"Dear General. We have met the enemy and they are ours. Two ships, two brigs, one schooner and one sloop. Yours with great respect and esteem, "O. H. PERRY." The American brig Argus, commanded by Captain Allen, was captured, August 14th, in the British channel, by the Pelican, after a sharp conflict, in which the American commander was mortally wounded. October. Detroit was abandoned by the enemy, on the approach of a large army under General Harrison; who soon after, with a superior force, defeated the enemy under the command of General Proctor. The northern campaign for this season, ended without any thing very effective towards the conquest of Canada. Great preparations were made for subduing Upper Canada, and taking Montreal. This object was to be effected by the union of two divisions: one of about five thousand, under the command of General Hampton, then in the vicinity of Plattsburg; the other, with about eight thousand, under the command of General Wilkinson. General Hampton made a short incursion into Canada; but soon after retreated to this side the boundary line. A misunderstanding, or disagreement, arising between the two generals, the troops under Hampton did not join those under Wilkinson. The latter general descended the St. Lawrence, in November, sanguine in his expectations of subduing Montreal. An engagement took place between a part of Wilkin son's troops, about three thousand, under General Boyd and a detachment of the British under Lieut. Colonel Morrison, in which the Americans were repulsed, with the loss of upwards of three hundred in killed, wounded, and prisoners. The design of attacking Montreal was then relinquished, and the army wentinto winter quarters. The remaining forces were withdrawn from the Niagara frontier, the town of Newark being burnt, at the order of the commanding general. In retaliation for which, the British soon after crossed the river, burnt Buffaloe and some other villages, and laid waste the whole frontier. The Creek Indians, who had for some time been in open hostilities with the United States, were completely subdued this season and the succeeding spring, principally by troops under the command of General Andrew Jackson. January, 1814. Jonathan Russel, Esq. and Henry Clay, Esq. were appointed commissioners, to join Messrs. Adams, Bayard and Gallatin, for the purpose of meeting such as might be appointed by the British government. Lord Gambier, Henry Goulbourn, and William Adams, were appointed by the court of St. James to meet them. The place for their assembling was first fixed at Gottenburg; but afterwards changed to Ghent, in Flanders; where they convened in August. The frigate Essex, commanded by Captain David Porter, after having captured a great number of the vessels of the enemy, mostly employed in the whale fishery, was herself captured, March 28th, in the bay of Valparaiso, by the British frigate Phebe, and sloop Cherub. The British force was vastly superior to the American; the defence was gallant and obstinate. April 29. After an action of forty-two minutes, the British brig Epervier surrendered to the Peacock. On board the Peacock two were wounded: the Epervier lost eight killed, and thirteen wounded. In the beginning of July, fort Erie was taken, with considerable loss to the British. A battle was fought at Chippewa, July 5, in which the American forces obtained a brilliant victory. A very sanguinary battle was fought, July 25th, at Bridgewater, by the Americans, under General Brown and General Scott, and the British, under General Drummond and General Riall. The Battle lasted from four o'clock, P. M. till midnight. The British lost, in killed, wounded, and prisoners, nearly nine hundred. The American loss was less, and the American forces maintained their ground; while the British retired. The town of Eastport, on one of the islands in the bay of Passamaquoddy, was taken by a large British naval force. From the 16th to the 20th of August, about sixty sail of the British arrived in the Chesapeake. Above fifty of them landed at Benedict, on the Patuxent, about forty miles from the city of Washington. Several vessels at the same time entered the Potomac. On the 22d, the British flankers reached the Woodyard, twelve miles from Washington. A large flotilla of gunboats, commanded by Commodore Barney, were here blown up, to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy. On the 23d, the British forces, estimated at about six thousand, reached Bladensburg, about six miles from Washington. Here a short engagement took place; but the greater part of the American militia fled. Arrived at the city, Commodore Barney, with a few eighteen pounders and about four hundred men, made a gallant řesistance; but he was compelled to yield to numbers; he was wounded and taken prisoner. The navy-yard was destroyed by order of the Secretary of the Navy. The British troops under General Ross, destroyed the capitol, the President's house, and executive offices. In the