Newspaper Page Text
Vol. IV.
M1LLEDGEV1LLE, JUNE 23, 1815.
No. $5;>
S2Z •
tes
PUBLISHED BY
SkaToh &; Fleming GkanTland,
PRINTERS TO THE STATE.
The Capture of l r orh\ in Canada.
The following account of the enter.
S rize against the capital of Upper (Jana-
a, has been communicated to one of those
Whom the hero who fell before that place
had selected from the 44 croud of the
world,” 4 as worthy of his friendship whlie
living, and of his remembrance even in
the moment of victory and death. That
remembrance is too precious not to excite,
with the sorrow for the loss which his
country has sustained, emotions too live
ly to be expressed in nny form of words.
The account, as it will appear, was writ
ten on the special injunction of general
Pike, by one of his companions in arms,
and who fell by his side, and is commu
nicated from the original for this paper,
i ne following is the unatfeeted and inte
resting narrative of the officer to whom
the general gave the injunction :
44 Without the honor of a personal ac
quaintance* 1 address you at the particu
lar order of the late general Pike, after
he had keen mortally wounded—-his words
were exactly these :—“ I am mor-
«* tally wounded—my ribs and back ure
45 stove in—write my friend D.... and
144 tell him what you know of the battle—
A and to eomfort my ” Some things
else he said, on which I shall again
write, you ; and many- tilings be said for
your ear, which have escaped me through
the severity of my own bruizes. As an
order from general Pike while living, was
an obligation of duty on ipe to obey, 1
shall hardly disregard his injunctions, e-
tpen though we have parted lor ever.
\Ve embarked the 2 2d and 23d df April
hut the weather being stormy we return
ed into port and sailed again on the 25th,
and arrived at York, in Upper Canada,
the 27th, about 7 o’clock, A. M. and im
mediately prepnred to land opposite the
old scite of fort Torento. A body of Bri
tish grenadiers were paraded on the shore,
and the Glengary fensihlcs, a corps which
has been disciplied with great pains for
•ix months past, appeared at another
joint. Bodies of Indians were perceiv
ed in large groups in different directions;
and a considerable number of some woods
«n our leeward flank.
About the seite of the old French fort
af Torento, of whieh scarcely any vesti
ges at present remain, we could discern
4 few horsemen, who we pereeivej} after
wards moving into the town, where strong
field works had been thrown up to oppose
our landing.
As soon us the horsemen had entered
the town we saw the Indians moving in
gangs along the skirts of the woods; un
der the direction of British officers ta
king post at stations pointed out to them;
apparently calculated with some skill as
to the point which the water and the
-weather must compel us to land.
After these Indians, acting as trail-
«leurs, werethus disposed, we perceived ve
ry distinctly the regulars moving out of
.their works iu open columns of platoons,
and marching along the bank in that or
der; w hen they reached the plain, of the
old fort Toreuto, they were wheeled off
hy heads of platoons, into the w oods, and
•soon appeared iu the same order below
•the plain just at the position at which our
troops were under the necessity of laud-
^tlajor Forsyth^, and his excellent and
gallant rifle corps, who liad been placed
xn two large batteaux, pulled undaiitedly
towards the clear ground where he had
Beeu ordered to land but lie was forced by
the strength of the wind, a considerable
distance below his destined point.
The fire of musketry and rifles here
commenced from the shore; the enemy
being within a few feet of the water and
in a considerable degree masked by the
wood and copse.
Here major Forsythe ordered his men
to rest for a lew moments upon their oars
and soon opened a galling fire upon the'
•nemy. In the moment when'Forsythe’s
corps' were lying upon their oars and pri
ming, gen. Pike was standing on the deck,
and impatient at the apparent nause of
an instant, and seeing that the rifle corps
fiad been drrien by the wind beyond the
pointat which they were to have embark
ed ; exclaimed—“ By 1 can’t stay
lere any longer!” and addressing him
self to hi* staff, 44 coine jump into the
boat,” which we immediately did ; the
commodore having provided a bout spe
cially for him and his suite ; the little
coxswain was ordered immediately to
steer for the middle of the fray, and the
balls whistled gloriously around ; pro
bably t’aeir number was owing to seeing
so many officers in the same boat; but
we laughed at their clumsy efforts as
we pressed forward with well pulled
-4>ur?.
