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*r de information I now
you, is derived from
officer* of my confidence,
who for k aChvc parts in this
> ’onniCi ; for though I was
to order the attack,
it was my hard fortune not
to be able to lead the troops
I commanded The dif
ea/c with which I waseffiil
ed cn the 2nd September,
c n my joui.ney to Ft, George
hav?ng with a few short in
tervals of cc nvalefcencc,
preyed on me ever since, &
et the moment of this atiion
I was confined to my bed
and emaciated almoii to aj
skeleton, unable to fit on \
dv hoif'e or ro move ter. ■,
paces without afiiftance.
J mull, however, he par
doned for frefprifling on your
time a few remarks in rela
tion to -theuflair. The ob
jfft of the Bntiih anti Ame
rican commanders we c pie.
rifely opposed—the la ft -be- !
ing bound by the inftru£i- !
on> of h:s government and |
the meft foie (ii ti obligations j
oi duty, io precipitate his !.
dclcent of the St. Lawre'ncc
by every practicable means
—because, tins being effec
ted, unc us the greate it dif
ficulties oppoled to the A
irscrican arms would be fur- \
mounted ; agd the fit ft by
duties cquaiiv imperious,* to
retard ami it pufhblc to pre
vent such d'.iccnr. He is
to be accounted victorious
uho eircCted his purpoie.
Inc biiufii commander ha- •
ving 1 led to gain cither of
jiis objects, can lay no claim
to the honor of the honr of
the day. The battle flucLu
s>cd ami triumph teemed at
eh den times, inc lined to
the contending corps. The
Hunt of the enemy were at
li. I fore; d back more than a :
i ff>% u Liougn they ne
ver icganei the ground
trey lo;l, their Hand was:
pennant’ut ami their charges
resolute. Amidst these
charges and near tire dole!
o' tiie contelf, we foil a IF-Id
piece by the fall of t!,c offi
cer a*ho was terming it with i
tiie ft me coolnefi- as if he :
h i*l been at parade or review.
Tnis was Lieutenant Smith
c i the Light Artillery, who
in point of merit, hood ar
the head oi his grade. The
enemy bavi- g halted and
our troops being again for.
m y., in ba n? Iff mi front to
tionr, and the firing hiving
ceafevi on both H ie-, vve
re fumed our pditffn o ,i the
bm'c of the liver, and the
try be mg being fatigued
toe w hole were re-imbarkedi
and j> I'ccednd down the ri
ver without {further annoy
ance from the cnemv or their
g in ffuts, while the dra
goons with five pieces of
light artillery, marched
rio.n toe Canada lhore
without forttier moicitatiou.
It is due to his rank, to
his \\ urn and his fiervices,
that [ /ho ii j make particu
lar nsruivoii ol Brigadier
Griitral Covington vvno re-
; ceived a mortal wound di
|iccily through the body,
i while animating his men &
leading them to the charge,
--l ie fell, where; he fought
at the head of his men, and
survived but two days
Ihe next morning the
! flotilla palled through the
'Sauf, and joined that ex
cellent officer Brig, General
Brown, at Barnhart’s near
Cornwall, where he had
been iiiftrudted to take pod
and wait rnv arrival, and
where I confidently expect
ed to hear of Major General
j Hampton $ arrival on the
l op polite ih.ue. But imme
diately alter i ha ted, Col.
Atkinson, sh ’ inlpedtor gea.
cral of the division under
Mij r General “lamp ton,
waited oo me with a iet.er,
fro.’.; that '«ocer, m which,
to my nnlpetkablo mortifi
cation and furprffe, he de
cii.ned tiie juivction ordeied,
and .informed me he was
marching towaids Lake i
Champlain byway of co- i
operating in the proposed
attack on Montreal. ‘This
letter, together with a copy
of that to which it 'is an
swer, were ii n m ediatc! y
funmiitted to a council of
war, composed of my gen
cral officers and Col. com
manding the Elite, the chief
Engineer and the Adjutant
General, who unanimoudy
gave it as their opinion, that
• the atpick on Montreal
should he abandoned for the!
prelent season and he army *
near Cornwall should be im-,
mediately crofied-to the A
mcrican ihore for taking up
winter quarters, and that
this place afforded an eligi
ble position for such quar
ters.*
L acquiefccd in ihefe o
pinibns, not from the short
ness of the hock of provi- i
firms (which lud been redo- i
ecu by the adt of God) be-‘
caule that of our meat had
been increiled 5 days, and >
our Oread had been reduced
only two days, and because
w e could in case of extre
mitv, have lived on the en
emy—bat because the loss
of the division under Major
Gag. Hampton wckened
u.v fi>rce too fie jtr'ffy to j
jollify the attempt. In all j
my mealures &c movements 1
ot moment, I ha/e taken
the opinion of my gene-ai 1
officers, which have been i»
accord with my own.
