ANNALS OF AMERICA CHAPTER I.! § 1. Introduction. §2. Expedition of general Hull. §3. March through the Indian country. S4. Invasion of Canada. 5. Reconnoitering on the Thames. § 6. Attack on the British advanced posts. §7. Fal of Michillimackinac. § 8. Policy of Britain and America towards the Indians. 59. Skirmishing. § 10. American supplies intercepted. § 11. Battle of Maguago. § 12. Canada evacuated. § 13. Detroit summoned. § 14. Surrender of the army. § 15. Massacre at Chicago. 1 DURING the last thirty years the United States has been increasing in population and wealth in a ratio unparalleled in histry. Within that period, its numbers have been more than coublel, while its forests have been rapidly changing into cultivated fieds, and flourishing towns and villages rising, as if by magic, in the midst of the wilderness. These blessings, however, have not been entirely unalloyed. The rapid increase of wealth has ntroduced luxury, with its accompanying evils, and has, especally in the larger cities, considerably sullied our republican simplicity of manners. Our extensive commerce, too, has embriled us with several of the European powers, and finally invdved us in war; while the thirst for speculation which it has exited in almost every class, has undoubtedly had a demoralizing tendency, though not perhaps in the degree attributed to itby some politicians, who have placed solely to that account the want of public spirit and nationality, which has been charged to this country. The present war, whatever other evils it may have introduced, has certainly checked this evil. It has raised the character of the nation in the eyes of foreign powers, and erected an altar of national glory on which all loca prejudices have been sacrificed, and politicians of every party have joined hand in hand to celebrate the triumphs of our country. In commencing this work, we have chosen the declaration of war againt Great Britain as a point from whence to set out. Historical vents in general are so closely connected, that it is difficult to give a clear account of any particular period, without VOL. II. C t extending the view considerably backward. This, however, hardly necessary on the present occasion, as our intention rather to present a digested statement of passing events, than enter into historical discussions of their causes, and as we in tend to publish, by way of introduction, a digest of state paper and of the proceedings of congress, from the establishment o the constitution, which will present an authentic view both o the foreign and domestic transactions of America, up to the present time. A formal declaration of war against Great Britain, was passed by congress on the 18th of June, 1812*, which was proclaimed by the president on the following day. At this time the vhole naval force of the United States amounted only to seven frigates, and a few sloops of war and other smaller vessels. The *This year will form a memorable era in history, as the commencement of two wars, which seem destined to effect an important revolution in the world, to oppose limits to powers hitherto deemed invincible, and which threatened to reduce Christendom into two mighty empires. France and England have waged a war nearly without intermisson for twenty years, during which the former has been gradually enlarging its power by land, and the latter by sea, until at length the whole continent of Europe seemed to be prostrate at the foot of the one, while the boast of he otler, that the ocean was her domain, and that not a sail but by permission pread, seemed true, almost without a hyperbole. Though possessing boundless power on one element, howeve, both nations have been comparatively harmless on the other, and therefore either has been able to make any serious impression on its adversary. In this tate of things it would seem as if, inflated with the pride of power, and unale to vent their fury on each other, they had with one consent laid down the usual modes of warfare, and entered on a contest of rapacity and injustice oward all other powers. Decrees and orders have followed in rapid successin, and friendly neutrals have been oppressed and plundered without mercy. While both parties have thus pursued the same track, eachhas lavished the most opprobrious epithets on the conduct of the other, Te most plausible pretexts, however, have not been wanting for their own justifiation. The oppressor of the continent is fighting for the liberty of the seas, and the glorious object of the conflagrator of Copenhagen, and the tyrant of he ocean, is the emancipation of Europe from the chains of its despot. It is with the utmost regret that both have been forced, through just and necessary retaliation, in a war waged, not for their individual glory, nor through the list of power, but for the liberties of the world, to depart from the rules of civilied warfare and to plunder indiscriminately friends and foes. It is certainly a remarkable coincidence, that the Russian and Americar wars should have broken out within a few days of each other, and that nearly at the same moment Bonaparte should be threatening to plant his victorious eagles on the walls of St. Petersburgh, and Great Britain boasting that she would sweep every American cock-boat from the ocean, little suspecting that, in a ew short months, the invincible legions of France would be nearly annihilated by a herd of "barbarous Cossacs," and the British ensign be repeatedly strick to the "fir-built" frigates of a despicable foe.-It is sincerely to be hope that both nations, and the world in general, will profit by the important Issons of this eventful year. § 3. Next morning, however, their course was altered by the appearance of the British frigate Belvidera, to which they immediately gave chase. The pursuit continued from six in the morning until past four in the afternoon, when the commodore's ship, the President, having got within gun-shot, commenced a fire with the bow chase guns, at the spars and rigging of the Belvidera, in hopes of crippling the one or the other so far as to enable them to get along side. The Belvidera returned the fire of the President with her stern guns, and the firing was kept up without intermission for about ten minutes, when one of the President's chase guns burst, by which unfortunate accident sixteen men were killed and wounded; among the wounded was commodore Rodgers, who had his leg fractured. By the bursting of the gun, and the explosion of the passing box, from which it was served with powder, both the main and forecastle decks were so much shattered as to prevent the use of a chase gun on that side for some time. Orders were therefore given to veer the ship, and a broadside was fired, in the hope of disabling the spars of the enemy. This, however, did not succeed; but considerable damage was done to the rigging and the stern. The