IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-S)

.-^z

1.0

1.25

1^ 12 8

|50 *^*

2.5
2.2

I.I ^ -- IIIIM

1.4

1.6

Hiotographic

Sciences
Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, NY. MS80

(716) 872-4503

^9>

- ^

4^0

V.A

CIHM/ICMH

Microfiche

Series.

CIHM/ICMH
Collection de
microfiches.

Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques

Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques

The Institute has attempted to obtain the best
original copy available for filming. Features of this
copy which may be bibliographically unique,
which may alter any of the images in the
reproduction, or which may significantly change
the usual method of filming, are checked below.

n
□

Coloured covers/
Couverture de couleur

Covers damaged/
Couverture endommagde

Covers restored and/or laminated/
Couverture restaur^e et/ou pelliculde

Cover title missing/

Le titre de couverture manque

Coloured maps/

Cartes gdographiques en couleur

Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/
Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire)

Coloured plates and/or illustrations/
Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur

Bound with other material/
Relid avec d'autres documents

Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion
along interior margin/

Lareliure serr6e peut causer de I'ombre ou de la
distortion le long de la marge intdrieure

Blank leaves added during restoration may
appear within the text. Whenever possible, these
have been omitted from filming/
II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajoutdes
lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte,
mais, lorsque cela dtait possible, ces pages n'ont
pas 6t6 filmdes.

Additional comments:/
Commentaires suppldmentaires;

L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire
qu'il lui a 6X6 possible de se procurer. Les details
de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du
point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier
une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une
modification dans la mdthode normale de filmage
sont indiqu6s ci-dessous.

□ Coloured pages/
Pages de couleur

□ Pages damaged/
Pages endommagdes

□ Pages restored and/or laminated/
Pages restaurdes et/ou pelliculdes

Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/
Pages ddcolordes, tachetdes ou piqudes

□ Pages detached/
Pages detach^es

HShowthrough/
Transparence

Transparence

Quality of prir

Qualitd indgale de I'impression

Includes supplementary materii
Comprend du material suppldmentaire

I I Quality of print varies/

I I Includes supplementary material/

Only edition available/
Seule Edition disponible

Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata
slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to
ensure the best possible image/
Les pages totalement ou partiellement
obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure,
etc., ont 6t6 filmdes d nouveau de fa9on d
obtenir la meilleure image possible.

This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/

Ce document est film^ au taux de reduction indiqud ci-dessous.

10X

14X

18X

22X

26X

30X

12X

16X

20X

24X

28X

32X

The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks
to the generosity of:

Library of the Public
Archives of Canada

L'exemplaire film6 fut reproduit grdce d la
g6n6rosit6 de:

La bibliothdque des Archives
publiques du Canada

The images appearing here are the best quality
possible considering the condition and legibility
of the original copy and in keeping with the
filming contract specifications.

Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed
beginning with the front cover and ending on
the last page with a printed or illustrated impres-
sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All
other original copies are filmed beginning on the
first page with a printed or illustrated impres-
sion, and ending on the last page with a printed
or illustrated impression.

The last recorded frame on each microfiche
shall contain the symbol ^^ (meaning "CON-
TINUED "), or the symbol V (meaning "END"),
whichever applies.

Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at
different reduction ratios. Those too large to be
entirely included in one exposure are filmed
beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to
right and top to bottom, as many frames as
required. The following diagrams illustrate the
method:

Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le
plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et
de la nettet^ de l'exemplaire film6, et en
conformity avec les conditions du contrat de
filmage.

Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en
papier est imprimde sont film6s en commenpant
par ie premier plat et en terminant soit par la
dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte
d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second
plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires
originaux sont film6s en commenpant par la
premiere page qui comporte une empreinte
d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par
la dernidre page qui comporte une telle
empreinte.

Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la
dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le
cas: le symbole -^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le
symbole V signifie "FIN".

Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre
film6s 6 des taux de reduction diff^rents.
Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre
reproduit en un seul clichd, il est film6 d partir
de I'angle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite,
et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre
d'images nicessaire. Les diagrammes suivants
illustrent la mdthode.

32X

BROCKS MONUMENT,

QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. UPPER CANADA.

FAMILY RECORDS;

CONTAIN IN(i

M E M O 1 H S

Ol'

MAJOR-GENERAL SIR ISAAC JMIOCK, K H
LIEUTENANT E. W. TIPPER, K.N.

AND

COLONEL WILLLVM DE V\C TCPPER.

WITH NOIICKS or
MAJOR-GENEHAI. Tl PPER AND LIKIT. ( Tll'l'IlH, |{. \

TO WIIICK \ni; ADDKI)

THE LIFE OF TE-CUM-SEIJ,

A MEMOIR OF COLONEL IIAVILLAM) LE MESUniEn.

\c'. kf. \c.

BY FEKDINAXD BROCK TL'PJM']!;, KS'J.

' 1 cannot but rcmcinhcr such things were,
That wi'ie most iirocious to nic, "

•-Ft.xKsi'i-. Mil;

GUEllASEY:

PRINTi;)) AMI PUBLISHED UY STKPIIEN BARBET. NEW-STREET.

MAV ALSO UK HAI» OK

BALDWIN AND C'RADOCK, LONDON.
1835.

I I

lil

D<:hvi

i53.\

.S(

<7'^<^/ //

C O N T E N T S .

Memoir (.f Sir Isaac lirock ''"^'j

. Lieutenant E. W. Tapper j |

- Colonel Tnpi)er ,-

Notice of Major- (Jeneral 'i'upper ,„j,

Lieutenant Carre Tupper j 13

N'isit of Indian Chiefs to (ieorire I\- , , -

" I lit

Appendix A.— Sir Isaac Tirock.
Section I.— British Authors.

1. Military F:xccution at Quebec ]23

2. Extract from Sir G. Prevost's General Order 121

.'{. Extracts of a letter from Major Glcjrg 12.-,

4. Extract from Quebec Gazette ." jo^;

'>. Indian Council of Condolence at Fort Geor^re |-jh

[J. Verses on the Death of Sir Isaac Urock . ]2!)

7. Extracts from James's INIilitary Occurrences ' l;jO

"^ • ' Quarterly Review |,j()

^- ~ Lieutenant F. Hall's Travels 114

^^- ■" Howison's Upper Canada 117

^ '• De Roos' Travels ' . .' i.-,|,

'-• various Authors i/j

^'^- ^«'evv Monthly Mairazine. K,'^

' "•• Talbot's Canada n,

15. Description of xMonument in St. Paul's Cathedral! . 1;)3

16. Re-interment of Sir Isaac Brock n,

Section II.— American Authors.

1. Extracts from Niles' Weekly Register J58

2. Revolutionary Services of General Mull l()2

."'. Letter from Captain Wool |(j^

4. Extract from Jelferson's Correspondence ](;;

Ml COXTEXI'S.

Appciiilix li. — Lii'iiti'uiiiil Iv W . 'I'uppiT.

I . PoststTipt oi' the (.DuricT I()8

■J. (luernst'v -^ilar ib.

',i. Extract from Whychcoltc of St. John's Kiy

1. relative to Captain Edward Gordon 1"!

."». from a Portsmouth Newspaper ib.

(i. Transcript of a Letter from (i. li. Hamilton, Esq.. . 172

Appendix C. — Colonel 'I'upper.

1. Certificate relatinj; to a Fire at Barcelona 173

2. Extracts from Lieut. Bowers Naval Adventures. . . . ib,

3. Kot/ebucs Voyage 175

-1. Manifesto (in Spanish) "del Batallon I'udeto". ... i7G

."). Extracts from (iencral jNIiller's Memoirs i/>.

(i. relative to Colonel Tupper 177

7. (in Krencii) from " Le Semeur" 17^

S. (in Spimish) from (ieneral Frcire's pam])lilt't,

with translation I 79

!). Attack on brig Achilles by Colonel Tupper 180

Appendix 1). — Coinciderces relative to Sir Isaac Brock, &c. . . 1H2

Appendix E. — Speech of Sir John Doyle, ^c 18j

Appendix F. — Life of Te-cum-seh, with various extracts 188

Supplement. — Memoir of Colonel PL Le Mesuricr 211

DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER.

Brock's Monument to front Title Page.

Ooorl Harbour Pa^e ;i:i-

.Mcilal I'agc 48,

C O li R I G !•: N n A .

Page 103.— Note *.—Fiir No. 0, ft'iiil No. 7.

Page I'.'H.— Line :t.— Ktic Potawatiniics, reuri Potawatiniie'.

l','i|fe ;gi,— Line y.— lu ^ome copies.; For liosoni, 'etui bosom.

liiH

il>.

J fiy

j;i

ib.

:s(,... 172

I7.i

s. . . . ib.

175

.... 176

ib.

. . . ] 77
.... 1 7^
>lilt't,
. ... 1 79
180

c. . . ] H'J

.... 18.3

1 88

....21J

iMEMOlU

11 IE I..V1'E

atajoii-ge:>tjial sir isaac brock, k. b.

.loy's l)Uistiim- slioiit ill whcliiiiiitc grief was dniwiiil.
And Victory's self iiinvilliiiff audience found j
On every hrou- the cloud (jf Miilncss hunir,—
'I'lii" simmN of triuiuiih died on every tonune '

This officer was born in Guernsey on tlie Gth of
October, 1700, and was the eiglitli son of Jolni
Brock, Esq., wbo by bis wife, Ebzabetb De Lisle,
daugbter of Daniel De Lisle, Esq., Lieutenant Bailitt',
had fourteen cbildren. His family was nearly con-
nected by marriage with those of De Beauvoir, Le
Marcbant, and Saumarez, some of the most ancient
in this island.* One of his brothers, John, a lieuto--
nant-colonel, was killed, in 1802, at the Cape of

Good Hope, in a duel with Captain M , the son

of a baronet : as steward of a public ball, he very pro-
perly resi.^ted the introduction, by his antagonist,
of a female of a disreputable character, and the result
was his melancholy fall. Another brother, Ferdinand,
a subaltern of the (iOth regiment, was slam in the

* .Afajoi-Cnicral T.c ^iliirctiaiit and liis oldest son, a captain in the Foot
Guards, wlio both toll in Spain during' the lato war; and Cai.tain Sanmaic/,
uho was Lord Anson's (irst lieutenant in the Centurion, and was slain in 17 1?)
while eommandinj? the Nottingham, of ()4 guns were menihcrs of these
families, as is the present Admiral Lord De haiimarez, ennobled for his
:listin;juished naval services,
A

MK.MOIU OK SIU ISAAC lUlOCK.

(lercncc ol" IJiitoii llou2;e, on tlic Mississippi, in the
first American war. The subject of tiiis memoir [mr-
chased an ensigncy in the 8th regiment shortly after
the termination of tliat war, and at the age of twenty-
one he obtained an independent company, by raising
the rc(|uisite number of men to com])lete it. Kx-
clianging iuunediately after into the 49th, he j)roceeded
witli liis regiment to Jamaica, but was compelled to
retiu'n to Rn2:hind very suddenly , liavina; nearly fallen
a victim to the pestilential efl'ects of the climate, and
an immediate embarkation being pronounced his only
chance of recovery. Another near relative, Lieute-
nant Brock, who was ill with him, died of the fever,
and the survivor always thought that he was indebted
for his life to the aflectionate attentions of his servant,
whom he afterwards ever treated with the kindness of
a brother, until he died in his service, sliortly before
himself, in Canada. Having purcliased the succeed-
ing steps with unusual rapidity, he became lieutenant-
colonel commanding tlie 49tli regiment, on the 25th
October, 1797, just after he had completed his twenty-
eighth year. Owing to gross mismanagement and
peculation on the part of his predecessor, who was in
consequence recommended privately to sell out if he
did not wish to stand the ordeal of a court martial,
the regiment was sadly disorganised ; but the late
Duke of York was heard to declare that Lieut.-
Colonel Brock, from one of the worst, had made the

49th one of the best regiments in the service.

During

the campaign in Holland, in 1799, he distinguished
himself at the head of his regiment ; a horse was shot
under him, and his life w^as in all probability pre-
served in action, on a very cold day, by his wearing
several black silk cravats, which were all perforated

, in the
oir [)iir-
tly after
twentv-
■ raisiiifr
t. Ex-
oceedcd
elled to
y fallen
ite, and
lis only
Lieutc-
e fever,
11 deb ted
;ervant,
Iness of

before
Licceed-
tenant-
le 25th
wenty-
it and
I was in
if he

lartial,
ie late

jieut.-

le the

MKMOIR OF SIR ISAAC 13U0CK.

•ing

lished

shot

pre-

[aring

Irated

by a bullet, and ubicb prevented its entering his neck.
lie was second in connnand of the land forces at the
memorable attack of Co))enbagen by Lord Nelson,
in ISOI, and was aj)p()inted to lead the 4!)th in
storming the principal of the Treckroner batteries, in
conjunction with five hundred seamen under C'ai)tain
Fremantle ; but the jjrotracted and heroic defence
of the Danes rendering the attcfnpt imj)raeticable,
Lieut. -Colonel Jirock, during this hard-fought battle,
continued on board the Ganges, of 74 guns, com-
manded by that excellent officer, the late Vice-Admiral
Sir Thomas Fremantle. Another of his brothers,
Savery, served under him in the 49th in Holland,
and at Copenhagen. AN bile in the act of pointing
one of the guns of the Ganges, his cocked hat was
torn from his head by a cannon or grape shot, and a
naval officer, who was present, recently described the
scene which followed this narrow escape in these
W'ords : "I now hear Sir Isaac exclaim. Ah! poor
Saverv is dead ! ]^ut Saverv was not an instant on
his back; in the same moment he rubbed bis head,
assured his brother that he was not injured, and
fired the gun with as much coolness as if nothing
had happened."* In the following year Lieut. -
Colonel Brock proceeded to Canada w ith his favorite
49th, and there remained, with only one intermission,
wiien he returned on leave to Europe, until the period
of his death. In 1803 or 1804, he quelled a serious
mutiny which was on the point of breaking out in
the regiment, part of which was in garrison at Niagara,
under the command of the junior lieutenant-colonel,
while the head quarters were fixed at York, the

* The effect of tlie i)all passing so near him was such, that altlioimh a
reniarkahly tall, athletic; youtij^ man, he was knocked down and stunned
for a moment.

4 MKMOIR OF SIR ISAAC BROCK.

cai)ital of the U})ptM' IVoviiicc. This otlicer, it seems,
more hy useless annoyance tlian by actual severity,
had exasperated the men to tliat degree, that at length
they formed a plot to rise on their ofHcers, and to
avenge themselves on the few who had incurred their
resentment. Far be it from us to justify the attempt,
which indeed was highly criminal, hut in all such
extreme cases we hold that a sad abuse of power, or
a gross want of tact, must be the predominant cause,
and that, even in the passive obedience of a military
life, there may be a limit to human endurance. The
proximity of the United States rendered this plot a
very feasible one, as the men in a body could have
crossed the river without molestation or difficulty.
Colonel Brock was privately informed, it appears, by
one of the men, of the conspiracy, and he inmiediately
proceeded in an open boat from York to Fort George.
On his arrival he ordered the detachment under arms,
and walking up to a sergeant, whom he knew to be
the ringleader, commanded him to lay down his pike.
The sergeant, taken by surprise, mechanically obeyed,
and those most culpable were fortunately secured
without the slightest resistance, although, we believe,
the plot was to have been carried into effect that very
day. On being tried by a court martial four were
condemned to suffer death, and, with three deserters,
were shot early in the month of March, in presence
of the garrison at Quebec. A most awful and affect-
ing sight it was : the wind was easterly, strong, and
cold, — a thick drift of snow added to the gloom, — and,
as if to increase the horror of the scene, a few of the
firing party, fifty -six in number, instead of advancing
to within eight yards of the prisoners as was intended,
owing to some mistake, commenced firing at the

to be

pike,

jcyed,

cured

ieve,

very

were

ters,

sence

fect-

and
and,
f the
icing
ided,

the

MEMOIR OK SIR ISAAC BROCK. 5

distance oi at least filty yards, Tlic consequence
was, that the unliappy wretclies were only partially
wounded, and dropped one after another. Nearly
forty shots were fired before one poor lellow in the
centre fell, although he was wounded throui^h the
abdomen at the tirst discharge. The men, who had
reserved their fire, were at length ordered up, and,
lodging the contents of their muskets in the breasts
of the culprits, by that means put them out of torture.
The unfortunate sufferers declared publicly that, had
they continued under the command of Colonel Rrock,
they would have escaped their melancholy end ; and,
as may be easily conceived, he felt no little anguish
that those, who had so recently and so bravely fought
under him, were thus doomed to end their lives, the
victims of their unruly passions infiamed by vexatious
authority. He was now directed to assume the com-
mand at Fort George, or Niagara, and all complaint
and desertion instantly ceased.

The following are extracts from two of his private
letters, bevond which few or none have unfortunatelv
been preserved : —

" Quebec, September 5, 1808. — I have been here
but a few days, having been superseded at Montreal
by Major- General Drummond. I do not approve
much of the change. Being separated from the 49tli
is a great annoyance to me. But soldiers must
accustom themselves to frequent movements ; and as
they have no choice, it often happens that they are
placed in situations little agreeing with their inclina-
tions. My nominal appointment has been confirmed
at home, so that I am really a brigadier. Were the
49th ordered hence, the rank would not be a sufficient

* Appendix A, Section 1, No. 1.

■'i

■ •'i

MEMOIR OF SIR ISAAC BROCK,

inducement to keep me in this country. In such a
case I would throw it up wilHngly."

" Quehec, June 8, 1810. — It was my decided inten-
tion to have asked for leave to go to England this fall,
but I have now relinquished the thought. Several
untoward circumstances combine to oppose my wishes.
The spirit of insubordination lately manifested by the
French Canadian population of this colony naturally
called for precautionary measures, and our worthy
chief is induced in consequence to retain in this
country those on whom he can best confide. I am
liighly flattered in being reckoned among the number,
whatever inward disappointment I may feel. Some
unpleasant events have likewise happened in the
Upper Country, which have occasioned my receiving
intimation to proceed thither, whether as a permanent
station, or merely as a temporary visit. Sir James
Craig has not determined. Should, however, a senior
brigadier to myself come out in the course of the
summer, I shall certainly be fixed in the Upper
Province, and there is every probability of such an
addition very soon. Since all my efforts to get more
actively employed have failed ; since fate decrees
that the best portion of my life is to be wasted in
inaction in the Canadas, I am rather pleased with the
prospect of removing upwards."

Brigadier-General Brock was accordingly soon after
detached to the Upper Province, and continued to
command there with the exception of a short period,
during which he returned in June, 1811, to Quebec,
to act, we believe, as temporary governor-general,
Sir James Craig having proceeded to England pre-
viously to the arrival of his successor, Sir George
Prevost. During his brief residence in Quebec he

•f

MEMOIR OF Sill ISAAC BUOCK.

1 such a

;d inten-
tliis fall,

Several
f wishes.
[1 by the
mturally

worthy

in this

. I am

number,

Some

in the
eceiving
rmanent
r James
[a senior

of the

Upper
such an
et more

decrees
isted in
vith the

3n after
lued to
period,
iuebec,
eneral,
id pre-
George
bee he

obtained his promotion as a major-general, and he at
the same time anxiously repeated his a[)plication to
the commander-in-chief for more active employment
in Europe. At the close of that year His Royal
Highness at length expressed every inclination to
gratify his wishes, and Sir George Prevost was autho-
rised to replace him by another officer ; but when the
permission reached Canada, a war with the United
States of America was evidently near at hand, and
Major- General Brock, with such a pros})ect, was
retained both by honor and inclination in the country.
At the commencement of the second American
war, in June, 1812, Great Britain having long been
engaged in an arduous struggle in Europe, was totally
unprepared to protect the Canadas with that force
which an extended frontier of eight hundred miles*
demanded ; and Major-General Brock, who was admi-
nistering the civil as well as the military government
of the Upper Province, could scarcely collect fifteen
hundred regular troops for its immediate defence.
With this very inadequate force, it was the opinion of
the highest authorities that the Province could not
be maintained ; but fortunately the major-general had
so gained on the affections of all within his control,
that, in the trying period of invasion, the Upper Cana-
dians, with few exceptions, displayed a zealous and
even enthusiastic loyalty, which surprised those most
who believed they knew them best. These excep-
tions occurred in the western districts, far removed
from the seat of government, and which were the

* From Qiiel)ec to Aiiilierstl)iir;?li, at the head of Lakft Erie.

At the opening of the war in .July, 1HI2, the regular force in the Canailas
consisted of s('V(!n resinicnts of infantry, tiuce of wliich were fencihlc hat-
tahons, one of veterans or invalids, and a dptuhinint of artilli'ry, anioiinting
in all to less than four thousand five hundred miii. The incorporated uulitiaof
the two provinces probably amounted to an ((luai number.— ^^udWtr/// Uevicw,

I»

MEMOru OF SIR ISAAC BROCK.

more subject to hostile influence, as the population
was partly composed of natives of the United States,
or their descendants ; but there the machinations of
the evil-disposed were quickly counteracted by that
good spirit which animated the people generally, and
Major-General Brock soon experienced the gratifica-
tion of receiving voluntary offers of service from the
militia most easily embodied. In the attainment of
this important object gentlemen of the first character
and respectability eagerly came forward ; and no
sooner had the British commander reached Amherst-
burgh, than he was joined by the Indian warriors
in considerable numbers, among whom the gallant
Te-cum-seh was conspicuous. The Americans com-
plained loudly of the employment of men whom they
termed savages ; but the major-general, with his
limited means, could not consistently refuse the assist-
ance of such willing and useful auxiliaries, the more
particularly as, in compliance with his wishes, they
submitted in some degree to the restraints of discipline,
and promised to treat their prisoners with huma-
nity, — a promise which they faithfully performed.

The American government, previously to its decla-
ration of w^ar, had detached to the Michigan territory
an army of about two thousand five hundred men,
under the command of Brigadier-General Hull, who,
said the president in his message to congress, "pos-
sessing discretionary authority to act offensively,
passed into Upper Canada with a prospect of easy
and victorious progress." The enemy evidently con-
fided in the very limited defensive means of the
Province, and in the impossibility of its receiving
early assistance from the mother country. They
relied also on the supposed disaffection of many of

pulatioii
States,
tions of
by that
11 y, and
ratitica-
'om the
neiit of
laracter
and no
mherst-
varriors
gallant
s com-
im they
ith his
5 assist-
e more
s, thev
:;ipline,
huma-
ed.

decla-
rritory
men,
who,
pos-
sively,
easy
con-
)f the
eiving
They
ny of

((

MEMOIR OF SIR ISAAC BROCK.

its inhabitants, and they anticipated confidently that,
weak and divided, it would fall an easy prey to the
invaders ; but they were soon undeceived. Having
reached the village of Sandwich, Brigadier- General
Hull issued on the 12th of July an ably written
proclamation to the Canadians, from which the fol-
lowing extract deserves to be recorded here. " Had
I," he observed, '* any doubt of eventual success,
I might ask your assistance ; but I do not. I come
prepared for every contingency. I have a force which
will look down all opposition, and that force is but
the vanguard of a much greater. If, contrary to
your interest and the just expectation of my country,
you should take part in the approaching contest, you
will be considered and treated as enemies, and the
horrors and calamities of war will stalk before you.
If the barbarous and savage policy of Great Britain
be pursued, and the savages be let loose to murder
our citizens and butcher our women and children,
this war will be a war of extermination. The first
stroke of the tomahawk, the first attempt with the
scalping knife, will be the signal of one indiscriminate
scene of desolation. No white man found fighting by
the side of an Indian will be taken prisoner, — instant
destruction will be his lot. If the dictates of reason,
duty, justice, and humanity, cannot prevent the em-
ployment of a force which respects no rights and
knows no wrong, it will be prevented by a severe
and relentless system of retaliation." Major-General
Brock, in a counter proclamation, assured the inha-
bitants ** that Great Britain would consider the execu-
tion of this inhuman threat as deliberate murder, for
which every subject of the offending power must
make expiation ;" and, alluding to the Indians, added :

'fi;

MEMOIR OF SIR ISAAC BROCK.

** By what ne\y principle are they to be prevented
from defending tlieir property ? If their warfare,
from being different to that of white people, be more
terrible to the enemy, let him retrace his steps. They
seek him not, and cannot expect to find women and
children in an invading army ; but they are men, and
have equal rights with all other men to defend them-
selves and their property when invaded."

The deeds of the American general, however, but
ill accorded with his boasted and real superiority of
force ; and as his threats had not the effect which he
intended, it had been better in him to have withheld
them. After wasting nearly a month in preparjitions
for .the siege of Fort Amherstburgh, and not meeting
with the welcome from the inhabitants in the neigh-
bourhood which he had fondly anticipated, he retraced
his steps precipitately to Fort Detroit, whither he
returned with his army on the 8tli of August. Major-
General Brock reached Amherstburgh by water on
the 13th, with a reinforcement of three hundred men,
chiefly militia, having traversed Lake Erie in open
boats, when he immediately determined on following
the enemy into his own territory, and on attempting,
by a sudden and resolute attack, the annihilation of
his power in that quarter. With this view the troops
marched with the utmost expedition to Sandwich,
where a few guns were placed in battery, from which
a fire was opened against Fort Detroit on the 1 5th of
August. On this day Major- General Brock trans-
mitted a summons to his adversary, in which he
declared, " that the force at his disposal authorised
him to require the immediate surrender of Fort
Detroit, and that he was disposed to enter into such
conditions as would satisfy the most scrupulous sense

MEMOIR OF SIR ISAAC BROCK.

^»

evented
warfare,
be more
, They
len and
I en, and
d them-

rer, but

ority of

hich he

k^ithheld

orations

meeting

neigh-

e traced

her he

Major-

ter on

men,

open

owing

ipting,

ion of

roops

dwich,

which

5th of

trans-

ch he

orised

Fort

such

sense

of honor." Brigadier-General Hull rejihed, on the
same day, that he was prepared to meet any force
which might be at the disposal of the British general ;
•who, nothing daunted, and contrary to the opinion of
the next in command, issued orders to cross the strait,
or river, which is here about three fourths of a mile
in width, on the following morning, in the liope of
inducing the enemy to meet his little force in the
field. Accordingly, at the first blush of dawn, on
Sunday the IGth of August, thirty men of the royal
artillery, two hundred and fifty of the 41st regiment,
fifty of the Newfoundland regiment, together three
hundred and thirty regulars, with four Imndred militia
and about six hundred Indians, were embarked, with
five pieces of light artillery, in boats and canoes of
every description, and soon effected a landing without
opposition ; the white troops at Springwell, three
miles below Detroit, and the Indians two miles lower
down. The former marched tow'ards the fort, along
the banks of the river, while the latter moved forward
through the woods, and covered the left flank. We
learn from Morse's American Geography, on the
acknowledged authority of Governor Hull, that Fort
Detroit, in 1810, was a regular work of an oblong
figure, "covering about an acre of ground. The
parapets were about twenty feet in height, built of
earth and sods, with four bastions, the whole sur-
rounded with pallisadoes, a deep ditch, and glacis. It
stood immediately back of the town, and had strength
to withstand a regular siege, but did not command
the river." And as the American government had
been for some time secretly preparing for war, it may
be safely inferred, that in the mean while this fort
had been rather strengthened than permitted to fall

MEMOIR OF SIR ISAAC BROCK.

t i

to decay, and that it was at least as tenable in 1812
as when Governor Hull, two years before, gave the
preceding description of its defences. The enemy's
effective force was estimated at nearly two thousand
five hundred men, and, supported as they were by a
neighbouring fortress, it required no little daring to
pursue them on their own ground with such unequal
numbers. Having received information on landing
that a detachment of three hundred and fifty men
had left the garrison a day or two previously, and
learning soon after that this detachment had been
seen that morning within a few miles on its return,
Major-General Brock decided on an immediate attack.
Contrary to his expectation, the Americans abandoned
a favorable position strengthened by pickets and two
twenty-four pounders, and retreated into the fort on
the advance of the British. Ascertaining that the
enemy had taken little precaution on the land side,
the major-general resolved on attempting to carry the
fort by assault. While the various columns were
forming for that purpose, a flag of truce, borne by
Captain Hull, was unexpectedly seen emerging from
the fort, — Lieut. -Colonel M'Donell and Captain Glegg
accompanied him back ; and shortly after the British
troops marched in with Major-General Brock at their
head, the American general having assented to a
capitulation, by which the Michigan territory. Fort
Detroit, with thirty -three pieces of cannon,* the
Adams vessel of war, and about two thousand five
hundred troops, including one company of artillery,
some cavalry, and the entire 4th U. S. regiment of
infantry, were surrendered to the British arms. To

* Incliidin^i; six or pight brass field pieces, captured with General Burgoyne
at Saratoga, in 1777 ; some of whicli were retaken by the Americans at the
battle of the Thames, in October, 1SI3.

MEMOIR OF SIR ISAAC BROCK.

•^r

-fcD

British
their
to a
Fort
the
five
llery,
nt of
To

rgojne
at the

this surrender the after preservation of Upper Canada
at least, may in a j^reat measure be ascribed, as it
caused a delay of nearly a whole year in the meditated
invasion, imparted confidence to the Canadian miUtia,
and secured the support of some of the Indian tribes,
who were wavering as to the side they should espouse.
The conduct of Brigadier -General Hull is almost
inexpHcable, and can only be accounted for by the
supposition that the boldness of his adversary's move-
ments led him to believe he had to contend with far
greater numbers ; or, that having threatened to refuse
quarter to the wliite man found fighting by the side
of the Indian, he was apprehensive, in the event of
defeat, that this threat would be visited with severe
retaliation, particularly by the Indians, whose fury,
in a successful assault, it might have been very diffi-
cult to restrain. To their honor, however, be it
said, that although they took a few prisoners on the
advance, the enemy sustained no loss of life beyond
that caused by the British batteries ; and in general
orders at Detroit they were told, that in nothing could
they testify more strongly their love to the king,
their great father, than in following the dictates of
honor and humanity by which they had hitherto
been actuated. Leaving a small force in the captured
post to keep tlie inhabitants in awe, Major-General
Brock hastened to Niagara, a command he had only
relinquished for the purpose of undertaking an achieve-
ment which his energy and decision crowned with
such unqualified success. His services, on this occa-
sion, were on the 10th of October rewarded with the
order of the Bath ; but he lived not long enough to
learn that he had obtained so gratifying a distinction,
the knowledge of which would have cheered him in

■f

I'll

If,

MEMOIR OF SIR ISAAC BROCK.

his last moments. Singularly enough his dispatches,
accompanied by the colours of the U. S. 4th regi-
ment, reached London early on the morning of the
Gtli of October, the anniversary of his birth. One of
his brothers, who was residing in the vicinity, was
asked by his wife why the park and tower guns were
saluting. "For Isaac, of course," he replied; "do
you not know that this is his birth-day ?" And when
he came to town he learnt, with emotions which may
be easily conceived, that what he had just said in jest
was true in reality, little thinking, however, that all
his dreams, all his anticipations of a beloved brother's
increasing fame and prosperity would that day week,
one short week, be entombed

"Where Niagara stuns with tluind'ring sound."

The unfortunate General Hull, on his return to the
United States, was tried by a court martial and con-
demned to death ; but the sentence was remitted by
the president, in consideration of his age and services
during the war of independence.* His name was,
however, struck off the rolls of the army. His son,
and aid-de-camp at Detroit, Captain Hull, was killed
in July, 1814, in the hard-fought battle near the falls
of Niagara.

The successful commander, in transmitting his dis-
patches to the governor-general at Montreal, expressed
his intention of proceeding immediately with his gal-
lant little army to Kingston, and from thence to the
attack of the naval arsenal at Sackett's Harbour,
on Lake Ontario. Had its destruction been accom-
plished, — and no one can doubt that this was the
proper period to attempt it, as the enemy, dispirited
by the capture of Detroit, would probably have offered

* For his revolutionary services, see Appendix A, Section 2.

UEMOTR OF STR ISAAC HROCK.

patches,
th regi-
; of the
One of
ity, was
ms were
d; "do
nd when
ich may
I in jest
that all
rother's
y week,

1 to the
nd con-
tted by
services
le was,
is son,
5 killed
he falls

lis dis-
Dressed
lis gal-
to the
irbour,
iccom-
as the
pirited
Difered

hut a feeble resistance, — the Americans couhl nol,
witliout much additional dithcultv, have built and
equipped the fleets, which subsequently gave them
the naval ascendency on those waters. But unhap-
pily for the interests of his country and for the
credit of his own fame. Sir George Prevost, whose
civil administration was as able as his military one in
Canada was inefficient, disapproved of the contem-
plated enterprise, and commanded Major-General
Brock to remain on the Niagara frontier. We seek not
to impugn his motives, as they doubtless originated
in a sense of duty, however mistaken, and evidently
from an impression that to attack the Americans again
on their own territory would be to render the contest
more popular among them.* Forbearance in war,
when success is probable, is a positive evil that a very
doubtful good may ensue, — it is seldom properly
appreciated ; and the governor-general appears to
have seen his error when too late, as in the following
year he was himself somewhat ignobly foiled in an
attack on Sackett's Harbour. At the same time it is
due to the memory of this unfortunate officer to add,
that although his conduct on two or three occasions
was the subject of much and just animadversion in
England J yet he acquired the attachment of the French
Canadians, who speak highly of him to this day.
Certain it is, on the other hand, that Major-General
Brock, thus frustrated in his intention and restricted
to defensive warfare, felt the disappointment most
acutely ; and subsequent events too truly proved that
had he been permitted to pursue that course which his
zeal and foresight dictated, his valuable life might
have been spared, and a very different series of inci-

• Appendix A, Section 1, No. 2.

MEMOIH OF SlU ISAAC HROCK.

dents ill that war claimed the attention of the liistorian.
rhe hiij;h-ininded soicher (.'oiild not hrooU a state ol
inaction with sucii promising j)rosi)ects before him.
His best feelinii;s revolted at being comi)elled to lan-
guish witiiin the strict pale of military obedience,
when so rich a field for doing good service presented
itself; and in place of becoming the assailant, he was
soon doomed, by awaiting the attacks of his oppo-
nents, to sacrifice not only life, but, what is far dearer,
the opening prospects of honorable ambition.

The Americans, burning to wipe away the stain of
their recent discointiture, and apparently determined
to penetrate into Upper Canada at any risk, concen-
trated with those views, along the Niagara river, an
army, by their own account, of about six thousand
men, partly militia, under the command of Major-
General Van Renssalaer. To oppose this force Major-
General Brock, whose head quarters were at Fort
George, had under his immediate orders part of
the 4 1st and 49th regiments, a few companies of
militia, and from two to three hundred Indians, in all
about fifteen hundred men, but so dispersed in different
posts at and between Fort Erie and Fort George,*
(thirty-four miles apart,) that only a small number
was quickly available at any one point. Under these
circumstances it was impossible to prevent the landing
of the hostile troops when favored by the obscurity of
the night ; they crossed over from Lewistown in a
considerable body before daybreak, on the 13tli of
October, and after some loss, gained possession of the
shore near Queenston, a pretty village, seven miles
from Fort George. The cataract of Niagara is sup-

* On the opposite or American shore stands Fort Niagara, '.vliicli, while in
the hands of tlie Froncii, was the scene of so many coiitlicts. Tiie -liUh regi-
ment assisteil at the rediictinn of this fort, in Jnly, 17)9 !

J'S

MEMOIR OF SIR ISAAC BROCK.

])osed to have commenced on the adjacent heights,
and to have gradually receded, or worn its way back-
wards to its present site seven miles above, the banks
of the river on both sides between the two spots being
precipitous, chietly of solid rock, and of the same
height as the fall. For some days the British com-
mander suspected that the enemy meditated an attack,
and the evening previously he called his staff together,
and gave to each the necessary instructions. Agree-
ably to his usual custom he arose before daylight,
and, hearing the report of cannon and musketry,
H directed Major-General Sheaffe to bring up the troops
as soon as they were assembled. He then galloped
eagerly from Fort George to the scene of action, and,
on his arrival there at a quarter before seven, found
the flank companies only of the 49th regiment, w4th
a few of the militia, warmly engaged with the enemy.
The light company, under Captain Williams, was on
the road leading up the heights watching the enemy
below, and the grenadiers, under Captain Dennis, the
senior officer, were guarding the village and covering
two three pounders, whose fire swept the banks of
the river. The general rode up the hill in front of
the light company under a tremendous fire of artillery
and musketry from the American shore. Soon after
the enemy gained possession, by a fisherman's path-
way, of the summit of the heights, and the light
company was compelled, by dint of numbers, to
retreat slowly down the hill into the village of Queen-
ston, where they formed across a street, while the
grenadiers came up with the three pounders, and
formed on the right of the enemy. Sir Isaac Brock,
observing the Americans to waver, ordered a charge,
which he personally accompanied, but, as they gave

I » !l

MEMOIU OF SilK ISAA( MU()( K.

way, the result was not c([ual to liis expectations.
Retreating on their main l)ody, the whole o|)ene(l a
heavy tire of musketry ; and conspicuous from his
dress, liis heigiit, and the enthusiasm with whicli he
animated his little band, the British commander was
soon singled out by their ritlemen, whose celebrity for
unerring aim was never more cruelly justified. While
within pistol shot of the American lines, about an
hour after his arrival, the fatal bullet entered his right
breast, and passed through his left side. He lived
only long enough to utter this dying exhortation :
"My fall must not be noticed, or impede my brave
companions from advancing to victory !" and then to
express a wish that some token of remembrance,
which could not be distinctly understood, should be
transmitted to his sister. On the same day, a week
previously, he had completed his forty-third year.
The lifeless corpse was immediately conveyed into a
house at Queenston, where it remained until the
afternoon unperceived by the enemy. His provincial
aid-de-camp, Lieut. -Colonel M'Donell, of the militia,
a fine promising young man, and the attorney-general
of Upper Canada, was mortally wounded nearly at the
same instant as his chief, and died the next day at
the early age of twenty-four. Although one ball had
passed through his body, and he was wounded in four
places, yet he survived twenty hours, and, during a
period of excruciating agony, his words and thoughts
were constantly occupied with lamentations for his
deceased commander and friend.

The flank companies having suffered considerably,
and both their captains being severely wounded, the
disputed ground was lost soon after the fall of the
general. The Americans remained in quiet possession

['tations.

peiu'd a

mm his

hicli he

idcr was

brity for

While

bout an

lis right

le lived

rtation :

ly brave

then to

ibrance,

lould be

a week

d year.

1 into a

itil the

ovincial

militia,

general

at the

day at

)all had

in four

iring a

oughts

for his

erably,
d, the
of the
session

MEMOIR OF SIR ISAAC IIUOCK.

of tlie heights and village if Quoenston for some
hours, during which they were hut partially reinforced,
as their militia could not be iiuhiced, either bv threat
or entreaty, to cross the liver. In the mean while
Major-General Sheaffe* collected a force from Fort
George and Chippewa, and in the afternoon com-
menced an attack on the enemv. The Jiiitish, now
equal in number, and superior in discipline, easily
drove the invaders from their })osition at the point of
the bayonet. Pressed to the edge of the precii)icc
which overhangs the river, they fought with despe-
ration for a moment, but quickly discovering that
resistance was hopeless, the greater part threw down
their arms, and called for quarter. Of those who
attempted to escape into the woods, some were soon
driven back by the Indians ; while others, cut off in
their return to the main body, and terrified at the
sight of these exasperated warriors, flung themselves
wildly over the cliffs, and endeavoured to cling to
the bushes which grew upon them, but many, losing
their hold, were dashed frightfully on the rocks
beneath ; and several who reached the river perished
in their attempts to swim across it. Such, alas, are
the dreadful horrors too often arising from human
warfare ! Few returned to tell the tale of their
disaster, and upwards of nine hundred men, with
their commander, Brigadier-General Wadsworth, re-
mained as prisoners. The death of the British
general is said to have cost the invaders many a
life on that day which otherwise had been spared.
The detachment of the 49th above all, in the excite-

* Tliis officer was made a baronet after the battle of Queenston ; he is a
native of New England, and was succeeded in 181 :<, in the connnand of Uppc r
Canada, by Major-General l)e Kottenbiirji^h, a German, we believe, who was
in his turn soon superseded by Lieut. -General (now Sir Gordon) Drunnnond.

MEMOIR OF SIR ISAAC BROCK.

ment arising from the loss of their late heloved
colonel, fought with such animosity that the few
Americans, who escaped to their own shore, described
them to their companions as the "green tigers,"
from their green facings ; and the fame of their
desperate prowess, on this occasion, W'as long re-
membered by the enemy's invading army. But the
success, though complete, was felt by the victors as
a poor compensation for the fate of the British chief-
tain, thus prematurely cut off in the midst of his
career ; and the sorrow manifested throughout both
provinces proved that those who rejoiced in the result
of this second invasion would gladly have foregone
the triumph, if by such means they could have
regained him who rendered the heights of Queenston
memorable by his fall.

' ' The news of the death of this excellent officer
(observed the Quebec Gazette) has been received
here as a public calamity. The attendant circum-
stances of victory scarcely checked the painful sen-
sation. His long residence in this province, and
particularly in this place, had made him in habits
and good offices almost a citizen ; and his frankness,
conciliatory disposition, and elevated demeanour, an
estimable one. The expressions of regret as general
as he was known, and not uttered by friends and
acquaintance only, but by every gradation of class,
not only by grow^n persons, but young children, are
the test of his worth. Such too is the only eulogium
worthy of the good and brave, and the citizens of
Quebec have, with solemn emotions, pronounced it
on his memory. But at this anxious moment other
feelings are excited by his loss. General Brock had
acquired the confidence of the inhabitants within

MEMOIR OF SIR ISAAC BROCK.

jeloved
he few
scribed
tigers,"
if their
>ng re-
3ut the
iters as
1 chief-
of his
lit both
e result
oregone
d have
eenston

t officer

•eceived

circum-

ul sen-

e, and

habits

fikness,

3ur, an

general

ds and

class,

en, are

logium

ens of

iced it

other

k had

within

his government. He had secured their attachment
permanently by his own merits. They were one
people animated by one disposition, and this he
had gradually wound up to the crisis in which they
were placed. Strange as it may seem, it is to be
feared that he had become too important to them.
The heroic militia of Upper Canada, more particularly,
had knit themselves to his person ; and it is yet to be
ascertained whether the desire to avenge his death
can compensate the many embarrassments it will
occasion." A Montreal newspaper of the day also
contained the following observations: "The private
letters from Upper Canada, in giving the account of
the late victory at Queenston, are partly taken up
with encomiastic lamentations upon the never-to-be-
forgotten General Brock, which do honor to the
character and talents of the man they deplore. The
enemy have nothing to hope from the loss they have
inflicted ; they have created a hatred which panteth
for revenge. Although General Brock may be said
to have fallen in the midst of his career, yet his
previous services in Upper Canada will be lasting and
highly beneficial. When he assumed the government
of the province he found a divided, disaffected, and,
of course, a weak people. He has left them united
and strong, and the universal sorrow of the Province
attends his fall. The father, to his children, will
make known the mournful story. The veteran, who
fought by his side in the heat and burthen of the day
of our deliverance, will venerate his name." And
the sentiments of the British government, on the
melancholy occasion, were thus expressed in a dis-
patch from Earl Bathurst, the secretary of state for
the colonies, to Sir George Prevost : — "His Royal

•I >

.IS

')')

MEMOIR OF SIR ISAAC BROCK.

, I

Highness the Prince Regent is fully aware of the
severe loss which his Majesty's service has expe-
rienced in the death of Major-General Sir Isaac Brock.
This would have heen sufficient to have clouded a
victory of much greater importance. His Majesty
has lost in him not only an ahle and meritorious
officer, hut one who, in the exercise of his functions
of provisional lieutenant-governor of the province,
displayed qualities admirahly adapted to awe the
disloyal, to reconcile the wavering, and to animate
the great mass of the inhabitants against successive
attempts of the enemy to invade the province, in the
last of which he unhappily fell, too prodigal of that
Ufe of which his eminent services had taught us to
understand the value."

The Canadian boat songs are wxll known for their
plaintive and soothing effect, and a very beautiful one
w^as composed on the death of Major-General Brock.
The writer of this memoir, while sailing one evening
in the straits of Canso, in British North America, the
beautiful and pictures(iue scenery of which greatly
increased the effect of the words, remembers to have
heard it sung by a Canadian boatman, and he then
thought that he had never listened to vocal sounds
more truly descriptive of melancholy and regret.

Sir Isaac Brock, after lying in state at the govern-
ment house, where his body was bedewed with the
tears of many affectionate friends, was interred, with
every military honor, at Fort George, in a cavalier
bastion, which he had suggested, and which had been
just finished under his daily superintendence. His
surviving aid-de-camp, Major J. B. Glegg, at the
same time recollecting the decided aversion of the
general to every thing that bore the appearance of

■(

MEMOIR OF SIR ISAAC BROCK.

of the
s expe-
t Brock,
juded a
Majesty
•itorious
inctions
rovince,
Lwc the
animate
ccessive
!, in the

of that
it us to

•or their
tiful one

Brock,
evening
ica, the
reatly

o have
le then

sounds

govern-
itli the
d, witli
[cavalier
id been
. His
at the
of the
mce of

ostentatious display, endeavoured to clothe the dis-
tressing ceremony with all his native simplicity.
Such was the esteem in which he was held by the
enemies of his countrv, for he had or could have no
personal enemies, that Major-General Van Renssalaer,
in a letter of condolence, informed Major-General
Sheatfe that immediately after the funeral solemnities
were over on the British side, a compliment of minute
guns would be paid to his memory on theirs ! ! ! Ac-
cordingly, the cannon at Fort Niagara were fired,
" as a mark of respect due to a brave enemy." How
much is it then to be regretted that we should ever
come into collision with those who possess the same
origin and the same language as ourselves, and who,
by this generous feeling and conduct, proved that
they are a liberal, as they undoubtedly are a gallant,
people ; and may the future rivalry of both powers
be, not for the unnatural destruction of each other,
but for the benefit of mankind.* No words can bet-
ter express the favorable opinion entertained by the
Americans of the deceased than the language of their
president, Madison, who, alluding to the battle of
Queenston in his annual message to congress, ob-
served : "Our loss has been considerable, and is
deeply to be lamented. That of the enemy, less
ascertained, will be the more felt, as it includes
amongst the killed the commanding general, who was
also the governor of the province."

Nature had been very bountiful to Sir Isaac Brock

* The Americans have been frcciuently traduced for dcclarini); war with
Great Britain wlien tlio {j'^atei" Y'axX. of Europe was arrayed aj^aiiist tier, Ijut
wc imist admit, in common candour, that tiiey had received many provo-
cations ; their citizens had been impressed, tlicir sliips captured, their
commerce restrained, and, above all, their coasts had been iusnited ; and
national warfare has yet to be vvaK<'d on more ijencrous principles, if the
;it:;gres!3cd await the convenience of the aggrcs.io. .

I,' I

X
\

MEMOIR OF SIR ISAAC BROCK.

in those personal gifts which appear to such peculiar
advantage in the army, and at the first glance the
soldier and the gentleman were seen. In stature lie
was tall, erect, athletic, and well proportioned, although
in his latter years his figure was perhaps too portly ;
and when a young man, at the head of his company
of grenadiers, he attracted general observation by his
martial presence. His fine and benevolent counte-
nance w^as a perfect index of his mind, and his
manners w^ere courteous, frank, and engaging. His
character has already been so fully developed in the
preceding pages that it may appear superfluous to
add a brief sketch of its more prominent features.
Brave, liberal, and humane ; devoted to his sovereign,
and loving his country with romantic fondness ; in
command so gentle and persuasive, yet so firm, that
he possessed the rare faculty of acquiring both the
respect and the attachment of all who served under
him. When urged by some friends, shortly before
his death, to be more careful of his person, he replied :
" How can I expect my men to go where I am afraid
to lead them ;" and although perhaps his anxiety
ever to shew a good example, by being foremost in
danger, induced him to expose himself more than
strict prudence or formality warranted, yet, if he
erred on this point, his error was that of a soldier.
Elevated to the government of Upper Canada, he
reclaimed the disaffected by mildness, and fixed the
wavering by argument ; and having no national par-
tialities to gratify, that rock on which so many
provincial governors have split, he meted equal favor
and justice to all. British born subjects soon felt
convinced that with him their religion or their birth
place was no obstacle to their advancement. Even

MEMOIR OF SIR ISAAC BROCK.

peculiar
nee the
ture lie
Ithough
portly ;
ompany
I by his
counte-
md his
5. His
I in the
nous to
eatures,
i^ereign,
ess ; in
m, that
oth the
i under
' before
replied :
afraid
anxiety
nost in
than
if he
soldier,
da, he
ed the
al par-
many
favor
)n felt
birth
Even

over the minds of the Indians Sir Isaac Brock gained
an ascendancy altogether unexampled, and which he
judiciously exercised for purposes conducive equally
to the cause of humanity and to the interests of his
country. He engaged them to throw aside the scalp-
ing knife, implanted in their breasts the virtues of
clemency and forbearance, and taught them to feel
pleasure and pride in the compassion extended to a
vanquished enemy. In return they revered him as
their common father, and whilst he lived were guilty
of no excesses. It is well known that this untutored
people, the children of the forests, value personal much
more highly than mental qualities, but the union
of both in their leader was happily calculated to im-
press their haughty and masculine minds with respect
and admiration ; and the speech delivered, after the
capture of Detroit, by the celebrated Te-cum-seh,*
who also fell during the war, is illustrative of the
sentiments with which he had inspired these warlike
tribes. " I have heard," observed that chief to him,
" much of your fame, and am happy to shake by the
hand a brave brother warrior. The Americans endea-
vour to give us a mean opinion of British generals,
but we have been the witnesses of your valour. In
crossing the river to attack the enemy, we observed
you from a distance standing the whole time in an
erect posture, and, when the boats reached the shore,
you were among the first who jumped on land. Your
bold and sudden movements frightened the enemy,
and you compelled them to surrender to half their
own force."

Of all the good qualities which adorned this accom-
plished soldier none was more prominent than his

* For a narrative of his life, &c., see coDclusion of Appendix.

MEMOIR OF SIR ISAAC HROCK.

decision, and it was ever under the guidance of a
sound judgment. His strong attachment to the ser-
vice, and particularly to his regiment, formed another
distinguishing feature in hi« character. There was a
correspondence of regard between him and his officers,
and even the non-commissioned officers and privates,
that produced the picture of a happy family. Those
extremities of punishment, which the exactions of
discipline will sometimes occasion, rarely reached his
men. He governed them by that sentiment of esteem
which he himself had created, and the consolation
was given him to terminate a brief but brilliant course
in the midst of his professional family. They per-
formed his last obsequies, and those who knew the
commander and his men will be convinced that on
the dav of his funeral there was an entire detachment
in tears.

It deserves to be recorded, as an instance of good
fortune, unprecedented perhaps in military annals,
and especially in a country where the advantage and
facility of escape were so great, that from the 5th of
August, the day on which Major-General Brock left
York for Detroit, to the period immediately preceding
the battle of Queenston, the force under his personal
command suffered no diminution in its numbers either
by desertion, natural death, or the sword. This com-
prehended a period of nearly ten weeks, during which
an army was captured, and a journey of several
hundred miles, by land and water, accomplished with
extreme rapidity.

