danger, and to send detachments in various directions into the Indian country. One of these, fort Harrison situated on the Wabash, had been in the mean time attacked by a large body of Indians in the night; the situation of the besieged was at one moment desperate in consequence of the wooden barracks within the picketing having been set on fire; nothing but the admirable coolness of the commanding officer Captain Taylor, preserved the lives of the unfortunate soldiers from Indian massacre. For his good conduct, Captain Taylor was promoted to a majority.

Several expeditions on a respectable scale were conducted by General Hopkins, and Tupper, and by Colonels Campbell and Russel. By these, all the forts were relieved, and the Indian villages laid in ashes, by which these relentless enemies were driven to the distant British trading establishments for subsistence, and gave security to the frontier settlers.

Having completed these preliminary operations, General Harrison left fort Winchester at which the principal force was stationed, in order to superintend the equipment and march of the volunteers destined to replace those whose services had expired, and for the purpose of bringing up the forces destined in the spring to operate against the enemy at Detroit. General Winchester was left in command of about a thousand, chiefly volunteers from Kentucky, and consisting of young men of ardent and generous feeling. It was not long after the departure of General Harrison before the arrival of a deputation from the village of Frenchtown, situated on the river Raisin between the Miami and Detroit, soliciting the protection of their countrymen, from the Indians who had threatened to destroy them, and to prevent if possi

ble the occupation of their village by the combined forces of the enemy as was contemplated. The General, at the earnest solicitations of the volunteers, was prevailed. upon to consent to their marching to the relief of the unfortunate people. Colonel Lewis at the head of about five hundred men, the greater part Kentucky volunteers, with two companies of regulars, reached the Raisin on the 18th of January, 1813, and finding the enemy strongly picketted, boldly crossed the river on the ice, and after. a warm action, drove them in every direction. Being master of the ground he encamped within a line of pickets which would contribute to render his position defencible, in case of an attack by a larger body.

General Harrison about this time, arriving at fort Winchester, with some reinforcements, was much chagrined to find this deviation from his plan of operations. To remedy this false step as far as lay in his power, he dispatched General Winchester to take the command at the head of an additional force of two hundred men. This increased the main body to seven hundred and fifty. The 'additional force encamped on the outside of the pickets before mentioned. At daylight on the 22d, this force was suddenly attacked by two thousand British and Indians; those on the outside of the pickets, were soon overpowered by numbers, and were all either killed, or fell into the hands of the ruthless savages. General Winchester and Colonel Lewis, who happened to be with this body, were made prisoners about the same time. Those within the pickets, about five hundred in number, continued the resistance until near eleven o'clock, having repeatedly repelled the assailants in their attempt upon the stockade. Finding that their arms could make no impression on this band of heroes, the enemy resorted to

3

the arts of persuasion; a flag was sent, promises of protection were held forth; they expressly agreed to preserve to the officers their side arms; to all this were added the entreaties of General Winchester, who feared that these brave men would all be sacrificed to the fury of the savage enemy. They were at last prevailed upon to lay down their arms.

The historian would gladly cast the veil of oblivion over the scenes which now ensued. The savages soon commenced their deeds of horror; the dead were deprived of their clothing; many of the wounded tomahawked and robbed'; the living were exposed to every species of contumely and torture. The conduct of the British commander General Proctor, has stamped his name with infamy that will last to remotest ages. Many of the prisoners were carried away by the Indians, some of them were burnt with horrible torments, and others retained in slavery, to be afterwards carried about like beasts and sold in the streets of Detroit. The most tragical part of this shocking affair was the burning upwards of sixty of the unhappy wounded, who had been left in the houses of the inhabitants; these houses were \. left without any guard of British regulars, and the day after the battle, a party of Indians returned and sat fire to them. The fate of Captain Hart, an accomplished young gentleman of Kentucky, was peculiarly distressing; Colonel Elliot of the British army, who had been his classmate at Princeton, voluntarily tendered him his protection, and promised to return with the means of conveyance to a place of safety where his wound might be attended to. This he never did. Captain Hart prevailed on two Indians for a sum of money to take him to Detroit; they had proceeded with him but a short dis

tance, when with the cruelty and fickleness of savages, they pulled him from his horse, and wreaked their vengeance upon their defenceless prisoner. Oh! Britain, what heart couldst thou have possessed, to have permitted a fellowship in thy wars with such bloody fiends! Two hundred of the dead were suffered to lie on the ground; no funeral rights were permitted to be paid them. Humanity must ever weep over this melancholy picture.

Among the slain, or barbarously murdered, were Colonel Allen, Captains Hickman, Simpson (a member of congress,) Mead, Edwards, Price, M'Cracken, and many others of the choicest sons of Kentucky.

CHAPTER VII.

MEETING OF CONGRESS-PROPOSED ARMISTICE-CAPTURE OF THE JAVA-OPERATIONS ON THE LAKES SIEGE OF FORT MEIGS.

SHORTLY after the commencement of the war, a proposition for a cessation of hostilities, was made by the Governor of Canada, information having reached him of the repeal of the orders in council. This proposition being vague and informal, was at once rejected. It was followed by one more specific on the part of Admiral Warren, who came to take command of the station; he demanded as a preliminary to every other step, that the United States should throw down their arms, as having been the aggressors. This insolent demand was instantly refused. In fact we had no confidence in the momentary repeal of the orders in council; nothing but a repeal of the wicked temper of the enemy could give us security. To prove, however, to the world, that we were not behind our enemy in a wish to put an end to the horrors of war, the American charge d' affairs in London, was instructed to make formal proposals for settling all disputes on fair terms, and in the mean time, to agree to an armistice pending the negociation. They were not received.

On the meeting of congress, the aspect of affairs was