358 
LONDON. 
and in this number was general Wincbefter himfelf. This 
brilliant exploit placed the Detroit frontier, for the pre- 
fent, in a ftate of fecurity. 
Meantime, the Americans maintained alfo a force upon 
the branch of the St. Lawrence, which connects the lakes 
Ontario and Erie ; and a large detachment polled at Og- 
denlburgh availed itfelf of the frozen ftate or the river, to 
make incurfions on the oppofite bank. In 6rder to put a 
flop to thefe inroads, fir George Prevoft directed major 
Macdonnell, of the Glengary fencibles, to diflodge them 
from that, poll, His inltruflions were executed in the moft 
gallant and fuccefsful manner : Macdonnell croffed the 
St. Lawrence on the 22ft of February, and carried, at the 
point of the bayonet, the fort of Ogdenfourgh in a few 
minutes. The Americans fled with great precipitation, 
leaving, according to their own account, 6 killed and 40 
wounded. They alfo left behind them 750 ftand of arms, 
13 pieces of cannon, and an immenfe quantity of ammu¬ 
nition and provifions. The Britilh retired after demo- 
lilhing the works and burning fome veflels : their force 
confilted of 6co regulars, and fome Indian allies. This 
aftion was diftinguilhed by the heroic valour of Capt. 
Jenkins, who, after having an arm fiiot off, continued ftill 
to run forward and cheer his men to the attack ; and, 
even when he had received another fevere wound, did not 
defift, till exhauftion and lofs of blood rendered him un¬ 
able to move. The Americans, after this check, did not 
repeat their inroads. 
As the feafon advanced, however, forces accumulated 
from the different llates, and their numbers again became 
decidedly fuperior. General Dearborn, in the end of 
April, let fail on lake Ontario with 5000 men ; and, evad¬ 
ing the vigilance of the Britifli flotilla, landed them in 
the vicinity of York, near the head of the lake, and the 
place of the greateft importance in that part of Canada. 
General fir R. H. Sheaffe, bart. who had not quite 1000, 
was compelled, after a gallant reliftance, to evacuate the 
place; and the Americans thus at laft obtained a firm 
footing on the north bank of the St. Lawrence. About 
the fame time, general Vincent was obliged, by a Itill 
greater luperiority of force, to abandon fort St. George, 
which formed the main point of defence on the Niagara 
frontier. To thefe difafters was added the failure of an 
attempt made by Col. Baynes to obtain poireflion of Sac- 
kett’s Harbour. The detachment was landed, and the 
enemy were driven with lofs into their blocknoufes and 
batteries; but thefe were found fo ftrong, that it would 
have been an ufelefs vvafte of men to attempt ftorming 
them. The Britifli force therefore re-embarked. But, 
the enemy having advanced beyond Forty-Mile Creek to 
attack general Vincent, who was polled at Burlington, the 
latter came upon them by furprife, on the night of the 
5th of June, and forced them to retire w ith precipitation. 
The Indians, and the fquadron under fir James Yeo, then 
operating on their rear, they were compelled to fall back 
upon Niagara, and had to maintain in their retreat a leries 
of unluccefsful affions, in which they loft a great part of 
their army, with almoil all their artillery and baggage. 
The Britilh force advanced, and held them nearly in a ftate 
of blockade. Landings were effected at Sodus, at the 
Geneffee-river, and at Plattlburg; the (lores and provi- 
iions at thefe places were deltroyed or carried off. 
A change of fortune however immediately followed. 