utmost exertion was now used on board the President, by wetting the sails, &c. to gain ground of her opponent, but without success. A constant firing was kept up on both sides, the President at times giving broadsides, until about seven o'clock, when the Belvidera, having cut away her anchors, started a number of water casks, and thrown overboard her boats and every thing that could be spared, began to gain ground, and to get out of the reach of the President's shot. The chase, however, was continued with all the sail our squadron could set, until about half past eleven, when it was given up as hopeless. Considerable injury was done to both vessels in this action. One of the first shots fired by the President killed one man and wounded six; the captain was severely wounded in the thigh by the breaking of the breeching of a carronade. On board the President there were three killed and nineteen wounded, the greater part by the bursting of the gun. The squadron now resumed their course in pursuit of the convoy from Jamaica, but did not receive further intelligence of it until the 29th of June, when an American schooner was spoken on the western edge of the banks of Newfoundland, that had passed them two days before. On the 1st of July they fell in with quantities of cocoa-nut shells, orange peels, &c. which indicated that the convoy were not far distant. On the 9th they captured the British privateer Dolphin, which had passed the convoy the preceding evening. The pursuit was continued, but without success, until the 13th, the squadron being then within eighteen or twenty hours sail of the British channel. From this they steered for the island of Madeira, and thence passing the Azores stood for Newfoundland, and from the latter place by the way of Cape Sable to Boston, where they arrived' on the 31st of August. During a great part of this cruize the weather was such as to obscure every distant object: for several days the fog was so thick as to prevent the vessels of the squadron from seeing each other, even at cable's length asunder; in consequence of which, although they chased every vessel they saw, and brought to every thing they chased, with the exception of four vessels, they made only seven captures and one recapture. The cruize, however, was not barren of benefit to the country, as the knowledge of the squadron's being at sea obliged the enemy to concentrate a considerable portion of his most active force, and thereby prevented his capturing a large amount of American property that would otherwise have fallen a sacrifice. The vessels that escaped were, the Belvidera, another British frigate, by night, and two American privateers. 4. The Constitution frigate, under the command of captain Hull, had received orders to join the squadron, and for that purpose sailed from Annapolis on the 5th of July. On the 17th, off Egg Harbour, four ships, apparently of war, were discovered from the mast-head to the northward, and in shore of the Constitution, and, in the belief that it was the American squadron waiting her arrival, all sail was made in chase of them. At four in the afternoon another ship was seen from the mast-head, to the north-east, standing for the Constitution with all sail set, the wind at this time being very light, which course she continued till sun-set, but was still too far off to distinguish signals. At ten in the evening, being then within six or eight miles of the strange sail, the private signal was made by the Constitution, and kept up nearly an hour; it not being answered, it was concluded that she and the ships in shore were enemy's vessels. Captain Hull immediately laid his vessel in the same course with the others, having determined to lie off till day-light to see what they were. Next morning, about day-light, two frigates were seen from the Constitution, under her lee, one frigate four or five miles, and a line of battle ship, a frigate, a brig, and a schooner ten or twelve miles directly astern, all in chase, and coming up fast, they having a fine breeze, and it being nearly calm where the Constitution was. After sunrise, finding there was but little chance for escape, being then within five miles of three heavy frigates, the Constitution was cleared for action, and two guns were run out at the cabin windows, and two at the ports on the quarter deck. At eight, four of the ships were nearly within gun-shot, some of them having six or eight boats ahead towing, with all their oars and sweeps out. In this perilous situation, a new expedient was determined on, which was the happy means of saving the vessel. Being in only twenty-four fathoms water, boats were sent out ahead with anchors, and the ship warped up to them, by which they soon began to get ahead of the enemy. They, however, adopted the same plan, and all the boats from the furthermost ships were sent to assist those nearest. For two days and nights were they chased by the squadron, sometimes with light winds, at others warping and towing in a calm, seldom much beyond gun-shot distance. On the morning of the 20th only three of the squadron could be seen from the mast-head, the nearest about 12 miles distant, directly astern. Having now a light breeze, all hands were employed in wetting the sails from the royals down, and the enemy was soon left far behind. The Constitution, not being able to find the United States squadron, now bore away for Boston, where she shortly after arrived. $5. On the 2d of September the Constitution again put to sea, and on the 19th a vessel was discovered and chased, which at half-past 3, P. M. was made out to be a frigate. The ship was immediately cleared for action, and the chase, which proved to be the Guerriere, backed her main top-sail, waiting for her to come down. As soon as the Constitution was ready she bore down, with the intention of immediately coming to close action; but, on approaching within gun-shot, the Guerriere gave a broadside, and filled away and wore, giving a broadside on the other tack, but without effect, her shot falling short. Both vessels continued to manœuvre for three quarters of an hour, the Guerriere for the purpose of gaining a raking position, the Constitution for the purpose of closing and avoiding being raked. At last they closed and kept up a heavy fire for sixteen minutes, when the mizen-mast of the Guerriere fell overboard, and brought the ship up in the wind, which enabled the Constitution to take a raking position, and to sweep her enemy's deck by her grape-shot and musquetry. The fire was kept up with equal warmth for fifteen minutes longer, when, by the falling of the Guerriere's main and fore-mast, she became an unmanageable wreck. On seeing this the Constitution ceased firing, but shortly after, perceiving the colours still flying, she took a raking position within pistol shot, when they were immediately hauled down. |