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and a company (about sixty) of Glengarry a position on the line of Dundas street, where Fencibles. Armstrong adds; “in the contest he remained, taking no part in the action. that followed, Forsyth lost some men, but no We do not blame Adjutant Gen. Shaw for credit." We grant the former, as the defence this, as we presume he had his orders, but made by the handful of men, then on the ground, we question the judgment which placed him was so determined that Forsyth would have in such a position, as it was not probable that found it difficult to effect a landing had he not the Americans would advance by that route, been speedily reinforced by Major King and leaving in the rear, a force which, small as it a battalion of infantry. The landing of the was, had kept them in check for six hours. main body under General Pike now enabled On the retreat of the British, a movement the enemy to advance more boldly, and to effected through the woods, the Americans drive back the British, (whose numbers had advanced and carried, without much resistbeen in the meantime increased by the arrival ance, the first defence: advancing towards of some two hundred and twenty militia, and the second, and observing the fire cease sudfifty of the Newfoundland regiment,) from one denly, Pike concluded, and not unreasonably, position to another. The stand made at some that it was for the purpose of making of these positions was very gallant, as two proposals for a surrender, and unfortunately companies of the 8th regiment (about two halted his troops while yet at a distance of hundred strong) had now joined. James two hundred yards from the main battery. says, "the whole of the American troops, at We say, unfortunately, as, had they advanced, this time on shore, amounted, by their own the major part of them must have perished in accounts, to upwards of one thousand. These the explosion which took place on the firing were met by two hundred and ten men of the of the magazine, which had been just 8th, and Newfoundland, regiments, and about blown up by Sergeant Marshall to prevent the two hundred and twenty militia, who made a enemy gaining possession of a large quantity formidable charge upon the American column, of powder deposited there. Ingersol styles and partially compelled it to retire." Rein- the blowing up of the magazine "a vile stratforced, however, by the fresh troops that agem ;" and Thomson accuses General Sheaffe were continually being landed, the Americans of treacherously ordering the train to be laid, rallied and compelled the British to retire, and of artfully placing several cart loads of partially covered in their retreat by the stones to increase the effect. This is quite inbatteries which, insignificant as they were, correct, as we do not think Sheaffe clever had still done good service, by partially occu- enough to have suggested such a plan; besides, pying the attention of the enemy's vessels, Marshall distinctly stated that had he known which had by this time, from their light General Sheaffe wished it, or had it occurred draught of water, approached within gun-shot. to himself, he could easily have blown up the The companies of the 8th regiment suffered enemy by giving ten minutes more port fire. materially from their ignorance of the roads, Had he done so, the destruction of the whole the grenadiers being nearly annihilated, and column would have been the natural consethis was the more to be regretted, as their quence. A vast amount of nonsense, relative gallantry was without any beneficial results, to this affair, has been penned by American the main landing having been effected before historians, who do not seem to reflect that their arrival. General Sheaffe appears to have this was an invading force, and that the mine laid his plans very badly; by early dawn the has always been a legitimate mode either of alarm of the enemies' approach was given attack or defence. In the present instance, yet so confused does every movement appear the only object in blowing up the magazine to have been, that we find only a few Indians was to prevent General Pike getting possesand a handful of militia on the spot to oppose sion of the powder; it was, therefore, blown up, a landing, while the two companies of the 8th and very clumsily too, it was done, as several were left to find their way through woods of the British troops were killed or wounded and cover without proper direction or guides. by the explosion. We heartily agree with We find, in addition, Adjutant Gen. Shaw, with James, "that even had the whole column abody of men and a brass six-pounder, taking up | been destroyed, the Americans would but

tached to the British military and naval service, who had been captured, should be paroled; that private property of every kind should be res

have met their deserts;" and if disposed to commiserate the poor soldiers, at least, we wish, with him, "that their places had been filled by the American President, and the ninety-pected, and that all public stores should be eight members of the Legislature who voted for the war." The explosion, partial as were its effects, killed and wounded more than two hundred Americans, spreading its mischief far and wide, and creating in the remainder much temporary alarm and confusion. The stones and rubbish were thrown as far as the decks of the vessels near the shore, and, according to Ingersol, "the water shocked as with an earthquake."

given up to the captors. We have italicised the words "who had been captured," as the Americans got possession of the militia rolls and included amongst the list of prisoners on parole, many who had never laid down their arms, and whom it was never contemplated to include in the list. We give Sheaffe's dispatch, with his list of killed and wounded:

Kingston, May 5th, 1813.

SIR, I did myself the honor of writing to your Excellency, on my route from York, to commuuicate the mortifying intelligence that the enemy had obtained possession of that place on the 27th of April. I shall now give your Excellency a further detail of that event.

