Fort George, while the troops at Buffalo should cross ver and carry Forts Erie and Chippewa; then march to Fort George, and after forming a junction with Pike's division, attack Kingston with their whole force.*

* General Dearborn informed the secretary of war (Armstrong) of his intended change of the plan of the campaign, who replied in the following words, under date of March 29:

"Your despatches of the 11th and 14th instant from Sackett's Harbor, and one of the 22d, from Albany, have been received. The correspondence between you and Major Murray, in relation to an exchange of prisoners, has been referred to the department of state. The alteration in the plan of campaign, so as to make Kingston the last object, instead of making it the first, would appear to be necessary, or at least proper; but the force assigned to the attack of the upper posts, is believed to be too small.

"Accident may prevent a cooperation of the corps at Buffalo. That sent from Sackett's Harbor should have in itself the power of reducing Forts George and Erie, and holding in check the militia who may be sent to support them. The ships can give little aid in the business, except merely in covering the landing. Double the number you propose sending, would not be too many. Various considerations recommended the employment of a large and decisive force, and none, that I can think of, dissuade from it. If our first step in the campaign, and in the quarter from which most is expected, should fail, the disgrace of our arms will be complete. The public will loose all confidence in us, and we shall even cease to have any in ourselves. The party who first opens a campaign, has many advantages over his antagonist, all of which, however, are the result of his being able to carry his whole force against a part of his enemy's. Washington carried his whole force against the Hessians in New Jersey, and beating them, recovered that moral strength, that self confi

On the 9th of April the keel of the General Pike was laid, and she was launched on the 12th of June. In the mean while Commodore Perry with carpenters was sent to Black Rock to expedite the repair and equipment of five vessels at that place. It is worthy of remark that the General Pike sailed in 100 days from the time her keel was laid, in spite of the obstacles which retarded the forwarding of her equipment.

In a letter of April 19, the secretary of war concurred in the expediency of the expedition to York, and added, that "we ought to destroy the communication between Kingston and Montreal, by interposing a com

dence, which he had lost by many preceding disasters. We are now in that state of prostration that he was in after he crossed the Delaware; but, like him, we may soon get on our legs again, if we are able to give some hard blows at the opening of the campaign. In this we cannot fail, provided the force we employ against his western posts be sufficiently heavy. They must stand or fall by their own strength. They are perfectly insolated and out of the reach of reinforcements: send therefore a force that shall overwhelm them-that shall leave nothing to chance. If I had not another motive, I would carry my whole strength, merely that their first service should be a successful one. The good effects of this will be felt throughout the campaign.

"I have hastened to give you these thoughts, under a full conviction of their usefulness; and shall only add, that there is no drawback upon this policy. When the fleet and army are gone, we have nothing at Sackett's Harbor to guard, nor will the place present an object to the enemy.

"How then would it read, that we had lost our object on the Niagara, while we had another brigade at Sackett's Harbor doing nothing "

petent force between the two, and assailing the former, by a joint operation of military and naval means.

"Local circumstances favor this project. A few armed boats on lake St. Francis, stop all intercourse by water; in which case, cannon, military stores and articles of subsistence in bulk, cannot be conveyed between Montreal and Kingston.

"From lake Ontario to Ogdensburgh we command the navigation of the St. Lawrence by our armed vessels, and under their protection, our army can be passed over and established on the Canada side at the point deemed most proper for attack.

"On the other supposition, that the British garrison is withdrawn from Kingston to Montreal, the old ques tion of approaching him by lake Champlain, or by the St. La ace, recurs, and ought now to be settled, so that there should be no unnecessary pause in our operations at a later and more momentous period of the oampaign.

"The circumstances in favor of St. Lawrence route, are these:

❝1st. Our force is now upon it.

"2d. It furnishes a conveyance by water the whole distance.

"3d. The enemy is not fortified on the St. Lawrence side, has on it no strong out posts, which must be forced in order to secure our flanks and rear, while engaged in the main attack: and

"4th. By approaching his flank (as this route enables you to do) instead of his front, we compel him to change his position, in which case, he must do one of four things either he must occupy the north side of the river and give up the south, or he must occupy the

south side and give up the north, or he must confine himself to the island and give both sides; or lastly, he must occupy both sides, and in this case expose himself to be beaten in detail.

"None of these advantages are to be found in approaching him by the other route. Our troops are not upon it; we cannot move by water; his out posts are fortified, and must be carried by assault; his front is the only assailable point, and that is covered by the St. Lawrence; our attack must be made exactly where he wishes it to be made; all his arrangements and defences are, of course, in full operation, nor is he compelled to disturb them in the smallest degree. In a word, we must fight him on his previous dispositions and plans, and not on any of our own.”

CAPTURE OF YORK.

THE troops embarked on board of Com. Ghaun

cey's feet to the number of 1600 on the 22d of April, but owing to adverse winds, did not leave the harbor until the 24th. On the morning of the 27th the fleet arrived off York, and at 8 o'clock commenced landing the troops about three miles westward of the town, and one and a half from the enemy's works.

It was the intention of general Dearborn to have landed at a clear field, (the site of the old French fort Tarento) but was prevented by the unfavorable state of the wind. They were therefore, obliged to land in a wood which was filled with 800 of the enemy, and consisted of regulars, militia and Indians, under the immediate command of general Sheaffe. Our riflemen, under major Forsyth, first landed, under a heavy fire from Indians and other troops. He was supported as promptly as possible with other troops, but the contest was sharp and severe for nearly half an hour. We give the principal incidents of that day, in the words. of the commanding general.

"The enemy was repulsed by a far less number than their own, and as soon as general Pike landed with 7 or 800 men, and the remainder of the troops were pushing for the shore, the enemy retreated to their works; and as soon as the whole of the troops had landed and formed on the clear ground intended for the first landing, they advanced through a thick wood to the open