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NArftrvvn: ^S / -3 incidents in the earfig Fl^iHtai^^ Misteirg ©li (ganada With Extracts from the Journals of the Officer commanding the Oneen', Hangers during the War 17S8 to 1763 particular to the part taken by The Queen's Rm-er. . ml? i^'. corps that was raised in the kJ EngIa^d^:etU.!^V ^^a '^Z he purpose ot assisting ,n repelHng the encroachments of the^ French who !SITV H^T'T""'^ of the north-eastern portion of North An'erlca it" body of hardy bush rangers continued to take an active part u t e var ous campaigns till the conquest of Canada was fullv iccomn kh .h k . were disbanded and were not reorganized umilt^ing^h^AS^a;' R^^^^^^^^^ service in tnc Loyal cause The same corps was subsequently comminded Canada."' '" ''''^ "'" ''^'^""''^^'^ '^^'^^^"^^ ^^^ firstV;overno; orUpp' The iniormation which I am enabled to give on the subject is derived cniefly from the journals of the commanding officer and original or^ani/, of he Rangers Major Robert Rogers, a printed copy of whicf llXrc and rom which I propose to make some quotations, as being mo e autheiS and nteresting than a more modern narrative of the facts. This book wa nuff hshed in London, in 1765, and mu.st have been regarded witrsome^^^^^^ by those in authority as the author was shortly afterwards, b social com mand, presented to the Rin^^ and his portrait, painted in ? ill u„ form wTa rZ / •/"/"/;'" '"'"'" '^' Ixackground, wasabout the same time en e^ed m the /^///./.vl/w././.. as a. compliment to the Provincial troops that had rai dered such ya uable assisl^ce in bringing the Seven Years' ^^?r wfth I-Van,^ to a successful conclusion. ranee I have here a photograph copy of that portrait, which, to military men s somewhat interesting on account of the style of uniform and eSment' hen in use You will observe a badge of authority is worn in the shaprof a smal sword and I have no doubt some of those present woukl be plea 'ed to w.h Its silver ^.0^^^^,^^--^^^^ You will notice the chief weapon is the flint-loc)^ musket n these days an officer is not allowed to take part in the firing. Tn faS" a Capta n of my regiment on duty during the N. ;V. Rebellion, was severely r^en, manded by the General for carrying a Winchester rifle, at a tin e when such a companion was likely to be called on for help a/a«; ^ome., But "n "he '^■' n>i:\-rs k\ i'n; KAKLV '"""rr;:?;,;,; "™'"^'"'^'"■''^'-'"'^''^''- Piiiiilii -^.■ch .,„,.,,„ ,;,;i;- '-„^; - e„ ,.,.,„,.,„,, „,„,,,^ ^^ „_ ^,_^ ^_ • t . 4-" . • t C 1' I i . -^^ , MILIT.\R\ IIISTOKV ()!• i ANADA. :) tin- fore scarcely a i)f)iiit or ;m i-,l.iiul on ciih.r ,,f tl,,. |,l .. i , i i I'" ilic /lorth of ( 'ii \vii roiMi ilxmi •.- n,;i ; c < I lit' K(K;k isahout hall an acr.' in cxtcn M'Irs rising from the waters ed-c and .livulol wide. ,\W..n,„„ns, „hosc u.m.„„.. „,,,. ..espccivdy „,,.„,„„l bl.r „„ l,v ,h;. With smooth perpciKhrular I'-ross hy a u;Kh..T i«>v«.„ ,„e col,.,, „r x.v ^■,„.k a„.i ,1,. '„.,viv :„.,,„„''." 1.,.;;;,^ ;niis sa„K. liinil ,v;„ oHirially a.-knowlcdgr,! ,,s lau- a. , -- , |„„ .luriiw a I) I . liic „„uh 01 11. and ulnruatelv, uhai ihc l.oundai-v ua. iii.dn ,on Had Ihc liiiii,!, Commissioners on dial oerasion rcstrirted the rrh^l o,K ,.ol„n,s,s ,0 , Har previous linn.s. ( 'ana-la woul.l now c , i • ' , pa 'f .1 l.ikt On ai o at f,ape Vincent and about evenly divides the Sian-s nf .ha'tT",^."!'' ^'"' "■■">P?'>'>->" the said settlements. Nor did I content myself with the accounts I received from Indians, or the information of hunters, but travelled over large tracts of the country myself, which tended, not more to giatifv my curiosity than to mure me to hardships, and without vanity I may say to (jualify me for the very service I have since been engaged in." r ,, ^^^'•^I'-^'itions several 'scouts' that he was engaged in, in the neighbourhood ot fort Fdward, and says "while I was on one of these, Baron Dieskau was defeated and made i)risoiKr by Major-(;eneral Johnson on the 8th Septem- ber, 1755, at the south end of Lake deorge." 'IMiis book gives the details of between 40 and 50 expeditions for rec(jn- noissance and attack under his command, with parties varying in numbers from a small sciuad to several hundred men, and generally involving from 2 s to 1 50 miles travel by land or water, by snowshoes through the bush, or on the 'ice. In nearly all of these, more or less fighting occurred, but I shall only be able to refer particularly to a few instances bv which I will try and show the connection of the particular branch of the service we are considering, with the general progress of the war during those campaigns. Owing to the peculiar circumstances under which the 7i'ar had to be carried on, the Ranger service was found to be indispensable. They were the eyes and the ears of the army; the messengers for the conv-eyance of intelligence from one distant fortress or encampment to another, and the guides and protectors of the convoys of ammunition and provisions through the lonely forest roads and the exposed and dangerous waterways. *' When information was wanted as to the movements, strength or inten- tions of the enemy which could not be gained by the ordinary methods of reconnoitenng, it was customary for them to stealthily waylay and seize a prisoner from the outposts, or wherever they could be met with, and from these most valuable and reliable information was often obtained. If MILITAK^ IIISTOKV Ol ( A\AI>A. ;) 'f While the main body of the troo[)s were eoinjjaratively inactive a great part of the time, particularly in the winter, the Rangers were ke|)t constantly on the move, watching the various passes and routes to prevent surprises and doing what they could to damage and harass the enemy. In the event of a general advance in force, they always took the lead as the ativance guard. Although Major Kogers was actively engaged under Major-Cleneral Johnson in conducting the scouting service with his New Hampshire Com pany during the previous year, there is no record of the regular organization of the (juecn's Rangers till March. 1756, when he was smumoned to Moston to meet the (.'onunander-in-Ciiief, Cieneral .Shirley, who had taken that |)osi tion on the death of (General Hraddock, who was killed in his disastrous ex pcdition against the French, neiir Pittshurgh, on the 13th July, 1755. Of this interview we reafl : "On the 23rd 1 waited on the Cieneraland met with a very friendly recep tion. He .soon intimated his design of giving me the command of an inde pendent company of Rangers, and the next morning I received thccommi.ssion with a set of instructions. According to the (leneral's orders, my Company was to consist of sixty privates at 3 shillings, N. V. currency, per day : 3 ser geants at 4s.: an ensign at 5s.. and a lieutenant at 7s., and my own pay was fixed at JOS. per day. Ten Spanish dollars were allowed to each man towards providing clothes, arms, and blankets. My orders were to raise this Com pany as quick as jjossible, and to enlist none but such as were used to travel ling and hunting, and in whose courage and fidelity I could co.ifide. i'hey were, moreover, to be subject to military discipline and the articles of war.'' In the report of the Adjutant-C.ene'ral of New Hampshire, i 766, this com pany is referred to as the nucleus of ihe famous "Rogers' Rangers," the subalterns of which were : Richard Rogers (a brother of the Captain), isi Lieut.; John Stark, 2nd Lieut.: Noah Johnston, Ensign. .\ short time after this 3 more companies were added to the Rangers, and the strength increasetl to 100 men per c(Miipany. ()n the 20th May following, an example is given of their manner of gaining information. "Agreeable to orders from the Ceneral, I set out with a |)arty of eleven men to reconnoiter the French advanced guards. The next day from the top of a mountain we had a view of them, and judged their number to be about 300. They were busy in fortifying themselves with i)alisades. l-'rom the other side of the mountain, we had a i)rospect of Ticonderoga Fort, and from the ground their encampmei! • jok up I judged it to consist of about 1. 000 men. This night we lodged on the mountain, and next morning marched to the Indian carrying path that leads from Lake C.eorge to Lake Champlain. and formed an ambu.scade between the l-rench guards and Ticon- deroga Fort. About 6 o'clock, 118 Frenchmen passed by without discovering us. In a few minutes after 22 more came the same road, upon whom we fired, killed six and took one prisoner, but the large party returning obliged us to retire in haste, and we arrived safe with our prisoner at l-ort William Henry on the 23rd. "The prisoner we had taken reported that tvs smi. . ,„ the one, , .£ ;.^"t: ^-;l ,:-:;^r;;: ;;i;-^ ;:r;i,- ;;- ;;;---;:;:• (.ivcn at New \ ork this (,\U day ..f Aniil. .,., j AMIS .\l!Kk{ k(i\||;\. " Ill January, i 757, a skirmish wliich pn.xed hoi work for ih.. knv, ,- of n r ™::'; "t ; r- "''■ "'"-■'">• "'^" ''••"' ''■-■en draw,, up i„ ,iu. r„, returned the r>-.> r tN ., i 1 '"••^"■^'> '" "^'- 'i^-hI. \\ e mimediate v pole i ,t s;,L,,ti 1"' ■""',;"•*■ '""'; '""'^ "i'i»»i'^- !""• "i"-'^- > «'p cover ,,i,.n I'l'r" ''■'■■"^''- '«d mnde a stand with 40 men „ the ^iii.ir.\k\ iii>i(>K\ ,,| (,\\\|,,\. i.ii two IctI til . Hlvl T oi ,1 ''""? ""," l'"^l'"l "^ 'l"->lv i" fr..n,. l,ut l,.v,nK .KH.iril.vi. Ill ih, ^rmiml, and ln-nii: s « liud l,v I ipv iiv. ^ «■■„,;., ;-; .; .-u.nu.! r,. ,„„,„ „„.,„„,,„.„ ,„,,„, .,,i^^ ';;,;:,' ,',!;,;,■ ! liii . I u • . • ii>i.i\L, .\ir. ii.iKii 1 no I In In tmii' wis k.lU'.l. \\c .n;„,u;,inc.l a pretty c.nsta.U lire uu l.uih .,.1... nil • , ^^ "yl^nd an.l wnst whiVh pivvcntcl „,. Iron, loadinmn , 1 u u touiKlmcanstokccp iny p.nplo from hnn, intiini.ht...M. tl.i ' ^n ' sHits. iiK ciciny durin- il,r action ,i^.,| nianv arts and stnti'.m. m 'n.Inrc n. to .ui.mi. I.ut wc told then, onr mnnl.cr uvn^ ) , u. n t ' " u. uyc dc.ei.n,n.d to k.vp onr ,nunul as Ion, .,.„,.. ' Maud l)\- cacli titlRr. "Alter llK- action in win.h wc ha.l a ^Tcat mi ml, er so severely uonnded n^ 1 %>'::i '^"S"'^-',-^'>-'^ ^^--tan.v. and onr ninnun,i„„n 'e uail> c xpende, an. ^-v \ork and then canharked 10. ilalilax nith the expedition against Louishour- which wis conveverl l.v a fleet of nearly one hundred vessels. Like neu- v a f n,-, 7 ^1 ' exMit-ons this one also proved a failure-ti;e;d;;r,K! t A her than Kan crs retmnul to NewXork, from there to Albanv and the fielfis of the.r former action. During the absence of the troops men 1 le \ ;, had succeeded in taking Oswego, and also compelled f.'ort William H m From October till thp PnH r^F tu^ ,.^„„ •__ .l_ „ most ( derot the t,™e in patroning .he. .oo^^U^^;,;;^ ^;'tL:::ii:T^ 'H ;a. On one of these expeditions it is stated b accom icon- owe did us the honour to y the author: " Mv Lord pany us, being fond as he e\[)ressed it to ^ INCIDENTS IN THE EARLV ''iTpTcsrd h'f ,!::>; of marching, ambushing, etc., and upon our return expressed his good opmion of us ver^ generously." It is also stated ''iroo'ps to be'r"' ''"".I ^'r'"""-^^"^ ^'^^' ^^^'^^'^^ vo'lunteers "n te reg 1; troops to be tramed to the rangmg or wood service under my command Mid "Ze'r in'th:"' P-^-r.^-r^"^ '' "^^^« '"^^^-t ^hem to tL^uZs of my power n the rangmg disciphne, our methods of marching, retreating fiaht .ngand ambushing, that they might be the better qualitd or an future service agamst tlie enemy we had to contend with, desiring me \o take "Cr^li^en'dSJ^K^^' ""'^ l-haviourand reconm^nd thenhc::^!" to It is interesting to know which of the old regiments of the line were at that nme takmg part u; the Amencan, British and French Uar The nLe of these officers and soldiers are all given, but it will be sufficient to state ha the detachment consisted of from five to ten each fron, the 2 2.nd 27 h 4-'nd, 44th and 48th Regiments. ^ ' °' ^'^"^' These volunteers (the Major writes) I formed into a company by them- selves, and took the immediate command and management of fern to ny- se f, and for their benefit and instruction reduced into writing the fol owZ rules or plan of discipline, which on various occasions 1 had found l7 experience to be necessary ind advantageous: ^ 1 . All Rangers are to be subject to the rules and articles of war to aonear at roll-ca 1 every evening on their own parade e.juipped each w ha fire b'k 60 rounds ot powder and ball and a hatchet, al ZcU " e an offic "from each company is to inspect the same, to see they are in good order ^o as t^ 1)0 ready on any emergenc)- to march at a minutes warnhig, and before the distance from each other as to prevent one shot from killing t^ men send yards rom the mam bcxly, if the ground you march over will admit of it to nLmbe;- el?""' '^ '"' "'^^"^'" "' ^'"' '^'''''''' "^ ^ enemy, and of I'hei^ 3. Jfyoumarcii over marshes or soft ground change your positirm and march abreast ot each other, to prevent the enemy fronV tracking you il vou geover such ground and then resume your former order and Ird. 'ti i Ts q me dark before you encamp, which do if possible on a piece of ground ha NMll afforci your sentries the advantage of seeing or hearing th? enemv a Zmg^e nigS""^^' '''''''' ''''^'-'' ^^ >-'• ^^'^^^^ !->' -^e alSel^ . sfni] n^n"'' ^'T ^'''^''''' ^'°" ^'^"'^ ^° ^^'^^ l''-'^^^^ you would reconnoitre, make a stand and send one or two men in wb.om you can confide to look out the best ground for making your observations. ate til' tlv niJT" ^^' good fortnne to take any prisoners, keep them separ- 1;; ^^Lh^^ou wJnTour' "^' " ^°"'- '•^^"^" ^^'^ ^ different^oute to Lt in J^J^r"" "'^'''''J" ","■"- '^"^>' "^^^■■"^' ^^ ^"^ '^"^'^r^d vvith a desij;*; to attack the enemy divide your party into three columns, each headed by a proper officer, and let these columns march in single fii;, the om^s to t^he right and eft keeping at 20 yards distance from the cen re column if the Shf^'i' f "''' ""^>' P^T^ S"'^^^^ '^^ ^'^'' •■" the front and rea and suitable flanking parties as before directed, with orders to halt on ali eminences to take a view of the surrounding ground, to prevent your eing I MILITARY HISTORY UK CANADA. 9 'I ambuscaded. If the enemy approach in front on level ground, form a front ol your three columns, or main body with the advanced guard, keeping out your flanking parties, to prevent the enemy from pressing hard on either of your wings, or surrounding you, which is the usual method of the savages if their numi)er will admit of it, and be careful to support and strengthen your rear guard. 7. If you are obliged to receive the enemy's fire, fall or squat down till It IS over, then rise and discharge at them, ob.serving to keep at a due dis- tance from each other, and advance from tree to tree, with one-half of the party before the other ten or twelve yards. If the enemy push upon you let your front fire and fall down, and let your rear advance through them and do the like, by which time those who before were in front will be ready to discharge again, and repeat the same alternately ; by this means you will keep up such a constant fire that the enemy will'not be able easily to break your order or gain your ground. 8. If you oblige the enemy to retreat, be careful in your pursuit of them to keep out your flanking parties and prevent them from gaining eminences, where they would, perhaps, be able to rally and repulse you in turn. 9. If you are obliged to retreat let the front of your whole party fire and fall back till the rear hath done the same. By this means' you will oblige the enemy to pursue you, if they do it at all, in the face of a constant fire. 10. If the enemy is so superior that* you are in danger of being sur- rounded by them, let your whole party disr se, and everyone take a different road to the place of rendezvous appointed iv,- that evening, which must every morning be altered and fixed for the ensuing evening ; but if you should happen to be actually surrounded, form yourselves into a square, or, if in the wood.s, a circle is best, and, if possible, make a stand till the darkness of night favours your escape. 1 1. If your rear is attacked the main body and flankers must face about and fonu themselves to oppose the enemy as before directed, and the same method must be observed if attacked on either of your flanks, in which case you will always make a rear guard of one of your flank guards. T 2. If you determine to rally after a retreat, l)y all means endeavour to do It on the most rising ground you can come at, which will give you great advantage in point of situation, and enable you to repulse superior numbers. 13. In general, when pushed upon by the enemy, reserve your fire till they approach very near, which will then put them into the greater surpri.se and consternation, and give you an opportunitv to rush upon them with your hatchets and cutlasses to the better advantage. 14. When you encamp for the night fi.x your sentries in such a manner as not to be relieved from the main body till morning, profound secrecy and silence being of the utmost importance in these cases. Each sentry, there- fore, should consist of six men, two of whom must be constantly alert, and when relieved by their fellows, it should be done without noise, and in case those on duty should see or hear anything that alarms them they are not to speak, but one of them is silently to retire and acquaint the conuuanding officer thereof. 