234 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



in our territory, excepting such as 

 were prisoners. 



It is yet uncertain whether gen. 

 Wilkinson means to prosecute his 

 original intention, of proceeding in 

 his small craft and boats from Sal- 

 mon river to Montreal, or to unite 

 his troops with those under major- 

 general Hampton, and attempt to 

 advance into the province by the 

 Chateauguay, or Odel Town roads. 

 Major-general Hampton has re- 

 ceived positive orders to resume 

 the position which he had aban- 

 doned on the Chateauguay river 

 when he retreated to Plattsburg, 

 immediately after the disgraceful 

 defeat he lately experienced ; but 

 the state of the weather is becom- 

 ing so highly unfavourable to com- 

 bined operations, that unless gen. 

 Wilkinson, in a very few days, 

 succeeds in forcing the position I 

 have caused to be occupied at the 

 Rapids of the Coteau de Lac, and 

 on the Beauharnois channel, which 

 I have no reason to expect he will 

 do, or that he can make his way 

 into the province by either of the 

 other routes I have mentioned, 

 which I tliink very improbable, 

 the American army must soon be 

 compelled, by the severity of the 

 season, to go into winter quarters, 

 and to abandon all thoughts of the 

 conquest of Canada for this cam- 

 paign. I have also the honour 

 of transmitting to your lordship 

 the copy of a letter, with its enclo- 

 sures therein referred to, address- 

 ed to major-general de Rotten- 

 burgh by lieut.-col. Morrison, in 

 which you will see a further proof 

 of the vigilance and activity of that 

 officer, in executing tiie duty with 

 which he has been entrusted ; and 

 I have tlie fartiier pleasure to re- 

 port to your loidsliip, that a IS-inch 



iron, and a 10-inch brass mortar, 

 with their stores, and a large sup- 

 ply of provisions, deposited by the 

 American army at Ogdensburg, 

 have been brought away from 

 thence by captain Mulcaster, of 

 the navy, and landed at Pres- 

 cott. 



I have again witnessed, with pe- 

 culiar satisfaction, the loyalty and 

 active zeal with which all classes 

 have been animated in their endea- 

 vours to oppose the threatened in- 

 vasion of the enemy, and which I 

 have great pleasure in reporting to 

 your lordship. 



I have the honour to be, &c. 



(Signed) George Prevost. 



Chrisllcr's JVilliainsberg, 

 Upper Canada, Nov. 

 12, 1813. 



Sir ; — I have the heartfelt grati- 

 fication to report the brilliant and 

 gallant conduct of the detachment 

 from the centre division of the 

 army, as yesterday displayed in re- 

 pulsing and defeating a division of 

 the enemy's force, consisting of 

 two brigades of infantry, and a re- 

 giment of cavalry, amounting to 

 between 3,000 and 4,000 men, 

 who moved forward about two , 

 o'clock in the afternoon, from 

 Chrisllcr's point, and attacked our 

 advance, which gradually fell back 

 to the position selected for the de- 

 tachment to occupy ; the right 

 resting on the river, and the left 

 on a pine wood, exhibiting a front 

 of about 700 yards. 



The ground being open, the 

 troops were thus disposed ; the 

 flank companies of the 49th regi- 

 ment, the detachment of the Cana- 

 dian Fencibles, with one field- 

 piece, under-Iieut.-colonel Pear- 

 son on the right, a little advanced 



