The Loyalists of America and Their Times Volume II Part 40
[Footnote 213: The following graphic account of the manoeuvres and conflicts of the two fleets is given by the American historian, Brackenridge, in his War of 1812:
"On Lake Ontario, a naval armament, which might be termed formidable for this inland sea, was arrayed on either side; and an interesting contest ensued between two skilful officers for the superiority. The _General Pike_, of twenty-two guns, having been launched, and proving to be an excellent sailer, Commodore Chauncey was now fully equal, in point of strength, to his antagonist. Sir James Yeo, though somewhat inferior in force, had the advantage in an important particular: his ships sailed better in squadron, and he could therefore avoid or come to an engagement as he thought proper. It being a matter all-important to the British, to prevent the Americans from becoming masters of the lake, Sir James prudently avoided a general action; while, on the other hand, to bring him to action was the great object of Commodore Chauncey. On the 7th of August the two fleets came in sight of each other. Commodore Chauncey manoeuvred to gain the wind. Having pa.s.sed to the leeward of the enemy's line, and being abreast of his warship, the _Wolfe_, he fired a few guns to ascertain whether he could reach the hostile fleet.
The shot falling short, he wore, and hauled upon a wind to the starboard tack; the rear of his schooners being six miles astern. Sir James wore also, and hauled upon a wind on the same tack; but observing that the American fleet would be able to weather him in the next tack, he tacked again and made sail to the northward. Commodore Chauncey pursued him. He continued the chase until night; but the schooners not being able to keep up, a signal was made to relinquish the pursuit, and to form in close order. The wind now blew heavily; and at midnight two of the schooners, the _Scourge_ and the _Hamilton_, were found to have upset in the squall. Lieutenants Winter and Osgood, two valuable officers, were lost, and only sixteen men of the crews saved [picked up by the British]. The next morning, the enemy discovering this misfortune, and having now the superiority, manifested a disposition to engage the Americans, and bore up for the purpose. Two schooners were ordered to engage him; but when they were within a mile and a-half of him, he attempted to cut them off. Failing in this, he hauled his wind, and hove to. A squall coming on, Commodore Chauncey was fearful of being separated from his dull sailing schooners, and ran in towards Niagara and anch.o.r.ed. Here he received on board, from Fort George, 150 men to act as marines, and distributed them through his fleet. On the morning of the 9th he again sailed. At eleven o'clock, after much manoeuvring on both sides, the rear of the enemy's line opened its fire; and in fifteen minutes the action became general on both sides. At half-past eleven, the American weather line bore up and pa.s.sed to the leeward, the _Growler_ and _Julia_ excepted, which soon after tacking to the southward, brought the British between them and the remainder of the American fleet. Sir James, after exchanging a few shots with the American commodore's ship, pursued the _Growler_ and _Julia_. A fire commenced between them, which continued until one o'clock in the morning of the 10th, when, after a desperate resistance, the two schooners were compelled to yield. The fleets had lost sight of each other in the night; but as Sir James, on the next day, when they were again visible, showed no disposition to renew the action, Commodore Chauncey returned to Sackett's Harbour. A victory for this affair was claimed for the British commander." (Brackenridge's History of the War of 1812, etc., Chap, viii., pp. 121, 122.)]
[Footnote 214: Christie, Chap, v., pp. 126--130.]
[Footnote 215: It was this episode in Captain Barclay's proceedings which resulted in the loss of British supremacy on Lake Erie, the loss of his fleet, his own wounding, the death of most of his officers and sailors, General Proctor's compulsory evacuation of Detroit and the Michigan territory, his retreat into Canada, his defeat on the Thames at the Moravian village, involving the loss of many of his men, with upwards of 100 Indians, including famous Chief Tec.u.mseh. We do not desire to dwell upon this dark spot in the life of Captain Barclay; but the whole mystery is explained in Mrs. Amelia Harris's Memoirs of her father and the early settlement of Long Point (and her authority cannot be questioned.) See Chapter XLI. of this History, pp. 254.]
[Footnote 216: "General Wilkinson was called from the South to a.s.sume the command of the American forces in the North, in the room of General Dearborn, which now with General Hampton's division, amounted to about 18,000, to which General Harrison's division was ordered to be added.
Such were the gigantic and formidable preparations for the capture of Montreal, where the American soldiers were promised, as an additional inducement, good winter quarters." (Thompson's History of the War of 1812, Chap. xxvi., p. 209.)]