In conclusion it is due to the memory of this excel-
lent man to declare that, eminent and undisputed as
were his public virtues, he was no less estimable in
private life. In his own family he was the object of

1 1

)■

3e of a
;he ser-
another
e was a
officers,
rivates,
Those
ions of
heel his
' esteem
solation
t course
ley per-
lew the
that on
ichment

of good

annals,

age and

5th of

Dck left

eceding

ersonal

either
is com-

whicli
several
;d with

excel-
uted as
able in
)ject of

MEMOIR OF SIR ISAAC BROCK.

the warmest affection, and his servants carefully pre-
served relics of their dear master, as they style hiui
to this da^^ His cares and anxieties had no reference
to the wei'th he should amass, but to the sum of
human mif^ery he might relieve ; and towards the
close of lis brief career, as the prospect of increasing
honors ard emoluments opened to his view, he con-
templated his good fortune only as the means of
diffusing felicity, of drying the tear of affliction.
Indeed so totally devoid was he of every mercenary
consideration, that although he enjoyed an ample
income from his appointments, by which he might
have been enriched, or at least repaid for the purchase
of his commissions, yet he left literally nothing but
his fair name behind him. Some of his nearest rela-
tives have since been cut off" more prematurely, and
far more cruelly than himself; but those who still
survive him possess the never -failing consolation
which arises from the remembrance of his virtues,
and from the reflection that, though his blessed spirit
hath fled for ever from this world, they may meet
again in the mansions of futurity.

Though the dead heed not human praise, yet the
living act wisely in commemorating the fall of a
distinguished chief, — the example is never thrown
away, — and on this occasion it is gratifying to reflect,
that every posthumous honor was paid to the memory
of one who had merited the distinction so well. A
public monument, having been decreed by the impe-
rial parliament, was raised a few years since in St.
Paul's, and a view of it is said to have awakened in
an astonished Indian more surprise and admiration
than any thing he witnessed in England.* To " the

* Ap|H>n(U\ A, Section I, No. II.

' ,*

■:<|(

MEMOIR OF SIR ISAAC BROCK.

hero of Upper Canada," as he is still termed in that
country, the provincial legislature has recently erected
a lofty column on Queenston heights, to which his
remains, and those of his gallant aid-de-camp, were
removed from Fort George in solemn procession, on
the 13th of October, 1824.* Although twelve years
had elapsed since the interment, the body of the
general had undergone little change, his features being
nearly perfect and easily recognised, while that of
Lieut. -Colonel M'Donell was in a complete mass of
decomposition. One of his regimental companions.
Colonel Fitzgibbon, in transmitting a detail of the
ceremonies of the day, thus pathetically expressed
himself: "Nothing, certainly, could exceed the inte-
rest manifested by the people of the province upon
the occasion ; and numbers from the neighbouring
state of New York, by their presence and conduct,
proved how highly the Americans revere the memory
of our lamented chief. Of the thousands present not
one had cause to feel so deeply as I, and I fell as if
alone, although surrounded by the multitude. He
had been more than a father to me in that regiment
which he ruled like a father, and I alone of his old
friends in that regiment was present to embalm with
a tear his last honored retreat. What I witnessed
on this day would have fully confirmed me in the
opinion, had confirmation been wanting, that the
public feeling in this province has been permanently
improved and elevated by Sir Isaac Brock's conduct
and actions while governing its inhabitants. These,
together with his dying in their defence, have done

* A nmiiificent tyrant of twelve thousand acres of land in Upper Canada
was also bestowed by the Provincial Le<^islature on Sir Isaac Brock's four
surviving brothers, who in addition were allowed a pension for life of Two
Hundred Pounds a year each, by a vote of the British Parliament.

MEMOIR OF SIR ISAAC BROCK.

in that

erected

ich his

p, were

ion, on

e years

of the

!S being

that of

nass of

anions,

of the

pressed

le inte-

e upon

Douring

Dnduct,

lemory

mt not

It as if

;. He

giment

lis old

n with

nessed

in the

the

nently

)nduct

These,

done

Canada
jk's four

of Two
It.

more towards cementing our union with tlie mother
country than any event or circumstance smce t!ie
existence of the province. Of this our leading men
are aware, and are careful to seize every opportunity
of preserving recollections so productive of good
efiects." The height of the column, which commands
a view of the surrounding country for about fifty
miles, is from the base to the summit one hundred
and twenty-seven feet, and from the level of the
Niagara river, which runs nearly under it, four hun-
dred and seventy-seven feet. The following inscription
is engraven on this splendid tribute to the unfading
remembrance of a grateful people : —

UPPKR CANADA

HAS DEDICATED THIS MONUMENT

TO THE MEMORY OF THE LATE

MA.IOR- GENERAL SIR ISA.*C BROCK, KB.

PROVISIONAL LIEUT.. GOVERNOR AND COMMANDER Ol' THE FORCES

IN THIS PROVINCE,

WHOSE REMAINS ARE DEPOSITED IN THE VAULT BENEATH.

OPPOSING THE INVADING ENEMY,

HE FELL IN ACTION NEAR THESE HEIGHTS,

ON THE 13th OCTOBER, 1812,

IN THE 43r(l YEAR OF HIS AGE,

REVERED AND LAMENTED

BY THE PEOPLE WHOM HE GOVERNED,

AND DEPLORED BY THE SOVEREIGN

TO WHOSE SERVICE HIS LIFE HAD BEEN DEVOTED.

February, 1832.

II III

■

\\\

M E M O 1 li

TUK LATE

LIEUT. E. W. TUPPER, of II. M. S. SYBILI.E.

By deadly suflferinps now no more opprcss'd,
Mount, dc.ir William, to tliy tlcstin'd rest ;
While I, — reversed our nature's kindlier donni, —
Pour forth a brother's sorrows on thy tomb.

rnrnphi-'isf.

The subject of this memoir, the third son of John E.
Tupper, Esq., by his wife, Elizabeth, daughter of
John Brock, Esq., was born in the island of Guernsey.
Having received the rudiments of his education at
Harrow, where, although so young, he was remarked
for an ardent love of reading, united to a very reten-
tive memory, he commenced his naval career in the
Victory, of 110 guns, under the care and patronage
of the present Lord De Saumarez, with whom he
continued in the Baltic until he struck his flag.
Being sent occasionally to serve in smaller vessels for
the greater fPiCility of acquiring practical seamanship,
he in one instance narrowly escaped a watery grave,
the Bellette, 18-gun brig, being lost with all her crew,
excepting five, the cruise after he left her to rejoin
the flag ship. Having wintered on that station in
1812 in the Ranger, of 28 guns, Captain Acklom, he
was employed in that ship early the following spring,
in the reduction of Dantzic, then occupied by a

t i

't,

t»

I .

:V2

MEMOIR OF LIEUT. TUl'PER.

French garrison. He served on the American coast,
during tiie latter part of the war, in the Asia, 74, and
was present at the disastrous attack of New Orleans,
on the 8th of January, 1815, forming one of a party
under Captain Rowland Money, landed from the fleet
to co-operate with the army. On the night of the
storm, this party, in conjunction with the 8jth Light
Infantry, under Colonel Thornton, attacked some
fortified works on the right bank of the Mississippi,
and were completely successful after sustaining a tri-
fling loss, but the failure of the main assault rendered
this success unavailing. The cannon on these out-
works appear to have enfiladed the principal defences
on the left bank of the river, the attempt to carry
which cost the army so many men ; and had the
main assault been deferred until these guns could be
turned against the garrison, the city would probably
have been captured. In the same year he joined the
flag ship of Sir Thomas Fremantle, who, having been
an intimate friend of his late uncle, Sir Isaac Brock,
kindly assured him of his influence and support ; but
ere he had attained the requisite age for promotion,
peace took place and blighted all the bright prospects
with which he entered the service. In November,
1817, on his return in the Active frigate. Captain
Philip Carteret,* from the Jamaica station, he passed
at the Naval College at Portsmouth, and was one of
four midshipmen complimented as having undergone
a superior examination. In 1823 he v^as appointed
to the Revenge, 76, Sir Harry Neale's flag ship in
the Mediterranean, and took a passage to join her in
the Sybille, of 48 guns. Captain Yorke,t command-

* The late Sir Philip Carteret Sylvester, Bart, and C. B.
t The present Earl of Hartlwicke.

•an coast,
1, 74, and
Orleans,
i a party
I the fleet
bt of the
3th Liglit
ed some
ssissippi,
ing a tri-
rendered
lese out-
defences
to carry
had the
could be
probably
ined the
ing been
" Brock,
)rt; but
)motion,
rospects
vember,
Captain
3 passed
5 one of
dergone
)pointed
ship in
1 her in
ninand-

I !

. 1

J' I-.:-,- •

'■'

-■;' '■ , ■

.•#.'•.

•■■■-. '•■.;.■-■'

c
z
<

i i

■I

MEMOIR OF LIEUT. TUPPER.

5,"

2
<

c
c
<

ing the Alacrity brig, having apphed to Captain
Pechell, on the voyage from Gibraltar to Malta, for an
officer capable of taking charge of a watch, Mr. Tupper
was selected for that purpose. Captain Yorke wished
him to remain on board the brig, but he preferred
joining the flag ship, and a flattering testimonial of
Captain Yorke's approbation was found among his
papers, when received in Guernsey after his decease.
Being placed on the admiralty list for advancement,
through the interest of a relative residing in London,
he was, while at Smyrna, promoted from the Revenge
into the Seringapatam frigate ; but Captain Pechell*
was so satisfied with his conduct, during the short
period he was under his orders, that he prevailed
upon the admiral to transfer him to the Sybille, and
Lieutenant Tupper, as gladly as unfortunately for
himself, joined the latter ship, which was distinguished
on the station for superior gunnery and discipline.
She was wdiat is termed "a crack frigate;" her
commander was not only a scientific, but an expe-
rienced and zealous officer ; and young men of the first
families and interest were then serving under him.f

The S\bille w^as at Alexandria, on her way from
Malta to the coast of Syria, when intelligence was
received by Mr. Salt, the well know^n oriental traveller
and the British consul general in Egypt, of the plun-
der of a Maltese and a Sardinian vessel by a strong
party of Greek pirates, who had taken possession of a
small barren island on the southern coast of Candia,
and whose treatment of both the crews had been
attended with circumstances of great atrocity. Cap-

* Captain Pechell, C.IJ., succeeded to the baronetcy on the death of his
fiitiier, the 18tli June, 1820, on which day the lencontie at Candia took place.

t Some mention is made of the Syhille, her captain, and the attack of tiie
pirates at Candia in Wiiychcotte of St. John's. — Vide Appendiv IJ, No. 3.

H„

(

I!
•I

li'

MEMOIR OF LIEUT. TUPPEll.

I I

tain Pecliell set sail immediately in pursuit of these
lawless and desperate men. On Saturday the 17tli
of June, 182G,* being near Gozo, the boats were
dispatched to destroy some small vessels hauled up
on the beach, but, as a heavy surf was breaking there,
the crews could not land, and they coasted along,
followed by the frigate and by a large party of armed
Greeks, who anxiously watched their motions from
the shore, offering them, however, no molestation,
although within musket shot. In the evening the
boats were recalled, having been unable to effect a
landing. The ship stood off and on the coast of
Candia during the night, and early the following
morning two misticoes were observed under sail
standing towards her. On perceiving their mistake
they immediately made for the land, and, while in
chase of them, a rocky islet was unexpectedly disco-
vered under Cape Matala, on which were seen armed
men, the crews of three or four piratical misticoes,
which were secured to the rocks in a narrow creek,
called, by the English, Good Harbour, formed by the
islet and the main land of Candia. This island, the
Crete of the ancients, and the theatre of so much
contention and bloodshed in modern times, was in
possession of the Turks, some of whom were seen
from the Sybille, and were equally dreaded by the
Greeks, w^hose retreat to the main, had they been so
inclined, was thus effectually cut off. Candia rises
pre-eminently above the multitude of isles which
overspread the Egean, and the snowy tops of Mount
Ida are seen distinctly at sea from a distance of thirty

* Exactly thirty-two years after the Sybille was captured from the Frencli
in the Greek Arcliipclago, and fifty-one years after the attack of Hunker's
Hill, in which Lieutenant Tupper's great uncle, Major, afterwards Major-
Gencral, Tupper, commanded a battalion of marines.

MEMOIR OF LIEl'T. TUPPER.

Di" these

lie l/th

ts were

uled up

g there,

I along,

f armed

IS from

;station,

ing the

effect a

3oast of

)llowing

]er sail

mistake

»vhile in

y disco-

1 armed

isticoes,

creek,

by the

nd, the

much

was in

re seen

by the

been so

ia rises

which

Mount

f thirty

JO French
Bunker's

els Major-

miles. But of the hundred flourishing cities, which
it once contained, scarcely a vestige, with two or
three exceptions, now remains, so complete has been
the destruction brought on by war and Ottoman
barbarism. One of the misticoes ran into the creek,
and was followed by the frigate ; the otlier, finding
she could not reach the island without risk of capture,
bore up and escaped to leeward. On the approach
of the Sybille, Sir John Pcchell was informed by the
mate of a Greek schooner, wdiich was coming out of
the creek, that the position of the pirates was too
strong to be attacked with boats only, and that they
were determined to defend their vessels to the last
extremity. Their position was indeed well chosen,
the islet being exceedingly rocky and jorecipitous, and
from tw^o to three hundred armed men awaited the
attack under cover of the rocks and artificial stone
breast works on the summit, which completely com-
manded the creek. From this their " point d'appui"
they could espy and pounce upon any unfortunate
merchant vessel which approached the coast, and
when disengaged, they occasionally sallied forth and
committed depredations on the neighbouring Turkish
villages. It will soon be seen how resolutely they
defended themselves, and how much of the spirit of
ancient Greece they exhibited on this unfortunate
occasion. The suppression of piracy by British ships
of war had hitherto been attended with little loss,
being confined to the Greeks of the Morea and
Cyclades, not remarkable for courage ; and although
the Candiotes of either religion have always been
noted as the most daring and ferocious of the KSultan's
subjects, there was on this occasion, with so great a
disparity of force, no cause to apprehend so serious

til
f

■)S

MEMOIR OF LIEUT. TUPPER.

' I

\ f

and so successful a resistance. Captain Pechell, hav-
ing ascertained that the ship could be taken in, cast
anchor, with the boats in tow, at about noon in the
mouth of the creek ; and before the broadside could
be brought to bear by means of a spring on the cable,
Lieutenant Gordon impetuously dashed forward in
the barge with the view of boarding a mistico, which
was endeavouring to escape by the weather channel.
The captain intended that the boats should wait until
the frigate was ready to co-operate with them, and
he immediately recalled Lieutenant Gordon, but the
latter was either too eager to attack, or did not hear
the order ; and Lieutenant Tupper and the remaining
officers, who were still within hail of the ship, were
thus left in doubt as to the course they should pursue.
The other boats, however, quickly followed to sup-
port the barge, whose crew alone boarded and carried
the mistico ; but Lieutenant Gordon, Midshipman
Edmonstone, and every man, excepting one, being
killed or wounded, they were compelled to abandon
her, and aided by a light breeze off the shore, the
barge fortunately drifted out, and was towed on board
by the launch, Lieutenant Tupper pressing forward
to her assistance, although he was by this time him-
self desperately wounded. The boats, six in number,
having been exposed to a most murderous fire for
about a quarter of an hour, on returning to the
Sybille, presented, particularly the barge, the melan-
choly spectacle of a heap of dead and dying. Mid-
shipman J. M. Knox and twelve men were killed ;
Lieutenant Edward Gordon, dangerously ; Lieutenant
Tupper, mortally ; Midshipman William Edmonstone*

• A younger son of "the late Sir Charles Edmonstone, Bart., and grandson
of Lord Hothain.

MEMOIR OF LIEUT. TUPPER.

and Robert Lees,* both very severely; and twenty-
seven men wounded, oi" whom five died in a few days.
Mr. Knox, who was shot dead in the second cutter,
had, on a former occasion with the Greek bandits,
manifested much coohiess and courage when unex-
pectedly encountered by them with his boat's crew on
shore. M- . Edmonstone, another fine and gallant
young man of sixteen, and the only midshipman in
the barge, was dreadfully wounded in the chin, the
bullet carrying away several of his teeth ; and a ball is
said to have pierced the shoulder of Mr. Lees, who
was in the 'Irst cutter, and to have killed the coxswain
behind him. Lieutenants Gordon and Tupper were
the first and third of the ship, and the only officers of
that rank in the boats. The day of the attack was
the sabbath, and on the same day of the w^eek and
month, eleven years previously, was fought the battle
of Waterloo. Sir John Pechell now resolved to inflict
summary punishment for the slaughter of so many of
his crew ; two of the misticoes were quickly sunk,
and many of the pirates, who for a little time kept
up a brisk fusilade on the ship, were killed and
wounded by the frigate's guns, their dead bodies and
muskets being every where strewed among the rocks.
Their fire being silenced, they crowded towards their
boats, and attempted to escape by the weather channel ;
but as soon as the headmost boat became exposed to
the ship's guns, a well-directed fire of grape and
canister left her neither rower nor helmsman, and she
fell off towards the shore and sank in shallow water.
But humanity to one of her own crew at length
caused a cessation of the firing from the Sybille. A
marine, according to his own account, while in the

* A nephew of Sir Haicouit Lees, Bart.

■'1

'^■ii

ir i.

1 1

m! (

\ '^

■ f I'

'J'

; !

MEMOIR OF LIEUT. TU['1»ER.

act of cutting the cable of the mistico boarded from
the barge, was thrown on the rocks and stunned by
the violence of the shock. On coming to his senses
he found himself alone in a cave, and immediately
ran down towards the ship, from whence he was
recognised by his scarlet jacket, although intermingled
with the Greeks, who, when the firing ceased, brought
him to a projecting rock, and offered to restore him
unhurt if the attack were discontinued. There was
no alternative without the sacrifice of this man's life,
and the Sybille, having received him on board, weighed
anchor from this ill-fated spot, and immediately re-
turned to Malta to land her wounded. Great anxiety
was at first entertained for Lieutenant Gordon, two
balls having passed through, and a third lodged in,
his body, and being an excellent officer, he was highly
beloved by the whole ship's company. He was then,
unknown to himself, a commander, having been
promoted by the admiralty fifteen days before this
sanguinary affair, for his previous zeal and gallantry.
Although the pirates, behind their breastworks, de-
fended themselves in comparative security, yet, in
justice to them it should be added, that their chief
headed a party which was bold enough to come down
to the water's edge and to fire upon the Sybille, so as
to prevent her men putting a spring on the cable,
the effect of which they well understood. Here the
daring chief fell, and his followers were distinctly
seen from the frigate to divest the corse of its ill-gotten
spoils. Their total loss was not clearly ascertained,
but nearly eighty are reported to have been slain, and
the remainder, being able to equip only one of their
vessels, subsequently set forth to commit other depre-
dations. They were pursued by a Turkish brig of

ig of

MEMOIR OF LIEUT. TUPPKR.

war, and driven on shore on the coast of Anatoha,
whence they escaped into the mountains. Thus this
piratical establishment was finally abandoned, and it
is deeply to be regretted that its attack by the Sybillc
should have been attended with such a lamentable
loss of life on both sides. Sir John Pechell could
not, in the performance of his duty, act otherwise ;
but as long as the unjust and cruel system of promo-
tion prevails in the navy, by which during peace no
officer, however deserving, without powerful interest
or extreme good fortune, can hope to be advanced in
the usual course of service, manv brave men will be
unnecessarily exposed and sacrificed, as they undoubt-
edly were on this occasion. We blame not Lieutenant
Gordon, — his intrepidity and sufferings excite our
admiration and sympathy, but we should be devoid
of the common feelings of humanity if we did not
execrate that system, of which he also was the victim.
In this attack Lieutenant Tupper commanded the
launch, and, although severely wounded in three
places, he stood up the whole time, and retained the
command of her until she returned to the ship. The
bullet, which proved fatal, entered his right breast,
and, passing obliquely downwards and backwards,
was extracted from under the skin over the false ribs.
Having gone into action with his coat and epaulette
on, it is probable that he was more particularly aimed
at,* as the four midshipmen, Mr. H, M. E. Allen,
the Honorable Frederick Pelham,f Mr. Robert Spencer
Robinson,! and the Honorable Edward Plunkett,§

* A Greek is a soldier by nature, — his sight is so keen tliat it surprises our
most expert sportsmen. — Colonel >» apiek.

t Second son of tlic Earl of t'liichester.

t Son of Sir .John Robinson, Bart. ^ Son of Lord Dunsany.

Amonar the midsiiipmen in the other boats were the present Captains Hon.
E. G. Howard and II. G. Hamilton, and Lieutenant Hon. ,1. Denman.

•1* '

(;

I t

! ul

;«

MEMOIR OF LIEUT. TUPPEU.

who were in the launch, escaped unhurt. After lin-
gering for eight days, he breathed his last in a state
of delirium on board the Sybille, at Malta, and passed
from time to eternity totally unconscious of the awful
change that was awaiting him. His remains were
interred in the quarantine burial ground, where a
monument was erected by his captain and messmates,
with this inscription of their esteem and regard.

TO THE MEMORY OP

LIEUT. E. W. TUPPER, I.ATE H. M. S. SYBIIXE,

WHO DIED 26th JUNE, 1826,

FROM WOUNDS RECEIVED IN AN ATTACK AGAINST PIRATES.

HE WILL LONG BE REGRETTED BY THOSE WHO KNEW HIM.

It was placed between the tombs of Charles Locke,
Esq., British consul general for Egypt, and Theodore
Gatton, Esq., the only mementos of the living then
seen throughout the cemetery to indicate that aught,
which once breathed, was laid below. Captain Gordon
and Mr. George Johnstone, the surgeon, in letters to
the family in Guernsey, after their return to England,
thus feelingly and eloquently expressed themselves.
The former said : —

" It will be some consolation to an afflicted family
to learn that no one had been more esteemed, and
none more regretted, by his captain, brother officers,
and shipmates, than poor WiUiam. He was a good
officer and an excellent seaman, and in whom Sir John

Pechell had always the greatest reliance Your

poor brother was too amiable and honorable a young
man not to have possessed proper religious feelings.
He bore his sufferings with fortitude, — during the
six days previous to my being landed I never heard
him complain, although I have little doubt he was
conscious that his wounds were mortal."

fter liu-
a state
1 passed
le awful
IS were
vhere a
smates,
1.

PES.
IM.

Locke,
lieodore
ig then
aught,
Gordon
tters to
igland,
iselves.

family
d, and
iicers,
a good
r John

Your
young
elings.
ig the

heard
e was

:-(

MEMOIR OF LIEUT. TUPPEU.

The surgeon wrote : —

"Wiien I first saw hiui he was firm and cool, Jfc
asked me to give my opinion without reserve, and
knowing hiin to be possessed of great fortitude, I told
him that the wound in the chest was of a most dan-
gerous nature, but not necessaribj fatal. He had by
this time lost a great deal of blood, but the internal
hemorrhage, though the most alarming, was slight.
He remained so low for three days that it was ex-
pected he would have sunk, though he still continued
collected and firm. On the fourth day he rallied, his
pulse became more distinct, and he evidently encou-
raged hopes. Need I say that I felt myself incapable
of destroying them, — indeed I was not altogether
without hope myself. The principal danger was from
hemorrhage upon the separation of the sloughs, and
my fears were fatally verified, for on the 25th, at
noon, it commenced and increased internally, until
his lungs could no longer perform their functions,
and he died at about three o'clock on the morning of
the 26th. During the whole time he was resigned,

evincing the greatest strength of mind As it

was with unfeigned sorrow that I saw a fine and gal-
lant young man fall a victim to such a cause, so it
was with admiration that I witnessed his heroic bear-
ing when the excitement was past, and hope itself
was almost fled. I have seen many support their
firmness amidst danger and death, but it belongs to
few to sustain it during protracted suffering, which is
indeed a trial often too severe for the bravest, but
through which your lamented brother came with a
spirit and resignation which reflected lustre upon
himself and family, and endeared him to all his
shipmates."

■'!)

'1^ \

..-fi

^J! i

•f!

•ii

MEMOIR OF LIEUT. TUI'PER.

i i

The spot on which this desperate encounter took
j)h\cc is called, in modern (ireek, Kalosliniionas,
which, in English, signifies " 'J'he Fair Havens ;" and
altlious;h its [)ositi()n does not exactly accord with
that of the same name laid down in a recent scriptural
chart of St. Paul's voyage, still, as the identity of the
appellations is so remarkahle, as the latitude corres-
ponds, and as there is only a slight difference of
longitude, it is very possible that the present Kalos-
limionas is The Fair Havens mentioned in the twenty-
seventh chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.

"And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria, sailing
into Italy, and he put us therein.

" Anil when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce
were come over against Cnidus, the wind not sutlering us, we
sailed under Crete, over against Salmone.

" And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called
The Fair Havens, nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea."

That this promising young officer should have fallen
by such hands w^as the more severely felt by his
disconsolate family, because, a few months previously,
some of its members had it in their power to be of
service to the officers and crew of the Greek brig of
war, Cimoni, wrecked on Alderney in November,
1825. The commander, Captain Miaulis, son of the
celebrated Greek admiral of that name, thus expressed
his thanks in a letter on the subject to the Greek
deputies in London.

[TRANSLATION.]

"Portsmouth, 1st January, 1826. — Being on the
point of quitting England, I consider myself obliged
by duty to express the sincere gratitude which I, my
officers, and crew,* entertain towards the inhabitants

* Each scam.-in, besides iboil and raiment during his stay, received £5 on
his departure from the island.

MEMOIR OF LIEUT. TUPI'ER.

of Guernsey in general, and particularly towards the
Lieutenant-Governor, Sir John Colhoriie, and the
family of Mr. Tupper, resident in that island, for their
most benevolent and generous conduct towards us.

" If any thing can possibly alleviate the misfortunes
of those who are shipw^recked on a foreign coast, lar
from their native country, unaccpiainted with the
language of the people among whom chance has
thrown them, it is the meeting with men of liberality
and humanity. Such, we thank Heaven, has been
our lot, and we can assure the inhabitants of Guernsey
that, whilst we live, their conduct will remain inde-
libly engraven on our hearts.

" You will oblige me and my officers by giving
publicity to this letter. Treatment, like that we met
with, should not remain unrecorded."

Of this crew very possibly some, urged by want
and desperation, were among the pirates at Good
Harbour, — one mav have inflicted the fatal wound
which deprived Lieutenant Tupper of his life, and if
so, it is melancholy to reflect, as the orientals pathe-
tically express it, that the arrow which pierced the
eagle's heart was poised with an eagle's feather, — that
a Greek, lately cherished in his victim's native isle,

" ffjive the final hlow,
Or helped to plant the wound that laid liini low.
So the struck eagle, stretched upon the plain,
No more through rolling clouds to soar sigain,
Viewed his own feather on the fatal dart.
And winged the shaft that (juivered in his heart.
Keen were his pangs, but keener far to feel
He nursed the pinion which impelled the steel;
While the same plumage that had warmed his nest,
Drank the last life drop of his bleeding breast."

lii HON.

In person Lieutenant Tupper was rather above the
middle height, with a pleasing and intelligent counte-

' .

MKMOIU OF LIKUT. TUI'l'EK.

■"I

iiiincc, and he and his next hrotlier, Charles, when
inidshipnien in the Vietory together, were desij^nated
on board as the handsome brothers.* His love of
reading continued in its full force to the last, and as
he possessed a very coi)ious fund of information,
particularly on naval subjects, he was often referred
to on a disputed point. Cruelly cut oft* in the open-
ing bud of manhood, when fortune seemed at length
propitious, and life in consequence was become doubly
dear to him, the onlv consolation left to his near rela-
tives is, that he, unlike his brother De Vic, died in
the service of his own country. He, who sketches
this feeble tribute to his memory, was the elder com-
panion of his childhood, and the friend of his later
years ; uiyJ he still feels, from sad experience, how
impossible it is to forget him, and how poignant is
the ever recurring thought of their earthly separation.
Who indeed has not observed that in this world
there are griefs of a nature which time cannot oblite-
rate, which sympathy cannot assuage, — that there are
secret sorrows which embitter our happiest hours, and
terminate only in the grave, — that there are sudden
bereavements wdiose wounds heal but for a moment,
or perhaps never cease to bleed ? And in this instance
the void, which the premature loss of an amiable
young man will ever cause in the hearts of those who
knew him best, is the surest testimony of departed
worth, and the only eulogium worthy of the good,
the unfortunate, and the brave.

The truly gallant Captain Gordon was, as soon as
he recovered in some degree from his desperate

* By a singular coincidence the two brothers commenced their career in
the same ship, the Victory, to which their near relative, Lieutenant Carre
Tapper, belonged when he was killed in the Mediterranean in one of licr
boats, and all three lost their lives in boats !

MEMOIR OF LIEUT. Tl'Pl'EU.

4.')

(

wounds, appointed to the conunand of the Acorn, a
new corvette of 18 i^uns, and the ai)i)ointinent was a
flattering tribute to his bravery and sufferings, as well
as the })relude of further promotion. The Acorn,
b:iilt l)y Sir Robert Sej)[)ings as an experimental shi{),
and represented as a most perfect vessel of her class,
foundered in a huriicane in the Gulf Stream, on the
16th or 17th April, 18'^8, while on her passage from
Bermuda to Halifax, haA'^ing never been seen or heard
of since. That Captair. Gordon outlived his wounds
at Candia was deemed quite wonderful ; but as one
ball lodged near the sp'ne and could not be extracted,
he was reduced in consequence from a remarkably
active, athletic man, to a mere invalid, and his suffer-
ings could have terminated only with his existence.
A midshipman of the Sybille told the writer "that
there was not a man on board the frigate who would
not have run the gauntlet for Gordon."* That ship
had four lieutenants when her unfortunate rencontre
with the Greeks took place, and the second, Lieute-
nant J. O. Bliss, a very superior young man, was
lost in the Acorn with Captain Gordon. They both
sleep in the deep waters, and soon alas were they
doomed to follow their brother lieutenant to that
haven whence no voyager returns ! Hard was the
fate of the victims, — peace be to their gallant shades !

! ''I

February, 1832.

• Vide Appendix 15, No. 1.

I'l

MEMOIR

THE LATE

COLONEL WILLIAM DE VIC TUPPER,

OF THE CIHLIAN SERVICE.

My beautiful, my brave !

Ah ! who can tell how many a soul sublime
lias felt the influence of ninlig:naiit star,
And waged with Fortune an uneciual war !

The common ancestor of the Tuppers of Guernsey
was an English gentleman, who settled in the island
about the year 1592, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth,
and his descendants have continued to rank among
the first insula^ families. He had two sons, the elder
of whom married the daughter of the Procureur du
Roi, or Attorney-General,* and the younger removed
to England. During the revolution of 1G88, the
Channel or Norman Isles were eminently protestant,
being among the first in the British dominions to
disarm and imprison the troops of James the Second,
as well as to declare for the Prince of Orange ; and
another ancestor of the subject of this memoir gladly
conveyed to Admiral Russell, at some expense and

* Hillary Gosselin, Esq., {grandson of Hillary Gosselin, Esq., RailitV of
Guernsey in four reigns, — Henry VIII. to Kli/.abeth, — and auioui:; whose
very few male descendants are the present \'ice-.\,dnural Gosselin, and his
brother Lieut.-Gcneral Gosselin.

! i !

■ 1 1

,<^\

tki

.', t

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

:.\-'

! 1

risk of capture, passing either through or in sight of
the French fleet, the information that Tourville was
at sea. For this acceptable service he was presented
by his sovereigns, William and Mary, with a massive
gold chain and medal, which are now in possession of
the family, and which they are permitted to bear as
an honorable augmentation to their arms and crest.
The name appears to be of Saxon origin, as there are
several Tuppers residing in Germany at this day.

William De Vic Tupper, whose life we are about
to narrate, was born in Guernsey on the 28th April,
1800, and was so named from his paternal uncle,
who fell in a duel in Guernsey with an officer in the
army. He was the fifth of ten sons, and one of
thirteen children. His father was a younger son of
a much respected jurat or magistrate of the Royal
Court, who died in 1802, leaving five children.*
Having received an excellent education in England,
partly under a private tutor in Warwickshire, De Vic,
the name by which he was always designated, was
sent on the restoration of the Bourbons, in 1814, to
a college at Paris, in which he continued until the
arrival of Napoleon from Elba, being then gratified
by a glimpse of that extraordinary man. When he
landed in France, although he had barely completed
his fourteenth year, his stature was so tall and athletic
as to give him the appearance of a young giant ; and
on being asked his age at the police office, that it
might be inserted in his passport, his reply was
received with a smile of astonishment and incredulity,
which affiarded much subsequent amusement to his

* Two sons, — Daniel married Catherine, dau^rliter of John Tupper, Esq.,
.Jurat; and .John married Elizabeth, dau$rhter of John Brock, Esq.,— and
three daii(;hters, Emilia, wife of Sir P. De Havilland, Bailitf ; Elizabeth,
wife of W. Le INlarchant, Esq. ; and Margaret, wife of I. Carey, Esq.

was
lulity,
lo his

|r, Esq.,

., — and

Labeth,

> • , - - X

k ,1,' ' }--^'^-'l' !'i ^

S^.P\'CN • N AV V i NT . AMU.ET,//
■ - >^R- 2t MAY 109.^,, ;X

■ii

'I'i I

,,h!

1 !

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

elder fellow travellers. At the age of sixteen his
strength and activity were so great, that few men
could have stood up against him with any chance of
success. On his return to Guernsey, every interest
the family possessed was anxiously exerted to indulge
his wish of entering the British army, but owing to
the great reductions made after the peace of 1815, he
was unable to obtain a commission, even by purchase.
Those relatives, who could best have forwarded his
views, had been slain in the public service, and in
that day few claims were admitted, unless supported
by strong parliamentary influence. He attended the
levee of the commander-in-chief, who promised to
take his memorial into early consideration ; but His
Royal Highness had first to satisfy the cravings of an
insatiable oligarchy, whose iniquitous misrule has at
length succumbed to the desperation of a long-injured
people. This was a cruel disappointment to one,
whom nature ever intended for a military life, and it
ultimately drove him to a distant land to shed that
blood, and to yield that breath, which he in vain
sought to devote to his native country.* Happy for
him and for his friends had it been otherwise, as it
will quickly be seen that he was endowed with quali-
ties, which must have rendered him conspicuous in
any service, but which, in a civil strife, only hastened
his destruction. Thus disappointed, he spent t v/o or
three years in Catalonia, of which province a relative f

* How different is the success of members of the same family in the same
pursuit! His first cousin, William Le Mesurier Tupper, entered the army
in the 23d Royal Welsh Fusileers, in September, 1823, and in August, 1826,
was a captain in that distinguished regiment.

t The late P. Carey Tupper, Esq., who enjoyed a pension of t'60O sterling
a year for his services in Spain during Napoleon's invasion, and for which
he declined the offer of an English baronetcy and a Spanish barony. During
a long residence in that country he formed a very valuable collection of
paintings and cartoons, part of which were sent to England. A younger
brother was British consul at Caraccas, and subsequently at Riga.
D

■(■ ■

! '.' I

If I

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

!!!■

was British consul, and "the young EngUshman"
received the pubhc thanks of the municipaUty of
Barcelona, for having boldly exposed his life to extin-
guish a conflagration, which threatened to destroy
a whole barrier of the city. Here his vanity was
constantly excited by exclamations in the streets on
the manly beauty of his person. The profession of
arms continuing his ruling passion, he embarked at
Guernsey late in 1821 for Rio de Janeiro, whence he
proceeded to Buenos Ayres, and thence over land to
Chile. His family was averse to his joining the
patriot cause, as it vvas then termed, and he arrived
at Santiago a mere soldier of fortune, — without, we
believe, a single letter of introduction to those in
authority. But his appearance and manners, and a
perfect knowledge of three languages, English, French,
and Spanish, all of which he spoke fluently, soon
procured him friends. The Italian, in a less degree,
was also another of his acquirements. The garrison
of Valdivia having revolted. Colonel Beauchef, who
had served in Europe, and who led with Major Miller
the troops in the successful attack of that fortress by
Lord Cochrane, was sent from the capital to endea-
vour to bring the mutineers to submission, and he
requested that young Tupper might accompany him.
They landed there alone, and, with great personal
risk, succeeded in securing the ringleaders, who had
ordered their men to fire on them as they approached
in a boat ; but Colonel Beauchef having previously
commanded them and obtained their regard, the men
fortunately refused to proceed t'" extremities with
their old commander. Young Tup] is also said to
have excited their astonishment ^ / Jne manner in
which he seized on one of the ingleaders, a very

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

hman"
lity of
I extin-
Jestroy
ty was
3ets on
sion of
'ked at
mce he
land to
ng the
arrived
)ut, we
lose in
, and a
French,
r, soon
degree,

athletic and powerful man, and led him captive to the
boat. For this service, and for his conduct in a
campaign against the fierce Araucanians, whom the
Spaniards had never been able to subjugate, he was
made in January, 1823, over the heads of all the
lieutenants, captain of the grenadier company of
battalion No. 8, commanded by the same gallant
Frenchman, Colonel Beauchef. This company ^f^r>-
sisted of upwards of one hundred exceedingly iine
men, and accompanying the battalion shortly after in
an expedition to Arica, it excited the surprise of the
comparatively diminutive Peruvians, and to which its
captain appears not a little to have contributed. This
expedition was soon recalled from Peru to proceed
under the director, General Ramon Freire, against the
island of Chiloe,* so long and so bravely defended by
the Spanish Governor Quintanilla. On the return voy-
age from Arica to Coquimbo the vessel, which conveyed
the grenadiers of No. 8, was short of both provisions
and water, and of the latter only a wine glass full was
at last served out in twenty-four hours to each indi-
vidual. Although the heat was intense, and two of
the grenadiers died, the company, when drawn up to
receive the scanty draught, invariably refused to touch
it until their captain had tasted of each glass, and
one dying soldier would confess himself to no one
but his captain, so strong a hold had he already
gained on the affections of those he commanded.

We have already said that an attempt was about
to be made to wrest the island of Cliiloe from the

* Lord Cochrane's next attempt was upon the island of Chiloe, the larp^est
of an archipelago of seventy-two islands, stretching along the inhospitable
coast between Valdivia and the straits of Magellan. The navigation is very
intricate, on account of eddies, currents, and whirlpools; and a tremendous
surf renders the coast almost every where unapproachable. — Modern Tra-
veller, Peru, Chile, 1829,

' 11

I '

t <

MKMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

(-
!ii!

:l,

^ : ill

1 1

dominion of the Spaniards. In pursuance of this
object, battalion No. 8 was embarked at Coquimbo in
.January, 1824, and landed on tho small island of
Quiritjuina, in the bay of Talcahuano, where it re-
mained until the preparations were completed. The
troops were formed into three divisions, and Cp.^^tain
Tupper was named second in comma. 1 of the third,
but the nomination giving great umbrage to several
majors and lieutenant-colonels who had been passed
over, this arrangement was annulled, and battalion
No. 8 was directed to take the advance. The exp'j-
dition reached Chiloe on the 24th of March, and the
next d£iy battalion No. 8 gained possession of the
fort of Chacao, which offered but a slight resistance.
On the 31st, a detachment consisting of two battalions,
Nos. 7 and 8, and the grenadier company of No. 1,
disembarked at Delcague, and at noon on the 1st of
April commenced its march, through a very woody
and broken country, towards the town of San Carlos.
Two companies of grenadiers, under Captain Tupper,
formed the vanguard of this detachment. A strong
Spanish force awaited them in ambush at MocopuUi,
which is an immense bog surrounded by underwood,
having a masked gun on an adjacent eminence. The
grenadiers and No. 8 marched through the mouth of
the defile perfectly unconscious of their danger, and
when within a few paces of the enemy so murderous
a fire was opened upon them that they were thrown
into the utmost confusion. The enemy was invisible,
and in a short time two hundred of the patriots had
fallen, while No. 7 halted in the rear and refused to
advance. Captain Tupper is represented as having
behaved here with the most devoted heroism, charging
twice into the thickets with the few grenadiers who

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

of this
imbo in
land of
e it re-
1. The
Cp.^ytain
e third,
several
I passed
)attaUon
le exp'j-
and the
. of the
sistance.
ttalions,
f No. 1,
e 1st of
' woody
Carlos,
upper,
strong
opuUi,
Twood,
The
outh of
r, and
derous
hrown
isible,
ts had
sed to
aving
rging
who

would follow him to so perilous a service. In the
second charge three men only accompanied him, one
of whom was killed and another received a bayonet
wound in the face, while Captain Tupper was himself
slightly wounded in the left side by a bullet, — another
perforated his cap, — and a Spanish sergeant made a
blow at him with a fixed bayonet, which he struck
down with his sabre, and it went through his leg.
The bushes, however, favored their escape, and, after
being nearly surrounded, they rejoined the battalion,
which had retreated a short distance. Colonel Beau-
chef, as a " dernier ressort," now boldly resolved on
attacking the enemy in close column. Animated by
their gallant commander, the men formed, although
they were previously in complete disorder and No. 7
had retreated, and carried the position at the point of
the bayonet, pursuing the royalists for about half a
mile. But the field was dearly purchased, the detach-
ment engaged of scarcely five hundred men having
three hundred and twenty killed and w^ounded, inclu-
ding thirteen out of eighteen oflicers, and seventy-one
of one hundred and thirty-six grenadiers composing
the vanguard. The division having thus suffered so
severely, and the nature of the country being so
favorable to its defenders. Colonel Beauchef returned
next day to the ships ; and the lateness of the season,
added to the intelligence of the arrival in the Pacific
from Spain, of the Asia, of 64 guns, and Achilles
brig, of 20 guns, compelled the squadron to sail for
Chile.* The latter vessel is the same which Colonel
Tupper attempted, in 1830, to carry by boarding.
He was rewarded with a brevet majority for his con-
duct in this disastrous affair, and he wrote nearly

* Vide Appendix C, No. 2.

■If

' i

\.i\

:m' !

H%r\

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

'I !

M '

ir'i

III'*'

two years afterwards, in allusion to some remarks
relative to the Chile troops, as follow: — "The obser-
vations in F 's letters, respecting our troops, are

not at all just ; the Chile soldiers are as fine a class
of men as I have ever seen, extremely brave and very
capable of fatigue, indeed to a degree of which your
English soldiers have no idea. Moreover, they are

very robust, and so contrary to what F supposes,

we have not a single black in the regiment. The dis-
cipline is tolerable now, and the clothing is superior to
any I have seen in Spain. I perhaps speak passion-
ately, as 1 dote on all my brave fellows, particularly
on my old company of grenadiers, with the fondness
of a brother ; the feelings of absolute adoration with
which they regard me, and of which so many have
given me such melancholy proofs, are surely sufficient
to draw my heart tow^ards them. I wish you could
see my gallant servant as he now stands before me, —
his dark and sparkling eye intently fixed on my
countenance, his sun-burnt visage, his black musta-
choes, and his athletic figure, altogether forming as
fine a soldier as can well be seen."

Early in the year 1825 Major Tupper expressed an
anxious wish to obtain an appointment in one of the
British mining associations, wliich at that ^-^riod were
established in Chile, and, as his letter on the subject
contains other information, we extract the following
particulars : —

"Santiago, 25th May, 1825. — MiUfary services
are here no longer required, and foreign officers are
therefore looked upon as a burthen, which, sooner or
later, must be shaken off. A feeling of envy attends
us, which renders our situation extremely galling to
every man of honour ; and some of my companions

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

in arms are indeed to be pitied, who, iiaving lost their
limbs in the service, are totally dependent upon the
generosity of this ungrateful republic. As to myself
1 cannot so much complain, as I suffer little or no
inconvenience now from the bayonet wound I received
in the last action, my leg only swelling occasionally
in cold weather.

" Nor is it easy to steer a safe course in a country
so disposed to anarchy : a congress has been esta-
blished in three different ^eriods, and has always
terminated its sessions in tumult and disorder. There
is no stability in affairs, and the director, Freire, is
totally destitute of political courage ; he dare not be
absolute, and the mass of the people is much too
ignorant to admit of other government than the iron
hand of a despot.

** Chile contains about nine hundred thousand inha-
bitants, exclusive of the Indians or aborigines ; it
extends from the desert of Atacama to the borders of
Patagonia, comprising about twenty degrees of lati-
tude, and its extreme breadth, from the Andes to the
sea, does not exceed one hundred leagues. The
provinces of Coquimbo and Conception have lately
declared indirectly their independence of Santiago,
which is too weak to enforce their obedience. Co-
quimbo is a pretty town of about eight thousand
inhabitants, and the province is extremely rich in
gold, silver, and copper mines. Conception has been
a fine town, but it is now reduced to about six thou-
sand residents ; the whole province is very rich and
picturesque, abounding in wood and pastures. It has
for many years been subject to the inroads of the
Araucano Indians, and exposed to the depredations of
a numerous banditti, as the lofty Andes, the trackless

,'1

lii

< I ■;

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

■ I.

• ! ii

I I

j''l

lorests, and the magnificent rivers of tiiis immense
territory, afford so many means of refuge to the
savage hordes of Inthan cmd Creole robbers, that it is
inii)ossible for the government, in its present debili-
tated state, to clear the country of them.

"The Araucano Indians extend from the river Bio
Bio, which laves the southern side of Conception, to
Valdivia. They are the fiercest and most warlike of
all the tribes, and the best horsemen in the world.
Their property consists in herds of cattle, which they
drive before them on the approach of an enemy, and
the women cultivate the potatoe, bean, and maize.
They arc a fine robust people, and jjossess great mus-
cular strength. Polygamy is universally in practice,
and the women are virtuous to a surpiising degree.
I never could discover any other sign of religion than
what is to be deduced from the fact that they bury
spurs, provisions, &c., with their dead. Their worst
characteristic, in common with all savages, is their
utter faithlessness and total disregard of compact or
treaty, and they are moreover cruel beyond all con-
ception of cruelty. I was ten months campaigning
in their territory, and I suffered hardships which in-
deed required all my constitution to resist. Half a
dozen of them will put to flight any number of our
cavalry, but they dare not face infantry ; their arms
are sabres and lances about twenty feet long. With
our battalion of three hundred men we defeated six or
seven hundred of them twice."

In October, 1825, the director, Freire, was deposed
by an aristocratical faction ; and the conduct of Major
Tupper, now effective of No. 8, on the occasion will
be best explained in other extracts from his letters,
dated at Santiago in 1826, and addressed to his family.

' (

our

arms

With

isix or

)osed
[ajor
will
Itters,

iiy-

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TlTpPEK.

" February 18. — The director has wished frequently
to make me his aid-de-cainp, and I have as often
declined the situation. In a country like this, dis-
tracted by party and still subject to all the disorders
of the revolution, the stout heart and the stal worth
arm are of more effect when they are backed by a few
good soldiers. About a month before our departure
for Chiloe, the director was deposed by tbe efforts of
a party supported by two regiments, — he was obliged
to leave the city in the morning ; at two in the after-
noon Colonel Sanches was elected in his place ; in
the night I formed a counter revolution in my own
corps, brought over No. 7, and, in spite of the other
two regiments, replaced Freire in his situation before
ten o'clock the next morning. Mr. Nugent, the
British consul-general, expressed himself well pleased
with my conduct in this affair, but Freire is not a
man to recollect the services of his best friends, and
he is losing them fast. I shall be surprised if he be
director six months hence."

"May 29. — I perceive that honorable mention is
made of my name in the Representative* of January
25th last. I believe that I alluded, in one of my
former letters, to the circumstances which gav*. ise
to this commendation, — they were in themselves of
a very unpleasant nature to me. In October last a
party had prevailed so far in Santiago as to procure
the spurious election of another director. Many of
Freire's measures having given great disgust, and his
incapacity for government becoming every day more
evident, the election was strongly supported, particu-
larly by two of the corps forming the garrison of
Santiago. My commanding officer, Colonel Beauchef,

* A London daily newspaper.

? 1

I r

^tlr

■m

I f

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

' ^ I

1 \

ii.l

■:

'I,

!J1

to whom I have so many and great obHgations, was
impHcated with the rest. I was aware, however, that
the faction was composed of bad and dangerous men, —
moreover, that the provinces of Coquimbo and Con-
ception would certainly support Freire, and therefore,
that a civil war must be the result of the election in
the city. 1 represented all this to Beauchef in the
strongest terms ; I endeavoured to convince him that
civil war must always be a losing game for foreign
officers, — he, however, would not see it as I did, and
I felt myself under the disagreeable necessity of taking
the command of the regiment from him. This may
appear strange, but it was easily effected. I called
the officers together, and made them a spirited exhor-
tation in my uncle Savery's style ; they all swore
upon their drawn swords to support me to the last.
I distributed thirty rounds of ball cartridge to each
man, — of their love and confidence I had no doubt, —
I believe they would follow me to perdition itself.
All this was done at midnight. Beauchef soon after
came into the barracks ; I made it evident to him
that the corps was no longer under his orders ; I
once again urged him not to ruin himself for ever,
and he at last submitted to lead the battalion to the
assistance of the director, and the whole business was
quelled with the banishment of about twenty indivi-
duals. Our corps being considered a crack one,
other battalions were induced to follow the example
we had set, and a counter revolution was in conse-
quence effected without difficulty."

The commendation in the Representative we have
not seen, but the Morning Chronicle in January,
1826, concluded an account of this political commo-
tion in the following words : —

»^.l

ever,

to the

tss was

indivi-

one,
[ample
jonse-

have
luary,
Immo-

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

"While the conduct of an English officer, Major
Tupper, is mentioned in terms of high commendation
for the firmness and steadiness with which he pre-
vented the troops from being drawn aside from their
duty, we are, on the other hand, very sorry to per-
ceive the manner in which French influence has been
exerted on this and other occasions in Chile."

Among the individuals banished was Colonel Viel,
a Frenchman, who went to Peru, and of whom fre-
quent mention will be made in the sequel ; but either
from some jealousy on the part of General Freire, or
very possibly from a dread of giving offence to many
powerful individuals implicated in this conspiracy,
Major Tupper received no immediate advancement or
reward for his verv decisive interference. If the
former motive were the cause, that jealousy probably
arose from the circumstance of Major Tupper having
been in some degree a rival in the affections of the
young lady whom the director had recently married,
and who had, it is natural to suppose, evinced a pre-
ference for the equally young major ; but in Chile, as
in older countries, parents do not always consult the
inclinations of their children, and attachment is sacri-
ficed at the shrine of wealth or ambition. General
Freire, a native of Talcahuano, was at that time
about forty-six years of age, and, without any of the
usual advantages of education, had raised himself
from a humble origin to the high situation he then
occupied. Represented as possessing a stately and
pleasing exterior with a frank and conciliatory address,
he was doubtless indebted, in a great measure, to
these advantages for his success, as he displayed
neither talent nor energy from the date of his fatal
elevation to power.*

* Vide Appendix C, No. 3.

