ment, and reported their arrival at Peoria, where they had commenced building a fort. He had been attacked by the Indians the day previous; but the enemy were soon dispersed by a welldirected discharge of musketry, with the aid of a six-pounder from two unfinished block-houses. In this attack none of the men were killed, and only one wounded.-It was evident that the assailants suffered considerably, but to what extent could not be ascertained.

On the 29th the mounted troops arrived at Peoria, and as soon as provisions could be drawn, were marched up the Illinois to the villages at the head of the lake, which was the direction in which the enemy appeared to have retired from Peoria. The villages, being found deserted, were destroyed, and the troops returned to Peoria, where they remained till the garrison was put in a state of defence. Two detachments were then sent in pursuit of the enemy, one of which ascended the Illinois above the mouth of the Vermillion river to the Rapids, and within 17 miles of Chicago, on lake Michigan. The other penetrated the country northwardly to within about 45 miles of Rock river. The latter discovered several encampments, which appeared to have been deserted about the time of the army's arrival at Peoria, but neither of them were able to come up with the enemy.

The mounted troops remained at Peoria from the 2d to the 15th of October, during which time they were actively engaged, together with the United States infantry, in erecting Fort Clarke, which stands at the lower end of the Peoria lake, completely commanding the Illinois river. This fort is one of the strongest in the western country, and highly important to the safety of the Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri territories.

The mounted troops moved from Peoria for the settlements on the 15th, leaving the regulars to garrison the fort. They pursued generally a south course till the 21st, when they arrived at Camp Russell, where the mounted militia were discharged, and the rangers sent across the country to Vincennes on the Wabash, where they safely arrived shortly after.

7. After the capture of Barstler's detachment, the army at Fort George remained inactive, with the exception of a few trifling skirmishes and attacks on out-posts, for the remainder of the summer. Two circumstances are supposed to have caused this inactivity. The first was the constant indisposition of general Dearborn, which prevented him from taking any active part, and which continued till the 15th of July, when he received orders to retire from the command of the army, until his health should be re-established, and until further orders, the command devolving on brigadier-general Boyd. But the

principal cause of the inactivity of this army is presumed to have been, the danger and indeed impracticability of undertaking great military movements before Chauncey had obtained the complete command of Lake Ontario. Before this was achieved the army would always be liable to be surrounded, and to have its supplies cut off, and could not expect to be successful even with a force considerably superior to that of the enemy. The disaster at Detroit had taught a salutary lesson on this subject.

8. Every exertion was accordingly made by commodore Chauncey for the attainment of this important object. After the capture of Fort George, however, commodore sir James Yeo, who commanded the British squadron, having added considerably to his force both of vessels and sailors, obliged Chauncey to remain in port until the new vessel the General Pike could be got ready, which was not completed until the middle of July. Before we enter upon the trial of skill which now ensued between Chauncey and Yeo, it may not be improper to take a view of his previous operations.

Commodore Chauncey arrived at Sackett's Harbour on the 6th of October, 1812, as commander of the United States forces on the lakes, at which time the only American vessel on these waters was the brig Oneida, of 18 guns. He immediately purchased six merchant vessels, schooners, which were fitted out as gun-boats. His whole squadron mounted 40 guns of different calibres, with 450 men, including mariners. The British force on Lake Ontario consisted at this time of the ship Royal George, of 26 guns and 260 men, ship Earl Moira, 18 guns and 200 men, and the schooners Prince Regent, 18 guns and 250 men, Duke of Gloucester, 14 guns and 80 men, Torento, 14 guns and 80 men, Governor Simcoe, 12 guns and 70 men, and Seneca, 4 guns and 40 men, making a grand total of 108 guns and 890 men. Chauncey's squadron, especially the schooners, were poor vessels and dull sailers, but his men were much superior, a great part of the enemy's sailors at this time being Canadians.

$9. On the 8th of November Chauncey sailed in the Oneida with his six schooners, in pursuit of the enemy, and on the same day fell in with the Royal George, which he chased into the bay of Quanti, where he lost sight of her in the night. Next morning he again discovered her in Kingston channel, and immediately gave chase, and followed her into the harbour of Kingston, where he engaged her and the batteries for an hour and three quarters. Chauncey had made up his mind to board her notwithstanding she was protected by the batteries; but the wind blowing directly in, the pilots refused to take

charge of the vessels, and it was therefore deemed imprudent to make the attempt at this time. He accordingly hauled off and beat up, under a heavy fire from the enemy, to Four-mile point, where the squadron anchored. During the night it blew heavy, with squalls from the westward, and there being every appearance of a gale of wind, the pilot became alarmed, and Chauncey thought it most prudent to get into a place of more safety, and therefore reluctantly deferred renewing the attack until a more favourable opportunity.

The signal was made to weigh at 7 next morning, and the squadron beat out of a very narrow channel, under a heavy press of sail, to the open lake. At 10 they fell in with the Governor Simcoe, which escaped into Kingston harbour by running over a reef of rocks, under a heavy fire from three of the schooners, during which all her people ran below. It now coming on to blow very heavy, Chauncey bore up for Sackett's Harbour, and on his way thither captured two schooners, one of which was burnt, after taking out her sails and rigging.

