On the Lakes 333 



of grape. After three hours' conflict, at 12.30, 

 a 24-pound shot from one of the galleys struck the 

 Eagle under her starboard quarter, and ripped out 

 a whole plank under water. She sank at once, but 

 it was in such shoal water that she did not settle 

 entirely, and none of the men were drowned. Soon 

 afterward the Growler had her forestay and main- 

 boom shot away, and, becoming unmanageable, ran 

 ashore and was also captured. The Growler had 

 i killed and 8 wounded, the Eagle n wounded; 

 their combined crews, including 34 volunteers, 

 amounted to 112 men. The British gunboats 

 suffered no loss; of the troops on shore three 

 were wounded, one dangerously, by grape. 33 Lieu- 

 tenant Smith had certainly made a very plucky 

 fight, but it was a great mistake to get cooped up 

 in a narrow channel, with wind and current dead 

 against him. It was a very creditable success to 

 the British, and showed the effectiveness of well- 

 handled gunboats under certain circumstances. The 

 possession of these two sloops gave the command 

 of the lake to the British. Macdonough at once 

 set about building others, but with all his energy 

 the materials at hand were so deficient that he could 

 not get them finished in time. On July 3ist, 1,000 

 British troops, under Col. J. Murray, convoyed by 

 Captain Thomas Everard, with the sloops Chubb 

 and Finch (late Growler and Eagle) and three gun- 



88 Letter from Major-General Taylor (British) to Major- 

 General Stone, June 3, 1813. Lossing says the loss of the 

 British was "probably at least one hundred" on what au- 

 thority, if any, I do not know. 



