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persevered in their laudable purpose. This instance of baseness may have proceeded from individuals ; nor would it in common cases be presumed, that the men were ordered to fire by their officers : but if the fact be, as has been repeatedly asserted without contradiction, that the watchword of the day was the significant words “ beauty and booty," no charge would seem too atrocious for belief against the British commanders.

The total loss of the Americans in this action on both sides of the river, was 13 killed, 39 wounded, and 19 missing. The British acknowledge a loss of 293 killed, 1267 wounded, and 484 missing. About 1000 stand of arms of different descriptions were taken by the Americans.

The British having retired to their old position, continued to occupy it till the night of the 18th, although constantly annoyed by the American artillery on both sides of the river. At midnight they precipitately decamped, and returned to their boats, leaving behind, under medical attendance, 80 wounded, including two officers. Fourteen pieces of heavy artillery, and a quantity of shot, were also abandoned, and a great deal of powder, which, however, was previously destroyed. But, such was the situation of the ground which the enemy abandoned, and of that through which he retired, protected by canals, redoubts, entrenchments, and swamps on his right, and the river on his left, that Jackson could not, without encountering a risk which true policy did not seem to require or to authorise, attempt to annoy him much on his retreat. He took only eight prisoners.

Commodore Patterson, however, dispatched five boats and a gig, manned and armed with 50 men, under the command of Mr. Thomas Shields, purser on the New Orleans station, to annoy the retreat of the British. On the night of the 19th, a boat lying at anchor was captured by surprise, without resistance, containing 40 dragoons and 14 seamen. The prisoners exceeding the detachment in numbers, Shields returned, and placing them in charge of the army, again set out in pursuit, in the hope of intercepting some of the enemy's boats about day-light, but without success,

On the morning of the 21st, Shields once more pushed off among the transports of the enemy, and captured several, but unfortunately, owing to a strong contrary wind, he was not able to bring them off ; some of them were therefore given up to the parolled prisoners, and the remainder destroyed. Seventy-eight prisoners were brought in by this intrepid little band.

$ 18. Meantime the British feet having proceeded up the Mississippi, bombarded Fort St. Philip for eight or nine days; but not being able to make any impression, they commenced their retreat about the same time that the army above embarked in their boats, viz. on the 18th of January. The bombarding vessels were stationed most of the time out of the reach of the guns of the fort. Major Overton, the commander, lost only two killed and seven wounded.

We have never seen any official statement of the forces employed in this expedition, but the most probable calculation makes the force landed below New Orleans, about 15,000, viz. 11,000 land-troops, and 4000 sailors and marines. So confident were the British of success, that collectors of the customs and other civil officers attended the expedition, several of whom were among the prisoners taken by Shields, on the retreat of the army.

$ 19. As soon as the British troops were embarked on board their shipping, the squadron made for Mobile bay, and completely invested Fort Bowyer both by land and water. A large force was landed on the 18th of February, who made regular approaches, keeping up a constant firing, until the 11th, when, the approaches being within pistol-shot of the fort, colonel Lawrence was summoned to surrender. Resistance being unavailing against the overwhelming force of the enemy, articles of capitulation were agreed to, surrendering the fort to the British, the garrison, consisting of 366 men, including officers, being considered prisoners of war. On the 10th and 11th, general Winchester, who commanded at Mobile, threw a detachment across the bay for the relief of Fort Bowyer, but too late to effect any thing, except the capture of one of the British barges, with 17 men.

20. While these operations were carried on in the Gulph of Mexico, a considerable force was stationed off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia, menacing Charleston and Savannah. They took possession of Cumberland island, as a military station, but nothing of consequence was effected on the main, excepting the capture of St. Mary's, by a detachment under admiral Cockburn, who again returned to Cumberland island, after they effected their purpose by the destruction of the forts in the neighbourhood.

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CHAPTER VII.

§1. Cruize of the Essex. § 2. Captain Porter's reception at Valpa raiso. § 3. Destruction of the British commerce in the Pacific $4. Happah war. § 5. Typee war. § 6. Madison's Island. § 7. Capture of the Essex. § 8. Sequel of the cruize. 9. Result of the campaign on the ocean. § 10. Destruction of the General Arm strong. 11. Peace between America and Great Britain. § 12. Its reception in the two countries. § 13. Lessons taught by the war.

§ 1. HAVING thus reviewed every important military

event, we shall now turn our attention to the ocean, where our cruizers continued to range with unabated vigour, and where, to use the querulous language of the British journalists, "if they fight, they are sure to conquer; if they fly, they are sure to escape."

