910 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1814. 



place without diffioulty or oppo- 

 sition) been supported, the enemy 

 must have fled from his works, 

 (which were all taken, as was 

 contemplated in the instructions, 

 in reverse), or have surrendered. 



The attack on the fort and in- 

 trenchments leading from it to the 

 Lake was made at the same mo- 

 ment by two columns ; one un-der 

 Lieut.-Colonel Drummond, 104th 

 regiment, consisting of the flank 

 companies 41st and 104th regi- 

 ments, and a body of seamen and 

 marines under Captain Dobbs, of 

 the royal navy, on the fort ; the 

 other, under (.'olonel Scott, 103rd, 

 consisting of the 103rd regiment, 

 supported by two companies of the 

 royals, was destined to attack the 

 entrenchments. These columns 

 advanced to the attack, as soon as 

 the firing upon Colonel Fischer's 

 column was heard, and succeeded, 

 after a desperate resistance, in 

 making a lodgment in the fort 

 through the embrazures of the 

 demi-bastion, the guns of which 

 they had actually turned against 

 the enemy, who still maintained 

 the stone liuilding, when most 

 unfortunately some ammunition, 

 which had been placed under 

 the platform, caught fire from the 

 firing of the guns to the rear, and 

 a most tremendous explosion fol- 

 lowed, by which almost all the 

 troops which had entered the 

 place were dreadfully mangled. 

 Panic was instantly communicated 

 to the troops (who could not be 

 persuaded that the explosion was 

 accidental), and the enemy, at the 

 same time pressing forward, and 

 commencing a heavy fire of mus- 

 ketry, the fort was abandoned, 

 and our troops relreated towards 

 tb« battery. I immediately pushed 



ont the 1st battalion Royals, to 

 support and cover the retreat, a 

 service which that valuable corps 

 executed with great steadiness. 



Our loss has been very severe in 

 killed and wounded : and I am 

 sorry to add that almost all those 

 returned *' missing," may be con- 

 sidered as wounded or killed by 

 the explosion, and left in the 

 hands of the enemy. 



The failure of these most im- 

 portant attacks has been occasioned 

 by circumstances which may be 

 considered as almost justifying the 

 momentary panic which they pro- 

 duced, and which introduce<l a 

 degree of confusion inio the co- 

 lumns which, in the darkness of 

 the night, the utmost exertions of 

 the officers were ineffectual in re- 

 moving. 



The officers appear invariably 

 to have behaved with the most 

 perfect coolness and bravery; nor 

 could any thing exceed the stea- 

 diness and order with which the 

 advance of Lieut.-Col. Fischer's 

 brigade was made, until emerging 

 from a thick wood, it found itself 

 suddenly stopped by an abbattis, 

 and within a heavy fire of musketr 

 ry and guns from behind a for- 

 midable intrenchment. With re- 

 gard to the centre and left columns, 

 under Colonel Scott, and Lieut.- 

 Colonel Drummond, the perse- 

 vering gallantry of both officers 

 and men, until the unfortunate 

 explosion, could not be surpassed. 

 Colonel Scott, 103rd, and Lieut.- 

 Colonel Drummond, 104th, regi- 

 ments, who commanded the centre 

 and left attacks, were unfortu- 

 nately killed ; and your Excel- 

 lency will perceive that almost 

 every officer of those columns 

 was eithe.r killed or wounded by 



