Chauncey continued his blockade until the 17th of September, when, the wind blowing heavy from the westward, and the enemy having run into Kingston, he left his station for Sackett's Harbour, where he arrived the same night. Next morning at day-light he again sailed, and on the 19th saw the enemy's fleet near the False Ducks, but took no notice of him, as he wished him to follow up the lake. The squadron arrived in Niagara river on the 24th.

12. On the 26th, it was reported to Chauncey that the enemy's fleet was in York, when he immediately despatched the Lady of the Lake to ascertain the fact. She returned in the evening with the information that the enemy was in York bay. The squadron immediately weighed anchor, but, owing to a strong head wind, was not able to get out of the river till the evening of the 27th. Owing to the extreme darkness of the night a part of the squadron got separated, and did not join till next morning at eight, when the General Pike, Madison, and Sylph each took a schooner in tow, and made all sail for York, and soon after discovering the enemy's fleet under way in York bay, the squadron shaped their course for them, and prepared for action.

Yeo, perceiving that Chauncey intended to engage him in his position, tacked and stood out of the bay, with the wind at east. Chauncey formed the line and ran down for his centre, and when he approached within about three miles of him, Yeo made all sail to the southward. Chauncey's squadron then wore in succession, and stood on the same tack with him, edging down gradually in order to close; and about twelve o'clock, Yeo, finding he must either risk an action, or suffer his two rear vessels to be cut off, tacked his squadron in succession, beginning at the van, hoisted his colours, and commenced a well-directed fire at the Pike, for the purpose of covering his rear, and attacking the rear of his opponent as he passed to leeward. Chauncey perceived his intention, and therefore, as soon as the Wolfe, the enemy's leading ship, passed the centre, and got abeam of the American squadron, he bore up in succession, preserving the line, for the centre of the British squadron. This manœuvre of Chauncey's not only covered his rear, but threw the enemy into confusion, and caused him immediately to bear away. Chauncey had now, however, closed so near as to bring his guns to bear with effect, and in twenty minutes the main and mizen topmast and main yard of the Wolfe were shot away. Yeo immediately put before the wind, and set all sail upon his fore-mast; Chauncey made the signal for the fleet to make all sail; but the enemy, by keeping dead before the wind, which brought all

the sail upon one mast, and prevented his feeling the loss of his main and mizen topmast, was enabled to outsail most of Chauncey's squadron. The chase was continued till near three o'clock, during the whole of which the Pike, with the Asp in tow, was within point-blank shot of the enemy, and sustained the whole of his fire. Captain Crane in the Madison, and lieutenant Brown in the Oneida, used every exertion to close with the enemy; but the Madison having a heavy schooner in tow, and the Oneida sailing very dull before the wind, prevented those officers from closing near enough to do any execution with their carronades. The Governor Tompkins kept in her station, until her fore-mast was so badly wounded as to oblige her to shorten sail.

Commodore Chauncey now reluctantly relinquished the pursuit. The reasons which induced this determination are thus stated in his letter to the secretary of the navy: "At the time I gave up the chase, this ship was making so much water, that it required all our pumps to keep her free (owing to our receiving several shot so much below the water edge, that we could not plug the holes from the outside); the Governor Tompkins with her fore-mast gone; and the squadron within about six miles of the head of the lake, it blowing a gale of wind from east, and increasing, with a heavy sea on, and every appearance of the equinox. I considered that if I chased the enemy to his anchorage at the head of the lake, I should be obliged to anchor also; and although we might succeed in driving him on shore, the probability was, that we should go on shore also-he amongst his friends, we amongst our enemies; and after the gale abated, if he could succeed in getting off one or two vessels out of the two fleets, it would give him as completely the command of the lake as if he had twenty vessels. Moreover, he was covered at his anchorage by a part of his army, and several small batteries thrown up for the purpose. Therefore, if we could have rode out the gale, we should have been cut up by their shot from the shore under all these circumstances, and taking into view the consequences resulting from the loss of our superiority on the lakes at this time, I without hesitation relinquished the opportunity then presenting itself, of acquiring individual reputation at the expense of my country."

The loss sustained by the Pike, the commodore's ship, was considerable, owing to her being so long exposed to the fire of the whole of the enemy's fleet; but her most serious loss was occasioned by the bursting of one of her guns, which killed and wounded twenty-two men, and tore up the top-gallant fore-castle, which rendered the gun upon that deck useless. Four other

guns were cracked in the muzzle, which rendered their use extremely doubtful. Her main-top-gallant-mast was shot away in the early part of the action, and the bow-sprit, fore and mainmast wounded, rigging and sails much cut up, and a number of shot in her hull, several of which were between wind and water, and twenty-seven men killed and wounded, including those by the bursting of the gun. The Madison received a few shot, but no person was hurt on board. The Governor Tompkins lost her fore-mast, and the Oneida had her main-top-mast badly wounded.

During the chase, one or two of the enemy's small vessels were completely within Chauncey's power, but in the eagerness of his pursuit of the larger, he passed them unnoticed, by which means they finally escaped.

