382

LOSS OF THE BRITISH.

flight was discovered The light troops, volunteers, and militia pursued immediately; and some of the mounted men made prisoners of a few of the rear guard. A continual fall of rain and a violent storm, prevented further pursuit. Upwards of three hundred deserters came in.*

The sick and wounded of the enemy were left behind; and great quantities of provisions, and the munitions of war, were concealed or destroyed. Their killed and wounded amounted, according to their official report, to only two hundred and fifty. Their whole loss, however, including deserters, from their first appearance at Plattsburg, was supposed by Genera Macomb to be about twenty-five hundred. That of the Americans was only ninety-nine. Thus gloriously for the interest and honour of the republic, did this invasion of its territory terminate. It was the last expedition undertaken on this frontier during the war, and served to gild with great, and it may be said unusual splendour its final operations.

URING the first years of the war, the British affected to conciliate the New England states, by exempting their harbours from blockade, by refraining from the predatory incursions with which they kept the southern coasts in a continual

alarm, and, in one case, even proclaiming that a system of perfect neutrality was to be observed towards them by the sea and land forces of Great Britain. A different system was adopted this summer. The whole of the coast of the United states from its southern to its most eastern boundary, was declared to be in a state of blockade, and a force was stationed along the same for the purpose of maintaining it.

This step was soon afterwards followed by another, still

384

CAPTURE OF EASTPORT.

more plainly at variance with the previous declaration and conduct of the British government. Shortly after the declaration of war, the Governor of Nova Scotia issued a proclamation directing the inhabitants of that province to abstain from any acts of warfare against those residing on the boundary line of the United States, permitting them to continue their coasting trade, and ordering, in particular, that respect should be paid to the persons and property of the inhabitants of Eastport. This town, which is situated on Moose Island, in the bay of Passamaquoddy, had been held by the United States since the war of independence, although never definitively allotted to them. The island was claimed by both parties; and, after two years of neutrality, the British government determined to take possession of it. Accordingly, on the 11th of July Sir Thomas Hardy landed a powerful force, and, having occupied Eastport, declared all the country on the eastern shore of the bay to belong to his Britannic majesty, and required the inhabitants to take an oath of allegiance to his government. With this order the greater part of the people complied; and the island remained in the possession of the British troops until the conclusion of the war.

From this place the British admiral soon after sailed for the coast of Connecticut, with a part of his squadron. On the 9th of August, he appeared before the village of Stonington, in that state, with a ship of seventy-four guns, a frigate, a bomb-ship, and two gun-brigs, and immediately summoned the place to surrender.

In the course of the day, a number of flags passed to and from the place; the conditions required were, that the family of Mr. Stewart, late consul at New London, should be immediately sent off to the squadron; that the two guns in the battery should be removed; and that no torpedoes should be fitted from, or suffered to be in the harbour. The terms being sent over to New London to General Cushing, the commanding officer of this district, he replied, that the request for the removal of Mr. Stewart's family would be forwarded to Washington; with the others he would not comply.

BOMBARDMENT OF STONINGTON.

385

In the evening, the British commenced the attack with rockets from one of the brigs; a great number of rockets were thrown, with little or no effect. The brig then hauled up within a short distance of the battery, and kept up a heavy and well directed fire from guns of a very large calibre, which was returned by the two eighteen pounders in the little battery, till their ammunition was expended. During this time the brig had grounded. A supply of ammunition having arrived from New London, the fire from the battery was recommenced, and with such effect, that the brig slipped her cables, and towed off, out of reach of the eighteen pounders, she having previously swung clear of the ground.

On the 10th, a number of flags passed; the commodore still insisting on his former terms. On the following morning, the last flag passed, with Hardy's ultimatum, at eleven o'clock, viz.: that Mrs. Stewart should be put on board by two o'clock P. M. or he would destroy the place. He, however, did not commence till three o'clock, at which time the bombship commenced from two mortars, one a fifteen inch, and the other thirteen. The bombardment continued from this time, till half past eight in the evening, without intermission; the place was several times on fire, and as often put out by the soldiers and inhabitants.

At daylight on the 12th, the attack was re-commenced from the bomb-ship, seventy-four, and frigate, and continued, with little intermission, till half past nine, A. M. when the tide began to ebb, and the ships thought proper to haul off. In the afternoon they set sail, and left the sound by dark.

As Commodore Hardy has never favoured the world with his official account of this valiant and famous affair, we are entirely at a loss to conjecture what could have been his motive. One horse, and one goose constituted the whole list of killed on shore; a lieutenant and three privates of the militia, were slightly wounded by the bursting of a shell, and two men in the battery by a piece going off at half charge. The town was but little damaged, considering the tremendous cannonade and bombardment it sustained: one half of the

386

INVASION OF MAINE.

houses were untouched, and not one entirely demolished, although every ship threw its shot completely over the point. Nearly three hundred shells and fire-carcasses were thrown into the village, making, it was estimated, fifty tons of metal. Three or four tons of shot, carcasses, and bombs were collected by the inhabitants.-After the bombardment, it was learned from good authority, that the British had a number killed, and several badly wounded, by the fire from the two eighteen pounders on shore.*

Elated by the result of recent events in Europe, the British government conceived the design of taking possession of that part of Maine which lies east of the Penobscot, with the view of retaining it at the treaty of peace. Towards the end of August, an expedition sailed from Halifax for this purpose, the land forces being commanded by Governor Sherbrooke, and the vessels by Admiral Griffith. On the 1st of September, the fleet arrived at Castine, of which the troops took possession without opposition, the small garrison stationed there having previously abandoned it. The next day, several of the vessels, with ten barges and about one thousand men, were despatched up the river, for the purpose of capturing the frigate John Adams, commanded by Captain Morris, which had recently entered the Penobscot, after a successful cruise, and lay at Hampdon, about thirty-five miles from Castine. Apprised of the approach of the enemy, Captain Morris had landed her guns, and erected some batteries on the neighbouring heights for her protection. The militia of the vicinity, to the number of about three hundred and fifty, were assembled, and posted on the flanks of the seamen, who were drawn up in front of the village. On the approach of the enemy, the former immediately fled; and the crew of the John Adams being thus left without support, their commander was compelled to order them to retire, which was done in good order: and, the frigate being previously blown up, the whole body effected its retreat. A number of the militia, however, and some cannon, fell into the hands of the enemy, whose loss was

* Historical Register vol. iv.