wounded. Enclosed is a list of the killed and wounded on board the Enterprize. I have the honor to be, &c. EDWARD R. M'CALL, Senior Officer. AMERICAN LOSS. Killed 4-Wounded 10-total 14. BRITISH LOSS. Killed 25-Wounded 14-total 39. CHAPTER IX. PERRY'S VICTORY. Com. Perry to the Secretary of the Navy. U. S. brig Niagara, Lake Erie, Sept. 10, 1813. SIR-It has pleased the Almighty to give to the arms of the United States a signal victory over their enemies on this lake. The British squadron consisting of 2 ships, 2 brigs, 1 schooner, and 1 sloop, have this moment surrendered to the force under my command, after a sharp conflict. I have the honor to be, &c. O. H. PERRY. Com. Perry to the Secretary of the Navy. U. S. Sch. Ariel, Put-in-bay, Sept. 13, 1813. SIR-In my last I informed you that we had captured the enemy's fleet on this lake. I have now the honor to give you the most important particulars of the action. On the morning of the 10th inst. at sun-rise, they were discovered from Put-in-bay, where I lay at anchor with the squadron under my command. We got under weigh, the wind light at S. W. and stood for them. At 10 A. M. the wind hauled to S. E. and brought us to windward; formed the line and bore up. At 15 minutes before twelve, the enemy commenced firing; at 5 minutes before twelve the action commenced on our part. Finding their fire very destructive, owing to their long guns, and its being mostly directed at the Lawrence, I made sail, and directed the other vessels to follow for the purpose of closing with the enemy. Every brace and bowline being soon shot away, she became unmanageable, notwithstanding the great exertions of the sailing-master. In this situation she sus tained the action upwards of two hours within canister distance, until every gun was rendered useless, and the greater part of her crew either killed or wounded. Finding she could no longer annoy the enemy, I left her in charge of Lieut. Yarnall, who, I was convinced from the bravery already displayed by him, would do what would comport with the honor of the flag. At half past two, the wind springing up, Capt. Elliot was enabled to bring his vessel, the Niagara, gallantly into close action; I immediately went on board of her, when he anticipated my wish by volunteering to bring the schooners which had been kept astern by the lightness of the wind, into close action. It was with unspeakable pain that I saw soon after I got on board the Niagara, the flag of the Lawrence come down, although I was perfectly sensible that she had been defended to the last, and that to have continued to make a show of resistance would have been a wanton sacrifice of the remains of her brave crew. But the enemy was not able to take possession of her, and circumstances soon permitted her flag again to be hoisted. At 45 minutes past two, the signal was made for close action.' The Niagara, being very little injured, I determined to pass through the enemy's lines, bore up and passed ahead of their two ships and a brig, giving a raking fire to them from the starboard guns, and to a large schooner, and sloop, from the larboard side, at half pistol-shot distance. The smaller vessels at this time having got within grape and canister distance, under the direction of Capt. Elliot, and keeping up a well directed fire, the 2 ships, a brig, and a schooner, surrendered, a schooner and sloop making a vain attempt to escape, Those officers and men who were immediately under my observation evinced the greatest gallantry, and I have no doubt that all others conducted themselves as became American officers and seamen. Lieut. Yarnall, first of the Lawrence, although several times wounded, refused to quit the deck. I have the honor to enclose you a statement of the relative force of the squadrons. The Capt. and first Lieut. of the Queen Charlotte, and first Lieut. of the Detroit were killed-Capt. Barclay, senior officer, and the commander of the Lady Prevost, severely wounded. The commander of the Hunter and Chippeway slightly wounded. Their Y loss in killed and wounded I have not been able to ascer tain; it must, however, have been very great. Very, respectfully, &c. O. H. PERRY. U. S. Sch. Ariel, Put-in-bay, Sept. 13, 1813. SIR-I have caused the prisoners taken on the 10th inst. to be landed at Sandusky, and have requested Gen. Harrison to have them marched to Chilicothe, and there wait until your pleasure shall be known respecting them. The Lawrence has been so entirely cut up, it is absolutely necessary she should go into a safe harbor; I have therefore directed Lieut. Yarnall to proceed to Erie in her, with the wounded of the fleet, and dismantle and get her over the bar as soon as possible. The two ships in a heavy sea this day at anchor lost their masts, being much injured in the action. I shall haul them into the inner bay at this place and moor them for the present. The Detroit is a remarkably