SOS] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



design was by no means renounced. 

 A considerable force « as assembled 

 in the neighbourhood of Niagara, 

 and on October 18, the American 

 General Wadsworth, with 13 or 

 1,400 men, made an attack on the 

 British position of Queenstown, on 

 the Niagara river. On receiving 

 ihe intelligence. Major - General 

 Brock hastened to the spot, and 

 led on a few troops for its defence. 

 He had previously sent orders to 

 Brigade-Major Evans, who com- 

 Vaanded at Fort George, to batter 

 %he opposite American Fort Nia- 

 gara, which was done so effectu- 

 ally that the garrison was forced 

 to abandon it. General Brock was 

 unfortunately killed while cheering 

 On his men, and the position was 

 for a time taken by the enemy. 

 Heinforcements, however, being 

 brought up by Major - General 

 Shealfe, the next in command, 

 the Americans were attacked ; and 

 after a short but sharp conflict, in 

 which they sustained a consider- 

 able loss in killed and wounded. 

 General Wadsworth surrendered 

 himself prisoner on the field, with 

 upwards of 900 men and many 

 officers, the troops to which they 

 yielded being about the same 

 number. The loss on the part of 

 the British was small, with the 

 exception of General Brock, in 

 wlioui his country was deprived of 

 an officer of distinguished courage 

 and ability. An account given of 

 this affair to the American govern- 

 ment by General Van Renselaer, 

 contains some singular instances of 

 ^ant of concert and subordination, 

 T'hich prove how far the military 

 establishment of the United States 

 wag at this period from the organi- 

 sation necessary for success ajjainst 



a skilful and well-appointed ad- 

 versary. 



On November 4, Congress as- 

 sembled after its adjournment, 

 when a message from the president 

 was communicated to both houses. 

 Its leading topic was the state of 

 the war in which the country was 

 engaged, and a summary of its 

 principal occurrences. In advert- 

 ing to the failure of the attempts 

 upon Canada, heavy complaints 

 were made of the employment of 

 savage auxiliaries by the British 

 government, and inciting them to 

 hostilities, for which, it was said, 

 no pretext liad been given by the 

 example of the American govern- 

 ment. The effect, however, was, 

 stated to have been that of rousing 

 to arms the citizens on the frontier, 

 of whom, an ample force, with 

 the addition of a few regulars, 

 was proceeding towards the Mi- 

 chigan territory. A complaint was 

 then made of a refusal on the part 

 of the governors of Massachusetts 

 and Connecticut to furnish the re- 

 quired detachments of militia 

 towards the defence of the mari-. 

 time frontier, in consequence of a 

 novel exposition of the provisions 

 of the constitution relative to the 

 militia ; and the bad effects of such 

 a want of concurrence was pointed 

 out. With respect to the over- 

 tures for an amicable termination 

 of the differences with Great 

 Britain, the president informed 

 Congress of the terms on which 

 their charge d'affaires at London 

 was authorised to agree to an 

 armistice. These were, that the 

 orders in council should be repeal- 

 ed as they affected the United 

 States, without a revival of the 

 blockades violating acknowledged 



rules ; 



