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may fall, but you must save the cannon." About this time, a number crossed the creek and entered into the chase. The brave captain Gordon of the spies, who rushed from the front, endeavored to turn the left flank of the enemy, in which he partially succeeded, and colonel Carroll, colonel Higgins and captains Elliot and Pipkins pursued the enemy for more than two miles, who fled in consternation, throwing away their packs, and leaving twenty-six of their warriors dead on the field. This last defeat was decisive, and we were no more disturbed by their yells. I should do injustice to my feelings if I omitted to mention that the venerable judge Cocke, at the age of sixty-five, entered into the engagement, continued the pursuit of the enemy with youthful ardor, and saved the life of a fellow soldier by killing his savage antagonist.

killed and wounded; among

Our loss in this affair was the former was the brave captain Hamilton, of East Tennessee, who had, with his aged father and two others of his company, after the period of his engagement had expired, volunteered his services for this excursion, and attached himself to the artillery company. No man ever fought more bravely or fell more gloriously; and by his side fell with equal bravery and glory, Bird Evans of the same company. Captain Quarles, who commanded the centre column of the rear guard, preferring death to abandoning his post, having taken a firm stand in which he was followed by twenty-five of his men, received a wound in his head of which he has since died.

In these several engagements our loss was twenty killed and seventy-five wounded, four of whom have since died. The loss of the enemy cannot be accurately ascertained; one hundred and eighty-nine of their warriors were found dead; but this must fall considerably short of the number really killed. Their wounded can only be guessed at.

Had it not been for the unfortunate retreat of the rear guard in the affair of the 24th instant, I think I could safely have said that no army of militia ever acted with more cool and deliberate bravery. Undisciplined and inexperienced as they were, their conduct in the several engagements of the 22d could not have been surpassed by regulars. No men ever met the approach of an enemy with more intrepidity, or repulsed them with more energy. On the 24th, after the retreat of the rear guard, they seemed to have lost all collectedness, and were more difficult to be restored to order than any troops I had ever seen. But this was no doubt owing in a great measure, or altogether, to that very retreat, and ought rather to be ascribed to the want of conduct in many of their officers than to any cowardice in the men, who on every occasion have manifested a willingness to perform their duty so far as they knew it.

All the effects which were designed to be produced by this excursion, it is believed have been produced. If an attack was

meditated against fort Armstrong, that has been prevented. If general Floyd is operating on the east side of the Talapoosie, as suppose him to be, a most fortunate diversion has been made in his favour. The number of the enemy has been diminished, and the confidence they may have derived from the delays I have been made to experience, has been destroyed. Discontent has been kept out of my army, while the troops who have been exposed to it, have been beneficially employed. The enemy's country has been explored, and a road cut to the point where they will be concentrated when they shall be driven from the country below. But, in a report of this kind, and to you who will immediately perceive them, it is not necessary to state the happy consequences which may be expected to result from this excursion. Unless I am greatly mistaken, it will be found to have hastened the termination of the Creek war, more effectually than any measure I could have taken with the troops under my command.

I am, &c.

ANDREW JACKSON,

Maj. Gen. Tennessee Volunteers.

Major general Thomas Pinckney.

SIR,

CHARLESTON, January 31st, 1814.

I have the honour to inform you that yesterday morning, about 4 o'clock, I received information express from Stono, that the United States' schooner Alligator had been the evening before chased in by an enemy's squadron, and attacked in the night by a detachment of boats. I immediately repaired to the place, and ordered two barges round, and a detachment of seamen overland, from the Nonsuch, to her assistance. About 8 A. M. I got on board the Alligator, then some distance up the river. I received the following information from sailing master Bassett, her commander; that he sailed on Saturday morning from the river of North Edisto, for Charleston. Soon after leaving the bar, discovered an enemy's squadron, consisting of a frigate, a heavy brig, and a hermaphrodite, which gave chace to him-wind light from the south-west; he found that the frigate would cut him off from Charleston, and in the evening run into the river and hove to; the enemy then close off the bar; and from their manouvres was of opinion they intended to send in their boats. He stood up the river about two miles, and anchored, prepared for action. About a quarter before 8 P. M. the moon very bright, discovered six of the enemy's boats shove off from under the marsh abreast him, and within pistol shot (having under cover of the marsh, with muffled oars, approached this near without discovery), he immediately gave them a broadside, which was returned;

cut his cable and made sail, when the action continued for 30 minutes, close on board; soon after making way, the pilot was unfortunately mortally wounded, and the schooner grounded; at this time their 2 largest barges were disabled, and about musket shot distance astern, when they retreated and have not since been seen. The Alligator's rigging and sails, from the topsail yard down, are literally cut to pieces, and but few shot in her hull, two men killed and two wounded, one severely, and the pilot (Mr. Hatch, a very respectable master of a vessel in this port, having a large family depending entirely on his exertions for support) mortally wounded. Great credit is due to sailing master Bassett, his officers and erew, for defeating a force so greatly superior in numbers, as there could not have been less than 140 men opposed to forty. The enemy, by the information received from the inhabitants immediately on the river, must have suffered severely, as there was great confusion on board them while retreating, and the largest boat appeared to be so much injured as to require the assistance of the others. I left the schooner last night in Wappoo Cut, and she will be here as soon as the weather will permit. When I receive Mr. Bassett's official report, I shall do myself the honour to forward it, for your further information.