It will be recollected, that in October, 1812, the Constitution and Hornet sailed from Boston on a cruize, which proved memorable by the destruction of the Java by the former, and that of the Peacock by the latter. The Essex, captain Porter, sailed from the Delaware about the same time, under orders to join commodore Bainbridge, who commanded the squadron. Porter left the capes on the 28th of October, and steered for the Cape de Verd islands, the first appointed rendezvous, crossing the track of the homeward-bound British Indiamen, and the outward-bound West Indiamen. Without meeting any enemy's vessels, he reached St. Jago, and put into Port Praya for supplies. On the 29th of November he left the Cape de Verds for the Brazil coast. A few days after, a Brie tish packet was captured, with about $55,000 in specie, which being taken out, the vessel was dispatched with a prizemaster to the United States,

The island of Fernando de Noronha, the second place of rendezvous, was reached on the 14th of December. Here Porter received a communication from the commodore, addressed to him under the fictitious title of sir James Lucas Yeo, stating that he would find him off Cape Frio. Without entering the port, therefore, the Essex stood to the southward. Near Rio de Janeiro a British schooner was captured, and

after taking the prisoners out, it was discovered, that about an hour before their capture, they had parted with a small convoy of British vessels, under charge of the Juniper, a three-masted schooner. All sail, therefore, was immediately made in pursuit, but every effort to reach them proved abortive. During the pursuit intelligence was received, from different vessels, first of the blockade of the Bonne Citoyenne by the Constitution and Hornet, and afterwards of the capture of an American

, vessel by the Montagu 74, which captain Porter strongly suspected to be the Hornet, with the addition that the Montagu had gone in pursuit of the frigate.

This intelligence removed all expectations of the Essex being enabled to join commodore Bainbridge ; and it became absolutely necessary, therefore, for Porter to depart from the letter of his instructions. He accordingly determined to pursue that course which seemed best calculated to injure the enemy, and to enable the cruize to be prolonged. This could only be done by going into a friendly port, where supplies could be procured, without the danger of blockade ; and the most suitable place for that purpose seemed to be the port of Conception, on the coast of Chili. The season, it being now the end of January, was, to be sure, far advanced for doubling Çape Horn; the stock of provisions also was short, and the ship in other respects not well supplied with stores for so long a cruize. But there appeared to Porter no other choice left, except capture, starvation, or blockade. This course seemed to him the more justifiable, also, as it accorded with the views of the secretary of the navy, as well as those of the commodore. Before the declaration of war, Porter had laid before the secretary a plan for annoying the enemy's commerce in the Pacific, which had been approved of; and prior to this cruize, commodore Bainbridge having requested his opinion as to the best mode of annoying the enemy, Porter had laid the same plan before him. This had also been approved of by the commodore, who signified his intention to pursue it, provided supplies of provisions could be procured. Although there was considerable responsibility attached to this proceeding, and the undertaking was greater than had yet been engaged in by any single ship in similar pursuits, yet the season admitting of no delay, Porter, immediately on getting to sea, stood to the southward, and the crew were put on short allowance of provisions, in order to husband them for the long voyage on which they were now embarked.

Cape Horn was doubled about the middle of February, amidst tremendous storms; and the Essex surmounted all the dangers of hurricanes, fogs, and breakers, by the intrepidity of her commander, and the distinguished coolness and activity of her crew, to which the upcom mondegree of health they enjoyed, from the judicious arrangements of captain Porter, not a little contributed. In the latitude of about 40° south, pleasant moderate weather succeeded to the incessant storms and severe cold experienced in the passage around the stormy cape, and on the 6th of March, the Essex came to an anchor off an uninhabited island called Mocha, in the latitude of about 38° 15' S. about eight leagues distant from the coast of Chili. At Mocha, a considerable supply of fresh provisions was procured by shooting the wild hogs and horses which abound in that island. The flesh of the latter was found to be the preferable food, that of the hogs being tough.

$ 2. Porter, again steering his course along the iron-bound coast of Chili, on the 15th of March put into the port of Valparaiso, where, contrary to his expectations, he was received with the utmost attention and hospitality. This arose from the change which had lately taken place here, the Chilians having assumed the government, though without absolutely declaring themselves independent of old Spain. The arrival of an American frigate was considered a most happy event, and was celebrated in their capital, St. Jago, by illuminations and the ringing of bells. It was generally believed in Chili, that Porter had brought proposals for a friendly alliance, and assurances of assistance in their struggle for independence; and this construction he thought it politic rather to encourage, as it suited his views of readily obtaining supplies.

93. 'The Essex remained a week at Valparaiso. During that time two Spanish vessels had sailed for Lima, which rendered its speedy departure necessary, as they would certainly communicate the intelligence of its arrival to the enemy, and as it was Porter's intention to visit that coast next, for, from all accounts, the coast of Peru, and from there to the Gallapagos islands, was the favourite fishing-ground of the British whalers. Porter accordingly ran down the coast of Chili and Peru, and thence proceeded to the Gallapagos islands. In this track he fell in with the Peruvian corsair, which he disarmed, and among the Gallapagos captured the three British whalers, of which an account has already been given in the second volume of this work*.

The Essex remained six months at the Gallapagos islands, during which, however, one trip was made to Tumbez, on the