I could only go forward. The army was put in motion on the mor ning of the 26th, leaving its baggage, &c. on the ground of encampment. On advancing near the enemy, it was found that the column on the opposite side was not as far advanced as had been anticipated. The guides had missed it, and finally failed in finding the ford. We could not communicate with it, but only awaited the attack below. About 2 o'clock the firing commenced, and our troops advanced rapidly to the attack. The enemy's light troops commenced a sharp fire, but brigadier general Izard advanced with his brigade, drove him every where behind his defences and silenced the fire in his front. This brigade would have pushed forward as far as courage, skill and perseverance could have carried it; but on advancing it was found that the firing had commenced on the opposite side, and the ford had not been gained. The enemy retired behind his defences, but a renewal of his attack was expected, and the troops remained some time in their position to meet it. The troops on the opposite side were excessively fatigued. The enterprise had failed in its main point, and colonel Purdy was ordered to withdraw his column to a shoal four or five miles above, and cross over. The day was spent, and general Izard was ordered to withdraw his brigade to a position three miles in the rear, to which place the baggage had been ordered forward. The slowness and order with which general Izard retired with his brigade, could but have inspired the enemy with respect. They presumed not to venture a shot at him during his movement; but the unguardedness of some part of Purdy's command exposed him to a rear attack from the Indians, which was repeated after dark, and exposed him to some loss. These attacks were always repelled, and must have cost the enemy as many lives as we lost. Our entire loss of killed, wounded and missing, does not exceed fifty. In its new position within three miles of the enemy's post, the army encamped on the night of the 26th, and remained until 12 o'clock of the 28th. All the deserters, of whom there were four, having concurred in the information that sir George Prevost, with three other general officers, had arrived with the whole of his disposable force, and lay in the rear of these defences, and a letter from major Parker (by express received on the evening of the 26th) having informed me that no movements of our army down the St. Lawrence had been heard of at Ogdensburg, and for some distance above; the following questions were submitted to commanding officers of brigades, regiments, and corps, and the heads of the general staff, in a council convened for the purpose: "Is it advisable, under existing circumstances, to renew the attack on the enemy's position, and if not, what position is it advissable for the army to take, until it can receive advices of the advance of the grand army down the St. Lawrence ?" The opinion of the council was expressed in the following words : "It is the unanimous opinion of this council, that it is necessary, for the preservation of this army and the fulfilment of the ostensible views of the government, that we immediately return by orderly marches to such a position (Chateaugay) as will secure our communications with the United States, either to retire into winter quarters, or to be ready to strike below." In pursuance of this opinion, the army has returned by slow marches to this place, and now awaits the orders of the government. Its condition will be stated by the bearer, colonel King, who can give you, upon every point, more full and perfect information, than could be contained in a written detail. Honourable John Armstrong, I have the honour to be, &c. SIR, HEAD QUARTERS, FORT GEORGE, November 3d, 1813. Lieutenant Le Breton, an officer in your service, arrived at Detroit on the 15th ultimo, bearing a flag and a letter to me from general Proctor, requesting humane treatment for the prisoners in my possession, and the restoration of private property and papers. This letter was directed to me at the Moravian towns; and as the subject was not of the importance to authorize the lieutenant's pursuing me to Detroit, I was somewhat surprised at his doing 80. It did not appear to me proper to permit him to return in that way, and as I was on the point of setting out for this frontier by water, I conceived that that mode of conveyance would be full as agreeable to him, and would enable him to meet general Proctor as expeditiously as by the land route. I regret that the badness of the weather, and other causes which he will explain, have detained him until this time. Understanding that you are the senior officer, I have determined to address my answer to you. With respect to the subject of general Proctor's letter, those which I have the honour to enclose to you from the British officers, who were taken on the 5th ultimo, to their friends, and the report of Mr. Le Breton, will satisfy you that no indulgence which humanity could claim in their favour, or the usages of war sanction, has been withheld. The disposition of the property taken on the field of action, or near it, was left to the commanding officer at Detroit. The instructions given to that gentleman, and the well known generosity of his character, will insure to the claimants the utmost justice and liberality in his decisions. In making this statement, I wish it, however, to be distinctly understood, that my conduct, with regard to the prisoners and property taken, has been dictated solely by motives of humanity, and not by a belief that it could be claimed upon the score of reciprocity of treatment towards the American prisoners who had fallen into the hands of general Proctor. The unhappy description of persons who have escaped from the tomahawk of the savages in the employment of the British government, who fought under the immediate orders of that officer, have suffered all the indignities and deprivations which human nature is capable of supporting. There is no single instance that I have heard of, in which the property of the officers has been respected. But I am far from believing that the conduct of general Proctor has been thought an example worthy of imitation by the greater part of the British officers; and in the character of general Vincent, I have a pledge that he will unite his exertions with mine, to soften as much as possible the fate of those whom the fortune of war may reciprocally place in our power. But, sir, there is another subject upon which I wish an explicit declaration. Will the Indians who still adhere to the cause of his Britannic majesty, be suffered to continue that horrible species of warfare which they have heretofore practiced against our troops, and those still more horrible depredations upon the peaceable inhabitants of our frontiers? I have sufficient evidence to show that even the latter have not always been perpetrated by small parties of vagrant Indians, acting at a distance from the British army. Some of the most atrocious instances have occurred under the eyes of the British commander and the head of the Indian department. I shall pass by the tragedy of the river Raisin, and that equally well known which was acted on the Miami river, after