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IJnIted Siates of America : With a retrospective view of the cawe8 from v^htnte it originated i ^'^ .-> , COLLECTED FROM THE MOST AUTHENTIC SOUR0S9, To which is added an Appendix, contuning public documents &c., relating to the subject IA.TE OF THE ROYAL SCOTS* PRINTED BY T. SEWELL, PRINTER, BOOK BINI^lli, AND STATIONER, MARKET SQUARE. 1832. * . .^ «i } u- 'tSxJ- M '-'K -yA * ^ m « '•Pri v-«s;.'|.'^^', -.■af ■w: ':■■; •♦f*. 1/ / :•-■ >- ADVERTISEMENT. ^THE appearance of the Histary of the War having been delayed long beyond the period at which the author ot first intended) he begs leave to assure the Public, that tlie delay was occasioned by a combination of circumstan- fces which it was not in his power to control Much of •^t delay, in fact, arose from the difficulty experienced in procuring paper of a sufficiently good quality to answer the just expectations of the patroM of the work. As much exertion has lately been made in Niagara, to supply tJie Canadian public with the means of information, and that .not unthout a heavy outlay to those interested in the pub" Kshing department, it is confidently hoped, that a generom pubHc willfully appreciate those efforts, and extend that patfonage which will ensure success. ^ % .m *^ "# '^^ ■JP ¥ •t ■^■ L/' / PRUFACli:. AliTHOUOH many books have been circulated through- out the continent of America, purporting to be histories of the late war between Groat Britain and the United States, it must be acknowledged that none has yet ap- peared, in the British North American Colonies, which could be considered as generally authentic. Whatever other causes may ha\e existed to which such a total want of veracity may be ascribed, thore is little doubt but a strong desire on the part of the authors to pflace every circumstance regarding that contest in a fa- vorable point of view as respected their own country, leaving the adverse party as far in the shade as possi- ble, constituted the most prominent — a propensity confessedly to which, American writers, on this topic, have betrayed themselves uncommonly subject. It may, therefore, be fairly presumed, that an apology for the appearance of the following sheets would be quite su- perfluous- * . , ^ A faithful and impartial account of tlic late v ; r, with r review of the causes from whence it originated, must be hailed with die most oxalled enthusiasm by all who can boast the name of a Briton, and are worthy of the title. In *uch a work, generations yet unborn will trace the foot- steps of their ancesters in that glorious struggle for the salvation of tlieir country, and emulate their virtuous ex- ample, iihould they ever bo called upon for that pur}x)se. But in the following detail of the. events of the wai", the pre.ieut generation, the majority of whom bore so eonspiruDus a part, will be enabled to review the ter . A2 _ ' > \^^ VI PREFACE. rific glories of those fields of blood and carnage : i\\c widow and the fatherless will survey the transcendant iM;hievements of their husbands and their fathers, and, in ecstacies of triumph, like the sun shedding forth his ra- dient beams after being obscured for a while by a dense cloud, will smile through their tears. Our British youths, too, whose minds have been endangered by the poisoned shafts of designing malevolence which have been every where discharged through the country, by the many erroneous accounts of the late war with the causes which led to it that have been hitherto publish- ed — in perusing a true statement of those events, they vn\\ catch that patriotic flame 'vhich glowed with an unequalled resplendence in the bosoms of their fathers, and animated to action that noble few who stepped for- ward to oppose a relentless enemy invading their hitherto peaceful fire sides, and evinced a willingness to endure every privation incidental to the " tented field," in de- fence of their King, their laws and their country. iT** That these momentous objects might be fully consum- mated, the writer has spared no expense to collect the most authentic materials for the work, neither has he shrunk from any labor (however arduous,) that might contribute thereto : official documents, periodicals and volumes of historical matter on the subject, from both the countries interested, which were marked for settled integrity, have been studiously consulted ; and in addition to all this, together with the authoi's personal knowledge of most of the transactions detailed, he has acquired much information on tlie subject from persons of unquestionable veracity who were present on the field of action in seve- ral engagements during that straggle. rftCPACE. fit As regards talent, in the execution of this work, the "Writer would beg leave to say, that to such he disclaims all pretensions. The humble sphere in which he has moved did not probably afford any of those bright and flowery avenues to the temple of literature to which many more fortunate individuals have had access : his primary aim, through the whole, has been the acquisition of truth to lay before his readers — for this he has inces- santly labored, and which he flatters himself he has so f^r accomplished that a candid and generous public will indulgently overlook every other imperfection ; he only laments that a more competent hand had not ere, this period, taken up the subject. Ningarttj Aprily ]832. ■^..■, ■J %' ..'*'>'■ '^ ^■^' i^ HISTORY or THE LATE WAAy ^c^c. ^ . .i. CHAPTER I. ., tifftct of the American Rebellion on thepubUc Mind in thai Country — French Intrigm mth America — Poioer of Buonaparte — Amfrican Interposition in the Penin- 9ular War — American Reasons for declaring War — Propriety of the Right of Search^Extract from the American Exposition of the Causes of the War-^ Extract from the President's Message — Concurrence of Congress by declaring War — Revocation of the British Orders in Council — Its Effect in Americth^ Extract from the Prince Regent's Proclamation. Tite causes from whence originated the rebellion which terminated in the separation of the British North American Colonies (now Che United States,) from the motiier country, had engendered such a spirit of prejur dice, distrust and rancour against Great Britain, in th^ minds of Americans, that for either the gavemment or the people of that country to judge impartially of any sub*^ sequent act of the British government, bHndfolded as was America by French policy and French intrigue^ seemed to be an exertion far beyond their power to ao^ eomplish. While, then. Great Britain was engaged in a war against a powerful usuiper who was daily be* •oming more and more the scourge and terror of the wm4 > when the tyranny of that despot over libft »' *^t 10 mST0R7 OF surrounding nations seemed to mock' all resistance; when his armies had humbled some of the greatest mo- narchies, and completely blotted 'others, from the list of independent states ; when a general feeling of submissive terror seemed to fill the minds of European continental rulers at the powe; of his arms ; it becomes, then, no matter of astonishment to see, by Americans, every means of policy which Great Britain employed to ensure her own success, in that eventful war, warped and con< strued into acts of aggression and tyranny against neu< tral nations. At the he^ of the list of reasons assigned by the American government for declaring war against Great Britain, stood* the OMers in Council regarding neutral Commerce, and the right of search as claimed and prac- tised by Great Britain upon American vessels navigating the high seas. True, indeed, Great Britain exercised that right — a privilege she never yet had yielded, nor to which her right had ever been questioned, until America had willingly chained herself to the car-wheels of Buonaparte ; and then, and not till then, ^hen the creed was faithfully taught to America by France, to answer her own political ^ purposes, did the shouts of tyranny atid commercial oppression resound from' all the surrounding shores of the Atlantic ^ But for whom did Great Britain search, when she committed this pretend* ed act of tyranny on America? Was it for Ajnericau dtizens ? surely not, but for her o^vn deserters, a des- cription of people who, it is well known, on board of American shipping, had ever found an insecure but ready shelter. . Had Great Britain once relinquished her right to search vessels of the United States, both her ar- my and navy, by desertion alone, would have suffered materially. In a work published since the late war, under tlie authority of the government of the United States, enti- tled "Aq Expositiou of the Causes and Character of the THE LATE WAR. 11 War with Great Britain," it is stated, that" up to March, 1811, Great Britain had impressed from the crer\V8 of American vessels, peaceably navigating the high seas, not less than six thousand matiners who claimed to be citizens of the United States, and who were denied the opportunity of verifying their claims," ' And in the same work it is further added, that *< when war was declared, the Orders in Council had been maintained vnth inexorable hostility, until a thousand American vessels with their cargoes had been seized and confisca- ted under tt^e operations of these edicts " Another reason assigned, in the work above cited, for declaring war, was stated to be "an open violation of the American waters and an infraction of the fun- damental principles of the law of nations by the'* pretended " blockade." However, to these might justly be added, together writh a few considerations of minor import, the idea of an additional stripe to the national escutcheon by the Conquest of panada. * - ■ In a message from Mr. Madispn, the American presi*^ dent, dated June 1st, 1812, recomniending inmiediate war vnth Great Britain, as the only available means of satisfaction to which they could now resort, for the ^lumerous insults and indignities which the American flag had sustained — all other causes were but as a drop in the buck \ compared with the Orders in Council, both in the extent of tiie injustice of the measure anq in the mischief arising from them to neutral nations. It is there stated, that " these orders were evidently framed 80 as best to suit the political views and commercial jealousies of the British Grovemment. The consequen-: ces which would result from them to neutral nation^ had never been taken into the account ; or, if contem4 plated or foreseen as highly prejudicial, that consideration had no weight in the minds of those b^ y^v^ (Uqj were ioo^posed.^' 1 „ 11 < . , Si' 12 HISTORY OF The United States congress perfectly concurred with the sentiments held forth in the president's message, and followed it up, on the 18th of the same month, with an act o( that body (carried by large majorities,) declaring war against Great Britain, &c. offensive and defensive, in due form- On the 23d of the same month, the British Government rescinded the Orders in Council so bitterly complained of ; but the arrival of that repeal in America, did not, in the slightest degree, tend to restoring public tranquility. The genius of war, the demon of destruction had already gone abroad, and no concession on the part of Great Britain was sufficient to allay it. It was stated in the public documents of the United States, that " the Orders in Council hlid not been repeal- ed because they were unjust in their principles and highly detrimental to neutral commerce — on the contra- ry, the motive of their repeal was obviously selfish and had no reference to the rights of neutral nations. Ameri- ea, to protect herself, and to avenge her wrongs, had prohibited all commercial intercourse with Great Britain. The latter power, thus deprived of her best customer, had no longer a sufficient and regular market for her manufactures and colonial produce ; her merchants and manufacturers were nearly ruined ; distress and poverty spread themselves over her territories ; complaints and petitions poured in from all quarters; and the Orders in Council were repealed, not to render justice to America, but to rescue a large portion of the British people from absolute starvation." Yet, notwithstanding all this, it is •tated in the document above alluded to, that, " if the Orders in Council had taken place sufficiently early to have been communicated to the United States govern- ment before they had actually declared war, +he repeal of these decrees against neutral commerce w ild have arrested the resort to arms ; and that one cause of the war being removed, the other essential cause — the prac- tice of impressment — would have been the subject of renewed negotiation. But the declaration of war having •mnounced the practice of impressmcAit as one of the km ^jb^- THE LATE WAR. IS principal causes, peace could only ha the result of an ex- press abandonment of that practice." In opposition to the reasons assigned by the American government, it was stated in a sj)eech of tlie Prince Regent of Great Britain, bearing date the 9th day of January, 1813, a few months after the declaration of war, that " the real origin of the contest was to be found in that spirit which had long unhappily actuated the coun- cils of the United States : their marked partiality in palli- ating and assisting the aggressive tyranny of France ; their systematic endea\'or to influence tlie people against the defensive measures of Great Britain, and their unworthy desertion of the cause of other neutral nations. * * # * * * * #.* * # * It is through the'prevalence of such councils that Americ?i has been associated with France, and committed in war against Great Britain. And under what conduct, on the part of France, has the governnient of the United States thus lent itself to the ciieniy ? The contemptuous vio- lation of the treaty of the year 1800, between France and the United States ; tlie treacherous seizure of all Anwrican vessels and cargoes, in every harbor subject to the control of the French arms ; the tyrannical prhiciples of the Berlin and Milan decrees, o.nd the confiscations imder them ; the subsequent conrlseaiions under the Rambuoiliet decree, anteiated or conce.Jed to* render it more eifectnal ; the French commercial regulations, which rendered the traffic of the United States with France almost illusorv ; tlie burniii'.^ of the merchant ships at sea, long after the alleged rejical of the French decrees — all these acts of violence, on the part of France, produced, from tlie government of the United States, only such complaints as end in acquiescence and submis- sion, or are accompanied by suggestions for enabling France to give the semblance of legal form to her usurp- ations, by converting them into municipal regulations This disposition of the government of the Uiiited States^ this complete subserviencv to the ruler of France ; this B u HISTORY OP hostile temper towards Great Britain—- are evident in almost every page of the official correspondence of the American with ihe French government, and form the real cause of the present war between America and Great Britain.^' Such might be said to form the prominent features of the discordant views taken by the two gov- ernments, as regarded the conduct of each other, and from which source emanated the incessant acrimony and re- crimination that so strongly marked. their diplomatic- relations for a number of years, and ultimately involved the two nations in a most unnatural war. I ;■ But before we enter into details, it may not be impro- per in this place to take an impartial retrospect of the causes which led to an even t so much lamented by the enlightened men of both countries, that we may be the better enabled to decide upon the justice of those pretensions held out by the executive of each nation, and to those who have been accustomed to hear only the one side of the question it will be especially instructive. v r; ■■ ^ ■> >i^_ ■*■ THB LATE WAR. 15 CHAPTER II. I Conciliatory Disposition of the British Government toW' ards America — Reasons for the same — An uncommonly hostile Disposition manifested by the American Govern' ment towards Great Britain—Reasons for the same — Grand commercial Treaty between Great Britain and France^ before the Revolution — Commercial Treaty completely overthrown on the Accession of Buonaparte — The unrivalled commercial Greatness of Great Britain, cause of bitter mortification to France.* It seems to be a general opinion that the Americans, whether right or wrong on the principles of public law on which they so obstinately insisted, (a point which shall be afterwards examined,) might 1 have brought matters to an amicable arrangement, without any material sacrifice even of the doubtful maxims for which they contended ; for never was the spirit of conciliation car- ried farther than by the British government in its intercourse with the ministers of the United States. England had many obvious reasons for endeavoring to avert tiie calamities of an American war at thisjperiod : she was engaged in a very arduous contest in ifurope ; she had the most numerous and formidable enemies to contend with ; she had the interests of her commerce to maintain, which are always dependent, in some degree, on a friendly connection with America ; and she had, • In order to preclude the necessity of referring to notfs for the authorities from whence the following, on the events of the war, has heen chiefly collected, which in such a work (especially) is eminently calculated to confuse an ordinary reader ; it is con* cetved most proper in this place to state, that amongst the British and American periodicals and other ptiblications of the day in which the occurrences noticed transpired, the Annual Register, Niles' Weekly Register, &c. &c. &c. have largely contributed iksir portion. - •<^ -V*. "? l*«f*'J*w*#' ,« ^.♦»»''r*'*-* '^,..%^^ F»-^*^ . .t"'- 16 iiisTOUY or «1 I !^^ moreover a natural and generous aversion to conquer, be- fore she could bring herseil' to draw the sword against a people connected with her by a resemblance of lan- guage, laws and institutions. These were motives suffi- ciently powerful to have restrained English ministers, even if they had not been otherwise remarkable for mildness and forbearance. Had the principles^of inter- national law, which were invariably advanced by the Americans, been as sound as an iaipartial examination of them may perhaps sliew that they v/ere unreasonable, still it would have been in the power of America, had she sincerely desired peace, to have preserved it by an honorable compromise on those points which had created the greatest ditference of opinion, or almost by any thing short of an absolute surrender of the rights and honour of Great Britain, which it was rather too much in any people to expect. But if there be any one point in re- cent history which even tlie arts of faction cannot involve in doubt, it is this : tliat the government of America was not sincerely desirous of peace vvith Great Britain ; that it took all possible mean-i to disturb the moderation and provoke the anccr of the British ministers ; and that upon all occasions it betrayed .symptoms of the most un- accountable partiality to the des})otism of France ; those who studied the history of American affairs for three or four years immediately preceding the declaration of war against Great Britain, are well aware of the grounds on which this opinion is formed ; and a very singular inquiry thus suggests itself, how it should have happened, that the only republican government in the world, should, at the greatest crisis of affairs, have combined with the most odious of despotisms against a country which had always been recognised as an illustrious model of practical free- dom, and which was, at this very moment, engaged in a grand effort to vindicate the independence of nations. In attempting^ to account for this singular political phenomenon, something undoubtedly must be allowed for the yet unextinguished spirit of animosity produced ■m-^^ THE LATE WAR. It by our unfortunate colonial war. It may probably b« supposed that such antiquated prejudices had long ere the period at which the war commenced, become the exclusive property of the vulgar ; and must have given way in the minds of enlightened men, to considerations more recent in point of time, and more important in their Sractical influence on American affairs. It is an un- i eniablefact however, that the government of the United \ States is, to a more than ordinary degree, under the dis- j cipline and control of the rabble ; and if indeed there be f^y truth in the common speculation as to the motives of their hostility towards Great Britain, it must be very far gone in vulgar absurdity. National prejudices so discri- minating and so mischievous, are every where but in America confined to the lowest order of men ; they have long been banished out of the more respectable circles even of private life, and could never find their way into the councils of a great European state, without devoting it to the supreme and unsparing contempt, and ridicule of its neighbors. With the narrow contracted prejudices of the Ameri- can democracy, other causes undoubtedly conspired to accelerate a rupture with England. The commercial system, that miserable tissue of blunders, which had so long and so efiectually kept down the growing prosperity of Europe, had been wisely exploded by the most enlight- ened European nations before the revolution of France. Tlie enlarged views and superior talents of those political philosophers who diflused a radiance round the close of the last century, had completely triumphed over every obstacle whidi ignorance and prejudice could op- pose ; and England and France at last discovered that they had a mutual interest in the commercial greatness of each other. They did more than this; they reduced their principles to practice, and embodied them in a treaty, which, if not unexceptionable in all respects, was at least, a great step towards the triumph of genuine phi- losophy over the errors and absurdities of the old political B2 / 18 niSTORY OF ,- 1 >.m *•! MH fe,;, ttt*^' % ^ school. The French revohition, however, deranged all the plans of enlightened men ; it engendered a rancour and animosity between the nations more violent and pernicious than the a.icient jealousies of the commercial system, and terminated at last in a despotism, which threw France and her dependencies far back in the scale of improvement. t "< " ' The commercial system was revived by the new French government, with a barberous and destructive fury, which had never been contemplated at any former pe- riod ; the refined and generous principles whicli so many eminent men had liontributed to establish, were forgotten ; their works were neglected or proscribed ; the progressof human improvement was arrested, all seemed about to be sacrificed to the rude genius of au over- whelming despotism. As a truce with that crafty and despotic usurper who had now gained such an absolute ascendancy over the destinies of the French nation, was never any thing more than his passive submission to necessity, until he could recover himself from some untoward dilemma into which his folly and ambition had brought him ; so was it soon discovered to be the case with the peace of Amiens. His invincibles had been driven, by the British troops, from the shores of Egypt ; his fleets had been either taken or locked up in French ports by the immortal Nelson and his compa- triots ; and, in order to recover himself, he is induced to accept of the terms of what is called the Treaty of Amiens ; but reckless of all good faith, it was scarcely promulgated to tiie world, until every term of that treaty was violated, and Europe again convulsed by a relentless war. But even during the short interval of repose which succeeded the treaty of Amiens, the maxims of the new government wei-e sufficiently indica- ted in the impolitic restraints and prohibitions by which the commercial intercourse of the countries was fettered. England, however, in all this, never pretended that such measures afforded a legitimate ground for hostilities THE LATE WAR. ^a» since every nation being supreme within itself, has « right to determine whether it shall or shall not receive the commodities of foreign states ; but if the commercial animosity of France could not have justified England in declaring war, it certainly afforded her a just and solid ground for entertaining jealousy against a power thus hostile to her interests, and called upon her to watch all the proceedings of that power with the most scrupulou* vigilance. The unrivalled England had commercial greatness, to which" arisen, at this time, surpassing all that history had ever recorded at any preceding^ period, and all that even the most flattering visions of her statesmen had ever contemplated, was an object of bitter and increasing mortification to the politi- cians of France ; her naval supremacy, which was founded on the prosperity of her commerce, and promised for it an indefinite duration, €lled their minds with jeal- ousy and apprehension. These feelings rose to the highest pitch after the peace of Amiens. Europe seem- ed to learn, for the first time, that the commercial grandeur of England possessed a stability which had never been supposed to belong to this species of power. It had with- stood the shock of the most extended and desolating warfare ; and at the close of a contest of long duration and unparalleled fury, in which the empire had some- times contend with the combined energies of Europe, it not only remained untouched but had mightily extended itself during every year of hostility. The war had ter- minated in the establishment of a naval power, which had gathered strength by ail the efforts made to weaken it ; and licid now risen to that proud eminence, which bid defiance to ail rivalry. The rulere of France reflected on these matters with bitterness corresponding to the disap- pointment of their hopes ; they despaired of being able for this enormous power by any ordinary eftbrts ; and could think of no way by which its further growth might be checked, but, by the entire sacrifice of their I If HISTORY or ^mm«rce and resources. They hoped that by excluding the productions of British industry from their ports, and by prohibiting the use of British commodities throughout France and her dependencies, they might gradually undermine this overgrown power ; while their depraved policy at the same time sought to inculcate a belief among their subjects, that such measures would promote the industry of France. Thus was a system established, (if indeed so rude and impolitic a thing deserve the name,) in direct opposition to all the views of modern science ; a system, which was in truth but a barbarous extension of the old theories^ that so many enlightened men had endeavored to banish for ever from the world. ■'J '■,-'.' (;- THE LATE WAR. fl CHAPTER III. The Relation in which the affairs of America stood ioith those of France as regarded Great Britain, — Great Britain fully succeeds in annihilating the Commerce ^c of Prance merely by following the footsteps of that Go' vernment — Issuing of the " Berlin Decree"*^ — That Decree executed with inexorable Force — Passing of the British " Orders in CounciV* in retaliation — The Or- ders in Council fully justified by the Law of Nations— ' Blockade of the 'British Islands an open Violation of the Law of Nations — Rights of Neutral Nations the same in War as in Peace. The measures adopted by France, as set forth in the foregoint^cliapter^had atwoi'old connection with the aflairs of Ainerica. In the fir.-t place, the American statesman entertained much th^i same feelings with respect to the commercial and naval greatness of England witli their friends in France ; their understandings were in general of the same character, and their tempers equally as vio- lent. They, as well as the French politicians, wished to render their country great by commerce ; and as tlie established ascendancy of Great Britain appeared to them to stand in their way, they scnipled not about the means which might be employed to remove it. Their minds were not susceptible of a generous emulation ; envy was the only feeling which a near view of the na- val and commercial greatness of England could excite in their bosoms. They had no dread of France, who had in the course of the war lost her commerce, her colonies and her ships ; whose power never came into contact with their own ; whose resources of all kinds were ex- clusively devoted in the prosecution of a war, in the result of which, they vainly thought that America had no interest. But they hated England, her commerce and her power, as cordially even as the members of the ';* "Tf '*• ▼*?-»♦*?**••"''■ • -'\'-'- ■ .-♦if*' ■ .fA..*,**. ItlSTORV OP French government did : and had America been as little dependent on commerce a9 France, had her citizens been as indifferent to its real interests, or had her rulers pos- sessed the same despotic sway over their fortunes, which the French government had assumed over those of its own subjects, it is probable that Mr. Madison und his auxiliaries would at once have followed the example of BuOnaparte, by prohibiting all commercial intercourse with the British empire*. But the Americans had not yet been wholly overawed by their rulers ; and it became necessary to pursue a more indirect and insidious course with them, than that which had been followed by Buona- parte in his dealings with a people whom he head entirely subdued. The measures pursued by France in the execution of her anti-commercial system, suspended for a while the international law of Europe, and alforded to the rulers of America the pretext which they had so long dcs.red, for gratifying their animosity against England. The com- mercial hostility of France during the peace, although never considered by Creat Britain as a ground for war, was not however forgotten when hostilities were renewed: and the English ministers therefore determined to employ the naval power which was at their command, to the annihilation of the foreign commerce of their enemy. These measures were such as the interests of the British empire demanded, and which a state of hostility fully justified ; and they completely suceeded in accbmplish- ing the object which they had in view. The foreign commerce of France was annihilated; her industry checked ; her resources ^vasted ; and her ruler discovered, when it was too late, how gross were the errors which he had committed. It was however, impossible to re- tract ; and he resolved to carry his commercial war to the utmost pitch of fury. In this temper did Buonaparte issue his faniioud Berlin Decree, which renewed all the old prohibitory regulations, and ludicrously declared tht British Islands to be in a state of blockade j at the very *rtWi-«'-.-#-^-IVii''Mlt¥AM»/irt».'''''W'*-.tWl'M\ '■•'''*■' 'C*" it¥AM»/irt».'''''W*-.t.Wl'M\ '■•''' 'C* THE LATE WAR. 23 moment when the fleets of Great Britain actually hlocka- ded all the ports of France and her dependencies. Neutral vessels hound to, or returning from a British port, were made liahle to capture by this singular decree Matters remained for some time in this state, the French ruler being unable to execute his decree, and the British government being averse to advance further in so bar-< barous a warfare. But having again proved successful in his northern campaign. Buonaparte resumed with fresh vigor his prohibitory system ; he confirmed all the provisions of the Berlin Decree : excluded the merchan- dize of Great Britain and her dependencies, and accompanied these prohibitions with the severest penal- ties. , , , . - - Every article of British produce was searched for, seized and committed to the flames ; while tlie most cru- el punishments were inflicted on the subjects of France, who dared to violate these arbitrary laws. This violent system had now reached its height, and it seemed to be the determination of the French ruler to have it execu- ted with the utmost rigor ; the British government, there- fore, could no longer, either in prudence or honour, delay the retaliation which its power enabled it to inflict. The famous Orders in Council were therefore issued ; all trade to France or her dependencies was strictly prohibited ; all vessels, of whatever nation, which ven- tured to engage in this trade, were declared liable to seizure, and France and her dependencies were thus reduced to that state of blockade, with which she had vainly threatened the British Islands. The Orders in Council admitted but of one single exception to this general blockade of the French empire. The French decrees had declared all vessels liable to seizure which had touched at a British port, the Orders in Council, to counteract this provision, declared, on the other hand, that only such ships as were in that situation should be jwrmitted to sail for France. Thus did the utter extinc- tion of the foreign trade of France result as a natural 24 HISTORY OP consequence of the very measures of her own govern- ment; measures, which no despotism, how ignorant soever, would have ventured to adopt, had it not trusted to a power which effectually silenced all popular opinion. «** Two questions have been put on these Orders in .Council, were they founded in justice, and were they supported by reasons of expediency ? On the first point, with which alone foreign powers had any concern, the advocates of these measures had a very easy task to perform ; for nothing surely can be more obvious to those who know any thing of the law of nations, than the right of Great Britain to retaliate on her enemies their own violence and injustice. What has been called the rule 1756, forms the first link in that chain of commercial restrictions, which in the sequel became so complicated ; and t^ e perfect equity of this rule has always appeared manifest to the most enlightened minds. France, like the other European powers who possessed distant colo- nies, endeavored to secure for herself the monopoly of their markets ; and during peace strictly prohibited ail strangers from carrying on trade with them. When she goes to war with England, however, the superiority of her enemy's naval power compels her to relax the rigour of her colonial policy ; and she is willing that neutral vessels should bring home the produce of her American settlements. By the interference of these neutrals, however, the British are manifestly deprived of the advantages which their naval power w^ould otherwise secure to them ; of the chance of captures, and the certaintjf of reducing colonies witliout striking a blow. ' But no neutral can, upon any prolcxt, claim greater advantages after ^ than she enjoyed bifore the war ; she has a right to insist that her relative condition to the belligerents shall not be rendered worse by the hostilities in which they may engage, but she can have no right to demand that it should be improved. By admissioD, 25 THE LATE WAR. however, to the colonial trade of France during war, a trade from which neutrals are excluded by France herself during peace, the condition of the neutral is manifestly improved ; it is improved at the expence of England, who is deprived of the chance of captures and conquests, which her power would otlierwise give her ; and it is improved to the great gain of France, whom the interference of neutrals protects against the over- whelming power of ]ier enemy. There can be no doubt as to the equity of the rule of the war 1756, that rule of which France and America have so loudly com- plained. The Orders in Council of January, 1807, which was not issued till after the Berlin Decree had been published by Baouaparte, was also justiciable on the very same principles ; it went merely to exclude neutrals during war from a branch of the enemy's trade to which they had no access in time of peace. So fur then the measures adopted by the British government rested on the clearest principles of international law. And what were the measures adopted by France ? had they any foiindation in the acknowledged principles and usages of public lav*^ ? The dec. ree of ]3eriin pro- hibited all commerce in British commodities;. France indeed liad a right to do this, however fatal the measure might be to her o^vn interest, and that of her dependencies; and had the Berlin Decree gone no further, although it miglit liave Jiad the eifect of embit- tering the hostile spirit of the two coantries, it neither could have jiistilied, nor would it have bee]i met by any specific act of retaliation on the part of England. But the French ruler, in a moment of despair, ventured to declare the Briu^h islands in a state of blockade, and to interdict all neutrals from trading wit'i a British po rt. This was a violent infringement of the law of nations ; a daring insult on neutral n;:;lits; an act of mad injustice, which loiidiy called upon all parties to ayeiige themselv es of its authors. TJic honour of Great Britain pre-ciiu- ncntly demanded that she should repel tliis oiitrap-e M IIISTUIIV OF v^itlv becoming spiiit; aiui ulihou^li slje tit fiiNt seemed ^v^lll^g totcHt tso impotent a mfasiire witli contempt »io)ie, vsued, ntore uuj'i.-i and Iesuliin!:i; lli.in its predecessor, iHOie aoMiKJ fMid b .fjiiions ihi^v. any tbiji;.^, which Imd 4-ver Oct iMffi vijiioug civliiz< d mUions. She .iieitiore, i»>ined be. 0*«i«'> in l.onnci!, v> hi(h In efieot reduced tne Freitch .'irM-jie lo it ^ittJeot f^doc k Ti'Ju to compi.'in, and a very littl« it-iieccion V iJ( :•,» ihce 10 'hew thai it America had any " 'St f^r'>u«KK ol" • 'iijnji>iriiiice, she shop id liave olfered tht^m to Frv»nce aioise, pn^l not foEo'iland, against whonij she was so i-ioiijj.l 10 b'.ing ioi^vard h^i accusations. Frwnf"-' \' !i'^ tiK' fi'ts' <»f Ibe ifeili'vrients to ^',oI•afc the !-;w ol Uv»ljo»v-. i^'ie i-s(ied 1'ie Ij'c*!!)! Docfee, wad i*nl- ••>'ved i' up •>' 1 ;h oiher, (if>tf>evtjf»l ^jowcs to lu ve remonstUil^Hl again! t^pn) ^vj-'h 1bn!»'f'S'S. k»' aM oc'jT'O), 'h'^1 ibose wiio did not rer;i;-:t an ivjiuV oH'PT'xl th<>jvi |>v ciihei" of the beliigejcnt;;, weierj Hiifr"r to b(^ c'lVfeii'^iec! as neutrals ; thai: by their ai*qui- ,'rfsceMee, iIk' , iiutu-'; un;iiise]\< i parilcH to t!ie cnu^e ci THE LATE WAR. 27 ^si_- .10 cnuse oil the «neiny, and that of course, they were to be treated in the same way as if they had actually declared war against the nation to whose interests they stood opposed. It was on some principle of this kind, that he declart^d the ships of ;.U nnulrais which submitted to what be called the tyranny of the English, denationalized — an uncouth and barbarous word invented to serve the occa- sion of these unhappy times, when Europe whs no longer under the guidance of wise and sound principles. To submit to any ihing which France pietendi d '^ call a departure from the international law of Europe, was therefore held sufficient to denationalize the ships of neutral powers; and although the application of t\\ i minciple may frequently have been erroneous, there ca7i be no doubt that the principle itself was just. If Fran?» violated the law of nations, as she rmquesiionably di I by her Berlin Decree ; and if America calmly acquie.sced in this insulting inva.-ion of her rights, there can be ni sort of doubt that she tlms made hrrvself a paity in th<} quarrel which Fia ice hctd v^'^ith England ; that she iti effect conspired wlih the common enemy, and that her ships were, (o ii'^o ihe jargon of the French government, clearly "d« n9tio]i<y .jniiJ print ^le, onjott to Cm Or..le:i Dilieioiit oijiaion^ were eniorauacd on the qu ;.>- lion as to their exptJiemy ; fudidth >u^:i tit^st faia^vii me..'a;Lc.s arvi s.^id to have been, in ihe iii J iuj^aiU' , stiougly pressed upon ministeis bv the nieicaniiie iii- tere^t, there can be no doubt ihat ti.e ^oveinni nt wdi iu tioiL'e measure deserted by this pov eaul btjoy* be- fore li»e OiJets ia Couacil wi^ieiiudiy roi^c.le.I. Tii.* di;»ca^jions .vaicli u,t iat^'tvLii c,i.ii..i ja iliia 02 ;k'«i)jC iT %-r* 30 HISTORY OF were signalized by the uncommon zeal and acute- ness of the advocates on both sides ; and an account of them, in the order in which they occurred, will, it is believed, form an interesting subject to introduce the history of the war, and will tend to exhibit the agitated state of the public mind on this question, at this period in Great Britain ; and show from whence the American government inferred the extreme poverty of tlie British mercantile and manufacturing interests, from the effect of those edicts. 'f/'^'i \ :,"^' ^ -^ ■rf-. S-*'*' ■a.. ■'fe », ■••>v THE l^ATE WAR. 31 CHAPTER IV. An extre^nely hostile Disposition manifested towardir Great Brituin by the President and Congress of the United States — Affectation of Impartiality in the Discussions of the Amtrican Congress^ on llie Conduct of Great Britain and France — Effect prO' duced on the public Mind in England^ in Consequence of the hostile Attitude America had assumed — Seri- ous affair between the crews of two French Privateers ^' American Seamen at the Port of Savannah — Vaunt- ing Language ofAmeiica — ImpUcil Confidence of the British Government in the Loijally and funi Attach- ment of the People of Canada — Thai Confidence confirmed — Various Discussions in England on fh^ Propriety or impropriely of going to }Var with America. • , . .■ i Although the question firising out of the Orders in Council formed, at first, the chief subjct of dispute between Great Britain and America, yet many other points, in the course of discussion, were introduced, scarcely less dflicult of arrangement. At the meeting of the American congress, in the end of the preceding year, the speech dehvered by the president gave evident indications of a very hostile spirit towards Great Britain ; and as this speech was followed by a report of the select com- mittee of congress for foreign aliiiirs, which was no less warlike, the hopes wliich had been entertained of an amicable arrangement seemed to vanish. The com- mittee, with a wonderful afi'ectation of impartiality, began by a general complaint as to the wrongs which America had sustained, both from France and England, in the seizuri- of the property of the citizens of th« United States, when peaceably pursuing their lawful commerce on the high seas; and reprobated the defence which had been oifered by each par y, that its acts 32 HISTORY OF ,«•' of violence* were merely retaliatory, on similar acts* committed by its antagonist. The Americans, it was said, violently assailed, by both these European Stateis, withdrew their citizens and property from the ocean, expecting redress from the justice of the belligerentb; but having failed in this object, they had recourse to the non-intercourse and non-importation laws. To in- duce the European powers to return to a system of justice, they had offered commeicial advantages to the belligerent which should first revoke its commercial edicts; and had to impose more severe restrictions on the other. But here did the mask fall to the ground ; here did all iiem- blance of impartidity cease, fiom the report ; which pro- ceeded to announce that Fritnce, pioiitiug by the friendly offers of the United States, had, on the 1st November, 1810, declared the repeal o** the decree of Berlin ; that the British were thus bound to have revoked their Orders in Council, but instead o£ this, they had advanced still bolder pretensions; they had a fleeted to deny the practi- cal extinction of the French decrees, and had insisted that France should renounce the whole system of her commercial warlare against Great Britain, of which these decrees oiiginally formed a part. That the exclu- sion of Biitish produce and manufactures from France and the states in alliance with her, was a means of com- mercial waifare with which the United States had no concern ; and that France would never concede to the unauthorised demands of America, thooe rights which she considered as the most powerful engine of the war ; that the outrages of England had not been confined to the commerce alone of the United states ; that by the seizure of American seamen, which was still carried on with unabated rigor and severity, the greatest insult was offered to America ; and that the only question now was, whether the Americans should tamely submit, or resist by those means which circumstances had placed within their reach. That it had now become the sacred duty of Congress to cell forth the patriotism and re- iouices of the country ; and the committee, therefore, THE LATE WAR. 33 earnestly recommended, "That the United State, ^e immediately put in an armour and attitude demanded oy the crisis, and corresponding with the national spirit and expectations." As soon as the accounts of the warlike preparations in America were made known in Great Britain, it he- came an universal opinion that war with that country was now inevitahle. The report of the committee of Congress certainly breathed an uncommonly hostile spirit towards England, and left no room to expect an amica- ble or conciliatory arrangement. Its reasonings were wholly founded on the assumption that the prohibitory decrees of France had really been repealed, whilst the daily conduct of that power, and the experience of the governinent of America, positively and peremptorily ^ contradicted that assumption.* The committee attempted to avail themselves of a captious and quibbling distinc- tion between the international law asserted by France, and the municipal regulations established for the govern- ment of the commerce of that country ; still the Frencli government continued to declare that no British goods *The justice and fairness which have been evinced on tht part of the United States towards France, both before and since the revocation of her decrees, authorised an expectation that her government wouhl have followed up that measure by all such others as were due to our reasonable claims, as well as dictated by its amicable professions. No proof, however, is yet given of an intention to repair the wrongs done to the United States ; and particularly to restore the great amount of American property seized and condemned under edicts, which, though not affecting oar nen)ral relations, and therefore not entering into the question between the United States and other belligerents, were neverthe- less founded in such unjust principles that the reparation ought to have been prompt and ample. In addition to this, and other demands of strict right, on that nation, the United States have much reason to be dissatisfied with the rigorous and unexpected restrictions to which their trade with the French dominions had been subjected. President's Message to Congress ^ 5th Nov> 1811, 34 HisTonv or should be admitted into French ports, notwitJistanding thai these goods may have become the property of neutrals ; thus were the Americans completely shut out from a branch of commerce, of the peaceful enjoyment of which they had long been in possession, and in which, of course, they had an undoubted right to engage. Even though the Berlin and Milan decreets had, as far as re- garded their practical operation on the great high way of nations, been fairly revoked, yet their principle was still retained, to a degree which not only called upon neirtrals generally to protest against them, but on account of their practical bearing on America, particularly, de- manded from them a firm and decided resistance. The British government did not insist, as was vainly affected to be belie vedjby the committee, that America should at any lime interfere with the domestic regulations of France ; but she certainly insisted that America should uot, by lending herself to tho enemy, or by passively submitting to conditions which hnd never until now been imposed upon any neutral nation on ef»rth. Nothing could, probubly, more forcibly exhibit the hostile dispo- silion of America towards Grout Britain, ?