( \

lif '

;i Kl

J ' t

.'■ ■ I

; 1;

•i'i,

n :

i' I

I ■

I '1

.I'l

'i!

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

The decisive battle of Ayacucho having, with the
solitary exception of the fortress of Callao, effected
the liberation of the whole continent of Spanish Ame-
rica, it was resolved to renew the attempt to drive
the Spaniards from the islands of Chiloe, which form
the natural keys of the Pacific when approached from
Cape Horn. Another expedition in consequence,
commanded again by the director in person, set sail
from Valparaiso in November, 1825, and, after touch-
ing at Valdivia, reached Chiloe in January, when
barely two thousand men were disembarked. Major
Tupper commanded the grenadier companies of Nos.
6 and 8, forming part of the advanced division, and
was left by its commander, Colonel Aldunate, chiefly
to his own direction. The enemy, in force consider-
ably above three thousand men, including four hundred
cavalry, occupied a strong entrenched position, his
right flank resting upon the sea, his left guarded by
impenetrable woods, his front palisaded and strength-
ened by a deep and muddy rivulet, which offered but
two passes, one near the wood defended by three
hundred men, the other on the beach. On the 14th
Colonel Aldunate, with six flank companies, took the
beach, while Major Tupper, with his two companies,
carried the pass near the wood in a few minutes,
with little loss, by jumping over the palisade, when
he escaped almost miraculously, as before his men
could join him he was; exposed to a tremendous
discharge of musketry, which covered him with mud,
and shot away one of his epaulettes. The royalists
having been driven also from a second position, their
cavalry attempted a charge, but were completely
routed by the grenadier company of No. 8. The
enemy now retreated to his last and strongest position

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

men
idous
mud,
alists
their
etely
The
ition

on the heights of Bella Vista on the road to Castro,
the principal town of the island, and was attacked
unsuccessfully three diffcx'-t times by five flank com-
panies. Colonel Aldunate then called Major Tupper,
and pointing to the royalists, said, " The glory is re-
served for you, — dislodge the enemy immediately."
This was a most desperate service, as the road, or
rather path, was so narrow as to admit of only three
or four men abreast, but taking a flag in his left
hand, Major Tupper ordered his grenadiers to follow
him without firing a shot. By running quickly he
reached the crest of the heights with the loss of only
six men killed behind him, his escape appearing so
astonishing to the survivors that they were convinced
he wore a charm. Here he encountered a Spanish
officer, named Lopez, commanding we believe the
rear guard, who resolutely maintained his ground ;
a personal combat ensued, and the Spaniard was
killed by a sabre cut, which nearly clove his head in
two. There was unhappily no alternative, as the
gallant Lopez would neither surrender nor give way.
In the mean time fourteen or fifteen of the Spaniards
having fallen by the bayonet, the remainder fled, and
were vigorously pursued for about a league on the
road to Castro, when orders were brought to the
grenadiers to halt. In this pursuit a colonel and
about fifty men were made prisoners. The action
lasted altogether nearly four hours, and on the whole
the enemy, whose troops consisted partly of militia,
shewed but little conduct or courage, having indeed
been routed by the eight companies, which were the
only troops seriously engaged on the side of the
patriots, whose entire loss did not exceed one hundred
and seventy-five men in killed and wounded. A

1,^

■I

,';

/ ■

I \'

ill!'

is !■

1 ;

r >

:!i I

'mI'

ill!

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

gallant North American, Lieutenant Oxley of the
navy, was killed in an attack on two gun boats, the
stronger of which was taken. Major Tupper, having
volunteered, assisted at its capture, although, as a
Chileno officer of his regiment, from whom we derive
the information, writes, "it was not necessary that
he should, as an officer of the army, seek to fight by
sea, particularly when he was not ordered." Major
Tupper mentioned, that throughout the action "Colo-
nel Aldunate had distinguished himself much, and
that General Borgono had given great proofs of
ability." The surrender of the island* was the imme-
diate consequence of these successes, and Major
Tupper was rewarded with a brevet lieutenant-colo-
nelcy, although much more was promised him when
the impression, which his behaviour left, was fresh in
the mind of the director. But a foreign officer in
any country must naturally expect that his gallantry
and devotion will be viewed by many a native with a
jealous eye, and indeed too often treated with frigid
indifFerepoe when his services are no longer required.
Alluding to this subject Major Tupper wrote from
Santiago on the 14th of March, 1826, as follows : —

' ' Long ere you receive this the public papers will
have informed you of the success of our late expedi-
tion against Chiloe. I have been fortunate enough to
find my name inserted in the dispatches, and not-
withstanding I feel convinced that there exists a
strong feeling in the army that my services have been
disguised and glossed over ; many causes are assigned
for this injustice ; it is extraordinary, as politically

* General Rodil, after resolutely sustainitij^ a siege in Callao for thirteen
months, surrendered from famine 19th January, lb2G, and thus the dominion
of Spain in Peru and Chile was severed nearly on the same day, and douht-
loss for ever.

frigid

will
pedi-
gh to

not-

sts a

been

gned

cally

^irteen

linion

Idouht-

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

0.3

speaking I have been his best friend, — I allude to the
director Freire. I cannot think so meanly of him as
to allow myself to suppose with some people, that
jealousy in a foolish love affair, has had any influence
on his mind. I shall, however, receive my commis-
sion as lieutenant-colonel as soon as he arrives from
Conception."

The chief part of the expedition having returned to
Chile, and Colonel Aldunate being appointed governor
of the islands. No. 4 was left in garrison ; but in
May following that battalion revolted in favor of
O'Higgins, and the governor arrived at Valparaiso
for assistance, having been made prisoner by the
insurgents, and compelled to embark. Lieut. -Colonel
Tupper volunteered to accompany him back, and
they proceeded with less than three hundred men to
Chiloe. On the 12th of July the Resolution trans-
port, in which was Lieut. -Colonel Tupper with the
troops, Colonel Aldunate being in the Achilles brig
of war, was obliged to bring up to the eastward of the
island of San Sebastian, the tide running out so
strong that she could not stem it. They attempted
to reach the Achilles, anchored on the opposite coast,
with the flood, but the ebb making again before they
could do so, they were driven so fast on the island of
San Sebastian that they had scarcely time to drop an
anchor, which brought them up with a very dangerous
reef on their lee quarter. Here they remained for
several hours in imminent danger of losing both the
ship and their lives, when they fortunately drove past
the reef in consequence of the anchor breaking. On
their a-^rival near the small island of Lacao on the
13th, at sunset, Lieut. -Colonel Tupper was ordered
to attack the fort of Chacao with one hundred men,

1 i

■I '

f ii

,^'

«■ ♦!

1 .

" I

'li^

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

! I

'11' •
Ijjf

i1.

r 'I

1 ii.:

and he left the ship at midnight with his favorite
company of grenadiers of No. 8 and a few soldiers of
No. 1, landing in the cove of Remolinos, where he
surprised a neighbouring battery, making prisoners
the few artillerymen who garrisoned it. From them
he learnt that in the battery of San Gallan, which
occupied a strong position on the road from Lacao to
Chacao, there were two officers and fifty men of the
insurgents, and instantly directing himself towards it
by a road almost impassable, as it was very boggy
and intersected by fallen trees, he reached the battery
at five o'clock a. m. Advancing alone with the guide
he perceived that no sentry was guarding the land
side, " and throwing himself on the enemy with
intrepidity he managed to take them prisoners, not
me, except an officer, escaping. In the attainment
of this object no more than twenty soldiers could
keep up with their commander, owing to the narrow-
ness of the road, and also because it was necessary
that those in advance should push forward, so as to
arrive before daylight. On our part there was no
loss whatever, and on that of the enemy only four
wounded. This undertaking being completed, Lieut. -
Colonel Tupper marched towards the port of Chacao,
and took the battery there, which was abandoned by
the enemy. On receiving intelligence of these opera-
tions we made sail at eleven o'clock a. m., and at five
in the afternoon anchored in the said port."*

Colonel Aldunate having landed with the remainder
of the troops, the insurgents were reduced to submis-
sion without further difficulty, as the natives in great
numbers presented themselves, and offered to act

* Extract translated from Colonel Aldunate's dispatch. Of the dispatches,
in which we know that honorable mention was made of Colonel Tnpper's
iianic, this only has accidentally reached us.

.' (.;

;essary
as to
^as no
[y four
ieut.-
|hacao,
led by
[opera-
it five

linder

^bmis-

great

10 act

jiatclies,
["upper's

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPEU.

Of)

against them. Indeed ihe greatest danger appte-
hended throughout was from the season, the gales of
wind on that coast being very violent during the
winter.

" In liorrid climes, where Cliiloc's tempests sweep,
Tumultuous murmurs o'er the trouWed deep."

A newspaper, pubHshed in English at Buenos Ay res,
observed in reference to the departure of this small
expedition, which left Valparaiso in the Achilles and
Resolution on the 25th June :*

' ' Colonel Aldunate is an officer of honor, and if he
has been surprised once, he will, for this reason, know
how to take better precautions hereafter. Besides,
he is accompanied by Major Tupper, whose character
is well known, and whose valour cannot be better
estimated than in the words of our correspondent :
' four hundred brave soldiers, and Tupper at their
head, are sufficient to annihilate all the royalists there
may be in Chiloe.' "

The above extract reached England in October,
1826, and about the same time the BailifF,f or chief
magistrate of Guernsey, received the following letter
from a British officer]: of high rank and reputation,
who had previously been lieutenant-governor of the
island : —

" Though I always like to converse with you,

yet I do not know that I should have sat

down to write to you exactly at this time, but that I
have had a long conversation with Mr. Miller, who
is brother to a celebrated general of that name in

* On this day his brother. Lieutenant Tupper, mortally wounded, was in
the last agonies of death on board H. M. S. Sybille, at Malta,

t Daniel De Lisle Brock, Esq., succeeded the late Sir Peter De Havilland
as Bailiff, in 1821.

+ The late General Sir John Doyle, Bart., G.C.B., &c.

1 1

ill

!)1

'I -'

:.'i 1

iM'*"'

i .'I

' ' 1

0«

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

= !

hi^

! 1^

1. )

the Peruvian army, and who has himself lately arrived
from Santiago.

" He there knew your nephew^ young Tupper, and
his account is so creditable to that fine fellow, so
honorable to our country, and must be so gratifying
to his highly respectable family, that I cannot defer
communicating it to you. He says that in point of
appearance he is the handsomest man he has ever
seen in either hemisphere ; that he is esteemed one of
their best soldiers, extremely active and habile ; and
stands so wtU with all parties, that no change in the
local politics of the country could be in any way
disadvantageous to him ; and he adds, that he is
perfectly idolized by the troops he commands, parti-
cularly those who have served w^ith him in action ;
and to crown all, he says, with a partiality very justi-
fiable, especially to so distinguished a brother, that
when they speak of young Tupper they call him
another General Miller. This at all events, in com-
ing from my friend, is the acme of panegyric, for the
brother is really a first rate character. I could not
resist telling you all this upon the testimony of a
cool, sensible, and unprejudiced observer. Pray re-
member me to Savery and my other friends, and
believe me, &c."

Lieut. -Colonel Tupper, on his return from Chiloe
to Santiago, in August, 1826, learnt that he had
become lieutenant-colonel effective, in consideration of
his services in the recent reduction of that island.
In December he joined at Talca the army of the
south, under General Borgono, whose object was to
destroy a horde of bandits composed chiefly of In-
dians, and of nearly a thousand strong, who ravaged
the province of Conception in summer, retiring on

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

the approach of winter to the eastern side of the
Cordillera.* Their incursions had been of late so
frequent and destructive, that it was absolutely neces-
sary to put them down. Three divisions, to act on
different points, were accordingly formed, and Lieut. -
Colonel Tupper was appointed to command a squadron
of dragoons, with which he passed the Cordillera,
parallel with the town of Chilian, in pursuit of the
bandits, and went to the eastward as far as the river
Nanken, in the province of Mendoza. Pincheira
contrived, however, to elude all pursuit, and before
the end of the campaign Lieut. -Colonel Tupper was
sent by General Borgono on a mission to the capital,
where he arrived in April, 1827, and on the 1st of
May following was appointed first aid-de-camp to the
supreme government, an office of trust and respecta-
bility. At this time General Pinto, a statesman of
liberal principles and enlightened views, although
perhaps wanting in political firmness, wat elected
president in the place of General Freire. Much wc.0
expected from the administration of the new president,
and it was hoped that he would be powerful enough
to remove many existing abuses, but those interested
in their continuance proved in the end the stronger
party. General Pinto, having been employed in a
diplomatic capacity in England, was a warm admirer
of every thing English, and his chief aid-de-camp
ever found in him a sincere and steadfast friend. He
wrote on June 27th : —

" I consider my commission in this service as secure
as an employment under any South American govern-
ment can well be. My pay is that of a lieutenant-

* They were cointnancied by Pincheira, tlie son of a European by an
Indian mother, who held the rank of colonel in the Spanish service, and
(omniitted his d>'predations under the Spanish standard.

\ i

!ii i^

:i'-

I 1

' 1 > I

.'J

livi

(is

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

"I' I

; , i

> I

I ;

colonel of" ( avalry, Avith one hundred and fifty dollars
per month, and my situation is at present * Edecan
Mayor,' or aid-de-camp in chief to the president of
the repubhc, General Pinto, a very clever man, who
has resided in England for some time. This situation
I shall probably hold for some years if I continue in
the service."

And on August 4, 1827 : —

**The president mentioned to me some time back,
that should the present governor of Chiloe resign, as
was expected, he would send me there. My pay
would then be four thousand dollars per annum, and
there are other advantages."

In October, 1827, a midshipman of H. M. S. Doris
unfortunately killed a Chileno sergeant, who had
attacked him with his bayonet during some disturb-
ance in the theatre at Valparaiso. It appears that
this young officer was stabbed twice by the sergeant,
who was intoxicated, when in his own defence he
drew out a pocket pistol and shot him dead. Sir
John Sinclair, who commanded the frigate, gave up
the midshipman to the authorities on shore, the inha-
bitants of the town declaring that they would have
vengeance either of him or of some other British
officer ; and the president of Chile ordered a court
martial, which was composed partly of foreign officers
in the service of the republic. At the solicitation of
the British consul-general, Lieut. -Colonel Tupper
undertook the defence, and it is said conducted it
wdth so much ability that the result was an acquittal,
although it was generally expected that the prisoner
would have been found guilty of murder, such was
the irritation of the public mind against him, and in
that case the consequence might have been fatal.

•!

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

0!)

r),

Lieut. -Colonel Tupper again wrote on April
1828, as follows:—

" Our congress met on the 25tli of February ; it is
very badly composed, and will not, I fear, do much
good. The provinces begin to bo greatly divided,
thanks to the system of federalism. I think the wiiole
of South America is in a dreadful state of anarchy and
confusion, — so much ignorance and so little morality.
I believe it is impossible that the different states can
constitute themselves for many an age, and what
Moore says of another country applies particularly to
them : — 'And there is certainly a close approximation
to savage life, not only in the liberty which they
enjoy, but in the violence of party spirit, and of
private animosity which results from it.' "

While acting as aid-de-camp, Lieut. -Colonel Tupper
was engaged in the suppression of two or three dan-
gerous revolts, incited by the party to which we have
just alluded, and whose private interests had suffered
when in 1823 many exclusive privileges were abo-
lished. Their first object was to supplant General
Pinto in his high office, so as to accomplish their
hisidious designs under the cloak of legal authority.
We subjoin extracts from two letters which the sub-
ject of this memoir wrote to a brother at this period.

** Santiago, August 17, 1828. — My long silence
has been owing to a trip which I made last month to
San Fernando, (forty leagues south of Santiago,) to
suppress a mutiny among the forces quartered there.
General Borgono, having been ordered to take com-
mand of the troops destined to put down the mutineers,
requested the president to allow me to accompany
him, which was acceded to. We left this place on
the 4th of July, with two hundred infantry, and were

i';

i I

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUIM'ER.

Is,

: ' ' I. .

'■: I

;■)

']!

,ii'

subsetiucntly joined by about four bundred milili.
cavalrv. On anivini' near San Fernando we found
tbat tbe mutineers, battalion No, 6, about tbree bun-
dreci in number, bad taken up a strong position to tlie
nortb of tbe town. Not judging it prudent to attack
tbem, we passed on to San Fernando; tbe general
sent me before bim, witb two weak companies of
infantry, to take possession of tbe place ; on arriving
in the Plaza Mavor I was cbarged bv a body of
dragoons, two bundred strong, who, having declared
for the mutineers, bad just arrived from Curico, about
twelve leagues south of San Fernando. After a little
skirmishing I succeeded in driving tliem out of the
town, h.iving lost on our part two men killed and
five wounded, which casualties arose from the fire of
a detachment of No. G, which had possessed itself of
a church steeple. The general soon after joined us.
Immediately after this affair the dragoons re-united
out of the town, and joined battalion No. 6. Both
corps marched to Santiago, seizing all the horses on
the road, and were so expeditious as put it altogether
out of our power to overtake them. They were met
near Santiago by about one hundred cuirassiers and
four hundred militia infantry. After exchanging a
few shots, the government party took to their heels
and ran into Santiago. About sixty of the militia
were cut down by the dragoons, and the mutinous
troops marched in the evening to the artillery bar-
racks. We arrived next day close to the capital, and
they, finding our force so near, the people enraged
against them and altogether opposed to the change
of government which they had in view, accepted
a general pardon and submitted to tbe constituted
authorities. And thus ended the business, being, I

•1

MEMOIR OF COLONEL f UPPER.

I iniiiua
-e found
ree luin-
m to tlie
o attack

general

anics

arrivine:

body of

declared

o, about

r a little

t of the

led and

e fire of

itself of

ined us.

3-united

Both

rses on

ogether

re met

rs and

iging a

|r heels

militia

itinous

[y bar-

il, and

iraged

change

;epted

;ituted

|ing, I

dare say, only the harbinger of the civil wars which
are about to break out over all South America. It
was reported in Santiago that I had been killed in
the affair of San Fernando ; I hope the report will
not, by any channel, have reached you. Since these
things came to pass, the congress has sanctioned a
constitution, which many think is likely to allay our
political effervescence, while others imagine it will
prove another apple of discord ; for my part, 1 am of
opinion that the elements of political organization are
throughout South America inefficient to the establish-
ment of good government, and, perhaps fortunately
for these states, that despotism, which is the child of
anarchy, will ere long crush in its iron grasp as well
the seeds of discord as the tree of liberty.

" K'en now
While yet upon Coliinihia's lisiiifj brow
The showy smile of yoiiii"^ presiiinption plays.
Her bloom is poison'd and her heart deeays.
Even now in dawn of life her sickly brcatii
Burns with the taint of empires near their death,
And like the nymphs of her own withering; ( lime
She's old in youth, she's blasted in her prime !"

MOORK,

"August 18. — I have been compelled to melt the
seal of this letter to inform you that a very dangerous
conspiracy was discovered last night, of which the
object was, as usual, to drive the president from his
situation. It is ascertained that the intention of the
conspirators was to murder the president. General
Borgono, myself, and about ten others, among them
Viel, a French officer. Part of the battalion No. 6
and the dragoons had already entered into the conspi-
racy. The principal persons accused have absconded,
and we have only been able to seize three of the
subordinate agents."

I ,

I i

f •

•If' M

111

1 ,

!fii

f i

1 ;

( '

' 'it

, 5

72 MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

" Scpt'^i^iber 15. — I think I mentioned in my last
letter that a conspiracy had been discovered, the
object of which was to effect an entire change in the
government ; it was intended to seize upon the pre-
sident and upon several of those who surround him,
putting them to death if the least resistance were
offered. We had, however, timely notice of the
affair, and were enabled to suppress the mutiny en-
tirely in one battalion. An order having been sent
at the same time to arrest some officers of dragoons,
the whole regiment rose and marched to the i)rovince
of Conception, where, being met by a superior force,
they were obliged to lay down their arms. On the
18th of this month the civil authorities and military
wdll swear to the maintenance of the constitution.
There are two houses of representation elected every
two years ; foreigners can occupy every situation
excepting that of president and minister of state.
On the whole I think the constitution is not a bad
one, but the popular elections are too frequent."

On March 10, 1829, he again wrote to his brother
as follows : —

" I procured Miller's memoirs yesterday, and turned
over to the taking of Chiloe in 1826; the author
had much better have said nothing about it. He
states our force at four thousand men, while the real
number embarked at Valparaiso was this : —

Artillery oO

Battalion No. 1 4.50

4 583

6 550

7 371

8 378

Dismounted Cavalry 142

2533

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

Of this reduced number not quite two thousand
men were disembarked at Chiloe, as upwards of one
hundred men were left sick at Valdivia, and more than
four hundred remained on board the ships. The Chi-
lotes had considerably upwards of three thousand men,

of whom four hundred were cavalry. Major ,

so far from distinguishing himself, would I think have
been tried in the English service for cowardice. He
commanded the first column of grenadiers, and I
the second ; notwithstanding, my colunui led the van
during the whole action, he bringing up the rear at a
considerable distance, and certainly not being under
fire during the four hours the affair lasted. Besides,
he did what I think no brave man would do, — he
took off his epaulettes when the first shot was fired,
and gave them to his servant in presence of both
columns of grenadiers."

In reply to some questions from his brother relative
to a narrative by Doctor Leighton, an English sur-
geon, of an expedition in the Indian territory in 1822,
published in Miers' travels in Chile, he wrote from
Santiago in October, 1829 : —

" About a month previously to the expedition whicli
Leighton narrates, Colonel Beauchef sent me with
thirty men to endeavour to surprise Palacios in his
dwelling, situated in the Indian territory, about forty
or fifty leagues to the northward of Valdivia. The
intended surprise was planned upon the information
of a deserter of ours, who had resided some time
with Palacios ; he offered to guide me, and averred
that the dwelling of the bandit could be reached in
one night. We set out accordingly, and after a most
fatiguing night's march arrived by daybreak only on
the borders of the territory of the Indians of Tolten.

■' i

1 I

M j)

t 1

'.5 1

:lli

:■ ( ,

i; '

( !

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

If you have a good map you will see this river laid
down. These were friendly to us, and they assured
me that I could not reach the dwelling of Palacios in
less than three days' very hard march. I at once
perceived that Beauchef had been grossly deceived,
and that I had no chance of success in the object of
my expedition. I was, however, too young in my
enthusiasm to be so easily turned back. I continued,
I may say merely for the fun of the thing, and to
have a little insight into the customs of the Indians,
who are rather numerous about there. I was regaled
by some caciques, and I skirmished with others ; I
even made love to the dryades of the land, with
whom, however, I was not successful. I got a terrible
box on the ear from one sylvan beauty, which almost
felled me to the earth. On the third day I was
nearly surprised by Palacios himself, at the head of
two or three hundred Indians. However, I was not
surprised, and I took up so good a position and
shewed such a countenance, that, as Palacios himself
afterwards confessed to me, he and his Indians thought
the attack would be too difhcult. I retreated, — he
dodged me until I reached Tolten, and then left me.
The Indians of Tolten, although friendly, did not
accompany me, as they considered I was going to
certain destruction. Palacios was much dreaded by
them ; he was a native of Valdivia, had been a ser-
geant in the Spanish army, and spoke the Indian
language perfectly. He was subsequently betrayed
into the hands of the patriots and shot in Valdivia,
where he had just arrived when our first expedition
to Chiloe touched in that port. I spoke to him for
more than an hour."

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

On the retirement of Colonel Beauchef in June,
1829, Lieut. -Colonel Tupper unfortunately for him-
self, as it necessarily embroiled him in the approaching
commotion, accepted the command of his old batta-
lion. No. 8, and on the following month he was
made full colonel. A few weeks before hostilities
commenced between the rival parties, Colonel Tupper
with the same proi)hetic spirit which is visible in a
preceding letter, and with a presentiment which was
too soon to be realized, thus wrote to a member of
his family in Guernsey : —

" I naturally cannot consider my life of long dura-
tion ; I am too immediately acted upon by every
revolution in this country not to be prepared for
death, and to be perfectly resigned to it when the
day shall arrive ; even in my time how many foreign
officers have not perished by climate and by the
sword. I shall have lived long enough if I leave my
children a subsistence and a name unblemished. My
late elevation in rank is an earnest of my rising repu-
tation, and I have perhaps reason to hope that when
I fall, my rank and the circumstances of my dodiu
will place an obligation on Chile towards my family,
which she may be willing to acknowledge."

Spain has indeed much to answer for, no*^ only
to her late South American colonies, but to u,' loral
civihzation and humanity, for three centuries of the
grossest misrule that ever disgraced any age or coun-
trv. Her dominion on that continent, having been
from the first pregnant with avarice and cruelty, is
perhaps the foulest blot on the moral history of the
world. But she has not escaped the punishment of
her political offences, and the hand of retributive
justice is surely visible in her present state of degra-

1 M

, ■ I:

J'.

I If! '!:

!1 \

* , :

i i

M \

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

datioii. Were it otherwise, an * unholy' alliance ol'
despots dared not have decreed that the will of her
king should be superior to the voice of her people,
and that the obstinacy of one man. should bring
desolation over a whole country. Too proud to
acknowledge his weakness, and too vicious to yield
where submission would be a virtue, the wretched
Ferdinand has prolonged the contest with independ-
ence abroad and freedom at home, until his character
has become a by-word among nations. Proud and
once mighty Spain is indeed fallen, — her coasts un-
protected, her commerce destroyed, her power a
nullity, her name almost a term of reproach, she
presents a sad spectacle of the evils arising from a
long course of absolute government ! And if such be
the lamentable position of the mother country, can it
be a matter of surprise that the acquisition of inde-
pendence found her colonies totally unprepared to
appreciate the blessings of rational freedom ? They
had been so long and so studiously debased, that he,
who expected that a native master spirit would at
once appear among each of them to suppress the
constant struggles for power and cO allay the prolific
elements of anarchy and confusion, the natural con-
sequences of that debasement, must have been little
acquainted with the workings of the human mind.
The effects of c o cruel a system of policy could only
be mitigated or removed by years of probation and
suffering. In Chile the ^.'paniards, on their final
expulsion, left an intolerant priesthood and a selfish
oligarchy, — the one anxious to preserve its sway, the
other to continue in possession of several royal mono-
polies, which were of course inconsistent with the
general welfare and republican feelings oi" ecjuity.

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

The predominance of both, now united there for
mutual support, must disappear before the increasing
knowledge of the people ; the impious league of
church and state, for interested purposes, cannot long
exist with genuine liberty, as to question the tenets
of the one will be to draw down the vengeance of the
other, — will be to stigmatize constitutional resistance
as infidelity, and religious reformation as political
disobedience.

In June, 1829, General Pinto was re-elected presi-
dent of the republic for five years, but unfortunately
he declined the office, and this unexpected refusal not
only compromised his best friends, but was the main
cause of all the bloodshed which followed. In the
subsequent crisis General Freire's conduct was incon-
sistent and vacillating ; and General Prieto, under
the guise of obtaining the recal and return to power
of the exiled Director O'Higgins, whose aid-de-camp
he had formerly been, having marched his troops
from Conception towards the capital, a coalition of
the disaffected there was formed to support him, and
through his means to seize on the reius of govern-
ment. The mob, ever fond of change, was induced
by large bribes and the hope of plunder to act under
this coalition, whl^h, if at first weak in numbers,
was very formidable in resources. General Freire
attempted to assume the command of the garrison of
Santiago, but the field officers of the different corps
refused to obey his orders, and resolved to acknow-
ledge only the existing authorities. Thus foiled, he
introduced himself into the barracks of No. 8, during
the absence of the colonel, and ordering the battalion
under arms, he endeavoured in an insidious harangue
to gain over the soldiers to his own purposes, well

■)l,l

t%:

,1/1

'I ■!

I,'

;)

'Hi';

. (I

'II
1' I

'* r

! I I i

I I

1«

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

knowing that their defection, as composing the finest
battalion in the service, would prove fatal to the
constitutional cause. Colonel Tupper, being quickly
informed of the attempt, mounted his horse and gal-
loped furiously to the barracks. He rushed in, and
the difficulty of his situation will be easily con-
ceived, — a foreigner opposed singly to a native of the
highest present military and late civil rank, and
beloved also by the soldiery, — but the result will best
prove the attachment of his men towards him. Ad-
dressing them in Spanish, he spoke briefly to this
eftect: "vSoldiers! the captain general has led you
to vicloiy, — your colonel has also led you to victory ;
whom do you obey, — your colonel or General i^reire ?"
The wiiole battalion instantaneously responded as one
me,a, " We obey our colonel, — Viva el Coronei Tup-
per !"' 'irA General Freire and his si Ite, among whom
was /ivuuiral Blanco, were happy to escape unhurt,
the soldiers having, we believe, levelled their muskets
at them. On their way to the barracks they were
followed by a large mob, who attempted to force the
gates, but on hearing Colonel Tupper order the guard
to prime and load, the people, well knowing his
resolute character, dispersed in a moment. This
attempt was the more dangerous, as battalion No. 1
was quartered in the same barracks, and would have
immediately fo''.owed the secession of No. 8. Freire,
on his return home, was taunted by his wife with the
baseness and inconsistency of his col duct on this
occasion. Her family belc-igftd to the constitutional
party, and this beautiful young woman told her
husband that the soldiers had acted like men of
honor, and in her indignation she threw a plate on a
marble table, whence it danced oft' and shattered a

t iil

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

71)

large and valuable mirror into pieces. She was pro-
bably the cause of his returning to that party which
he should never have forsaken. It may be added
here that Colonel Tupper, during his short command,
had been enabled, from his personal influence with
the president, to do much for the welfare of his bat-
tahon, which, having been repeatedly distinguished
in battle, was proud and jealous of its reputation ;
and the officers, who were principally very young
men of the first families in the country, adhered to
their colonel to the last with inviolable fidelity. He
had established a school in the regiment, and when-
ever the pay of the men was in arrear, he borrowed
money on his own responsibility from his friends, and
discharged the claims of his soldiers.

Amid the distrust and confusion which prevailed
during this eventful period in Santiago, General Prieto
arrived by easy marches in the neighbourhood, and
encamped his army on some heights within a league
of the city. General Lastra, an old man and without
experience, having served chiefly in the navy, was
appointed, as he was a native Chileno, first, and Colo-
nel Viel second in command of the constitutional
troops, and daily skirmishes preceded the decisive
action of December 14th. Subjoined is a transcript
of the last unfinished letter which Colonel Tupper
addressed to his brother, and which not only best
explains the origin of the contest, the objects of the
diflerent leaders, and the part which he took in this
trying moment, but affords a general specimen of
his style of correspondence without the most distant
idea of publication. It should, however, be remem-
bered, that the letter was written in the hurry and
confusion attendant on his approaching departure for

r I

1 :

Hi,
1 !

-) ■

•

I ' i

' f ■'
H'

'^r

ii;

'■

it/'
i i.

I ■

I ; ;

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

Conception, for which port he sailed with his hattahon
on the 28th of January.

"Valparaiso, January 26, 1830. — I have not the
slightest idea when I addressed you last, or indeed
what chapter in my history I then concluded ; it is
nevertheless certain that the eventful period, which
has since te-vened, has heen so chequered with inci-
dent, so repict^ with tumult and strife, that had I the
pen of Caesar I could almost imitate his commentaries,
if indeed any string of occurrences in this wretched
country could merit such a book with such a name.

" I am afraid that poor Chile has forfeited for ever
the reputation of comparative tranquillity and orga-
nized government, which hitherto had been the boast
of those interested in her welfare. The scenes we
have lately witnessed, and the illiberal and even
furious hatred evinced throughout the country against
all foreigners, have perfectly astonished even those
who were least friendly to the character of these people,
and least sanguine in their prognostics of future
prosperity.

' ' I really sit down in absolute despair of being
able to make you understand the cause and course of
late events, or to write such a narrative as will not
confuse you, and of which the tediousness will not
disgust you ; it is indeed a hard task, and I would
rather make bricks for the Egyptians, but I know
that you will expect some account from me, — let me
therefore cross the Rubicon at once. I would give
you Ctiesar's language in his own words if I recollected
them, but much riding has long jostled classic lore
out of me.

"You know that the elections closed about six
months ago ; they were gained by a party called the

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

battalion

not the
r indeed
d ; it is
1, which
ith inci-
lad I the
entaries,
vretched
a name.

for ever
id orga-
he boast
enes we
id even
' against
n those
I people,
future

|f being
)urse of
nil not
all not
would
know
-let me
Id give
lllected
ic lore

|ut six
3d the

' Lil)crales,' in contra-distinction to the ' Peleucones,'
who are the aristocrats of the country and shun all
innovations, and to the Estanqueros, who are the
vampires of the state, a party whose object is to raise
itself to opulence by exclusive commercial privileges,
inconsistent with the general prosperity. The O'Hig-
ginists form another party, the object of which is to
bring back O'Higgins and absolute government.

" I have said that the * Liberales' gained the elec-
tions ; General Pinto, their chief, was elected president
for five years by the electoral colleges, (not by con-
gress,) the constitution stating that any individual,
having more than one half of the votes of the
electoral colleges, becomes president of course, —
otherwise the election is left to congress. The vice-
president is elected by congress, from among those
persons who, next to the president, unite most votes
from the electoral colleges, or, as the * Liberales'
have it, from among all those who have votes at all.
Now Pinto had more than half the votes of the col-
leges, and was therefore recognised president. The
election of vice-president became the attribute of
congress, and this was a most interesting point, as
by this time General Pinto had positively declined
the acceptance of the presidency.

"The constitution enacts, that the vice-president
is to be elected by congress from among those having
the immediate majority of votes, — ' Mayoria imme-
diata.' Those opposed to the ' Liberates' construe
the meaning to be that the vice-president is to be
elected from the two having most votes from the
colleges, while on the other hand the ' Liberales'
contend that the vice-president may be elected indis-
criminately from all those who have votes. In con-

. (

tlH

i i

•i

■&.

M; ■■]

! r ' I

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPl'ER.

I ; I

^■}\

I <

sequence congress, composed almost exclusively of
' Liberales,' elected as vice-president the individual
third on the list of candidates, that is, leaving out
the two with more votes. This individual, however,
resigned also, and the functions of government thon
devolved on the president of the upper house, who
issued a convocation ordering a new election of pre-
sidents by the electoral colleges.

"General Prieto, an old friend of O'Higgins, had
been named, previous to the elections, general of the
army of the south, (situated on the Indian frontier,)
and there is now no doubt that from the day of his
nomination he intended to subvert the government,
and to render the O'Higgins party once more para-
mount in Chile. Even very shortly after his nomi-
nation, reports were received in Santiago that his
conduct was extremely suspicious, and that his inten-
tions were secretly hostile.

" On learning General Pinto's election to the presi-
dency, he declared himself, ard issued a proclamation
in which hf asserted his refusal to obey the established
authorities, avowing as his motive the necessity of
liberating the people from the rule of an illegal con-
gress. When the news of Prieto's revolt reached
Santiago, the president of the upper house, a poor
old man of the name of Vicuna, was exercising the
functions of government from causes already detailed.
He had the more reason to be alarmed at his situation
that both the Estanqueros and Peleucones* declared
for Prieto, and coalesced to destroy with one effort
the government and the liberal party, by which it
was supported.

* Peleucones are royalists or old Spaniards; Estaiico, a monopoly granted
or retained by the government.— >SV<' iUossavn, in Miers' Chile.

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

"There is little doubt that matters woukl have still
gone well had General Freire acted with his accus-
tomed integrity, but this weak man was completely
led by two or three of the ' Estanqueros,' and, though
the natural enemy of Prieto, he positively refused to
support Vicuna, — on the contrary, leaning consider-
ably to the other side.

" I was at this time quartered with my corps in
Santiago, and I considered it my duty to support the
government and congress, because I think that the
case is extremely rare in which a military m;; i can
with honor do otherwise, and because I was p lied
that the matter in question was not one in which the
interference of the military was at all called for, the
greatest grievance urged by the rebels being confined
to the allegation that the letter of the law had not
been adhered to in the election of vice-president. I
knew moreover that all parties, whatever their avowed
object might be, only sought the furtherance of their
private views, — that they all wished to be in place,
and to plunder the country at discretion, — and above
all, I considered that no free government or orderly
state could exist an hour if the military were once
allowed to throw the sword into the scale, and decide
points of legislation by the force of arms, as is now
too generally the case in South America. Fortunately
the chiefs, who were in garrison in the capital, were
much of this opinion. We determined to give Prieto
battle in support of legitimate authority, and the
several corps therefore left Santiago. The enemy
was encamped about a league from the city, on ground
higher than ours, though not otherwise favorable
to him, as many ditches and walls (with the exjep-
tion of the position itself low) rendered ineffectual

- i

I lu

; 'Hi «

. it

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

m>.

^/:

^^ ■' 0%'^ ^'^

1.0

I.I

S IS iio

L25 ill 1.4

Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

1.6

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(7)6) 873-4503

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

his immense superiority in cavalry. He shewed us
his front, his right resting on a farm house called
Ezaguirre, much strengthened hy walls and ditches,
and his left on another called Ochagavia, scarcely
less capahle of defence. A large body of cavalry was
stationed on the right of Ezaguirre. We marched in
parallel columns ; the battalions in close columns of
companies, Pudeto* forming the left of the line.
Each flank was protected by two pieces of artillery, —
a howitzer in the centre ; our cavalry, about one
hundred and eighty strong, was advanced considerably
before our left flank.

"The battle began by a charge which the enemy's
cavalry, posted at Ezaguirre, made upon our cavalry,
which, being much weaker, fled instantly. The
enemy's cavalry pursued ours so vigorously, that the
greater part passed our column within fifty paces ;
the rear companies faced about and opened fire, which
soon obliged them to retire.

" Our column had already halted on coming within
range, and a very smart cannonade opened on both
sides ; the enemy's guns were extremely well served,
but did little execution notwithstanding, as, owing to
the chance of the ricochet, every ball went directly
over the column it was intended for, and one went
through my flag.

" We had halted in front of Ochagavia, at the dis-
tance of little more than half a mile from the house.
Our three light companies were ordered to move to
the right and to attack the left of Ochagavia ; I was
ordered to lead the attack in front ; we expected to

* His rojifimcnt, No. 8, so called from a place in Cliiloo, where the two
flank conipanii's of the huttalion distinf^uishcd themselves in the battle of
McUa Vista. The two other battalions in the action were No. 1 , or (Ihacabuco,
and No. 7, or Conception.

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

have much to do, but wc'c mistaken, as the enemy
abandoned the house after skirmishing a Httle, and
we occupied it immediately.

"We now held possession of the position which
had originally covered the enemy's left flank, having
experienced a very trifling loss ; however, our light
companies, supported by the grenadiers, commenced
a sharp firing in the direction of Ezaguirre, and No. 1 ,
or Chacabuco, was ordered to support them, Pudeto
and Conception bringing up what now might be
termed the reserve. This was twice charged by the
enemy's cavalry, which had formed behind Ochagavia's
house, but these charges were rendered ineftectual by
the steadiness of both battalions and by the nature of
the ground, which was not favorable to cavalry. The
enemy behaved well, and evidently suffered much
from these charges, as well from musketry as from
grape shot, and made off' quite discomfited.

" In the meanwhile the light companies and grena-
diers, vanquishing all opposition, beat the enemy's
infantry out of Ezaguirre's house in a very short time,
and occupied the second position, making many pri-
soners, among whom the Choco Silva with his host.
My major, Varela,* even took all the knapsacks of
No. 3 ; and he has assured me on his word of honor,
that Arequita, the major of that battalion, sent an
officer to him to beg that he would cease firing, and
that they would lay down their arms. This was
complied with, and all the soldiers who had not dis-
persed were disarmed and made prisoners. The firing
had of course then become very slack, and in fact
the battle was considered to be over by those who
occupied Ezaguirre's house.

* Slain also at Lircai on the 17th April, WM.

» t

!
1

il M

'H^

»•

? I

1 4
I t

' I

i|i

■ »

I-, I

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

" Immediately on repulsing the cavalry, the batta-
lions of Conception and Padeto marched towards
Ezaguirre's house. On arriving near it, the firing
having now almost ceased, I saw General Pricto ride
up a little to the left of my column to Colonel
Rondisoni, and, as I then understood, gave himself
up a prisoner of war. I soon after received an order
to cease further aggression, and to recall the skir-
mishers, which I immediately complied with.

"A small part of the enemy's infantry, about two
hundred and fifty men, which still held together, was
situated some ten paces on the other side of a wall
close to us ; the soldiers were resting on their arms,
and appeared, to all intents and purposes, to have
yielded themselves prisoners of war. We formed our
corps in line along the wall, and I asked General
Lastra's permission to disarm these troops, but he
would not consent, saying it was useless to humiliate
the enemy further."

Here the letter thus abruptly terminates without
even a signature, owing to the writer having sailed so
soon after from Valparaiso, and been doubtless busily
employed in the intermediate time in consulting with
General Freire, and in superintending the preparations
for the conveyance of his battalion. This sudden
termination is the more to be regretted, as the writer
was evidently about to narrate, — what, however, is too
well authenticated to admit of the slightest doubt, —
the perfidious conduct of General Prieto, who, when
he found that the battle was lost, rode up to Colonel
Rondisoni, and endeavoured to obtain by stratagem
what he could not by the force of arms. Taking the
colonel by the hand, he declared that the contest was
over, and that he was anxious to avoid the further

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

effusion of blood, Witli these professions he was
permitted to pass on unguarded to the rear, where
Colonel Viel appears to have been deceived by similar
declarations, as he not only ordered that the swords
of the officers, who had surrendered, should be re-
turned to them, but allov/ed Prieto to proceed to the
farm house of Ochagavia, accompanied by part of
one of his battalions, which had also surrendered, but
had not been disarmed ! From Ochagavia, Prieto
sent officers to Lastra and Viel, with assurances of his
anxiety to terminate at once the strife which was
desolating the country, and with entreaties that they
would come to him to hold a conference for that
purpose. They went, and, by this second imaccount-
able step, suspicions of something worse than incapa-
city or indifference to the constitutional cause are
doubly excited. On their arrival, Prieto told them
that they were his prisoners, and pretended that not
he, but they, had sought the cessation of the combat.
He next sent for the remaining constitutional chiefs,
under the pretext that their presence was requisite to
assist in the conference ; but Colonel Tupper, " this
chief, whose eulogium our pen is too feeble to com-
pose worthily, — this bold chief, v^hose memory will
live in the hearts of all true Chilenos, even after his
brilliant course is run, — this diief, we say,"* after
consulting his companions, returned for answer, that
unless Lastra and Viel were released in a few minutes,
Prieto would be attacked, and himself and his fol-
lowers be put to the sword. Prieto now became
alarmed and released his dupes, but not until the
feeble Lastra had been compelled to sign a treaty, by
which he agreed to suspend all offensive operations

* Extract translated from a printed "Aviso al Publico."

,1 ^

^ t'

•i

ill

» I
1

lii'l ■>

' ■'■;'

ill

i':

1|!

■. '■Ji

:- n

i;_;in

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

for the present, alleging afterwards that he did so to
regain his liberty. In confirmation of this account,
gleaned from public docuinents, the truth of which
might otherwise be questioned, it nay be as well to
add the following extract from a private letter, dated
Santiago, 14th December, 1830, and written by one
Englishman to another, both perfect strangers to
Colonel Tupper's family : —

" This being agreed to, Lastra and Viel went over,
but they were no sooner arrived than Prieto said,
* Deliver your swords, — you are my piisoners.' They
were greatly enraged at so felonious an action. Prieto
requested Lastra to sign a document to the effect
that Tupper should surrender with his battalion ; but,
be this true or not, certain it is that Prieto sent to
Tupper, stating that his presence was necessary, as
Lastra and Viel could not come to any decision
withou!: him. Tupper replied that he would not go
over, and insisted on Lastra and Viel immediately
returning to their stations. After waiting a short
time, and no appearance of these officers, he sent to
Prieto to say that, if they were not released in five
minutes, he would immediately attack, and shew no
quarter either to him (Prieto) or to any other who
might fall into his hands. This had the desired
effect ; the officers were given up, but Prieto implored
that the war should cease, and that a treaty should
be entered into."

Notwithstanding that a convention, obtained under
such circumstances, was any thing but binding on
General Lastra, whose first act should have been to
punish him by whom he had been so grossly deceived,
an armistice of forty-eight hours took place, during
which General Freire was appointed, by mutual con-

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPl'ER.

H{)

sent, to the command of both armies, Prieto and
his troops being most imprudently, if not most
treacherously, admitted into the capital, although liis
infantry had, or might have, been made prisoners,
his artillery captured, and his cavalry completely
discomfited.

This action was fought on the morning of the 1 4th
of December ; the numbers on each side were, we
believe, about two thousand men ; and fully two
hundred men appear to have fallen, the greater part
of whom belonged to Prieto's army. Colonel Tupper
is represented to have behaved on this day with more
than usual gallantry, although his letter is so barren
as to his own conduct ; but he had the bitter morti-
fication of seeing the success, to which he had mainly
contributed, rendered perfectly unavailing by this
ridiculous treaty. During the battle about one hun-
dred and fifty of Prieto's mounted followers penetrated
into the city, either in search of plunder or in the
hope of causing a diversion ; and after sacking the
French consulate, fo*' which outrage a compensation
of thirty thousand dollars was exacted by a French
squadron in 1831 , and committing other depredations,
they proceeded to the house of Colonel Tupper with
the view, it would seem, of murdering his wife, who
was far advanced in pregnancy. Not finding her at
home, and understanding that she had taken refuge
at the bishop's residence, they galloped thither, and,
breaking open the portal, declared that they were
come to kill "la muger del Ingles Tupper." The
bishop approached them in his robes, with a large
crucifix in his hands, and the demons fled almost
as soon as they saw him. On hearing their cries, a
deep swoon happily came to the relief of their in-

! i

(: '

1)0

MEMOIR OF COLONKL TUPPER.

tended victim ; but tlie previous ant^uish of this
unhappy young woman, then in her twenty -third
year, may be more easily conceived than described.
She had heard, during the morning, every shot fired
by the contending armies, and did not yet know the
fate of her liusband ! Tlie dav after the action,
Colonel Tupper waited in plain clothes on General
Freire, and resigned the command of his regiment,
determined to serve no longer under such leaders and
in such a cause ; but unfortunately he was prevailed
upon by his old commander to accept the appoint-
ment of commandant of arms, or military governor,
of the town and province of Coquimbo, a very desira-
ble part of the country, and a situation of emolument,
as well as, at that time, of great responsibility. To a
young officer, with an increasing family and limited
means, the offer was too tempting to be refused,
although he never entertained a favorable opinion of
General Freire's abilities, giving him credit only for
good intentions. He was at Valparaiso, preparing to
embark for Coquimbo, when Freire arrived in the
former town, Prieto having, as Colonel Tupper had
all along foreseen and apprehended, attempted to take
him prisoner, and compelled him to seek security in
flight from the capital. In this manner Prieto ob-
tained possession of a fine park of field artillery, and
incorporated the constitutional cavalry with his own.
Among other charges of duplicity, General Freire
accused Prieto, in a letter of January 1 8th, which
was published, of having excited the authorities of
Coquimbo not to receive Colonel Tupper, whom he
had destined for that command in the conviction that
he was best fitted for it. Colonel Tupper, now bound
in honor not to abandon Freire in his difficulties,

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPEIl.

!)1

very reluctantly resumed the coiiirnaiul of his l)atta-
lion, and proceeded with it to Conception, vvliich
province was in favor of the liberal party. The three
battalions of infantry, which had fought against Prieto
on the 14th of December, followed the fortunes of
Freire ; each, previously to their departure from Val-
paraiso, issued a manifesto to the citizens, and we
translate that of Pudeto, or No. 8, which was by far
the most poignant and uncompromising ; and although
written in an inflated tone of defiance, the language
was well suited to the Spanish character of those to
whom it was addressed.

" The battalion of Pudeto, ever faithful to its oaths,
swears to maintain the constitution. Fellow citizens,
confide in its honor which has never been violated.
Enemies of order, tremble : you well know Pudeto.

*' His Excellency Captain-General Freire leads us to
victory. His name electrifies the hearts of the brave,
and guarantees the pacific citizen in his employments.

* ' The infamous Prieto will be for ever intimidated ;
this soldier without honor, who, deriding in repeated
instances the most sacred engagements, aspires to
despotism by the most unjust means.

** Valparaiso, 27th January, 1830."*

Prieto doubtless never forgave this fearless, but
perhaps imprudent, mention of his treachery, and
probably the commandant of the battalion was from
that moment marked out as the object of his san-
guinary vengeance.

Colonel Tupper described the voyage to Conception
as the most comfortless and painful he had ever made,
and after landing at the island of Juan Fernandez for

* Vide Appendix C, No. 4.

!ti

j i

il:

» I,

■ I

MRMOIR OF COLONEL TUPI'EU.

water, it was by mere hazard that tliey escai)e{l cap-
ture by the Achilles, a very large '20-gun brig, in
possession of Prieto's party. While commanding at
Talcahuano, the seaport of the city of Conception, he
attemi)ted to carry by boarding, during the night of
the 1 7th of February, the same Achilles, which was
then blockading the harbour, and whose crew were
unconscious of the meditated attack. He set out
with six boats and about eighty men, but after traver-
sing the whole of the extensive bay, the captain of
the port was unable to find the object of their search,
although she was at anchor. Two of the boats
having separated, Colonel Tupper concealed himself
all the next day, with the four others, in the small
and picturesque cove of Tome,* surrounded by rocks
and immense trees, with a little village in the upper
corner, almost hid in the foliage. From hence he
wrote to Colonel Viel, who was in the neighbourhood,
for a reinforcement to be sent to the rendezvous at
the small island of Quinquina. This reinforcement
of four boats arrived, and on the night of the 1 8th he
returned again to the attack, with eight boats and
about one hundred and thirty men ; but the enemy
was now perfectly prepared, and he was repulsed
with the loss of seven men killed and twenty- three
wounded, and one of the boats sunk by a cannon
ball. It deserves to be recorded, as an instance of
the reckless courage of British sailors, that twelve of
the crew of an English whaler in the bay volunteered
to accompany him, and on these men he placed his
chief dependance, well knowing that soldiers, however
brave, are not fitted for such a service. These sailors
did not deceive him, — they were in fact almost the

* Captain Basil Hall's Journal contains a description of the bay of Talcahuano.

MEMOIR OK C UOXEL TUl'PRR.

\):\

only men who hoarded, and one was killed and five
wounded. Indeed, had all done their duty, the hrig
niii^ht possihly have heen carried, but some of the
boats remained behind, and only three approached
near enouj;h to be of any service. The commander
of the whaler was the first who ascended the side, —
Colonel Tupper the second. The former escaped
with two slight wounds, — the latter's left hand was
pierced by a pike ; his sleeve was perforated by a
bullet from a musket, the muzzle of which almost
touched him ; and he was then knocked overboard
head foremost by a violent blow on the breast, but
being an admirable swimmer, he reached a boat at
some distance, so weak and exhausted, however, from
the effects of the contusion, that he was unable to get
in alone. The English captain arrived first at Talca-
huano, and stated that Colonel Tupper was dead, as
he had seen him fall wounded into the sea. When
the latter at length appeared, he found his soldiers in
tears, and even their wives were uttering loud cries ;
but on seeing him, they and the officers rent the air
with their acclamations, and w^elcomed him as one
risen from the dead. Numbers had come from Con-
ception to the port, a distance of twelve miles, to
make inquiries relative to his fate, and in that city,
whither a messenger was instantly dispatched, the
church bells were rung to celebrate his return. The
report of his death was quickly conveyed to Santiago,
and of such consequence was it deemed by the oppo-
site party, that they evinced their joy by music and
bonfires in the streets ; while at Valparaiso, they were
barbarous enough to proceed to the lodgings of his
wife, and under the windows to proclaim the fate of
her husband. But when his safety was ascertained.

