\S0] ANNUAL REGISTER, ISU. 



ants, who gained possession of the 

 fort in ten minutes. The whole 

 of the garrison made their escape 

 except about 60 men, half of 

 whom were severely wounded. 

 There were taken seven heavy 

 guns intended for a large ship of 

 the Americans newly launched on 

 the lake; and other guns, cordage, 

 and naval stores, were sunk by 

 themselves in the river. After 

 the barracks in the town and fort 

 had been burnt, and all the da- 

 mage done to the works that was 

 practicable, the troops were re- 

 embarked, bringing away a quan- 

 tity of stores. The principal ad- 

 vantage aimed at by this expedi- 

 tion appears to have been pre- 

 venting the completion of the 

 enemy's armament on the lake, 

 and especially the equipment of 

 their new ship, whicli was calcu- 

 lated to carry 64 guns. 



Another attempt on a small 

 scale, which had the same pur- 

 pose in view, proved unfortunate. 

 Captain Popham of the navy com- 

 manciing a squadron which was 

 blockading Sackett's harbour, hav- 

 ing obtained information of the 

 arrival of an enemy's flotilla at 

 Sandy creek, with navul stores 

 from Oswego, to be thence con- 

 veyed over land to Sackett's har- 

 bour, resolved in concert with 

 Captain Spilsbury upon an enter- 

 prize for its destruction. Proceed- 

 ing to the creek, he reached its 

 entrance with the boats of the 

 squadron, soon after daylight on 

 May 31st, having with him near 

 200 seamen and marines. The 

 boats cautiously advanced up the 

 creek to within a (juarter of a 

 mile from the enemy, and landed 

 armed parties on each side. On 

 eoming to a turning which opened 



the flotilla full to their view, a 

 C8-pounder carronade, on which 

 they greatly depended, was disabled, 

 and as they were bringing a 24- 

 pounder to bear, they were at- 

 tacked by a force consisting of 

 150 rifle-men, nearly 200 Indians, 

 and a numerous body of militia 

 and cavalry. A gallant resistance 

 was made for a time, but against 

 such a superiority it was unavail- 

 ing. The loss as returned amount- 

 ed to 18 killed and 50 danger- 

 ously wounded, besides prisoners, 

 who are not specified, but it is 

 remarked, that the winding of the 

 creek gave the enemy great ad- 

 vantage in intercepting the re- 

 treat. Captain Popham makes 

 acknowledgments for the exer- 

 tions of the officers of the Ame- 

 rican rifle corps, in saving the 

 lives of many officers and men, 

 whom the Indians and their own 

 men had devoted to death. 



In order to counteract the eflects 

 of the general blockade of the 

 American coast, the President of 

 the United States on June 29th, 

 issued a proclamation, in which, 

 after asserting, that the enemy's 

 declared blockade of a coast nearly 

 2,000 miles in extent, abounding 

 in ports, cannot be carried into 

 effect by any force actually sta- 

 tioned for the purpose, a fact 

 proved by the many arrivals and 

 departures of the private armed 

 vessels of the United States ; and 

 aflirming that a blockade so des- 

 titute of its legal character can 

 form no lawful prohibition to the 

 trade of neutral naticuis with the 

 United States ; strictly orders all 

 the public vessels of the United 

 States, and all private armed 

 vessels commissioned as privateers, 

 or with letters of marque, by no 



