184] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



of the water, and the strength of 

 the enemy's defences, rendered the 

 enterprize too difficult to be un- 

 dertaken with any prospect of suc- 

 cess ; so that the troops were or- 

 dered back, after some loss had 

 been sustained from the sinking of 

 two boats. An attack upon an 

 American post at Hampton on 

 June 26th, was more successful. 

 This post, defended by a consi- 

 derable corps, and commanding 

 the communication between the 

 upper part of the country and 

 Norfolk, was thought by the ad- 

 miral a proper object for an at- 

 tempt ; and accordingly, he em- 

 barked sir S. Beckwith's troops on 

 board the light squadron com- 

 manded by rear-adm.Cockburn, on 

 the night of the 25th, which were 

 landed at day-light the following 

 day to the Westward of Hampton. 

 Whilst the enemy's attention was 

 engaged by a fire from the armed 

 vessels upon the batteries, the 

 troops unobserved gained their 

 flanks, and the action which en- 

 sued terminated in obtaining pos- 

 session of their camp and batte- 

 ries. Some loss was sustained by 

 the British, but much more by 

 the Americans. The capture of the 

 islands of Ocracoke and Ports- 

 mouth on the coast of North Ca- 

 rolina, in July, by admiral Cock- 

 burn*s squadron, has been men- 

 tioned under our head of naval 

 transactions. On the whole it may 

 be remarked, that although the 

 coasts and inlets of this part of 

 America were kept in continual 

 alarm by the raotioiis and enter- 

 prizes of the blockading squadrons, 

 yet nothing was effected that can 

 be regarded as important towards 

 the general result of the war. The 

 losses and disquiets, however, oc- 



casioned to the Americans by the 

 desultory warfare, induced the 

 President, who had failed in his 

 attempts to pass another bill of 

 embargo, to issue, on July 29th, 

 a strict injunction on all naval of- 

 ficers to exercise the utmost vigi- 

 lance in stopping and detaining 

 all vessels and craft proceeding, 

 or apparently about to proceed, 

 towards the blockading ships; it 

 being ascertained that such inter- 

 course had been carried on to a 

 great extent both by natives and 

 foreigners, thereby conveying pro- 

 visions and intelligence to the ene- 

 my. Attempts were also publicly 

 encouraged for the destruction of 

 the British men of war upon those 

 stations by torpedoes and other 

 explosive machinery, which, if 

 considered as unfair modes of hos- 

 tility, were, unfortunately, first en- 

 couraged by the English ministry 

 (See Parliamentary Debates). One 

 of the concealed methods of doing 

 mischief practised by the Ameri- 

 cans, appears to merit unqualified 

 reprobation from its truly insidi- 

 ous character. A schooner was fit- 

 ted out from New York, laden with 

 provisions and stores, under which « 

 were deposited several casks of t^ 

 gunpowder, with trains communi- 

 cating with a piece of clockwork 

 contrived to go off at a certain 4l 

 time. The vessel was thrown in 

 the way of the Ramillies, which 

 sent a boat to take possession of 

 her, when she was deserted by 

 her crew, and brought near the 

 man of war. Fortunately, the cap- 

 tain, sir T. Hardy, directed that 

 she should be placed alongside of 

 a captured sloop, and not of the 

 Ramillies. A dreadful explosion 

 soon took place, which proved 

 fatal to the second lieutenant and 



