278 Naval War of 1812 



May 26th Commodore Chauncy carefully recon- 

 noitred the place to be attacked, and in the night 

 made soundings along the coast, and laid buoys 

 so as to direct the small vessels, who were to do the 

 fighting. At 3 A.M. on the 27th the signal was made 

 to weigh, the heavy land artillery being on the 

 Madison, and the other troops on the Oneida, the 

 Lady of the Lake, and in batteaux, many of which 

 had been captured at York. The Julia, Growler, and 

 Ontario moved in and attacked a battery near the 

 lighthouse, opening a cross-fire which silenced it. 

 The troops were to be disembarked further along the 

 lake, near a battery of one long 24, managed by 

 Canadian militia. The Conquest and Tompkins 

 swept in under fire to this battery, and in 10 minutes 

 killed or drove off the artillerymen, who left the 

 gun spiked, and then opened on the British. "The 

 American ships with their heavy discharges of round 

 and grape too well succeeded in thinning the British 

 ranks." 8 Meanwhile the troop-boats, under Cap- 

 tain Perry and Colonel Scott dashed in, completely 

 covered by a heavy fire of grape directed point- 

 blank at the foe by the Hamilton, Scourge, and Asp. 

 "The fire from the American shipping committed 

 dreadful havoc among the British, and rendered 

 their efforts to oppose the landing of the enemy in- 

 effectual." 9 Colonel Scott's troops, thus protected, 

 made good their landing and met the British regu- 

 lars; but the latter were so terribly cut up by the 

 tremendous discharges of grape and canister from 



8 James, "Military Occurrences," i, p. 151. * Loc. cit. 