«d her servile duplicity towards the ruler ol ic'runce, than her submis- sion to the blockade of the British Islands — an act of the French emperor which America herself had declared to be an open violation of the public law of nations, and when- France did not employ a single vessel to enforce it. Even though the decrees of France had therefore been rescinded, that repeal must have been totally nugatory, since, by a municipal regulation which America strenuously defended, a palpable violation of the rights of neutral nations was still committed ; neu - trals were still compelled to comply with the measures of France, to the injiuy of British commerce ; thus proclaiming to the world a principle of a description altogether new and extravagant. From all these it may be fairly seen that America had no grotuds whatever, except her base tratfic with the French ruler, for declaring war against Great Britain; nor vrtre tln'y vvarranted by THE LATE WAR. or? measures nn exposition of tluli finances to liazarJ a proceeding bO violent and nnjust. During th'» time Ihut the American legislature was engaged denouncing in the severest terms the injustice of Great Britain, and apologizing for the outrages of France, an alfair of a very serious nature occurred at Sa\annah, which had nearly opened the eyes of America to the insolence of the French towards a nation which had so completely debased itself by its servile compliance to the measures of that government. Oiie evening, about the middle of November, 1811, as two FrencJi privateers were lying in the port abovemention- ed, a rencontre took place between a party of American seamen and a party of the crews of the French priva- teers, in which three of the Americans were stabbed and severely wounded. The American seamen then in the port, being highly exasperated at the conduct of the French, rose, en masse, with a full determination to revenge themselves by the destruction of the privateers ; they, therefore, in pursuance of this design, seized and set fire to one of them and burnt her to the water's edge. The other privateer was immediately taken pos- session of, by a party of the Savannah volunteers, who protected her until between eleven and twelve o'clock at night, at which time the American sailors procured a lighter-boat J filled her with tar and various combustible materials, towed her along-side the remaining privateer tg which they made her fast, and then set her on fire, which soon forced the guard to abandon their charge, which Avas speedily destroyed. In this instance, amongst many others, the French were unquestionably the ag- gressors ; their arrogance and insolence towrrds America on every occasion became absolutely past endurance ; yet had not the spirit of the people urged them here to redress their own wrongs, it is more than probable that the government, as inchcumstancesof a similar nature, would nevei have thought of interfering. w V 96 niSTORY OF The sentiments which were containoJ in the report of the coinniitteo of the U'gislature, before iiHudedto, wen; vioU;iitly supported in the House of llepresentutives; and it was actually declared by out! speaker in that hou.se, to be the unanimous opinion of that committee, "That the encroachments of (ireat Ihitnin were such as to de- mand war, as the only alternative by wln'ch to obtain justice." Others of the members dilated largely on tlif power which America possessed to hara.ss and annoy Great Britain both by sea and land; that it was in their power completely to exhau.st her colonies, and to aimilii- late her trade by an active system of privateerinj**. Their vanity even carried them so far as to boast of tlie eaau conquest ivonid be made of Canada — a threat wliicii at afl times excited ridiouk; in Great Britain, knov/in;^ well how stronfj;ly trie p(!ople w ere attached to the laws and institutions of the mother country. Indeed .so well were tin; British government aware af the loyalty and val()i of the brave yeomanry of Canada, that siie actually risked the sah alion of the country from the grasp of the enemy into 1 heir hands ; and well was that confidence re])aid, for th(;y actually aj)peared to rejoice in sutltjring every description of privation, to alibrd them an oppor- tunity of harassing and fmally repelling the proud invo- der in every incursion he made. There were, however, still to be found, in England, many j)erson.s who highly depiecated a war with America, as one of the greate.t evils which could befal that country \ and who, notwith- standhig the lengtli to which the vanity of Araeric|i hat! carried her in her unreasonable demands, .still entertained a hope that hostilities might yet be averted. No person could certainly have felt a desire of having a war wit!i Ameii<'i), jnerely on its own account ; but at this period it was in)])ossible to discoAcr by what means the calami- ties of a Avar could be a^ovled, consistent with the honor of the British nation, Avhen the absurd jnetensions of tilt; government of America were taken into c<^n- RJderation. THE LATE WAR. Wl They had, at various periods, made use of the laogua^e of defiance, daily boasting of the ability they possessed of utterly destroying the commerce of Great Britain, and of their power of conquering Canada ; all considerations were tlicrolore set aside, and on war they were fully resolved. Under such circunistanc(!S, for Great Bri- tain to ha\ i: succumbed would have been a sacrifice of her honor, inasmuch as it would have been yielding U) menace and insult of tiie most degrading kind. It would have been no better than cowardice of the most dastardly description, for Great Britain to have rescinded her Orders in Council at this period ; and it was a fact proved to a demonstration, that America never intend id U) stop here, or the French emperor did not intend to allow her to rest satisfied with this concession. The ministers of the Britis]i nation therefore determined to act aj)on the principle so cle;;antly unfolded by Mr.. Burke : " That in small, weakly states, a timely com- promise has often been the means, and the only means, of drawing out their puny existe.'ice. But a great state ib too much envied, too much dicaded, to find yafcty in humiliation. To he secure, it must be respected Power, and eminence, and consideration, are thii)g3 not to be begged ; they muct be conjmanded ; and they wlw supplicate for mercy from others, can never horn for justice through themselves- " T'ne conduct of the British ministers, however, in this aiThir, wa*j not altogether undeserving of reprehenaioa : they had determined, tJirough the semblance of fewr, to Riakc no concession t/> America, and thereby cast on that country the odium of first having recotuae to arms. Yet afi'U' that nation iiad declared her unalterable resolution for war, and adding that, notwithstanding this, die was determined to \7ait until her preparations were complete, for Britain to aUovv her time for such preparations, and not strike the blow at an enemy whom, from tfie mosi palpable evid(inc(.', she had ever suspected of tlie basest political treachery, B «5o HISTORY OP in all the diplomatic relations which occurred between the two countries, and whom she knew to be irrecon- cilably bitter isnd rancorous, was honorable to a fault. To have attacked them at such a time and under such circumstances, would have been a policy both wise and vigorous. ft. THE LATE WAR. 39 CHAPTER V. Mukm made in the House of Commons^ by Mr» WMi' hreadf for Copies of official correspondence bettoeen British and American J^inisters, to be laid before the House — Charges in Mr> Whitbread^s Speech against British Ministers^ for Inattentioh ana Incivihty in their Intercourse loith those of America^'Mr. Whit- bread's Motion strenuously opposed^ in the House of Commons-^The Charges against British Ministers by Mr. Whitbread rebut ted-^Mr. Whitbread'e Motion in the House put and negatived. In order, however, to avert the calamities naturally attendant on a state of hostilities with America, it waa iiiCfVcu iii iuc rioiTSfT CTXJOTxnmrivi vii i«e istli ot JPeoni- wy,byMr. Whitbread, "That a humble address be presented to the Prince Regent, praying that he would give directions to lay befprerthe House copies of all cor- respondence which had passed between the British and j^merican ministers, from the 1st of January, 1810, to th^ latest period, together with the documents referred to in the correspondence. It was urged by Mr. Whit- bread, In support of this measure, " That although the governments of both countries had, from the beginning, professed to be actuated by the most friendly and conciliatory dispositions towards each other, the breach between Great Britain and America had been widening from day to day, till it if^peaxed {hat war>between the two countries must be the inevitable consequence of the perseverance of England in her present system ; that the mformation demanded by this motion was already before the whole world, with the exception of the two houses of parUament; that it had been the practice of the House, when she entertained suspicions that the busi- ness of the state was not well conducted, to require information from the executive power ; and that the 4a HISTORY OF ' 1*1 \ m k ^ a ! ,' ii (. ..'J 1'^ '■ only ground upon which such information had ever been refused was that a disclosure might disturb or impede the impending negotiations ; as the information required was already before the world, no such plea could in this case be offered." " From a perusal of the papers, it appeared that the conduct of those who managed the negotiations had been very culpable, yet it was impossible to bring a charge against them until the documents were produced. The British ministers at home had behaved with the greatest inattention to the American envoy, and had shown a neglect amounting to diplomatic incivility, wliile our ministers in the United States have acted in a manner scarcely less repulsive. The conduct of Mr. Jaekson an-d Mr. Foster, while in America, had not been conciliatory ; while the correspondence of Marquis ' i^u — ' — *»•> »v» TV* r* ■»-»/»«» rt January, 1809, and terminated in February, 1810, had been such as to raise the indignation of the American government. The behaviour of Mr. Pinkney, on the other hand, had been deserving of great praise. When he entered on the duties of his mission, a strong feeling existed in America in consequence of what had occurred in the course of Mr Jackson's embassy; and the Americans were naturally anxious as to the character of the person who was to be named by Great Britain to renew the negotiation. On the 2nd of January, 1809, Mr. Pinkney again wrote to the Marquis Wellesley on the subject, but no answer was given to this letter till the 14th of March. On the 15th, Mr. Pinkney again wrote to Lord Wellesley respecting the English system of blockade, a subject most interesting to America ; but to this letter he did not receive an answer for more than a f(»'tnight. On the 30th of April, Mr. Pinkney wrote to Lord Wellesley on the subject of the Berlin and Milan decrees, but to this letter he never received any answer at all ; and a complaint which he made against the infa- mous practice of forging ships' papers in London, and ii*'"*^"' *■''■' '"* " ■ THi: LATE WAR. 41 making an open traffic of them, was treated with the same neglect. That many other instances had occurred in which the communications of the American minister had been treated in a manner not less contemptuous, and in particular to his letter of the 15th September to Lord Wellesley, on the subject of the blockade of Elsineur by Sir James Saumarez, and stating some circumstances relating to the seizure of four American seamen in the Viola, he received an imperfect answer only on the 6th of December, which noticed the letter so far as it rela- ted to the blockade, but said nothing at all on the subject of the impressment. That the latter subject was one of the greatest delicacy ; and although the sea- men had afterwards been released by virtue of a judge- ment of Sir William Scott, yet the s<»cretaiy of state had considered the original complaint as unworthy of his notice. Such had been the conciliatory spirit of the noble secretary, who permitted the sentence of a court of justice to answer the communication of a foreign minister, whom he himself would not take the trouble of satisfying on so interesting a point. Although Mr. Pink- ney had, on numerous occasions, addressed the British minister on the subject of the Berlin and Milan decrees, he had never received any satisfactory answer, and he accordingly demanded his audience of leave." ^ "Little appeared to have been afterwards done towar* ^ effecting the important objects which both govemip' ^^ professed to have at heart. Mr. Foster bad ba^ q gent out with no new instructions ; he went to otler y\.i^^i i^ been previously rejected, and to restate wha^ jj'g^j q{^^^ before been stated in vain, so that his miss' q^ ^j^g ^j^i productive of disappointment. That it r^ Jf ^q utmo5 importance to conciliate America; thi''^ object might at one time have been thought unattaia'-'.bie, but from sonie measure recently adopted by Cvts of the United States? there was reason to believe t^at it was still the wish of the Amencans to ftvoid a rapture. The prosperity of \ D2 (4 1 *♦ 4*2 HISTORY OP 1;' ^ America contributed largely to the welfare of this coun- try ; and that Amenca had committed no fault, except that, as she was placed in an extraordinary situation as the only neutral in the world, she had endeavored to avail herself of the advantages her situation afforded. The intelligence which had so recently been received from America, made it more important than ever, tho roughly to consider this subject ; that the bill spoken of, as likely to pass through Congress, would give umbrage to France; and it was the duty of the British govern- ment to endeavar, by conciliation, to avail itself of any difference of this kind, which might arise." Several members strongly opposed the motion of Mr. Whitbread for the production of the copies of the correspondence between the two governments, and he eaid his friends were highly censured for the allegations they had brought against the government of Great Britain, regarding their conduct towards America, and on their strict adherence to the Orders in Council. " The British government," said they, " instead of hav- ing acted unjustly towards America, had the strongest case against that power, that one nation ever had against another ; no benefit could result from a premature agita- tion, in the House of Commons, of the differences be- ^ vcen the two countries ; but, on the contrary, the gre^itest inconvenience and mischief might thus be pyodn ced. Government had uniformly expressed but one sen.^i^ent in regard to the dispute with America, and was sjucerely desirous that a war with that country might be avc>ided, if that could be done without injury to the marituTne rights of Great Britain, which never could be yielded to the pretensions of France. The prosperity of America was not so essential to the wel- fare of Great Britain i?s many persons affected to imagine ; all the predilections Ok^ America closely united her to France ; and partly from the influence of these feelings, partly from more sordid modves, she insisted that Eng- kmd should allow her to ta^e up the whole carryiirg \ \, TUG LATE WAR. 4fi trade, nay, even the whole coasting trade of her enemies. It was for America to decide the question of peace or war ; she had adopted a new system, and made new and Unheard of pretentions, to which she knew well that Great Britain never would, nay, consistent with her honor, never could concede. By moving for papers, it must be intended to create a. discussion (» them when granted ; yet any parliamentary discussion rThich could take place on the subject, must necessarily increase the irritation on both sides. The spirit of conciliation always professed iu the diplomatic correspon- dence, between the two countries, had been most sincere on our side ; but the British government would never abandon these maritime rights, which the country had so long maintained, and which were necessary to her greatness. The Marquis Wellesly had acted wisely in declining to go into details as to the principles of thje blockade which we were called upon to abandon. The first letter of Mr. Pinkney, alluded to in the debate, had been written for the purpose merely of asking Lord Wellesley some questions on this point ; but the British government was determined not to confound with the discussion on the Orders in Council, this question of blockade ; and therefore it was absurd to suppose that England should stand ready to declare to France how much of her rights she would surrender, in order to purchase for the Americans a revocation. of the tyranni- cal and obnoxious edicts of Buonaparte. As to the letter of Mr, Pinkney, on the subject of the recall of Mr. Jackson, which was said, with so much emphasis, not to have been answered by Lord Wellesley, the American minister himself had, in his correspondence with his own government, stated that he had had com- munications with Lord Wellesley on the subject, and repeated opportunities of p^sonal intercourse ; and that he had been informed by his lordship, and had oo doubt of the fact, that a minister would be sent out k) America without delay. If the letter had not been formally answered, therefore, the omission was ftjUy *B 4A HISTORY OF explained) and the jinformation desired by Mr, Pinkney had been communicated to him in another manner. The ostensible reason of Mr. Pinkney, for demanding his passport, was that no minister had been sent to Am«ri<|li$ yet he had been previously informed, that the deUy ^ sending out a minister had been occasioned wlioiily from the situation in which the government found itself lor the two months preceding, in consequence of His Majesty's illness. The Orders in Council did not onguiate with the present gDvernment, the system having been acted upon by those who now complained so loudly c£ it ; na one, in- the proper exercise of his reasoning faculties, could dispute the justice of these Orders in Council, who was not, at the same time, prepared to deny our right of retaliating upon the enemy its own excesses; & those who attributed the commercial distress-^ es of the country to the Orders in Council, must have forgotten that the continental system was of itself suf- ficient to account for the distress which hatd occurred." "The late r^alby France of her decrees, was a mere pretence, since the principles of the system were still preserved with vigour ; for in a letter lately written by Tureau the French minister to the American govern- ment, he declared; That it is to be clearly understood, that France would not consent to alter tnat system of exduaion adopted by all Europe against the commerce of Great Britain, the wisdom and policy of which sys- tem was already clearly developed in its effects against the common enemy ; that neutrality was entirely dis- regarded in every state over whicn France had any influence . Such was the language of France througo her own minister, which openly declared that she had said to each state in succes&iion, I must take away your liberty and independence in order to injure England : and could it be doubted, that Great Britain was thus entitled to call on neutral nations to assert and maintain ftheir rights ? The correspondence between this coun- try and America was not finally clofied j and while a THE LATE WAR. 45 hope remained, how faint soever, it should be by all meana cheri^Hed, and nothing should be done which might increase irritation." The question of Mr Whit* bread, for the production of the correspondence, was then put to vote and negatived by an overwhelm- ing majority. Whatever might have been the inducements hel(|i by France to America, for pursuing such a line o^j!|fi|i({^^.^ as she did, does not here form a matter of ^*ctl$^j|Qh ; but certain it was, that the most monstrous and egre^ous falsehoods and misstatements were invented, and indu9r triously and indefatigably propagated throughout the United States, obviously intended to widen the breach already existing between the government ol Great Britain and that country. It was said, and there were even members of the American congress found who alluded to it in their speeches, that Great Britain had actually demanded of the United States to pass a law authorizing the introduction of the produce and manufactures of tl]^ British Islands into the ports of America; and for com- pelling France to receive such goods as of American production. Mr. Foster, in a communication to Mr. Monroe, denied this statement in the most positive and unequivocal terms ; and notwithstanding, Mr. Monroe in his answer to Mr. Foster (which, by the bye, was not sent for more than a month afterwards,V still harped and talked of what he called " the novel and extraordinaiy claim of Great Britain, to trade in British articles with her enemy." How wilfully gross was such a misstate- ment, when made by the chief secretary of the goven>- laent, and uniting it to the extraordinary demand which that country so often made upon Great Britain, that sh« should believe the vague declarations made by France, that she had abrogated her Berlin and Milan decrees, wh^i every act of that government explicitly contra- r 46 UlSTOEY 07 dieted that declaration.* Mr. Munroe, the American lecretary of state, urged a complaint, that ships' papers q£ America were counterfeited to a large extent in Great Britain, and in a way scarcely* capable of detection. Mr. Forbes, in return, very Justiv complained of the great pturtiali^ the United States nad ever shown to France and her commerce ; that in all the diplomatic inter- oourseof America, she unerringly kept in view the '*but t^e enemy has at length laid atiide r!1. diBiimi^ation \ he mnv publicly and solemnly declares, not only that those decrees sdll'fsokitinue m force, but that tbey shall be rigidly ezectited until Great Britain shall comply with additional conditions equally eottravagant; and he further Minounces the penalties of those decrees to be in fyxce against all nations, which shall suffer their flag to be, as itis termed in this new' code, " denationalized." In^addition to the disavowal of the blockade of May, 1806, add of the principles on which that blockade was established, and tn addition to the repeal pf the British Orders in Council, he de- mands an admission of the principles, that the goods of an enemy, carried under a neutral flag, shall be treated as neutral ; that Mutral Moperty under the fla^ of an enepiyshall be tr^t;^ -j; hostile; that arms ami wafiiue stores alone (to the exclusion of tfiip timber and other articles of, naval equipment,) shall be re« garded as contraband of war ;' and that no ports shall be considered aa Tawfnlly blockaded, except such as are invested and besieged, in the presumption of their being taken [en pripvention d'etre 'is,] and into which a merchant ship cannot' enter without 3;er. By these and other demands, the enemy in fact requires, that Great Britain and all civili zed nations shall renoiilice, at his ar- bitrary pleasure, the ordinary and indisputable, rights of maritime war; that Great Britain, in particular, shall forego the advanta- ges of her naval superiority, and allow the cotainercial property, aa well as the produce and manufactures, of France and her con- federates, to pass the ocean in security, whilst the subjects of Great Britain are to be in effect proscribed fropi' all commercial intercourse with other nations ; and the produife and manufae- tores of these realms are to be excluded from every Country in the world to which the arms or the influence of the enemy con extend. Extract from the Declaration of the Orders of Oomcily April 21, 1812. TUB UTB WAR. 4V interests of that nation ; and even carried her partiality j go far as to allow French ships of war to enter and clear from her ports, and permit them to expose for sale, in the ports of the United States, prizes taken from I British merchants who had actudly laded and cleared [from those ports at which they were sold. But to this complaint, so well founded as he knew it was, of snch [base national treachery, Mr. Monroe never found time > to reply. Such was the conduct of America, as a neutral I nation/— to allow the ships of war of one belligerent to I take merchantmen, the property of the subjects of ano- [iher belligerent, at the very mouths of their harbors, f and tow them into their ports and sell as lawful prizes ; and such was the manner in which the negotiation was 'carried on by the United States government, and on [which Mr. .Whitbread and his friends in the House of Commons, have been so lavish in their eulogiums. !■« 48 HISTORY OF CHAPTER VI. JMS'. WliitbreafVs Motion again introduced into the Hvum of Peers by the Marquis of Lansdrnvncj and in tfm House 0/ Commons by Mr. Brougham— 'Outline of thu Arguments in Favor of that Motion as far as concerned the Relations between Great Britain and the United States. At the time when Mr. Whitbread moved to produce the correspondence between the two governments, seve- ral members betrayed a strong desire to unite that sub- ject with that of the Orders in Council, with a view to procure 1 decision against both measures, without a fair and candid discussion of the subjects. The time, how- ever, which had been so long anticipated, and by many so ardently looked for, at length arrived, when this sub- ject of so vast importance was to be considered. It was introduced in the House of Peers by tlie Marquis of Lansdowne, and in the House of Commons by Mr Brougham. The motions in both houses were framed iti exactly the same terms, calling for a committee to be ap- pointed to take into consideration the situation of the com- meice and manufactures of the country, with a particular reference to the Orders in Council and the trade bv shipping licence. As this subject was so intimately connected with the affairs of America, at this time, it shall herv? have a due consideration. Thosp who supported the motion, contended that the commeraial catoities of the kingdom had now risen to such t bright, and the complaints and clamor of the manulMitUfers were so loud and general, that the legis- lature 0/ the country was bound in duty to listen to those complaints, and to inquire into the cause and ex- istence of the evil, and the manner of providing a remedv to remove it ; that it was the duty and interest of all I V I'llE LATE WAR. 49 persons throu«hout the community to prosecute this enquiry, and to go hand in hand with the movers in its support ; that even the conscientious dissentit^nts to the present motion, with reference to the source and extent of 'lie evils existing, must feel desirous of having the sentiments contained in the motion defended and estab- lished . Tl^»at all with whose approval the system of 1806 met, must certainly be desirous to know to what exter.l it had been maintained by that of 1807 ; that those persons who did not, iu the first instance, actually disapprove of the new system, but felt surprised at its unlooxed-for consequences, mustfeel solicitous to ascer- tain if there be not sufficient grounds for a chaiige of opinion ; that others who yej; entertained a favourable idea of the general policy at present pursued, might con- ceive some doubt as to the expediency of the manner in which it was followtJd, and others again who reprobated the new system from its beginning, and were even prepared to shew their predictions verified, mu3t Aiel a peculiar anxiety to avail themselves of an opportunity of unfolding the madness and folly of government, and of repressing the calamities that threatened the whole kinj^dom. That after a fair and impartial inquiry had been instituted, and it were found that th^ evils of which the country so loudly complained were without a reme- dy, the people would then be prepared to bear them with more fortitude. That it was of the utmost impor- tance to know, since the Orders in Council had ever been represented as being of a retaliatory nature, what that system was on which it v/as pretended to retaliate. That the course of policy by which France was actuated might be clearly traced to one of the great moving prin- ciples ef the government of Buonaparte, namely, that of crushing the commerce of its enemy, even though its own mercantile interests should become the ultimate sacrifice : to this point centered all the measures of that government. That the distresses prevailing among the mercantile establishments throughout France, originating from this very source, were represented by the people £ 1 iO HISTORY Of of every commercial city and town in the en>pirc. But what wa« the reply of Buonaparte to tliese iv^prescnta- tioiis? They wore told that it wan now too late m the day to speak of coinmerce ; that France had now heeome juconntry of amis, and that it was the d(':^ire of the <;ovt:minent to see nothiii;^- but soldiers and peasantry ; niid in view of supporting this principle by moans of theory, Tulleyrand had publishctl a book in which he ibtruggled to exhibit the encourajvement of arms and agriculture as the only so'ind and nalisral poliey of the French nation, since the time in whicli the storm of the Uevolution had subsided. Now, under these peculiar circumstances, it was* asked, did not th its- utmost extremity. That a lauuiitable evidence was afforded of the calamities produced by the commercial measures to which England had so tenaciously adhered, in the melancholy and distressed state of our commercial and manufacturing towns and cities, and in the enormous increase of the number of bankrupts In one town s^lone^ [Liverpool,] in tho small space of four weeks, the poor had actually increased to four times their number These proofs of distress exhibit a fearful and appaJiling state of affairs, and cannot be met by referring tf) the custom-house books, whatever may be the account? given by these to the country ; in answer to statementn of this description, we have only to direct our attention to our jails overflowing with debtors, our poor-houses filled with mendicants, and moreover, to some of our most populous and hitherto wealthiest counties, where the distress had arisen to so appalling a height as to hav« driven the people to a state of open rebellion. That, I X' 52 iiisTonv op C notwithstanding the fallacy of the custom-house aCCOtinti^, Miill they did not conceal the lamontahle truth of the decrease of the rbercantile interest of the country; that when the esfports of fSll Were cOmpifed with those ot th^ pteG^Ain^yeAt^ \n thorn meounu, avety^iat faflin^; offwudismvmsi'f nsy, notwitbitaBdiag^ yeftf ISOi had hem the kast jpro^tio^i &( anv ytar ever known in the eountrv^yettbe year I ill, in the amount of exporti, had actually rank beneath even that. That verv Uttl« credit is to oe placed in the accounts of the custom-house ; as a proof of which we need only revert to the circum- stancoythat althouji^ thay t^xhibited an increase of the amount of exports in 1809 over that of 1807, to the enor- mous amount of twenty millions, yet it was afterwaids discovered that this great increase of exporta^on had been sent to markfcts where there was not the least de- mand for the goods, and consiqu&ntly the next year the most part of the goods exported wire returned u^ our hands, and thereby an additional value was occasioned to the imports, in pr(^ortion to the value sent back to us. Such proofs as these, staring us in the face, ought to admonish us how little regard the custom-house books are entitled to, in proving the existence of distress with which the manufacturing and Commercial interest of the kingdom had been visited. That that system, pregnant with so many evils — the system of granting licenses — had grown out of the unparalleled state of our commercial affairs : the number of licenses granted in 1807 did not exceed l,0OOj but by the year 1810 they had actually swelled to the number of 18,000. It was a fact that all remaining of the principles of the Orders in Council were, by these licenses, conceded to the enemy ; and thus wore we pursuing a trade, to a participation of which he was admitted, but from which neutral nations werB precluded, unlesii such as chose to avail themselves of the license system. That a mere impolitic course could not ^e pursued by Great Britain than thus to give encouragement to the commerce of her enemy, and that too, at the expense of neutral nations, since the regula- ••^v #■ THE LATE WAR. 89 tions laid down for the government of those acting under the authority of such license, were shamefully violated in ever^ letter ; they were in fact secretly pursuing a traffic with the enemy, and that in the very way of which he was most desirous, and to prevent which, there was no way whatever, except lining the whole coast of the enemy with Britsh ships-of-war, and by this means estab- lishing a real and not a nominal blockade. That the result of this license system had been an enormous increase of foreign ships in the ports of Great Britain, and establishing an extensive and well organized nur- jsery of seamen to man the fleets of the enemy. That in Great Britain, the consequences arising from the sys- tem "of granting licenses had been no less alarming ; that the controul of the commerce had passed entirely into the hands of the executive government. But were this the only danger to which this system was subject, it would yet be comparatively harmless ; but it was subject to abuses of a greater magnitude, and which spoke powerfully in favor of the present inquiry. That prodigious errors had, in the issuing of them, been fre- quently committed ; that one class of individuals pos- sessed opportunities of information of which others were totally denied, and that it had become necessary for the members of the Board of Trade to hold correspondence with merchants which was calculated to unfold secrets which might be used for the most unworthy puiyoses That under this system it was at all times in the p6weT of the enemy to ascertain the articles we were desirous of exporting, and what we might wish to have exported from the continent; it ^vould certainly then be aluiilt of his own if he did not turn such information to his own advantage, and reduce our commerce completely under his own controul. But the greatest evil to which this system was sub- ject, was that which it produced on the morals of the mer- eantile branch of our community; they were allured into speculations which, commenced with forgery, are carried £2 54 niSTORF OF on by a course of perjury, and terminated in the most bare-faced frauds. That the very conditions of these licenses were disgraceful to that government thint issued them ; that besides the ships' regular papers, the licenses allowed the captains of ships to take on board other sets of papers which were forged from beginning to end, and when the ships arrived at their destined ports, these forgeries had all to be confirmed by the most solemn oaths of the captain and all his crew. In support of all this, a letter of a very singular description was then referred to ; it was written by a person who hrd made a regular profession of the forgery of ships' papers ; it read thus : " Gentlemen, we take the liberty herewith to inform you, that we have established ourselves in this town, [Liverpool] for the sole purpose of making simulated papers, which we are enabled to do in a way that will give ample satisfaction to our employers, not only being in possession of the original documents of the ships' papers and clearances from the various ports, a list of which ^ve annex, but Mr.G.B. , having worked with his brother, Mr. J. B., in the same line, for the last two years, and under- standing all the necessary languages. Of any changes that may occur in different places on the continent, in the vari- ous custom-houses and other offices,and which may render a change of signature necessary, we are careful to have the earliest information, not only from our own connec- tions, but from Mr, J. B. who has proffered his assistance in every thing, and who has for some time made simula- ted papers for Messrs. B. andP^ of this town, to whom we beg leave to refer you for further information. We remain, &c." Such were the degraded and miserably disgraceful expedients to which this new system had driven the British merchants. It was not a sufficient reply to palliate the guilt attendant on such transactions to say, that had our merchants not committed those crimes, others would certainly have taken the advantage, and perpetrated them; though the universe besides should commit itself by such a shameful and unprinci- pled procedure, let not Great Britain, the character of THE LATE WAR. M whose merchants had ahvays in former years been pro- verbial for probity and honor, descend to this depth of shame and degradation. A great deal was urged against the Orders in Council relating to the etFects they were likely to have on American manufactures ; that they would tend to in- crease their growth in the New England States, till at length they would supercede the British manufactures in the South American markets. That it was not de- rogatory to the national character of England to endea- vor to conciliate America ; that they had not been haughty or violent in advancing their claims ; that it was a natural expectation, since they believed firmly in the repeal of the French decrees, that the repeal of our Orders in Council should follow; that in common cour- tesy to France, America was bound to believe what had been solemnly asserted by the French government, that her decrees had in truth and verity been repealed* ?Iv li clamor, and that without the least foundation, had be i'sed for the security of our maritime rights ; but no M ' don had ever been made by America to those rigtits in their fair and liberal interpretation. And final- ly, that it was a singular feature in affairs, to hear th« advocates of the Orders in Council opposing investiga- tion, who, had these orders been really servicable to the country, had of all others least reason to fear inquiry ■a - fj 1 ■.: c'.n..-r.d'i>: ■:.:i --iii- "-; .-7,--^-|- 0m.w.ikivmin.^ ^ v«».M»tjj. 06 IIISTORT OV CHAPTER VII. T%e Distresses in the Manufacturing and commercial In* terests of Great Britain chargeable to the Orders in Council^ completely disproved — The Distresses in the manufacturing Branches in England only imputable to a Propensity of wild Speculation engendered amongst those Classes^ by the unperalleled Prosperity of the British Trade in the years 1809 and 1810. In reply to the foregoing arguments, it was said, that the distresses alluded to in the manufacturing and com- mercial interest, had not arisen from an^ eflfect of the Orders in Council ; that these distresses were not gene- ral ; and the papers on the table, so far were they from supporting these assertions, that they actually contra* dieted them. That the view was the most ridiculous and absurd imaginable, which had been taken of the state of commerce ; that the very year in which the Orders in Council had been enforced, which occurred in 1807, the amount of exports was about thirty-four millions and a half, and in the year following it was about the same, but in 1809 it rose to upwards of fifty millions; in J 810 it fell to about forty-six millions, lea- ving an immense increase since the year 1807, the year in which the Oi'ders in council were first issued. How ridiculous and unfounded were the reports which those supporting the motion for inquiry had so laboriously circulated; that millions of British property had been confiscated by Buonaparte ; and even were they admit- ted as truth, had not the least relation with the subject of the Orders in Council. That the American non- intercourse law and the other measures adopted by that government, instead of impeding the commerce of Great Britain, had laid open to our merchants a direct trade with the Spanish and Portuguese colonies, and had thus proved of infinite benefit to the commerce of this coun* that in 298,000 seamei^ 86,000 foreign mind, t! the wor British ai THE LATE WAR. try. That in order to dispel that delusion which certain persons have been so studious in imposing on the coun- try, it is only necessary to present a fair account of the exports to America and the West Indies,) during the y^ars from 1807 down to the pi-esent tirnd. In 1807 ttu) value of exportf ammintedi to nearly Mmi luilliottgi in 1606, fiotwithftali^iDg that our trade to the United gtatei wai partidty prohibited, it amounted tor nearly siiteeh milliohf ; iii 1600, the year in which the non- intercour&e law was acted upon, it amounted to upward* of nineteen milKohs ; and in ISId, the law of non- intercourse bieihfi^jitillin existence, our exports to America, includiii]t ttic^ West Indiefs Was nearly twenty millions and a huf itf value. It would appear, then, that in the yearii between !ou7 and 1810, the enormous increase of nearly six millions of pounds sterling had taken place in tii^ export trade of this country to America alone. That the account given of the injury sustained by British shipping, from the efkctg of the Orders in Council, ha^ been most wilfully and wantonly exaggerated and raii*- represented ; but which, by a rt-ference to facts, could be very easily contradicted and disproved. In the year 1807, the wnole British shipping actually employed amounted to 311,000 tons; in 1808, 436,000 tons; in 1809^ 639,008', and in 1810, '609,000 tons; 9a that in the years between 1807 and 1810 an increase of 298,000 tons had actually taken place. The number of seameu employed in that shipping also increased from 86,000 to 102,000 ; and notwithstanding the fact, that foreign shipping also increased, yet let it be borne in mind, that this foreign shipping, in the circumstances of the world, had contributed largely to the prosperity -of British commerce. A complaint has been urged by some, that to the foreign shipping of the continent a partiality had been discoverable, over those of America, to such we would reply, that Great Britain never made any such distino* tion ; and if the Americans did not participate in Uie :m^ 58 HISTORY OP trade lately carried on, they had none but themselves to blame. That from an immediate intercourse with the Spanish and Portuguese colonies in South America, Great Britain derived a very great advantage ; that the advantages of commerce, and the objects for v/hich the navigation act was principally intended, were thus equally promoted. If the British Orders in Council had never been issued, France would have remained unin- terruptedly in the peaceable enjoyment of a trade with the whole world, and thus been enabled to supply her- self with the raw materials of her manufactures, an object for which she was particularly anxious, and to which her whole efforts were unceasingly directed. It might be enquired, from what cause did the Orders in Council originate? France issued a decree that there should be no farther trade to England; the natural answer of England was, that notliing should be exported from France but as she permitted ; and by her maritime superiority she had' the power of enforcing her mandate. She, too, possesied a right of ap|)rising neutrals, that if they countenanced restrictive edicts of one belligerent, inimical to all commercial interests, they must likewise submit to regulations which she should dictate in defence of those interests. That the government of great Britain had ever cultivated a friendly disposition towards Ameri- ca, while on the contrary that of France had been extremely hostile. 0!n every opportunity which pre- senled itself, had France seized and destroyed the property of American citizens. That the government oi France had evinced many proofs of its insincerity in its regulations with America, and more particularly in the repeal of its decrees ; and even in the courts of ad- miralty in E'lgland had those marks of insincerity on the part of France manifested themselves. That many persons who support the motion, either from ignorance of the fact, or intentionally to serve some purpose or Other, had drawn .. Mne of distinction between seques* tratioi| and cond^ nation, while with the Pieacli THE LATE WAR. goTernment the difference existed only in name, but in effect they are one and the same thing ; and by the easy term of sequestration had France condemned mudti property of citizens of the United States. That not- withstanding the great length which some had allowed themselves to be carried on the subject of perjury, an connected with the Orders in Council and license trade, or^d the feeling manner in which the immorality attend- ant on such a traffic had been depicted, yet let it be remembered that the system of perjury had been in ex- istence long before the Orders in Council or licciiso traffic had been known in the kingdom. That at Emb- den a house was established for no other purpose i, ^ver but to practise frauds of that descrifjlion, for wiiich a regular commission of two per cent was cliargcd, and allowed ; and even though the license trade and Orders in Council were abolished, the country would have to return once more to the system of neutralization which was mainly supported by tyranny, in the mode by which it was pursued. Many schemes have been called into contribution with a view to impress on the minds of the people, that their distresses were wholly imputable to the Orders in Council; it is true, that subject was most learnedly discussed on, but the 'picture was most extrava- gant, and only existed in the minds of those by whom it was propagated, if indeed it had even an exist- ence there. That the exportations from this country in the year 1809 had been returned on our hands, or anjjr part of them, was an assertion founded on some grcsa error ; the very goods of that year's expoitalion found a ready and profitable market, which market remained open to us until the spring of 1810. VV^ith llie declara- tion of the French government staring us in the face, that no reptial of the commercial decreets of that country could take place, until Great Britain should, in the first instance, abandon her right of blockade, how childish it were to talk of the actual repeal of those decrees ; under this delusion, too, America has been loud in her claims upon Great Britain to rescind so much of her commercial 60 HISTORT OP regulations, of 1807, as would leave the commerce of that country perfectly free. But let it he first enquired where such a measuie. would end; were England to lepeal her Orders in Council and ahaudon the license trade, a trade would at once he opened hy which America would he enahled without interruption to carry the produce and manufactureg of France and her dependjen- cies to every port in thv. ivorld ; while England would he entirely shut out from that trade which her enemies were only enjoying by her permission, ThUt no doubt can exist in the mind of any perspp in the world, who %vill take pains to consult the evidence we have on the subject, that the commercial restrictio'4s adopted hy the French government, although they, ' in some measure, hifected this country, inflicted a severe wound on their trade aiid resoiuces'; that since the Orders in Council were issued in 1807, the commerce of Fr** j had experienced a severe falling off, as appeared evident from the affairs of her national bank, and the transac- tions in her money market ; and in like proportion ha« her rt)v.cnuc failed since that f eriod. It was said that an appointment j)fji committee of the House of Commons, for the punjpse of considering the measure now before them, could answer no good end, without that committee, by jgiri interference with the afiairs of Americ-.i, should controul the deliberations of the cabinet, a proposal not at all likely to find support in this house. At the deliberations of such a committee, persons of conflicting interests were to be examined ; some from whose connection with the trade of America hove naturally imbibed certain prejudices in its favor; others again who stand connecteid solely with the trade to the continent of Europe, and whose prejudices must therefore stand opposed to those of the first class ; under such a state of things, it would be impossible jbt a com- mittee to arrive at any conclusion. On the whole, it would be an act both mean and despicable to announce THE LATR WAR. 61 to the world, that a question in which was involved m much importance to the nation, should be decided en the narrow and sordid principle of profit and loss- But there is yet a quarter to which we may look, as having produced many of tlie evils which may have afflicted our commercial and manufacturing interests, viz. the unexampled prosperity of British trade in the years 1809 and 1810, which had begotten such a spirit of wild speculation amongst our merchants and manu« facturers , that in the event of the least stagnation, in connection with the French decree.s, could not fail of drawing in its train all the evils alluded to. Under such circumstances, is this house to set their seal to a prejudice imbibed by the manufacturers, and no doubt originating from corrupt motives, that all the distresses which befel them have grown out of the bad policy of their own government. That not the least connection exists between the Orders in Council and the license trade ; that the property of British subjects has no other means of admission into the continent of Europe, only under cover of neutrality; and in order to pursue a trade between enemies, it is necessary to grant neutral licenses, that a treasonable and unlawful intercourse may he prevented, and that neutrals may not be subjected to British seizure. That there is no available means, un-* der the existing circumstances of Europe, by which England could have carried on a trade with the Euro- pean continent, entirely pure and irreproachable ; but to say that in consequence of the frauds practised on that trade, it ought to be entirely abandoned, betrays a vile hypocrisy. But admitting, for argument's sake, that a repeal of the Orders in Council had taken place, and that Americans, without interruption, had been permit- ted to carry the sugars of the Island of Cuba intt> France, and in return to carry back to South America (be manufactures of Germany, while the French de- crets were still in full operation upon the trade of Great C2 UISTOKT OP Britain, there would yet have been (as was remarked oi' the present system,^ " forgery in the origin, and perju- ry sxSid fraud in the conclusion of .the transactions." It was ridiculous to imagine from the policy of Buona- parte, that ho was inimical to all trade; he undoubtedly Tvai to British commerce, but as regarded that of his own, he seemed to have its interest very much at heart. That the government oftho United States had coalesced with him not only in requiring the repeal of the Orders in Council, but also an entire abandonment of the system of blockade practised j?y Great Britain ; it was therefore idle to think, that a repeal ot the Orders in Council was •ufficient to conciliate Ami^rica. The principles upon which these orders were founded were entirely retalia- tory, and as such were they described by Mr. Canning ; it had however been deemed expedient on the part of Great Britain to mitigate them in favor of neutial nations which fully evinced the desire of the British government to confine the evil wholly to the enemy. The injury sustained by tlie neutral through the operations of the Orders in Council, where the principle of retaliation was closely adhered to, was merely incidental, and which could not be avoided and therefore became, on the side of the government of Great Britain, a matter of deep re- gret ; but on whom had been forced the measures from which it resulted . Persons who raised such strong objections to the prin- ciples of retaliation with an enemy, would have dcxnc well to have borne in mind 'lat no other method is at- ftiuable, by which to enforce obedience to the law of nations Let a considerable power once presume to hold in cotitempt every principle of honor which tlni civilized nations of the world have hitherto held sacred, and to set at open defiance all law, by wliich nations have as yet sufl'erdd themselves to be governed, and to pro- secute a war in violation of all this, bow is it to be arrest- i*.& in its mad career but by recurring to measures of X V' THE LATE WAR. M I have j)ro- Vetaliation ? A remark had been made, that, »1iould Great Britain letaliate, it ouglit to be in that niannei in which tlie enemy had inflicted the injury on hi^r ; how wild and extravagant would b.) such a modo ol" proceed- ing If it were the choice ot* the enemy to violate the hiwof nations, in a case where Ills own risk was nothing, [•AS he had nothing to lose, at the same time we had every thing at stake, > will it be once pretended that wo were bound to cliastise him in a way in which he would not feel the consequences of his madness and folly ? The very object for wliich the Orders in Council were issued was never intended to destroy the commerce of the continent of Eurc^.e, but to compel the continent to trade with Great Britain, and to ensure to Great Britaiu (Uooe an exclusive right to that trade. What a mode of reasoning was that which imputed to the Orders in Council all the embarrassments which have recently overtaken the commercial interests of the country, when it was incontestibly proved that fortwo or three years after these orders had been issued, an effect diametrically opposite to this had been the result, and when the commercial difficulties had evidently beeti traced to causes very different. , In reply to those who complained of the immoral. ten- dency of the system of granting licenses, as exhibited in the form of the licenses themselves, it was observed that the very clause which had undergone such a severe censure had been framed by the previous administration, and that the present ministers in their offices found them prepared and digested by those vejy persona who now affected to be so much scandalized by the discovery. It was surely a childish idea to imagine for a moment, that the commercial interests of France felt no effect from the British Orders lu Council ; the impoverished state of her custom was a sufficient proof against sOch an opinion ; if it were not, look to the tenor of an address from her senate to Buonaparte, where it tsas <»onfessed tliat n® v.fe 0i UISTORV OP longer did the people of France enjoy a commerce, except what their canals allbrded them ; while it was lully and uneqiii vocally admitted, that, in every respect, they lahored under tlie most unparalleled commercial embarraMsmeuts. That under no priiiciple of reasoning was Great Britain under an obligation to sufler au arrogant power like Franco to prescribe laws to neutral nations, without making an elfort to induce those neutrals to assert their rights ; from which is plainly observable that the lead- ing object of the famous Orders in Council, was, not only the chastisement of France for her insults, but to incite America to disentangle herself from a connection into which, in an evil hour, she had unhappily sulVered herself to be involved, and to resume that situation of rank and independence which she had once held amoxii; the nations of the world. Such are the outlines of those celebrated debates ou the causes which led ta the war with the United States, in both houses of parliament ; the result of which was, that the motion introduced into the House of Lord 4, by tlie Marquis of Lansdowne, and that into the House ot' Commons, by Mr. Brougham, were negatived by a large majority. ,,. ■ ? ■'■■ / * « • -r»^W*|%tV*p^»r'>«»r^ •l)*iJ?:*'»ii' THE LATE WAR. CHAPTER VIII. The United States Oovemment appears^ for a timCf more amicable towards Great Britain — .£ on in^ortation, it was admitted, would be diminished by a war with Great Britain ; b»t, even under such a deticit, they were estimated at six millionET of dollars, while the sale of public landd would produce above half a million more. A deficiency, to th^ extent of two millions and a half in the general revenue, would thus arise ; and to meet this, it was proposed that an addition of 50 per cent should be made to the duties now in existence. Such was the state of the American revenue, with a view evoti to the peace establishment ; and it was the principle of the government of that nation, that the increased expenditure, uccahiored by Mar, fhould be provided for by loans. tn the event of any farther deficiency, the dtir; • on salt wcfc to be restorcil, and a selection of '* external taxc; . * us they were called, were recommended ; and it was supposed that there would be no difficulty in raising the permanent re^ enue of the Ignited States to nine millions of dollars per annu;). The difficulty of raising the loans at home was, however, f.resetn; nor did any chance of finding them abroad preseut itself ; and the Amrri- «an minister of finance was aware that an interest far above that F2 M HIST0R7 OB" it was merely an illusion to gain time for preparing mea- sures for prosecuting a war with effect. It must be acknowledged that at the time there existed strong grounds for suspicion that the latter reason predomi- nated; for while the United States gover»ment offered for consideration, to the ministers of Great Britain, under other modifications, the treaty which had been concluded by the plenipotentiaries of the two govera- mftnts, in 18U6, but refused to be ratified by Mr. Jefferson, that government was at the same time negotiating a loan of eleven millions of dollars for the se rvices of llie cur- rent year, with which to carry on the war. The circumstance, that the American government was fully aware that if the British government assented to that trea- ty in its present form, and at that period, she would have surrendered every pretension she iJien held forth, taken in connection with that of their treating for a loan for the use of the public service, was a full betrayal of the motives by which they were actuated. These grounds of suspicion were the more strengthened by bills which were introduced about the same time into tiie American legislature, estimating the loans of 1813 and '14 at eighteen millions of dollars for each year ; and notwith- standing a strong opposition was made to such a measure, a measure which menaced the United States with an overwhelming debt, and of course an intolerable taxation for an indefinite length of time, yet so intent were they on war that it received the sanction of that body. It was only a short time subsequent to the passing of the above estimates, that a bill of a very uncommon nature passed the legislature of that country. The bill in question provided, that any foreigner guilty of im- pressing American citizens on board of a foreign ship, should, when arrested, be tried and, if convicted, suffer allowed by law would be necessary to secure a regular supply of money, that the public service, in the event of war, might not be impeded. ."j. ^ ■■_.