86 JOURNAL AND PROCKEDINGS. 



I felt in a sad dilemma. The thought of abandoning the country 

 and leaving everything that was near and dear to me was most 

 distressing. 



Continuing his narrative of the events preceding the battle of 

 Stony Creek, Mr. Merritt says : 



"On the evening of the 29th of April I was deputed by 

 Brigadier General Vincent to bring down all the boats from Burling- 

 ton, which was accomplished in sixteen hours. The enemy, with 

 their fleet, returned to Fort Niagara. From this time until the 27th 

 of May every man was turned out at two o'clock in the morning, 

 and remained under arms Some men were twelve nights in suc- 

 cession on guard. Our small force was formed into three divisions. 

 Col. Myers, with ' Kings," and two companies of militia, defended 

 the lake coast to the Four Mile Creek; Col. Harvey, with three 

 companies of Newfoundlands and three companies of Glengarrys, 

 one company of the 41st, one company of the 44th, and two of 

 militia, up the river to Queenston ; General Vincent, with the 49th 

 regiment and militia, in rear of Fort George, to act as occasion 

 might require. Col. Harvey and myself rode up and down the river 

 during the night and slept at day. On the 25th the enemy com- 

 menced operations by cannonading Fort George, which they burned. 

 For want of ammunition we were unable to return fire. On the 

 27th, at four in the morning, they were discovered under cover of a 

 thick fog. They commenced to land at 9 a. m. Our right and left 

 divisions were obliged to fall back on the reserve, which, numbering 

 but 800 men, were forced to retire. 



" After finding the boats commanded by Commodore Barclay, 

 who was at Twenty Mile Creek with the light company of the 

 Kings, and ordering the troops down, I returned with them as far as 

 ' Shipman's,' where I was met by a message and ordered to go to 

 De Cew's, to which place the army had retreated. Remaining all 

 night, I took the party through the woods, arriving there next 

 morning at 9 o'clock on the 28th of May. 



"This day the militia were disbanded and the regulars marched 

 to Grimsby on the way to Burlington Heights. Early on the 29th 

 I returned to the Twelve, at Shipman's, where the enemy had its 

 advance guards. I remained at my father's until midnight, when I 

 returned to Grimsby to report. Here I was ordered to remain with 



