt the one which is of the most interest to the 'wnrist is Gtoat Island, which divides tbe American from the Canadian x.r hcrae-sboe fall, and is now inolnded in the State Beservation. As tue river is the dividing line be- tween the United States and Canada, many stirring scenes have taken place near it« shores. Namerous and bloody battJes have been foaght within its vicinity. For more than a hnudrei) years there was war between France and England, and the contest did nut cease ?t: until 17B3, when French rule in North AmeriOH was wiped out. 80 that from the earliest daya of the rnle of the American aborigines to the close of onr own war of 181*2, its borders have been the BCf aes of many conflicts and of deeds ol heroism and valor. The G"f«n. Five miles above the falls, naar the month of Cayuga Creek, is a village called LaBalle, so named after Laballe, who, in company witli father Hennepin, built the first boat at this place that ever sailed on the great lakes. The boat was called the Griffin and was about sixty tons burden. It was early in the year 167B that the work of build- ing this vessel began under great dif- tlnulties. 'Iha savages hovtjred around the ship builders, and entered the camp with a lack of ceremony rather alarm- ing. I'hey refused to sell their corn, ana p'otted to burn the vessel on the stocks. Huffering from cold, and often from hiiii<.^or, fearing always a hostile descent of the savages, the men became discontented, and it required Father Hennepin's utmost endeavors to allay their fears. Meanwhile LaSalle was at Frontenac, whither he had returned after driving the rt/st bolt of the brig- sntine, endeavoring to counteract the efforts of his enemies who were spread- in" reports that he was about tt> engage in an extremely dangerous undertaking, enormously expensive and yieldiug but little hope of his return. Their rumors 80 alarmed his creditors in Queb.3c and - w >rth rom the onr wen BOtlS the llHfj;e >ulle, epiu. that The was early mild- dif. oiind samp x larm- oorn, 1 the often ;)Htile came athor allay as at irned brig- t the read- igage king. f but imors c and /i iM * 1 Montreal that tkey aeized nixxi hit «H(!OtH there aud Hold thera nnt at great losH U> him. The delay which would be nooeDaary to rectify this would prevent tlie BUCoetM of his expedition, for thia year at leant, ao he submitted patiently to his misfortnaes. At liwt the ship was ready and his other preparations were complete. On the seventh da^ of August, 1679, the wils of the Oriffiu were spread to the winds of Lake Eri«!, and making fear- lessly for the midnt of the great fresh water sea, thev descried, on the third day the iskuids in the western «nd. A storm beset them in Huron, and with the usual bitterness of the followers of great explorers, many of his mep com- plained of the dangers into which thtiy had been led. They escaped from the «torm. however, but only to meet with HOW difficulties. Their first object was to make a favorable impression upon ihe Indians, whose friendship was so ub'tessarv to their success ; but this taA. was harder than they had antic oated. While the natives received ami snter- tained LaSalle with great civility and looked in wonder at tne ^eat wooden canoe, their show of friendship was more politic than sincere, and produced no effect upon their future conduct. Nor was this the only disadvantage under which they labored. Mtteen men had been sent forward to collect provisioua, but had been tamp- ered with, and had squandered A part of the merchandise with which they had been provided for trading. However, hoping that some would prove faithful to their trust, a beliuf which later events jostiQed, they eoutiuued on their course. '•f ^r 6. On his way aoroaa the lakes, LftSnlle marked Detroit as a suilaMe plaoe for a colony, {javo name to Luke Ht. Clair, planted a trailing bouse at Mackinaw, and finally oast anchor ni Green Bay. Here, to retrieve his f'jrtane, he ool< leoted a rich cargo of fnrs, and sent back his brig to carry them lo Niagara. But unfortunately, t>je brig, with the cargo, was lost on lier way down the lakes, and n<) reliable ioformatioB WM ever obtained of bar fate. 'i' ;?', Thower uder- t was cluHe )Bser, tage. re iu soajje ened irSir ured was at it med. rRcks ■«x>p8 iseph the /••■ 7. British army and was afterwards pro- moted to the rank of oolouol, and died in thu Fort. Au oak slab on which his name was out was standi ug \,t his grave just above the fort aa late an thu year 1808. On the wost side of the aforesaid chimney are still standing some of the survlviii : trees of the first apple orohitnl net oat in this region, and as early aa 17U0 it was described as being a well fenced orchard, containing 1200 trees, only a fe\r of which are now re- maining. The building which was erected V»y the English to the old chim- ney was afterwardH used as a dwelling house by dilTorent porsons, aatong whom w as the late Judge Porter, who occu- pied it in the years of 1806, 7-8, when he removed to the Porter homestead on Bufifalo street. This building was afterwards converted into a tavern for the aoooaimodution of visitors to the Falls and travelers en route to the west, and was so occupied when again destroy- ed in 1813 by the British who made a raid on this side of the river. Some of the inmates made their escaiw by biding in a deep ditch running through a large meadow on the east side of the house, and others, thinking >to make their escape by way of the orchard on the west side, were met by the Indians, who lay in ambush, and were either killed or taJcen prisoner. Afterwards anothe** building was put to the old chimney which was used for a farm house for many years, in which the writer had the pleasure of eatiiig some good meals that were cooked in the flre p^aoe of the '• Old Stone Chim- ney," which has withstood the storms of nearly 150 years and passed through 8 fiery ordeal at three different times. M Ml ] n The Hon. T. V. Welch, who has taken a deep interest in cur frontier history, has composed the following verses: . Boalde KlasKra's lovely atream An old stx>ne ohJinney sfMsdri In winter's blaks acA tiuiAmdr'H beam. Above the riveraands ; ■ " ./ Oft on the hearth In cbltdhood's day, A grlowlng Are was mode. And In the summer grniy, 'Wound the old stone chimney played. CHORlJB^— Touch not the old ston j chlmiioy; Our irraudslre'a long Ago, Their youthful bride s l ^slde that hearth, Iioved in the cheeriul glo^r ; Touch not the old stone oUmney, Whore the red man used to dwell. Where the pioneer aad hb swi* .iiiei>rt dear. They sleep, they steep, so wdl The flre-IiKht f eJl, on the cMldrca there. And you*!' Jiroamt In . , blase; And gentle wives, and daughters fair. Sweethearts of other days; Oft. since th>>t d«y, has love heW swi ^', And plighted hearte and bandf Bvs'de Nlpgara's winding way. Where the old stone obimney stands. Chc.TO. Lont* aiay tbe old Ft one chimney stand Upon Niagara's fiiore; Tbe rions of France, aad Britain's baa,\ They battle thore no more; The pioneer and sweetheart's dear. Are sleeping on the hli.% Where lone tbe old stone obimue) und brass aiortar and thj command devoUed upon Sir. William Johnson. The French and Indians, numbering about 1200, came to the relief of the garrison and gave battle to the English, but the Indians in their alliance deserted them in the heat of the eugagfcment, and victory was declared in favor of the English. On the 25th of July the garrison consisting of COO men, fell into the hands of the British, who If; ,,- M: now poaaeiHed tbis impo/taut post, bar- ring ftU oomraunioatious between tho northern and southern poaaeseionB of the French. We can not give a narro- tive of all ©f the different battles in this oampaigu, which were truly important, but simply say that this war did not cease until the treaty of peace was declared in Paris on February 10th, 1703, when England got undisputed possession (except bv the Indians; ot the whole continent, from the shores of the Gulf of Mexico to the frozen north, and from ocean to ocean. ♦- Indian ^tpat&gy. in 1763, Ponfciao. a BagaoiouEi Ottawa chief, and a former ally of the Fieuoh, thought that if the English oould bo subdued before they could gain a firm foot-hold, th: Indians would again be lords of the forest. For this purpose he secretly effected a con- federation of several of the north-west- ern tribes of Indiauu, and on the 7th of July nine of the British forts were captured by them, which were all of the forte west of Oswego, excepting Fort Nit^Ara, Fort P'tt and Detroit. Pon- tiao had arrangtsd the following plans of strategy: At Manmee, the command- ing olnoor was lured forth by piteous entreaties of a squaw, who feigned to pl^d for a wounded man dying without vxe fort, and he was immediately shot by Indians in ambubh. At Mackinaw, a more important post, the ludiaiDS had gathered by hundreds. Thoy beg»D among themselves a spirited li* bar- the 8 Uf larro- this tunt, noi WllS lOth, utt'ti es of urtb. ittawa [•e'lob, oould gain would r tills i con- -west- 7th of were of the Foft Pon- ans of tnnud- iteons ed to ithout ' shoi ; poet, dredB. >irit«d ^me of ball. One of the two partitw who played, drove the other, n» if by accident, towards the palisades which incloBed the grounds of the fort. They came on, shouting and sptxrting, an-', the soldiers went forth to view the game. At length the ball was thrown over the pickets, and Uie Indians jumped after it within the inclosure. Then began the butchery. The soldiers of the garrisoii, appalled and unprepared, could make no resistance. The oinn- mander. Major Henry, was writing within his room. He heard tlo Indian war-cry, and the shrieks of the mnrder- ed; and from ihe window he saw four- hundred savages cutting down with their tomahawks, his dearest friends. He saw them soal|>ed while yet in their death struggles, their necks beneath their feet, or their heads held between the knjies of the seal|>ers. They had already taken the fort, but Henry him- self, through some strange pertls, os- oaped tf> relate the horrible sci^ue. Pontiac ohome to command in j^erson at Detroit, that post being regiuded as, the key to the upper country. On the fith, the Indians, to the number of six hundred, had coJlected in the woods around the fort. In the evening a squaw who had been kindly treated, betrayed to Major Giadwyn, the commander/the desigHB of the savages. ';)n the 7th, Poutiiio, with a party of his chiefs, presented themselves , as in peace, de- siring to bold a council with the oflicei-s within the fort. They were admitted, but to their surprise, they were im- mediately surrounded by the garrison, fully armed. Major Giadwyn appro.wsh- ed Pontiao,andliftiiighiHblanketfouad a short rifle concealed beneath it. Thus unexpectedly discovered, Pontiao him- nelf waa disconcerted. Tbe Indians from witbout were not let in; but tbe chief esoHped, or was suffered to go He then beseiged the fort, holding the garrison conttued for mauy tnoiiths, and cutting off supplies and reinforcements. At length bis allies grew weary of war. and pewe was declared . Pontiao died three years after waids. «- DeuiVs gole TWassaore. The Devil's Hole is a picturesque place on tbe American side, about a mile below the Whirlpool. It is hero where on the 14th of September, 1763, the Seneca Indians, smarting under English rule, lay in ambush for a British supply train on its way from Schlosser to Lewiston. And as the doomed company carelessly filed along the brink of the chasm, a mur- derous volley wa.i fired 'by the bidden savages, who then sprang forth thirty or forty to one of the survivors, and but- chered thiem with tomahawk and scalp- ing knife. Oraz^-xi by the din of fire- arms and the yells of tbe savages, part of the teams wont off the rooky wall; and even the men in some cases, rather than ba hacked to pieces on the spot or ro8st«?d at the st-ake, flung themselves from the cliff. Among the latter was a drummer boy named Mathews, who fell into a tree top, from which he desciendod vnthont mortal injuries. It is said that th8, and shudder to tb^nk of the situation of the men who iudged it boat to cast themselves into tnis deep and mg^red ohasm. Yet one who made this choice long outlived every otiier actor in this awfnl tragedy— the drum- mer Mathews— who died in Queenstun at the advanced age of 90 years. *fu8oapora f^eserDation. Aliont seven miles northeast of Niagara Falls, is situated the Tuscarora ludian Keservatiou. History tells ns that in 1712 the Tusoaroras and other Indiana from North Carolina, formed, with all the subtlety of the savage character, a plot for extenuinatini; the entire white population. Having liept their des?gn a profound secret until the night fixed for its execution, they entered tb3 houses of the poor Palatines of Gar- many who had settled on tha Roanoke and mnrdered men, women and child- ren. A few who escaped gave the alarm and the remaining inhabitants, collecting into camp, kept guard night and day until aid could be received from Bouth Carolina. That colony sent to their relief 000 militia and 360 In- dians w let Barnwell. Although a wilderness at this time separated the northern from the southern settlements, Barnwell penetrated it, boldly at- tacked the Indianu, killed 300 and took 100 prisoners. Those who escaped fled to the chief town of the Tuscaroraa, where they erected wooden breastworks for their security ; but here Barnwell's troops surrounded them and they at last sued for peace. Tij« Tuscaroras had lost a thousand men in the course of this war and they soon after left their 16. country and settled in Central Nevr York, uniting with the Iruquoiu, mak- ing the sixth nation of that oonfedorooy. Dining the struggle for American indepeudeuoe part of this tribe joined the British forces and part maintained a strict neutrality. Such of the Tus- caroros and Oaeiu.is as had allied them- selves with the English and fled before the arrival of Sullivan's army sought refuge within the British garrisou at Fort Niagara, reaoliing there via the Oneida Lake, Oswego Lake and Iiake Ontario. During the early port of the following year fwirt of them returned to their hunting-grounds in Central New York and part of them took possession of a mile square on the mountain niuge, which was given to them by the Seneoas who owned the territory there. At a later period the Holland Land Co. granted them t^o square miles aajoin- ing their possessions and in 1808 they purchased of the company an additional trac|i, making, in the aggregate. 7,620 acres now in their pos-wssion. The reservation li^a the appeamuoe of auy other agriouitural neighborhood. The present population is about 460, few, if auy, looking like the "red man of the forest" of whom we use to road in our schoolboy days. They have two churches— Presbyterian and Bapti8t,and the community is a well behaved one with few exceptions. The Indian chil- dren now icoeive school training, and many of them fehow a marked degree of intelligence, and an aptitude for learn- ii^. There is considerable musical talent among these Indians and the Tus- oorora Band has played in some of the principal cities of our country in con- nection with a show of "Indian Beau- ties," among whom were some Tuscarora maideuB. 16. The War of 1812. The rcasonB for the war with England, OH strttod by Mr. Madimm, Tresident of the Uiiited atiiteH, iu an able inanifeBto, were: British excesBes iu violati.'iK the American flag on the great highway of nations ; the imnressinent of American seamen ; harrawiing American veaaels as they were entering their own harbors or departing from them, and wantonly Bpilling the blocid of the citizens of America within the limits of her terri- torial jurisdiction; issuing orders by which the ports of the enemies of Great Britain were blockaded, and not sup- porting these blockades by the adequate iipplioation of fleets to rauder them legal, atid enforcing them from the date of their proclamation, iu con.sequence of which American commerce had been plundered on every sea, and her pro- ducts out off from their legitimate market ; employing secret ageiits to subvert the goviTument and dismember the Union ; and finally encouraging the Indian tribes to hostility. Still the American people long cherished the hope that a sense of justice would induce the British Ministry to bring to asneedy and honorable termination the unfor- tunate differences subsisting between the two nations They were unwilling to re.sort to the ultimate means of redress until all peaceful measures had been exhausted, and, indeed, so tardy was the government iu its preparation, for war, that the people in many parts of the country loudly complained "f its want of firmness and energy. But delay brought no redress. Injury was fallowed by indignity, until the peace- ^ a Btjeedy -. le nnfor- betweeu inwillinir leans o! urea biid so tardy poratioii. iny parts «d of its ?y. Bat jury was he peaoe- Grout I taiuand'its dopoiidenoios, hy the (Jon{f rasa of the United States. The Surrender of jgull. Prerious to tlio declaration of war, Gen. Hull, iu anticipation of that event, bad been ap»)ointed to the ouinmand of a ;arge and well furnished army, intended for the invasion of Canada from some point near Detroit. This array passed Cincinnati the latter piwt of May, left Dayton on the Ist of June, arrived on the Maumee Biver on the 30th and crossed the River of Detroit— for the invasion of Canada— on the 12th of July. The expedition was attended wUh the higli hopes of the people, the omoers and the men. It was opposed Ly no superior force, and when in front of the enemy no aonnd of discontent was heard, nor any appearance of cowardice or dissatisfaction seen. On the contrary every man awaited the battle In snii anticipation of victory, ex- peotinjf % proud day for his country and himeelf. Notwithstanding all this pre- paration, notwithstanding the superior- ity of the fyroe, and notwithstanding these vivid anticipations of success and ftlory, the entire army was, without apparent cause, surrendered to the de- mand of General Brook, on the 14th day of August. This event, so nnexpectc^d and bo die- aatrous, filled the American people with consternation and mortification. Indig - nation, grief and Hhame alternately filled the hearta of the honest oitizeu and the patriot aoldier. It waa a veil of darknera drawn over the face of the ooantry. . , x, Baoh waB the commenoenieut of tlie war of 1812, unfortunate, diHaBtrouH and melanoholy. It was oortaiuly no en- couragement to those who soon after oommt-nced the oampaiKU of the Niag- ara, where bloody fielUB, brave actions and positive achievements, reanimated the hopes of the country, and gave a durable glory to the American arms. % n<»*<*l gn^c^emcnt. In July 1812 Winfleld S< ft received the commission of Liout< mt^Oolonel in the 2d artillery, (Izard'n regiment), and arrived on the Niagara frontier, with companies of Tow8t)n and Barker. He took post at Black Rock to protect the npvy yard there established. Lieutenant Elliott of the navy had plaimed an enterprise against two armed brigs, then lyinp at anchor under the guns of Fort Erie. For this purpose he applied on the 8th of August, 1812, to Colonel Scott for assistance in officers and men. Captain Towson and a portion of his company were dispatch- ed to the aid of Ellictt, The attack was snooessful. On the morning of the ninth, both vessels were carried in the most gallant manner. The " Adams " was taken by Captain Elliott in person, assisted by Lieutenant Isaac Roach; and the " Caledonia " b^ the gallant Captain ToWBor. In dropping down the Niag- • ragw^ t,^.'a*i£:*^^i'it/,T^ ^-ji-i^'^. 1 p 19. ara River the "AdamH" botJariio un- niHn»gBble throuRli the ooonrrenoe of a oolm, aod dnfted into the HritiHh chan- nel. Hhe got SKfjiuid ou Squaw IsJaud, nueotly under the {fans of the enemy's liitterieB, where it was impossible to Kot her off. OapUi:i Elliott, therefore, having previously secured the prisoners abandoned her under a heavy flre from the British shore. Then ensued an in- teresting and exciting scene, the British endeavoring to retake the abandoned brig and doott to prevent them. The enemy sent out boats, and Scott resisted them, in which effort he wft» Buooessfal. The brig was recaptured and hold until she was substquently burned by order of General Smythe, who had then arrived. As for the " Caledonia " she was pres- erved by the extraordinary efforts of Captain Towson, and afUfrwards did good service in the memorable and glorious victory won on Lake Brie, by the gallant Perry. Although this was not so important an engagement as the capture of the Brit- ish frigate Guerriere, under command of Captain Dacres, by the American ingato Constitution, commaudcd by Captain HuU, which took p^aoo off the Grand Bank of Newfoundland, a few days after the disgraceful surrender of Detroit, yet this was one ol those small but honorable enterprises, of which many occurred during the war. which should be mentioned to the credit of the actors, Bijd aa an example to those who here- after may have similiar duties to per- form in defence of thoir country. m s de- clared they must act, or ro home, an alternative which imtwsed upon the General the necessity of some active movement. Accordingly, he planned an attack on Queeuston Heights. The troops which he bad at his command were the New York militia and about four hundred and fifty regulars under the command of Colonels Fenwick and Chrystie, who, with Major MuUaney, had arrive the night before in detaon- ments from Port Niagara for the mt- poso of joining in this expedition. The militia were raw, inexperienced, and un- disciplined, circumstauoes which caused the brunt of the battle ultimately to fall on the regnlam, and its final loss. The plan was to throw over the river two columns of troops, each about three hundrod strong. One was commanded by Ooloqol Solomon Van Kensselaer, and the other by Lieutenant-Oolooel Ohrystie The detachments of Fenwick and Mullntiey w;4re to sustain, in tht< best way they could, these oolnmns. These arrangements were made on the l'2th of October. Late in the evening ■■»'y5" '1 ma e?4*'!Suiiji« "'iWif 1 ..