38 journyvl- and proceedings. 



And if kings should fight equally so should the rulers of republics. 



The surprise was only " tolerably " complete. A few muskets 

 'were fired in spite of orders, and the charge being made across the 

 line of camp fires, the small number of the attacking force was 

 plainly seen, and the enemy gaining courage posted themselves on 

 the heights and poured in a destructive fire of musketry, but the 

 bayonet dislodged them, took possession of the field pieces, and in 

 less than three-quarters of an hour the Americans were in full retreat, 

 having abandoned the guns and everything else, including the two 

 Brigadiers Chandler and Winder, other officers and 100 rank and 

 file. Before dawn, as previously arranged, the victorious force of 

 700 against 3,500 retired in perfect order to Burlington Heights, with 

 Vincent and Harvey leading. 



The stories of Vincent having lost his head, and of Harvey 

 being obliged to take command, of Vincent having wandered in the 

 woods and being found two days afterwards, and of the disorderly 

 flight of the attacking force are completely and absolutely contra- 

 dicted by the official and other reports. The work was carried out 

 as previously arranged, and Vincent, so far from being lost, wrote 

 his official r(?port at Burlington Heights on the very day the action 

 took place. Other stories, such as that Harvey entered the camp 

 at Stony Creek in the disguise of a quaker selling potatoes and 

 taking notes, are equally contradicted, as are some of the incorrect 

 statements which have obtained currency in the received histories. 

 The value of this night attack does not appear to have been suffici- 

 ently realized. In itself, perhaps, not of great importance as an 

 isolated expedition, the result was to clear the frontier of a formid- 

 able enemy and greatly to discourage him. The enemy retreated 

 to seek shelter at Fort George, which was garrisoned by 5,000 men, 

 but so great was the alarm caused by the success of Vincent that 

 even Fort George, strongly as it was fortified, was not considered 

 secure, and the great bulk of the American baggage was sent across 

 the river to Fort Niagara. 



It was the most important movement, in that respect, of the 

 whole war. 



On the 8th June, two days after the attack, Vincent wrote to Sir 

 George Prevost, and I copy the letter from the original among the 

 Canadian Archives (Series C, Vol. 679, p. 53) : 



