had arrived at the same place. Having provided boats to transport the artillery through the St. Lawrence, and left colonel Dennis in the command of Sacket's-harbour, the general proceeded to put the army in motion; but in consequence of high winds, it was not until the 25th that the vessels could get under weigh. Intelligence was now received, that the British commander was concentrating his force at Kingston, conceiving that place to be the object of attack; in consequence of this information, general Wilkinson, in order to favour the idea, appointed Frenchcreek as the place of rendezvous. On the 1st of November, a British squadron made its appearance near Frenchcreek, with a large body of infantry, but were prevented from landing by a heavy fire of artillery: the attempt was renewed next morning, but with no better success, and they soon after crossed the river. On the 6th, the American army was put in motion, and the same evening landed within six miles of the British fort Prescott, which they endeavoured to pass unobserved, but the moon shining at the time, they were discovered by the enemy, who opened a brisk and well-directed fire. General Brown, with a flotilla of 300 boats, was now in the rear, and waiting until the night grew darker, proceeded down the river, but not without being perceived by the British, when a heavy fire was opened upon him; from which he received little or no injury. Before ten o'clock the next day, they had all safely arrived at the place of destination. A messenger was now despatched to general Hampton, informing him of the movement of the army, and requiring his co-operation.

The British by this time had penetrated the design of the invading army, and used every exertion to counteract it. A corps of observation, under colonel Morrison, had been appointed to watch the movements of general Wilkinson's army, and if possible to impede its progress. The American flotilla, in attempting to proceed down the river, was exposed to repeated attacks at the narrow parts of the stream, where they approached within musket shot. At length, after many dangers and obstructions, they came to about six miles below Hamilton, and there received intelligence, that their advanced guard of 1,200 men, under colonel M'Comb, had been engaged with the enemy, but without being repulsed, and that some British cavalry had been collected at a place called White-house, at a contraction of the river; to which place the flotilla was ordered to proceed. But their advance was greatly retarded by the menacing position

of the British army, which hung upon their rear, and by the difficult navigation of the St. Lawrence. On the morning of the 11th, the American general Boyd, with nearly 4,000 men, attacked the corps of observation, under colonel Morrison, at Williamsberg. The action soon became general, when the Americans made an attempt to turn the left flank of the British, but were frustrated in their design by the excellent disposition of the troops, a part of which advanced forward, firing by platoons. Defeated in this quarter, they made a similar effort against the right, which was attended with still worse success; being obliged to surrender one of their field-pieces. Colonel Morrison, in his turn, now became the assailant, and was vigorously opposed by the American commander, who concentrated his force to prevent the advance of the British; but after a well-fought action of two hours, the Americans gave way on all sides, and abandoned their position. In this battle the loss of the British in killed and wounded amounted to 180, including twelve missing; on the side of the Americans, 102 were killed, 237 wounded, and above 100 taken prisoners: among the wounded were general Covington, mortally, one colonel, three majors, five captains, and five lieutenants.

On the 13th, general Wilkinson, who had been for some time confined to his bed, received a letter from general Hampton, stating, that from the scarcity of provisions he could not bring his troops forward according to orders; but that he should retire to Plattsburgh, with a view of opening a communication between the two armies further down the river. This letter, which was considered as a refusal on the part of Hampton to cooperate, put an end at once to the further prosecution of the design against Montreal; and the American army crossed the St. Lawrence, and went into winter-quarters at French-mills. The troops under general Hampton soon followed the example; and in consequence of his illness, the command was assumed by general Izard.

The repeated disasters which had attended the different attempts on Canada, had now left that country without fear of invasion; and the British army were enabled to act on the offensive. On the 10th of December, a detachment under colonel Murray, arrived in the neighbourhood of fort George, then in possession of the Americans. General M'Clure, who commanded the garrison, on the approach of the enemy, blew up the fort, and passed the river; having previously burnt the beautiful

Village of Newark, in consequence of misconceiving the orders he had received from the secretary at war: this unfortunate event was attended with results afflicting to humanity, After the evacuation of fort George, the whole of the British side of the Niagara was abandoned by the Americans.

It was now determined to retaliate for the burning of Newark; accordingly, at day-light, on the 19th, fort Niagara was surprised by colonel Murray, with a force of 550 men, and the place carried, after a spirited resist ance, with the trifling loss of six men killed and five wounded; while the loss of the garrison was sixty-five killed, fourteen wounded, and 344 made prisoners. This is according to colonel Murray's report; but the Ameri can account says, that nearly 300 were put to the sword, only about twenty being able to effect their escape. In the fort was found twenty-seven pieces of cannon, 3,000 stand of arms, a number of rifles, and a large quantity of clothing and camp equipage. Captain Leonard, who had the command of the garrison, was absent at the time, and had taken no precautions whatever against an Assault in general M'Clure's report, he charges him with having deserted to the enemy. On the same day on which fort Niagara fell, Lewistown surrendered to the British, and, with Manchester, Young's-town, and the Indian village of Tuscarroras, was reduced to ashes, and many of the inhabitants put to death.