•■'?" ..>.U.i •-'V':-^ of that day Ool. Soott hod arriyed by a Iforeed march, partly by wr,ter and partly thrun^b mud and rain, at Hohloa- iior, two miles above the Fails Kud nine from Lewiston, with a view of joining in the oontempUtod attaok. He haat- euud to LewiHton and volunteered hia nervioes to (General Van Renfiselaer. They were declined on aooouut of the arranKtiments already made; but t'ith normisaion that Soott should brin^ bis reriment immediately to Lewiston, and there act as oiroumstances iQiKht require, and opportunities offer. This itormission he at once availed him- itoif of, and arrived at Ijewiston with ilia corps at four o'clock a. m. on the 13th. Finding no boats he placed hia traiu in battery on the American shore under the immediate command of CnptainB Towson and B&: ker. and when daylight api>tiared opened an effective lire on the enemy. In the meantime the principal move- ment, as originnlly planned, had gone on. All the boats which could be col- lected were employed to transport the oolumuu of Chrystio and Van Rensse- laer. Unfurtunately the l>oat8 were insuiBoient to take the wholo number at once, and the passage was made by de- tachments. The boat in which Chrystie was became disabled, was mi»maQaged by the pilot, and finally carried out of the way by the eddies of the river. He made a gallant attempt to land but waa wounded and had to retmn to the American shore In the after ^t of the engagement he returned with re- inforcements to the troops in Canada and shared the fate of the day. The main body of the first embark- ation, under the direction of Oolonel Van Rensselaer, wbh more ftaocessfal. • I 1 s Two companies of the 13th Regimen t, with other small detachments of the same regiment, were able to land, and were suoceHsively reinforced from time to time as the few servioible boats to be had could transport them. They were landed under i severe fire of the enemy. At this time tliu nnmbers of both con- tending parties were small. The British force was composed of two flank companies of the 49th and the York militia. The Americans did not number much over one hundred com- batants. Notwithstanding the contin- ued cannonade fro.n tbe euemies bat- teries this small force forjaed =a the bank and marched .jteadily forward. In a few moments this f)re bad killed or wounded every commissioned officer, and among these Colonel Van Fenssel- aer biuaself , who received four severe wounds. Notwithstanding this, he sus- tained himself long enough to impart the local information he popsessed to other of3cers, who had m the meantime come up. In leaving the field his last command was that "all such as could move should immediately mount the hill and storm the batteries." This or- der was promptly obeyed by Oaptain Wool, on whom, as then senior officer of the regular troops, tire opmmand de- volved, and he was a.h,o bieedinp: from his wounds, but distinguished 1. inself with Captains 0;^Sir:' Be*«Ri msr. ment, jf the , and fcime to be were lemy. con- The two the uot oom- Dutin- bat- a the a. killed )fflcer, Bussel- severe le Bus- mpart led to ID time is last could it the liis or- aptain officer id db- ', from imiteU and lolph. sightH, liteen- 'ay up )BBf88- A the snemy into a afer'B 23. Elated with their succesB, the Ameri- oaus had fallen into disorder, when they again beheld 300 of their foe, ad- vancing under the intrepid Brook, the lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada, who had just returned from the capture of Hull to defend the Niagara frontier. An oillcer raised a white flag in token to Burrander: Wool indignantly pulled it dowu. The British now drove the Ameri'^its to the tdge of the incline. One BT.ldier was about tt) descend; Wool ordered him to be shot; but. as the musket was leveled, he returned. T>>'aB prohibiting either surrender or retreat, and being ably seconded by his officers, he rallied and led on his troops to the attack. The British in their turn gave way, and retreated down the hill. Brock, while attempting to rally them in the midst oT a galliug fire, was mor- tally wounded. His party no longer attempted resistance, but ned in disor- der. - Exactly at this period Lieutenant- colonel Scott arrived on the heights He had been permitted, as a volunteer, to cross the rivei with his adjutant, Boaoh. audaasume the command of th': whole body engaged. On the Canada side he unexpectedly found Brigadier- General William Wadsworth of the New York militia, who had crossed with- out, orders Scott therefore proposed to limit his command to the regulars, but the generous and patriotic Wads- worth would not consent. Scott then assumed command, and throughout the movements that ensued General Wads- worth dured every danger in iMding the views of the commander. Reinforce- ments having arrived during the previ- ous engagements, the troops under Soott now amounted m all to three huu- -24. dred and fifty regulars, and two h un- dred and fifty voluuteHrB. undei" the di- rection of General Wadsworth and Col- ouol Strauahan. These Scott, upon the snggestion of Oapt«in Tatton, drew up in a strong and commanding sitnatipn . The object iu vi sw was not only to re- ceive the enemy, but to cover the ferry in expecbvtion of being roinforced by the whole of tho militia at Lewiston. The interval of rest was short. The first gnu which broke the silence of the morning had also aroused the British garrison of Fort George eight miles be- low. Their troops were instantly put in motion. Tho Indians, wlio had been concentrated in the vicinity, sprang in- to activity. In a short time five hun- dred of these forost war/iors joined the British "light companies previously en- gaged. A new battle ensued. The Americans received the enemy witli firmuoss and drove them back in total route. The proteoticn of the Terry being the main purpose, and as the Indians in the wood presented no opportunity for a charge, the Americans resumed their original position, iid there maintained it valiantly against several successive at- tacks, until the British reinforcements arrived from Fort George. In one of these affairs tho advanced pickets of the American lines were suddenly driven in by superior numbers, and a general massacre seemed inevitable. At this oi-itioal moment Scott, who had been in the rear showing how to unspike a cap- tured ci/nnon, hastily returned und by great exertions brought hi» Hue, then in the act of giving away, to the right- about. His brilliant example produced a sudden revulsion of feeling. They caught the spirit of their leader. Witib flB"^" hnn- the di- nd Col- pun the jrew np timtion . ly to re- he ferry •ced by iton. t. The e of the British niles be- y put in id been irftus in- ive hun- ined the )usly en- d. The ny with c m total leing the 18 in the ty for a ed their liutaiued SHsive at- poementa n one of )t3 of the iriven in general At this I been in ke a oap- ttnd by iue, then he right- Drodiiced . They :. With as. an itnauimous burst of enthueiahiu the line Luddenly rallied from rieht to left, threw itself forward upon the enemy, putting him to a precipitate flight, and strewing the ground with the dead and wounded, in this manner snoeessive oufliotB were kept np till the main body of the British reinforcements arrived.' This was a column eight hundred and fifty strong under the command of Mpjor-Qeweral Sheaffe, who was after- wards made a baronet for the events of the day. During the action, which had now so long proceeded with credit to the American troops, the Militia who had crossed the river and were engaged with Wadsworth and Strsnahan, h.-xd fought well, and shared both the dai - gers and the successes of the day. Ai< this crisis, however, when the result of the battle depended entirely npon re- inforcements, intormatiou was brought to Bcott and thono engaged that the Militia on the American shore refused to cross. General Van Rensselaer rode among them in all directions, urging the men by every consideration to pass, but in vain. Not a regiment nor a company could be induced to move. A panic had seized them; but even hod it been otherwise they could not have crossed, as but a few crippled boats remained to tak them over. The total number of boats in the beginning was only thirteen. Severe was the moitiiioation of this disaster to the brave men engaged, and mournful the result. At this period the British was estim- ated, regulars, militia and Indians, at not letm than thirteen hundred, while the Americans were reduced to less than three hundred- Uetreat waa as hope- less as suooess; for there were no boats I' on tbo Canadian shore, and the miliiia on the other Bide refused to give theni aid- Scott took his position on the grounds they then occupied, resolved to abide the shook, and think of surrender only when battle was impossible. He mow ited a k)g in front of his much- diminished band. ' ' The enemy's balls, " said he, " begin to tliin our ranks. His numbers are overwiiolming. In> mom- ent the shook must oorae. We are in the Doginuing of a national war. HuU's surrender is to bo redeemed. Let u» then die arms in hand. Onr country demands the sacrifice. The example will not bo lost. The blood of the slain will make heroes of the lining. Those who follow will avenge our fall and their country's wrongs. Who dare to stand?" " All 1 " wtte the answering'cry. In the meanwhile the British, under the com- mand of Major-Qeneral Sheaffe. man- oeuvred with great caution, and even hesitation, conscious of the vijrorouB resistance already made, and determined fully to reconuoiter. They found ii difflonlt to believe that so small a body of men was the wholo force they had to contend with, and supposed it rather an outpost than an army. At length the attack began. The Americans for a time maintained their resolution, bnt finally began to give way. When nearly surrounded they let themselves (by holdiufi; on limbs and bushes) down the precipice to the river. Resistance was now ended and after a brief consultation it was determined to send a flag to the enemy, with a proposition to capitulate. Several persons were buc- cessively sent, but neither answer nor messenger returned; they were all shot down or captured b;^ the Indians. At length Bcott determined that he him- r 27. self wonM make auutber Attempt. He prepared a tla^ of trace —a white hand- kerchief fttHtoned uiKJU his sword -aud accompauied by Cfaptaius Tutton and GibHun weut forth ou a forlorn hope to seek a parley. Keeping close to the water's edge and under cover of the precipice as maoh as iKiSsiblo, they de»- oended along the river. They were ex- posed to a continual random fire from the Indians, until they turned up an easy 8lo|>e to gain the road from the village to the ueighta. They had just attained this road when they were met by two Indians, who sprang upon them. It wuB in vain that Scott declared his purpose and ciuimed the protection of his flag. They attempted to wrench it from faia hands, and at the same instant Totton and Gibson drew their swords. The Indians had just discharged their ritles at the American officers and ^ere on the point of nsin-? their knives and hatchets, when a British officer, accom- panied by some men, rushed forward and prevented a further combat. The throe American officers were ooudncted into the presence of General BheaiTe; terms of capitulation were agreed upon; and Scott surrendered his whole force with the honors of war. The entire force thus surrendered, of those who had been aotnally fighting, were 139 regulars and 154 militia, mak- ing in all 293. But to the ^ntonse mor- tification of Scott, the number was soon swelled by several hundreds of militia, who hod crossed to the Canada shore, and in the confusion of the moment, had concealed themselves under the rooks higher up the river, and were not in the slightest degree engaged in the aotiuu of tile day. ; ;; 38. The total loss of the Ameiioaos in this '^attlo wfts estimated at 1000 men. About loo were killed, 200 who had landed with Major Mullaney early in the day were forced by the current of the river on the enemy's shores under his batteries and were there captured. 293 surrendered with Sco^t, and the re- mainder were those who had landed, but were not in the battle. Thus ended the battle of Qneenston Heights; an engagement desultory in its movements, various in its incidents, and unfortunate in its result; but not without consequent importance to the spirit and vigor of the American arms. Magnitude is not always necessary to the dignity of an achievement, nor is defeat always discouraging to the ua- successful party. It is the nature of the action which gives character to the actor. Judged by this standard, the events of (juoenston had their value, and their inspiration to every patriot American. HuR had surrendered with- out a battle; disgrace, not from the mere disaster, but from the mode by which it was produced was inflicted upon the country, and felt in the hearts of its children. It was battle, and hon- orable battle only, which ooul^ drive this gloomy shadow from the oouc.try, check the taunts oi the enemies, remove its own doubts, and re-establsh its self respect. The bvttle of Queeust<.)u Heights did this in no small degree. While the mistakes, the errors, and the losses of the day were deplored, the American press and people recognized, amid regrets and misfortune, a spirit of achievement, a boldness in danger, and a gallant bearing, whio]i inspired now hopes, aud pointed out the way to ultimate success. The daring gallantry 1 TO. of Oolonel Yaa BtiDsselaer: the capture of the British battery by Wool atd his ^ heroic coiupauions; the iutropid ooa- dnct of Wadsworth, of Ohryatie, of Tottop, and Bcott, and many others, f. had given a ohcteri'nluesa even to the darkueBfi of defeat, and almost a p:low of satisfaction to the memory of Queen- «ton Heights. Soon after the surrender, the gallant Brook was buried under one of the bastons of Fort St George, with the highest cf miiiti^ry honors. Fort lifiagara, direoUy opiKJsite on the Amer- ican shore was commanded at that time by Captain McKeon. Colonel Soott eeut over his compliments, and de&ired that minute-guns might be fired during the funeral -ceremonies. Captain Mc- Keon readily complied with the request, for the noble qualities of Brock had been held in equal eeteem on both sides of the line It is one of the privileges which smooth the rough brow of war, tiiUB to render a just respect to Oie worthy dead, whether they be of frierua or adversaries. It is the right of mag- nanimity to carry no hostility beneaw the green C/Overing of the grave, nor beyond that line which peace nas drawn between noble spirits, that once were foes, nor against those generous qualities which dignify the man and adore the races. ^ In later years the monument was -erected in honor of General Brock which now towers from the top of the Quoenston Heights. From this eminent pomt it can be seen for miles around. The exact spot where Brook fell, near the foot of the iiill, has also been ap- propriatelv marked, and the place en- closed with a small fence. 30. Oa|>tDre of fort G^opge. The oampaign of 1813 opeued with one of the luust brilliant ootiuus of the war. It was the capture of York, (n'>w Toronto) the capital of Upi/er Canada, by the Anieriotin trooiw auder the com- mand of General Dearborn. The ariuy wao lauded from the fHjuadron of Com- modore Chanucey. and the aHMistiu^ party was led by Pike. The place was captured, with a large uuml>er of priBouers, and the British naval mater- ial, there collected, destroyed. At the moment of success a magazine exploded and Pike was killed by the fall of a stone. In a letter written to his father the day before the battle, in speaking of bis exijedition he was about to engage in, he said: "Bhould I be the happy mortal destined to turn the settle of war, will you not rejoice, oh my father ? May heaven be propitious, and smile on the cause of my country. But if we are destined to fall, may my fall be like Wolf's— to sleep in the arms of victory." The wish was fniillled. He died like Wolf, in the arms of victory, and the tears of grief and joy were mingleti to- gether at the story of the battle which was won. and of the hero who died. On the British side of the Niagara was Fort George. This positiou, soon after the last event, Generid Deal- born determined to carry. He was then at the head of four or five thousand n.eu. and was oo-operated with by Commodore Chauucey and hie naval force. Arrange- ments were made for an attack on the morning of the 27th of May. At 3 a. m. the tieet weighed anchor, and befor<:) foiir the troops were all on board the m '¥ 31. boats. The embarkation was made about three miles east of Fort Nia-fuia. It was made in six divisious of boats, lu the tirst was Oolonol Boott, who led the advauoed euard, or forlorn hope, a servi o to which he had specially volun- teered. In the second was Colonel Moses Porter with the field train. Then followed the brigades of Generals Boyd, Winder, Ohaudler, and a reserve utider Colonel A. Macomb. In the meantime Commodore Chaunoey had directed his schooners to anchor close in shore, so near as to cover the landing of the troops, and scour by their fire the wtuuls and plain wherever the enemy mif^Ufc make his appearance. Captain Perry, from Erie, had joined Commodore' Cbauncey on i;he evening of the 25th, and gallantly volunteered his services in superintending the debarkation >f the troops. It was a difficult operut iuu, in consequence of the wind, the current, a heavy surf, and the early commenced tire of the enemy. He was present wherever he could be useful, under showers of musketry. He accompanied the advanced guard through the surf, and rendered special services of which mention has since been made in the highest terms of commendation. It was the bu .ding forth of that professional skill, and that brave and gcnurons con- duct, which soon bloomed out in the flory which surrounds the name of the ero of Lake Erie. Tho landing of Col. Scott was effected on the British shore of Lake Ontario, at nine o'clock in the morning, in good order, at half a mile from the village of Newark, now Niagara-on-the-Lake, and the same distance west of the month of the river. He formed his line on the beach, cover- ed by an irregular bank, which served a. sa. ns a partial shield a«aiuat tha enemy's Are. ThiH bank, wliioli vhu from neven tu twelve feet in height, he hud to ttoale a^ainHt the bayonets of the enemy, who had drawn up his foroes, some fifteen hundred men, immediately on its brow. In the first attempt to ascend, the enemy pushed back the assailants. General Dearlxjru, who was still in the Oommodure'H ship, seeing with his glass Hoott fail backward upon the beaoh ex- olaimod, "He is lost! He is killed!" Scott's fall was, however, only momen- tary. Recovering hiniHelf and rallying his men, ho reasceuded the bank, knock- ing aside the enemy's bayonets, and took a i>osition at the edge of a ravine, a little w>ty in advance. A sharp action of abont twenty minutes in length en- sued. It was short and desperate, end- ing in the total rout of the enemy at every point. Meanwhile Porter with hin artillery, and Boyd with a part of his brigade, had landed in the rear of the ailvanoe giiard. and sbghtly participated in the close of the action. Scott pursued the rout as far as the village, where he was joined by the 6th regiment of infantry, under the command of Colonel James Miller. As the oolumn was passing Fort Niagara in pursuit, Bcott learned from some prisoners caught running out. that the farrison was about to abandon and low up the place. Two companies were instantly dispatched from the head of the oolumn to save the work, its guns and stores. At the distance oi eomer eighty paces from the fort, one of its magazines exploded. Scott was atruok with a piece of timber, thrown froia his horse and severely hurt. He nevertheless caused the gate to be for- ced, and was the first to enter, fuid tore T j;5it"' as. down the Brittsii flag, then waving over the works Bein^ reminded by LiH primoners of the danger he incurred from exphwjon, he directed Captaiiia Hiudoian and Stockton to austoh away the motohes whicli had been oi^plied by the retreating garrison to two other flmall magaziuen. The Fort had been rendered untenable by the American batterieH on the opposite shore, and its capture was but the work of a few min- utes. This asoomplished Scott re- mounted and was soon at the head of his cohimn, in hot pursuit. This pur- suit was continued for Ave miles, until at length he was recalled by General Boyd in person He hnd already dis- regarded two Hucoessive orders to the same eflfect sent by Qeneral Lewis, say- ing to the aids-de-camp who came to him (one of them Lieutenant Worth and the other Major Yande venter) " Your General does not know that I have the enemy within my power ; in seventy minutes I shall capture his whole force. In point of fact, Hoott was already in the midat of the British stragglers, mth their main body in sight. He would not have been overtaken by Boyd, but that he bad waited fifteen minutes for Golonel Burns, tis senior officer, who had consented to serve under him. This last Colonel had ^ust crossed the river from the Five-Mile Meadow, in rear of the main body of the enemy, with one troop of cavalry and was then waiting the lauding of another now more than half way over. This force constituted the precise additional force which was wanted by Boott to make good the as- surance he had sent to General Lewis. With the recall of Scott from the par- suit of the onemy ended the battle and capture of Fort George. ^The American liiiii memmmmmmmsmmrT- W 5*.; .'