1 \

:V\

IIP

ill

!i4

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPEll.

some verses were published on " Lii Muerte del Coro-
iiel Tupper," in ridicule of this premature rejoicing,
and in exultation at his escape.

Having recovered from his wounds, Colonel Tupper
j)roceeded northwards to Chilian, which town was
garrisoned by three hundred and fifty hostile infantry.
Its reduction was highly desirable, and Colonel Viel,
the superior in rank, thought that by taking an out-
work, they would be enabled to command the main
defences of the place. Accordingly, on the night of
the 9th of March, Colonel Tupper made the attack
indicated with one hundred and forty-six old and
tried soldiers of his battalion, all he had with him,
and they carried the outwork by assault, although
strongly entrenched and bravely defended. But as
the garrison retired into an inner fortification, which
could not be reach 3d by musketry, it became neces-
sary to abandon the redoubt, after sustaining a severe
loss of good soldiers, who could but ill be spared at
that moment. Two of his officers were severely
wounded, one the brave Captain Say ago. Colonel
Tupper was also much exposed in this affair, as, ever
prodigal of his person, he was one of the first to
mount the ladders amid a shower of bullets. Two
days after, in a letter to his wife, he assured her that,
unless in the event of a foreign invasion, this cam-
paign would be the last he would make, and added :
"Enfin, il me restait ce compromis avec le General
Freire, — il a fallu le remplir, — je sais que j'ai pousse
la delicatesse tr^s-loin, — en tout cas, je ne serai que
plus digne de toi."

General Freire, having been repulsed from Coquim-
bo, landed near the river Maule, after sustaining the,
to him, irreparable loss of a vessel laden with arms

n
o

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUl'I'ER.

and ainmunitioii, and was soon joined by CuIoikI.-.
\ iel and 'J\i[)[)ci', wlio found liis troops badly clotht'd
and paid, as be would not follow tbe example of bis
opjionents, wbo impressed, witbout besitation, every
necessary supj)ly for tbeir army. Tbey bad, more-
over, under tbeir control all tbe resources of tbe
cai)ital, of wbicb Freire bad allowed bimself so fooU
isbly to be dispossessed ; and tbe infamous Prieto,*
having organized a well-appointed force, conunenced
bis marcb from Santiago for tbe soutb under bigbly
favorable circumstances. Tbe duplicity of tbis man,
after be was so comi)letely beaten on tbe 14tb of
December, could only be exceeded by tbe base collu-
sion or extreme incapacity of tbose wbo treated with
bim. But it appears tbat be was only tbe willing
tool of an unprincipled party, as be is represented as
possessing neitber military talents nor even personal
courage ; and certain it is that his victory at Lircai
was stained with tbat cruelty which is ever the at-
tendant of cowardice.

A battle, which was to decide the fate of one party,
and which, it was foreseen, would be very sanguinary,
was near at hand. The hostile armies approached
each other with highly exasperated feelings ; tbe
chiefs of the one w^re conscious of their inferioritv of
force, but they burned to punish the treachery of
which they were the victims, while those of the other
well knew that they had forfeited all claim to honor-
able treatment, and were anxious to wipe away the
disgrace of their late defeat. The deep and rapid
Maule, whose fords are not always practicable for
cavalry, much less for infantry, now alone separated
the combatants. Colonel Tupper requested to be al-

* Piicto, in Spanish, signifies bliickisli, narrow-minded.

! I

• ' III '

ill.

-n

■I

MS < '

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

lowed to cross over with a column of four or five
hundred infantry, for the purpose of making a night
attack on the enemy's camp, which, in the desperate
state of aft'airs, was the best expedient that could be
devised ; but unfortunately General Freire would not
sanction the attempt, as, in t'lt fatal persuasion that
his popularity would carry him through the contest,
he had allowed himself to be deceived by some of
Prieto's chiefs, who, probably at the instigation of
their general, had promised to join him with their
troops at the first convenient opportunity. In conse-
quence, Colonel Tupper is said, by one of his officers,
to have been completely disgusted at Freire's evident
infatuation or incapacity, and to have anticipated the
fate which awaited him with gloomy resolution. He
well knew that his enemies were too anxious for his
death to show him any quarter, and as a husband
and a father he could not but feel deeply the forlorn
and desolate condition in which his death would leave
his wife and children.* He had, however, gone too
far to recede, and in any extremity his high sense of
honor would have prevented his withdrawing himself
on the eve of a battle from the cause he had espoused.
On the 15th of April, 1830, General Freire crossed
the river, and marched three leagues without obstruc-
tion to Talca, the principal town of the province,
beautifully situated midway on the high road from
Santiago to Conception, and about two hundred miles
from either city. Here his army was received with
the greatest enthusiasm, and a council of war being
called, it was resolved that, as the enemy w^as so
much superior in cavalry and artillery, the consti-

* Unhappily for him and for tlieni, a letter from tlic editor, containing the
offer of a very dcsirahlc situation in Rio de Janeiro, did not reach Chile till
shortly after his death.

MEMOIR OF COLONRT, TUPPER.

tutional troops should remain in the vicinity of the
town, where they could not he attacked hut under a
very great disadvantage, as Talca is skirted hy enclo-
sures and ditches. Had this decision been adhered
to, Prieto must have retraced his steps towards the
capital for want of forage and other supplies, and
having necessarily to pass several defiles and rivers,
he might have been much harassed in his retreat.
On the 16th, Prieto endeavoured to bring on an
engagement, but could not draw the constitutionalists
from their vantage ground. Early on tlie 17th,
General Freire proceeded, with Colonel Viel and the
cavalry, to the adjoining plain of Cancharayada, for
the purpose, we suppose, of making a reconnaissance ;
but from some unexplained and unaccountable mo-
tive, he sent suddenly for the remainder of his forces.
It was on this plain that General San Martin man(Eu-
vred, in March, 1818, to bring the Spanish General
Osorio to battle, but the latter being inferior in
numbers, retreated southwards to the same position in
front of Talca,* which Freire had just abandoned.
Nothing could be more ill judged or imprudent, as
his army, which consisted of about seventeen hun-
dred men, had only two weak squadrons of regular
cavalry and four pieces of artillery, while that of
Prieto, amounting to fully two thousand tw^o hun-
dred men, had eight hundred veteran cavalry, and
eleven or twelve pieces of artillery. The Chile cavalry
is very formidable, the men being most expert riders,
mounted on active and powerful horses, and generally
armed with long lances, which they use with great
dexterity. Prieto, observing this inexplicable move-
ment, succeeded without difficulty in placing his troops

* Vide Appendix C, No. .'}.— Extract from Miller's Memoirs.
G

!•

, I

'^1

r i\

!" i

^i!

i;
!l

>■ .!

ill

!ii

'Ir

(

''II

\ '.

•It

?; ■ I i;

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

between the constitutional army and Talca, In this
manner its return to the town was completely cut off,
and it had to fight in an extensive open plain with
the enemy in front, the flanks unprotected, and the
river Lircai, a tributary of the Maule, close in the
rear. The first shot was fired at half-past ten in the
morning, and the action continued, with some inter-
vals in effecting changes of position, until nearly four
o'clock in the afternoon, when the rout was complete.
The result is said to have been doubtful until two
o'clock, at which period Freire's cavalry, which con-
sisted of about six hundred men, including militia
and Indians, and commanded by Colonel Viel, being
decoyed too far in a charge, was taken in flank, and
fled across the river Lircai, towards the north, com-
pletely discomfited, and accompanied, w^e believe, by
General Freire, who thus abandoned the infantry to
its fate. The situation of the three weak battahons,
Nos. 1, 7 and 8, was now indeed desperate, as the
ground was so favourable to cavalry, and the neigh-
bourhood offered them no accessible place of defence
or refuge. To complete the disaster, their few pieces
of artillery were yoked to oxen, which soon became
furious and unmanageable, while that of Prieto, being
drawn by horses, was moved quickly over the field.
When they formed into squares to resist the hostile
cavalry, they were mowed down by artillery, and,
when they deployed into line, the cavalry was upon
them. In this dreadful emergency they maintainer'
the conflict for nearly an hour, with all the obstinacy
of despair ; and at length, in attempting to charge in
column, they were completely broken. There are
two lines by the immortal Byron so concisely, and

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER,

) I

yet SO faithfully, descriptive of a similar last effort,
that we cannot avoid transcribing them :

"One t'ftoit— one — to break the circling liost!
They form — unite — charge^ waver — ail is lost!"

The loss in Freire's army fell chiefly on the devoted
infantry, and appears to have exceeded considerably
one third of the original number, including eighteen
officers among the killed. The only officers mentioned
as slain in Prieto's hurried dispatch of the 17th of
April, are Colonel Elizalde, chief of the staff, Colo-
nel Tupper, and his gallant Major Varela, a young
man of five or six and twenty. Colonel Tupper is
said to have exhibited the most reckless valour du-
ring the day, and to have rallied his little battalion
several times. Thrice he led it to the charge, and
in the last charge he was slightly wounded in the
foot by a spent cannon ball. Having previously
dismounted to encourage his men, he was unable,
in the mdlee which succeeded, to find his horse ; and
the accounts of the manner in which he got away,
when all was lost, are so contradictory, that it is
impossible lo reconcile them. All agree, however,
in stating that he was particularly sought after,
and that a Major Baquedano* gave orders to his
dragoons to show him no quarter. A party of these
dragoons and some Indians overtook him, and find-
ing that they would not spare his life, he reproached
them with their brutality, and drew his sword to

* This miscreant par excellence, it seems, had some private pi()iic against
Colonel Tupper, who hail probably treated him with the contempt he de-
served. His worthy chief, Prieto, promoted him after the battle for this
sicceptable service. Baquedano had been a domestic servant in the family of
General Carrera, and boasted that he had killed a Spanish officer, a prisoner
and defenceless, in the battle of Maipu. Long shunned by every man of
honor, he was a disgrace even to the cause in which he served, and in 1831
he was brought to a court martial by his own officers, for embcx/.ling money
from the regimental chest, but was of course acquitted.

! A
li

I
(

' )

I ' ;

I ^!''

'■.;

1 1^1

«ii,

100

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER,

defend himself ; but being surrounded, an Indian
from behind ran him through the body with his lance,
when he fell, and a few sabre cuts soon terminated
his sufferings. One of the barbarians immediately
severed a finger, on which the victim wore a ring,
and conveyed it to his commander as a proof that one
they so much dreaded, would trouble them no more.
A Captain Garcia, of Baquedano's regiment, who was
also promoted after the battle, stood by during this
barbarous murder, without interfering to j)revent it.
The corpse was sought out the next day by a friend,
and interred in the spot on which the deceased
breathed his last.* Another brave Englishman, Cap-
tain Bell, of the Chilian navy, was also butchered
in the pursuit. It was the general opinion, even of
the natives themselves, that had Colonel Tupper
commanded the army either on the 14th of December,
near Santiago, or on this unfortunate day, a very
different result would have awaited the constitutional
cause. A private letter written by a gentleman in
Chile, the charge d'affaires of the United States of
America, and which was never intended to meet the
eye of the family, as it was addressed to a British
officer commanding a ship on the South American

* Nearly three years after, tlie corpse was exhiimctJ for the purpose of
hcin;; conveyed to the capital for interment ; but being found in an extraor-
dinary state of preservation, it was, for the convenience of carriage, con-
sumed to ashes, which, on the 1st of February, 1833, were deposited in a
plain monument raised to liis memory in the pantheon of Santiago, with the
following simple inscription : —

A LA MEMOKIA

DEL COKONEL

Gl<II.LEIiMO Di: VIC TUPPEH,

NAtIO EN GlEHiVSEV, EL XXIX UE AIIKIL, ir.DCCC,

ML'ltIO EL XVII DE AURIL, M.DCCC.XXX.

•' PATKir iM'Ei.Ki EinEi.is," were to have been added, but some of the
rival party having declared that they woidd deface this motto, it was neces-
sarily omitted by the widuiv, although she was strongly importuned by niuny
to inscribe it.

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUri'ER.

101

station, also a perfect stranger, thus speaks of their
unfortunate relative : —

" The heroism displayed hy Tupper surpassed the
prowess of any individual that I ever heard of in
battle ; but, poor fellow ! he was horribly dealt with
after getting away with another officer. A party of
cavalry and Indians was sent in pursuit, and they
boast that poor Tupper was cut to pieces. They
seemed to be more in terror of him, on account of his
personal bravery and popularity, than of all the others.
Guernsey has cause to be proud of so great a hero, —
a hero he trulv was, for nature made him one."
And an English gentleman, holding a high consular
appointment in that country, also wrote: — :" I trust
you will believe that any member of the family of
Colonel Tupper, who may require such services as
I am at liberty to offer, will be always esteemed by
one, who for many years has looked upon his gallant
and honorable conduct as reflecting lustre upon the
English name in these new and distant states."

Thus perished, at the early age of twenty-nine, one
who, if he did not fall in the service of his own
country, at least did honor to that country in a
foreign clime. From his earliest youth he gave
indications of that fearless and daring spirit which
marked his after-life ; and when he left Europe he
was generally thought to bear a striking resemblance
to his late uncle, Major-General Brock, at the same
age. This similarity extended in some degree even
to their deaths, as the Indians of either continent
were employed as auxiliaries in the actions in which
they fell, and both were killed in the months that
gave them birth. It was observed of Colonel Tupper
by no mean judge, in the early part of his career:
" C'est un officier k toute epreuve, qui reunit a sa

^ ^

i' '

;

•,

i,f

I .1;

'■ii;

I:'

; ;

102

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

brillante valeur des connaissances tres-distinguees." —
His tall, manly, and strikingly handsome person,
his almost Herculean strength, the elegance of his
manners, and his impetuous valour in battle, gave the
impression rather of a royal knight of chivalry, than
of a republican soldier.* The influence and popularity
which in a few short years he acquired in his adopted
country, by his own unaided exertions, and under
the many disadvantages of being a stranger in a
strange land, best prove that his talents were of the
first order, and that he was no common character.
The attachment of his men to him was constant and
unbounded, for he not only possessed that bravery
which, with the brave, is the surest passport to
affection, but that kindness of heart which ever wins
a way to the human breast. The union of so many
excellent qualities, joined to his previous services to
Chile, ought at least to have procured him quarter ;
but unfortunately in civil wars, they who aim at arbi-
trary power seldom spare any one who may success-
fully oppose their despotic views, and both gratitude
and humanity would fain throw a veil over his last
moments. He deserved far better than to have fallen
by the order of a band of assassins, whose cause and
conduct were in every way worthy of so foul a deed.
The opinion of his friends, however, will correct the
errors of fortune, which denied him a better field for
the exercise of his endowments. He is dead, but his
memory lives, and though his mangled corse now lies
far from the tombs of his forefathers,

" Unknell'd, uncoffin'd, and unknown."

yet it is some melancholy consolation to his deeply

* In height he was about six feet two inches, and his figure was a perfect
model of strength and symmetry. His countenance was benign and ^^ pleine
de franchise,"—his complexion florid,— and he bad a profusion of beautiful
dark cbcsnut hair.

' »

MEMOIR 0«" COLONEL TUl'l'Ell.

103

afflicted family to reflect, that he is not lamented
hy them only, and that his false, perjured, blood-
thirsty murderers cannot deprive their unhappy vic-
tim of his fair name. But, as a French traveller
wrote of him, "N'est-il pas deplorable que de tels
hommes en soient reduits k se consacrer k une cause
etrangere ?"*

Colonel Tupper married, at Santiago, in 1820,
Maria Isidora de Zegers,t a native of Madrid, and
grand -daughter of Manuel de Zegers, Count de
Waserberg, in Flanders. He left two infant daugh-
ters , and his young widow, from whom his death was
kept concealed for some time, gave birth a few weeks
after to a son, who, it is to be hoped, will resemble
his father in every thing but his misfortunes. The
British and a few of the foreign merchants in Chile,
most liberally united to present the unhappy widow
with some solid proof of the estimation in which they
held the worth and gallantry of her unfortunate
husband, and being joined by a small number of the
natives, the amount raised was about seven thousand
dollars, several of the English contributing five
hundred dollars each. — An act of such unusual gene-
rosity should not go unrecorded, as, while it redounds
so much to the credit of those engaged in it, it speaks
volumes in favour of the deceased.

Of the fatality attending some families there are
many melancholy proofs on record, but perhaps few
instances of modern date will exceed, in the number
of victims, the following series, which may not prove
uninteresting even to the general reader. It has al-
already been mentioned that Colonel Tupper was one

* Viilc Appendix C, No. 9.
t Her motlier was a Montc-negio, of the noble family of that name, in Spain.

; i

> 1

I I '■

< i

: I

'I i

UAA

:j)

104

MEMOIR OF COLONEL TUl'l'KU.

of ten brothers. The eldest, John, a contem])orary ot
Lord Byron at Harrow, perished at sea, in the Medi-
terranean, in 1812, aged twenty ; the vessel in which
he was a passenger from Catalonia to Gibraltar having
never been heard of since.* The third brother, William,
aged twenty-eight, was mortally wounded near Can-
dia, in 182G, as related in the preceding memoir. The
fourth, Charles, aged sixteen, a midshipman of the
Primrose, a fine 18-gun brig, was drowned in 1815
at Spithead, by the upsetting of the boat in which he
was accompanying his commander, Captain C. G. R.
Phillott, from Portsmouth to the ship at St. Helen's ;
he had just returned from the North American station,
where the crew of the Primrose had been actively
engaged during the war, in the destruction of priva-
teers and in boat expeditions. The fifth brother,
De Vic, is the subject of this memoir. The sixth,
Brock, aged thirty, died in 1833, on board H. M's.
packet Rinaldo, on his passage from Rio de Janeiro
to Falmouth, for change of climate, and his remains
were committed to the deep. The seventh, Frederick,
when only nine years of age, was brought home insen-
sible and speechless, and apparently at the point of
death, having, in an attempt to reach the mast head
of a vessel in the pier of Guernsey, fallen about twenty-
five feet head foremost on the edge of the quay,
whence he rebounded off into the harbour at low
water, a further distance of sixteen feet : his skull was
frightfully fractured and indented, and his life des-
paired of for some time. A young officer of the 45th
regiment, who was betrothed to their eldest sister, was

* He went to the Peninsiiia with a friend of the family, Lieut.-Colonel
Frederick Barlow, of the 6lst regiment, and with his first cousin, M'illiam
Potenger. The former fell gallantly soon after, at the head of his battalion,
and the latter, an officer of the 22d regiment, died of the fever at Jamaica.

i I 1

i I

\V'

MKMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

1 ()')

orary ot
e Medi-
n which
" having
^Villiam,
ar Can-
3ir. The
I of the
in 1815
rhich he
y. G. R.
lelen's ;
station,
actively
f priva-
brother,
3 sixth,
I. M's.
Janeiro
'emains

derick,
& insen-

oint of
st head

wenty-
quay,

at low

uU was
des-

e45th

r, was

.-Colonel
William
)attalion,
Jamaica.

niuitally wounded at the siege of Badajos, in ]H\2,
— this hcreavcnient, and tlie untimely end of so many
of iicr brothers, undermined a naturally vigorous con-
stitution, and iiurried her prematurely to the grave :
she died in December, 1830, and, possessing tlic
graces both of mind and person, her memory is still
fondly cherished by those who knew her worth. Of
their uncles, four fell by the bullet, viz. their mother's
brothers, Major- General Sir Isaac lirock, K. 13.,
Lieut. -Colonel John Brock, and Lieutenant Ferdinand
Brock, and their father's brother, William De Vic
Tupper, Esq., as already mentioned. Another near
relative, Lieutenant Carre Tupper, of the Victory,
Lord Hood's flag ship, and only son of Major-General
Tupper, was also slain in the Mediterranean : after
distinguishing himself at Toulon and being in con-
sequence assured of the first commander's vacancy,
he volunteered to bring oflf an enemy's sentinel from
Bastia to the fleet, for the purpose of gaining intel-
ligence, and was shot dead in the gallant but des-
perate attempt.

General Freire, irretrievably undone by the defeat
at Lircai, was discovered some weeks subsequently
in concealment at or near Santiago, and banished
to Peru ; while Colonel Viel, after capitulating witli
the remnant of the cavalry, with which he escaped to
the northward of the capital, was compelled to take
refuge on board a French ship of war at Valparaiso,
Prieto having again attempted to violate the treaty
between them. His desertion of the infantry in the
hour of need perhaps could not be avoided, as he
may have been unable to prevent the shameful flight
of the cavalry, but his behaviour on this day, as
well as on the 14th of December, will not tend to

I':

;, li

I :

'i ''

>: i

'1,1

(

: I'

i-i

■I

i
ii

lUG

MKMOIR OF COLONEL TUPPER.

establish a military reputation, which a])i)ears to iiave
been ])reviously somewhat equivocal. Of Freire's
inex|)licable movements at Lircai we would fain
s])eal\ with leniency : he is in exile, and as he was
even more sinned against than sinning, our feelings
towards him are those of commiseration, not of
resentment, — but manifest it is that as at the com-
mencement of the unfortunate contest, his conduct
was weak and vacillating, so at its melancholy ter-
mination it was marked neither by ordinary prudence
nor capacity, and that an onset of tergiversation was
succeeded by a close of disastrous unskilfulness, to
both of which the constitutional cause and many
of its supporters were sacrificed. Prieto was elected
president of Chile in 1831, as the reward of his
perfidy, although the liberal and enlightened Chilenos
were decidedly averse to the change of rulers thus
forcibly effected. When the country is more worthy
of liberty, the people will achieve it ; but until then,
it is neither to be expected nor desired that a party,
whose cause was so wretchedly mismanaged during
this unhappy contest, wall succeed in returning again
to power. Despotism is ever vigilant, while freedom
too often slumbers in fancied security, — the one main-
tains itself by its fears, the other is frequently lost by
its fearlessness, — but as a government based on deceit,
inhumanity, and violence, can flourish only for a
season, those who would break the chains which now
bind Chile in thraldom may be assured, that

" They never fail who die
In a great cause : the block may soak their gore ;
Their heads may sodden in the sun, their limbs
Be strung to city gates and castle walls—
But still their spirit walks abroad ! ! "

Bybon.

February, 1832.

1 to have*
Frcire's
ukl fain
he was
ieclings
not of
lie com-
eonduct
loly ter-
)rudence
;ion was
ness, to
d many
elected
1 of his
I^hilenos
Jrs thus
worthy
il then,
party,
during
g again
"reedoni
B main-
lost by
deceit,
for a
;h now

NoTK. — April, IH.'}.'). — As the iviuk-r nmy wi^li fo know llic
present political sdite of ( hile, the editor suhjoiiis the following;
extract from the last letter which lie has received from that country,
and dated Santiatjo, J'id September, IH.'M : — " I am happy to say
tliat the country still enjoys perfect quiet. Liberal ideas, and the
freedom of the press, are daily becominsj; more unknown. The
power of the priesthood is every where unchecked ; but you know
too well the value of tranquillity to us foreigners in these countries
to suppose that we repine."

"Amongst the guests was a ( hileno who had been in the United
States as charge d'attaires. Speaking of our country, and those
things which struck him as curious, he told the gentlemen that our
' prisons are secure without military guards, and that he had seen
no soldiers in the country except the volunteer corps on holidays :'
contrasted with the countries of South America, where even the
municipal police consists of soldiers, this circumstance is striking.
'J'his gentleman remarked farther, that ' previous to the revolution
of 1829, Chile had advanced in slow vsure steps; but since that
period society had split into political parties, and the social inter-
course created and cherished by the Sociedad Filarmonica had
almost ceased.'

" The Philharmonic Society was instituted in 182", for improving
and fostering the native taste for music, and creating a more gene-
rally social intercourse." — Three Years in the Pavijic, 1831-1834,
by an Officer in the United States' Navy."

From the same author we learn that, in the Chilian constitution
of May 1833, it is decreed that the religion of the republic is " the
Roman Catholic Apostolic. The nation protects it by all the
means that conform to the spirit of the Evangelist, and will not
permit the exercise of any other."

i 1

n '^ •

ill

.t 1?

Ti -n

;

:'!

' i 1

' H ■

4 V

\ V;

'ill

]
(

6
\

tl
s
tl
a
^^
d
b

MAJOR-GENERAL TUPPER.

T»is officer, the tliird son of Daniel Tupper, Esq,, by
his wife, Elizabeth, daughter of E. Dohree, Esq., of
Beauregard, was born in Guernsey, 25th September,
1727, and was brother of E. Tupper,* jurat, grand-
father of the subjects of the two preceding memoirs.
He obtained his commission by purchase in General
Churchill's regiment of marines, that corps being
then somewhat differently constituted to what it is
now ; and it also then appears to have been a more
favorite service, although none has ever been more
distinguished, as in the annual army list for 1777
we tind the only six majors to be

John Tupper ]Mar.3(), 1771 I William Souter . . . July 27, 177."»

Hon. Frs. Napior . . J uly 21, 1771 ' Hon. J. Maitland . . Oct.. 1 , 1 77^*
Jolm Hughes Apr. 1 2. 1 773 I Alf xander Trotter . Nov. 1 5, 1 77 o

Major Tupper was employed in North America at
the commencement of the revolutionarv war, and he
succeeded to the command of the marines, of whom
there were two battalions at Bunker's Hill, in 1775,
after the fall of the gallant Major Pitcairn, when he
was honorably mentioned in the general orders of the
day. A bullet grazed his right cheek, and drew
blood. In this sanguinary attack the marines behaved
with their usual gallantry, and it was they who, after
the regiments of the line had been twice repulsed by
a most murderous tire, carried the provincial defences
by storm. Cooper, the American novelist, in his

* See page 48.

! \

A- A

ill-

,! \'

M A J O R - G E N E U A L T I' I'PE R .

"Lionel Lincoln," thus describes a scene in the
battle :—

" Push on with the th ! " cried tlie veteran major of marines

— "push on, or the IHtli will get the honor of the day !"

" We cannot," murmured the soldiers of the th ; " their

fire is too heavy !"

" Then break, and let the marines pass through you." *

'I'lie feeble battalion melted away, and the warriors of the deep,
trained to conflicts of hand to hand, sprang forward, with a shout,
in their ])laces The Americans, exhausted of their ammunition,
now sunk sullenly back, a few hurling stones at their foes, in
desperate indignation. The cannon of the British had been
brought to enfilade the short breast-work, which was no longer
tenable ; and as the columns approached closer to the low ram-
part, it became a mutual protection to the adverse parties.

"Hurrah ! for the Royal Irish !" again shouted M'Fuse, rushing
up the trifling ascent, \\hich was but of little more than his own
height.

"Hurrah!" repeated Pitcairn, waving his sword on another
angle of the work — "the day's our own !"

One more sheet of flame issued out of the bosom of the work,
and all those brave men, who had emulated the examples of their
oflicers, were swept away, as if a whirlwind passed along. The
grenadier gave his war-cry once more, and pitched headlong among
his enemies ; while Pitcairn fell back into the arms of his own
child. The cry of "Forward, 47th!" rang through the ranks,
and in their turn this veteran battalion mounted the ramparts. In
the shallow ditch Lionel passed the expiring marine, aud caught
the dying and despairing look from his eye, and in another instant
he found himself in the presence of his foes. As company followed
company into the defenceless redoubt, the Americans sullenly
retired by its rear, keeping the bayonets of the soldiers at bay, with
clubbed muskets and sinewy arms. When the whole issued upon
the open ground, the husbandmen received a close and fatal fire
from the battalions, which were now gathering around them on
three sides. A scene of wild and savage confusion succeeded to the
order of the fight, and many fatal blows were given and taken, the
m(;l^e rendering the use of fire-arms nearly impossible for several
minutes.

* Tliis circnmst.ince, as, iiulotul, most of tlio otliers, is believed to he
accurately true.

i\1

in the

of marines

li ; " their

." *

the deep,
h a shout,
munition,
■ foes, in
liad been
10 longer
low ram-

, rushing
1 his own

another

he work,

of their

f. The
a; among

lis own

ranks,

rts. In

cauglit

instant
'ollowed

luUenly
Ely, with

d upon
iital fire
lem on
1 to the

en, the

several

I to I

MAJOR-GENERAL TUTPEIl.

Ill

Major Tupper was promoted about two years after,
and on the 16th May, 1781, obtained the rank of
colonel. In the life and correspondence of Lord
Rodney we find two letters in the second volume, of
which the following are extracts : —

SiK Georgk Rodxey to Philip Stkpiikxs, Esq., Secretary of

the Admiralty.

Arrogant, Cawsnnd Bay,
3Uth Dec. 1781.

On considering the great number of marines belonging to the
fleet their Lordships have put under my command, and that the
very important service on which I am ordered may render it neces-
sary for his Majesty's service to land bodies of them to attack the
public enemy, and co-operate with his Majesty's land forces, I must
beg leave to suggest to their lordships the utility of field-othcers to
command the different bodies of marines that it may be necessary
to land in the different operations in which I may be employed.

Experience has taught me that captains of marines are not
proper officers to command large detachments of troops, and that
discipline is not so well maintained as when field-olficers of rank
command them. I therefore hope their lordships will take the
matter into consideration, and that I shall have the pleasure of
seeing marine field-olHcers arrive in the West Indies in the squa-
dron which their lordships have appointed to follow me.

I will venture to affirm that it will be attended with great
consequences to his INIajesty's service, and may prevent mucli
confusion, whenever it may be necessary to employ the marines
on shore.

Eakl of Sandwich to Sir Gkobcje Rodnky.

January '2(1, 17f<-2.

Though I hope this letter will not find you still at Plymouth, I
cannot avoid letting it take its chance, in order to tell you that I
entirely approve of your idea of having some field-officers of
marines. We shall therefore give immediate orders, that three
field-officers of that corps do either go with you, or come out in the
next ships that are ordered to join you.

Colonel Tupper was in consequence selected to
command the marines in the fleet, consisting of nearly
forty sail of the line, ten or twelve frigates, and seve-

lii

[

> I

'^■'i.i

■

1 i.

\ i

t r.

112

MAJOR-GENERAL TUPPER.

ral smaller vessels ; and taking his passage in the
Duke, of 90 guns, Captain Gardner, he arrived in the
West Indies in March, and thus participated in the
victory of 12th April, 1782, over the French fleet,
being on board the Repulse, 64, Captain Dumaresq.
Sir George Rodney had at once offered him a birth
on board his flag ship, but as Captain Dumaresq was
an intimate friend, he requested permission to join
the Repulse. Colonel Tupper became a major-general
on the 12th October, 1793, and, having attained the
rank of commandant in chief of the marines, he died
in London in January, 1795, his decease being pro-
bably hastened by the fall of his only son, at Bastia,
a few months previously.

Major General Tupper married, at Cork, Ann Chil-
cott, the daughter of a gentleman who had been
a captain in the fusileers. He had two children,
Carre* and Ann ; the latter, famed for her beauty,
survived him, — she was the wife of Lieut. -Colonel
'Council, of the Limerick militia.

Subjoined is an extract from the London Star of
19th November, 1794:—

The marine corps feel the utmost satisfaction at the appoint-
ment of Major-General Tupper to be colonel commandant of that
corps, in the room of the late Lieut.-General Smith.

On Friday last the officers of the Chatham division, which
General Tupper has for some time commanded with great credit
and honor to himself, waited on him in a body to congratulate him
on his appointment, and to express their sincere acknowledgments
for his kind and polite attentions to them, so uniformly and happily
blended upon every occasion with the due and necessary authority
of military discipline. On Saturday the officers gave a dinner to
the general, at their mess-room, on his resignation of the divisional
command to Colonel Barclay until the arrival of Major-General
Innes, who is appointed to it.

* So named from Mr, Carri', his mother's uncle, and a wealthy banker
in Dublin.

LIEUT. CARRE TUPPER, of H. M. S. VICTORY.

A brief mention is made of this officer at page 105.
He was born on the 11th February, 17G5, and ob-
tained his lieutenantcy in 1782, at the early age of
seventeen, but the peace between 1783 and 1793
retarded his further advancement. Soon after the
declaration of the war in 1793, he was actively em-
ployed in the Mediterranean, and he had already given
fair promise of reaching the summit of his profession
when he was suddenly cut off* at Bastia, in the island
of Corsica. We have heard that he was, unknown to
himself, a commander, having been promoted by the
admiralty for his recent services at Toulon ; and it is
certain that Lord Hood, from the same cause, promised
him the first commander's vacancy, which occurred a
very few days after his death, and which was given
in consequence to the present Vice-Admiral Sir John
Gore, K.C.B., then also a lieutenant of the Victory.
In person he was tall and remarkably handsome, and
" Tupper was a dashing, gallant fellow," was an ob-
servation made to the editor by a distinguished British
admiral, now living, who knew him.

The following are extracts relative to his brief
career : —

From Sir Sidney Smith's official Letter to Admiral Lord Hood, describing
the destruction of the ships and arsenal at Toulon, on the night of the

18th December, 1793.

In this situation we continued to wait most anxiously for the

hour concerted with the governor for the inflammation of the trains.

The moment the signal was made, we had the satisfaction to see

tlie flames rise in every quarter. Lieutenant Tupper was charged

with the burning of the general magazine, the pitch, tar, tallow,

Mil

1.1

Vi'

(

.HI

114

LIEUT. CARRE TLPPER.

:{'!

'I:

i r i;

and oil store houses, and succeeded most perl'ectly : the hemp
magazine was included in this bla/e. It being nearly calm was
unfavorable to the spreading of the flames, but two hundred and
fifty barrels of tar, divided among the deals and other timber,
insured the rapid ignition of the whole quarter which Lieutenant
Tupper had undertaken.

From James' Naval History. Third Edition.

After describing minutely the conflagration at Toulon, &c., the
author adds : —

As well as we can collect from the official accounts published on
the subject, the following were the British naval officers who ac-
companied Sir Sidney Smith in his perilous undertaking : Captains
C. Hare and W. Edge, Lieutenants C. Tupper, John Gore, —
(and several others whose names follow.) — Vol. I, page 114.

At length on the 21st May, 1/91, after a siege of thirty-seven
and a negociation of four days, the town and citadel of Kastia, with
the several posts upon the neighbouring heights, surrendered on
terms highly honorable to the besieged, whose bravery in holding
out so long excited the admiration of the conquerors.

The possession of this important post was accomplished with the
slight loss to the army of seven privates killed and dead of their
wounds, two captains and nineteen privates wounded, and six pri-
vates missing ; and to the navy, of one lieutenant (Carr^ Tupper, of
the Victory,) and six seamen killed, :\nd one lieutenant (G. Andrews^
of the Agamemnon,) and twelve men wounded. — Ibid, page 2/2.

Lieutenant Tupper was buried in a sequestered spot
under the walls of Bastia, with this epitaph : —

HERE LIES THE BODY OF

CARRfi TUPPER, ESQ.

LIEUTENANT OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S SHIP

VICTORY.

HE WAS KILLED BY A MUSKET BALL

IN BRAVELY ATTEMPTING TO LAND,

DURING THE SIEGE OF BASTIA,

ON THE 24th APRIL, 1/94,

AGED TWENTY -NINE YEARS.

HIS ASSOCIATES IN ARMS

DEEPLY REGRETTED AN EVENT

WHICH DEPRIVED THEM OF

AN INTREPID, EXCELLENT OFFICER,

A WORTHY, AMIABLE MAN.

HE WAS BORN THE 11th FEBRUARY, I76r,.

VISIT OF INDIAN CHIEFS to GEORGE IV.

Transcript of a Letter from Irving Brock, Esq., to Miss Caroline
'Flipper, dated London, ^pril 12, 1825.

" I went to Windsor on Wednesday last with the

four Indians, accompanied by my friend Mr. W ,

to show them the castle, Frogmore, &c. ; but the
chief object, which I had secretly in mind, was to
have them introduced to his Majesty. Sir John

C , the late mayor of Windsor, assisted me very

effectually, and the upshot of the matter is, that the
king expressed his desire to see the Indian chiefs,
although every body treated this as a most chimerical
idea. They wore, for the first time, the brilliant
clothes which Mr. Butterworth had had made for
them, and you cannot conceive how grand and impo-
sing they appeared.

' ' The king appointed half-past one on Thursday to
receive our party at the royal lodge, his place of
residence. We were ushered into the library ; and
now I am going to say somewhat pleasing to your

uncle Savery. As Sir John C was in the act

of introducing me, but before he had mentioned my
name. Sir Andrew Barnard interrupted him, and said :
' There is no occasion to introduce me to that gentle-
man, — I know him to be General Brock's brother, —
he and Colonel Brock, of the 8 1st, were my most
intimate friends, — I was in the 81st with the colonel.
There was another brother whom I knew, — he who
was also in the 49th, — he was a gallant fellow. By

■

■■ «

I !

IIG

VISIT OF INDIAN CHIEFS.

; I

I i,

» t

the bye, sir, 1 beg your pardon ; perhaps I am speak-
ing to that very gentleman.'

" In the library there was also present Marquess
Conyngham, Lord Mount Charles, Sir Edmund Nagle,
&c. &c. We remained chatting in the house above
half an hour, expecting every moment to see the
king enter, and I was greatly amused to observe

Mr. W and Sir John C start and appear

convulsed every time there was a noise outside the
door. We were admiring the fine lawn when the
Marquess Conyngham asked the Indians if they
would like to take a turn, at the same time opening
the beautiful door that leads to the lawn. The party
was no sooner out than we saw the king standing
quite still, and as erect as a grenadier on a field day,
some forty yards from us. We were all immediately
uncovered, and advanced slowly towards the hand-
somest, the most elegant, the most enchanting man
in the kingdom, the Indians conducted by Marquess
Conyngham, Sir Edmund Nagle, Sir Andrew Barnard,
Lord Mount Charles, &c. &c. The range of balconies

was filled with ladies. Sir John C , Mr. W

and I, allowed the party to approach his Majesty,
while we modestly halted at a distance of twenty
yards. It was worth while being there only to see
the benign countenance of the greatest monarch in
the world, and to witness his manner of uncovering
his head. The four chiefs fell on their knees. The
king desired them to rise, and entered into a great
deal of preliminary conversation. I saw him turn
towards the marquess, and after a few seconds he
said, with his loud and sonorous voice : ' Pruy, Mr.
Brock, come near me, — I pray you come near me.'
I felt a little for my companions who continued un-

t i

I <

VISIT OF INDIAN CHIEFS.

117

noticed, and especially for Sir John C , to whom

I was principally indebted for the royal interview.

"The king addressed the Indians in French, very
distinctly, fluently, and loud : * I observe you have
the portrait of my father ; will you permit me to
present you with mine?' The marquess then pro-
duced four large and weighty gold coronation peer
medallions of his Majesty, suspended by a rich maza-
reen blue silk riband. The chiefs, seeing this, dropped
again upon their knees, and the king took the four
medallions successively into his hand, and said :
* Will some gentleman have the goodness to tie this
behind ?' — upon which Sir Edmund Nagle, with whom
we had been condoling on account of the gout, while
waiting in the library, and who wore a list shoe,
skipped nimbly behind the chiefs, and received the
string from the king, tying the cordon on the necks
of the four chiefs. We were much amused to observe
how the royal word can dispel the gout. The instant
the grand chief was within reach of the medallion,
and before the investiture was completed, he seized
the welcome present with the utmost earnestness, and
kissed it with an ardour which must have been wit-
nessed to be conceived. The king appeared sensibly
affected by this strong and unequivocal mark of
grateful emotion. The other chiefs acted in a similar
way, and nothing could have been managed more
naturally, or in better taste. After this ceremony
the king desired them to rise and to be covered.
They put on their hats, and which appeared extraor-
dinary to me, his Majesty remained uncovered all the
time. Here it was that the grand chief, as if inca-
pable of repressing his feelings, poured out in a most
eloquent manner, by voice and action, the following

i i

I :

il!

Hii

I! >

118

VISIT OF INDIAN CHIEFS.

unpremeditated speech in his native Indian tongue,
I say unpremeditated, because that fine allusion to
the sun could not have been contemplated while we
were waiting in the library, the room where we ex-
pected the interview to take place. I was pleased to
find that the presence of this mighty sovereign, who
governs the most powerful nation upon earth, did not
drive from the thoughts of the pious chief, the King
of kings and the Lord of lords.

"The instant he had finished, the chief of the
warriors interpreted in the French language, and I
wrote down the speech as soon as I left the royal
lodge. It should be observed, that the chiefs had
been previously informed by me that, according to
etiquette, they should answer any questions which his
Majesty might be pleased to ask, but not introduce
any conversation of their own. The sun was shining
vividly.

THE SPEECH.

I was instructed not to speak in the royal presence, unless in
answer to your Majesty's questions. But my feelings overpower
me. My heart is full. I am amazed at such unexpected grace
and condescension, and cannot doubt that I shall be pardoned for
expressing my gratitude. The sun is shedding his genial rays upon
our heads. He reminds us of the great Creator of the universe, —
of Him who can make alive and who can kill. Oh ! may that
gracious and beneficent Being, who promises to answer the fervent
prayers of his people, bless abundantly your Majesty. May He
grant you much bodily health, and, for the sake of your happy
subjects, may He prolong your valuable life ! It is not alone the
four individuals, who now stand before your Majesty, who will
retain to the end of their lives a sense of this kind and touching
reception, — the whole of the nations, whose representatives we are,
will ever love and be devoted to you, their good and great father.

" His Majesty felt deeply every word of the speech,
when interpreted by the chief of the warriors. The

i^ It.

VISIT OF INDIAN CHIEFS.

119

king answered, that he derived high satisfaction from
the sentiments they had expressed, and assured theai
that he should always be much interested in the ha
piness of his North American subjects, and would
avail himself of every opportunity to promote their
welfare, and to prove that he was indeed their father.
After acknowledging in gracious terms the pleasure
which the speech of the grand chief had afforded
him, he mentioned, in an easy and affable manner,
that he had once before in his life seen some indivi-
duals of the Indian nations, but that was fifty-five or
fifty- six years ago. He inquired of their passage to
this country, the name of the ship and of the master,
and was persevering in his questions as to the treat-
ment they had experienced at his hands, whether they
had been made comfortable in all respects, and if he
had been polite and attentive.

*' While the grand chief was delivering his speech
in the Huron language, it seemed as if it would never
end, and, observing the king look a little surprised,
I informed the Marquess Conyngham, in a loud whis-
per, that this was the mode in which they expressed
their sense of any honor conferred, and that the chief
of the warriors would interpret the speech in the
French language. The king asked me to repeat what
I had been saying, and George and Irving conversed
for some time. His Majesty, on another occasion,
asked me under what circumstances the Indians had
been introduced to me. I answered that they were
recommended to my notice, because they had been
invested with the medallions of his late Majesty by
my brother.

" His Majesty hoped the Indians had seen every
thing remarkable in Windsor, and told us we were

{

' 1'

!
1

[ ^

:tli

1r V

:4 ''

120

VISIT OF INDIAN CHIEFS.

welcome to see the interior of the lodge and pleasure
grounds, that Sir Andrew Barnard would accompany
us everywhere, to his stables, menagerie, aviaries, &c.,
and afterwards he trusted we would partake of some
refreshment. He also offered us the use of his car-
riages. The refreshment was a truly royal repast, —
we eat on silver, — the table groaned, as Mr. Heathfield
would say, under the king's hospitality. We made a
famous dinner, — pine apple, champagne, claret, &c. —
servants in royal liveries behind our chairs. After
dinner the Indians gave us the war song, when (in
your uncle Savery's poetry about Maria Easy),

Tho' the dogs ran out in a great fright,
The ladies rush'd in with much delight."

Note. — These four Indians carae to England for the purpose of
endeavouring to recover lands which had been given to their tribe
by Louis XIV. but it appears that they did not succeed. They were
very pious Roman Catholics, and those who saw them were much
amused with their simple and primitive manners. — Ed.

Extract of a Letter from Walter Bromley, Esq., dated London,
\5th April, 1825. — From a Halifax N. S. newspaper.

"The Indian chief, who accompanied me to Eng-
land, sailed in the Ward, for New Brunswick, a few
days ago, loaded with presents to his family and
people. I think his appearance here has been more
beneficial than if volumes had been printed on Indian
civilization, and I am in hope that on both sides of
the Atlantic a general sympathy has been excited.
The four Canadian chiefs have attracted much atten-
tion, and have been presented to his Majesty by the
brother of the late General Brock ; they are the most
interesting characters I ever saw, — are extremely
polite, — and speak French very fluently."

I t

pleasure
L'ornpany
'ies, &c.,
of some
his car-
epast, —
eathfield
made a
t, &c. —
After
hen (in

urposc of
leir tribe
hey were
ire much

APPENDIX

London,

) Eng-
a few
y and
more
[ndian
des of
tcited.
atten-
jy the
i most
emely

'' .!•

ill

tl
o
e:
m

iii

ser
pri
res
hoi
ba(
snc
car

APPENDIX A.

SECTION I.— BIUTISH AUTHORS.

No. I.

Extract of a Letter to one of the ( aptains of the Vjth, at Fort Georye,
dated Montreal, March 17, ISO I. — .Sec pp. '.i to ;').
"The execution of the four mutineers and three deserters took
place at Quebec on the '2d instant, and as I have a letter of the 3d,
giving the most minute account that I have seen of it, 1 t]iereft)re
transcribe part of the same to you. — ' I embrace the earliest
opportunity of saying that the seven mutineers and deserters were
executed yesterday. At a quarter past ten, a.m., tlie procession
moved off from the prison in the following order : —

Two Bu^lc. Horns.

Mf\jor Campbell with a large party of the 4Ist as the advanced guard.

Artillery with a Field Piece.

The Firing Party, fifty-six in number.

Seven Coffins borne by two men each.

Escort with the Prisoners attended by four Roman Catholic Priests and the

Rev. Mr. Mountain.

Surgeons of the Garrison and Regiments.

Band of Music of the 41st playing a Dirge.

General Mann and Staff Officers of the Garrison.

Field Piece.

Colonel Glasgow with the main body of the Artillery.

Field Piece.

Colonel Proctor at the head of the 41st Regiment, with the Colours.

Major Muter, of the 0th, with the two flank Companies of that Regiment.

New Brunswick Volunteers, about seventy in number, without arms.

*At about half-past ten they arrived on the ground, when the
sentence and warrant of execution were read ; after which the
prisoners about to suffer were led to their coffins, upon which they
respectively kneeled : they were kep* nearly three quarters of an
hour in prayer, during which time the weather was very cold and
bad, a strong wind blowing from the eastward with a great drift of
snow. The whole was conducted with the greatest propriety till it
came to the firing, when, by some mistake, instead of the party

I '

1^1 '

'J ■ !

' ii

li^^'i

-.,

f'l

t !

I'll

il'rf

! I

124

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

advancing to within eight yards of the prisoners and firing in three
divisions, upon the signal being given for tliat purpose, the ser-
geants, commanding the divisions, ordered the men to make ready,
and immediately after about ten muskets in the centre went off;
this created confusion, and many other single shots were fired, and
from a distance of at lei's^ fifty yards; the consequence was, that
the poor wretches fell one after another, and, being partially
wounded, some of them cried out bitterly. Forty shots must have
been fired before one poor fellow in the centre fell, although it
appeared that he received a ball through the lower part of the belly
on the first discharge, as he was seen to put his hands down and
cry out : the party was now ordered up singly, that is, each man,
who had not fired off his piece, went and lodged the contents of it
in the breasts of the culprits, and by that means put them out of
torture. It was on the whole an awful and affecting sight, and
from the appearance of the soldiery, seemed to have made a very
proper impression.'

" Requesting my best compliments to Colonel Brock and the
other gentlemen of the regiment, I remain," &c.

No. 2.

Extract from General Order, Head Quarters, Montreal, August 3 1 ,

1812.— See p. 15.
" Captain Pinkney, aid-de-camp to General Dearborn, arrived at
nine o'clock last night, being the bearer of despatches from the
commander in chief of the American forces, with the information
that the president of the United States of America had not thought
proper to authorise a continuance of the provisional measures entered
into by his Excellency and General Dearborn, through the adjutant-
general. Colonel Baynes, and that consequently the armistice was
to cease in four days from the time of the communication reaching

Montreal, and the posts at Kingston and Fort George That

the conquest of the Canadas, either for the purpose of extending
their own territories or of gratifying their desire of annoying and
embarrassing Great Britain, was one amongst others of these objects,
cannot be doubted. The invasion of the Upper Province, under-
taken so immediately after the declaration of war, shews in the
strongest manner how fully they had prepared themselves for that
event, and how highly they had flattered themselves with finding it
an easy conquest, from the supposed weakness of the force opposed
to them, and the spirit of disaffection which they had previously

.( *;■'

APPENDIX A,

125

g in three
, the ser-
ike ready,
went off;
fired, and
was, that
partially
nust have
though it
' the belly
lown and
ach man,
ents of it
im out of
ight, and
de a very

and the

endeavoured to excite amongst its inhabitants. Foiled as they
have been in this attempt by the brave and united efforts of the
regular forces, militia, and Indians of that province, under the
command of their distinguished leader, their whole army with its
general captured, and their only remaining fortress and post in the
adjoining territory wrested from them, it is not to be doubted but
that the American government will keenly feel this disappointment
of their hopes, and consequently endeavour to avail themselves of
the surrender of Detroit, to term it an invasion of their country,
and to make it a ground for calling upon the militia to march to
the frontiers for the conquest of the Canadas. A pretext so weak
and unfounded, though it may deceive some, will not fail to be
received in its proper light by others, and it will be immediately
perceived by those who will give themselves the trouble to reflect
on the subject, that the pursuit of an invading army into their own
territory, is but a natural consequence of the first invasion, and the
capture of the place to which they may retire for safety, a measure
indispensably necessary for the security and protection of the
country originally attacked."

I !

■ \

■I

tgust 31,

rrived at

'rom the

)rmation

thought

entered

djutant-

tice was

'caching

That

tending

ing and

objects,

under-

in the

for that

iding it

>pposed

viously

No. 3.

Extracts of a Letter from Major Glcgg to IVilliam Brock, Esq.,
dated York, Upper Canada, 25th October, 1812.