It began with the army on the Detroit frontier, which till 
now had been uniformly viflorious. Colonel Proftor, 
Laving been almoil compelled by the folicitations of the 
Indians and of ill-difciplined militia, to make an attempt 
on the fort of Sandulky, was repulfed with lofs. The 
troops were dilheartened by this unwonted reverfe ; and 
the American general, Karrifon, prefiing on at the head 
of 10,000 men, forced them to retreat in confufion. The 
country being unfavourable to this movement, he over¬ 
took, furrounded, and made prifoners of, nearly the whole; 
the general, with a few attendants, only efcaping. This 
di.fa.lter was followed by another, ftill more unexpected 
and mortifying. Whatever might be the fuperiori.ty.of 
the Americans on land, it feemed reafonable to expert 
that on another element Britain would always maintain 
the predominance. On Lake Erie however the cafe was 
reverfed. This unpropitious circumftance is faid to have 
been occafioned by a delay in the tranfmifiion of a difpatch 
from lirG. Prevoft to admiral Warren, demanding a rein¬ 
forcement of (flipping. Howevc-r this may be, nine Ame¬ 
rican veflels were on the 10th September met only by fix 
Britilh: the unequal conteft was gallantly maintained 5 
and the Lawrence, the American commander’s veil'd, at 
one time llruck ; but the Britifn were not able to take 
poffeflion of her. Relieved by the other fiiips, ftie again 
came into aflion ; and the refuit was, that the Britilh 
fquadron, after being reduced to a ftate of almoil com¬ 
plete wreck, fell entirely into the hands of the enemy. 
This fu-ccefs gave to jh,e Americans the complete com¬ 
mand of Lake Erie; combined with the defeat of Col. 
Proflor, it rendered them mailers of Upper Canada. They 
already confidered all Canada as their own ; and once 
more announced their intention of taking Montreal as 
their winter-quarters. 
The preparations, by which thefe magnificent boafts 
were to be fupported, appeared not altogether inadequate 
to their fulfilment. Three armies, each amounting to 
nearly ten thoufand men, marched from different points 
upon Lower Canada about the end of Oflober. While 
general Harrifon proceeded along Lake Erie, general Wil- 
kinfon embarked his divilion upon Lake Ontario, and ge¬ 
neral Hampton marched direfl to Montreal. Thefe troops 
however were formidable only in number, and po fie fled 
no qualities that could enable them to Hand the ihock of 
troops under Britilh difcipline. Hampton’s whole corps 
was arrefted for a day by 300 Canadian militia; and, ad¬ 
ditional forces coming up, lie immediately fell back, and 
evacuated the province. Wilkinfon fucceeded in effefl¬ 
ing a landing near Kingfton : but Lieut.-col. Morrifon, 
who was Rationed at that place with a fmall detachment, 
immediately followed him ; and an aflion took place near 
Cryfiler’s Farm, twenty miles above Cornwall. The Ame¬ 
rican army, fix times fuperior in number, was totally de¬ 
feated with the lofs of 1000 men. It then precipitately 
croffed the St. Lawrence, and, abandoning its boats, re¬ 
treated acrols a difficult country to Plattlburg. The dif- 
after did not Hop here. On the 25th December, a Bri¬ 
tilh and Indian force having furpriled Fort Niagara, de~ 
ftroyed or made prifoners of the whole garrifon. They 
then eroded, attacked general Hull, who had collefted about 
2000 men on the other fide, and put him totally to the rout. 
Thus, amid partial reverfes, the campaign by land was 
on the whole glorious and fortunate for Britain.—At fea 
too, (he regained that afcendancy which naturally be¬ 
longed to her. Yet the firlt naval event we have to re¬ 
late is moll unfortunate.—The Peacock, her brave cap¬ 
tain, and her crew, with the exception of a few, funk and 
perilhed together, whilft the Eritilh colours waved unfur- 
rendered over their heads. Such heroifm cannot fail to 
awaken the glow of admiration ; fuch a lofs, to draw the 
tear of fympathy and patriotifm. The following are the 
particulars: The Peacock of eighteen 18-ponnders, Capt. 
Peake, funk, after a moft gallant aflion of forty-five mi¬ 
nutes, off Demarara, with the American Hoop of war Hor¬ 
net, of twenty 32-pounders. The Peacock had, before the 
aflion clofed, eight feet water in her hold ; and, notwith- 
ftanding every endeavour to pump out the water, fine fill¬ 
ed luddenly, and went down in a moment. Notwith- 
ftanding tire humane exertions of the Hornet’s people, 
they could only fave a quarter-mailer and a few men. 
The viflory we are now to detail was attended with 
circumftances peculiarly gratifying. Captain Broke, of 
the Shannon frigate, with another fmall veil'd attending 
him, had been cruizing for fome time near the harbour 
of Bollon, where the Cliefapeake frigate then lay, The 
latter, though much fuperior, particularly in men, did 
not venture to come out. Captain Broke, however, was 
2 anxious 
