my threw it into confusion, and caused it to fall back in disorder. The British commander now wheeled part of his line into column, with the view of capturing some pie ces of artillery, which were no longer supported. A body of dragoons, under the Adjutant-General Walbach, attempted, in a very gallant manner, to charge the British column, but from the nature of the ground was not successful.

At this critical moment, Colonel Ripley, who had been engaged with the enemy's left flank, threw his regiment between the artillery and the advancing column, and frus trated their design. The British fell back with precipitation. The regiments which had broken, had not retired from the field, but still continued to keep up an irregular fight with various success; and the twenty-first ha ving by this time expended its ammunition, and being much exposed, was withdrawn to another position, and in the meanwhile the enemy again attempted to possess themselves of the artillery. One piece was unfortunately captured by them, in consequence of the death of Lieu tenant William S. Smith, who commanded it; the others were brought off by the coolness and bravery of Captain Armstrong Irvine. The action soon after ceased, having been kept up for two hours, by little better than raw troops against an equal number of veterans. The British force

consisted of detachments from the forty-ninth, eightyfourth, hundred and fourth, the Voltigeurs, and the Glengary regiment. The enemy soon after retired to their camp, and the Americans to their boats.

In this battle, the loss of the Americans in killed and wounded, amounted to three hundred and thirty-nine, of whom one hundred and two were killed; among these were Lieutenants Smith, Hunter, and Olmstead; among the wounded were General Covington, who afterwards died; Colonel Preston; Majors Chambers, Noon, and Cummings; Captains Townsend, Foster, Myers, Campbell, and Murdock; and Lieutenants Heaton, Williams, Lynch, Pelham, Brown, and Creery. The British loss could not have been less than that of the Americans.

This appears to have been a drawn battle; the British and Americans both leaving the ground. On the 11th,

the army joined the advance near Barnhart. The commander in chief received information from General Hampton, which put an end to the design against Montreal.

On the sixth, a few days before the battle of Chrystler's field, the commander in chief had given orders to General Hampton to meet him at St. Regis; but soon after this order, a letter was received from General Hampton, in which, after stating that from the disclosure of the state of General Wilkinson's supply of provisions, and the situation of the roads to St. Regis, which rendered it impossible to transport a greater quantity than could be carried by a man on his back, he had determined to open a communication from Plattsburgh to Conewago, or by any other point on the St. Lawrence, which the commander in chief might indicate.

General Hampton, some time before this, with a view to a further movement of troops, had descended the Chateaugay river, about the same time that the army was concentrated on Lake Ontario. Sir George Prevost, perceiving this movement towards Montreal, had collected all his force at this point to oppose the march of Hampton. On the twenty-first of October, this officer crossed the line, but soon found his road obstructed by fallen timber, and the ambuscade of the enemy's militia and Indians. A wood of considerable extent would have to be passed, before they could reach the open country; and while the engineers were engaged in cutting their way through, Colonel Purdy was detached with the light troops, and one regiment of the line, to turn their flank, and then seize on the open country below. In this he succeeded, and the army by the next day reached the position of the advance.

But it was discovered, that about seven miles further there was a wood which had been felled, and formed into an abattis, and that a succession of breastworks, some of them well supplied with artillery, had been formed by the main body of the enemy. Colonel Purdy, on the 25th, was ordered to march down the river on the opposite side, and, on passing the enemy, to cross over, and attack him in his rear, whilst the brigade under General Izard would attack him in front. Colonel Purdy had not march

ed far when his orders were countermanded; but, on his return, he was attacked by the enemy's infantry and Indians, and at first thrown into confusion, but the assailants were soon after repulsed; they came out at the same moment in front, and attacked General Izard, but were compelled to retire behind their defences.

General Hampton, finding that the enemy was gaining strength, determined to retreat. A council of officers was called by the commander in chief, and the army retired to winter quarters at French Mills.

Thus determined a campaign which gave rise to dissatisfaction, proportioned to the high expectations which had been indulged; this unexpected turn of affairs appeared to cast a shade upon all the brilliant series of success which had preceded. Opinion was much divided as to the causes of the failure, and as to the parties who ought to bear the blame.