■ •» ■ ^ >-.!,' '^''^: 34. low WM leM than that of the British, ■D(l one of the objects set forth in the plan of tbo campaign waa tleoitkxjly ao ConrmliBhttl. Accor«\inff to Qeneral Dearborn's letter to tbe Secretary of War. the Ameriean lose waa 17 kilied and 45 vonnded; Britifib k>«», 90 killed, 160 wounded and KM) in-iaonera. Thia enf^aKeineut waa Dot without- •ome inoideuta, one of wliiofa may not be out of i^nce to relate. After tbe eaptnre of Boott. tbe year before, at Quoenston. be was aupfiiug with Oen- erul BbeaiTe. and a number of BritiHb ofMcers, when one of tbeni, a Colonel, •sked him if be bad erer seen tbe nei);b- boring Falls. Bcott replied, "Yes, from the Amtyricnn side." To tbia tbe other sarcaittically replied, "Yon mnst have the glory of a sucoessfnl light l>eforo you can view tbe cataract in all its grandeur," meaning from tbe Canadian shore. Scott re joimid, "If it be your intention to insult mo. sir, honor should have prompted yoo first to return me my sword ! " Qenerul BboafTe promptly rebuked tbo British Colonel, and the matter was dropped. At tbe battle of Fort George among tbe earliest prison- ers taken by tbe Americans was the same British Colonel, badly wounded. Bcott politely borrowed the prisoner's horse, not being able to bring bis owtt in tbe l>oats, and gave orders that the prisoner should be treated with all liossible attention and kiuduess. That evening, after tbe pursuit, and as often as snbi^quent events permitted, Scott called on the British Colonel. He re- turned him the horse, and carefully provided for all bis wants. Indeed, he obtained iiermiseion for him to return to England on his parole, at a time '' '■<^i'i**>'V ■th '• 85. ■i/,,V. when the )>ellig«renta had begitn to re- fuse auoh fHvoni, m well na ul oxohau- ges. At the first of thew visits the ftrisoner deliotttoly remarked, " I bar* oug owed you au ofiology, sir. You have overwhelmed me with kindness. You can now at your leisure, view tlie Falls in all their glory." It is such acts of magnanimity as these which reflect honor on human nature. Were they more frequent, the rough brow of war would Ihj smoothed to smiles, and the field of battle be as remarkable for the beautiful iuoharaoter •a fur the glorious in action. rm jgattlts of ^tony Qreel^. To the Buccebsful actions of York, Fort George, and of Saokett's Harbor, there wore soou added others of a less fortunate result, and of a less pleasant hue. On the 6th of June a small brigade uf about 800 American troops under the command of Oeneral Wind<)r, had been thrown forward to Stony Creek, and there reinforced by another corps under Ohandler. Their object was the pursuit and capture of the British corps who had retreated from Fort George, under the command of Vincent. This oflScer thought it better to risk 4 battle than to give up his position. He prepared also to make the attack. Accordingly on the morning of the 6th, by night, a British column was pushed into the centre of the American line, which Vincent had discovered to be weakened by extension, and liable to surprise, by 36. the negligence of camp guards. The attack succeeded so fur aa to break the American line, oud by a strange mis- fortune b-th of the American generals. Winder and Chandler, fell into the hands of the British. When the attack was a made a scene of confusion and carnage eutmed, in which the Americana could not distingnibh friend fron* foe. General Chandler approached to i-ally a party but they proved to be British troops, who immediately secured him as their prisoner. General Winder shared by a like mistake a similiar fato. The Americans, however, maintained their post, and forced the enemy to re- retire, but the army, being without an axperienced commander, retreated by the advice of a council of war. The loss of the British eTn«eded that of the Americans, acl was more '.nan one hundred. A few days after the battle of Stony Creek, another incident still more dis- astrous occurred On the 24th of June Boerstler had been detached, with a corps of 600 men, to take the British post called Stone House, two miles beyond the Beaver Dams, and 17 miles froL'A Fort Gkiorge. The British force was larger than was supposed. Boerst- ler was suffered lo advance without an- noyance, till at length he was surround- ed and compelled to surrender. The principal reason given for the success of the British on this occasion is found in the following narrative, «s reliited by Mrs. J. J. Ourrie of St. Catharines, and revised by J. B. Secord of Niagara-on-the-Lake. Looking from the right hand side of the Niagara Central train about five miles above St. Catharines, the passen- ger will observe a small obelisk. This Btone was erected to mark the spot wbereoutheatth of Jiiue, 1813, took place what is now known as the Battle of the Beffver Dams. At this time the Americauuwere in full possession of Niagara and the frontier as far as Qneonston with an ontpostatSt. Davids and strong pickets out at all available points. The British Army at Niagara under General Vincent after their de- feat l)y the Americans under Gci, Dear- born had retreated to Burlington Heights and there established themsel- ves with outposts at Jordon, under Col. Bishop and at a point near Homer un- der Major DeHaren. A small party consisting of about 50 men of the 49th Itegt. under Lieut. Fitzgibbon and about 100 Indians under Capt. Duoh- arme were also stationed at the Beaver Dams. Such was thd situation of affairs where our story commences. That story is the record of a brave woman whoso dee^ of daring and through whose inforn^ation the British Commander wa.s enabled to achieve a signal victory and to be the means under Divine Providence of saving Upper Canada to the British Crown. Lieut. Fitzgibbon and his detachment had been most acti?e in annoying the enemy, and to get rid of him and at the same time obtain an advantageous base of operations against Gen. Vincent's position on Burlington Laights, it was resolved by the American Commander to capture the Lieut, and the British position at the Beaver Dams. This oourao was adopted at a Council of War held at Fort George on the 18th of /une, 1813. To carry out this determination the American General selected a force of about 650 men composed of about 4«w kight Infantry, two oompaniea of mount- •j4e- 38. ed Infantry, a oomimny of Artillery with two iield pieoea, iiud a half troop of Cavalry and placed them under the oommaud of Col. Botirstler, an officer noted for his bravery and diatingaished for gallantry during the Indian wars. ':'} >• ' \ r i^eroine Cc'iupa geoord. Aa I before stated, the village of Qneen- ston was in possession of the Americana and but few of the older iu habitants re- mained there. Amonsr the few was the heroine of this st/ory, LanraBecord. and her hus{>and. Mr. Beoord was still suf> fering and helpless from the wonnd he received at the Battle of Qneenston. At their house the American officers were billeted and ambn;; them was Col. Boerstler. On June 'i3rd while these officers were at dinner the Colonel talk- ed freely of his intended enterprise- told of his plans to capture FitzCTbbou and his small party at the Beaver Dams, flow a base of operations would then be bs''' ^<> the advance on the position htif '.V, >\e British at Burlington. •' IV ' jn once oeptured - shouted fbi ' . blooel, and Upper GanadA iautti iJ' raSecord listened to all this, au> ' a the officers retired from the hoDBe . i erform their several duties and Col. Boerstler had gone in the di- rection of Niagara to join his command for the capture of Pitzgibbon, she consulted with her hnnband as to the best course io pursue— some one must go to Tarn Fitzgiblx>n, she said- Mr. Seoord oonid not go, and there was wars. r ^- -/- -- ■>■ ■ .-.v. .T-*?i- 3». no other to send and she resolved to go herself. She did not fcvr a moment hesitate. Her courage rose to meet the emergency. Bidding her husband and children a hurried farewell, she, in the early evening of the 23rd, left her home for a long and perilous walk to the Beaver Dams. With a sunbonnet on her head and a milk pail in her hand she passed the first sentinel and was not challenged. She sped onward and when about "two miles from her home she was challeng- ed by another sentinel who roughly de- manded to know where she was going. Her story was that she wan going tp visit a sick brother and with real tears besought the guard not to detain her— after some questioning she was allowed to go on her way. Through the woods she sped along, meeting many adven- tures by the way until at last she reach- ed the position where was encamped a •jionp of Indiars who at once made her a prisoner. She asked to be taken to their chief. They complied with her request and she at onoe made herself known and de^:?." did to be led to Lieut. Fitzgib- bon for whom she said she had great news. After some hesitation she waa taken to Fitzgibbon's quarters and at onoe told her story. He rralized ifat importance. "Mrs. Secord." he said, •'you have save me and you have hAvid Vincent, God bless you." After seeiQ{[;^ Mrs. Secord comfortably housed for the night the Lieutenant took his measures to give the enemy a warm re.!ei)tion. Posting his little army in advantageous position and out of sight of an advanc- ing enemy and directing Gen. Duoharme to post his Indians, in a ravine in the Beech woods which was selected as a good place for an ambusoade, the little band ■^f'^.i 40. waited for tbe enem^ to appear. About o'clock the Americans appeared and were received by a steady aud iuoessant fire from the woods on every side. Boerstler ordered the artillery to open fire on the woods, but this was ineffec- tual and the re>>:>'\ted attempts to march forward were repulsed, Boerstler sev- eral times changed direction, meeting each time an invisible enemy. Behev- ing himself to be surrounded by a large force of the British and seeing no other alternative he at last sent up a fla<^ of truce with an offer of surrender, which offer was accepted, aud articles of capitulation signed. By this surren- der Col. Boerstler, twenty-three officers and five hundred andseveuty-five men became prisoners of war. Besides were surreudered the colors of the 14th U. B. Infantry, two cannons, two bag- gage wagons aud about 600 stand of arms as substantial tokens of victory. Laura Secord remained at DeCew'a house until the 25th when Lieut. Fitz- gibbon had her conveyed home. Her return wns a happy one as her purpose had been achieved aud the results Le> yond the most sauguine expectations. 1 cannot close this brief narrative with- out recalling; an incident of the Buttle of Queenst'^n. Mrs. Seoord and family were liviug there at that time aud Mr. Hecord was one of the party that con- voyed the remains of the dead Brock from the place where h j fell to the stone house where he lay until taken to Fort George in the afteruoou. Mr. Secord returned to take his share of the battle and while following gallant McDonnell up tbe heights receiv- ed a severe wound on the shoulder, lutelli'jenoe of this occurrence reached Mrs. Beoord and she at once hurried to 'Sir »i, ■. y 1 W 41. his side. Jnut as sho arrived three American Boldieih arrived au." raisinf; their miipkets were alxjut to club him to death. Bushing betweeu tliem she threw hertjelf on the iwdy of bor huKbund, ithuH shielding him and implored the rnfiiauB to spare her husbaud's life. ' With rough wards they pushed her aside and were about to accomplish their murderous intent, when Oupt. Wool of the American army came up, and call- ing them cowards sternly demanded how they diired do such a thing. He had them arrested and sent to LewistoD where they wei-a afterwards oourt-mar- tiiiled and as a result received well merited imprisonment for several months for tiieir infamous breach of discipline. Oaptain Wool ordered a party of men to take Mr. Beoord to his home, and did not even make him a prisoner on parole. Captain Wool never forgot the friend ho made that day. He rose to the high rank of Major General and visited Mr. Secord several times, and their friendship con- tinued until Mr. Secord's death. This same Captain Wool stationed a guard at the stone house where the dead body of Brool: wks conveyed, to protect it from injury and insult. It is pleasant amid the horrors and cruelties of war to record the noble actions of a generous foe. Mr. Secord and fartily lived at i^ueenston for many years, when re- oieving a government appointment, he removed to Chippawu where he died in 1H42. Laura Hecord Htill continued to reside at Chippawa and died in 18C8 in t!edition Col. Scott volunteered to command the land troops, and was taken :■% ^'' 43. ii^-»m. -•■-•^ ■•■-* .V t^ i ■J: on boit^d the fleet by Oommodore Gbaunoey. Burlingtou Height b were visited, but neituer enemy nor stures were found there. On thn retnrn it woH determined to make n lencent npon York (now Toronto). According- ly 0- landing of the soldiers and murines was afieoted, under tbo command of Got. Uoott. The barrack, and public storehouses were burnt. Ltrge de|>ota of provisions and clothimg ^tere taken, together with eleven armed 'joats. and a cousideriible quantity of aiamunition and several pieces of cannon. At the close of this summer a plan of campaign was devised, having for its object Kingston, and then Montreal- Without going into the details of th«» objects ot this plan and the movements of the diSTeront armies, we will simply sav, that in accordance with the plan, Wilkinson embarked with the Niagara army on the 2nd day of October, leav- ing Colonel Scott commander of Fort George with between seven and eight hundred regulars, with a part of Col. Swift's regiment of militia, to defond the Fort. And as this fort had been taken by Col. Scott and the British colors taken down by his own hands, he was proud of the capture, and dieterrain- ed to d'jfend it as the post of honor. He lost not a moment nor an effort to im- prove the defences of the foVt. Expect- ing au assault at any moment, all hands, including the commander, worked night and day. A week accomplished much, at the end of which, (Oct. 9th), the enemy, contrary to all expectations, broke np his camp, burning three thousand blankets, many hrmdred stand of arms, also the blankets in the men's prioks, and ever article of clothing not in aotaai use and then followed Wilkinson , 1 y, i "i > .j i f ' i[ 44. down the oonntry. On the I3th of October, 1813, by order of Mujor-Qon- eral WilkiuHou. Ool. Boott left Fort Qeor^te, with tho whole of the regular trooDR of the u^arrinon, being relieved- by Bri}riidier-(tBueral MoGiure, with a body of the New York detitched militia, ox|>ecting to embark at the mouth of Qenesee Kiver, where WilkiuHon witu to provide means for his embarkation, but failed to do ao, 'ho that he had to march to Baokett's Harbor, through rain and mud. Ou the 12th of November the exptidi- tion down the St. Lawrence for the conquest of Canada was abandoned , and the army commenced a retreat. 8ir. George Provost being relieved from his apprehension of an ati'Ack ou Montreal, ordered his forces under Generals Vin- cent and Drnmmoud, to proceed to Niagara. The Americans had left this frontier defenseless, except about 60 men of the New York Militia who were left to garrison Fort George. BeiD«f hard pressed by the enemy, MoOlure concluded t > alMindon the post. Soon the lOth of December he left for Fort Niagara, after, through a misoonoeptioQ of his orders, he burned the village of Newark, and the people, who were non- combatants, were turned out into a deep snow, in intensely cold weather. The British officers resolved to retaliate, although the act was promptly disavow- ed by the American Government. "TTrtr' tbd I, aud Sir. mliiH trual, Vin- aA to ti this nt 60 were Bail) "J dure ISo on Fort iption ge of non- ^deep The tliate, ivow- 45. British Qroaa thegorder. On the night of December 18th 1.000 BritiHh aud ludiai s oro«i8ed the river at 'Five Mile Meadow," shooting and phinderinR the iuliabitauts and laying low the whole Frontier to Buffalo. Col. Murray, with 550 regulars, turned toward the F»irt of Niagara, prepared to storm it. The piokets were captured without giving auy alarm, and the enemy on reaohiuf; the fort abont three o'clock in the morning actually found the mam gate standing opt'u and uu- defended, and the fortress at their mercy. For h few minutes the "south- eaHteru blockhouas" and the "red bar- racks" withntood the entrance of the foe 80 stoutly that several were killed or wounded, among the latter wab <;ol. Murray. Most o'/ the 450 oooupante f the Fort only a\yoke to find themB« ves prisoners The slight resistant was made the pretext for an inhuman onHlaughtin wlich 80 of the helpless garrison, iucladiug many hospital patiente, were slaughtered after sxir- renderiug. Fourteen were wounded, 344 taken prisoner, 20 escaped; 27 oan- nim, 3000 stand of small arms, and great quantities of ammunition, provisions aud camp etiuipagc fell into the hands of the victors. They held the fort nntil the treaty of peace restored it. The iiortiun of the British forces which did not accompany Col. Murray to the fort, including the Indians, pil- laged and destroyed the six or eight houses then constituting Yonngstown. They then marcht'd upon Lewistoji, where they plundered, burned and but- chered to their hearts content. Mr. .y^. 46. _r 'ii^FXf^ LosBin^r unm Queenston to Lewistun on hearinf? a cannoa lired at Port Niagara anuouu- ciP.y i*« capture. He qnotes the follow- ini^, eitract of a letter from au oflioer of high rank, (whom he ooujectnreB to have been General Drnmmoud) at (^ueeuBton. written while the devasta- tion was iioiufi on : "A war-hoop from live hundred of the most savage IndiauB (which they gave joBt at daylight, on hearing of the Buccoes of the attack ou Port Niagara) made the enemy (at Lewistou) take to their heels, and our troops are iu pur- snit. We shall not stop until we have cleared the whole frontier. The Indians ,", .; are retaliating the conflagration of ** Newark. Not a house within my sight but is in flames. This is a melancholy but just retaliation." Mr. Lossing, who qnotes this letter, remarks: "Fearful was the retaliation f<)r the destruction of half-inhabited Newark, where not a life was sacrificed ! Six villages, many i«)lated country houses and four vessels were consumed, and the butch(o88ible to give the reader such an account of the condition of things on the Niagara frontier, during that ill-fated winter as will enable him to realize the alarm, the paniq, and the calamities that prevailed on every hand, and of the sufferingi; that were endured by the pioneers on the border. '4»i. pcrrj; on f^al^e G"®« On September lOtb of tbia year, 1813, an exoiting Imttle touk plaoe on uue of tboae inland seoa wbiob sepurute the poBHeBBiunH of the two governniouts. The American fleet on Lake Erie, which bad been formed dnrin^; the paat siini- mer, was under the command of Com- modore Oliver Hazard Perry. It now consisted of the Niagara and Lawrence, each mounting twenty-five ^ns, and several smaller vessels, carrying on an average of two guns each. Theeueniy'is fleet was considered of equal force. Commodore Barclay, its commander, was a veteran ofiioer, while Perry was young and without exi>erienc(' as a commander. The battle began uu the part of the Americans about 12 o'clock at noon. Parry's flag ship, the Law- rence, being disabled, he embarked in an open boat, and amidst a shower of bullets, carried the ensign of command on board of the Niagara, and once more bore down upon the enemy with the remainder of the floot. The action became general and severe, and at four o'clock the whole firitish squadron, con- sisting of six vessels, carrying in all sixty-three gnna, surrendered to the Amerioana. In giving information of his victory to General Harrison, Perry wrote: "We have met the enemy, and they are ours." This success on lake Erie opened a passage to the territory which had been surrendered by General Hull; and General Harrison lost no time in trana- ferring the war thither. On the a2d of Beptember, ho lauded his troops near Port Maiden, but to his eiuprise, in- :''M^- *-f,.