>,«.". • M^i THE LATE WAR. «7 taring mea- [t must be sted strong a predomi- ent offered tat Britain, had been vo govem- [r. Jefferson, atiiig a loan of tie cur- war. The it was fully to thattrea- would have rth, taken in loan for the :ayal of the ese grounds bills which le American and '14 at nd notwith- a measure, .tes with an ible taxation It were they jody. passing of uncommon The bill lilty of im- Ireign ship, Icted, Bufifer [lar supply of Imight not be death as a pirate. Now, the intention of this, as well as of many other bills which at that time received the sanction of the legislature of America, could not be mis- . apprehended ; in defiance of all their affectation towards a pacific disposition, the spirit which rankled in the bosom X)f that government was clearly evident; and every effort made by the British government to avert the impending hostilities, only seemed to widen tlie breach between the two countries. However, it immediately became evident to Great Britain, from the course pursued by the French govern- ment about this time, that it was necessary she should make a full and positive declaration of the principlefl by which she should he governed, as regarded the new state of commercial hostilities into which the trade of the whole world had been drawn. The French minister of foreign affairs, on the 10th of . March, introduced into the conservative senate, an offi- cial report by which all doubt was henceforth removed, as regarded the manner in which the ruler of France was determined to persist in the prosecution of his wild and extravagant principles. The government of Great Britain, after this, lost no time in issuing a declaration, stating, that the novel and extraordinary principlesto which the French government had recourse, had called for measures of retaliation on the part of England. His Majesty had always been desirous to exercise his un- doubted right with as little injury as possible to neutrals, and had at all times professed his readiness to revoke the Orders in Council, so soon as the decrees of the enemy were fairly repealed, and the commerce of neutral nations restored to its accustomed course. The state of Europe, in the year 1809, had enabled His Majesty to reduce these benificent views to practice, and to confine the retaliatory measures to France and the countries oil which the French yoke Lad been most strictly imposed ; and His Majesty had readily availed himself of so favoc^ 1 il ^1 68 msTORT or *i able an opportunity for abridging the miseries of war. The government of the United States had still remained dissatisfied : it had been pretended by that government that the French decrees were revoked^ although ample £ roofs of their existence at a recent period had been rought forward. The enemy had now, however^ laid aside all dissimulation, and had declared that the ships of every power which refused to acknowledge his prin- ciples, were (to use the language of his own code.) denationalized. In addition to the disavowal of the blockade of 1806, and the repeal of the Orders in Coun- cil, he demanded the admission of the principle, that free ships should make free goods; that neutral property, in the hands of enemies should be treated a^; hostile ; that arms and warlike stores alone, to the exclusion of ship-timber and other articles of naval equipment, should be regarded as contraband of war ; and that no ports should be considered as lawfully blockaded, except such as were invested and besieged, in the presumption of their being taken, and into which ao merchant ship conld enter with safety. The enemy thus demanded that the established law ofnations should be overthrown^ that Great Britain should forego the advantages of her naval superiority, and that her conunerce should be excluded from every country of the world, to which the influence of France might ex- tend. Acting on this principle, the enemy did not hesi- tate to incorporate, with his own dominions, all states which refused to sacrifice their national honor at his command. The provisions of the treaty of Utrecht, which were founded on a voluntary compact, were refer- red to as evidence of principles which were to be established by force ; and thus had France departed from> the very Conditions on which the pretended repeal of her decrees had been accepted by America. It had there- fore become the duty of America to relax the measures of severity, which, by misconception she had adopted towards Gree;t Britain ; and as a proof of the desire of the THE LATE WAR. 6d British government to fulfil its engagements, it wm declared that so soon as the Berlin and Milan de- crees should be it^ *ually and unconditionally revoked, the British Oi'Jors in Council should be consi- dered, without any farther declaration, as at an end; reserving, at the same time, to His Majesty, the most ample powers to re-establish any measures of this kind, should it afterwards appear that Uie repeal by the enemy had been illueoiy. ■vf -.> ■*■' i-i> ~\ - \-:'^. > 1'.. ,< r 70 IllSTORT OV CHAPTEK IX. Tfi£ Effect produced upon the public Mind m Consequence of the preceding Declaration — Lord Stanley moveSy in tfie Mouse of Commom^ for a Consideration of the Petitions then on the table^ respecting the Distresses — A Discovery of Ilcnrtfs pretended secret Mission to Boston made to Congress in a Message from tlte Presi- dent — That Subject undergoes a partial Investigation > Notwithstanding siich a display of ma^animity and justice oii the part of Great Britain, as was exhi- bited in the foregoing declaration, even in England, it was looked upon, by those hostile to the Orders in Council, in no other light than as an official ainswer to the petitions then before parliament, complaining of the disastrous effect which had been produced by the opera- tion of these orders. In pursuance of such a supposition, Lord Stanley availed himself pf the earliest opportunity, after tlie promulgation of this declaration on tlie part of His Majesty's government, to introduce into the House of Commons, a motion that the house should resolve itself into a committee of the whole, in order to take those petitions into consideration. This motion was sustained by arguments differing but little in tenor from those adduced on a former occasion, the substance of which is contained in the preceding chapters, except in a very few instances. As regarded the declaration itself, it was maintained that the measures of the French government were neither new nor extraordinary bu had, in principle, been adopted, although with less rigor, by th^ British government, in the years 1739 and 1756; and were actually such, as all independent states had a right to pursue. The measures of the French government had proved wholly impotent, till they were supported by the retaliatory system to which the British government had recourse. The petitions on Uio table ^H^^^k^ THE LATE WAR. fi eoneurred in attributing tHts distresses of the country to the Orders in Council ; yet the declaration lately issued had announced che determination of government to ad- here to its principles, regardless of the general calamity which prevailed in every district of the country. This resolution reduced the measures of the British govern- ment, and the prosperity of British commerce, to a dependence on the will of the enemy ; and although it had become impossible to obtain employmei^t for tlie lower orders, and the price of provision was rapidly advancing, there seemed to be no prospect of redress. • Mr. Rose, in reply to Ais view of the subject, said, " that if British goods were found on board of an Ameri- can ship trading between America and China, by the Berlin Decree, they must be forfeited ; and that it was absurd, therefore to talk of the decree as a mere munici- pal regulation. Although the Berlin Decree had been in a great measure inoperative until tlie peace of Tilsit, because tlie enemy had not till tliat period the means of enforcing it, yet immediartely afterwards, the French had marched tJieir troops into all parts of tlie continent, for the purpose of carrying their system into effect ; and the consequences had been immediately felt in the ex- treme depression of the commerce of this country. In Uie event of a repeal of the Orders in Council, in the existing state of Europe, the ports of France would then be open to American coraAuerce, and by which means tiie eiveiny would be easily supplied with the raw mate- rials, and thereby enabled to manufacture them and cmpensated by the increase of our exports to other countries, to which tlie same commodities had formerly been carried in American ships. Of the exports of America, amounting annually to forty-five millions of dollars, thirty-eight of which went to Great Britain and ^1 7a HisTORr or her allies, and only t>vo millions to France and her de- pendencies, whose friendship the government of America seemed so anxious to cultivate. But there was no iieces- fiity for a protracted debate;j the distresses of the countiy were unquestionably great ; the people seemed to look to the Orders in Council as a source of relief; and in tuch circumstances the ministers did not think of resist- ing inquiry, but gave their consent to the motion for appointing a committee." A very extraordinary occurrence transpired about this crisis. It was communicated to the congress of the United States, in a message from the president, that, " While the United States were at peace with Great Britain, a secret agent of the British government had been employed in certain states, more especially at the seat of government of Massachusetts,' in fomenting dis- Mlection to the constituted authorities of the country, for tlie puipose of seducing the southern part of the Union into a political connection with Great Britain " In delivering tfie message to Congress, containing thif diarge against the British government, the president accompanied it with certain papers purporting to be communications between a person of the name of Henry, the secret jigent alluded to, ^nd certain officers (*f His Majesty's government. Henry, in his commu- nication to Mr. Munroe, the United States secretary, on the subject, pretended to h-^ve been employed by officers of the highest authority under the British govern- ment, and under the sanction of the British cabinet, for the express purposes stated in the president's message ; and inconsequence of the refusal of the British govern- ment to \4iUo\v him u reward commensurate with the nature of the S(^i\-it"cs on which he siiidhe had been employed, lio expressed the strongest feelings of disappointment and oi' revenge toward the government, by whose servants lie pretended to have been employed. The first of fieviry\ papers alluded to, purported to be a lettej THE LATE WAR. 73 from the private secretary of Sir James Craig, then governor in chief of Canada, &c., from Quebec, dated January, 1809, enquiring whether he [Henry] would engage in a secret embassy to Boston. The second purported to be the instructions of Sir James Craig to Henry, directing him to form an acquaintance with some of tlie leading Federalists in the southern states, to ascer tain what they conceived of a separation from the Union, and how, in such an event, they would be disposed to avail themselves of the aid of the British government to promote their views. The next of these papers produced, was a memorial to Lord Liverpool, in which Henry expatiated largely on the important services which he said he had rendered to Great Britain, while on his mission to the United States ; that through tlie influence alone which he had exercised over the gover- nor and legislative assemblies of Connecticut and Mas- sachusetts, the public acts of those bodies had greatly repressed the hostile disposition of the United States government against Great Britain. The envelope en- closing this memorial was a letter to Mr. Peel, from Henry, claiming a large reward for the services perform- ed on his mission. The next in succession was a letter from Mr. Peel, purporting to be written at the request of Lord Liverpool, stating that, as the opinion of Sir James Craig, respecitng the merits and services alluded to ia the memorial, had not been received, and as no wish had been expressed by Sir James that the claim should be preferred to this country, it has been deter- mined to transmit the memorial to Sir James Craig's successor in the government of North America. There were other papers of the correspondence, but the slight importance of which do not entitle them to notice. No sooner idid the news of tliis arrive in England, than a motion was brought forward in the House of Peers, by Lord Holland, that copies of the whole correspon- dence connected with the pretended mission of Henry should be laid on the table of that house. " The grouuds G ■yi f 74 uisToar Of upon which this motion was founded,*' said Lord Hoi* land, ** were obvious : a serious charge, affecting the honor of Great Britain, had been made by the United States government, and it was proper to have it investi- gated. The British ministers had been charged, not mere- ly with employing Henry to procure and communicate intelligence on subjects which might be lawfully inquired into, but to induce some of the states of the Union to cast off their allegir.Ace to their lawful government. What would have been the public feeling in England, or the conduct of the government, if, while Andreossi were here during the peace of Amiens, he had been detected carrying on a secret intercourse vnth the mal- contents of Ireland. Who would have hesitated, if such an event had occurred, to have advised immediate hostilities, unless a satisfactory explanation had been immediately offered ? And what bounds should we set to our resentment against those who had d&red to insult the honor, and to intrigue against the peace df tlie country. It could afford no matter of defence for tJie conduct of Sir James Craig, or of the government, l^if indeed tlie government had been accessary to these proceedings, ) that the American government had been making preparations to invade Canada ; for although such astriteof tilings warranted Sir James in taking all pro- per means for defence, and in doing every thing to secure the most correct information, yet it by no means entitled hira to attempt the seduction of the American people from their allegiance." I.KMd Liverpool's reply to the foregoing was a full and complete defence of the British Cabinet from the accu lations wliich had been thus so unbecomingly preferred against them by the government of the United States. In the course of his Lordship's speech he went on to state, that the employment of Henry, by Sir James Craig, had not been authorised by government; nor i» was it even known at home that such a person wtw «mplo/9d| till many mouths after the transactions were THE LATE WAR. 7i eoncluded. It was necessary, however, to attend to th# situation in which Canada was at that time placed, with respect to the government. of the United States- In consequence of the embargo act, great heat and clamor prevailed in America at that time ; that country assumed a very warlike and menacing attitude ; not only were defensive measures adopted, but on the 26th to November the governor of Massachusetts received orders to hold 10,000 men in readiness to march at a mo- ment's notice, a circumstance which was quite notorious, and frequently mentioned in the public Journals of the day. This army could have but one solitary object, the invasion of Canada ; and such, accordingly, was the impression made on the mind of Sir James Craig, which many other circumstances, and particularly the sudden enrolment of 50,000 volunteers by the government of the United States, tended to confirm. Mr. Erskine, the minister then resident in America, had also entertained the same suspicions, and had sent an express to Sir James Craig, informing lum that Canada or Halifax wafl to be immediately attacked. Such were the circumstan-' ces in which Sir James Craig was placed, at a moment too, when the 'Separation- of some of the states, in the event of a war, had become the subject of general specu- lation. Sir James had already received communicationft from Henry, a person who professed to be well acquaint- ed with the sentiments of the people of the southern states; and whatever falsehoods and exaggeration* might have been industriously propagated, the object of the governor of Canada, in sending Henry into th« United States, was not to excite discontent, but to obtain information, which, ir> the event of a war, might hav« enabled him to avail himself of the prevalent temper and disposition of the people in these states. As a proof that the instructions of the governor, (such as they were,) had reference only to a state of hostili- ties, no sooner did Sir James Craig learn that the points in discussion bad been adjusted, than ho sent ordert to M- 7« HISTORY or Henry to return. Ministers had boen more anxious to caution Sir James against the employment of indivldii- alswho might distnr!) the harmony subsisting between Great Britain and Aniv^ca; and the motives for reeom- mending Henry for a reward were entirely dictated by a wish to make him a fair remuneration for his serviees, wit* out intimating any opinion as to the policy of the •mission with which he liad bscn entrusted. Affer rll, nt the close of this discussion, both parties were deci'?edly agreed that the conduct of the U. States Presi- dent (to say the least of it,) wasliighly unbecoming and indelicate, to lay the papers before congress, posse .s.ug the uery limited inforffiation on the subject which h« did at the time, without ever requiring an explanation, or in the least apprizing the British government of his intention; it was therefore said, ^s no shadow of reason existed for charging the British government with inch a mode of proceeding as that mentioned in the American president's message, parliament snould reject at once any motion for interference on the subject ; and as the accusation was prepared against ministers, to leave the ministers alone to manage it. The motion was rejected by a large majority. -f THI hkXM WAK> n CHAPTER X. America ebincea a still more hostile Attitude towards Great Britain — Letters of Marque and Reprisal issued by the American Government against British Property — Movement of a strong American Force towards Dttroit ; Perfidy of the French Government more manifest--^ The Repeal of the Orders in Council again comi- U dered. The United States government now began to exhibit that warlike disposition towards Great Britain, which had previously indicated itself in so many different ways, with much more violence than hitherto ; and it was obvious that the final declaration of hostilities was close at hand ; though it was evident that a degree of hesitation and fear was the only existing barrier against this last act of folly and madness. A resolution was presented to Congress, to seize all British* merchandiz« m the United States ; to detain all subjects of his Brita- nic majesty, and to grant letters of Marque and reprisal against British property in general ; and it still becamn a matter of less doubt that these hostile measures of the government of America were but the precursor of . resolutions of a more determined cast. The next act of the American government was to station an army of eight thousand men at Detroit, under the command of a general. The purpose for which it was intended, namely, the conquest ot Canada, was no longer made a secret. Many respectable towns and cor- porate bodies, who had an interest in preserving peace with Great Britain, remonstrated strongly against this last measure ; which probably aided not a little to subdue, for a time, the, ardent desire so plainly expressed by Mr. Madison and his partizans to accellerate the war. C2 tS' 1 1 TO mSTORT During tljCBC hostile preparations on the pftrt of Amorica, a circumstance transpired which exhil^tcd the political perfuly of the Frencli j^overnment t*'> vda tliat of the United'States, in bold relief; and if An !efi tiaa not been actuated by other motives than those which she had labored 80 assiduously to palm upon the world as the main sprinj; of her actions, it would have completely changed the tenor of her policy towards England. Despatches were received from Paris, by the United States minister in London, amongst which was the repeal of tlie Berlin and Milan decrees by the Frencli rul(!r, as far as related to the commerce of America ; and however such a breach of faith might shock the feelings of an honest mind, this revocation, notwithstanding it was not received until May, 1812, Was dated as far back 8,s April, 1811. That the declaration of the British government, holding forth that as soon as the French decrees should be rescinded unconditionally, the British Orders in Council should from that moment be extinct, was the means of extorting the French repeal, there remained not the slightest shadow of a doubt ; and in order to cover the deceit, antedated the repeal to 1811. For two years prior to this period had the French gov- ernment refused, in the most insulting manner, any explanation on the subject of her decrees, or of their repeal towards America; although, during that whole time, America, on her part, had been negotiating on the subject ; and, strange to tell, Buonaparte now, in May, 1812, comes forward with his abrogation of those de- crees, antedated no less than thirteen months, and even having reference to 1810, a period of two years previous to its promulgation, when he pretended to have rescind- ed those decrees as far as America was concerned. Such a glaring insult on the honor and faith of nations wa« probably never offered by one government to another, and would not, perhaps, have been received by any THE LATE WAB. 79 other government than that of the United' states, at that time — an opinion at which obliquely to have glanced.* the president appcan After closing a career of the most tinwearfed and assiduous inquiries into the Orders in Council, by ths committee appointed for that purpose, Mr. Brougham, tlie original mover for inquiry into tnese orders, moved a second time that these orders should be repealed. No- thing new was adduced in argument on the subject, as in the previous debate all general topics had been exhausted, if we exccjpt the disclosures made in the late tedious investigation which was now presented to undergo the consideration of the House of dommons. Mr. Brougham, however, in moving the repeal, made an elaborate speech; he went on to state, that the Orders in Council had always been defended on the supposed necessity of affording relief to the commerce and industry of the country; yet the people had now come to implore parliament to abandon them to the hos- tilities, and spare them the merciless kindness under which they were groaning. Upon the vote of the House the destiny of thousands depended ; and if the legislature should say no to the petitions against the Orders in Council, multitudes of hungry men must be let loose upon the country, who would either find food or perish. Commercial capital had been universally locked up ; men of great nominal wealth were living without income, trading, or seeming to trade, without •Our affairs with France retain the posture which they held At my last communications to you. Notwithstanding the authorised expectation of an early as well as favorable issue to the discus- sions on foot, these have been procrastinated to the latest date. The only intervening occurrence meriting attention, is th« promulgation of a French decree purporting 'to be a definitive repeal of the Berlin and Milan decrees. This proceeding, althogh made the ground work of the British Orders in Council, is ren- dered, by the time and manner of it, liable to many objectiont. President's Message, 4th Nov. 1812. i 4 :i 80 msTORt Of profit ; numbers of workmen had been dismissed— thoM who remained were earning only the half or quarter of their wages; even parish rates were increasing, charita- ble supplies failing, from the reduced means of tha highei* classes, and the augmented claims on their boun- ty. But the most prominent feature in this case, was the impending necessity of instantaneously disbanding those, who were now detained only in the hopes of a ' favorable decision of parUament The Orders in Council had an operation in producing distress, much more enlarged than many persons were willing to believe ; th* army in the Peninsula was fed from America ; the embargo in that country had raised the price of flour in the Lisbon market above fifty per cent ; and had occasioned, in one morning, an export from London of six thousand barrels to supply the Por- tuguese market. No attempt had been made by the supporters of the Orders in Council, to meet the evidence which sc iTully established the distresses of the country \ tiiat they had contented themselves with a reference to Ihe custdm-house books — a criterion that might be re- ibrted to, when no be'tter evidence could be had, but which is always suspicious, and, in the present instance, had been superceded by the most idelancholy disclosures. But even the custom-house books indicated a great and unexampled depression of trade. Nor was there any Teason for believing that, for the loss of the trade of flie United States, compensation ha I been obtained in other quarters, since the custom-house books themselves exhibited a general falling off of the trade of the whole country. The market of South America, instead of having increased the valuable coiiiinerceof the country, had introduced a spirit of specuhtioa which had brought nan an^l those wr.c had ventured to indulge in it. It was a great fallacy to suppose that any considerable proportion of tV; gjodfl imported into the United States nom Great Briuio, V7ag re-exported to South America amd the Wended on the extravagant demands of that great and unprofitable consumer, the government. The repeal of the Orders in Council, so far from being injurious to the stability of our maritime rights, and of the naval power which protects them, seemed essential to their preservation. The paper blockades, as they were called, were contrary to law, and had never been recognised in any of the courts. Although the Orders in Council were repealed, and although England were to relin- quish for the present the rights on wliich they are founded, it would not follow that she could never again enforce them. ' * At the peace of Utrecht, after a war of unexampled success, and a series of uninterrupted triumphs, in which the power of England was extended and confirm- ed, and France and h^r allies humbled to the dust, we gave up for a time, the principle that free ships should not make free goods ; and during the American war, we relinquished what is called the rule of the war, 1756, yet without ultimately abandoning either of these prin- ciples. Every right may be abandoned for the sake of expediency, and resumed when this reason ceases. The loss which was sustained by the obstinate exercise of this right, in the present instance, was enormous ; and that the American market was at stake — a market which takes off about thirteen millions of our manufac- \ H UISTORf Of tores, and in steadiness and regularity is unrivalled. By refusing to the Americans the market of flngland from which to purchase, we were driving them to supply themselves ; and there was no branch of their com< merce which had not now, to a certain degree, been improved ; many branches of their manufactures had been created since 1807, and all were rapidly springiug up to maturity. The dread of losing a market, such as thatof America, was quite rational, while the fear en- tertained by the supporters of the Orders in Council, that the capital, industry and skill of England might be outdone by France, was altogether contemptible. There was no danger of any loss of honor by seeking to con- eiliate America ; that Great Britain never stood so high ag she now did, in point of military character ; that she had it in abundance, and even to spare ; that the events of the wax had not merely sustained the ancient fame of| the nation — they hai done what seemed scarcely pos- sibler— they Lad greatly increased it ; they had covered I the British arms wit^ immortal renown ; and the gov- ernment was bound to profit by the proud height on ! which Great Britain stood, for the purposes of peace and | conciliation v\'ith America. r. t* rHK L4TI WAR. 68 CHAPTER XI. tHswsrions on the Orders in Council continued — R^eal of the Orders in Council officially promulgated under certain Conditions — Re-election of Mr. Madison Ojt United States President. Prior to this period, the British government had deter- mined upon some arrangement, on this subject, which would, at all events, impart tranquility, if not relief to the country from the distresses under which they suffered, and would at the same time evince the desire of ministers to eccomplish that great object so ardently sought after. It was thought, therefore, unnecessary to enter into an en- larged debate on the merits of the question ; a debate, which under existing circumstances would certainly have been superfluous ; however, before going into any expla- nation in the House, as to the features of the arrange- ments in contemplation. Lord Castlereagh deemed it necessary, after so much had been said, to defend th« principles upon which the Orders in Council had ori- ginally been established. He said ^' on such an important subject, he felt anxious to ofler to the House tlie rea- sons which appeared to him conclusive against the eddress. He lamented the precipitation of the honorable and learned gentlemen in bringing* forward this motion ; ' a precipitation injurious to his own cause. '1 hi3 v-^ai the more to be regretted, as the evidence went to siidi a great extent. He was sorry that the ho- lorabie nnd learned gentleman, even for the sake of his own chara^v ter, should have so much departed from nil p uriiamentary practice, and should have pressed to a ha^Jty discussion a subject, than which one more vital never came before par- liament. He deprecated any interference, on the par^ of the House, in a question of ^eat naUonaUmport«D(«| :j^j I i-V K/ 84 HISTORY OV involving unquestionably commercial considerations of the most serious natiue, but mixed up also with conside- rations of maritime right. It was certainly not out of the absolute province of parliament to interfere on such an occasion ; but it had always been extremely averse, pending a negotiation on a delicate subject, to dictate to the executive govern- ment the course which it ought to pursue. He admitted that the honorable and learned gentleman had made out a grave case of national distress, as affecting the manu- factures of the country. Nay, he further admitted that there existed a reasonable ground to believe, that if the American market was not opened within a limited period, the pressure would be increased. But, notwith- standing this ndmission, it is to be hoped that honorable Members will not permit their imaginations to stray so widely with his learned and honorable friend, as to con- ceive that the general commerce and manufactures of the empire were in a state of decay and perishment. He felt acutely for the distresses, and he declared that he had never met with more fair and liberal men than the individuals sent by those manufacturers to repre- sent their case to parliament. He conceded to the honorable and learned gentleman, that if Great Britain repealed her Orders in Council, America might be dis- posed to abrogate her nop-importation act : but he contended that, on a retrospect of the past, he was by no means prepared to say that it would h.ave been wise to have kept possession of the American market, by abstaining from those measures ; an abstinence which would have exposed the conimeice of this country to all the evils with which it had been threatened by France. Injustice, however. Great Britain ought to have retained possession of the American market, notwithstanding the gystem which she had adopted towards France — a system which he admitted was not justifiable on principles ot commercial policy, but which was most completely jus- tifiable on the principle in which it originated, namely, THE LATE WAR 85 the principle of coercing France, and driving her from the system of misrule which she had so extensively exercised. As directed against France, this system had obtained its object to a letter. Never was a country more commercially depressed than France. By the offi- cial documents of the French government, it appeared, that the whole extent of the manufactures and produce (rf that country, with her population of thirty-six mil- lions, consumed internally as well as exported, did not equal the simple exports of other nations. In the year before last, they did not exceed dE54,000,000 sterling, while ours amounted to iS66,()00,000. Never, there- fore, would he cease to contend, that the system of his late right honorable friend originated as much in wisdom as in justice. Even with the loss of the American market, (, which he maintained we ought not to have jost,") let the House compare the situation in which tho British empire was, with that in which it might have been, but for the Orders in Couu<'il. This country (with the exception of the last year, the deficiency of which was occasioned by temporary causes, ") exhibited to the world a spectacle of a nation struggling amidst the efforts of war, and fising in wealth and commercial prosperity and grandeur- Indeed, a great part of the deficiency of the last year was occasioned by the pie- ceding extraordinary and unnatural prosperity. With that exception,, the commert^e of the counti Vi all but that which related to America, had increased in an accumulating ratio, beyond what it bad ever been in times of pea; 0. And even in continental Europe, our commerce, not^vithstanding the eftbrts df the scourge of the continent, had grown to a considerable extent, par- ticularly since tlie issuing of the Orders in Council. The average of our annual exports to the Continent, during the three years preceding the Orders in Council, was iei7,000,000. The annual average of the three years fMbsequent to the Orders in Council, was £23,000,000, H 86 HISTORY OF being an increase of six millions annually. Even the exports to Ameiica, prior to the last year, so far from decaying, had considerably increased. The average of the annual exports to America, including tlie West Indies, during the three years immediately preceding the last year, [1811,1 was £22,000,000; the annual ave- rage, during the tnree years preceding those three years, was only ,fe 19,500,000. The present distress of those manufacturing districts most cx)nnected with America, was in a great degree attributable to the benevolent feelings of the master manufacturers, who had expended their fortunes in keeping their men employed on the same scale during the last year as they had done during the three years preceding- He had always denied thp t ihe present system was adopted from any unworthy m ttive of national gain, it rested on the firm ground of national detcnce. It rented on the principle, that as the enemy wielded his utmost extent of power against the prosperity of the British empire, we hp^ a right to wield the utmost extent of our power against the prosperity of France. He stated it in vindication of the character of the coun- try and of the government, that no councils had ever been more honombly and faithfully directed to apply the system of retaliation successfully to the enemy, but in a way as little obnoxious as possible to the neutral. Va- rious had been the modifications resorted to for tliis latter purjwse ; and particularly the order of 1809 limited t4ie blockade to France and the countries immediately unde/ the power of her arms. Adverting to the system of licenses, he maintained that the honorable and learned gentleman had fallen into a great errnr or ?he subject. The licenses connected with the system; ot blockode, did not form a fifth of the license system of the couislry . We had a right, by our Mcenses, to avail ourselves of the relief which tlie enemy required ; aiid wa had never done this to the injury of THE LATH WAR.' 87 neutrals, who had enjoyed as much facility in sailing from our ports as our own merchant vessels. But it was not with the license system that America quarrelled. We had expressed our readiness to return, if America wished it, to the strict measure of 1807, provided shtf rescinded tlie act prohibitory of our commerce. He was anxious to call the attention of the House (o some circumstances which had occurred since the last discussions on the subject, and since the issuing tlie Prince Regent's proclamation in April. It had been asked in that House, in what way he understood the French decree recently communicated to government by the American minister ? He had no hesitation in reply- ing that, in his opinion, it by no means satisfied the regent's declaration, which required the unqualified and unconditional repeal of the Berlin and Milan decrees, as the condition of rescinding the Orders in Council- The day on \vhi6h he had received that decree, wa,s the very day on which the House of Commons had been pleased, by its vote, virtually to dissolve the ad- ministration ; and therefore it was not until the last three or four days, that the present government, consi- dering themselve'5 as a government, had deliberated tipon the subject. On the face of this instrument, however, he had no difficulty in repeating that it appeared insufficient, and was accompanied with circumstance* 6f great distrust and suspicion. It was difficult also to say, whether tliis decree had not been completely revoked by the sweeping declaration of the Duke of Bassano, that the Berlin and Milan decrees would remain in full force until the maritime assumptions of thi« country should be abandoned. There, therefore, must exist considerable doubts on the subject. Nevertheless, it might not be unwise to put the country in a situatiou to receive explanations upon it. If tlie American government should he found d is jxwed to make representationg to France, to induce her to satisfy li IW!>.; ^^Mt^ 88 HUiTORV OF the just expectations contained in His Boyol Highness the Prince Regent's Proclamation, Great britain would be disposed to consent to the suspension, for a limited period, of the restrictive system of both countries ; or, iu other words, she would consent to suspend the Orders hi Council, if America would consent to suspend her non- importation act. The experiment might then be tried of tlx . practicability of restoring things to their ancient system. If by an act of temper and conciliation, not incompatible with the safety of the country, an inducement could beheld out to France, in the paroxysm of her power, to return to that system, a departure from which, had been destructive of her own commerce, it would be an act redounding ta our honor. Should the ever.l be favora- ble, tlie advantage would be great to all parties. Should it be unfavorable, we must return to our present retalia- tory system, if this effort on our part were not met witli a correspondent feeling on the part of America, opportu- nities would be afforded, in the absence of irritation, of fairly considering those circumstances which might ret store and cement that friendship which ought always id' be maintained between the two countries ; and which if was the curse of boUi had evei been interrupted. If, by the fatsd perseverance of France, Great Britain should be driven to re-adopt her retaliatory system, means might be adopted, without endangering its efBcacy against the enemy, of rmdering it less obnoxious to America. He concurred with the honorable and learned gentleman, that it would be a most unworthy and unwise policy in this country, to allow itself to be provoked by the irritation which America had evinced. Was it not . the part of a great empire liko Great Britain to adopt a conciliatory course of ccmduct towards America, evei]i at the time when her tone (although he trusted it would not lead to absolute war,) sufficiently marked the hos- tile disposition of her councils ? Although he did not wish to be too sanguine as ta the rtsult of his experi- ment, yet, persuaded as he was that there aad been im,. THE LATE WAF. sd moments of such great inconvenience to F^rance, thftt had «he not cherished hopes ol final success from the occur- rence of certain circumstances in this country, she would willingly have abandoned her projects, he could not help entertaining an expectation that she might be indu- ced to return to the ancient system. Under all these circumstances, he trusted the House* would not consent to the address He would content himself with moving the order of tlie day. Were the documents illustrativ« of the negotiation between this country and America on the tabic, he should call for a distinct negative to the motion ; but as they were not, so he did not wish to extract from the House any vote which would imply their approbation of the conduct of Hi? Majesty's gov ernment in that negotiation. On account of the information contained in the pre- ceding speech delivered by Lord Castlereah, the motion for rescinding the Orders in Council was wnthdrawn, on condition that in the next Gazette an official instrument on the subject should make its appearance. In the next Gazette, according to promise, appeared the instrument alluded to, which went on to state that, by a previous declaration of the 1st of April, 1812, the repeal of the Orders in Council should take place so. soon as a formal revocation of the French decrees was announced ; that a communication had been made by the American charge des aflfeirsto Lord Castlereah, of a copy of the alleged instrument of repeal by the French government; and although this revocation was not such as to satisfy the conditions required by His Royal High- ness, the Prince Regent's declaration, yet as Great Britain was anxious to replace on its ancient basis the commerce of neutral nations, the Orders in Council of 7th January, 1807, and of 26th April, 1809, \*ere there- fore suspended as far as regarded American property, from the 1st of August following H2 ^ 90 HISTORY OP But In consequence of the exclusion of British ship?^^ of war from tlie ports and harbors of the United States, while tliose of her enemy were freely admitted, and as all commercial intercourse between Great Britain and the United States of America was prohibited by the latter, while she pursued a trade with Fvan^e and her dependencies, so far as the effects of the British Orders in Council could be eluded — it was declared that if the American government should not, after the regular conmiunication of this document , alter its policy, tlien the repeal of the Orders in Council should not take eifect- It was likewise provided in the same document, that all seizures of American vessels and property subse- quent to the date of the communication relative to the repeal of the French decrees, should not be condemned ; and it was expressly reserved on the part of the British government, should circumstances require sueh a proce- dure, a revival of the Orders in Council and the adop- tion of such other measures of retaliation as the security of British commerce and of her maritime rights should appear from time to time to demand. . Such was the conciliatory conduct of the British government toward.^ that of the United States, that the Orders ia Council, which were undoubtedly of the greatest political importance to that country under exist- ing circumstances, were in a great measure abandoned ; and notwithstanding, it was the general impression amongst the most enlightened part of community, that the desires of America were unbounded, so would also her demands be unbounded ; and that, at each succeed- ing concession on the part of the British government, the demands of America would become doubly imperi- ous ; yet it was expedient to manifest to those wlxo were of the opinion that the Orders in Council were the sole cause of the commercial distresses of the country, an anxiety to go as far as the honor of the British na- tion and the security of her maritime rights would permit, to purchase their relief, or at least to tran- THE LATE WAR. 91 yuWze their minds on the subject. It was strongly ( suspected too, that as regarded the non-importation act of the United States upon British commerce, that America would not be disposed to concede an inch of ground ; although, on the other hand, it was thought that the i^peal of the Orders in Council, to which America had a^ yet principally confined herself, would be but a pre- hlde to claims of a more extraordinary nature, as America e idently was but a tool in the hands of the ruler of F lance for that purpose. However, it was'the wish of ii)l parties to make a fair trial; as the refusal of yimerica to m^et Great Britain upon honorable terms, fould virtually of itself render the re; hI of the Or- lers in Council invalid. Mr. Madison by this time ^secured for four years longer the presidtatial chair, and the taction of which he was the head, had so far priSdom- inated over the more sensible part of that country, as to obtain the ends for which they so long and so ardently sought' t a.. •» ,*■-.- ■<-\^'': ^>. ^ -^V; ^V. "' "^^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 11.25 I^|2j8 |2.5 150 "^^ HHH Ml US ^ 1^ III 2.0 lUiSi U 11.6 n Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WIST MAIN STRUT WHSTiR.N.Y. MS80 (716)172-4503 \ m •^ c\ \ ^^ -s^V ^'^ 92 UISTORT OF CHAPTER XII. De<:laratidn of War against {Jheat Britain by the Chv- ernment of tfie United States — Extract from the Presi- dent's Message, approving of the Measure— ^Seoeral ^ Sta4e Legislatures remomtrate against it — Means cm^ ployed by the Governor in Chief of Canada for the Drfence of the Provinces under his Command. While the government and people of England were anx- iously looking forward to the pacihc effect the repeat of the Orders in Council would have on America, notwithstand- ing t|}e unfavourable predictions to the contrary, the news arrived that the President had approved of an act of con- gress formally declaring war against Great Britain. This act had been preceded by a most inflammatory message from the President, in wmch the British government was accused of numberless atrocities against the U States; that since tl^ year 1803, says that message, has that gov- ernment persisted in a series of acts hostile to tlie U. States, as an independent nation. It declared, that British cruisers had violated the honor of the American flag, and seized persons sailing under it; that the seizure oven of British subjects f without trial or inquiry , was contrary to the law of naticms. That British citizen s had violated the rights and the peace of the American ooast; and that the blood of American citizens had been wantonly spilt in the very harbors of the United States ; And instead of punishment, the highest rewards had been bestowed by the British government on the persons who had committed such atrocities. That by means of a nominal blockade, without the presence of an adequate force, the commerce of America had been plundered on e^ery sea ; that the orders issued by the British govern- ment had been tyrannically executed from their date, and before American vessels 'could be aware of their existence ; and that Great Britain had at length resorted to a swe< Council, political and satisf tence of ri these ord< cutedagaii on those impossible sliould fall Great Bri insist on tli should be 1 had demai French de( own usage ; satisfied w affected Am tionally revi It procee< adopted by [ the resource nopoly; anc United Stat system — altl commercial ; severeiin h< been deaf tt 1810, the Ai the British g tion; that he British blocl and as this n decree of tht the disavowal diately led- 1( thejrestoratio government THE LATE WAB- 93 to a sweeping system, under the name of Orders in Council, which had been so contrived as to suit the political views and commercial jealousies of England, and satisfy the avidity of her citizens. That the pre- tence of retaliation wnich had been used in defence of these orders, was altogether groundless ; that edicts exe- cuted against American property, could not be a retaliation on those decrees of France, which it was manifestly impossible to execute ; and that retaliation, to be just, should fall only on the guilty. That the government of Great Britain had recently deckred its determination to insist on these measures until tl^ie markets of its enemy should be laid open to British commerce ; that England had demanded a formality in - the revocation of the French decrees, by no means exemplified even by her own usage ; and had declared that she would not rest satisfied with the repeal of the decrees, merely as they affected America, unless they were wholly and uncondi- tionally revoked. It proceeded to state, that the object of the measures adopted by England,, had not been so much to destroy the resources of her enemies as to confirm her own mo- nopoly ; and although every effort had been tried by the United States to obtain an alteration of this iniquitous system — although an offer had been made to interrupt all commercial intercourse with France so long as she per* severed:in her injustice, yet the British government had been deaf to every remonstrance. That in the year 1810, the American minister in London had offered to the British government a fair' opportunity for concilia* tion ; that he merelv requested to know, whether the British blockade of 180G was still considered in force j and as this measure had afforded the pretence for the decree of the French government, it was expected that the disavowal of it, by Great Britain, would have imme- diately led- to the rescinding of the French edicts, antf the [restoration of neutral commerce; but the British government had persisted in refusing all explanaticm- ■'*' *! y M BISTORT OF That a fair prospect appeared again to present itself for the adjustment of all differences ; but the acts of the British minister in America, who might Lave accomplisli- ed this desirable object, were all disavowed by his government ; and at the veiy moment when these ami- cable proceedings were going forward, a secret agent of Great Britain was emploj^td to cherish disaffection in Uie citizens of the United States, and to dissolve the happy Union. Mr. Madison, iu the plenitude of his malignant vitu- peration, ventured to charge the British government, though only as matter of suspicion, of inciting the Indian nations to carry on their atrocious warfare against the people of the United States. , " We pierceive, in fine," proceeds Mr .Madison, " pn lAe side of Great Britain, a state of war towards the United States ; and, on the side of the Uiiited States, a state of peace towards Great Bfitain.