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COL. CASS * LETTER.
Letter of Cel. Cap. of the army late
ur.der the command of B'li der
General ‘Vat. Halit to the Secreta
ry of IVar.
Washington, Sept. 10 tb, ißix.
c: r
Jt) I
Having been ordered on to this
place by Col. M‘Arthur, for the
purpofs cf communicating to the
government fuch particular; ref
preting the expedition lately com
manded by brgaditr general Hull
and its diftftr ui rcfult, as rri ght
enable them correftl* toapprt iate
the conduft of the officers and inert,
and to develop* the whi h
produced fo foul a (tain upon the na
tional character, I have the honor to
fubmit to your cor.fiJcration the
following ft lie ment:
W ,cn C'.c fir. cj. landed in Cana
da, they U:d and with an ardent z t*l
ad ftimula’ed with the hope of
cocq eft. No enemy appeared
w-r in vie;v of us, a<d had an
mediate arid vig rU3 a a k
mile upon Malden, it w-uid
doubclefc have fallen an cafy vi&d
---17. 1 know gen. Hull afterwards
declared he reg etted this a’ a k
h?d noc been made, and he had rv
err rcafon to believe fu refs would
have crowned his effrts. The
rcaf©a given foj- delaying our ope
rations, *as to mount our heavy
cannon and to afford to the Canadi
an militia time and opponunftv to
quit an obnoxious fervice. In the
courfe of two weeks, the number cf
their militia wno were
had decrcafed by defertion from
lix hundred to one hundred men j
ad, in the courfe of three vfrrtks,
the cannon wrre moun ed, the am
munition ffted, ar.d every prepays
tion made for an immediate nr ft
m-'.nt of he f ->rt, A a council, at
which were prefent ail the ft-id of
ft ers, and which v.a<, held two days
before our preparations wrre com
pitted, it was uua imu fi agreed
to make an iinmed a c a. erupt to
a, om, lilh the obj cc of the ex se
dition. If by waning two da swe
could have the fcrvice of our heavy
artillery, it was agreed to wait; if
not, it was determined to go with
out it and to attempt the place by
(form. This opinion appeared to
correspond with the views of the
g meral, and the day was appointed
i r commencing our march He
declared to me, that hecoufilertd
htmfelf pledged to lead the army to
M tlden. The ammunition was
placed in the w gg h.-s ; the cannon
were embarked on board the ft lac
ing batteries, and ever- r q 1 fi < ar
ticle was prepared. The fpsric an I
zeal, the ard®r a r and animation dif
played bv the officers and men on
learning the near accompl fhment
of their wiihcs, was a lure and Ta
rred pledge, that in the hour of trial
they would not be found wanting in
their duty to their country & them
felves. But a change of meafures,
in oppofinon to the wifhesand o
pinions of all the officers, was a
dopred by the general. The plan
of attacking Maiden was abandoned,
and inftead cf afling offenfieely,
wr bmke up our camp, evacuated
Ca.iada, and re-eroded the river in
the ighr, without even the fhad >w
an enemy to injure us. We left
to the gender mercy of the enemy
the mileraUle Canadians who had
joined us, and the pretcSiicn we of
fered them was but a pafiport to
vengeance. Th s a*l and unac
countable ftepdilpiri rd the troops,
and deftroyed th? little confidence
whicn a lerirs of tim and, irrcloiute
and indecifivc menfures had left in
the commanding wfticcr.
About the tenth of Auguft, the
enemv received a * in forcemeat tf
faur hundred m n. On the twelfth
the co>rmandi g officers of three of
fh? rg mtnis (die fourth was ab
fen ) >vrre in through a
medium wh? h admitted uf ao
doubt, that tlie general had ftated,
trit a ■ spi'ula ion w u'd be necel
farv. They on the fame da- ad
dr ft* 1 t? g v. M igs of Ohm a
lert'/r, of which the following is an
exoa-ft :
<f Bel eve all the bearer will tell
you. BHleve it however it may
aftuniflh y m, as much as * told you
bv one of us„ Even ac-
is talked cf by the
Th& heartr wdi fill the vacancy.”
The dmb fu> ft. t of this ic ? 'er
rend-red i necefis v to ufe cirri’on-,
fpfdlion in its deta is- aad therefor*
thefe blapiits were * eft. The wrd
‘ aoftulati will fill the ft ft, a ;d
‘commanding general* the other.—-
As 111 e.iemv was near us, and as
th? funeriority of our force w.ts
mini ft ft, wc could fee no ntcefficy
for can? uiating, nor any propriety
in aliudig to a. We therefore
in the la ft refortto Rcur
the rvfp .fi . lity of divrfting the
general of his command th is
plan eventua ly prevented !>y
tw* cf the commandin g ffi ~rs *f
regiments being ordered upon de
ls hmetits.