-r. 40. ■load of an anuud force, hu mot, at the entrauoo of tbo towii. the maidu and matrouH of Amherstburg, wlio, in their boat attlru, hml come fortli to soUoit the protootioii uf tho Ameriouus. 7\,merioan G^t'?®"^ Im- pressed. lu Oottibor, 1807 (Ireat Britain, by proclamation, recalled from foreign service all seamen aud aea-faring men who were natural born HuV)ieotfl, and ordered them to withdraw themselves and return homo. At the same time it declared that no foreign letters of naturalization could divert its natnral- b..rn subjects of their alleRiauoe, or alter their duty to their lawful sover- In the United States, by the act of naturalization, a foreigner becomes entitled to all the privileges and im- munities of natural born citizens, ex- cept that of holding several offices, such as President and Vice-President. The two positions were those of absolute an- tagonism, and were alone sufficient to account for much of the controversy and heat which attended the war of 1812. Claims to the reclamation of British- born subjects naturalizt'd in America, and claims to impress them when found in American ships, were made on the one imud and resisted on the other. This wa« the state of things when the incidents took nlaoo which we are about to relate. ^ , at the lids and , in their ilioit the 3 \m> ritaia. by I foreign ring men jeots, and heinselves ine time it letters of B nattiral- jiauoe, or ful flover- Lhe aot uf becomes iH and itn- tizens, ex- iiices, such aeut. The bsohite an- uilicient to soutroversy war of 1812. of British- n Axaerioa, ithen found Eide on the the other. i when the ?e are abont 49^ The battto of Qneen»ton closed with the Hurreudur of Scott and his Bmall foroti to the greatly superior numbers nndei the command of General SheaBo. These prisouers were sent to tluelMjc, thence in a cartel U> Boston. When the prisoners wore about t«i sail from Que- bec. Scott, beinsr in the oaV>iu of the transport, heard a bustle upon deck, and hastened up. There he found a party of British officers in the act of mustering prisoners, and separating from the rest such as, by oonfeMion or the accent ot the voice, were jndged to be Irishmen. The object was to send them, in a frigate then alongsidj. to Eu-'laud. to be tried and exocutod for tli'"orimeof h'sh treason, they being t u in arms against their native alleg- ,oe. Twenty -three had been thus set ui)art when Scott reached the deck, and thewe were at least forty more of the «ame birth in the detacliment. ihey were all in deep afBiotion at what they re.'arded as the certain prospect of a shameful death. Many wore adopted citizens of the States, and several had iamilies in the land of their adoption. The moment Soott ascerteined tbe object of the British officers, acting nuder the express orders of the wover- - oor-General. Sir. George Provost, he ■commanded his men to answer no more questions, in order that no other select- ion should be made by the test of speech. Ho commanded them to reinam abso- Intely silent, and they strictly obeyed. This was done in apite of the threats ol the British officers, and not another ■man was separated from his companions. Soott waJ* repeatedlyly commanded to go bel>w, and high altercations ensued. HeiKldrossed the party selected, and «xplained to them fully the reciprocal ,h"\ Bfl 50. ' ' oblieations of allegiance and protfcotion, and assuring theua that the United States would not fail to avenge their gallanu and fait!ii?nl soldiers ; aJd tiually pledged hiuiHelf, in the most solemn manner, that retaliation, and, if neces- sary, a refusal to give quarter m battle, should follow the execution of i.ny one of the party. In the midst of this au'- mated harangue ho was frequently in- terrupted by the British oxaoers, but, though unarmed, could not bo silencea. The Irishmen, whose names were aa follows: Henry Kelley, Henry Blaney, George MoOommon. John Dftlton, Michael Condia, J^^n Clark, 'eter Burr, Andrew Doyle. John MoQo wan, James Gill, John Fulsom, Patrick Mc- Braharty, Matthew Mooney, P^}^paigM of 1813 ended in dis- grace aud diHnster. The hupea of the nation which had been excited by the brilliant aohievements with which it opened, sank to desimr, when the army, after sustaiuiu^ a partial defeat, mo^e an abrupt aud liatity retreat. Amidst the ditjastera of the campaign there was one benefit. The touoh-stone of experience had l)een applied to the temper of (he army, and it was now boay to take the pure metal from the droaa. It was a hard school of adver- sity; but many a brave and highly gifted young man was tra-nedby itstwichiugs to become an aocompliahed and efficient officer. On the other hand it detected the emptiness and untitneaa of many a fop, both young and old, who had been sednoed iuto the service by the glitter of uniform and the fwmp of military pa- rade. They were made to learn and feel their incompetency to endure the dutiea or the frowna of war. Au ele- gant writer has well remarked, that the rude winter gales of Canada swept fron: our ranks the painted inaeets, which were fit only to spread their glittering winf^a in the summer sun; but, at the same time arouaed and invigorated the eagle-spirits, which du.ring the calm cower in solitude and silence, but, as the tempest riaea, come forth from obscuri- ty to stem the atorm and sport them- selves in the gale. The military apirit of the army was lost. New levies of troops were to Im made and the spirit of daring, of confi- dence and energy, \»<\b to oe created ijtifore they could take the field. 1 63. ♦ To accomplish tlieae ohjeote. Colonel Hoott, who, on tUe 9tli of Mai-cb, 1814, was promoted to the rank of Brigadier- Goueral, immediately joined Major- Genoral Brown, then tuaroLed with the *»my from the French Mills to^drds libe Nmprnra Frontier. The army was rapidly assembled at BiiShJo. I»; consisted at that time of Bcotfs bng.ide, Kipley's bri^Hde, Hiud- mau'B battalion of artillery (all regnlars,) and (Jen Porter's brigade of mihtia. Scott's brigade consisted of the bat- talions of the »th, the 11th and the 25th regiments of infantry, with a de- - taohment of the 22nd, and Touson's compaiiy of artillery. The brigade of Gen. Ripley was composed of the 1st, 21st and 23rd infantry. Porter's com- uiHud was composed of bodies known as Canadian Volunteers. New York Vol- unteersaud Pennsylvania Volunteers. The signal st-rvices rendered at a subsequent period, and the glory which they won for their country on hn d-fought battle-ftelds, renders it 1' |)er tbat we should record and re- luember names so justly distinguished m history. These troops were placed in the school of lustinction at Buffalo, where for three mouths they were drilled in all the evolutions and tactics ii< cessary to give them the most accurate and thorough discipline. Officers and men were taught the proper distribution of duties between each other, between the different ooriw. and the different ser- vices, from the formation of a column of attack to the presentation of a salute, and to the ejcohang^ of the minutest courtesies. It is said that Scott, whil») at Buffalo observed a captain passing a Beutiuei posted. The sentinel saluted Ilfl II ' ■■' ^ 64. liim hv oarrvioK arms, makiug his mn». ' &rSg^"M action. ,The oaptaiu nttBsed without aokuowledKing tUe Seof the.Boldier. Gen. Scott Bent ^ aide to him to say, that he (the cap- tain) would take care to repaas the sen- tinel in 20 minutes, and repair the fault, or take a trial before a court martial. The value of discipline, of obedience, and of personal skill in their business, thus acquired by the troops of an army cannot be over-estimated For want of it .Tebrav^ and gallant, but undisci- Dlined volunteers of patriot armies have Csoatlered and driven by veteran soldiers fighting in a ^''^ cause, and having far less of moral motive to buh- tSn tEem. With it soldiers of despots have fought with invincible firranosB. choosing graves where they stood, to ffinrftreat. The armies of Suwarraw would fall in the ranks, but without orders never retreat. „ ,_ ^ ^ ., The troops of Great Britain are well disoiplinedlaudit was in the sbarpeBt Sontest with them that the army of Niagara soon proved how much it had SeA iu the camp of instruction at The apparent though not unprofitable inactivity which had P«7*^«^„,S« American army of the north, during the spring of 1814, disappeared before the rising heat of the summer sun. in thektte? part of June General Brown returned to Buffalo, an4,.t»^«r«*"!;;^'J the storm of war, wita itn httr"^<t>awa. On the morning of the Fourth, Scott's brigade moved towards Chippaws, and for 16 miles he bad a running fight with the Marquis of Tweedale, who com- manded the British lOOth regiment, 'till at dusk the latter was driven across Ghippawa Creek, and joined the main body of the British army under Gener- al uiall. The Marquis has since said that he could not account for the order of the pursuit until he recollucted the fact that it was the American great au- niversary. The positions of the British and of the Amerioans oia the 6th of July may 56. be easily underBtood. On the east aide was the Niagara River, and near it the road to Ohippawa. On the west was a heavy wood. Between these, running from the woods to the river, were two Btreams, the principal of which waa Ohippawa Creek. The other was a emttU stream above, known in history as Street's Creek. Behind, and below Ohippawa Creek, lay the army of Oen- ernl Biall, with a heavy battery on one B'de and a block house on the other. Scott's brigade had rested for the night on and above Street's Creek. Over these streams the road to Ohippawa passe i on bridges, the one over Street's near the Ameriouus and the other over the Ohippawa near the British. This was the position of the respective par- ties on the morning of the 5th when General Brown was expecting to attack the British, and they in turn determin- ed to anticipate it, by a sortie from the lines of Chippawa. It was a long day in summer; the earth was dry and dusty, and the ran bright and hot when the best troops of Britain and America met, as in tonrnamente of old, to test their skill, their firmness, and their courage on the banks of the Niagara. , The day began with the skirmisheB of light troops. The British mihtia and the Indians occupied ^'je wood on the AmericanH left, and about noon annoy- ed the American piquets placed on the flank. General Porter, with volunteers, militia and some friendly Indians of the Six Nations, soon engaged them, and, after some skirmishing, drove them tlirough the wood btvck ujK>n Chippawa. Here the British, finding that their main army under Oene'-al Biall was ad- vauoiug, rallied, and in turn attacked ^-■'•wwt^- last aide ir it the j,. 8t Wll8 a rnuniug ere two ich wit8 was a history , d lielow of Geu- y on one e other. ihe night - Over 3hippttwa • Htreet'8 ther oviBj h. This otive par- jth when ' to attack deterraiu- ) from t)ie long day md dusty, \rheu the erica met, test their Lr oourage skirmisheB nilitia and )od on the )on annoy- iced on the rolnuteers, liauB of the them, and, •ove them Ohippawa, that their [all was ad- u attacked 57. Porter, compelling his command to Stive way. In spite of his own eflforta aad personal gallantry, theae light troops broke and lied, at sight of the formidable array of Biall. It watt now abont four o'clock. Gen- eral Brown was then in the woods with _ Porter; when a cloud of dust arose to- ' ward Ohippawa, and tiring was heard. This ai>prised him that the British army was advancing. At this very moment, Qon.8oott,m ignorance of the British ad- vance, was moving his brigade towards the plain, simply for the purpose of .drill. Near the bridge over Street's Creek he met Geueral Brown, who said, "the enemy is advancing. You will have a fight." Gen. Brown passed to the rear, to put Ripley's brigade in motion, and to reassemble the light troops behind Street's Creek. It was not till he arrived at the bridge, over , Street's Creek, '200 yardn to the right of his camp of the night before, that , Scott saw the enemy. The army of Biiill had crossed the bridge over Ghip- ; pawa Creek, and displayed itself on the plain before described. It was compos- ed of the lOOtU regiment under Lieuten- ^ont-Oolonel Marquis of Tweedale, the let or Royal Scots under Lieutenant- Colonel Gordon, a portion of the 8th or King's regiment, \ detachment of the Royal Artillery, a detachment of the Royal 19th Light Dragoons, and a por- tion of Canada militia and Indians. The main body of these troops were among the best in the British army. This force was supported by a heavy battery of nine pieces, within point blank range of the American troops. Under the lire of this battery the corps of Scott passed the bridge in perfect 58. order but, with some 1<^88. His first and second battalions, uudui* Majors Leaven- worth and MoNeil. after oronsing form- ed a line to the front, which brought them opposed respectively to the left and centre of ilie euotuy. The tiiird battalion under Major Jesup obliqued in column to the left, and advanced to att<:tck the right of the euemv, which exteuded into the woods. Captain Tow- son with his artillery was station ed on the right, resting in tlte rond to Chip- pawa. Without going into f urthor detail we would simi^y say that the action now became general. Major Jesup now in the woods, and out of view, engaged and held iu check the enemy's right wing. The plain widened on the fiauk, and the enemy's main line ooutiuued to advance. Jessup having thus held in check one battalion iu the woods, the engagement there gave the enemy a new right Hank upon the plain. Gener- al Scott, who had continued alternately to advance and fire, was now not more than 80 paces from the enemy. The enemy having a new flank, Scott took advantage of the enlarged interval be- tween Leavenworth and McNeil, to throw the left flank of McNeils's battal- iau forward on its right.so that it stood obliquely to the enemy's charge and flanked him a little on his »> w right. At this moment. Oen. Scott culled aloud to McNeil's battalion, which had not a recruit in it: "The enemy says that we are good at a long shot, but cannot stand the cold iron. I call upon the Eleventh inatautly to give the lie to that Hlander. Charge ! " This move- ment was executed with decisive eiTect. A corresponding charge was also made ".r>,. V m KH^ "-" ■ fS^wfeS"" sg. ~?,-v by Leaveuwortb, who held an obliqne pob^tiou ou our rieht. These ohar^es, BUBtttiuud by the nauk ttre of Tdwsuu'b artillery uu the right, quickly put the eueuiy tu ruut. lu the lueau time, aud nearly at the same. Major Jesup, ouoiiuaudiu^ the left iinuk battaliuu, fiadiug himself pressed iu front an'^ fiauk, onlered his men tu "support < .ms aud advauoe." This order was promptly obeyed amidst a deadly and destructive tire. Having gaiued ii more secure position, he re- turned so severe a tire as caused them to retire. Thus was the whole British line fairly routed in a Held action on an open plain. The;' fled to their intrenoh- ments beyond Ohippawa Greek, hotly pursued by Uoott to the distance of half musket shot of Chippawa Bridge. He took many prisoners, leaving the plain behind strewn with the dead aud wounded of both nations. The cou tending forces on the British side, according to the British Adjutant- General's rei>ort, dated the 13tb of July, 181'<, in giving a ret,uru of the killed an i wounded, enumerates the Ist regi- va^JXt, (Boyal Scots) the 8tu, (Queen's) the 100th, (Marquis of Twedale's) a de- tachment of Boyal 19th, (dragoons) a detachment of artillery and a portion of Oanada Militia. These regiments were not full, but altogether numbered about 2,100 men, Of which 138 were killed, 319 wounded and 46 missing; total loMS 503. The American troops were the 8th, 11th and liSth infantry, with a detaob- meiit of the 22ud, Towson's artillery and Porter's Yolauteers, making 1900 men, all told, of which 60 were killed, 248 wounded and 19 missing, 60. making a total lose Mf 327, making a grand bital loaa of H3(i from about 4,000 men. A BritiHh oiBoer who wrote itt the timeBMid/'NunierouH aM were the battles of Mapoleon, and br»iVH its were his soldiers, I do not believe that he. the greatest warrior that ever lived, oao produce aa iiiHtiince of a contest so well maintained, or, in proportion to num- bers engaged, so bloody, as that at Ghippuwa." The buttle was fought on the 5th day of July, 1814, on Ohippawa Plains, and was an exciting and in some degree a poetic scene. It was fought at the close of a loug, lirigut, summer day. Ou one side rollepawa Bridge and the regiments of America, cool and determined, marched to meet them in combat. The sun shone down, and brilliant arms Hushed in its beams. Each movement of the troops was dis- tinct. As the battle deepened, fine bauds of music mingled their melody, in sudden bursts, with the roar of artillery and the moans of the wounded. The battle ended mid many were the dead on that duHty plain, whose last groans expired with tli*' last rays of the sun. Darkness came on, and wearied with battle and thirsty from heat, each army retired to it» camp, the Americans being victorious. The dead woke not from their bloody beds, the living sank to rest. '''-'3f! litt ing a 4,000 .,; t the J'tii .utiles .'^ i hiB >i; (, the N> , can > well umu- ,.- mt at * h day . Ml I, and "-' :' (ree a a the day. of the ,;/' • - ir was ^'?; - forest. ' '^i B€s met ■■■■•; red for ftncient u<;land • . , . Bridge ^.■. ol and ♦ lem in D, and beams. as dis- l, fine ody, in rtillery are the )8e last 1 of the irearied t, each tericaus >ke not ifi^ sank 61. gattle of Cuninted. Gen. Brown theh determined to attack Burliugtont two miles from the camp and just above the Falls, Scott discovered a few British officers, mouted, who as it turned out, were in advance to recon- noitre, and soon learned that the enemy was in some little force below and only intercepted from view by a small wood' In this situation, General Scott reflec- ted a moment on what course would be best to pursue. He was instructed to march rapivUy on the forts, under posi- BlAlMk reHt, iluody Hkiwh D)ilitia r tbren of the piooiBO tbrown JHtoU t«> exactly m nov- iutou- Hud to Buflttlu. (>l>joot, ued to I uf the tt'B com- bat pur- }ur small dy. and I McNeil, I Captaiu liar and mtiug to bey Btart all in tbo iamp and covered a who as it to reoon- ho, enemy and only a email >ott refleo- wonld be brncted to indor poai- ^ 63. tive information (eiven as we have nar- rated to (Jeneral Dvowu,) that Kial) had, three hours before, thrown Imlf his force across the Niagara at LewiHton. lle- flectiut; that the whole had been beaten on the 5th iust.,hc lost no time in recon- noitreiui;, but dashed forward to dis- perse what ho thought was the remnant of the British army opijosed to him. After disi>atohiug Assistaut Adjutant- Oeueral Jones to General Brown with the information that the enemy was in front, he proceeded to ikiss the wood, and WHS greatly astonished to find directly in front, drawn up in order of battle, on Liuudy's Lane with nine pieoep of artillery, a larger fore •> than he had encountered at (Jhippawa 20 days before. The position Le was in was ex- tremely oriti-jal. To stand fast wa» out of the question, being already under m heavy fire of the enemies artillery and musketry. To retreat was e(jnally aa hazardous: for there is always in such a case the probability of confusion, and at this time the danger of creating a panic in the reserve, then supposed to be coming up, and which had not been in the previous battle. 8oott saw that no measure but one of l.-olduess would succeed. He therefore detormiued to maintain the battle agiiiniit superior numbers and iwsitions until the reserve came up, thns giving General liiall the idea that the whole American aripy was av hand. Tbia would prevent him from profiting oy his numerical strength to attack our flanks and rear. He would thus lose tbo initial, a matter of no small impor- tanoe> in military enterprise. The scheme succeeded, and for a long time the enemy was kept on the defensive. V: »??<»^7t«5-— ^p. ^*'^r .^f' 64. "k. •4V till the Americau reserve cftino up and entered into the acliun. It appears from General Diuinmond's reiK>rt en July 2P>tli, that he thought his position in Luudy's Lane was attacked by the whole Americau army. He thanks the army for "repulsing the efforts of a numerous and determined enemy to carry the positioij of Lnndy's Lane." But the truth was that the American combatants stood for more than an hour und maintained a contest against a force seven times their num- ber. In the meanwhile ' Scott had sent back to General Brown, Lieutenant Doug- lass, as well as Major Junes, to report the condition of affairs. The first was to report that the remnant of liiall's armjr Was maneouvering to protect the detiMjhment thrown over the Niagara; the second waH I o inform the general that so far froii being diminished, the British urmy wns actually reinforced, and thus to hasten up the reserve. On the British side the foots wore these: lu the night before, the night of the 24th, Lieuteuaut-General Sir Gor- don Driimuiond had arrived, in the British fleet, at the mouth of the Niag- ara, with a large reinforcement from Kingston and Presoott. This was wholly unknown to General Brown. Drummondhad,in advance, seutinstruc- tions to Biall to meet him on the 25 th, on the Niagara. Accordingly Siail iiaa inarched up the very road it h&d beeu arranged Scott was to take on the 28th. He had come by Queenston without putting a man over the Niagara. H& hud continued his route, as the advance of Drummond's army towards the Falls. On the way he had already been '-r^<;^^■tm'!rft~:?