^'* Such was the lofty tone of recital contained in this American state paper, of the aggtemons and atrocities committed by Great Britain- But as regarded France, and the conduct of het ruler, what was the President's language } He admitted, in a brief p aragraph at the end of the message, that the most atrocious violation of neutral rights had been committed by 6rder of the French government, against the citizens of the United States ; but although he was ready to recommend, in the most emphatic tennis, a declaration of war against Great Britain, he merely hinted that he hoped an ami- cable adjustment might yet be effected with her enemies, who had carried the spirit of outrage to such extre- mities. But the President's message did not cohvey tlie sen- timents of the whole Union by any means ; nor is it to be believed that whole states did not dissent from such a tirade of believing language assembly session •Ist. R the present expedient, i at once coui cs, of men i a nation poi 2d. Resoi 8o has the adnyinistratJ asters whicl or death so ment of a si 3d. Re8< course of th; t4ie military our fears suf er either exii •uch an evei war itself an the United S «th, Lsstl President of principal obj practice of in the British C claim does m tomed practi vessels of 9, i viction, that 1 to protect Bi giance to the this practice against by ar therefore tha diat^y opem Extract bley of the 4 to THE LAT£ WAR. 05 tirade of falsehoods* We are warranted indeed in believing the latter supposition to be the case, from the language breathed in the declaration of the general assembly of the state of Connecticut, at their special session on the 25th August, 1812, and that of Uie *lst. Rbbolvbd, That the war with Great Britain, in which, the present administration has plunged the United States, was in- expedient, ill timed and most dangerously iropolitic.,.sacrificing at once counlLiess blessings, and incurring all the hazards and loss- es, of men and treasure, necessarily resulting from a contest with a nation possessing s6 many n>6ans to annoy and distress' U|b. 2d. RKSOLrRD, That, as the war was improvidently commenced, so has the conduct of it proved wasteful and disastrous. The administration being evidently chargeable with the multiplied diS' asters which have attended our arms, and consigned to captivity or death so many thousands of brave men, without the attain-^ ment of a single object. * 3d. Resolvep, That we view with inexpressible concern the course of that destructive policy which lieads to a connexion with the military desp6tism of France ; and if it should so happen, lis our fears suggest, thai^a convention or confederacy with that pow> er either exists ox is intended, we do not hesitate to declare, that such an event will be considered by us more dangerous than the war itself and as tending, in its consequences, to a dissolution of the United States. ^th. Lastly, Resolved, That finding in the answer of the President of the United States, to a proposed armistice, that the principal object of the war is to obtain redress against the British practice of impre8sment...and finding, further, in an answer from the British Government, to another proposed armistice, that their claim does not extend beyond what it calls its ancient and accus- tomed practice of impressing British seamen from the merchant vessels of a foreign state.i.we do hereby declare our soleinn con- viction, that a war, at the expence of American blood ancTtreasure. to protect British subjects on the high seas from their due alle- giance to their country, wonld be unjust ; and that the abuse of this practice, in regard to American seamen, may be guarded against by an arrangement between the two governments ; and therefore that a negotiation for a treaty of peace shonld be imme- diately opened. Extracts from the Declaration of the general Assent' bley of the Legislature of the State of New Jersey, 1812. H M ''I ^ BfSTOBT oy .legislature of Maryland en the, 24th of December pf the same year, \rhich are fully corroborated by the dec- ,lftra1ions of the legislatures and messages of governors of several otiier states of that nation- Ik The legislature of CoQinecticiit proceeds to state, that the aggressions of both nations ought to have been met at the outset by a system of defensive protection com- mensurate to our means, and adapted to tbe crisis. That other coundls prevuled,^nd th^t system of commercial restrictions which before had distressed the people of Europe, was extended to our oountrv. That we became parties to the continental system of the French emperor. That whatever its pressure may have been elsewhere, on our citizens it had operated with intolerable severity and hardship. «. That in the inidstof these sufferings war is declare^, and (hat nation of the two is selected for a foe which is capable of inflicting the greatest injury. And that in this selection we view with the deepest solicitude a, tendency to entangle us in an alliance 'with a nation whose ruler has subverted every r^ubiic in Europe, and whose connections, wherever formed, have been fatal to civil liberty. That of the operation of his decrees on America^ commerce, it b not necessary here to remark, that th^ repeal of tiiem, [the French decrees,] promulgated in this country since the dedaraidon of war,virtually declares that the American government was not- to be trusted. Insult is thus added to injury.* That should a continuance of this war exclude our seafaring and mercantile citizens from the use of the ocean, and our invaluable institutions be sacrificed by ""■■■^"■.■» *See alto the note under page 79. Tdfi LAtE WAR. 91 in alliaiiOQ with the French despot, the me«8ure of our degradatkm and wretchedDea would be full. l^eofecusatiofis, however, contained in tlie Pre«ident's message' fonned the ground work on which the United States legislature declared war againstOreat Britain; and such was the astonishment of the government and people ^England that they wefte for a time before they could persuade themselves that the United States were in ear- nest in the hazardous enterprize they had undertaken, as no conduct of the British government towards that coun- try could have prompted diem to such a rash and desperate step. The causes of the war so, emphatically insisted on in the President's message, as now appe at^ were ridiculous and absurd ; complaints, some of which Were only imaginary, and ^e rest had been redressed, aQCusati^ which had long been refuted and a thousand and one other things, if possible, still more absurd and |>ieposterous, were all laid under contribution for the service of thid manifesto of Mr. Madison's, in order to meet the views and feelings of the turbulent faction by whom he had been once more raised to the head o^ the government. . A curious circumstance is also connected with tlie declaration of war by the United States, which probably tended more to exhibit the entire dependence under which the acts of America govemii&ent lay to those of the French ruler, and to i£ew the extreme partiality of America towards JPrancd,^ than any other circum- stance which transpired. Immediately after the oommnnication of the French minister, declaring the principles of the French decrees to form iJie fundamental law of the empire, followed the declaration of war by tihe United States. Whether, therefore, Great Britain considered the pretensions set up and avowed by the American government, or the Qtrcumstances attending the I declaration of war, th#. M I ♦ ♦ M HltTOBT 09 conclusion was the same— that a detenniDatkm had long been formed by the -United States to oppose the just claims of Great Britain, and with a view to embarrass that country in her contest with France for the indepen- dence of Europe, she had deternuned to unite her resources and exertions. The news of the declaration of war, at this time, how- ever, completely astounded the people of J^ndand. Even those who had advocated the enquiry into me Orders in Council, were convinced that America ought to have been satisfied with the abrogation of, those edicts ; ^^d they further added, that should Ameirica urge any .fur- ther claims upon Great Britain, that they should now be the first and most strenuous opposers of any further concession being made to that country. It was frequently remarked in the public journals of the United States, that in all thei". intercourse with the governments of Great Britain m\.i France, a studied , and implacable hostility towards the interests of the former was universasally evinced ; while, notwithstand- ing the reiterated insults and indignities daily ofiered by the latter to tu4 American flag, yet the government of that republic was decidedly favorable to her views and wishes. Matters, however ^ had now arisen to a crisis between Great Britain and the United States, that indicated war to be inevitably at hand ;^in view of which, and under the impression that in such an event Canada would be in- vadedjtbe governor in chief of those provinces immediately muployed means to strengthen the public works, fortify the most important avenues into Uie country, and more «#ictually to organize the provincial militia ; for should a war be the result, on the militia forces alone could the country depend for her defence, as only a sufficient regu- lar force was retained in the country to perform garrisoi^ duty under a peace estabUahment ; and, under ezistini; THB LATB WAR. M eireiUDs^cei with the mother countiyi employed m her armies were on the £ujp|>e«i^ peniDiuIa, little tid from that quarter oonV* hf^. - ' - ♦-' Ht' Ci'r^i.^i:^: . H i, Ch :<-.1...,5 .,.V, ,.-v ■' ■' ■-- *f ■ 100 HISTORY OF li CHAPTER XIII. Pr^Mwa4ums of a warUhe Appearance on the part of the United States — Extract from the Address of the House of Assembly to the Yeomanry of Canaday at the Commencement of the War — Invasion of Canada by an Army under General Hull — General HuWs Proclamatio*i to the People of Canada — Active Mea- sures pursued by General Brock for the Relief of Fort Atn/ierstburg — Evident Signs of Indecision and Dis- trust in the American Camp. During the defensive preparations on the part of Canada, the United States government was not un- mindful of its security against any hostile attack. Besides strengthening her fortifications, &c., an act of Congress was passed, on the 11th day of January, 1812, for raising ten additional regiments of infantry to consist of two thousand men each — two regiments of cavalry of^wo thousand each — and one additional regi- ment of artillery, to consist of one thousand — to he enlisted for five years. Early in the ensuing month, ujother act passed that hody, authorising the president of the United States to accept the military services of . certain volunteer corps, not to exceed in nnmher fifty ^usand men ; and, in the month of April following, an act was passed to call into active service, for {he purpose proporti Pe Ne Vii Mfl Ne Co . Ne ( *> ' ^ TBB LATB WAR. 101 parpote of qaifitary drill, one hundred thousand milUiSy proportioned, to each state as follows : Pennsvlvania, 14,000 New-York, 13,000 Virginia, 1 2,000 Massachusetts, 10,000 New-Hampshire, • 3,600 Connecticut, 3,000 p^ New-Jersey, • • • • • 5,000 North Carolina, 7,000 Maryland, 6,000 South Carolina, 6,000 Kentucky, 5,600 OMo, 5,500 Georgia, 3,600 Vermont, 3,000 Delaware, 1,000 Tennessee, • 2,600 Rhode Island, • • 500 100,000 111 addition to the above, the United States had a regular army of eleven regiments of five hundred men each, which, in the whole, certainly constituted a for- midable army. Acts were passed, at the same time, for building new ships of war, and repairing such as were out of commission, and for makmg such provisions for the defence of the maritime frontier as were considered necessary. ' As soon as the declaration of war was announced in Canada, measures were employed in that colony to embody a portion of the militia force of the eov***' fos its protection against an invasion of tHo - ■,%■ w. ^^ lOS unroRt iff An appeal was made by th The United States offer you peace, liberty and security. Your choice ties between these and war, slavery, and destruction. Choose, then, but choosy wisely-r-and may he who knows the justice of our cause, and who holds in his hands the fate of nations, guide you to a result the most compatible with your rights and interests, your pe«>ce and happiness. By the General, A. P. HULL. This proclamation of (General Hull was full of confi- deuce in the strength of his arms and in the justice of his cause, assuring himself, from that consideration, of a successful termination to the campugn. It threatens, too, of pursuing a war of exterminatioD, in the event of the employment of the Indians «sk the part of the British, fevgetting, it would appear, that already were the Indi- ans engaged oo-operating with ^ (Otei&» of the United States against the British army. CJeneral Hull, having crossed into the British domin- ioi^ with an army which in point of numbers was capable of setting at defiance the whole of the British regular army then in the Canadas, commenced an advance on Fort Maiden or Amherstbur^. At the time the American army approached that place, the garrison consisted of a siibahem's detachment of royal artillery commanded by Lieutenant Troughton ; a detachment of the forty-first regiment, of three hundred men, commanded by Captain Muir ; and between three hundred uid four hundred militia, the whole under the command of Lieutenant Colonel St. George, inspecting field officer of militia for thatdistrict--»a £orce totally inadequate, by its numerical strength, to cope with that of the Americans, to which they were now opposed ; but the most vigorous meas- ures were employed by Major General Brock, to secure the fort against an assault, in the aid of which tha I I I k^'^iy.'"^**-'*" loe m»TORT OF mT":' oapture of FortMichilimaekiuack was a fortunate ciream-' stance, as it laid open the rear and flanks of the American army to the desaltoiy attacks of the Indians in tiie neighborhood, a part of whom bad assisted in ita captitre. As soon as General Hull had established his camp at Sandwich, parties were sent out from his urmy, to levy contributions of provisions and fori^e from the inhabi- tants, who advanced as far as the Moravian Town, committing on their routes the most unheard-of atrocities upon the defenceless inhabitants, carrying with them as prisoners of was-such influential persons as they Umad well aff^cted-towards their king and country. In the mean time. General Brock had deroatched, from the garrison gS Fort George^ Captain Gnamben with fifty men of the 41st Regiment, into the interior of the country,'for the purpose of collecting such of the militia and Indians as were then ready t6 join the .army at Amherstburg — ^previously sending Colonel Proctor of the same regiment to assume the command of that garri- son. Sixty men also of th^ 4tst Regiment were despatched at the- same time to reinforce the besieged garrison, and forty were sent-tO Long Point, for the pur- pose of collecting the militia in that vlsinity. General Brock, ^having made sueh arrangements. In the government ^f the province, as were necessary du- ring his absence from York, proceeded from thence to Fort George, and thence to Long Point on Lake Erie, where he was joined by two hundred and sixty of the militia, who had, in a lew days and in the very height of their harvest, gallantly voluntee '^d their services to share the dangers of the field in de^.nce of their coun- tiy, together with the detachment of the 41st Regiment wno had been previously sent to that quarter. At the head of these. General Brock proceeded to the relief oi Amherstburg, where he arrived on the 13th of August. (Sonera which h< British cc every wl the milita eommens gaged, ai is gover Hull bin course th ^ speed ■k&k '•^ »W » -f • ■s », - . '4 THB LATB W41U 107 Qeneral Hull had not long remained in the positioii which he had taken up, until it was manifest to the British ccnnmander, that indecision and distrust reigned every where throughout the American lines ; and that the military talents of General Hull were far from being eommensurate with the enterprise in which he. had en- gaged, and that his talents had been sadly. overrated by is government. In fact, it was evident that General Hull himself had already made this discovery ; and of course these circumstances were held as ominous of jhis speedy overthrow. 'Hi 109 iH«TORr OP e»iAPT£R XIV. Qtlketai BuU eompeUed to reireai to ku own T%rrUorp— Chntaral Brock anivei at Aniher»tbur&-^0ffer9 7«rm« ' to Otimal JBUl for the iSurrender of DetroU — OeMnd nkU reuses tht Propontioik^The BrUiih Forces effect a Landing on the American Side qf (h^ River — General HuU propotee a Ceeaatien of Hoatilitiet — Tenm of Surrender dictated to General Bull in his own Tent, by General Brookes Aids de Camp^^Articles of Capi- tfttatian-^Mumtions of War Sfc Sfc. included in the Conquest — Remarks-^General Brock'*8 Proclamation to tJte Inhabitants of the Ji^cMgan Territory— ^Trial of Cfeneral HuU by a general Court Martial^ Sentence 8fc. Pbevious to the arrival of Msjor General Brock) Colonel Proctor had commenced active operations against the enemy by sending detachments across the river in order to cut off all communications between his main body and the reserve This with other Judicious arrange^ ments had compelled the enemy to retreat under the jdielter of the suns of his own fort. Several skirmishes had 'occurred, Dy which losses had Ijgen sustained upon both aides, but in all of which the Americans were com- Silled to retire and acknowledge the superiority of the ritish arms ; two in particular on the 5ih and 9th in- «tant9, were maiiktained with much bravery on both ndes, and in both of which the loss of the American army was very considerable, while that of the British amounted to three killed and fourteen wounded. Amongst the latter were Captain Muir and Lieutenant Sutherland, ot the 41st Regiment, two oMcers very justly distinguished by their chief. After the American army had again crossed the Hvftrto their own territory, a position opposite Fdrt nm hktu WAR. 109 M Detroit was token up by the British, and on the 13ih instant batteries were commenced; and although exposed to a well directed fire from a battery of seven twenty-four pounders, yet such was tlieir construction under the able directions of Captain IHxon of the royal engineers, that the works were continued wiUiout intermission until completed, without su^aining the least injury from the fire of the enemy. . On the ctrrival of Genenil Brock at Amherstburg, not- withstanding the formidable numerical strength of the enemy, preparations were immediately commenced to follow him into his own territory ; and on Saturday, the 15th instant, the British forces were collected in the neighboriiood of Sandwich for that purpose, consisting of thirty of the Royal Artillery with three six pounders end two three pounders, under the command of Lieu- tenant Troughton, two hundred and fifty of the 41st Regiment, fifty of the Royal Newfoundland fencibles, and four hundred Cahadian militia, in all amounting to seven hundred and thirty, to whom six hundred Indians at- tached themselves, making an aggregate of one thousand three hundred and thirty. About noon, on the same day, a flag of trued was sent by General Brock to General Hull, vrith a summons for the surrender of the town and fort of Detroit, statii^ that he could no longer restrain the fury of the Indians. To this an immed iate and spirited refusal was returned by General Hull, stating that he was prepared to meet any force which might be at the disposal of General Brock, and any consequences which might result from any exertion of it he might think proper to make. About four o'clock, tlie firing commenced from the British batteries and was immedi- ately returned, which continued without intermission until about eleven o'clock that night. At daylight, next morning, the fire re-commenced upon both sides, At which time the British were discovered landing their K ijl: m '■ t .... ■■- ■' W'i»"J >' " ')''** no llfeiTORY Of troopti at Che ^ringwelis, three mile« below Detroit. The Indians, in the mean time, had effected a landing about two miles lower down, and moved up, taking a position in the woods about a mile and a half on the left. The British force immediately advanced within abotit five hundred yards of the enemy's line, with a view to bnnghimto a general action. General Brock having' received information that Colonel Mc. Arthur, a distin- guished American officer who had left the garrison only A few day* previous, was now close upon his rear, and that his cavalry had been seen that morning by some of the reconnoitering parties of the British. The Ameri- can aimy, having made a precipitate retreat into the Toft, an assault was immediately decided upon. How- ever, for this time the eJ9usion qf blood was saved by the exterminating General Hull sending out a proposition for a cessation of hostilities, iot the purpose of preparing tormts of capitulation. ' Lit^utenaut Ck»lonel Mc Donald, provincial aid de r>«mp, and Captain Glegg, aidde camp to General !foock, were deputed by that general to proceed to the American general, to present the terms upon which General Brock would be pleased to accept the surrender. In about an hour the two aids returned to the British camp, witli die condition of capitulation which they dictated to General Hull in his own tent. The conditions were as tbllows : Artic^.e I. Fort Detroit with all the troops, regu- lars as well as militia, will be immediately surrendered to the British forces under the command of the Major General Brock and will be considered prisoners of war, with the exception (^ such of the militia of the Michi- gan Territory as have not joined the army. II. A includin immedii III. tion will IV. expressc Ohio, on from De is accon stood, tl joined tl homes, < war; th thepubJ "V. : twelve c immedit Si9 Approve Approve An Ari tion^ It is { militia a their fcs run LATR WAR. 1 11 II. All public stores, arms uud all public documontA, including every thing else of a public natui'c, will b« iofunediately given up. III. Private persons a^d proj>erty of every det»(*iip- , tion will be respected. IV. His Excellency, Brigadier General Hull, having expressea a desire that a detachment from the state of Ohio, on its way to join hi^ army, as well as one sect from Detroit, snould be included in the capitulation, it is accordingly agreed to. It is, however, to be under- stood, that such part of the Ohio militia as have not joined the «rmy, will be permitted to return to their homes, on condition that they will ndt serve during tb(i war ; their arms will be delivered up, if belonging to the public V. The garrison will march out at the hour of twelve o'clock this day, and the British forces wiil take immediate possession of the fort. Signedy J. Mc DONALD, Lieut. Col. Militia, P. A. D. C. J. B. GLEGG, ]VIajor, A. D. C. ^ JAMES MILLER, Lieut. Col. * 5th Regt. U. S. Infantry. E. BRUSH, Col. Commanding 1st Regt. of Michigan Militia. Approvedf W. HULL, Brigadier General Commanding the N. W. Atmy. Approved, ISAAC BROCK, Major General. An Article supplementary to the Articlea of Capitular tion>f concluded at Detroit y tha IM of Augoity 1812. It is agreed that the officers and soldiers of the Ohio militia and volunteers shall be permitted to proceed to their Fesptictive homes, on this condition, that they do r^?*i* 112 iiisvioBT or Aot serve during the pfeeent war, utUoM thef aie en- changed. i^M^necI, W. HULL, Brigadier General Commanding U. S. N* W. Amy. Siffoed, ISAAC BROCK, Major General. An Article in adMon to the imppUmentary Artich &f CkipitukUicttf concluded at Detroit^ on the 16/A cf Anh n/, 1812. B agreed that the officersr and soldiers of the Michi- gan militia and volunteers, under the command of Major Wetherall, shall be placed on the same principles as the Ohio militia and volunteers are placed by the supplementary article of the 16th instant Signed^ W. HULL, Brigadier General ' Commanding N. W. Army U. S. ISAAC BROCK, Mi\|or General. By the surrender of Detroit, which clothed with fresh and accumulating glory the arms of Great Britain, and stamped in indelible characters the terror which the name of a British soldier carries into the ranks of his enemy, an army of two thousand five hundred of the choicest American tro<^ became prisoners of war, and thir^-three pieces of brass and iron ordnance fell into tlte lurnds of the conquerors,* besides four hundred rounds of twenty-four pound shot fixed, one hundred thousand cartridges made, forty barrels of powder and two thou- sand five hundred stand of arms.|| *Ji Return tf Ordmme^ taken in th» FoH and Batteries qf Dt- troitf jSugwt 16th, 1812. Iron Ordnance — nine twenty-fonr ponndera, eight twe^ple pDnndem, five nine pounders, three six pounders. Brass Ordnance— three six pounders, two four pounders, one three pounder, one eight inch bowiteer, one five and a half inch howitzer. Total of Ordnance taken — Si3, ' (Signed,) FEUX TROUGHTON, tieut Commanding Royal Ardltory. NCol. Casals letter to tlie Amertcan SecKtary of Wa». <...)t"»l'^*«.. J»«.,.',.-*'t--*xV'^«' -' ..,..«.?*•.•»<.>> .,,n .,,,--, . ' THE LATft WAR. 113 6tt the day of the surrender of the town and fort of Detroit, the American army had fifteen days' provision (jf every kind on hand. Of meat there was plenty in the country, and arrangements had been made for pur- chasing and grinding the flour. It was calculated that they could readily have procured three months' provi- sions, independent of one hundred and fifty barrels of flour and thirteen hundred head of cattle which had been forwarded from the state of Ohio, and remained at the River Raisin under Captain Qrush, within rr^acli oi the army.* tn endeavoring to appreciate the motives and to in- vestigate the causes which led to an event so unexpocte<^ and dishonorable as the surrender of General Hull, n is impossible to find any solution in the relative sClfiength of the contending parties, or in the measure of resii^taTK*' in General Hull's power. f He had a force at hii. dis- posal which wias more than double the mimerical strength of that of the British general, including ^ix hundred Indians which had attached themselves to the army ; yet, such was the decided bravery and promptitude of General Brock and his little band, that they v/ere de- termined to storm the American* gajrrison and camp But it would appear that General Hull was not prepared for such prompt and decided measures as the liandful of British regulars and Canadian militia were preparing to press upon him ; he thcfefo»e fturrendered at dis- cretion. *Col. Cass's letter, tib. i .K2 114 RMTORT or General Bkock had no sooner taken possession of the fort and town of Detroit with the Michigan Territory, of which it is the capital, than he issued ibt ibUovmng : i FROCLAAUTION. PfpelamatUm hf Isaac Brock^ Etqakn^ Mijcf €feneral, commanding Hia MajeatyH Fones in Hm Prntmnt^ IJpper Canada^ ifc. fye Whereas the Territory of Michigan im, thiifda^, by capitulation, ceded to the arms of His Britannic Majesty, without any other condition than the proteo- tion of jprirate property — and wishing to give an earlv proof of the moderation and Justice of His Majesty's government — ^I do hereby announce to all the inhabit- ants of the said territory, that Uie laws heretofore in existence shall continue in force until His Majesty's pleasure be /known, or so long as the peace and safety of the said territory will admit thereof; and I do here- by also declare and make known to the said inhabitants, that they shall be protected in the full exercise and enjoyment of their religion— of which all persons, both civil and military, wiU take notice and. govern them- aeivea accordingly. All persons having in their possession, or having any knowledge of any public property, shall forthwith deli- ver In the same, or give notice thereof to the officer epmmanding or to Lieutenant Colonel Nicholl, who are duly authorised to roceive and give proper receipts for Hie same. Offitiers of mUitia will be lield ren)on8ible that all arms in possesskm of the militiamen be immediately H. Tttfl LATI WAt. US »f the rltory, wing: itannic proteo- n early jjesty's ahabit- ifore in ijesty's I safety phere- sitants, ise and fky both them- ngany th deli- officer irhoare lipts (os that all idiately delWefed up. and all iodividuala whaterer who have in iheir possession aims of any kind, will deliver them up ipthout delay* If ' CHvenumkrmff hand, at Detroit, thk l^th da^ of ^Augutty 181 2, an<2tfifA< 624 year o/ Hu Mqjeitfo reign j\ Qod iOM the King* ' ^Signed,) ISAAC BROCK, Major General. Such was the glorious result, to the British arms, of the first military operations in Canada, during the was. It had, however, an effect throughout the whole of tbi United States, to beget the most violent altercatioM with respect to Uie conduct of General HuU. The government contended that General Hull bad been guilty of the basest and most dastardly cowardice, while he and his friends maintained that tin means with which he was supplied were inadequate to the enterprise with which he was intrusted. A court mar- tial was ordered, before which his conduct in that afiatr underwent a candid and dispasnonate investigatioD, and which, after maturely weighing the evidence in all- its bearings, found him guilty of neglect of duty, unoffi- cerlike conduct and cowardice) and did therefore adjudge him to be diot to death : but the court, con- sidering the advanced age of the prisoner and his revolutionuv services^ (he being 9^ compatriot of the immortal Washington,^ recommended him to mercy. The President, although highly Approving of the sen- tence of the oourt, yet thought proper t& remit iti execution. It Msoflen been contended, by many persons of re^ spectability in the United States,} that the surrender of tWe felt it due to truth— to ffoveimmflnt— td General Hun» ittd ^ "H penoDS directly or indureofly concerned with the facte^ ,1 ■»..«.»:s>»ac!*5,-THPa!»«*- IW liHfoUf or General Hull wM the reinilt of bribeiy ; hoffeter, no eircumstances connected with that Jnfliiir will warrant that conelusion ; nor can it, after a moment's reflection) be conceived that it was the efiect of cowardice. General Hull's character, as « soldier In the Re?ola- tionarv War, stood high ; and his capaeityi^to fill the rank he then held in the service was never questioned ; his fidelity towards his government was ever bevond a doubt, and his principles as^m individual were blended with the finest honor. But the general, after descend* ing far into the vale of time, a period at which every faculty of the mind becomes imbecile, and man is again in childhood, is placed at the head of an undici- plined army, (a situation he never before had filled^) with his imagination replete with horrors of the most fearful description, at the awful tales of the savage ferocity of the Britiah and IndioMf which were propa- gated b^ ignorant and designins people — his ideas magnifying erery danger in a tenfold proportion — Whence he is rendered incapable of wielding the army entrusted to his command, -and therefore surrendered, as he says, to prevent the effbsion of bloods dr dwjanstaiices leading to th^ Mhmueful ca]^itulalion at Detroit, Co 8asiK!n4 our opinipii until a sufficiency of light %ras afTorded to chase away the doubtB and shadows that restM on the strange transaction. But doubt has resolved itsdf into certainty— we no longer hesitate to join in opinion with the whole people of the wefift <* of every seel or pe^uasion, religious or political'/' that the army jst Detroit was treachorously surrendered; and that General Brock ioftead of General Hull ought to have been the prisoner. This ideaii powerfully enforced by many private letters nrom gentlemen of the first respectability in the state of Ohio, who had opportunity to know the verity and strength of the opin- ion advanced ; but the detail by Colonel Gass [see appvidix, J i» conclusive— it is besides supported by a host of testimony in all ike stibtantial facts ie exposes. iVt/1^' RegUtef-^BaUimre. THE LATB WAB. in The foregoing premises are rapported by the tenor of his proelamatioo, as nearly every line of that document breathes a (error not to be disguised. It is corroborated, too, by his communication to Colonel Cass, as appean by that office r^s letter to the Honorable William Ilustia, where he says ** I was informed by General Hull, th« morning after the capitulation, that the British forces consisted of eighteen hundred regulars, and that bo surrendered to prevent the effusion of human blood. That he magnified their vetgular foioe nearly five fold, tbeie cm be no doubt. ** ii "sri'sajMfaRfsgjijiMi*''-' "■ n$ '■■' 1/ IIIBTORT or CHAPTER XV. An AUack ttpon the Po9t of QHeenetm by a Part of Ge- neral V Donald fMrtalhnDOundod — JMeao/fus Wounds — Arrieal of a amall neinforcement Iteaded by General Sheaffe who now aaaumea the Oommand — Renewal of the Conflict — Commumcation opened with Chippawa — > Victory declares^ herself on the Side of tJte British—- Cowardlv Conduct of the United States MiMa — SuT' tender ofGenerod Wadsworih with all the Forces under his Command — Cannonading between Forts George and NiagoKb^AssembHng of another American Force. HowcvGft conxplofd might have been the victory at Detroit to the British arms, yet glories oT a much more brilliant cast awaited them in the defence of their coun- try. Dispirited at such a total failure in General Hull's expedition, it became late in the season befofe the American government could collect a force on the fron- tiers, with which, with any safety, another descent upon Canada could be made. At length, Major Gene- ral Van Rensellaer, of the New-York militia, with a force of four thousand men under his command, (fifteen hundred of whom were regular troops,) established his camp at Lewiston, on the Niagara River, nearly half way between Lake Ontario and the Falls. a Before daylight, on the morning of the 13th October, large division of General Van Rensellaer's army, under Brigadier General Wadswoith, effected a landing at the lower end of the village of Queenston, (opposite to Lewiston,) and made an attack upon the position which was defended with the most determined bravery, by the comma by sue collect* receivi post, fi the hai • led to I the en( gallant mation. a renew momen' shot of hesitati( ball, an Colonel mortRllj died of A rei by Capl and a pi Fort Ge under tl assumed by their exempt i they sei; Thee vantagec * Judge Majesty'B previoua, in coTupai a truly pi "George to 'rohinteer TUB I.ATB WAR. 119 if by the two flank oompniM of the 49th Regiment oomtnanded by CBptairis Dennis and Williams, aided by such of the militia forces and Indians as could be collected in the vicinity. -Major General Brock, on receiving intelligence, immediately proceeded to that post, from Fort George, and arrived at the crisis when the handful of British regulars and militia was compel- led to retire for a time before an overwhelming force of the enemy. However, on the appearance of their gallant chief, the troops were seized with a fresh ani- mation, and were i:led on by that brave general to a renewed exertion['to maintain the post ; but just at the moment of charging the enemy's position, within pistol shot of his jline, and while his ranks wavered with hesitation, General Brock was killed by a musket ball, and with him the position was for a short time lost. Colonel Mc. Donald,^ His provincial aid de camp, was mortally wounded about the same time, who afterwards died of his wounds. A reinforcement of the 41st Regiment, commanded by Captain Derenzy, with a few of the Lincoln Militia and a party of Indians were immediately marched from Fort George to the succor of the troops at Queenstou, under the direction of Major General Sheaffe who now a^nmed the command ; and persons who were, both by their situations in life and by their advanced age, exempt from serving in the militia, made common cause j they seized their arms and flew to the field of action.* The conflict was again renewed, and from the ad- vantageous position taken up by Major Norton, the * Judge Clench of Niagara, an old half pay officer from Hi« Majesty's semce.who had, for some cause or other, some time previous, retired from the command of the 1st Lincoln Militia» in company with a few others equally exempt from service, with a truly patrotic zeal, followed their beloved general from Fort George to Uueenston, and ranged themselves in the ranks as .'roluntcers, to drive the cuemy from their shore. 12a arsTOiiT or I Indian chief, with his warriors on the woody brow of the high gioundS) & communication was opened with Chip- pawa, from whence captain Bullock^ of the 41st Regt. with a detachment of that corps, was enabled to march for Queen ston, and was joined on the way by parties of the IVClitia who were repairing from all quarters, with aU the enthusiasm imaginable, to the field of battle. The fight was maintained, upon both sides^ with courage truly hbroic. The British regulars and militia charged in rapid succession, against a force in number far ex- ceeding their own, until they succeeded in turning the left flank of their column, which rest;ed on the summit of the hill-rthe event <^ the day no longer appeared doubtful. Major General Van' RenselleaT, commanding the American army, perceiving his reinforcements embark- ing very slowly, recrossed the river to accelerate their movements ; but, to his utter astonishment, he found that at the very moment when their services were most required, the ardor of the unengaged troops had entirely subsided. General Van RenseJlaer rode in all direc- tions through his camp, urging his men by every consideration to pass over . Lieutenant Colonel Blqome, who had been wounded in the action and recrossed the river, together with Judge Peck who happened to be in Lewi^^ton at the time, mounted their horses and rode through the camp, exhorting the companies to proceed, but all in vain.* Crowds of the United States militia remained on the American bank of the river, to which they had not been marched in^any order but run as a mob : not one of them would cross. They had seen the wounded recrossing ; they had seen the Indians ; and were panic struck.f There were wretches to be found •Major Geaneral Van Rensellear'a letter to Major General Kj Dearborn, dated •• Head Quarters, Lewiston, 14th Oct. 1812/*^ ' f Aioerican Rq^rt of the Battle of Queetwtoo, in the j could t) militia t rates thi No SG hig the 1 give wa] Uie crest carried a Genei impossib the arm} expende to cover maintain at the I tiie boats in disma; fore con maintain! himself between force by stance sp adopted 1 •Ameri) tGreat Fensible I intelligenci tions with this confli( Amongs Sheaffe, as names of iteady ma iiotiidn, an THE LATE WAR. 121 in the American ranks, who, at this'critical juncture, could talk of the ConstituHonf and the right of the militia to refuse crossing the imaginary line which sepa- rates the two countries.* No sooner had the British forces succeeded iii turn- ing the left flank of the enemy than he visibly began, to give way ; one grand effort was therefore made upon &e crest of his position, in which tl^e heights were carried at the> point of the bayonet. Oeneral Van Rensellaer, having found that it was impossible to urge a man to cross the river to reinforce the army on the heights, and that army having nearly expended its ammunition, boats were immediately sent to cover their retreat ; but a desultory fire, which was maintained upon the ferry from a battery on the bank at the lower end of Queenston, completely dispersed the boats, and many of the boatmen relanded and fled in dismay. Brigadier General Wads worth was there- fore compelled, after a vigorous conflict had been maintained for some time upon both sides, to surrender himself and all his oflicers with nine hundred men, between three and four o'clock in the afternoon, to 9. force by far inferior to his in numbers, which circum- stance speaks loudly in favor of the plan of attack adopted by Major General Sheaffe.'l' *Americi« Report of the Battle of Queenston. fGreat praise is be&tonred on Lieutenant Kerr of the Glengaiy Fensible Light Infantry, in General Sheaffe's Report, for hiji intelligence and active services while employed in communica- tions with the Indian warriors and other flanking parties during this conflict. Amongst the officers mentioned in the Report of General Sheaffe, as having particularly signalized themselves, appear the names of the following of the militia forces, for the gallant and steady manner they led the troops under their command into iiedioni and, with that unparalleled brftvwr^ peculiar to Brttisfi Vv- ) 122 HISTORY or Soon after Major General Brock's arrival at Queefti- Ion, iu the morning, he had sent down an order to Fort George, for cannonading the American fort, Niagara ; the operations of which were so ably directed by Colo> Del Claus and Brigade Major Evans, who were left in command of Fort George and the adjacent batteries, as eompletely to silence the American guns, and to force the garrison to abandon it and take shelter in places of more safety ; by which means much mischief was pre- vented to Fort George and Newark, as the enemy had been throwing heated shot into those places.]; The loss of tlie British anny, in this battle, did not exceed one hundred men, including killed, wounded and missing — while that on the side of the Americans, including deserters, was not less than two thousand : but amongst the killed, the British government and the country had to deplore the loss of one of their bravest and most zealous generals, in Sir Isaac Brock, and one whose memory will long live in the warmest affections of every British subject in Canada.]] troops, for a length of time rastainied the conflict with an orer- wtielming enemy — viz. Lieutenant Colonels Butler and Clark, Captains Hatt, Durand, Rowe, Applegarth, Jas. Crooks, Cooper, RAert Hamilton, Mc.Ewen, and Duncan Cameron; and Lieut. Tbomas Butler, commanding a flank company of Lincoln Militia, and Lieutenant Richardson, commanding a flank com- pany of York Militia; Captain A.Hamilton is likewise highly tpoken of, for his use^ness and activity at the guns under Cap- tain Holcroft, to vrhose company he attached himself, after being disabled from accompanying his troop in the Niagara Dragoons, to Mdeh he then belonged. XThe guns in Fort George were under the immediate direction W Captains Powell and Cameron of the Militia Artillery, during theUth. HSuc^ was the'high esteem in which the character of General B« nifested on both sides, during this sanguinary contest, Gplonel Van Rensellaer, aid de camp to the general of that BamC) who led the van of the invading anrny, dis- played much real courage in the gallant and intrepid mmner in which he formed the division under his com- mand, oh the margin of the river, and led them on to the attack. He even, after receiving four wounds, qo&- tinued to issue his orders. Captain Wool j an officer only ttventy-six yettrsof age likewise displayed great courage and self-devoted* ness to his country ^s service^ The names also of Brigadier Creneral Wadsworth, Colonel Scott, Lieutenant Colonels Christie and Fen» wick, and Captain Gibson with several others of an inferior rank, are honorably spoken of in General Van Rensellaer's conununications to General Dearborn oa the subject On the morning dubsequ^nt to the battle of QueeiH^ ton, General Sheaffe entered into an armistice with tbi American general commanding at Lewiston, to be con» fined to that part of the frontier comprised between lakes Ontario and Erie, subject to a condition that forty* eight hours notice should be given by either party for a recommencement of hostilities. This arrangement wat at first censured, by individuals unaware of the mo» tives by which General SheaiTe was actuated ; itwat not, in the flush of victory, taken into consideration, that the number of American prisoners then in his charge far exceeded the numerical strength of his army, when the In dian force was withdrawn ; and that with his very limite d means of defence, h» bad ft fvontitir of idrif mBe^ to protect . #* m 'iS ^ -r>Ai«i^- 134 HISTORY or «$■ The Amerieans, after recovering in iome measttfe from the disasterous defeat with which they had net at the heights of Queenston, commenced the most vigorous and gigantic preparations for assembling another annyy at Bu^o, for a second descent upon the Nigara fron- tier, under the command of General Smyth $ and if numbers constitute force, they had succeeded beyond their most sanguine hopes. ~ With an army, the least account of which, in any of the American reports, was eight thousand strong — with fifteen pieces of field ordnance — a populous and fertile country in his rear, and the facility afforded him by good roads to draw the supplies for his arniy,' and to bring into the field a formidable artillery — General Smyth was eiiabled to come well prepared for the enter» prise in which he had engaged ; and so sanguine was be of the successful result of his expedition, mal Imb vaimtiiigly promised, on the 10th of the month, ^* that in a few days the txoops under liis command woul4 plant the American standard in Canada ;" and in pursu- ance of which, he issued an, ofier to the commandant of Fort Niagara, to save the buildings of Fort George and the adjacent Mtmu of Newark, as they would be required lor winter quarters for the '* Army of the Centre." '^. fSkm formidable preparations were not unnoticed hj the vigilance of General Sheafie aad the efficient offi- cers under his conmiand ; but successfully to repel such terrific odds was conceived to be, at least, very doubtful ; for, up to the period at which the American general had violated the terms of the armistice, not a singl* British soldier had arrived to reinforce the army ; and^ after the conflict at Queenston, the militia, whieh con- et^^ed the majority of the British force, had beeft permitted to return homis to secure the remaindetli their harvest ti ■r«l^r^~ v..r'<' ■ ■ •JJiiit"' THE LATB WAS. 125 However, on the first alarm being given of the hostile movements of this American army, those sufiiciently hairassed but loyal militiamen promptly returned to their posts, fully determined to dispute every inch of ground while a man was left to defend it. The flaming proclamations of General Smyth — the extended columns of cavalry and infantry, and the im- mense park of artillery with which he was enabled to line the American shore — and the continued marching and countermarching of countless battalions — attended with all the pomp of war and parade of martial bombast which the prolific mind of General Smyth was capable of calling into contribution, for the purpose of intimida- tion — were lost upon men so firmly attached to their k|])g and devoted to the^ service of their country. # -:^i; ■il*!* u 4.^A y IM HISTOItT Of vv! CHAPTER XVI f%e American Forces^ assembled on the Niagara Rvatfy placed under the Command of General Smyth — Awh ther Invasion of Canada — The Invaders completely repelled — Indignant Feelings of the American Troop* at the Conduct of General Smyth — Second Attempt of General Smyth to invade Canada — Complete Failure i» that Attempt — The American Army retires to TTiw- ter Quarters — Geographical Description of the Country in tlie Vicinity of Niagara and Queenston — Remarks on the Conclusion of the first Yearh Campaign — Effect ilie Result of the First military Operations had on tht public Mind in America — Proposals of Mr. Mo/^ou for Terms of Pacification — Rejection of those Terms. The American army lay ii^ ^amp along the tines, until the latter part of the month, daily gathering fresh accessions of strength. During the 25th and 26th, the JliDvements of General Smyth appeared to menace an ^iDunediate invasion. On the morning of the 27th, at dayhreak, agreeably to an order of General Sheaffe, issued the previous eve* ning, the guns of Fort George with those of the batteries in the vicinity, simultaneously opened a fire on Fort Niagara, which was continued throughout the day ; and, according to the American official ^counts, with consi* derable execution. On the night of the 28th, a -strong corps of the ene- my under Oobnel Boerstlerand Captain King, aided by » party of seamen, crossed the river about two miles below Fort Erie, apparently for the purpose of siezing the batteries, preparatory to the movement of the main l>ody of Genera] Smyth^s £»rce« The battfries were ^ TitB UTB WAS. 127 ine- Ules King e67ered by detachments from f 49th Regiment, eom- manded by Lieutenants Bartlcy and Lamont, who defended their posts with the accustomed braverv of th« corps to which they belonged; but the overwnelming force of the enemy obliged them to retire < ^ In this contest, Lieutenant Lamont was severe^ wounded, having received not less than twenty-ons buck-shot in different parts of his body, and the detach- ment under his command literally ** cut to pieces.