the defeat of colonel Dudley, and select three other instances of savage barbarity committed under the auspices of general Proctor: In the beginning of June, a small party of Indians, conducted by an Ottawa chief. who I believe is now with the British army under your command, left Malden in bark canoes, in which they coasted lake Erie to the mouth of Portage river; the canoes were taken across the Portage to the Sandusky bay, over which the party proceeded to the mouth of Cold creek, and from thence by land to the settlements upon that river, where they captured three families, consisting of one man twelve women and children. After taking the prisoners some distance, one of the women was discovered to be unable to keep up with them, in consequence of her advanced state of pregnancy. She was immediately tomahawked, stript naked, her womb ripped open, and the child taken out. Three or four of the children were successively butchered as they discovered their inability to keep up with the party. Upon the arrival of the Indians at Malden, two or three of the prisoners were ransomed by colonel Elliott, and the others by the citizens of Detroit, where they remained until they were taken off by their friends upon the recovery of that place by our army. I have been informed that the savage chief received from colonel Elliott a reprimand for his cruelty. On the 29th or 30th of the same month, a large party of Indians were sent from Malden on a war expedition to Lower Sandusky) At a farm house, near that place, they murdered the whole family, consisting of a man, his wife, son and daughter. During the last attack upon Fort Meigs by general Proctor, a party headed by a Seneca, and intimate friend of Tecumseh's, was sent to endeavour to detach from our interest the Shawanese of Wapockanata. In their way hither they murdered several men and one woman, who was working in her cornfield. I have selected, sir, the above from a long list of similar instances of barbarity, which the history of the last fifteen months could furnish; because they were perpetrated, if not in the view of the British commander, by parties who came immediately from his camp and returned to it; who even received their daily support from the king's stores, and who, in fact, (as the documents in my possession will show) form part of his army. To retaliate then upon the subjects of the king would have been justifiable by the laws of war and the usages of the most civilized nations. To do so has been amply in my power. The tide of fortune has changed in our favour, and an extensive and flourishing province opened to our arms. Nor have instruments of vengeance been wanting. The savages who sued to us for mercy would gladly have shown their claims to it, by re-acting upon Thames the bloody scenes of Sandusky and Cold creek. Å single sign of approbation would have been sufficient to pour upon the subjects of the king their whole fury. The future conduct of the British officers will determine the correctness of mine in withholding it. If the savages should be again let loose upon our settlements, I shall with justice be accused of having sacrificed the interests and honour of my country, and the lives of our fellowcitizens to feelings of false and mistaken humanity. You are a soldier, sir, and as I sincerely believe, possess all the honourable sentiments which ought always to be found in men who follow the profession of arms. Use then, I pray you, your authority and influence to stop that dreadful effusion of innocent blood, which proceeds from the employment of those savage monsters, whose aid (as must now be discovered) is so little to be depended upon when it is most wanted, and which can have so trifling an effect upon the issue of the war. The effect of their barbarities will not be confined to the present generation. Ages yet to come will feel the deep rooted hatred and enmity which they must produce between the two nations. I deprecate most sincerely the dreadful alternative which will be offered to me should they be continued; but I solemnly declare, that if the Indians that remain under the influence of the British government, are suffered to commit any depredations upon the citi zens within the district that is committed to my protection, I will remove the restrictions which have hitherto been imposed upon those who have offered their services to the United States, and direct them to carry on the war in their own way. I have never heard a single excuse for the employment of the savages by your gov ernment, unless we can credit the story of some British officer having dared to assert, that "as we employed the Kentuckians, you had a right to make use of the Indians." If such injurious sentiments have really prevailed, to the prejudice of a brave, well-informed, and virtuous people, it will be removed by the representations of your officers who were lately taken on the river Thames. They will inform you, sir, that so far from offering any violence to the persons of their prisoners, these savages would not permit a word to escape them which was calculated to wound or insult their feelings, and this too, with the sufferings of their friends and relatives, at the river Raisin and Miami, fresh upon their recollection. I pledge myself for the truth of the above statements in relation to the murders committed by the Indians. Major general Vincent. SIR, I have the honour to be, &c. VICTORY OVER THE CREEKS. CAMP AT TEN ISLANDS, November 4th, 1813. I had the honour, yesterday, of transmitting you a short account of an engagement that took place between a detachment of about 900 men from my brigade, with the enemy at Tallushatches town; the particulars whereof, I beg herein to recite you. Pursuant to your order of the 2d, I detailed from my brigade of cavalry and mounted riflemen, 900 men and officers, and proceeding directly to the Tallushatches towns, crossed Coosy river at the Fish Dam ford, three or four miles above this place. I arrived within one and a half miles of the town (distant from this place south-east, eight miles) on the morning of the 3d, at which place I divided my detachment into two columns, the right com posed of the cavalry commanded by colonel Allcorn, to cross over a large creek that lay between us and the towns: the left column was of the mounted riflemen, under the command of colonel Cannon, with whom I marched myself. Colonel Allcorn was or dered to march up on the right, and encircle one half of the town, and at the same time the left would form a half circle on the left, and unite the head of the columns in front of the town: all of which was performed as I could wish. When I arrived within half a mile of the town, the drums of the enemy began to beat, mingled with their savage yells, preparing for action. It was after sun-rise an hour, when the action was brought on by captain Hammond and lieutenant Patterson's companies, who had gone on within the circle of alignment, for the purpose of drawing out the enemy from their buildings, which had the most happy effect. As soon as captain Hammond exhibited his front in view of the town, (which stood in open woodland) and gave a few scattering shot, the enemy formed and made a violent charge on him; he 1 |