[Footnote 217: "General Wilkinson had, at an early stage of the expedition, transmitted an order to General Hampton to join him at St.
Regis; but that officer having learned the low state of General Wilkinson's supplies of provisions, and considering the state of the roads, conceived it the most prudent method to disobey the order, and not to place himself at too great a distance from his own magazines; he therefore availed himself of the nearest route to Montreal, the unsuccessful result of which manoeuvre has just been detailed.
"The American army was again ordered to cross the line and take up their winter quarters in their own territory, after repeatedly suffering themselves to be defeated under the most mortifying and humiliating circ.u.mstances; with the blame of which the commander-in-chief (General Wilkinson) charged General Hampton, in consequence of his disobedience of orders, but with which the American Secretary of War more properly charged both. However, it had the effect of checking the military zeal which appeared to manifest itself in the American ranks at a distance from the theatre of hostile operations, and completely to extinguish the ardour of the American troops on the lines." (Thompson, Chap. xxvii., p.
215.)]
[Footnote 218: The foregoing account of the transactions in Lower Canada is chiefly extracted from Mr. Christie's History of the War of 1812, and mostly in his words. What follows is mostly taken from Thompson's War of 1812.]
[Footnote 219: The barbarous act of General McClure in burning Niagara is ascribed to directions from the American Secretary at War; but the many nefarious acts committed by McClure could hardly be owing to directions from Washington. Mr. Christie says that McClure "having, pursuant to the directions of the American Secretary at War, most inhumanly, on the 10th of December, set fire to the flourishing village of Newark, containing about 150 houses, which Were reduced to ashes, leaving the wretched and forlorn inhabitants, with upwards of 400 women and children, exposed to the acc.u.mulated horrors of famine and the inclemency of a Canadian winter."
The British, under the command of Colonel Murray, scarcely amounting to 500 men, including Indians and militia, immediately occupied Fort George. The barbarous policy of the American Government in destroying Newark, exasperated the army as well as the inhabitants on the frontier, of whose impatience for retaliation General Drummond promptly availed himself after the occupation of Fort George, by adopting the resolution of carrying the American Fort Niagara by surprise. (Chap. vii., p.
156.)
Mr. Thompson remarks on the conduct of McClure and his soldiers, even before the burning of the town of Newark: "The American army had no sooner taken up a position in front of Fort George, than the foraging parties, or rather marauders, commenced a systematic course of plunder upon the defenceless inhabitants within the vicinity of their camp, most of whom, at the time, consisted of women and children; even amongst the general officers acts of pillage were perpetrated, that, had such occurred with private soldiers in the British army, would have stamped a stigma on the character of the British, in the eyes of America, for which no course of conduct which they could ever after have pursued would have sufficiently atoned." (War of 1812, Chap. xxix., pp. 227, 228.)]
CHAPTER LVII.
MOVEMENTS AND CAMPAIGNS OF 1814--THE THIRD AND LAST YEAR OF THE WAR.
PART I.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE CAMPAIGN--REINFORCEMENTS FROM NEW BRUNSWICK--ROYAL APPROBATION OF CANADIAN LOYALTY AND COURAGE--AMERICAN INVASION OF THE DISTRICT OF MONTREAL UNDER GENERAL WILKINSON--THE LARGE FORCE OF AMERICANS DEFEATED AT LE COLLE BY A SMALL FORCE OF CANADIANS--RETURN TO PLATTSBURG, WHERE GENERAL WILKINSON, DISAPPOINTED AND MORTIFIED, RETIRES FROM THE ARMY.
The total failure for two years of the expeditions which had been fitted out at so much expense by the United States Government for the invasion of Canada, had considerably subdued that ardour for military renown which, at the commencement of the war--from the defenceless state of Canada, and the absorption of British strength in the European war--had promised so rich a harvest of laurels and territory to the United States. Nevertheless the most active exertions were made on both sides during the winter for the ensuing campaign. Stores of all descriptions were forwarded to Kingston from Quebec and Montreal on sleighs, at prodigious expense. The inhabitants of New Brunswick again evinced their loyalty and patriotism. Lieutenant-Colonel Robinson, with a regiment, marched through the woods from Fredericton to the St. Lawrence, in the month of February. A reinforcement of 220 seamen for the lakes came by the same route. To expedite the progress of these reinforcements, the Legislature of New Brunswick voted 300, and the city of St. John gave a similar sum to defray the expense of conveying the troops and sailors on sleighs as far as the nature of the roads would permit.