* Lieutenant Bartley, after making a circuitous retreat by the edge of the woods, joined Captain Whelan of i\m Newfoundland Fencibles, who, with hit own company and three companiiBs of the 3d Regiment of Lincoln Militia, was repairiiog in double quick time to the relief of the forces defending the batteries. The enemy had^ by this time, gained possession of the worluk The enemy was again assailed, sn eseal^ eftected, and the batteries re-takea at the pOiAtiif tb* bayonet. A most den)erate resistance was made by ^il enemy, but without effect Captain King, of the Amert^ can forces, a brave and meritorioufl officer, am^jibdtit thirty-eight non-commissioned officers and rank aitidfile^ were made prisoners of war. Colsnel Boerstler re- crossed the nver ; and from the number of killed and wounded of the Americans strewed over the ground on which the conflict was maintabed^ it was ev^nt they had suffered very fleverely. Upon hearing the dre of Ihe mtending pardea^ Colonel Bishop, who comm«nd(ed at Chippawa, immedi- flely ordered me militSa under lieutenant Colonel CiaA and Major Hatt towards the scene of action. Major ^ Ormsby, too, commandant of Fort £Irie, marched with a part of his command, consisting of a detachment df the 49th Regiment, to the succor of the troops engaged; hxA th^ie d«tfM;hioent9 only wnyelia time to mtm$ / 128 I RlflTOftY OF the gallant conduct of their brethren in arms, who had effectually repelled the invtders from the shores of their country. ' By the united exertions of Captain Kirby of the Mi- litia Artillery, and Bombardier Jackson of the Royal Artillery, with the men under their command, the guns, which the enemy had dismounted on leaving the bat- teries, were replaced on their carriages and brought to bear upon the reiireating boats with much effect. General Smyth was contemned and ridiculed by peo- ple of all ranks and conditions in the United States, for ! his pusillanimous conduct in the management of this expedition ; and in order, in :; jme measure, to wipe off the stain which justly adhered to his character, he pro- mised to make a more effectual attempt; butscarcelly did even this promise suffice to suppress the indignant feelings which his conduct had' already excited in the minds of the officers and men of bis army. In pnrsaance oi General Smyth's promise, the army «nder ais command waa collected at Black Rock, for tfie pii^poge of making another attempt upon Canada, l^Hany of the Indian nations," says he, << when this contest commenced, were engaged in active warfare with th ter, which brought the ship to the wind against her helm, and left her exposed to a galling fire from the Constitution, which had placed herself on the larboard bow of the Guerriere, and was raking her fore and aft. At the sam6 time, her marines and riflemen were pick- ing from the decks of the Guerriere all whom they found to be most efficient. Several'attempts were made by the crew of the Guer- riere, to board her opponent ; but the sea ran so high, and the ship refusing to answer her helm, it was found to be impracticable. At twenty minutes past sis, the fbre and main masts of the Guerriere went over the starboard side, which com-^ piletely rendered the guns on that side useless; and just as the crew had finished clearing the wreck, the sprit-sail yard gave way, which left the sfiip an unmanageable wreck in the trough of the sea, rolling her main-deck guns under water. The Constitution, which had pre- viously shot ahead to refit, had now completed and returned to tlie contest; when Captain Dacres called together the few officers who remained, and held a short consultation, the result of which was, that they con 136 H16TOB7 or ceived any farther resistance a useless waste of valuable lives ; the Union Jack was, therefore, taken from the stump of the mizen mast, where it had been, fiom necessity, nailed fast On board of the Guerriere, there were fifteen killed and Mxty-three wounded ; amongst the latter of whom was Captain Dacres, who received a severe contusion in the back ; and on board of the Constitution, there were eight killed and twelve wounded. No blame could possibly be attached to the officers and crew of the Guerriere : she was defended with the most consummate skill and gallantry, against a force almost double their superior in strength, in almost overy point of view, and only surrendered when further resist- ance would have been the most prodigal waste of lives of the brave crew that had already done their duty to their king and country. £t redounds much to the honor of the United Statea— the manner in which the officers and seamen of the ^Constitution conducted themselves towards their prisou- ers. It was the conduct of the brave towards the brave, and the wounded were attended with every mark of kindness. Language fails when a description is attempted of the triumph of the people of the United States, on hearing of this, their first naval victory (if after such an unequal contest it might be so called,) over "the lords of the main," who, until now, had driven every other power from the face of the ocean that ventured to contest their dominion on that element. Public entertainments, of the most splendid de&cription, were prepared by the citi- zens of Boston, for the officers and crew of the Consti- tution, on their landing at that place ; and^ in every town through which Captain Hull passed, the example of the citizens of Boston was fiuthlully copied. THE LATE WAR. 137 ipte Tlie war wa« now becoming popular throughout America ; and it was in contemplation to augment the American navy^so as to cope with tlutt of Great Britain. Although there were some unthinking people in Eng- land, who censured Captain Dacres for not rather having allowed himself and crew to go to the bottom than to have surrendered to an enemy whom they looked upon as contemptible, yet there were others — and those, too, who were more capable of forming a juster value of the American character, and who made a proper es- timate of the relative strength of the two vessels — who formed quite a different opinion on the subject. To the groundless apprehensions, generated in a mo- ment of disappointment, the best answer probably which could be made, is contained in the following very sen- sible and very pertinent remarks*, wliich may be read with interest when the puny naval force of Ame-» rica shall be forgotten. " There are three of the American frigates, viz. — the Constitution, the President and the United States, which were originally intended for line of battle ships, and are of one thousand six hundred tons burthen and up- wards, admeasurement. They carry fourteen twenty- four pounder long guns, at each side on their main deck, and are armed on their quarter deck and forecastle, which nearly meet, with fourteen thirty-two pounders, carronades, on each side — ^making a total of fifty-six guns heavy. By their capacity, this battery is elevs ^d possibly ten feet above the lead water line, [from Uie lower side of the main deck ports. *Copied from a respectable English periodical of that day, »i M I in ' JU. >d6 HlfiTQRir or r *^ It is right further to remark, that this great capacity enables them to possess considerably larger scuttles for ventilating them between decks ; and by such combined power of space and air, they are enabled to carry a complement of from four hundred and fifty to five hun- dred men. " It is also worthy of remark, that this portion of theif navy forms the elite of the corps, has been long ir. com- mission, and commanded by their best officers ; add to which, that they are our own degenerate sons that riian them, many of whom are absolutely fighting against uS) -tjtif-- < TBE LATE WAR. 139 quently proceeds into battle, a willing sacrifice to the honor of the flag whose independence he :« most cer- tainly bound to maintain. But surely there should be some bounds to such honorable chivalry. Formerly it was necessary, or at least thought so, for a regiment to remain under a severe galling fire which possibly they could not return to advantage, merely because a British soldier was never to turn his back on an enemy. But such courage is better managed now a days, thanks to Lord Wellington and other able men who have learned at his lordship's school . And why not permit our frigates ^of which, I repeat it, the Gtierrlere and Macedonian are as good specimens of force as we can bring ; and being botii taken in single action shows, that they are not equal to such frigates of the American navy as befora described,) to retire from such force, as they are accus- tomed to do from two decked sliips ? << It is said by some, who rather delight in exhibiting any loss of war, (this country must in common share with other nations,) as the faults of tlie persons whose cause they do not espouse, that we do not man our ships sufficiently. Why not, say they, muster the same num- ber of men as the American frigates? The answer is easy— our frigates cannot stow them; and if stow them, or rather crowd them, they could not take the necessary supplies of provisions for the usual period of a common foreign service, in which British ship- ping are chiefly engaged, in consequence of our vast dominions abroad and extensive commercial relations. Our frigates of the first class, with the exception of the Endymion and Cambria, the former now repair- ing, and the latter either taken to pieces or about to be, are about one thousand and fifty tons, six hun- dred tons less than either of the American frigates before described. .1 ' >»■ *-< m HtSTORT Of << It may bo then said, and indeefd is already said, build them! This certainly may be done, and pro* bably will be done to a proper extent, if any fit two decked ships whose upper works are in a fitate of decay, can be found to cut down*. It is also poss^ ble mat the departtnent of goyemment to which this great responsibility attaches, may be disposed to db so ; time, however, must be allowed for such a pro^ cess. It is easy for people who know little of the subject, to clamor why have we not this or that, the moment it is wanted. Do our countrymen, at least the sensible fart, forget that our navy, with the most rigid economy, costs ^us twenty millions sterling an- nually, and would if such prodigs^ity were used, cost us thirty millions? Do they forget of what perisha- ble materials ships are composed? Do they forget that dreadful disease, the dry rot? But suppose we had thiee, or four, or six, say, of^this description of frigates, fike the Americans, either building or cutting down larger shipd for the purpose, it might happen, and most likely would happen, that they never would meet the latge Americans. The two finest British fiigates, the Endymion and Cambrian, have, I will not say never been engaged at all, but, certainly ne- ver with a frigate of any description. « But even admitting that \ve had them, and that they did meet, might not some of our fast sailing two deck shins, now in the American seas, be equally and successfully employed — ^nay, better; for the certainty of victory, with a comparatively less loss, would be *These remarks Are olily'adaptied to the period in which the war was in progress ; but it must be recollected it is of thatperiod that the author is writing $ and he is anxious that not only the present age, in which he writes, but posterity may be made acquainted with all the circumsttuoices under which the war was StfQsecuted on both sidesi Ihthe period ly the (made Irwas THE LATE WAR. 141 greater. On the whole, therefore, I consider that the nation should at once vote, as it v^ere, these three American soi disant frigates, line of hattle ships ; and support a man, and not run his character down, who considered it right to retire from one. Thev would then be of DO more consequence than any other ihips of war ; and, by being liable to capture by one of our two deckers, are the description of ships, that, if the American war could long continue, would be too ex- pensive for frigates, and not of force for the line. .1 i Hll IIISTORr OF " CHAPTER XVm. A number of merchant Vessels captured hy tfie Host of Ainericau Privateers which began to infest the Ocean- Engagement between tfie British armed Brig Frolic and the United States Sloop of War Wasp — Crew of the Wasp boards tJte Frolic — Frolic captured — Arrival of the Poictiers of seventy-four GunSy which conduct^' both of the Vessels intQ Bermuda — Captain Jones , oj the Waspy arrives in the United States — Action between the Macedonian and the United States — Macedonian capturedh-^aptain Cardenas Reception on Board the United States— 'Action between the British Frigate Java and the United States Frigate Constitution- Captain Lambert mortally wounded — Capture of the Java — Remarks. Fresh proofs were daily accumulating, that the naval forces of America were not wanting in point of Vf lor and naval tactics/ as was by many, at the commence- ment of the war, supposed to be the case ; but that they were probably, at some future period, should the war continue, destined to dispute the dominion of the ocean with Britania herself. American privateers began to swarm from every port in the United States, by which numerous captures of British trading vessels were made ; besides which, repeated engagements with the public armed vessels were occurring, amongst which was an encounter between His Majesty's armed brig Frolic and the United States sloop of war Wasp. On the morning of the 18th of October, in latitude^ 36 deg. N. and long. 64 deg. W. — His Majesty's armed brig Frolic, Captain Whinyates, being on her homeward bound voyage from the Bay of Honduras, having under convoy six richly laden merchantmen from that quarter, while the crew were employed repairing damages which THE LATE WAR. 143 »he had sustained the preceding night in a violent gale of wind, in which she had carried away her main-yard, lost her top-sails, and sprung her main-top-mast, she descried a strange sail which gave chase to the convoy. Captain Whinyates immediately dropped astern ; and, not yet aware of the war between Great Britain and tlie United States, he hoisted Spanish colors^ with a view to decoy the sail and give the convoy time to escape. About ten oVlock, the sail closed with the Frolic, and proved to be the American sloop of war, Wasp Captain Jacob Jones. A close and spirited action com- menced ; the fire was maintained on bpard the Frolic with such animation, for a time, and apparently with such good effect, as encouraged every hope of a speedy termination in their favor; but the gafi-head braces being shot away, and the main-mast entirely stript of canvass, the brig became completely unmanageable. The enemy, taking advantage of this, shot ahead and raked her fore and aft, while the Frolic was nnable tp bring a gun to bear ou her antagonist The Wasp again took up her position on the larboard side of the Frolic, and rx)ntinued to pour in a most destructive fire. The Frolic, at length, fell with her bowsprit between the main and mizen rigging of the enemiy, when she was immediately boarded and the British colors hauled down, within about fifty minutes after the commencement of the action. What must have been the astonishment of the Ameri- can seamen, when they found not a man alive on the deck of the Frolic, except three officers and the mariner at the wheel. Such was the determined bravery with which the Frolic was defended ; and nothing but the crippled slate of the brig, occasioned by the heavy gale she had encountered the preceding right, could ha,ve \ i : f V- m if* J 144 HlflTORT OP brought on such a speedy and disasterous issue, as the vessels wore nearly equal :q streugth, bolh as regarded men and guns. The loss of the Frolic, in this sanguinary engage- ment, was thirty killed and fifty wounded j while in the Wasp, the loss was only trifling. On the same day, while Captain Jones was refitting in order to convey his prize into port, a sail hove in sight, which proved to be the British ship of war, Poictiers, of seventy-four guns, commanded by Cap- tain Sir John Beresford, who re-captured tho Frolic, imd captured the W&sp, conducting both vessels into Bermuda. A short time after. Captain Jones was exchanged ; and the demonstrations of joy with which he was re- ceived in the United States, were almost without a parallel. *• " The Congress presented the officers and crew of the Wasp with the sum of twenty-five ihousanddollars as a compensation for the loss of their prize ; and Captain Jones was appointed to the command of the Macedo- nian frigate, which the United States government had purchased from the captors. The American navy was destined, before the termi- nation of this year, to acquire yet further triumphs on the ocean; which, the high character maintained for a series of years by the British navy over the naval forces of those powers witli whom they had been at war, rendered, at once, a subject of astonishment and af- fliction. Early on the morning of the 26th of October, 1812, a few minutes after daybreak, His Majesty^s frigate Macedonian, commaaded by Captain John Sxavm Carde: W.,d for it I frigate and CO Abo and the diately the ene Carden wished and ere lighter raged fo came to to close that, ev( enemy i match. Yet, Captain and ten occurren during \[ was sho the caps, woundec tion on guns on t^vo, and THE LATE WAR. Uft Carden, in lat. 29 dcg. N- and long. 20 deg. 80 m. W., descried a sail to leeward, which, after standing for it some time, was discovered to be an American frigate of the largest class, called the United States and commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur. About nine o'clock, the frig .tos neared each other, and the United States opened her fire, which was imme- diately returned by the Macedonian ; but, by reason of the enemy keeping two points off the wind, Captain Carden was prevented coming as close to him as he wished. In this situation, so discouraging to the officers and crew of the Macedonian, her guns being of so much lighter calibor than those of the enemy.; the action raged for an hour ; after which the enemy backed and came to the wind, when the Macedonian brought her to close quarters. However, it was soon discoverable that, even then, the superior strength of force of the enemy rendered the British frigate a very unequal match. Yet, notwithstanding the great disparity of force. Captain Carden maintained the battle for two hours and ten minuted, vainly hoping that some fortunate occurrence might turn the engagement in his favor; during which time, the mizen-mast of the Macedonian was shot away by the board, top-masts shot away by the caps, main-yard shot in pieces, lower masts badly wounded, lower rigging all cut to pieces^ a small propor- tion only of the fore-sail lef to the fore-yard, all the guns on the quarter-deck anri fore-castle disabled but Uyoj and filled with wreck, two also on the main-deck 1 Jf ^4^ HISTpftr of^ (disabled, and. several shots between Wind f^nd water, and a very great projpQrtion of the crew killed an|[ wounded*. During the engagement, the enemy had sustained but very little damage, in comparison with that of the Ms^edonian, and had now shot ahead, to place himself in a^f^sition to rake his antagonist, while she rolled ip the trough o^f the led^ a perfect wreck and unmansfgea- ble log|{. At this crisis of the battle, no alternative teemed to present itself to Captain Cfirden Init the paior ful extremity of a surrender. The heavy loss sustained on board of the Macedo^ piaU) iu this eventful and sanguinary engagement, together with the skillful manner in whidh she was brought into action and maintained the fight, fully evince that neither to a want of courage or a knowledge of naval tatics was the defeat to be attributed ; for every e£fort oi both had been exhausted, and every hope of success (even by chance itself,) had disappeared, before the mortifying thought of a surrender had suggested itself; and to have maintained the action longer, would have l>een a most unpardonable sacrifice of lives rendered, long ere this, truly invaluable to their country. The loss of the Macedonian was very great : she had thirty-six killed, thirty-six severely wounded, many of whom, on examination, were despaired of, and thirty- two slightly wounded—- total loss of the Macedonian, one hundred and four. The loss of the United States frigate is stated, in Commodore Pecatur's report^ to be * Captain Garden's Report to John W. Croker, Esquire, dated 28th October, 1812. r"Y*-^*^-" THi UTB War. m dated billy seven killed and five wounded ; bi^ tlMi vessel was very much shattered both in hull and ri|^ng. Captain Garden states, that after being taken o^ board the United States, a lieutenant and six men of that ves- sel were thrown overboard. • " On being taken on board the enemy's ship,^ ^y^ the gallant Garden, in his jrepNort, ^* I ceWsed to wohcier at the result of the battle. The United States is buill with the scantling of. a seventy-four gun ship, poounting thirty long twenty-four pounders (English ship g^ns,) on her main-deck, and twenty-two forty-two ppurtders carronades, with two long twenty-four potinders on her quarter-deck and forecastle, howitzer ^nk pn her tobs^ and a travelling carronade on her upjper dec^, yitn a complement of four hundred and seventy-^ight jpicked men." » „. The reception which Gaptain Carden hadwlien tftkei^ oti board the United States, by the gallant Decatur, Was truly characteristic of a brave and generotii tiiin^r ana must have been a source of consolation io Gaj^t&iii Gar- den in that moment pf disaster. Wheh Gi^tain dkrden presented his sword to the Americiin commodore. " 1 cannot think," said that magnanimous chief, << of islcin^ the sword of ah officer who had that day proved that he knew so well how 'to use it; and, instead of takin'^ his sword, he should feel a peculiar ha|)p(hes& in taking him by the hand.^ On the anival of the news of this victory, the most unbounded joy was evinced tiiroughbut the United States ; and on the evening of its amval at Washington, , i^the capitiU,) the city was ^ost brilliantly illuminated. Another naval action, which, too, terminated in favor of the American flag, closes the afiairs on the ocean for ihis year. This was fought by the Java trigiate of thirty-eight guns^ commanded by Gaptain LamhArf «» | ■P> 148 HISTORY Of the United States frigate Constitution, now ooipmandedi by Commodore Bainbridge*. On the 29th of December, 1812, the Java being on an outward bound voyage to die East Indies, in latitude thirteeii degrees and six minutes south, and longitude thirtynsix degrees west, and from ten to fifteen leagues from St Salvador, discovered a strange sail which "waa soon asce^ned to be the American frigate Constitution The Constitution commenced the action by firing at the Java, while at some distance ; the Java immedi- ately returned a broadside : both ships begun to near each other, manoeuvring alternately to gain a raking position and to avoid being raked ; during which an in- cessant fire was * maintained on both sides with and round shot. grape ( > I At two o'clock, P. M., the ships came to close quar- ters* The battle raged, in this situation, tii* ^» ^bin- a few minutes of three, when the unequal forf . the enemy was becoming more and more appareic The jib-boom of the Java having got foul of the mizen rig- ging of the Constitution, Captain Lambert endeavored to shoot ahead and e:s:tricate himself from the enemy, and rake him fore and aft, preparatory to boarding him ; but, while performing this manceu/re, the main-top-mast of the Java was shot aw^y directly above the cap, lost her gaff and spanker-boom, and had hermizen-mast shot away nearly by the board, t During this part of the sanguinary struggle, the gal- lant Captain Lambert, who had hitherto engaged himself in every part of the ship where the greatest fury of the *For t\M strength of the frigHtc Constitution, sec pages 134 and- 137. H sUll ■^m^^'';^■ THE LATE WAR. 149 biitl< Seemed to rage, in animating his brave crew with his presence, and by his skill directing their exertions^ now fell, mortally Wounded in~ the breast; and was, of e6urse, in cbnsequence, obliged to quit the command^ which devolved on Lieutenant Chads, the first Lieuten- ant of the ship, who bravely defended the frigate until every source of hope had failed of saving the vessel from filling into the hands of the enemy. The gtins of the Java were completely covered with wreck, and not a spar standing, and the Constitution hflid been laid athwart her bows, and was in the very instant of effectually raking her decks, before the officer commanding the Java could reconcile his mind to a surrender ; but the idea of sacrificing so many valuable lives without the slightest hope of making the least fur- ther resistance, only determined him to surrender His Majesty's frigate to the American commaader ; the only remaining color, which had been made fast to the stump of the mizen-mast, was therefore taken down. Captain Lambert only survived his defeat six days, when that gallant naval officer surrendered his life, (a valuable one to his country,) covered with wreaths of laurels. i ^-. " The Java," says|Pommodpre Bainbridge, in a letter to a jriend^ dated at sea, 2^ January, 1.813, ." was " ose death officer ?jiClii|^i^ w^ll fought. I^r Lambert, wfiosi since^y regret, was ^ distinguished gallant and worthy man." The JsjjMULon board a number of passengers for the East nll^tation, amongst whom were Lieutenant General ^JHp, appointed to the command of Bombay, with MaJlQ^flValker and Capltain Wood, his aids d« camp, besides Mr. Marshall, master and commander in the Royal Navy, procee^ding otit to assume the command «f a sloop of war on the Indian station. Such a determined N2 / ^'i ^ .1 169 HISTOBr ov defence was made on board the Java, notwithstanding the great disparity of force, that she was so wrecked by the fire of the enemy as to render it impracticable to take her to the United States ; she was therefore set on fire and blown up. The prisoners were landed at Saint Salvador, on parole, to return to England. The loss of the Java, in this engagement, was im- mensely great. It appears from the report of Lieutenant Chads to the admiralty, that there were twenty-two killed and one hundred and two wounded*; while tho loss of the Constitution was only ten men killed and *The following letter, (if genuine,) said to have been Ibundoii board the (Constitution, after the removal of the prisoners into St. Salvador, gives the loss of the Java much higher than the report of Lieutenant Chads. However, the reader, after consider- ing the various inconsistent and ridiculous accounts of the circumstances of the war, from American sources, (as we have only the American account for thb letter,) must exercise his own judgment in giving it credence. "Prisoner on board the Constitution, American FHgate^ St. Salvador, Brazils, 1st January, 1813. tt My Dear Sir— I am sorry to inform you of Ae unpleasant news of Mr. Gas- coine's death. Mr. Gascoine ^jfid myself were shipmates i li the Marlborough, and first came^ to sejiftogether.. He was shot early in the action, by a roun^shot, in ms right thigh, and died in a few minutes afterwardi# Four others of his pMnates shared the same fate, together with sixt^ men kilIe%Saone hundred and sixty wounded. TbeJ^fficial account you will, no doubt have read before this reacha you. I beg you will let all his friends and relations know of his untimely fate. " We were on board the Java for a passai fell in with the frigace. Two parcels I have sen! care, and hope this will reach you safely. ** Yours, truly, (signed,) H. D, "Lieut. Peter V, Wood, 22d,Regt. of Foot, Isle of France or Bourbon/East Ixkdies.'' , when we nder good RNECK, • THE LATE WAR. 151 forty-six wounded — by the American report, the num- ber on board of the Constitution is said to be only nine killed and twenty-five wounded. In point of strength, the Java might be said to b€ nearly equal to the Guerriere when she engaged the Constitution. True she had a number of extra seamen on boaid, for the purpose of manning ships of war in the East Indies; but these only crowded her decks and probably rendered the event more unpropitious. These naval disasters were viewed, by a^ number of' people in England, as a certain precursor of the repres- sion of that naval pride and prowess, ia British seamen, which had in such an enunent degree contributed to their ascendancy on the ocean; but, by those better acquainted with the advantages under which an Ami«ri- can vessel at all times engaged her anttth Mr, Mbnr&6 on just be^tt tftken & ittt^dp^<;t) tiegotilftictti^ vrtr^ in (ftb- gresff for &e j^vtfpmiM btiin^iig ttf ft gooduii i*ii(,.|^nt.,vn „. r.^^^:< •■'ititntmmemti^Hi THE LATE WAR. 155 But bis lordship did not forset to inform Mr. Russel, that) from the period at which his instructions must haye been issued, it was obvious this overture must have been determined upon by his government in ignorance of the Orders in Council of the 23d June ; and as ^ clause in his instructions actually forbid a departure from the conditions already specified, it only remained for his lordship to add that the Prince Regent felt him- self under the necessity of declining to concede the proposition therein contained, as being on various grounds absolutely inadmissible* His lordship, in the same letter apprised Mr. Russel, that the British governpient, as fiopn as it had reason to aj^rehend that Mr. Foster's functions might have cease4 in America, in consequence of war having been declared by that government before the aforementioned repei^ of the Orders in Council of the 23d June, an^ the ii^- structipns consequent thereupon could have reached him, measures had been taken for authoris^igzthe British admiral on the American station to propose to the government of the United States an immediate an4 reciprocal revocation of all hostile orders, with the ten- der of giving full effect, in the event of hostilities beiqg discontinued, to the provisions of s.aid order, upon th« conditions therein specified. His lordship, in consequence, as he himsejf states* declines entering into a detailed discussion of the propo- sitions which Mr. Russel had been directed to bring forward ; as his [Mr. RussePs] government had delega- ted to him no powers to negotiate thereon ; and therefore rested the negotiation v^holly between the admiral at the port of Halifax, and the government of the United States. His lordship further expressed his surprise, that a condition preliminary even to a suspension of hostilities, no greater security should be given by the American M 156 HISTORY or government, diah a' simple as8iiranQ,e that a law should be hereafter passed prohibiting the employment of Bri- tish seamen in the public or commercial .ser^'ice of the tJnited States ; and even on ^ucfa fallacious security a demand should be made, that that government should immediately desist from its ancient and accustomed practice of impressing British seamen from the merchant ships of foreign nations ; yet his lordship expressed the willingness of the Britlf^ government to receive from . the government of the United States, and amicably dis* cuss, any proposition professing to have in view, either to check abuse in the exercise of the practice of impress- ment, or to accomplish by means less liable to vexation the object for which impressment had hitherto beeii jTound necessary. On the morning of the Ist of September, Mr. Russel received Lord Castlereah's communication containing the Prince Regent's decision regarding the propositions alluded to; upon which the American ambassador addressed a note, on the same day, announcing his in- tention to embark immediately at rlymouth on board the ship Lark, for the United States j and on the day follow- ing, an admiralty order was transmitted to him from tiie foreign offiiee, for the protection of that ship as a cartel on her voyage to America, and for the free em- barkatiun of his family, retinue and baggage, and the effects oif the legation. • During the diplomatic intercourse between Lord Cas- tlereah '-nd Mr. Russel, for the purpose of arresting the progress of the war. Sir John Borlase Warren, admiral of the blue and British naval commander on the Halifax station, opened a conospondence with Mr. Monroe, the American secretary of state, having in view the same object. Admiral Warren, in a note dated 30th September, ftcquaints Mr. Monroe of the revocation of the Order$ TH» L^TE WAR. 157 in Council affecting American commerce, proposing at the same time that the American government should in- stantly recall their letters of marque and reprisal against British ships, together with all instructions for any acts of hostility wliatever against the territories of His Majesty, or the persons or property of his subjects, with a particular understanding that immediately on the receipt of an official assurance to that effect, corresponding instructions should be issued by the British government, preparatory to a final pacification between the two countries. In answer to the above communication, Mr. Munroe, ir 1 despatch dated ** Department of State, 27th October, 1812," after referring to Mr. RusseFs correspondence with 'Lord Castlereah, and its unhappy issue, and ex- pressing his hopes that, as the British government had authorised iiim to propose a cessation of hostilities, it was doubtless aware of the important and salutary effect which a satisfactory adjustment of (his difference cannot fail to have on the future relations between the two countries — he likewise added, that he indulged the hope that the British government, before this period, had invested him with full power for that purpose " Expe- rience," adds Mr. Monroe, " has sufficiently evinced that no peace can be durable unless this object is pro- vided for." After the secretary informing Admiral Warren that it was, without further discussion of questions of right, the ardent desire of the President to provide a remedy for the evils complained of on both sides, he proceeds to state, that the claim of the government of Great Britain is to take from the merchant vessels of other countries British subjects ; in the practice of which, the command- ers of British ships of war often take from vessels of the Tnited States American citizens. r « o 156 nisTOET or If the United States prohibit the employment of Bri« tish subjects in thoir service, and enforce the prohibition, by suitable regulations and penalties, the motive for the practice is taken away. It is in this mode that the President is willing to accomodate this important con- troversy with the British government, and it cannot be conceived on what ground the arrangement can be refused. - • A iQspension of the practice of impressment, pending the armistice, ^continues Mr. Monroe,) seems to be a necessary consequence. It cannot be presumed^ while the parties are engaged in a negotiation to adjust amicably tnis important difference, that the United States would admit the right, or acquiesce in the practice, of jkfae opposite party, or that Great Britain would be un- willing to restrain her cruisers. By what parity of reasoning Mr. Monioe could for a moment presume that the British government would inunediately suspend a practice by which the strength of her navy was ensured, and her right to which had never been questioned but by America — merely on an assurance that a reciprocal law should be afterwards passed by his government — is a problem not easy of solution- Mr. Monroe, after making a few explanations on some clauses of Mr. RussePs instruction:}, adds in conclusion, **' that if thei-e were no objection to an accomodation of the differences relating to impressment in the mode pro- posed, other than the suspension of the British claim to impressment during the armistice, there can be none to proceeding, without the armistice, to an immediate dis- cussion and arrangement of an article on that subject This great question being satisfactorily adjusted, the way would be opened to an armistice or any other course TBI LATE WAR. 159 ktcKng moai coBTeniently and ezpeditiouil j to a general padfication." However, the instructions transmitted td Admiral Warren by the British government, only authorised him lo arrange with the government of the United States, in the event of an armistice, as far as regarded the revoca- tion of the laws which interdicted Sie commerce and ships of war from the harbors and waters of the United States, while those of France, hor adversary, had ever enjoyed that privilege — leaving for a subsequent discu»> sion all other grounds of difference between the two governments. All meims which hau been hitherto rt- sorted to, for an accom dation between the rival stateff having failed, negotiations were f topped; andwarcoiP» tinued to be prosecuted with every possible energy on both sides. '*! I r' V-M^^ **U-xJJi,k*^Ji'j!^ ,t*»'%v>"o:'- ^vig»r^ ■ 160 HISTORY or T^v CHAPTER XX. Me€itih>g of the United States Congress — Substance of the President's Message^ as regarded the Affairs with Great Britain— Refers to the Slate of Finance — Presi- V dent's Vieu) in declaring War. \ _ . ■ I On the 3d day of November, being the time appoint- "*'. ed by law for the meeting of the United States congress, the speaker, Mr. Clay, took the chair at twelve o'clock ; when it was found that thirty-eight members were in their places in the house. In the senate only eighteen laembers were present ; and, that number not being a quorum, both houses were adjourned until next day, when a quorum was present. The committees for that purpose then announced to the president, that the two nouses were ready to receive any communication he had to make, when Mr. Madison, by his private secretary, Mr. Cole, presented a message. After the usual routine of congratulations common to such state papers, Mr. Madison calls the attention of congress to the motives for assembling a large military force under the command of General Hull, in the Michigan Territory, before the declaration of war — rep- resenting it as a measure of precaution and forecast, with a general view to the security of the frontier ; and in the event of war, to such operations in the upper parts of the provinces of Canada as would intercept the hostile influence of Great Britain over the savages, obtain the command of the lake on which that part of Canada borders, and maintain a co-operating relation with such forces as might be most conveniently employed against other parts. After adveiting to the disasterous result of the expe- dition under General Hull ia the Michigan Territory, THE LATE WAI. 161 the ^president stattes that that defeat <' was not without its consoling effects. It was followed," says he, " by sig- nal proofs that the national spirit rises according to the pressure on it. The loss of an important post and of the brave men surrendered with it, inspired, every where, new ardor and determination. In the states and districts least remote, it was no sooner known than every citizen was ready to fly to arms — at once to protect his brethren against tne blood-thirsty savages let loose by the enemy on an extensive frontier, and to convert a partial calami- ty into a source of invigorated efforts. ** This patriotic zeal," adds Mr. Madison, << which it was necessary rather to limit than excite, has embodied an ample force from the states of Kentucky and Ohio, and from parts of Pennsylvania and Virginia." Tills annual exposition of national affairs, next adverts to the descent made by General Van Rensselaer on the post at Queenston, on the Niagara River, and of liis subsequent defeat and the capture of his army ; and ascribes its unfavorable termination to the great supe- riority of the force with which that army had to contend, and their not receiving timely support by reinforce- ments*. The next topic to which Mr. Madison directs the attention of the national legislature, is the disappointment to which their imaginations had been subjected, by not gaining the command of the lakes, as every efibrt in the invasions made into Canada, aimed to that parti- cular object ; however, measures had been adopted to provide a naval force on those waters, which, it was confidently hoped, would prove superior to that of the enemy ; and from the talents and activity of the officer *Stf Battle of Qucentton, page 118. 02 fVh 162 HISTORY or charged with this service, every thing that could be done might be expected ; and that the progress made this season would doubtless secure for the next their naval ascendancy, where, as Mr. Madison remarks, it was essential to a permanimt peace and control over the savages. "Among the incidents," says Mr. Madison in his mes- sage, "to the measures of the war, I am constrained to advert to the refusal of the governors of Massachusetts ar.d Connecticut, to furnish the required detachments of militia towards the defence of the maritime frontier. The refusal was founded on a novel and unfortunate exposition of the provisions of the constitution relating to the militia -It is obvious," says he, "that if the authority of the United States to call into service and command the militia, for the public defence, can be thus frustrated, even in a state of declared war, and of course under apprehensions of invasion preceding war, they are not one nation for the purpose most of all requi- ring it ; and that the public may have no other resource than in those large and permanent military establish- ments which are forbidden by the principles of a free government, and against the necessity of which the mili- tia were intended as a contitutlonal bulwark." The president next adverts to the affairs on the ocean, which he represents to have been as favorable to the arms of the United States as circumstances inseparable from its early stages could well permit them to expect. " Our public ships," says he, " and private cruisers by their activity and, where thefe was occasion, by their intrepidity, have made the enemy sensible of the dif- ference between a reciprocity of captures and the long confinement of them to their side. " Our trade," continues Mr. Madison, " with little exception, has safely reached our ports; having been much favored in it by the course pursued by a squadron THE LATt WAR. 163 o( our frigates under the command of Commodore Ro- gers." Here the American president indulges himself in the most extravagant eulogiums on the skill and bravery of the American navy, seemingly, in his view, transcending any thing that had hitherto appeared on the face of the ocean. He next refers to the .correspondence between Lord Castlereah and Mr. Russel, for arresting the progress of the war ; and, after briefly recapitulating the topics discussed by those two functionaries, recommenHs it as unwise to relax the measures adopted for the prosecution of the war, on the mere presumption of Great Britain giving a favorable reception to the terms of conciliation which they had last submitted for the consideration of that government. Mr. Madison next takes a cursory review of the rela- tions subsisting between America and the other European powers and the Barbary ii^tates ; and represents them, notwithstanding the rupture with Great Britain, as nothing impaired, with the exception of Algiers, the regency of which had suddenly banished their consul general ; but whether from the transitory effect of capri- cious despotism or the first act of predetermined hostility, had not been ascertained ; but precautions had been taken by the consul on the latter supposition. With a view to a vigorous prosecution of the war, he called for the particular attention of congress to the insuf- ficiency of the present provisions for filling up the regular army. " Such, " says Mr. Madison, " is the happy condition of our country, arising from the facility for subsistence and the high wages for every species of occupation, that, notwithstanding the augmented induce- ments provided at the last session, a partial success only has attended the recruiting service — the deficiency has been supplied, during the campaign, bv other than regu- lar troops, witli all the inconveniencies and expenses 1 164 nisTORT or incident to them. The remedy,'' says Mr. Madisoa, << lies in establishing, more favorably for the privatt soldier, the proportion between his Tecompense and the term of enlistment." The president, therefore, recom- mended this as a subject highly deserving of their earliest and most serious consideration. Mr. Madison next recommends, as a subject demand- ing the earliest attention of Congress, an increase of the number of general officers of the United States army, and the importance of rendering more distinct and defi- nite the dillerent relations and responsibilities of the various departments of the staft establishments, and a revision of the militia laws of the Union. Of the addi- tional ships authorised to be fitted for service, two would be shortly ready to sail ; and no delay possible of being iivoided, would be allowed in fitting out the residue. As regarded the financial affairs of the nation, Mr. Madisim announced that the receipts into the public treasury for the year ending on the 30th September last, had exceeded sixteen and a half millions of dollars; which had been sufficient to defray all the demands of the treasury to that day, including a necessary reim- bursement of nearly three millions of the principal of die public debt ; a part of the receipts, however, was a sum of nearly five millions, eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars received into the treasury on account of loans which had been contracted for, under the authority of acts of the last session. To deny that the country had its difficulties to contend with, although it richly abounded in the most animating considerations, were folly, as every day's experience taught a different lesson. With more man one nation ihey had serious and unsettled controversies ; and with (me nation, powerful in the means and habits of war. THE LATE VTAR. 165 they were now at war. The spirit and strength of the nation were, nevertheless, equal to the supponofall iti rights, and to cari'y it through all its trials. Above all, they had the consolation of knowing that the war in which they were then engaged was not a war either of ambition or vain glory ; that it was waged, not in violation of the rights of others, but in the main- taiiiance of their own ; that it was preceded (says the president,) by a patience without example, under wrongs accumulating without end ; and that it was, finally, not declared until every hope of averting it was extinguish- ed by the transfer of the British sceptre into new hands clinging to former councils j and until declarations were reiterated to the last hour, through the British envoy here, that the hostile edicts against the commercial rights of the nation, and against its maritime inde- pendence, would not be revoked — nay, that they could not be revoked, without violating the obligations of Great Britain to other powers as well as to her own interests. " To have shrunk, under such circumstances, from manly resistance, would have been a degradation blasting the best and proudest hopes of the nation ; and would have struck it from the high rank where the virtuous struggles of the heroes of the Revolution had placed it; and would have been, on our part, a base betrayal of the magnificent legacy which we held in trust for future generations. It would have acknowledged, that on the element which forms three fourths of the globe we inhabit, and where all inde- pendent nations have equal and common rights, the American people were not an independent people, but colonists and vassals. I '■'"•"'^v^,,^,-*-'**.'^' •<'r.H*';n»-v„;^v„., .......••*(,» .. ^■•**. ^^•^m*^^-'^ . ¥''in*i,*«M--». ■•Tta 160 UISTOBT Of « II was at this momenti a&d with tuek ftii alter- native, that war wit choses. T^y nation felt the necessity of it, and ealled for it. The appeal was accordingly made in a just cause, io the just and all powerful Being who holds in his hand tlie chain of •rents and the destiny of nations." IK LATS WAIL. l<$t ifi' CHAPTER XXI. Extract from the Speech of the Prime Regent of Oreoi Britain^ to both Houses of Parliament — Review of thai Speech by the Marquis Wellesleyy^mtfie House of Lords — Speech from the Throne reviewed in the Houn of Commons^ by Mr. Canning — Remarks The foregoing is the view of the war taken by Mr. Madison, at the close of the first year's campaign ; and, on the last day of the same month in which the mes« sage was delivered, of which the preceding is a reca* pitulation as far as relates to this subject, the parliament of Great Britain was convened, to whom the Prince Regent delivered an address from which the following is extracted: << The declaration of war by ^e government of tha United States of America, was made under circumstanr ces which might have offered a reasonable expectation that the amicable relations between the two nations would not be long interrupted. It is with sincere regret that I am obliged to acquaint you, that the conduct and pretensions of that government have hitherto prevented the conclusion of any pacific arrangement. Their mea- sures of hostility Have been directed against the adjoining provinces, and every effort has been made to seduce the inthabitants of them from iheir allegiance to His " The proofs, however, which I have received of loyalty and attachment, from His Majesty's subjects in North America, are highly satisfactory. The attempts of the enemy, to invade Upper Canada, have not only proved abortive, but, by the judicious arrangements of the governor-general, and by the skill and decision with which the military operations have been con^uctedj the 16S UISTORT OV forces of the enemy assembled for that purpose in one quarter have been compelled to capitulate, and in ano- ther have been completely defeated. ''My best eflS)rtS'are not wanting for the restoration 6f peace and amity between the two countries ; but until this objects can be obtained without sacrificing the maritime rights of Great Britain, I shall rely upon your cordial support in a vigorous prosecution of the war.'' In the House of Lords, the Marquis Welleshy took an able view of the speech from the throne ; and, in adverting to the war with America, he said, that '' no attack could be more unjustifiable than that made by ^.merica, and that no cause could be more righteous than that of Great Britain.'' He denied that the Orders in Council was the cause of this war. *'No," said he, " it was upon far different things — ^it was upon high and mighty interests of the British empire — interests which we could not move without throwing the trident of the ocean into the hands of America. America," said he, '' was not to be soothed and fondled into peace — the heads of the government had long been influenced by a deadly hatred to this country, and (unusual as the epithet was,) by a deadly love to France. *"*- Our policy was plain : our wisest, nay, our most pacific measures would be, to show ourselves ready for ^ the emergency — to present in front of America a ilorce Vhich would make her feel her danger, and feel the importance of purchasing her safety by peace. What had we done } Nothing to intimidate — ^nothing to pun- ish — nothing to interest lier weakness or her wisdom. If there were any hope of putting a speedy end to the Wdr, it was to be accomplished by boldness and decision, l>y ma and b] and su found pit time had, and to sh what Eni aOibassad J THE LATE WAR. 169 hy making the effort while it was still in our power, and by turning upon that war some part of the grand and superabundant strength oiour country." In the House of Commons, Mr. Canning, in reviewing the Prince Regent's address as far as related to the war, said that " it was his sincere and anxious wish, that two nations so related to each other by consanguinity, by one common language and by mutual interests, as Great Britain and America, should not only be in alliance, but, when disputes ran to so great an extent, when once the die was cast and hostilities had commenced, it became this country to be more prompt, by every exertion in our power, to bring the struggle of war to a speedy con- clusion. He would go to the extremest verge of forbearance to keep peace ; but he would not dilute his war mea- sures into a weak and sickly regimen, unfit for the vigor of the occasion. He would not convert the acute dis- temper of war into a chronic distenaper, and incorporate it with the system. " The present dispute had grown up with petty profits aniT small gains, till at last actual war was fixed upon us. Two years ago to have prophesied that, after six months, open war between England and America — America should boast the only naval trophy, and that we could only say that we had not been conquered ! — an English- man would have resented such a prophecy as an insult. He could not consider our military success in America as matter of great triumph. He never supposed we should be conquered by America. He never could have thought the mighty navy of Great Britain would have slept while her commerce was swept from the seas , and that, at the end of six months, we should be found pioclaiming a speech from the throne, that the time had, at length, come to be active and energetic, and to show En^and and the world that England is what England was — never, that we should send our j^mbassador, with our own ships, to our own North I ri no HfflTORT or American tonrns, and attack the American porta witli our flags of truce. There, however, might remain cir- cuiuslanccs, yet to be disclosed, to account for this; but lie would say, that on the first appearance and on the declaration of war, there was evidently a studied deter- mination to postpone the period of accommodation. **As for the desire of America to get possession of Canada, it was a project which he thought not likely to be frowned upon severely, even by those parties in America which were considered friendly to us. When urged upon the subject, I know tliat ministers will reply, that their motives for clinging, to the last, to conoiliation were two-fold. First, tliat they had friends in the Uni- ted States ; second, that before we venture on hostilities we ought to take care that we are indisputably in the right. In both these points I concur ; for 1 have ever thought that the most splendid victories which ever jrlittered on the page of history were tarnished and ob- scured if justice did not hallow the cause in which they were achieved. I admit tliat it is also right to temper your conduct by a consideration of the party that favors your cause in the hostile state. In regard to the United States, this rule ought to be observed ; and we ought to pay attention to those who were called good English- men — ^not meaning to deny that they are good Americans, but who hold the opinion that an alliance with England is preferable to a treaty with France. Bnt are we quite sure that, by this system of mitigated hostility, we are not playing the game of the party opposed to us, and defeating the elforts of our friends ? I cannot help think- ing that we injure our own cause by this dubious pusillanimity." From the foregoing extracts from the two state papers of Great Britain and America, and the review taken in j)arl lament of the Prince Regent's Address, it would appear that both the belligerents accused the adverse party ol tlie original causes of the war, and held it THE LATH WAR. 171 reKponsible for its continuance ; but it vrill be left to an impartial posterity, when the rancorous feelings which have been excited shall be no longer recollected, to say to which of the nations the blame was imputable. America as a neutral nation, before the commence- ment of the war, certainly exercised a great deal o f partiality towards France, while her conduct towards Great Britain was extremely hostile. It was permitted to public aiped vessels of France to capture British vessels at the mouths of American harbors, (where they had just taken in val 'table cargoes and paid all the requi- site duties,") and return them into the same port and sell them as legal prizes ; while British vessels had not the common protection of a neutral harbor in any part of the| United States. With respect to the British Orders in Council, of which America had so long and so grievously complain- ed, it has been clearly shown in a former part of this work, that the government of Great Britain, in passing those edicts, was guided by ^ strict sense of honor towards America, as a neutral nation*. But, in order to conciliate America!, as it v^as evident a malignant spirit had long existed in that country towards the British government, though the whole Union was by no means infected, the Orders in Ccruncil were lepealedf , *See pag« 27 on thb subjeei ^^■,.v fWhereas the piesld^nt, hi his mtmtnge to con^eas, hu made known to the people of the Onited States, that the British Orders in Council have been repealed, ** in such manner as to be capable •'».