"Since announcing to you on the 14th the heavy public and
private loss that we sustained on the preceding day, by the fall of
my beloved general, at the battle of Queenston, I have devoted
every thought and m.oment to the painful discharge of my remaining
duties. His funeral took place on the IGth, and a more solemn
and affecting spectacle was perhaps never witnessed. I enclose a
plan of the melancholy procession, but no pen can describe the
real scenes of that mournful day. As every arrangement connected
with that afflicting ceremony fell to my lot, a second attack being
hour!/ expected, and the minds of all being fully occupied with the
duties of their respective stations, I anxiously endeavoured to per-
form this last tribute of affection in a manner corresponding with
the elevated virtues of my departed patron. Conceiving that an
interment in every respect military would be the most approprisite
to the character of our dear friend, I made choice of a cavalier
bastion in Fort George, which his aspiring genius had lately sug-
gested, and which had been just finished under his daily superin-
tendence. Not trusting, however, wholly to my own ideas on a

■it'i

I
t
I

V2G

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

point of so much interest, I consulted with Major-General MieaH'c
and some other friends, who, I am happy to assure you, were
unanimous in preferring military ground as the place of interment.
His remains, by being always guarded by the respectful vigilance
of admiring valour, will for ever remain sacred ; his public and
private worth have been justly appreciated in this province, and
the high character, which he so modestly supported when living,
will remain recorded in the memory of those who survive him.
Our lamented friend was interred with every military honor that
was due to his exalted station ; at the same time recollecting his
decided aversion to every thing that bore the appearance of osten-
tatious display, 1 endeavoured to clothe the distressing ceremony
conformably with his native simplicity. My gallant friend and
colleague Lieut. -Colonel M'Donell, whose noble soul hurried him
on to revenge the fall of our beloved chief, appeared determined to
accompany him to the regions of eternal bliss. Wounded in four
places, he was carried off the field, and, though one ball passed
through his body, he survived twenty hours, and, during a constant
period of excruciating suffering, his words and thoughts appeared
ever occupied with lamentations for his lost friend. My heart is
overpowered with sorrow when I reflect on that awful and eventful
day. I can almost fancy I see and hear your brave brother's
cheering voice when our small band of 49th heroes were a third
time charging the enemy in the streets of Queenston, who were
treble our numbers ; forgetful of himself, he was occasionally
exhorting others to be more prudent, — every one did more than his
duty, — and alas ! in this glorious struggle for the country two heroes
fell. They were deposited in the same grave close to each other."

Note. — ^The contents of Major Glegg's first letter, dated Fort George,
14th October, are embodied in Sir Isaac Brock's Memoir ; the remainder
of the second letter, as above, relates chiefly to the private affairs of the
general. — Ed.

No. 4.

Conclusion of Extract from Quebec Gazette of 29th October, 1812,

given in pp. 20, 2 ! .

" It is indeed true that the spirit, and even the abilities, of a
distinguished man often carry their influence beyond the grave, and
the present event furnishes its own example, for it is certain, not-
withstanding General Brock was cut off early in the action, that he
had already given an impulse to his little army, which contributed

tl
tl

al
al
II

, 1812.

!S,

APPENDIX A.

127

to accomplish the victoi^" when he was no more. Let us trust that
the recollection of him will become a new bond of union, and that,
as he sacrificed himself for a community of patriots, they will find
a new motive to exertion in the obligation to secure his ashes from
the pestilential dominion of the enemy.

"(ienerul Brock was a native of Guernsey. His family always
belonged to the profession of arms. He entered the army early in
life, and has been continually on service during the last and present
wars. He made several campaigns on the European continent,
and particularly distinguished himself in Holland, where he had a
horse killed under him. He was shortly afterwards employed on
board the Ganges, with his favorite 49th regiment, in the battle of
Copenhagen, on the famous 2d of April, 1801. In the following
year he came to this country as lieutenant-colonel commanding
that regiment. His strong attachment to it made it a distinguish-
ing feature in his character. There was a correspondence of esteem
and regard between him and his orticers and privates, with an
addition of veneration on the part of these, that produced the
picture of a happy family. Those movements of feeling, which the
exactions of discipline will sometimes occasion, rarely reached his
men. He governed them by that sentiment of esteem which he
himself had created. The consolation was given him to terminate
an useful and brilliant course in the midst of his professional family.
They have performed his last funeral obsequies, and those who
knew the commander and his men will be convinced that on the
day of his interment there was an entire regiment in tears.

" His fate has been attended by a circumstance almost intolerable
to a high-minded soldier. His enemy was not worthy such a
catastrophe. The spirit of the victim often rebuked the hard
destiny that denied him a field where it might be desirable to die.
But brave and generous Brock the opinion of your country shall
correct the errors of fortune. It shall estimate your efforts the
more for having been made against an enemy without reputation,
though powerful, and who, in waging this war, has shewn how
destitute he is of every principal element that can constitute true
greatness. It shall grant you all the fame that manly courage and
heroic enterprise, skilfully and successfully employed, have the
power to yield. Monuments shall rise to your glory in the public
square of that province you have twice saved, and under the dome
of the first cathedral in Europe."

i; :

:„

) >

i f

Illij

128

]

\\^

\ '

i./i

ill

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

No.

".f^/ « General Couticil of Condolence held at the Council House, Fori
George, Gth November, 1812,

"Present — The Six Nations, Hurons, Potawatimics, and

Chippawas.
William Claus, Deputy Superintendent-Gen'.
Captain Norton.
Captain J. B. Rosseaux, and several others

of the Indian Department.
Kasencayont Cayonga Chief, Speaker.

" Brother, — The Americans have long threatened to strike us,
and in the beginning of the summer they declared war against us,
and lately they recommenced hostility by invading the country at
Queenston. In this contest, which, with the help of God, termi-
nated in our favor, your much lamented commander and friend
General Brock, his aid-de-camp Colonel M'Donell, and several
warriors, have fallen.

"Brother, — We therefore now, seeing you darkened with grief,
your eyes dim with tears, and your throats stopped with the force
of your affliction, with these strings of wampum we wipe away
your tears that you may view clearly the surrounding objects. We
clear the passage in your throats that you may have free utterance
for your thoughts, and we wipe clean from blood the place of your
abode, that you may sit there in comfort, without having renewed
the remembrance of your loss by the remaining stains of blood.
Delivered eight strings of white wainpum.*

" Brother, — That the remains of our late beloved friend and
commander General Brock shall receive no injury, we cover it
with this be]' of wampum, which we do from the grateful sensations
which his kindness towards us continually inspired, as also in con-
formity with the customs of our ancestors ; and we now express,
with the unanimous voice of the chiefs and warriors of our respec-
tive bands, the great respect in which we hold his memory, and the

* Wampum is the current mon^y among the Indians. It is of two sorts,
wliite and piu'ple : the white is worked out of the insidcs of the great Congnes
into the form of a bead, and perforated so as to be strung on leather; the
purple is worked out of the inside of the muscle shell. They are wove as
broad as one's hand, and about two feet long ; these they call belts, and give
and receive them at their treaties, as the seals of friendship. For lesser
motives a single string is given ; every bead is of a known value ; and a belt
of a less number is made to c(iual one of a greater, by so many as is wanted
being fastened to the belt by a string. — Buchanan's North American Indians.

'\ i:i

APPENDIX A.

129

sorrow and deep regret with which his loss has tilled our breasts,
although he has taken his departure for a better abode, wliere his
many virtues will be rewarded by the great Dispenser ot'good, who
has led us on the road to victory.

A large white belt.

" Brother, — We now address the successor of our departfd friend
to express the confidence we feel that his heart is warmed with
similar sentiments of aflection and regard towards us. \Ve also
assure him of our readiness to support him to the last, and therefore
take the ^i )erty to speak strong to all his people to co-operate with
vigour, and trusting in the powerful arm of God, not to lioubt of
victory.

"Although our numbers are small, yet, counting Him on our
side, who ever decides on the day of battle, we look for victory
whenever we shall come in contact with our enemy.
Five strhtgs of white wampum.

(Signed) "W. CLAUS, J). S.(,."

It ■

No. 6.

IMPROMPTU

ON READING THE ACCOUNT OF THE DEATH OF THE r.AM.ANT
MAJOR-GENERAL SIR ISAAC DRUCK.

Whence sprung that sigh of sorrow deep.
Those plaints that pierce the troubled air !
Whose that fair form that seems to weep
With tresses loose, and bosom bare ?

Ah ! now I know that form divine.
Whose looks her heartfelt grief declare ;
Queen of the seagirt isle ! 'tis thine.
And thine those plaints that pierce the air.

Thou mourn' st thy brave defender's fate
Far distant o'er yon western tide, —
The victim of illiberal hate
Fostered by French intrigue and pride !

Thou mourn'st the loss of valiant Brock,
Chastiser of o'erweening pride,
Who fell in battle's furious shock,
By Niagara's thundering side !
1

ifi.

.1 *•

■\\

,Mf\

'•i

I .

rr '

(;.'

II; 'If

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

In freedom's cause the liero fell, —

His relics rest on glory's bed ;

Twice vanquished, let Columbia tell

How gallantly he fought and died. hakisc.

VERSES

ON THE DEATH OF MAJOR-GENERAI, BnOCK.

Low bending o'er the rugged bier
The soldier drops the mournful tear.
For life departed, valour driven.
Fresh from the field of death to heaven.

But time shall fondly trace the name

Of Brock upon the scrolls of fame,

And those bright laurels, which should wave

Upon the brow of one so brave,

Shall flourish vernal o'er his grave. j. h. r.

No. 7.

Extracts from "James Military Occurrences of the late War between
Great Britain and the United States of America." — 2 vols. 8vo.
London, 1818.

"Major-General Brock, the president of Upper Canada, was at
York when the news of war reached him. He, with his accustomed
alacrity, sent immediate notice of it to Lieut. -Colonel St. George,
commanding a small detachment of troops at Amherstburg, and
to Captain Roberts, commanding part of a company of the 1 0th
R. V. battalion, at St. Joseph's. A second despatch to the last
named officer contained the major-general's orders, that he should
adopt the most prudent measures, either for offence or defence.
Captain Roberts, accordingly, on the day succeeding the arrival of
his orders, embarked with forty -five officers and men of the 1 0th
royal veteran battalion, about one hundred and eighty Canadians,
three hundred and ninety-three Indians, and two iron six pounders,
to attack the American fort of Michilimacinac. This force reached
the island on the following morning. A summons was immediately
sent in 3 and the fort of Michilimacinac, with seven pieces of
ordnance, and sixty-one officers and privates of the United States
army, surrendered, by capitulation, without a drop of blood having
been spilt. — Vol. I., pp. 56, 57.

\ ■

I . !S a.'

APPENDIX A.

131

"General Brock had just arrived at Fort George from \'ork,
when he heard of General Hull's invasion. It was his intention to
attack, and there is no doubt he would have carried, Fort Niagara ;
but, Sir George Prevt c not having sent him any official account
of the war, nor any orddr to guide his proceedings, the general was
restrained from acting according to the dictates of his judgment
and the natural energy of his mind. After issuing a proclamation,
to defeat the object of that circulated by General Hull, General
Brock returned to York, to meet the legislature of Upper Canada ;
which, on account of the war, he had called together for an extra
session. This session was short ; and, on the 5th of August, the
general again left York for Fort George, and for Long Point on
Lake Erie. On the 8th he embarked at the latter place, with foi ty
rank and file of the 4 1 st regiment, and two hundred and sixty of
the militia forces ; leaving the important command on the Niagara
frontier to his quarter- master-general, Lieut.-Colonel Myers, an
able and intelligent officer.

" General Brock and his little party landed safe at Amherstburg
on the evening of the 12th, when that enterprising officer lost not
a moment, but, with the reinforcement he procured at this place,
pushed on for Sandwich. Here he found that the Americans had
evacuated and destroyed a small fort which they had constructed
soon after their arrival. On the morning of the 15th, General
Brock sent across a flag of truce, with a summons, demanding the
immediate surrender of the garrison j to which an answer was
returned, that "the town and fort would be defended to the last
extremity." That being the case, at four o'clock in the afternoon,
the British batteries, which had been constructed for one eighteen
pounder, two twelve pounders, and two 5^ inch howitzers, opened
upon the enemy, and continued to throw their shells into the fort
until midnight. One shell killed three or four officers, and pro-
duced great alarm in the garrison. The fire was returned by seven
twenty-four pounders, but without the slightest effect.

" At daylight the next morning the firing recommenced ; and
the major-general, taking with him thirty of the royal artillery, two
hundred and fifty of the 41st regiment, fifty of the royal Newfound-
land regiment, and four hundred militia, crossed the river, and
landed at Springwell, a good position, three miles west of Detroit.
The Indians, six hundred in number, under the brave Tecumseh,
had effected their landing two miles below ; and they immediately
occupied the woods about a mile and a half on the left of the army.

'f : 'J

ii
li

'{;■

i^i^

\32

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

I'l -..i

The direction of the batteries on the opposite shore had, in the
mean time, been left to an intelligent oilicer.

" At about ten o'clock the troops advanced, in close column,
twelve in front, along the bank of the river towards the fort, and
halted at about a mile distant j by which time the Indians had
penetrated the enemy's camp. When the head of the British
column had advanced to within a short distance of the American
line, General Hull, and the troops under his command, retreated to
the fort, without making any use of two twenty-four pounders,
advantageously posted on an eminence, and loaded with grape shot.

"Just as the British were about to commence the attack, a white
flag was seen suspended from the walls of the fort. So unexpected
a measure caused General Brock to despatch an officer in front, to
ascertain the fact. Shortly afterwards the capitulation was signed ;
and the fort of Detroit, its ordnance and military stores, a fine
vessel in the harbour, the whole north-western army, including the
detached parties, also the immense territory of Michigan, its forti-
fied posts, garrisons, and inhabitants, were surrendered to the
British arms. — Ibid, pp. 68 to 70.

"One reason for General Brock's marching so comparatively
small a force against Detroit, was a deficiency of arms wherewith
to equip the Upper Canada militia. Many of the latter were
obliged, in consequence, to remain behind ; and even the arms that
had been distributed among their companions, were of the very
worst quality ; so that General Hull's ' two thousand five hundred
stands of arms,' which were indeed of the very best quality, became
a valuable acquisition. The success that attended this first enter-
prise in which the militia had been called upon to act, produced an
electrical eft'ect throughout the two provinces. It inspired the
timid, settled the wavering, and awed the disaffected ; of which
latter there were many. It also induced the Six Nations of Indians,
who had hitherto kept aloof, to take an active part in our favor. —
Ibid, pp. 73, 74.

" Brigadier-General Hull was arlerwards exchanged for thirty
British prisoners ; and his trial commenced at Albany on the 5th
of January, and ended on the 8th of March, 1814. The particulars
may not be uninteresting, and are therefore extracted from the
pages of Mr. O'Connor's book : —

" ' Three charges were presented against him ; to wit, treason
against the United States ; cowardice; and neglect of duty, and unofficer-
Hke conduct; to all which he pleaded Not Guilty. — The general

id, in tlic

i column,
fort, and
(lians had
le British
American
treated to
pounders,
;rape shot,
k, a white
nexpected
1 front, to
as signed ;
■es, a fine
[uding the
, its forti-
ed to the

paratively

wherewith

Ltter were

arms that

the very

hundred

, became

rst enter-

duced an

pired the

of which

|f Indians,

favor. —

•r thirty
the 5th
irticulars
Ifrom the

treason
lunofficer-
general

APPENDIX A.

133

having protested against the competency of the court to try the
first charge, the court declined making any formal decision on it ;
but yet gave an opinion that nothing appeared to them which coiild
justify the charge.

" 'The court acquitted him of that part of the third specification,
which charges him with having forbidden the American artillery to
fire on the enemy, on their march towards the said Fort Detroit,
and found him guilty of the first, second part of the third, and the
fourth specifications. On the third charge, the court found the
accused guilty of neglect of duty, in omitting seasonably to inspect,
train, exercise, and order the troops under his command, or cause
the same to be done. They also found him guilty of part of the
fourth and fifth specifications, and the whole of the sixth and
seventh ; and acquitted him of the second and third, and part of
the fourth and fifth specifications.

" ' The court sentenced the said Brigadier-General William Hull
to be shot to death, two-thirds of the court concurring in the sen-
tence ; but, in consideration of his revolutionary services, and his
advanced age, recommended him to the mercy of the president of
the United States. The president approved the sentence, remitted
the execution, and ordered the name of General Hull to be erased
from the list of the army.' — Ibid, pp. 75, 76.

"The chagrin felt at Washington, when news arrived of the total
failure of this the first attempt at invasion, was in proportion to
the sanguine hopes entertained of its success. To what a pitch of
extravagance those hopes had been carried, cannot better appear
than in two speeches delivered upon the floor of congress, in the
summer of 1812. Dr. Eustis, the secretary at war of the United
States, said : ' We can take the Canadas without soldiers ; we
have only to send officers into the provinces, and the people,
disaffected towards their own government, will rally round our
standard.' The honorable Henry Clay seconded his friend thus :
'It is absurd to suppose we shall not succeed in our enterprise
against the enemy's provinces. We have the Canadas as much
under our command as she (Great Britain) has the ocean ; and the
way to conquer her on the ocean is to drive her from the land. I
am not for stopping at Quebec, or any where else ; but I would
take the whole continent from them, and ask them no favors. Her
fleets cannot then rendezvous at Halifax as now ; and, having no
place of resort in the north, cannot infest our coast as they have
lately done. It is as easy to conquer them on the land, as their

1
I

'i\

;i!u

li .

134

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

whole navy would conquer ours on the ocean. We must take the
continent from them. / wish never to see a peace till we do. God
has given us the power and the means ; vvc are to blame if we do
not use them. If we get the continent, she must allow us the
freedom of the sea.' This is the gentleman who, afterwards, in the
character of a commissioner, — and it stands as a record of his
tmblushing apo.stacy, — signed the treaty of peace.

" Upon Major-General lirock's arrival at Fort George, he first
iieard of that most impolitic armistice, which, grounded on a letter
from Sir (ieorge Prevost to Major-General Dearborn, had been
concluded between the latter and Colonel Baynes, Sir George's
adjutant-general. It provided that neither party should act offen-
sively before the decision of the American government was taken
on the subject. To the circumstance of the despatch, announcing
the event, not having reached the gallant Brock before he had
finished the business at Detroit, may the safety of the Canadas, in
a great measure, be attributed. The armistice was already suffi-
ciently injurious. It paraly/ed the efforts of that active officer,
who had resolved, and would doubtless have succeeded, in sweeping
the American forces from the whole Niagara line. It enabled the
Americans to recover from their consternation, to fortify and
strengthen their own, and to accumulate the means of annoyance
along the whole of our frontier. It sent nearly eight hundred of
our Indian allies, in disgust, to their homes. It admitted the free
transport of the enemy's ordnance stores and provisions by Lake
Ontario, which gave increased facility to all his subsequent opera-
tions in that quarter. — Ibid, pp. 7G to 78.

'' This army, comaiiiaded by Major-General Van Rensselaer, of
the New York militia, consisted, according to American official
returns, of five thousand two hundred and six men ; exclusive of
three hundred field and light artillery, eight hundred of the 6th,
13th, and 23d regiments, at Fort Niagara; making a total of six
thousand three hundred men. Of this powerful force, sixteen hun-
dred and fifty regulars, under the command of Brigadier-General
Smyth, were at Black Rock ; three hundred and eighty-six militia
at the latter place and Buffaloe ; and nine hundred regulars, and
two thousand two hundred and seventy militia, at Lewistown, dis-
tant from Black Rock twenty-eight miles. So that, including the
eleven hundred men at Fort Niagara, the Americans had, along
thirty-six miles of their frontier, a force of six thousand three hun-
dred men, of whom nearly two-thirds were regular troops ; while

AITKNDIX A,

135

I hu Hritish, alon<^ their line from Fort (ieorge, where Mujor-Cicnenil
Sheaffe commanded, to Fort Erie, whitlier JMajor-General lirock
had just proceeded, could not muster twelve hundred men, nearly
iialf of whom were militia. — Ibid, p, 80.

" The only British batteries from which the troops could be
annoyed in the passage, were one, mounting an eighteen pounder,
upon Queensto'vu heights, and another, mounting a twenty-four
pound carrwnade, situate a little below the town. The river at
Queenstown is scarcely a quarter of a mile in width, and the point
chosen for crossing was not fully exposed to either of the British
batteries ; v/hile the American batteries of two eighteen and two
six pounders, and the two six pounder field pieces, brought up by
Lieut. -Colonel Scott, completely commanded every part of the op-
posite shore, from which musketry could be effectual in opposing a
landing. With these important advantages the troops embarked ;
but, a grape shot striking the boat in which Lieut. -Colonel Christie
was, and wounding him in the hand, the pilot and boatmen became
so alarmed, that they suffered the boat to fall beloVv the point of
landing, and were obliged, in consequence, to put back. Two other
boats did the same. The remaining ten, with two hundred and
twenty-five ."egulars, besides officers, including the commander of
the expedition. Colonel Van Rensselaer, struck the shore ; and,
after disembarking the men, returned for more troops.

" The only force at Queenstown consisted of the two flank com-
panies of the 49th regiment, and a small detachment of militia j
amounting, in all, to about three hundred rank and file. Of these
about sixty, taken from the 49th grenadiers and Captain Hatt's
company of militia, having in charge a three pounder, advanced, at
four o'clock in the morning, with Captain Dennis of the 49th at
their head, towards the river, near to which Colonel Van Rensselaer
had formed his men, to await the arrival of the next boats. A
well directed and warmly continued fire killed and wounded several
American officers and privates, including, among the wounded.
Colonel V^an Rensselaer and three captains, and drove the Ameri-
cans behind a steep bank, close to the water's edge. In the mean
time, a fresh supply of troops had effected a landing, and remained,
with the others, sheltered behind the bank ; whence they returned
the fire of the British, killing one man and wounding four. The
remaining subdivisions of the 49th grenadiers and of the militia
company had now joined Captain Dennis ; and the 49th light in-
fantry, under Captain Williams, with Captain Chisholm's company

•?> /

130

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

i '<

of militirt, slalionod on tin- brow ot" llie hill, were firing down upon
the invaders.

" Of five or six boats tluit attempted to land a body of American
regulars inider Major INIullany, one was destroyed by a shot from
the hill battery, commanded by Lieutenant Crowther, of the 4 1st
regiment ; two others were capturt-d ; and the remainder, foiled in
their object, returned to the American side. Daylight appeared ;
and, at the same instant, General lirock arrived at the hill battery
from Fort (Jeorge. Observing the strong reinforcements that were
crossing over, the general instantly ordered Captain Williams to
descend the hill, and support Captain Dennis. No sooner were
Captain Williams and his men seen to depart, than the Americans
formed the resolution of gaining the heights. Accordingly, sixty
American regulars, headed by Captain ^Vool, and accompanied by
Major Lush, a volunteer, also by a captain, six lieutenants, and an
ensign of the 13th regiment, ascended a fisherman's path up the
rocks, which had been reported to General IJrock as impassable,
Ri^d therefore was not guarded. The Americans were thus enabled,
unseen by our troops, to arrive at a brow, about thirty yards in the
rear of the hill battery. Reinforcements kept rapidly arriving by
the concealed path ; an^! the whole formed on the brow, with their
front towards the village of Qiueenstown.

" The moment General Brock discovered the unexpected advance
of the American troops, he, with the twelve men stationed at the
battery, retired ; and Captain Wool, advancing from the rear with
his more tiian ten-fold force, ' took it without much resistance.'
Captain Williams, and his detachment of regulars and militia, were
now recalled ; and General Brock, putting himself at the head of
this force, amounting, in all, to about ninety men, advanced to
meet a detachment of one hundred and fifty picked American regu-
lars, which Captain Wool had sent forward to attack him. The
American captain says that, in consequence of the general's ' supe-
rior force,' his men retreated ; adding, ' I sent a reinforcement,
notwithstanding which, the enemy drove us to the edge of the
bank.' While animating his little band of regulars and militia to
a charge up the heights. General Brock received a mortal wound
in the breast, and immediately fell.

" At this moment the two flank companies of the York militia,
with Lieut. -Colonel M'Donell, the general's provincial aid-de-camp,
at their head, arrived from Brown's Point, three miles distant. By
this time, also, Captain Wool had sent additional reinforcements to

.^'\'

APPENDIX A.

\:\:

«l

Captain Ogih'ie, making the latter's force ' three hundred and
twenty reguhirs, supported by a few militia and vohmteers,' or, in
the whole, full five hundred men. Colonel M'Donell and his one
hundred and ninety men, — more than two-tliirds Canadian militia, —
rushed boldly up the hill, in defiance of the continued stream <>f
mu-lccti-y pouring down upon them ; compelled the Americans to
spike the eighteen pounder ; and would have again driven them to
the rocks, had not the colonel and Captain ^^'illiams been wounded,
almost at the sjime instant, — the former mortally. The loss of
their commanders created confusion among the men, and they
again retreated. Hearing of the fall of (ieneral Jirock, Captain
Dennis proceeded from the valley towards the foot of the heights,
and, mounting the general's horse, rode up, and tried to rally the
troops. He succeeded in forming a few ; but the number was so
inconsiderable that, to persist in a contest, would have been mad-
ness. A retreat wxs accordingly ordered, by the ground in the
rear of the town ; and the men of the lOtli, accompanied by many
of the militia, formed in front of Vromont's battery, there to await
the expected reinforcement from Fort Geor ■.

" While we had, at this period, not ab(>\ c two hundred unwounded
men at Queenstown, the Americans, by their own account, had
upwards of eight hundred, and General Van Rensselaer tells us,
that * a number of boats now crossed over unannoyed, except by
the one unsilenced gun,' or that at Vromont's battery ; conse-
quently, more troops were hourly arriving. lirigadier-Generai
Wadsworth was left as commanding officer of the Americans on
the Queenstown hill ; and General Van Rensselaer, considering the
victory as complete, had himself crossed over, in order to give
directions about fortifying the camp which he intended to o(cupy
on the British territory. — Ibid, pp. 8C to 91.

" When General Wilkinson complains that the executive has not
rendered ' common justice to the principal actors in this gallant
scene,' — not exhibited it to the country * in its true light, and shewn
what deeds Americans are still capable of performing,'* — who
among us can retain his gravity ? ' It is true,' says the general,
' complete success did not ultimately crown this enterprise ; but
two great ends were obtained for the country : it re-established the
character of the American arms ;' — it did indeed ! — 'and deprived
the enemy, by the death of General Brock, of the best officer that

* From an Americaii work,— Major-Gcneral James Wilkinson's "Memoirs
of my own Time," piiMiancd in 1816.

i '

II'

•;rl

<i ■

138

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

I i

»,

■ ill "" , ' *■;

has headed their troops in Canada throughout the warj' — truth
undeniable ! — 'and, with his loss, put an end to their then brilUant
career/ — yet the capture of General VVadsworth took place in less
than five hours afterwards.

" The instant we know what the Americans expected to gain, a
tolerable idea may be formed of what they actually lost by the
attack upon Queenstown. General Van Rensselaer, in a letter to
Major- General Dearborn, written five days previously, says thus :
'Should we succeed, we shall effect a great discomfiture of the
enemy, by breaking their line of communication, driving their
shipping from the mouth of this river, leaving them no rallying
point in this part of the country, appalling the minds of the Cana-
dians, and opening a wide and safe communication for our supplies ;
we shall save our own land, — wipe away part of the score of our
past disgrace, — get excellent barracks and winter quarters, and at
least be prepared for an early campaign another year.' — Who could
believe that this very letter is given at length in General Wilkin-
son's book, and precedes, but a few pages, those ridiculous remarks
into which an excess of patriotism had betrayed him.

" It is often said, that we throw away by the pen what we gain
by the sword. Had General Brock been less prodigal of his valu-
able life, and survived the Queenstown battle, he would have made
the 13th of October a still more 'memorable' day, by crossing the
river and carrying Fort Niagara, which, at that precise time, was
nearly stripped of its garrison. Instead of doing this, and thus
putting an end to the campaign upon the Niagara frontier, Major-
General Sheaffe, General Brock's successor, allowed himself to be
persuaded to sign an armistice ; the very thing General Van Rens-
selaer wanted. The latter, of course, assured his panic-struck mili-
tia, that the British general had sent to implore this of him ; and
that he. General Van Rensselaer, had consented merely to gain
time to make some necessary arrangements. — Ibid, pp. 99 to 101.

"Considering the character of the distinguished chief who fell
on the British side, at the Queenstown battle, — of him who,
undoubtedly, was ' the best officer that headed their troops through-
out the war,' — it will surely be deemed a pardonable digression
to give a brief sketch of the more prominent features of his life and
character.

" Sir Isaac Brock was born at Guernsey, in October, 1/69 ; con-
sequently, was but forty-three when he received the fatal bullet.
He had entered the army at the age of sixteen, and been lieutenant-

rj' — truth
in brilliant
ace in less

to gain, a
)st by the
1 letter to
lays thus :
ire of the
zing their
rallying
the Cana-
supplies ;
)re of our
rs, and at
/^ho could
,1 Wilkin-
s remarks

t we gain
his valu-
ive made
ssing the
ime, was
and thus
', Major-
elf to be
m Rens-
ick mili-
and
to gain
to 101.
who fell
who,
hrough-
gression
life and

9; con-
bullet,
tenant-

APPENDIX A.

139

colonel of the 49th regiment since 1 797. During the campaign in
Holland in 1799, he distinguished himself at the head of his regi-
ment, and was second in command of the land forces at the battle
of Copenhagen. He was gallant and undaunted, yet prudent and
calculating 5 devoted to his sovereign, and romantically fond of his
country ; but gentle and persuasive to those whose feelings were
less ardent than his own. Elevated to the government of Upper
Canada, he reclaimed the disaffected by mildness, and fixed the
wavering by argument : all hearts were conciliated ; and, in the
trying moment of invasion, the whole province displayed a zealous
and an enthusiastic loyalty.

" Over the minds of the Indians General Brock had acquired an
ascendency, which he judiciously exercised for purposes conducive
no less to the cause of humanity, than to the interests of his coun-
try. He engaged them to throw aside the scalping knife ; endea-
voured to implant in their breasts the virtues of clemency and
forbearance ; and taught them to feel pleasure and pride in the
compassion extended to a vanquished enemy. Circumscribed in his
means of repelling invasion, he studied to fix the attachment of that
rude and wavering people ; and, by reducing their military opera-
tions to the known rules of war and discipline, to improve the
value of their alliance.

*' His strong attachment to the service, and particularly to his
regiment, formed a distinguishing feature in his character. There
was a correspondence of regard between him and his officers, and
even the non-commissioned officers and privates, with an addition
of reverence on the part of the latter, that produced the picture of
a happy family'. Those movements of feeling which the exertions
of discipline will sometimes occasion, rarely reached his men. He
governed them by a sentiment of esteem which he himself had
created ; and the consolation was given him, to terminate a useful
and brilliant course in the midst of his professional family." — Ibid,
pp. 103, 104.

Note. — ^There is some discrepancy between the text, (p. 18,) and 'James,'
as to the circumstances of the fall of Lieut.-Colonel M'Donell ; but from
Mr\jor Glegg's letters, written at the time and on the spot, he appears to
have accompanied Sir Isaac Brock from Fort George, — to have remained
near him at Queenston, — and to have been mortally wounded immediately
after the death of the general. — Ed.

' . i

'. i

■ 1

1 .

"1 i i

140

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

I If

No. 8.
Extracts from Quarterly Review for July, 1822.

" liut far more important consequences than these resulted
from the surrender of Hull. I'he whole of the Michigan territory,
an extensive peninsula watered by the lake of that name, by Lake
Huron and the Detroit, and which separates the Indian country
from Canada, was ceded to the British by the same capitulation.
No acquisition could so effectually have secured the north-western
frontier of Upper Canada by cementing our alliance with the
Indian nations, whose confidence and respect were gained by this
success. Its effects upon the militia who had shared in it, and
upon the population of the Canadas generally, were hardly less
beneficial : it inspired the timid, fixed the wavering, and awed
the disaffected.

" Leaving Colonel Proctor in command on the Detroit frontier
and in the newly acquired territory, General Brock hastened his
return to the Niagara line, with the intention of sweeping it of the
American garrisons, which he knew were then unprepared for
vigorous resistance. But the first intelligence which he received
on his arrival at Fort George paraly/>ed his exertions. The com-
mander in chief, Lieut. -General Sir George Prevost, had concluded
an armistice with the American general. Dearborn, which provided
that neither party should act offensively until the government at
AVashington should ratify or annul the suspension of hostilities !
Of the inactivity thus forced upon General Brock, the enemy made
the best use. As the armistice did not prohibit them from trans-
porting ordnance, stores, and provisions, of all of which they were
greatly in need, from Lake Ontario along the Niagara line, they
had time to recover the panic which had seized them on the sur-
render of Hull, and to fortify their frontier. The president of the
United States then refused, as might have been anticipated, to
confirm the armistice, but not before an American force of six
thousand three hundred men had assembled on the Niagara frontier.
The British on the same frontier under General Brock, who now
received orders from Sir George Prevost to act upon the defensive
only, did not exceed twelve hundred regulars and militia.

" The enemy now prepared to carry the war across the Niagara.
Opposite the village of Queenston on that strait, they concentrated
three thousand men of their force, and at daylight, on the 13th of
October, effected a landing on the Canadian shore, notwithstanding

tl
\v
ii
til

'.M' f-'

APPENDIX A.

141

e resulted
1 territory,
!, by Lake
n country
pitulation,
th-western
with the
ed by this
in it, and
ardly less
and awed

it frontier

>tened his

? it of the

pared for

I received

rhe com-

oncluded

provided

nment at

)stilities !

tny made

m trans -

ley were

ne, they

the sur-

it of the

ated, to

of six

frontier.

ho now

efensive

s^iagara.

intnited

13th of

landing

the gallant opposition of a British detachment of three hundred
men which was posted at the village. By this handful of troops
the passage was long and obstinately contested, until General Brock,
who arrived, unattended, from Fort George during the struggle, fell
in the act of cheering on his little band to a charge. With him
the post was lost : a retreat, was effected, and sixteen hundred
of the enemy established themselves in position on the heights of
Queenston. Mc iiiwhile, the whole of the British disposable force
on the Niagara, of about one thousand men, of whom five hun-
dred and sixty were regulars, had assembled near Queenston ; at
three in the afternoon, they advanced against the American line,
and, after a short and spirited contest, put the enemy completely to
rout, capturing on the field Brigadier-General Wadsworth, nine
hundred men, a piece of cannon, and a stand of colours. Many of
the enemy were drowned in the attempt to swim to their own
shore, and four hundred of them were killed and wounded, while
the whole British loss did not exceed one hundred men.

" Such was the dismay of the enemy at the result of the action
at Qi 'cr on. that had General Sheaffe, who commanded after the
death o. . )> :, crossed over immediately afterwards, as it is said
he was „\y..giy urged by his officers to do, the fort of Niagara,
which its garrison had even evacuated for some time, might have
been captured, and the whole of that line cleared of the American
troops. But General Sheaffe, like his superior, was a lover of
armistices, and after the action he concluded one of his own with
the American general, for which no reason, civil or military, was
ever assigned. Such were the principal occurrences of the cam-
paign of 1812, in Upper Canada 3 those in the lower province were
utterly insignificant.

" In reviewing the campaign in the Canadas of 1812, the most
striking feature is the failure of the enemy in attempting the
subjugation of the British provinces. So extravagant were the
hopes of the American government regarding the issue of the
contest, that their secretary at war declared from his seat in
congress, that they * could take the Canadas without soldiers ; they
had only to send officers into the provinces, and the people,
disaffected towards their own government, would rally round the
American standard.' Mr. Clay, of Virginia, added, that ' it was
absurd to suppose that the enterprise would fail of success ; he
was not for stopping at Quebec, or any where else ; he would
take the continent from the British ; he never wished to see a

i : )

-I

•'I

!i';

142

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

peace until this was done.' Yet this Mr. Clay was afterwards
one of the American commissioners who signed the treaty of
Ghent !

" The first act of the commander in chief, on learning the Ame-
rican declaration of war, was an earnest of his future irresolution.
He dispatched orders to the commanding officer at fort St. Joseph's
to re.aain upon the defensive ; but Captain Roberts knew that,
if attacked, his post was untenable ; he was aware that the enemy
at Michilimackinac must shortly be reinforced, and he boldly
preferred to follow the directions of his immediate commander,
General Brock, to assault that place if he found it advisable. The
important result has already been told. To General Brock him-
self. Sir George Prevost sent no instructions whatever for some
weeks after he received intimation of the war. Whether this
neglect was intentional, to leave that officer to his own respon-
sibility, or was merely the natural effect of the infirmity of purpose
which the commander in chief afterwards so repeatedly evinced,
the consequences were equally mischievous ; for General Brock
had moved from York to Fort George with the intention of attack-
ing the American fort of Niagara, then unprepared for defence,
and was only restrained from that measure by the perplexity of his
situation in being left without orders. Hull's invasion, however,
put it beyond doubt that he should do right in opposing him,
and the capture of that force preceded his receipt of the first
dispatches from the commander in chief. These dispatches, indeed,
were of such a nature, that it was fortunate they arrived no sooner.
They announced, as we have already stated, the conclusion of that
impolitic armistice between Sir George Prevost and General Dear-
born at the moment which should have been devoted to active
exertion against the American posts on the frontier. By the
terms of this truce. General Hull was to determine, at his option,
whether or not the suspension of arms should be binding upon his
division. If he had not already capitulated before he could make
his choice, what might not have been the fatal consequences of
permitting him to claim the benefit of the armistice ?

" No sooner was the suspension of arms, to which Sir George
had agreed, at an end, than he issued positive orders along the
whole extent of frontier, that no offensive operations whatever
should be attempted against the different points of the enemy's
line. The short-sightedness of such a system of defence needs
perhaps little exposition, but a practical illustration of its tendency

APPENDIX A.

143

afterwards
; treaty of

J the Ame-
•resolution.
it. Joseph's
knew that,
the enemy
he boldly
)mmander,
ible. The
•rock him-

for some
ether this
n respon-
of purpose
f evinced,
ral Brock
of attack-
r defence,
ity of his

however,
sing him,

the first
s, indeed,
o sooner,
n of that
ral Dear-
to active

By the
s option,
upon his
lid make

ences of

* George
ong the
vhatever
enemy's
!e needs
endenry

was afforded, before the close of the year, in the unopposed devas-
tation of great part of the Indian country by General Harrison,
while Colonel Proctor was compelled by his orders to refrain from
advancing to the aid of our allies. This want of co-operation had
a most unfavourable effect upon the minds of the Indians, and was
an impolitic and unmanly desertion of them." — Campaigns in the
Canadas.

Note. — Although the editor does not approve of the spirit of acrimony
towards Sir George Prevost, which is manifested throughout tlie article in
the Quarterly Review, from which the preceding extracts are tiaken, yet he
feels it a sacred obligation due to the memory of Sir Isaac Brock to with-
hold nothing descriptive of his energetic views and intentions, and of the
obstacles he experienced in the vigorous prosecution of the contest, —
obstacles which his gallant spirit could not brook, and which necessarily
exposed " his valuable life" much more than it would have been in offen-
sive operations. Sir George Prevost was most unfortunately induced to
propose the armistice, in the expectation that the American government
would stay all hostility on learning the repeal of the British orders in
council, which were the chief among the alleged causes of the war ; and
this measure was attended with very prejudicial consequences, as it ren-
dered un.ivailing the command of the lakes, which was then held by the
British. It also caused a delay of nearly a fortnight in the contemplated
attack of Sackett's Harbour by Sir Isaac Brock, as he returned from Detroit
to Fort George on the 24th August, and the cessation of the armistice waa
not known at the latter post until the 4th September. This attack, how-
ever, could have been still carried into effect, and it was only relinquished
by express orders from the commander in chief. The armistice was doubt-
less entered into as well from an error in judgment as from expectations
which were not realized ; but as the official intelligence of the president's
refusal to continue the suspension of hostilities reached Sir George Prevost,
at Montreal, on the 30th August, — a day or two before Captain Glegg, with
the dispatches of the capture of Detroit, — it is difficult to account for his
motive (unless it were that assigned at page 15) in preventing the attempt
on Sackett's Harbour, as proposed to him by Major-General Brock, through
his gallant aid-de-camp, a meritorious and talented officer.

The distance, by water, between Fort George and Kingston, riA York, is
one hundred and eighty miles, and from Kingston to Snckett's Harbour
only thirty-six miles, so that the destruction of the arsenal at the last
named post could have been effected by the 1st of September, had not the
armistice prevented it.

Since the first memoir was printed, the editor has been informed by a
provincial officer, who commanded the schooner Lady Prevost, of 14 guns,
that on the 23d August he met Major-General Brock on Lake Erie, return-
ing in the schooner Chippewa from the capture of Detroit, and, after
saluting him with seventeen guns, he went on board the latter vessel, and
gave the first intelligence of the armistice to the general, who, on hearing
it, could not conceal his deep regret and mortification. — Ed.

, ) : i -

i :H'^

' L I

■'. ? I

lii

; 11

lii

Hi:
,1

.ill

life

j i'i

I'i

■i

■1

144

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

No. 9.

Prr/ace to the Second Edition of Travels in Canada and the United
States, in ISIG and 1817, by Lieutenant Francis Hall, Wth Liyht
Dragoons, II. P.

" Soon after the publication of these travels, the author received
an anonymous communication, charging him with misrepresenting
the conduct of the officer who succeeded Sir Isaac Jirock in the
command of our forces in Upper Canada. The passages com-
plained of are : the expression, (p. 227.,) that Tecumseh, after
that general's death, ' found no kindred spirit with whom to act ; ' —
the passages of Tecumseh's speech, quoted in the notej — and the
expression he is said to have subsequently used, * Tell the dog,' &c.

"The author regrets that this communication, (which was con-
veyed in the most gentlemanly terms,) by being anonymous, left
him no opening for private explanation, which he cannot but think
would, on the whole, have proved more satisfactory than a discus-
sion in print : as it is, it only remains for him to commit the
litigated points to the judgment of the public.

"The only insinuation intended to be conveyed by the terms
' no kindred spirit,' was, that the general who succeeded Sir Isaac
Brock was inferior to him in talents, and was so considered by
Tecumseh. This is mere matter of opinion ; but such as the
author conceives every man is free to deliver, with respect to the
conduct of an individual employed in a public capacity ; nor,
however he may be unfortunate enough to differ in it from his
correspondent, does he believe it would, by any means, be consi-
dered a singular opinion by the officers who, at that time, served in
Upper Canada.

" With regard to the application of the passages quoted from
Tecumseh's speech, the author conceives he cannot do better than
make his readers the judges of it, by printing an entire copy of the
speech, with which his correspondent has been kind enough to
furnish him.

" His correspondent denies that Tecumseh ever used the ex-
pressions, ' Tell the dog,' &c. ; upon which the author cannot
forbear observing, that, as he has stated no particular occasion
on which they were used, it seeiu- "arcely possible his correspon-
dent, unless he was never from >cumseh's side, can have the
means of proving they were n ver uttered at all. The author
conceives his authority on this ) jint to be such, as fully to warrant

< V

APPENDIX A.

145

the Unitrd
MM Light

tr received
presenting
jck in the
ages com-
iseh, after
to act J ' —
— and the
J dog,' &c.
. was con-
mous, left
but tliink
1 a discus-
•mmit the

the terms

Sir Isaac

idered by

^\i as the

ct to the

tyj nor,

rom his

De consi-

served in

ited from
tter than
py of the
ijugh to

the ex-
cannot
occasion
rrespon-
lave the
author
warrant

him in believing his statement to be correct ; at the same time, he
would be understood as drawing no conclusion fi-om it to the dispa-
ragement of the officer in question : he quoted it merely to show
the nature of the Indian chieftain's feelings, and the light in which
he regarded measures, on the propriety of which the author wishes
to be considered as stirring no controversy."

Note. — ^The officer alluded to in the precedinp; preface was not Major-
General Sheaffe, the successor of Sir Isiiac Brock, but tlie officer coinmiind-
ing at Detroit, Amherstburgh, &c. The passages and speecli will be given
in the notice of Tecuraseh. — Vide Post. — Ed.

No. 10.
Extracts from Howisons Sketches of Upper Canada. — London, 1821.

" The village of Queenston is beautifully situated at the foot of
a hill, and upon the side of the Niagara river, the bank of which
is high and precipitous. The imagination is agreeably struck with
the first view of the place. On one side of the village is a moun-
tain covered with shrubbery and verdure ; — behind, a rich and
cultivated plain extends backwards, which is bounded in every
direction by luxuriant woods, while in front, the Niagara river
glides in majestic stillness, and may be traced, with all its windings,
till its waters are swallowed up in the vast expanse of Lake Ontario.
The soil around Queenston consists chiefly of a red clay, the bright
colour of which, upon the roads and declivities where it is exposed,
forms a singular contrast, during summer, with the pure green of
the trees and fields in the vicinity.

" The narrowness of the river here, and its suitableness for a
ferry, renders this one of the principal channels of communication
between Upper Canada and the United States ; consequently, there
is a continual interchange of waggons, cattle, passengers, &c. which
makes Queenston rather more lively than it would otherwise be.
However, all its external attractiveness depends upon the fineness
of its situation. The buildings are irregular and inelegant j and an
air of depression and inactivity pervades the whole place, to a
degree I never saw equalled in any village of the same extent.

" Queenston must infallibly acquire magnitude and importance
when the province becomes populous and flourishing, for it is
situated at the commencement of a portage, which never can be
evaded by any improvement in the navigation, it being rendered
necessary by the falls of Niagara ; therefore, all vessels containing
goods and stores destined for the western parts of Upper Canada,
K

i '<

f [■!

146

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

I.i.<:'

must unload and leave their cargoes at Queenston, that they may
be conveyed overland to Chippewa, where the Niagara river again
becomes navigable. Even now, •. good deal of this carrying
business goes on during the summer months. The north-west
company forward a considerable quantity of stores to the Indian
territories by this route, and the country merchants receive annual
supplies of goods from Montreal, and send down po.K, flour, staves,
and potash, in return.

" The environs of Queenston arc beautifully picturesque and
romantic, and nothing can be finer than the prospect up the
Niagara river. Immediately above the village its channel narrows
very much, and the banks rise to the height of three hundred feet
perpendicular, while at the same time they become wilH and rocky,
and are thickly covered with trees of various kinds. In some places
they partly over-arch the river, and throw an appalling gloom upon
its waters, now dashed into turbulence find impetuosity by the
ruggedness of their sloping bed. It was night when I first view
this scene, and as the moon gradually rose, she threw a broken
light successively upon different portions of the stream, and some-
times brought to view the foamy bosom of a rapid, at other times
unveiled the struggling and heaving waters of a whirlpool, while
the mingled roar, on all sides, excited a shuddering curiosity about
those parts of the river that rolled along in darkness.

" Over the precipice, on the summit of which I stood while I
contemplated this scene, many of the American soldiers had rushed
at the close of the battle of Queenston heights. They were so
warmly pressed by our troops and the Indians, and had so little
prospect of obtaining quarter from the latter, that a great number
wildly flung themselves over the steep, and tried to save their lives
by catching hold of the trees that grew upon it j but many were
frightfully dashed to pieces by the rocks, and others who reached
the river perished in their attempts to swim across it. Several, who
had dropped among the cliffs without receiving any injury, were
afterwards transfixed and killed by falling upon their own bayonets,
while in the act of leaping from one spot to another. I almost
imagined I saw these unfortunate men writhing in all the agonies
of a protracted death, and gazing with envy at their companions,
who were convulsively catching for breath among the sullen waters
below. AVere the Canadians inclined to be superstitious, they
could not select a more suitable place than this for the haunt and
appearance of unearthly beings. The wildness of the scenery, the

k*'

APPENDIX A.

147

gloom of the clip's, and the melancholy incident I have just related,
would subject Queenston heights to the suspicion of any people
more under the influence of imagination than the Canadians are,
and make them conjure up half a dozen bleeding sentinels at the
top of the precipice every night after sunset.

" At the ferry, the Niagara river is twelve hundred and fifty feet
in breadth, and from two to three hundred in depth. The current
is very rapid, and the wreathing and perturl)ed appearance of the
water shews that its course is much impeded by the narrowness of
the channel, which must be entirely composed of rocks ; for, other-
wise, the continual and rapid attrition of such a large river as that
which flows through it, would undermine and wear away the banks,
and thus gradually enlarge and widen its course. I could not
survey this noble stream witliout awe, when I contrasted it in the
state in which it flowed before me, with the appearance it has when
mingling with the ocean. I recollected having beat about the mouth
of the St. Lawrence during two days, and having been alarmed by
the prospect of shipwreck, while in the vessel that conveyed me to
Lower Canada ; but now the waters which formed the dangerous
gulf all passed silently before me, within the narrow limits occupied
by the Niagara river. The St. Lawrence derives but a small pro-
portion of its torrents from tributary streams, the Ottawa being the
only river of great magnitude that joins it. The rivers Chaudi^re,
Saguenai, Pepechaissinagau, IJlack River, &c., are trifling indeed,
when compared with that into which they discharge themselves.

" The Niagara river is subject to those periodical alterations in
height, which, as I have already mentioned, occur in the lakes.
This can be satisfactorily proved by the wharfs at Queenston, some
of which are five feet higher above the surJ'ace of the river than
they were in the year 1817, and also by the water marks left on the
perpendicular sand banks near the ferry.

" General Brock was killed at the battle of Queenston heights,
and the place where he fell was pointed out to me. The Canadians
hold the memory of this brave and excellent man in great venera-
tion, but have not yet attempted to testify their respect for his
virtues in any way, except by shewing to strangers the spot on
which he received his mortal wound. He was more popular, and
more beloved by the inhabitants of Upper Canada, than any man
they ever had among them, and with reason ; for he possessed, in
an eminent degree, those virtues which add lustre to bravery, and
those talents that shine alike in the cabinet and in the field. His

' (

\ I

. 1

I i

I i
"1

148

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

' ).

manners and dispositions were so conciliating as to gain the affec-
tion of all whom he commanded, while his innate nobleness and
dignity of mind secured him a respect almost amounting to venera-
tion. He is now styled the Hero of Upper Canada, and, had he
lived, there is no doubt but the war would have terminated very
differently from what it did. The Canadian farmers are not over-
burthened with sensibility, yet I have seen several of them shed
tears when an eulogium was pronounced upon the immortal and
generous-minded deliverer of their country.

" General Brock was killed close to the road that leads through
Queenston village, and an aged thorn bush now marks the place
where he fell, whefi the fatal ball entered his vitals. This spot
may be called classic ground, for a view of it must awaken in the
minds of all those who duly appreciate the greatness of his cha-
racter, and arc acquainted with the nature of his resources and
exertions, feelings as warm and enthujiastic as the contemplation of
monuments consecrated by antiquity can ever do. — Pages 70 to 76.

" The prospect from the top of Queenston mountain is the finest
and most extensive that Upper Canada affords, and, in an eminent
degree, combines the beautiful and the magnificent. The wild and
majestic precipices which engulf one part of the Niagara river, the
windings and mirrored expanse of that noble body of water, the
dim and undiscoverable extent of Lake Ontario, together with the
verdant orchards, thick forests, and improved fields, glowing
beneath a pure sky, collectively form a scene of admirable effect
and composition. Even York, which is thirty-six miles distant,
and lies very low, can be seen from the summit of this hill during
clear weather. — Page 87.

