168 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



attack. Prévost visited the advanced posts once more and assured 

 Major de Salaberiy that he was perfectlj^ satisfied with his arrange- 

 ments and that he might act according to his own judgment in case 

 of an attack.* 



On the 1st of November, de Salisbury received a letter from a 

 secret agent residing within the American lines that an offensive move- 

 ment would be commenced next day on three separate routes. This 

 information was probably based on the fact that they had established 

 advanced posts at Champlain, Chateauguay Four Corners and French 

 Mills. The letter was forwarded to headquarters and de Salabeiry 

 lost no time in calling out five hundred men of the local Sedentary 

 Militia which increased his force to about 1200 including two hundied 

 Indians. The remainder of the Voltigeurs, with two companies of 

 the 1st Battalion of Embodied Militia and the chasseurs of L'Acadie, 

 St. Philippe and St. Pierre were moved forward to support the out- 

 posts of the Odelltown road. The 2nd Batalion was advanced from 

 Lapraii'ie to St. Philippe. Going foiward in person to examine the 

 road where it crossed the river LacoUe for the purpose of completing 

 its obstruction, accompanied by a working party and a small escort 

 of chasseurs and Indians, de Salaberry encountered a flag of truce 

 borne by two American officers who informed him that they had a 

 despatch from General Dearborn for Sir George Prévost. Suspecting 

 that their real object was to reconnoitre the road and the state of his 

 defences, he resolutely refused to allow them to proceed, f 



Dearborn had in fact determined to make a vigorous demonstration 

 against Montreal probably in the hope of preventing the movement 

 of reinforcements to Upper Canada and thus assisting indirectly in the 

 operations being undertaken against that province, for it seems hardly 

 credible that he could have expected to accomplish more at that ad- 

 vanced season. On November 10, he removed his headquarters to 

 Plattsburg and took command of the force rather pompously styled 

 the Army of the North. A general order was published announcing 

 the retirement of General Bloomfield on account of ill health and 

 intimating an intention of taking the offensive. A spy estimated his 

 force at 4,512 regulars , of whom five hundred were cavalry, and 4,000 

 militia, of whom 2,400 had definitely declared that they would not 

 cross the line. Three sloops of war, two gunboats and upwards of one 

 hundred boats had been assembled in the mouth of the river Chazy, 

 which afforded a safe anchorage in close proxinity to the frontier. On 

 November 16, the advance began, but a march of only five miles was 



*Major C. M. de Saluborry to Lt. Col. Louis de Salal)erry, Oct. 26. 

 tPrevost to Major de Salaberry, Nov. 1; Major C. M. de Salaberry to Lt. Col. 

 Louis de Salaberry, Nov. L3. 



