[riddell] navy island EPISODE, 1837 75 



could see the rebels in full force. As we approached the island they fired round after 

 round at us, and the bullets whistled thick and fast over our heads. Our position 

 was one of extreme peril, 'What a fool I am,' exclaimed Captain Drew, 'to be here 

 without a pick-up boat. Should we be disabled we shall find ourselves in a tight 

 place.' One of the rowers in our boat was completely overcome by fear, and funked. 

 'I can't help it boys,' said he — and threw himself at full length along the bottom of 

 the boat. We made the trip, however, without any accident. The next day we 

 made another expedition in a large twelve-oared gig, with a picked crew, chiefly 

 composed of lake sailors. Again the shots whistled over our heads, and struck the 

 water on both sides of us, but in the course of a few hours we found ourselves back 

 again in Chippewa Creek without having sustained any injury. We had by this time 

 become used to being under fire, and didn't seem to mind the sound of the whistling 

 bullets." 



'' This was the "Caroline," a steamboat about 75 feet long and of 46 tons bur- 

 then, the property of William Wells of Buffalo, which was cut out of her berth in the 

 ice at Buffalo and brought down to Schlosser, December 28th, plying across to Navy 

 Island. 



^ Captain Drew, R.N., who was in command of the expedition, in his report, 

 December 30th, says: "I directed five boats to be armed and manned with forty- 

 five volunteers." Leg. Ass., 90. G. T. D. says: "Five boats were prepared, well 

 manned, well armed and with mufHed oars." Can. Monthly, Vol. 3, 290. Richard 

 Arnold says: "The expedition consisted as far as I can remember of seven boats, 

 each containing seven men, i.e. four rowers and three sitters." Dent, Vol. 2, 216. 

 The number of boats is given as seven by most authors and is probably correct. 

 Sir Allan MacNab, under oath in the McLeod trial, says: "they were seven in number 

 .... seven or eight men in each boat .... about forty persons." Trial, 

 124. "The boats did not all return at the same time. Five arrived at about the same 

 time, two at a different time." Trial, 125. John Harris gave the same evidence. 

 Trial, 129. "Seven boats left Chippewa, five only reached the Caroline, five returned 

 in company." With this Edward Zealand agrees word for word, Trial, 135. Robert 

 Armour says: "Seven started, five crossed the river," Trial, 147; so do Christopher 

 Bier, Trial 157, 159, Hamilton Robert O'Reilly, Trial, 162, 165, Sheppard McCormick 

 Trial, 169, Frederick Claverly, Trial, 170, 175, and several others. The fact seems 

 to be that seven boats started but two lost the way and did not cross the river. 



9 This should be "29th." 



^^ It seems quite certain that the "Caroline" did not go over the Canadian Falls, 

 nor as a whole (at least) over the Falls at all. Her engines seem to have sunk and 

 portions of her charred wood work went down the river and over the Falls on the 

 American side. 



" Both British subjects — one was Sylvanus Fearns Wrigley, of the Township 

 of Dumfries, who had enlisted with Dr. Duncombe; after Duncombe's men were 

 dispersed, he crossed the Niagara River to join the "Patriots." He was on his way 

 to Navy Island where he was captured. He was detained in gaol for three months 

 and then discharged on giving bail for good behaviour. The other was Alfred Luce, 

 a native of Lower Canada, who had also joined Dr. Duncombe; he shared in Wrig- 

 ley's adventures until his capture. He was released the following day and sent across 

 the ferry to the United States, as there seemed to be doubt whether he was not a 

 citizen of that country. Dent, Vol. 2, 213; Leg. Ass., 91. 



" Lieutenant Shepherd McCormack (so named by Drew in his official report, 

 December 30, 1837, Leg. Ass., 90 — but both his names are spelt in different 

 ways, e.g. the pensioning Statute, 1838, I Vic. c. 46, calls him Sheppard McCormick) 