15. At the first dawn of day awake your whole detachment, that being the time when the savages choose to fall upon their enemies. You should by all means be in readiness to receive them. 16. If the enemy should l)e discovered by you in the morning, and their numbers are superior to yours and victory doubtful, you should not 10 iXCIDKNTs IN TiiK KAkl.N' attack them till the cNcning, as then thev will not know vr,ur nunihcrs and -f you arc repulsed your retreat will he favoured l.v the clarkness o 1 e ni'l t nround to if'"'" ^''''T\ ^■'^•■^^■'^P'"^''^^ ^^'■'<1 oi.t snudl parties to sc-o -t aiound to ^ee .f an enemy has been near vou in the night j^. \\ hen you stop tor refreshment choose a spring or rivulet if vou (-.n i rorn'r:;; ' • 'T" ^" "^^ '; '-,?n^--'- I^iting proper guarasoni e pain \()u . ame m, lest an enemy should he pursuin-^ .nurh't !lns"iir'l 'VT •■'" '^'"r '" ''"'' '-iver^avoi,! the usual ford. a. cwtmgyc" ■ "^^""^^^ ^'^^'^"'^^ '^^^■^' ^l-'-vered you and he .here lest in"!:.'! 'T' ''"'V' ^'f '^'' '^^'^'■•'' ^^■^■1' ^^^ ^'""^^ '•••^^^^'^^■-" f'-on) the shore ^f. If the enemy pursue your rear, take a circle until you come to vour Zn rtr^:;::' ^^-^^ ^^^- '-- - -^'^-'^ - — - ^ir \m, ^;v;. ..sn.,l"" ^y''r\-T '■''^"'■" ^'"V" '-^ «^'o'ut and come near our forts avoid d,e .siial uxulslest the enemy should have headed vou and lav in amln sh to receive you. when exhausted with thtigue. " amhusli to 2^. When you pursue any party ihat has been near our forts or en< mm ments, endeavour l,y a different route to head and meet them in sen er row pass or lay u) aml.ush to receive them where thev least ex )ect it 24. It you are to embark in canoes or battoe^ bv water choose the evening for the im.e of starting, as you will then have the wlui^ m.r eto e you to pass undiscovered by any parties of the enenn' on h.lls or pi u' s wh 1 comuKUid a prospect of the lake or river vou are upon hst ;i?;i/w.r'I^IlT '"■ "'Tf ^7' f ^)"''' '^'''' ^'^^ ''^*^^ ''' '^^^'^oe next to thc- scpa.at.on ano hat you may be ready to assist one another m an emergencv 26. Appoint one man m each boat to look out for fires on the sllores" mb r that hmdhd^d "^' "V^^'/ ^"" '"^^>- ^"" -me judgmeiU of [he in, ,.r Je t ev V n "h ^'^^;^''^^''"y^"'^oamped near a river or lake which vou m nrtv on 1 ; '"''^V" ?'"'' '''' ^'''"^ ''''''^''''^^ '^'^^^"^^ '■' ^'^^tachment of 0. ,,m> on the opposite shore to receive them, while vou surprise them ha\ mg them between you and the lake or river ' order' to k.l'n '''"'" ''''" ^'''\ ''^' ';^'^^\ "'^ ^^-^^t^''- ^ive out parole and .-ountersigns in Older to knou one another m the dark, and likewise appoint a statio^i for every man to repair to in case of any accident that may separate vou in January, 1758, five new companies were added to the Rangers of I.Wf !^,!f^'''/^'"o^ving Major Rogers was ordered to make a reconnoisanre ort JAluaul as Uiey were nearing the I-rench outposts on the west side of IjakeCeorge, having a range of hills on their right, they were me 1 v a nar v c> one hundred Indians and French, which was passi^^ the on ^the' ef ' c nhtiM ickf -;;;--«'r^'y l;alted and pre^red for ^li'r bv la ang now shoe Tl r "T" 'u '"^^ ^''''' '^^^^'^ ^'^^^'l*' '^'^ ^^''^ole party were on ■ go tch ectl> m front, their position being concealed by a narrow ridge of land mrt of the R ' ' 1 ■"''' '^'"■""'"^'^ '''''^ ''''''' f'"'"^^'«l '>y the right flank Cdv if was onlv'^^r' f '' ''"' '"T discovered that instead of the mai. eport lesnv ' '"""' ^"''''"^ ''^ ^^''""^ ''°° "^"'"^^- '•^' ^^e xMajors I ■1 MILITAKN lII.STuk\ OF CANADA. I I ibers, and the nigiit. ; to scdvA r \'OU C:!!!. rds oil tlu- 1 for(l> a> l)t' there he shore, ur retreLit ' to your ;in(l L^ive .void the iihiish to etK amp- onie iKir- :K)se tile It Ix'fore es which \t to the l)re\fnt ergency. ) shores, t of the or not. ich you mciit of c them. ■signs in :ion for oisanee leaving side of a party ic left. ' laying ere on enemy if land. I ai)out t flank -' main ^lajor's ^ "I then ordered our peoi)le to retreat to their own uronnd. whieh we gamed at tlie exi)ense of 50 men killed ; the remainder 1 rallied and drew up m pretty good order, where they fought with .such l)ra\ery as ol)liged the enemy (though 7 to . in number) to retreat a second lime hut vye, not hemg m a condition to pursue them, they rallied again antl recovered their ground .... They were, however, so wannlv received that they retreated a thud time, !) ,ur numbers now l.einu loo'far reduced lo take advantage ol their disor, .. thev rallied again and' made a fresh attack upon us. About this time we discovered about 200 Indians -oin- u-) the mountain to attack our rear. To prevent this 1 sent Lieut. I'hinips'Vith 1 S men to beat them back, which he did. ... I also .eiu i.uut. OralKa, to another |)art ot the hill with 15 men. "The enemy pushed us so clo.se in front that tiie parties were not more than twenty yards a[)art in general, and sometimes intermixed with each otiier. I he hre continued almost constant for an hour and a half in wiiich tmie we lost 8 otticers and more than 100 men killed on the .pf)t. We weiv at last obliged to break, and I with about 20 men ran up the hill to l'hillii)s ;ind(.rafton where we sto[)ped and fired on tlu^ Indians who were pushiim us with numbers we could not withstand. " Lieut. Lhillipswas at this time caijitulatin- for himself and part\- beiiv surrounded by about 300: he said to me if thev would mve ihem '-ood quarter he thouglit it best to surrender, otherwise he would fight whi'fe he had one man left. •■I now thought it most prudent to retreat and bring off as manv ('' ^y "hat appears t„ h , Had the attack h^lt\^!^''''Y'''^ ^''^r,. "^ "^ ^^^ evening they had General ordered a rS '" ',""1"'"'. ''"' tot,,. ^^Z„T" '""'•'^^''ul o »"h 3,000 ..K.,rf?:^„" ,';""■'*';<'"% and C„ B adslrcd ^''''^ succeeded in ""'ano and captur ™ Vw ^^^ VaMey eroS t flotr ^"',''^"' ''"^h QuesneNw ■c,^,^™'',,- »u-and, was at" Le, ttf '^ "','" C"'' '-'•r^'^ "> -i ne.t re., .- , ""^"^^ ""^ -'"''- hte"S shoes l,y „,e R^ J."'' °' a ,n,dwimer ■ scout ' and •, f , On the 3r?S;.ch '„ M • u '"'■"■='' <"> -™- T™^i:?"^=:;a^^^-^K„^r s^-jj-ctions t„ n.. "pressed it, " ^"'j '° '^ '"'^de up of Ranecr, °nd VT" V"^<'"»^. ^ ,, •' InwcS ;;■?," °" "- ^'h reads ■ |-i*t;'!c7:t7"f?'u O" the even- 4 of , he ?th ''''' '" ""= "«"-"■"& aSTair^""''; "''ich was ^^l "^'^dat ,, o'clock aL'o; "'"^ '^'■'^hed to sfbbath ?■?'■""= "^^ "am-ws our march, and reaefeTth^rT'^ ™h 'he eo d M T ''""' >^^ " - -'he ^^itt r,s€r--^^^^^^^^^^ - s „ "' left Captain Willi ' °''''"'>'"><'^- '^'*"'^'' ••• ^"-table ,i„,e r'S:'«:?;u »h"e I, wi.h"r %'°Jrr "i ""= P'-- -■.» the ,,a, , -S ;S'ot;Sol-ntto~the;iLt^Sa.''^ove^Kr^^ "umbers crossed the take Z,^"'""'""^' '^^ving a Imlnl^ '"^ f"". "here he "usht know the i'etter ho, "to^'t.rT^' ''°'"'>^^^^s7X'1'''T''^ -ha? report, ne savs : '° '"""' 'hem the next mornTng At'd""'^ *"' ' the French garrison. ag^ a short distance tops outward tor a been a great want of '" ^'I'^sault with fixed f^arge was gallantly e evening they had Jdicious use of his f^een successful on 's "iient of all the "'«rked on Lake 'on behind. ;ie fortune of the ; ol/e succeeded in Jy a brilliant dash vver end of Lake ^^■'t'l Col. (;eorge educing Fort du • Minister, whose ^vas spent in ]ire- ^ hy a concerted '>>' Lake Chani- iiarch on snow- ^tions to make '^ent with him, "^^ the strength 'oners. d, as the order MILITARY HISTORY OK CANADA. ed to join you Lake Cieorge, vhich was re' first narrows, where we ar- ^ve continued George about the enemy's t on the east "'table time ^^ars and 30 -aptain Fot- t, where he iserve what fort, that I ^ark Lieut At 3 o'clock in the morninLf I mirchprl wifh tu. i ■ . Rangers, one Regular and Captain Lo ridge w,'h 46 Indnm ;!™'7"'"^' f and sent two Indians and two Rang so observe SsUua,io^"%'-h'""'' fort, from whence, being discovered -ibon So ro^'' ''^^^V^'^K to the Indians came very close but wer^ .nnn L TV Canadians and enemy. We continued our marcli till 1 2 o'clork a n,, ?;?, '° °' '*!" bath Day Point, fifty „,ile,, distant from the pace we had ;eTlT'-' '° ' "'■ morn.ng. Captain ^Villiams and his men received us w„h""„ T '" "'? nothmg could have been more acceptable !^o my X :ev"r,l^ovWch h'h Th'e'/es'S'' 'f f,? ---'-./cold and .L' t^o^ZrV^^ ''" .he arm; embik:d tt.^ti: jT^TcZr: :'='' °? '"= ^'- ■'"'>■■ -59. attack on Ticondero^a It T^rbn h n f ' ', °° ''™"8' '° ''y''™'''" though vigorously rS&d by^ ttlll effi'^m. "<"' .ri" --."'^^V™,"' ^6th July, blew up the fori and withdrew by bo^^rcLrP?""? °'j^'l next became the chief object of attack °""' "'"'^'^ The entry in this journal, under date July 26, is as follows • .he enemy, who had undermined their fort, sprurg'thtmin:" ShZ": 14 iNrii,iu\T.s IN .nr: karlv shore tc-n horns uuh a M)nsidc;nb e t,an kv o l''"'" '"^^ ''' '""'■' '■'■'"" ^^^^ ^^'-^^^ and made n.y report u> the General.' ' '^^'""' '° "'^''^^^'^ ' ''euirned As an evidence of the enmoef .,. "tli ol Aiiyust : I'^>unpto,v o.der .y.ven by the (Jeneral on the ^Vr!^^^^^^^^^ J^- night to send a Captain u.th "'^•^'^•'- 's to post himself in such m^nn r , "7 '^^'"^' ^^''^^■'•e ^'^^^ see on the best ground for defV^id,, l^lf T !'' 'T '^"■'^^'^^^^' ^^"'^ '- >y the enen,y he is not to retreat h^^^ ^^-'^' '^e attacked IS reinforced from the army. ' "' "^ ''^'^-^I' '^'^ ground till he "' am, Sir, your most obedient servant '759: MnhuM, (l:ilfd (roivn |>„i,„, Sept. , ,th p-uJ'iiv'^hIs^,;;^!",;;:;^!,;;;;; it:::r" "';;'-■ >■-"■■ — - -^>i .•nmy-s Hct,lc™e,us\,n HK. s ,„ 4l" e si' i ""'"" '""' '•'"^"■'^ "«• ^'- .v"" Hlull j,KlKc n,„s, elTe.'lu.i i diVn- ,h '••"■'■"'™ ,■" ^'"^!' ■■' m.in„cr ^""""""""■"i' Hi--Vhje.stvsirms " '-'"<-'"»■ ■'•ncl for ,!„■ surrcss lndi;;/»o:™;;!;:,:;:;r^;:!^;:';;;'-^;;''>-- hee,, c„„„„iuecl l,y „„. e„on,y-. When vou have e\e(^nf,.r) ti-,; • • ever the armv'niav then be '"'""' -^■"" ^^•'■" >"'" "^'-^ >" -an.p wher- lis chastisement (.1 the St fVnno,c t. r " J ''•'■''•'r'-RV Amhkrst.'" necessary retribution for n lonV 1™ '/"'''''f /"^ ™"»'dered a just ,„,d pnlty of, an,! for a rcect ^ioh^u,,, ' fl „"rtr '":1''"'°"' "^^^ ''^^ ^een i.itn Ken„e.l,-. ivitl, ^ proposal of „ Le H ""« taken to them by Cap- l.r.soners anti detained in eaptirit,- ""'' *"' "■'^°''-' I"")' "'ere taken and tiK'u'r;;;;,;,",;' ';""c';,r •ai',''t,tt!^rtt '''"•*^5' '^ ^^^^ -p of 90 m„es set out tl,e same eveniog h,- water and fenrin, ' ' """"''>'■ ''"''^ P'-"-ty "™";.e">,>,' r ,'''''''>■ ™'^ occasioned in s,derable numbers on tl,at part of the lit ' ""' '" '" ""'^'"S '" ^on- visio,;' '^l;'"',;^'",'';, "f • '^°"«^'-. effected and the boats .,.r, , .,or~ -, „.„ safe distance" "^'' '"" '™^'>' '"<*«- '^^ '" "a.ch^the same'^ra ;ro com;; a,rrd'::o?;;,e'dSui:'s 't° "^"f "' ""'-"^^ -"i-ness. in-il report, page T45 : """o^lt'es encountered, I must read from the orig: MIIJTARV IIISTOKV OK CANADA. *ir Ijoats and "iiiccess ns to fr<»in the cast 'Vards of fifty 'k I returned ',c:n wns pm- -neral on the 'aptaiii with •, where the ised, and to he attacked nnid till ho MIIKRST.' destroyed crs received Sept. 13th, iniand and attark the 1 a manner hi; siircess e enemy's i of show- have done those vil- ^ it is my mp wher- IF.RST.'" just and had been by Cap- ere taken 90 miles He party ig to the ioned in in con- Oi pro- from a ierness. ic orig- I I I 1.") " It happened the second dav Tfrer I i,.f. ,1 1 I'i' t<. me in the evenin^r and innfrm . f ^^T'' '''"■''' ''''' 1"*^'^^"^ ^a.ne ered and taken mv bo ^" M '! ^^ 1^^, 'l^f f'^^ f^ '-e.^ch had diseo • '»^.- my track.- This ttnl c ' • ^^.^ ,^ ^'^^V^^e hotly pur.u- us .nto some eonsternation. Sh.ul , J c; ' , .'■; ''"" ''" '^^^'Posed) yna t-tter 01 them n, an eticounter, ve bei . s^f .-CT '^' T- "^^^ ''' -^ "^'-' ^^I'ere no reinforcements rould pos ■ bl n H '^^^^■''^";^«-^^ '"t<> their countrv ;^ui)ported l,y any number they pU^::l^\(^r^ea ^inl'T' "''''' ^'^^>' ^"^"<' '- Hands. Our boats bein-^ tiken ,^T!n' '', Z"'^'' ''"1^' '^OP^'^ ol e,.capinu thi-t,- .^'vat need at any rate even in It ^"''' '''' ^'''''' ''"^ '^'oukl ha\e ";-• I^ -s. iK^weve;, ^1 V d1 ^ :^s:'urr'^ "f ^ .nelancholy consider.^ ^vhen ue had accomplished Mo ''''"'•''-' ^'^^' ^^"^ ^l^'^'gn at all hazards uu' -uldthu,kof)byZ':!ri^- ^^^^7^^ onlv possible wa;": --'"K a spruce bo^. ' ^\•hen we en n w 1 ''^;" ^^•'-^y, near a foot deep. ',t <-n-seIves IVom the water Init In-^uuin " t 1 V'f' "r ''^•' "'' ''^y ''^ -'^- erecting a kmd of hammock. \ e^,n , T^'^^ "' "'^^•^ ^^'^•' "■"' «'-„, ci.^v and continued it till after dark u m.ht ''''' '""' '"'■"''''^ ^' '""^' '^^■''*'-- J He tenth day after leaviuQ- Missismiev Ihv u- ^^bove the town of St. Francis to the' so t w, i ' V'l"' ^" '' '''''' ' 5 '"-'-s opposite or east side we were obliged , ^ ^^1 wm"? ''" """ ''^"^^ "'^ ''-' ^"^ "u tlit^li^r"'- '^'"^ '-'- ^- ^'- an• '-"^"i '^'^^ -'^- - .^t cl'vm,-i at about th:er;2':^:;ar' ^^"^•' ' ^'-^^^^^-^ ^-^ ^ ^- <:luded, l^lnj ^;tecl ;^ [l^^J^^^l^j;; -----^l of ,,. ,,en, officers in- ,„ " At 8 o'clock this even , Tief ZY i '"'^ '^'''''' ^ '^''»^' "^^'^^ l^''^'-^- Turner :uu\ Emvr,, ^s,y^ ^^''^^l^ ^ nie l.t my satisfaction, and n.un U e I dni.^il^^'r'T'r'r'^^ ^"""' ^^'^'^'^ ^ ^l'^' ^o to my party at . oVlock, and at , o'cbck m -1 M '" "•' '''"^" ^ ^^^"''"^d the town, where I lii^dne khI th^C ' tl " '"> '""^'' ^'°° >'^^'"^'^ '^f" .-attack. At half an hour I eW^'^^^^^ '^T '''"''' ""^' '"^^'''"^"^ ^^^^""^ ^^ the left and centre, which wa c^^one wi h f '^f "'"' ^'^^" ^"^^''^ ^^" ^i^'-' ^>k1u men that the enem^• had not m to , '"'"'', ''"'^^'^>' ^>' ^^^^ officers an defence till thev were dieflv Ic^trotir''"" ^'^^^'"^^^^^'^^ ^' take arms for thei to the water. ^■Vbout 4 " of t Zi'nnT '?"r '"^' "'" ^'^^'"^ ^'^^^ ^-^ and their boats. A little atS sunrilv Tr ^^^^™,;tnd sunk both them three in which there was 'ornfhu "^^^ '"•^' to all their houses except -rhe fire consu.ned man oft- e L.dians'X' V'^ '"^ "^^^''" "^>' ^^^^ P^^- the cellars and lofts of their houses ''^ epncealed themselves m "About 7 o'clock in the mornin^ fhc irfrr u- > . , nme we had killed at least 200 Indians and taken ,'.''"''' "'^^' "''"'"' ^^ ^^^'^^ dren prisoners who I let ^o their own wnv 1 ^ "^ ^° '^'""^^" and chil- jvhieh I took under my care Vhen ' -id n '^^'''^'^ f'^'^ ^'^"^lish captives I had Captain O^den badlv wotVnded n hk T'ff "">' detachment, I found from doing duty. I also 1 ad\Tx n. r u\ '°'^'' ''"^ "°^ ''' ^' to hinder him Indian killed. ^ ''''^ '" '""" '^^'S^'^^-^ ^^'°t>nded, and one Stockbridg^ 16 INCIDKXTS IN THE EAKLN 1 his nation of Indians (the Abenakis) was notoriously attached to the French and had for near a century past harassed the frontiers of New Ene- andkilhng people of all ages and sexes in a most barbarous manner at a time they did not in the least expect them ; and to my own knowledge, in six years time had earned m to captivity and killed on the before-mentioned frontiers 400 persons. \\c found in the town, hanging on poles over their doors, etc, about 600 scalps, mostly English." ^ • It being known that a large body of French were in close pursuit little time was spent in loading their packs with Indian corn and in hasty pr'epara- Uon for the return march by Fort Charlestown, or " No. 4 ' as it was then called, being the most northerly English settlement on the Connecticut River and 200 miles distant from St. Francis. Although the Major had sent a request to Headquarters that a relief expedition with previsions should be sent to a place 60 miles up the river from that fort, it must have been a matter of intense anxiety for a command- ing oiificer to undertake a march of that distance through a trackless forest in the enemy s country, where roving bands of hostile Indians would likely be met with, and with a larger force of l^'rench troops in hot pursuit And all this had to be undertaken on the small stock of rations which each man carried, and on which they had already subsisted during a . 