The infantry had, according to orders,
embarked at the same lime, and formed
iu platoons as fast as they reached the
shore. The general took cr mound of
the first platoon he. reached and formed
it below and ordered liic whole to pre
pare far a charge as soon as we reae 1 ed
ttis top of the bank.; we proceeded in high
soirits and mounted the bank undsr a vul-!
ley of their musketry and rifle shot; but close, w hile the artillery battery under
we had not time to form our platoons i major Eustis was brought tn the Iront
completely when the British grenadiers
shewed us their backs—at the very mo
ment of their tnrning tail upon us the
sound of Forsythe’s bugles was heard,
with peculiar delight, as it was tlie indi
cation of his success; the effect of the
buglo upon S’.w nsrvps of the British In
dian allies was elec tric ; for they no soon
er heard it than they gave a most diabo
lical yell, and fled in all directions.
The Glengary corps skirmished with
Forsythe’s while the infantry were land
ing: und brigade major Hunter formed
the troops for action as they lauded and
reached the plain.
The voiuuteeer corps commanded by
colonel Maclure flanked the reserve, and
the light artillery commanded by major
Eustis, acting us infautrr, covered the
left. v
It is proper to state in this place the
gallant and masterly co-operation of com
modore Chaunccy, and the naval squa
dron under his command ; he sent his
schooners mounting heavy metal (o cover
the landing, and kept up so well directed
and incessant a tire of grape in the woods,
as to effectually cover our right flank, ami
afforded ns great facility iu forming our
platoons : besides producing the utmost
consternation among the Indians. A shot
from one of the schooners killed a horse
under the aid’of the British general; but
awing to the shallowness of the w ater,
neither the ship nor brig could be brought
in to participate in the aetiou ; but the
commodore himself was through the whole
of the action in his boat, encouraging and
giving orders to the different schooners.
The navy lost two gullant young midship
men, and about 20 seamen were killed and
wounded in the service of landing us.
The troops ordered to land by general
Pike when he went on shore, were the
three companies of cant. Hoppock, [who
was mortully wounded in the boat] capt
Scott,and capt. Young, of the 13th regt.
United States infantry, all under tne
command of major King of the same regi
ment, [the same who gallantly distinguish
ed himselfat Queenstown,] their orders
were to reinforce major Forsythe, andef-
fect a landing—m and they were f.rbiduen
to loud or use powder ; the riflemen of
Forsythe, us the infantry came up, open
ed a heavy and effective fire upon tho ene
my, und the three companies lauded in
the most complete style; the enemy gave
nay before our troops could come to tlie
bayonet’s point, and were pursued up the
bank by our troops ; at the top of the
bank a fresh body of British grenadiers
[said to be the 8th or king’s greiiadiersj
made a formidable charge upon this co
lumn of ours, and compelled us for an in
stant to retire; hut our troops instantly
rallied and returned to the charge, and
with the most complete success, uot a man
of the grenadiers escaped our fire or
charge, and our troops just reinforced by
the remainder of the loth, remained un
disputed masters of the bank. This rein
forcement brought the colors cf the 13th,
which accompanied the platoon of cap
tain Steele.* The enemy presenting u
fresh front, the troops were instantly form
ed lor the charge by major King, who
gave them Yankee Doodle ; but the enemy
did not like our music, nor our pikes, any
better than our rifles; they gave way and
fled iu tlie utmost disorder.
As soon as our force were all landed
and collected, we wore funned into pla
toons, and marched in that order towurds
the enemy’s works, flanked by the ritle
corps.
Our inarch was by the lake road in sec
tions, but the route was much intersected
by streams and rivulets, the bridges over
which had been destroyed by the enemy
us they retreated, that we were cunsider-
bly retarded in our progress; w r e collect
ed logs and by severe eilbrts at length con
trived to pass over one field piece and a
howitzer, which were placed at the head
of our column in charge of capt. Fanning
of the ad artillery ; amltflbswe proceed
ed through a spacious wood, as suon as
we merged from which we were saluted
by a battery of 2V pounders, but ex^pt-
ing some p*es broken and some bayonets
bent, these guns gave us no annoyance.
The gen. then ordered one of hits aids
[Fraser J and a serjeaiit to proceed to the
right of the b.ittery in order to discover
how many men were in the works ; we
did so, and reported to him the number
and that they w ere spiking tueir own guns
towards the shipping.
The general immediately ordered Capt.
Walworth of the l.itli with his' company
of grenadiers to make tne assault. \> ai
worth gallantly ordered his uieii to trail
arm-, and advance at tlie accelerated
pace, but at the moment when they were
ordered to recover und charge the enemy,
the enemy broke in the utmost confusion,
leaving several men wounded o.i the
ground \vlii< it they abandoned.