In the evening of the 26th, information was received that many vessels had been seen to the eastward. Very early the next morning, they were discovered lying-to, not far from the harbor; after some time had elapsed, they made sail, and to the number of sixteen, of various descriptions, anchored off the shore, some distance

General Pike was literally stoned to death, his breast and sides were crushed, and he lingered in great agony till he expired. Gen. Pike was a native of New Jersey, and is represented to have been a gallant and thoroughbred soldier, and one of the best commanders the Americans had. His death was a glorious one. Through motives of humanity he halted to prevent unnecessary effusion of blood, and paltry as was the victory gained with such overwhelming odds, still he had the satisfaction of knowing that he had gained a victory, such as it was. Thompson and Ingersol are very elo-to the westward. Boats full of troops were imquent onhis death; "carried on board the mediately seen assembling near the commodore's Commodore's ship, General Pike was laid on ship, under cover of whose fire, and that of other a mattress, and asking for the British captured vessels, and aided by the wind, they soon effected flag to be laid under his head, in a few hours a landing, in spite of a spirited opposition from Major Givens and about forty Indians. A comhe nobly breathed his last upon it, without a pany of Glengarry light infantry, which had been orsigh." dered to support them, had, by some mistake (not in the smallest degree imputable to its commander,) been led in another direction, and came late into action. The other troops, consisting of two companies of the 8th (or King's regiment), and about a company of the royal Newfoundland regiment, with some militia, encountered the enemy in a thick wood. Captain M'Neal, of the King's regiment, was killed, while gallantly leading his company, which suffered severely. The troops at length fell back; they rallied several times,

All honor we are ready to pay to the brave man who dies a sacrifice for his country, but considering the immense superiority of numbers, by which, after a long and desperate struggle, the feat of supplanting the flag was achieved, the officiousness of the American historians has conferred more of ridicule than of honor upon the last moments of their hero. General Sheaffe was careful to avail himself of the temporary panic into which the enemy had been thrown, and collecting what regular force he could, and leaving to their own resources the civil authorities and embodied militia, he made a hasty retreat in the direction of vessels that had moved nigher to the harbour. Kingston, destroying, as he passed along, two By some unfortunate accident the magazine at ships on the stocks, and a magazine of military the western battery blew up, and killed and and naval stores in the harbour. The defence wounded a considerable number of men, and of the town being no longer practicable, a crippled the battery. It became too evident that surrender necessarily followed, by which it our numbers and means of defence were inadewas stipulated, that the militia and others at-quate to the task of maintaining possession of

but could not maintain the contest against the greatly superior and increasing numbers of the ies, which were engaged with some of the enemy's enemy. They retired under cover of our batter

York against the vast superiority of force brought against it. The troops were withdrawn towards the town, and were finally ordered to retreat on the road to Kingston; the powder magazine was blown up, and the new ship and naval stores destroyed. Lieutenant-Colonel Chewett and Major Allen of the militia, residents in the town, were instructed to treat with the American commanders for terms; a statement of those agreed on with Major-General Dearborn and Commodore Chauncey, is transmitted to your Excellency, with returns of the killed and wounded, &c. The accounts of the number of the enemy vary from eighteen hundred and ninety to three thousand. We had about six hundred, including militia and dock-yardmen. The quality of these troops was of so superior a de cription, and their general disposition so good, that, under less unfavourable circumstances, I should have felt confident of success, in spite of the disparity of numbers. As it was, the contest, which commenced between six and seven o'clock, was maintained for nearly eight hours.

When we had proceeded some miles from York, we met the light infantry of the King's rement, on its route for Fort George; it retired with us and covered the retreat, which was effected without molestation from the enemy.

I have the honor to be, &c., R. II. SHEAFFE, Major-General. His Excellency Sir George Prevost, &c. Return of killed, wounded, prisoners, and missing, of the troops engaged at York, under the command of Sir Roger Hall Sheaffe, on the 27th ultimo:

Kingston, May 10th, 1813. Total-One captain, one sergeant-major, four serjeants, one drummer, fifty-two rank and file, three gunners, killed: one ensign, two serjeants, one drummer, thirty rank and file, wounded; one lieutenant, four serjeants, one drummer, thirtysix rank and file, one driver, wounded and prisoners; six rank and file, one bombardier, three gunners, prisoners; six rank and file, one gunner, missing.

Names of officers killed and wounded. Killed-8th (or King's regiment) — Captain M'Neal, volunteer D. Maclean, clerk of the House of Assembly.

Incorporated Militia-Capt. Jarvis, volunteer,
Hartney, barrack-master.