On the 30th, a large detachment, under major-general Riall, accompanied by a great number of Indians, crossed the Niagara, with the intention of attacking Black-rock and Buffalo. At the approach of the British to the former place, a heavy fire was commenced by the militia under general Hall; but they were unable to withstand the gallant and determined advance of the assailants, who compelled them to retreat to Buffalo, two miles distant. Here the Americans, being 2,000 strong, attempted to make a stand, but the resistance of undisciplined troops was vain against such an enemy. The American militia soon broke and fled in disorder, betaking themselves to the woods, and leaving the British in possession of the town, which was soon after fired, and reduced to a heap of ruins. Eight pieces of cannon, and 130 prisoners fell into the hands of the victors; whose loss upon this occas sion was thirty-one killed, sixty-seven wounded, and nine missing; the loss of the vanquished in killed and wounded was estimated at three hundred. On the evening of the same day, the village of Black-rock was consigned

to the flames; and the whole frontier, for many miles, exhibited a scene of ruin and devastation. But the work of retaliation was not yet complete; a detachment was sent down the river to destroy the fort of Niagara, the last remaining cover of the Americans in this quarter. A dreadful scene of desolation now presented itself; all the towns and villages on the American side of the river Niagara, for the distance of thirty-seven miles, were destroyed. The military transactions at the close of this campaign having assumed a most ferocious character, more resembling the conduct of the savage allies now employed by both British and Americans, than the honourable warfare of civilized nations,

On the 6th of December congress again assembled party spirit had almost reached its crisis, and the debates were carried on with the most virulent animosity. Some of the New England states carried their opposition to a most dangerous height, (see page 211), not only against the administration, but even against the federal constitution itself. On the 7th of January, 1814, a message was received from the president, announcing that, though the prince regent of England had declined the mediation of the emperor of Russia, to reconcile the existing differences between Great Britain and America; yet, was willing to enter into a direct negociation, either at London or Gottenburg, This proposal was immediately accepted, and Gottenburg, as a neutral territory, fixed upon for the meeting of the plenipotentiaries.

· No sooner had the northern army retired into winter, quarters, than the public attention was called to the interesting events which had taken place in the country of the Creek Indians. In the course of the summer, the settlers near Oakmulgee river, in Georgia, became so much alarmed from the hostile behaviour of the Creeks, that the greater part of them abandoned their plantations, and shut themselves up in forts; and the peace party among the Indians shut themselves up with them, At length the majority of the Creek warriors, in defiance of the opinion of their most sagacious chiefs, procured arms from the Spaniards in Florida, and declared war against the United States. The commence, ment of hostilities was witnessed by one of the most shocking massacres to be found in the history of Indian wars. On the 30th of August, fort Mims, in which the greatest number of families had been collected, was sur, prised by a large body of the savages, and the garrison, with about 260 of the inhabitants, and 100 negroes, cruelly

1

butchered. Of the whole number of persons in the place, not more than thirty escaped.

On the receipt of this disastrous intelligence, a part of the Georgia militia, and the volunteers and militia of Tennessee, under brigadier-general Floyd and general Jackson, were detached to revenge the massacre, and strike terror into the savages. During the month of November, four battles were fought at different places, in all of which the Indians were defeated and their villages destroyed; though they fought with the utmost despera tion, neither giving nor receiving quarter. The sanguinary details of this war are little more than a repetition of victories on the one side, and of defeat and misery on the other. The last battle which took place in this very unequal contest, was fought on the 27th of March, int which the greater part of the Indians were slain. On the morning of that day, general Jackson arrived at a place called the Horse-shoe-bend of the river Coose. Nature furnishes few situations so eligible for defence, and here the Creeks, by the direction of their prophets, had made their last stand. Across the neck of land they. had formed a breast-work of the greatest compactness and strength, from five to eight feet high, and provided with a double row of port-holes: this breast-work inclosed no less than 100 acres of land. Warriors from six différent districts, amounting in the whole to more than 1,000, composed its garrison.

General Jackson having detached a body of troops to. attack, the enemy in the rear, determined on taking the place by assault. Colonel Williams and major Mont gomery, who led on the regular troops, were soon in possession of the nearest part of the breast-work, and were well supported by the militia. Having maintained for a few minutes a very obstinate contest, muzzle to muzzle through the port-holes, in which many of the Indians balls were transfixed upon the bayonets of the assailants, they succeeded in gaining the opposite side of the works. The event was no longer doubtful; the Indians, fighting with that bravery which desperation inspires, were cut to pieces, and the whole margin of the river strewed with the slain. About 300 were drowned in attempting to flee, and 557 killed in action; not more than fifty could have escaped: among their slain was their famous prophet Manahoe, and two others of less note. Jackson's loss was twenty-six white men killed, and 107 wounded; twenty-three friendly Indians killed, and fortyseven wounded. The total loss of the Americans in the