"The Detroit river, which connects Lake St. Clair and Lake
Erie, is forty miles long, and divides tha part of Canada, which it
traverses, from the United States. Its banks are in many places
thickly peopled, and in a high state of cultivation. The inhabitants
here are chiefly French Canadians, who began to occupy the coun-
try when Canada was still under the jurisdiction of France. They
still retain that amenity of manners wJiich distinguishes them from
the peasantry of most countries. The houses are so numerous and
so close together upon the banks of the Detroit river, that there is
the appearance of a succession of villages for more than ten miles.
The farms are very narrow in front, and extend a great way back.
The lots were laid out in this awkward and inconvenient form, that
iheir respective occupants might be able to render one another

APPENDIX A.

14!)

Hssistiince wlien attacked by the Indians, wlio wero ul one time
very numerous and troublesome in this part of the country.

"The banks of the Detroit river arc the Eden of Upper Canada,
in so far as regards the production of fruit. Apples, pears, plums,
peaches, grapes, and nectarines, attain the highest degree of per-
fection there, and exceed in si/c, beauty, and flavour, those raised
in any other part of the province. Cider abounds at the table of
the meanest peasant, and there is scarcely a farm that has not
a fruitful orchard attached to it. This fineness of the fruit is one
consequence of the amelioration of climate, which takes place in
the vicinity of the Detroit river and Lake St. Clair. The seasons
there are much milder and more serene than they are a few hun-
dred miles below, and the w atlier is likewise drier and less variable.
Comparatively little snow falls during the winter, though the cold is
often sufficiently intense to freeze over the Detroit river so strongly,
that persons, horses, and even loaded sleighs, cross it with ease and
safety. In summer the country presents a forest of blossoms, which
exhale the most delicious odours j a cloud seldom obscures the sky }
while the lakes and rivers, which extend in every direction, com-
municate a reviving freshness to the air, and moderate the warmth
of a dazzling suuj and the clearness and elasticity of the atmo-
sphere render it equally healthy and exhilarating.

'* About twenty miles down the Detroit river stands the village of
Sandwich, which contains thirty or forty houses, and a neat church.
Below this the soil becomes rather inferior in quality, being some-
what cold and swampy. The settlement is likewise partial and
circumscribed, and a tract of land six miles in length, which belongs
to the Huron Indians, does not contain a single inhabitant. A
little above the mouth of the Detroit river, and head of Lake Erie,
is the town of Amherstburgh, which forms the most westerly settle-
ment in the Upper Province. The population of this place amounts
to more than a thousand souls, a proportion of whom are merchants,
who derive support in the way of trade from the farmers residing
upon the shores of Lake Erie. Many of the inhabitants of Am-
herstburgh are persons of wealth and respectability, and the circle
which they collectively compose is a more refined and agreeable one
than is to be met with in any other village in the province.

"The mouth of the Detroit river, in which there are several
islands, forms a safe and commodious harbour. The river itself is
navigable for vessels of any size ; and a chain of water communica-
tion extends westward, without interruption, to the head of Lake

150

SIR ISAAC nnocK.

Superior, which is more than a thousand niiles distant from Lake
Erie. The country nortli-west of Amherstburu;h being entirely
uninhabited, except by tribes of wandering Indians, is but littii-
known ; however, it wouhl appear that many parts of it are well
adapted for agriculture." — Pages I!)!) to 202.

I 1

No. II.

" This chief of the branch of the once great tribe of the Ilurons
visited England sonic time ago. I afterwards saw him in Quebec,
and had a good deal of conversation with him. When asked what
had struck him most of all that he had seen in England, he replied,
without hesitation, that it was the monument erected in St. Paul's
to the memory of General Brock. It seemed to have impressed
him with a high idea of the considerate beneficence of his great
father, the king of England, that he not only had remembered the
exploits and death of his white child, who had fallen beyond the
big salt lake, but that he had even deigned to record, on the marble
sepulchre, the sorrows of the poor Indian weeping over his chief
untimely slain." — Hon. F. F. I)e Itoos' Travels in North America,
in 1826.

No. 12.

"To Colonel Brock, of the 49th, who commanded at the fort,
I am particularly indebted for his kindness to me during the fort-
night I remained at Niagara. Among many pleasant days which I
passed with him and his brother officers, that of our visit to the
Tuscorora Indians was not the least interesting. They received us
in all their ancient costume ; the young men exhibited for our
amusement in the race, the bat game, &c., while the old and the
women sat in groups under the surrounding trees, and the picture
altogether was as beautiful as it was new to me." — Note in Moore's
Epistles, Odes, SfC.

"At Queenston the battle was fought in which General Brock
fell, and the inhabitants point out a thorn bush at the bottom of
the heights, where it is said that he received his mortal wound.
His career was a short but a brilliant one ; and had the direction
of the affairs of the Upper Province, after his death, been charac-
terized by an equal degree of courage, prudence, and humanity, a
very different series of subsequent events would have claimed the
attention of the historian." — Duncans Travels in the United States
and Canada, in 1818 and 1819.

h '

AIM'KNDIX A.

\'}\

from Laki-
ig entirely
i but little-
it arc well

he Ilurons
in Quebec,
isked what
he replied,
St. Paul's
impressed
' his great
d)ered the
eyond the
;he marble
' his chief
! America,

the fort,
the fort-
s which I
sit to the
ceived us
for our
1 and the
e picture
1 Moore s

al Brock
ottom of

wound,
direction

charac-
nanity, a
med the
?d States

"('lose to the spot where we landed in Canada there stands a
monument to the gallant (ieneral l»r(»ck, who was killed during
the battle of Qucenston, in the act (»f repelling an invasion of tiiu

frontier by the Americans, during the late war The view

from the top of the monument extended far over Lake Ontario,
and showed us the windings of the Niagara, through the low and
woody country which hangs like a rich green fringe along the
southern skirts of that great sheet of water." — Captain Basil I lull's
Travels in North Amnrica, in 1827 and 1828.

Travelling in the state of New York, the author observes : "'J'he
late Sir Isaac Brock was, by some accident, mentioned. The canal
agent spoke of him in terms of great respect, as the best com-
mander the British had ever sent to Canada, — equally regretted on
both sides of the St. Lawrence

"From Niagara Falls we proceeded by the stage first to Queer-
ston, (seven miles,) near which a monument has been erected to
the memory of Sir Lsaac Brock, from the top of which, about one
hundred and twenty feet high, there is a noble view of Lake
Ontario and the adjoining country, and thence to the villaj. (if
Newark, (seven miles,) formerly called Fort George, on the Ni \gar:!
river." — Stuart's Three Years in America.

" Immediately above Queenston stands Brock's monument, on
the heights where the battle was fought in which that hero was
killed. His body was removed to it from Fort George in 1824.
The view from tliis fine column is probably the most beautiful in
Upper Canada. — M'Gregors British America, Vol. II.

"Seven miles south of Fort George, and at the foot of the
romantic heights of the same name, which have become famous in
Canadian history as the scene of a battle when "n General Brock
fell, is the village of Queenston, pleasantly situaiv '.I v xi the Niagara,
and opposite to the American village of Lewiston. The monument,
built to the memory of the gallant general and his companions, on
the loftiest part of these heights, forms a prominent object to the
numerous voyageurs who are constantly arriving at this portage, in
elegantly fitted up steam boats, from York and Kingston, to view
the neighbouring falls of the Niagara. The village contains a
church, court house, large government stores, and a population of
between four hundred and five hundred inhabitants." — The Canadas,
by Andrew Picken.

I. I

152

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

i !

ill

»i •

No. 13.

"Leaving a garrison in Detroit sufficiently strong to keep the
inhabitants in awe. General Brock lost no time in leaving the con-
quered post and hastening to Niagara, — a command he had only
relinquished for the purpose of undertaking an achievement which
the gallantry and determination of his character could alone have
Crowned with such unqualified success

"The month of October was marked by an event of the most
melancholy nature, — the death of General Brock, who fell a victim

to the intrepidity and daring of his character The loss of

their leader, however, cast a gloom over every English brow, and
an advantage thus purchased was deemed at too high a price.
General Brock was beloved by the soldiery, particularly the 49th,
of which he had long been lieutenant-colonel, and the indignation
of their grief for his loss cost the Americans many a life on that
day, that had otherwise been spared. At Amherstburg, the account
of his death was received with heartfelt concern, and not a man
was there of those he had lately led to victory who failed to pay
that tribute to his memory, which the gallantry and magnanimity
of this glorious chief were so every way calculated to awaken in
the breast of the soldier." — 'A Canadian Campaign,' by a British
Officer, in the New Monthly Magazine for December, 1826, and
February, 1827.

No. 14.

" Immediately opposite the town of Prescott, on the shore of the
United States, is the town of Ogdensburg ; and twelve miles
higher up, on the Canadian shore, stands the delightful village of
Brockville, so called in honor of the late lamented Sir Isaac Brock.
This enchanting little spot unites in its situation every beauty of
nature. In front of it flows the river St. Lawrence, interspersed
with numerous islands, variously formed and thickly wooded ;
behind it is an assemblage of small hills, rising one above another
in 'gay theatric pride;' and on each side are a number of well
cleared farms, in an advanced state of cultivation. Every thing
combines to render it pre-eminently beautiful. The dwellings are
built of wood, and tastefully painted ; and the court house, in an
elevated situation at the back of the village, seems, from its superior
size, to be the guardian of the villagers, — an idea of my fancy,
which I did not seek to confirm by entering within its doors.
Brockville contains four hundred and fifty souls. It has a par-

W i

APPENDIX A.

153

keep the
J the con-
had only
jnt which
lone have

the most
1 a victim
he loss of
row, and
a price,
the 49th,
dignation
i on that
e account
ot a man
d to pay
;nanimity
vaken in
a British
i26, and

re of the

ve miles

illage of

3 Brock.

eauty of

rspersed

/^ooded J

another

of well

thing

ngs are

in an
uperior

fancy,

doors.

a par-

sonage house, but no church has hitherto been erected." — Five
Years in Canada, by E. A. Talbot.

Note. — Brockville was originally named Elizabpth Town in compliniont
to the general's mother, and the township or county, in which the village
is situated, is still called Elizabeth. — Ed.

No. 15.
Extract from a Description of St. Pauls Cathedral.

" In the western ambulatory of the south transept is a tabular
monument to the memory of Sir Isaac Brock, by the same artist
(Westmacott).

" A military monument, on which are placed the sword and
helmet of the deceased ; a votive record, supposed to have been
raised by his companions to their honored commander.

" His corpse reclines in the arms of a British soldier, whilst an
Indian pays the tribute of regret his bravery and humanity elicited.

ERECTED AT THE PUBLIC EXPENSE

TO THE MEMORY OF

MAJOR-GENERAL

SIR ISAAC BROCK,

WHO GLORIOUSLY FELL

ON THE 13th OF OCTOBER,

M.DCCC.XIJ.

IN RESISTING AN ATTACK

QUEENSTOWN,

IN UPPER CANADA.

No. 16.

"Anniversary of the Battle of Queenston, and the Re-interment of
the late much -lamented Major- General Sir Isaac Brock.

" There is something so grand and imposing in the spectacle of a
nation's homage to departed worth, which calls for the exercise of
so many interesting feelings, and which awakens so many sublime
contemplations, that we naturally seek to perpetuate the memory
of an event so pregnant with instruction, and so honorable to our
species. It is a subject that in other and in older countries has
frequently exercised the pens, and has called forth all the descriptive
powers of the ablest writers.* But here it is new ; and for the first

* It is impossihlc here to forget (however different were the circumstances
and character of the two warriors) that fine passage by the splendid historian

1 '/

! 1

r }

i|r

i 'I

ill

I I

I! i

5! '

154

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

time, since we became a separate province, have we seen a great
public funeral procession of all ranks of people, to the amount of
several thousands, bearing the remains of two lamented heroes to
their last dwelling on earth, in the vaults of a grand national
monument, overtopping the loftiest heights of the most magnificent
section of one of the most magnificent countries in the world.

"The 13th of October, being the anniversary of the battle of
Queenston, and of the death of Brock, was judiciously chosen as
the most proper day for the removal of the remains of the general,
together with those of his gallant aid-de-camp, Lieutenant-Colonel
M'Donell, to the vaults prepared for their reception on Queenston
heights, t

" The weather was remarkably fine, and before ten o'clock a very
large concourse of people, from all parts of the country, had
assembled on the plains of Niagara, in front of Fort George, in a
bastion of which the bodies had been deposited for twelve years. X

" One hearse, covered with black cloth, and drawn by four black
horses, each with a leader, contained both the bodies. Soon after
ten, a lane was formed by the 1st and 4th regiments of Lincoln
militia, with their right on the gate of Fort George, and their
left extending along the road towards Queenston, the ranks being
about forty paces distant from each other : within this line was
formed a guard of honor of the 76th regiment, in parade order,
having its left on the fort. As the hearse moved slowly from the
fort, to the sound of solemn music, a detachment of royal artillery
began to fire the salute of nineteen guns, and the guard of honor
presented arms.

"On moving forwards in ordinary time, the guard of honor

of Rome, wherein he iiniiiortulizes the deatli and funeral of the ferocious
Attila, in lan<^ua^'e at once musical and sublime, and which is probably
without an equal in the whole range of English literature: "His body was
solemnly exposed in the midst of the plain, under a silken pavilion; and the
chosen squadrons of the Huns, wheeling round in measured evolutions,
chaunted a funeral song to the memory of a hero, glorious in his life, invinci-
ble in his death, the fa'ier of his people, the scourge of his enemies, and the
terror of the world."

t The monument itself is not yet finished ; we shall therefore defer our
description of the edifice until it is completed.

t It is remarkable that, on inspecting the remains, the body of Colonel
M*Donell was found to be almost entirely decomposed,— whilst that of the
general was still fiini and nearly entire ; some of the flesh and lineaments of
his martial countenance being yet visible.

APPENDIX A.

155

* Vf

en a great
imount of

heroes to
I national
lagnificent
3rld.

battle of
chosen as
e general,
it-Colonel
iueenston

)ck a very
ntry, had
orge, in a

years. I
four black
^oon after
f Lincoln
and their
nks being

line was
de order,

Tom the

artillery
of honor

of honor

ferocious

probably

body was

; and the

evolutions,

e, invinci-

s, and tlie

defer our

f Colonel
lat of the
anients of

broke into a column of eight divisions, with the right in front, and
the procession took the following order : —

\ Staff Officer.

i i',1>''jvision of Grenadiers'.

Band of Music.

Riglit Wing- of 7(jtli Regiment.

THE BODY.

Aid-de-Camp to the late Major-General Sir Isaac Brock.

Chief Mourners.

Relatives of the late Colonel M'Donelf..

Commissioners for the Monument.

Heads of Public Departments of the Civil tJovernment.

Judges.

Members of the Executive Council.

His Excellency and Suite.

Left Wing of the 7(>th Regiment.

Indian Chiefs of the Five Nations.

Officers of Militia not on duty — junior ranks — First forwsxvd,

Four deep.

Magistrates and Civilians,

With a long Cavalcade of Horsemen, and Carriages of every

description.

"As the procession passed along the lane of militia, the latter
wheeled inwards by subdivisions in succession, as soon as its own
front was clear, and followed the procession. At a certain distance
from Fort George the quick march was taken up, and arms were
sloped ; the members of the procession then took their carriages,
preserving as nearly as possible the order above mentioned, and the
whole proceeded on the road to Queenston. The 2d and 3d regi-
ments of Lincoln militia, in like manner, formed a lane, its left
resting on the heights, near the entrance to the monument, and
extending along the road towards the village of Queenston. On
reaching the commencement of this lane, the procession resumed its
formation, all horses, carriages, &c., keeping in the rear ; and when
the head of the column approached the monument, it inclined to
the right, to allow the body to proceed direct to the entrance. The
guard of honor then halted and formed in parade order ; the 2d
and 3d Lincoln regiments following the procession in like manner
as the 1st and 4th.

"The time occupied in moving from the fort to Queenston, a
distance of nearly seven miles, was about three hours, including
stoppages, lieing arrived opposite the spot where the lamented
hero received liis mortal wound, the whole procession halted, and
remained for a few minutes in solemn pause. It then ascended the

! I

\ It

M i

ifl

, 'Pi

M^f

156

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

heights, and to the spectator who had his station on the summit
near the monument, nothing could be finer than the effect of the
lengthened column winding slowly up the steep ascent in regular
order, surrounded by scenery no where surpassed for romantic
beauty. On the bodies being removed from the hearse and depo-
sited in the vault, the guard of honor presented arms, whilst the
artillery, (which had been taken from the enemy daring the last
war,) posted on the heights, fired a salute of nineteen guns. The
troops then marched in ordinary time round the monument, and
immediately separated to their respective parades.

"All those who were inclined to visit the interior of the vault
were then permitted to enter in small parties. The remains of the
brave M'Donell lie to the left of those of the general. On the
general's coffin, which is otherwise quite plain and covered with
black cloth, are two oval plates of silver, each six inches ^y four,
one above the other. On the first is the following inscription : —

Here lie the earthly remains of a brave

and virtuous hero,

Major-General Sir Isaac Brock,

Commander of the British Forces,

and President administeriag

the Government of Upper Canada,

who fell when gloriously engaging the enemies

of his country,

at the head of the Flank Companies

of the 49th Regiment,

in the town of Queenston,

on the morninr' of the 13th of October, 1812,

Aged 42 years.

J. B. GLEGG, A. D. C.

And on the second plate the following additional inscription is

" ■ The remains of the late

Major-Oeneral Sir Isaac Brock, K. B.

removed from Fort George to this vault,

on the 13th of October, 1824.

Upon a similar plate, on the lid of the aid-de-camp's coffin, was

° ■ The remains of

Lieut.-Col. John M'Donell,

Provincial Aid-de-Camp to the late

Major -General Brock,

who died on the 14th of October, 1812,

of wounds received in action the day before,

Aged 25 years.

APPENDIX A.

157

" Several printed papers, having the following extract from the
government dispatches of the day, were handed about :

[See dispatch from Earl Bathurst to Sir George Prevost,
pp. 21, 22.— Ed.]

" Besides which, on large placards, to the number of several hun-
dreds, copies of the inscription to be placed on the tablet, over the
entrance of the monument, were distributed amongst the assembled
multitudes, and which is as follows : —

"The Legislature of Upper Canada has dedicated this Monument to llio
very eminent civil and military services of the late Sir Isaac Brock, Knight
of the Most Hon. Order of the Bath, Provisional Lieutenant-Governor, and
Mtyor-General commanding the Forces in this Province, whose remains are
deposited in the vault beneath. Having expelled the North Western Army
of the United States, achieved its capture, received the surrender of Fort
Detroit, and the territory of Michigan, under circumstances which have
rendered his name illustrious, he returned to the protection of this frontier ;
and advancing with his small force to repel a second invasion of the enemy,
then in possession of these heights ; he fell in action, on the 13th of Octo-
ber, 1812, in the forty-third year of his age, honoured and beloved by the
people whom he governed, and deplored by his Sovereign, to whose service
his life had been devoted."

I '/

(

(' i

RKMARKS.

"By the best computation we could make, and avoiding all
exaggeration, at the time the procession reached the monument
there could not be leas than five thousand persons present, many of
whom were from the United States. General Brock, indeed, was a
man no less esteemed by the enemy than he was admired and
almost adored by his friends and soldiery ; and we heard several
Americans say, who had served against him and saw him fall, that
they lamented his death as much as they would have done that of
any of their own generals, on account of his humanity, and the
great attention he had uniformly shewn to his prisoners.

" His excellency the lieutenant-governor (Major- General Sir
Peregrine Maitland, K. C. B.) was in full dress, and, we are happy
to say, appeared in good health after his late fatiguing journey of
inspection to the Lower Province. The two M'Donells and Captain
Dickinson, of the 2d Glengarry regiment, relatives of the deceased
Lieut. -Colonel M'Donell, in the highland costume, appeared in the
procession to great advantage, and seemed to excite much attention.

" But, amongst the assembled warriors and civilians, none excited
a more lively interest than the chiefs of tlie Indian nations from
the Grand River, whose warlike appearance, intrepid aspect, pic-

•ii>

t i,

158

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

tnresque dress and ornaments, and majestic demeanour, accorded
well with the solemn pomp and general character of a military pro-
cession — amongst these, young Brant, Bears Foot, and Henry, were
distinguished. In our mind we never saw a dress more elegant of its
kind, and fit for active service in the woods, than that worn by young
IJrant, who, with his tomahawk in hand, was a perfect resemblance
of all that could be imagined of the accomplished Indian warrior.

" Amongst the numerous gentlemen in the procession, we ob-
served that old veteran, Lieutenant M'Dougall, of his Majesty's 8th,
or king's regiment, who, like a brave and loyal man, came from
Sandwich to attend the re-interment." — Upper Canada Gazette,
October, 1824.

SECTION II. — AMERICAN AUTHORS.

No. 1.

Extracts from Niks' Weekly Register, Baltimore, 1812.

" Extract of a letter fi'om a gentleman at Detroit to his friend in
Pittsburg, dated July 7, 1812. — 'General Hull is making prepara-
tions to cross the river this evening or to-morrow, and it is expected
that an immediate attack is contemplated on Maiden (Amherst-
burg) . The works of that place are not very strong, but they are
well defended with artillery, having, I am told, forty pieces mounted
and above two hundred regulars, with all the militia they can
collect, the number not known : there is no doubt but there will
be hard fighting before the place is taken. The army are all in
health and good spirits, and wait with a: \iety to be put on the
other shore : they are certainly as fine looking men as ever I saw.'

"We have several reports of the capture of Fort INIalden, or
Amherstburg. General Hull has sent expresses to the governor of
Ohio and Kentucky for further supplies of troops, supposed for the
purpose of maintaining the ground he may take, and to keep the
allies in check. We trust he may religiously adhere to his procla-
mation, whatever General Brock may say, and give no quarters to
the white savages when found fighting by the side of the Indians,
for whose extensive murders, on so many parts of our frontier, the
British should be made responsible.

"September f). — We have this week to announce a signal cala-
mity, — General Hull, with the whole north western army, consisting

APPENDIX A,

1 ;■)!)

\ <

of two thousand five hundred men, witli twenty-five j)ie('es of
cannon, has surrendered ta the Hritish and Indians, conunanded
by Major-Generul lirock, idthout a buttle, — without any apparent
effort to maintain the honor of his country.

"As yet this lamentable transaction is involved in mystery.
Our army appears to have been well supplied with all sorts of
stores, — to have had an abundance of provisions, with every muni-
tion of war, — and the liritish force (without taking into view the
advantages that might have been expected from the strong fortifi-
cations at Detroit) seems inferior in point of numbers to the troops
under General Hidl. We are lost in astonishment on reflecting on
this disaster, — how it has been brought about is yet incomprehen-
sible ; a strange misfortune, mighty error, or horrid treason has
befallen us ; but as we are uninformed of the particulars, it is right
to suspend our opinion until the facts shall appear, all of which
shall be carefully recorded.

" The western papers, and private letters from that quarter,
abound with the severest animadversions on General Hull, — charg-
ing him with incompetency, or insinuating something worse. This
is also surprising, for few men ever entered upon a command with
greater popularity than that gentleman.

" Extracts of a letter from Colonel Lewis Cass, 3d regiment Ohio
volunteers, to the Honorable William Eustis, secretary of war,
dated Washington, September 10, 1812. — 'Sir, having been or-
dered on to this place by Colonel M'Arthur, for the purpose of
communicating to the government such particulars respecting the
expedition lately commanded by Brigadier-General Hull, and its
disastrous result, as might enable them correctly to appreciate the
conduct of the officers and men, and to develope the causes which
produced so foul a stain upon the national character, I have the
honor to submit for your consideration the following statement : —

" ' When the forces landed in Canada, they landed with an
ardent zeal and stimulated with the hope of conquest. No enemy
appeared within view of us ; and had an immediate and vigorous
attack been made upon Maiden, it would doubtless have fallen an

easy victory The plan of attacking Maiden was abandoned,

and instead of acting offensively we broke up our camp, evacuated
Canada, and re-crossed the river in the night, without even the
shadow of an enemy to injure us. We left to the tender mercy of
the enemy the miserable Canadians who had joined us, and the
protection we afforded them was but a passport to vengeance

I GO

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

On the 13th (August) the British took up a position oj)posite to
Detroit, and began to throw up works. During that and the two
following days, they pursued their object without interruption, and
established a battery for two eighteen pounders and an eight-inch
howitzer. About sunset on the 14th, a detachment of three hun-
dred and fifty men, from the regiments commanded by Colonel
M'Arthur and myself, was ordered to march to the river Raisin, to
escort the provisions which had some time remained there, pro-
tected by a party under the command of Captain Brush.

'"On Saturday the l.'ith, about one o'clock, a flag of truce
arrived from Sandwich, bearing a summons from General Brock
for the surrender of the town and fort of Detroit, stating he could
no longer restrain the fury of the savages. To this an immediate
and spirited refusal was returned. About four o'clock their batteries
began to play upon the town.' The fire was returned, and conti-
nued without interruption, and with little effect, till dark. Their
shells were thrown till eleven o'clock.

" ' At daylight the firing on both sides recommenced ; about the
same time the enemy began to land troops at the Springwells, three
miles below Detroit, protected by two of their armed vessels.
Between six and seven o'clock they had effected their landing, and
immediately took up their line of march. They moved in a close
column of platoons, twelve in front, upon the bank of the river.

" * The 4th regiment was stationed in the fort ; the Ohio volun-
teers and a part of the Michigan militia behind some pickets, in a
situation in which the whole flank of the enemy would have been
exposed. The residue of the Michigan militia were in the upper
part of the town, to resist the incursions of the savages. Two
twenty-four pounders, loaded with grape shot, were posted on a
commanding eminence, ready to sweep the advancing column. In
this situation the superiority of our position was apparent, and our
troops, in the eager expectation of victory, awaited the approach

of the enemy When the head of their column arrived

within about five hundred yards of our line, orders were received
from General Hull for the whole to retreat to the fort, and for the
twenty-four pounders not to open on the enemy. One universal
burst of indignation was apparent upon the receipt of this order.
Those, whose conviction was the deliberate result of a dispassionate
examination of passing events, saw the folly and impropriety of
crowding eleven hundred men into a little work, which three hun-
dred could fully man, and into which the shot and shells of the

APPENDIX A.

161

enemy were falling. The fort was in this manner filled ; the men
were directed to stack their arms, and scarcely was an opportunity
aftbrded of moving. Shortly after a white flag was hung out upon

the walls. A British officer rode up to inquire the cause

Our morning report had that morning made our effective men,
present fit for duty, ten hundred and sixty, without including the
detachment before alluded to, and without including three hundred
of the Michigan militia on duty. About dark on Saturday evening,
the detachment, sent to escort the provisions, received orders from
General Hull to return with as much expedition as possible. About
ten o'clock the next day they afiived within sight of Detroit. Had
a firing been heard, or any resistance visible, they would have im-
mediately advanced and attacked the rear of the enemy. The
situation in which this detachment was placed, although the result
of accident, was the best for annoying the enemy, and cutting off
his retreat, that could have been selected. With his raw troops
enclosed between two fires, and no hopes of succour, it is hazarding
little to say that very few would have escaped.

** * I have been informed by Colonel Findley, who saw the return
of the quartermaster-general the day after the surrender, that their
whole force, of every description, white, red, and black, was ten
hundred and thirty. They had twenty-nine platoons, twelve in a
platoon, of men dressed in uniform. Many of these were evidently
Canadian militia. The rest of their militia increased their white
force to about seven hundred. The number of Indians could not
'e ascertained with any degree of precision, — not many were
visible. And in the event of an attack upon the town and fort, it
was a species of force which could have afforded no material ad-
vantage to the enemy That we were far superior to the

enemy, that upon any ordinary principles of calculation we would
have defeated them, the wounded and indignant feelings of every

man there will testify I was informed by General Hull, the

morning after the capitulation, that the British forces consisted of
eighteen hundred regulars, and that he surrendered to prevent the
effusion of human blood. That he magnified their regular force
nearly five-fold, there can be no doubt. ^Vhether the philanthropic
reason assigned by him is a sufficient justification for surrendering
a fortified town, an army, and a territory, is for the government to
determine. Confident I am, that had the courage and conduct of
the general been equal to the spirit and zeal of the troops, the

■ I

i >

.i, i

;, i

i".l

162

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

i 1

event, would have been brilliant and successful as it is now disas-
trous and dishonorable. I have the honor to be,' C<c.

NoTii. — The oiifirc British fore was ahont thirtpi;ii himdriMl and lliirty
nipn. (Sec pn^t! 11.) folmiel Ciiss spcaivs only of tlie American tjf'irfirr
force ; the numerical force was about two thousand five hundred men.— lii).

" RKPOBT OF THE BATTLE OF (JUKKNSTOWN." (ExtraCtS.)

" Captain Wool discovered the British troops fornning at Queens-
town, and formed the troops under his command in line. General
IJrock was at the head of the British troops, and led them round
about to the heights in the rear of the battery. Captain Wool
detached one hundred and sixty men to meet the British ; this
detachment was driven back, reinforced, and the whole driven to
the brink of the precipice, forming the bank of the Niagara river,
above Queenstown.

" At this moment some of the officers put a white handkerchief
on a bayonet to hoist as a flag, with intention to surrender. Cap-
tain AVool inquired the object. It was answered that the party
were nearly without ammunition, and that it was useless to sacrifice
the lives of brave men. Captain Wool tore off the flag, ordered
the officers to rally the men, and bring them to the charge. The
order was executed, but in some confusion. The boasted 49th
could not stand the American bayonet. The British troops were
routed, and Major-General Brock, in gallantly exerting himself to
rally them, was killed. His aid. Colonel M'Donell, fell mortally
wounded at the same time.

" The British being completely driven from the heights about ten
o'clock, the line was reformed and flanking parties sent out."

No. 2.

" Revolutionary Services of General Hull, as taken from his Defence
before the Court Martial, in March, 1814. — (Seepage 14.)

" For more than half a century I supported a character without
reproach. My youth was devoted to the service of my country;
I fought her battles in that war which achieved her liberty and
independence, and which was ended before many of you, gentlemen,
who are my judges, were born. If upon any occasion a man may
speak of his own merits, it is at such a time as this ; and I hope I
may be permitted to present to you, in very few words, a narration
of my life, while I was engaged in scenes which were calculated to

i)W (lisiis-

iirnl fliirly
III cff'ictb'r
iini. — 111).

acts.)

t Queens-
General
jm round
lin Wool
ish ; this
driven to
ara river,

dkerchief
;r. Cap-
the party
» sacrifice
, ordered
ge. The
ted 49th
ops were
imself to
mortally

bout ten

t."

Defence
4.)

without
ountry ;
Tty and
itlemen,
lan may
'. hope I
arration
lated to

APPENDIX A.

103

prove a man's firmness and courage. I shall do it with less
reluctance, because the testimony I have offered of the venerable
men who served with me in the revolutionary war, will vouch for
all I have to say. In the year 1"7.'>, at the age of about twenty-
one years, I was appointed a captain in one of the Connecticut
regiments ; during that campaign, and until INIarch, I / 7(i, when
the enemy evacuated Boston, I served with the army at Cambridge
and Roxbury, and in the immediate commatul of (Jeneral Wash-
ington. I was with that part of the army, in March, I77'>, which
took possession of Dorchester heights ; the movement which com-
pelled the enemy to evacuate Boston. The next duv , the regiment
to which I belonged marched for New York. I was on Long
Island when the enemy landed, and remained until the night the
whole army retreated. I was in several small skirmishes, both on
Long Island and York Island, before the army retired to the White
Plains. I then belonged to Colonel Charles Webb's regiment, of
Connecticut,

" This regiment was in the severest part of the action on Chat-
terdon's Hill, a little advanced of the White Plains, a k\\ days
after the main body of the army abandoned New York. This
battle is memorable in the history of our country, and the regiment
to which I belonged received the particular thanks of General
Washington, in his public orders, for its braTcry and good conduct
on the occasion. It was particularly distinguished from all the
other troops engaged in the action. I received a slight wound by
a musket ball in my side, but it did not prevent me from remaining
at the head of my company.

" I was in the battle of Trenton, when the Hessians were taken
in December, 177C, and being one of the youngest captains in the
army, was promoted by General Washington the day after the
battle, to a majority, for my coiuluct on that occasion. The 1st of
January, 1777, I was in the battle of Princeton. In the campaign
of the same year, the regiment to which I belonged served in the
northern army. I was early in the spring ordered to Ticonderoga,
and commanded the regiment (being the senior officer present)
under General St. Clair, and I was with that officer in his retreat
from that post.

" After General St. Clair's army formed a junction with General
Schuyler's army on the North River, at Fort Edward, the regiment
to which I belonged was detached, and marched to Fort Schuyler,
and relieved that post, which was besieged by General St. Leger.

1. i

164

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

> l>

"On the retrofit of (ieneral Schuyler's nrmy froni ' t-.' Kdward,
I conimiinded the rear miarti of the army, unci, being t, aiiles in
the rear, was attacked by a hirge body of British troops and Indians
at daylight in the morning, in which action were killed and wounded
between thirty and forty of my guard. And I received the parti-
cular thanks of General Schuyler for my conduct r)n the occasion.

"I was in the two memorable battles, on the 19th of Septen»ber
and the 7th of October, on Hemis' heights, against General Jiur-
goyne's army, previous to its surrender. In the action of the 1 9th
of September, I commanded a detachment of three hundred men,
who fought the principal part of the afternoon, and more than one
half of them were killed or wounded.

"On the 7th of October, I likewise commanded a detachment
from the brigade which assisted in attacking the enemy on the left
of our position, defeated him, followed him to the right of his lines,
stormed his entrenchments, and took and held possession of the
right of his position, which compelled him to retreat to Saratoga,
and there to capitulate.

" After the memorable event of the capitulation of General Bur-
goyne's army, the regiment to which I belonged was ordered to
Pennsylvania, to join the army under the command of General
Washington. I remained with the army the winter of 1777, at
Valley Forge ; and in the spring of 1778, when the British army
evacuated Philadelphia, I was in the battle of Monmouth.

"From December, 1778, to May, 1779, I commanded the Ame-
rican posts in advance of the White Plains, near Kingsbridge,
during which time I had various skirmishes with the enemy. In
May, 1779, the principal part of the British army advanced up the
North River to ^■erplank's and Stoney Point, and I was ordered to
retreat before them to West Point.

" I then joined the light infantry, under the command of General
Wayne, and was in the memorable attack on Stoney Point, with a
separate command of four hundred light infantry.

"For my conduct on this occasion I received the particular
thanks of General Wayne, General Washington, and congress.

" In the summer and autumn of 1 780, 1 commanded the advanced
posts of the army, and in December of that year, I commanded an
expedition against the enemy, stationed at Morrissina, which was
successful, and for which I received the thanks of General Wash-
ington, in his general orders to the army, and likewise the thanks
of congress. General Washington, in his orders, I well remember,

APPENDIX A.

I or.

tnude u.sc of these words: 'lie thanked nic for my Judicious ar>
ran^cments in the plan of operations, and for my intrepidity and
vahmr in the execution.'

"From the conchision of the revohitionary war I have lived with
the respect of my countrymen, and have enjoyed repeated marks
of their confidence in the otFices which have been bestowed upon
me. When I found that the independence, for which I had so
often fougiit, was assailed, — that again my country must appeal to
arms to avenge her wrongs, and to protect her rights, — I felt that
I might yet do her some service. For though many years had
passed since I had fought under her standard, and though my own
arm might not have had its wonted strength, yet my spirit was un-
broken, and my devotion to her unimpaired. I thought in the
field, where there could be but few who had any military expe-
rience, what I had learned in the most active scenes of a seven
years' war, might be useful. I fondly hoped that in ray age, as
well as in my youth, I might render services that should deserve
the gratitude of my country. That if I fell by the sword of her
enemies, my grave would be moistened with the tears of my coun-
trymen ; that my descendants would be proud of my name and
fame. But how vain is anticipation ! I am now accused of crimes
which would blast my former honors, and transmit my memory
with infamy to posterity. And in that hideous catalogue, there is
none from the imputation of which my nature and my feelings
have more recoiled than from that of cowardice^ to which I am to
answer."

"The appearance of General Hull was venerable and prepossessing.
Beneath snowy locks, of sixty winters' bleaching, he exhibited a counte-
nance as fresh and blooming as a youth of eighteen. His eloquence was
perspicuous and graceful." — American History'

No. 3.
Letter from Captain Wool to Colonel Van Rensselaer.

"Buffaloe, Oct. 23, 1812.

" Dkar Sir, — I have the honour to communicate to you the
circumstances attending the storming of Queenstown battery, on
the 1 3th instant; with those which happened previously you are
already well acquainted.

" In pursuance of your order, we proceeded round the point
and ascended the rocks, which brought us partly in rear of the

166

SIR ISAAC BROCK.

1 t

il ii';

'^1

p I

battery. We took it without much resistance. I immediately
formed the troops in rear of the battery, and fronting the village,
when I observed General Brock with his troops formed, consisting
of four companies of the 49th regiment, and a few militia, marching
for our left flank. I immediately detached a party of one hundred
and fifty men, to take possession of the heights above Queen stown
battery, and to hold General lirock in check ; but in consequence
of his superior force they retreated. I sent a reinforcement ;
notwithstanding which, the enemy drove us to the edge of the
bank : when, with the greatest exertions, we brought the troops to
a stand, and ordered the oflicers to bring their men to a charge as
soon as the ammunition was expended, which was executed with
some confusion, and in a few moments the enemy retreated. We
pursued them to the edge of the heights, when Colonel M'Donell
had his horse shot from under him, and himself was mortally
wounded. In the interim. General Brock, in attempting to rally
his forces, was killed, when the enemy dispersed in every direction.
As soon as it was practicable, I frtrmed the troops in a line on the
heights fronting the village, and immediately detached flanking
parties, which consisted of Captain Machesney, of the 6th regiment.
Lieutenant Smith and Ensign Grosvenor, with a small detachment
of riflemen, who had that moment arrived ; at the same time, I
oi'dered Lieutenant Ganesvoort and Lieutenant Randolph, with a
detacliment of artillery, to drill out an eighteen pounder which had
been previously spiked, and if possible to bring it to bear upon the
village. The wounded and prisoners I ordered to be collected, and
sent to the guard-house. About this time, which was about three
or four o'clock in the afternoon, Lieut. -Colonel Christie arrived,
and took the command. He ordered me across the river to get
my wounds dressed. I remained a short time. Our flanking
parties had been driven in by the Indians ; but General Wadsworth
and other oflicers arriving, we had a short skirmish with them, and
they retreated, and I crossed the river.

" The officers engaged in storming the battery, were Captains
Wool and Ogilvie ; Lieutenants Kearney, Hugouin, Carr, and
Simmons, of the 43d regiment ; Lieutenants Ganesvoort and
Randolph, of the light artillery, and Major Lush, of the militia.

" I recommend to your particular notice Lieutenants Randolph,
Carr, and Kearney, for their brave conduct exhibited during the
whole of the action. I have the honour to be," &c.

is
r(

APPENDIX A.

167

Note.— Captain Wool, in stating that he was opposed lo lour conipanirs
of tlie 49th, only douhled the number of companies ; but tliis exaggeration
is a trifle compared with the following gross and hudihrasfie mis-statements,
relative to the battle of Qiieenston in " Ramsay's History of the United
States," viz: — "The 4!)th British regiment, signalized in Egypt under
Colonel, since Lieut. -General, Brock, and usually e;illed the " Egy])tiau
Invincibles," was among the prominent corps, and was led by its favorite
commander. In the second engagement, this regiment of British regulars,
six huiulred strong, encountered a body of three Inmdred and twenty
American regulars, supjjorted by a few militia an{l volunteers, the whole
under Colonel Chrystie. They mutually resorted to the bayonet, and after
a bloody conflict, the famous invincibles yielded to the superior energy of
tlieir antagonists, although the latter were so far inferior in numbers.
They were rallied by Lieut.-General Brock, who was killed in conducting
them a second time to the charge. The American prisoners were kindly
treated by this brave regiment, who, after the battle was over, acknowledged
they had never opjjosed more gallant adversaries."— The 4!)th, not having
been with the British army in Egypt, could not be called the " Egyptian
Invincibles," and instead of this regiment, six hundred strong, being led
by Major (not Lieutenant) General Brock, only the flank companies were
present, with a small body of militia, together about three hundred men.
In fact, the head quarters of the 49th were at Kingston, one hundred and
eighty miles distant, with, we believe, the whole of the battalion companies ;
and therefore, the assertion that the "famous invincibles" yielded to far
inferior numbers, is something worse than ridiculous. Such, however, is
the correctness of this American historian on the subject, and with such
materials is history too often compiled. — Ed.

No. 4.

Extract from Jefferson s Correspondence. — Monticello, Oct. 1, 1812.
" I fear that Hull's surrender has been more than the mere loss
of a year to us. Beside^ bringing on us the whole mass of savage
nations, whom fear, and not affection, had kept in quiet, there is
danger, that in giving time to an enemy who can send reinforce-
ments of regulars faster than we can raise them, ihey may strengthen
Canada and Halifax beyond the assailmcnt of our lax and divided
powers. Perhaps, however, the patriotic efforts from Kentucky
and Ohio, by recalling the British force to its upper posts, may yet
give time to Dearborn to strike a blow below. Effectual possession
of the river from Montreal to the Chaudiere, which is practicable,
would give us the upper country at our leisure, and close for ever
the scenes of the tomahawk and scalping knife."

APPENDIX B.

: f

No. 1.
Postscript of the 'Courier.' — London, July 25, 1826.

"The following extract of a letter was this morning received at
Lloyd's. It is dated Malta, June 26, and gives an account of a
serious affray between his Majesty's frigate Sybille and some Greek
pirates in the Mediterranean, attended with a considerable loss of
life on both sides. These daring outrages must at once be put an
end to, and the perpetrators of them signally punished. If the
Greek government have the power to restrain them, it is at once
their interest and their duty to do so ; but, : t all events, our own
government will take prompt and decisive measures for protecting
the British flag, as well as British lives and property.

" ' The Sybille frigate arrived here on Saturday, after having had
a serious affair with two Greek pirates off Candia, the crews of
which got on shore and attacked the Sybille's boats with such im-
petuosity, that twelve officers and men were killed, and twenty-nine
wounded ; of the latter an officer, Lieutenant Tupper, and three
men have died since their arrival here. The first lieutenant,
Gordon, had three balls lodged in him, and a midshipman, Mr.
Edmonstone, had his chin shot away; another midshipman, and,
I believe, the assistant-surgeon, were killed in the engagement.

" ' The pirate vessels were destroyed, and a great number of the
pirates killed.

" ' The piracies in the Levant have become most alarming, for
the Greeks attack all vessels, and frequently maltreat the crews.' "

if. '

No. 2.

Extract from the Postscript of the Guernsey ' Star.'— July 31, 1826.

" The sympathy that the Greek cause has excited in England is
spreading rapidly in France, but in reality one half the Greeks are
not worth saving : the robberies and murders they have lately
committed will prove this assertion. But what will the brave
Miaulis feel when he sees that some of his desperate countrymen

APPENDIX B.

109

have destroyed a Tapper, a name to which he is so much indebted ?
There is little doubt but that the Greeks are harassed and driven to
desperation, but they ought to respect every thing that is English."

No. 3.
Extract from " IVhychcottc of St. John's." — 2 vols., London, 1834.

After some favorable notices of the late Captain Honorable Sir
Robert Spencer, then commanding the Naiad frigate, on the Medi-
terranean station, the author proceeds : —

" Though it is rather difficult, in a time of such complete inacti-
vity, actually to ' distinguish one's self,' yet it is somewhat singular,
that more marked and decisive characters should not display them-
selves on the arena of a large station such as the Mediterranean.
On looking back to those most prominent at this period, there
were few who stood forth in any particular position which pointed
them out from the general run of their profession. Sir Samuel,
then Captain, Pechell, of the Sybil, was among the few, — nay, he
was almost the sole exception. He was on intimate terms with
Sir Robert Spencer, whose character his somewhat resembled.
Like Sir Robert, he had his caprices and prejudices ; and, like St.
Vincent, he could shew the wrong side of his tongue occasionally ;
but he was noted for being a smart officer, and having his crew
under admirable discipline. Add to this, the gunnery of the Naiad
and of the Sybil were among the boasts of the station.

" Sir Samuel had some fantastic notions about the aristocracy of
naval officers, but this did not prevent him froni f;iN^ing a severe

lesson to a certain Captain , son rf Sir T. B , hen serving

on board his ship as a junior lieutenant, wlio had I^e. ji ^.'romoted
while a beardless boy, over the heads of many old iiud experienced
officers, through the overwhelming interest o " his indeta^igable
parent. As the story then ran, it appeared i-u; (nis youth was an
ignorant of his profession and as unequal to his du*;y as any young
gentleman 'promoted through friendship' could possibly desire.
Sir Samuel, justly indignant, refused to allow the lieutenant to take
charge of the w'atch, which it was h.'s proper office to keep, and
promoted to the trust the mate of the lower deck, a passer', mid-
shipman ; while the lieutenant received orders to carry into exef'u-
tion a subordinate task. Nor was this all. Strange to say, Mr.

was compelled to sign a written bulletin, declaring hinscif,

by his own admission, to be utterly incapable of performing the

I'l^i

' 1 :

1 '

■ * j

.'' .!'

170

LIEUTENANT TUPPER.

This was rigorous it must be acknowledged.

duties of a lieutenant.
JFas it not also just ?

" Sir Samuel, like his brother captain, Sir Robert, chiefly exercised
his industry in reaping the scanty laurels of his profession among
the pirates of the Archipelago. Of several rencontres, one in the
island of Candia became noted. It was a brave action, but unfor-
tunate in its issue. Some pirates having taken refuge in one of the
bays of the island, and established themselves in a secure position
on the shore. Sir Samuel sent in his boats manned and armed to
the attack. The Greek pilot, who belonged to the Sybil, declined
accompanying the party, aware of the desperate character of the
defendants, and the inaccessible nature of their position. He very
sagaciously observed, that ' he had nothing whatever to do with the
fighting of the ship ; and that if he fell, — for few would escape, —
government would never trouble themselves about securing from
starvation his wife and family.'

" The boats started under the command of Lieutenant Tupper.*
On their approaching within shot of the Greeks, who were hidden
by the rocks, the murderous aim of Candian rifles made itself appa-
rent. Four shots had not been fired by their determined antagonists
before the lieutenant and coxswain were for ever dismissed from
mortal struggle, and five others severely wounded.

"Enraged to absolute fury by their loss, the men cheered, pulled
in with redoubled quickness, and landed. A fatal aifray took place.
It ended m their being obliged to retreat, leaving a prisoner in the
hands of the pirates. Not one escaped uninjured ; and tne ablest
man among them had to row off to the frigate, by shifting his oar
from one side to the other, and stooping down at intervals, to
escape the shot fired at him by the ruffians on shore.

" Their prisoner the pirates threatened with instant immolation
before the eyes of his shipmates, unless certa'n conditions of non-
molestation were conceded by Sir Samuel. The latter rightly
estimated the life of his marine far higher than the gratification of
any petty feelings of vengeance, and sending on shore a flag of
truce, recovered his man.

" Such, as nearly as I can recollect at this distance of time, were
the heads of an affair which then excited no slight feeling on the
station. The Sybil's time hpving expired, she was soon afterwards
ordered home, inspected at Spithead, and great praise awarded to
Sir Samuel Pechell for the high state of excellence to which he had

* Incorrect— Lieutenant Gordon commanded the boats. — Ed.

APPENDIX B.

171

raised the science of gunnery on board his Irigafo." — Second
Edition, Vol I., pp. 2:3/ to 242.

No. 4.
Extract relative to the late Captain Edzoard Gordon.

" The Highflyer tender unexpectedly returned to us,* having
fallen in with a heavy American privateer. A severe action hatl
ensued, in which her brave commander. Lieutenant Lewis, was
killed. Mr. CJordon, midshipman, (the same who so distinguished
himself up the Archipelago in the boats of the Sybille, and who
commanded the z\corn, sloop of war, when she foundered on the
coast of America,) gallantly continued the contest till the enemy
hauled off j but the Highflyer was so cut up in her rigging that
Mr. Gordon was unable to follow her. She had only one long gun
a- midships, and her crew were greatly exposed from having no
bulwark, while their heavy antagonist was sheltered by one. The
conduct of Mr. Gordon, who was then quite a lad, was highly
commended by the rear admiral, and, as an earnest of his opinion,
young Gordon was permitted to keep the command of the vessel,
and dispatched to fulfil the orders of his late commander, after
removing all the wounded on board the Marlborough, and filling
up the vacancies in his own ship's company.

" It appears »he vessel that engaged the Highflyer was the
American privateer ' Roger Quarles, of fourteen guns, and full of
men.' (Vide Niles' Register, Vol. IV., p. 228.) The American
account states the action to have lasted from nine o'clock till eleven
p. m. As the Americans are not in the liable c^f exaggerating their
own force, this circumstance throws additional credit upon the
gallant coihluct of the late Captain Edward ('ordon, and must be
read by his friends with melancholy satisfaction." — Recollections of
a Naval Life, by Captain James Scott, R. N. — Vol. III., p. 11".

No. 5.

From a Portsmouth N:ivspaper, December 31, 182.5. — See p. 42.

" This morning sailed the Aurora for Hydra, having on board
forty of the crew of the Greek brig of war, Cimoni, lately wrecked
on the isle of Alderney, from whence they were taken to Guernsey,
where they received the greatest kindness and attention from the

* The Chesapeake station under the command of Hear Admiral Sit
GcorRC Cockbuin. — Ed.

' V

:iil

'\i

r ;-;i

,!:i

! I)' I

172

LIEUTENANT TUPPER.

lieutenant-g(n ernor. Sir John Colborne, and the inhabitants, who,
in addition to having provided them with food, clothing, and lodging
whilst on the island, raised for them a most liberal subscription,
and gave five pounds to each of the crew on their leaving Guernsey.
We are requested to state, that for the kindness they have received
from the governor and inhabitants of Guernsey, they feel the deepest
gratitude, and beg to return their most grateful thanks. It is
perhaps impossible to express the high sense they entertain of the
kindness they experienced better than in their own words, which
were : ' The people of Guernsey behaved to us like angels, not
like meu.' "

No. 6.

Transcript of a Letter from George B. Hamilton, Esq., to the Editor,
partly relating to Lieutenant E. JV. Tapper, and luted Admiralty,
June 7, 1825.

" Lord Melville has directed me to acknowledge the rtceipL of
-'■rowr letter of the 26ih March last, with its inolosure, and to return
you his lordship's thanks for the observations you have thought
j. voper to make j but the subject to ivhich you refer has lately been
under the consideration of the Board of Admiralty.

" With regard to your brother's claims to promotion. Lord
Melville has lirected me to state that he is perfectly aware of them,
and took an opportunity, not long since, of recommending him to
the commander in chief in. the Mediterranean, and I have no doubt
but his advancement will be the result of such recommendation
at no very distant period."

APPENDIX C.

No. 1.

[Translated from the Spanish.— See page 50.]
"Dr. Francisco Altes, yice- Secretary of the most excellent Constitutional
Ayuntamiento of this city of Barcelona, capital of the province
of Catalonia.

