into two columns; one of three hundred militia, under Col. Van Rensselaer; the other of three hundred regulars, under Col. Christie. These were to be followed by Col. Fenwick's artillery, and afterwards the residue of the troops.

Much embarrassment was experienced by the boats from the eddies, as well as by the shot of the enemy, in crossing the river. Col. Van Rensselaer leading the van, landed first, with one hundred men. Scarcely had he leaped from the boat, when he received four severe wounds, and, as it was then supposed, mortal.

The command now devolved upon Capt. Wool, the senior officer of the regular troops, who himself also was wounded by a ball, which, striking him sideways, passed through both his thighs. Not entirely disabled, he repaired to Van Rensselaer, and volunteered for any service which might relieve the troops of the latter, whose situation was now extremely critical. Col. Van Rensselaer directed the storming of the British battery, upon the heights. Wool immediately conducted his force silently and circuitously, leaving the battery to his right, until he had passed it, and attained an eminence which commanded it. The British finding that resistance would be in vain, left it to the Americans, and retreated down the heights of Queenstown.

Elated with their success, the Americans had fallen into disorder, when they again beheld their foe advancing. The intrepid Brock was at their head, with a reinforcement of about three hundred men from Fort George. An officer raised a white flag, in token of surrender; Wool indignantly pulled it down. To keep the enemy at bay, until he could form his men, he dispatched a body of sixty men, who advanced, but retreated without firing a gun. The British followed, and drove the Americans to the brink of the precipice. One soldier was about to descend; Wool ordered him to be shot; but as the musket was levelled, he returned. Thus prohibiting either surrender or retreat, and being ably seconded by his officers, Wool rallied, and led on his troops to the attack. The British, in their turn, gave way, and retreated down the hill. Brock attempted to rally them amidst a galling fire from the Americans; but in the attempt, this brave and gallant foe was mortally wounded. His party no longer attempted resistance, but fled in disorder.

Gen. Van Rensselaer now crossed over, for the purpose of fortifying the heights, preparatory to another attack, should the repulsed enemy be reinforced. This duty he assigned to Lieut. Totten, an able engineer.

But the fortune of the day was not yet decided. At three o'clock in the afternoon, the enemy, being reinforced by several hundred Chippewa Indians, rallied, and again advanced, but were a third time repulsed. At this moment, Gen. Van Rensselaer, perceiving the militia on the opposite side embarking but slowly, hastily recrossed the river, to accele rate their movements. But what was his chagrin, on reaching the American side, to hear more than twelve hundred of the militia positively refuse to embark. The sight of the engagement had cooled that ardor which, previously to the attack, the commander in chief could scarcely restrain. While their countrymen were nobly struggling for victory, they could remain idle spectators of the scene. All that a brave, resolute, and benevolent commander could do, Gen. Van Rensselaer did he urged, entreated, commanded, but it was all in vain. Eight hundred British soldiers, from Fort George, now hove in sight, and pressed on to renew the attack. The Americans, for a time, continued to struggle against this force, but were finally obliged to surrender themselves prisoners of war.

The number of American troops killed amounted to about sixty, and about one hundred were wounded. Those that surrendered themselves prisoners of war, including the wounded, were about seven hundred. The loss of the British is unknown, but it must have been severe.

Although the issue of this battle was unfortunate, seldom has American valor shone more conspicuously, or a victory been relinquished with more reluctance. Had but a small part of the idle men" passed over at the critical moment, when urged by their brave commander, revolutionary history can tell of few nobler achievements than this would have been.

Sec. 19. On the 17th of October, another naval victory was achieved over an enemy decidedly superior in force, and under circumstances the most favorable to him. This was the capture of the brig Frolic, of twenty-two guns, by the sloop of war Wasp.

Captain Jones had returned from France two weeks after the declaration of war, and on the 13th of October, again put to sea. On the 17th, he fell in with six merchant ships, under convoy of a brig, and two ships, armed with sixteen guns each. The brig, which proved to be the Frolic,

Capt. Whinyates, dropped behind, while the others made sail. At half past eleven, the action began by the enemy's cannon and musketry. In five minutes, the main-top-mast was shot away, and falling down with the main-top-sail yard across the larboard fore and fore-top-sail, rendered her head yards unmanageable, during the rest of the action. In two minutes more, her gaff, and mizen top-gallant-mast were shot away. The sea being exceedingly rough, the muzzles of the Wasp's guns were sometimes under water.