2 davs' march. In addition to this stock, as already mentioned, each man took what Indian corn he could carry. The journal gives a graphic account of the terrible expfrience met with on this tramp for life. One formidable encounter is mentioned with the enemy near Lake Memphremagog, and various other losses were sustained from hunger and fatigue. At last the mouth of tne Ammonsock River was reached, where, instead of the expected stock of supplies, they only found the smouldering camp fire of the party, who had just a few hours previous returned down the river, taking all the provisions with them. On page 148 it is written : "Our distress upon this occasion was truly inexpressible. Our spirits greatly depressed by hunger and fatigue we had already suffered, now almos; entirely sunk within us, seeing no resource left, nor any reasonable ground to hope that we should escape a most miserable death by famine At length I came to a resolution to push as fast as possible towards No. 4, leaving the remainder of my party, now unable to march further, to get such wretched subsistence as the barren wilderness could afford, till I got relief to them which I engaged to do within ten days, I, with Captain Ogden, one Ranger and a captive Indian Doy, embarked upon a raft we had made of drv nine trees. - ' A footnote by the author states "that before leaving them, he taught Lieut (, rant, the officer in charge, how to make a preparation of ground nuts and lily roots, which will serve to preserve life for a considerable time " After a perilous trip of five days, during which they had once to con- struct a new raft by burning down the trees and burning off the lo^s to pro- per lengths, they successfully passed the many dangerous rapids an"d reached the fort, from which they despatched the much-needed relief, which reached the famishing camp within the time promised. The Major then made his report to General Am.herst, and two days later went up the river again with boats and provisions to bring in the remainder of his men. They rejoined the headquarters of the Rangers at Crown Point on the I St December. The winter was spent in completing the building of the new fort. MILITARY HISTORV OF CANADA. 17 early'p:; ^^[..r" " '" ^^""« '^^^^'-^'^ ^'^ '^^o .as n.ulc in the ^iciicral Ainht ;, then sent \rni„r u • , to encleavot,r, by attarku^^ p ^e ^T]T '^o K^n^ers into Canada the attention a.ul ,,ossil,Iv d a 'v v^iv -l norti "V'?^ V'^''^"^'''>' ^" ^'"•"^"^^ vvx.ethc.UK.sieKing(;enerai Murray fnO^ ^'' ^''^" ''^^"^''^ ^^'I- ^^at '■'>c next niornin« thev Vel h, L f^ "'''' '"''' "" ^'^^' ''^'<^- a l>nsk l,ush n,ht theVl^:.:! "'i:^^t;^ j%^f ° •-" '^-^ ^'- '^-t. After -tl. t . U.S or ,o kill., and 50 n.u:^;:tXS^"^^^^ ^^'^ --'" l-ties, 'he dSn. ;:; ;;;[^ro;;' '^t"^*"-^--i -mounded. Johnsontheevx-nngo ^ th one 7' '"^^•^■^ '"-^'^ reached St. attack, Inu on c:l(.se exaniinat on t^^w 'Vn wt' "u'?^^''-^ ^^' ^'■>' ''^ "^■'•"•Kht ^^•'t)>i" the works, ancl th^ ' rison 1 > ? "^ ^^'"^ ' 7 sentries wdl posred the atta.:k u-as no! n.aclJ In^r "nnr h u!;s"" l-'^'^I^^f ^'^''? "^^'^ ^ -^^^'^ St. Therese, a stockaded p t vh ch v . . . '''''''T'^ j''^^^'^ '>>' the river to Seventy-eight prisoners wc.c ; u^^ ^^^'" ^^ - ^l- -st side or had a shght encounter with ap^rtv of 800 K. i"' v ^'T'^ '^''' '''^'''^' ^hcy n/an.euvre them, and ^^oiZm^^^^^^^^ '"^^"^^^ed to out the shr,re just a little too lue '' "'' '''''•^^^■'^' ^^'*^^^" the party reached to Oswego, from whi,:h^ p bee he ^^^^" t ?1 ''1 '^L''^" ""'^^^y «^ ^'^^' '^^^hawk rence,having'instructedro Hu hn, .^'''''^'^^^ ^\^"^'-^'''^' '^>' ^he St. Law- posts on the Chan.plain a,Kl Richelieu w;t"s' ''' '^' "''""" ^' ^^^ ^^'^-^'^ real J[tM;.;lS'Ml:^^!rr/n^ ^^ ^^ont- Onthe i6th August the fn^ approachmg from Quebec. hy Col. Haviland-sd'vsio of ToLo'n ■'"'',■ '^"^'f t ^'''^"''^^'^' ^^'-^-^ ^^"mmenced heing led I,y 600 RangS 'n ^1.^^,,^^^^^^^ leader. ^ '" \vhaleboats under the command of their old 'I'he first point of attack bein<^ Isle nnv Mr^.v r u- , , 1,500 strong, were driven and retired to ^/ r . , '"°'" ''^'^'^ ^^^ ^'"^^^y. 25th AuguS. Two days tertlf^n -^''^'"' '^"'"'"S the night'of the daylight 'they arri "it^^S .foh " to fin'd ?t oT f °'''"?' J° P"^'"^' ^^^ ^^ retreat towards Montreal. " ^''^ ^"^ ^he French in full journlis' ''"'"'^ "°^"""^^-^ «^ ^^-^ --P-gn are thus described in the As soll"^ h::::^^ih^ri^^ -- ^" r ^'^^ ^i ^^-^^^ - ^^- j^^-^- ^vhat I had done, and that I had wo T" '^""f^^.t^^q^ainted him with very well, and ordered h s t oops to cnc.mTT' ''' ^7 ^™- ^' '^^'^ '^ ^^^^ went down the River Sorel a7^ as sT pL""' i^'' "'^ ''' '""^ "'"' ^'^^^ made strong breast works! t^ de end his oeorV^^''", ^-^ ^ -^^' was sent down the River Sorel to b n. 1 1^ ? ^'°"' ^'"'"S surprised. 1 His Britannic Majesty md wen? in " ?k '"habitants under subjection to 18 INCIDENTS IN THE EARLV their possessions, and were all extremely submissive. HavinL' ohli.'ed them could T ion/ rr'T'n r' '"'/*f"' .".^^ "^^^^'^^'<^"-^ ■•" ^heU manner could, oMKd (,ol I arl.yat Clunnbly, who oame there to take the fort r i^ln r'^)' r''''/"r T'' "^''^^ •"""•^"- ^^ -^-^ surrendered, Js t l/e S ,T"nn'i"^^^'f '^"^"^ "'V '"^■'^- '^''^'^ '^^'PP^'"-1 "" ^'^^' ''^t of mtelhguHx- from both (general A.nherst and (W-nerai Murray, Col. HaviLand en me to jom the latter, while he nur,:hed with the rest of the army to La I'.erre. On the mornmg of the 5th, I got to Longueuil, about four miles below ACntreal, cppos.te to where Brigadier Murniy lay, and gave lim notice o njy arrival, by the time I cune to Longueuii; the army un e command of (General An.herst had landed about two';ules\,p h • ^^^^^^^^ euilT'; ^'^^•>' ^'"^''^'"I'^^^i"'^"^ early this morning Monsieur de Vaud- rcu.l the (.oyernor and Commander-in-Chief of all Canada, sent out to capaulatewith our Ueneral, which put a stop to all our movements till the 8 h of September, when tiie articles of capitulatH,n were agreed to and signed and our troops took possession of the town gates that nigiu «,h..i"^''"V^ length, at the end of the fifth campaign, Montreal and the whole country of Canada were given up, and be,-ame sui)ject to the King of Great Hntain, a conquest, perhaps, the greatest that i • to be met with in the British annals, whether we consider the prodigious extent of country we are hereby made masters of, the vast addition it must make to trade and navi- gation, or the security it must afford to the northern provinces of America particularly those flourishing ones of New i^igland and New York the irretrieyal)le loss France sustains hereby, and the importance it must gi^e to the Hntish Crown aniong the several states of Europe. All this, I say, duly considered, will, perhaps, in its consequences, render the year 1760 more glorious than any preceding. ' " The next day ( Jeneral Amherst informed me of his intention of sendinc me to )etroit, and on the ,2th, when I waited upon him again, I received the tol lowing orders : ''Hy His Kxcellency J effery Amherst, F.sc)., Major-Ceneral and (^om- mander-in-Chief of all His Majesty's Forces in North America, etr etc ' lo Major Rogers, commanding His Majesty's Independent ('ompanies ot Rangers. -You will, upon receipt hereof, with Captain ^Vaite■s and Cap ain Hazen s companies of Rangers under your command proceed in whale boats from hence to Fort William Augustus ; from there n en. will con- inue your voyage by the north shore to Niagara, where you will land your boats and trans,K,rt them across the carrying place into Fake Erie, applying to Major Walters or the ofhcer commanding at Niagara for any assistance you may want on this or any other occasion. ' "With the detachment under your command you will proceed in your whaleboats across 1 ake Erie to Prescpie Isle, where upon your arrival you will make known the orders I have given to the officer commanding that post, and you will leave .said party and whaleboats, taking only a small ^^^^^J,^^^^^^^^^^^^^ yo"' '-^"d march by land to join Brigadier-General Monkton "Unon your arrival with him, you will deliver into hi.^ hands the dis- patches yuu shall herewith receive for him, and follow and obey such orders as he Shan give you for the relief of the garrisons at the French posts of Detroit *Michlimakana, or any others in that district for gathering in the arms of the inhabitants thereof, and for administering to them the oath of allegiance. And when the whole of this service is completed, you will march c t MFLITAKV FflSTOKV OF CANADA. liged them manner I e the fort, 'cd, as the the I St of tvinfj; good Havilaiid ic army to four miles gave him rmy under river from de \'aud- iit out to Its till the md signed il and the le King of ith in the try we are and navi- " America, York, the St give to say, duly 760 more of sending received nd Com- etc. ompanies lite's and oceed in will con- land your , applying tance you 1 in your ■rival you ding that .' a small Monkton 5 the dis- ^h orders I posts of ig in the i oath of 'ill march Hy His Fixcellency's conmiand. ^^'^'^'- '^•^'"EKsr. E"Kineer, Lieut. Davis of the R, n ,1 V , > m'''""' ''■'•■''">• -^^isl-i"" fifteen «„.,.,„„,,, ,„„ ,„,,„ ,^,.^;^;');;l .',:; „ti : 'uf';'-,;',: ■^°° '^^""'-- "> wcc 'I .:;" iir- ,-„t T::!,rT" ;■'' "-f ?' •■- ■-• -> nvcT, the wind blowinE fresh at Un \ " ^ ','""""-'' ""'' '"'"■■-e "I' the "arrow passes near ,he in, 1 u ";,',. '"'"i"' '," "'^' "■^"'"^ ■" "'e emharke,! and rowed ll,e re , in, e „ r , ""t f''''"'"'^ ^" '"i''"'«l'l we 'ill we came to the plaee w •' e t , . r ' "^^ , ■'',"'' '"i' "''"'<= ''^'>- f"»"»'»K, where we found son e h,d ,^u ,V "T ""-' '"^ ''"" '"' ■•"'"lenac here all the next dav l- n '^^^^^^^ He were detained attended with snow and nn u "ea'her, which was very windy plan or the old fo;t,"la;ed at \e lottr ';,'"'; n^'s'^f'^ T'T "' '-^^'"S » was about coo acres of rlu.,r„ 1 """"'" "I a hne, safe harbour. There with cl„verfs°emed bad am T™!,^ 1 "''""' "' "'"'''• ">""«'' "-er« The Indians here ,!■„ ed u L wel ' ,a" "f .^l'"f J "ith so„,e pine trees. of the surrender of a G. ^da a, s' , nh" "'"' "l' "'"■' "•■■ ''^""S'" 'l'^'"' and wild fowl. ].eavin^ 1" ontyn, ,k'''' ? "'"', '^"''" I''"") <>' venison along the north sho " I ac Id v's ™ .^'^ °''* °," "'? ''"'■ "''>■ """""'^1 are given in detail, as wel J , '" „ * ^^ "'"■ ?i"^'', '"«l"'^ encap,p„,ent as to the country vithini.ht and t s "I ',"["™'"r "'"' "''^ervalions Fifteen miles after passing Pesaue Isl.l ? T' '"r "^ '"''""'• "«' "i'h. a. the ntouth of the (irafton CVeek wt h ' "f'''''"/"^ ""•' "*'" "■••>» "'ade Ltnsi,f;rev^:i-;r;i^™^ iorch and in hS"hoLr, ^i?'" IS; tl^ '^'iL^t fc^ ' °^ '^ "«"- un tne 30th September wo rpnd • "\\^, 11, day, and with the a sistance of sails and 1 ""^'^r"^^^ ^-^^ ^he Hrst dawn of the evening reached he River foronfo T' "'''^' ^''^' '^^^^^^^■^^>'' ^^^ '" passed a high bank twentv n les n 1 ' /. , "^t T '^'^'^'"^>' '»''^''^- ^Ve be level, well timbered wit'h "a " oaks^^Lne- '' 'l"' '"'r'"' -^^'^''-'^ ^« No mountains appear in si. ht Th.' ^"''^''"^^' "^''^P''^^ ^^'^ some poplars. cleared ground rL^nd the Xe whereT'' 1 ^r\°^ "^°"^ ^^°° ^^'^^ of was called Fort Toronto Th^Vn T ""^''^ ^''^ ^'^"^^ ^ad a fort that extremelv r.].,';. n th" coul^rv Q 't '^P'^^'n^^^^V ^'aV- The deer .t of the river, who ranlnto ^woods aT Vur .n" ''T ^""^"^ '' ^^^ ^^^^'^^ They came in, however in the mnrnt. ^^^ "^.''^ ''^'y "^"^^ frightened. of our success'againT^hrPretr" lyToM "'w:'couM^ ^'^, '' ^'^ "^^^ trdidrdLt'pL^t^^in^a^i ^^^-'■:. ^^^x:^Sr^ ;M.hhmakana^^tlS^-^^-V— e^^^ •20 I.\< IDKNTS IN IIIK FAKLV portage was but 20 miles from that to a river falliri}^ into Lake Huron, which had some falls, hut iiotu- very considerable. They added that there was a carrying [)la(e of fifteen miles f'om some part of I,ake ICrie to a river running without ;iny falls into l.^ke ' ('f«''" " 1 think ror(;nto a most conv.. ce for a fiictory, and that from thence we may very easily stfdr tb^ nij ^idt of LaKe Krie," Sjjeaking .IS I am to-nigVJ^ t-<;aii audiv ,"^e t'om|)Osett chiefly of citizens of Toronto, that visit, when Hh- Hntisli flag was first brought to the site of your city 130 years ago, is oi g>eculiar interest, and I fancy it will be readily conceded that the views of the old Major as to the favourable situation and prospects of this place havt- 'r --t proved by sr.l)se(iucii* events to have been remarkably well founded. The mouth of the Toronto River rtwntioned at that time us, I fancy, the mouth of the present harbour. Any one who has observed the peculiar appearance of the trees on the Island, on a calm day, j)articu'arly in the autunm, will readily recognize how appropriate is the Indian word Toronto, which means "trees in the water." ("onsecjuently, it would a[)pear that the River Don and the Hay together were then known as "the Rive. Toronto." The journal continues: "We left Toronto on the ist of October, steering south, right across the west end of Lake Ontario. .'\t dark we arrived at the south shore, five miles west of I'ort Niagara. Some of our boats now became exceedingly leaky and dangerous. "This n\orning, before we set out, I is ued the following order of march : "The boats to keep in line. If the wind rises high and the red flag hoistt>r, the boats to crowd nearer, that they may be ready to give mutual assistance in < \' of an accident, by which means we saved the crew and arms of (he bi<.u com landed by Lieut. McCormack, which sprung a leak and sunk, lo-ing nothini; but their own packs. "Ue halted all the next day at Niagara, and provided ourselves with blankets, coats, moccasins, etc. " I retx'ivcd from the commanding officer eighty barrels of provisions, and changed two whale !)oats, which were leaky, for batteaux. " In the evening some of my party proceeded with the provisions to the falls, and in the morning I marched there, and began the portage of the provisions and boats." Lieutenants Brehm and Davis took a survey of the great Cataract of Niagara. From Niagara, the Major wit;i two officers and eight Rangers in a bark canoe i)roceeded to " Pres(]ue Isle " in advance of the expedition, in order to make the detour to Pittsburgh as instructed. From the fort at Lresque Isle, which is now the site of the modern town of Erie, the journey to Pitts- burgh and return occupied from the 8th to the 30th of October. On his return there the main body of the expedition had arrived, but had lost some boats and provisions during a storm on the lake, and to guard against a probable scarcity of provisions at Detnnt a party was despatched from there with a drove of forty oxen to go by la 1 around the west end of Lake Erie. During the voyage westward, while trcr i on ihe spot now occupied by the City of Cleveland, a threatening fx-i behave ill. Tell this to your brothers, the Indians, what I say IS truth. \\ hen we meet at Detroit I will convince vou it is all true. ' 1 hese Sachems set out in good temi)er the next morning During the ascent of the Detroit River several letters were exclrmged between the two commanding officers. At length, on the ^ylh of Nov, mber the following ultimatum was despatched :— " To Captain Ueletere, Commanding at Detroit. Sir, — I acknowledge the receipt of your two letters, both of w were delivered to me yesterday. Mr. lirehm has not vet returned. 1 k enclosed letter from the Manpiis de \'a.idreuil will inform vou of the sur- render of all Canada to the King of Great Britain, and of t'he great indu gence granted to the inhabitants ; as also to the terms granted to^ the trooi.. of his most Christian Majesty. Captain Campbell, whom I have sent forwarc with this letter, will show you the capitulation. I desire you will not detain him, as I am determined, agreeable to my instructions from General Amherst speedily to relieve your post. I shall stop the troops I have with me at the hither end of the town till four o'clock, by which time I shall expect your answer. ^ ■^ I am, etc., U T 1 J J , ,r • ^- R-OOERS. I landed half a mile short of the fort, and fronting it, where I drew up my detachmen in a field of grass. Here Captain Campbell joined me, and with Mil came a French otificer, to inform me that he bore NFonsieur Beletere s compliments, signifying he was under my command. From hence 1 sent Lieutenants Leslie and McCormack with thirty-six men to take posses- sion of the fort. The French garrison laid down their arms. ''The French colours were taken down and the English flag hoisted at which about 700 Indians gave a shout of exultation. They seemed amazed at the submissive salutations of the inhabitants, and expressed their satisfac^ tionat our generosity in not putting them to death, and said they would always in future fight for a nation thus favoured by Him that made the world. " I went into the fort, received a plan of it with a list of the stores, from the cornmanding officer, and by noon of the ist of December we had collected the militia, disarmed them and administered the oaths of allegiance " ich le 22 INCIDENTS IN THE EARLY iournl r^. I ? T ''''''^u '° '■'^""^ Michillimakinak, but after a two days' journey on Lake Huron, the ,ce compelled them to return to Detroit. impossible!'''"""^ ''''"^^' ''''"'''" ''"'"S '"' ^ '■^^"''" ^y ^^^ ^^^es ^^s the ^rd'T^^^f' '^'"' '^^'"^^•'^^'"g ^ ^"ffi^'ent garrison at Detroit, he on his dJt.l^l . " ^'T"'"""''^ '^'^ '■"^^"'■" "^^^^'^ ^^^th the remainder of his detachment around the west end of Lake Erie The bearings and details of each day's march through the woods are fheoZV' ^^^J«"^"^',?^-tes, "On the /3rd of January w^e came aga n to S march fhe n^r7^""''' KT '^'"' ^''"^ "'^^"^^ ' ""'^'^'^ l^'^"^" McC^rmack the 26th I^J^V"""'" '^' """".-'■y '" ^'^""y' '-^"d ^f^^'- t^^'-y'^g there till York vh. T ^^^^T™''" '"'"^ ^° Philadelphia, and from thence to New YcKk, where, after th.s long and fatiguing journey, I arrived February 14th, defenre^^of t^hTnlV'^' ''"' \^'^^''^l^S^^^ ^^ 1763, and took part in the deten e of that place agamst the combined Indians under Pontiac the lothoTl.'n"'' "^'"'.'.