RICHARD LEONARD,

Acting deputy-assistant-adjutant-general.
EDWD. BAYNES,

Adjutant-general, North America.

Terms of capitulation entered into on the 27th
April, 1813, for the surrender of the town of
York, in Upper Canada, to the army and navy
of the United States, under the command of
Major-General Dearborn and Commodore
Chauncey:

That the troops, regular and militia, at this post, and the naval officers and seamen, shall be surrendered prisoners of war. The troops, regu lar and militia, to ground their arms immediately on parade, and the naval officers and seamen be immediately surrendered.

That all public stores, naval and military, shall be immediately given up to the commanding officers of the army and navy of the United States— that all private property shall be guaranteed to the citizens of the town of York.

shall be retained by them-that such surgeons as That all papers belonging to the civil officers may be procured to attend the wounded of the British regulars and Canadian militia shall not be considered prisoners of war.

That one lieutenant-colonel, one major, thirteen captains, nine lieutenants, eleven ensigns, one quarter-master, one deputy adjutant-general of the militia, namelyLieut. Col. Chewett, Major Allen.

CAPTAINS.

John Wilson,
John Button,
Peter Robinson,
Reuben Richardson,
John Arnold,
James Fenwick,
James Mustard,
Duncan Cameron,
David Thompson,
John Robinson,
Samuel Ridout,
Thomas Hamilton,
John Burn,
William Jarvis.

QUARTER-MASTER.

Charles Baynes.

LIEUTENANTS.

John H. Shultz,

George Mustard,
Barnet Vanderburch,
Robert Stanton,
George Ridout,
Wm. Jarvis,
Edward M Mahon,
John Wilson,
Ely Playter.

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Nineteen serjeants, four corporals, and two hundred and four rank and file.

Of the field train department, Wm. Dunbar; of the provincial navy, Captain Frs. Govereaux, Lieutenant Green, Midshipmen John Ridout, Louis Baupré, Clerk, James Langsdon, one boatRegiment-swain, fifteen naval artificers; of His Majesty's regular troops, Lieutenant De Keven, one serRobins, jeant-major; and of the royal artillery, one bombardier and three gunners, shall be surrendered prisoners of war, and accounted for in the exGeneral Staff -Captain Loring, 104th regi-change of prisoners between the United States ment, slightly.

Wounded-Royal Newfoundland Lieutenant D. Keven, prisoner. Glengarry Light Infantry-Eusign slightly.

and Great Britain.

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"they set fire, not only to the public buildings, civil as well as military, but to a tavern some distance from York; and were proceeding upon the same charitable eriand to Hatt's Mills, had they not been deterred by information of Indians being in the neighbourhood.” Christie is, however, silent on this point, and we are induced from the circumstance, as well as from information gained from the actors in the scene to consider James' statement as rather highly coloured. Ingersol does not rank the advantage that occurred by the capture of York, at a very high rate, "with the exception," he says, "of the English General's musical snuff box, which was an object of much interest to some of our officers, and a scalp which Major Forsyth found suspended ove the speaker's chair, we gained bot barren honor by the capture of York, of which no permanent possession was taken."

Touching the scalp here mentioned, Ingersol pretends to give an official letter from Commodore Chauncey to the Hon. William Jones, Secretary of the Navy, in which the Commodore is made to write:

F. GAURREAU, Lieut. M. Dpt. According to the capitulation the total of prisoners amounted to two hundred and ninetythree, yet some American accounts swelled this number, one, to seven hundred and fifty, another, to nine hun lred and thirty. These assertions, too, were made in the face of Gen. Dearborn's official letter, in whichit will have heen seen he does not, including Indians, rate the British force at more than eight hundred. Smail as this force was, had it not been for the unfortunate (as we deem it) halt of the 8th on their way from Kingston to Fort George, the Americans would have had a still smaller force to contend with. Sir George Prevost and General Sheaffe deserve great censure for SIR, I have the honor to present you, by this affair of York-the one for allowing mil- the hands of Lieut. Dudley, the British standitary and naval stores to be deposited, and aard taken at York, on the 27th April last, comparatively large sloop of war to be built, accompanied by the mace, over which hung a in an exposed situation-the other for gross human scalp. negligence in not ordering the fortifications to be put in order, and neglecting to take proper measures for concentrating his troops and ensuring something like order and regularity. General Sheaffe was shortly afterwards superseded in the command, in Upper Canada, by Major General De Rottenburg, and, returning to Montreal, he took the command of the troops in that district.

