[CRUIKSHANK] COMMAND OF LAKE ONTARIO, 1812-1813 185 
men composed of United States dragoons, artillery and infantry, 
many of them invalids, Albany volunteers, local militia, seamen and 
dockyardmen. Many of the militia appear to have behaved badly 
and were of little service. Prevost and Yeo landed and joined the 
troops advancing to attack the works defending the port and dockyard. 
The ships and brig were unable to approach within range of the bat- 
teries, which were sited on a high bluff, owing to calms and light baffling 
breezes. Mulcaster in command of the schooners and gunboats 
was unable to find a satisfactory position and his light guns had little 
or no effect. The woods through which the troops landed were com- 
pelled to advance were found to be obstructed by abatis felled by 
Colonel Macomb in the winter when an attack was expected. They 
were obliged to move by narrow tracks, clearing away obstacles as 
they slowly advanced under an effective fire. A veteran officer de- 
clared ‘that the musketry was heavier than anything I ever saw, 
except the 21st of March in Egypt.’”! 
Many officers and more than a third of the men were killed or, 
woulded before they forced their way to the open ground in sight 
of the batteries and blockhouses defending the port on the land side. 
Every attempt to cross this was quickly repelled by a heavy fire of 
artillery and small arms. Captain Gray fell mortally wounded 
while closely reconnoitering this position. The effective force available 
for an assault had been reduced by casualties, stragglers, and men 
engaged in caring for the wounded, one eyewitness states to less than 
three hundred and another to one hundred and fifty. Those who 
were still in the ranks were much exhausted by hours of exposure to 
rain during the night in open boats, by fatigue and hunger. The 
enemy’s force in sight seemed to have rather increased than diminished. 
A premature rush forward was easily checked and an order given to 
retreat to the landing place. This movement was accomplished 
without any active pursuit but many of the wounded who were unable 
to walk were necessarily left behind and became prisoners. Two of 
the captured guns were even carried off in the boats. The troops 
engaged lost forty-eight killed and two hundred and eleven wounded 
or considerably more than thirty per cent of their number. Yeo 
reported the loss of one seamen killed and one midshipman and four 
seamen wounded. The action lasted about four hours and the sur- 
vivors of the landing party re-embarked at nine o’clock in the morning. 
Both Prevost and Yeo had exposed themselves fearlessly to a very 
heavy fire. 
When the attacking force appeared before the works and seemed 
to be on the verge of success, Commodore Chauncey’s brother, who 
1 McDouall to Freer, May 29. 