^'"u ^' '"""' '^ Knj4land,as mentioned before, and on duties of whK^'' ^766, he was appointed Governor of Michillimakinak, the duties of which he entered on in August of that year. In September 1767 preferred against him by parties who quarrelled with him in the west He was honourably acquitted and his expenses paid by the British Government He then again went to England, where he rema ned till June 177. On pari wl^l'n'T '^ "f T'T^ ''' ^^^ Revolutionists,^,ut'relel'sed on tT fron wh If ^^'''^^'^'■,".'^^" ^y h'-'^ assailants in arresting him the second R we^ ? n / '"^^^^^ escape, and then proceeded to reorganize his Kangeis on a war footing. & ^ to EiS' nd '!"' r"^ °^ '^'' Revolutionary War Major Rogers had to go again Lcno Ti '"'' ^"^^^^^d*^^ "^ the command of the Rangers by Colonel rlZZ\t Ml '.T'' ''"'^ ;'? reorganization was more in the nature of a dd t o of n";f 'T' f'^' "'"'^^•"^' ^°"^P'^">' '^"^ ^^'^^ «" ^e^eived the addition of a troop of cavalry as an auxiliary attachment. 1784. ^^°' ^^"^'^ '^"^ "°^ ''^''"'" '''^"'■" ^° America, but died in England in fnr fh'''''''^ "°'' ^'^"^ ^^"^ '''^^^°"' "^ ^o"^e of the participants in the strife for the supremacy of the British cause in North America during that ea ly of bv'l/r wi;! r- ^^ 'n''[ ^""'^' r /'^^ continuance of the same' bold spirit ff^v ve U ' 'T'V "^'r-' °^ ''^"^' ™^" ^" '"''^'^^ ^^'^ g^^'^ter sacrifices of the^hir .i A the unfortunate complications which led to the revolt 01 tnc thirteen American Colonies came about. receiLTu r°?' ^''" '''"''^ ''/'''' of sterling, hardy colonists that this Province received its first pioneer settlers. reison^to'Ll\T ''^° '" '^f Transatlantic settlements, while having good the H^nt of n tj ^^^^e/"de'-g«>"g very serious disadvantages on account of Pro^-nch^ .nth V ""^^^f "d'^^S ^^'^tween the Home Government and the wis suffinlm n.""" ?' '' '^' f '"'• ''""' ^""'^ "°^ h^ Pe'-^tiaded that there Tnd S tlXd^reyltircSl^^^re!^^ ""^^'^"^^ '^ ''''' '^'^^ ^^ ^^" When the contentions of those times unfortunately ripened into hn.tili- hou r'thP "fn". "'''"■f^ """^ energetically espoused the Loyal cause," and though the fortune of war eventually prevailed against the prin. iples they hough were right, they heroically proved their devotion to th^ose p nciples and voluntarily gave up their possessions and moved into that p r of the country where they could still live under the flag they loved MILITARY HISTORY OF CANADA. 23 It is estimated about lo ooo nmp inf,-v fk,o u as many more into the MaritirProTh^ceT "'' '' ^^'^ ^'"^^' '-^"^ A Canadian poet thus feelingly refers to the movement • " They who loved the cause that had been lost, Yet scorned an alien name, Passed into exile leaving all behind have honour and ihe conscious pride Of duty done to country and to king " of sacrffi"c2^:S'?tffi:V°"" '° '"^ '"'""' P"°f °' '""'-'-' -- of oneot heco„t'„« rf R,n ^f,"" "^^g^'*"!": .om.nancling officer old powder hornT ho dLh^fT'',"'? f"'"' ''>' ""= "'"'' '^l'" °«^'^d this French u"r he -.'coui ed t-Tf "' '"', "°'l" '■" ""• »"<^lu»ion of the :? :hiLrir;"'.:r i ""^ -- '^ --''Xri^^r'^ix arp,:L: t 'Safe down ^on "hat "l™d "',' ," wf ,fr'"'""l>'="' ca^mpnigning, he settled tnents whe,^ the eonflfct n Jr !*>' ^'■"'»f"«'»-y progress and improve- h.s Rangers and eo"" d c ^:": vlc^e "r'bnf ;r,^h '"' •^*'"" "'T''" of benefiting the I oval n„J U'k n u S, ' '^""^ ™'^ '■"">■ '^^ance with his famv. ;,-:„■ ^^,'^^•■''1 hope in that direction was lost, he po,fuio':an°d;';os";:;;t:,;;:'S' '■■°"'™"^^'' '^^ «^'' '=«'--' ■" '^^^ -- a nobler example to suc?rding generatlo's °"°" '"^ "'"""'''" '"^P'^ Unitv ofTh , T '!.'>'■<=„ '■'^^fei- at greater length to those who fought for "the but r f T''f "^'^'^^ generation have long since gone to their r- t out tar and wide thrniitrhrMif fk;.. r^ i r ^ gL"ic lu meir r^-,t, Mr. Chairman and Centlemkn — ^perat o,,s w.chn, the t„ae I eould reasonably expect to be favoured with a the sub ects I have been brutgtng to your notice, and should nty exertions happtly hav^ the effect of proth.cu.g an increased interest in, and a , r ,e dest. for. the study of Canadian history, , shall feel amply compenslttd "Id 24 APPENDIX 1, 1ST OF OFFICERS OF ROGERS' RANCHERS. I St Company, or Queen's Rangers, organized in New Halnpshire, March, 1756: (.'aptain, Robert Rogers; ist Lieut., Richard Rogers; 2nd Eieut., John Stark; luisign, Noah Johnson. 2nd Company, or King's Rang-TS, organized in New Hampshire, June, 1756 : — Captain, Richard Rogers (died of smallpox at Fort William Henry, July, 1757) ; Jst Lieut., Noah Johnson ; 2nd Lieut., Nathaniel Abbott ; Ensign, Caleb Page (killed in action, 22nd Jany., 1757). 3rd Company, organized December, 1756: — Captain Hobbs (died February, 1757) ; ist Lieut. Buckley; 2nd Lieut. Ogden ; Ensign, James Rogers. 4th Company, organized December, 1756: — Captain Spikeman (killed in action, January 22nd, 1757); ist Lieut. Kennedy (killed inaction, January 22nd, 1757); F^nsign, David Brewer. 5th Company, organized in New Jersey, April, 1757: Captain Burgin ; J>ieut. liurbank ; Ensign, Joshua Martin. Indian Companies, Captain Jacobs, Stockbridge Indians ; Captain Lotridge, Mohawk Indians. JANUARY, 1758. Major, Captain Robert Rogers; Captain James Rogers, Cai)tain Shepherd, Captain John Stark, Captain Buckley (killed in action, March 13th, 175"^)) Captain William Stark, Captain David Brewer, Captain Bur- bank (killed in action, 15th May, 1759). Lieut. Philips (taken prisoner by Indians, March 13th, 1758, and tortured to death), Lieut. Crafton (taken prisoner by Indians, March 13th, 1758, and tortured to death), Lieut. Moore (killed in action, March 13th, 1758), Lieut. Campbell (killed in action, March 13th, 1758), Lieut. Pottinger (killed in action, March 13th, 1758), Lieut. Holmes, Lieut. Stewart (Adjutant). Ensign Waite, Ensign Ross (killed in action, March 13th, 1758), Ensign McDonald (killed in action, March 13th, 1758), Ensign White (killed inaction, March 13th, 1758). UNDER MAJOR J AS. ROGERS, SEPTEMBER, 1779. Captains : — John Langstreet (Niagara), John Hattfield, Daniel Bissonett (Niagara), Charles Babington, Patrick Walsh. Lieutenants : John Throgmorton (Niagara), Michael Smith (Niagara), John Dean Whitworth. Ensigns : — John Robins (Niagara), John Bears (Niagara), Eleazar Taylor (Niagara). Sergeant Kennedy, Sergeant Herring, John Walsh (volunteer). Officers gone through the country from New York :— Captain John Stinson, Lieut. Jusley and son, Ensign Anderson, and others. Bal5tle-fieMs0f1;heI|ia^aifa Peninsula Duitin^ the Waif 1812-15 A Lecture delivered on the Kjth February, h,/ Capt. E. A. CRf'IKSHAXK Uth Welland BattaHon.—The Hon. John liecerlei, Robinson in the chair. It IS my purpose ni this paper merely to deal with the military aspects of the subject that has been assigned to me, and I shall therefore strictly ex- clude al details which have not any direct bearing on it from that point of view. 1 he printed literature dealing with this i,eriod of Canadian history is very extensive, but for the military student, owing partly to prejudice' on the part of the writers and i)artly to want of exact information, much of it is almost valueless. Although not putting it entirely on one side, I prefer in Ss '"'^'"''''' "" '^ "' i^'^^^'""^'^'^'^" ^'' ^^o ^^ ll^^* original and official docu- While we have in the military correspondence of the British officers engaged very precise and reliai)le information as to the numbers of the forces unde. ;heir command, their equipment, physical condition, and movements, and a weekly, sometimes almost a daily, chronicle of their confidential views and hopes and fears, as long as access is denied to the similar collection of documents emanating from their opponents and preserved at \\^ashington, any account of these campaigns must necessarily be somewhat imperfect and one-sided Such a series of letters, journals, and other documents, when thoroughly mastered, enables one to see into the minds of the writers, appre- ciate their motives of action and understand their difficulties in a way that is possible by no other means, particularly when their views are filtered through the mind of another man. From them we become acquainted with the state of the roads, the accidents of the weather, the knowledge of the movements and numbers of the enemy which they possessed, whether correct or false, the feeling of the mhal,itants, and innumerable other minor circumstances which sometimes potentially influence military action but usually evade the notice of the in(]uircr. ^ A few words on the composition and e(]uipment of the contending forces will not be out of place. We have the testimony of a keen-sighted and not too friendly (,erman critic (Baron Mueffling) that the l^ritish soldier of h. L '^' T'-' ^ ' 7'f °™"' ''"'^ '^'^^'^' '^"^ ^'^^^ the rigid disci{)line to which he was subjected tended to convert him into an admirable fighling machine. A multitude of witnesses inform us that he was bravely, if not alutiys intelli- gently led into action by his officers and usually faced death with that grim tenac. y of purpose termed bull-dog courage by their antagonists. On the other hand we know that their greatest leader habitually spoke of the rank and file of his army as "the scum of the earth." There is, unfortunately good reason to believe that this description was much more applicable to a large part of^ the British force in Canada in 1812 than the former .uc\.r.t '"^ S'^ o" voluntary enlistment, or what was construed as such recruiting officers had been forced to resort to many strange and dis- creditable devices to supply the drain of twenty years of war. "The man 26 BATTLE-FIELDS OF THE NIAGARA PENINSULA who enlists into the British army is in general the most drunken and probably the worst man in the town or village in which he lives," said the same great authority whom I have quoted.' Nor was the enlistment of drunkards, tramps, and vagabonds the worst feature of this system of recruiting. The prisons were emptied bodily into the ranks. Men under sentence of death for the vilest crimes were permitted to serve therein by enlisting under assumed names. Prisoners of war of all nationalities were accepted as recruits in the same way, a few months after they were taken, although it was apparent they intended to desert on the first opportunity. The waifs and strays of the great towns and the children of the barrack-yard were thrust into uniform when they were not yet strong enough to carry a musket. Three of the best regi- ments in the army were entirely composed of pauper boys drafted from the county poor-houses." As yet little attention was paid to the physical condition of the recruits. Anything in the shape of a man was accepted, and hundreds of them went directly to the hos))ital from the recruiting ofifice. The best men were naturally sent to Spain and Hindostan to fill the gaps in the fighting line, and the residuum despatched to those stations where gar- rison duty only was anticipated. Accordingly, when war was declared by the United States, whole battalions stationed in the British Provinces were actu- ally unfit to take the field through physical causes. In Upper and Lower Canada, on the first of July, 1812, there were, including four battalions of colonial troops, 7,147 officers and men of all arms.^ Of these the loth Royal Veteran Battalion, 559 strong, was entirely composed of old and infirm men; the 103rd, 781 so-called effectives, of boys; and the Glengarry Light Infantry and Canadian Voltigeurs, 829 officers and men, of raw recruits. Ultimately, the last three battalions became excellent soldiers. When the 2nd Battalion of the 41st arrived at Quebec, it was found to be composed almost entiroly of very young boys, or very old and sickly men and only eighty or a hundred men could be picked out who were at all fit for service, out of 400 present.-* The drafts of recruits that were sent out during the war were of much the .same unsatisfactory character. The British squadrons on Lake Erie and on Lake Ontario were tied up in port for weeks together at the most critical periods through the weak- ness and inefficiency of their crews. The equipment of the soldiers was defective and cumbrous. They had been released a few years before from the torture of tying their hair in a stiff bunch behind, but they were still compelled to march and fight in the hottest of weather in high leathern stocks, tight jackets and tall shakos. Their accoutrements were clumsy and ponderous. The utmost range of the flint- lock musket with which they were armed was supposed to be 200 yards, but was actually not more than 188. Few of them could be relied upon, as even fairly effective, for a greater distance than 70 or 80. Not more than a single round per minute could be fired for any length of time. A few battalions had been armed with the Brunswick rifle, but none of these were sent out to C. .ada, where they would have been of the utmost service. Most battalions consisted of ten companies nominally composed of 100 men. The tallest and stoutest men were selected for the grenadier, or right flank company, and the most active tor the light, or left flank company. These companies wore a distinctive uniform, and were frequently detached from their battalion and I. Wellington Despatches, vol. v., p. 592. 2. Wellington Despatches pasiim Ashton, Oh\ Times. Memoirs of Lieut. John Shipp, p. 31, Larpent, Journal, p. 284. 3. Return cf troops in Upper and Lower Canada, 4th July, 1812.— Freer Papers 4. Col. Pearson to Col. Baynes, 22nd Aug., 1813. DURING THE WAR 1812-I5. 27 formed into separate battalions and even brigades, of grenadiers or light infantry.' The gunners and drivers or the Royal Artillery formed distinct corps, and as neither horses nor drivers had been attached to the field-train in Canada, both officers and gunners knew very little of the new system of field exercise, and they v/ere quite inadequate in numbers for the service required of them. The favorite field-gun was a light six-pounder, having a range with round shot of about five hundred yards.^ Our knowledge of the composition and equipment of the American regular army is less precise. We know, however, that a very large proportion of the rank and file then, as now, were of foreign birth' Their muskets were longer and better made than the English, and several corps were armed with a rifle of superior construction. Cartridges containing a bullet and three buckshot were served out to the infantry and proved very effective at short ranges. Prior to January, 181 2, the American army consisted of one regi- ment of artillery of 20 companies of 81 officers and men each, one reg'ment of light artillery of 10 companies of the same strength, one regiment of dra- goons of 8 troops of 82 officers and men; 7 regiments of infantry and one of rifles, of 10 companies of 84 officers and men." By the law of January, 1812, two regiments of artillery sach of 20 companies of 96 officers and men, one of light dragoons of 12 companies of 97 officers and men, 10 regiments of infantry each to consist of two battalions of 9 companies of 1 14 of all ranks and six companies of rangers of 72 officers and men, were added. In June, the infantry was re-organized into twenty regiments of ten companies, the complement of each company being four officers, 10 N. C. O.. and 92 musi- cians and privates. Their field-guns were 6 and 12 pounders, fourteen cali- bres in length, and weighing about 100 pounds to each pound of shot thrown. The carriages were of the f>ench Gribeauval pattern. The ordinary gun detachment consisted of two gunners and six matrosses, l)ut in the field two additional matrosses with drag-ropes were added to a six-pounder, four to a howitzer, and six to a twelve-pounder.' As in the British army, drivers were a separate corps. Besides the regular army, the President was authorized to take into the service of the United States 50,000 volunteers and 100,000 militia, organized in much the same wav. A return of the 4th of July, 181 2, shows that there were then 1,658 officers and men of the regular army in Upper Canada ; 196 of these belonged to the loth Royal Veteran Battalion, and were only fit for garrison duty, and 368 of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment were intended for service on the lakes. More than one-third of the officers were absent on leave. The number of militia, including every male between the ages of 16 and 60, was estimated at 11,000, but the (}overnor-f;en; ral stated that it would not be prudent to arm more than 4,000.^ This seems an equivalent to an admission that two-thirds of the inhabitants were suspected of disaffection. About 3,000 were actually mustered into the service during the course of the war. The County of Lincoln, embracing all that part of the Province lying east of a line drawn from Burlington Bay to the mouth of the Grand River, contained about 2,000 men liable to militia service. Probably one- third of these would be available for the field. Four hundred might be drawn in an emergency from theCounty of York and half that number from the County of Norfolk. The loyalty of most of these men was beyond I. Ward—Reign of Queen Victoria, pp. 156, 189, 264. 