The English fired as their vessel rose, so that their shot was either thrown away, or touched only the rigging of the Americans; the Wasp, on the contrary, fired as she sunk, and every time struck the hull of her antagonist. The fire of the Frolic was soon slackened, and Capt. Jones determined to board her. As the crew leaped on board the enemy's vessel, their surprise can scarcely be imagined, as they found no person on deck, except three officers and the seaman at the wheel. The deck was slippery with blood, and presented a scene of havoc and ruin. The officers now threw down their swords in submission, and Lieut. Biddle, of the Wasp, leaped into the rigging, to haul down the colors, which were still flying. Thus, in forty-three minutes, ended one of the most bloody conflicts recorded in naval history. The loss, on board the Frolic, was thirty killed, and fifty wounded; on board the Wasp, five were killed, and five slightly wounded. The Wasp and Frolic were both captured the same day, by a British seventy-four, the Poictiers, Capt. Beresford.

Sec. 20. The above splendid achievement of Capt. Jones was followed on the 25th of October by another not much less splendid and decisive, by Commodore Decatur, of the frigate United States, of forty-four guns, who captured the Macedonian off the Western Isles, a frigate of the largest class, mounting forty-nine guns, and manned with three hundred men.

In this action, which continued an hour and a half, the Macedonian lost thirty-six killed, and sixty-eight wounded: on board the United States, seven only were killed, and five wounded. The British frigate lost her main-mast, maintop-mast, and main-yard, and was injured in her hull. The United States suffered so little, that a return to port was unnecessary.

An act of generosity and benevolence on the part of our brave tars, of this victorious frigate, deserves to be honorably recorded. The carpenter, who was unfortunately killed in the conflict with the Macedonian, had left three small children to the care of a worthless mother. When the circumstance became known to the brave seaman, they instantly made a contribution among themselves, to the amount of eight hundred dollars, and placed it in safe hands, to be appropriated to the education and maintenance of the unhappy orphans.

Sec. 21. December 29th, a second naval victory was achieved by the Constitution, at this time commanded by Com. Bainbridge, over the Java, a British frigate of thirty-eight guns, but carrying forty-nine, with four hundred men, commanded by Capt. Lambert, who was mortally wounded.

This action was fought off St. Salvador, and continued nearly two hours, when the Java struck, having lost sixty killed and one hundred and twenty wounded. The Constitution had nine men killed, and twenty-five wounded. On the 1st of January, the commander, finding his prize incapable of being brought in, was obliged to burn her.

Sec. 22. Thus ended the year 1812. With the exception of the naval victories already mentioned, and some others of the same kind, equally honorable to America, nothing important was achieved. Neither of the armies destined for the invasion of Canada had obtained any decisive advantage, or were in possession of any post in that territory. Further preparations, however, were making for its conquest. Naval armaments were collecting on the lakes; and the soldiers in their winter quarters, were looking forward to "battles fought and victories won."

To fill up the minute history of the campaign of 1812, it may be stated, in this place, that the call for assistance, on the part of Gen. Hull, was answered by the people of

Ohio and Kentucky, who raised ten thousand volunteers, a considerable part of which were on the march for Detroit, when intelligence of the surrender of that post reached them. Instead of repressing the ardor of these brave and patriotic men, the above intelligence stimulated them to higher zeal in the cause in which they had embarked.

On the 24th of September, William Henry Harrison, at that time governor of the Indiana territory, was appointed by congress to the command of the whole western forces. He was at this time at the river St. Mary's, with two thousand troops. Another division, equal in number, under General Winchester, had reached fort Defiance; but, being in want of provisions; were obliged to be relieved by Harrison and his troops, who marched from St. Mary's for that purpose. A junction having been formed, the whole force again took post at St. Mary's.

About this time, the Indians in Indiana territory, manifesting a hostile spirit, Governor Shelby of Kentucky issued an address, calling for the assistance of mounted volunteers for the defence of Indiana and Illinois. This call was promptly answered, and by the 2d of October, more than 2000 had assembled at Vincennes. These troops were placed under the command of General Hopkins. On the 10th they took post at Fort Harrison on the Wabash.

Gene

Deeming it important, for the safety of both the above territories, to destroy several towns, belonging to the Kickapoo Indians, the troops set forth for this purpose. ral Hopkins, however, proving himself unable to repress the spirit of insubordination, which broke forth among the volunteers, the expedition was necessarily abandoned.

In November, another expedition, undertaken by the same officers, was conducted with better success. With 1000 men, he destroyed on the 19th of November the Prophet's town, and the Kickapoo village.

The issue of the expedition, under General Van Rensselaer, on the morning of the 14th of October, against the British at Queenstown, has already been noticed. Early in November, this general, having resigned his command, was succeeded by Gen. Alexander Smyth, who, affecting to believe that a happier destiny would crown a similar expedition conducted by himself, issued an inflated address to the "men of New-York," announcing his intention of planting the standard of America in a few days on the shores of Canada, and inviting them to "come on," and participate in the glory which must attend the enterprise. His force