152 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



unsuccessful but landed on Burton's Point where he discovered an un- 

 finished blockhouse, which was destroyed with a number of boats.* 



The garrison of Ogdensburg also displayed unwonted activity and 

 on the morning of Sept. 16, nearly succeeded in surprising a brigade 

 of thirty-three bateaux loaded with valuable ordnance stores, escorted 

 by 140 men of the 49th and Royal Newfoundland Regiments undei 

 Major Heathcote, which was slowly toiling up the river. During the 

 previous night a gunboat and two large Durham boats, descended the 

 liver for about ten miles and landed a strong party on a thickly wooded 

 island where they captured the only male inhabitant, a French Canadian 

 named Toussaint, in whose house three men were posted as a guard to 

 prevent the family from giving the alarm, while the remainder con- 

 cealed themselves among the thickets commanding the channel known 

 as the Upper Narrows, through which the convoy must pass. Soon 

 after daybreak the leading boats came in sight and the guard went to 

 the window to watch their approach. Taking advantage of their 

 negligence, Toussaint stole quietly out of the house and ran to his 

 canoe. He was observed and fired at but paddled rapidly down stream, 

 shouting and making signals. The flotilla took the alarm and put into 

 a bay below where the boats were moored and part of the escort landed. 

 A messenger was despatched to Prescott and others were sent in various 

 direction to call out the militia. The American gunboat came out 

 from its place of concealment behind the island and began firing round 

 shot at the boats, one of which carried ofï the head of a soldier of the 

 Newfoundland Regiment. After this cannonade had continued for 

 an hour, two row boats filled with men were seen crossing from the 

 island apparently with the intention of landing troops on the point 

 called Presqu'isle. Thirty men of the escort and a party of militia 

 commanded by Cornet George Ault of the Leeds Dragoons were sent 

 to oppose them and began such an effective fire from the cover of the 

 woods that both boats hastily recrossed the channel, one disappearing 

 behind the island while the other ran ashore on the side within view 

 and was deserted by its crew some of whom were apparently shot in 

 leaving it and seen to fall into the water. Soon after this it drifted 

 down stream and was taken by the British party below. Two dead 

 bodies, nine rifles and some knapsacks were found on board. A flank 

 company of the 1st Grenville Regiment of militia arrived and small 

 parties were attracted from other quarters by the sound of the firing. 

 A field gun was brought down from Prescott and about five o'clock 

 in the afternoon, a British gunboat was seen on its way down the river. 

 The American gunboat then ran behind the island and took off the men 



*Brown to Tompkins, Sept. 21; (jcneral R. Uodge to . nkins, Sept. 23; 

 Christie, Military Operations; Albany Argus; York Gazette, 1812. 