night of the 25th, the British retired, gained their shipping by rapid marches, and re-embarked. The British loss, in killed, wounded and prisoners, was supposed to be nearly five hundred : the American, less than one hundred. Private property was generally respected; but the order to burn the public buildings, reflects upon the commanding officer nothing but disgrace. The vessels that ascended the Potomac, under the command of Captain Gordon, arrived at Alexandria, and took from the defenceless inhabitants a vast quantity of flour and other plunder; and escaped down the river with little molestation. Fort Erie was attacked by the British, August 14th, Lieut. General Drummond having the command. After a severe conflict, he was repulsed with the loss of five hundred and eighty-two, in killed, wounded and prisoners; two hundred and twenty-one being killed. The American loss in killed and wounded was two hundred and forty-five. The British took peaceable possession of Castine, on 12 the Penobscot, September 1st, with a large naval force. The next day they proceeded to Hampden, about thirty-five miles up the river. The Corvette Adams, lying here, was destroyed by her commander, Capt. Morris, to prevent her falling into the enemy's hands. The sea-ports on the New-England coast being considered. in danger, the militia were called out, and fortifications erected for their defence. After the capture of Washington, an attack was expected upon Baltimore; for which preparation was made. On Sunday, September 11th, between forty and fifty ships were seen near the mouth of the Petapsco, about twelve miles from the city. The larger vessels landed, at North Point, about seven thousand troops, under Major General Ross and Admiral Cockburn. An engagement took place, on Monday about one o'clock, in which the Americans were repulsed by superior numbers. The engagement afterwards became more general, though the British force was superior. On Tuesday evening the enemy advanced to within two miles of the American entrenchments. So strong however was the American force, and so valiantly had they fought the preceding day, that the attempt to gain possession of the city was abandoned, and the troops retreated before morning and hastily re-embarked. Major General Ross was killed. Early on the morning of Tuesday, a grand attack was made on fort McHenry, from frigates, bomb and rocket vessels, which continued through the day and the greater part of the night, doing however but very little damage. In the night about a thousand of the British landed between the fort and the city, but were soon repulsed with great loss. In the fort, four were killed and twenty wounded. The loss of the enemy in the attack on the fort is not known. The whole American loss in killed, wounded and prisoners, was two hundred and thirteen. The British official account makes their loss in killed, wounded, missing and prisoners, two hundred and ninety; but there is good reason for believing it to be much more. The enemy thus discomfitted, moved down the bay. The Governor-General of Canada, Sir George Prevost, with from twelve to fourteen thousand men, made an attack on Plattsburg, September 11. At the same time a naval engagement, on Lake Champlain, took place in sight of the land forces. The American naval force, having eighty-six guns and eight hundred and twenty-six men, was commanded by Mc Donough: the British naval force, consisting of ninety-five guns and one thousand and fifty men, was commanded by Commodore Downie. The action began about nine o'clock, A. M. and continued two hours and twenty minutes, with obstinate gallantry on both sides. It ended in the surrender of the British vessels, viz. one frigate, one brig, and two sloops of war. Some of their gallies were sunk; others escaped. Of the Americans, fifty-two were killed, and fifty-eight wounded. Of the British, eighty-four were killed, and one hundred and ten wounded. At the same time that the fleets were engaged, the British attacked the forts at Plattsburg, throwing shells, balls and rockets. They attempted to cross the river Saranac, to assault the American works, but were repulsed in three different places, where the attempt was made. The fire of the enemy was returned with so much effect, that, before sunset, the batteries he had erected were all silenced; and at nine o'clock, his whole army began a rapid retreat, leaving many of his wounded and much ammunition, provision and baggage. The American loss, in the engagement of this day, and in skirmishes previous, was thirty-nine killed, sixty-two wounded, and twenty missing. The loss of the British, in killed, wounded and desertions, was estimated at two thousand five hundred. The American land forces were commanded by General Alex. Macomb. Soon after the declaration of war, measures were taken to secure an ascendency on Lake Ontario, where the American force consisted of only a single vessel. This disposition at the principal port (Sacket's Harbour) |