fine ship, sails well, and is very strongly built. The Queen Charlotte is a much superior vessel to what has been represented. The Lady Prevost is a large fine schooner. Force of the American squadron. Force of the British squadron. I have the honor to be, &c. AMERICAN LOSS, O. H. PERRY. Killed 27-wounded 96. British loss not known. CAPTURE OF MALDEN. H. Q. Amherstburg, Sept. 23, 1813. SIR-I have the honor to inform you that I landed the army under my command about 3 miles below this place at 3 o'clock this evening, without opposition, and took possession of the town in an hour after. Gen. Proctor has retreated to Sandwich with his regular troops and Indians, having previously burned the fort, navy yard, barracks, and public store houses; the two latter were very extensive, covering several acres of ground. I will pursue the enemy to-morrow, although there is no probability of my overtaking him, as he has upwards of one thousand horses, and we have not one in the army. I shall think myself fortunate to be able to collect a sufficiency to mount the Gen. officers. It is supposed here that Gen. Proctor intends to establish himself upon the river French, forty miles from Malden. I have the honor to be, &c. WILLIAM H. HARRISON. HARRISON'S VICTORY. Gen. Harrison to the Secretary of War. SIR-In my letter from Sandwich of the 23d ultimo, I did myself the honor to inform you, that I was preparing to pursue the enemy the following day. From various causes, however I was unable to put the troops in motion. until the morning of the 2d inst. and then to take with me only about one hundred and forty of the regular troops, Johnson's mounted regiment, and such of Governor Shelby's volunteers as were fit for a rapid march, the whole amounting to about three thousand five hundred men. Gen. M'Arthur (with about 700 effectives) the protecting of this place and the sick was committed. Gen. Cass's brigade, and the corps of Lieut. Col. Ball, were left at Sandwich, with orders to follow me as soon as the men re-. ceived their knapsacks and blankets, which had been left on an island in Lake Erie. To The unavoidable delay at Sandwich was attended with no disadvantage to us. Gen. Proctor had posted himself at Dalson's on the right bank of the Thames (or Trench) fifty six miles from this place, where I was informed he intended to fortify and wait to receive me. He must have believed, however, that I had no disposition to follow him, or that he had secured my continuance here, by the reports that were circulated that the Indians would attack and destroy this place upon the advance of the army; as he neglected to commence the breaking up the bridges until the night of the 2d inst. On that night our army reached the river, which is twenty-five miles from Sandwich, and is one of 4 streams crossing our route, over all of which are bridges, and being deep and muddy, are unfordable for a considerable distance into the country-the bridge here was found entire, and in the morning I proceeded with Johnson's regiment to save if possible the others. At the second bridge over a branch of the river Thames, we were fortunate enough to capture a Lieut. of dragoons and eleven privates, who had been sent by Gen. Proctor to destroy them. From the prisoners I learned that the third bridge was broken up and that the enemy had no certain information of our advance. The bridge having been imperfectly destroyed, was soon repaired and the army encamped at Drake's farm, four miles below Dalson's. The river Thames, along the banks of which our route lay, is a fine deep stream, navigable for vessels of considerable burden, after the passage of the bar at its mouth, over which, there is six and a half feet water. The baggage of the army was brought from Detroit in boats protected by three gun-boats, which Com. Perry had furnished for the purpose, as well as to cover the passage of the army over the Thames itself, or the mouths of its tributary streams; the banks being low and the country generally open (prairies) as high as Dalson's, these vessels were well calculated for that purpose. Above Dalson's however, the character of the river and adjacent country is considerably changed.--The former, though still deep, is very narrow and its banks high and woody. The Commodore and myself therefore agreed upon the propriety of leavingthe boats under a guard of one hundred and fifty infantry, and I determined to trust to fortune and the bravery of my troops to effect the passage of the river. Below a place called Chatham and 4 miles above Dalson's is the third unfordable branch of the Thames; the bridge over its mouth had been taken up by the Indians, as well as that at M'Gregor's Mills, one mile above-several hundred of the Indians remained to dispute our passage, and upon the arrival of the advanced guard, commenced a heavy fire from the opposite bank of the creek as well as that of the |