74 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



formation was his principal object. These affairs and the uncomfort- 

 able sense of insecurity caused by the knowledge that hostile patrols 

 were constantly hovering about his outposts caused considerable ap- 

 prehension which Hampton endeavoured to remove by engaging some 

 of the Indians from St. Regis as scouts. He met with little success in 

 this expedient and described them scornfully as "poor devils." 1 



Civilian spies were also employed by Prévost to secure informa- 

 tion; some of them entering the enemy's lines from the frontier of 

 Lower Canada, others crossing the St. Lawrence from Cornwall or 

 Prescott. Their reports generally agreed in stating that the troops 

 being assembled at Sackett's Harbour were expected to co-operate 

 with those at the Four Corners in a movement against Montreal. 



Every practicable measure was taken to increase the available 

 means of defence. A considerable number of the Indians of Lower 

 Canada were already in the field. Sir John Johnson was instructed 

 to assemble all those who had remained behind at Caughnawaga 

 and were fit for service and despatch them without delay to the ad- 

 vanced posts on the Chateauguay river. Orders were issued that 

 in the event of an invasion, the bells should ring the tocsin and other 

 signals of alarm should be made in every parish within fifty miles 

 of Montreal on which all the militia without any exception were re- 

 quired to assemble with their arms or if they had none, with axes, 

 spades and picks. All those living on the south side of the St. Law- 

 rence were ordered to assemble at Caughnawaga while those residing 

 on the banks of the Richelieu and Yamaska were to march to St. Jean 

 or L'Acadie. The militia of the island of Montreal and the left bank 

 of the St. Lawrence as far east as Berthier were directed to march to 

 Montreal. 2 



Colonel Clark began his active operations for creating a diver- 

 sion from the frontier of Vermont by landing with three hundred 

 volunteers and militia at Caldwell's Manor on the shore of Mississquoi 

 Bay about midnight of October 10-11, apparently for the purpose of 

 taking some of the local militia officers at their homes. Failing in this, 

 some of their houses were pillaged by his undisciplined followers. 

 They were then hastily re-embarked and while it was still dark another 

 landing was effected at the mouth of Rock River in the State of Ver- 

 mont, three miles south of the village of Philipsburg in the seigniory 

 of St. Armand. In compliance with a recent order about one hundred 

 men of the Fourth Battalion of the militia of the Eastern Townships 

 had assembled there two or three days before under command of 



1 Hampton to Armstrong, Oct. 4; J. S. van Rensselaer to S. van Rensselaer, 

 Oct. 5. 



2 General order, Oct. 8; Freer to Johnson, Oct. 5. 



