One of the American accounts of the Stoney Creek business contains the following statement: "Captain Manners, of that regiment, (the 49th) was taken in his bed by lieutenant Riddle; who, from a principle of humanity, put him on his parole, on condition of his not serving the enemy, until he should be exchanged. An engagement which that officer violated, by appearing in arms against the American troops, immediat ly after the recovery of his health."* This is a serious charge against a brave officer, now living. Thus it is answered. Close to captain Manners, on the field, lay a captain Mills, of the American army, still more severely. wounded. The two officers agreed, and mutually pledged their honors, that, no matter by which party captured, they should be considered as exchanged, and at liberty to serve again. Lieutenant Riddle soon afterwards came up; and, although he could not stay to bring away even his friend, exacted a parole from captain Manners. When the American army subsequently fled, the two officers were found by the British.. The instant captain ils recovered from is wounds, he was sent by a fla to the American lines; and captain Manners became, of course, exonerated from his parole. That an American editor should give insertion to any story, reflecting upon a British officer, is not at all strange. But Sketches of the War, p. 137.

it is so, that an American officer should have allowed three editions of Mr. Thomson's book to pass, every one containing so scandalous a paragraph.

7

The American official account describes the 704 regulars that performed this exploit at Stoney Creek, as "the whole of the British and Indian forces ;"* although not an Indian moved with the troops, and those that had been left at the encampment did not exceed 20 or 30, This Indian story was just the thing for Mr. O'Connor. Accordingly, he says: "The army, on this occasion, has proved its firmness and bravery, by keeping its position in a nightattack, in which the yells of the Indians, mingled with the roaring of the cannon and musketry, were calculated to intimidate."† General Dearborn, next, pronounces "the enemy completely routed, and driven from the field;" although he admits that, " by some strange fata. lity," his two brigadiers were taken prisoners. * So boasted commodore Chauncey, when sir James Yeo captured two of his schooners. It is to the very circumstance of the absence of the two commanding brigadiers, perhaps, that we may attribute the general's want of informa tion on the subject. Who else, for instance, but some stupid corporal or drummer, could * App. No. 36. + Hist. of the War, p. 98. James's Nav. Oscur. p. 293,

VOL. I.

have told him, that they sent in a flag with á request to bury their dead." So far from that having been the case, the Americans ran away and left their own dead to be buried by the British.

Really, the confusion that prevailed in the American camp, seems to have extended its influence to the heads of the American historians. One editor declares, that the British, when they attacked, had "no musket loaded," and turned the captured guns upon the encampment; when, in truth, the British did fire their muskets, but did not fire the captured guns; chiefly, in the latter case, because they had no artillerymen tỏ inanage them. "The dragoons charged upon, and completely routed them ;"* says one editor. "The squadron of dragoons remained formed and steady at their posts, but could not act on account of the darkness of the night, and the thickness of the adjacent woods;" says another. The last was the fact; at least, no dragoons were encountered or seen by any of our troops.

Although general Dearborn had killed majorgeneral Vincent, Mr. Thomson declared he was only missing, and "discovered by his own people, in the course of the same day, almost famished, at the distance of four miles from the scene of action."† At all events, both of the * Hist. of the War, p. 98. + Sketches of the War, p. 136.

captured American generals dined with the British general on the day of the attack, and were sent forward to Montreal that same afternoon. Amidst all their confusion, the three American historians agree in this, that the American troops behaved in the bravest manner; and that the British, although "superior" in numbers, " fled in every direction."

66

After the British had retired, and when broad daylight enabled the Americans to see well around them, the latter returned to their camp; but only to destroy their blankets, carriages, provisions, spare arms, ammunition, &c. They then, having given up the pursuit of the enemy," precipitately retreated, or "fell back," gently, no doubt,-because the roads were scarcely passable,-to Forty-mile Creek, about 11 miles in the rear of the field of battle. Mr. O'Connor says, a council of war decided that the army "ought to retire." Admitting the council was not long sitting, this was probably the case. At all events, when a reconnoitring party of the British arrived in sight of the field of battle, about eleven o'clock on the same morning, not an American soldier was to be seen, except the dead and the badly wounded. Several of the British wounded, and among them major Clerk and captain Manners, again found themselves in the midst of their * Sketches of the War, p. 137.

friends. The state of want to which our troops had been reduced, was in a great measure relieved by the spoils of the deserted camp.. f The American army re-encamped on a plane of a mile in width; its right flank on the lake, its left on the Forty-mile Creek, skirting the base of a perpendicular mountain. On the afternoon of the day of battle, a detachment, consisting of the 6th and 15th United States' regi. ments, and a park of artillery, under colonel James Miller, joined the army; as did, the next afternoon, generals Lewis and Boyd, the former of whom assumed the command. The army, at this time, must have amounted to upwards of 14000 men.

As soon as commodore Chauncey had ascertained that the British fleet was again in Kings.ton, he left the protection of his batteries at the head of the lake, and hastened to Sackett's Harbor; there to await the launching and final equipment of the ship General Pike. On the 3d of June sir James Yeo, with his squadron, on board of which he had some clothing and provisions, and about 280 of the 8th regiment, for -major-general Vincent, sailed from Kingston, to co-operate with that officer; as well as, by intercepting the enemy's supplies, and otherwise annoying him, to provoke commodore Chauncey to re-appear on the lake.

At daylight on the morning of the 8th, sir