reinforcements, which appears to have decided the for tune of the day. The Americans continued their efforts to carry the hill until midnight, when being unable to make any further impression, they gave up the contest, and retired to their camp beyond Chippeway; on the day following, they abandoned this camp, after throwing a part of their baggage and provisions into the rapids, and continued their retreat towards fort Erie. The loss on either side was proportioned to the nature of this dread. ful and sanguinary battle. On the side of the British, one assistant adjutant-general, one captain, three subalterns, and seventy-nine non-commissioned officers and privates were killed; lieut.-general Drummond, major. general Riall, and three lieutenant-colonels, two majors, eight captains, twenty-two subalterns, and 512 noncommissioned officers and privates were wounded: the prisoners and missing, six captains, nine subalterns, and 225 non-commissioned officers and privates; making in all 873 men. Many officers of distinction fell on the American side, and the total loss was little less than that of the British. It consisted of one major, five captains, five subalterns, and 159 non-commissioned officers and privates killed; major-general Brown, brigadier-generals Scott and Porter, two aids-de-camp, one brigade-major, one colonel, four lieutenant-colonels, one major, seven captains, thirty-seven subalterns, and 515 non-commis sioned officers and privates, wounded; and one brigade major, one captain, six subalterns, and 102 non-commis. sioned officers and privates missing; making a total of 851, and a difference of twenty-two only between the contending parties. According to the accounts of the British and American generals, neither of their armies amounted to more than 2,800 men; that of the former to no more than 1,600 during the first three hours of the engagement.

In consequence of generals Brown and Scott being both severely wounded, the command of the American army devolved upon general Ripley, who fell back to fort Erie, and immediately began to extend the defences of the place; having learned that general Drummond was advancing with a strong force in order to recapture it. The fort being nearly completed on the 7th of August, from this time to the 14th, there was almost an incessant cannonade, and many skirmishes between the out-posts and reconnoitring parties; in one of which the Americans Jost major Morgan, a gallant officer, who was greatly lamented. General Gaines arrived shortly after the com

mencement of the siege, and being the senior officer, assumed the command. The British commander having reason to think that a sufficient impression had been made by the artillery, determined to carry the place by storm during the night; and the besieged, not knowing where the attack would be made, were prepared to meet it at every point. The fort and bastions were commanded by captain Williams of the artillery; the battery on the lake, by captain Douglas; a blockhouse by major Trimble ; the batteries in front, under captains Biddle and Fanning, supported by general Porter; and the whole body of artillery throughout the garrison, under major Hindman. The first brigade of infantry, under colonel Aspinwal, was posted on the right; and general Ripley's brigade, supported by Towson's battery, upon the left.

A few hours before the commencement of the assault, a shell thrown into the fort exploded a magazine, which was succeeded by a loud shout from the besiegers: the shout was returned by the garrison, accompanied by a discharge of Towson's heavy guns, At half past two o'clock in the morning of the 15th, two hours before day-light, a British column, under lieutenant-colonel Fischer, advanced to the attack, and proceeded to within about ten yards of the intrenchment, when a tremendous fire was opened upon it by the second brigade, under major Wood, and captain Towson's artillery, which compelled the assailants to fall back in confusion. Colonel Fischer, rallying his men, led them on with redoubled fury, and was again repulsed, with still greater loss; but the possession of this battery being essential to the general plan of assault, he next endeavoured to earry his object by wading the lake in this unsuccessful attempt a great number of his men, were either killed or drowned, and the remainder retreated to their encampment. The other British columns, having waited until the first was completely engaged, approached under colonels Scott and Drummond; the former moving rapidly to the right along the lake, while the latter advanced to the assault in front. A vigorous attack made by the column under colonel Scott, was successfully resisted by the Douglas battery, the New York and Pennsylvania volunteers, a part of the ninth infantry, under captain Foster, and a six-pounder directed by colonel M'Ree. Their fire was so well directed, that the advanced party paused at the distance of fifty yards, and then recoiled; but another .column composed of the bravest men, applied their scaling-ladders and mounted the parapet, notwithstanding

the heavy fire of the artillery. This attack was also unsuccessful, the besiegers being assailed with so much effect, as to be compelled to retreat, with the loss of colonel Scott and nearly one-third of their numbers. But the centre column, led on by colonel Drummond, under cover of the darkness of the night, not a little increased by the smoke, gallantly scaled the walls, and gained the parapet; and having carried the bastion at the point of the bayonet, actually turned the guns of the fortress against its defenders. A most sanguinary strife now ensued; but every attempt to dislodge the assailants proved ineffectual, until in a moment all operations were arrested by the accidental explosion of a quantity of ammunition which had been placed under the platform, and by which nearly all the troops that had entered the place were dreadfully mangled. After this disastrous occurrence, the British were so fully persuaded that the explosion had been designed, that all the exertions of the few surviving officers could not restore order, or prevail on them to continue the contest. The reserve, which had been advancing, now fell back, and about day-light the besiegers abandoned the enterprise, and retreated to their own batteries. The British left 222 killed, among them fourteen officers, including lieut.-colonel Drummond ;* 174 wounded, and 186 prisoners, making a total of 582; but the official statement of general Drummond makes the loss amount to 905. The Americans had seventeen killed, fifty-six wounded, and ten privates taken prisoners, in all eighty-three.