2. Mrjor-Cit n< ml Gins gowtoSirGeo. Prevost, Sept. 18, 1811. 3. Haskins Hist. 1st Regt. ol Arliliery (U.S ) " ^ Prevost to Loid Liverocol. Mav 18. 1812. lay •28 ISATTLK-FIELDS OI- THE NIAGARA PENINSULA question. Chiefly the descendants of the disbanded soldiers of Buder's Rangers and other LoyaHst Corps, they had imbibed the bitterest hatred for the people of the United States, and in physical vigour and endurance were superior, man for man, to any body of militia likely to be opposed to them In April, 1812, twenty companies of three officers and 38 men were organized in these counties and armed with old garrison muskets. They were directed to provide themselves with a jacket of some dark-coloured cloth and a round hat, and were drilled for a couple of hours, six times a month. Numbers of these men had to travel many miles to drill, and they belonged to the best class of settlers.' The Crand River Indians could turn out three hundred men, but not more than 150 of these appeared in arms at any one time. Apart from the lake service, the defence of the Province from June to Sep- tember, 1 81 2, practically devolved upon the ist Battalion of the 41st Regiment and 3,000 ill-armed and untrained militia. The British, however, possessed a great advantage at the outset in having control of both Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. On each of these they had a ship and two smaller armed vessels. It is true the officers were incapable and the crews actually mustered less one-fourth of the number necessary to man these squad- rons, but the arrival of five cm, panics of the Newfoundland Regiment put them in a state to keep the lakes open as a route for the transport of supplies and close them for every purpose to the Americans until an lU-timed armistice threw away these advantages.- Nor were any of the numerous small posts in either Province in a con- dition, even when fully garrisoned, to warrant a belief that they could resist any force more formidable than a war-party of Indians. The opinions of the Commander-in-Chief were summarized in these words in his despatch to Lord Liverpool of the i8th May, 181 2: "Quebec is the only permanent fortress in the Canadas, and must be maintained. To the final defence of this position every other military ojieration ought to become subservient, and the retreat of the troops upon Quebec must be a primary consideration Defective as Quebec is, it is the only post that can be considered tenable for a moment, the preservation of it being of the utmost conse- quence as the door of entry for that force which may be sent for the recovery of both or either of the Provinces. If the Americans determine to attack Canada, it would be in vain that the General should flatter himself with the hope of making an effectual defence of the open country unless powerfully assisted from home. All predatory or ill-concerted attacks undertaken presump- tuously and without sufficient means can be resisted and repulsed : still, this must be done with caution that the resources for a future exertion, the defence of Quebec, may be unexhausted." From this position Prevost never receded, and in good as well as evil fortune continued to regard the troops in Upper Canada as merely a useful containing force to hold the Americans in check as long as possible while the bulk of his regular forces were carefully kept intact in Lower Canada for the defence of his only fortress. For this, he has been severely condemned ; and there seems to be but little doubt that had he heavily reinforced De Rottenberg or Drummond very brilliant results might have been obtained, but in the meantime an enterprising opponent moving rapidly from Lake Champlain might easily have made himself master of Montreal and starved every British soldier and sailor in Upper Canada into an unconditional sur- render. I. Gen. Brock to Col. R. Nichol, April 8, 1812. G. O., York, 29th April, 1812. Brock to Prevost. April 22, 1812. 2. Caj.t. A. Gray to Sir G. Prevost, 24th February, 1812. Prevost to Lord Liverpool, May 18, 1812. DURING THE WAR I812-I5, 29 sur- At the outset, Brock was scarcely more sanguine, and candidly admitted that he had little hopes of defending the country with success. On the 25th July, 18 1 2, he wrote to I'revost -"That the Provinces cannot he main- tained by the present force is very obvious, and unless the enemy is drnen from Sandwich, it will be impossible much longer to arrest the impending ruin of the country." As late as the 4th of August, the day before he left York for Detroit, he drew this dismal picture of the situation in a letter to Colonel Baynes: "The House of Assembly have refused to do anything they were required. Everybody considers the fate of the country as settled, and is afraid to appear in the least conspicuous in tlie promotion of measures to retard it. A i)etition has already been carried to Cleneral Hull, signed by many of the inhabitants about Westminster, inviting him to advance with a promise to join him. The ungrateful and infamous conduct of the Indians on theCirand River is still more mortifying." The unprotected state of the country was well known to the enemy, and was actually one of the most powerful motives which induced them to declare war. Within a few days of the declaration of war it was ascertained that the Americans projected a simultaneous attack upon the Detroit and Niagara frontiers. Like all others, the fortifications along the latter river had been permitted to fall into a state of neglect and decay. Fort George was simply a temporary fieldwork, irregular in outline, consisting of six small bastions faced with squared timber and planks, connected by a line of palisades twelve feet high. Its construction was very defective, and it was commanded by the high ground near Youngstown on the opposite side of the river. It contained quarters in blockhouses for 220 men, and a small stone magazine which was not bomb-proof. It could not be regarded as capable of resisting ai y resolute attack, and did not even command the mouth of the river. At Chippawa there was a ruinous blockhouse furnishing quarters for thirty-six men. Seven years before, the construction of new work called Fort Erie had been undertaken. In the course of eighteen months, two small barracks, two bastions of masonry, fronting the lake were completed, the f(junda- tions for two other bastions fronting the land had been laid, and the ditch excavated, when orders arrived to discontinue operations. It had since remained unfinished, and the foundations had already begun to crumble from the effects of frost. For garrison use on this frontier there had been six i2-pounder iron guns, three 9-pounders, and six mortars, but several of these were removed to Amherstburg in the spring, and had not been replaced. The field artillery consisted of one 12-pounder, five light sixes, four 3-pounders and a 55^2 inch howitzer. No horses or drivers were attached, and the detachment of artillery-men consisted of one Captain (Holcroft), 3 non-commissioned ofiicers, and 21 men. The headquarter wing of the ist .jattalion of the 41st, under Colonel Proctor, furnished the garrisons for these posts.' The flank-companies of militia turned out very cheerfully to the number of nearly 800 men, of whom the greater part were at once marched to this frontier. Brock desired to begin the campaign by the reduction of Fort Niagara, which would give him command of the mouth of the river ; and it is probable that Provost Vvould have consented to the attempt had he not been restrained by positive orders from the Colonial Office to take no aggres- sive step whatever. The number of American troops on the Niagara, regular and militia, for more than a month after the declaration of war did not exceed 1,600, and Fort Niagara was not in a fit state to resist a determined attack.^ I. Lt.-Col. R. H. Bruyere to Sir G. Prevost, Aug. 24, 181 1. Maj.-Gen. Glasgow to Sir G. Prevost, Sept. 18, 181 1. Sir G. Prevost to Lord Liverpool, May 18, 1812. 30 HATTLE-FIELDS OK THE NIAGARA I'ENINSULA The British General was accordingly obliged to restrict his efforts to the strengthening of his position and disciplining the militia, who soon began to seek permission to return to their farms. He was obliged to organize volun- teer companies of artillery to man the guns of position and a corps of drivers for the held-guns. A system of signalling by means of flags and beacons was extemporized, and a small but effective intelligence department organized, through which he was kept well-informed of the motions of his enemies. A brigade of waggons for the transport of supplies was also formed. Already he found himself threatened by a scarcity of provisions, as the merchants had sent all liie pork and flour they could [)urchase out of the Province in antici- pation of hostilities. He was entirely without re ujy money, and was com- pelled to borrow from an association of loyal inhabitants to meet immediate demands. The militia were unprovided with blankets, tents, kettles, or canij) cMjuipage of any kind, and these things could only be supplied from Montreal.' '^ Hull's invasion determined Brock to take the hazardous step of with- drawing three companies of the small regular force, leaving Col. Christopher Myers in command for three weeks with less than 300 regulars, including a detachment of the Newfoundland regiment acting as marines on the armed vessels, "Lady Prevost " and "Earl Moira," anchored on either flank, and 500 very impatient militia.' Late in August, Ikock returned with the renewed determination to attack the enemy on their own side of the river, and there is little doubt that his success would have been (4uite as complete and easy as at Detroit. Official and private letters alike prove that the Americans were quite dispirited by their disasters. Once more he was condemned to inactiv- ity by the armistice, and later on by explicit instructions from Prevost not only to remain strictly on the defensive and refrain from irritating the enemy, but to conciliate them by every means in his power. Reinforced early in September by the flank companies of the Newfoundland regiment and six companies of the 49th, although the forces of his oi)ponents were daily increasing, he still felt confident of his ability to sweep them from every posi- tion they held. " His instructions," he asserted, "obliged him to exercise greater forbearance than ever was shown on any former occasion," and he was compelled to be satisfied with the construction of batteries and equipment of his militia with muskets taken at Detroit while apparently overwhelming numbers were being arrayed against him. By the end of the first week in October, Ceneral Van Rensselaer had assembled more than eight thousand men on the Niagara, of whom 3,650 were regulars. Eleven hundred of the regulars were quartered in and around Fort Niagara, while 900 more, with 2,270 New York militia, were encamped near Lewiston. The remainder were stationed near Buffalo. Three numerous divisions of batteaux and boats were collected in the creeks flowing into the river, and an attempt to pass the river might readily be undertaken at any one of these points or simultaneously at two or all of them. Three large encampments were visible from the Cana- dian shore, and the number of troops was closely ascertained from the reports of deserters. They were known to be amply supplied with field-artillery and stores of every description.^ By the departure of the armed vessels which were needed for the trans- port of stores on the lakes, the fl.inks of the British position were exposed to attack, and it became necessary to watch the shore of Lake Erie as far west 1. Brock to Prevost, July 4, 1812. to Lord Bathurst, Dec. 3, 1812. 2. Myers to Prevost, Aug. 17, 1812. 3. Brock to Prevost, Sept. 7, i8i2. Prevost, Oct. Ii Brock to Prevost, July 12, 18 12. Gen. Sheaffe Brock to his brother, Sept. 17. Brock to DURING TlJi: WAR 1812-I5. 3] ?^^LI^'I^:;!::'z::^:t^^ the si.. had been constructed on the lef of n t r - ^r ^''^^'' ''"^^" ''"^'^'^^^^^ and Queenston. Eighteen ?an and monrr^' '"'^ ^ At Fort (ieorge itself'there ^^ ^J^Tj^^ Jl^/'^'^f Z '"^^ ^^'"^'^'• >al)ly not more than five of these u^;" mount t l^l? ""^'^'''': '^"^ I"'"- one-gun battery, and at Chinpawa inothprT i , V"'''"'"'"" ^here was a and three adjacent batteries' Cnted ot Zs " M '',""' ,^""", ''''' ^^^'^ armament had been brought from Det t shu" %, Nearly tlie whole of this pames of volunteer artillery li^^d be^roZ^^^^^^^^ '''^^^ ^■«'"- drafted from the regular infantry and mr7r ,'''' ^^''''"'' ^'"'^■' P'^'-tly ment of regular artillery acc^, dim' u / ""^'^ '^'' '"''''^'^^- '^'^'^ d't^'ch- ven.bcr, consisted of Inu ^e "Ct and^^^^^^^^^^^ '^^h No- ^'eorge,and twenty gunners l,s.,; V I ''^^ ^"""^''^ stationed at Fort neld-guns, a --pouS; u^l^^ sl^^ !^^^ ^"'>"^. the line. Fc^;:; tl^ree-pounders at ( )uecnstonancrfh^? '"'''' ''^ ^'''^ ^'^'''^K'^"- two Erie. The regular infa /t,^y rls^^^^^^^^^^^ ^cn^^^inu.^ pieces at or near Fort 6H0 of all ranks; six o The roth il n'"'"^'^'"'^ "'' '^'' 4i.st, about Newfoundland, i-^o strc>ng of ni^lf " , f ^^^'^^'^ '.^^^^ two of the Royal artillery drivers, a troop of cava r ad fou tecn'fl"''l '^'''' ''''' '^ ^^^"^P "^ or perhaps six hundred officers ami n en ki , , ^^^'^^^^^"'-'^ «'" 'nfantrv, of less than 1,900 of all rank? ".m" of ' ^^'""'^^'ve an aggregate force A month before, three hi^ndred iX^ l"^^^^^^^^^^^ them had since dispersed. Proln coo '" ^!f.^V''"'^'^'^'. >^ut many of 'n twenty-four hour's. About o^d' of th^lnito^^^ T"'' ""^ ^°"-ted cruits of less than one year's sta d . b n ^i °^ ^'^^ ^^^'t were re- proportion of good men. Most of t c ^u h '' '','!"'" '^ <^ontained a large the country, yet the regiment Lai it sJ^ Tr' ''^' "^'^'"■•^' ^^"^ y^'^^^^^ flank companies were composed of '^-1 '' 'i'T'^^' '^'"^^^^ ^«°^- '^he drilled for several months. ^ "' "^'■"' ^"^^ ^ad been assiduously or themi^^h^u^^c^^'ljl^h^t^umu ^d "^""T^ ^^ ^'^^ ^^'^ ^^-^d not a man of the- regular forL had de "ted wl^ f' '"'"^ f "' '^'^'^^ ^^^ l)y disease and desertion.^ aeserted, while the enemy lost many both .-col:,; aXt:;:,f a'Sj'o" .l^'r 'of'-jtrr""- ".""^-^ *^ -•- »■•-■ the regular officer next in rank ndvn.nV ''°'"^'^'' ''"^ ^'^""^''•-'^l Smyth i"g confident, as hravowed that t h.f "l ^'"i""^^^^ ''^''^^^^^-' the Falls. Fe e 1 - of Fewiston 'was of ' °e f s'uffiaenrf^^'d.; "'^^ ''" '^'^ '^^^^Y i-ssued instructions for crosW oV the iJl 0?"^'''' k"" ^^^^-^^elaer finally ^ton. The spirits of his troops 1 ad Len ised to \i'' f- ?'^"'^^^' ' '^"^'^" success of a cutting-out enterprise near I>,rtFnV '\^f''''' P'^^h by the were taken, but his'design fa led tl ?mu h hp " ^ ''"'' '"^''' ^^^^^'^ command of the boats The conZ S" "l'-^™"^ "^-t of the officer in Niagara and Buffalo had fo ced Zck o ^1-°' u'^' '"^^'^■^ «^ troops near was then occupied only by t^e fla rcomn nt r .1! ''"^ ''^"^ ^^^'eenston pany of militia, with a'few artlue'Ln to ' ^ - an r'/''' ^5"^ ' ''''^'' ^-^- half-way up the heights, and two luound ZZ ^^-P"''"der m a redoubt ' "'"-'• ^o Prevnst, gi^pt^i i^. 20. i8i2. 32 HATTLK-KIKLDS OK TIIK NIAGARA I'KMNSULA craninied with jujlitical prisoners, rendering it additionally insecure. Brock had become convinced that an attack on his position would not be lone de- layed l)ut i)eheved that it woul.l he (h'rected against his right. Even when the abortive attempt on (jueenston became known he still adhered to his opinion regarding it merely as an attemi)t to carry off the guard. Van Rensselaer s disposition of his troops must then be regarded as perfectly successtul in mislcafling his opponent, and the point of attack aupears to have been selected with judgineni. The best known ferry on the river had long been established there, and the stream was so narrow that his artillerv could cover the passage with effect. 'I'he several roads which united at I -ewis- ton hirnished ready means of concentrating troops from either wing ICven the involuntary delay which had occurred benefited him, as it enabled Col bcott to arrive with part of General Snnth's regulars from Buffalo ' Three hours before daylight, full)' 4,000 men were assembled at l,ewis- ton, and (our guns and two mortars [)lante(l to cover their movements. 'I'he greater part ot the first division, consisting of three or four hundred men succeeded in landing without resistance and maintained their footing, allhou-h' vigorously attacked by the entire force stationed in Oueenston Reinforce- ments steadily arrived from Lewiston, and shortly after daylight a strong body of Ainericans gained the summit of the heights by a by-path and took the British battery in reverse, without losing a man. (leneral Brock, hastily at- tempting to recover it with a very inferior force, was killed and the party repulsed. Several .ours then elai)sed during which the i)assage of the river was i)ractically uncontested, and it is admitted that Van Rensselaer might easily have thrown over his entire division. Owing partly to the mismana-^e- ment of the officers in charge of the boats, and partly to the misconduct of his men he failed to make the best use of his oi)portunity, but upwards of 1,000 of his best soldiers, with one field-gun, were ferried over. 