GENERAL HISTORY. 



[189 



the defence of the frontier line, 

 and had called out 3,000 of the 

 sedentary militia. These were aug- 

 mented to nearly 8,000 by sir G. 

 Prevost, who testifies to the rea- 

 diness with which the Canadians 

 obeyed the call. He reports in his 

 dispatch, dated October 8th, the 

 enemy's force collected for the in- 

 vasion of Canada as greater than 

 at any former period ; estimating 

 that of general Harrison at San- 

 dusky on the Michigan frontier at 

 about 8,000 ; of general Wilkinson 

 at Fort George and Niagara, at 

 nearly 6,500 men, and of gen. Hamp- 

 ton at about 8,000 ; all these, re- 

 gular troops, exclusive of 10,000 

 mililia. In consequence of his so- 

 licitation to admiral Warren for 

 a supply of seamen for the lake 

 service, he had received the crews 

 of two sloops of war, part of whom 

 he had sent to join capt. Pring, on 

 Lake Champlain, and the remain- 

 der to Lake Ontario. 



Gen. Hampton, who had taken 

 his post on the Chateauguay river, 

 near a settlement called the Four 

 Corners, crossed the boundary line 

 into Lower Canada on the 21st of 

 October, surprized a small party 

 of Indians, and drove in a picquet 

 of militia, and having made a road 

 for bringing up his artillery, pro- 

 ceeded against the British advanced 

 posts, marching along both banks 

 of the Chauteauguay. On the 26th 

 he was opposed on the north side 

 by lieut-col. De Salaberry, with 

 two companies of voltigeurs and 

 the light-infantry of the Canadian 

 fencibles, who made so good a dis- 

 position of his force, as to check 

 the advance of the enemy's prin- 

 cipal column led by gen. Hamp- 

 ton in person ; and at the same 

 time the American light brigade 



was repulsed on the south side by 

 a flank company of embodied mi- 

 litia, supported by the Chateau- 

 guay chasseurs, reinforced by an- 

 other flank company of militia. 

 The enemy repeatedly returned to 

 the attack, but was as often re- 

 pulsed : and the day ended with 

 his disgrace and defeat. Sir George 

 Prevost, who arrived soon after the 

 commencement of the action, be- 

 stows the highest praises on the 

 conduct of the defenders, of whom 

 the force actually engaged did not 

 exceed 300. The American army 

 was stated by the prisoners to 

 amount to 7,000 infantry, and 200 

 cavalry, with ten field pieces. The 

 British loss was trifling. That of 

 the Americans was severe, and 

 was partly incurred from parties 

 of their own, firing upon each other 

 in the woods. Hampton's army 

 afterwards entirely quitted Lower 

 Canada, and retreated to its former 

 encampment at the Four Corners. 

 In co-operation with this inva- 

 sion, general Wilkinson, on Octo- 

 ber 30th, left Grenadier Island on 

 Lake Ontario, with 10,000 men, 

 in small craft and batteaux, and 

 proceeded down the St. Laurence 

 with the avowed intention of tak- 

 ing up his winter quarters at Mon- 

 treal. By keeping close to his 

 own shore, he arrived, on Decem- 

 ber 6th, within six miles of the 

 port of Prescott, which he endea- 

 voured to pass unobserved during 

 the night of the 7th ; but he could 

 not elude the vigilance of lieut- 

 col. Pearson, who obliged him to 

 undergo a heavy and destructive 

 cannonade during his passage. Sir 

 George Prevost, having anticipated 

 the probability of such a move- 

 ment, had ordered a corps of ob- 

 servation under the command of 