" T certify that in the dreadful conflagration which, on the 13th
instant so unfortunately broke out in the house of Dr. Juan I'lanas,
in the street of Regoniir, at the comer of that of Lignas, among
all the worthy citizens, who with the greatest intrepidity impeded
its progress, the young Englishman, Don Guillermo Tapper, out-
shone in valour and heroism, — several times exposing his life to
suffocate the flames, which would certainly have burnt down the
whole barrier. And in order that the gratitude of the most excellent
Ayuntamiento may be manifested in the most authentic manner
for his resolute and beneficent courage, knowing how to appreciate
so sublime an effort in favour of humanity, the present certificate is
drawn out by order of their excellencies.

" Signed by my hand, and authorised with the
common seal of my office.

" Francisco Altes, Vice- Secretary.
"J?n Barcelona, February 17, 1821."

No. 2.

Extracts from Lieutenant Bower's Naval Adventures. — 2 vols.,

London, 1833.

''Chiloe, from its geographical position, good harbours, and
numerous resources, in the hands of an enlightened and enterprising
people, might soon becon.e the key to the eastern part of the South
Pacific

" San Carlos, the principal port, situated at the north-west extre-
mity of the island, in latitude 41° 45' south, is of easy entrance in
tolerably clear weather, and is a good harbour at all seasons, there
being several anchoring grounds. Well defended by art not less

*iV^:

174

COLONEL TUPPER.

y •

hi \

ii '

I 'r^^j '

than nature, it is a place of great strength, capable of resisting any

ordinary means of attack 'J'he town of Castro lies on the

east side, between which and the main are scattered an archipelago
of smaller islands, about eighty in number, all inhabited, and the
greater part even more susceptible of a ready cultivation than their
principal, Chiloe, which is nearly one uniform dense forest of
immense trees. The export trade consists of hams, lard, and
timber Hogs are numerous Fish is good and abun-
dant. Of shell fish, more especially, there is a surprising variety,
on which, with potatoes, and the bucha, or rock weed, the indigent

classes subsist The north winds blow long and heavily during

the winter season, and rain, often in torrents, prevails more or less
the greater part of the year

" The population of San Carlos and Castro, including the garri-
son of the former, is computed at about eleven thousand ; the total
of all the islands a hundred thousand.* The inhabitants, principally
Creoles, descended from Spaniards and natives, with some few of
the aborigines, are a strong, active, and well formed race.

"The Chilotes are brave, and make better soldiers than others
along the coa^^. When 1 last visited the island, in 1 828, they
mustered fourttc *' )usand able bodied men,* enrolled by Quinta-

nilla as militia In the time of the royalists, a large garrison

was kept up, which was regularly paid from the royal treasury at
Lima.

" Conception, or Penco, for the goodness of its port, (Talca-
huano,) the salubrity of its climate, and the fertility of the neigh-
bouring district, is superior to every other part of Chile, and, in my

opinion, much to be preferred as the site of its capital

Conception is rapidly increasing in trade and importance, promising,
ere long, to become one of the most flourishing sea port towns in
South America Plenty of good coal is found in the neigh-
bourhood, as well as materials for brick and lime. The anchorage
of this magnificent bay, extending from one extreme to the other a
distance of five miles, and sheltered by the fine island of Quiri-
quina, is excellent ; the shores abound with shell fish, and the
muscles in particular, large and fat, are held in much estimation.

" Between Conception and Valparaiso is the river and port of
Maule, the ingress and egress to which are rendered difficult by a
bar formed of the drifting sand, that often shifts the course of the
channel, which however is always sufficiently deep for vessels of

* Tliese numbers arc evidently ovei-ratccl.— En.

APPENDIX C.

17/

three hundred tons Tlie river is navigable for small vessels

and barges, through a fertile and well inhabited country, where
every article of produce is cheaper than at Conception or Valparaiso,
as far as the city of Talca."

(See page .0;i.)

Lord Cochrane, after the capture of Valdivia, attacked Chiloc in
1820, but was repulsed with some loss. Major (now the celebrated
General) Miller was severely wounded at Chiloe, and in his me-
moirs speaks highly of the courage and devotion of the C^hile
soldiers, who exposed their lives to bring him off, when his \vounds
rendered him incapable of retreating.

By a census of 1827, the population of the archipelago of Chiloe
was ascertained to be forty-three thousand two hundred and ninety
souls. Public instruction was gaining ground, and four thousand
four hundred and eighty-nine children then attended the schools.
Captain Tupper wrote in 1824, that Quintanilla had done much
towards the advancement of these islands, that they were covered
with sheep, and were in a high state of cultivation. He added,
that potatoes grew almost spontaneously, and that the country was
beautiful, much like England. — Eu.

No. 3.
Extract from " Kotzebues Voyage round the World.''

At anchor off Talcahuana, January, 1824. — Speaking of the
president. General Freire, at that time in Conception, and about to
proceed with three thousand men against Chiloe, the captain
observes : —

" Freire, who had already distinguished himself as a general, is
a stately looking man, at that time about forty-five years of age,
and of a very agreeable exterior ; he was born at Talcahuana, of
very poor parents, and, without enjoying any particular advantage
of education, he raised himself, by his own merit alone, to the high
rank he occupies.

" The little town (Talcahuana) was soon filled with warlike
tumult. A grenadier regiment from Conception marched in with
drums beating, and a very good band playing. The uniform was
in the French fashion, clean and substantial ; the muskets were in
the best order."

1 1

; ■ ti

170

COLONEL TUPPER.

No. 4.
[Sun Trunslation, page 01.]

" Los (jc/ps y Officinlcs del Batullon Pudeto, cl sus C.ompatriotas,

" El Biitallon Pudeto siempre fiel a sus juramentos, protesta
sostener la Constitucion. Conciudadanos, confiad ei. este honor
que jamas fue tachado. Enemigos del orden, temblad : ya cono-
ceis t\ Pudeto.

" S. E. (1 Capitan General Freire nos Ueva a la victoria, Su
nombre electriza el cora/on de los valientes, y garanti/a el empleo
de la fuerza ante el pacifico ciudadano.

" Quedarti cscarmentado para siempre el infame Prieto, ese militar
sin honor, que burlando en repetidas ocasiones los mas sagrados
compromisos, aspira al despotismo por los medios mas inicuos.

<' Valparaiso, Encro 27 de 1830,"

No. 5.

Cancharayada and Lircai. — See page ^7.

General Miller, in his memoirs, after stating that the Spanish
general, Osorio, advanced from Talcahuana towards Santiago, with
about six thousand effective men, and that to meet him General
San Martin formed a junc ion with the Director O'lliggins and
Colonel Las Heras, at San Fernando, the united patriot forces
amounting tvj seven thousand infantry, fifteen hundred cavalry,
thirty-three field pieces, and two howitzers ; thus continues : —

" Ignorant of the numbers and movements of his opponents,
the royalist general crossed the river Maule, and was proceeding
on to Santiago, when, on the 18th of March, (1818,) the van guard
of each army came in contact at Quechereguas. In the affair which
took place, the royalist advance was worsted, Osorio having
ascertained the superiority of the patriots, countermarched with
evident precipitation. General San Martin obliqued to his own
left, for the purpose of interposing between the royalists and the
ford of the Maule. The two armies crossed the river Lircay at
the same time, at the distance of four miles from each other, on
the morning of the 19th, and continued to march in almost parallel
but gradually approximating columns over five leagues of open
country. The patriots advanced in the finest ore' r, and with the
utmost regularity. The Spaniards quickened their march in some
slight confusion, and were the first to reach the town of Talca, in

) '

APPENDIX C.

triotas.

protesta

■ite honor

ya cono-

»ria. Su
el empleo

se militar
sagraclos

iUOS.

I Spanish

ago, with

i General

gins and

3t forces

cavalry,

s : —

ponents,

oceeding

an guard

lir which

having

led with

his own

and the

ircay at

ther, on

: parallel

of open

vith the

in some

"alca, in

front of which they took up a position an hour before sunset,
amongst enclosed fields. The patriot coluuins approached, and,
whilst they drew up in line on the plain of Cancharayada, some
sharp skirmishing took place. A regiment of Chileno cavalry
charged, but, having committed the error of getting into a gallop at
too great a distance from the enemy, formed behind a ravine which
had not been perceived, it was repulsed, but retired in good order,
under cover of the Chileno artillery, which was commanded by
Lieut. -C(»lonel lU'nco, and particularly well served. (Jn this occa-
sion, Lieutenant CJerard, a brave young Scotchman, who had distin-
guished himself the day before at Quechereguas, was killed. He
formerly belonged to the British rifle corps.

" General San jNIartin purposed to attack on the morning of the
20th. The situation of the royal army had b( e extremely criti-
cal. The able manner in which General San dn manceuvred on
the preceding day, gave the royalists little room to hope for success
in risking a battle ; whilst to retire to the difficvdt ford of the Maulc,
still five leagues off, in the presence of a superior enemy, threatened
to expose their army to destruction." — Vol. L, page 173.

General Miller next proceeds to relate the surprise of the patriots,
during the night, by a Spanish column, which completely dispersed
them.

No. 6.

Brief Extracts relative to the late Colonel Tapper.

"Fev/ situations can be more distressing than those of foreign
officers, who, having entered the service of the new republics, in
order to combat the foreign enemy, have in the end found them-
selves involved in the domestic cUsputes of their adopted country,
and at times either from principle, old attachments, or other strong
causes, have been in a manner obliged to take active service with
one or other of the parties.

"These observations have been elicited from us on reading a
letter from Chile, which, although dated in December last, throws
some light upon the situation in which the late Colonel Tuppcr was
placed ; an officer who, in the war for the independence of Chile,
was one of its most distinguished heroes, and had gathered ' golden
opinions from all sorts of people,' and yet he fell a victim to civil
dissensions." — British Packet, Buenos ^i/rto, July 17, 1830.

A letter from Valparaiso, of the 20th April, says : " In a battle
near the Maule, on the 17th of this month, efght hundred men fell.
M

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

:/.

1.0

I.I

If liM m

L25 i 1.4

2.0

i.6

Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, NY. M580

(716) 872-4503

■1>^

^^^^ -^^ '^"^

.<if<^

C/a

I t

.1 '!

\i\

178

COLONEL TUPPER.

Freirc is defeated, and three foreign ollicers, among whom is un-
happily Tupper, were killed."' — Enylish Chronicle, August 24, 1S.'}0.

Conclusion of a letter, dated Santiago, May 11, relative to the
affairs of Chile : " Freire with seventeen hundred, and Prieto with
two thousand two hundred men, met again at Cancharayada, when
the former was beaten ; sixteen officers and six hundred rank and
file were killed. Amongst them were Tupper, Captain liell, of the
navy, and, it is believed, Ilondisoni. Freire and Viel escaped with
three hundred cavalry, and have made their way past Santiago,
towards Coquimbo. Troops have been sent against them. Prieto
remains at Talca. We do not know what has occurred at Con-
ception.

"Tupper was an extraordinary fine young man of twenty-five.
His death is sincerely lamented by all parties." — Times, London,
September 3, 1830.

No. 7.

Extracts from a weekly publication printed at Paris, entitled " Lc
Semeur, Journal religieux, politique, philosophiipte et litteraire,"
dated April 4, 1832. — Article, " Souvenir d'un sdjour au Chili."

"J'^tais fort curieux de voir I'interieur d'un convent, et, grace
^ I'obligeance du general Pinto, vice-prdsident de la republique et
chef du gouvernement, j'obtins la permission d'en visiter un. Je
m'y rendis avec le lieutenant-colonel Tupper, aide-de-camp du
vice-president. Ma visite aux religieuses capucines m'offrit un
intdrOt tout particulier. Leur ordre est I'un des plus severes ; leur
nourriture est grossiere, et leur lit no se compose que de trois
planches qui, apr6s leur mort, leur servent de cercueil. On nous
fit entrer dans une salle qui, pour tout ameublement, n'avait que
trois ou quatre chaises, placdes contre la muraille. On nous pria
de nous asseoir, et, au bout de dix minutes, les ntmnes entr^rent.
EUes etaient au nombre de vingt a trente. Elles s'agenouillerent
en face de nous, sans Oter leurs voiles, et se mirent presque aussitot
K parlerdu monde avec le colonel Tupper, qui se trouvait connattre
les families de plusieurs d'entre elles. Elles paraissaient tr^s-
curieuses d'apprendre des nouvelles de Santiago. L'administration
du convent leur est confide, et se divise en plusieurs departemens.
Les unes s'occupent de la cuisine, u autres du jardin, d'autres encore
de Tentretien de la maison. Elles nous assurerent toutes qu'elles
etaient parfaitement heureuses et qu'elles ne desiraient pas changer
de sort. Le colonel Tupper leur dit qu'un decret recent du congr^s

APPENDIX C.

179

mm IS un-
? 24, KS,*}0,

^ive to the
Vieto witli
'^ada, when
I rank and
Jell, of the
caped with
Santiago,
Ti. Prieto
id at Con-

venty-five.
s, London,

'it led " Lc
litteraire,"
au Chili."

, et, grace

ublique et

2r un. Je

-camp du

n'offrit nn

ires ; leur

3 de trois

On nous

avail que

nous pria

entr^rent.

ouillerent

le aussitot

connattre

ient tr^s-

nistration

artemens.

res encore

:s qu'elles

s changer

u congr^s

ilt'tendait <lc ramener de force dans les couvens les rcligieuses qui
auraient profite de la permissi(m den sortir ; il leur apprit aussi
qu'au Perou plusieurs communautes avaient etaient forct'es de
quitter Icurs monasteres

"J'ai deja exprime mon opinion sur I'importance qu'il y aurait
a donner aux jeunes (^hiliens une education liberale, et k les niettre
a meme de recueillir des idees supcrieures a celles qu'ils peuvent
puiser dans leur patrie. Les Chiliens sont jaloux des etrangers qui
prennent du service chez eux, et il est assez naturel qu'ils le snient,
quoiqu'on ne puisse nier qu'ils aient de grandes obligations li plu-
sieurs de ceux qui ont fait du Chili leur patrie adoptive. Depuis
mon rctour en Europe, un de ces hommcs, digne d'une haute
estime, a cesse de vivre. Je veux parler du colonel Tupper, qui a
ete fait prisonnier a la tete de son regiment, et qui, apres avoir etc
tenu, pendant une heure, dans I'incertitude sur son sort, fut cruelle-
ment mis a mort par les ennemis. Le Colonel Tupper etait un homme
tl'unc grande bravoure et d'un esprit eclaire j sc's formes ^'taient
athletiques, et I'expression de sa physionomie pieine de franchise.
II se serait distingue partout ou il aurait 6i6 employ^, et dans quel-
que situation qu'il eut 6t6 place. N'est-il pas deplorable que de tels
hommes en soient reduits h. se consacrer t\ une cause etrang^re ?

" J'esp^re que le temps n'est pas eloigne oii Ton saura appr^icier
au Chili le patriotisme et I'energie, dont le colonel Tupper a donni?
I'exemple. D'autres hommes eminens, tels que le gdneral Hena-
vente et don Pedro Palarzuchos ont fait preuve aussi d'un caracti;re
desinteresse et g^nereux ; mais ils ont besoin d'etre soutenus par
I'opinion publique, et cette opinion elle-meme ne pent se former
que si de solides principes religieux et politiques jettent de profondes
racines dans le caractere national, et si la tolerance laisse un libre
acces h la Parole de Dieu."

No. 8.

Extract from a Pamphlet, published at Lima, in 1831, by General
Freirc, in exposition of his conduct during the civil war in Chile,
1829-1S30.

" No entra en mi plan justificar los movimientos estratejicos que
precedieron i\ la batalla de Lircay. La desproporcion entre las
fuerzas belijerantes era monstruosa. De nada Servian con esta
immensa desventaja, ni las maniobras de la tkctica, ni los prodijios

del valor. Los liberales fueron derrotados i^jalh pudiera

echar un velo, no sobre la historia de un vencimiento, (jue ni

! 5

, I

:i;''

it)

!!i'

tl!

i n

^iii

i' •!

M
h'^'

180

COLONEL TUPPER.

suponiii valor, ni talcnto en cl vencedor, sino sobre las horrorosas
crueldadfs que siguicron {\ la batalla ! Los salvajcs mas feroces,
los saltcadores mas desalmados se avergon/arian de ejccutar las
ordcnes que el cjercito faccioso rccibio del jeneral Pricto, y
que supo dcsempenar con funcsta c\actitud. Tupper. . . . sombra
ilustre del mas valiente dc los militares, del mas apreciable de los
hombres : sombra de un heroe t\ quien hubieran al/ado estatuas
Grecia y Roma : tu asesinato espantoso sera vengado. Si no hay
castigo visible para tu verdugo, la justicia divina lo tomark H su
cargo. Ella pedira cuenta de esa infame sentencia pronunciada
contra todo estranjero, por un hombre que k la sazon erael juguete
y el pupilo de un estranjero vagabundo, que habia debido su eleva-
cion y el pan que comia, a la jenerosidad de Chile."

TRANSLATION.

"It does not enter into my plan to justify the movements which
preceded the battle of Lircay. The disproportion between the
contending forces was excessive. Neither tactics nor prodigies of
valour could avail against this immense disadvantage. The liberals
were routed. Would that I could throw a veil not only over a
conquest, which proves neither courage nor talent in the conqueror,
but also over the horrid cruelties which succeeded the battle. The
most furious savages, the most unprincipled bandits would have
been ashamed to execute the orders which the rebel army received
from General Prieto, and yet which were executed with mournful
fidelity. Tupper — illustrious shade of the bravest of soldiers, of
the most estimable of men ; shade of a hero to whom Greece and
Rome would have erected statues — your dreadful assassination will
be avenged. If there be no visible punishment for your murderer.
Divine vengeance will overtake him. It will demand an account
of that infamous sentence pronounced against all strangers by a
man* who at the time was the pupil and the tool of a vagabond
stranger,! indebted for his elevation and his bread to the generosity
of Chile."

No. 9.

Extract of a Letter to the Editor relative to Colonel Tupper s attack
on the brig of tvar Achilles, off Talcahuano, dated Conception,
28th May, 1832.
" All at this moment was confusion, and your brother's efforts to

restore the attack unavailing. After knocking down in the boat

* General Pricto. t Garrido, a Spanish deserter.

.\l»l'ENL)IX C.

isi

horrorosas
as feroces,
ccutar las
Prieto, y
. . sombra
ble (le los
estatuas
Si no hay
mark k su
onunciada
el juguete
su eleva-

nts whicli
ween the
odigies of
le liberals
ly over n
onqueror,
tie. The
)uld have
received
mournful
Idiers, of
reece and
ation will
nurderer,
I account
jers by a
lagubcnd
enerosity

••'s attack
mception,

efforts to
the boat

one of his volunteers, who refused to assist in returning to tin'
vessel, he was comi)ellcd to proceed to the nearest shore, — tla-
island of Quiri(iuina. Here part of his companions took refuge in
the underwood ; your brother remained with the wounded and
dying saihir in the l)ottom of the l)oat, with a military ollicer,
Captain La Rosa, (of whom, I believe, mention is made in(ieneral
Miller's memoirs,) and two of his own soldiers. His first tlioughl
was now to retire to the other side of the island, opposit;: to the
part of the main land of the promontory of Talcahuai.o, marked
in the charts i'lata Creek, and, if closely pursued in the nnirniiiif,
to swim across. Jiut (Japtain La llosa (formerly accustonu'd tn
the sea) volunteering to take an oar, your brother, notwithstaiuling
his wounded hand, at once sei/ed the other ; and the two, during
the niglit, pulled across with the v.'ounded man and two soldiers
from Niuuly I'oint of tlie island to tlie opposite iliorc, near a point
called I'oint Lirque/, a distance of more than a league. Here tliey
buried the wounded man, who had died on the passage, in the
sand ; and with a doubloon, which your brother fortunately had in
his pocket, they procured horses, and rode round the bay to Talca-
huano. The people, who returned in the boats to Talcahuano, all
declared that Colonel Tupper had been killed ; that he had been
seen to sxscend and to fall into the water, and had not been heard
of since. You should have been in this city to have witnessed the
regret of his party for his supposed death : numbers proceeded to
the port to make further inquiries. \Vhen your brother appeared
t)n horseback in the square of Talcahuano, his olhcers and soldiers
ran to embrace him like one risen from the dead ; the soldiers shed
tears, and called him by the name of father, which they were in
the habit of giving him.

" Some days afterwards he came to the city, and a French sur-
geon uniting his entreaties with mine, we prevailed upon him to
suffer leeches to be applied to his breast, which had a large circle
of coagulated blood blackening it from the severe blow, causing
him much dithculty to breathe. He stretched himself for this pur-
pose on my bed, a small camp bedstead, and even to this hour I
cannot drive away the recollection of his gigantic, well proportioned
figure, occupying and supported, as if in appearance, only by the
little, frail bedstead. Tlie leeches were of good service, and his
left hand, though carrying it of necessity in a sling, healed fast.
His stay here was short."

i ^

APPENDIX D.

!f^

|!|

Mil

h :

I*: I

COINCIDENCES.

In addition to tlie few mentioned in the text, (see pp. 14, .31, 11,
and 101,) the following have been seleeted for insertion in this
appendix. The subject may seem strange, but it is surely one which
alfords room for innocent speculation on the attributes of that
Almighty Being, " who can make alive and who can kill." By
many these coincidences will be ascribed to accident ; others may
view them as something more than special ; while all must admit
that so many links in the chain, if the effect of chance, do appear
to be singularly casual.

Oh Providence ! how hidden arc thy ways, —
Who shall presume to fathom thy decrees .'
To thee let iiiun his suppliant prayers raise,
As tl:y dread mysteries he daily sees.

Sir Isaac lirock was born on the fith October ; made lieutenant-
colonel 2,-'»th October, 1797 ; commanded his regiment at the battle
of Egmont op Zee on the tith October, 179!) (his birth-day);
colonel 30th October, 1 80.5 ; assumed the office of president of
Upper Canada 9th October, 1811; and killed 13th October, 1812.

War was declared by the United States on the 18th .Tune, 1812,
not without a strong opposition in the house of representatives,
the division being seventy-nine to forty-nine votes. Thus this
day, which became three years subsequently so memorable in the
.annals of Great Britain, was equally fatal to uncle and nephew,
Major-Gcneral Brock and Lieutenant Tupper, and the forty-nine
dissentients to the war tally with the former's favorite regiment.
Moreover, the counter declaration of war, with the granting of
letters of marque and reprisals, was not issued by Great Britain till
the 13th of October, the day on which Sir Isaac Brock was slain.

Extract of a letter from Fordsgrove, near London, dated 27th
.Tune, I80G. — " Isaac left town last evening in the mail for Milford

Haven Dear fellow ! Heaven knows when we shall see him

again." — Thus Colonel Brock left London for the last time to
embark for Canada on the 26th June, and his nephew^ Lieutenant

Jr.

APPENDIX D.

183

4, 31, .11,
•n in this
[)nc which
s of that
ill." By
hers may
ust admit
lo appear

utenant-
he battle
^h-day) ;
ident of

1812.
e, 1812,
ntatives,
lius this
e in the
nephew,
rty-nine
igiment.
iting of
tain till
s slain.
;d 27th
Milford
see him
ime to
itenant

E. W. Tupper, died at jNIalta of his wounds on the 2<)th .lune,
1826, exactly twenty years after.

The only two British general officers hitherto killed in actitm in
Canada, derived their names from two animals formerly very com-
mon in JJritain, the wolf and the brock, (the latter being the Saxon
name for badger, and still retained in the English language,) and
both their christian and surnames consisted of the same number of
letters, .Tames Wolfe and Isaac Brock. Both generals fell on the
same day of the month, the 13th of September, 1 /;")!), and the 1 3th
of October, 1812, and in places whose three first letters were the
same, Quebec and Queenstown.

Since the last coincidence was written, we accidentally observed
in the Navy List for July, 183 1, the following extract : —
"Mastiff, (1, Siirvfyinuj Vessel — Medilerraneiin.

Licuf. ('ouiinandiiig Jmnes Wolfe . . Nov. 2'i, 1830.

Super. Lieut, and Assist. Surveyor . . T. S. Brock. . . . Nov. '22, 1830."
T. Saumarez lirock, great nephew of Lord De Saumarez, and a
near relative of Sir Isaac Brock.

As C aptain Isaac Hull captured the Guerriere, so Major-General
Isaac Brock captured Brigadier-CJeneral Hull, being the two first
captures of any consequence made by sea and land in the late war.

Extract of a letter from J. Savery Brock, Esq., dated York, Upper
Canada, August 20, 1817. — "I should also mention that last Satur-
day I dined at Fort George, (Niagara,) by the invitation of the
gentlemen there and its environs : we were forty-nine in number,
and it was the anniversary of the capture of Detroit. I was invited
without their remembering the day of the month : it was a curious
coincidence."

As two of Lieutenant E. W. Tupper s brothers were drowned, so
were two of his brother lieutenants of the Sybille.

The vacancy, to which Lieutenant Tupper was promoted, was
occasioned by Lieutenant (now Captain Sir Thomas, Bart.) Thomp-
son going home from Marseilles in June, 182o. The name of the
officer, who killed his uncle William and godfather in a duel, was
also Thompson.

Several coincidences relative to General Wolfe and Sir Isaac
Brock, and the latter and Lieutenant Tupper, of the Sybille, have
already been mentioned. In Westminster Abbey there is a beau-
tiful monument to the memory of General Wolfe, placed on a cross
wall erected to receive it. On the other side of this wall is another

' I

184 COINCIDENCES.

hirgc and handsome monument to the memory of (Captain Edward
C'ooke, of H. ]M. S. Sybillc, wlio was mortally wounded at the
capture of the French frigate, La Forte, in the East Indies, on the
2!Slh February, 17U9, and died at Calcutta, ('a]>tain C'o(»ke vnd
Lieutenant Tupper being the only Jiritish oflleers of cither rank
mortally wounded on board the Sybille. Ciiptain Cooke was a
lieutenant in the Victory, at Toulon, with Lieutenant Carre Tupper,
and also distinguished himself there,

(!aptain and Lieutenants on board the Sybille frigate, June IH,
IS'JtJ, with the date of their commissions :

CaptJiin Sir Saiiuicl S. PclIu-II, IJarl., C. li. . . .luiu' Ki, IKOM.
Liculcnanls IMward (lordon Jiiik! iV), 1H1;J.

„ J. O. niiss Juiu' 17, lH->u.

„ E. W. Tui.pcr April 14, IH-Jd.

„ II. A. (iriftilii liiMc .'), IH-JC.

All dated in June, excepting that of Lieutenant Tiipper, and the
Sybille was captured in the CJreek Archipelago 17th June, 1791.
Lieutenant Tupper's connnission was dated in Ajirll, and he lost
his life in June ; the commissions of Lieutenants (jordon and Bliss
were dated in June, and they perished in April. Lieutenant Tupper
succeeded to a vacancy which occurred in June, 1820. Lieutenant
Gordon was made a commander 3d June, 182(i, and appointed to
command the Acorn 25th Jtine, 1827. He perished about the 17th
April, 1828, and Colonel Tupper was killed in Chile 1 7th April, 1830.

'I'

'\V\'

■\-

in Edward
led at the
ies, on tlic
-oftkc rnd
iflier rank
)ke was a
X' 'I'upper,

June IH,
Hi:j.

X-2o.
X-2(i.

, and tlie
ne, 171)1.
id he lost
and Hliss
It I'upper
icutenant
ointed to
the ITth
ril, 1830.

APPENDIX K.

Extract from an Account of the Public Dinner given in Gucniftci/,
on Tuesday, Auyuxt '1\), 182(5, in honour of Sir John Doylv, Hart.,
G.C.Ji. and K. ('., forrnvrly Lieutcnunt-dovcrnor of the island.

The health of Sir John Doyle havint; been drunk, he rose, and,
after some preliminary observations, spoke as follows : —

" Is there a profession in which you do not see native talent and
spirit arrive at eminence ? In the commercial line I have myself
witnessed, from this small island, two Lords Mayors of London.*
In the arts and sciences, you can boast u Doctor .lohn MaccuUoch,
celebrated throughout Europe for his unrivalled scientific know-
ledge ; a Jeremie, who carries ofl* the prizes even for English
composition, in the University of Cambridge ; a Dobree, who
obtained a Professor's chair, and succeeded the great I'orsctn. In
acts of individual bravery, none can excel the youth of the island.
It is but a few years ago that a fine young num. Captain Dobree,.
of the royal navy, with other brave natives, in trying to save a
shipwrecked crew, sacrificed his valuable life. More fortunate was
the generous intrepidity of Messrs. Lefei)vre and Thomas Dobree, |
of the same service, both of whom, at different times, jumped
overboard, and each rescued two British seamen frcm a watery
grave. In the navy and ''v' army, the smallness of the islaiul
prevents your contributing so 1 rgely as the more extended portion
of the empire ; but what you la('k in quantity, you have ampl)'
made up in quality. Look to the annals of war : there you will
see recorded the brilliant achievements of your gallant coiuitrymen :
the public gazettes will show you the names of Saumarez, lirock,
Le Marchant and Smith, with other distinguished characters in the
higher ranks of both services, that do not at this moment occur
to me ; for there is scarcely a family in the island that has not
given its share to the general stock of native reputation and renown.
— When I mention Sir Isaac Brock, General Le Marchant, Sir

* The late Pctor Pcrcliard and Paul Le IMesurier, Estjuircs,— the latter
was also Meiiii)i'r of I'aiTiaiiicnt for Southwark.

t iN'ow Lieutenants of the Royal Navy.

i >

1:.,

' V

III'

186

I'UDLIC DINNER.

(icorge Smith, in the higher, and (-'aptain M'('rea,* Lieutenants
La Serre* and 'J'ujjpcr in the junior ranks, I do from my lieart
deplore, that I must speak of those illustrious meri, and brave
youths, in the tense that is past, Jis, nobly prodigal of their blood
in the service of their king and country, they have closed a life of
glory on the bed of honor. t Their memories will long be cherished
by a grateful country, and will live in the recollection of its ene-
mies. — Our Saumarez, we still happily possess, not only to adorn
and do honor to his native land, but to uphold the destinies of the
empire, should they be endangered. I lis fame will be found
recorde<l in every portion of the globe where the British flag has
been known to fly. y\nd well may our brave islander exclaim,
with the Roman, ' Quw Itcgio in Terr is, Nostri non plena Laboris.'

"The chairman gave — 'Colonel Evans and the garrison.'
" Colonel Evans, after having returned thanks for the garrison
and himself in appropriate ternis, said, that lately arrived in this
island, and finding himself surrounded by the friends and relatives
of a great man, the loss of whom no one could lament more than
he did, he would beg leave to propose a solemn toast to the memory
of that heroic officer, who he scarcely need say, was JSir Isaac
Brock. Attached to his person by official situation, as well as by
friendship at the time of his death, he could appreciate his merits,
and truly say that he possessed every quality that constituted a
great man and a good soldier — brave and humane in the highest
degree, he raised his fame in a distant country, and saved a large
and valuable province belonging to Great Britain, by the resources
which his own mind and energy could alone have drawn out and
used, successfully to repel an invasion against numbers so superior,
that resistance was generally deemed hopeless. He had to defend
a frontier of many hundred miles with a trifling force, which he
augmented by the influence of his popularity, and inspired by his
example. He not only defended Upper Canada, but actually cap-
tured a whole army, and a strong fortress ; his name will live in
that country, and in history for ever ; and his death was lamented
even by his enemies, or rather by the enemies of his country, for

* These two officers, both of the 87th reghnent, were killed at Talavera, in
1809. Captain Kawdon IM'Crca was only twenty years of age.

t Colonel Le Mcsurier in the higher, and Captain Lc IMarHiant an.!
Lieutenant Le Mesurier in the junior ranks were omitted,— they all fel^
in the late Peninsular war.- Captain Carey Le ^Lirehant wasaid-dc-canip to
his father, when the latter was slain at Salamanca, in 1812, and $ul)se(|uently
to Licut.-Gcneral Hon. Sir Walter Stewart.

ikvu

APPENDIX K.

1S7

K'utcniint.s

my heart

find brave

heir blood

d a life of

cherished

jf its ene-

f to ndorn

lies of the

be found

It flag has

• exclaim,

Laboris.'

n.'

; garrison
ed in this
I relatives
nore than
e memory
Sir Isaac
veil as by
is merits,
tituted a
e highest
d a large
resources

I out and
superior,
o defend
vhich he
(1 by his
ally cap-

II live in
amented
ntry, for

lavera, in

lant an J
y all fen
'-camp to
e(|iiently

he had, or could have, no enemies ; and those oppos-."! to iiini, on
learning his death, begged to join in the solemn ceremonies which
ensued. No man was ever more, or n>ore justly and universally
regretted. — 'To the immortal menu)ry of the late Sir Isaac Mrock.'

" This toast was drunk in solemn silence.

" Sir John Doyle then rose and spoke as follows : —

*' (ientlenien, — Having received permission from the chair, I rise
to propose a toast which wotdd be well received in any society
where the enlightened individiud is known. Hut here 1 anticipate
it will be met by acclamation and enthusiasm. I do not propose
his health, merely because he is my friend, although I feel truly
honored by his friendship ; and the more so, as 1 know that it
originated and was cemented by his conviction of my honest zeal
for the public good, and the deep interest 1 took in the welfare of
his native land. Hut I give him as a public man, who, to a sound,
vigorous, and cultivated understanding, joins a liberal and enlight-
ened mind, — an innate love of justice, and hatred of oppressiim, —
an inflexible adherence to that which appears to him to be right, —
a man too wise to be cunning. Armed with the ' menu conscia recti,'
he marches straight forward to his object, nor turns into the devious
path of crooked policy, and left-handed wisdom.

" To these qualities are added indefatigable industry, and a pa-
tience not to be exhausted. This is the man, who, as a public
magistrate in high station, I offer for yt)ur acceptance. Of his
private worth, I dare not say all that I feel. lie is present. Vou
know hitn and can duly appreciate his value. Vou will have anti-
cipated that I mean the Hailiff of (iuernsey* I now propose

to you ' The health of the IJailiff, and unalloyed happiness to the
island of (iuernsey.'

*' In rising to return thanks, the chairman observed, that it
would be extraordinary indeed if his feelings were not overpowered,
after the kind and flattering manner in which Colonel Evans, on his
left, had treated the memory of a brother so dear to him, and after
the praise bestowed upon himself, by the distinguished guest on his
right. If he were deserving any part of that praise, he was more
than rewarded by the manner in which his health had been proposed
and received, — if he had discharged his duty, he could appeal to
Sir John, who must so often have experienced it, whether there
could be a pleasure, an inward satisfaction, equal to that which was
produced by the consciousness of having performed a good action."

* DunicI Dc Lisle Brock, E:i(|.

I s

I ll

IIJ'I'^

ii;

\'i

APPENDIX V.

Tli-('UM-Si:il.

Tins celebrated aboriginal warrior, whose name occurs in the
|)revious i)ages, was so conspicuous in the aniuils of the late Ame-
rican war, for his fidelity and devotion to the British cause and for
his attachment to Major-(ieneral lirock, that we feel it to be a
pleasing act of justice to his memory, the more particularly as his
talents and labours are so little known and appreciated on this side
the Atlantic, not to conclude this volume without appending a
brief sketch of his life, and subjoining every particular we have
been able to collect descriptive of his conduct and character.

Te-cum-sch, a Shawanee, was born in I7(if' or 1770, about the
same year as his " brave brother warrior," Sir Isaac lirock. lie
may be said to have been inured to war from his childhood, as the
Indians, with few exceptions, took part with (ireat Britain against
the Americans in their contest for independence. When that in-
dependence was achieved, the Indian nations continued in hostility,
alleging that the United States had infringed on their territories ;
and, in consequence, the settlers on the western frontier were for
several years sadly harassed by their predatory incursions. These
were the more terrible because the Indians seldom extended quar-
ter to the men, scalping them without distinction, and spared the
women and children only for captivity. Abhorrent as this cruel
mode of warfare may appear, and different as it is to the more
honor nble slaughter of civilized enemies, we should not condemn it
without remembering the many injuries the Indians had received.
They knew from sad experience that they could place no faith in
the whites, who had long considered them as legal prey, and too
often treated them as the brute animals of the forest. Expelled
from the coasts, and dispossessed of their hunting grounds, they
had been gradually driven westward until they had too much cause
to apprehend that the cupidity of their oppressors would be satisfied
only with their utter extermination. " The red men are melting,"
to borrow the expressive metaphor of a celebrated INIiami chief of
that day, "like snow before the sun." Indeed it is melancholy to

APPENDIX F.

ISO

iirs in the
late Anie-
ISC and for
it to bi' a
larly as liis
III this side
pendirii^ a
r we have
[.'ter.

about the
'ock. Me
yd, as the
tin against
.'n that in-

1 liostility,
jrritories ;
r were for
s. These
ded qtiar-
ipared the
this cruel
the more
)ndemn it

received,
o faith in
, and too

Expelled
ids, they
ich cause

2 satisfied
melting,"
i chief of
icholy to

reflect that the aborigines of l)oth continents of Anu'rica h.iv;<, from
tlieir first intercourse with Europeans, f)r their descendants, e\[)e-
rienced nothing l)ut fraud, spoliation, cruelty, and ingratitude.

lint, to return from this digression. In I "!>(), about which period
'rc-cum-seh first gave proofs of that talent and daring which so
distinguished his after-life, (K-neral Ilarnier was dispatched with a
competent force to punish these incursions ; but lie was glad to
return, with the hiss of many of his men. In the following year,
(ieneral St. (lair proceeded with another army to ravage the Miami
and Shawanee settlements, and was even more unfortunate than his
predecessor, as the Indians boldly advanced to meet him on the
way, attacked his encampment, and put his troops to a total rout,
in which the greater part were cut off and destroyed. In 17!' I,
however, a much more formidable expedition, under (Jeneral Wayne,
entered the Indian territory ; the warriors gradually retired as the
Americans advanced, but at length imprudently determinerl on
making a stand. In the iiattle which ensued the Indians were so
completely discomfited, that, the following year, they agreed to the
treaty of (ireenvillc, by which they were compelled to cede a large
tract of country as an indemnity for past injuries. As Te-cum-seh
had then scarcely completed his twenty-fifth year, and as the In-
dians pay great deference to age, it is not probable that he had
any hand in this treaty, the more especially as, from that period to
1812, he laboured incessantly to unite the numerous aboriginal
tribes of the North American continent in one grand confederacy,
for the threefold purpose of endeavouring to regain their former
possessions as far as the Ohio, of resisting the further encroach-
ments of the whites, and of preventing the future cession of land
by any one tribe, without the sanction of all, obtained in a general
council. ^^'ith this object he visited the different nations, and
having assembled the elders, he enforced his disinterested views in
strains of such impassioned and persuasive eloquence that the
greater part promised him their co-operation and assistance. But
to form a general alliance of so many and such various tribes
required a higher degree of patriotism and civilization than the
Indians had attained. From the numbers, however, who ranged
themselves with Te-cum-seh under the British standard, on the
breaking out of the war in 1812, it is evident that he had acquired
no little iiiriuence over them, and that his almost incredible exer-
tions, both of mind and body, had not been altogether thrown
away.

I i

!•'

1 >

'I
li

^!'

■

190

TE-CUM-SEH.

In elucidation of the subsequent narrative it is necessary, ere wc
proceed further, to relate that, about the year 1804, the brother of
Te-cum-seh proclaimed himself a prophet who had been comman-
ded by the Great Spirit, the Creator of the red, but not of the
white, people, to announce to his children, that the misfortunes by
which they had been assailed arose from their having abandoned
the morle of life which he had prescribed to them. He declared
that thi^y must return to their primitive habits, — relinquish the use
of ardent spirits, — and clothe themselves in skins, and not in wool-
lens. His fame soon spread among the surrounding nations, and
his power to perform miracles was generally believed. He was
joined by many, and not a few came from a great distance, and
cheerfully submitted to much hardship and fatigue, that they might
behold the prophet, and then return. He first established himself
at Greenville, within the boundary of the United States, but the
inhabitants of Ohio becoming alarmed at the immense assemblage
of Indians on their frontier, the American authorities insisted on
his removal. Accordingly he proceeded, in 1808, to the Wabash,
and fixed his residence on the northern bank of that river, near the
mouth of the Tippecanoe. Here his popularity declined, but
through the influence of Te-cura-seh, he was again joined by many
among the neighbouring tribes. The prophet's temporal concerns
were conducted by Te-cum-seh, who adroitly availed himself of his
brother's spiritual power to promote his favorite scheme of a general
confederacy.

In 1811, Te-cum-seh, accompanied by several hundred warriors,
encamped near \'incennes, the capital of Indiana, and demanded
an interview with the governor of the state, Major-General Harrison,
the same officer who, in 1813, commanded the victorious troops at
the battle of the Thames, in which Te-cum-seh lost his life. The
interview was agreed to, and the governor enquired whether the
Indians intended to come armed to the council. Te-cum-seh replied
that he would be governed by the conduct of the white people ; if
they came armed, his warriors would be armed also j if not, his
followers would come unarmed. The governor informed him that
he would be attended by a troop of dragoons, dismounted, with their
side arms only, and that the Indians might bring their war clubs
and tomahawks. The meeting took place in a large arbour, on
one side of which were the dragoons, eighty in number, seated in
rows ; on the other the Indians. liut besides their sabres, the
dragoons were armed with pistols. The following incident is said

ilv(f

APPENDIX F.

191

ssary, ere wc
he brother of
!en comman-
t not of the
sfortunes by
I abandoned
He declared
[uish the use
not in wool-
lations, and
J. He was
islance, and
they might
ihed himself
tes, but the
assemblage
insisted on
le Wabash,
er, near the
:;lined, but
■d by many
il concerns
nself of his
»f a general

I warriors,
demanded

Harrison,
I troops at
life. The
lether the
ieh replied
eoplej if
f not, his

him that
with their
war clubs
rbour, on
seated in
bres, the
nt is said

to have occurred at this interview. Te-cum-seh looked round for
a seat, but not finding one provided for him, he betrayed his sur-
prise, and his eyes flashed fire. The governor, perceiving the cause,
instantly ordered a chair. One of the council offered the warrior
his chair, and, bowing respectfully, said to him : " Warrior, your
father, General Harrison, offers you a seat." " My father ! " ex-
claimed Te-cum-seh, extending his hand towards the Heavens,
" the sun Is my father, and the earth is my mother ; she gives me
nourishment, and I will repose on her hosom." He then threw
himself on the ground. When the governor, who was seated in
front of the dragoons, commenced his address, Te-cum-seh de-
clared that he could not hear him, and requested him to remove
his seat to an open space near himself. The governor complied,
and in his speech complained of the constant depredations and
murders which were committed by the Indians of Tippecanoe ; of
the refusal on their part to give up the criminals ; and of the
increasing accumulation of force in that quarter, for the avowed
purpose of compelling the United States to relinquish lands, which
they had fairly purchased of the rightful owners. Te-cum-seh,
in his answer, denied that he had afforded protection to the guilty,
but manfully admitted his design of forming a confederacy of all
the red nations of that continent. He observed, that " the system,
which the United States pursued of purchasing lands from the
Indians, he viewed as a mighty water, ready to overflow his people,
and that the confederacy which he was forming among the tribes,
to prevent any tribe from selling land without the consent of the
others, was the dam he was erecting, to resist this mighty water."
And he added, " your great father, the president, may sit over the
mountains and drink his wine, but if he continue this policy, you
and I will have to meet on the battle field." He also admitted,
that he was then on his way to the Creek nation, for the purpose
he had just avowed, and he continued his journey two days after,
with twelve or fifteen of his warriors. Having visited the Creek
and other southern tribes^ he crossed the Mississippi, and continued
a northern course as far as the river Demoins, whence he returned
to the Wabash by land. But a sad reverse of fortune awaited his
return ; he found his town consumed, his bravest warriors slain,
and a large deposit of provisions destroyed. On his departure,
the settlement at Tippecanoe was left in charge of his brother, the
prophet, with strict injunctions to prevent all hostile incursions, as
they might lead to extremities before his plans were matured. The

!■'

'I t

I I

■ii I

192

TE-CUM-SEH.

prophet, however, wanted cither the inclination or the authority
to follow these injunctions, and the Americans assert, that murder
and rapine occurred now so frequently, that they were compelled
in their own defence, to punish the delinquents, Accoi'dingly,
CJeneral Harrison proceeded with nearly a thousand men to Tippe-
canoe, and on his approach, in November, 181 1, was met by about
six hundred warriors ; a battle ensued, in which the Indians, de-
prived by the absence of their chief, of his counsel and example,
were defeated, but with nearly equal loss on both sides. Assured
by the prophet that the American bullets would not injure them,
tliey rushed on the bayonets with their war clubs, and exposed
their persons Mith a fatal fearlessness. But the propliet himself
remained during the battle, in security on an adjacent eminence j
he was chaunting a war song, when information was brought to
him that his men were falling, " Let them fight on, for my pre-
diction will soon be verified," was the substance of his reply, and
he resumed his song in a louder key ! !

The hostility of Te-cum-seh, to those whom he had ever con-
sidered as the spoilers of his country, was, if possible, redoubled by
this severe act of retaliation. General Harrison, in particular,
incurred his personal enmity, and he declared openly that he would
seek for vengeance. Nor was he backward in putting his threats
into execution. Early in 1812, the Indians renewed their hostile
incursions, but they were now treated with unusual forbearance, in
the hope that they would remain neutral in the war with Great
Britain, which the American government well knew was near at
hand. On its declaration in June, however, Te-cum-seh eagerly
embraced the opportunity which it afforded, not only to promote
his long meditated public views, but to avenge his private injuries,
and, hastening with his warriors to Upper Canada, he had soon
the gratification of witnessing, at Detroit, the surrender of the 4th
U, S, infantry, (or heroes of Tippecanoe, as they were then deno-
minated,) which regiment claimed the principal merit of having,
the preceding year, defeated his followers and destroyed his settle-
ment. In the contest which ensued, with varying fortune, for the
preservation of Detroit and the wester districts of Upper Canada,
Te-cum-seh was of essential service, an lie was constantly engaged
with the enemy, in the neighbourhood, until the autumn of 1813,
when the defeat of the British fleet on Lake Erie, gave the Ameri-
cans an irresistible advantage. To prevent the communication with
the army on the Niagara being intercepted by a very superior force

%\ll

authority
at murder
compelled
cordingly,

to Tippe-
t by about
(Hans, de-
l example.
Assured
ure them,
d exposed
et himself
minence }
rought to
r my pre-
eply, and

ever con-

oubled by

particular,

he would

s threats

ir hostile

ranee, in

th Great

near at

eagerly

jromote

injuries,

ad soon

the 4 th

n deno-

having,

s settle-

for the

Canada,

engaged

f 1813,

Ameri-

jn with

)r force

APPENDIX F.

lO.'i

under Major-General Harrison, the evacuation of Detroit, Amherst-
burg, &c. became unavoidable. Te-cum-seh at first refused to
consent to any retrogade movement, and taunted the British com-
mander. Proctor, with promoting the destruction of the Indians ;
but he was finally prevailed upon to accompany the troops with his
warriors. They retreated along the banks of the river Thames, and
were pursued and overtaken near the Moravian village, eighty miles
from Sandwich, by Harrison, with about three thousand men. When
compelled to give battle, on the ;>th of October, Major-(ieneral
Proctor could only muster about six hundred regulars, and rather
more than the same number of Indians. The former were posted
in single files in two lines, their left resting on the river, their right
on a narrow swamp, beyond wliicli were the Indians, reaching
obliquely backwards to a second and much broader swamp, so that
neither flank of the allies could be easily turned. The enemy
commenced the attack with a regiment of mounted riflemen, the
6lite of their army, formed into two divisions of five hundred men
each, one of which charged the regulars with great impetuosity,
while the latter advanced with a company of foot against the
Indians. The regulars, dissatisfied by fancied or real neglect, and
dispirited by long continued exposure and privation, made but a
very feeble resistance ; their ranks were pierced and broken, and
being placed between two fires, they immediately surrendered, with
the trifling loss of twelve killed and twenty-two wounded. But
" the contest with the Indians on the left was more obstinate.
They reserved their fire, till the heads of the columns, and the front
line on foot, had approached within a few paces of their position.
A very destructive fire was then commenced by them, about the
time the firing ceased between the British and first battalion.
Colonel Johnson finding his advanced guard, composing the head
of his column, nearly all cut down by the first fire, and himself
severely wounded, immediately ordered his columns to dismount
and come up in line before the enemy, the ground which they occu-
pied being unfavorable for operations on horseback. The line was
promptly formed on foot, and a fierce conflict was then maintained,
for seven or eight minutes, with considerable execution on both
sides ; but the Indians had not sufficient firmness to sustain very
long a fire which was close, and warm, and severely destructive.
They gave way and fled through the brush into the outer swamp,
not however before they bad learnt the total discomfiture of their
allies, and had lost by the fall of Te-cum-seh, a chief in whom

II,

lltl

ill

I !

J.;:

(i'li W

;.i'

^'1

; i '

n^l

i i.

I;.

'U:|

194

TE-CUM-SEII.

were united the prowess of Achilles and authority of Agamemnon."*
These gallant warriors did not, however, give way until Te-cum-seh
was shot dead in the act of advancing to. close with ColonelJohnson,
who, although wounded, continued on horseback, animating his men,
and they retired slowly, disputing the ground with much obstinacy
for some distance. They left thirty-three slain on the field, besides
many killed in the retreat.

Te-cum-seh was slain in his forty-fourth year, and of the many
Indian chiefs who distinguished themselves in the wars of the
whites, he was undoubtedly the greatest since the days of Pontiac.f
In early life he was addicted to inebriety, the prevailing vice of the
Indians, but his good sense and resolution conquered the habit,
and, in his later years, he was remarkable for temperance. Glory
became his ruling passion, and in its acquisition he was careless of
wealth, as, although his presents and booty must have been of con-
siderable value, he preserved little or nothing for himself. In
height he was five feet ten inches, well formed, and capable of
enduring fatigue in an extraordinary degree. His carriage was
erec^ and commanding, and there was an air of hauteur in his
countenance, arising from an elevated pride of soul, which did not
forsake it when life was extinct. He was habitually taciturn, but
when excited, his eloquence was nervous, concise, and figurative, as
will be seen by the subjoined specimens, suffering as they do under
all the disadvantages of translation. His dress was plain, and he
was never known to indulge in the gaudy decoration of his person,
which is the common practice of the Indians. On the day of his
death, he wore a dressed deer skin coat and pantaloons. He was
present in almost every action against the Americans, from the
period of Ilarmer's defeat, to the battle of the Thames, — was
several times wounded, — and always sought the hottest of the fire.
After the victory, his lifeless corpse was viewed with great interest
by the American officers, who declared thatthe contour of his fea-
tures was majestic even in death. And notwithstanding it is said
by an American writer, that " some of the Kentuckians disgraced
themselves by committing indignities on his dead body. He was
scalped, and otherwise disfigured. "^

* Anieiican History.

t Mrs. Grant, in lier "Memoirs of an American Laily," in tlie second
volnme, describes tiie deeds of Pondiiic, as siic spells his name, who, in 17GI,
waged war against the Hritish in Canada, and nearly captiued Detroit by
surprise. Before the capture of Quebec, by Wolfe, in 175», his alliance was
anxiously courted both by the French and English.— Kd.

