[CRUIKSHANK] GENERAL HULL’S INVASION OF CANADA IN 1812 221 
June 26th, Hull received, by a special messenger from Chillicothe, a 
despatch from the Secretary of War, written apparently on the 18th 
of June, before the act declaring war had become law, urging him to 
advance with all possible haste. The Indians were at once set to work 
building canoes, and readily undertook to convey part of the baggage 
tc the foot of the rapids of the Miami. A return of his force next 
morning showed a total of 2,075.1. It is doubtful whether the officers 
and the recruits of the 1st Infantry were included in this return, and 
it is certain that the teamsters and Indians were not. Hull moved 
forward with such increased speed that in three days he advanced 
thirty-six miles, to the head of the rapids on the Miami, where the 
Infantry crossed over in boats and the waggons and horsemen forded 
the river. On the last day of June he marched down the left bank 
of the Miami to the foot of the rapids, where there was a small village, 
and encamped near the site of Fort Miami. The horses of the sup- 
ply train began to show great signs of exhaustion, and finding a small 
schooner, the Cuyahoga Packet, lying in the river here, she was engaged 
to relieve them by conveying the officers’ baggage and surplus stores 
and a number of sick men with a small escort to Detroit. By singular 
negligence on the part of the General’s son, Capt. A. F. Hull, of the 
9th United States Infantry, who was acting as his aide-de-camp, a 
trunk containing much of his official correspondence and other papers 
cf importance was also placed on board.* Before moving out of camp 
next morning, a messenger from, Cleveland arrived with a letter from 
the Secretary of War, also dated on the 18th of June, which had been 
sent by that route in order to reach him with the least delay. It 
announced that war had been declared, and instructed him to be on 
his guard and hasten forward to Detroit, make arrangements for the 
defence of the country, and wait for further orders. A party of 
dragoons was sent off at once to overtake the Cuyahoga Packet before 
she entered the lake, but she was already beyond, recall. Upon such 
apparently trifling circumstances does the fate of a campaign sometimes 


depend. 
D AMONT 1Byeveroaleiahn (ont. INGEN hg os oO no cco ao, Hip id POUR © Clam Oona OG parc 483 
Col. Findlay’s regiment of volunteers and militia................ 509 
Col; Cass's) regiment of volunteers and militia. .0....5..5......... 483 
Col. McArthur’s regiment of volunteers and militia.............. 552 
Capt Sloants troopeof Cineinnati Wight) Dragoons). 31). 4 << c= sce 48 

2,075 
H. A. S. Dearborn—Defence of Gen. Dearborn, p. 10. 
2 Walker’s Journal, p. 48; Lucas, Journal, pp. 366-7; Hull, Memoirs; 
Clarke, Life of Hull. 
