GENERAL HISTORY. 



[I8J 



beyoftd the Cliippawa, On the 

 following day they abandoned their 

 camp, threw the greatest part of 

 their baggage and provisions into 

 the Rapids, and having set tire to 

 Street's mil's and destroyed the 

 bridge over the Chippawa, con- 

 tinued their retreat in great dis- 

 order to fort Erie. Gen. Drum- 

 mond estirpates the enemy's loss 

 at not less than 1,500, including 

 several hundred prisoners ; their 

 whole force, rated at 5,000, hav- 

 ing been engaged. The British 

 force during the first three hours 

 of the action, did not exceed 1,600 

 nhien, and the additional troops 

 under Col. Scott, did not augment 

 it beyond 2,800 of all descriptions. 

 Of these, the loss amounted in 

 killed, wounded, and missing to 

 878. In this manner was de- 

 feated another attempt of the 

 Americans to penetrate into Ca- 

 nada; respecting which, it cannot 

 escape observation, that although 

 British valour and discipline were 

 finally triumphant, the improve- 

 ment of the American troops in 

 these qualities was eminently con- 

 spicuous. That this defeat, and 

 the arrival of succours from Eu- 

 rope, were timely events, maybe 

 inferred from the trial of a num- 

 ber of inhabitants of Upper Ca- 

 nada for high treason, in the 

 month of May, of whom fifteen 

 were convicted, out of which 

 number eight were executed at 

 Burlington in the district of Nia- 

 gara on July 12th. 



The operation of the British 

 armaments on the coast of the 

 southern American States, had hi- 

 therto been on a small scale, and 

 calculated rather to alarm and irri- 

 tate, than to produce any con- 

 hiderable efttcts, but in this year 



the resolution was taken of strik- 

 ing some important blow in these 

 quarters. A large naval force was 

 employed under the chief com- 

 mand of Vice-admiral Sir. Alex. 

 Cochrane, having on board a pow- 

 erful land force, commanded by 

 IViajor-Gen. Robert Ross. In the 

 beginning of August Adm. Coch- 

 rane was waiting in the Chesa- 

 peake for the arrival of Rear- 

 admiral Malcolm, with an expe- 

 dition from Bermuda. Being joined 

 by him on the I7th, the Admiral 

 was informed by Rear-admiral 

 Cockburne, whom he found in the 

 Potowmac, that the American 

 commodore Barney, with the Bal- 

 timore Flotilla, had taken shelter 

 at the head of the Patuxent. This 

 circumstance afforded a pretext 

 for ascending that river to attack 

 him, while the ultimate destina- 

 tion of the combined land aiijd 

 naval force was the American 

 capital, Washington. To this city 

 the best approaches are by port 

 Tobacco on the Potowmac, and 

 Benedict on the Patuxent, from 



good 

 the 



roads to 

 distances 



both of which are 

 Washington, and 

 are nearly equal. It besng de- 

 termined to enter the Patuxent, 

 the admiral sent a force to bom- 

 bard fort Washington, situated 

 ten or twelve miles below the city ; 

 and a man of war with some 

 small vessels were sent up the 

 Chesapeak above Baltimore by 

 way of diversion. The army being 

 landed on August 19th and 20th 

 at Benedict, general Ross marched 

 to Nottingham on the 21st, and 

 to Upper Marlborough on the 

 22nd ; Admiral Cockburn in the 

 mean time, with the barges, armed 

 launches, and other boats of the 

 fleet, having the murines on board. 