'I'he officers in command of this body made a very feeble effort to fortify Uieir position on the heights and permitted an insignificant party of Indians to establish itself m the woods on their flank, while C:ai)t. Holcroft, R.A., with two field-guns took up a position in the village of (^ueenston to contest the passage of the' river in either direction. The arrival of a considerable body of reserVe militia, whom Brock had called out the night before in anticipation of the attack liberated the garrison of I'ort (leorge for service in field. General Sheaffe who succeeded to the command, during the afternoon assembled several com- pames of regular infantry and the same numl)er of flank companies of militia besides about thirty gunners of the Royal Artillery with four guns near the foot of the heights, while he learned that Captain Bullock, with one company of the 41st am two of militia, was approaching in the opposite direction from Chippawa. I he position occupied by the Indians f^ivoured the junction of these forces, and enabled Sheaffe, with the main body of the troops under his own command, to pass unmolested ([uite around the left flank of the Ameri- cans, leaving Capt. Holcroft, with two six-pounder guns and a small detach- ment of regular infantry and military, to hold Queenston. \Vhen joined by Bu lock s command, the strength of his force probably exceeded 900 rank and file, with two 3-pounder field-guns dragged by hand. That of the Ameri- cans was nearly the same, with but a single 6-j)ounder. Thev had rhancred front to meet the attack, and formed behind a slight entrenchment hasdly constructed of rails, logs and brushwood. They scarcely offered a creditable show of resistance, and within half-an-hour were killed or taken prisoners almost to a man. ' 1. Brock to Prevost, Oct. 9, 11. Jolin Lovett to Alexander, Oct. 14. 2. bheaffe to Prevost, Oct. 14, 1S12. S. Van Rensselaer to Secretary of War, Oct. i^ xSi9. Thid to (tov. Tomnkins. Ort T7. T ^' ■ ■ - --■' ' Prevost, Oct. 11 amps;, rhristip. ArtrmtrontT Van T?pni;<;plnf DURING THE WAR 18.2-I5. .iJ Cleneral Van Rensselaer's failure at Queenston, in one wa iu aTack ^''n ;""'^ "° ''^.J^.^t'y ^^^^•^i'>-<« to any raciiral defect in 1. , .n^ fhn^ r ? ^''"^''^'"^^''- "^ '^'-^ f'^'-^'^' vvas so much disurgani/cd a.id .ted thai (,e.icral Smyth, upon whom the co.nmand then devolved immcd.atelv proposed an arm.st.ce, to continue for an inddmite period but which S con :rd t'tht <"^' '"'' ''' '^r' thirty hours- 'notice'. Sheaffe reaS^ pXv In 1 a sni t' '^-^^^'^--^^i^l^'^'^J'^-v'tl^ the systcn. of forbearance which come to hi of ^onc.haion had prescribed, and as permitting me to come to this place (York) and revive the supreme civil authoritv the nro S:^inS'"" ''^^'"' "'^'^^ '^'-^ '^^^-^ highly cSr;it;d';o^;:: them^wiu!' Jjff " f ' ?"'' to concentrate his forces near Buffalo, and reorganize nvcr above the {'' two battaho'r of volunteer nllcmen, and two brigades of militia infantry numbering in fht aggregate more than 5,000 rank and file. Boats sufficien toTr^a w^^^^^ . n.l men and ten field guns with their tumbrils at once^ -^ere n rea es Th^ nearest return we possess of the distribution of th'e B iti h regular Lcl is d.tlni ' '"'^' November. There were then at Fort Geofge and its dependencies 544 officers and men, at Queenston 209, at Chimnwa 28 and Port Erie and dependencies 262, or an aggregate of r 27? of n I r 'n^' ^SoVeXtn^^'^No r ''"" f ^^->?'^^-' of^vl^^s 9 - aoove tne l alls. No precise return of the m litia in service is aviiliblp K,,^ the number was probably greater than when the at a fp \va; mad; " SctTaccou t of^th:n/""-e ar jrLve come n and as they are able to do stationary duty, I have not ser^t them awav ' Lf ?'Y'°, '^' ^'"'^"'" "^il'tia,theflank^ompaniesof?hetwrNoTfol^ Regiments had arrived on this frontier. Sheafi-e also states that about 400 I. Gen. Smyth to Secretary of War. Oct. 20. Sheaffe to Lord Liverpool. Oct 20 Fort George. Queenston. Cimppawa. Fort Erie 2 Roya Artillery 3^ Royal Artillery 7 Roval Ar.ilWv . p...^, ^..n ^; , ivuyai i:,ngirj- ' ' -^ " '••■j-! -irnncry o 41st 391 ^ ^77 41st 4 Royal 118 4Qth. . IQ2 GlengarryLight ^ 49th 352 Infantry . . . . i 544 209 7s~3 ^ 'M HATILK-FIKI.DK OK THK NIA(;ARA PENINSULA Indians had cnnie in, a few of wiiom I movements of the enc my, lo sent to Cirand Island, to watch the Apparently about 500 miiiti ,, ,,- .- - u a were f|iiartercd between Chippawa and I'ort Lrie, and most of the Inchans were held in reserve on that flank.' On the mornniK of the 28th November, Smyth began the attack by sending a detachment of 500 men under Major King lo seize and dismantle two small redoubts about three miles below Fort Krie, each mounting a gun of position, which coininanded the river at the point where he intended to attempt a landing and also to destroy the bridge over Frenchman's Oeck to prevent the advance of the force at ("hippawa to the assistance of the garrison ot I-ort Lrie. Instead of instructii;g this party, if successful, to maintain its toothold, the American Central comnntted the remarkable and fatal error of directing it to recross the river after having accom|)lished this service. King actually succeeded in taking both batteries some hours before daybreak, after a sharp struggle in which numbers alone prevailed. His men were then .sei/ed l)y a panic, and put off in such a hurry that he wms abandoned with about 40 soldiers, wuhout any means of escape. The guns were very imper- fectly spiked and dismounted, but the bridge was scarcely injured. Colonel Bisshop advanced from Chippawa with 220 men to the point of attack, and was joined there by Major Ormsby, from Fort F.rie. with 80 men and a ft-poundgun. King's party at once surrendered. Shortly after daybreak a second division of boats attempted to cross, but was rei)ulsed by the fire of the field-i)iece alone. The dismounted guns were then fished out of the shallow water into whuh they had been thrown, and replaced on their carriages. Hie American batteries oi)posite began a heavy cannonade with the apparent object of covering the passage of the river, but JJishop con- tinued to show so bold a front that, after a three days' demonstration, during which his troops were repeatedly embarked and relandc'd, Smyth deter- mined to abandon ins i)roject in despair. He attributed his failure largely to the misconduct of the militia, of whom he stated that 1,147 l^ad deserted withm a week.' During the.e operations the British loss in action was 96, and that of their opponents probably not more than 150. The garrison order book of Fort Ceorge for this period is still in existence, and extracts from It will serve to illustrate the heroism and vigilance with which the frontier was guarded. ^^ A district general order, dated November ist, 181 2, reads as follows : Major-CenemI Sheaffe has witnessed with the highest satisfaction the manly and cheerful spirit with which the militia on this frontier have borne the privations which peculiar circumstances have imposed upon them He hopes, however, to be soon enabled by the arrival of the liberal supplies ordered from the Lower Province to furnish them with articles contributing essentially to their comfort. This will afford him peculiar gratification, for he cannot but feel that their conduct entitles them to every attention he can bestow on them. It has furnished examples of those best characteristics of a soldier, manly constancy under fatigue and privation, and determined bravery in the face of the enemy. "By a perseverance in the exercise of these noble ciualities, they may be assured of accomplishing the task in which they are engaged. The armistice will shortly be terminated, and an attack is to be exoected. AT.Tinr-Cw'nf^rnl bheaffe is conhdcnt that any attempt to make an impression on a frontier Myers, No^lmbeiVs.'''''^'' ^"^'^"^'^^ 3, 23. Myers to Sheaffe, November 22. .SheafiPe to 2. Hisshop to Sheaffe, Dec. I, 1812. 3. Smyth in " National Intelligencer," Jan. 28, 1813. I'revost, d^V.^i fi ( lOV. 1 omnKuis. \ ir\ . 1 Mnirs. \ .III iM 11-. n 1 III-. DUKINC] TIIK WAR l8l2. .")■ :j5 armistice tluUcTc.nng, pro... , I ;;s,;:^:^'^""^^ »*"-' ^^•'••..in.,nnn „» the clothes at night. ( ),u'-iK,lt .,| the Troops ' r^" I '"■"''" '• '" '•'^" "'^" '^'« turn out at any hour of th. ,,,.^1 n , T i . '','" ^''''^''''' '^'^^^^^^^ to away from their ,,uarters anc are to be cS. Ur" 1 '^' ' ," """ '''' ""^ "' ^'^>' and are fo he so plami that ea rh m n sh .h 1 T"' "'"^ '" "•^•"" '^^^'^^^^ instant's n(,ti<-e. l-requr^ , n.uro are to I ' i ' 'V ^""'" '" '''''' '^^ ^^" sentries so phued tl . J, e^u. n'-' ''^^'S''' ''"^ """'"- l'^^' night, nnd ^^overecl,an,l thealaru. given l „''"*"''" "''>', ''^' '■"^'"-■'''tdv .lis a cannonade. * ^ ' ' ''' "^^" ''''' ""^ to he uselessly expoM-d to until ;jis'tir:-u!i;;^:^;gin,Ki ^r.!" '^ "^^^ ^^^ ''^- '»"'--' '-v '"-^^^ry ■slH)re,he is to he att U i h tt ^ .^^^^^^^^ l>-on.es the British aru.s tlu' ono r , wh .'^f'TT ''"'''""" •^^" '^ '' sustained hy the troops , ,n''"'.'^': 'y^'^'''^ '^as hitherto heen so notal.ly every exerti!,n an ^ ^i. ' r';}; ^r,^ 'I" ^ '.^ |-;--- '' i" spite Jf superiority of nundJrs to retre, he n\ -/^[^ I'c- (..reed hy the great during the retreat hy a Lad idl di . • ''f '', "'''^■'' ''^ ^'^ '^^' l^^^'-^^'ved ^vl-h the most speily and^Lu^^rill ^ , ;;: .::^'::'pi.;e;'" ''^"' '^^^'" " If necessity should arise for - h, , i ^ ^ '^<- ^\pu ted. v-ns,andothe^mi;Js tat.;ruS::rT'i'^ preparations having been previr.usly nnde ' '" ^'^'■''^'■''y^'^l' ^'"^^ly tive i^ui;:^;!;^ ^'is doihmg':;:;^- ,::^- ^-^ ^'■"^■■-' ^•--'^^•">' ^"- ^i^^- ^vere actually disahlecl fi . U^tH, ■ 7 " proteet them, and many absence from their farms mu I .? h ,'"'''• ''"'■"^^^ ^''^''■'- pn)longed ^v^re reduced to a stale o' "erne d'risf'^' T^^ '''''' """>' ^-^■^- of invasion seemed at an end Cthc^^ be n'th'^'^r f'T ^" '^'''^'' exception of a single flank cr.m.v.n r ,^' ^'^'^' '^■'^'''^' ''<^^^^"' ^vith the The American am sXre,; ?''' '"^"^^"^"^' ^^'^^^ ^li^'"issed. -as rapidly diminislu Y de i n m^'n '""^" ^''^'^^"^' '^°"^ ^'•^-•'^^' ^^"^ to escape. It was thus gr^ua edS dn" '"'? "'""'"'"« ^'^^' ^'^'^^ 3,ooo men, nearly all regular of wh'mi "^ '''"' ''"^^^''' ^^^ "^'^^ "^•^" of Buffalo. The British 'foce op , OS tevn?? '"''"■ '^'''-'''''^ '" ^'^^' ^'^^'"'^y causes, and bv the detaehmem o fu V ''T^'""'^' '■^'^"^'^'^ '^X "^tural defence of IXnroit, Id ^de^^^^^^^^ to assi,^ in the was adopted of free, "mly n ov'n. J^ '■' ''' ''''''^'^'^ '^'' -M>edient the rive/ by day and ^k .g" , ^?, ™t ir'"'' '" ■^'^''^''.^ ''^'"^« '''' »>'^"k ^^ In February, 18,3 an attack on '"^'^^''^LH^^Y'^'' ''^'"'" ^^''^^'^• projected by the^ comm'andan at B^ ff-^^o f '" '^^ "°'^'"S °" ^^^ '^^ ^'^^ the desertion of a sergSnt and L^ ^ ' ' "S' P°j^P°"^'^ '" consequence of I^ritish success at th^River Raisfn ?)' "^i" °"1 "? r^^''^-'"S news of the the adjacent batteries we e bombarded wit TJ/''^ ?/ ^'^"'■'^' ^'^^^ ^rie and activityonthepartoftheenZv hl^l^ ■"''; '^'^^'^''- '^^^^' -symptom of part of th. militi. "'-^ .---, r f'l ' T'' ?'"'''''^ •'^"^'^ alarm that the .r.-uer of May. - In'conseiencrmos^t^^^^ -"ice untiltheTnd untilled, and the distress Vthfinhnf^nK '^"" the district remained EaHy in the sprTnl Prevo t ^ r ^ k'"'^' '^°''" '-^^"^^ than ever, troops in^ppercS^avvth 1 T'^^^^^^^^^ of reinforcing the tahon of the 8th six commniJ. '\''°"'P'^"> "^ Royal Artillery, one bat- Canadian Voltigeu s TheTJro^n. m v'^^^'^'. ^"^ ^^^'^ companies of ' "-"■■"- nShnffr^Tl " '''^^"^ to march the entire 36 BATTLE-FIELDS OF THE NIACiARA PENINSULA distance by single companies, as the American squadron held possession of the lake, and the resources of the country were not sutificient to permit of the advance of a larger body at once. Only four companies of the 8th arrived m time to participate in the defence of Fort George, but four companies of the 49th had come up during the winter from Kingston. These reinforce- ments increased the strength of the regular troops serving on the Niagara to 1,925 officers and men, of whom only 1,841 were effective. The defences of the frontier had also been slightly strengthened during the winter and spring. The six i)atteries on the left of Fort (leorge mounted one 24-pounder, • one 18, five 9-pounders and four small mortars. In the fort itself there were two 24-pound cannonades, one 12, one 10 and one 8-inch mortar. Three bat- teries between Fort George and Queenston were armed with one 1 2 and two 9- pounders. The redoubt at Queenston mounted two 9-pounders and another at Chippawa two 9-pounders and one 6. Fort Erie and adjacent batteries were armed with an i8-pounder, two 12's, one 6 and one 8-inch mortar. The field-guns were distributed as follows : one 12-pounder on the left of F'ort Erie, two 6's and one howitzer at Fort George, two 3-pounders at Queens- ton, one 6 at Chippawa, three 6 and two 3-pounders at F'ort Erie. Prevost commented on the fatal effects of " dividing and dissipating this force by attempting to support too many points at once," and advised Sheaff"e in the event of an invasion with sufficient numbers to " act with caution and husband his resources.'" On the 27th April, an overwhelming force attacked York, almost annihilated two companies of the 8th and paroled the militia. This event prevented the advance of the nainder of that regiment, which fell back on Kingston. Accordingly, the lorce assem- bled for the defence of the Nigara at the end of May was much smaller than had been originally intended. Brigadier-General Vincent had succeeded to the command. Colonel John Harvey was acting as his Deputy Adjutant- General and chief adviser, and Colonel Bisshop, another officer of exper- ience, was Inspecting Field-Officer. Harvey's view of the manner in which the campaign should be conducted was, that accurate intelligence of the enemy's numbers and movements should be obtained at any price, and then by "a series of bold, active and offensive operations they should 'be thrown on the defensive, no matter how superior .heir numbers might be." Probably only the delay in the march of the 8th prevented the British commander from making a descent on Lewiston, which was certainly under consideration as late as the 20th of May. A nominal force of about 1,700 militia had been called into service three weeks before, but Vincent wrote : " It is with regret that I cannot report favourably of their number nor of their willing co-ojieration. Desertion from their ranks continues beyond all conception. They are wavering and appalled by the enemy's numbers."- By the 24th of May, General Dearborn had assembled nearly 6,000 men at F'ort Niagara, while considerable detachments were encamped at Lewiston and Buflaloi and the entire American squadron on Lake Ontario was anchored off the mouth of the river. The enemy's movements then seemed to indicate an attack on the British position on the right of l-brt George, and the troops were kept under arms all night. During the night a number of boats were launched about ""our miles up the river and passed down to the lake, and at day orcak Fort Niagara and six adjacent batteries mounting sixteen guns, chiefly of heavy calibre, and three mortars, ojiencd fire with hot shot on Fort George and the batteries facing the river. In a few hours every building within the fort was beaten down or burnt, the two heaviest guns dismounted 1. Sir G. Prevost to Gen. Sheaffe, 27th March, 1813. 2. Vincent to Prevost, 19th May, 1813. Myers to Baynes, May 20. T. \'Tmk,oa\"i\ niiDV. I (iiiiiiiMio. \/i. DURING THE WAR 1812-15. 37 and its fire totally suspended. In the course of the afternoon boats from left 3 n^" "r °^-^'7f ^°""^'"g '^' ^-t^- "" fron o 'the B^S left, and placing buoys, while the batteries there were forced to be silent for fear of drawing the enemy's fire upon the town.' Vincent's force then consisted of 30 Royal Artillery with five fnm. was'^eftlif th"f'"f ^'' ¥°, "*''^''^ '^"^ 5' Indies. A g!;';is: of '^o men was eft in the fort and the remainder was divided into three brit^des of nearly equa strength, the left under Colonel Myers, the right unc^^Colone Harvey, and the centre under Vincent's own orders. The men were much exhausted by constant alarms and loss of rest. Including sail^s and mar net Dearborn s combined force was not less than 8,000 strong. The morni Lof the 27th w'as calm and foggy, and the American squadro^ r-ons^s3of^6 vessels with a united broadside of 52 pieces, most of them long gun of heavv calibre dropped quietly into the places designated for them "^th in ,00 yards of the shore, enfilading the batteries and sweeping the entire plam from he hTir firV i'.;"!::^"' landing-place two milei o^ the left. \^ndr over of tneir hre 134 1 oats conveying about 4,000 men, advanced in three division. and ^'^r'^'T'''' ^'^'^'^^'■^^ "^^'^'^^^^■""- ^^i>--' '-'g' de of 567 officer and men, formed m a ravine, and moved forward to the attirk- h„T?hl head of the column had scarcely appeared in the open before't;i over whelmed by the united fire of the shipping and I^rt^Niagar' MyeTs him /oo:t:d"r? ^;;^" Th"'' ;r' "-^ '""^- ^V?