The British general still continued the siege of fort Erie, but had relinquished the idea of carrying the place otherwise than by regular approaches. About this time general Gaines was severely wounded by the bursting of a shell, which obliged him to retire to Buffalo; and general Brown, having sufficiently recovered from his wounds, returned to the command of the fort. Nothing, however, of importance occurred until the 17th of September, when on the morning of that day, the commanderin-chief ordered all the infantry and riflemen, with the Indians, to hold themselves in readiness for a sortie against the British batteries. At two o'clock, the troops were drawn up in order, and general Porter's division,

The Amerisan accounts speak in high terms of the bravery displayed by this gallant officer; but they also cast a severe reflection on his memory, by asserting, that during the attack he frequently vociferated to his men, "Give the damned Yunkies no quarter!"-The same charge has been made against colonel Short, whe was killed in attempting to storm the fort at Saudusky, in August, 1813.

composed of two columns under colonel Wood and general Davis, with the riflemen and Indians commanded by colonel Gibson, was ordered to proceed through the woods, by a passage which had been previously opened.. The advance was made with such caution and celerity, that when they rushed upon the enemy's flank, it was the first intimation given of their approach. A severe conflict for a moment ensued, in which colonels Wood and Gibson fell at the head of their columns; but in thirty minutes, two batteries in this quarter were carried, together with a block-house in the rear, and the garrison made prisoners. At this moment general Miller came up, and in conjunction with colonel Gibson's column, pierced between the second and third line of batteries, and after a severe contest carried the first of these: in this assault general Davis fell at the head of the volunteers. The whole of these batteries, and the two block-houses, having been taken, after a gallant resistance, general Miller's division inclined to the more formidable batteries towards the lake shore; and at this moment they were joined by the reserve under general Ripley. Here the resistance was most obstinate; every attack being made and opposed by the bayonet. At length Miller succeeded in piercing the intrenchments, and the fate of the batteries was speedily decided. The assailants having spiked the British cannon, and completely attained the objects of the sortie, retired within their own lines. Thus, in little more than one hour, the result of forty-seven days incessant labour was destroyed; and the efficient force of the British army diminished at least 1,000 men, of whom 385 were made prisoners. The American loss amounted to eighty-three killed, 216 wounded, and a like number missing including forty-five commissioned officers. A few days after the destruction of his works before fort Erie, general Drummond broke up his encampment, and marched to fort George.

Important battle on lake Champlain, engagements at sea, capture of Washington, battle of Baltimore, &c.— It has been already noticed, that a part of the army which had distinguished itself so much under the duke of Wellington, had been embarked in France for Canada. During the months of July and August these troops arrived in the St. Lawrenee, and a part of them being sent up to contend with general Brown on the Niagara,

the remainder were organized by sir George Prevost, for the purpose of entering the state of New York by lake Champlain. On the 3d of September, the invading army, amounting to 14,000 men, under the governor-general, arrived at the line of separation between Lower Canada and the United States; when the Americans abandoned their camp, which was immediately occupied by the British forces. Having now taken possession of lake Champlain, on the 6th the whole division moved forwards upon Plattsburgh, in two columns; the right led by majorgeneral Power, and the left by major-general Brisbane. The inhabitants of the town fled with their families and effects, excepting a few men and boys, who formed themselves into a company, received rifles, and were exceedingly useful. The right column of the British army advanced rapidly, meeting with little obstruction; the New York militia, under colonel Mooers, having broke and fled in the greatest disorder upon the approach of the enemy. General Power's column now entered Plattsburgh, and having thrown his light troops into the houses near the bridge, kept up a most destructive fire from the windows. After the whole of the American troops had crossed the bridge, the planks were taken up, and piled in such a manner as to form a breastwork, from which it was intended to dispute the passage of the river. From the 7th to the 11th, sir George Prevost was engaged in bringing up his battering train, and constantly skirmishing at the bridges and forts; in the mean time captain Downie, who commanded the British squadron on lake Champlain, was ordered to advance into the bay of Plattsburgh, in order to co-operate with the land forces. On the morning of the 11th, the flotilla appeared in view, steering for the bay, with the determination to engage the American squadron under commodore Macdonough, At the same instant, the British batteries opened upon the American position behind the river Saranae, where general Macomb was strongly posted with 1,500 men; and the brigades under generals Power and Robinson, were ordered to force the ford, and to escalade the works upon the right.

The American fleet, which consisted of the Saratoga, of 26 guns; the Eagle, 20 guns; the Ticonderoga, 17; the President, 7; and ten galleys, six of which carried two, and the remainder one gun each, was moored in line abreast of their intrenched camp, with a division of five gun-boats on each flank. The British naval force was composed of the Confiance, of 39 guos; the Linnet, 16; the