The Oneida, in this affair, had one man killed, and three slightly wounded, and a few shot through her sails. The schooners lost no men by the enemy's fire, and received but little injury in their hulls and sails. One of their guns, however burst early in the action, which wounded her commander badly, and a midshipmen and three men slightly. The Royal George received considerable injury in her hull and in men, as the gun-vessels, with their long thirty-two pounders, were seen to strike her almost every shot, and it was observed that she was reinforced with men three different times during the action.

On the 12th Chauncey learnt that the Earl Moira was off the False Ducks, and immediately put off in a snow storm, in the hope of cutting her off from Kingston. In this he was disappointed, as she escaped into the harbour. A vessel under her convoy, however, was captured, in which was captain Brock, brother to the general. Chauncey now blockaded Kingston until the 7th of December, when he returned to Sackett's Harbour, being no longer able to keep the lake on account of the ice. During the winter the ship Madison, of 24 guns, was launched and fitted out.

The capture of York and Fort George have already been noticed in the fifth chapter of this volume. After these events nothing of importance occurred until the end of July, Chauncey being unable to keep the lake, owing to several new vessels being fitted out by the British, and the arrival of sir James Yeo, with a large body of seamen, to take command of the British squadron on Lake Ontario. It may be proper to mention,

however, that the brig Duke of Gloucester was captured at York, and on the 18th of June lieutenant Chauncey, in the new schooner Lady of the Lake, captured, on the 16th of June, the schooner Lady Murray, laden with provisions and ammunition, and sixteen officers and privates, besides the seamen.

About the middle of July, the General Pike being ready to sail, which brought the two squadrons nearly to a state of equality, Chauncey sailed from Sackett's Harbour, and, stretching over for the enemy's shore, thence stood up the lake. He arrived off Niagara on the 27th. Here he was informed by general Boyd, that the enemy had a considerable deposit of provisions and stores at Burlington Bay, which he determined to attempt to destroy, and for that purpose embarked a small number of regulars. At six o'clock on the morning of the 28th, the fleet proceeded for the head of the lake, but, owing to light winds and calms, did not arrive there before the evening of the 29th. Two parties were immediately sent on shore, who surprised and took some of the inhabitants, from whom it was learned, that the enemy had received considerable reinforcements, and that his force in regulars was from six to eight hundred men. The troops, marines, and a few sailors were, however landed next morning, but, on reconnoitering the enemy's position, he was found posted on a peninsula of very high ground, strongly entrenched, and his camp defended by about eight pieces of cannon. In this situation it was not thought advisable to attack him with a force scarcely half his numbers, and without artillery; more especially as they were deficient in boats, not having a sufficient number to cross the bay with all the troops at the same time. They accordingly re-embarked in the course of the afternoon, and in the evening weighed and stood for York, where they arrived on the afternoon of the 31st. The schooners ran into the inner harbour, where the marines and troops were landed without opposition. Several hundred barrels of flour and provisons were found in the public storehouse, together with five pieces of cannon, eleven boats, and a quantity of shot, shells, and other stores, all of which were either destroyed or brought away. Next morning, after burning the barracks and public storehouses, the men were re-embarked, and the fleet sailed for Niagara, where it arrived on the 3d of August.

§ 10. At day-light of the 7th, the enemy's fleet being discovered to windward, distant about five or six miles, Chauncey weighed and stood towards them. The whole of this and the next day was spent by the two squadrons in maneuvering to gain a favourable position, in which Chauncey was much baffled by

sixteen.

the dull sailing of his schooners, two of which were lost in a squall in the night, and every soul on board perished except In the evening of the 8th, it being very squally, with the appearance of its continuing so during the night, Chauncey ran in towards Niagara, and anchored outside of the bar.

The following morning (August 9th), Chauncey again weighed and stood towards the enemy, when a trial of nautical skill once more commenced between the two commanders, each entertaining too respectful an opinion of the other's force to come to an engagement without having the advantage of the wind. In the course of the day the wind frequently veered, which instantly changed the characters of the pursuers and the pursued. At length, towards midnight, Yeo, whose vessels sailed much better in squadron than those of Chauncey, succeeded in cutting off two of the American heavy-sailing schooners, which, added to Chauncey's loss in the squall, gave Yeo a considerable superiority of force over his opponent. Chauncey, therefore, ordered two of his dullest sailing vessels to run into Niagara, and stood with the rest of his squadron towards Sackett's Harbour, where he arrived on the 13th.

11. Having victualled his squadron, which was reinforced with a new schooner, Chauncey shortly after sailed on a cruise, and on the 7th of September, at day-light, while lying in Niagara river, discovered the enemy's fleet close in with the shore. The signal was instantly made to weigh, and the fleet stood out of the river after him. Yeo immediately made all sail to the northward, and Chauncey pursued for four days, but was prevented from closing with him by the heavy sailing of his schooners. On the fourth day, while off Genesee river, Chauncey was favoured with a breeze, while Yeo lay becalmed until his opponent got within about three quarters of a mile of him, when he took the breeze. The squadrons now had a running fight for three hours and a half, when the British got out of gun-shot by their superior sailing. The next morning Yeo ran into Amherst bay, having been chased for five days without intermission. Amherst bay was so little known to the American pilots, and said to be so full of shoals, that they were not willing to take in the fleet; Chauncey, therefore, stationed his vessels off Duck island, with the intention of blockading the enemy, and preventing them from getting out upon the lake.

In the running fight which took place on the 11th, the British sustained considerable injury both in men and vessels. On board the American fleet not a man was hurt, and the vessels suffered no injury of any importance.