On the 13 b, the Br'tfth took a
pnfition oppufite to Drtro:t, a: and
began t:> throw up work;:. During
that end the two following da
they purfued fhfir objeef without
interruption and rftabi ffied a ba:te
ry for two i3 pout ders and an %
inch how 1 z-r. About fu 1 let on
the evening: sf the 14th, a detach
ment of 350 men fiom the regi
ments com nanded by col. M‘Ar
thur and myfclf was order* J to
march to'he river Raifin, to effort
the provifi s, which had fume time
remained there protr&ed by a party
imd *r rh * command of capt. Brulfi,
On Sa u-day, the 15th, about 1
©‘ I * k, a ft ig of truce arrived it ant
gto. B ck, t>r the kirrendcr of the
t*w.T and fort if Oc r it, ft’tmg, he
could no long* reftrainehe fury of
the favag s To this an immediate
aid fpirited refufal was returned.-
A.) u’ 4 o’clock, their batteries
b gin to play up m the town. Th?
fire was returned and continued
with >u interruption and with T tic
cfFTt till lark Theft fhelis were
thrown till eleven o'cl ck.
At da 1 gitj the filing on both
fidrs recommenced ; ab *uc the
fame rime the e :cmy b**gan r.o land
troops, at the Sprir-gwt lfs, three
miles b’ low Detroit, pr Elected by
two of their armed vtff Is. Be
tw rn 6 aid 7 o’clock, they had
fiF died rnrir iandi. g and immedi
ately took up their march. They
moved in cl fe column of platoons,
twelve in fronr, upon the bank of
the river.
Tnc fourth regiment was ftatioa
ed in the froru; the Ohio volun
teers and a part of the Michigan
militia, behind fame pickets, in a
ft uation in which the whole flank
of the enemy would have beeen cx
pofrd. The refiduc of the Michi
gan militia were in the upper part
of the town to refill the incurfions
of the lavages. Two 29- pounders
loaded with grape-fhot wired pott
ed upon a commanding eminence,
ready to fweep the advancing co
lumn. In this G:uation, tne Infe
riority of our politioo w apparent,
and our troops, in the eager cx
prdiarion of viitory, awaued the
appr >ach of the enemy. Not a figh
or broke upon the ear j
not a look of cowardice met the
eve. Every raa* exoeded a proud
day for hisc iuntry, and each was
anx'.ms tha. his individual exertion
fh ;uld contribute to the geueiai rt
fuli.
When the head of their column
arrived within aboat five hundred
yards of < u line, orders were re
ceived fr m Hull for the whole
to retreat, to he Fort, and for t e
twenty-four p unders not to open
upon the en'-mv. Ote oniverfal
burft of inh goa ion was apparent
up 10 the receipt cf ihssarier.—
Thofr, who ft c nvict.-.n was he
deliberate rsfult of a <jifp t .(li
exanr.icacion of pafti-g events, faw
ti e foliv an 1 impropriety <ft crowd
mg iioo mrn uvo a little work,
wh* 0 300 could fullv man, and n
to winch the fis >t a-d Ih iis of-hr
enemy wrc fa hftg Tn** Frt
was in this m:, net filled j -he r..ci
and r fled to fhek the r arms, and
fearedy was an opporevnity ff jrd
en of moving Shortly after a
white flag W as hu~g out upm the
va 1% A Bn r fh fn er rode up to
enquire th ca-rfe. A c >ir.munica
tson oaflftd arwern the command
ing gene alt, w iich ended in the,
capcti'a-i • fubcti it ted >0 you. In
e-i'tn g i i>* thii. capculatio.n, the
g*ne>“aJ tc-ok c#u->fel from h!s own
‘leeii gs nnlv. Not an ffi er was
confu! ?d. N>t one ad spared a
furrender, tsii he fa 9 the white ft .g
diTpiaved. Even th? woman were
ill and pitn t af fo fhs r& hi ! a deg■ a : ■a -
do , of hr Arnerican charnel r, and
si! ft it as they fli old nave ftit, but
he who held in hiS hands t ic reins
cf authority.
Our morning report had th.it
mo oog made our ff ft ve me j
preftnr fi ‘or du y 1060, without
its eluding the before
aIM-ie i o, aid without i iclu ling
aoo of th.- M-'chigan milba mduty.
Ab*ut and“ k on >sa urday evening
the a- achment lent to efcort the
pr iv.fi r*s received orders from
gv i, if ill to return with as mu h
expei in as p ilfiblc. About ten
o’clo-.k he next lay they a r riv**d
within figit ®f Ditroif. Rad a
fi log be-a heard, jr any rt fiftaacc
v fihle, t rev would hive in 11 li
ateiv ad vane -d a id a* tacked rear
of the c rmv. The fi jatio 7 in
whici fhJs deta h Tirnt wis pi •. ei,
alchougi the refuit of accilen , ws
the bell for a moving rhe er.Ciay
aid curu ig ff rsre r 1 hat c *uH
nave been Tied 1. W,h ms -w
troops ertclof and between tw fi s
aid n * nmjc* >f face iur, it is hnz
arding little to fax, that very few
would have efcaped.
