STATE PAPERS. 



445 



13 proceeding on its destination to- 

 wards the Michigan territory, hav- 

 ing succeeded in relieving an im- 

 portant frontier post, and in several 

 incidental operations against hos- 

 tile tribes of savages, rendered in- 

 dispensable by the subserviency in- 

 to which they had been seduced by 

 the enemy ; a seduction the more 

 cruel, as it could not fail to impose 

 a necessity of precautionary severi- 

 ties against those who yielded to it. 

 At a recent rate, an attack was 

 made on a post of the enemy near 

 Niagara, by a detachment of the 

 regular and other forces, under the 

 command of Major General Van 

 Rensselaer, of the militia of the 

 State of New York. The attack, 

 it appears, was ordered in compli- 

 ance with the ardour of the troops, 

 who executed it with distinguish- 

 ed gallantry, and were for a time 

 victorious : but not receiving the 

 expected support, they were com- 

 pelled to yield to reinforcements of 

 British regulars and savages. Our 

 loss has been considerable, and is 

 deeply to be lamented. That of 

 the enemy, less ascertained, will 

 be the more felt, as it includes 

 among the killed, the command- 

 ing general, who was also governor 

 of the province; and was sustained 

 by veteran troops, from inexperi- 

 enced soldiers, who must daily 

 improve the duties of the field. 



Our expectation of gaining the 

 command of the Lakes by the in- 

 vasion of Canada from Detroit, 

 having been disappointed, mea- 

 sures were instantly taken to pro- 

 vide on them a naval force superior 

 to that of the enemy. From the 

 talents and activity of the officer 

 charged with this object, every 

 thing that can be done may be ex- 

 pected. Should the present season 

 not admit of complete success, the 



progress made will ensure for the 

 next a naval ascendancy where it 

 is essential to a permanent peace 

 with, and control over, the savages. 



Among the incidents to the mea- 

 sures of the war, I am constrained 

 to advert to the refusal of the go- 

 vernors of Massachusetts and Con- 

 necticut to furnish the required de- 

 tachments of militia towards the 

 defence of the maritime frontier. 

 The refusal was founded on a no- 

 vel and unfortunate exposition of 

 the provision of the constitution 

 relating to the militia. The corre- 

 spondence which will be before 

 you, contains the requisite infor- 

 mation on the subject. It is ob- 

 vious, that if the authority of the 

 United States to call into service 

 and command the militia for the 

 public defence, can be thus frus- 

 trated, even in a state.of declared 

 war, and of course under appre- 

 hensions of invasion preceding 

 war, they are not one nation for 

 the purpose most of all requiring it, 

 and that the public safety may 

 have no other resource than those 

 large and permanent military 

 establishments which are forbid- 

 den by the principles of our free 

 government, and against the ne- 

 cessity of which the militia were 

 meant to be a constitutional bul- 

 wark. 



On the coasts and on the ocean, 

 the war has been as successful as 

 circumstances from its early stages 

 could promise. Our public ships 

 and private cruizers, by their acti- 

 vity, and where there was occa- 

 sion, by their intrepidity, have 

 made the enemy sensible of the 

 difference between a reciprocity of 

 captures, and the long confinement 

 of them to their side. Our trade, 

 with little exception, has safely 

 reached our ports, having been 



much 



