by an intrenchment and breast-work, and defeated their assailants with a loss of sixty-five killed and wounded, and only eight casualties on their own side. Nevertheless, feeling satisfied that they owed their safety solely to the strength of their position, they decamped after the action as speedily as possible.

Two disastrous campaigns had not sufficed to cool the ardour of the American Democracy for war; and with the first days of opening spring, their generals began to develop their plans for another attempt at the conquest of the Canadas. Great preparations were made to retrieve their disasters of the preceding years: their troops were better drilled, and better officered. Among the American general officers Scott now appeared for the first time, having been raised to the rank of brigadier.

The first movements of the campaign commenced in the neighbourhood of Lower Canada. Wilkinson had descended from Salmon River to Plattsburg, and anxious to strike an important blow as early in the season as possible, crossed the Canadian frontier on the 22d of March, and took possession of the village of Phillipsburg, just within the lines, on the eastern side of Lake Champlain. From this place he proceeded to the western side of the lake, on the 26th, with the view of attacking a small British force stationed at La Colle Mill, about ten miles distant from Rouse's Point. His army consisted of over five thousand regular infantry, with one hundred cavalry, and eleven guns.*

The mill about to be carried, as Wilkinson supposed by the large force under his command, was an ordinary quadrangle, fifty feet long by thirty-six wide, and two stories high, with a common shingle roof. The walls, eighteen inches thick, were pierced by several windows, now filled up with logs, in which loop-holes to fire through had been cut. On the opposite bank of the La Colle River, crossed at this point by a wooden bridge, was a small house at an angle with the mill, which had been surrounded with a breast-work of logs. For a distance of one hundred yards or so around this position, which was far from being a strong one, the woods had been cleared. The ordinary garrison of La Colle Mill was under two hundred men, commanded by Major Handcock, while the few troops hastily drawn together to support it, on the advance of the enemy becoming known, did not exceed three hundred more. The latter consisted

* In the council of war held on the 20th of March, Wilkinson stated his force to be three thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine combatants. This force was joined next day by Brigadier Macomb with his brigade, which made the entire force fully up to five thousand men.

of the two flank companies of the 13th regiment, a company of Canadian Fencibles, and another of Voltigeurs. With this slender force of less than five hundred men, did Handcock resolve to hold a post, which a few hours' fire of well-directed artillery would have levelled to the ground, against a well-appointed army.

At one o'clock P.M., on the 30th of March, Wilkinson, after having made a demonstration against the outpost at Burtonville, occupied the woods close to La Colle Mill with his entire force, which he deployed into line with the view of surrounding the British position, and carrying it with the bayonet. His troops cheered loudly as they advanced; but the well-aimed and rapid fire with which they were received, soon compelled them to waver, and retreat back into the wood for shelter. Three guns (an eighteen, twelve, and six-pounder) were now brought to bear upon the mill, within point-blank range. But these guns were badly served, and did little injury, while the artillerymen suffered severely from the British musketry, and the fire of their two guns. The enemy was also held in check on the side of the Richelieu by the fire of two sloops and two gun-boats, which had advanced towards the scene of action from Isle-aux-Noix; but these had to remain too far away to do much service. Desperate as were the odds, the flank companies of the 13th regiment, and the Canadian Voltigeurs and Fencibles, made two gallant charges, in turn, to capture the enemy's guns, but were repulsed by the sheer force of numbers, the fire of his artillery, as well as of two brigades of infantry, being directed against them.* For full four hours did these few hundred gallant men withstand an army. As evening approached their ammunition began to run short. Still they did not quail. Not a man spoke of surrender; and the daring front they had shown during the day deterred the enemy from assaulting their position with the bayonet. At six o'clock Wilkinson retreated from the Canadian grist-mill, completely foiled and beaten, and retraced his steps to Plattsburg. His repulse was infinitely more disgraceful than that sustained by Abercromby before the lines of Montcalm at Ticonderoga. There the British bravely endeavoured to storm: the American army made no attempt of the kind.†

In the defence of La Colle Mill the British loss was eleven killed, forty-six wounded, and four missing. The American loss has never been stated, but it must have been much greater.

The check sustained by Wilkinson led the American Government

Colonel M'Pherson's evidence at Wilkinson's court-martial.

+ Williams's Despatch to Prevost, 13th March 1814. Handcock to Williams.

to abandon the idea of subduing Lower Canada for the present, and after leaving garrisons in the principal posts on Lake Champlain, his army was moved to the neighbourhood of Lake Ontario, to operate against the upper province. Here the campaign was opened, under the most favourable auspices for Canada, by Coinmodore Yeo and General Drummond. On the 4th of May the British squadron, which by the construction of two new ships had obtained the ascendancy on the lake, with one thousand and eighty troops on board, left Kingston for Oswego, where a landing was effected on the morning of the 6th, after a smart action with the enemy, who was completely put to flight. The troops then proceeded to destroy all stores which could not be carried off, dismantle the fort, and burn the barracks and bridges.* Seven heavy guns, two of smaller calibre, a quantity of shot and gunpowder, two schooners and several small craft, and nineteen hundred barrels of flour and salt, were brought away.t The British loss, on this occasion, amounted to one officer and eighteen men killed, two officers and sixty men wounded; the Americans admit a loss of sixty-nine killed and wounded, and sixty prisoners.