■■^^^■^fl !lw,5Jil*MII;i,ii^ll4^.i and 65. joined by two of. the battalions which iad coml up m ihe fleet The othorB arrived successively, at int*rvais of aaii am hour or aa hour, i*fter the aotiou hadcommcuoed. . . , 'J'hd battle began about 40 lainuteB be- fore Bunsefe a«d like its predeoeBsor at Ohippawa was the closing drama oX a long aud warm summftr'a day. And iiKe that too, it sigaalizfcd amoag the aflairs of men ft spot which in the world ol Mature had been rendered illustrious by one of the groat and glonoua worfcs ** WhVu the battle was about to begia iuBt as the Betting sun .ent hie rea beams from the west, they fell apoa the spray, which contiuually goes up, like inoensfc. 'rom the deep, d«*'f^S torrent of Nia^nr^. The bright IxgM was divided iaifl ivO pnmal hues, .*"«-» rfoinbov' rose from the waters, enojrcuug the hewi of the advancing column, in a more euporstitiou'* age e'^ch a sign would have been regarded, uKe sna Bomanauguries, aaii, precursor of vio- • tory. Even now ths bow of prouiisa furnished the inspiiation of h!n>«» ''p*»« the colors of bb»aty- ' . The sun had n» w gone down, ana darkness came or , but no reinioros- nients had yet appeared. Bat tae gal- lant band maintainod the battle, although an officer remmdad the gener- al that the rule for retirmg was ^o^^- plishod since more than oae-tourth ol his number was killed or womided, V among whoai were many of hi» offiiwra. ■ Tb'^ ifrave CoL J^rady had btsen tlw, Sr&t , to form his regiment, and on .hat the loss fell the heaviest. Himself tmoo wounded, he was antreat«d, by those who observed him pale from the loss ot Wool, to 4nit the field. "Not while I e«n stttud," was the reply, worthy of Leonida,. It was now nine o'clock. The ene- my's right had been driven back from its fiank assault with great loss. His left waa turned and cut off. His center alone remained firm. It was posted on a ridge and supported by nine pieces of artillery. Another battalion rf Drummond's reinfovcemeuts bad already arrived, and a fourth one was *)nly a few miles be- hind. Buch waa the state of the field when the reinforoeiaont» appeared. Gen. Ripley, by when it was oommand- ed, had been ordered to form his bri. gade, on the skirt of a wood to the right of Gen. Bo^tt. But, finding that thio position was not favorable, he took the responsibility of first moving nearer to the British. For this purpose he was about to pass the brigade of Scott, but coming between him and the enemy, he found that he was suffering severely from their cannon. Ripley then oon- oeived the bold thought of storming i>he formidable battery. "Col. Miller," said he, "oanydu take yonder battery?" " I will try," was the answer of that b'art of oak— a phrase now familiar t< lU American lips. At the head of .be 2lBt regiment, he calmly took his course, guided by Gten. Scott, ^vho was perfectly acquaint«d with tbi round, till he had the right direction, i. obed up to the mouth of the blazing c on, around which the enemy had i ed» bayonetted the men while firiuL nd possessed himself of their .gnns. Bi y had moved at the SBme time, at e bead of the 33rd regiiaout. to the att ^ of the in&intry, ana drove them duwa '-■*■ '"^SA -%!* 67. ■,•'«)"*• "^« the eminence, which was the key uf of their position. Here Ripley formed his brigttde. Gen. Porter, with his vohinteers, was on the right tind the artillery of Towsou in the center. The enemy rallied in their mi^ht and ndvanoed to regain their position and artillery. The Amer- iouDR perceived that the enemy was coming on. but jould not distinctly ascertain from what (loint. The moon had risen, but dark clouds were in the heavens, and the light was fitfnJ. Sounds came indistinctly mingled from every quarter. The roar of the catar- act, the shrieks and groans of the dying and wounded, t'le discharge of artillery, were all hoard, as well as the rush of the enemy's attack. In this situation Ripley gave his troops the order to wait til tlie enemy's bayonets touched their own, and to teke aim by the light from the discharge of their muskets. The pirn of the Americans was~ good and numbers of their brave enemy fell. They closed up their ranks and came on with the bayonet. The Americans stood the charge and sturdily pushed back the thrust. For 20 minutes this deadly strife continued when the veter- ans of the Dr'f e of Welliugtt)n retreated in disorder. But they renewed the at- tack until they wero four times repulsed. At length, about midnight, they ceased to contend, and left their position and artillery to the Americans. Although the brunt of the battle was on the eminence, other efforts were being made in different parts of the field. The brigade of Hcott, shattered asit was, having formed anew, was not content to look idly on, while their bretheru, who had stepped between C8. them and death, were now bleeding in their turn. Gen. Scott charged at their head, through an opening in Rip- ley's line, but in the oonfuBion and darkness of the scene, he passed be- tween the tires of the combatants. H« afterwards in the tight took his post on Ripley's left. In another quarter, Ool. Jessup, with only aoo men, advanced upon the enemy, brought them to close action, drove them from tJlie ground and captured Gen. Riall with other officers and soldiers to a number almost equal to his own. Major Ketchum, ■ I the ^oth regiment of infantry, was the ollicer who person- ally made Gen. Riall a prisoner. The British general was brought to Scott by Major Ketohura. and directions were given that the distinguished prisoner be taken to the rear, and treated with the greatest possible kindness. Riall, badly wounded, lay some days in the same house in Williamsville, with Scott, yet more severely crippled. 'J?he latter as a special favor, obtained permission from our government, for Riall to return to England on parole, and the same permission fur Riall's friend. Major Wilson, also badlv wounded, captureii at Chippawa. Such favors were, however, at that time only, granted by the A aiericau government; Sir George Prevost and the British ministry never consented to place on parole or to exohanga a prisoner after the Americans confined the 23 hostages in 1813. Ill this sanguinary contest the total loss of the British was 878. Generals Drummond and Riall were among the wounded. The .American loss in killed, wounded and missing was 860. Of lit] imii < 1 1 • I ■iJlitett.x» ^i*,U, ling ic ged at in Bip- m and Bed be- ll. He is post juarter, IvHuced close the bll with number egiment T>erM)u- r. The to Scott JUS were sonev be with the ill, badly the same I Boott, obtained lent, for 1 parole, r Biall'a 3 badly a. Bach ime only, ernmeut; I British place on uer after hostages the totfil Generals lonff the iu killed, 860. Of these 11 officers were killed, among wiiom were Major McFarland and Oaptain Bitchie. J^'ifty-six officers were wounded, amon-j^ whom were Generals Brown and Scott- it was not, however, until towards the olc^'^ of tbo action that the two otHcers highest iu command ■ were disabled. Gen. Brown, on receiv- ing his wound, gave notice to Gen. Bip- ley that he was left in oommaud, but or- dered him to collect the wounded, re- move the artillerj' and retire to the camp at Chippawa. General Brown iu his official report *teid. " While retiring from the Held, I saw and felt that the victory was com picte on our part, if proper measures were promptly adopted to secure it. The exhaustion of the men was, however, such as made some refreshments necessary. They particularly required water." Unfortunately the Americans lost the trophies of their hard-earued victory as no means of removing the captured artillery were at hand, and General Bipley was obliged to leave it on the field of battle. The British on learning that the Americans bad abandoned the field, re-occupied it immediately, and taking advantage of this oiroiuuHtanoe, their utiioers in their dispatches to their government boastfully olainfked the vic- tory. The world has seen mightier armies movod oyer more memorable fields and followed by louder reports of the far resouuri.ingtrumpet of fame; a bloodier scene tor those engaged, a severer test of courage and of discipline, or one whose action wao more closely associated with the sublime and beautiful in nature the world has not seen. The armies 70. were drawn ont near tbe shores of that rapid river whose onrreut miugles lake with lake, and hard by was tliiit cata- ract whose world of waters rushes ()ver the precipice, and, rii ^lin}?, roars into the sjnlf below. The ceaseless spray rises like incense to the Eternal Fatlier. The beams of snn, moon and stars fall ceosely on that spray and are sent back in many color ^d hues to the source of light. 80 it WAS when wheeling into the tield of battle the slant niys of the set- ting sun returning from the si)rtty en- circled the advancing oiilunui with rain- bow colors. The sun went down, to many an eye, to raise no more ou earth. With the darkness came the greater ragi' of battle— charge after charge was mode. For a time the faint beams of the moon struggled with the smoke and gave a little light to the c«)mbatautB: but it was but little. The moon itself be- came obscured, and 'no light sivve the rapid Hashes :>f musket and cannon pierced the heavy clouds. The tight raged in the darkness of the night. From the height on the ridge the battery of the enemy still poured its deadly lire. It was then that the gallant Miller Baid: "I will try." It whs then that Hoott piloted his coliiiun through the darkness to Lundy's Lane. It was then that the brave regiment charged to the cannon's mouth. The battery was tak- en and victory rests with tbe American army. It was midnight. The battle is ended. The army faint and weary drags itself from the field. The well s ik to their couch to dretim of homes far away. The wounded groan in their painful ■V"r 1^4 i'yi'' M _ 71. hospital. The dead rent until the iBBt trumpet shall siimmon them to the last array. The warrior with his gar- ments rolled in blood has left the scene of struggles, pain and death. Some kind friend may have sought him wheth> er dead or alive; but the war-drum has ceased to beat; the artillery ceased to roll; and now *hp, Hnlemn, sonor<>- % fall of Niagara it> to the dead their requiem, and to the living their song of glory. prummond at |rt. grie. Gen. Brown had beeu taken wounded from the field of Liindy's Lane. To- wards thi close of the battle, Scott, also twice wounded, was borne out of the action. General Brown did not, however, at once resign the command. He direct- ed Gen. Ripley to return to camp, after bringing o£f the dead, the wounded and the artillery. But unfortunately, for the want of horses, harness and drag- ropes, the captured artillery of the enemy was left behind— a circumstance mnoh regretted. The American army, now reduced to 1,000 men, fell back to Chippawa, and there converted the works thrown up by the enemy into defenses against him. On the report that Gen. Drum- mond, at the head of 5.0(X) British, was fast approaching, the American camp was hastily broken up. its position aban- doned, and a retreat made to Fort Erie, where they strongly intrenched llli^lllMMMliJiailli^^ ¥^ 72. themselves by making snob defences SR was in their power. On the 5th of August, by order of Gen. Brown, Brigo- dier-General Gaines arrived from Saokett'8 Harbor and took the com- mand. ^ , On the 3rd of August, General Drummond appeared in the neigbor- hood of Fort Erie, and flndingitimpossi- ble to carry it by storm, was compelled to commence a rejjular siege. So between the 3rd and 12th of August, Drummond employed himself in endeavoring to out oft the American's provisions, hnd in the preparatory measures of opening trenches and establishing batt- ries. On the morning of the 13th ne commenced a cannonade and bombardment. This was continued through the day. renew- ed on the morning of the I4th and con- tinued until seven o'clock in the evening, but without any serious injury to the American ranks. On that day General Gaines doubled hiH guards and prepar- ed for an assault. At two o'clock in the morning of the 15th a heavy British column was found approaching To«'- Bon's battery, stationed at the northwest angle of the works, where it was received by the cannon of Towson and the mus- ketry under the gallant Major Wood, and WHS etfectually repulsed. A second «ttack was also repulsed, when the Brii..dh column changed its direction and attacked the western angle, with just as little success. In the mean time the center column under Colonel Drummond, after a sca- gaiuary condiot, succeeded in scaling the walls and taking possession of the exterior ba.stionb of the old fort. While this tavage man was denying mercy to the conquered Americans, a %■<■„ 'i-^ c- Bm quantity of cartridges in a small stone building within the bastion, ext>loded scattering death and oonfusioB around and expelliugthe British from the fort. They suffered severely, having left be- hind a large number of killed, wounded and prisoners. According to the Brit- ish uiHcial report their loss on this day was 67 killed, of whom were Colonels Scott and Drnmmond, 313 wounded and 639 missing. The total loss of the Americans was but 84. In fine, the British were mosf gallant- ly and effectually defeated in their at- tempt to storm Fort Erie. After this repulse, both armies re- mained in a state of inactivity for some time. General Gaines having been wounded by the bursting of a shell, the command again devolved on General Bipley. gortie l^rom ^t. Grie. On the 2nd of September, General Brown, though not yet fully recovered from the wounds received at Lundy's Lane, resumed the command of his di- vision. After afuU examinption of the topographical position of Drummond's lines, ho thought that a bold and vigor- ous sortie would be more than mere defence in relievi'^i? the American army from the siege of the enemy. Accord- ingly, on the morning of the 17th of September General Brown, paraded his troops, to the number of about 2,000, in nearly equal proportion of regulars and militia, for a sortie on the enemy's 74. works. The army of Bir Oordon DrumAaond htid then infeated Fort Krio for i5 daye. During that time they had erected reKnlAi* lines aud bat- ■ terioM. Tbey had iMjmbarded th» American defences ujkI made an nnHiio- cee>Bf ul attatik upon till I I . At this time they had erected two batter ieH and were about two open a third. Their forces Wi H divided into tliree brijicads, each of hich in turn guarded the batteries, Willie the other two were encamped about two miles distant, out of reach of theArnerioan cannon, but near euouj^h to support the troO|>H ut the batteries. In this puHition of afiairs General Brown detirmined to storm the bat- teriefl. destroy the cannon aud defeat the brigade. Ho at 2.:i'> p. m. of the 17tb of August QenerHl Porter left the camp at- the head of n detachment to Ssnetrate a passage thrt Colonel Uina> man, General Brown n^iu advanced towardR Chippawa. Near this |>liioe an affii! ' oooured on the 2(Hli of October in whioli Colonel BIh^ "11, with a << taoh- nient of 1,0 ioan army abandoned and destroyed Fort Erie, orotmed the river and retired into wint<:-r quarters at iiuffalo.when the war on the N iagara Frontier was in faot ended. Resume. During the vear 1814 there had been a Buocesxiort of ohliiant military itolious, and mnch ooura^e, skill and energy exhibited. Taken nil in all, no cam- paign in American L.atory has displayed more of the qnalitieu of mind and body, art aiid science, which are more to the character of a true soldier or the su eras of an army in action. In a little less than three months the army of Biail and Drummond, twice riiiewed and re- inforced by troops from Europe, had been defeated in four p t:ched battles. In the descriptions we have given of the severHl, the numbers engaged on either side are stated in eaon one, ae iniiiiiiinMBMilifMi 76. vf •:{.■■■ .». M near ua Hio mntorinis proaervud by his* tory will allow iik to etitimnte. 'tiie followiiiK ti»'.»l» "-Ml show the totnl ioHS iu killed, woiiiuled iiiid priKoii- et'8 titken by eaoh army in the diit'er' eut baUIea : Amerlonn Ilrltlah UM8. Lom, Dattio of Chlppawa, foiivht JiilySth. Wu 388 607 Dattto pt«inbt)r 17th, 18U 611 BOO 1783 3100 If the total number of troopa ensfnged in tbu Ht^veriil battleH on both Hido8 wiifl abont l2,00nera, which is a loss exceeding, in proportion, that of the most bloody buttles of Napoleon. Il^urning of the QaroUne. Althongh England liad governed the Giinadiis with- preat moderation, yet in 1837 by the instigation of W. L. Mc- Kenzie, a party arose, who claiming iudependeuoe, passed from secession to armed revolt. And when the flame of iumirrectiou was kindled in Canada, it was not arrested by a mere line of jurisdiction; but it reached and agitated the frontier inhabitants of the United States, along the border from the hills of Vermont to the Huron of the northwest. On the frontier, the oitizeus m '<;>!'?* '?i V* vnrolled tknmselvea m CanadiMi patrioto or Hymiwtlii/.urH until maay of Uie iiihuhitAtitH catiablo »( l>e»riaK itriua were iHrufkHfltKl friouds aiKl Kl>eu(>rM of tbe G«iuMli»u movomeut. ThuuBaiidfl ,inet in IinIkos hIouh tho border, uutlis of Bticreey were tMlmiuiHt^rud, iMrinoiplea spiwiuted, Keuoral uud Htaff offloera oliofKMi, aiid. at lontit tor Upiwr Canada, a proviHiouiilgoverntoitHt formed. The Prenideut of tbe UuiUxl Stubes iwued Lin iirodamation oiijoiuiug all good ctti- senu to (AiHerve the Btr).>)t«Ht neutrality towards tlio Brititib {•roviucos, but it luid little effect. Tii«> arniM iu the hauda of iUo oitizous and even tliose iu the Btatu araeoals witbin reach of the borderH, were houu seized or purloined, thuq affording «quipuieHtw to the Oaundian patriots. A Mr. Vau BeuaHellear, with Moine 700 follow'drs oroHHed front HobloHHer, two iuiles above Niagara Fails, and took t'osaeaHion of Navy lolaud on tho Urit^ iuh Hide of Niagara River. This idle invasion, though uiiitupor. taut to the Gauadus, was not without its consequences iu history. It wtM follow- ■ed by ii very Herious iuoident, which ex- cited deep feeliu^ in the United States, and was the subject of muob diplorantio correspoudeuoe. A small Hteamer called the Oaroliue, which was built at CharlestoB, 8. 0., ia 1822, and had a ciMHtoity of 46 tons, waa brought to New York, theuoe by river and canal to Lake Ontario, where she was emi>loyed for some time as a ferry boat. She was then tak«u through the Welland Canal to Lake Erie, and em- ployed ui»ou the Detroit River. In the summer of 1837 she was seized lor smuggUag, takes to Buffalo and -.sold. It vtM then (hat she wan engaged by Van Rensselear to act as a ferry-boat ,,;-•-,» between Sohlosaer and Navy Island. ,; '/^i But tLa very night the Caroline com- ; '^.^ menoed her voyages between these two " . ■ -' points, one hundred and lifty ,4rraed men from the Canada side, in nve boats with muffled oars, proceeded to Bohlos- ^ ser, cut the Carolii e loose fro:ia her "_ > moorings, and setting her on fire let ii -^f her drift over the falls. She happened '..■.:-;.:) to be full of idle peopie, including Xh' boys, not connected with Van Hensse- >» v lear, but who had been attracted to the frontier l)y ths rumor of war, and who ; hsd simply begged a night's lodging. _- 1, One man named Durfee was killed and ^ several others wounded. When this ^1 ~ occurred a flame of excitement went up - ■ throughout the interior of the United - - j^ States. ^JChe sentiment of patriotism » *Hu and the feeling of rwenge wero . . a frequently mingled together, and the - p«aoe of this couniry, and perhaps of all "* ,, other civilized nations, was threatened |^;' by this act of outrage committed on ' he ^^ (jaroliue. em, , ' .