^' ■" ^•^"-^- ^' a seco^d^avin"; wkh^'tl e san rrP.nh f''-^^^^ '"'? ^°'""^ *^>' '^'' ^^th, and again advanced ^vltn tne same result, losing nearly 300 men in a very few minutes THp Americans, after landing several guns, advanced slowly and wkh Jeat caution dragging their artillery with them. They were observed and held in check for some time by a detachment of Royal -\rtiller r;fh h" posted in advance of Niagara. Another divi.sfon' of\t ^m bein. ?he"n seen preparing to cross the river on the right of Fort Georee \he fo^t w.. evacuated, and Vincent took up his retreat'by the road o oSeeiston havTn. destroyed his stores and carried off all his field-guns except tre.p^^^^^^ It was no until the ist of June that General Winder was sent Tnrsu 'w.fh his own brigade and one regiment of Boyd's in the d.Vection of BurHn Jon th. J-r?- ''''^'°" ^'""^ '^^"^^^ Vincent's regular force by 3C0 men • most of the militia were at once disbanded, and 500 of them p'aJoled Within a few I. Harvey to Baynes, May 25, Glengarry Light Infantry . . 90 Royal Newfoundland 40 Black Corps 27 Harvey to Baynes, May 29. Lincoln Militia ,00 S'h Kings 3,0 567 «s VincJntI ' P ""''""; "''' "'■ ^'P' "°'""''' ''-'■' »° Gen. De Rottenburg, Aug Vincent to Prevost, June 2. Vincent to Bavnos. Tun^ . ^' ^ Baynes, June 4. 38 BATTLE-FIELDS OF THE NIAGARA PENINSULA be about 3,500 infJntr-' 2 s^c^^Vi'lnfTZ"^ ^""""S ^^^ ^'^y ^o division of nearly equal forSwns 1;? ,^' field-guns, and as another Vincent began to^loX the praScal^^^^^^^^^^ '° ''^v^^J^-^^^^'-ng to its support, assailed He was acco;Si'ng ' he ,'ore TeldSi" Harvey's scheme of a night attack VoT '^ ^^ > .'"''"''^^ ^" ^""^ent to his troops were in high si^ ts and c^-r^^ »•'"'' "'"''" '''""' '■'""'■^"' the conditions favour' blc't a ^^^[^ !l^^ ^^^'T '^'' "^^"^y- ^^" °^ ner. Harvey reported that ''the cnem fi "^ "'^,'''^'' '" ''^ '•em-'^'-kable man- that his line of encampnK>nt w" n^. Jb;;f "^ ^-—^ negligent; feebly supported, and that several of hi'^ . ' '^'"^ ^'' ''^'"^'"'-"^ ^^s rear to aid in repelling a blow wh Lh n^i h. /'''' "'""n ^^'"'"^^ ^"" f^^'" '" ^he The straggling niture of therencam^^^^^^ '" '^^ f'-ont." conveyed their heavy baggage ^wZernnH' v? '"^ '^'' ^^'' '^^' ^^ey had the same time to occupyS^o ils Kin ;'?^^^h'^^' protecting it wished at tain. In addition to hesrhvouri' V^' '""" '^'' '''^'^^ ^""^ ^^e moun- inhabitants was decidedly friendlvan^d '^^ ^^'"f "f 'S^'^^' ^^''^P^'^i^ion of the to the edge of the enemVs pot i'on aM ^ '^"^^ ^ ^^ose the attacking party. This co^s ed of^n , oT '" .'°"''''^' ^^^ '-^^^'^^^e o( from the 8th and 49th f nJe se^X^^^^^ four of the enemy^s^au s cap ured" f^r^^^^^^ '"'''''-^'^ ""^^ bayoneted, and than a single round, but omf W^^^ '^^^ ^™e to fire more their panic, and the'position of Jhe assailan s b '""■^' M\-„k I y recovered from hght of the camp fires, a very effective fir. ! "^ P'?"">' ^'^"'°'^^^ by the neighbouring heights. Repeated ch I J/ ""'. T?''^ "P"" ^'^^"^ ^'"O"' the had to be made' before tTesf were Sv"/' ^'^'V'"' '''' ^"-^^-'"^d, generals and 120 other prisoners wer.?^ dispersed. Both the American with their horses and tSi ^l^:" ^^oT ' n'::'/"' ^ the captured guns men were reported killed, wounded ^ndr^fc" • T ^'^'''" ''^ «*^^'ers and this action, which did no 1st .tr^ XfnT ^"^ ""'' '^^ ^''''' °^ ^^^ ^"^ish in do. do. drivers .... otn Kings 41st " 49th ....['. '.'.'.'. Royal Newfoundland Reot (glengarry Light Infantry . 1 rovincial Dragoons . Coloured Corps ATilitia 56 43 382 400 631 70 61 41 30 60 Royal Artillery 41st Since joined from 1 ort E rie. ^ ^^^ Six 6-pounders. four 3-pounders. one 5K inch h 49lh ......'.'.'.*.'." owitzer. ^774 8 1,807 280 424 "i^it96^i, UiilV'ilv '"••• •"•"..«..... 704 DURING THE WAR J812-I5. 39 destroying their heavy hasiiaae and f^li Ko^i .u miles, when they rnet J hodf of ;C,/L^^ ^f^«"' ^ ^^^' for twelve On the 8th the British s'urdro,-r T^^ board, arrived in si^ht of the A.^Avn ^ ^ companies of the 8th on after throwing a fef ifot nto^t 1 o^^^^^^ "'"^ '^^^ ^^e ^^'«'-ty Mile Creek, anS obtain Vincent's co-oj) r!a ion T 2 htt^'a ':"''' '""'^ 'f .' °^ '''' ''^' ^- troops with a few Indians while h.t f 0"ce pushed forward his light direction. Three hou f at 'Ly oo2'n^^^^^^^^ '''Z 'I' '''' ^" ^^e same camp, capturing or destroying a ItL.r 1^' "s 'ml b"n '^' 'T "^^'^ ^'''^'^^ 100 prisoners. The Americans comi ucS i;dr refS^'' '"''• ''\'''^ ^^^^^ camp at Niagara, persistentlv hanssid hv h? iv ^''^f^P'^^^ely to their the following day Ibandonea For ie V ipi " ^ . 'TV "'"^ ^"^ °" concentrated their whole force it th-u , In.^ ^ ^-^ • """"^ Queenston, and occurred until the .4th orhinV^t^^^^^^ was entirely cut off in the jieechwo ds hv , n "^''''>' ^°° Americans body of Caughnawaga Ind ans Zjunl . ^^'^ ^'''V^ '^^ 49th and a drawn closer, until the ei e w.-r '"^ l'"^' °^ investment were their camp 1,; a force 7flen,,Z"n' r"^^"'^. "'^^^'" '^'^ '^'^^ o' defensive. The n.anner in h th set^^^^^^^^ ^"^ thrown wholly on the the British from the 6th of June u tithe mi^? T "°"^"^^ed on the part of will bear the closest scrutiny iVe AnW^^^^^^ ""^ '^''^?' ''''' '^^dmirable and constantly harassed and cutoff ".d' C ryt^^^^^^^^ -re territory across the river Neither "• ^y^^^^^esstul raids made into their burg can be termed co mnancle s of ieat" klil n "".''^ '"'T'^^°^ ^^ ^"«^"- of Harvey, liisshop and lMt/gn)^)on t ev n. fT'- ^^"' '" ^'^^ P^^^on leaders of light troops, and a Zl tlfe ^iTv"'''^ '^"""^ and energetic auxiliaries, they served effectuVlI to mask thol"n^ '"'''rT ""''y ^^^'^ble and to strike terror into the ^i ° ^e^S^ofV' ''' "^"''^^ '''''' summer were very much complicated 1 ,h? f , /'"^ situation in early which De Rottenburg charTteS Tf^''^'^ f '"^^^^ °^ ^^^^ ^o^ds, British troops were Lc.ue Si rnbt.l Z ^'^^'''' ^^^'^ ^^^^"' ^^'^ile the and provisions. " The 4 ^t " Caot. n r n "''''' ^"' '''''' ""^ ^^'^ ^^^thel on the i8th of June, ''"rfl t^raUySd " nT 'T' /^^ ^'^ ^'^°^g^ ^^^^^ost described by hhn as being ''h'n'nnrK >? '' f''' '^"^''^ ^'^^^'^" ^'^^ 49th are battle of Stony Creek Vincen wn^ %^ l^^^^^hout shoes." On the eve of the militia officer t^ buy cattl to td "^e ni^f TllTv ^°° ^"^"^^^ ^^^ ' discontented in consequence of the rSms n no ,""' ''1' ^°°" ^''^"^^ numbers rapidly dwindled awav Th. An '"'P°^^'^ "Pon them, and their dred of their own race o figl^t ain t th n!' l"' ^ r°"^^'^' ""''' ''''''^ ^un- the 17th of August most of 'hem fe^n to T^^^^^^^ ' 'T'' ^^'""'-^h on a mutual understanding ' ^"^ ''^^''^ withdrawn from the field by Infantry, and some troops o re u,th Drn^Zi ' '\' i"-"!;' f-'^'g.-iTy Light all ranks and arms was only "'La,'T I' f '."''•' '''^'••"'™ strength of George shows an aggregate o? 'As, nf t "'f '^"^'^'^ ""■''-'nched at Fort ported sick. This retumin mftlL , ■" "°' '«^'' "'^ ■-"'S "ere re- Indians^ of whom th::^;;.';^"^^.^!^!,;""'- '"t* ™'""'eersf militia ^r confuston which existed in their ^^r^^:^:;^f ^^S^^^^lZ:!^:;; ^;^ 1. Vincent to Prevost, [iine 6 June 9. Vincent to Prevost, [une 14. 2. James, Military occurrences. Ibid. June 8. Ibid, June 9. Evans to Harvey. 40 BATTLE-FIELDS OF THE NIAGARA PENINSULA niarm.ng mrrease of disease n„d desertion among hs ons^- nd u ced D co,.n.„d, wi.h instructions ,„ n,° n.:i:t ;;L'!^\ .^^J^™?, -«- army M, the direction of ISurlington, thfeatenin^ Vinee"\ C o rc-treat ot Kingston. I he great di!:ieultv experienced in removing the stores cJ.pH exjKd.tions to deprive then, of the resources of the abandot^d d.Sri™' E^lv and pr;:t,y''de%^]tad^-^; u?on'orrc::;:^gr;:^:v tr"<^'"« >"-'>■ or siegt. Meanwhile, DeRotten burg had ijeen relieved hv si^V.' j'' Drumtnond who at once pushed forward a brigade to Mu.nv' ^uottor". and planned the reduction of Fort Niagara, whfther rrenrra ,Ve en?mv' regular troops had retired. Boats were bfoug'ht forward fro.n Burh.yon and • 19th Dragoons , .. .^x b • 3- Provincial Diajjoons t . j 100 Regt [ ,^^ I Volunteers _ ] Indians [ 469/ 19- DURING THE WAR 1812-I5. 41 secretly conveyed overland to Oueenston tk lan ly accomplished by Col. Murrain ih. n . ^FT ""^ '^'' ^'''' '^'^^ '^-'l- the head of a body of only 560 S^ '^^'' °^ '^'' ^^th December, at rorn.o^^^^^^T:^:^^:^::^::'^.^^ -- was kmed or taken, and an became known, M^ajor-ZS :,al 1 aTcrostd'^h ""'■ '"l"" "'^"^-^ '^ ---" ^,000 men,t taking the I)atterie her^w e .' "''T "v ^'''^''•^^"" ''''^' '-^''""^ wh.ch attempted to oppose his progrSs Q^^^^^^^^^ "^''^''T^ ' ■'""^" ^^^'^^ a body of troops was assembling at Schloss^r '^-^ °' «^^''"g f^y. 'earning that devastatmg the country as fir is t hn. ' ^'''^^ '^ic^vanced and disi)ersed it -^ Niagara. The winter h.S^t:ttwi;h "';'"'"" ^"^ '^'^ ^^^'^^^ tions were delayed for several days a the n ' "^^''''^ '^'''' farther opera- caps or mitts, and some of thSm wl! ^'^ ''''''' ""Provided viti fur was also experienced in conve> n^boa^s^^^^^^^^^^^ ,f ^^'^^--^- I^'fficul" of the snowdrifts. A few reiruhr tZT '^'""""^/'^e ^alls, owing to the depth the meantime, assembl^Td "it^ ^ and B 7,' ^'?' "' ^''''^ ''^ - navy yard and some vessels of the h^f """^/^"^^^'o f"r the ])rotection of the -sued orders for the passage of e^^^^^ „^" ^^e .8th, Drummo,^' des ,ned tor this service consisted of of^ I °'"r"^ "'^ht. The force R>all, two-thirds of whom were ocro4 below §'' 'f?"^''>' ""^^'^ ^^^"e'-al der, on a preconcerted signal, above Elack Rock'"" '^''"' "^' ^^^ -'^-"- -sper^^e^S^^ -K^ -Srf"°"^' °^^'^ ^^ ^'^ --'-s and heir fire, but to^ely chieflv on ?h. ''°''' Tf ^'^^^''^^^ "^^ ^o waste Indians were directed' to oHow in ^unZT'^R " t, '"'^ °' ^^o militia and almost undiscovered and forr^rJ h ^"PP^'^t. R.all succeeded in crossing Black Rock, taking a batte^vt^^^^^^^^ and Indians. The^oaJs, m\ hS ^^^'T^' '^°^^ of about8oo mHit I ment of the Royals u is emuVl J '^' "^"'-''O" consisdng of the detach Black Rock, ^1^^^":^^;,:^^^^?^^ -/'r. ^^'^"-' °PP-^tete ke ry, besides round and grape from the^f ''"'" '^^' ' '^"''^^>' ^'"^^ "^ '^"s- Fifty officers and men were killS n T , ^',"? P''''"^^^ on the high bluff- ing. The battery was then "ken ^ "T"^ '''^°'"' '^^^ ^^^^^^^^^a and- routed, with very Lvere lo^s in tl^j^l^^smV ' "'""'"^ ''^"^ ^^^ ^"^^^^ -^-'y n.en,^^:^r ^S,S ?^;|;rc;1^ ^-^f ^ ^- of less than ,000 ^v'thout a field-train, artificerVeng nee^^ ^Z^ ^''''''^ '^^ disorganized, were not only deprived of thd 0.I c^nn ,e.? r^"^ J^' Americans place of strength upon their own s de of tTervl" ^'""?' '^"^ °^ ^'^^■'- one lery, spare arms, clothing and munUi^nf o^^a^oT^ ^^^kt^'^^n^ * rr^r.„^- ^ '-vciy K.ina, ana tne country Orenadier Company Rovals v ^^umry Grenadier Company Royals ... roo\ Flank Companies 41st l?Z\ 100 Regt ^°° Royal Artiilerv ^5° ( ■^ 12 /^ 562 Drummond to Prevost, Dec. 19. t 8th, and Light Co. 89th .... 2Co 41SI, and Grenadiers looth ' " ocn Royals ... j" Militia Volunteers ".'.'.'.".[ [ [ [ [ ] [ f^ I. Drummond to Dec. 1,000 1st Royals ... 8th,... 370 41st ■; ' 240 I^ight Company s'gth ^e? Grenadiers looth :^ Militia 50 Indians. . . 5° 400 22,26, i8i3;Jany. 2, 1814. '.415 42 BATTLE-FIELDS OF THE NIAGARA I'ENINSULA rrtllefrtke n ■''^"''1 ". ^'' T ^^ '^' ^^"^^^^- ^ considerable portion reco erv ;^ W*; >"' ^"-^f ^y''^^'. '-^"^ Drummond projected without dday the recovery ot Detroit and destruction of the remainder He was prevented n he nrs instance ro.n carrying this plan into execution by ti.e exhaSr^'ta e and CO.?'! ^ '^ '" S.'"-"' '^•'^'■^ ^^^' ^^^^ Niagara district was laid waste 1^ the (^7 i' '" '""^ ^'■''' ^"'^^'^''^y ''^' experienced in supplying the troops m. V X^ ^ '^^ '"""^''>' >'*-^^ ^>™>n.nond stated that there were u k. ice to s V t^ 'TT'^ ^" '^''''^'' '" ^-"^^"^y' »^"^ '^e '-^^ded, "it is dis X e ,nd ;?.^^l '^^ '' ^'''''' '^^'■''■°" °^ ^^^ inhabitants are well- serli^^. hv /i • J "- ""!' '''''■'^'"' occasions manifested their loyalty to the f L h n rh " ' ^'' '^^^''"' '^''"" ^'"^^- ^" t*"^e crept into the I'rov nee ffi V ews ow"" ■'''' V "" "'"'^'^' "" ^^^"^^-^ '^"-'^'-^^^d ^^°"^ individuals.' ''I reLret h ' ^'^^^ ^^'P'^y^^cnt of the nn' lit ia, were thus expressed: 1 regret that our j^resent circumstances should render it necessirv to cnl) pon the yeomanry of the country for their services in the L^lcPw le he o^^^r^iS'hZT'^' '^ "^^'"""'' -i--"y ^•'-" p.-oc^.c^a;ld p:ti;!::;;s with diffir Ifv h " ''''^' ^ ^"'""^ ^"^^ extravagantly dear, when it is Mth (lilticul y the commissariat are able to procure the necessary sunnlies TuuP- ,^l""icstic services of the militia, if our regular forces here were e o;g.nVat^'^:r!;^f,-'' , ^^'•^'' ^hi^ o'^i^ct he took measures t^Teeur: sele^bJtal^t^seJ^^o^e ^ '"^'*^^^' ^« ^«"^*^^ «^ ^°° -" Indians dunn,?H!° ^'^^^''^^^'.^l^c commissariat was compelled to feed 3.000 e^^t^r^ :"''''"'' ^:?f'' '"^^"y '^'''^''''' inhabitants, and while the enectue torce under arms did not much exceed 2,000, between 7 000 and w^d be^ "::;^;"T' t'^- . ^^^^^ ^'"^^ I)rumn;ond'even beli^v^d that e care tv of ^ '""T!'"'' '^' ^''^^°'^^°^ '^^ Province west of Kingston from Nng r\ V r^dT"" ' 'T''^ ^'''''''' '^'y '^^^^''^'^"^' espeoiaiu'rom Fort by ctt^Martlf 15'tw '''.f^r'"^' ^^^-^vost, dated the 3rd of July, 1814. on thf line o ;h^M• ^""'"'''^'^^^'^ll' '"C'^Pecting the state of the defences stnfP of Tf Niagara. tort Erie is described as being in a tolerable hou e'cotm^cef r' ^' Tt"'-'; """ '''''' ^^'^''^'^ ^^^ ^ small block Smwa a 1 n^ .f . /''" picketing. Three guns were mounted. At die r v^ ,nd "-Ho ^f ^'^^1^"^^^"^^, '^^^d been thrown up on the left bank of had been Znlln r ^^""^"^^'^^^^^ '^ A^^'^k them. At Queenston a redoubt p oof had be^ ' 1^ ^7 '5° '7 "• At Fort Niagar. the land front and a splinter- tenabl^]f reso ull ^' completed, but the post was not regarded as being hrmoutVof hl^^^ v^' '""^ '' ''''' °"^>' ^^^^'^'"^^ '^^^^'-^^^e ' ^^^^ '"^^^^ ''^--' mond wrote to him from Kin-^stcMi o ^h^,. r f ^'''^'''' '^'^'" '^ '^" "ru.n- oneof the best regiments sh!;; ' . ^^ I^ .i:^. "^^'n " '' '^ ^^''^'^'^ -^"--^ inefficient, and another expected to I . ' / '^ ' 9""-' '■^'^""^'nt is decidedly opinions on the subject of the Ijence of f T" "^ ^f ^'"^ ^'^^' ^^^^■" His these words toCeneral Riall '.n e timete^^^^^ '"^' '"'^'^ ^'^--'^y^' ■" the forces would be to keep theni c entrVt -d u '" ""!"''''' tl'spositi<.n of ness to act on either flank but tC'v^ YT^'''^ f^^-^'t'O''- in readi- that suc.h force may be distr buTed long e'T.nr' ^'^^'"^^ ''''' >-'^-^ '^'^-vs and all posts from I-brt (Jeorgr o I rl L l'' ''"'^''■''\ '''y ^'''' ^'^^^^ trie should consist of a stron.^ajmnn.T/f r ' ''' "^'^^"P'^d. That at J.'o,- suff.c,ent to man the 24ix>und^.r "t" / i;:'r;^^^'' -^"^ ' f^-^>' ^^ artillery e.nployment to an invading force for a fed v. '^'''"'-'^'-^rt.r,,!, and may give ^^ l;e strongly occupied, and a dmchmem ^, A^^^^^ ^'h' 'I '^va Fort Erie, say at I'Venchman s Crtf Z r.n "'^ ^''''''''' ^^''^''PPau'i a„d ^le detachment on the right in case of hn ' "movement made to support ^ort Niagara to be occupied 1" 5^0 or 600 me.^ '"rV""'^' above Chip J. -a. he.r number. The occupation of I'ort Ge2 'i "'Y ^'^-'^''^^ ^^"" ^""^^ tort Niagara, and the < nstruction of a 1 Xf ? T"'l^'' '"^ the defence of on he esplanade of I-ort Niaga^^^^^^^^ I " ' / f "'' heavy guns to bear hngton, a small detachment should b. a \^^ "" concentration at Bur- turn be prote'^he Am °r - below Fort En-e, surrounding that pAstVS '^'? ^'r'"^'°"'^' ^^'^^'^ and creditable haste. On the 4th ene nl Rr^ ^^^''cndered next day with dis- 27chmentsontheleftba'ik'oVXchnr^^^ within viiw of the not less than 4,000 men, of whom three E h ' v "'"^^^""'^ and certainly the afternoon of the same dnv hnl;. , , ''"-''"^ ''^^^ular troops. Durine^ determined to advanceT, d t ,ack h^^^^^^^^^^ ""'' ''^^' ^-eneral Riall ra M^ nver. His force was official^ Stated a^i "or '" ^' '^"'^' '"^"'^ '^^^>'«"d the Indians.* He disposed the th ee b^'hi '/ ^"''''■' '''"^' '"'h't'a and 300 Indians and militia\-n the woodlop/t^^^^^ '" ''^^.^'^^-^' 'saving fhe w .re formed in three columns with th X h f ''^ remainder of his troops can militia was easily routed and most o h/l'??- «; ^ ^^^^'"^^'"^ "^ ^^"^cd- The Indians followed the funtive.nff.^ die field-officers taken prisoners ca ly out of the fight. W^^^^^^ we're prac t a howitzer, and on the left by thee 6 ou^^^r l^^'^ -^4-pound guns and advanced to the attack. M.r .aimnr^^^^iriJ;^;:;;--;^ ^fZl * 1st RoyaJs... Sih , . . 500 .8.4'- °™"'"'°"" ""*■»"• "»-'> ^3, ;?S\„,,o;„; ;■ ;' ; • ' ' ■ • ' ■ ■ • ■ ■ ' ■ ' '■ '■■ tTo Koyal Artillery I Militia .."."■.■'.■.■ r 'SO 1,500 44 silenced and both th «ATTLE-F.ELDS OF THE NIAGARA .EN.-SULA e 24- artillery, and his infantry was th 4-poiinders disabled by the su ri:'i'^.,i!'.'.'.jh'^^"f .'"•'■ i-«adcs,whic;; n overwhelmed by th periorfireof theenemv doi)loyed Hre of their batteries moved slowly forwar. were re,nove!; by tr;;;;^;^ thr^ri);!!'