I have the honour to be, &c.

'Hon. Wm. Jones, Secretary of the Navy.

J. H. DENT.

Extracts of letters from general Floyd to general Pinckney. CAMP NEAR FORT HALL, February 2d, 1814.

SIR,

"I arrived with the army at this place yesterday. I apprised you in my last of the necessity of falling back. The arrival of twelve wagons in the evening, the prospect of reinforcements, and the handsome terms in which you have been pleased to approbate the conduct of the army in the late affair with the enemy, I flatter myself will contribute to the accomplishment of my labors to preserve the honour and reputation of the army. I now entertain a gleam of hope that things will end well. No means on my part have or will be neglected to effect so desirable an object. Reasoning, seasoned with threats of the consequences, and the direful effects which followed the improper conduct of the New York militia, have been represented in strong terms; nor have I omitted to remind them of their pledges to the government to brave dangers, encounter toil and endure privation-to risk life and fortune in support of the common cause. You may rest asşured that I shall employ all the means in my power to promote the public interest.

"Since my report of the battle of the 27th, I am well assured, that seven of the enemy's slain have been found in one grave in Canlibee swamp, and five others in an adjacent one. Accept my acknowledgments for the terms in which you have been pleased to approbate my conduct-my endeavours to continue to merit it will be unremitting."

66

February 3d, 1814.

"I am informed that the enemy are in possession of our works at Camp Defiance, on their way to attack us, which in all probability they will attempt to night. We are well prepared, and will give a good account of them, if they attempt the execution of their designs, I this morning sent off the most of our wounded and sick."

SIR,

HEAD QUARTERS, FORT STROTHER, February 17th, 1814,

Your two letters of the 8th and 14th instant, have been received, but from the continued hurry of business with which I am surrounded, I have not had time to answer them until now.

The importance of the service you have rendered, and the deep interest you have taken in forwarding my views and the objects of the campaign, command my sincere thanks. I hope you will continue to aid in procuring the means and transporting the supplies to this place: the active exertions of a patriot of sixty-five years of age, will certainly stimulate the youthful soldier to his duty; such examples have become necessary; I find those who talk most of war and make the greatest bustle about our injured rights at home, are the last to step forward in vindication of those rights. Patriotism is an appendage which such men wear as a coquette does a fine ribband, merely for show, and to be laid aside or applied as necessity may require.

I have the honour to be, &c.

ANDREW JACKSON,

Colonel William Cocke.

Major general commanding.

SIR,

UNITED STATES FRIGATE PRESIDENT,
SANDY HOOK BAY, February 19th, 1814.

I have to acquaint you that I arrived at my present anchorage last evening at 5 o'clock, after a cruize of seventy-five days, and now have the honour to detail to you the particulars In pursuance to your directions, I sailed from Providence the 5th December; and although I expected to have run the gauntlet

through the enemy's squadron, that was reported to be cruizing between Block Island and Gayhead for the purpose of intercepting the President, I had the good luck to avoid them. The day after leaving Providence, I re-captured the American schooner Comet, of, and bound to, New York, with a cargo of cotton from Savannah, which had been captured by the Ramilies and Loire, and in their possession about 48 hours. In a few hours after recapturing the Comet, a sail was discovered to the eastward, which I felt inclined to avoid, from the circumstance of the weather being hazy, and knowing that I was in the neighbourhood of an enemy's squadron. From an advantage of wind, she was enabled, however to gain our lee beam at a distance of three or four miles, owing to which I was induced to shorten sail, with the intention of offering her battle in the morning, should nothing else be in sight, and she not be a ship of the line. The weather becoming more obscure at 2 o'clock, prevented our seeing her until day-light, when she stood from us to the north east, although the President was hove to, to let her come up. From this date until the 25th, we did not see a single sail, except the Recovery (a brig belonging and bound to Penobscot, from St.Bartholomew, in ballast) until after reaching the longitude of 35, and latitute 19, being carried that far eastward by a severe S. W. gale, accompanied by such a heavy sea, as to render heaving to impracticable without infinite risk, when two large sail were discovered standing to the northward, and to which I gave chase, believing, as well from the situation in which they were first discovered, as the manifest disposition they afterwards showed to avoid a separation, that one was a frigate and the other an Indiaman under her convoy ; in this I was mistaken, for on a nearer approach I could discover the beadmost was a frigate with seven ports abaft her gangway, and the other a ship of equal or little inferior force. On discovering their decided superiority, and supposing them to be enemy's ships, I endeavored, during the succeeding night, to separate them by steering different courses, and occasionally shewing a light, but was unable to succeed, for the headmost was at one time so near that she fired a shot over us, whilst her consort was but a few hundred yards astern of her. I now directed our course to be altered, made sail, and continued the remainder of the night to shew them light occasionally, but to no effect, as at day-light they were discovered to be in a situation to unite their force. After this I shaped a course to reach a position to windward of Barbadoes, on a parallel of longitude with Cayenne, and did not meet another vessel till the 30th, when falling in with a Portuguese brig, and receiving information that she had been boarded 36 hours before by two British store ships, bound to the West Indies with 300 troops on board, I crowded sail to the westward in the hope of overtaking them; in this I was again disappointed, and after a pursuit of four days, hauled further southward to gain the latitude of Barbadoes; and in that situation, on the 5th of

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