On the 26th of March, His Excellency Sir George Prevost issued a General Order expressing the approbation of the Prince Regent of the affair of Chateauguay, and his "peculiar pleasure at finding that His Majesty's Canadian subjects had at length the opportunity of refuting, by their own brilliant exertions in defence of their country, the calumnious charges of disaffection and disloyalty with which the enemy had prefaced his first invasion of the province, to Lieutenant-Colonel De Salaberry in particular, and to all the officers and men under his command, the sense entertained by his Royal Highness of their meritorious and distinguished services, was made known."
The first movement of the Americans in the neighbourhood of Lake Champlain which gave room to expect an American invasion of the district of Montreal, was towards the conclusion of March, 1814, when Brigadier-General Macomb, with a division of American forces from Plattsburg, crossed Lake Champlain upon the ice, and entered St. Armand, where he remained some days, while General Wilkinson prepared for an attack upon the outposts of Odletown and the Le Colle Mill, which had been converted into a block-house. On the morning of the 13th of March (General Macomb having suddenly withdrawn his division from St.
Armand's, and rejoined the main body), the American forces, consisting of 5,000 men, commanded by General Wilkinson in person, entered Odletown. The Americans repeated their attacks upon the coveted Le Colle Mill frontier; and the Canadian Fencibles, Frontier Light Infantry, and the Voltigeurs, repeated their deeds of bravery and heroism, and repelled the mult.i.tudinous invaders. "The Americans," says Mr. Christie, "exhausted with cold and fatigue, and finding it impossible to carry the place without heavy artillery, which, from the state of the roads, could not be brought forward, withdrew their forces in good order from the contest, at five o'clock in the afternoon, without being pursued in the retreat."
The British loss amounted to only ten men killed and four men missing, and two officers and forty-four men wounded. The American loss, though considerable, could not be precisely ascertained.
Having failed in the attempt to carry the block-house (Le Colle Mill), scarcely deserving the appellation of a military post, the enemy fell back upon Champlain Town, from whence they returned to Plattsburg.
General Wilkinson, after this abortive attempt to retrieve his military fame, seems to have been removed from his command, or to have sought voluntary retirement from a service in which he had experienced nothing but disappointment and reverses.
PART II.
TAKING OF PRAIRIE DU CHIEN--DEFENCE OF MACKINAC--SUCCESS IN THE MARITIME PROVINCES.
Before noticing the military campaign of Upper Canada, we will complete the summary view of those which relate to the Maritime Provinces and Lower Canada.
During the occurrences of the taking of the post of _Prairie du Chien_, on the Mississippi, and the triumphant defence of _Michilimackinac_, Lieutenant-General Sir John C. Sherbrook, the Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia, was successful in reducing a very populous and extensive portion of the enemy's territories adjacent to the Provinces of New Brunswick. He detached a small force from Halifax under Colonel Pilkington, while the _Ramilies_, commanded by Sir Thomas Hardie, took possession, on the 10th of July, of Mose Island, in Pa.s.samaquoddy Bay; the garrison at Fort Sullivan, consisting of six officers and eighty men, under the command of Major Putman, surrendering themselves prisoners of war.
On the 26th of August, Sir John C. Sherbrook, having embarked at Halifax the whole of his disposable forces on board of ten transports, set sail, accompanied by a small squadron under Rear-Admiral Griffith, for Castine, on the Pen.o.bscot river, where he arrived on the 1st of September, and took possession of the batteries at that place; the enemy finding it impossible to retain the post--having previously blown up the magazine, and retreated with the field-pieces.
The United States frigate _Adams_ had, some days previous to the arrival of the British at Castine, run into the Pen.o.bscot river, and for security had gone up as far as Hampden, where her guns had been landed and a position taken, with a view of protecting her. Captain Barrie, of the _Dragon_, with a suitable naval force, and 600 picked men under the command of Colonel John, of the 6th Regiment, were detached up the river for the purpose of possessing or destroying the _Adams_. The enemy, who at first offered a spirited resistance, after setting fire to the frigate, fled in all directions, upon finding the British resolutely advancing against their positions. Several pieces of ordnance and three stands of colours fell into the hands of the British, whose loss amounted to no more than one man killed, and one officer and seven men wounded.
After the capture of Castine, Lieutenant-Colonel Pilkington was despatched with a brigade of troops for Madrias, which was taken possession of on the 11th of September by that officer--the detachment in Fort O'Brien having, on the approach of the British, precipitately retreated from the fort, leaving twenty-six pieces of ordnance, with a quant.i.ty of small arms and ammunition.