I rein lined on the Canada
shore until the next day,
Without feeing or hearing
from the * powerful force'
of the enemy in our neigh,
boihood, and the lame day j
reached this pofffion with
the artillery and infantiy.
i.ne 'Dragoons have been or- 1
(lered to Utica and its victo
ry, and I expert are 50 or
L >• miles on tne march.
iou hive under cover a
luminary abhract of iha kil-!
led and wounded in the as- *
i tjir of «he 2i to ind. which
uiiil (oufl followed by a par- |
ticulir return, in which a
just regard will be paid to
i individual merits. The
dead rest in honor, and the
wounded bled lor their coun
try and deserve its gratitude.
With per fed refpedk &c.
(Signed)
JAMIES WILKINSON.
lion, J oh n /Irmjirong .
Secretary of War,
Return of the killed and woun
ded.of a detach:neat of the
Armv of the United States ,
defeenatng the t. Lawrence
river , unaer the command of
Major General James IVil
kmfont m an atlion fought
at Wiltiamjhur'T, in Upper
Canada , on the i ith of No-
I vember, 1813.
i KILLED,
j Subilters 3, 7,
| corporals 3, muftc!ans # i,
privates 83 t otal 102.
WOUNDED.
Brigadier General 1, affif
(an.t adjutant-general 1, aid- I
de-camp, i, colonel 1, mi
jor 1, captains 5, subalterns
;6, lergeant , 9, corporals
•3, mulicians, 1, privates,
1 /S —tord 237.
I otai Killed & wounded,
339-
MIRRO R.
—AUGUSTA—
Saturday Night, Dec. 18.
| Washington City, Dec. 7.
! rT "“
| This day at twelve o'clock , the
Ptejilmt of the U. S rates
tranfmitte l the Jdlowing
MB SSA G& to both Houf -
es of Congress, by Mr, Soles
his Secretary :
' t 7 el!ow-Cit'*en» of the Senate,
and of the House of Representative*,
In meeting you at the ore.
Tent intereftmg conjuncture, l
it would have been highly
! fat is factory if l couid have
communicated a favosable
refuit to thi Miflion charged
j with negdeiations for resto
ring peace. It was a just
expectation from the rcfpeCt
I to the diftinguifhcd
vereign who had ivite i them
i by iiis offer of mediation,
from the rcadinefs with
i wni .p the invitation was 1
| accepted on the part of the
j United States, andfrom the
! pledge to be found in an
aft of their Legillature for
the liberality* vvh,ich their
Plenipotentiaries would car
ry into the negociations, that
no time would bo loft by the
Britim Government in cm
! bracing the experiment for
| battening a stop to the effu
i (ion ot blood. A prompt
j and cordial acceptance of ths
Mediation on that tide was
t Bie lc 1•> to be doubted as it
was of a nature not to sub
; irnt rights or pretenftons on
cither jibe to the dicifion of
,an uuipne, but to afford I
j merely an opportunity, ho
• no ruble and deli ruble m both
jfor di feu ding, audit poffi
hie adjusting them, for the
inteicft ul both.
j The BririiL G.i* incr, ei
ther mistaking our dcfiie of
peace for la dread cf a dread
of Britifb power, or milled
by other fallacious calcula
tions, has dilappointed this
reasonable anticipation. No
communication from our
Envoys having reached us,
no information
has been received from that
source. But it is known that
the mediation was declined
in the tirft jnftance, & there
is no evidence, notwithllan
ding the lapki of time, thata
change of difpefition in the
Britifti Councils ha? taken
place, or is to be expected.
Under (uch circumstances
a nation proud of its rights,
and conlcicus ot its ftrengt’n,
ha> no choice buta.nexertion
of the one in fuppc,rt of the
other.
To this determination,
the heft encouragement is
derived for the fuccefa with
j which it has pleased the
Almighty to bids our a.rtns,
both on the land and on the
water.
