244 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
On the afternoon of the 21st he recrossed the river to Detroit for 
the purpose of hastening preparations for laying siege to Amherstburg, 
which he informed the Secretary of War might be taken by storm, but 
at too great a sacrifice of life to be justified. As the carriages for his 
mortars and other heavy guns must be entirely rebuilt, he anticipated 
that these preparations would still occupy two weeks. At the same 
time he projected an attack upon the Queen Charlotte, and a large mer- 
chant schooner was brought from the River Rouge to Detroit to be armed 
for this enterprise. Lieut.-Colonel Miller with one battalion of the 
4th Infantry accompanied him, and Colonel McArthur succeeded to the 
command of the troops in Canada.* His first act was to order Captain 
McCullough to reconnoitre the back road to Amherstburg, which was 
done accordingly with his command of rangers on the 22nd, as far as 
the ford of the Canard, but hearing the report of guns on the other side 
they did not venture to cross that stream but followed its course as far 
as the bridge, where they observed the British outpost entrenching its 
position. They were informed that the Shawnee Prophet and his band 
had joined the British, and that a party of Indians had advanced to 
the Petit Cote the day before. On the evening of the 24th Major 
James Denny, with Captain McCullough’s rangers and three companies 
of McArthur’s regiment, was sent out to intercept a party of Indians 
reported to be lurking in the woods. Advancing within sight of the 
Canard bridge he concealed his men for the night in a wheat field. 
While it was yet dark a band of twenty-two Menomonees ascended the 
Detroit in their canoes as far as the mouth of Turkey Creek, where 
they landed and lay in ambush. They were accompanied by Captain 
Laurent Bondy of the Essex militia, who proceeded to visit his family 
in the Petit Côte. A straggler from Denny’s command returning 
towards Sandwich was shot dead by the Indians, who left his body 
lying on the road without scalping it, as they had promised Captain 
Elliott to abstain from this practice which excited so much abhorrence 
among white people. In passing through the settlement Denny received 
information that enabled him to capture Captain Bondy in his own 
house. After sending off his prisoner under escort, he spent several 
hours in scouring the woods without success. Halting to rest in the 
woods most of his men went to sleep, when they were suddenly roused 
by the Indians firing upon them from all sides and raising the war 
whoop. An instant panic resulted and some of the drafted militia 
ran off at full speed, never halting till they reached camp.? Fearing 


7 Hull to Eustis, 22nd July, 1812; Forbes, Trial, Lucas Journal, p. 389. 
? Federal Republican, 24th August, 1812. Letter from Capt. Ulery, New 
York Gazette, 12th August, 1812. Letter from Detroit, 28th July. 