-> and attack an unarmed boa* in New ';-• ■ York State?" At the anniversary dinner ' -y- in Toronto, in honor of the "heroes" who defeated the Yankees, the Hon. John Emsley, a member of the Head Government was present and said: "After a desperate engagement of seme minutes she was fired and rode the waves a blazing beacon of infamy, until she sank into the abyss below. (Loud cheers. ) GeuUemoti I glbry in having been one of ohose that destroyed thia J ^^^^^ Itati 1 ;/'nS ■. ■%•;■ 79. bo»t." The Moutreal Herald of December 29, 1338, said: "Coi. Holmero nud the officers of bis brigade held their first rugitneutal mona dinner at Orr's Hotel. The room was decorated with traueparenoies of Her Majesty, the Duke of Wellington, Brittama, the steamer Caroline in flames going over the Falls of Niagara, and a globe with the motto: 'The British Empire, on which the Bitn never sets.' Sir AUau MoNab was toasted and many a joke was cracked at the expense of the nu- fortuuate Americans on board the Caroline." The Caroline was destroyed Decern, ber 29th, 1837, and the news reached Washington January 4th. A Cabinet meeting was called and Oenfiral Scott was told that blood had been tfpilied 'and he roust hasten to th') frontier. I'uU power was give him to call for mil- itia, to put himself in*- oommnnioation with the United States district attorneys, marehalls and collectors in order, turongh them, to e , )rce the act of neutrality, the goiod faiih pledged to Great Britain by treaty, and to defend our own territory, if necepsary agaiusfc invasion, or to maintain peace throngb- out the borders. In 1812 Scott appeared upon the same theatre ab the leader of battalions and the victor of battles. But now, rhetoric and diplomacy were to be his principal weapons, his countrymen and frieuda his object of conquest, and a little cor- respondence with thoBritiHh auth'^HtJos beyond the line, as an episode to the whole. In order to shorten this narrative we will not slop to give a history of the wild ruiiora that were afloat at that ir-H ■HWJF 80. time, agitating the minds of the people aad keepiug tuem iu a constaut state of excitement, causing them tu get up iu the dead hours of the uight to iiee from Borne imagiuary foe. Not mau^ days after the burning of the Garohue, another steamer, the Barcelona, was out out the ice iu Buf- falo harbor, and taken down the Niagara river to be offered to the patriots, who were still on Navy Island. Scott wished to compel them to discontinue their criminal enterprise. He also desired to have them, on returning within our jurisdiction, arrested by the marshal!, who was always with him. For this purpose, he sent an agent to hire the Barcelona for the service of the United States, before the patriots could get means to pay for her, or find sureties to idemify her owners in case of her cap- ture or destruction by the British. He succeeded in all these objects. The Barcelona was taken btusk f > Buffalo, and as she slowly ascended i.gainat the current on the American side of Grand Island, three armed British schooners, besides batteries on land were in posi- tion, as the day before, to sink her as she came out from behind the island. On the 16th of January, Scott and Gov. Marcy stood on the American shore opposite that point, watching events. The smoke of the approachiug boat could be seen in the distance, and the purpose of the British was perfectly evident in all thair movements. Tho batteries on our side were promptly put into position. The matches were lighted. All was ready to return the ttre of the British. There was a crisis. ; rioai ■^ The day before this, when it was sup- '^osed the Navy Island people were ooming up the same channel in other craft, and before it was known that the Barcelona had uooepted his offered enKaffement, Scott wrote on his knee and dispatched by an aide-de-oump the loliowiug note: Hkadquaktbbs Eastkrn Division 1 U. ti. A«M¥. (two miles below Black Rook) ( January 15tb, 1838. j To thcCommarulHr of (he Armed JBrit- %8h Veaaela in the Niagara: 8iB- " ;; With his Excellency the Gov-' ernor ot New York, ^ho has troops at hand, we are here to enforce neutrality of the United States, and to protect our soil and waters from violation. The proper oiyil authorities are also present to arrest, if practicable, the leaders of the expedition on foot against Upper Canada. Under these oircnmstances it gives me pam to perceive the armed vessels men- tioned .anchored in our waters, with probable intention to fire upon that expedition moving in the same waters. Unless the expedition should Hirst attack— in which case we shall interfere —we shall be obliged to consider a dis- charge of shot or shell from or into our waters, from the armed schooners of her Majesty, as an act seriously com- promising the neutrality of the two nations. I hope, therefore, that no Buoh unpleasant incident may occur. I have the honor to remain &o., WiNDFIELD SOOTT. DMto ■ntn fS^HfiBBUnSt^mf, m, The wiuie iutiiiiiiti< ' Miul HXpluitied tku iiexj ttty lUlh, ki u oiipluiii i lu'iuy, wild had oooaHiuii ti i i Bciutt ou other businetu*, aud who iiu- jiii'diately I'otmned ft wus just theu ilinl Ihu MiiiM Ifjiiii iiKivid lip the ciir- ruiit tif Ihii Nhigftiii. Thn itaiii){»n mi either fliiiH wnff iMijiiiiitl, Iho iimti'hi » lii^htedqiid tlioiiHiiiidHHloud In hi|n|ii |iho, OnScott'H iiiile uiid liiH imrsoniil iisBiU'- uuL'o, ttloiiu dH|H!ndi)d the miestioii of puaco or wur. Hii|ii)iiy lui^Ho usHiir anoo» hud thoir just offtjut. The flurcu- loiia paused ah)nk^. The iiritinh did not fire. T'ho riiatolieH w'-'ro extiuguiMhcd; the two iiiitidiis, guidful by wieu ooiui- sei reaiimed their iisiiiil way, ai»d war's wild alarms were htiBued filtu the whis- peiH or i)eiice. The patriots evacuutej Navy fsjmid oatho IfTth iiiHt., and an soon m \Ut>y lauded, Vau ItuiiHfielaDr and IiIm ut'Houl- ates were arreHted, HH Huott Haid tiiey abdiild bo, iu his note writteu u f(!W hnnrs previoua to the arrefits. A Mr. MeLeod was aJBo grrested and tried by a United Htates court, for the muidur of Durfee, bnt was acquitted As small a place as this iucideut may oconpy in historjj^, it was a critical mumeut iu the affairs of natioUN. Had one British guu beeu tired, aud uincli more had the Barcelona b«ou dtmtroyod no authority nor ioflueiifin would have restrained our excited pu^idttilon from taking up arms, and an iiii|T»uiMjd)UtiKl war would have been the tmitii U would have beeu a w«r fro»M mu incident, and not from a uatioiitti ^ou troversy mpi^^^- T;#^/f ySittlm '■:... -JK. iwii i it'iaMjiiai kpofll. I beuind tin: int.',->l m o i;iuiU niiil (iffloora present were applnudiug. Oapt. htttil'j/iii»i, )li Jives were taken or even tbreateued. ilitM wuajaataeveu daya after Mr. Htuvno- sou, American niiiiiater in (londun, had dotuanded aatitjfiiotiou /or tlio Oaru- line. To show how th" tuii which AuitiriitHnHliiiiked npon as i^iotbi'K bnl i biwti liiilrolioiy, wflH reoejvcd nii tho utiier aide, It hiuv mi; aitjd Drew waa raiacd to llie iiiitb of lliu loyn' lavy and ooiui Lake Erie. [oNan wua bin/ received royal Uianka. uud Hir ihiUu (Jolborue waaoit^ated Lord Heatou. i The Lowiatou 'feleHrnnh of Friday, l|lrll IR *4iill, printtd the followiiiift i1i«liii MiimIhI, liiio a ouptain on Ipor Gauudian Parliament prayiaj; that land Iw granted the boarders of -the Caroline for a ronumention." Can- ada, perhaps, is the only country where mindorers are »"' ouipenaed. ^^^^-^^'^^'•^-^"^^^ iijimiitii Mii •'■""i^"A^' I I 3 v;,; 84. ^he permit of H^^^^o^'Cf In the afternoon of the 18th of Jnne, 1823, a tall, well built and handsome young man, dressed iu a long loose govrn or cloak of a chocolate color, was Been passing through the principal street of the village of Niagara Falls. Ho had nuder his arm a roll of blankets, n flute, a iK>rt folio, and ii large book; in his right hand he carried a small etiok. He advanced towards the Eagle hotel, (which is now part of the International) attracting the gaze of visitors and others bv the singularity of his appearance. With elastic step and animated motion, he passed tbe hotel; he heeded not the inquiring gaze of the idle multitude, hut firm and erect he bent his course to a more lowly, but respectable, inn. He at once entered into Htipnlation» with tao landlord that the room which he oo- o:5pied should be solely his own, that he Hhould have his table to himself, and that only certain portions of his fare Hhonld be provided by the landlady- He made the usnal enquiries about tbo fulls, and, among other things, wished t se to? He wit)i e ofj- at he aad fare lady- b tbo led tu m or rined lately pt it; book; oausio X hiR bunld 1 cou- great same !« the w9 I ,1- 85. eurronnding' scenery, the oftPcades and catariiotit, and »U oi that Hublitne speo- tacle, the falls. la all his travels, he said, he had never met with anything to compare with this combination of all that was great and beautiful. There was nothing so grant^ au Niagara Falls, except Mount Mtna, during an eruption. Heinijaired how long travellers nsnal- ly remained, and being informed that many stayed only one day, he observed that he would stay at len«t a week, and farther remarked; "Oau it be that there are those who come to this place and leave it in one day ! I am as- tonished that persons can be found so lit- tle interesk'd in these aut/cnishing works of nature, as to s|>end so short a time in passing around and beholding them. As well might a traveller, iu one or two days, attempt to examine in detail the various museums and curiosities iu Par- is, as to think of becoming acquaint- ed with the magiticeut soenety of Niag- ara in such a short space of time." In a few days he called again, and again expatiated upon the resplendent scenery of tue Falls, and said he had couclnded to remain a month, and per- haps six months. A short tiine after. he deterrair>Kd to fix his abode on Goat Island, and was desirous of erectujg a rustic hut, for ttfl purpose of abstracting himcMilf from ail society and of becom- ing a solitary hermit. The proprietor of the island, Uftving become acquainted with hia ecoeutricitiea, was apprehensive that his iiermauent residence there might be ahirmiug to iitrangera who did n<»t know him. For this rofison he tJionght it Bot proper so i^llow hina to 1 jl W:i:h. \mmmMML-miiM '\'^-A ■',**'■•' 86. erect a bniding for snch ft pnJ'poge, but permitttid him to ocoupy u room in the only bouse on the islnucl. In tbis bouse tbere lived a family tbat furuisbed bim at times witb milk and bread. But be often dispensed witb tbese uecessarv articles, providing himself in such other wa^s as suited himself, and pre- paring bis food to suit bis own tiisto. He obsorved once to a friend "tbat people in tbeir mode of living took a great deal of trouble and unnecessary pains; for my part I have adopted a method wbion I find very pleasant and ngreeabie. I take about a pint of water in wbioh I mix a sufficient quantity of wheat flour, to give it a projter consis- tency, and then drink it down. I find tbat it answers every purimse and saves me ranch labor and inconvenience. Witb bis guitar by bis side, support- ed from bis shoulder with a silken sash like an eastern minstrel, be would per- nmbnlate the banks of the river to the Whirlpool and once or twice he extend- ed his witlh to Lewiston. The inmates of the houses on the way would suddenly hear the sounds of strange and unknown uiMf, ibe mnsi- mi\n would be observMa •Mff4^UK at a diMt«/iAe in the road, but w buou w Mot- tma or spoken to be would g}id«» Awvy without giving any reply. Thn tMl»nd mm Ma peimm^fA tma- deii'ie for nbont «/««• vfiar and eight mouths. At length iUm tAwHy remov*?d and to those few with wboM< he held oonverso, he «ipr«Mwd his grt»t. MUis- i'cctiou tj )i«Y# It •' ■ ' " entirely alone, i Beemed to enjoy himweJJ vuit laacii, a: t until another mtaily euterud the boH'se ttifi feM& fe i^BkAliki ,1 mm •mmi He tUen oouoliidoj t.t> oreol a oottupfe df bis own ttiid uh ho ooiild not biiiltl uu tlio islttud bi; cb< 'd tbo hipb bunk ui'ur to ftiicl iu full vinv of tUe full, wbicli of ttll other objects, it wiw Iijh tleli^jht to bohold. Ho occupied his new residouce for olHjiit two mouths. OulFrJdny. the 10th of Jniie, 1831," he went twice below the bank of the river to bathe nnd wuh seen to go i» third time. At two o'elock iu 1' ■ nftoruoou the ferr.vniim saw him iu wuter— ho partly (loatintj and pari,, rt'stiufj his body uu the shelving rocks. As the boat approached, to screen himself from the Raze of the passeuKers, he would draw his head under the water. It woH not seriously thoujyht of an bo had often beou noticed iu the same situ- ation, and acting: iu the same manner. When the ferry-mau returned, Abbott's clothes ymie anen on the rocks, whero he usually deposited them. An exanii- nation was immediately made but his body could not be found. It was sup- posed to havo been carried away by tho current. "Tlie greedy aarite bad swept him down. Far, far from uiurt&l ken." On the 21 st of June tho body waa taken up at Fort Niagara, was clearly identified, and was on "the next day removed and decently interred in the burial ground at Niagara Falls from which place it has since been removed to Oukwood Cemetery and a flne tomb- stone erected to his memory. Ho and Captain Webb now sleep side by side. Thus terminated the career of Francis Abbott. Little, indeed, known to tlioso near whom he spent the last two years Bk of hi8 life. A few gleanings oan only b« given. He was an English geutlemau of a reHpeotablo family. Hn was en- dowed with a good miu(<, highl oulli- vuted and wus pleasing i u his manners. Ho was not only master of several languages, but deeply read i the arts and BcTeuceB and iwssessed of all the minor aooomplislii iauts of the finished gentleman, fascinating oolluqnial i)ow- ors. and musio and drawing in groat perfection. Many vf ars of his life had been 8i)ent in travelliDg. He had visited Egypt and PuleHtine; had travelled through Turkey and Gree.e, Italy, Spain, Por- tugal and Franco and had resided for considerable periods of time in Naples, Rome and Paris While at Niagara Falls business brought him in contact with seVbral iuhnl .itants. W ith a few «)f them ho would uetimes be sociable; to oil others he w.ia distant and ruserv- ed. His conversatiuns wore ilways interesting and his descriptions of oonntries and people glowing and ani- mated. But et times, even with his favored acquaintances, he would hold no oonverai' jn; but communicated to them his wishes on a slate and would re- qixestthatnothiuj,' should be said to him. He would frequently go nnshaved for two or three months, often with no covering on his head and his l»ody envel- oped in a blanket; shunning all and seeking the deepest solitude of the island. He composed much and gener- ally in Latin; but he destroyed his composition almost as fast as he pro- duced them. When his little cot was examined hoiies were entertained that some manoBoript or memorial, of bis mttmd:^ab ^ES I 1lli>i ^v % ^'^^'^^■■'^^■^$'''^^(- own oompuHitioii, might be foaud, but he left uotl)iu<;uf the kiud. Hib faithful due f^nurdudhis door, and it v, w-th ditnoiiUy tb t he woh persuadtn at»ida while it \v 1 ipriivid. Hia oat ocuiu>>ed his bed aud i s ^uiUr. violiu, flutes aud mtiHio were m tttert^dubuutiaconfusion. There was u portfolio aud ^'le If uvea of s lar^e book, bat uot aw I, not even his uama was writteu iu auy of theoi. Many spots of Goat Islaud are ooune. orated to the nieniDry of Francis Abl'tt. Ou the upper eud of t ' island ho <\ established his walk aud it had be- come troddeu and well tteotiu ko that on which a sentinel perforina his tour of duty. Between Goat and Moss lalauds thero was embowere(i, in hooIu- siou aud shade, one of the most ott inning waterfall < <>r cascades imaginable. This was his favorite retreat for bathing. There hi! resorted at all times of thfi year. In the coldest of weather, even vheu snow was ou the grouud, aud ice in the water; he oontiiuied to bathe in the Nia;.;^ra. On the lower \tremity of the inland (here is a brid to idadiuz over what are o«li«d the Tortapin Books and fron^ thia bridge there extended a single piece of timber, some twelve or fifteen feet over the precipice. On this it was liis daily practice to walk; with a quickstep he would pass the bridge, Hdvanue ou the U iber to the extreme end, turn quiokh ii his heel aud walk baok, and oontiuiie thus to walk for Iiours. Hometiiues he would let himself down at the ond of tho timber and hang under it by his bands and feel for 15 or 80 miuutes at a time aud this over u ohusm so tetritic sis to make dizzy the ^^^ i ■ fi-rj Hi tm^m^^ d^k^ifa ■Ml UMBIBWWHll I I 1 i^^immMsimii'iim--fi!mmj!>^«^''' ■"■■'*■•*"■■" jumwimwi .vT-i ."iu A^. m IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) A ,''/r'- *>i 0». ^ r L Photograptiic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14S80 (716) 672-4503 WAT V ^^4 6^ VVWMMriMJa ■MM &.1 Q' CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiquet O^ I ^^'■^4:^. »>». ^ 90. strongest bead. On being remonstrftt- ed witti fur thus exposing biinHelf, be would reply tbat in crossing tbe ocean he bad frequently seen tbe sea-boy in mueb greater peril, aud as he should probably cross tbe ocean again he wished to inure himself to such dan- gers; if the nerves of otuers were dis- turbed, bis were not. In the darkest hours of the night be would be found walking alone in tbe wildest and most dangerous spots near the Falls. At such times be would shun th^i approach of men as if they were unwelcome intrud- ers on bis solitude. He had a stipend, allowed to him by his friends in England, competent fur liis support. He attended to the state of bis accounts very otirefully; wa« economical in the expenditure of money for his oirn use; but generous in paying for all favors aud services, and never receiving anything without making immediate payment therefore. He bad a deep and abiding sense of religious duties and decorum; mild in his behav- ior and inoflfensivo in bis conduct. Religion was a subject he appreciated, and f-eomed well to understand. The clarity be asked from others ha extend- ed to all mankind. What could have broker up and .destroyed such a mind as his? What would drive him from society, which he was so well fitted to adorn— and what should transform him, noble in person and intellect into an isolated anchorite, shunning tbe as- sociations of bis fellow-men. The mystery he never unfolded, and bis frieuds have remained silent on the sub- ./Wiv; ^m remonstrftt- ,, himnelf , be 5 the ocean sea- boy in aud as he oceau again bo such dftu- rs were dis- the darkest [d be fouud 8t and most . ills. At Buch approach of (ome introd- d to him by jmpeteut for to the Btate irefuUy; wa* iuve of money 3US iu paying B, and never liout making ore. He had ) of religious iu his behav- his couduct. i appreciated, srstaud. The era ha oxteiid- broker up mind as his? him from so well litted ,uld transform intellect into mning the a«- >w-men. The olded, and his lent on the sub- nfMjiiiaiwEyi" Ji ^■ii/ ject. He was about 28 years of age at the time of his death. With the scenery of the Falls he was perfectly infatuated and expressed him- self in the most rapturous terms, when he spoke of the beautiful retreats of Goat Island. He was asked why lie did not take up his renidence in Canada, under his own government, among his own people, and, as he preferred being near the falls, he nonld there select a place to suit h'm, as the views on that side were considered by many as Iteiug the best. He replied that he preferred this side, because, in all that was inter- eEtiug and beautiful, the American scenes around the falls were deoidedlv sui^enor. J^.Bery on tfte C©^. s On the evening of July 18, 1853, a man by the aame of Hauniman and ona by the name of Avery, in the employ ox David Brown, who was en»;aged in boating sand, left the French landing, (now called Port Day,) for SohloDri^^r where the boat, upon which they were employed, was lying. But for some reason they failed to reach their point, and were carried out into the strong current and down into the rapids. Hanniman was immediately carried over the Falls, but Avery lodged on a log, nearly midway between Goat Is- land bridge imd the fearful precipice, it being tLe only pldoe iu that portion of WW y w m mii mt»90i^m «**, I- :5? '.' '!•'•■ : > .. ■■- ^v' -. >tty li-y. 92. the rapids npoa which a human beingr . conld Had footingr. The fearfnl truth of a inHn beinjr in the rapids just pIm>vo ."•ho verge of the Falls was first discov- ered at al)out four o'clock on the morn- inpof July 19th by one of ihe watch- men of the Cataract House. The fear- ful intelligence spread like a fire alarm throughout the village. Ropes were - the tifBt thing thought of— no rope on hand. Messrs. Gage & Haws, con- tractors on tLe hydraulic oaual.stripped the rigging from their blocks and gin poles. Citizens owning -»• having in their possession a pt* -^d of rope brought it forward. BoatA owned by rich and poor were soon being borne on the shoulders of the mnltitude to the spot, as an offering of humanity, without a thought of rein- bursement. Thus four boats and all the rope in the village were made a free- will offering by the owners to attempt the deliverance of an unknown stran- gor, but a human being, from a situa- tion as perilous as the human mind can conceive. A telegraph dispatch to Buf- falo promptly brought a boat to the spot, the owner not giving the probabil- ities of remuneration a thought. Thousands of persons crowded around the soune, each haviup a plan to which Mo one heeds but himself. Nothing, absolutely nothing, Cs-uld be done in this chaotic 3tate. A meeting is pro- posed on Goat xsland bridge b^ two of the proprietors, to give direction to the efforts about to be made. A vote is taken, and a man is appointed by ao- olamatiou, who selects his assistants. w >j,j i im II Itf. nan beinfj nl truth of not i»bove rat disco V- tbe morn- ube watoh- The fear- fire alarm .opes were u) rupe on Elaws, oon- ual.stripiwd ks aud gin having in >d of rope poor were shoulders of H an offering iigbt of rein- oats aud all ! made a free- 8 to attempt mown stran- rom a situa- aan mind can ^ patch to Buf- " boat to the theprobabil- ught. iwded around an to whi'sh t. Nothing, I be done in ieting is pro- ;* E;e by two of ircotion to th9 "r A vote \a . , tinted by ao- assistauts. A generous hearted captain from the npper lakcb, having heard of the acci- dent 6t Buffalo hastened down to the scene of action. He was invited to par- ticipate iu giving direction to the efforts about to be made— he was prompt and efficient. The boat exp<3rimeut fails — another plan is proposed which is thought feasable— this failed also except to give a knowledge of the currents and the action of water through the differ- ent channels— another plan is proposed — ropei were with the life boat— three huudrt'd men man the line attached to the life ' >oat sunken in the rapids— the line pni L < near the sunken boat aud wan fortunately brought to shore— the raft is completed aud let down into the boiling element from the center of the bridge — (a noble hearted sea captain, a stran- ger, with a soul stamped with generos ity, took one of the managers by the shoulders, and in a whisper, begged for God's sake to let him go down on the raft and help the man keep the ropes oldtti, and on being refused he replied: "I know I could help him." Generous hearted maul would that the world kuow thy name— the orignal design of the raft is thwarted by oie rope being too short to reach the spot, it slips the grasp of those holding it— the raft swings on a line with the remaining rope aud bounds down and below the fatal olifi thnt seemed to stand between life aud death— no more roi>o at hand — nothiug daunted the capstan moves on, the raft swings to the embrace of the unfortunata— Lo reaches the raft and entwines himself a'.nong its rones. He gazes at the pail of provisions lashed t6 the raft— he o&ituot eat, he sees nothing ■ s-;: f'.'