The Americans were there solely for the purposes of conquest and aggrandisement; and their invasion was accordingly of that odious stamp, as to make it only a subject of regret that the whole column was not blown up. In any case Sheaffe had nothing to do with it, and with Marshall solely rested the responsibility.*

It now became evident that the few British troops and militia would not be able to resist an enemy so vastly their superior in numbers and artillery. The garrison was accordingly withdrawn. towards the town, the powder magazine blown up, and a ship on the stocks as well as the naval stores destroyed. These operations completed, General Sheaffe retired towards Kingston with his few regular troops, leaving Lieutenant-Colonel Chewett of the militia to treat with the enemy, who now gained possession of the town after an obstinate contest with a force scarcely one-third his number, not taking his navy into consideration, of seven hours' duration. Sheaffe, however, suffered much in the public estimation, on account of his failure in defending Toronto, and was shortly afterwards superseded in the chief command of Upper Canada by Major-General De Rottenberg. On his return to the Lower Province, he was appointed to command the troops in the district of Montreal.†

The British loss in the action was severe, one hundred and thirty having been killed and wounded; that of the Americans was much more serious, and swelled up to nearly three hundred and fifty. The militia, to the number of two hundred and ninety-three, surrendered as prisoners of war. The regular troops, as we have already seen, effected an orderly retreat, and it is a matter of surprise that Sheaffe did not also take the militia with him, in which case the Americans would have had no prisoners to boast of. As it was, they got possession of the militia muster rolls, and endeavoured to swell up the list of captives by including all the men enumerated, but the greater part of whom were absent.

Having succeeded in his attack on Toronto, and destroyed such public stores as he could not carry off, the enemy re-embarked on the 2d of May and sailed for Niagara, the capture of Fort George being the next part of his plan. Having landed the troops in a favourable position in the neighbourhood, Chauncey returned to Sackett's Harbour for reinforcements. These were speedily brought up, and by the 25th his fleet, with the exception of two vessels left cruising near Kingston, were again assembled off Niagara. For the defence of Fort George, now so seriously menaced by a large fleet + Auchinleck's War of 1812, p. 152.

+ Sheaffe's Despatch to General Prevost, Kingston, 5th May 1813.

and army, General Vincent, commanding on the Niagara frontier, had scarcely fourteen hundred men. But what was still worse, the works of Fort George were not by any means strong; the guns were of smaller calibre than they should be, and the supply of powder wholly insufficient, owing to the enemy having complete command of the lake, and the great difficulty of transporting stores by land.

On the 26th, Fort Niagara, on the American bank of the river, opened a heavy cannonade, by which Fort George was considerably injured. Next morning this cannonade was resumed, and being supported by several vessels of the fleet, the heavy cross fire soon rendered the fort untenable. Chauncey posted the remainder of his vessels in advantageous positions, to cover the landing of the American troops, and swept the beach with a shower of shot and shell. Still, the British gallantly held their ground, and repulsed three attempts of the enemy to land. But Vincent, after a severe struggle of three hours' duration, finding it useless longer to oppose a force ten times his own in point of numbers, and supported by a powerful fleet, directed the guns to be spiked, the magazine blown up, and retreated in excellent order towards Queenston, leaving the Americans to take possession of the ruins of Fort George and a few damaged houses.* On the following day, having withdrawn the garrison from Fort Erie and all the posts downwards, Vincent, whose force was thus increased to sixteen hundred men, continued his retreat to Forty Mile Creek, on the road to Hamilton. The British loss during the recent action was fifty-two killed and three hundred wounded and taken prisoners. The loss of the enemy was thirty-nine killed and one hundred and eleven wounded.+

Meanwhile, Harrison, notwithstanding the annihilation of Winchester's Brigade, still persevered in his determination to drive the British across the Detroit River and recover Michigan. With this view he established himself, in the first days of spring, at the foot of the rapids of the Miami, where he constructed a block-house and other works to form a safe depot for his stores, as well as a base for offensive operations when his reinforcements came up. Proctor's plan was to beat the enemy in detail, and he now resolved to attack Harrison while his force was yet comparatively weak. Collecting five hundred and twenty regulars, four hundred and sixty militia, and fifteen hundred Indians, with a few pieces of artillery, he accordingly proceeded on the 23d of April to assail the enemy. As

Vincent's Despatch to General Prevost, 28th May 1813. Alison's Hist Europe, New York, vol. iv. p. 465.

+ Christie, vol. ii. pp. 75, 76.

usual, at this season of the year, the roads were very heavy, and presented a serious obstacle to the passage of cannon. By the 1st of May, however, Fort Meigs was invested and a heavy fire opened on the works, which sustained very little damage, owing to the small calibre of the besiegers' guns. On the morning of the 5th, two American regiments, twelve hundred strong, under Brigadier Clay, having come up, the besieged made a vigorous sally, carried the British batteries, and pursued the Indians who fell back steadily though rapidly. Proctor's main body being speedily under arms, he succeeded in cutting off the retreat of his assailants by a rapid and judicious movement, and after a sharp action a great part of the enemy were either killed or captured. Upwards of five hundred prisoners were taken on this occasion, several of whom were afterwards massacred by the Indians, who were restrained from further excesses only with the greatest difficulty, and the personal influence of Tecumseh. Several of the British soldiers on guard over the prisoners were wounded in endeavouring to shield them from the fury of the savages; and one old veteran was shot through the heart.