The next operation of Commodore Yeo's fleet was to blockade Chauncey in Sackett's Harbour, and intercept the supplies forwarded there from Oswego. On the morning of the 29th of May sixteen boats of the enemy, laden with military and naval stores, were discovered in-shore. One of these was captured, and the remainder took refuge in Sandy Creek, whither Yeo despatched Captains Popham and Spilsbury, with two gun-boats and five barges, to cut them out. They entered the creek on the 31st, but were speedily attacked in flank and front by a strong body of the enemy's riflemen, militia, cavalry, and two hundred Iroquois, and overpowered after a desperate defence. Their resistance so irritated the Indians, that they were with difficulty withheld from massacring the entire party on its surrender. The British loss on this occasion was eighteen killed, fifty wounded, and one hundred and thirty-eight prisoners.

While these events transpired at the lower end of Lake Ontario, the American forces were being concentrated along the Niagara frontier for another invasion of that part of Canada. Their want of success hitherto by land had taught the Americans experience, and great exertions were made to have their troops better drilled and better officered than ever. Major-General Brown, who now commanded, was an officer of much greater resolution and ability than * Drummond's Despatch to Prevost, 7th May 1814. † Yeo's Letter to Mr Croker.

any of those who had preceded him, and the brigadiers under him were of the same stamp. The Americans had seen by this time that their invasion of Canada was a hopeless task; still they persevered in endeavouring to force their yoke on an unwilling people; yet evidently more from a desire to restore their tarnished military reputation, than the lust of conquest. But the close of the war in Europe, by the abdication of Napoleon and his banishment to Elba, left the British at liberty to give effectual assistance to the Canadian people; and there was now much more likelihood of the United States being invaded and assailed in all their borders, than that their armies should retain possession of one acre of these provinces. The unsatisfactory prospect now before them, as well as the long continuance of a profitless and disastrous war, gave renewed strength to the American peace party. The heavy taxes imposed to defray the largely-increased public expenditure, and the almost total stoppage of commerce of every kind, added greatly to the popular discontent. Even in the preceding year, the stern pressure of adversity 1813.

had already begun to teach the American Democracy wis

dom; and their murmurs compelled their Government to recede, in some measure, from its position of inveterate hostility towards Great Britain and the Canadas. In the month of March a message from the President to Congress recommended the repeal of the Non-importation Act. The American House of Representatives, high as their hopes of conquest had been, now saw fit to lower their tone of defiance, and adopting the pacific suggestions of Madison, repealed the Embargo as well as the Non-importation Act. Sanguine hopes were thus awakened throughout the Union that hostilities would speedily be terminated. But the American people were soon undeceived on this head. They had endeavoured to grasp Canada, when almost wholly unprotected by regular troops, and as they supposed entirely at their mercy, but had been repelled, principally by its gallant militia. They had striven to drive Great Britain from her last foothold in their neighbourhood, and the attempt had only produced defeat and disgrace; the hour of punishment had now arrived. Never did an unrighteous invasion bring its curse more surely or than that which the unbridled Democracy of the directed against the inhabitants of these provinces. of April Great Britain replied to the pacific overtures of Congress by declaring the whole American sea-board in a state of blockade. This declaration added largely to the existing discontent, and it appeared for a time as if the New England States would secede from the Union. The direct taxes had advanced fifty per cent.,

swiftly with it, United States On the 25th

various new imposts had been added, and so low had the credit of the country fallen, that Government could not negotiate a loan, and was compelled to issue treasury bills, to supply the want of a - circulating medium.

Under these circumstances it might naturally be supposed, that if the American Democracy possessed that large portion of

1814. humanity and forbearance they lay claim to, they would

*

leave the people of Canada to carry out in peace whatever mode of government they deemed proper; and the more especially as they now saw clearly they could gain no advantage from further hostilities. But, although war promised only bloodshed and ruin, they determined to persevere in their projects of invasion. Accordingly, on the 3d of July, two strong brigades, under Brigadiers Scott and Ripley, crossed the Niagara River from Buffalo to Fort Erie. Here a small garrison of one hundred and seventy men had been left, more with a view of giving a temporary check to the enemy, and allowing time for troops to concentrate for the protection of the frontier at any menaced point, than for the purpose of a protracted resistance.

Unfortunately Major Buck, of the 8th regiment, who now commanded at Fort Erie, did not sufficiently weigh the importance of his post, and surrendered without firing a shot, thinking it would be only a useless loss of life to oppose the large army, fully four thousand strong, besides Indians, which had advanced against him. To resist this formidable invasion, made too by almost all regular troops, there were only seventeen hundred and eighty British regulars along the entire Niagara frontier, including the garrisons at the different forts. But Major-General Riall, now commanding at this point, determined nevertheless to check the advance of the enemy; who, on the morning of the 4th, led by General Brown, pushed down the river towards Chippewa, with the view of capturing that village, which formed the extreme right of the British position extending downwards to Niagara. During the day, however, Brown made no attempt to carry this post, and contented himself with solidly establishing his troops a short distance above it.

On the morning of the 5th, Riall, having been reinforced by the 3d Buffs, six hundred strong, from Toronto, determined to become the

The American troops had not yet wearied of burning the barns and destroying the homesteads of the people they desired to free. On the 13th of May Colonel Campbell, with five hundred infantry, crossed from Erie to Port Dover in Canada, and burned down the entire village. The inhabitants did not make the slightest hostile demonstration of any kind.