Lieutenant-Colonel Pilkington was on the point of marching into the interior of the country when he received a communication from Lieutenant-General Brewer, commander of the district, engaging that the militia forces within the County of Washington should not bear arms, or serve against his Britannic Majesty during the war. This, with a similar offer made by the civil officers and princ.i.p.al inhabitants of the county, brought on a cessation of arms.
By these judicious measures a populous extent of territory, stretching one hundred miles along the sea coast, including a valuable tract of country partly separating New Brunswick from Lower Canada, pa.s.sed under the dominion of the British arms, without effusion of blood or the least waste of treasure.
PART III.
ENGLAND, FREE FROM THE EUROPEAN WAR, DETERMINES TO PUNISH THE UNITED STATES FOR THEIR JUNCTION WITH NAPOLEON AND INVASION OF CANADA--SWEEPS THE AMERICAN COASTS WITH HER FLEET, AND SENDS REINFORCEMENTS OF 16,000 MEN TO CANADA--FAILURE OF SIR GEORGE PREVOST'S ATTACK ON PLATTSBURG--HIS RECALL, AND SUMMONED TO BE TRIED BY COURT-MARTIAL--DIES BEFORE THE APPOINTED DAY OF TRIAL--ESTIMATE OF HIS CHARACTER.
Hitherto, for more than two years, the colonies had been thrown almost entirely upon their own prowess and resources, with the a.s.sistance of a few British soldiers, for their own defence against an invading enemy fifty times more populous than themselves. Up to this time England had been struggling against Napoleon for the liberties of Europe; but now the Corsican tiger was chained up in Elba; peace once more reigned in Europe, and England was now free to throw the whole weight of her victorious armies and unconquerable navy against the United States, whose treasury was bankrupt, whose people were disheartened at the reverses inflicted on their armies by handfuls of British and Canadians opposed to them, and whose loudest cry now was for peace; but the United States had refused peace when she could have had it, and Great Britain was now determined to punish her for her attacks on a peaceful colony, when the mother country was so thoroughly engaged elsewhere as to be almost forced to leave it to its own resources. Of the vigorous blockade of the American seaports, of the capture of Washington and burning of the capitol, etc., it is not necessary to speak in this place; we have only to do at present with the operations which took place in Canada during the summer of 1814.
During the summer about 16,000 British troops arrived at Quebec; but only 4,000 were sent to Upper Canada, under the command of General Kempt; and the Governor-General, Prevost, concentrated nearly the whole of the remainder of the reinforcements in the Richelieu district, with a view to a descent on the State of New York by way of Lake Champlain, at Plattsburg. In order to do this, the co-operation of the flotilla on the lake was considered necessary, and orders were given to put it in an efficient condition; but the flotilla was defeated and its vessels taken by the enemy; and the land forces, though they could have easily taken Plattsburg, did nothing, and were ordered to retreat within the British lines. The conduct of Sir George Prevost in this affair--undertaken for his own ambition, and without any public necessity--lost him all his military prestige; both officers and men felt the disgrace of retreating before an inferior force of militia; the valiant Colonel Murray and other officers protested against the retreat, and some of them indignantly broke their swords, declaring that they would never serve under him again. He was recalled to England, and under charges by Commodore Sir James Yeo, was arraigned before a court-martial, but died a week before the day appointed for his trial.
Though Sir George Prevost was unsuccessful as a military commander--having disgracefully failed in the only two expeditions which he planned and personally superintended--the one against Sackett's Harbour and the other against Plattsburg--he was an excellent civil governor for Lower Canada, and an amiable and upright man.
It is alleged, however, that the Duke of Wellington and other high authorities approved of his conduct, and the Prince Regent showed marks of kindness to his family after his death. His health, which was never strong, suffered much, not only from mortification and mental anxiety in regard to his approaching trial (which he demanded at the earliest possible period), but by a winter's journey across the open country between the St. Lawrence and St. John, on his way home, that he died on the 5th of January, 1816, just one week before the court-martial appointed to examine into his conduct was to have been convened.