Proctor's victory was most complete. The enemy had lost over seven hundred men in killed, wounded, and prisoners; while the casualties of the British were only fifteen killed and forty-five wounded. But, half his militia left soon after the battle, being unwilling to undergo the fatigues of a siege, and a deputation of chiefs waited upon him to counsel him to return, as their people (as usual after an engagement of consequence) desired to go home, to take care of their wounded, and dispose of their plunder, of which they had taken a large quantity. Thus Proctor had no alternative save to raise the siege and retire, which he did undisturbed, carrying off his guns and stores. Still, the offensive operations of Harrison were completely paralysed for the time; and he had to get fresh reinforcements before he could resume the initiative in the campaign. This victory raised in some measure the spirits of the Canadians, considerably depressed by the capture of Toronto and Fort George, the possession of the Niagara frontier by Dearborn's large army, and the complete command of Lake Ontario obtained by Chauncey's fleet. Matters, however, soon began to assume a better appearance in Central Canada. Sir James Yeo, a naval officer of distinction, arrived at Quebec on the 5th of May, with several officers of the royal navy and four hundred and fifty seamen for the lakes.

Alison's Hist. Europe, New York, vol. iv. p. 465.

† Proctor's Despatches to Governor Prevost, 14th May 1813. Christie, vol. ii. pp. 81, 82. Auchinleck's Hist. of the War of 1812, pp. 142-144.

Captains Barclay, Pring, and Finnis had already come up overland from Halifax, and were busily engaged at Kingston in putting the fleet into a state of preparation to meet the enemy. The GovernorGeneral accompanied Yeo to Kingston, and the public began to look forward to important offensive operations. Nor were they disappointed. The enemy's fleet was still at the head of the lake, and it was now determined to make a dash at Sackett's Harbour, the great depot of the American naval and military stores.

On the 27th of May, the British fleet, consisting of seven armed vessels, mounting altogether one hundred guns, left Kingston with nearly one thousand troops on board led by Sir George Prevost in person, for Sackett's Harbour, where it arrived at noon next day. The troops were immediately placed in flat-bottomed boats, or scows, preparatory to advancing against the enemy, while Prevost proceeded two miles nearer in-shore to reconnoitre. Deeming the works too strong to be captured by his force, he ordered the troops to re-embark, and this being effected the ships wore round and stood for Kingston with a light wind. About forty Indians had accompanied the fleet in their canoes; who, not understanding why the troops were prevented from landing, determined to effect something on their own responsibility. They accordingly rowed towards the land, and their appearance so terrified some seventy dismounted dragoons, that they hoisted a white flag as a signal to the British shipping for protection, and were promptly taken on board.*

Prevost now finding that the Americans were not so formidable after all changed his mind, and determined to attack them on the following day. This indecision and delay were fatal to the objects of the expedition. Had the troops pushed boldly on shore at once, Sackett's Harbour must have been captured, and the immense stores collected there destroyed, which would have effectually crippled the enemy's operations on Lake Ontario. But, during the night the militia collected from all quarters, and a sharp action ensued as the British effected a landing. Led by Adjutant-General Baynes, the latter soon dislodged the Americans with the bayonet, pursued them to their fort and block-houses, and set fire to their barracks. Their militia now scattered in all directions, leaving about four hundred regular troops, under General Brown, to make the best defence they could.† This officer, believing the post untenable, ordered the naval store-houses, hospital, and marine barracks to be

+

* Auchinleck's Hist. of the War of 1812, p. 162.

+ Alison's Hist. Europe, New York, vol. iv. p. 465. Frost's United States, p. 364.

set on fire, and prepared to surrender. Unfortunately, at this crisis the fleet had not yet come up; there were, therefore, no guns to batter the block-houses, and Prevost, deeming the dust raised by the runaway militia to be caused by a column advancing to aid the enemy, directed a retreat. This was immediately effected, to the great regret and mortification of the British troops, while not an American soldier dared to show himself. Still, the enemy suffered severe loss; and all the plunder taken at Toronto was consumed in the burned buildings. A frigate on the stocks had also been set fire to; but on discovering the retreat of their assailants, the Americans returned and extinguished the flames.*

In this action the British lost one officer and forty-seven men killed, and twelve officers and nearly two hundred men wounded and missing; the loss of the enemy was also heavy. But, severely as they suffered, our troops had won a complete victory, and little further loss, if indeed any, would have been entailed in capturing the entire position, and destroying all the enemy's stores.† public were severely disappointed, and Prevost's military reputation suffered a shock from which it never recovered.‡

The capture of Toronto and Fort George, and the retreat of General Vincent towards the head of Lake Ontario, had enabled Dearborn to establish himself in a solid manner on the Niagara frontier. But these successes effected little, after all, towards the complete subjugation of Western Canada. Vincent, with a small yet highly efficient force, occupied a good position on Burlington Heights, and was a formidable foe, although almost destitute of resources, and with only ninety rounds of ammunition per man. Had Dearborn despatched a force in vigorous pursuit of Vincent on his retreat from Fort George, he might have seriously embarrassed and perhaps defeated him. But his efforts in this respect were languid in the extreme, and the month of June had already set in before he endeavoured to retrieve his error. He now despatched two brigades of infantry, three thousand strong, and two hundred and fifty cavalry, with nine field-pieces, to dislodge the British from their position.

On the 5th of June Vincent first received intelligence of the approach of this formidable force, by the retreat of his advanced pickets from Stoney Creek, where the Americans formed their camp for the night. The condition of the British General was now ex

Christie, vol. ii. pp. 79, 80.

+ Baynes's Report to General Prevost.

Christie, vol. ii. p. 81.