We then proceeded in adnuaible order
on a gradual ascent, when a lire w as o-
j ened a poll us ol round and canister from
the quarters of the Biilisii governor; the
general here urdered the troups to lie
sml silenced the enemy’s buttery, i’he
firing very soon censed altogether,
mid wo were expecting a of surren
der, at the very moment when a terrible
explosion of the British qtagazinc took
place. The explosion w«if> stupendous
and awful, and at the instant the com
mon supposition was, that it was a subter
raneous mine. The general had just aid
ed in removing a wounded man with
his own hands, and had sat down on a
stump with a British serjeant x\* hadta
ken prisoner, whom the general, with cap
tain Nicholson and myself, were examin
ing, when the explosion took place. The
general, captain Nicholson and the Bri
tiih serjeant, were all mortally wounded
and 1 was so much bruised in the general
crash that it is suprising how I survived—
{ irobably I qwe my escape to the corpu<
ency of the Britisliiserjennt. whose body
wnsffhrown upon mine by the concussion
Brigade major Hunter, assisted by lieut
col. Mitchell of tlie 3d artilery, who act
ed as a volunteer on the expedition
formed the troops, and we were ready
to give or receive n charge* iu five minutes
after this explosion.
The wounds of general Tike were of
such a nature as to disable him from ail
further service, and the command devol
ved on col. Pearce, of the 16th infantry,
as the senior officer, who sent a flag, de
manding an immediate surrender at dis
cretion—they made only one Stipulation
which was granted without hesitation,
that is, that private property should be
respected.
The British general made his escape
and a body of the regular troops with him,
in what directoiu 1 have not heard.
When the surgeons were carrying tlicir
wounded general and his aids from the
field, our troops, which had just formed
gave a tremendous huzza! The general
turned his head anxiously to enquire what
that was for ; a serjc&ut who accompa
nied him said* 4 The British uuion-
jack is coming down general—the stars
are going up'-— he heaved a sigh of ex-
taev and smiled even amidst tlie anguish
which must have been insuperable from
the state of his wounds, lie was carried
onboard the Pert schooner, together with
his aid-de-camp Frazer, and from thence
on hoard the commodore’s ship, accompa
nied by tlie commadore who came to at
tend him. On board the commodore’s
ship, his gallant spirit fled, another Mont
gomery in fate ; not indeed perishing by
tlie valor of a gallant foe in noble combat,
but falling, even in the arms ef victory, hy
the barbarian revenge of a balHedand de
feated enemy.
General Dearborn, conunodoerc Chan-
ccy, and indeed every officer and solider
secs in the loss of our friend, the
loss of one of our contry’s proudest orna-
meuts, and the military profession its
brightest example and model.”—Aurora.
militia merely drive them to the frontier,
and halting there, yield perhaps all the
fruits of their victory, or shall they push
on into the enemy’s country, cut on their
troops, and disqualify them from making
another invasion the day after ? Again;
it may often happen, that the best w ay to.
vast naval stores, and which is (he source,
by reason of his commercial regulations, of
great revenue, as well as an almost insa
tiable mart fur his manofeatures t Is the
Canada fur trade of po importance to
Great Britain ? Are not the ports and
harhprs on the continent product! \ e of an
rejmt a meditated invasion is to prevent ii advantage in affording her a rendezvous
• Nephew of gf neral ffteeh’, collector of the
port of Philadelphia.
THE MILITIA Oi' THE UJWOJV.
The most important question, whieh
has grown out of the present lYar, is the
use of the Militia Faroe of the nation.
It is not how far the militia is capable
of efficient service, that we mean to dis
miss. Ho w far this species of troops is of
use, depends upon such a variety of cir
cumstances, as defeats the possibility of
laying down any general rule. But thus
much may be said without the fear of con
tradiction ; that a militia, well trained
and equipped ; one, that is commanded by
enterprising officers, commanding the con
fidence of the corps—one that is used to
hardships, or contending with an enemy
against whom they have contracted strong
and peculiar rescutmeuts, or fighting in
the vicinity of their homes in defence oi‘
their own families or their neighbors,—
that a militia under circumstances of this
discription has every chance of rendering
the most efficient services to its country.
A republican government, therefore, will
always have an eye to these circumstan
ces—in a state of peace, they will take
care to train them for a state of war;
place good officers at their head; and call
them into that species of service, in which
they have peculiar motives to meet the
privations and perils of a camp.
Nor do we mean to expatiate on that
branch of the question, which concerns
the extent of jurisdiction which the U.
