635 



General Brock, who unhappily for hi^ country 

 received a mortal wound shortly after the ac* 

 tion commenced. On the 22d January, 1813, 

 a detachment under General Winchester was 

 defeated and captured at Riviere aux Raisins, 

 on which occasion there was nearly a similar 

 disparity of force. On the 27th April, an 

 American force under General Dearborn, con- 

 sisting of 2500 men, supported by Commodore 

 Ghauncey's squadron of ten armed vessels, car- 

 rying altogether fifty guns, effected a landing, 

 and captured the town of York, which at that 

 period was protected only by two companies of 

 the 8th regiment, two weak companies of the 

 Newfoundland regiment, 40 men of the Glen- 

 gary riflemen, 220 militia, and 40 Indians, 

 all under the personal command of General 

 SheafFe. An action took place, but it only 

 served to gain time for destroying a new ship 

 on the stocks, and some public stores; when 

 after having sustained the loss of 130 brave 

 men in obstructing the enemy's advance, a re- 

 treat was effected with the remainder, and the 

 capital of Upper Canada for the first time re^ 

 ceived a conqueror, but who soon re-embarked, 

 after destroying such of the public buildings as 

 fell into his hands. The superiority of their 

 fleet gave the Americans the advantage of 

 choosing their points of attack, and on the 

 24th and 25th of May Chauncey's squadron^ 



