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force of the enemy's charges, it was certainly prudent that a large force should be in the neighbourhood of the artillery, and nothing else saved them."* Brigadier-general Bissell, on the same occasion, says: "There were two desperate sorties made, in which the artillery was left without a man; the piece was regained by the infantry, and the enemy repulsed: men were supplied from my brigade to work the gun."f

Any further attempt at the guns would have been a waste of lives; and therefore major Handcock and his men now acted solely on the defensive. The American artillery still continued the cannonade. Several shots struck the mill, and a 12-pounder passed through the wall near the chimney, where it was weakest. One man of the 13th was killed by a grape-shot, that entered the aperture between the logs in the windows. During the action, captain Pring's sloops, and two or three gun-boats, arrived at the mouth of the creek; which was as near as the ice, had the river been otherwise navigable, would have permitted them to approach. Yet general Wilkinson, by way of augmenting the force he had to contend with, has, in his diagram of the action, actually placed two gun-boats on the river La Colle, directly at the back of the mill; when he ought to have known that, were

Wilkinson's Mem, Vol. III. p. 238. + Ibid. p. 245,

there no ice at all, the river was not navigable even for canoes.* Lieutenant-colonel Williams was quite misinformed, as to any destruction caused to the enemy by the fire of the gun-boats.† Not an American officer present in the action, who was examined at general Wilkinson's court-martial, statés any thing of the kind. On the contrary, lieutenant-colonel Totten swears positively, that "the enemy fired no artillery, except from their gun-boats, which opened a useless fire, 50 or 100 feet above our heads;" the natural consequence, not only of the distance, but of the thick intervening woods.

The spirited and long-continued fire kept up by the British had exhausted their ammunition; and two privates, who had been despatched to Isle aux Noix for a fresh supply, were captured by an American piquet. A third private, belonging to the marines, succeeded in reaching the island. By this time the American artillery had been cannonading the mill, without the slightest apparent effect, for about two hours and a half; and now ceased altogether. The cessation of firing on the part of the besieged occasioned the American troops to advance nearer to the mill; but no attempt was made to carry even the block-house. Just at dusk the American troops

* Bouchette's Top. Desc. of Lower Canada, p. 179.

+ Appendix, No. 17.

+ Wilkinson's Memoirs, Vol. III. p. 235.

retired from the field; and retraced their steps out of the province, to the great joy of the inhabitants of Odell-town, whom they had pillaged unmercifully. They had been slightly annoyed at the first of their retreat, by a small party of Indians. It was natural for major Handcock to consider this retreat of so numerous a force as merely a feint, to draw him away from the mill. He therefore remained at his post during the night; in the course of which two 18-pound carronades had been brought up from the gunboats, and posted at the block-house; but, as there was now no enemy to be seen, they were not used.

The British loss, in this brilliant affair, could not be otherwise than severe. It amounted, altogether, to 11 rank and file killed; one captain, one subaltern, one serjeant, 43 rank and file, wounded; and four rank and file missing; exclusive of one Indian killed, and one wounded,* in the skirmishing, on the enemy's retreat; total 64. The American loss before La Colle mill, amounted to 13 killed, 128 wounded, and 13 missing total 154. Among the wounded were lieutenant-colonel M'Pherson, lieutenants Larrabee, Green, and Parker, of the artillery. So destructive, indeed, was the fire from the mill upon the men at the guns, that out of 18 men * App. No. 18.

+ Burdick's Hist. and Pol. Register, p. 266.

stationed at the 12-pounder, only two remained to work it.

The reader is, no doubt, anxious to see how the American editors have handled a subject which, undoubtedly, gives the finest scope to their well-known talents. Mr. Thomson, after stating that the enemy "was condensing a force of 2500 men at La Colle mill;" that general Wilkinson determined on attacking, and “forced back a part of the enemy" in his approach to it, says: "He then resumed his march to La Colle mill, a large and lofty fortified stone-house, measuring 60 feet by 40, and, at that time, in command of major Hancock, and a strong corps of British regulars,-" or 180 rank and file. After having nearly committed himself, by enumerating nine regiments as composing the American infantry, Mr. Thomson recovers himself thus: "All these regiments were mere skeletons consolidated."* Nor does he any where divulge the actual force of general Wilkinson's army; although, in the published proceedings of that officer's trial, lieutenant-colonel Totten refers to "the statement made to the council of

*

war," for the " effective force at La Colle."‡ Consequently, the whole force present must have exceeded" 3999 combatants." Doctor Smith gives no numbers on either side; and makes his + App. No. 1,

Sketches of the War, p. 257.
Wilkinson's Mem. Vol. III. p. 234.

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account as brief, as if he were writing a chronological table instead of a History." Mr. O'Connor it is, to whom general Wilkinson owes such obligations. We must give his account nearly at length:

"The issue of this expedition," says Mr. O'Connor," was unfortunate, although in its progress, it did honor to the Americans engaged. The enemy claimed a victory, only because he was not vanquished; and pretended to gather laurels, while circumstances concurred to render it nearly impossible to attack or drive him from his cowardly strong holds. General Wilkinson, at the head of his division, marched from Champlain, with the intention of reducing the enemy's fortress at the river La Colle. About 11 o'clock he fell in with the enemy at Odell-town, three miles from La Colle, and six from St. John's. An attack was commenced by the enemy on the advance of the army under colonel Clerk and major Forsyth. Colonel Bissel came up with spirit, and the enemy was forced to retire with loss. General Wilkinson took part in this action, and bravely advanced into the most dangerous position, declining frequently the advice of his officers, to retire from imminent danger. The enemy having used his Congreve rockets, without producing any effect, retired to La Colle, whither he was pursued. At this

It ought to be 26

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