-f'.' , -ffl .■^rffA.''. --, % '■:• '-''^''•ff^T. ■u *#^: bnt deatb before him. The raft moveH slowly sidewise, under the reef to an almoBt iuaoceesible ialaud. The rope becomes eutaugled amoug the rocks. What now shall be done ? Lower away the raft, now haul her np, now lower her down, the capstan moves the pon- derons weight up and down at bidding, a Kttle lower the raft descends into the swift cnrrent, the snrges dash over the head of the unfortunate passenger. The capstan turns rapidly around, the raft is again moved under the ledge in smoother water, although the surges had almost claimed their victim— the unfortunate looses his lashing, stands erect and rests his limbs which had been stripped of their covering by the boiling current. When sufficiently recovered he again takes his seat and makes himself fast, again the capstan heave8,alas, the rope is again fast in the rocks and cannot be moved except up and down the stream, again thec>>end another gloomy night in the arms of death ? Another attempt must be made, again the lightning flashes to Buffalo— a boat wanted. A boat is furnished and the railroad a^ent prorsptly placed the same upon tue oars. The engineer taxes the speed of his engine to its ut- most capacity, its humnn life might •rrC-M'.^ raft muves reef to an The rope g tbe rockfl. Lower away , uow lutver ves tlie ppn- u at biddiu<7, sods iuto the ash over tbe ssenger. Tbe dnd, tbe raft tbe ledge in h the surges r victim— tbe shing, stands s which bad verinp by the n sufficiently bis seat and u tbe capstan a)u fast in tbe red except up in tbe c^spstan i clos'd to the tuuioient force om the water. le bow of the front of the shall now be ast, the sun is izon and the 1 soon veil tbe left to Bi>end tbe arms of must be made, 9tu Bufifalo— a rnrnisbed and ly placed tbe Ihe engineer ine to Its at- n life might ';"m «.■'-' 96. ■■^1fr;f*:^-^i? de{)end upon tbe at.ival of tlie cars, in tbe shortest possible time— tbe cars arrive— ere the speed of the errs is arrested, the crowd bear the boat upon their shoulders to the scene of peril— all with one thought, the res- cue. Uo there is yet hope that tbe rescue may be acoomplit. The following article _ the Albany Register: WHS written to NiA.aA^BA Fi.iiii3, July, 19, 1853. It is verging toward midnis^ht on the 18th of Jaly, 1853, and the stars sliino calmly down through a delicious atmosphere, upon tue villitge of Niagara Falls. Music gives life to tbe joyous dance at the Cataract and the Interna- tional Hotels, and pleasure saekers hero, congregated from all parts of the conti- I « >«*•■ ■•WW^flP"^ ■a"v ';' ''^^%^ i,<*|*? «ti nniit, have fonnd enjoymeut. Mnuy fair wunidu and brave men Htifl liu<;er oit Goat Islaud, nuwilliuu tu sever from soeues and HoiuidH ao full of harmony — so cotiKeuial to the pure ac- tivity uf soul, which maiks alike the worshiper of God and the beiii); who sins lightly, if at all, by ipdniginf; in dreams ' f earthly love and honor. One ^'lighted couple are returuiug, and have halted for a moment un the bridge, the hand of each clasped in each other's, as they look upward on the rapids. A thin cIoniness d God hua Him HU. it which HU u the very 9 them, as by a htige t a taller, atern ur a the bridge r a »hroik, gh It camo jarth ? Oh 9low uf n ver which very little les; and if the near ling night •y near ns thiH, where iver exnlt- re we can 3, half un- .J -Ki-' 97. ■pbared. watching the wcrld. The KAUzy cloud iluata westward, and the stars shine out in glory, and the loyers walk blissfully un and cross the bridge and Heitven blesses theui in dreams that night, while the musi,} uf the juyona dauoers below sonnds in their visions a harmuny of heaven. But it was uo dead tree trunk, nor singla lifted, olo id shadowed wave, that caught (or a sinjfle second that gentle maideo^s eye. .^t was a boat and in it were two men— around each were twined loves as deep, if not so exalted and pure, as those which hallow end beauti- fy her and her's. It was not a strung swirl of the wild waters that made the firm bridge tremble a little more than it flways trembles in the strong current, t was the crashing, like an eggshell, of the stroug built boat when it dashed against the pier and whirled under the bridge in fragments. It was not the scream of a night-bird, whirling in the duHky air above her, which startled the soft-hearted maiden ; but was the oou- jorned agonies of two strung-lunged, despairing men, which burst forth into a yell, which was all but drowned in the deep roar of the majestic river, and oarae as but in a whisper to the car ' of the tendbf maiden, who was intently listening, scarce two hundred feet away. One of the strong men i«> carried downward, nnseen save by Qod and the starry eyes of night. Fifteen hundred or twu thousand feot are bat as a step for the groat torrent, though if they lived until they reached the verge of the fall. Heaven only knows how much misery was endured, or huw surely hope eternal aud well-founded sprung up in 98. L>;j»- ; r^^.' \\.^^i his Bonl, while the wrathfuit river took that step ere she dashed him on the Cile of rookH one liuudred and fifty feet elow and bruko forever tlio ligatures of h<>|>e and love that bound him to the world. But for the second t Far better would it have been, in human judgment, bad he too been uwept away at ouce into eternity. Bat not so, for there are manv leBBons to be drawn from the t oubled remnant of his life— at least by those who witnessed it. About 5(K) feet below the bridge, and about one-third of the way across from the main shore, a loji; is embedded in the rapids. It lies in the direction of the torrent, and at the lower end, for a length of about fifteen feet rises above water, then seems to sink n little, like the hollow of a saddle, and is below wat- er for a foot or two and then rises at an angle of about forty-iive degrees for four or five feet and so ends abruptly. At about four o'clock in the morning the survivor, a lusty man of twenty summers or thereabouts, was discover- ed clinging to the upper part of the log, and at ouce the village was astir. It was a strange chance that threw him on this mere point— the only one between the biidge and fall where the foot of man could rest. It would seem that Provi- dence, by BO miraonloua an interposi- tion for his present safety, gave luisur- ftuoe for his final rescue. But God knows best, and the world would be a chaos were not the issue of our efforts by Him directed We have only our duties before us and He will take care of results. -wrxmi 09. river took iin oQ the atlfty feet liKutiirea of liim to tbe Far better t jud^meut, ay at ouce )r there are i from the -at least by bridge, and icrosa from iibedded in direction of 3r end, for a rises above I little, like 8 below wat- 1 rises at au degrees for 3 abruptly, he morning a of twenty ras disoover- rt of the log. stir. It was a him on this between the foot of man that Provi- »n intei'posi- gave asBur- ). Bnt God would be a f our efforts kve only our rill take oare What fascination there is in the peril of another, though he be a stranger, and whatever may be his rank in life, his attainments or his qualities. What a pity it is that the peril which 30 fascinates as, and nerves us up to deeds of heroism, and sacrifices of money, and property, and comfort, must, in the general, be an apparent peril of life or limb. Those slow and deadly dangers which besets our neighbors and ourselves, those parents of crime, which aims at the destruction of physical vigor and moral purity, which contaminate life in the fountain wither it in maturity, which create the drunkard, the libertine, the robber, and the murderer, alasl they fright but few of us, bnt we put not on our armor to battle against them nnto the death. I could hardly take my eyes from that poor man from the first time I saw him unll nis fate was decided. There were hundreds there, who would cheer- fully imperiled their own lives, could reason have been cajoled into holding out the slightest hope of the risks con- tributing to thiB salvation of the strang- er. Property was sacrificed without hesitation, for him, and one kind gentle- man, a stranger, from— the Lord knows where, but may he be Remembered in Heaven— offered a thousand dollars to aave the stranger. When I first saw him in the morning he was clinging to the log and occasion- ally raising his head aboye the top and looking from side to side. He must have realized fully the almost hopeless danger of his situation, and was sick at heart, as well as chilled bv the night air, and the spray sapping hifl strengih 1 '- •'■ .' ■ *, • :•;"■ \ 4*.; 100. ■^^ .'■>$! i fur BO mnuy hIow ebl)iua lioiirH. Hin bund WKH Imre, Itiit othorwisu he v/tu* fully clotliud. It wiiHiint'Ofwiblo for the huiuttii voiou tu rouuli hiiu. Nu vuioe of enooiirit^eiuuut tu rouoh Ltm, but the sympbthi/.iu)^ Hpirit of the people was not diHouiirii$;ed, and sought to uphold hiin l)y BirruM. He whh n GerintiU uiid ttouie kind persou oauBsd to be |>aiuted in bif; letteru, in Gornuin. on canvaH, thu words, "We wilu javb you." and uuilod it, like abunuer, on the fr(jut of a build- iuif on the bank. He saw und nndor- Htood it, and waved hin haiida, in grati- tude, we trust, in (i^ratitudo. The peo- ple, full of Bvmpathy, thronged the shore, both isluud and bridj^e. Alas! they oould do nothiugr, nnleHS it were by their mere presence, to encoura«re hope and strengthen his sometiraes fail- ing oourni^e. It is painful to record the efTortB that were made for his relief and extrication and yet a summary of Uiem may not be devoid of interest. In doing; ho it is necessary to recall his position in the torrent. All above was a wild waste of water, rnshiug downward over curved ledges of rock crossing awthart the stream, and bo was all below, 6ave that the log to which he clung was im- bedded in a basin of foaming water between two ledges, and the water there seemed less unquiet. From the ledges above the fall was more than a foot. On his left the great mass of the river oame down in a tumult of green waves and eddies, on his right lay first the foaming basin, the strong current of a minor channel of the river, and then broken water and an eddy, at the foot of which was a small mass of rooks <»..' '* . - Ws A^'u X. iix lourH. His JHI! llU WttH ililo for the No voioe of m, but thu pouplo wnH to upb'jIJ eriUHU iiiul be |>aiuted 1 uauvatt, tbt) HDll iiujlud t of a build- und undor- dn, in grati- Tbe peo- jroiiged tha id^e. Alas ! leHH it were o encourage [uetiraes fail- e tiffortu that d extrioiitiou i may not be lini; HO it is sition in the a wild waste nward over nof? awthart below, save ang was im- aming water e water there oa the ledges than a foot, of the river green waves lay first the current of a er, and then , at the foot ass of rooka ^ 101. above wntor and blaokcnod logfi, from which uoceHS to a smuli wooded island bolow seemed ea»v. On that island he would be safe, for it could Iki reached, though with much ditllouity, fi >m-Goator Bath Inland, in a boat. To cross the furious ohannel on his left to the main shore was impossible. There he lay from the time he was discovered, until. I should think, about half-post four in i,'ie afternoon, the sun beating on his nncavered head, and without food. Attempts were made to lower food to him from the bridge, the food being enolosad at one time in a basket, and at least twice in air-tight tin cans, but all these attempts were unsuc- cessful. How he endured all he did seems strange to me. (iod had certain- ly given him a strong frame and a stout heart and he would have made u gallant sailor. At nine o'clock the first attempt at rescue was made. No one had any confidence in it, but people were impa- tient to do something, though a message had been dispatched to Buffalo for a life-boat, which was ext^ected on the next train. A strong light skiff was launched from Bath Island, drawn out into the stream, apd let down by two ropes in the lesser chaanel. 3he filled and upset, however, and was lost. But here comes the life-boat from Buffalo, and the crowd sent up a cl eer which rises to flea von, aad even crosses to the poor man on the log, and be erects himself in ex|)Bctatiou. It is borne across the bridge, and the gentleman having it in charge examines A&f'"-' 'M '%. . J l» iK ^ -' ^m ?***' 41.1 *Aii. HJiiil .l!*U"^'"fli!»itel! m^ <*] 102. from different points on the bank and the bridge, the ohetaoles to be over- come. It is almost evident that they are lnsupera\)le, bnt there is a bare pue- sibility of saooess, audthat is snfiioieut. The boat is launched, and the bridge is cleared of all but the workers.and blie is eradually lowered. What a benutiful boat she is, and how triumphantly she rides the wild swells I Now she passes down tiie main shnto, and they begin to work her toward the log, while the man hangs «ith his hands on the top of it, his eyes devouring the space be- tween hiursolf, and what he trusts, is hi? preserver. And, indeed, there woi.^ seem scarce room to donht that he was on the p)int of being rescued. Bnt now the boat from the entangling of the rope in the rocks below, or from some o^her oansa, upsets, bnd then she rises like a duck — and now she is jnst a little above the log, and in a second more the man will be safe. My Qc ' ' rhe swings a little beyond, in a swift eddy, ano does not right again. I shut my eyes, and when I open them again, she ie far off in the broad ohRunel by the main shore, held by a single rope and almost sunk by the weight and force of the current. The man, the poor man, who but just now was waving his hands this way and tb•^t way to guide the fieople in the management of the ropes, and who. I could swear, from the motion of his head, shouted with joy as the boat neared him, was now clasping the upright portion of the log. His head droop6, and despair, I fear, is in his heart, and so he lies, inanimate on the thinp he rests on, for fully an hoar. and s ,i.,i n ii , i M iiii i ii t i l ii ^ i ]|i i g i.ii pii ' ■■ 103. But the good people are not diBoonr> tke,sd; they uow commence buildiug a raft. It is made of two long square timbers, with a phitform iirmly spiked on at one end, and ocasioual oross- piooes to the other end, on ^vhich is lauh- ed a barrel. While this is being done a crowd of men bring upon poles ou their shoulders a large broad-bearaed skiS. It is concluded to try this before the raft^and it is launched iron-. Bath Is- land, let down the channel and worked across stream to the log. Thank God, the man is safe now / This boat has worked admirably, and he is safe ! Alas 1 the rone has, somehow or other, got entangled with the log, and though bar prow lies on the left and at the very stem of the log, she cannot be moved a foot. The man has been all attention, for some time. He crawls alon^ the log and tries to move the b')at. HecAU* not stir it. He crawls in and bales ont some of the water with his hauris, and then pushes the log. He gets upon the lug and pushes the boat. Again he gets into the boat and bales with his hands. He then takes off both boots and bales with one of them. He puts on his boots and taking off his coat, folds it and lays it in the bow of the boat. He gets upon the log, and walks to the farther end, lies down upon it, and thrusts his arm into the water. He g-its the rope, and pulls with all his might, and then gaeo to the boat and pushes it. And BO he works,— how long it seemed to me I —sometimes in one place and sometimes in the other, and continually in vain. How I longed for a voice to teriug, and then raises it with a start, like tme contending with sleep or exhaustion. And now the raft is on the A i. But now oes aeem to 1 But now, are Bhootiug the bridge, nd down it wift current, in the over- ilds together hell, and is The man, so sme, gives a on the plat- in and tokes Sxed to 'he ey begin "^o 1 must have five o'clock, med to me, the raft di- to drag it up impossible — , will and now and swiftly; ' J parted, and s through ibe r>e. So, too, inds upon his lance around imp and swi-n itly reassuredj seat, for they roirjt. prepar- je raft to tlu» ejr do guide it b Bteadily. it I lug, and the statue. He t with his though half ises it with a with sleep or ) raft is on the 106. ■ edge, in the raging torrent, the water arohes over the barrel in front— the raft is pressed down— and be is waist deep. The waves force bim backward and rush up t>y his mouth, and he will be drowned; but now, with a mighty elTort, he bows forward wK^^h his bead under water, draws out bin feet and throws them backwards so that be is kneeling, holding on with his hands, and with head erect. Again the raft slides to the left, out of the swiftest vttter; and there she lies ao long I What is the matter now? Alas! the rope has caught in a ledge of rook above and some now contrivance must be resorted to clear it. Again ie hope deferred, yes, almost cnished. But it is now nearly six o'clock, and the large ferry boat is put in the water, and, the inexperienced say, it mnst be easy to lay her alongside the raft. We can see hope rekindle in the bosom of the sufferer. Carefully the boat is let down and is nearly there. The boat al- most touches the raft, and the man rises, ready to step in. But, my God ! the force of the current aasues her against the raft, and he is thrown into ' the water I Strike out for your life I Gross but one rod of stormy wr.ter and yon are safe I Alas 1 he. riwr!ias but faintly, he despairs, and throws himself bookwai'd, and a dark spot is seen hur- rying toward the fall. As he reaches the verge, with a gposmodio effort ho raises breast high from the water, and the poor sufferer, whom we have watch- ed so long, will be seen no more on earth. He baa joined his companion, and may Heaven have mercy upon tbem. "■'' TriiniimimHpi •mm 106. This melancholy affair may bo sum- med up in a few words : If tue uufurtn- nato man had not loosened his faateu- ings to the raft on the approach of the boat, and if his Btrenp,'th had been sntti- oieut to endure the fatigue of another ten hours on the raft, (as nothing could be done for him in the darkness of the night,) in all probability he might have been brought to Chapiu's Islaud the following day, from which his rescue would have been comparatively easy. The body of the uufortur.ate Hhnni- man was found on the following Satur- day, July asrd, near Uuspension Bridge, and decently interred by Mr. Sternes, the town poor master. Tie body of Avery was never recovered. Piepcs's H'^wel l^rijgade. At the junction of the Portage Boad with Main Street in this city, there was a public house for many years, which, during the War of 1812, was kept by a man named Gad Pierce, who was an active frontier partisan. When hostili- ties rommcuced between the two coun- tries, there was a very small number of troops on the American side of the river, and only a single company to garrison Fort Niagara. It was expect- ed, every night, that the Fort would be attacked by the British, who hod a large force of men at Fort George. Mr. Pierce, aware of thig state of aflairH, one day raised all the inhubitnutii in the •m nay bo sum- the unfortu- d bis faateu- )roacb of tbo lad been Bnfli- e of nnother lotbing could ikneas of tbe 10 raigbt have s lalaiid tbti 3b bis rescue tively ea^y. nr.ate Hanui- lowiuK Satur- Dusiou BridRe, Mr. Sterues, Tl a body of bd. brigade. Portage Road city, there wub years, which, was kept by a B, who was RH Whon hostili- 1 the two oouu- amall number uan side of the le company to It was expect- I Fort would be who had a large t George. Mr. teot anairH, one tbitants in the ^^SBl mimmmwmm^smmm. 107. surrounding country, and had them assemble at Lewiston. Horses of every kind were brought into requisition, and, when the citizens were mounted, they appeared at a distance like a formidable troop of ci'valry. Among them, too, were sever of the Tuscarora Indians, who entereu with spirit into the man- ouver. Instead of swords, they used walking canes, sticks and ramrods. Several of the ramrods were of polished steel or iron, which made a very bright and flashy appearance. The cavalcade moved from Lewiston, along the river ' road, in sight of the enemy, and enter- ed Fort Niagara. The blankets of the Indians flattering in the wind, the vitrious habiliments of the farmers, the jlimpiug and over-strained plow horse, the nibbling gait and twitching head of the wild pony, with now and then a noble looking horse, formed, to those who woro near, a most ludicrous spec- tacle. In the fort, they dismounted, and performed some slight evolutions in a most laughable manner. At the command to mount, some of the Indiana executed the order in euoh f% masterly way as to throw t'^emselves entirely over their ponies. To the British, the imposing apr>earance oJ the trooi>8 with their steel ramrods, which glittered in the sun like broadswords, had the desir- ed effect : the contemplated attack was not made. At the time of the general invasion of the frontier, Mr. Pierce had his family removed to a place of safety, but would not himself quit the premises. He and four others formed the little garrison, with which he determined to defend his home. They waited for the raei >*WP lOS. approach of tbe enemy. At length a company of British regulars appeared and a fire was opened upon them. 1 hey oontinnedthe defenoe for some time, but, M their opponents were numerous, it was impossible to keep them at a dis- tance. A part advanced upon the front of the house, and succeeded in break- ing down the door, tirin,? their giins as they entered. The defenders eflfeoted their escape in an opposite direction without any of their number being wounded. Whether the attacking party Bufiered any loss was not known. %n Indian y(,doentare. Jue* below the mountain and to the right of the road which descends from the Tuscarora village, there lived a roan by the name of Sparrow Sage, who WM driven away from his home, on the 19th of December, 1813, during the invasion of the Niag'^ra Frontier by the British But, for .