States may constitutionally exercise over
this species of force. This, also, de
pends upon such a variety of circumstan
ces, as makes it impossible to lay down
any invariable rule. Can they be marrh-
'ed beyond the limits of the (’. States r—
Who will undertake to 1 iv down the line
in all eases ? There is no man but must
admit, that there are cases in which
they should lie sent beyond tlie frontier ;
nor is there any one, oil the other hand,
who will assert that they may be legiti
mately sent out on all occasions, it
w ould be absurd to say that they may b<*
dispatched to I’eru to rob the mines of
their ore, or across the Atlantic to gratify
tlie mere ambition of the government. It
would be no less ub»Ui‘d to say, that the
boundary of our country i» a sort ufmagic.
line which the militia cannot be made to
pass in any ease. In repelling the invasi
on of an enemy, for instance, shall the
to nip the resources of the enemy in their
bud ; to cut off his (applies and defeat
the concentration ofhis troops. It Would
he idle to stand gazing at the cloud until
its lightning is collected and its thunders
fall upon the frontier. When Gen. Har
rison shall drive the enemy from Detroit,
shall he pause upon the river's hunks, and
permit the enemy to organize anew inva*
siou from Malden ? No one can suy so.
But it is not as to the extent of tlieju•
riadictiou that wo mean to express an o-
piuiou. Tlie question that we propose
to ounross, is this; whether the United
States have any jurisdiction at all, so far
as it concerns the calling them into ser
vice? Must they be dependent upon in
direct and irresponsible agents for the ex
ecution of this call; or can they have
agents, directly responsible to them for
the execution of this power ? If l be for
mer, there would not only be a direct re
striction upon the U. States ns to the pur
poses fur which the militia ure to be em
ployed; the President would not only
have to coniine them to the three great
purposes laid down iu the Constitution,
*• to repel invasions, suppress insurrec
tions, and execute the Jaws of the Union”
—hut there would be a restriction on the
United States at the very threshold, even
in the very calling of them into service.
This would, iu fact, Ire a repetition of the
old system oi'requisition upon the states,
which formed the principal weak feature
of the old confederation, and paved the
way to the present federal constitution.—
We should pause then, before we adopt a
construction whieh would thus visit the
imbecility of the parent upon the istiild.
We shall attempt to shew, that such
is not the spirit of the constitution ; and
that the national force ought to be called
out to execute the national wilt, having
respect to the purposes specified iu the
constitution.
Steps ought immediately tb be taken to
put this question to sleep. The strength
of the government ought to be tried. \Vi
should not go out of this war, until thclegi
tiinate measure; have been pursued to put
the powers of the government into action.
There is nothing better calculated to hriug
this republican government into contempt,
to produce mistrust among our citizens
and render us the scorn of Europe—than
a successful attempt to paralyze its pow
ers. A few more strokes, like the panic
struck repeal of the embargo, and the He
public must fall into ruins.—Enquirer.
From the Democratic Republican.
INVASION OF CANADA.
At a time when all the rhetoric of the
opposition is employed to prejudice the
public mind against the invasion of Cana
da, when tlie suffering of the innoceut in
habitants is so feelingly pourtrayed, and
the sterility of the country so boldly asser
ted as a reason why our arms should ne
ver wrest thut territory from the crown of
(i. Brituin, we should feel the greatest re
luctancc to advocate the measure, did we
not believe that sound policy us well as
necessity urges it. Wlienjustice demand
retribution, she does not absolutely re
quire it in the precise or formal course in
which the injury was effected. Even the
Levitical luw, which gave nu eye for an
eye mid a tooth for h tooth, would have
admitted of a liberal construction, and
though the offender might never have pos
sessed either of these members, still he
would never have escaped unpunished by
reason of his incapacity of receiving the
infliction of this lex tallqnis. Neither
is this nation or any other obliged tore-
sent injuries received on the high seas by
seekingtlie object there; the whole body of
the British empire is before us, and wher
ever we can strike with effect, there let us
strike. We do uot war with women and
babes, nor do our arms in the least offer
insult or injury to the honest yeoman, th
peaceful mechanic, or the industrious mer
chant ; they seek nothing hut equal
ground, and wheu'met by arms, there is
the 44 tug of war.” So far the humanity
of the measure ; and its policy, however
some exclusive patriots may deride, and
same honest federalists condemn it, is
good, is sure, aud provident. It is with-
i the know ledge of our fathers, and vve
know by historical relation, that while
the French government was in possession
ofthe province, savages ware constantly
raudisliiiig the hatchet over the heads of
our infant colonies, und vve also know that
since tlie eaiun-ipution of the United
States from Great-Britain, the same tribes
of savages have constantly been tlie ter
rors of.»ur frontiers. Is it not, then, an.