-- ^,^f^-^^^^ ^ , ^.-n."*-*..-.---'.''!'*'-^--,!" *•■•!(. ,^^-'».^w^ . > , *\ 172 HISTORY OF hut without the slightest cifect in allaying the hostile spirit already manifestv;?. of explanationit meciting the vieutf of the frovcrnment" of the United Stntes i und therefore none of the Hlleved chuhcii of war with Great Britnin now remain, except the rlniin of the right to take British iiuhjects from the merchant aliipa of the United States— And whereas, during the Administration of President Washing- ton and President Adams, this claim of Great BritHin wa» not considered as a reuRonable cause of war ; and under the adminis- tration of President Jetferson, the government of Great Britain did offer to make an arrangement with the United States, which, in the opinion of Messrs. Monroe and Pinkncy, their ministers placed this subject on aground that was both iionorahle and ad- vnntageous to the United StutCH, tind highly favorable to their interests ; and was, at the same time, a concession which had never before been made ; and it is highly probable that the gov- ernment of Great Britain would still be willing to make an arrangement on this subject, which should be alike honorable and advantageoue to the United States — And whereas, under the administration of President Madison, when the arrangement of the matters in controversy betweeti the United States and Great Britain was made with Flis Britanic Majesty's minister, David Montague Erskine, Esquire, the im« pressment of seamen was not considered of sufficient importance to make a conditios of that arrangement— And whereas all the European powers, as well as the United States, recognize the principle that their subjects have no right to expatriate themselves, and that the nation has a right to the ser- vices of all its citizens, especially in time of war; and none of those powers respect the neutralization laws of others so far as to admit their operation in contravention of that principle — and it is manifestly unjust for a neutral power to make war upon one nation, in order to compel it to relinquish a principle which is maintained by the others — &c. Extract of a Preamble and Order adopted by the Legislature of Massachusetts, 5th Februuary^ 1813. TUR LATE WAR. 173 The law of nadoos Las detennined the boundaries of the right of bkickade: that is therefore a questkm which of course admitted of do doubt ; and on the question of Great Britain reclaiming her own subjects, her right had never been doubted, and any further she never yet claimed; but even made overtures to suspend hosCilitie»i in order to negotiate on th« points in dii^ puts. t f» 174 BISTORT or CHAPTER XXII. A large American Force marched to the Frontiers of Upper and Lower Canadc^-^Movement of the Western ' ' Division of the American Army-^ General Winchester .advances to lAe River Raisii^ Colonel Proctor attach Geneml Winchester in the Village of French Toum— Surriender of General Winchester with his whole Force— Ajfair at Ogdensburgh — lAeutenant Colonel Mc Don- atdy of the Glengary Light Infantry^ attacks that Post — Tfte garrison completely rofUed-^Remew of the Conquest — Remarks. Before the close of the year 1812, it was manifest from the movements of the American army to the froD* tiers of Upper ana Lower Canada, that on the opening of the campaign of 1813, a descent upon those colonies was menaced in earnest. Measuies were therefore inmiediately adopted by Sir Greorge Prevost, the govemoi general, for their defence ; but the small British force then occupying the Canadas, and the.wide extent of frontier the British commander in chief had to defend, rendered it impossible, at any one spot, to cope with the enemy in point of numbers. The American army, to whom was committed at this time the honor of co^iquering Canada^ was divided into ^ee divisions denominated, from the positions they had taken, the Army of the North, commanded by General Hampton, and stationed along the southern •hore of Lake Champlain, on the south precincts of l^^er Canada ; the second, the Army of the Centre, consisting of seven thousand effective men^ which was ag8i» subdivided into two, commanded by Generals Pcwborn and Wilkinson, were posted from Buffalo, at tl&e Lower extremity of Lake Erie, to Sackett's Harbor it the Lower end of La^e Ontario; and the third; the THE LATE WAR. 176 Army of the West, consisting of " eight thosand effective men*," commanded by Generals Harrison and Win- chester, whose limits extended along the south shore of Lake Erie, from Buffalo westwardly as far as the British frontier extended. The shameful and unlooked for surrender by Cteneral Hull of the whole Michigan Territory with all the regu- lar and militia forces under his command, had so completely astounded the American government, that no effort had been made, up to this period, to recover their lost possessions by that surrender. The army •under Generals Harrison and Wincheste'r was therefore directed to that enterprise, after which it was to co- operate with the other two armies in the invasion of Canada. General Winchester, certainly unadvisedljs advanced to •the village of French Town on the River Raiun, about eighteen miles from Detroit, and about thirty-four mile» from the rapids df the Miami, with the advance of the army consisting of *< one thousand effective menf," chiefly composed of the Kentucky volunteers. With thisibrott General Winchester meditated an attack upon Detroit, with a view to force a capitulation) as a preUminary t» the descent upon Upper Canada. an *AaiaAcan AoooonC, K:- \. >§.-V -* ■'" ',"* iy-. i . 1 i f ^ • '■• ..yt' '*• •* . .:.-;,*, "f ■ ■■:, ' .y;-'/? •-.,.• •♦*4'' -»<*-:Vf.^ f denerol Hftrrisoo's Letter to G«p0ernor Meigs, ^te^, Heftd Quarters, North Western Army, Rapids of the Miami, 13th June, 1813. It may not be improper to remark that the nmnbdr * VhiA General Winchester had under his command, at the River Raisin, « jBtated Id Briliif^ ac^onats to h* ekyeii^MiDdrvd,, .-'--*1 lU HISTOAT OF '* Too confident in the feare of the enemy J," for his o\vtt good, General Winchester very incautiously advanced too far. Colonel Proctor, to whom was committed the command of the, British forces on that part of the lines, moved out with a body of regulars and militia consisting of five hundred and forty-seven, including officers and men, Und about two hundred Indians, in order to di»- loi^e General Winchester from his position. On the evening of the 21st of January, the enemy was first discovered, with his right wing lodged in the houses in the village, each of which was strongly defended by stockade work, and formed, as it were ojf itself, a little fort : his left wing had fortified themselves in the rear of a picket fence^ About daylight, on the morning of the 22d, the attack was commenced On the right wing of the American army, and such was the ardor and impetuosity displayed by th/?'." Nov/ THE LATE WAR. l«l the lavo ;che3 this iss to rlet- igno- ' as it these jf the them- jy the :e pur- 1 this whom for the [ those iducted which lersua- •e fully 'roctor, either ly theii e them Gene- stated, linches- wliicll leu tola brtatien Id killtd \ed hi a here is an awful Indian tale, manufactured as many others have been of the like description, which turns out to be a mere fabrication ; for when General Win- chester found Ipmself pursued in his attempt to escape, he with a few others surrendered themselves to a chief of the Wyandot nation, and not a hair of their heads ^ were hurt, except the injury received from the fright. It is also stated iiv^the same letter, that Colonels Allen and Lewis were among the slain ; in contradiction of which, in General Harrison's letter to Governor Meigs, dated 29th January, it is stated that General Winchester, Colonel Lewis and Brigade Major Gerrard are among the prisoners. The conclusion is plain, that had those deluded people not have been overcome by fear, and surrendered themselves at once, they might have en- joyed the same safety as did General Winchester and his companions.- # 1 nKiR 1 1 1 I IfrS^ hi «' .*\,5fr ^^ Iti HliTORT or CHAPTEU XXIII. Inviision of Vorky Upper Canada — Fall of the Rsdoulit _ defending the Harbor and Citadel — Explosion of a Magazine within the Citadel — General Pike damjer- OHsly wounded 6y the Fall of tite Timbers^ Sfc. — Retreat of General Sheaffe and the Surrender of the Town — Loss of the two Armies — Invasion of tfie Nia- gara Frontier — A vigorous Defence made by the Regu- lars and Militia employed in the Defence of that Post — The- British compelled to retreat — The American Army moves on Burlington Heights— ^Tfte American Army nWickcdy under Night , in their Camp at Stony Citck—^ Defeat of the American Army-^American Force re- treats to Fort George — British Forces, under General Vincent, follow tlte Enemy — Affair at the Beav«r Dcims. In the month of April, 1813, the ice having completely broken up in the port of Sackett's Harbor, where thft American squadron under Commodore Chauncey had wintered, General Dearborn, commanding the right di- vision of the Army of the Centre, consisting of four thousand men stationed in that vicinity, selected two tliousand of the most efficient of his division*, and ou the 22d of the month embarked them on board the fleet with which he ascended the lake, and with this force appeared off the harbor of York, the capital of Upper Canada, on the morning of the 27th. . The enemy appearing to threaten an attack upon the town, General Sheaffe collected his forces which consist- ed of about sevea hundred men, including regulars and mili he r thai was Was the/ Ward . So Gene into t persoi fine b upon theii J atid by llet for "an j targe i quantit and in sides, a The the chai in the valor ; times th they we Genei officers it was a( ^V«iii«t» History •£ tli(» W«r, p(i\ili«U»a ia New- York. ^ IIThe A we whol« plin«. THE LATE WAR. 183 militia, with about one hundred Indians ; and with thcie he made a most determined resistance to the landing of tiie enemy; but at length, overcome by numbers, h« was compelled to retire ; by which means the enemy was enabled to effect his landing a short distance above the fort, which was situated about two miles to the west-'* ward of the town, at the entrance of the harbor. So soon as the American troops, who were led on by General Pike, had made good their landing, they formed into two lines^ (the front of which was coaimauded personally by General Pike, and the rear or reserve line by Colonel Pearce,) and in this order advanced upon the finit batt* ry and carried it by assault j thjy then advanced towards the citadel in the same order, aiid by the same means captured an intervening battery. . Hefe the columns halted, in order to dress the lines for an attack upon the main works, At this moment a large magazine accidentally exploded, by which a quantity of stones and timbers were thrown into the air, and in their fall killed and wounded a number on both sides, amongst whom was the American General Pike. The British regulars and militia, highly appreciating the charge committed to them by their king and country, in the defeince of the capital, performed prodigies of valor ; but being overpowered by a force nearly three times their number and in a high state of discipline^, they were compelled to retreat to^vards the town. General Sheaffe then held a council with his principal officers and the civil authorities of the town, by whom it was advised that he shoiild retreat towards Kingston )|The American troops had been preparing for this'exptditioa fhe wholt winter, and no paini bad b««n spared in their dt»«i- pUne. 184 HUTORy Of with the remainder of His Majesty's troops; and that' the commandant of militia should treat with the Ameri- can commander for terms for tlie surrender of York. At the capture of York, the British lost not less than four hundred, three hun^lred of whom were made pri- Nouers of war, and about forty killed and wounded by the explosion. The Americans lost three hundred and seventy-eight, thirty-eight of whom were killed and two.hundred and twenty-two wounded Uy thtt explosion of the magazine. General Pike died of'^ his contusions a few minutes after being carried on board one of the vessels. • . On tbe 8th of May, the American army under Gene- ral Dearborn once more evacuated York, from whence they proceeded again to Sackett's Harbor, where prepa- rations were immediately made for invading the Niagara iVoiitic. The necessary preparations being completed, the American fleet, on the 23d of the same month, aivahi ascended Lake Ontario, and on the morning of tiie 27th, appeared off the harbor of Newark. The morning proved very favorable to the invaders, M a dense fog had settled on the river and the margin of the lake for nearly half a mile out ; and consequently they weie not perceived until the flotilla of boats bear- ing the troops of the enemy were within a few rods of the shore. The boats employed in the transportation of the enemy from the right bank of the rirer, fell down the river under cover of the fog, until they joined those disembarking from the fleet, where the whole landed on the beach, on the right side of the entrance of the harbor . So soon as the enemy's fleet made its appearance be- fore the harbor, the garrison was placed in the best possible posture of defence ; and a vigorous stand was made by General Vincent to the landing of their troops ; THE LATE WAR. lU but being orerpowered by the numerical strength of th« assailants, it was found necessary to spike the gunit^ destroy the magazines, and retire as well from the maiu fort as from the outworks, though not until a loss had been sustained on the part of the British of nearly three hundred and fifty including regulars and militia. It was evident from the conduct of the Canadian mi- litia at the captures of York and Fort Geora;e, that they were fast attaining to a high state of military discipline. The marked coolness and fearless intrepidity with whic!» the York and Lincoln mUitia resisted the approach oi the enemy towards their shores, would have reflected honor on a band of veterans long accustomed to *' the din of arms." ^he Americans moved forward in three strong brigades, unlder Grenerals Chandler, Winder, and Boyd, with an advance of light troops and riflemen, under Colonels Scott and Forsyth, tne whole commanded by General Lewis the next in command to General Dearborn, whose low state of health at this time compelled him to keep his bed, from whence he issued all hib orders. Th« loss of the Americans, according to their own account, at the action before Fort George, was not less than two hundred. General Vincent continued his retreat as far as Bur- lington Heights, near the head waters of Lake Ontario ; and, on the 1st day of June, was followed by an Ameri- can army of three thousand five hundred infantry-and about three hundred cavalry, commanded by Generals Chandler and Winder, for the purpose, as was vainly boasted, of making prisoners of the whole British army, and tiius tenninate the contest of the north-western frontier. ' On the erening of the 5th, the enemy's ibices encamp- ed anu tbt TiUftg« of Stony Crtek> about nine miles I '^1 M 1 Ki wt m Kin Hi II 91 If ^Wi ft'* 1 ' 3tl 11 WM if ' WM'M i'k ttl |!' ifil •i|j: mmm W ifM^M 'H^ |fi|l m^ iSli M,, M 1 Hil ^*i '.■ -y IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) MP 1.0 I.I lit ■^■M |2.5 |5o "^™ H^H iS. Its u 1-25 II 1.4 III 1.6 « 6" ► Photographic Sdences Corporation \ ^ •ss ^\ ^J^^ O^ «■ 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14SS0 (716) •72-4503 "* 186 HISTORY or I § from the British cantonments, with full purpose to close up with the British next day and attack their position. But General Vincent, who had taken every pains to ascertain the strength of the force with which he was menaced, despatched Colonel Harvey with two compa- nies of light infantry, to reconnoitre their camp ; and from the report of4hat officer. General Vincent was re- solved to attack them that very night. All the troops, hoth regulars and militia, that could possibly be spared from the garrison at Burhngton Heights, together with those who had retreated from Fort George, amounting in all to about seven hundred, were ordered to be in readiness for a movement. Im- mediately after dark, they commenced an advance towards Stojiy Creok^ where, after several halts, in order to reconnoitre tb<; country through which they were marching, tliey Arrive J b'tween one and two o'clock of the mornin;^ of thti 6th cf .Time. Immediately the quarter guard of the eneyny was surprised and taken, and the assailants vushed into Uic camp where all was in apparent security. But such n spene of carnage com- menced — the liuzza.-j of the beseigers^ the yells of the Indians led on by Captain Brant, the clashing of bayo- nets and above ail the thunder of the cannon and musketry, ren Captain Lawr«nce'B Report to the Secretary of the Navy. m o Siat< tic J gove mate Ches ik)stc W the c( Tenei harbo his CO skill 1 Captaj Tened of a m The the SI] coming colors : lenge o least ig ready 1 Ont o'clock to meet upon b( and abo within literally cd, to the hon Broke h had bee the hanc of whicl ■ .-«»*.•.•- r •» )•• THE LATE IfAR. 197 ii. lavy. On the arrival of Captain Lawrence in the United Slates, he was every where greeted with the enthusiat- tic plaudits of his grateful country; and was, by the government, as a mark of its approbation for his couMum- mate fekill and courage, appointed to the coiumaiid of the .Chesapeake frigate, then repairing in the harbor of i3o8ton. When Captain Lawrence arrived at Boston to assume the command of the Chesapeake, the Shannon and the Tenedos, two British frigates, were cruising without the harbor. With a view to atlord Captain Lawrence and his country a full opportunity of testing the relative skill and prowess ol the British and American navy, Captain Broke, of tlie Shannon frigate, ordered the Tenedos to lay her course to the ocean, and at the end of a month to join him at the same place. The Tenedos having separated. Captain Broke wore the Shannon down into the mouth of Boston harbor, coming close by the light house, having the British colors flying at the mast head. This was a naval chal- lenge of which Captain Lawrence did not aflect the least ignorance, but with as little delay as possible got ready for sea. On the 1st day of June, between twelve and one o'clock, the Chesapeake weighed anchor and stood out to meet her adversary. Much naval skill was displayed upon both sides in manoeuvring the ships for the action ; and about half past five o'clock, P. M., the ships arrived within range of each other's cannon. The beacJi was literally covered with spectators as far as vision extend- ed, to witness these two naval champions contend for the honor and glory of their country — nay. Captain Broke had yet something more to achieve : the trident had been partly, in the eyes of the world, wrested from the hand of Britania by the very nation^, the champion of which he was now about to encounter, and that (co R2 I ' M It I ^1 196 HISTORY or on his own shores. A more than common interest seem- ed to pervade all classes of the spectators, when these naval gladiators^ as it were, entered the arena. The Chesapeake had, in imitation of the Shannon, a national color at each mast head, on one of which was the inscrip- tion, " free trade and sailor's rights.*' These two ships proudly tossed before them the white surf of the ocean, in nautical manoeuvring, as if in defiance of each other. At length, about half past five o'clock in the evening, they came to close quarters, and the battle commenced. No sooner had they exchanged a few broadsides than the Chesapeake dropped her quarter on the anchor of the Shannon, and thus they became foul in each other's I'igging. The fire from both ships at this time was truly tremendous ; but such was the coolness and intrepidity displayed by the British, and such the. effect and prad-; sion of their fire, that the enemy was completely driven from his quarters. The boarders of the Shannon were immediately summoned; and with Captain Broke at their head, they rushed on the enemy's decks. At this crisis of the engagement, for a few moments, a most confused and disorderly struggle ensued ; but the enemy was forced, by the boarders, from every post of which he had taken possession, and ultimately called fot quarters. The American flag was struck and the Bri- tish flag hoisted in its stead — the whole of which was accomplished in fifteen minutes from the commencement of the action. The brave Captain Lawrence, of the Chesapeake, was severely wounded at the commencement of the action, but refused to leave* the deck ; he still, leaning on the companion-way for support, continued to issue his wders with the same degree of coolness ; but while call- ing up the boarders, he was wounded through the body by a musket ball which brought him to the deck, and while carrying below by his companions, gave his last heroic date h seamc] The affair, i amongs Was wc on the save SOI ers, at t the arms ?eake w '^e gal four day: Ludlow ; interred ' the funer •tation, n It has I no doubt much dep %ates in mounted^ only fortV" British. • : not suffici between U known, thi plement o health; wl three hundj sick, which than probal Months prei dred and tei i^awrence v ■# :|: THE LATE WAR. 19d heroic command — ^^ Doni give up the ship^^"* which man- date has since become proverbial amongst American seamen. The loss of the Shannon, in this short but sanguinary affair, was twenty-three killed and fifty -six wounded : amongst the latter was the brave Captain Broke, who was wounded in the head with a cutlass in the affiny on the deck of the Chesapeake, while attempting to save some of the Americans from the fury of his board- ers, at the moment when he conceived himself to be int the arms of victory. The loss on board of the Chesa- peake was forty-seven killed and ninety-three wounded. The gallant Captain Lawrence died of his wounds, in four days after the action ; so also did the first lieutenant # Ludlow : they were both carried into Halifax, and there interred with the honors of war. The pall was borne at the funeral by six of the oldest captains on the Halifax station, then in port. It has been asserted by American writers, with a view no doubt to eclipse the glory of this achievement, that much depended on the relative strength of the two frigates in deciding the victcH'y. It is true the Shannon mounted'fifty-three guns while the Chesapeake mounted .,. only forty-nine, a difference of four guns in favor of the ' British. ' But while this is admitted, (^ which of itself it ' not sufiicient to warrant a victory in so short a period, between two ships of such great force,) it should also be known, that on board the Chesapeake there was a. com- plement of 440 men, all stout, young and in good healdi ; while on board of the Shannon there were but three hundred and thirty men, making no allowance for sick, which that there were such on board, was more than probable, as she had not been in port for some months previous. This Jeaves a difference of one hun- dred and ten men in favw of the Chesapeake. Captain Lawrence was fully aware of th^ force to which he wai ii m' ' 12 ♦-; 200 nisTORT or about to be opposed ; there can therefore be no questioB but he put out to sea prepared id the best possible manner for the contest. The capture of the Chesapeake was the precursor to another naval triumph. It seemed only to evince that British seamen were in that day what they had ever been, and what they would continue to be until the end of time, when opposed to any thing like an equal force, always invincible on their native element to their enemies to whatever nation under the sun those enemies be- longed. :^ On the morning of the 14th' of August, His Majesty's ^ luoop of war Pelican, commanded by Captain Maples, while cruising the British channel, perceived a strange sail at some distance, which on closer examination was ibund to CBify American colors and crowding all canvass. As the Pelican bore up to her, she hauled in and clear* ed away for action. The British commenced the engagement wdth three eheers ; and for forty-five minutes both vessels maintain- ed a most desperate and sanguinary conflict, after which the Pelican was laid on board the enemy and the board- ers summoned ; but at the very moment when the boarders were about to assail the enemy on his owe decks, he hauled down his colors. . The enemy proved to be the United States sloop o war Argus, commanded by Captain Allen. In the firs of the engagement. Captain Allen was wounded in tht left leg about the knee, for which he had to suffer ampu- tation in the thigh, and of which he died next day. . The loss on board the Pelican was two killed a d six wounded : on board the Argus, the killed and wounded tmottnted to forty. Amongst the wounded of the Argus was til wounc The at som bor, on States, tainBjy Lieuten Onth and whij Boxer fij British c Jnizen p( h&ving \f adversary tional coI( THE LATE WAR. aoi was the lieuten^Juit, who was also with the tiie captain wounded early in the action. The next engagement to be recorded, was fought at some distance from the entrance of Portsmouth har- bor, on the coast of New Hampshire, in the United States, between His Majesty's armed brig Boxer, Cap- tain Blythe, and the United States armed brig Enterprise, Lieutenant Burrows. On the 5th of September, these two vessels met ; and while yet at some distance from each other, the Boxer fired a gun by way * of challenge and hoisted the British colors at each mast head and an ensign at the mizen peake. The enemy continued her course until having wore round and made the weather gage of h|| adversary, lired a shot in his turn and hoisted three na- tional colors in imitation of the Boxer. About two o'clock, P. M., when the two brigs were within a few rods of each other, the crew of the Boxer gave three cheers and threw in a broadside upon the enemy, which was immediately returned by the enter- prise. This conflict now began to rage with all the fury which a seafight was capable of assuming. About half past three o'clock, the Boxer becoming considerably crippled and consequently unmanageable, the Enterprise wore round to lay in a posture for rakmg, in which position she continued for ten minutes, raking the Boxer at each fire with a whole broadside of grape and canister, until the situation of the Boxer rendered it advisable to surrender, being incapable of further resistance. In consequence of the crippled state of the Boxer so early in the action, her loss was much greater than that of the enterprise. In this engagement the commanders of both vessels fell ; and the hull and rigging of the ?1!1 -'I 20S BISTORT or Boxer was nearly rendered useless before it terminated. Lieutenant Me. Call, on whom devolved the command of the Enterprise after the death of Lieutenant Burrows, took his prize into Portland harbor, where the bodies of the two nostile chiefs were intened beside each other wiA military honors Engagen commc modort in an t marks- Amheri Proctoi •f; ^^'^ The Brit Jng of six aggregate lOthofSej] anchor in The British bore down discovering. , The hosti o'clock, A. 4at morning minutes pas Imthiu range ll^wrence, ( m Detroit, I' tnt LATE WAR soa CHAPTER XXVI. Engagement between the hostile Squadrons on Lake Erie^ commanded by Commodores Barclay and Perry — Com-' modore Perry transfers hh Flag, in the Heat of Action^ in an open Boat — British Squadron surrenders — Re- marks — Retreat of the British Forces from Detroit and Amherstburg — Action at Moravian Village-— General Proctor continues his Retreat to Ancaster — Remarks. During these operations on the ocean, the American armies intended for the invasion of Canada, had been for the most part quietly resting on their arms, waiting for the fitting out of a fleet which was then in a forward state, to contest the dominion of Lake Erie, with Com- modore Barclay. In the latter part of August this fleet was ready to sail, consisting of nine vessels of various sizes carrying in all fifty-nine guns, the command of which was confided to Commodore Perrv: The British fleet, under Commodore Barclay, consist- ing of six vessels of various sizes, and carrying an aggregate of sixty-nine guns, on the morning of the 10th of September, descried the American squadron at anchor in Put4n-bay, near the head of Lake Erie. The British commodore immediately crowded sail and bore down upon the enemy, which Commodore Perry discovering, weighed anchor and got under way to meet him. The hostile squadrons formed lines of battle about ten lovelock, A. M. — but in consequence of the calm which fliat morning prevailed on the lake, it was forty-five minutes past eleven before the ships could approach within range of shot. On the enemy's flag ship, the iLawrence, (which was ahead of the squadron,) nearing, Itht Detroit, the flag ship of Commodore Barclay, opened ■'.*-, 104 HISTORY or « heary fire, in opposition to which, the distance being so gieat, the Lawrence could not bring her carronades to bear. Commodore Perry, however, continued to approach his antagonist, notwithstanding the disadvantages under which he labored. The Queen Charlotte, by this time, had come up and opened her fire upon the American commodore ; yet Perry, undismayed by his hazardous situation, steadily maintained his course, not even wait- ing for his smaller vessels to come up — until within pistol shot of his adversaries, he commenced a fire in turn. He still continued to advance as if he intended to board the Detroit, until the sides of the Lawrence were in -a number of places perforated with shot, his decks literally swept of his crew, and almost every gun rendered useless. In this crisis of the engagement, the other American vessels, which had been delayed by the calm, began to to approach ; and Captain Perry, discovering that the Lawrence was becoming completely untenable, embark- ed with the greatest coolness into an open boat, in the midst of a tremendous cannonade, and transferred his flag to the Niagara, after, which the Lawrence drifted into the British line and surrendered. So soon as Perry raised his flag in the Niagara, he ordered his smaller vessels to close with the British fquadron ; he then broke through the line and laid him* felf alongside the Detroit, where he poured in such tremendous broadsides, that, together with the injury ■he had already sustained, compelled her to surrender. The other vessels had all ere this closed into action; •nd having maintained such an incessant fire upon the Queen Charlotte as obliged her to follow the example I of the Detroit, to which destiny the whole fleet was ina | few moments compelled to submit Th parte tain ] adfflir and CI ment i tovvarc Barela "thee seamer The in kille thirty-£ among ant of t Barclay previoui 90untry. woundci twenty-t It woi nary an( throughc of Captc •- over thel to make! Nothingj small crj which, moral u to bear, power oi under wj enemy, govern] the most) <5qu3pmef THE LATE WAR. $05 This victory was certainly signal and decisive on the part of the Americans. The intrepid conduct of Cap- tain Peny through the whole day, called forth tlie admiration of Captain Barclay with the whole oificers and crews of his fleet ; but his conduct after the engage- ment was no less conspicious for kindness and humanity towards the prisoners. To this the brave and generous Barclay sets his seal in the following declaration — that, *' the conduct of Perry towards the captive officers and seamen was sufficient to immortalize him." Tho loss of the British squadron, in this engagement, in killed and wounded, amounted to one hundred and thirty-five, forty-one of whom were of the former, among whom were Captain Finnis and the first Lieutfen- ant of the Queen Charlotte. In this action, Captain ^ Barclay's only remaining hand was disabled, having previously lost the other in the service of his king arid country. The loss of the Americans in killed and wounded amounted to one hundred and twenty-three, twenty-six of vi^liom were killed. It would be impossible ta conceive in what extraordi- nary and extravagant language this victory was extolled throughout the United States. The circumstance, too, . of Captain Barclay having an advantage of ten guns over the enemy, was a matter of too much importance to make the story take well, to be once lost £ight of. Nothing, however, was said of the greater number of small craft which the enemy possessed — vessels upon which, when brought to close quarters, it is next to a moral impossibility to bring the guns of a larger vessel to bear, while they at the same time possess all the power of annoying thera. But the principal disadvantage under which Commodore Barclay had to encounter the enemy, v/as not in the number of ships. The American government had, for a length of time, been engaged in the most extensive and vigorous preparations for the equipment of a naval force on Lake Erie, which should -M'' 206 BISTORT or afford to that nation the ascendency on that interior ocean , Being now fully convinced that before a conquest could be made of Upper Canada, they must command the lake — hence the long inactive state of the American army destined for that service. Commodore Barclay had not in his whole fleet fifty seamen*, and even a number of these were only rated ordinary seamen, the deficiency of whom was supplied by soldiers drafted chielly fiom the Newfoundland fencible regiment, whose very situation in life, as soldiers, precluded them from any knowledge of the management of a ship, or even of the technical phrases of naval officers. However good those men might be in the field in their original capa- city as soldiers, their ignorance of the duty to be performed as sailors, in all the hurry and bustle of a »»ea fight, must have had a strong and;powerful tenden- cy to reduce them, at least, to one half the strength ;which their number vvould import. In opposition to tliis, tlie United States government, in its preparations for prosecuting tlie .war on the Canadian frontier, select- ed crews to man the fleet on Lake Erie, of the ablest and most skilful seamen in tlie United States navy. It was detennined by that government that Canada should fail before its arms, and tliercfore nothing was left undone which could be done to promote this object. The con- summate diligence with which Perry's pquadron had been equipped with seamen and necessaries for the im- |>ortant jservice for which it was intended, could not fail of sectiriug to him the victory, even over a force of much more potence than that under the comm^and of Commodore Barclay. The victory once gained. Gene- ral lJ;)rrison, who was daily receiving reinforcements at Fwt Meigs, waited to give the coup de grace to the enterprise ^ • AboMt seven to each reasel. After Erie, F posts be quently evacuat of the i together ry with Durin received thousand the state nor of th Perry cc his flotilli shore, exc and so or neighborl] fantry. Genera difff-rent with the to pursue with a for Johnson's So soon was in pui bank of tl and there the enemy Proctor h of five or to the am< thick bru position. h^ THE LATE WAR. 207 After the capture of the British squadron on Lake Erie, Forts Amherstburg, Detroit and the adjacent posts became untenable by the British, and were conse- quently abandoned. Before General Proctor had' evacuated the positions which he occupied on that part of the frontier he destroyed the magazines and foits together with all such public stores as he could not car- ry with the army. During^ these transactions, General Harrison having received reinforcements amounting to seven or eight thousand men, including four thousand volunteers from tlie state of Kentucky under Samuel Shelby the gover- nor of that state, made a descent upon Canada^ Com. Perry conveyed all the troops, artillery and stores, in his flotilla, from the mouth of the Miami to the Canadian shore, except the dragoons who were to advance by land and so order their march that they might arrive in the neighborhood of Maiden at the sanie time with the in- fantry. -^ General Harrison, on his arrival, having found the difF^-rent posts evacuated, invested General Mc. Arthur with the chief command of those garrisons, and prepared to pursue the retreating army up the river Thames with a force of three thousand men, including Colonel Johnson's corps of dragoons consisting of one thousand. So soon as General Proctor understood that Harrison was in pursuit of him, he formed a position on the right bank of the River Thames, near the Moravian village, and there awaited his approach. On the 5th of October the enemy made his appearance in great force. General Proctor had formed his troops into line, to the number of five or six hundred. The Indians under Tecumseb, to the amount of twelve hundred, occupied a swampy thick brushwood to the right of General Proctor'i position. ''IB 208 HISTORY OF The first movement %vhich was made, after a few volleys, the enemy's cavalry charged the British line, which completely decided the issue of the day : the Hue gave way at the charge ; and the enemy's cavalry formed in the rear to commence with the rifle, when the British troops surrendered. To the left of the enemy's position, which was opposed to the Indians, the battle raged with more obstinacy. This part of the enemy's line had even given way until a column*under Gover- nor Shelby wa8 brought up to its support. The Indians, encouraged by the presence of Tecumseh, fought with an enthusiasm bordering on desperation, until the fall of that great aboriginal hero, when the Indians visibly gave way until they had entirely left the field General Proctor %vith his staff continued their retreat until they arrived at the village of Ancaster, about ten miles distant from Burlington Heights, where they re- mained a few days to collect the scattered remains of tho army, which amounted to nearly two hundred men. Before the American army returned to Detroit, they consigned to the flames the Moravian village, pretending to justify their savage conduct by offering it as a retalia- tion for what they called the massacre at the River Raisin. . During General Harrison's absence from Detroit, a few of the Indian tribes tendered their services to Gene- ral Mc. Arthur, to raise the hatchet against the enemies of the United States by whom they were readily ac- cepted. In the action at Moravian village, the British lost, in killed, wounded and missing, about three hundred and sixty -nine, threehundredof whom were prisoners. The loss of the enemy, in killed and wounded^ was about fifty. THE LATE WAR. ao9 The success of the American arms on Lake Erio and its surrounding shores, had so intoxicated and bewildered the enemy, that, in their subsequent movements, nothing but conquest and victory were calculated upon — no allowance whatever was made for a failure in any one point. " Canada must now be ours," was the exulting and arrogant language of that deluded people. General Wilkinson was called from the south to as- sume the command of the American forces in the north, in the room of General Dearboiii, which now with General Hampton's division amounted to about eighteen thousand men, to which General Harrison's division was ordered to be added. Such were the gigantic and formidable preparations for the capture of Montreal, where the American soldiers were promised, as an ad- ditional incitement, good winter quarters. 1 U ►Ski Si m m 210 HISTORT OF . CHAPTER XXVII. An American Army under General Wilkinson^ intended to invade Montreal^ assembles at Orenadier Island — Movement of that Army down the River St. Law- rence — Engagement at Crvaler^a Farm— 'The Enemy driven off the Field— 'An American Army^ under Gene- ral Hampton, enters Lower Canada at the Chateaugay River — General Hampton^s Army driven back to the United States Territory — The United States Forces retire to winter Quarters— 'Colonel Murray, unth a small Force, advances on Fort George — General Mc. Clure burns the Town of Newark and evacuates that Post — Capture of Fort Niagara by a British Force under Colonel Murray — Capture of Leunjton-- Cap- ture of Buffalo and Black Rock — Conflagration of the American Frontier on the Niagara River — Overtures of Mediation offered by the Russian Emperor — British and American Ministers treat at Gottenburg, In the month of October, that portion of the American army stationed on the Niagara frontier was ordered to Sackett's Harbor ; at which place, a short time after- wards, General Harrison arrived with such part of his army as was not required for the defence of the westein frontier. The enemy endeavored, by several false movements, to impose a belief on the British generals, that the inten- tion of this force collecting at Sackett's Harbor, was a descent upon Kingston. However, their movements were so closely watched, that every information neces- •ary was acquired in due time to ascertain the future disposition of this truly redoubtable host. THE LATE WAR. 211 Aftor Oeneral Wilkinson had ooll( eted all his forces at Gi^euadier's Island, (between Kingston and Sackett's Harbor, ") they were eipbarked on board the flotilla to de- scend the River St Lawrence. On the tith of November they arrived at- Williamsburg, where the stores and mu- nitions of war of this invincible armada^ together with all the troops, were disembarked on the Canadian side of the river, with a view to pass the British posts at Prescot and its vicinity in the night, undiscovered ; but in this particular they were egregieusly deceived. A force, though small compared with that of the enemy, had been held in readiness at Kingston to follow the movements of the American army, under the command oi Colonel Morrison, consisting of the skeletons of the 49th and 89th Regiments and three companies of the Canadian Voltigeurs with a few militia — in all, amount- ing to nearly eight hundred men, with a few gun boats to hover on the rear of the enemy's flotilla. As the enemy came up with the Fort of Prescot, ful- ly persuaded that all within was perfectly quiet, they were assailed upon both elements by such a fire of musket- ry and battery guns as at first quite disconcerted their advance. After the enemy had passed Prescot, they continued their advance a few miles further down the river, where, in the morning, as they were preparing the flotilla to move on towards the rapids of the Long Soult, Colonel Morrison with his detachment came up with them. The American General Boyd was ordered to form his division consisting of nearly torn thousand men. They weie drawn up in three columns, (one of which was compo- sed of cavalry,^ under Generals Covington, Swartwout and Coles. Colonel Morrison, on account of the supe- rior strength of the enemy, was compelled for a length of time to act altogether on the defensive. The enemy, by repeated charging with his cavalry on the left of the British line, attempted to turn that flauk; but the m i 'fl / M 212 msToRY oir moment Colonel Morrison perceived the manoeuvre, he prepared the 49th in conjunction with the 89th to form an echelon, >fhile the Voltigeurs and militia, under Lieutenant Colonel Pearson, were employed to flank the enemy's infantry. The enemy, perceiving the Bri- tish column performing the field movements in double quick time, supposed the troops to be leaving the field, and in exultation gave a cheer ; but before they arrived on the ground occupied by the British, a crest was pre- sented, to penetrate which they had neither courage nor discipline sufficient to attempt ; and the heavy oblique fire maintained by the echelon forced them to retire in confusion at every effort they made. After the repeated and unsucceseful charges of ths enemy's cavalry, the infantry was then ordered to ad- vance, who charged with as little success as the cavalry ; and in the last of those sallies of the infantry, the 89th, under Captain Barnes, captured a gun from the assail- ants. Colonel Morrison now closed his column with the enemy, who maintained a heavy fire in order to check his advance ; but the cool, steady and determined front with which the British column advanced by pla- t'X)ns, who together with the artillery kept up such a tremendous and destructive fire that the enemy was driven from his position in dismay, and compelled to seek refuge in their boats. Lieutenant Colonel Pearson with the three companies of Voltigeurs and militia at this moment routed the enemy's light troops which had been formed to cover his retreat ; after which the British troops occupied for the night the ground upon ~vhich the enemy had taken up laa position. Never were the cool intrepidity and superior disci- pline of the British troops and militia of Canada displayed to better advantage than at the battle of Crys- ler'sfarmj (the name by which this engagement has THE LATE WAR. 213 been designated, from the place on which it was fought ;) and it fairly demoustrated that in nothing but numbers was this American army formidable, and by which means it became unwieldy to its undisciplined generals. The loss of the British, in this engagement, amounted to one hundred and sixty-eight in killed and wounded, exclusive of twelve missing: that of the enemy was three hundred and thirty-nine in killed, wounded and missing*. .,, „ ; -. „ In Sir George Prevost's despatches to Earl Bathursf, in speaking of the different attempts by the enemy to invadd His Majesty's North American colonies, honora- ble mention is repeatedly made of the loyalty and great zeal for the service of their sovereign, evinced by the inhabitants of Canada; and General Wilkinson, in his despatches to his government of this affair, bears ample testimony to the truth of this statement. Among the killed of the enemy was one of their generals, Coving- ton. The enemy, under General Hampton, consisting of from eight to ten thousand, on the morning of the 21st October, commenced its entry into Canada, by the Cha- teaugay River, on its march for Montreal ; and on the 25th, having passed his whole force, magazines, and warlike munitions into the British territory, he commen- ced his advance; and coming up with the British position which he found to be fortified by one continued succession of fortifications formed by angles well suppli- ed with ordnance, with a line of breastworks extending ♦General Wilkinson's Despatches to the Secretary of War. According to British accounts, upwards of one hundred of this number were prisoners of war. t -.