I have been inform-d bv Col.
Fut ile , , who faw th*- return of their
quarter matter g neral the day af
ter the furrtnder, ?na their wiole
of every d**f ription, white,
red and bU k, was 1030 They
had 29 ma o -as, 12 in a pla o n,
of men d'efled in uniform. Many
of thefe w re evidently Canadian
militia. The reft of their mill ia
increased tneir white force to about
yco men. The number cf their
Inmans could not be af ertaided
wnh any degree of prec fi :n; not
many were vifible, And in the e
vent of an attack upon the fie
fort, it was a ipecies of force wn h
couid have afforded no nsatcnal ad
vantage to the enemy.
In endeavoring ro apprecia e the
motives and inv*ftigate the caulks,
which ltd to an event fo unexpeft
d and difhonor&bie, it is imp tii ;Je
to find any lotution in th<- reutive
ftrength of the contending par'irj,
or ia the ineafures of rriiitar.ee m
our pewer. ThaftHrc were Ur (u
---periorto the enemy j t iat upon -iny
ordinary principles of cakuiation
we would have defeated them, the
wounded and indignant feelings of
everi* man there will irftify.
A few days before the furrenderl
wis inform and by Grn. Hull, we had
420 rounds of 24 pound fh t fixed
a about iGOjOGO aicndges maoe.
VV furr-ndc-re i with the forr 40
barrels A ponder, ar.d 250 o iU.id
of a ms.
Tne ft-te our prov fions h
not been geneiailv u niertt oT On
the dav of ihe fun coder we had 15
davs of provifi in of every kind ,a
hand. Of thee was plenty
in the country, and a r r arguments
had been mHe for purchasing and
grinding rh fi ur. It was Calcula
ted we couhi r- adily procure three
monrhs prov fi *, independent of
150 barrels of fi or, 1300 head of
ca tie, which had been forwarded
from the ttate of Ohio, and which
rernaincd j at the river Raifin ucJer
capt. Brufti, within reach of the ar
my.
But had we been totally dettitute
of provifions, our duty and our m
terett undoubtedly vras to fighc.—
The enemy invited us to meet him
in th* fiHd.
By dtftanng hira the coun
try would have been open to us, o?
the orj'cft o* our expedition gioii
-0.11/ aid iuccefsfuily cbearned, If
we had ocen defeated, w* iiad no
eft g to do but to retreat to the fort
and make the beft defence v/hiftk
circomttances and oil’ fituatioit ren
dered prafticablc. Bu baiely ‘.O
fjrr nder withnu* firin g s gun—
ca oeiy ro fubmu w thout railing a
ba unc.t—Ji;g accmily to pa ft in
review before an enemy as infer or
in the quality as in the number of
their foice>, were circuirttaiu:?#,
which excised fechrigs ©f ind gn-t
---tion more ealily feit than ddcnoc<i,
To fee the wnoleof our men fi ‘li
ed with the hope of victory, eager
ly awaiting the approaching con; eft,
to fee them afterwards difptrkrd,
hopclefs and defponding, at Icaft
500 (hedding tears, becaufe th-ry
were not allowed to meet their coun
try’s f:>e, and to right their coun
trv’s bit lea excited fen'fations,
which no American has ever before
hid ciule to feel, and which, I cruft
ia G and, wll never again be felt,/,
w m* one man r-mains to defend tue ?
itari lard of the Union. j
lam xpreftlv authorized to
t.’ut c'ul. VT Arthur and Findley and
k. coi M.11.t, viewed this tranfac
tion m tne i gat which I do. They
know and kcl, that ns circumttance
in ou” tnnti >n, none in that of the
enemy, canexcuie a caoitulatlon fo
d;ili aorable and unjuttifiibk. This
too is, tlie uuiverfal leatinaent among
the troops; tft I fhaif be furpriz.d to
learn that is one man whs
thinks it was aec ilVy to fkeath his
ftvord, or to lay down his miTkit.
I was informed-* by g-ncral Hull
the in or ting after the capitulation,
that the Brit fh forces confided of
1800 regulars, and that he lurren*
dered to prevent the efFufion of hu
maii blood. That he mag
their regular force nearly five fold,
there can be r.o doubt. Whether
the philanthropic realbn afiigned by
him is a iufficicat jutt.fication for
Jurrcncicring a fortified town, an ar
my and a territory, is for the gov
crAiiieat to determine. Confident l
am, thai had tit courage and coa
clik.t itf the g.“ era! been equal to
Ihe ipmt and z ai of the troops,the
eve ,t w uld nave brtn brilliant aid
fu eels ul ai it now is dilattrous and
fh mhrablv.
Very refptoftfully, nr,
I ha c th<- honsr to be,
Your tnoft obedient fervanf,
LEWIS CASS.