dually deprived his ancestry of their soil. But, when he undertook an expedition, accompanied by his tribe, he would relinquish to them the spoil, though he would never yield the privilege of destroying the victim. To the Indians of all other tribes, as well as to that among whom he was born, the loss of a leader like Tecumseh, on whose capacity and conduct as a warrior, they could always rely, and who would encourage and assist in their cruelties, was therefore irreparable. Such, indeed, was the effect of his death, upon the tribes generally, that many of the chiefs of most of the nations, having no confidence in any other leader, gave themselves up to the conquering general, and negotiated with him terms of peace, which released his government from the necessity of subsisting their warriors.

On the day following that on which the battle of the Thames was fought, general Harrison destroyed the Moravian town, and commenced his march for Detroit where he negotiated terms of peace with other tribes, and received a flag from general Proctor, accompanied by a request, that humane treatment might be extended to the British prisoners. This request had been anticipated by the American general, who had already given up the simple comforts of his own tent, to the wounded British colonels; and had instructed his troops before the battle, that the person even of general Proctor should be respected, if, by the fortune of the day, it should be thrown into their hands.

At Detroit, governor Shelby's volunteers, and the twelve months' men, were all honourably discharged, The fort was garrisoned by one thousand men, under general Cass, who was appointed provisional governor of the Michigan territory; and the civil law was restored to the condition in which it was at the time when gen. Proctor instituted other ordinances for the government of the inhabitants.

In the event of his success against Proctor, the commander in chief had been directed by the war department, to join the northern army on the Niagara; and accordingly, having, besides these arrangements, stationed a respectable force at Malden and Sandwich, on the 23d of October he embarked in the squadron of Lake Erie, with all his disposables, and sailed for the village of Buffaloe, where he arrived before the beginning of November.

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CHAPTER XII.

Plan of operations on the St. Lawrence-Concentration of the forces on Grenadier Island-British abandon the investment of Fort George-Descent of the St. LawrenceSkirmishes in its course-Battle of Chrystler's fieldThe left wing of the Northern army retires to winter quarters-The right wing marches through the Chatauguy woods-Is attacked by the British-Engages and repulses them-Goes also into winter quarters—The Americans evacuatc Fort George, and destroy NewarkSurrender of Fort Niagara-Destruction of Lewistown and Buffaloe.

CORRESPONDENT with these movements of the north-western army, a plan of operations on the St. Lawrence had been concerted by the united talents of the war department, which had been transferred to the frontier, and general Wilkinson, who, having succeeded to the command of the army of the north, had established his head quarters at fort George. By this plan, the capture and occupation of Montreal and Kingston, the grand rendezvous of the British land forces, and the only secure 'harbour for their naval armaments, was contemplated; and the result, of its successful execution, could not fail of being fruitful with advantages to the future movements of the army, and the contemplated conquest of the province of Lower Canada. The late overthrow of general Proctor, in the upper province, increased the expectations of the department and the army, and held out to each, the most certain prospects of eventual success. Two obstacles, however, presented themselves to the entire fulfilment of these expectations. The lateness of the season; which, in a country where the winter commences with great severity, would raise up insurmountable obstructions to the movements of the troops: and the difference of opinion between the commanding general and

the secretary at war, as to which post should be the first object of assault. Each being tenacious of his own opinion, and both anxious for the consummation of the concerted scheme, it became necessary to hasten the impending operations, by the adoption of one or the other. The deliberation of a council of war was proposed. To obviate the first difficulty, the removal of the second was indispensible, and the necessity of an immediate decision, upon a question involving the interests of the expedition, became more obvious. A council was therefore organized, and conceiving that the success of the design, depended on an early movement of the designated force, they decided, without hesitation, on a descent upon Montreal.

Arrangements were then adopted, to collect and concentre the different regiments, on Grenadier island, a point between Kingston and Sackett's Harbour, which had been assigned as the best rendezvous, because of its contiguity to the head of the St. Lawrence. Orders were forwarded to fort George, to colonel Scott of the artillery, who had been left by general Wilkinson in command of that post, to embark his artillery and colonel Randolph's regiment of infantry, on board a vessel of the squadron, and to proceed to the island. The general had left the garrison of fort George on the 2d of October, with the largest portion of the troops, who were now awaiting the arrival of the remainder at the rendezvous, and had been actively employed in providing clothing, and other equipments necessary to the soldiers, in the course of their movement down the river. Between Grenadier island and Sackett's Harbour, he had made frequent voyages, to see that the troops were well bestowed at the former, and that the different detachments, which almost daily arrived at the latter, were immediately despatched thence. He had caused a sufficient number of boats to be prepared to convey the artillery through the St. Lawrence; and having assigned the command of Sackett's Harbour to lieutenant colonel Dennis, he thence proceeded to put the troops in motion at the island.

