252 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1814. 



the ships named in the margin, a 

 detachment of twenty men of the 

 royal artillery, with one five and 

 half-inch howitzer, commanded 

 by Lieut. Garston ; a party of eighty 

 marines, commanded by Captain 

 Carter, of the Dragon ; the flank 

 companies of the 29th 62nd, and 

 98th regiments, under the com- 

 mand of Captains Gell and Coaker, 

 Majors Riddel, Keith, and Croas- 

 daile, and Captain M'Pherson; 

 also a rifle company of the 7th 

 battallion of the 60th regiment, 

 commanded by Captain Ward ; 

 and the whole under the orders of 

 Lieut.-Colonel John, of the 60th 

 regiment ; I proceeded agreeably 

 to your order, with the utmost 

 dispatch, up the Penobscot. Light 

 variable winds, a most intricate 

 channel, of which we were per- 

 fectly ignorant, and thick foggy 

 weather, prevented my arriving 

 off" Frankfort before two p. m. of 

 the 2nd iust. Here Colonel John 

 and myself thought it advisable to 

 send a message to the inhabitants; 

 and having received their answer, 

 we pushed on towards Haraden, 

 where we received intelligence 

 that the enemy hud strongly forti- 

 fied himself. On our way up, se- 

 veral troops were observed on the 

 east side of the river making for 

 Brewer ; these were driven into 

 the woods without any loss on our 

 side, by a party under the orders 

 of Major Croasdaile, and the guns 

 from the boats. The enemy had 

 one killed, and several wounded. 



At five p. m. of the 2nd inst. we 

 arrived oft" Ball's Head Cove, dis- 

 tant three miles from Hamden. 



Colonel John and myself landed 

 on the south side of the Cove, to 

 reconnoitre the ground and obtain 

 intelligence. Having gained the 

 hills, we discovered the enemy's 



picquets advantageously posted 

 near the highway leading to Ham- 

 den, on the north side of the 

 Cove. 



We immediately determined to 

 land one hundred and fifty men, 

 under Major Riddel, to drive in 

 the picquets, and take up their 

 ground. This object was obtained 

 by seven o'clock, and notwith- 

 standing every difliculty, the whole 

 of the troops were landed on the 

 north side of the Cove by ten 

 o'clock ; but it was found impos- 

 sible to land the artillery at the 

 same place. The troops bivouacked 

 on the ground taken possession of 

 by Major Riddel. It rained inces- 

 santly during the night. At day- 

 break this morning the fog cleared 

 away for about a quarter of an 

 hour, which enabled me to recon- 

 noitre the enemy by water ; and I 

 found a landing-place for the ar- 

 tillery about two-thirds of a mile 

 from'Ball's Head. Off this place 

 the troops halted till the artillery 

 were mounted, and by six the 

 whole advanced towards Hamden. 



The boats under the immediate 

 command of Lieutenant Pedler, the 

 first of the Dragon, agreeable to a 

 previous arrangement with Colonel 

 John, advanced in a line with the 

 right flank of the army. The 

 Peruvian, Sylph, Dragon's tender, 

 and Harmony transport, were kept 

 a little in the rear in reserve. 



Our information stated the ene- 

 my's force at fourteen hundred 

 men, and he had chosen a most 

 excellent position on a high hill. 

 About a quarter of a mile to the 

 southward of the Adams frigate he 

 had mounted eight IS-pounders. 

 This fort was calculated to com- 

 mand both the highway, by which 

 our troops had to advance, and 

 the river. On a wharf close to the 



I 



