requested me to take command, and place my artillery to defend the passage of the bridge on the Eastern Branch, as the enemy was approaching the city in that direction. I immediately put my guns in position, leaving the marines and the rest of my men at the barracks, to wait further orders. I was in this situation when I had the honour to meet you, with the President and heads of departments, when it was determined that I should draw off my guns and men, and proceed towards Bladensburg, which was immediately put into execution. On our way, I was informed the enemy was within a mile of Bladensburgh;-we hurried on. The day was hot, and my men very much crippled from the severe marches we had experienced the days before, many of them being without shoes, which I had replaced that morning. I preceded the men, and when I arrived at the line which separates the district from Maryland, the battle began. I sent an officer back to hurry on my men; they came up in a trot; we took our position on the rising ground, put the pieces in battery, posted the marines under captain Miller, and the flotilla men, who were to act as infantry, under their own officers, on my right, to support the pieces, and waited the approach of the enemy. During this period the engagement continued, and the enemy advancing, our own army retreating before them, apparently in much disorder. At length the enemy made his appearance on the main road, in force, and in front of my battery, and on seeing us made a halt. I reserved our fire. In a few minutes the enemy again advanced, when I ordered an 18 pounder to be fired, which completely cleared the road; shortly after, a second and a third attempt mas made by the enemy to come forward, but all were destroyed. They then crossed over into an open field, and attempted to flank our right; he was there met by three 12 pounders, the marines under captain Miller, and my men, acting as infantry, and again was totally cut up. By this time not a vestige of the American army remained, except a body of five or six hundred, posted on a height on my right, from whom I expected much support, from their fine situ ation. The enemy from this period never appeared in force in front of us; they pushed forward their sharp shooters; one of which shot my horse under me, who fell dead between two of my guns. The enemy, who had been kept in check by our fire for nearly half an hour, now began to out-flank us on the right; our guns were turned that way; he pushed up the hill, about two or three hundred, towards the corps of Americans stationed as above described, who, to my great mortification, made no resistance, giving a fire or two and retired. In this situation we had the whole army of the enemy to contend with. Our ammunition was expended; and, unfortunately, the drivers of my ammunition wagons had gone off in the general panic. At this time I received a severe wound in my thigh; captain Miller was wounded; sailing mast Warner killed; acting sailing master Martin killed; and sailing master Martin wounded; but to the honour of my officers and men, as fast as their companions and messmates fell at the guns, they were instantly replaced from the infantry. Finding the enemy now completely in our rear, and no means of defence, I gave orders to my officers and men to retire. Three of my officers assisted me to get off a short distance, but the great loss of blood occasioned such a weakness, that I was compelled to lie down. I requested my officers to leave me, which they obstinately refused; but upon being ordered they obeyed; one only remained. In a short time I observed a British soldier, and had him called, and directed him to seek an officer; in a few minutes an officer came, and on learning who I was, brought general Ross and admiral Cockburn to me. Those officers behaved to me with the most marked attention, respect and politeness, had a surgeon brought, and my wound dressed immediately. After a few minutes conversation, the general informed me (after paying me a handsome compliment) that I was paroled, and at liberty to proceed to Washington or Bladensburg; as also Mr. Huffington, who had remained with me, offering me every assistance in his power, giving orders for a litter to be brought, in which I was carried to Bladensburg; captain Wainwright, first captain to admiral Cochrane, remained with me, and behaved to me as if I was a brother. During the stay of the enemy at Bladensburg, I received every marked attention possible from the officers of the army and navy. My wound is deep, but I flatter myself not dangerous; the ball is not yet extracted. I fondly hope a few weeks will restore me to health, and that an exchange will take place, that I may resume my command, or any other that you and the President may think proper to honour me with. I have the honour to be, &c. Hon. W. Jones, Secretary of the Navy. PROCLAMATION Of colonel Nichols of the British army, to the southern and western inhabitants of the United States. NATIVES OF LOUISIANA! On you the first call is made, to assist in liberating from a faithless, imbecile government, your paternal soil; Spaniards, Frenchmen, Italians and British, whether settled, or residing for a time in Louisiana, on you, also, I call, to aid me in this just cause: the American usurpation in this country must be abolished, and the lawful owners of the soil put in possession. I am at the head of a large body of Indians, well armed, disciplined, and commanded by British officers--a good trai of artillery, with every requisite, seconded by the powerful aid of a numerous British and Spanish squadron of ships and vessels of war. Be not alarmed, inhabitants of the country, at our approach; the same good faith and disinterestedness, which has distinguished the conduct of Britons in Europe, accompanies them here; you will have no fear of litigious taxes imposed on you, for the purpose of carrying on an unnatural and unjust war; your property, your laws, the peace and tranquillity of your country, will be guaranteed to you by men, who will suffer no infringement of theirs; rest assured, that these brave RED men only burn with an ardent desire of satisfaction, for the wrongs they have suffered from the Americans: to join you in liberating these southern provinces from their yoke, and drive them into those limits formerly prescribed by my sovereign. The Indians have pledged themselves, in the most solemn manner, not to injure, in the slightest degree, the persons or properties of any but enemies. A flag over any door, whether Spanish, French or British, will be a certain protection; nor dare any Indian put his foot on the threshhold thereof, under penalty of death from his own countrymen; not even an enemy will an Indian