By this time, the 23d, the force at that place amounted to nearly eight thousand men, and was composed of colonel Moses Porter's light artillery; a few companies of colonel Scott's (2d) regiment of artillery; colonel M'Comb's

(3d) regiment of artillery; the 5th regiment of infantry; the 6th, commanded by captain Humphreys; the 11th; the 12th, colonel Coles; the 13th, commanded by colonel Preston of the 23d; the 14th, lieutenant colonel Dix; the 15th, colonel Brearly; the 16th, colonel Pearce; the 21st, colonel Ripley; the 22d, colonel Brady; the 25th; and major Forsythe's rifle corps.

Having issued the necessary orders, general Wilkinson resolved on moving on the 25th; and although the gales which had prevailed for several days, continued with unabated violence, and were now attended with heavy rains, his anxiety to promote the issue of the expedition, induced him to order the embarkation of the troops; and, buffetting with a disorder, which had rendered his health extremely precarious, he remained on the island until the embarkation was nearly completed, directing the boats to take advantage of the momentary pauses of the storm, to slide into the St. Lawrence.

A few days before, intelligence had been forwarded by colonel Scott, of the enemy's having evacuated the entrenchments in the neighbourhood of fort George, and of their having burnt, and otherwise destroyed, all their camp equipage and many stand of arms, in order to facilitate the march of their troops to Kingston; to which place they had been ordered, as soon as general Wilkinson's contemplated movement was discovered. They had been apprized of the intentions of the American general previous to the 9th, and on that day they abandoned the whole peninsula, on the Niagara, and directed their attention to the defence of Kingston, against which they supposed the Americans would move. To keep that impression alive, and to confine their plans to the protection of Kingston only, general Wilkinson fixed on French creek, which lays immediately opposite the point at which the British suspected he would land, as the general rendezvous of the troops, after their entrance into the St. Lawrence. Brigadier general Brown (now of the United States' regulars) was ordered forward to command the advance of the army at that place; and the rear was soon after strengthened by the arrival at Grenadier island, of the 20th regiment, under colonel Randolph.

On the 1st November, the enemy appeared at French creek with a squadron of four large vessels, and a num

ber of boats filled with infantry, and attacked the detach ment at that place in the evening. General Brown hastily made arrangements to defend his position, and after a short cannonade, the enemy's vessels were compelled' to retire, by a battery of three 18 pounders, which had been erected, and managed with great spirit, by captains M'Pherson and Fanning, of the artillery. The enemy fell down to a convenient harbour, and renewed his attack on the following morning. By the same judicious arrangements he was again repulsed, and a few hours afterwards the American squadron entered the St. Lawrence, and took a position near French creek, to command the north and south channels. On the 3d and 4th the rear of the army arrived at the general rendezvous. On the 5th the flotilla of transports got under way, and arrived without accident, below Morrisville.

On the 6th the commander in chief ordered the flotilla to descend with the whole army, to a point within three miles of Prescott, and directed the powder and fixed ammunition to be debarked, and transported by land, under cover of the night, below the enemy's batteries. Before either of these orders were put in execution, he proceeded in his gig to reconnoitre the place, and having concluded that the safest passage of the troops would be effected on shore, he ordered the debarkation of every man, except the number necessary to navigate the boats, and the army marched by night, two miles below Prescott. Arrangements were also made for the passage of the flotilla, to the same point; and general Brown being the general officer of the day, was charged with the superintendence. Availing himself of a heavy fog, which came on at 8 o'clock in the evening, the commander in chief, believing he could pass the enemy's fort unobserved, put the flotilla and the marching columns in motion, at the same instant; and proceeded in his gig, followed by his passage boat and staff, ahead of the former. An unexpected change of the atmosphere, enabled the enemy's garrison to discover the boats, and the columns upon land, whose movements had been simultaneous.. Nearly fifty 24 pound shot were fired at the general's passage boat, and the columns were assailed with great numbers of shot and shells. Neither of these attacks were successful, nor did the Americans sustain the slightest de