224 Naval War of 1812 



mander, as he sung out, "Now then, give it to them 

 for the honor of America" ; and at once a storm of 

 grape hurtled into their ranks. Wild confusion fol 

 lowed. The only field-pieces with Keane were two 

 light 3-pounders, not able to cope with the Carolina's 

 artillery ; the rocket guns were brought up, but were 

 speedily silenced ; musketry proved quite as ineffect 

 ual; and in a very few minutes the troops were 

 driven helter-skelter off the levee, and were forced 

 to shelter themselves behind it, not without having 

 suffered severe loss. 14 The night was now as black 

 as pitch; the embers of the deserted camp-fires, 

 beaten about and scattered by the schooner's shot, 

 burned with a dull red glow ; and at short intervals 

 the darkness was momentarily lit up by the flashes 

 of the Carolina's guns. Crouched behind the levee, 

 the British soldiers lay motionless, listening in pain 

 ful silence to the pattering of the grape among the 

 huts, and to the moans and shrieks of the wounded 

 who lay beside them. Things continued thus till 

 toward nine o'clock, when a straggling fire from the 

 pickets gave warning of the approach of a more 

 formidable foe. The American land-forces had 

 reached the outer lines of the British camp, and 

 the increasing din of the musketry, with ringing 



14 General Keane, in his letter, writes that the British suf 

 fered but a single casualty ; Gleig, who was present, says (p. 

 288): "The deadly shower of grape swept down numbers in 

 the camp." 