Whilst proofs have been
continued of the enterprise
and skill of our cruize!s,
public and private, on the
ocean, and a new trophy
gained in the capture of a
British by an American vessel
of war, alter an action giv
tug celebrity to the nameoT
she victorious commander;
the great inland wateirs, on
which the enemy, were also
to be encountered, have
presented atchievements ol
our naval arms, as brillianr
in their character as they
have been important in their j
conlequences. 1
On Lake Erie, the squad.
ron under comm ind of capt.
Perry having met the Britilli >
Lpuadron, of luperior force, 1
'a sanguinary conflict ended I
in the capture of the whole.
The cohduCt of that officer,
adroit as it was dariog, and
which was so well fcconded
by his comrades, jnftly
entitles them to the admira
tion and gratitude of their
country; and will fill an
early page in its navd annais
with a victory never
fed in liaftre, however much
, it may have been ia magni.
tude.
On Lake Ontario, the 1
caution of the British com
mander, favored by contin
gencies, fruftrated the ef
forts of the American com- ,
mauder to bring on a deci- ’
five aCtion. Capt. Chaun
ccy was able hawever, to
cftablilh an afeendency om
the important theatre ; and
to prove, by the manner in
which he effected every thing
pollible, that opportunities
only were wanted, for a j
more tliining display ot his
own talents and of the gal
lantry of those under his
i command* |
The tuccefs on Lake E- i
rie having opened a passage
to the territory of the ene
my, the officer command
ing the North Weftern Ar-
■r.y transferred .he War .
IheVin ra P id! y P^rfuing
,rOO P s fleeing
with their savage aflociate/
lorred a general adtior.whic!,’
quickly lersr,timed i n t j
capture of the Britih Jnj
fdre erfi0 ° the
This result is figna!v( 10
norabie to Major
l.arrilon, by whose noilita
ry talents it was nr,» aitd
» Col- John&.Vi tj
mounted volunteers, \vh c f!
impetuous onset ?av ( a H.'"
ciiive blow to the r „ ks /,
the enemy, and to l (£
m of the volunteer ijilj t j a
equally brave and pariotic*
win boic an intereftiLpart
. in l ‘ ,c feene; mo.e L ci
ady to the Chid M £ iift IBte
oi Kentucky at the lL d 0 f
them, whose heroij*, fir,
nahled in the war wi[ch es.
tabJilbcd the independence
,of his country, fo/ght, a t
an advanced age, afnareh
hardships and bates, f or
maintaining its rigits and
its fafety.
The cffedl of thfe fUC
cehes has been to rccue the
inhabitants of Michijantrom
their oppreftions, ggrava
ted by gross iterations of
the capitulation whch fuh
jeCicd them to < foreign
power: to alineate.he lava
ges of numerous trbes from
the enemy, by whim they
were difappoiated aid aban
doned ; and to rdieve an
j extensive region o country
from a merciless/ warfare
which desolated itjfrontier*
and irnpoled on its citizens
| the mod harraflina services:
In conlequence >f our na
val superiority on lake On
tario, and the opportunity
\ afforded by it for ancentra* (
I tracing our forces by water,
| operations, w hich had been
previonlly plapnrd, were
let on foot, againit the pal*
feihons of the eneny on the
St. Lawrence. Sich, how
ever was the delay produced I
in the fir ft instance, by ai- I
verse weather of unusual I
violence and continuance, I
and iuch the cirtfum fiances I
attenoing the final move- 1
ments of the army, that the 1
profpeCt, at one lime lo fa- 1
vorable was not realized. I
The cruelty of the enemy I
in enlisting the savages into I
a war with a nation desirous I
of mutual emulation in mit* I
igating its dreadful calami. I
ties, has not been confined I
to any one quaiter. When?- I
ver tdey couid be turned a- *
gainft u% no editions ta 1
elfedt it haye been spared. I
Our South KVcften border, 1
the Creek tribes, whoyi«l ,# I
ing to our persevering cn- I
deavors* were gradually I
quring more civilized hah 4 |
its habits, became the lli)i I
fortunate vidtims of I
tion. 'TV war in that q uar * 1
tA has been the conlcquencf ■
infuriated by a bloody taati* I
icifm, recently propag*«® I
among them. . I
It was neceft i r y *° c,iJ I