WAR. WITH GREAT BRITAIN. l93 



the night, for the purpose of diverting Hull's attention from 

 what Brock was then doing. In the morning it was discovered 

 that the enemy had landed at Springwells. Having thus 

 landed in safety, and without opposition at 10 o'clock A. M., 

 he marched in columns twelve deep, to attack the American 

 garrison. The fort, or as our soldiers used to call it, " the 

 sheep pen," was so situated, that the enemy could approach 

 within two hundred yards of it, before the guns of the garri- 

 son could injure them. A detachment of the American force 

 however, was sent out, and judiciously posted to prevent 

 the advance of the enemy. But at the very moment, when 

 every American in the army, except its commander, was rea^ 

 dy and anxious to begin the mortal combat, with an enemy of 

 inferior numbers, consisting mostly of either raw militia, or of 

 Indians; what were the emotions of our army, when they 

 were ordered into the fort, and to lay down their arms? They 

 reluctantly obeyed, and a white flag was raised, on the fort. 

 Without shedding a drop of blood — -without firing a single gun, 

 the fort, with all its cannon, taken with Burgoyne, at Sarato- 

 ga, from the British, with a vast amount of powder, lead, can- 

 non balls, and all the munitions of war— ^all — all were surren- 

 dered, unconditionally surrendered, to the enemy. The enemy 

 himself, must have doubted his own senses on that occasion. 

 Let us see, twentyfive hundred men with all their arms; twen^ 

 ty-five pieces of iron cannon, and eight brass ones; forty 

 barrels -_' powder, all were surrendered without firing a gun, 

 to about one thousand militia and a few Indians ! It was even 

 so done by General HuU^ Madison's commander-in-chief of 

 the North Western army. 



Colonels McArthur and Cass, with about four hundred of 

 the very best troops, in the arnly, had been despatched (just 

 at the very moment, they would be most needed) under 

 the pretence of guarding the wagons, with the provisions, 

 which Governor Meigs of Ohio, was forwarding to the army. 

 These troops under McArthur and Ca&s had marched about 

 forty miles into the country, among the whortleberry hills of 

 25 