APPENDIX F.

105

emnon."*
;-cum-seli
Johnson,
5 his men,
obstinacy
d, besides

the many
rs of tlie
Pontiac.f
ice of the
;he habit,
!. Glory
areless of
:n of con-
self. In
apable of
•iage was
!ur in his
h did not
iturn, but
rative, as
do under
I, and he

person,
ay of his

He was
rom the
[)s, — was

the fire.

interest

his fea-
it is said

isgraced

He was

le second
), in 1701,
letroit by
iance was

V.xlract from "Hunters Mrmuirs of a I'njUh'ity among the Indians
of North America." — London, IS'Jl.

" In the following spring, a party of thirty hunters and six or
seven squaws started on a visit to some of their connections, who
remained at the Osage towns on the Grand Osage river,* taking
me with them. Our course was up the Arkansas for a considerable
distance ; thence across the highlands, till we struck the head
waters of the Grand Osage river, wliich we descended, to the village
belonging to Clermont, or the liuilder of Towns, a celebrated
Osage chief. We remained among the Grand Osages, till early in
the next fall. During our stay, I saw a number of white people,
who, from different motives, resorted to this nation : among them,
was a clergyman, who preached several times to the Indians through
an interpreter. He was the first Christian preacher that I had ever
heard or seen. The Indians treated him with great respect, and
listened to his discourses with profound attention ; but could not,
as I heard them observe, comprehend the doctrines he wished to
inculcate. It may be appropriately mentioned here, that the In-
dians are accustomed, in their own debates, never to speak but one
at a time ; while all others, constituting the audience, invariably
listen with patience and attention till their turn to speak arrives.
This respect is more particularly observed towards strangers ; and
the slightest deviation from it would be regarded by them as rude,
indecorous, and highly offensive. It is this trait in the Indian
character which many of the missionaries mistake for a serious
impression made on their minds ; and which has led to many
exaggerated accounts of their conversion to Christianity.

" Some of the white people whom I met, as before noticed,
among the Osages, were traders, and others were reputed to be
runners from their Great Father beyond the great waters, to invite
the Indians to take up the tomahawk against the settlers. They
made many long talks, and distributed many valuable presents j
but without being able to shake the resolution which the Osages
had formed, to preserve peace with their Great Father, the President.
Their determinations were, however, to undergo a more severe
trial : Te-cum-seh, the celebrated Shawanee warrior and chief, in
company with Francis the prophet, now made his appearance
among them.

* " To understand this subject fully, it should be borne in mind that a part
of the Osages, not long since, with the chiefs Big Track and White Hair
for their leaders, had separated from the Grand Osage nation, settled on the
Arkansas river, aiul sustained their independence.

I ■''

19G

•

TE-CUM-SEH.

He addressed

them

in long,

eloquent,

and

pathetic strains ;

and

an assembly,

more numerous

than had

ever

been witnessed on

f ;

! \

\ I

i.i

any former occasion, listened to him with an intensely agitated,
though profoimdly respectful interest and attention. In fact, so
great was the effect produced by Te-cum-seh's eloquence, that the
chiefs adjourned the council, shortly after he had closed his ha-
rjingue j nor did they finally come to a decision on the great
question in debate for several days afterwards.

" I wish it was in my power to do justice to the eloquence of
this distinguished man : but it is utterly impossible. The richest
colours, shaded with a master's pencil, would fall infinitely short of
the glowing finish of the original. The occasion and subject were
peculiarly adapted to call into action all the powers of genuine
patriotism ; and such language, such gestures, and such feelings
and fulness of soul contending for utterance, were exhibited by
this untutored native of the forest in the central wilds of America,
as no audience, I am persuaded, either in ancient or modern times,
ever before witnessed,

" My readers may think some qualification due to this opinion j
but none is necessary. The unlettered Te-cum-seh gave extempo-
raneous utterance only to what he felt ; it was a simple, but vehe-
ment narration of the wrongs imposed by the white people on the
Indians, and an exhortation for the latter to resist them. The
whole addressed to an audience composed of individuals who had
been educated to prefer almost any sacrifice to that of personal
liberty, and even death to the degradation of their nation j and
who, on this occasion, felt the portraiture of Te-cum-seh but too
strikingly identified with their own condition, wrongs, and sufferings.

" This discourse made an impression on my mind, which, I
think, will last as long as I live. I cannot repeat it verbatim,
though if I could, it would be a mere skeleton, without the rounding
finish of its integuments : it would only be the shadow of the sub-
stance J because the gestures, and the interest and feelings excited
by the occasion, and which constitute the essentials of its character,
would be altogether wanting. Nevertheless, I shall, as far as my
recollection serves, make the attempt, and trust to the indulgence
of my readers for an apology for the presumptuous digression.

" When the Osages and distinguished strangers had assembled,
Te-cum-seh arose ; and after a pause of some minutes, in which
he surveyed his audience in a very dignified, though respectfully
complaisant and sympathizing manner, he commenced as follows :

APPENDIX F.

197

ic strains ;
itnessed on
y agitated.
In fact, so
e, that the
ed his ha-
the great

>quence of
rhe richest
ly short of
bject were
)f genuine
jh feelings
bibited by
America,
ern times,

I opinion j
extempo-
but vehe-
)le on the
m. The
1 who had
personal
on } and
h but too
ufferings.
which, I
verbatim,
rounding
the sub-
s excited
haracter,
ir as my
dulgence
on.

sembled,
n which
Jectfully
ollows :

" ' Brothers, — We all belong to one family ; we are all cliildron
of the Great Spirit ; we walk in the same path ; slake our thirst
at the same spring ; and now alfuirs of the greatest concern lead
us to smoke the pipe around the same council fire !

" ' Brothers, — We are friends ; we must assist each other to
bear our burdens. The blood of many of our fathers and brothers
has run like water on the ground, to satisfy the avarice of the white
men. We, ourselves, are threatened with a great evil j nothing
will pacify tliem but the destruction of all the red men.

" ' Brothers, — When the white men first set foot on our grounds,
they were hungry ; they had no place on whicli to spread tlieir
blankets, or to kindle their fires. They were feeble ; they could
do nothing for themselves. Our fathers commiserated their distress,
and shared freely with them whatever the Great Spirit had given
his red children. They gave them food when hungry, medicine
when sick, spread skins for them to sleep on, and gave tliem grounds,
that they might hunt and raise corn. — Brothers, the white people
are like poisonous serpents : when chilled, they are feeble and
harmless ; but invigorate them with warmth, and they sting their
benefactors to death.

" ' The white people came among us feeble ; and now that we
have made them strong, they wish to kill us, or drive us back, as
they would wolves and panthers.

" ' Brothers, — The white men are not friends to the Indians :
at first, they only asked for land sufficient for a wigwam ; now,
nothing will satisfy them but the whole of our hunting grounds,
from the rising to the setting sun.

" ' Brothers, — The white men want more than our hunting
grounds ; they wish to kill our old men, women, and little ones.

" 'Brothers, — Many winters ago, there was no land ; the sun
did not rise and set : all was darkness. The Great Spirit made all
things. He gave the white people a home beyond the great waters.
He supplied these grounds with game, and gave them to his red
children ; and he gave them strength and courage to defend them.

" ' Brothers, — My people wish for peace ; the red men all wish
for peace : but where the white people are, there is no peace for
them, except it be on the bosom of our mother.

" ' Brothers, — The white men despise and cheat the Indians ;
they abuse and insult them ; they do not think the red men suffi-
ciently good to live.

" * The red men have borne many and great injuries j they

IDS

TE-CUM-SEH,

|l*

1':!.

t-,

oiiglit to sulTer them no longer. My people w ill not ; they are
determined on vengeance ; they have taken up the tomahawk ;
they will make it fat with blood j they will drink the blood of the
white people.

" ' Brothers, — My people are brave and numerous ; but the
white people are too strong for them alone. I wish you to take
up the tomahawk with them. If we all unite, we will cause the
rivers to stain the great waters with their blood.

" 'Brothers, — If you do not unite with us, they will first destroy
us, and then you will fall an easy prey to them. They have des-
troyed many nations of red men because they were not united,
because they were not friends to each other.

" * Brothers, — The white people send runners amongst us ; they
wish to make us enemies, that they may sweep over and desolate
our hunting grounds, like devastating winds, or rushing waters,

*' ' Brothers, — Our Great Father, over the great waters, is angry
with the white people, our enemies. lie will send his brave war-
riors against them j he will send us rifles, and whatever else we
want — he is our friend, and we are his children.

" ' Brothers, — \Mio are the white people that we should fear
them ? They cannot run fast, and are good marks to shoot at :
they are only men ; our fathers have killed many of them : we
are not squaws, and we will stain the earth red with their blood.

" ' Brothers, — The Great Spirit is angry with our enemies ; he
speaks in thunder, and the earth swallows up villages, and drinks
up the Mississippi, 'i'he great waters will cover their lowlands 5
their corn cannot grow ; and the (ireat Spirit will sweep those who
escape t(» the hills from the earth with his terrible breath.

" ' Brothers, — AVe must be united ; we must smoke the same
pipe ; we must fight each other's battles ; and more than all, we
must love the Great Spirit : he is for us ; he will destroy our ene-
mies, and make all his red children happy.'

" On the following day, Francis the prophet addressed the Osages
in council ; and although he repeated almost precisely the language
of Te-cum-seh, and enlarged considerably more on the power and
disposition of th^^ Great Spirit ; yet his discourse produced compa-
ratively little efi ;ct on his audience. He was not a favourite
among the Indians , and I am of opinion, that he did more injury
than benefit to the cause he undertook to espouse.

" After they had concluded, I looked upon war as inevitable ;
and its consequences contemplated the destruction of our enennes,

APPENDIX F,

10!)

J they Are
tomahawk ;
lood of the

; but tlie
r^ou to take
1 cause the

and the restoration of the Indians to their primitive rij^iils, power,
and happiness. Tliere was nothing 1 then so ardently desired as
that of being a warrior, and I even envied those, who were to achieve
these important objects, tlie fame and glory that would rechtimd as
a necessary result. In a shi)rt time afterwards, however, the Osages
rejected Te-cum-seh's proposals, and all these brilliant prospects
vanished."

rst destroy
' have des-
lot united,

t us ; they
id desolate
vaters,
i, is angry
•rave war-
er else we

lould fear
shoot at :
hem : we
blood,
mies ; he
nd drinks
owlands ;
hose who

the same

in all, we

our ene-

le Osages
language
jwer and
1 compa-
favourite
fe injury

vitable ;
enemies.

Speech of Te-ctim-seh, delivered on the \Sth September, ISKi, before
the British Council of H'ar, at Amherstburg, Upper Canada.

" Father, listen to your children ! Vou have them now all
before you.

" The war before this, our British fatlier gave the hatchet to his
red children, when our old chiefs were alive. They are now dead.
In that war our father was thrown on his back by the Americans,
and our father took them by the hand without our knowledge ; and
we are afraid that our father will do so again at this time.

"The summer before last, when I came forward with my red
brethren, and was ready to take up the hatchet in favor of our
British father, we were told not to be in a hurry, — that he had not
yet determined to fight the Americans.

" Listen ! When war was declared, our father stood up and gave
us the tomahawk, and told us that he was then ready to strike the
Americans ; that he wanted our assistance ; and that he would
certainly get us our lands back, which the Americans had taken
from us.

" Listen ! You told us, at that time, to bring forward our families
to this place, and we did so ; and you promised to take care of
them, and that they should want for nothing, while the men would
go and fight the enemy ; that we need not trouble ourselves about
the enemy's garrisons ; that we knew nothing about them, and that
our father would attend to that part of the business. You also
told your red children that you would take good care of your gar-
rison here, w'hich made our hearts glad.

" Listen ! When we were last at the Rapids, it is true we gave
you little assistance. It is hard to fight people who live like ground
hogs.

Father, listen ! Our fleet has gone out ; we know they have
fought ; we have heard tlie great guns ; but we know nothing of
what has happened to our father with that arm. Our sliips have
gone one way, and we are much astonished to see our father tying

VA ' ; t

r>i

! ',

J' *

f1w

200

TE-CUM-SEH.

up every thin^ ami preparing to run away the other, without letting
his red chihiren know what liis intentions are. You always told
us to remain here and take care of our lands ; it made our hearts
glad to hear that was your wish. Our great father, the king, is the
head, and you represent him. You always told us that you would
never draw your foot off Hritish ground ; but now, father, we see
you are drawing buck, and we are sorry to see our father doing so
without seeing tlie enemy. We must compare our father's conduct
to a fat dog, that carries its tail upon its back, but when affrighted,
it drops it between its legs and runs off.

" Father, listen ! The Americans have not yet defeated us by
land ; neither are we sure that tliey have done so by water : we
therefore icish to rnnain here and fight our enemy, should they make
their appearance. If they defeat us, we will then retreat with our
father.

"At the battle of the Rapids, last war, the Americans certainly
defeated us ; and, when we retreated to our father's fort at that
place, the gates were shut against us. We were afraid that it would
now be the case ; but instead of that, we now see our British father
preparing to march out of his garrison.

" Father ! ^'ou have got the arms and ammunition which our
great father sent for his red children. If you have an idea of going
away, give them to us, and you may go, and welcome for us. Our
lives are in the hands of the Great Spirit. We are determined to
defend our lands, and if it be His will, we wish to leave our bones
upon them."

Extract froin Lieutenant Hall's Travels. — Vide ante, page 144.

Having described the Six Nations, or Indians of the Grand River,
the author thus continues : —

" The whole of the settlements are reckoned to furnish about
five hundred warriors to our government. These, if not the best,
iire certainly the dearest of our allies : besides the support of them-
selves and their families during war, several thousands are expended
annually in clothing and nicknacks, under the name of presents.
Every accidental loss, from failure of crops, or other disasters, they
are in the habit of expecting sliould be made good by the liberality
of their * Great Father,' whose means and generosity they are well
disposed to consider as unbounded j an idea which his agents are
little careful to repress. During the late war they behaved with
the cautious courage of German auxiliaries, evidently considering

APPENDIX F.

201

lout letting
ilways told
our hearts
:ing, is the
you would
er, we see
r doing so
s conduct
affrighted,

ted us by

later : we

they make

with our

certainly
rt at that

it would
ish father

hich our
of going
is. Our
nined to
ur bones

; 144.
d River,

h about
he best,
»f them-
tpended
resents,
rs, they
berality
ire well
nts are
id with
idering

it their first interest to spare thcnnselves, their second, to serve their
father; a mode of conduct which was nearly resented by tlie more
enterprising warriors of the west, who had taken up the hatchet
from a strong feeling of necessity, and hatred to the encroachments
of the Americans. Among these, the most distinguished wa.s
Te-cum-seh, a Shawanee chieftain, whose courage and conmiiuuling
talents recommended him, early in the war, not only to the notice,
but to the personal esteem, and admiration of Sir Isaac Hrock.*
Te-cum-seh perceived the necessity of a general Indian confederacy,
as the only permanent barrier to the dominion of the States.
What he had tiic genius to conceive, he had the talents to execute :
eloquence and address, courage, penetration, and what in an Indian
is more remarkable than these, undeviating temperance. Under
better auspices, this Amphictyonic league might have been elVected ;
but after the death of his friend and patron, he found no kindred
spirit with whom to act ; but stung with grief and indignation,
after upbraiding, in the bitterest sarcasms,t the retreat of our forces,
he engaged an American detachment of mounted riflemen, near the
Moravian village, and having rushed forward, singly, to encounter
their commanding officer, whom he mistook for General Harrison,
he fell by a pistol ball. The exultations of the Americans on his
death, afford unerring, because unintended, evidence of the dread
his talents had inspired.:):

* " The general, one day, presented hun with the sash he had worn on hia
own person. Te-cum-scli received it with great emotion, and begged the
general to consider, that if he refrained from wearing it himself, it was from
an anxiety to prevent the jealousy, which such an honour conferred on a
young chieftain might excite, among the older Indian captains ; but that he
would send it to his family, to be preserved as an eternal memorial of his
father's friendship."

t " ' I compare,' said he, speaking of the author of this retreat, ' our father
to a fat white dog, who, in the season of prosperity carries his tail erect on
his back, but drops it betwixt its legs and Hies at the approach of danger.'
On another occasion, when by way of pacifying his remonstrances with a
metaphor, in the Indian manner, our commander professed his readiness to
lay his bones by his side, ' Tell the dog,' said the angry warrior, ' he has too
much regard for his carcass to lay his bones any where.'

t "The officer who shot him was a Coloneljohnson, who had been himself
severely wounded the moment before. Te-cum-seh bore a personal enmity to
General Harrison, to whom he attributed the slaughter of his family ; and
had vowed that when they met, one of them should be left on the field.

202

TE-CUM-SEH.

t'i!

I >

■!.:

' I

I j

t.']

"TO THE MEMORY OF TE-CUM-SEIf.

" Tk-ctm-seh luis no j^rave, but eagles dipt

'I'heir rav'ning beaks, and drank his stout heart''* tide,
Lcavinj^ l»is bones to whiten where he died :

His skin by Christian tomahawks was stript
From the bar'd fibres.* — Impotence of pride !

Triumphant o'er the earth-worm, but in vain
Ueeminj; th' impassive spirit to deride,

Which, nothing or immortal, knows no pain !

Might ye torment him to this earth again,
That were an agony : his children's blood
Delug'd his soul, and like a fiery flood,

Scorch'd up his core of being. Then the stain

Of flight was on him, and the wringing thought.
He should no more the crimson hatchet raise
Nor drink from kindred lips his song of praise ;

So liberty, he deemed, with life was cheaply bought."

Extracts from "James MilUury Occurrences."

" The American general, in expectation that one hundred and
fifty Ohio volunteers, under the command of Captain Brush, were
wailing at the river llaisoin, thirty-six miles off, with a quantity of
provisions for the army, despatched INIajor Vanhorne, with two
hundred men, to meet and escort the reinforcement to its destina-
tion. Fortunately, tlie major encountered, on his second day's
march, near Brownstcvn, seventy Indians, under the brave Te-
cum-seh, in ambuscade. The latter fired, and, according to the
American accounts, killed twenty men, including Captains M'Cul-
loch, Bostler, Gilcrease, and Ubry j and wounded nine. Te-cum-seh
and his seventy Indians, with the loss of only one man killed, drove
these two hundred Americans before them, for seven miles, and
took possession of the mail they were escorting. — Vol. I. p. 61.

" We must not omit here to mention, that the famed Indian
warrior, Te-cum-seh, buried his tomahawk in the head of a
Chippeway chief, whom he found actively engaged in massacring
some of Colonel Dudley's men.f — Ibid. p. 201.

• " The riflemen are said to have cut off strips of his skin to preserve
as trophies."

t American troops who had been taken prisoners near Fort Meigs, in May,
1813.— Ed.

i. i.

APPENDIX F.

2():\

t'«< titJL",

It."

dred and
isli, were
lantity of
with two
J destinu-
nd day's
rave Te-
? to tlie
s M'Cul-
cum-seh
d, drove
les, and

CJ.
1 Indian
id of a
ssacring

preserve
, in May,

" The Indian warriors, led l)y tlie undaunted Te-cum-sth, rushed
upon tlie enemy's front line of inftinlry, iind ' for a moment,' siiys
the general, (Harrison,) ' made some impression upon it,' It was
not, in sluuf, till the infantry was reinforced by the whole of (io-
veru(»r hhclby's, and a part of ( olonel Johnson's regiment ; nor, till
Mie fall of their lamented chief, and upwards of thirty of their war-
riors, that the brave foresters retired fronj the field of battle. Had
the men of the -list regiment at all enudated the Indians, the fate
of the day might have been changed ; or, did the enemy s great
numerical superiority render that an improbable event, the Ame-
rican general woidd not, in the very paragraph in which he admits
that he contended with an inferiority of force, have dared to claim
for his troops ' the palm of superior bravery.' — Ibid. p. -S'J,

" Let us now ascend in the scale of hunuin beings, from a
'member of congress' to a 'savage,' — from Mr. C'heeves to tiie
late Indian warrior, Te-cum-seh, It seems extraordinary tiiat
CJeneral Harrison should have omitted to mention, in his letter,
the death of a chief, whose fall contributed so largely to break
down the Indian spirit, and to give peace and security to the
whole north-western frontier of the United States. Te-cum-seh,
although he had received a musket ball in the left arm, was still
seeking the hottest of fire, when he encountered Colonel II. M.
Johnson, member of congress for Kentucky, Just as the chief,
having discharged his rifle, was rushing forward with his tomahawk,
he received a ball in the head from the colonel's pistol. Thus fell
the Indian warrior Te-cum-seh, in the forty-fourth year of his age.
He was of the Shawanee tribe ; five feet ten inches high ; and, with
more than the usual stoutness, possessed all the agility and perse-
verance, of the Indian character. His carriage was dignified ; his
eye penetrating ; his countenance which, even in death, betrayed
the indications of a lofty spirit, rather of the sterner cast. Had he
not possessed a certain austerity of manners, he could never have
controlled the wayward passions of those who followed him to bat-
tle. He was of a silent habit ; but, when his eloquence became
roused into action by the reiterated encroachments of the Ameri-
cans, his strong intellect could supply him with a flow of oratory,
that enabled him, as he governed in the field, so to prescribe in the
council. Those who consider that, in all territorial questions, the
ablest diplomatists of the United States are sent to negotiate with
the Indians, will readily appreciate the loss sustained by the latter
in the death of their champion. — Ibid. pp. 287, 288.

204

TE-CUM-SEH.

I f

if ' J!

^P ■'

! :

i^l'll

HI
I

i':

'I ■'

> ;

Ivli'

" * By whom are the savages led ? ' was the question, for many
years, during the wars between the Americans and Indians. The
name ' Tc-cum-seh ! ' was itself a host on the side of the latter ;
and the warrior chief, while he signalized himself in all, came oft"
victorious in most, of the many actions in which he had fought
and bled. The American editors, superadded to a national dislike to
the Indians, have some special reasons, which we shall develope
presently, for blackening the character of Te-cum-seh. They say,
that he neither gave nor accepted quarter. His inveterate hatred
to the Americans, considering them, as he did, to have robbed his
forefathers of their territory, renders such a proceeding, in a
savage, not improbable. European history, even of modern date,
informs us, that the civilized soldier can go into battle with a
similar determination. Mr. Thomson says of Te-cum-sch, that,
' when he undertook an expedition, accompanied by his tribe, he
would relinquish to them the spoil, though he would never yield
the privilege of destroying the victim.' And yet, it was from an
American publication that we extracted the account of Te-cum-seh's
killing a brother-chief, because the latter wanted to massacre an
American prisoner. This trait in Te-cura-seh's character is corro-
borated by all the British officers who have served with him. That
it did not, however, proceed from any good-will towards the Ame-
ricans, was made known, in an extraordinary manner, at the taking
of Detroit. After the surrender of the American troops. General
Brock desired Te-cum-seh not to allow the Indians under him to
ill-treat the prisoners. Te-cum-seh promptly replied : ' I despise
them too much to meddle with them.' Nor is there a single act of
violence charged to the Indians on that occasion. As a proper
contrast to this, an American editor, describing a battle between
General Jackson and the Creek Indians, in March, 1814, says:
' Of about one thousand Creeks, only ten of the men are supposed
to have escaped with life : sixteen of the Creeks, who had hid
themselves, were killed the morning after the battle. The American
commander said, in his despatch, that he was determined to extermi-
nate the tribe ; of course,' proceeds the editor, ' no quarter was
given, except to a few women and children.'

*' Few officers in the United States' service were so able to com-
mand in the field, as this famed Indian chief. He was an excel-
lent judge of position ; and not only knew, but could point out,
the localities of the whole country through which ho had passed.
To what extent he had travelled over the western part of the

APPENDIX F.

205

I, for many
ians, Tlie
the latter;
1, came oft'
had fought
il dislike to
11 develope

Tliey say,
rate hatred
robbed his
ling, in a
dern date,
;le with a
■seh, that,
i tribe, he
ever yield
s from an
cum-seh's
issacre an

is corro-
im. That
the Ame-
he taking
. General
!r him to
'■ despise
jle act of
a proper

between
4, says :
nipposed

had hid
American
cxtermi-
rter was

American continent, may be conceived from the well-known fact,
that he visited the Creek Indians, in the hopes of prevailing on
them to unite with their northern brethren, in efforts to regain
their country as far as the banks of the Ohio. His facility of
communicating the information he had acquired, was thus displayed
before a concourse of spectators. Previously to General Brock's
crossing over to Detroit, he asked Te-cum-seh what sort of a
country he should have to pass through, in case of his proceeding
further. Te-cum-seh, taking a roll of elm-bark, and extending it
on the ground by means of four stones, drew forth his scalping
knife, and, with the point, presently etched upon the bark a plan
of the country, its hills, woods, rivers, morasses, and roads ; a
plan which, if not as neat, was, for the purpose required, fully as
intelligible, as if Arrowsmith himself had prepared it. Pleased
with this unexpected talent in Te-cum-seh, also with his having,
by his characteristic boldness, induced the Indians, not of his
immediate party, to cross the Detroit, prior to the embarkation of
the regulars and militia. General Brock, as soon as the business was
over, publicly took oft' his sash, and placed it round the body of the
chief. Te-cum-seh received the honor with evident gratification ; but
was, the next day, seen without his sash. General Brock, fearing
something had displeased the Indian, sent his interpreter for an
explanation. The latter soon returned with an account, that
Te-cum-seh, not wishing to wear such a mark of distinction, when
an older, and, as he said, abler, warrior than himself was present,
had transferred the sash to the Wyandot chief, Round-head. Such
a man was the unlettered 'savage' Te-cum-seh; and such a man
have the Indians for ever lost. He has left a son, who, when his
father fell, was about seventeen years old, and fought by his side.
The Prince Regent, in 1814, out of respect to the memory of the
old, sent out as a present to the young Te-cum-seh, a handsome
sword. Unfortunately, however, for the Indian cause and country,
faint are the prospects, that Te-cum-seh the son, will ever equal,
in wisdom or prowess, Te-cum-seh the father." — Ibid. pp. 289-293.

to com-
n excel-
int out,

passed.

of the

Extracts from " The Quarterly Review." — July, ] 822.

"Among the Indians that joined General Proctor from the Wa-
bash, was the higly gifted and celebrated chief, Te-cum-seh, who
united in his person all those heroic qualities which romance has
ever delighted to attribute to the 'children of the forest,' and, with

III

•ir

ill

it.!

!■!

ihi

20G

TE-CUM-SEH.

them, intelligence and feelings that belonged not to the savage.
He possessed such influence among his brethren that his presence
was an acquisition of the utmost importance. — Page 422.

" The situation of General Proctor's little army after this disaster*
is well depicted by Mr. James : —

"'This was a sad blow upon the right division. As hope fled,
despair found its way into the British camp. The situation of the
men, it must be owned, was deplorable in the extreme. They had
long been suffering, not only from a scarcity of provisions, but a
scarcity of money. Few of them had received any pay for the last
six months : to some indeed nine months' arrears were due. Winter,
a Canadian winter, was fast approaching ; and scarcely any of the
soldiers had blankets, and all were without great coats. The severe
privations which they had endured in the last, were therefore likely
to be augmented rather than diminished, in the succeeding winter.
In addition to all this, the commander of the forces appeared un-
mindful of their arduous exertions.'

" Under such circumstances was the retreat to commence, which
had become inevitable to prevent the enemy from landing in rear
of the troops. The reinforcements, which might as easily have
been sent up when their arrival would have destroyed the enemy,
were now afforded only to increase the want of provisions. But, if
the maintenance of our positions on the Detroit was impossible,
the attempt to retreat from them was big with danger, for it was
foreseen, that to induce the Indians to retire with them, and quit
their old haunts, would be attended with much difficulty. The
warriors received the proposal with the utmost indignation, and
considered the measure as a desertion of them. The British com-
mander was thus placed, with the few troops which composed his
force, in a most critical situation j for there was every reason to
expect that the numerous Indians would not restrain their irritated
feelings to a mere dissolution of the alliance. But a successful en-
deavour was made to convince Te-cum-seh, who had at first
violently opposed the measure, of its unavoidable necessity j and
his influence was sufficient to induce a large proportion of his
nation to accompany the British troops in their retrograde move-
ment.

" This important object being gained, the requisite preparations
for a retreat were immediately completed. The forts of Amherst-
burgl) and Detroit were dismantled, depots were formed on the pro-

' Tlip tlofcat of tlio British stiundron on Luke Erie.— Ei).

All

the savage,
lis presence

lis disaster*

s hope fled,
tion of the
They had
ions, but a
for the last
3. Winter,
any of the
The severe
efore likely
ing winter,
peared un-

nce, which
ng in rear
asily have
he enemy,
s. But, if
mpossible,
for it was
, and quit
ty. The
tion, and
tish com-
iposed his
reason to
r irritated
essful en-
[1 at first
ity J and
on of his
ie move-

parations
Amherst-
i the pro-

APPENDIX F.

207

posed line of movement up the river Thames, which falls into Lake
8t. Clair, above the Detroit, and the bridges over that river were
carefully repaired ; the heavy stores, the sick, women and children,
were sent to the rear by the water carriage. On the 27tli of Sep-
tember, General Harrison landed below Amherstburgh, with his
army of between five and six thousand men, and, on the same day,
(Jeneral Proctor broke up from his position and slowly retired to
an advantageous spot, near the mouth of the Thames, where he had
determined to make a temporary stand. But while the general, on
finding that the enemy did not advance, had left the troops in posi-
tion, to examine with his principal engineer the heights near the
Moravian village, at some distance in the rear, which he intended
to fortify and occupy during the winter, the officer next in command
withdrew the troops from their strong post without orders, even
before the appearance of the Americans ; and thus caused the loss
of the boats, containing the remnant of the stores and artillery with
a guard, which could not ascend higher up the river from the nature
of the navigation. The general, on hastily rejoining his troops,
found that this unauthorized measure had left liim no alternative
but a battle. The Indians had, on the continued retreat of the
British, forsaken them in great numbers, and of above three thou-
sand, no more than five hundred warriors remained with the brave
and faithful Te-cum-seh. The position chosen to await the attack
of the American army was covered on either flank by the river
Thames and an impassable swamp, and was calculated to render
their immense superiority of numbers in a great degree unavailing.
Here, on the morning of the 5th of October, the regular force
(about five hundred effectives) were drawn up in open files in a
straggling wood, which prevented any attack upon them in regular
order ; their left secured by the river, a gun flanking the road, and
their right extending towards the Indians, who were posted where
the wood thickened, so as to form a retiring angle with them, and
to turn the enemy's flank on their advance. This disposition was
shown to Te-cum-seh, who expressed his satisfaction at it 3 and his
last words to the general were : ' Father, tell your young men to be
firm, and all will be well : ' he then repaired to his people and
harangued them before they were formed in their places. The
small band of our regulars, discouraged by their retreat and by the
privations to which they had been long exposed, gave way on the
first advance of the enemy, and no exertion of their commander
could rally theni. While they were thus quickly routed, 'J'e-cuiu-

I: hi

i\r,

i '

I J*

208

TE-CUM-SEH.

seh and his warriors had almost as rapidly repulsed the enemy, and
the Indians continued to push their advantage, in ignorance of the
disaster of their allies, until their heroic chief fell by a rifle ball,
and with him the spirit of his followers, who were put to flight and
pursued with unrelenting slaughter. The Americans showed their
respect for Te-cum-seh in full as barbarous a manner as a hostile
tribe of his own nation could have done under the same circum-
stances. The skin was flayed from his lifeless corpse and made
into razor strops, one of which the late Mr. Clay, of Virginia, a
member of the American legislature, prided himself in possessing. —
Pages 430-432.

lemy, and
nee of the
. rifle ball,
flight and
►wed their
3 a hostile
e circum-
ind made
irginia, a
sessing. —

SUPPLEMENT

) I

The Le Mesuriers, (late governors,) of Aklerney, and the older brancli of
tlie Tappers, of Guernsey, Imving been twice connected by marriage during
the last century; John Tupper marrying Margaret Le Mesurier, 1730-ni,
and William Le Mesurier, son of the Dean of Guernsey, marrying Jane
Tupper, 1781 ; and Colonel Tupper and his brothers being in consequence
relfited to Colonel Le Mesurier ; it may not be deemed irrelevant to include
in these " Records" a life of that gallant and lamented officer, particularly
as it will add to their local interest. Colonels Le Mesurier and Tupper fell
nearly at the same age, and both in command of foreign troops, although
the former was a lieutenant-colonel in the British service. The following
Memoir is extracted, with some slight revision, from the Sarnian Monthly
Magazine for July, 1815, a work of which only three numbers were pub-
lished, and which is now nearly out of print.— Ed.

i '

MEMOIR

THE LATE

COLONEL HAVILLAND LE MESJRIER,

ler branch of
rriage during-
•ier, 1730-31,
irrying Jane
consequence
nt to include
, particularly
1 Tapper fell
ps, although
he following
an Monthly
s were pub-

CoLONKL Havilland Le Mksurier was of a family which had
been settled in the island of Guernsey from a very early period ; as
far back indeed as any authentic records can be traced. The
branch to which he belonged has now ( 1 8 1 o ) for more than a century
enjoyed the government and lordship of the neighbouring island of
Alderney, which came to them by intermarriage with a niece of Sir
Edmund Andros, to whom a grant of the island for a term of
nmety-nine years had been made by Charles the Second. John Le
Mesurier, son of John, the husband of Anne Andros, in the early
part of his present Majesty's reign, having surrendered the existing
patent, obtained a new grant for ninety-nine years, whicli is now
possessed by another John, his grandson and heir.* Havilland Le
Mesurier,t the father of the colonel, was a younger son of that
John, by whom the patent was n aewed, and is well known by the
ability and integrity with which he discharged the office of commis-
sary-general in the north of Germany, in the years 1 795 and I 796 ■
and, afterwards, in the year 1798, in the southern department of
England j and, lastly, in the years 1801 and 1802, in Egypt and
the Mediterranean.

The subject of this article was educated at Salisbury and ^Vin-
chester, and, being destined for commercial pursuits, was sent to
Jierlm to acquire the German language. Here, however, the sight
of the grand reviews, and all the military pomp which was kept^up
at that court, had such an effect upon the young man that he wrote
to his father, earnestly entreating to be allowed to enter into the
army ; for which he said he had always felt the strongest predilec-

* The prcsen
government in 1821 or 25.— E

t Major-General Le Mesiirier, who disposed of his patent

t Brother of the late Paul Le Mesurier, Escj. M. P.-Eu.

,»i

I'!

(l^

* ?

' (i

212

COLONEL LE MESURIER.

lion, but had checked hiinselt", in deference to what he knew had
been phmned o\it for him. There were circumstances which so
decidedly proved the truth of this statement, that his parents,
tiiougli with the greatest reluctance, acceded to his wishes ; the
more readily, however, from the confidence which his father enter-
tained, that the claims which he hail established, in the course of
his service, would enable him to procure advancement for his son :
nor was he disappointed, for in January, 1801, an ensign's commis-
sion in the staft' corps was obtained for him. This, however, as
soon as the destination of Sir Ralph Abercrombie's expedition was
ascertained, he quitted for a lieutenancy, by purchase, in the
'20th regiment of foot ; and he lost no time in embarking in a mer-
chant ship, in the hope of immediately seeing active service in the
face of an enemy, in which however he did not succeed on account
of the general peace in that year.

The company to which Lieutenant Le Mesurier belonged, having
been recruited from the militia, was reduced at the peace, but his
royal highness tlie commander in chief immediately transferred him
to the 83d regiment on full pay, in which he served till August,
1 803, when lie ^vas admitted into the college at High -Wycomb,
where he soon distinguished himself by his application and talents.
In consequence, he, together with INIr. (afterwards captain) Brad-
ford, a fellow collegian and friend, obtained leave to travel, for the
purpose of perfecting himself in the German language, and getting
an insight into foreign tactics. They were advised to fix at Kiel,
in liolstein, where they remained during the winter.

In the summer following he passed his final examination at High-
AVycomb, with the greatest credit, being highly complimented by
the Board, and further told that they " should press on the consi-
deration of the Supreme Board his perfect competency to the
discharge of the duties of assistant quartermaster general."
Having, in the month of September, obtained a captain's commis-
sion in the 21st regiment, he soon after joined his corps, then in
Ireland, where he remained until the month of March following ;
when, being summoned to London, on account of the sudden and
much lamented death of his father. General Brownrigg, in pursuance
of a promise made to the deceased, gave him an appointment as
assistant quartermaster general : and he served on the coasts of
Kent and Sussex, making surveys and discharging the other duties
of that office, until the end of the year 1807 ; when, it being stated
that the regiment wanted officers, he was ordered to join, carrying

: knew had
5 which so
is parents,
ishes ; the
ther enter-

I course of
)r his son :
's commis-
owever, as
;dition was
,se, in the
f in a mer-
vice in the
Dn account

;edj having
ce, but his
iferred him

II August,
-Wycomb,
nd talents,
ain) Brad-
,^el, for the
nd getting
ix at Kiel,

n at High-

nented by

the consi-

^y to the

general."
s commis-
s, then in
bllowing j

dden and
pursuance
titment as

coasts of
ler duties
ing stated

carrying

COLONEL LE MESURIEU.

213

with him, however, the most perfect approbation of his .services
from the quartermaster general. Here he remained only a short
time, having, through the intercs*^ of Sir James Saumare/, with the
adjutant general, been appointe n the staff of that department in
the expedition which sailed under Sir John Moore, for Sweden.
With it he returned, and proceeded to Portugal in the same capacity.
And here, on his first approaching the coast of the Peninsula,
he received the unwelcome news of the death of his friend,
Captain Bradford. Of this he spoke as a soldier should d(» : " I
am," he writes, " much less affected by his loss than if it had taken
place under other circumstances. If it be God's pleasure that I fall
in the course of my present service, I could certainly wish to meet
my fate at the close of some great day, which should stamp lasting
glory on the Jiritish arms. Jiut I have gayer hopes, and look for-
ward to a happy reunion with the dear friends 1 have left behind."
He did indeed once again meet those friends, — but it was only to
return to a service where he met that fate which he had th\is
marked out for himself ! During the campaign he neglected no
means to acquire both the Portuguese and Spanish languages, in
which he finally succeeded ; but he mentioned, as a proof, (among
others) of the bigotry of the Spaniards, and their aversion to the
heretics, who were fighting their battles, that when in Salamanca,
an university where there must have been many poor scholars,
he could not procure one to give him lessons on any terms.
At the battle of Lugo he had some very narrow escapes, and at
Corunna had his horse shot under him. Upon his return to Eng-
land with the troops, he made some efforts to purchase a majority,
but was diverted from this by the prospect of procuring a nomina-
tion among the officers who were to be sent out with General
Beresford to discipline the Portuguese troops. This appointment,
however, only followed him to the Peninsula, for which he em-
barked in the middle of April, 1809, still as captain on the staff in
the quartermaster-general's department. His majority was dated
April 20th ; and it carried with it the further step of a lieutenant-
colonelcy in the Portuguese service.

Having thus attained that first great step, to which every military
man looks up, as materially altering his situation, he could now
indulge the hope, that in the command of a corps he should soon
secure to himself that distinction which is desired by all, and by
none, perhaps, more than it was by him. Nor was it long before
that hope was realized. At first, indeed, he had considerable difli-

214

COLONEL LE MESURIER.

«!

' J M

■' ;(

; I

(^ V

: h'l}

rl .

culties, and much that was unpleasant, to encounter. He was
attaclied to the 1 1th Portuguese regiment as a supernumerary, and
thus was little better than a cypher. They were left, after the
French had retreated, at Chavea, in most miserable quarters. In
this town, " not a fowl, or an ounce of flesh meat, except pork,
not a grain of tea, coffee, or chocolate, was to be had at any rate ;
and even baf(?n, salt fish, and vegetables, were at such a price, that
few officers could purchase them :" even fruit (this was on the 29th
of May) could hardly be procured. lie had no Englishman within
fifty miles, except his servant and two or three sick soldiers ; so
that his intercourse was only with the officers of his regiment, who
were nacurally jealous of him. In this interval, it being thought of
importance to ascertain the position and motions of the French, he
offered himself to General Silveira, and was sent by him into CJal-
licia on a mission to the jNIarquis de la Uomana, who received him
with great distinction, and proposed, through him, a plan of attack
on the enemy, by the joint for 'is of the Spaniards and I'ortuguesc.
This, however, could not be i^'P.rried into execution, as Silveira had
the most positive orders not to pass the frontier. Having now
been promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the regiment, and the
colonel (who was old and inefficient) being called away on the 23d
t»f July, so that he was left commanding officer ; he set about the
disciplining of the corps in good earnest. It was in a wretched
state in every rei-pect ; the officers old and stiff, and stupid for the
most part ; and oi tl;e men from two hundred to four hundred on
the sick list. The general hospital was in such a dreadful state,
that the men concealed their complaints, that they might not be
sent there. With great difficulty he established a regimental hospi-
tal ; and, with the help of a very intelligent adjutant, who, he said,
had more of the Englishman in him than any Portuguese he ever
met with, he soon made considerable progress ; so much so, that,
when inspected by Major-General Hamilton on the 21st October,
at Torres TS'ovas, and by Marshal Beresford on the 23d of Decem-
ber, he received the most flattering marks of approbation ; the
marshal assuring him that the brigade (for the 13th regiment had
also been put under his command) was in no respect inferior to any
that he had seen, and directed him to issue a brigade order to that
eflect. He was further charged with making the promotion for
both regiments, which sufficiently shewed the very great confidence
reposed in him by the marshal : it extended to one lieutenant-
colonel, two majors, eleven captains, and sixteen ensigns, — an

COLONE LK MEHl ilER.

2I*>

He was
lerary, ami
, after the
arters. In
;cept pork,
t any rate ;
price, that
)n the 29th
man within
)ldiers ; so
iment, who
thought of
French, lie
n into (.ial-
ceivetl him
in of attack
I'ortuguese.
!)ilveira had
[aving now
int, and the
on the 23d
t about the
a wretched
ipid for the
lundred on
fidful state,
ght not be
;ntal hospi-
lo, he said,
3se he ever
:h so, that,
St October,
of Decem-
ation ; the
;iment had
rior to any
der to that
motion for
contidence
lieutenant-
signs, — an

extent of patronage at which <t' himself emed a-^ 'niched, p rticu-
larly as he had before been allowed to nan ., maji four

captains, four lieutenants, and one ensign, in > uwn n jnent.
Indeed, his merit cannot be sulliciently estima< . with(»iu .uhling
the circumstance that he alone, of all the comm.iiiiicrs *>( I'ortu-
guese corps, had not, up to that time, had the assistance of any
one (even non-commissioned) IJritish ollicer. In the 13th regi-
ment there was only one captain, by whom indeed he was perfectly
well seconded. In fact, he had very early, or rather from the very
beginning, discovered the good qualities of the I'ortuguese, and
declared his persuasion that they would make, as they have turned
out to be, excellent soldiers. He had by this time gained the confi-
dence and affection of both ofiicers and men, and went on improving
theni, until, in the judgment of the general officers who reviewed
them, they were become equal in appearance to most liritish regi-
ments.

Towards the end of April, 1 S 1 1, he was recommended by Marshal
lieresford to be I'ortuguese INIilitary Secretary t:o Lord Wellington,
and arrived at head quarters the day before the battle of Fuente
d'Onore. Here he found himself, suddenly, in the charge made by
(leneral Stewart with the Nth dragoons j and afterwards perceiving
the 7th I'ortuguese regiment, which had been ordered to cover
General Houston's retreat, without a field officer, he dismounted,
and took the command of the left wing ; and, having taken post in
a rocky ground, maintained himself as long as was necessary, losing
eight or ten out of eighty men, and having his arm grazed by a
musket ball. Some time after this, being rather disappointed as to
the nature of the situation in which he was placed, he solicited,
and, after some delay obtained, leave to return to his regiment,
which he did towards the end of Jiuic. He found it a prey to
internal animosities and dissensions, owing to his successors having
been transported into some acts of violence by the ill conduct of
certain of the Portuguese officers, which had set them and the
British at variance. By Colonel Le Mesurier, however, harmony
and order were quickly restored, and all parties reconciled. He
had felt some apprehension lest his quitting Lord Wellington should
have operated unfavourably for him in respect to his promotion in
our service ; but he was relieved from it by his commission of
British licut. -colonel coming out on the 3d of October. This was
followed by his being selected, in the middle of March following, to
rommand the fortress of Almeida, at a time when Marmont's move-

-!t

■jr

•it

In 1 1

21(i

COLONEL LE MESURIER.

nients in the north excited consideruble aliirm for the safely of that
place. On this occasion lie received the most flattering compli-
ments from Lord ^^'ellington, as well as from Sir Thomas (Jraham
and Sir Kowhind Hill; and his Lordship further promised to re-
commend for an cnsignry a younger brother of i<is, who had lately
come out as clerk in the commissariat, having been prevailed up«)n
by him to relinquish that employment and embrace the more activi'
duties of a military life. No time was lost, immediately on his arrival,
in repairing the fortifications, and disciplining the garrison, which
consisted of new-raised militia. IJut, so completely had the place
l)een dismantled, and so insuthcient was this handful of raw troops
for any serious defence, that, upon iNIarmont's appearing before it,
every one gave it up as lost. He, however, shewed such a counte-
nance, having prevailed upon his men to accompany him in two
sallies, and skirmish with some of the more advanced troops, that
the enemy gave him credit for being stronger than he was, and
desisted from any attempt upon the place. The manner in which
he proceeded from that time in repairing the fortifications, disci-
plining the garrison, and discharging all his other duties, drew
repeated commendations from Lord Wellington and Sir ^^'illiam
Beresford. He was equally beloved by the inhabitants of Almeida
and by the troops. But all this did not satisfy him : he was impa-
tient under this state of comparative inaction, and anxiously longed
to share " the dangers, the toils, and the honors of his companions "
in the field. In an evil hour, as his friends must consider it, his
repeated solicitations to return to regimental duty prevailed j and
he was appointed on the 18th of May to the command of the 12th
Portuguese regiment, which he joined soon after : and which he
found even superior to his own beloved 14th. By them indeed he
was still beloved, for it happened, that in their line of march, the
two corps met; and as he passed the column on horseback, the
cheering was universal, and seemed, as he said, " really enthusi-
astic." He wrote of it with great feeling. Indeed he had laboured
hard to resume his situation in that corps, of which he always spoke
with great affection. Some time after he joined the main army in
the Pyrenees, where he was destined to meet that death which he
appeared so bent to encounter. Only a few days before the battle,
he obtained that step in the Portuguese service, which he had for
some time expected, being made full cohmel ; but, whether of the 1 2th
or the 11th, he had not ascertained. He v.baerved, that "between
the two his expectations were balanced ; and not only his cxpecla-

I \ \

COLONEL LE MESUlllEll,

217

ly of that
g conipli-
s (i rah am
iscd to re-
had lately
iiiled upon
ore active
lis arrival,
on, which
the place
•aw troops
; before it,
a countc-
m in two
oops, that
was, and
r in which
ons, disci-
ties, drew
r ^^'illiam
•f Almeida
was impa-
sly longed
panions "
er it, his
iled ; and
the 12th
which he
indeed he
larch, the
Jack, the
enthusi-
laboured
ays spoke
army in
which he
he battle,
le had for
f the 12th
between
expecta-

tions, but his hopes; for, indeed, the I2ih had taught him that
there might be even better soldiers than his favourite Algarvians. —
In the world," he added, " there are not such soldiers as the I'ortu-
guese : an opinion which is every day gaining proselytes." This
letter, however, dated on the 2.")th of July, bore evident marks of a
depressi(m of spirits. lie had lately been treated somewhat harshly in
a discussion, in which he had laboured to obtain justice for his men,
who had not been duly served with their rations ; and he had just
received the account of a failure in his endeavours to obtain some
advantage for that brother whom he had induced to enter the army,
and who had lost his right arm by a cannon shot at the battle of
Salamanca. He showed himself greatly hurt at this, and concluded
with saying, " Some persons suppose, from the cessation of firing,
St. Sebastian has surrendered. If the siege continue, I shall endea-
vour to obtain leave to visit the trenches. I never was in a finer
humour to volunteer for a storming party, as, if I succeeded, I should
perhaps be able to carry my brother's point ; and really, to carry
it, I would give not only the chance of life, but perhaps Hfe itself."

These and many other circumstances have made his death pe-
culiarly affecting to his near connexions and friends. They would
almost justify the idea that he had thrown away his life : but the
fact does not warrant any such surmise. His corps had scarcely
entered into action, on the 28th of .July, 1813,* when a musket
shot penetrated the back part of his head (or his temples, accord-
ing to some accounts) and passed out at his eye, and he fell sense-
less j nor did he ever afterwards utter a word, or shew that he was
sensible, though he lived till the 31st. By some strange chance, he
was stated in the Ga/ette only simply as wounded ; so that his
friends were tantalized for more than three weeks before they ob-
tained certain accounts of his fate.

When to the above particulars is added that he was little more
than thirty years of age when he died, it will not be thought exager-
ation to say, that Colonel Le Mesurier was an officer of uncommon
promise, and superior military talents and acquirements. His zeal
for the service was unbounded ; there was no fatigue, or privation,
or danger, to which he did not cheerfully submit. His attention to
his men was unceasing. A strict disciplinarian, he felt himself
boujid, even on that account, to study particularly the interests and

* The battle of the Pyrenees, near Painpchina, in whicli Soult was de-
feated with great loss, in his successive attempts to raise the siege of hi-
•Sebastian and the blockade of Panipchuia.— Eu.

I ;

218

COLONEL LE MESURIER.

the comforts of those, whom he commanded. They had, therefore,
every indulgence which was compatible with discipline j and this
made them both orderly and contented. In him there was neither
selfishness nor concealment. There was never a being more ho-
nourable, or high-spirited and generous ; more kind-hearted or
liberal. Warm as he was in his temper, he harboured no resent-
ment, even against those, who, he thought, had dealt most hardly
with him. To his merits Marshal lieresford bore testimony in his
general orders of August Iltli : " The death of Colonel Havilland
Le Mesurier," he said, " will be felt by the service, as well as by
all, who enjoyed his acquaintance." Indeed, that such a man should
be deeply regretted by his friends, cannot be wondered at. But the
same Almighty power, which deprived them of him, will vouchsafe
them humble and dutiful submission to his decrees. His will be
done !

Colonel Le Mesurier, in the year 1809, published a translation
of La Trille's Art of War, with notes ; which has great merit. He
was also employed by Marshal Beresford to draw up regulations
and instructions for the Portuguese army, which only waited for the
Marshal's final sanction to be put to the press.

i I

Printed by S. liarbet, (Jtwrmeii.

, therefore,

; ; and this

vas neither

more ho-

■hearted or

no resent-

lost hardly

lony in his

Havilland

well as by

lan should

. But the

vouchsafe

lis will be

ranslation
lerit. He
egulations
ted for the