182] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



made a sudden attack upon him, 

 aided by a sally of the garrison. 

 For a few minutes the enemy was 

 in possession of his batteries, and 

 took some prisoners ; but after a 

 severe though short contest, they 

 were repulsed, and the greatest 

 part, except the party from the 

 garrison, were killed or taken. 

 Their loss was estimated at be- 

 tween 1,000 and 1,200, of which 

 about 500 were returned as prison- 

 ers. The killed, wounded, and 

 missing of the British did not ex- 

 ceed 100. Col. Proctor could not 

 preserve his situation at the Mia- 

 mi, being deserted by half of the 

 militia, and almost all the Indians, 

 who, he observes, are not a per- 

 manent or disposable force, though 

 occasionally a very powerful aid. 

 It is a subject of regret that they 

 should be at all found necessary in 

 the contests between civilized na- 

 tions. 



The Americans, having collect- 

 ed a powerful force by land and 

 water at the head of Lake Onta- 

 rio, effected a landing near Fort 

 George on the Niagara, on May 

 27th, under cover of the fire of 

 their flotilla and batteries, and pro- 

 ceeded to the attack of the place. 

 They were very gallantly opposed 

 by the troops under col. Vincent, 

 the commander, who, for some 

 time checked their advance ; but 

 the superiority of numbers being 

 such as rendered a lasting resist- 

 ance impossible, he ordered the 

 guns to be spiked, and the ammu- 

 nition destroyed, and evacuated the 

 fort, having in the defence sus- 

 tained a loss of about 300 in kill- 

 ed, wounded, and missing. In his 

 retreat he was joined by lieute- 

 nant-colonel Bishopp, with all 



the detachments from Chippawa 

 to Fort Erie, and by other parties, 

 which rendered his whole force 

 about 1,600 men. With these he 

 took up a position near the head 

 of the lake. The American army 

 in the meantime pushed on a con- 

 siderable bodytowardsQueen-town. 

 Its whole force was estimated at 

 nearly 10,000 men, which rendered 

 them complete masters of the Nia- 

 gara frontier. 



An attempt upon the Americat\ 

 post at Sackett's harbour in Lake 

 Ontario was planned by sir George 

 Prevost about the close of May, 

 and its execution was committed 

 to col. Baynes, aided by a fleet of 

 boats under sir James Yeo. On 

 the night of the 28th, the expedi- 

 tion composed of draughts from 

 different regiments, and a compa- 

 ny of Glengarry light infantry, 

 proceeded from Kingston to the 

 harbour, hoping to land before 

 the enemy should be sufiiciently 

 apprized of the attack, to line the 

 woods on the coast with troops ; 

 but a strong current and the dark- 

 ness of the night frustrated this 

 purpose, so that at the dawn of 

 day, the Americans were fully pre- 

 pared for their reception. The 

 advance was however made with 

 great gallantry, along a narrow 

 causeway, connecting the island 

 with the main, and through a thick 

 wood, obstinately defended by the 

 enemy, who were at length driven 

 to their blockhouse and fort, after 

 setting fire to their storehouses near 

 the fort. As it was impossible for 

 the expedition with the means it 

 possessed, to attain any further 

 object, and damage was continu- 

 ally sustained from the enemy's can- 

 non, the troops were re-embarked, 