Meanwhile general Wilkinson had arrived at Fort George, in order to take the command of the army. About the same time the secretary at war arrived at Sackett's Harbour, in order to be more conveniently situated for superintending military operations.

The wind still continuing unfavourable for an attack on the British squadron at the head of the lake, Chauncey ran off Niagara for the purpose of communicating with Wilkinson, to ascertain when he meant to move with the army to Sackett's Harbour. It was the general's opinion, that the public service would be best promoted by his watching the enemy's squadron, or, if possible, preventing its return to Kingston, while he moved with the army down the lake. Chauncey, therefore, having taken part of the troops on board his squadron, the remainder proceeding in boats to Sackett's Harbour, immediately proceeded in quest of the enemy. The following morning, October 2d, he discovered the British squadron standing towards him, and made all sail in chase; but as soon as the fleets approached so near as plainly to discern each other, Yeo put about, and stood towards the head of the lake. The chase continued until the 4th, little progress being made against the current, from the lightness or variableness of the wind, the British, however, evidently gaining ground of the American squadron. The morning of the 4th proving hazy, nothing could be seen of the enemy, and about noon it fell calm, when Chauncey ordered the Lady of the Lake to sweep up to Burlington bay, which was not far distant, to ascertain whether or not the squadron was there. In the evening she returned with information that the fleet was gone, there being nothing in the bay but two gun-boats.

13. It was now evident that Yeo, availing himself of the darkness of the preceding night, had either run for Kingston, or down the lake for the purpose of intercepting the flotilla with the army. Chauncey, therefore, immediately made all sail, and shaped his course for the Ducks, with a view of intercepting him, or his prizes, if he should have made any. The wind blowing a strong gale from the northward and westward, the fleer made a great run, and at three in the afternoon of the 5th, discovered seven sail near the False Ducks, to which, presuming they were the enemy's fleet, they instantly gave chase. In about an hour, however, they were discovered to be sloops and schooners, and were perceived to be separating on different tacks, on which the Sylph and the Lady of the Lake were dispatched after one part, and Chauncey in the Pike pursued the others. About five o'clock the enemy, finding that the Pike was fast gaining on him, took the people out of one of his gun vesvels which sailed worse than the rest, and set her on fire. This, however, availed them but little, for, at sun-down, three of their vessels were forced to strike to the Pike, and soon after the Sylph captured another. A fifth ran into the Ducks, but the Sylph, which was left to watch her, took possession of her early next morning. A small schooner was the only vessel that escaped, owing to the darkness of the night.

The captured vessels were found to be gun-vessels, with troops from the head of the lake, but last from York, bound to Kingston. Two of them were the Julia and Growler, which Chauncey had lost in the action of the 9th of August. The prisoners taken amounted to nearly 300, principally belonging to the De Watteville, a German regiment. From them it was learnt that the British fleet, in the action of the 28th of September,at the head of the lake, was very much cut up in their hulls and spars, and had a great many killed and wounded, particularly o. board of the Wolfe and Royal George.

CHAPTER VIII.

§ 1. Movements on lake Champlain. § 2. General Hampton invades Canada. § 3. Wilkinson moves down the St. Lawrence. § 4. Battle of Williamsburgh. § 5. Hampton declines a junction. § 6. The army moves into winter-quarters. §7. Evacuation of Fort George. Så Fort Niagara taken by storm. §9. The Niagara frontier laid waste.

1. In addition to the army in Ohio, and that on the Niagara frontier, a considerable body of troops was collected in the summer of 1812, upon lake Champlain; a number of vessels also were built to gain the command of those waters. In the campaign of that year, however, no important movement was made in this quarter. Towards the end of May, 1813, several of the British gun-boats having crossed the lines, for the purpose of capturing the craft upon the lake, two of the American armed sloops, the Eagle and Growler, sailed from Plattsburg on the 2d of June for their protection. They arrived within about a mile of the lines about dark, where they cast anchor for the night. Next morning, about day-break, they discovered three British gun-boats, to which they gave chase, but the wind being south, they unfortunately ran so far into the narrow channel that they found it difficult to return, and the Eagle, not being sufficiently strong for her weight of metal, became unmanageable, and at last went down; the water, however, being shoal, the crew were saved. The Growler, unwilling to abandon her companion, continued to fight until after the Eagle sunk, when she was compelled to strike to superior force. The enemynad five gun-boats in the action, besides a considerable force in rusquetry on both sides of the channel, which was so narow as to place the sloops within their reach from both shores. An official account of this affair has not been published, butt is stated, on the authority of the enemy, that they had two kied, the Americans only one, but a considerable number of the liter were wounded. The British afterwards succeeded in raing the Eagle.

The loss of the sloops giving the British the superioriton the lake, on the 30th of July a considerable force crossed he lines in forty-four barges, protected by the Growler and Ede, three row-gallies, and a gun-boat, under the command of conel Murray. The following day they appeared off Plattsbg,