^''- ' '^'^ ^^^^^^r^ cov-crcd by the 8th and hKht infantr w th surh f "'' ''"5^ ''^^' '^'^^^^y^^s of the wounded were taktn prisoners RdM .."'''; ''^"' ""''y ^''' ^^en disastrous action, of whom 423 K". J to h r'""^' '^" ^oo men in this ter re^unent had but four duty office s'unhurt.t H ^' ,' '^"'^/^^t'^- ^he lat- is remarkable that he escaplxl an .U '^ It extreme caution chsplayed I y thrAm' " n^r f/"? '''^ "«^'^'"« ''"^ the saved hmi from this. Three divs I.f* r fi T '"'■''' '" ^^^ ^our of victory in^^to bridge the river on [^.s left R \ ,: ;i;,^::.^;\^ .^'-' --^^y were prepar' Chippawa and retired to NiiLr-in j'^ ' f^"'^^;,^'""^^tl his entrenchments on the whole of the Indians, and n^if t e ,1t "J,f ""•\'"V"^^ ^^'^^'^^^^ ^^y the safety of their families. On the th RinH '"','''^'^ ^" '^'"o^'^'e for the men to the Twenty Mile Creek Lvil\n"on^'''^ "'^'^ '^' ""^'''^ '-^"^ mouth of the Niagara, ainoun ing7n ^.e^'^' "" , J" "^^ '^''^ ^"■"^-^ at the now knownthat Oeneral Brown basc"d hislonef nf r M^'^ '^^''-''''^'- ^' ^^ upon the co-operation of the lie OmarirL^ f ^'' ,'"^"^^^ ^"^'^-^Jy assured. On the 13th July he vvrofP m r ^' "^ '"'^'^^^ ^e had been «ton:--" I arrived here on^the oth ' t "'"'''^ ' ^^"""""''y ^'""'^ Q^^'" agree that the enemy's foTce in K ^ston i rvlirn ' T"''' ^'^ ^^-"^ of Lake Ontario, north of Fort George u^H.? i ^^^' '^^^^ "'^ ^he shore your f]eet anxiously since the loth ' (vv ^"'.k^'''- ^ '^''^^•^ '««k^d for Niagara and carry JUirlington He^ns and ^ork^'^'^r ^'^^^'^ (George and Kingston. I have no doubt there IsuLi^n^' ""i"^ P'"""'^^'^ ^'^ectly to Upper Canada in two months fth re from:frV^'^T'" "^ ^° ^^"^"er A week elapsed and no sign of Chauncevwl '''''°"' eo-operatiin." the meantime Riall had been ^einfo;^^ 7 '^T^'.''^' ^^^ ^^ '^^ seen. In "I'litia from ^he neighbouring countr^ J "" f^'l^'^Ston, and a thousand lows," had come into his aimp ^' """"^ "^ ^^^"^ "^"^ serviceable feb up uf^nr^.!^ t tSS"^^j;^tf ^^^ ^^^°^^ '-P"^-- was and harassing them. Riall puIheS fo wid his Z "PP^'-^^^'^y of annoying Mile Creek, while his right vving comDo 'ed of H "^.^''"^^fg^^'-d to the Ten ans, extended from Decevv's to I trert^Ss on h. m"'^'" ^\'^'''^ '^^"^^ ^"di- Hiterrupt.ng the communications of he American n ^'"^^.^t "/^^^^ ^he Falls, movement induced General Brown whn h T 'V '^'^^ ^"'"t Erie. This eral days, to withdraw to Queln'tl On T^^^^^^^^^ ^^"^«^ '^^ «'- Drummond arrived at York, l^lngng with hin^^'^'^" "^^ ^^' ^«^don the 104th, who were at once sent on to Fort Z '^ °^J^'' ^^th and 100 of mg the enemy at Queenston, with i 700 re^uhT'"' ^'f '''' ''^^^ ^'^tch- Indians stretching along a frint of 20 r^ies^ ^a .n?^,? f^ ^'^°° ^^^^'^^ ^^<^ pied LewKston, where they had estab shed th ^ " American force occu- Drummond's first care was to di'miS the late nT^ '"?^f' "" «^ ^^PP^'^s. homes to harvest their hav 1 m^^Vflf u Su P^'^ °^ ^^^ militia to their ance than their servfc s in tl^fie "d Wkh thVT'^' f °^ ^-^^^ ^-Po' " from their position by an attack on their b.l^'? °^ ^^'^^ ^^^ ^"^my addressed this letter of'instructfons ^o I ieit CnT T f^^^'''' ^°'- Harvey garrisnnc: at ♦^h'- r-i-.-i-' r ' ^-leut.-Col. Tucker cnmr J,'-- •> X , -^5^ >'K inOditi of tne river • "Ti'a.,* r^ 1 n» .'"' '^--"■'"anuluH cne 89th and the flank comprmrof die 10^ h "^ ^^'•"^°". with 400 of the American battenes near V^oungstol^.^%r!:n^ l-R.alltoDr».,nond,July6. Dru„.„,ond to Prevost, July 9. DUKING THE WAR 1812-15. Sh .r . ^'"' '''"^ 'Charwell.'" On th. ?,; . , ''"V"°'' embarking the retired of h,s own accord beyond the rh. ^""^ "^'"y- however, (ien. Krown a rected to advance from the ■J„x>lveM,%t, ,*^?'""<^l Scott had also been force on the field to ,6,, of V ™ t'-*"''°','",'' ^uns, increasing the Sh juncon of the roads' 4'sreocui, Id' "t ""= ™"".-'nd.ng ground a the them General RiaH himself n^l °°^ '"°'^' ^^an loo pr soners om^ iliilSiiii and recovering all but one of thel own Hv th'? !■''' ^^ '^'' ^^^^f^ guns Next n,orning; finil^ng-'the'r^n r,t,t^'' -<:' T'-y wounded "n t S" 1 ^s;^r!i,et^^he£f ? f^F --.^ retreat to For, Erie. wherh'i:tt:>eX^:iJ;rS.X'' "' T^T ''"•^^ "'^ -n,,™„,„„, ,„ p,„„ °" -; "-d »• m,dn,gh,.. As the ■»|[^^^^^^^ ' ■' y ^^'3^- Kipley, Vindication. I 40 KATTLK-MKLDS OF THE NIAGARA PKNINSULA bridges over the creeks were destroyed, and Driimmond had l)iit a single troop of dragoons, any effective jjiirsuit was impossible. 0,ving to the delay caused by rebuilding these bridges, and the weakened and exhausted con- dition of the troops, it was not until the and of August that the Hritish army arrived on the heights o})posite Black Rock. In the interval, Ripley had employed the greater part of his force day and night in forming an entrenched camp on the left of l-ort Erie, which had itself been .very much strengthened. Several additional guns had been mounted, and a stone redoubt constructed at the water's edge in front of the fort. Three armed schooners were anchored at the entiance of the river in such a j)ositi(Mi as to flank the approaches to the fort, while the batteries at Black Rock enfdaded the river road. Drummond's fust object was to expel the Americans from these batteries and occupy Buffalo. Their vessels could then be easily driven from the river, and the garrison would be prevented from drawing supplies and rein- forcements from that place. I. ieut. -Colonel Tucker was accordingly instructed to cross the river that night with 600 men and perform this service. This detachment found the bridge over the creek below Black Rock destroyed, and the passage contested by a large force. The leading sections were seized by a panic, and the entire column retired hastily to their boats in spite of the efforts of their officers to rally them. Next day the Americans at Black Rock were i^trongly reinforced, and any re[)etition of the attack was rendered impracticable.' The British general was then forced to rely on his field-guns alone, and a single 18-pound ship gun, but when he attempted to break ground for a battery in a suitable position near the shore, the enemy at once threw nearly their entire forc-e into tiie woods to drive back the covering party, and a schooner began to cannonade his left Hank. IJefore they were driven in, Colonel Harvey was badly hurt, and 23 officers and men killed and wounded." This exhibition of energy on the part of the besieged induced Drummond to throw up a traverse, and place al)attis before he ventured to mount any guns, and caused a further delay of several days before the batteries could be opened. Unless a large tract of woods was cut down, it v/as found impossible to select any site for a battery which would not be taken in reverse by the batteries at Black Rock. The garrison daily sent out large parties of riflemen to attack the covering and working parties, and although always repulsed, harassed them very much. On the night of the 1 2th, Captain Dobbs with a party of seamen having conveyed some boats secretly to Lake Erie, took two of the American schooners and drove the other away, relieving Drummond of a very serious source of annoyance.' The next day the siege-batteries opened for the first time, and continued the cannonade during the whole of that and the following day, causing, however, very little damage to the works. Forty-five of the garrison were killed or wounded, and a small magazine blown up. This explosion determined the British general to undertake the assault that night, being further encouraged by the rejiorts of deserters that the garrison was much dispirited. He had been reinforced by the Regiment De Wattcville, nearly 1,000 strong, before advancing to Eort Erie. This corp.s, originally Swiss, had of late years been largely recruited with French prisoners of war, who evinced an alarming propensity to desert at every opportunity. The remainder of his force was made up of the remnant of Riall's division, and although they had behaved well since the opening of the siege, Drummond stated that many of his men were actually unfit for service, and that he had but little confidence in them. 1. Tucker to Drummond, Aug. 4. l)rummt)iul to Prevost, Aug. 4. 2. Drummond to Trevo'^t, Aug. 8. 3. Drummond to Prevost, Aug. 12, 13. The force in I-'ort I- DURIxNc; Tin; WAR rSi '5. bast ions of tlio fort had I rie was estimated l,y An.eri.an auti earthworks covered hv'al )ce in a Th redoubt mounting I] '}■ ahattis runnii '" raised, and the ditches d t-' water battery ve guns on the sui was connected with th 'K southward to the lake and lorities at 2, lyepened. "a hne of 47 500. The 'I'lntofa sandhill ternn'nati "K was completed , .ii».i> "US connectcf uifii <),.. »■ . 1 "<•">' uu tied aboue seven fee. hi,.|,, m,t,.-Sn,^^, IZ^A !'''',^ "'"!"« "' -' h Colonel iMseher, will, . eohunn iR^ade,! 1 n 7:i"'>„«""^- l-i-'lenan.- Regimenl He \\altevillean,l the I kh e n,n. n > r '"' •'"'• '"""""I I'V the directed to attaek the evlre.ne \J '"'l'-'»"-'s "f Hie .Syil, a„"kI' I'^avy he centre ,olu,nn, under l.iet.te nnl rnlo„ n'"'™' ''' ''"^■''^ ^^ To than 300 ,„en, was assigned ll e X ,1? "" I r.n„,„o„d, >„„nl,ering le," whtle ll>elhirdconsisth,|of theto r k, ^''.'ckinK the fort Itself nistructed to escalade the n, of '' '''«"'»'•'". ""dcr Colonel Scott w.s river. All these attack veeo I ennd""''"'","' '"'''''" "'^ '"^"^ he quarter of an hour this aUick vas ^ 'T\ ^'^^''^ "■" ^•'^'<^''^- Uith a r/h ^S'"^^'^'' 'i^-roism, finally repeated I vi. "^"'^'•'>' '^'-^'f" an hour other ofhcers,and nearly half it nu Xr 'k II ^^^ ^'''' ''' commander, ten Colonel Drummond's attack was exec ed wi I ",1"'' """"^''^- '''■^'utenant- and for a tmie was partially successful Th u' ^'''''^''' determination -n. and aha.., th,s sntall '^'^'^^^l^^^l^^Z^^l^zt^^ Instructions for assault on Fort Erie i.th A c " Thp ■ Vi 1 " i u» I xLTie, I4tn Au". 1814 the Tiegirnen BtW^::: -r r^ '^^ f'"''P-S vi^., ist Ba' K on f 1 ' u' •^'''^"■^' ^^i" H HATTLK-MELDS OF THE NIAGARA PENIN., WAR 1812-I5 shameful misconduc^t on\h p"rt ^7^ r^'^n u"'TV?r. T"''"^'' ^^^^^ 900. Six hatlalicns were so Lirh rcXr^H^ol . " ^? .'°''''' '^"'^ ^'X'-eodecl General Drununond waV tire ore oStrtc:" ^ ''^''^• operatioris until the arrival of U 6th ad in?I r ''•'"'' ""^ '^^'^^'^^''" '-^^'^'^^ on nearly an ec.ual footinL^ with f ? ^'''^'''"'""^' '''•'^^'^''^ '^'"^ siege batteries we tE ?;, menr oV^ '' • ^' '" ''"'"' °^ ""'"''^^•'^•" '''^^o ''^w interrupt the wodMnr^rtS .~^ \'-' «--->" to active constructing in new hitter p. hi 1 , ^"^ l)esieged were e(|ually and fougasses. The mosec iticm '"'' ''""''''''^ '""'^ ''^>''"K '»'"-« of rain, thich Hllecrth tre^^^^^^^^^^^^ next delayed hy heavy falls as the 8th of September the Hrhish C'en'"^^^^^^^^ ""'^ "'"''"''^' '^^' '''' '^'^V His movements Ure han per d " ;[; "1 frl'.^^^^^^^^ ' '''''''' and provisions. The troops wcJe wkho m ''-ff Cillery, ammunition socond week in September l^^l^S hll'^n^^^ Sc^u!;^?:; *^^;!,:^;;^;r f affected Regiment )e VVatteville wt>; l.nr.»M, fiu ^'-'•"V""^. ^ o-iy \vhen the dis- Brown, „,,„' h.d assumed Smmid of rgnr^^n'tr','' '"""'"' ''■™- With 3,000 men. Two hundrpH nf ti,.. garrison, made a vigorous sortie without firing a shot Th/ ill despicable corps surrendered almost disabled. Instead Iretir^lwhertV"'" ''^''' '"^'^ "^"^^ "^ '^'^ «"ns bod, of Lh troo7w,l hrc^eZh "line of :'''•'' """''"• ?"" " '"^^ ton, he determined to retire ns far n^s rhipp'," . " ■''"°"= f^™' ^'^^'^- month and oecu,,ied,.-or.'i™;l;r.he;i^;rN'ov:,Xf '°' """' '""" " .ain.ed"t-.T''di;"L';"tn"rth'ltS"^' ""■'''" '" '^ ^^^^ -" honourable plare infhe "nn-ds of L fv '/'™P-'"K"» '""''' ever hold an borne in them by he r^nadhn Mi ,V , f'^ '" '^'""'•''- The part ion and the Glen^^;. U^^'rfan^J^'^^J^^S^^Se^ltbi^r''''-'''^'' '^'^'- 1. Drummond to Prevost, Aug. 15, 18, 21, 24 2. D,„m,„„„d .0 Prcvos,, Aug. .;, 30; .sip,.'.. 5, „, „, .g. 3^, ,5. g^,, ^ S"'"n.ary „f ,,,,,.,,„,, „ ,„^. ^^ """^l (A'neral ^f«.ti,|,r Hi;r.() ox ""-"■"""►• .(AN.MRV, ,K„, t, .'S ''Iicre was a corul ■)f. i to:r„r,*''^ '"'""^^- '"-'•- X^y orr:/'r r"^ •■"-.->.< enforce (he constitution in respect of I " "''■'■'' ''"'"'d necessirv ,o «o pay the fees were removed ZJCZ "'" "'^""^"^- '^•"° "-■"r^led 50 SUMMARV Oh- I.ROCEKDIN-GS OF office, of .he force ,„ J! l!::!' J?;:';:;;:;:;:' "■^■' '^'--^y '..ken u„.,„ .„e H. Q. and District Stafi K. M. C. Staff. ... 7 Cape .Mounted Rifles Imperial Service.... ^| ^-^^ -^f- C. Graduates ' fmperiai Volunteers .. ^ ^'ork Militia. . . 3 ^ '^"'■onto Naval iirigade ^ Gov Gen. Body Guard . ""^'^''''^^ V ' 1st Regiment ^3 3rd Regiment. 2nd Regiment. . . ' 6ih Regiment ^ ' ^^"^«"'^Own Can.' Hussars ' l|t Brigade Field Artillery ARTILI.erv. Hamilton Field Battery ^ Toronto Field Battery Welland Canal Field Battery ^ S""''''^' Columbia Br. Gar 'Ar'f ^ ^ ' Toronto Garrison Battery' ' Infantry School Corps INJantry. ^ Gov. Gen. Foot (iuards c ^-^''^ I^attalion rst Prince of Wales Regi ^ 2nd Queen's Own Rifles ' 3rd Victoria Rifles 46 5th Royal Scots . -^ 6th Fusiliers ' 7tJi Fusiliers ' loth Royal Grenadiers .' ; '5 36th Battalion 4 37th Battalion 4 38th Dufferin Rifles j 39th Battalion ^ 40th Battalion . ^ 43rd Battalion ^ 44th Battalion * 45th Battalion . 5 49th Battalion . 54th Battalion ... 57th Battalion 59th Battalion . . 77th Battalion ... 90th Battalion ... 96th Battalion ......'.'" Total... Resident • • Non-resident. 122 Struck off ^^4 9 Grand Total 293 I2th York Rangers ^' r3th Battalion 22 '4ih Battalion . 9 15th Battalion - ^ ''9th Battalion ' 20th Battalion 2 22nd Battalion 4 25th Battalion ^ 26th Battalion 3 27th Battalion ^ 28th Battalion ^ 30th Battalion ... - 31st Battalion . | 32n<' Battalion . ^ 33rd Battalion . ^ 34th Battalion . ^ 4 J^manres.-^ The receipt.s for the steward's departments, etc., a.iioutit to prehm.nary disbursements connected including a dividend of 6 ner cpnf ,. -^ , ('■''MJcaving.,.,,,,,,,:™ 3'::' "" ''"'•"'>' '"■^'""'^- C I'rom the statement of assets nn,i r i •,• • 'here is an e.ee. of a.e. o;::":,:,"! :";';!; T;'"^'^'' ''^ '"^ -^"'o-. Z,^/-«r,. ,fc__To further the oijiect, „f ,1 \ • subscribed for the leading Enghsh a' "f "^"'""= '^ committee •he journal of the Royal uSsr'r ;";,-^'"'-\''"' "''''"^^ ""P-. American and Canadian puhlaZ ,?'■'. '^■^''"'« Toronto, '"asazines. The library of 1 t ^ 'i. " "*-' '""''''''" ''^""» ^"^ volnmcsofarmhtarynafure as belt r T""' """^''"'"B ^'out .00 has also been largely a,:g„!::,ed7>v":!!::!i•l'^^'"■^'■■'"''= ^ 'h'^'^l'-ry 2 I I 5 I 5 I I 293 "'ne months from members' fees $2,130.13. The expen.ses, including orgaiiization, were $1,956.84, ompany with Appendix A.) presentations from members. (See THE ANNUAL CENFrat , I'tWERAr. -MEETING. «nnkcy a, d r ; "^■"'^'' '•■■""-Col. rr,vi„ , ''■. ^ajor-Cen, Sir |. general .success and the ' ''^^''''^^''^ the members o h f"^"^'"^'^" ^^'-Is the enlargement of 1 """'^^ ^" '^^ considered Ar • c wn the motion of Mr t • /"™"'° for the,-,, kindnet ,?"■■"'.'"" M'litia (;a.e„o JZ\°' vice-president, w,n,iL''r f"™"""^ ''s weiftre . ", "^ ■'^"W»rt Jr.-.ior Me'd r " ^T ■"'■"■• ^"d he would 1 : "'^ *='"='="■ 'he r--edCol'r;er?:t„S^^'^^^^^ -"" - priced „„ „e co;' ''" '"'"'"' '^^ *- >ook p,.ee, „.,, „, APPENDIX A. ])ONA'J'IONS TO THK IJHRARY. Militia Reports, 1867 to 1890; Col. Walker Powell A G Archives, Canadian, 1882 to 1890 ; Capt. A. I. Jarlis. U. S. Military Institute Journal ; Major Nickerson, U. S. A p ;^; ' t'.'"'' ^'T"" "'^^"''' ^''9 ' ^^>g-General S. Benct, U. S. A. Jv bn, ted Service Institute, proceedings of; The Council M.htia Lists ; Lieut.-Col. J. McPherson, D. of S M.htia Lists ; Lieut.-Col. A. H. Macdonald. Reconnaissance and 8,-outin. I^aden-Powell ; Col. Sir C. S. (izowski Canadian Company Drill, Capt. MacDougall ; The author. " ' Ka..k ],adges aiul Dates of H. M. Army and Navy ; Lt.-Col. C. D. Dawson R.flc Exercises, Sgt.-Maj. Athawes ; Capt. J. |. Stuart Records of 8th Royal Rifles ; Capt. E. V. Wunele The Nation in Arms, Baron von der (]oet/ ; Mr. Robert Mvles Waterloo Roll-Call, Dalton ; Mr. Robert M;ies ' (Mcc^ Manual in the l.i.ld (. vols.), .798 ; Lt.-Col T. C. Scoble. "sair'' ''"''"" '"'''^' ^>^-^^'-«''>-ne; Lt.-Col. T. C Army Lists, 1808 to 1847 ; Capt. O. P. Eliot Army List, 1848 ; Mr. L. H. Irving. Inflintry Fire Tactics : Major C. B.'^Mayne R E Battle of Queenston Heights ; Capt. J. T. 'symons US Ordnance Bureau Reports, 1879-1887 ; Mr. L. H. Irving. Batt^les and Leaders of the Civil War ; Capt. G. P. Eliot U h. Army and Navy Publications ; Major J. M. Delamere Crests and Badges of H. M. Army ; Hart c\r CoV Bominion Rifle Association Report ; 7^he Council. Ontario Rifle Association Report ; The Council Calcutta Volunteer Rifles Report ; Mr. [. P. Princrle. Commission Issued by the C in C of fh,. v w"^ \ ■ t. • . ■ .r r^ ^ ^- ^^ ^"'' ^^- ^^- ^'^™y in Patriot c Service .n bpper Canada, ,837 ; M,- Casimir Dickson. fepecificat^n^m ^Lnprovements in Magazine Rifles, etc.; Capt. C. Greville- National Rifle Association Report, 1890; Capt. C. Greville-Harston Rogers Rangers, List of Officers, 1779 ; Mr. Douglas Brymner Army Eists, Old ; j . Mutiny Act, 1816 and 1821 ; Regulations and Orders for Army, 1839 Staff College, Sandhurst, 1863 ; Bible used by (Queen's Rangers, 1773 Militia Lists; Lt.-Col. F. C. Denison. Militia Lists, Old; Major A. G. Lee. I Mr. .'Kmilius Jarvis.