object to break off tlie intercourse betweeu
the numerous western tribes aud auy na
tion that may wish to excite them against
us, or with whom in the'eourse of events
we may be at war ? Is it nut good policy
to take from our enemy the territory which
has for a long time supplied him with
for a considerable naval force, to protect
her West India posserinn# and a vve our
coasts ? This importance of the provin
ces of Canada and Halifax to G. Britain
is not a chimera, nor is this knowledge oi*
these lucts confined to the day in which
we live. During our revolutionary w-ar
the attempt was once made, when Mont
gomery lost his life; and, owing to the
thin population of the States, was relin
quished.' When France afforded us aa-
sistanre in that glorious struggle, the pro
ject was resumed by Congress, und for the
same reason was again relinquished^—
Still, though Washington waa then &-
gainst attempting to sever those provinces
from the mother country, he speaks in
decided terms of approbation) could it lie
effected. In his letter to Congress, da
ted Nov. ii, 1778, he says— 44 I view the
emancipation of Canada as an object vary
interesting to the fnture prosperity atiil
tranquility of these states.” Again, con
tinues Washington, 44 All the reasons
which .induce France and the U. State*
to wish to wrest Canada and Halifax
from th« dominion »f England, opvvatn
with her, perhaps more forcibly to use
every possible effort for their defence.—
The loss of .them would be a deaD-
nr blow to he a Tu.vnn ai»d empire.—
To hope to find them in a defenceless
state must be founded in a supposition of
the total incapacity of Britain both hy
In ud and sea, to afford them protection.”
If these provinces were so important to
Great Britain at that time, whut must
ihcy be now? And should it be true
that their acuisition would not benefit us,
still, if it will injure our enemy, it should
be achieved. Let those who condemn this
measure on account of humanity, or poli
cy, reflect on the opinont of this great
man whom they pretend to revere, and
let them cither cease to clam him for their
political guide or conform to his precepts
and confide io his opinions.
foreign.
Reply to the note of M. the Baron de
ICrueemarch, Minister of Prussia. "
Paris, April t, 1813.
M. 6aron—I have laid before his impe
rial and royal majesty, the Note which
yyii did me the honor of addressing to me
on the 27th March.
What is more deserving of serious con
sideration may he reduced to what fol-
low ; s.
'1 hat Prussia solicited and concluded
an alliance with France in 1812, because
the French armies had approached near
er to the Prussian States than the Russian
armies.
Prussia declares in 1813, that she vigi
latea her treaties, because the Russian ar
mies have approached nearer to her States
than the French armies. Posterity Will
judge, whether such conduct be faithful,
and worthy of a great prince, couforma-
ble to equity and sound policy.
It will always do justice to the per
severance of your Cabinet in its princi
ples.
In 17«2, when France vv'u* invvardly n-
gitated by a revolution, and from with-
out,attacked by a formidable enemy, up.
peared like to sink, Prussia made war on
h u ‘ r *
Three years afterwards, and at the mo
ment when France was triumphant over
the coalesced powers. Prussia abandon
ed her allies, she left the side ofthe com
bination together with its fortune, and the
King of Prussia was the first of the So
vereigns who had taken up arms against-
France, that ackuovvlcdged the repuh*
lie.
Four years had scarcely elapsed [in
l7tK),J when France felt (he vieisituues
of war; some battles had been lost iu
Switzerland and Italy; the Duke of York
hud lauded in Hollund, und the republic
was threatened both from the North and
the South; fortune had changed and
Prussia hud changed with her.
But the English were driven from Hol
land ; the Russians were beaten ut Zu
rich ; victory again came under Our co
lours in Italy, and Prussia keeame the
friend of France.
In £803, Austria took tip arms ; she
carried her arms to the Danube; she
took possession of Bavaria ; whilst the
Russian troops passed the Nicmen, ami
advanced towards the Vistula. Tlie u-
nion ol‘three great powers, and their im
mense preparations appeared to presage
nought but defeat to France. Prussia
could not hesitate an iustant, she armed
herself; she signed the treaty of Bei lin ;
and the Manes of Frederick the Second
were culled upon to Witness tfie eternal
hatred whieh she vowed against France.
When her minister, sent to hi» majesty
to dictate the law to him, had arrived in
Moravia, the Kiisdaus had just lost tho
battle ol’Austerlitz, and it was owing i 0
the generosity of the French that thev
were allowed to return into their own
■ft