While these things were taking place on the land, the commander of our squadron on the lake was not idle. Commodore Chauncey, it has been seen, after his first attempt to bring the enemy to action, returned to Sackett's Harbour, for the purpose of obtaining a fresh supply of provisions. After being reinforced by a new schooner, he again sailed on a cruise; and, on the seventh of September, discovered the British squadron near the Niagara, and immediately stood for it. Sir James, on perceiving the Americans, made sail to the northward, and was pursued during four days and nights; but owing to the dull sailing of a greater part of the pursuers, he was enabled to keep out of their reach.

On the fourth day, off Genessee River, Commodore Chauncey, having a breeze, while Sir James lay becalmed, endeavoured to close with him; this he was not able to accomplish, the enemy taking the breeze also, when the American squadron had approached within half a mile. After a running fight of more than three hours, the British escaped, but the next morning ran into Amherst Bay, whither the American commodore, for want of a pilot, did not think it prudent to follow, but contented himself with forming a blockade. In the running fight the Bri tish sustained considerable injury; that of the Americans

was very trifling. The blockade was continued until the seventeenth of September, when, in consequence of a heavy gale which blew from the westward, the commodore was compelled to leave his station, and the British escaped into Kingston.

After remaining but a short time in Sackett's Harbour, Commodore Chauncey again sailed towards Niagara, where he arrived on the 24th, having passed Sir James at the False Ducks, without noticing him, intending to draw him into the lake. A few days after, the American commodore received information, that the enemy was in the harbour of York; he, therefore, made sail to that place, as fast as his dull sailing schooners would permit ; and, on the twenty-seventh, early in the morning, discovered the enemy in motion in the bay, and immediately stood for him. This being perceived by Sir James, he stood out, and endeavoured to escape to the southward, but finding that the American was close upon him, tacked his squadron in succession, and commenced a well directed fire at the Pike, in order to cover his rear, and attacking the rear of his opponent as he passed to leeward; this was prevented by the skilful manœuvring of Chauncey, by bearing down in line on the centre of the enemy's squadron, which was thrown into confusion; Yeo immediately bore away, but not before his ship had been roughly handled by that of the commodore. In twenty minutes, the main and mizentopmast, and mainyard of the Wolfe, were shot away; the British commander set sail upon his foremast, and keeping dead before the wind, was enabled to outsail the greater part of Chauncey's squadron. The chase was continued until three o'clock, the Pike having the Asp in tow, and, during the greater part of this time, within reach of the enemy's shot. Captain Crane, in the Madison, and Lieutenant Brown, of the Oneida, used every exertion to close with the enemy, but without success, The chase was at length reluctantly given up, as it came on to blow almost a gale, and there was no hope of closing with the enemy before he could reach the British batteries, and without great risk of running ashore. The commodore was justly entitled to claim a victory in this affair; although the enemy were not captured, they were

certainly beaten; two of his vessels were at one moment completely in the commodore's power; but from his ea gerness to close with the whole fleet, they effected their escape. In addition to the general policy of Sir James Yeo, the late affair on Lake Erie had rendered him particularly careful to avoid an engagement. The loss on board the Pike was considerable, owing to her having been so long exposed to the fire of the enemy's fleet; the most serious, however, was occasioned by the bursting of one of her guns, by which twenty-two men were killed and wounded; the total amounted to twenty-seven. The vessel was a good deal cut up in her hull and rigging.

Shortly after this affair, the commodore having communicated with General Wilkinson on the subject of the expedition then on foot, was advised to continue to watch the enemy's squadron; and, if possible, to prevent its return to Kingston. About the beginning of October, the commodore again chased the enemy's fleet for several days, and forced it to take refuge in Burlington Bay; the next morning, on sending the Lady of the Lake to reconnoitre, it was discovered that Sir James had taken advantage of the darkness of night, and escaped to Kings

ton.

Much pleasantry was indulged at this time, at the shyness of the British knight, and his ungallant escape from the Lady of the Lake. The chase was now renewed, and, favoured by the wind, the commodore came in sight of seven schooners, and captured five of them, in spite of their efforts to escape by separating. Before sundown, three of them struck to the Pike, and another to the Sylph and the Lady of the Lake, and a fifth was afterwards captured by the Sylph. They turned out to be gun vessels, bound to the head of the lake as transports. Two of them were the Julia and Growler, which had been lost by the Americans. On board were three hundred soldiers belonging to the De Watteville regiment. It was ascertained that the ship of Sir James Yeo, and the Royal George, had suffered very considerable injury, as well as loss in killed and wounded. Commodore Chauncey remained master of the lake during the remainder of the season.