put to death, except resisting in arms: and as for injuring helpless women and children, the red men, by their good conduct, and treatment to them, will (if it be possible) make the Americans blush for their more inhuman conduct, lately on the Escambia, and within a neutral territory. INHABITANTS OF KENTUCKY, you have too long borne with grievous impositions; the whole brunt of the war has fallen on your brave sons; be imposed on no longer, but either range yourselves under the standard of your forefathers, or observe a strict neutrality. If you comply with either of these offers, whatever provisions you send down will be paid for in dollars, and the safety of the persons bringing it, as well as the free navigation of the Mississippi, guaranteed to you. MEN OF KENTUCKY, let me call to your view (and I trust to your abhorrence) the conduct of those factions, which hurried you into this civil, unjust, and unnatural war, at a time when Great Britain was straining every nerve, in defence of her own, and the liber ties of the world; when the bravest of her sons were fighting and bleeding in so sacred a cause; when she was spending millions of her treasure, in endeavouring to pull down one of the most formidable and dangerous tyrants, that ever disgraced the form of man; when groaning Europe was almost at her last gasp; when Britons alone showed an undaunted front-basely did those assassins endeavour to stab her from the rear; she has turned on them, renovated from the bloody but successful struggle, Europe is happy and free, and now hastens, justly to avenge the unprovoked insult. Show them that you are not collectively unjust; leave that conTEMPTIBLE Few to shift for themselves; let those slaves of the tyrant send an embassy to Elba, and implore his aid; but let every honest, upright American spurn them with united contempt. After the experience of twenty-one years, can you longer support those brawlers for liberty, who call it freedom, when themselves are free? Be no longer their dupes; accept of my offers; every thing I have promised in this paper, I guarantee to you, on the SACRED HONOUR of a BRITISH officer. Given under my hand, at my head quarters, Pensacola, this 29th day of August, 1814. EDWARD NICHOLS. SIR, HEAD QUARTERS, CAMP AT THE WHITE HOUSE, VA. Yesterday morning about 2 o'clock, the enemy's squadron discontinued the bombardment which had been kept up with little intermission, for three days, weighed anchor, and stood down the river, commencing a heavy fire on the battery, and across the neck of land through which the militia were compelled to march to its assistance. The rifle companies under captains Humphries, Tebbs. and Fields, were immediately ordered down to the battery, which orders were promptly obeyed. I followed with colonel Parker's regiment, and two detachments under colonels Green and Renno, leaving instructions with general Young to take a position between us and a creek, which made up some distance behind so as to prevent the enemy falling on our rear, and to co-operate with us, if necessary, at the battery. When I had proceeded with the advance to a point within three or four hundred yards of the river, the troops were halted until I could obtain accurate information of the precise situation of the enemy; about this time, commodore Porter, as I understood, finding our little battery inefficient to impede the progress of the vessels, after having long gallantly defended it, and considering a longer contention with such a superiority of metal a wanton sacrifice of blood, ordered the battery to be evacuated and his men to retire, which they did. The two largest of the enemy's vessels, then anchored; one just above, and the other just below the battery, and commenced a most galling cross fire of round shot, grape, canister, &c. The troops which had been previously ordered to shelter themselves from the fire of the enemy, it having become extremely severe, were immediately formed and marched back to a place of comparative security. We had scarcely retired, when information was brought that the enemy discovered a disposition to land, and aid was necessary to prevent their spiking our cannon. I again moved down with the troops under our command, colonel Dangerfield with his regiment being sent on before, and had proceeded to a valley within about fifty yards of the battery, when general Young and myself, who were following with the residue of the troops, were met by com modore Porter, within three or four hundred yards of the river. He thought that it was unnecessary to expose the whole army, and advised that 200 men, which he thought sufficient for the purpose, should be sent down to protect the battery. All the troops were then ordered back, the detail made and sent down under the command of colonel Green; major Banks followed with 200 men, to aid, if necessary. Permit me to say, that it was impossible for men to have conducted themselves with more intrepidity, than the militia on this occasion. Notwithstanding the dreadful cross fire of every species of missive, by the enemy, to which they were exposed, without a possibility of returning the fire (the most trying of all situations) not a man under my command offered to move, until orders to that effect was given; and then it was done slowly and in order. I beg leave also, to mention the promptitude and alacrity with which the second order to march through a tremendous discharge of large shot and grape, for the distance of about a mile, was immediately obeyed. Captain Humphries, with his rifle company, was stationed just above the battery, and is entitled to the highest commendation for the courage and activity with which he fought. Captain Griffith, of Alexandria, was under the immediate direction of commodore Porter, who spoke of him in the highest terms of approbation. Captain Janney, of Essex, was near the battery at the time of the action, with a fatigue party of fifty or sixty men, and deserves to be particularly mentioned. Our whole loss was eleven killed, and seventeen or eighteen wounded I have the honour to be, &c. JOHN P. HUNGERFORD, Brig. Gen. Virginia militia. Hon. James Monroe. SIR, BATTLE ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN. U. S. SHIP Saratoga, ofF PLATTSBURGH, The Almighty has been pleased to grant us a signal victory on lake Champlain, in the capture of one frigate, one brig, and two sloops of war of the enemy; I have the honour to be, &c. Honourable William Jones, Secretary of the Navy. SIR, THE AVON SUNK BY THE WASP. UNITED STATES SLOOP WASP, AT SEA, September 11th, 1814-latitude 40 N. longitude 16 W. After a protracted and tedious stay at L'Orient, I had at Jast the pleasure of leaving that place on Saturday the 27th of |