Mr. Christie, who was an English member of the Legislative a.s.sembly of Lower Canada, and the author of an elaborate History of Canada, in six volumes, beside his excellent "History of the War of 1812," gives the following estimate of the character and Administration of Sir George Prevost:
"A warm and unswerving friend of the Canadian population, of French origin, he confided in and liberally patronized them from the commencement to the close of his administration; and they, it must be acknowledged, as generously responded to his confidence in them. No country or people ever exhibited greater unanimity or patriotism than did the people of Lower Canada of both origins, in the war of 1812 by the United States against Great Britain--a stand the more to be remembered by her Government, as these colonies, almost dest.i.tute of troops, wholly so of money, and scarcely possessing even a sufficiency of arms and other munitions of defence, owing to the more imperious calls from other quarters upon the Home Government, were, at the outset of the war, in a manner left to their own action and resources, and which they n.o.bly exemplified, single-handed, as it were, throughout the first two campaigns. The principles of loyalty and duty, no doubt, were deeply implanted in the bosom of the people; but he it was who exalted them into enthusiasm and inspired the ma.s.s with a confidence in their own exertions and a reliance upon his wisdom, fitting them for the emergency, and that bore them successfully through the contest. Whatever may be the opinion now established of his talents, by the military world, the impression which the inhabitants of French origin in Lower Canada universally retain of him, is that of a conciliatory, wise, and able civil governor, and in all the relations of private life, an amiable and estimable man."[220]
PART IV.
UPPER CANADA--PREPARATIONS FOR THE CAMPAIGN--THE BRITISH FLEET INFERIOR ON LAKE ONTARIO--SUCCESSFUL EXPEDITION AGAINST OSWEGO--DESTRUCTION OF FORTIFICATIONS AND SEIZURE OF MUNITIONS OF WAR--BLOCKADES SACKETT'S HARBOUR--UNSUCCESSFUL ASCENT OF SANDY CREEK.
In Upper Canada the occurrences during the winter of 1814 were princ.i.p.ally confined to incursions reciprocally practised by troops in advance along the frontiers with various successes, but with no important results on either side. After the winter's preparations, the campaign was opened in Upper Canada by Sir Gordon Drummond and Sir James L. Yeo, under most cheering circ.u.mstances. The American forces along the Lake Champlain, after leaving small garrisons at Plattsburg, Burlington, and Vergennes, moved early in the spring towards Lake Ontario and the Niagara frontier, with a view of a.s.suming offensive operations against Upper Canada, as soon as the fleet in Sackett's Harbour (considerably augmented during the winter) should be in a state to co-operate with the land forces. The princ.i.p.al naval stores for the equipment of the fleet were forwarded to Sackett's Harbour by the way of Oswego; and as the British naval force at Kingston, strengthened by two additional ships, the _Prince Regent_ and the _Princess Charlotte_, were ready to appear on the lake early in the season, it became an object of importance to intercept the enemy's supplies, and by that means r.e.t.a.r.d his preparations for invasion. An _expedition against Oswego_ was therefore determined upon, and General Drummond having embarked a considerable force, consisting of six companies of De Watteville's Regiment, the Light Company of Glengarries, the 2nd Battalion of Royal Marines, with a detachment of Royal Artillery, and two field-pieces, a detachment of the Rocket Company, with a few Sappers and Miners, set sail from Kingston the 4th of May, and at noon on the following day made the port of Oswego, when a heavy gale from the north-west sprung up and obliged the squadron to gain the offing. On the morning of the 6th, a landing was effected by about 140 of the troops, under Lieutenant-Colonel Fisher, and 200 seamen, armed with pikes, under the command of Captain Mulcaster, R.N., in front of a heavy discharge of round and grape from the battery, and of musketry from a detachment of about 300 men of the American army, posted on the brow of the hill, and in the skirts of the neighbouring wood. The British, on landing, pressed up the hill towards the enemy's battery, which the Americans (upon finding the British determined to carry it by storm) relinquished, leaving about sixty men, princ.i.p.ally wounded.
The land and naval commanders having taken possession of the stores found in the fort and its neighbourhood, and having dismantled the fortifications and destroyed the barracks, re-embarked on the 7th of May, and returned to Kingston.
The loss of the British troops amounted to one captain (Holtaway, of the Marines) and eighteen men killed, and two officers and sixty men wounded. That of the navy amounted to three men killed, and four officers and seven men wounded. Captain Mulcaster, while entering the fort at the head of his men, received a very severe and dangerous wound. Captain Popham was also severely wounded.
Although the service derived much benefit from this expedition, the main object contemplated was not accomplished, the princ.i.p.al part of the naval stores being saved by the enemy, who had taken the precaution of depositing them at the Falls, some miles from Oswego, up the river.