"This atrocious ornament," continues Ingersol, "was sent to the Secretary of War, General Armstrong, who refused to receive or suffer it to remain in his cabinet," Armstrong in relation to this affair, whites, "our trophies were fewer but better taken care of. One human scalp, a prize made, as we understand, by the Commodore, was offered, but not accepted, as a decoration to the walls of the war The Americans gained possession of a great office." It will be observed that Armstrong quantity of naval stores, of which the destruc- does not say how, or where, Commodore tion had been neglected. The greatest loss, Chauncey acquired this valuable trophy, but however, was that of the ships-one of which from the expertness of the backwoodsmen in had been nearly planked. Fortunately the scalping, (we have already given one or two brig Prince Regent had left the harbor some instances of this,) it is not at all unlikely, but three days before the attack, thereby escap- that the scalp in question was that of an uning capture. The stores taken at York, writes fortunate Indian who was shot while in a tree, Ingersol, "by another mistake, were burnt by the Americans, in their advance on the at Sackett's Harbour," so that the Americans town, on the other hand, it may be gathered had not even this to boast of as a recompense from Armstrong's words, that Chauncey himfor the loss of so many men. James evidently self took the scalp, which he afterwards offered seems disposed to accuse the Americans of as a prize to decorate the walls of the war office. dealing harshly with the town, and states that Ingersol devotes six and a half pages to this

one scalp, raking up all the horrors of the nor did he make allowances for the strong

revolutionary war, and proving most distinctly how safe he, in common with other American writers, were to make up a case of cruelty, even by implication, against the British.

manders.

Sheaffe was superseded, as it is supposed, Errors of the Com- for his blunders in the defence of York, and certainly not without cause, as he appears on the occasion to have acted without judgment or any fixed plan. Numerous as his mistakes were, they still sink into insignificance, when we compare them with those of the American commanders, who failed in two great points, the capture of the frigate, and the prevention of Sheaffe's escape. Had General Dearborn been on the field, instead of being in safety three miles from the shore, on Pike's death, he might have prevented the escape of Sheaffe with the main body of the regulars; as it was, Col. Pierce, who succeeded to the command, was totally without orders, and knew not what to do. This would have been most important, for situated as Great Britain, at that time, was, she could have ill afforded to send more men to this country, and, scanty as were the means of defence, the capture of Sheaffe's force, small as it was, would have been a fatal blow. General Armstrong, in his letter to Dearborn, dwells particularly on this point, and writes, "I am assured that the regular force in both the Canadas has at no time since the declaration of war, exceeded three thousand men; and at the present time, by casualties, this force has been reduced at least one-fifth. Taking then this fact for granted, we cannot doubt but that in all cases in which a British commander is constrained to act defensively, his policy will be that adopted by Sheaffe, to prefer the preservation of his troops to that of his post, and thus carrying off the kernel, leave us only the shell. In your late affair, it appears to me that had the descent been made between the town and the barracks, things would have turned out better. On that plan, the two batteries you had to encounter, would have been left out of the combat, and Sheaffe, instead of retreating to Kingston, must have retreated to Fort George." General Armstrong's ignorance of the nature of the ground has led him to make some remarks not quite deserved:

east wind; yet there is very little doubt but that, had General Dearborn been a man of energy, much more might have been effected. A still more glaring instance of want of judgment occurred, however, in the next movement we have to touch upon; the descent upon Fort George, at the mouth of the Niagara River.

One object of the Descent upon Fort George. ed, the troops were re-embarked, in the hope that they would be able to proceed to the second and more important movement, without loss of time. Baffled, however, by light and adverse winds, it was not till the sixth day (8th of May) after leaving York, that they arrived off Fort George. It now cost General Dearborn three weeks to dispatch his wounded to Sackett's Harbor, and bring thence reinforcements; as Ingersol says, "a month of precious time was consumed before the attack on Fort George, and then again the commander-in-chief remained on board a vessel; while his army, six thousand strong, attacked and carried the place."

expedition against York; the capture of the stores, having been accomplish

The British force on the Niagara line amounted, at that time, to about eighteen hundred regulars, and five hundred militia. The regular force consisted of the 49th Regt. and of detachments from the 8th, 41st, Glengarry and Newfoundland corps, with a small body of artillery, the whole commanded by Brigadier General Vincent. Eight companies of the 49th, five companies of the 8th, three companies of the Glengarry, two of the Newfoundland regiment, and a portion of the artillery, were stationed at Fort George, "amounting," says James, "to less than one thousand rank and file." About three hundred militia and some fifty Indians were also stationed at this post. We have seen on Armstrong's authority, that the Americans numbered, with the reinforcements drawn from Sackett's Harbor, six thousand men. A sufficient superiority (six to one) having been secured, the American general considered himself prepared for the attack on the post, before which he had spent three weeks, and on the 27th May, the batteries on the American side of the Niagara being ready for action, and

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