^le purpose of securing h s harvest, he and bis wife returned the following summer to their exposed and solitary dwelling. One day, while Mr. Sage was at worn in a field some distance from the house, an Indian, attached to the British cause, entered the housa and demanded some- thing to eat, speaking in broken English. Mrs. Sage, beiu^ entirely alone, immediately obeyed his bidding, in hopes that after eating he would go away. But in this she was disappointed . iH H^ ^m Mm inran 1 A.t length a kTB appeared ihem. They Bome time, ) numeroiiB, em at a die- on the front id in break- heir gnns as lers effected te direction imber being ;acking party uown. »ent&Fe. I and to the esuends from e lived a man arrow Sage, m his home, 1813, daring I Frontier by I purpose of tnd bis wife mmer to their railing. One at work in a he house, an 3ritish cause, nanded some- ; in broken Biug entirely d his bidding, he would go disappointed. for as soon as he had finished his repast he informed her that he lived at Grand River, Canada, and that he had oome af- ter her to go with him as his sqnaw. She replied that it oould not be, ad she already had a husband. " No I no 1 " he angrily exclaimed, "you very pretty; you must be my squaw; you snail go." In vain she told him that her husband and others were near by and that he had better go way or else he might get killed. The Indian then took down Mr. Sage's gun and.finding it unloaded, put it back again, He then ransacked the house, commanding Mrs. Sage not to leave his sight, at the same time keeping his eyes upon her. He took aa much as he oould carry of -such things us he mostly desired, and, seizing Mrs. Sage forcibly by the arm, he dragged her out of the book door, and theuoe towards the woods, in the direction of Fort Niagara, at that time ooonpiel by the British. The husband hearing the screams of his wife, hurried towards the house, seized an ax which was lying at the door, and followed in pursuit. He came up to them at a fence, on the bordor of tUe forest. Not letting go hia hold, the savage fired at Mr. Sage as he ran towards them. But, luckily, the ball did not take effect, and just as the Indian was raising his victim to throw her over the fence, a blow from the ax broke his rifie and made him let go of Mrs. Sage. Hastily consulting his own safety, be leaped over the fence, but while doing so he received another blow from the ax. The forest resounded with his yells, as he made off with all possible speed into the thick woods. Mr. Sage did not think it proper to pursue, bat roturninsf with his wife, they immedi- ately left their dangerouB habitation for a place of Bafety. Mr. William Molyneanx, the father of Mrs. Sage, had ooonpied the same resi- c'iecoe the winter before, but ho and his family were also compelled to lltie to a place of safety. About a month after he returned, and, upon enteriup; the house, he found two dead Indians lying upon the floor. A party of American soldiers had coma upon them unex- pectedly, while they were oarousiuR upon the good fare which the oooupauts had left. They were, no doubt, abroad for murder and dfatraction, and met the fate which thev intended for others. Mr. Molyneaux ura^ged their bodies from the house, and m he had no aid nor time to bury them,he formed around them a large pile of logs and rails, and, setting fire to it, they were con- sumed. The British Indians consider- ed it quite an alfront, and threatened vengeance, but it was an empty threat, as they had already done all the harm they couid. ; " ' P.'- an J^ narrow ^soape. It was in the early morning, on the 19th of December, 1813, the weather being cold, and the bleak winds howl- ing, when the inhabitants of Lewiston were aroused from their »iuiet slumbers and compelled to leave their comforta- ble homes and flee from a cruel and re- >t.>',.', "iJiiC . •^*': m ^' ■ ■ * ' .i;> immedi- ■ " ibitation father of "^ mo resi- 1 (vud bis I ■ Ite to tt f " -^ ith after „ ^'. iriuK the -* iinH lying American im uuex- oarouBiUf? )00UpttUt8 . »t, abroad .,.- ■■ and met ■.."••'*;,v-;. or others. J" • "* lir bodies td uo aid ed around rails, and, >" ^^(: were cou- ■ ' '-'■■'x oonsider- threatened '1-^]^ )ty threat, ■;.v'W^:- the harm / ' _-. ...;.-.-^: '-J-' ', **■■.(": ■■»>■ •:,.;- >ap€. dg, ou the ie weather inds howl- i Lewiston )t BlumberB r comforta- uelttud re- ■ ■• -♦• Hi. ^mmmmmm ■■■♦» , lentlosB foo, who had iuBt orossod the river, and was Bpreading death and desolation all alonjr tL border. The roads had been badly broken np, and were frozen in a state that it was impos- Bible to proceed with wttgons, and. there being little snow, only slow progress could be made with sleighs. In the rear of the fugitives, who were hastening with all possible speed along tho Bidge Boad, was a two-horse sleigh, driven by a yonug man who walked beside hia horses. In the sleigh lay his brother, who one week Iwfore had bis leg ampu- tated just below tl-? knee. He was in a very feeble condition, and to proceed rapidly, rough as the roads then were, wonld have been death to him. Although the enemy was not fer in the rear, there was no alternative but to continue the moderate paoe at which they weie moving. The driver, who was armed with a trusty rifle, would frequently oast anxious gjnnces behind him, knowing that the eneAy was not far in the rear. At length the war-wbooi of the British Indians, with its accom- panying yells, broke up-jn his ears. The disabled brother besought the other to leave him to his fate and flee for hia life. " No," he replied, '"if we are to die, we will perish together." The party of Indians that pursued them was in full sight and one, far in adviiitio of the others, called upon them to atop, making threatening gestures, and raising his rifle as if to shoot. With the same alow paoe the horses proceeded, and the driver was coolly collecting himself for the conflict, in which such fearful odds were against him. The Indian sprang forward and p IV^ m ' 4 ' WM within a few paoes of the sleigh, wheu the yonug mun. snddenly turuin^ himHelf, quickly miHed hia riUu and fired uixni Lis pursuer, who fell forward a oorpae, his body roll lug out of the road. A yell of vengeance, from the baud in the rear, oarau like a knoll of death upon the ears of the brothers. At that moment a bund of friendly Tiinou- roras were seen descending the adjacent hill, and the well directed Hro which they opened on the British Indiana, obliged the latter to hastily retire. The driver of '.he sleigh was the late Hon. Bates Cook, and the inralid was the lute LatUrop Cook, names that have been familiar household words for many years. 'j'tf;; i %Mv Gat>t. VOebb 8 Cast gwim. Oapt. Matthew Webb, the famona English swimmer, made the attemi>t to swim through the Kapids and Wliirl- pool of Niagara River on the afternoon of July 24th, 1883, and lost his life ia the e£fort. As he had publicly announc- ed he would do, Oapt. Webb left the Olifton House, on the Oanada side, at i o'clock, and proceeded down the bank to the ferry lauding. Here he stepped into a smcQl boat manned by Jack Mo- Cloy, ferryman, and was rowed down the river to opposite the old Pleasure Grounds, just above the old Maid of the Mist landing. At 4.115 he jumped from the boat into the river. A mo- J..-.u.J,miH^!.n ' J^ ' ^ 1 the sleieli, Budilunly led hifi ride r, who fell rolliug out tiaiice, from (e a knoll of others. At dly Tusca- he adjaoetit fire which sli Indians, ■etire. van the late iu/iilid waH E)H tliut have iIh for many tgwim- the famona a attempt to and Whirl. le after noou Bt his life in ly annonno- ebb left the da flide, at 4 ru the bank he stepped )y Jack Me- ed down the d Pleasure Id Maid of he jumped er. A mo- ;•*! ^ m J T-".' ^ •.<:' 4: > _l, ..': •;if:' i'^Jiv'-ii: Vfr--' :» 118. ment later he rose graoefully^ to the sur- face and, Bwimminjr with lutinitv ease and power, struck boldly out. He ole»u-- ed the watiir with strong and steady strokes, swimiuing on his breast with his liead clear from the surface. He kept in the centre of the stream and the strong eddits which occasionally swirl- ed past him seemed in no way to im- l»edeor8wervo him from hisoonrso. As he approached the Railway Suspension Bridge, which he passed at 5.33. the How of the current increased with remark- able rapidity. There were about two hundred spectators on the bridge who saw the intrepid swimmer glide towards them, pass beneath them, and ere they oonld reach the north side of the struc- ture, he was fifty yards down the cur- rent. He was carried along as fast as the eye could f :^llow him. With 8|>eech- luss wonder and fear he was seen to reach the first furious billows of the rapids. Onward he sped like a feather in the sea. High on the crest of u huge billow his head and shoulders gleamed (or an instant and then he was lost in a dark abyss of turmoiling water. Again he appeared, his aims steadily moving as if balancing himself for a plunge into another mighty wave. The tumbling, rushing, swirling element seemed to give forth an angry, sullen roar as if sounding the death knell of the Ul-fated swimmer. Once more away ilown the Bapids he was seen still apparently brav- ing fate atsd stemming the seething waters with marvelous skill and endur- snce. Instead of being whirled hither •nd thither as might have been oxj^ot- ed he was carried with furious nvpidity onward almost la a straight course. lU. For nearlv a mile he wan hurricil for- ward by tUe tumultuous rusbiuR waters Bud Btill he Beemed to be riding the aw- ful billows in safety. In two miuntes after he had pamed under the Huspeu- sion Bridge he had been hurriod through the terrible Uapida and arrived at the mouth of the gre.it Whirlpool, lleaohing what seemed to bo less troubled and dangerous watera, it was said by some, that ho raised his head well abovo the surface, gazed for an instant towards the American side and then turned his face to the high bluff on the Canadian side. A second later he dived or sank and was st^en no more. But Mr. Culhaue, of the Canadian cus- toms force, who was at tho iuoliued rail- way near the Whirpool, when Webb came down the river, with rior to that time. As the body approached the Whirlpool, the head seemed to be hang- ing to one side, and the body appeared to have no life in it. Once it raised a little out of the wat'ir by an extra eddy, but fell back as if lifeless. He believes that Webb had endurance enough to swim a long distance, but was buffatted to death by the pressure of tons upon tons of water in the Bapids. Therefore he must have been killed or rendered insensible ere he got to the Whirlpool, into which he was without doubt drawn. The rapidity of the current that carried Webb to his doom may be gathered from the fact that it only took two juinntes to carry him from thQ bridge i hnrricd for- liiuK wat«rB liiiK tlie aw- wu miiiiites the HuHpoD- eu hurried and arrived Whirlpool, to bo lew* aterti, it was 9cd bin bead kzed for an ;aii side and e high bluff seooud later en no more, iniidiau oua- tioliued rail- when Webb i A couple of that be and nctly for a the Wbirl- ueut that be ible prior to >roaohed the i to be hang- dy appeared 30 it raised a 1 extra eddy, He believea enough to vas bucBtted of tons upon , Therefore or rendered e Whirlpool, ioubt drawn. that carried be gathered ly took two m the bridge I llli. to the Whirpool fully three-fourths of a mile diHtaut. NotwithsUndiug the fftot that Webb'8 fatal swim was wlt- much doubt wab expressed a« to wheth- er he might not have left the river alive a. some P"*"* ^»«J'""^^,, J,'!.« observation of the spectators. All un- certainty on those points weie.bowover, remove! by the ttnding of «apt. Webb^ bodv about noon on Saturday, July i», 1883, four days after his ^|8«PP«'":'^"°«' by Aiohard W. Turner, of Yonngstown, afcout a mile and a half below, Lewiston. Oapt. Matthew ./ebb was a "{f »v« of Enaland and 36 years ot age. Hjs fath- er Uves in HhropBbier, Eng and, and there were W children in the family. eTght Sgboyfl. He learned to swim Xn eight years old. being encouraged in hia ventures by his father. While vet a more youth, he ran away to sea. and during hia career before the miiat became famous for his swi^^'f'i'K^f ^' several of which were performed in ^v?n- human life. In 1872, while m South Africa, he won his tlrst l«n/e « as a Dublio swimmer, and in a year foUow- ?ng received a purse of *M0 from the piSsengers of the steamer Russia and a medal from the humane society of Lon- don for saving the life ot a auilor who wa^ wasbTd overboard. The achieve- ment that gave Wm international fame WM Bwimming the . EngUah channel naked and without aid of any kind, on ^hiob occasion he waa in tbo water from 1 P. M. to "*;M J''«?«^^'^t^: When he waa dragged out of the water at the close of thia exploit he was pre- aented with $25,000 by. the Pnnoe of Walea. On one oooaaioa he awam ^^1 1^ -~; ; 1 _; ; *'■■■ v iv.^ ;» ■. . ;■ :::•.■-* ,v.'>''-:»'^, .r ■ . : ' *>■ --M, ■ /'i^^i-^.'- »■^.'■^•.. ■ ■ ' - /' '"■<■' " ■ - '■■■ '■: \ ■ ;" •' -A :' ';.■■' ■• ■■•''■■ ,-■■,■■■'■ \ ■■ . ■■:-■■. : y , M ■■ ■ ■ . .:■• .r .■..:;■/:.-'■■"•'.• p f ■■:■■' ^^ ■ . ^ ■ . : ,. ^■. . • ' >■ " . ' , . '■;.■-■• ^ . ■■■■■.. . V.I •» ■ f f . « vm ^ ■■'■■•■■ . .^^•■^^■•;-" / ^ r<.. 2 ■»"'■»• m ■ \v J ' " " -^ .•'^:-, i'-i 130. Bnt be found the water rongher than he hud antioipated. And to the public eye it was Bimply luck aud nhonoe that the voyage termiuated so fortunately. as au instance of the ooolneHS of Mr. Bobinson during this hasty trip, we would simply say, that, \^hen Mr Molu- tyre was thrown against the wheel house, for some reaG<^n or othur he was unable to arise, so Mr. Bobinson put hi3 foot gently on his breast to keop him from rolling to and fro and thus held him until the cud of the journey. This trip had a decided effect upon Mr. Bobinoon, and some attribute his death to this cause, but this is not true, for the disease which terminated his life was oontraoted at New Orleans some time after. - V''^ ' ;;,™"-- - ♦—- — . ■ : M J°®^ R. Robinson, Joel E. Bobinson was born in Spring- field, Mass., on the 27th day of Heptem- ber, 1808, and at an early date came to Niagara Falls, which place he made his home until bin death. As a na^ igator of the rapids he had no equal, and whenever it became neoesfiary to rescue a human being from the juN^s of those fearful waters, Bobinson was always ready w render all the aid in his power. In the summer of 1838, while some reiKkirH were being made on the bridge leading from the main shore to Bath Island, a man by the name of Chapin fell from the bridge aud lodged on a ,-p:^- -..^,. , -Xifiy ir than ho ublio eye that the ely. 'xn of Mr. trip, we Vli- Molu- 16 >(heel sr he was nson put to keop aud thua journey, npon Mr. hie death ne, for the life was ome time ion. in Spring- f Heptem- I came to I made his na\ jgator luai, and to resono I of those as always id in his hile some tie bridge 3 to Bath :>t Chapin iged on a rW • «w««s!D?' «*;;:.!&''- 131. small island below. This iuland which is hardly more than 30 feet square is covered with a few overgreeu trees and bears his name, who, iu oil probability , was its first occupant. All eyes weru turned ou Robiusou, as the only one who could rescue the man from his per- ilous position. Robiusou lattuched his boat from the foot of Bath Island, pick- iug his wuy skillfully ui'd cautiously thr(>u<roaohin<; darkness aompelled him to suspeud operations. He rowed back toQcwtlal- id, procured some refresh- inentb rci ri -^ to the middle Sister, threw iJid. ,^.jea to APen and then left him to his second night's solitude. The next day Bobiuson took with him two lou^, light, but strouKoords, with a properly shapod piece of lead weighing about a pound. Tying the lead to one of the Hues he threw it across to Allen. He then fastened the other end of Al- len^ line to the bow of the skiff; and atlaohtug his own cord to the boat also, he shoved it ofi. Allen drew it too him- self, uot into it, pushed off, and Robin- son drew him to where he stood on the middle island. Then seating Allen in the stern of the skiff he returned aoioss thb rapids to Goat Island, where both were assisted up the bank by the spec- tators, aud the little craft, too, which soemed almost as much of a hero aud as great a favorite with t^» 3rowd as Bob- mson himself." This wiis the sec '' ed by BobiuKon tta been oonsulered »( It is no exagi^eration ^' was not another man on i^Mt^idnal resou- yr % which had I accessible. ^nat there globe that could have saved Chapin and Allen as he did. His laurels as " Navigator of the ilapids" can never fade or decay. They are made iiereuial by the gener- ous motives and humane acta throngh which they were won. Juol B. Bobinson died Juno 30, 1863. if '!k msass^T-'msisitmiii 133. Island aud mat belor then palled e Uistur and it where he outer one. npelled him rowud back ome refresh- iddle Sister, en aud then It's solitude. :)k with him oordH, with a ;ad wei Capt. Webb's Last Swim 112' The "Old" Suspension Bridge 117 Cantilever Bridge , 122 Now Suspension Bridge 134 Ltiwistou Bndfre 126 Maid of the Mist 127 Joel 11. Bobiuson ISO m :' ISSSSSSSCS II rl ^B^M To Sportsmen. Persons wishing for ->; c; A Good Day's , Sport Cannot do better than t«ko a trip to the ancient and bcauUful village of • LEWIST0N# situated at the head of navigation on the low- er Niagara, where Fish are in Abundance. And the facilities for oatchtntic are ample and convenient. There are no dangerous rapids t« bo drawn Into and hurried over a mighty fall while Ash- ing, but the stream is placid and still. Boatfs and All KlndH of FiHliiusT Tackle cau be Obtained - AT THE ■ giilEHICim HOTEL, An old and well established house. H. G. Cornell, Prop,, Wlil spare no pains to please all who' give hiiu a mil. mssssssssBs& len. SDort tp to the f )N* on the loir« dance. tntr are •o are no Into and hilo ash- uid BtiU. r FiHbiner ITEL, house. Pro0., all who 'ita y>> Wilson ♦*»»\'»»»» Has booomc one oi the most Fams SflmiDeF Resorts On JLake Ontario. sataBE Not only does Lake Island Park draw Its Uioiiaands almost daily, but manyoome to spend the suinnier. Tbe Faeilities for Boatiog, Batblng and Flsbing are Unsurpassed, And all who wish to enjoy the comforts of a homo while engOKed In those sports can do so at the I Which Is oonvcnleni;;'-' located. The House is Entirely New And was built especially for the oonvon- venlenoo of tourists. It has many rooms with all modern Im- provementa, and its ge- nial proprietor. will do ftlUn his powor to nieasc the Most Fastidious. i %\. m «ii / SL*^ W^ To Reel> posted "ff 3 -ON- Ttt Stiiditg iiciiltiits o[ me • Hiagani Fnmtitr • You ahouM subscribe Tor me map Falls Journal. $1.50 Per Year. (glances ^. Sogd Center Street*, TOUltlSTS'- - ]} ional^ "-^^^ Headqttartcra Itxlematic ; .• .• .• .' Brewing Go's. KtS Ql i^e utiu • ■ibe for ITear. .Bogd reet, I, N. Y. iTS» - Brewing Cto'«. w«mi I i a, li ^ - 1^ uma