80 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



hopes of success. The Aurora, published in Philadelphia, was prob- 

 ably the most influential and widely circulated of the newspapers sup- 

 porting the government. It was edited by Colonel William Duane, 

 the Adjutant General of the fourth military district. Duane was the 

 author of a military manual, entitled "A Hand Book for Infantry," 

 which had been officially adopted for the use of the army of the United 

 States. He possessed much political influence and was on intimate 

 terms with members of the cabinet and officers of the highest rank. 

 Confidential information from such sources enabled him to anticipate 

 intelligence transmitted by ordinary channels and to forecast coming 

 events. His semi-official prediction on this occasion was entitled: 

 "Our Armies have entered Upper Canada and it is ours." 1 



"Letters from Fort George of the 3rd October, Chateauguay of 

 the 6th, and Sackett's Harbour of the 4th, show that the general of 

 the enemy has found his superior in the field and been completely 

 out-generaled. The war minister and commander-in-chief concur in 

 opinion that in order to fell the tree, we must not begin at the top 

 branches but strike at the stump; which discovery, it is added, had 

 been imparted to the former Secretary of War without the least effect. 

 By this time it is probable our troops have thrown themselves be- 

 tween Kingston and Montreal. The war by land has assumed a new 

 character in consequence of the presence of able men who understand 

 their profession, in the war department and at the .head of the army. 

 The division under General Hampton moved from Chateauguay 

 on the morning of the 4th October, destination unknown but to him- 

 self, the troops having left behind all baggage except one change and 

 five day's provisions, their position prior to the march not more than 

 forty miles from Montreal. We may expect that General Prévost 

 intends to make war like Procter at Maiden and Kutusoff at Moscow, 

 to give up everything to conflagration which he cannot rule. The 

 ensuing week settles the fall of Upper Canada forever. The fall of 

 Quebec in the ensuing spring will give our youth experience to ward 

 against evils of thirty years' neglect of military knowledge. The 

 siege of Quebec, though severe, will not be more so than the actions 

 of our naval heroes. Canada once ours, we shall have no enemy but 

 a few domestic traitors and foreign emissaries on our soil." 2 



This impressive utterance was immediately republished and 

 endorsed by the National Intelligencer of Washington, the acknowl- 

 edged organ of the cabinet to whose pages the President and mem- 

 bers of the cabinet were known to contribute at times. 



1 Ingersoll, History of the War of 1812-14, Vol. I, p. 297. 



2 C. J. Ingersoll, History of the War of 1812-14, Vol. I, p. 297. 