--■: -v * ! p V c m Ik; I I ,1 214 HISTORY OF between — the whole extending for some miles and co^ vered by a wood*. Next morning, with a view it would appear to avoid coming in contact with the British posi- tion, General Hampton's light trodps forming his advance, were discovered advancing on both sides of the Cha- teaugay ; but Lieutenant Colonel De Salaberry, of the Canadian Voltigeurs, commanding the British advanced post, by a well concerted disposition of the troops under nis command, consisting of the light company of the Canadian fencibles and two companies of the Voltigeursj completely checked the advance of the enemy's light ttoops on the left bank of the river, with the whole main body of the American army under Generals Hampton and Izard; while Captain Daily's company of the third battalion of embodied militia and Captain Bruyer's com- pany of Chateau gay Chasseurs turned the enemy's advance troops on the right bank of the river. The enemy finding himself completely foiled in his exertions to pass this post, retired for some distance ; but attempted repeatedly in the course of the day to renew his efforts, all of which proved equally unsuccessful with his first endeavors ; and that night they once more commenced their retreat to the opposite side of the line of demarka- tion. By the reports of prisoners who were taken in this af- fair with the enemy at Chateaugay, General Hampton's army actually engaged must have amounted to at least seven thousand infantry and two hundred cavalry besides ten pieces of field ordnance, while the British troops ac- tually engaged did not exceed three hundredf. The visions, and - ^General Hampton's Report, dated 1st November, 1813. fSir George Prevost's Report of this Affair, dated Montreal, 30th Nov«TOber, 1813. lowever, it h on l-W*y^^.' THE LATE WAR. 215 113. [ontreali loss sustained by the British in this action, in killed, wounded and niissiug, amounted to twenty-live : that of the enemy to fifty. About the time the enemy made his appearance in front of the British position, Sir George Prevost arrived on the ground from Montreal, and was happily a witness to the heroic conduct of the troops engaged in tliat glorious achievement ; and in his report to Earl Batliurst, in the most exulting language, expressed his high appro- bation 01 their conduct- General Wilkinson had, at an early stage of the expe- dition, transmitted an order to-General Hampton to join I him at St. Regis ; but that officer having learned the the low state of Genend Wilkinson's supplies of pro- visions, and considering the state of the roads which was at this season of the year very indifferent, conceived it the most prudent method to disobey the order, and not place himself at too great a distance from his own magazines; he therefore availed himself of the nearest route to Montreal, the unsuccessful result of which ma- |nceiivre has just 'been detailed. The American army was again ordered to cross the lliues and take up their winter quarters in their own ter- ptory, after repeatedly suffering themselves to be defeated under the most mortifying- and humiliating jrcumstances ; \\'ith the blame of which the commaad- kriu chief charged General Hampton, in consequence pf his disobedience of orders, but with which the Imericau Secretary of War more properly charged both ; [lowever, it had the eflfect of checking the military zeal I'hich appeared to manifest itself in the Amiiricau ranks ^t a distance from tlie theatre of hostile operations, and »nipletely to extinguish the ardor of the troops on lie lines. - ■ : ^ > tl J- 3/1 'HI MB HU k 216 HISTORT OF i- The country along the St. Lawrence being entirely exonerated from the incursions of the enemy, Colonel Murray, of the 100th Regiment, was ordered to ad- vance from Burlington Heights, with a small force, towards Fort George,, with a view at that time merely to prevent the predatory incursions of the enemy under General Mc. Clure (then in possession of that post,) on the defenceless inhabitants of the surrounding country. But General Mc Clure, having heard of the disasters whicii had befallen the army destined for Montreal, and conscious that a like fate might probably await him and his army, with that dastardly cowardice peculiar to him- self and a few of his compatriots and traitors who joined themselves to his train, and against the very spirit of the law of nations and of civilized warfare, immersed the j^ourishing town of Newark in one continued sheet of ilame, and ignobly fled with his followers into his own territory. The historian laments that it is not in hi:( power to record one magnanimous act of that recreant general, to rescue, his name from that gulf of infamy to which his nefarious conduct has for ever doomed it. On the advance of Major General Riall towards. the Niagara frontier, the American army, abandoned Lew- iston, leaving the command of Fort Niagara to Captain I Leonard of the artillery. On the evening of the 18tli December, preparations were made for taking Fort Niagara from the enemy, for which service Colonel Murray of the 100th Regiment was selected to take the! command ; and early on the next morning this-gallantl officer at the the head of the grenadier company of tliel Royal Scots, the grenadier and light companies of thel 41st Regiment and a detachment of his own corps/ crossed the river about two miles above the fort uponj which they immediately advanced. On approaching tlie| fortress, the Centries planted on the outer works vm^ surprised and taken, the countersign obtained, and in few minutes the fort was carried at the point of thd bayonet. On the the villag Niagara, der Majo] place the visions an Towarc Riall cros head of a detachme -89th and exclusive under the were direi and Black other, wit while the h\xt in con I THE LATE WAR. 217 The loss on the part of the British, iu this affair, wa« only six killed and five wounded : that of the enemy amounted to sixty-five killed and fourteen wounded, and the whole of the garrison made prisoners consisting of nearly three hundred and fifty. I'here were in the fort, at the time of its capture, twenty-seven pieces of ord- nance of weighty calibre, three thousand muskets with the apparatus, besides large magazines of camp equipage and military clothing, which of course fell into the hand:? of the victors. f Major Leonard, the commandant of the garrison, who owned a farm on the margin of the river about five miles above the fort, conceiving every thing on the lines to be reduced to a state of tranquility, ventured to leave the fort the preceding evening tor his farm, in order to attend to some domestic affairs, only received his first apprisal by hearii^g a royal salute fired from the garrison at daybreak in honor of the glorious achievement. On the same day in which Fort Niagara was captured, the village of Lewiston, about eight miles above Fort Niagara, was taken possession of by a British force un- der Major General Riall, without opposition, in which place the public magazines were well filled with pror visions and other military stores. Towards the latter part of the same month. General Riall crossed the Niagara River at Black Rock, at the head of a force consisting of about six hundred men, detachments from the 8th or King's Regiment, 41st, S9th. and 100th regiments, with a few militia volunteers, exclusive of six or seven companies of the Royal Scots under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Gordon, who were directed to land between the villages of Buffalo and Black Rock, about two miles distant from each other, with a view to divert the garrison of Black Rock while the other troops were landing in front of that post ; but in consequence of the severity of the weather, | -m 218 HISTOAY OF number of the boats were stranded, by which means the troops were unable to land in time to effect the ob- ject for which they were previously intended; however, the enemy was driven from both positions in a short time. The American loss in this affair was upwards of five hundred, one hundred and thirty of whom were prisoners of war : the loss of the British was inconsidera- ble compared with that of the enemy. The stale of exasperation to which the mind of every British subject had been wrought by the conduct of Mc. dure, in burning the town of Newark, and exposing to all the inclemency of a Canadian winter both the helpless infant and infirm old age, that nothing but a similar re- taliation could assuage ; the whole line of frontier, from Bufi'alo to Fort Niagara, was therefore burnt to ashes. During this year, the Russian Emperor, Alexander, had tendered his services as mediator between Great Britain and the United States ; -but Great Britain de- clined submitting the question to a monarch who was already known to entertain a great share of jealousy at the extent of the maritime power Great Britain possessed ; but offered to treat with America by plenipotentiaries immediately named by the two governments, in any neutral dominion. To this the United States acceded, and Gottenburg was determined as the place of negotia- ^on. i^.. •■■>r5--; Till LATE WAR 219 CHAPTER XXVm. jit view of the Effect the foregoing military Operations had on the (Jovemment and People of the United States — A British military Command despatched /or the Protection of the London and Western DiUricts — Engagement at Long Woods — Unsuccessful Attack Upon Odellown by a Part of General Wilfcinson^s Ar- my — Invasion of Upper Canada by an American Arrny undfr General Brown~~- Surrender of Fort Eiie — Ad- vance of the American Army down the Niagara River — A Detachment of British Troops moves out to cheek the Advance of the Enemy. The total failure of the expeditions which had been ftt so much expense fitted out for the invasion of Canada, had considerably subdued that ardor for military renuwn, which, at the commeacement of the war, considering the defenceless state of Canada, promised so rich a har- vest of laurels to the United States — add to this the tardy manner in which all diplomatic intercourse between the hostile nations was carried on, owing no doubt to the momentous interest which Great Britain took in the war on the Peninsula for the independence of Europe. Nothing, therefore, of very great consequence occur- ted till the month of March — if we except the predal incursions of the enemy stationed at Maiden, aided by a few traitors, on the inhabitants of the Western and London districts ; in consequence of which a general order was issued for the Royal Scots and 89th light companies and a company of Kent militia under Captain Mc. Grigor, the whole detachment under the command of Captain Stew;\rt of the Royal Scots, amounting to about one hundied and seventy, to take up a position at Delaware Town, on the River Thames. Here, for a few weekf, the detachment remMned unuMlefttd j -'i I 220 History oi* and from the tranquil appearance which the whote country presented, it was conceived unnecessary longer to detain the militia on duty , they were therefore ordered home. The militia had proceeded but a short di&tance on their route homeward, before they discovered a large column of the enemy fortifying a commanding position on the road leading through the Long Woods. The two light companies at Delaware Town, together with Captain Mc. Giigor'b militia who formed the advance guard, on the morning of the 4th oi March, commenced a march through a trackless desert towards the enemy*. During the day, the advance had several desultory skirmishes with the enemy's reconnoitering parties, which together with the great depth of snow tended very much to retard the progress of the troops ; it was there- fore nearly sunset before they came up with the main body of the enemy, who had strongly fortified themselves on tibe summit of a very steep hill, by a stockade work raised breast high, about twenty-two miles from Dela- ware Town. Captain Mc Grigor's militia was ordered to move round and engage the enemy on his lefl;, while the two companies of regulars engaged him in front : a line was formed under a most destructive fire from the enemy^s breastworks. The hill upon which the eifemy had taken up his position actually at this moment presented the appearance of a volcano belching forth cataracts of streaming fire and columns of smoke ; the air was filled with one continued roar of musketry, resembling the rolling of a thousand drums ; and as if to add a more *A more efficient advance for that service could scarcely have been selected from the whole force in Upper Canada, than this handful of militia, led by that gallant veteran Mc. Grigor THE LATE WAR. 221 hare thi» terrific grandeur to the scene, the sun shot forth a fnw partial rays, through a dense forest, on the conflictinj? parties, many of whom were not permitted to see his last ray that evening. The night was now fast approaching ; it was therefore determined to charge the enemy iji his works, for which service the Royal Scots Liglit company was ordered ; and for the purpose of which, the road heing exceedingly narrow, it was formed into an open column of sections right in front, in which order it proceeded down the hill in double quick time : but in attempting to ascend the hill on which the enemy was posted, it was discovered to have been rendered one solid sheet of ice by previ- ously throwing on it a quantity of water, an^ again covering the deception with snow ; every effort, there- fore, to ascend the hill became completely ineffectual ; and, what rendered the circumstance particularly morti- fying, Captain Mc. Grigor perceivmg the company advancing to the charge in the most fearless and un- daunted manner, with a view to co-operate, led his company up to the left of the enemy's works, and was on the point of effecting an escalade, but unfortu- nately for want of timely assistance, was once more repulsed." In this short but sanguinary engagement, every of- ficer, except one, and nearly every nonconimissioned officer, with an immense number of rank and file or the British forces, were either killed or wounded ; and all who could not escape out of the ravine were made prisoners of war, though the enemy retreated that same night about nine o'clock, taking with him only a few prisoners that were able to ride on horse- back, behind his mounted riflemen. The American strength was between four and five hundred, most of whom were Kentucky volunteers. T2 232 HISTORT or Nothing particular transpired on the frontiers after this, until the beginning of July, if we except a de- scent which was made upon Odeltown in the month of March, by a division ot General Wilkinson's army stationed at Plattsburgh ; but who were, by the de- termined baiver} of the troops composing the garrison at that post, uncler the command of Major Hancock, driven back, and with a considerable loss, to the be- siegers. Early on the morning of the 3d of July, an Ameri- can army under the command of Major General Brown, consisting of about seven thousand men, in- vaded Canada, crossing the lines opposite to Black Bock) on the Niagara frontier, whence they immedi- ately advanced on Fort Erie, the garrison of which consisted of one hundred and thirty-seven of the 8th or King's Regiment, commanded by Major Buck of the same corps. General Brown, commander in chief of the invading army, immediately summoned the garrison to surrender, with which summons the com> mandant complied without resistance. The American general, flushed with a success so unusual lately to the arms of the United States, ad- vanced his army down the Niagara River, towards the British post at the mouth of the Chippawa or Welland River, at which place. General Riall, commanding the British army on the Niagara frontier at that period, determined to give him a check until Isrther assistance should arrive; for which purpose lie concentrated his little force at that place, consist- ing of five companies of the Royal Scots, a part of the 8th or King's Regiment, a part of the lOOth THE LATE WAl. 298 Regiment, and the 2d Lincoln militia, amounting in all to about fifteen hundred men*. On the approach of the American army next day towards Chippawa, a detachment composed of one troop of the 19th Light Dragoons commahded by Ma- jor Lisle, the Light Infantry company of the Royal Scots and a small detachment of the King's Regi- ment, with two brass field pieces, twenty-four pounders, was directed to move out in the direction of the ene- my in order to reconnoitre his force and ascertain its strength. * The enemy's advance was discovered about two miles above the mouth of the Chippawa River; a few'^shots were exchanged, after which a strong co- lumn of the enemy issued from the woods (where they had previously taken shelter,) with a view to charge and capture the guns ; but a charge from tho caValry drove them to their former retreat, in precipi- tation and dismay. After the purposes of the reconnoitering party were as far accomplished as existing circumstances would admit, it retired in rear of the works at Chippawa, at Uie same time cutting away the bridge separating the two armies. Thus lay the contending forces during that night, within pistol shot of each other — ^the outposts occasion- ally skirmishing, which increased at daybreak, whfen Major General Riall ordered that the bridge across the *Five companies of the Royal Scots were left to garrison Fort George and Mississagua, and part of the 100th to garri- son Fort Niagara } part of the 8th or King's were captured m Fort Erie. 2ft4 HISTORY or Chippawa should again be repaired, (resolving, not> withstanding the great disparity of force, to meet his antagonist in the field,) which was s» far completed m to render it passable for the army by three oxlock in the afternoon. The British army now prepared to movfe out to meet the enemy, who had strongly posted his line on the plain, about a mile and'a quarter above Chippawa — the right of which, commanded by General Scott, rested on the Niagara River, supported by a park of artillery under Captain Towson ; the left, composed of the New- Vork and Pennsylvania volunteers under General Porter, rested on the woods, supported in front by n largfe body of riflemen and Indians ; and a strong brigade in rear, under General Ripley, as a reserve. THE LATE WAR. 235 CHAPTER XXIX. iingagemerU on the Plains of Chippdwa — the Advanet oj the Britieh^ under Colonel Pearson, moves out and engages the Enemy*s Out-posts — Main Bodies of the two Armies advance to Battte'^The British retire in Rear of their Works at Chippawa — Attempts of the American Army to cross the River Welland — Retreat of the Bri- tish Army to Fort George — General Brown moves down and invests that Fort — General Riall moves out of Fort George with Part of his Farce — Both Armies reinforced — General Brown retreats on Chippawa. The advance guard of the B^lish) composed of the light companies of the Royal Scots, the 8th or King's Regiment, the 100th Regim«nt and the Lincoln Militia accompanied by a few Indian warriors, {thtt whole com- manded by Colonel Pearson,) advanced towards the plains with a view to draw the enemy into action, the militia and Indians occupying the woods ; when, about half past three o'clock, they were sharply engaged with the enemy's riflemen and Indians, who at first checked (heir advance, and even, for a time, compelled them to retiref, until the light troops of the regulars were brought up to their support, at which the enemy fled in all directions. > By this time, the main body of the British army was formed in line, which, when compared with that of the enemy, presented more the appearance of the wing of a regiment than an opposing army. The line was composed t At this crisis of the Action, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Dickson, of the 2d Lincoln Militia, was wounded, after which the command of that corps devolved on Major David Secprd.- ! f, I fid6 iiisTORt or of four compauies of the Royal Scots, on the right, commaDded bv Lieutenant Colonel Gordon, (the light company of ^vhich was acting in th^ advance,^ the 8th or King's Regiment on the left, and the 100th or Prince Regent's Regiment in the centre, commanded by Lieu- tenant Colonel the Marquis of Tweedale ; the left of the line, supported by two pieces of field ordnance, twenty-four pounders, planted on the margin of the river. The armies, being thus arranged, Commenced the Conflict ; a steady fire from both sides was for some lime maintained ; when the King's Regiment was order- ed to the right of the line, and the Royal Scots and 100th Regiment were directed to charge the enemy's crest, which was gallantly received by two regiments of General Scot's brigade which moved forwaid for that purpose ; after which the fire re-commenced with re- doubled fury, while the artillery was literally making lanes through the columns ; but the explosion of a British ammunition wagon so materially injured one of the guns as completely to silence it ; and the increasing fire which the enemy was enabled to maintain, in conse- quence of his line continually filling up from the reserve, was making such a visible impression on the British ranks, that General Riall found himself no longer able to sustain the fight against a forces© uliequal in numeri- cal strength, and gave orders to abandon the field ; the troops, therefore, retired in rear of the works at Chip- paway destroying the bridge they had previously repaired across that river. The loss on both sides might be said to be nearly equal, amounting to four or five hundred. Lieutenant Colonel the Marquis of Tweedale and Lieutenant Cok)- nel Gordon wgre amongst the wounded. The 2d Lincoln Militia, under Major David Secord, distinguish- ed themselves in thU action by ftats of genuine bravery THE LATE WAK 2»7 and heroism, stimulated by the example of their gallant leader, which are seldom surpassed even by the most experienced veterans. Their loss was proportionate witJi that of the regular army. Three or four days subsequent to the sanguinary con- flict on the plains at Chippawa, were mostly employed by the enemy in burying their o\vn dead and burning those of the British ; after which, several ineffectual ef- forts were made by General Brown to cross the Welland River, contemplating an advance on Fort George ; but, at each of his attempts, he was promptly met by piquet guards of the British posted along the margin of the river for that purpose. General Riall, however, in a few days, gave orders that the remnant of his army should retire under the shelter of Fort George and Mississagua, until reinforce- ments could be collected to place him on more equal ground with the enemy ; after which. General Brown moved his army towards those posts within a mile and a half of the British — his army forming a crescent, his right resting on the Niagara River, his left on Lak^ Ontario. The American army had no sooner taken up a position in front of Fort George, than their foraging parties, or rather marauders, commenced a systematic course of plunder upon the defenceless inhabitants within the vi- cinity of their camp, most of whom, at the time, consisted of women and children: even amongst the jral officers were acts of pillage perpetrated, that, had such occurred with private soldiers in the British army, would have stamped a stigma on the character of the ]3ritish, in the eyes of America, for which no courgQ \! un'i S'.' ^8 HISTORY OF of conduct which they could ever after have pursued would have sufficiently atoned|{. The most unwearied vigilance had been exercised by the American General to watch every avenue by which auy.part of the British might possibly escape from the position- within the works ; yet, notwithstanding all the care and vigilance practised by General Brown and the forces under his commimd, General Riall contrived to march a part of his little army, a few ammunition wa- gons and two six pounders, field pieces, under night and unperceived, through his lines to a rendezvous for reinforcements at the 12 and 20 mile creeks. • During the interval in which General Riall was recei- ving reinforcements from York and other military posts on that side of Lake Ontario, General Brown also received a strong reinforcement under General Izard, U General S. of the New- York militia, who had joined the army in Canada, under General Brown, appeared, under night, with about two hundred mounted men, before a small farm house in the vicinity of Fort George, where a wealthy farmer, whose resi- dence was on the bank of the Niagara River, had sent the female part of his family with the most valuable part of his goods, as s place of safety, the house being surrounded with woods. The General took possession of the goods and divided with his fol- lowerr, reserving for himself a set of silver spoons, a great coat sufficiently large to fit over his own, with as much of a chest of tea as he could conveniently carry in a flannel shirt sewed up at one end for that purpose. With these the gallant general march- ^ ed oflF in quest of other ** deeds of martial glory." He next a young man of the name of Thompson, whom he made a prF soner, and from whom he took a silver watch; but approaching too near the British piquets, in an encounter, he was mortally wounded. I1ie young man from whom he had taken the watch was then commanded to pilot them to a place ,of safety, where the general's wound could be attended to : he very naturally con- ducted them to his father's house, where the general died, and the next officer in command restored the watch to the ,;oung maiji Irom whom it was taken. after w] George fruitless tioDs ol case of Gene he was : imprego spirits a by nom dian mj parallel now to t on the n retrograc Gener closely V Scarcely into a pu it had un Sir Gord the Niag ly made THE LATE WAR. 229 after which he made a few ineffectual assaults on Fort George ; but, finding all his efforts to carry that fort fruitless, and the British army receiving fresh acquisi- tions of strength, all seemed to conspire to render the case of General Bro^vn entirely hopeless. General Brown now pejrceiving the situation in which he was placed — ^the forts in his front to him completely impregnable, and an army in his rear in full flow of spirits and every day gathering new strength, (though by no means equal to his as regarded numbers,) a Cana- dian militia, unexpectedly to him, fervent beyond a parallel in the cause of their king and country — began now to think of a safe retreat, in pursuance of which, on the morning of the 25th July, he commenced his retrograde. General Brown's movements, however, were ^too closely watched to permit him to escape unnoticed. Scarcely had the conception of a retreat matured itself into a purpose in the mind of the American General, ere it had unfolded itself to the penetrating eye of General Sir Gordon Drummond, who had that day arrived on the Niagara frontier, and preparations were immediate^ ly made to intercept him. II !•'^cumstances would admit, placing his artillery which consisted of two twenty-four pounders, two six pound- ers [brass field pieces,] and a rocket party, in iront of the centre of his position, near the right side of Lundy's lane leading down the hill to the Queenston road, sup- ported by the second battalion of the 89th Regiment under Colonel Morrison. Scarcely had this arrangement of the British forces been completed, before the positiou ^n- ■?■ jK, » **-.-.^ . 232 HIStORY OF was furiously assailed by General Soott^s brigade, at the point of the bayonet ; but the enemy was repulsed with great slaughter. A tremendous fire wafrthen com- menced on the crest of the British position, by the first brigade of the enemy stationed near a copse between Lundy's Lane and the Falls of Niagara; and the 9th, 11th and 22d regiments and Captain Towson's brigade of artillery, stationed on the Queenston road. During this stage of the engagement, the light com- pany of the Royal Scots arrived on ihe ground from the Twenty Mile Creek ; and a courier was despatched to countermand the route of the 103d Regiment and detachment's of the King's and 104th regiments, who had, in a mistake, taken the road to Queenston from the Beach-woods, and to hasten their movement to the field of action. -^ ■■-■ "■-•> On the brow of the hill at the east end of Lundy's Lane, for^tlfee possession of which the armies hitherto had prinQinilJ|||0^^nded, General Drummond now planted ^%^3||K|^ ^ i^ appeared to form the key t> the positioh^^^llH^ quarter, therefore, the enemy for a length of tiine'^i^ected his whole efforts ; and not- withstanding the carnage was truly appaling, no visible impression had yet been made. Still, on this part of the field did the whirlwind of the conflict continue to rage with awful and destructive fuiy : columns of the enemy, not unlike the undulating surge of the adjacent cataract, rushed to the charge itf dose and impetuous succession. ^ In this fearful and tremendous stage of the contest, the British forces both regular and militia, finding them- selves pressed by an overwhelming force, simultaneously closed round the guns, apparently determined to contest their possession with the last drop of Britisli blood on the ground) fully assured of their importance to a fa- ▼crab] armiei for vi< Thi on th< Genen army, passed dresset tercepl of war Itwj the cur stead ol war wh the bl( p^ared < did the against charges regular, intrepid been ch and tbel ingup TUB LiLTB WAR. 23t Tonble termination f the engagement — in short, both armies appeared to be roused to a state of desperation for victory. The enemy at length succeeded to make a slight turn on the left of the British position ; at which period, General Riall, who commanded that division of the army, was severely wounded in the arm, and havinjjj passed to the rear for the purpose of having his wound dressed) ip his return to resume the cominand, was in- tercepted by a column of the enemy and made prisoner of war. It was long before this crisis of the engagement tliut the curtains of night had enveloped the scene ; but in- stead of that circumstance tending to abate the fury of war which had now completely drenched the field with the blood of the combatants, the rage of battle ap- peared only to increase as the night advanced. Stiil did the enemy continue to direct h^||(t|&ngest force against the crest of the British ppsi tic charges werj as often received; regular, fencible, and militia force intrepid gallantry for which the Br been chaiacterized. Charges were made in such rapid succession and v/ith such determined vigor that often were tlie British artillerymen assailed in the very act of spuiiglng-xafid charging their guns ; and of(en were the muzzles of the guns of the cou tending armies hauled up and levelled withffi a few yards of each other: the havoc of lives on both sides, under such circumstances, may be better conceived than described. The battle having raged with almost unprecedented fury for upv/ards of three hours, both sides appeared for a time mutually to suspend hostilities ; during which the British troops were supplied with fresh ammunition, and the enemy employed himself actively in bring- ing up his reserve columns; after which, th« fir« W3i V2 iris repuated lied by the ;ed, with that army has ever i 234 HIS'VOBY 07 -#1^ lecommieDced from the Queenston road on the left of the British column; however, it was discovered that this was only a diversion to mask the intention of a large body of the enemy's fresh troops, which was actually moving on the right of the British position, to outflank it. General Drummond commenced immediately to draw his strength towards this flank of his army, form- ing a line in a field of grain, upon which the enemy were seen to advance in slow 9nd silent pace. The British line formed to repel this new attack, .was direct- ed to kneel sufficiently low to prevent being perceived by the enemy ; but scarcely had General Drummond completed this order of arrangement, before the enemy's column made its appearance and advanced within a few yards of the British line, when the signal was made to fire a volley and charge — the effect of that single firt; upon the enemy's ranks was awful in the extreme — those of the enemy who were able made a precipitate retreat. " The enens's efiforts to carry the hill," says General Drummond in q^s. despatches, *' were continued until midnight, when he had suffered so severely from the superior steadiness and discipline of His Majesty's troops, that he gave up the contest and retreated with great precipitation to his camp beyond the Chippawa, burning, as he passed, the flour mills at Bridge water- On the foUoi^ing day he abandoned his camp, threw the greatest part of his baggage, camp equipage and provi- sions into the rapids above the falls ; and destroying the bridge at Chippawa, he continue^ his retreat in great disorder towards Fort I^rie." " The loss sustained by the enemy," adds Sir Gordon Drummond, ^4n this severe action, cannot be estimated at less than fifteen hundred men, including several -hun- ■x^^ .1 THE LATE WAR. 236 died prisoners left in our hands*. Grenerals Brown and Scott were among the wounded. His whole force, which was never rated at less than fkve thousand meD) was all engaged." In General Drtimmond's report of this action, his return of killed, wounded and missing is as follows, namely : Killed, ...• • 84 Wounded, • 569 Missing, 193 Prisoners, 42 Total, 878 By the regimental returns of the British army, inclu' ding those of the militia both before and after this engagement, the whole British force consisted of two thousand eight hundred ; but before the arrival of the troops under Colonel Scott of the lOBd Regiment, it did not exceed sixteen hundred. 4^ Of all the battles (says u writer on this subject,) fought in America, the action at Lundy's Lane was unques- tionably ihe best sustained and by far the most sangui- nary. The rapid charges and real contest with the bayonet were of themselves sufficient to render this en- gagement conspicuous. Traits of real bravery and heroic *In General Brown's report of this action, his return of kflled, wounded and miasing is as followii : Killed, Wounded, Missing, Total, 171 570 117 858 S 11 k * I Hi II ir 236 HISTORY Of devotion were that night displayed bj those engaged, which would not suffer in a comparison with those exhi- bited at the storming of St. Sebastian, or the oonflact at Quatre Bras. Both the belligerent armies have ofiered their claimf for victory in this engagement — upon what grounds the American general could propose such a claim are best known to himself. The result of the action, compared with General Brown's first instructions as set forth in hit despatches to the American secretary of war, contradicts in the most pointed terms even the slightest suggestion of a victory on the pi\rt of the American arms. *^ It is proper here to mention," says General Brown in the despatches alluded to, " that having received advices as late as the 20th, from General Gaines, that our fleet was then in port and the commodore sick, we ceased to look for co-operation from that quarter, and determined to disencumber ourselves of the baggage and march di- rectly for Burlington Heights. To mask this intention, and to draw from Schlosser a supply, I fell back upon Chippawa. As this arrangement, under the increased force of the enemy, left much at hazard on our own aide of the Niagara ', and as it appeared, by the before stated information, that the enemy was about to avail himself of it, I conceived that the most effectual method of recalling him from this object, was to put myself in motion towards Queenston." Now, a question very naturally presents itself-^Did General Brown or the army under his command, in pur- suance of the declared intention of the general, make a solitary effort after the action, to force a passage to Bur- lington, or even attempt to maintain the ground he hold during the action ? The reverse was the case. Let Gene- ral Brown speak for himself. " I therefore believed it proper," says that general in another part of his report, " that General Ripley and the troops should return to eamp," that is, beyond Chippawa, a distsftape of nearly TOE LATE WAR. 237 four miles from Lundy's Lane, the field of action, leaving the British troops in peaceable possession of the ground they had gained, and during the arduous contest main- tained by their prowess and steady discipline; and, next dav, the American forces continued their retreat in great disorder towards Fort Erie*.*' Here was victory with a witness ; and just such a victory did Buonaparte gain at Waterloo. General Bnmn not only abandoned the plans of ope- ration which he had ibitaed previous to the action at Lundy's Lane, but ^* retreated in great disorder towards Fort Erie,*' wheie his egress from the British territory might be more easv ; and in his way destroyed the bridge across the Chippawa, in order to retard the ad- vance of the British light troops on his rear. *Qeii6rtfI TfVttDvaOHd'B R«port of tbe Actioii. m id it n to arly ^% 236 UUTORT OF 7«» CHAPTER XXXI. Tfie Britiah Army^ under Oeneral Dmmmondy pursues the Enemy to Fort Erie — General Drummond invests that Fort — Nocturnal Assault on Fort Erie and tfie adjoin- ing Batteries in Possession of the Enemy — Disposition of the Force intended for that Assault — Failure of that Assault — Sortie by the American Fora/i on the British Batteries in Front of Fvri Erie — RtsuU of the Sortie — Retreat of both Armies — • Concluding Remarks. The American generals, unacquainted with the policy of war, had suffered themselves to be too easily elated by the imaginary successes which attended the Ameri- can arms during the first operations in this campaign, were now proportionably overwhelmed with disappoint- ment at the signal defeat with which they met at Lundy's Lane ; and confined themselves within the limits of Fort Erie and the adjacent- shore, as far as Snake Hill, a distance of two miles ; ^n front of which position. General Drummond, with as many of the remaining British forces as could be spared for that ser- Tice, adv^anced in a few days. The Biitish army had no sooner taken up their posi- tion in front of Fort Erie than preparations were immediately made to storm the fort and American posts. General Gaines, on whom had devolved the command of the second division of the northern army of the United States, in the absence of Generals Brown and Scott, who had both been wounded at Lundy's Lane, now directed his whole attention to strengthening the Fort and outworks as far as Snake Hill. On the 13th of August, General Drummond having previously completed his batteries, commenced a brisk cannonade on &e position of the enemy, which , with a few ii which ii of the ( this puri ttiree d Fischer oompanii against i Hill ; the of the 1 nies of tl men and of the R Lieutenai sisting of nies of tl adjoining This a tined for circuitous day previi of the po: co-operatt About several di the enem^ directed woods, it or fifteen by a heav Major Wi this for a Howei from the fantry dei .„-r' THE LATE WAR. « (evr intermissions, was continued for two days ; after which it was determined to carry tlie fort and outworks of the enemy hy a nocturnal assault. In pursuance of this purpose, General Drummond formed his troops into tlree divisions; the first under Lieutenant Colonel Fischer of Pe Wattville's regiment, consisting of the Kiiig'M Rcgimant, the Regiment De Wattville and flank companies of the 69th and 100th regiments, directed against the enemy's entrenchments at and near Snaka Hill ; the second, under Lieutenant Colonel Drummond of the 104th Regiment, consisting of the flank compa- nies of the 41st and 104th regiments and a body of sea- men and marines under the direction of Captain Dobbs of the Royal Navy, against the fort ; and the 3d, under Lieutenant Colonel Scott cf the 103d Regiment, con- sisting of the 103d Regimtint supported by two compa- nies of the Royal Scotts, against the entrenchments adjoining the fort. This arrangement being completed, the division des- tined for the attack of Snake Hill, marched by a circuitous route at four o'clook on the afternoon of the day previous to the attack, in order to gain the vicinity of the point of the enemy's works in suflicient time to co-operate with the other divisions of the army. About two o'clock on the morning of the 15th, the several divisions of the British army moved on towards the enemy's entrenchments ; but as soon as the column directed against Snake Hill had emerged from the woods, it came in contact with an abbattis within twelve or fifteen paces of the enemy's entrenchments, defended by a heavy column of infantry under the command of Major Wood and the artillery under Captain Towson. this for a time completely checked its advance. However, it was soon announced by a tremendous fire from the guns in the fort, and from the columns of in- fantry defending the entI'QIlchme^ts ueiur the shore of ?'•; 1 1' '^'i '# HISTORY OF the lake, that the other two columns, under Lieutenant Colonels Scott and Drummond, had commenced an a9« sault on the enemy's worlds. At the first outset of the two last columns, the enemy succeeded in turning the column on the left under Colo- nel Scott ; hut that under Colonel Prummond penetrated the enemy's works and charged through his ranks with such irresistahle impetuosity that nothing seemed suffi- ciently impregnable to arrest its progress. Lieutenant Colonel Scott, in the mean time, rallied his column which had been partially turned on one flank, 8T>d the fort was assailed m almost every quarter by the besie- gers ; an escalade was effected, the enemy drove from the ramparts at the point of the bayonet, and the guns of the fort turned upon tlie ganison ; all of which pre- ludes of victory had actually been gained a few minutes after the first alarm. The battle raged with a fury seldom equalled. The British troops having previously, in pursuance of an or- der to that effect, divested their muskets of the flints, every foot of ground was contended at the point of the bayonet, which rendered the carnage more dreadful and appaling. Lieutenant Colonel Drummond, during the conflict within the fort, perfonned most extraordinary acts of va- lor : in the hottest of the battle he would present himself encouraging his men both by example and precept. But in the very moment when victory was declaring herself in favor of the British arms, some ammunition which had been placed under the platform ignited from the firing of the guns to the rear, and a dreadful explosion was the result, by which the greater pjtrt o^ the British forces which had entered the fort, were literally blown into the air. AH the ved the e^ ground a| then enal was there In rear of The lo plosion, VI amongst tl mond. InGene turn of th< namely : Killed, 2 1 1 serjeai Wounded, ral, 1 me 1 mastei 250 rani Missing, l 1 captaii man, i dnunme Nothing after the ai sional skii frequent ca batteries ai on the opp< its neighbo however, wounds, a( army on THE LATE WAR. 241 All the exertions of the few British troops who survi- ved the explosion were found ineffectual to maintain their ground against such an unequal force as the enemy was then enabled to bring up against them ; the enterprise was therefore abandoned ; and the British forces retired in rear of their works before daybreak. The loss of the British, in consequence of the ex- plosion, was much greater than that of the enemy ; and amongst thcf kiljed were Colonels Scott 5nd E)fum- mond. In General Drummond's report of this action, the re- turn of the killed, wounded and missing stands thus, naniely: Balled, 2 lieutenant colonels, 1 captain, 1 lieutenant, 1 Serjeant, 1 drummer, 51 rank and iiie. Wounded, 1 deputy assistant quarter master gene- ral, 1 major, 8 captains, 1 1 lieutenants, 2 ensigns, 1 master, 12 seamen, 20 Serjeants, 2 drummers, 250 rank and Ale, Missing, 1 deputy assistant quarter master general, 1 captain, 3 lieutenants, 2 ensigns, 1 midship- man, 1 adjutant, 7 seamen, 41 sergeants, 3 drummers, 479 rank and file, 57 308 Total, 639 904 Nothing particular occurred for the space of a month after the affair of the 16th August, if we except occa- sional skirmishes with the advanced posts, and the frequent cannonading maintained between the British batteries and the enemy's works, as well at Black Rock, on the opposite side of the river, as at Fort Erie and its neighborhood. At about the expiration of a month, however. General Brown, having recovered of his wounds, again resumed the command of the American army on Sxe Niagara frontier, and brought with him a W hi M 242 HISTORY OP Strong reinforcement, resolving to attempt tl)*» destruction of the British batteries in front of the fort. Pursuant to this determination, on the 17th September, at about 12 o'clock, noon, the whole American force including both regulars and militia sallied forth in three divisions under Generals Porter, Miller and Ripley ; and before the ready and resen^e columns of the British could be brought up from the camp, (about a mile in rear,) the enemy had succeeded in penetrating the batteries, de- stroying the works with one magazine of ammunition, and spiking the guns. But ere he could effect his retreat, the ready and reserve columns had arrived, who immediately commenced a determined attack upon his columns ; and after about a half hour's desperate fighting, notwithstanding his great superiority of num- bers, he returned before the bayonets of the British line, in great precipitation, under the cover of his works, after losing nearly six hundred of his force. The incessant rains which had fallen that season rendered it impossible for General Prummond to repair his batteries, or, indeed, longer to keep the field ; he, therefore, on the 21st of September, broke up his camp, and retired to winter quarters in rear of his works at the mouth of the Chippawa. During the retreat. General Brown feigned some in- clination to follow on the rear of the British army 5 yet, notwithstanding all the efforts which could possibly be exercised by a general, were called into contribution by Sir Gordon Drummond, to bring General Brown into action ; but it all proved unavailing. The American general, " as soon as the coast was clear," evacuated Fort Erie and retreated across the river into fas own territory. Thus terminated the campaign of 1814, on the Nia- gara frontier ; and whatever might have been the object of the American government when they sent that army THE LATE WAR. 24$ to^nvade Canada, it is certain that nothing was acquired, if we except afresh proof (if such had been now neces- sary,) of the loyalty of the Canadian people to their sove- reign, and their unshaken zeal to defend their country from the grasp of its enemy, at whatever time he might think proper to invade it. 0* 244 HISTORY or 1^ * CHAPTER XXXII. Artital of a British riaval and miKtary Forte on th Shores 6/ the U- States — Tro<^s land at the Mouth of the Pawtuxet and move on towards Washington — General Ross arrives at Bladenshurg and finds the American Force strongly posted to oppose hi^ Passage — The American Army routed—- General Ross takes Possession of the American Capital— 'The British Forces again retire to the Seaboard and embark — Captain Gordon's Expedition up the Potomac — Captain Sir Peter Pat' ker^s Expedition up the Chesapeake — Descent upon , Baltimore — Retreat and re-emharkation of the British. During! the period in which the operations of the campaign on the Niagara frontiers were transpiring, a naval force, consisting of five line of battle ships and a few frigates, was fitted out and placed under the com- mand of Vice-admiral Cochrane, for the purpose of visiting the coasts of the United States and laying waste het maritime cities and towns, \vith a view to putting a more speedy termination to the war so much deprecated by the enlightened men of both countries. This naval squadron was accompanied by several transports having on board a military force of from five to six thousand men under the command of Major General Ross. This armament arrived on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, along which it hovered a few days, occasionally bom- barding the towns and villages along the coast. On the 2 1 St, the squadron arrived at Benedict, at the mouth of the Pawtuxet, (about forty-seven miles from the city of Washington, the metropolis of the United States,) where General Ross disembarked his troops ; from whence he proceeded to Nottingham, and on the following day to Upper Marlborough. On this march the British army met with but little or no expositions ..'#■'; THE LATE WAR 245 except from a flotilla of about twenty gun-boats manned with about four or Ave hundred marines and seamen, under the command of Commodore Barney, an experi- enced and meritorious naval officer, but who was at length compelled, with the men under his command, to abandon and set flre«to the boats, directing their flight to Bladensburg, there to join General Winder, who had, at that place collected a force of nearly nine thou- sand for the purpose of disputing with General Ross the t^ad to the capital. General Winder's army was visited by President Ma- dison accompanied by General Armstrong, the American Secretary of War, together with the United States At- torney General, before whom they passed in review on the morning of the 23d, at Old-Fields, about five miles distant from the city of Washington. After the review, General Winder detached a column under Colonel Scott, to reconnoitre the force of the British with a view to harrass them in their advance, and by which means so retard their progress that the Ameri- can army might gain as much strength as possible, whose ranks were hourly swelling by the arrivals of the militia from Baltimore and Annopolis and volunteers from Georgetown and its vicinity. General Ross had advanced within six miles of the enemy^s camp, when Colonel Scott's column was discovered ; but receiving a few volleys from the British advanced guard, they re- treated in rapid movement towards their camp. General Ross advanced his column about three miles further on the road to Washington, where he encamped during the night ; but the enemy, dreading a nocturnal attack, retired about sunset towards Washington, to a position where they could encamp in greater security. . (t Early on the morning of the 24th, the British forces were in movement towards Washington, taking a route which kept General Winder's army on their left flank ; W2 m mm ' i>i \t \m '1 I'! 246 HISTORY OF but about noon tlie enemy was discovered strongly post- ed at Bladen sburg, ready to dispute the passage at that place. The bridge was defended by a large brigade of artillery supported by a column of riflemen, with a divi- sion of infantry drawn up in an orchard in the rear ; and a strong brigade of infantry under the directions of Gene- ral Stansbury was drawn up on the west side of the western branch of the river ; and on the heights com- manding the great road to Washington we:"e erected two batteries served by the st*amen and marines commanded by Commodore Barney and Captain Miller, and support- ed by a body of infantry and riflemen; the other columns of the enemy were posted according to the situ ation of the ground, in the best order of defence which s\iggested itself to the minds of their generals. General Ross, taking a moment's survey of the dis- position of the enemy, formed his plan of attack. The 85th Light infantry regiment, and the light infantry companies of the different regiments constituting the British column — the whole under the command of Colo- nel Thornton — rushed forward with such irresistable impetuosity, supported by a division of infantry com- manded by Colonel Brooke, that the bridge was carried in a few minutes : and the enemy compelled to retreat in confusion and dismay towards the capital, carrying terror in their flight, and after the brief deliberations of a council of war hastily assembled, it was concluded that under present circumstances the metropolis was completely untenable by the American army under their present dispersed and disorganized state ; it was, there- fore, ordered that General Smith should continue the retreat of the army through the city, and take up a posi- tion on the heights of Georgetown. The loss sustained by ' British in the engagement at Bladen sburg, amount' ^ to two hundred and forty- nine in killed and wou ided, sixty-four of whom were THE LATE WAR. 247 of the former*. The loss of the American army only amounted to one hundred and eighty, in killed, wounded and missingjl ; but their loss in property was immense]; : no less than two hundred and sixty pieces of cannon, five hundred and forty barrels of gun-powder, and a hundred thousand cartridge mostly charged each with a ball and three buck>shot, were taken by the captors^ General Ross, meeting with no further ■ > tanc^^w continued his approach to Washington ; and havin^githe main body of his army encamped about a mile and a half from the city, he entered the metropolis at the head of six or seven hundred men, about 8 o'clock in the evening. Immediately on the entry of the detachment of British troops into the city, General Ross issued or- ders for the destruction of all the public buildings and public works together with the public library, the capi- tol and a frigate and sloop of war in the navy yard, almost ready for launching, with all the materials in the naval arsenal ; pursuant to which they were all con- signed to one continued conflagration, in which it is to be regretted that an elegant hotel with a few other private buildings were consumed. f Next day. General Ross having accomplished the object of his expedition to Washington, ordered a vetreat which was commenced that evening and continued next day to Benedict. During the progress of these aifairs, I ii * General Ross to Earl Bathnrst, dated, on board the Tonnant, 30th August, 1814. II General Winder to General Armstrong. J By the report of the committee appointed to investigate the amount of public property lost to the United States at the cap ture of Washington, it is estimated at nine hundred and sixty-nine thousand, one Lnndred and scYenty-one doUars, v;-' - T *.■ 248 HISTORY OF Captain Gordon of the Sea Horse, with a naval force under his command, ascended the Potomac ; but, in cunsenuence of the difficulties which presented them* selves in the navigation of that river with vessels of large dimensions, he did no* recich Fort Washington until the 27th, upon which he immediately opened a bombardment ; but the officer commanding that garrison gave orders for spiking the guns and blowing up the , works without the least show of resistance. Captain Ovcjian then passed on to the town of Alexandria, the municipal authorities of which, in order to save the town from destruction, stipulated for the surrender of all public stores together with twenty-one sail of merchant shipping with Sieir cargoes then lying in the harbor. Captain Sir Peter Parker, to whom was entrusted the command of another division of the fleet with which to ascend the Chesapeake, on the night of the 30th of August, landed a body of seamen and marines, in all amounting to one hundred and twenty, near a place called Georgetown Cross Roads, where a body of the militia of Maryland was stationed. The enemy, apprized of this movement, were drawn up in much greater force than Captain Parker was led to anticipate, in front of their camp. Still the intrepid captain, thinking of no- thing but conquest, pressed forward with his handful of brave followers, and while animating them in the fury of the combat, received a buck-shot in the thigh, which penetrated the femoral artery, yet continuing to cheer his men to the conflict, he fell and terminated a hfe ren- dered immortal in the recollections of his countrymen ; after which the enemy pouring upon them in overwhelm- ing numbers, compelled them to retire to their boats and abandon the enterprise. Admiral Cochrane now assembled his whole squadron in the waters of the Chesapeake, determined on a de- scent upon the city of Baltimore ; for which purpose the fleet ascended the bay, aud on the 1 1th of September;, THE LATE WAR 249 they came to an anchor off the mouth of the Potomac River, about fourteen miles distant from Baltimore. Early on the following morning, General Ross debarked his troops amounting to nearly six thousand, under co- ver of the gun-boats, at a place called North Point. On receiving intelligence of tms movement. Brigadier Gene- ral Strieker, who had been detached with a force of between three and four thousand infantry, with a large park of artillery, a corps of cavalry and a body of rifle- men, to resist the Approach of General Ross, took a position at the junction of the severjtl roads which led to the city, having a body of light troops in his front under Major Heath, for the purpose of annoying the * British and checking their advance. The point at which General Ross had effected a landing is a kind of peninsu- la formed by the Patapsco and Back rivers, across which Major Heath had thrown up an intrenchment ; but, on the advance of the British column, this position was hastih abandoned with little or no resistance. m In a short time the British forces came Up With the column under General Strieker, which was discovered . to be strongly posted with the right resting on Bear Creek and the left covered by a swamp almost imper- vious. General Ross continued to advance under the fire of the enemy's riflemen and light troops ; and al- ways too prodigal of his own safety in the field, placed himself in front of his advance', who had now become engaged with that of the enemy. While in this situa- tion, with his hat waving in the air, animating his troops, he received a rifle ball in his breast which proved to be mortal. The command of the expedition now devolved on' Colonel Brooke, for whom General Ross immediately sent, and to whom he yielded his instructions ; and after taking an affectionate leave of that officer and his per- sonal staff, and ejaculating '^ my dear wife}" he breathed his last, deeply lamented by the wholte army he had Vi ' r-\~ :. w 250 HISTORY OF SO recently commanded. Colonel Brooke continued to move forward on the enemy's position, and commenced a general attack ; a few minutes after the commence- ment of which the signal Was given to charge the enemy's line, when a rapid advance took place ; and the whole of General Strieker's army was completely routed and driven in confusion at the point of the bayonet. The enemy's position was then taken possession of, to- gether wim two pieces of field ordnance which the enemy's artillery, in their precipitation, were unable to take from the field. On the following morning, Colonel Brooke continued to advance till he arrived Within a mile and a half of Baltimore, intending an immediate assault upon that place ; but upon reconnoitring the works with which the enemy had surrounded the city, he discovered that all those hills, with which its ambient vicinity abounds, were completely studded with fortifications and redoubts, the whole of which were connected by breastworks and defended by an itmy of fifteen thousand men, ex- clusive of a numerous train of artillery commanded by Ctenerals Stansbury and Foreman, and a body of seamen and marines under Commodore Bogers. During the land opersltions against Baltimore, a pow- erful and well concerted plan of attack was attempted against Fort Mc Henry commanding the entrance of the harbor of Baltimore, with a vie y to the reduction of that fort, that the naval force might approach the town and co-operate with the army ; but in consequence of a number of vessels having been previously sunk by the enemy across the entrance, it wis found impracticable to approach sufficiently near to render any assistance ; the enterprise was therefore given up. Next morning, the 15th, between one and two o'clock, the British army retreated a few miles from Baltimore, where they remained the whole of that day, THE LATE WAR- 251 with an intention to draw the American forces from their defences for an attack ; but finding the enemy no way disposed to hazard a field engagement, the retreat wm continued the next morning to North Point, where the troops were re-embarked, together with about two hun- dred of the most respectable inhabitants of Baltimore, prisoners of war. The loss of the Americans is said, in their own accounts, not to exceed one hundred and eighty killed and wounded ; while, on the same autho- rity, the British loss amounted to six hundred including a number of prisoners. i ijr kltk \ n ■^i 362 HISTORY OF M CHAPTER XXXIIl. An Expcditim formed in Lower Canada for the Inva- sion of Plattaburg — Arrival of the British Squadron at the Harbor of Plattsburgh — Naval Engagement^ and loss of the British Squadron—Retreat of the Bri- tish Troops — British Expedition formed against the Shores of the United States bordering on the Mexican Gulph — Result of that Expedition— Expedition against New Orleans — Partial Encounter between General Jackson's Army and a Body of British Troops under Colonel Thornton — The British under Oeneral Pac- kenham advance towards New Orleans^-Reif^orcements arrive for both Armies — Unsuccessful Attack on the . Enemy*8 Entrenchments — Second Attack on Fort Bowyer — Surrender of that Fort — Action between the British Frigate Endymion and the American Frigate President — Surrender of the latter — Concluding Re- marks — Summary of the Treaty of Peace. During the period in which the operations against Washington and Baltimore were in progress, British troops were pouring into Lower Canada from France, in consequence of the Peace of Paris having been con- cliMed, until the armv under Lieutenant General Sir George Prevost actually amounted to fourteen thousand effective men, which were immediately formed into brigades ; and an expedition fitted out for the invasion of the enemy's territory. On the 2d of September, the British army command- ed by Sir George Prevost in person, approached the line of demarkation between Lowenr Canada and the United States. On their advance, the American forces stationed on the lines fled from their entrenchments, panic struck, towards Plattsburgh, destroying all the bridges and falling trees across £e ros^ vol their route thithei but, ir appeal Gen Applin; can an of colui British tions oommai can tro( before t Ontl] discover been str river the taken uj tified bj and batt person, bridge c breast troops in advance. Theti was chi< his work for the of the mention( ei ui isthmus attack th The iir THE LATE WAR. 15S thither, in order to impede the advance of the Riitisli ; but, in apposition to all these obstructions, tlic army appeared before Plattsbiirgh on the sixtii. General Moers of the New- York militia, Colonel Appling, Major Wood and Captain Sprout, of the Ameri- can army, were seut out from Plattsburgh at tlie head of 'columns of both regulars and militia, to o]>po!;e tl\o British in their advance ; but the utmost unitt^^d exer- tions of the genoral and every oHicer under his Qommand were found insuflic.ient to prevail on tlie Ameri- ^ can troops for a moment to maintain their ; rouud before the advance of the British. 4 On the approach of the British to Plattsburgh, it w-tS discovered that the bridge across the River Sarauac had been stripped of its planks, to the south side of which river the whole of the American force had retired and taken up a position on an elevated piece of ground, for- tified by three redoubts and a number of breastworirs and batteries, and commanded by Geueral Mc. Comb in person. The planks which had been taken from the bridge crossing the Saranac were piled in the form of a breast work at the south end, to cover the American troops intended to dispute the passage with the British advance. The time which intervened between the 6th and Uth was chiefly employed by Sir George Prevost in raising his works and bringing up his ordnance and n.i,' iting it for the purpose of bombarding the town and cut works of the enemy. At 7 o'clock on the mornin? of the last mentioned day, the British squadron oii Lake Cham- plain, under Captain Downie, was t^iR /overed over the isthmus formed by the union of the River Saranac and CumbL'rlnnd Bay, nearingthe harbor of Plattsburgh to attack the American squadron under Commodore Mc. Donoupi^ nini to co-operate with the forces on land. Tiie Bn'd.ili squadron consisted of the Confianoe of 1 !i lAm I (. viil i "I ri 'in ' ■f< hk L .1 r ■j-y ■'■%*' ^Mi4 ^54 tflSTORT €tr Ihirty-nine guns, the brig Linnet of sixteen gtlns, (he Chub of eleven guns, the sloop Finch of eleven guns, and thirteen gun-boats, five of which carried two gun» each and eight one gun each — total ninety-four guns. The American squadron consisted of the Saratoga of twenty-six guns, the Eagle of twenty guns, the Ticon- deioga of seventeen guns, the Preble of seven guns^ and ten gun-boats, six of which carrying two guns each and four one gun each — total eighty-six guns. The American squa^dron was moored in line, within thet harbor of Plattsburgh, supported by the gun-boats on the flank, awaiting the approach of the British. About 8 o'clock, A. M., Captain Downie bore into the harbor, and formed his line directly in front of the enemy, each vessel selecting her antagonist according to its strength and agreeable to previous arrangements^ vyithin two or three cables length distance. The action between the two hostile fleets commenced with cheers from the crews on both sides ; and in consequence ^f the very light winds which prevailed during the action^ the lake was quite smooth, by means of which the fire on botli sides had the most destructive effect. The battle raged for nearly two liours, in the early part of which Captain Downie was killed and the con- fiance so completely disabled that she was compelled to lurrender, a destiny which awaited the other vessels of ths British squadron. Three of the British gun-boats had been sunk in an early stage of the action, which considerably weakened their force ; but in consequence of the shattered state of the enemy's ships, the remaiu'* ing gun-boats were enabled to escape. The British lost in killed and wounded, in this action, one hundre d & seventy-four, eighty-four of w horn were killed, including the gallant Downie who commanded the British squadron. The American loss amounted (9 the hui of who Duri forces h gades u in forcii shouts ( quence George peremp evening works ; ning, t1 a numb The and wc amount( number tions. Durii while n an expe for the On the commai the Roj brigs, a landed Captain Bowyer commai with su pelled 1 •SwC .^. THE LATE TTAB. 15B the hundred and ten, in killed and wonnded, fifty-two of whom were of the former number. During this naval engagement, the efforts of the land forces had been in some measure successful. The bri- gades under Generals Robinson and Power had succeeded in forcing a passage across the Saranec ; but on the first shouts of victory from the enemy's works, in conse- quence of the surrender of the British squadron, Sir George Prevost, in the most unaccountable manner, peremptorily commanded them to retreat; and the same evening the guns were all dismounted from the British works ; and two hours before day on the following mor- ning, the army retreated once more to Canada, leaving a number of the wounded in the hands of the enemy. The loss sustained by the British Iar(d forces, in killed and wounded, from the 6th to the 14th Sfiptember^ amounted to about two hundred' arid forty*, but the number was supposed to have been augmented by deser- tions. During the time of the expedition to Plattsburgh, and while negotiations for peace were in progress at Ghent, an expedition was undertaken by the British government for the invasion of the shores of the Gulph of Mexico. On the 15th day of September, a squadron under the command of the honorable Captain Wm. Henry Percy of the Royal Navy, consisting of two frigates and two gun brigs, appeared off Mobile. A force was immediately landed under the directions of Colonel Nichplls and Captain Woodbine, for the purpose of attacking Fort Bowyer ; (situated on Mobile Point .,) but the American commandant. Major Lawrence, withstood the attack with such determined bravery that the force was com- pelled to retire ; and the fire from the fort was so ablf *Sir G«orgc PrtrotVi Dtspatcbci to Baii BalliMUl. .1V 256 HISTOfty OP directed against the shipping that bc^fore they could withdraw themselves without the reach of the cannon- ade, the Herraes, flag-ship to the squadron, caught fire and exploded. As soon as Hie seventy of the winter had suspended tlie military operations on the frontier of Upper and Lower Canada, a force was collected in the neighbor- hood of the Bermuda? under the command of Major General Keane. This force was embarked on board the fleet under Vice-admiral the Honorable Sir Alexan- der Cochrane. The armament, on the 12th of December, made its appearance in the bay of St. Louis. The American flotilla of gun-boats under Lieutenant Jones, then lying at Cat's Island, took shelter further up the bay, where they were attacked by the British gun-boats under Captain Lockyer, with great bravery and skill ; and after an animated engagement, the American gun- boats were compelled to surrender. General Jackson, who commanded the United States forces in this region, had been for some time employed in making the most formidable preparations for defend- ing N«n^i; * '^^ 4 yto APPENDIX. > commission, and present the same to His Royal Hfgh- ness the Prince Regent at this board, authorizing the said commissioners for executing the office of lord high i admiral to will and require the high court of admiralty ut so necessary, as a change* of our piv^^ent idlers, tlui h ineri of party, which separate men, ci'.Torin'!^, viof in priiu'l- plebut in name merely, ought to b- thrown 'cmr,, '^\A fT«ry obitacle removed which can p. vent . -h ifti UK: ii'' i if 11 ( #nn f 11 1 1 i 11 '»: P !•■ 'if i-'il *f: !>■ ':tr i 1 '' i \m * f 176 APPENDIX. the full and cordial co-operation of those Tvho are actu- ated by the same feelings, and entertain the same senti- ments. Resolved, That it be recommended to the friends of peace, liberty, and commerce, who are opposed to the present war, without distinction of parties, to assemble in their respective counties, wherein such meetings have not been already held, and appoint committees of cor- respondence and conference, who, if deemed necessary hereafter, may meet in convention, for the purpose of (explaining and conaparing their sentiments, and concert- ing a common pl^m of operation, having for its object the restoration of peace to our degraded and afflicted country. JACOB MORRIS, President. , Wm. HENDERSON, Secretary. 4.ddre8s of the House of Assembly to the People of Ujj^ . per Canada, on the Declaration of War. The house of assembly having nearly completed the necessary business for which they were called together, beg leave before they return home, to lift up their warn- ing voice at this eventful crisis. The declaration of war issued against Great Britain by the United States, when first announced, appeared to be an act of such astonishing folly and desperation, as to be altogether incredible, and not only excited the greatest surprise among the inhabi- tants OT this province, but among the great majority of our enemies themselves. So many cogent reasons from interest, affection and virtue, pleaded for an opposite f)olicy, that the most intelligent became the most credu- ous. That a government professing to be the friend of man and the great supporter of his liberty and indepen- dence, should light up the torch of war against the only nation that stands between itself and destruction, exhi- bited a degree of infatuation or madness altogether -.7*. APPENDIX. 277 incomprehensible — ^** i* cannot be," said the wiser part of our inhabitants — " the United States will never de- clare war against a nation whicli has uniformly treated them with kindness and respect, whose fleets protect their commerce, and whose armies support their free- dom and' independence." But the men at present ruling the states, infatuated, or, as their more enlight- ened countrymen say, " bribed by the tyrant of France,"' regardless of the best interests of their country and the feelings and affections of a great majority of their own people, have commenced ho utilities against our mother country while treating their vessels with hospitaliC/, and instead of threatening their liberties, offering the most equitable terms of accommodation. This war, on the part of the United States, includes an alliance with the French usurper, whose dreadful policy has destroyed all that was great and good, venera- ble and holy^ on the continent of Europe; The govern- ment of this bloody tyrant penetrates into every thing- it crushes individuals as well as nations, fetters thoughts as well as motives, and delights in destroying for ever all that is fair and just in opinion and sentiment. It is evidently this tyrant who now directs the rulers of America, and they show themselves worthy disciples of such a master. Already have they seduced two pro- vinces from Spain. They fir^t tempted the people to rebel against their lawful government, and then they deceived and oppressed them. They chose a time, to themselves the most inglorious, for this infamous conduct ; when Spain, overwhelmed with calamities and fighting most nobly at home for lib- erty and every thing dfcar to man, was not able to send seasonable aid to her distant colonies. It is certainly not the least wonderful among the occurrences of this astonishing age, that we should find a nation descended from Englishmen, connected still by the same language •pd laws, by ttonsanguinity and many similar habits, not Hi m '^.« 278 APFiilUDIX. M'. merely eulogizing the implacable enemy of their parent state, but I'oiuing him in the war ; and wliile pretend- ing to nourish the purest prineiples of liberty, bowing th« knee before the foe of oil just and rational freedom, and supplicating his acceptance of tribute and adulation. From this degrading picture, at which tlie friends of maril.ind a-nd posterity will weep, we turn with joy to you, many of whom have already risked your lives few the unity of the empire — we are confident that the same spirit still animates your breasts and those of \ our children, that you still retain the same love for your excellent king, the same venerarnm forafiee and happy constitution that you exhibited during the Ameiican war. You preserved your loyal principles amidst the most dreadful political divisions and most implacable hostilities ; you were not to be cajoled by those wicked and designing men who looked for private gratification in the public ruin ; you were not to be deceived by their slanders on the parent state ; you felt no hardship, no cruel oppression ; you saw no example of inhumanity and cruelty — tlK':,e were imaginary evils, invented for the m.ost wicked p'irposes, by those who sought for gain amidsi slaughter and blood. You resisted their influence &iid you acted nobly ; you were not indeed successful, but liie attempt covers you with glory. When we pic- ture to ourselv^es the sublime prospect the world would have exhibited this day, had the population of the neigh- boring states preserved like you, their filial love, we should not have now beheld the continent of Europe groaning under the yoke of a sanguinary tyrant, nor his satellites in America studiously imitating his ferocfpui example. It is therefore from former experience that we look to you for the same patriotic principles, principles which enabled you to face death in its most dreadful attire, principles which exalt human nature, and which have been warmly cheribhed by the most virtuous and re nowne by th APfBNDIX. 279 nowned in every age ; atid'suroly when wfi are aHarked by tlie sainu caoniy, who once aheady aided by the mistaken b'uity of our m^lher country and the mis A ^ > ^ 280 ▲PPCNDIZ. to them that they arc sadly mistaken ; that the popula- tion is determinately hostile, and that the few who might be otherwise inclined) will find it their safety to be faithful. For nothing is clearer than this, that if there be any person so base and degenerate as to join the enemy after having taken the oath of allegiance, he not only forfeits his property but his life. The British government never will make peace with the American states, till full and ample indemnification has been received for all depre- dations committed in this country ; nor will we permit a single traitor ever to return. Let those who have come from the neighboring states consider this well, and assure themselves, that as we are eager to reward loyalty and afiection for the government, so are we not slow in punishing treachery. Innumerable attempts will be made by falsehood, to detach you from your allegiance ; for our enemies, in imitation of their European master, trust more to trea- chery than to force ; and they will, no doubt, make use of many of those lies, which unfortunately for the vir- tuous part of these states, and the peace and happiness of the world, had too much success during the American rebellion : they will tell you that they are come to give freedom — yes, the base slaves of the most contemptible faction that ever distracted the . affairs 0/ any nation — the minions of the very sycophants who lick the dust from the feet of Buonaparte, will tell you, that they are come to communicate the blessing of liberty to this province ; but you have only to look at your situation to put such hypcrites to connision. In order to insure our prosperity and happiness, a constitution has been given us, modelled from that of our parent state; not the hasty production of a day, but rising out of the experience of centuries. A governor •tanding in the place of His Majesty, a legislative coun- APPENDIX. Ml til composed of & select number of the principal inhabi^^ tants of this province, and the representatives of the people fairly chosen. In the appointment of a legisla- tive council, a reward is presented to those who shall deserve well of the public, and a foundation laid for an influence different from that which is produced by over- gro^vn wealth. Honors are a cheaper and more effectu- tual mode of remunerating valor, genius and singular attachment, than any sordid or pecuniary benefit. They are such rewards as meet the feelings of the generou* and noble minded, and they nourish that pure and ex- -alted ambition which gives life and energy to public affairs, which rouse the most dignified principles of ac- tion, and extinguish that low, groveling policy which only aims at despicable gratifications. If the real foundation of true liberty, and consequently . of soHd happiness, consists in being amenable only to such laws as we or our representatives ordain, then are we in possession of that liberty and that happiness, for this principle was fully recognized by our excellent constitution. Your house of assembly are truly elected, by the people — consequently all have a share in the > government, because all have a vote in the election of those v/ho make the laws. If those laws are not favora- ble to virtue, if thsy arc not clear and precise, we have nobody to blame but ourselves, and we have the power of altering them. The time for which our representatives are clioscn, has a view to the situation of the province as well as to the state of the public mind. The period is infinitely better than annual elections, because it gives the repre- sentatives to comprehend the business for which they arc sent, and enables them to bring to maturity regulation* which require information from different parts of the country. %% ■ » f J.ii i ' I ' wj 1 !jl '0 m 362 APPENDIX. The qualifications for becoming an elector are simple and moderate ; every person may soon possess them, who is not convicted of felony, and who has at- taincid the legal age. Nor is any person excluded from becoming a representative, except the public teachers of religion, and such as are not subjects of the king. Is not this constitution perfect above all others ? In our laws and institutions there is so much wisdom, such an anxiety to keep the moral code always in view, such an attention to our feelings, such a regard to the preservation of our rights both in person and property, such a steady abhorrence of vice, and such a strict enforcement of vir- tue, in as far as it can become the object of public regulation, as merits, on our part, the most steady at- tachment; and in putting them in force there is, if possible, more to praise than in the laws themselves. If ever impartiality in the administration of justice was at- tained, we certainly have attained it. There is no interference on the part of government. The true in- terest of the rulers as well as of the people is known to depend upon the unfettered operations of the laws. The judges and crown officers selected from an honorable and liberal profession — men whose 'minds are raised by their education far above all narrow and sordid views- are appointed to put the laws in force. When we behold these upright dispensers of justice without any temptation to the right or to the left, prepared by a long course of study for their awful and important functions ; when we behold them hearing with the greatest candor and most invmcible patience, not merely the causes between different subjects, but those between private citizens and their sovereign, and instead of leaning to the rulers who appoint them, giving every proper facility to the prisoner, attending particularly to his defence, and even becoming his council when he errs. Shall we not feel grateful to a government which promotes and sanc- tions so great uprightness, and which seeks so eagerly the happiness of its people. It is not enough that we be obedient subjects to such a government as this ; we I APPENDIX. 288 must be active in its defence against open enemies and internal foeS' Is there any person who is not conscious that he is completely master of his own conduce- that the quiet possession of his life, his person and property, and good name, are secured to him j}y the laws. Do we not feel that our government is able, and not merely able, but careful to protect the rights of every individual, and to allow him as much liberty aS is compatible with the rights of his fellow subjects ; pro- tecting him against all oppression, giving free scope to the exertion of his talents, and in every way contribu- ting to his comfort and happiness. Such is a faint sketch indeed of the glorious constitution which we enjoy ; and this we are called upon to exchange for the govern- ment of the United States ; a government which has oppressed and impoverished its own people, and deprived them virtually, of all their valuable privileges. Fot how can liberty exist among a people where officers of state and representatives crouch to a^bloody tyrant } Be vigilant against such an enemy ; the contest is indeed awful and to be deplored ; but of the event your repre- sentatives entertain no dread. It is not necessary for us to examine the causes ailed- ged by our enemies for this unjust and unnatural war^ because an address from the house of representatives of the state of Massachusetts', the most respectable in the union, proves in the most satisfactory manner, that it is wanton and unprovoked, and is the climax of the various outrages previously committed against Great Britain. In this statement they have been joined by the minority in congress, whose exposition of the secret reasons of the war, and the falsehood of those alledged by the president and his friends is unanswerable, and must hand down the promoters of this diabolical measure to the execration of posterity. Indeed the more enlightened and best informed persons in the Uni- ted States, all men who love their native land and think with impartiality, are against the war; and as they L tj 1 ti I I'l m K s?<.' f84 APPEVDIX. li * It :' '>'i ' form an increasing majority, we have every reason to suppose, that they will be able to hurl their opponents from power, and speedily to restore peace to their eoua- try. Fincling on their meeting that the province waa at- tiially invaded, it became immediately necessary for your representatives to give as much efficacy as possible to our natural means of defence. For this purpose, seve- ral alterations have been made in the militia laws, which being framed from a state of tranquility, were too weak in their provisions for actual war. These alteration! render it easy for the commander in chief of the pro- vince to call out any part, or in case of necessity the whole militia, subject while embodied to the strictest discipline, that they may become truly formidable to the enemy. ■ " v Your representatives persuaded themselves that the great majority of their constituents were willing to make every sacrifice at such a time as this, and to endure a temporary privation of liberty, in order ultimately to secure the whole. In providing for the defence of the province, your representatives did not hesitate to enact the severest punishment against those who refuse to march against the enemy, or who endeavor by their influence to discourage and deter others. But as they apprehend more danger from the private machinations of their foes than their open attacks, it was necessary to restrain the liberty of those who were not immediately called into the field. Trusting more to treachery than open hostility, our enemies have already spread their emissaries through the country to seduce our fellow subjects from their alle- giance, by promises a?; false as the principles on which they are founded. A law has therefore been enacted ibr the speedy detection of ^cb emissaries, and for their cc it will : In pt preserv ceeded the timt strongei abridge ther tha them, t dering i country many pi us, wh( natural] were no the well to assist of those have bei due atte Your cing in \ public n bute as which tl fullest c< Having to provid your rep that the operation undergo sacrifices be of no round th called in APPENDIX. 385 igh Ic- ich ted for their condign punishment on conviction — a law which it will not be easy to escape. In passing these different acts for the defence and preservation of the province, your representatives pro- ceeded with all possible moderation. The exigency of the times would perhaps have justified them in adopting stronger measures; but they were not disposed to abridge the rights and privileges of the people, any fur- ther than was absolutely necessary. It did not escape them, that placed as we are so near our enemies, bor- dering upon them through such an extensive line of country, connected with them by so many ties, and so many persons lately from American states settled among us, whose inclinations, though in thp main good, would naturally lean against us, ordinary measures of caution ■were not sufficient. But trusting, on the other hand, to the well tried loyalty of the great body of the people, to assist in the execution of the laws and the detection of those doubtful characters and secret traitors, they have been induced to adopt the most lenient which ft due attention to the general safety would admit. Your representatives finished their labors with pla- cing in the hands of his honor, the president, all the public money that they could collect, in order to contri- . bute as much as possible to the extraordinary expence which the war renders necessary, and they have the fullest confidence that it v^rill be most faithfully applied. Having thus endeavored, to the best of their abilities, to provide for the welfare and safety of the province, your representatives take the liberty of reminding you that the best laws are useless without the zealous co- operation of the people ; unless you are prepared to undergo the greatest privations, and to make the severest sacrifices, all that your representatives have done will be of no avail. Be ready, then, at all times, to rally round the royal standard, and let those who are not called into sei^ice assist the families of those who are ■! & f 168 ▲EKPPDIX. f>- I: called into the fmhh Be quick to discern and prompt to seize upon all those who either by wo;d or deed seek to stifle or discourage that arcJeut patriotism which at thii moment animates all the inhabitants of this province ; let your whole attention be applied to the defence of thj country and the defeat of our enemy. Inspired with this disposition, your rcpreaentatives are conQdent of success, for although they admit that the contest witl be terrible and the hardr^hips which you will have to suffer severe, yet the justice of our cause, and your gratitude and attachment to the illustrious nation of which you form a part, will enable you to surmount them. And let no one deceive you with vain terrors concerning the new powers with which we have armed government. The good and loyal will never perceive them, except in the greater security which th'^y will give him ; for they are placed in the hands of his excel- lency General Brock, a commander no less distinguished for his valor in the field than for his justice and humanity. In his wisdom and experience, in war, your representa- tives have the firmest reliance ; and the} rejoice that at such a crisis, a general of so greaf abilities, and whose private merits gain the hearts of all who know him, should, through Divine Providence, be placed at the head of this government. Remember, when you go forth to the combat, that you fight not for yourselves alone, but for the whole world. You are defeating the most formidable conspi- racy against the civilization of man that ever wai contrived ; a conspiracy threatening greater barbarism and misery than followed the do\vnfall of the Roman empire— that now you have an opportunity of proving your attachment to the parent state which contends for the relief of oppressed nations, the last pillar of trut liberty, and the last refuge of oppressed humanity. -^ Pen ence t( deem I of our men ii you sh Com Letter o mand Seen Sir— Mc. An governna lately co disastero preciate develope on the I for your When an arden No enon mediate would dt general tack had lieve sue son give heavy ca and oppc course Awevvmx. 2d7 Persevere as you hare begun, in your strict obedi- ence to the laws and your attention to military discipline ; deem no sacrifice too costly which secures the enjoyment of our happy constitution ; follow, with your country- men in Britain, the paths of virtue, and, like them, you shall triumph over all your unprincipltfd foes. (Signed,) ALLAN MAC LEAN, Speaker. Commons jEIouse of Assembly, August 5th, 1812. Leiter of Colonel Cass, of the Army late under the Com^ mand of Brigadier General William Hull, to the Secretary of War. Washington, September lOlh, 1812. Sir — Having been ordered on to this place by Colonel Mc Arthur, for the purpose of communicating to the government such particulars respecting the expedition lately commanded by Brigadier General Hull and its disasterous result, as might enable them correctly to ap- preciate the conduct of the officers and men, and to develope the causes which produced so foul a stain up- on the national character, I have the honor to submit for your consideration the following statement : When the forces landed in Canada, they landed with an ardent zeal and stimulated with the hope of conquest. No enemy appeared within view of us, and had : im- mediate and vigorous attack been made upon Maldc i, it would doubtless have fallen an easy victory. I knew general Hull afterwards declared he regTetted this at- tack had not been made, and he had every reason to be- lieve success would have crowned his efforts. The rea-- •on given for delaying our operations was to mount our heavy cannon, and afford to the Canadian militia time and opportunity to quit an obnoxious service. In the course of two weeks, the number of their militia who ▲PPElfDiX. were embodied had decreased by desertion from tix hundred to one thousand men : and, in the course of three weeks, the cannon were mounted^ the ammuni- tion fixed, and ever^ preparation made for an immediate investment of the fort. At a council, at which were present all the field officers, and which was held two days before our preparations were completed, it was unanimously agreed to make an immediate attempt to ac- complish the. object of the expedition If by waiting two days we could have the service of our artillery, it was agreed to wait ; if not, it was determined to go with- out it and attempt Uie place by storm. Thiso pinion ap- peared to correspond with the views of the general, and the day was appointed for commencing our march- He declared to me that he considered himself pledged to lead the army to Maiden. The ammunition was placed in the wagons, the cannon were embarked on Doardthe floating batteries, and every requisite was prepared. The spirit and zeal, the ardor and animation displayed by the officers and men on learning the near accomplislunent of their wishes, a sure and sacred pledge, that in the hour of trial they would not be wanting in duty to their country and themselves, in op- position to the wishes and opinions of all the officers, Avas adopted by the general. The plan of attacking Maiden was abandoned, and instead of acting offensive- ly, we broke up our camp, evacuated Canada, and re-crossed the nver in the night, without even the shadow of an enemy to injure us. We left to the ten- der mercy of the enemy the miserable Canadians -who f had joined us, and the protection we afforded them was but a passport to vengeance. This fatal and unaccoun-* table step dispirited the troops, and destroyed the little confidence which a series of timid, irresolute and inde- cisive measeres had left in the commanding officer. ., About the tenth of August, the enemy received a leinforcement of four hundred men- On the twelfth, commanding officers of thrae of the regiments (the APPENDIX- 289 fourth was absent,) were informed through a medium which admitted of no doubt, that the general had stated that a capitulation would be necessary. They, on the same day, addressed to Governor Meigs of Ohio a let* ter, of which the following is an extract : "Believe all the bearer will tell you. Believe it, however it may astonish you, as much as if told by one of us. Even a c — is talked of by the — — . The bearer will fill the vacancy." The doubtful fate of this letter rendered it necessary to use circumspection in its details, and therefore the blanks were left. The word * capitulation* wili lill the first and* commanding general' the other. As no enemy was near us, and as the superiority of our force was manifest, we could see no necessity for capitulating nor any propriety in alluding to it. Wo therefore deter mined in the last resort to incur the responsibility of divesting the general of his command. This plan was eventually prevented by two of the commanding officers of regiments being ordered upon detachments. On the 13th, the British took a position opposite to De- troit, and began to throw up works. During that and the two following days, they pursued their object with- out interruption and established a battery for two eigliteen pounders and an eight inch howitzer. About sunset on the 14th, a detachment of 350 men from the regiments commanded by Colonel M 'Arthur and myself was order- ed to march to the river Raisin, to escort the provisions, which had some time remained there protected by a company under the command of Captain Brush. On Saturday, the 15th, about 1 o'clock, a flag of truce arrived from Sandwich, bearing a summons from General Brock, for the surrender of the town and fort of Detroit, stating, he could no longer restrain the fury of the savages. To this an immediate and s|)iritejl Aa. ▲rPERDIX* refusal was returned. About four o^cIock tficir batteriea began to phiy upon the town. The fire was returned and continued without inttiTuptioti and with little etfect till dark. Their shells were thrown till eleven oVlock. At daylight, the firing recommenced; about tho ftamo time the enemy began to land troops at the Spiingwells, thn^e miles below Detroit, protected by two of their armed vessels, iietween C and 7 o^clock| they hud ollected h landing and took up thir line ^i' march. They moved in a close column of platoons, twelve in front, upon the bank of the river. The fourth regiment was stationed in the fort; tho Ohio volunteers and u part of the Michigan njyilitia, be- hind some \)U kets, in a situation in which Ihe whole flank of thc! enrmy would have bi'CMi (jxposed. Tho residue of the Miciii^^un militia wire in tlie upj)er part of the town to resist Ihf incursions of the savag.-s. Two twenty-four pounders loaded with f^ajK; hIioI were posted on a conmianding eminence;, ready (o sweep tho advancing column. Ii> this (lituution, tht; superionty of our position was apparent, and our troops, in tho eager expectation of victory, a^valled the upproacli of the enemy. Not a sigh of dij^conteut broke upon the ear ; not a look of cowardice met the eye. Every nmn expected a proud day for his country, and each was anx- ious that his individual exertion should contribute to the j^ueral result. When the head of their column arrived within about live hundred yards of our' line, orders were received from General Hull for tho whole to retreat to the fort, and for the twenty-four pounders not to open upon the enemy. One universal burst of indignation was apparent nytou the receipt of this order. Those whose conviction wsB the deliberate result of a dispassionate examination of passing events, saw the impropriety of crowding one thousand one hundred men into a little work, which biiQdred could fully man, and into which the shot ▲PTGKDlt. Ind shells of the enemy were falling. The fort was is ' this manner filled ; the rnen were directed to sttck their anus, and vcttrct'ly Was an upportunity alTorded of mo- ving. Shortly after, a white llajj was hunj^ out upon tlie walls. A Dritisli officer rode up to inquire the cause. A communication passed between the command- ing generals, which ended in the capitulution submitted to you. In entering into this capitulation, the general took counsel from his own fcelinij.sonly. Not an officer was consulted. Not one anticipated a surrender till he saw the white flagdispliyed. Even the women were indignant at so slkami^t'ul a dep;radation of the American character, and all felt us they sliould have felt but bo who held in his haads the reius of authority. » Our morning report had that morning made our men prest'nt, fit for duty, one thousand and sixty,* without induding the detachment before alluded to, and without including tliree hundred ot the Michigan militia on duty. About dark on Saturday evening, the detachment ' sent to escort the provisions rtceived onlers from General Hull, to return with as much expedition as possible. About ten o'clock the next day they arrived within sight of Detroit. Had a firing been heard, or any re- sistance visible, they would immediately have advanced and attacked the rear of the enemy. The situation in which this detachment was placed, altliough the result of accident, was the best for annoying the enemy and cutting off his retreat that could have been selected. With his raw troops enclosed between two fires, and no hopes of succour, it is hazardiu;:; little to say that ver/ few would have escaped. I have been informed by Colonel Findley, who saw the return of the quarter-master-general the day after th'i surrender, that their whole force, of every descrip- tion, white, red, and black, was one thousand and thirty. They had twenty-nine platoons, twel^^^n a platooQy •f meu dressed in uniform- ManlfetJ^B^M \4:\ \ :•: ♦ §9i AFFENDll. yrere evidently Canadian militia. The rest of their militia increased their whiti; force to about seven hun- dred men. The number of the Indians could not be ascertained with any degree of precision; not many Vera visible. And in the event of au attack upon the town and . fort, it vt'as a species of force which could have a^rded no material advantage to the enemy. In endeavoring to appreciate the motives and toinves^ tigate the causes which led to an event so unexpected and dishonorable, it is impossible to find any solution in the relative stre'igth of the contending parties, or in the measures of resistance in our power. That we were far superior to the enemy ; that upon any ordinary prin- ciple of calculation we would have defeated them, tho wounded and indignant feelings of every man there tvill testi%. A (c\v days before the surrender, I was informed by General Hull, we had four hundred rounds of tvventy- 'four pound shot fixed, and about one hundred thousand cartridges made. We surrendered with the fort forty barrels of powder and two thousand five hundred stand of arms. The state of our provisions has not been generally Understood. On the day of the surrender we had fifteen days provisions of every kind on hand. Of meat there was plenty in the country, and arrangements had been made for purchasing and grinding the flour It was cal- culated we could readily procure three months provisions independent of one hundred and fifty barrels of flour, and one thousand three hundred head of cattle which had b^en forwarded from the state of Ohio, which remain- ed at the River Raisin under Captain Brush,within reach of the army. . But had we been totally destitute of provisions, our duty and our interest undoubtedly was to flghl. The lie no '*^f*^^^•■f'^k ▲PPENDIl- 29r CBemy invited us to meet him in the field. By defeat- ing him the whole country would have been open to us, and the object of our expedition gloriously and success- fully obtiiined. If we had been defeated, we had no- thing to do but to retreat to the fort, and make the best defence which circumstances and our situation rendered practicable. But basely to surrender without firing a gun — tamely to submit without raising a bayonet — dis- gracefully to pass in review before an enemy as inferior in the quality ar, in the number of his forces, were cir- cumstances which excited feelings more easily felt than described. To see the wliole of our men pushed with the hope of victory, eagerly awaiting tiie approaching contest, to see them afterwards dispirited, hopeless and desponding, at least five hundred shedding tears be- cause they were not allowed to meet their * country's, foe, and to fight their country's battles, excited sensa- tions which no American has ever before had cause to feel, and which, I trust in God, will never again be ieltf while one man remains to defend the standard of the Union. - 11 "I . J I I am expressly authorised to state, that Colonel Mc. Arthur and Colonel Findley, and Lieutenant Colonel Miller viewed this transaction in the light which I do. They knovV and feel that no circumstance in our situa- tion, none in that of the enemy, can excuse a capitula- tion so dishonorable and unjustifiable. This, too, is the universal sentiment among the troops ; and I shall be surprised to learn that there is one man who thinks it was necessary to sheath his sword or lay down his > musket. I was informed by General Hull, the ihorning after the capitulation, that the British forces consisted of ond thousand eight hundred regulars, and that he surrender- ed to prevent the effusion of human blood. That be magnified their regular force nearly five fold, there cuii be QQ doubt. Whether the philanthix^ie rea0on «88ign^ Aa2 -■%: s^ APPENDIX. ed by him is a sufficient justification for surrendering s fortified town, an army and a territory, is for the gov* eniment to determine. Confident I am, that had the courage and conduct of the general been equal to the spirit and Zviol of the troops, the event would have been as brilliant and successful as it now is disastrous and. dishonorable. Very respectfully, sir, I have the honor to-be, jont\ most obedienl servant, LEWIS CASS, Col. 3d Regt. Ohio Volunteert. The Hon. Wm. EusTis, Secretary of War. '^ Legislature of Maryland — The following Preamble and kesolutions were ordered to be printed in tlie House of Delegates' Whereas, The president of the United States called upon the executive of this state to furnish his proportion of one hundred thousand militia, by virtue of an act of congress, passed 10th April 1812; and it appearing to this general assembly ,that the said requisition was un- accompanied with either of the exigencies provided by the constitution : — And whereas, the wise and patriotic framers of our constitution, having for their object the freedom, the happiness and independence of their coun- try, thought it necessary, in order to preserve this government in its republican form, and secure the blessings of liberty to their posterity, to constitute protecting barriers against an improper or ambitious use of military power : — And whereas, offensive wars, schemes of foreign conquest, accession of ter- ritory, or national aggrandizement, are repugnant to the principles of our free institutions — ^Therefort Rcsohedy That it was never contemplated by the •onstitutioa, when it entrusted to the general government. tad APPENDIXw 299 the controdt of the militia, in certain emergencies, that it should, by perverted interpretations, at its discretion, use that power in the absence of those emergencies, and that the calling out of the militia of this state, by the Presi- dent of the U. States, by virtue of the act aloresaid^ without the existence ot such emergency, is an open and- dangerous innovation upon our rights and liberties. Aeaoloed, That the power delegated by the consti- tution to the general government, to raise and support- armies, as well from the nature and form of the govern- ment, as from the preamble to the constitution, was in- tended for the defence and protection of our own territo- ry ; and that the invasion of a foreign territory, by ar- mies raised and supported by the general government, and garrisoning our forts with the militia, as a substitute for these armies, is holding them in service longer than any exigency existed, even if any existed at all, and an unwarrantable stretch of power, which must ultimately lead to a consolidation of these United Stales into a mil* itary government, if not timely and vigorously checked' and resisted by all lawful and constitutional means. Resolved, That if the general government, as ft pari of their policy, prefer the service of the militia to th» employment of regular troops, in garrison, or any othef military operations, even in the state to which they be- long, it is, under the constitution, bound to provide all the means necessary for their support, and that it has na^ power to burthen the states with any of the expenset iiv* cident to such service.. General 81111^^ Vindicatim of his Concha Di il* Failure of his Attempt to invade Canada* Head Quarters^ Camp near Buffalo, Dee, Sw Gentlemen — Your letter of the 2d Dec. » befort itt%. tad I answer it in the following manners 1 iti '■■ hi !i \' .n pA^. I^.jifrj'fc'/.. !iil '^^H.. M»— ^■riiiifet'iifemitTi, 296 APPENDIX* * Od the 26th October, I ordered that 20 scows shooM be prepared for the transportation of artiHery and cav- alry, and put the carpenters of the army upon that dutj. By the 26th of Nov. 10 scows were completed, and by bringing some boats from Lake Ontario, above ths falls of Niagara, the number was increased to 70* >- «ir I had on the 12th Nov. issued an address to the men remain when it [tj so a» position to UM iccessful For this nish ra- ~ found ur — the but 35. lyed by er day- J8 men, timated aptains arshall, lit Col- militiajl' ;r, had- clusive it was There were il«jor kber of •wnffyw iW'.'. i ^li p I- ▲rpEiiDii. ^4 ^•,K M9 these the brigade major estimated at about 150. It was probably greater. • jft then became a question whether It was expedient to invade Canada in open daylight, with 1500, at a point where no reinforcements could be expected for some days. 1 saw that the number of the regular troops was declining rapidly — I knew that on them chiefly I was to depend. I called together the officers commanding corps of the regular army. Col. Parker being sick, those present were Colonel Porter of the artillery, Col. Schuyler, Col. Winder and Lieut. Col. Coles. I put to them this question : — Shall we proceed ? They unanimously decided that we ought not. I foresaw that the volunteers who had come out for a few days, would disperse — several of them had on the evening of the 28th broke their muskets. I foresaw that the number of the regular troops would decrease, the measles and other diseases being among them ; and they were now in tents in the mouth Of December. I in- formed the officers that th'i attempt to invade Canada would not be made until the army was reinforced ; di- rected them to withdraw their troops, and cover them with huts immediately. "i^ou nay that on Saturday every obstruction was remo«« ▼ed, and that a landing might have been ejected without the loss of a single man. This proves you unacquainted with the occurrences of the day. Colonel Winder, in returning from the enemys shore in the morning, lost a tenth part of his force, in killed and wounded. The enemy showed no more than 500 or 600 men, as esti- mated by Colonel Parker, and one piece of artillery supposed a nine pounder. That force we no doUbt might have overcome, but not without l6ss; and that, from the great advantage the enemy would have had, might have been considerable. To recapitulate : — My orders were to pass into Canada with 3000 men at once. On the first day of embarka- itioa not more than 1100 mesi were embarkedi of vfkom .-M(tiiimilim^0W>^iim m,. ' I I II - ' II I IV idi di'mr .iiwM i i I MO APPENDIX. I I 400, that is, nflrthe regular infantry, were exhausted with fatigue, and want of rest. On the second embarka- tion, only 1500 inen were embarked, and these were to have put off immediately, and to haye descended the river to a point where reinforcements were not to be expected. On both days, mapy of the regular troops were men in bad health, who could not have stood one day's march ; who, although they were on the sick re- port, were turned out by their ardent officers, The affair at Queenston is a caution against relying on crowds who go to the banks of Niagara to look on a battle asQn a,4heatrical exhibition,; who, if they are disappointed of the sights, break their muskets : or if they are without rations for a day desert. I have made to you this frank disclosure without admitting your authority to require it, under the impression that you are patriotic and candid men ; and that you will not censure me for following the cautious counsels of experience ; nor join the senseless clamor excited against me by an interested man. I have some reason to believe that the cautious couq- sel given by the superior officers pf my command was good. From deserters we learn, that 2344 rations are issued daily on the frontier, on the British side. Captain King, prisoner at Fo.t George, writes to an officer thus : <* Tell our friends to take better care of themselves than It appears I have done." I am, gentlemen, with great respect, your most pbedient, ALEXANDER SMYTH, Brigadier General. FINIS. ,^^ /T, Sewelly Printer, Market Square, Niagara, Upper Canada. ttf^aJtolttimtA f^fWiiUnflyi I'riltiiirtiMriC »tiilfif»iwniiiw>ir nwtetei # si^i^w^^, 'J^Hti^i ^:iA0^^-Jt[-ri ■'*V*^***Nfe-JkC jii^l^^i^^i ■iw-io^ '■'!f?**n««*^ xhausted mbarka- i were to nde'd the lot to be ar troops stood one sick re- :s, The n crowds ttle as on ointed of without his frank squire it, d candid »'ing the senseless lis COUQ* and was ions are Captain er thus : 7es than ir most 'H, aeral. lanadiu \l '••V»