first received, many consoled themselves with the idea, that the magnanimity of Great Britain would freely grant in her prosperity, what they had insisted we never could force from her in her adversity. Sincerely taking for realities the pretexts on which our neutral rights had been infringed, ihey thought the question of impressment, now the almost single subject of dispute, could easily be amicably arranged, when the affairs of the world were so altered as to render it nearly impossible that Great Britain could ever again be reduced to the necessity of " fighting for her existence ;” or, at all events, as the peace in Europe had effectually removed the cause, and as the American government declined insisting on a formal relinquishment of the practice, no difficulty would be thrown in the way of a general and complete pacification of the world.

This illusion was soon dissipated. By the next advices from Europe it was learned, that the cry for vengeance upon the Americans was almost unanimous throughout the British empire. The president was threatened with the fate of Bonaparte, and it was said that the American peace ought to be dictated in Washington, as that of Europe had been at Paris. Even in parliament* the idea was held out that peace ought not to be thought of till America had received a signal punishment, for having dared to declare war upon them while their forces were engaged in “ delivering Europe” from its oppressort. The commencement of the negociations for peace, which had been proposed by the British court, was suspended, and strenuous efforts were made to send to America as commanding a force as possible.

Under these circumstances, a victory gained by the raw troops of America over the veterans of Wellington, superior in numbers to the victorst, upon an open plain, and upon a

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spot chosen by the British general, had a most beneficial tendency, by dispelling the dread which the prowess of the Bri. tish troops in Spain could not have failed to have produced in the minds of their opponents.

This battle was to the army what the victory of captain Hull had been to the navy; and the confidence which it thus inspired was surely most justly founded, for every man felt that the victory had been gained by superior skill and discipline : it was not the fruit of any accidental mistake or confusion in the army of the enemy, or of one of those movements of temporary panic on one side, or excitement on the other, which sometimes give a victory to irregular courage over veteran and disciplined valour.

After so signal a defeat, the British could not be induced to hazard another engagement. They abandoned their works at Chippewa, and burning their barracks, retired to fort Niagara and fort George, closely followed by Brown. Here he expected to receive some heavy guns and reinforcements from Sackett's Harbour; but on the 23d of July he received a letter by express from general Gaines, advising him that that port was blockaded by a superior British force, and that commodore Chauncey was confined to his bed with a fever. Thus disappointed in his expectations of being enabled to reduce the forts at the mouth of the Niagara, Brown determined to disencumber the army of baggage, and march directly for Burlington Heights. To mask this intention, and to draw from Schlosser a small supply of provisions, he fell back upon Chippewa.

D 3. About noon on the 25th, general Brown was advised by an express from Lewistown, that the British were following him, and were in considerable force in Queenstown and on its heights ; that four of the enemy's fleet had arrived with reinforcements at Niagara during the preceding night, and that a number of boats were in view, moving up the river. Shortly after, intelligence was brought that the enemy were landing at Lewistown, and that the baggage and stores at Schlosser, and on their way thither, were in danger of immediate capture. In order to recal the British from this object, Brown determined to put the army in motion towards Queenstown, and accordingly general Scott was directed to advance with the first brigade, Towson's artillery, and all the dragoons and mounted men, with orders to report if the enemy appeared, and if necessary to call for assistance. On his arrival near the falls, Scott learned that the enemy was in force directly in his front, a narrow piece of woods alone intercepting his

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view of them. He immediately advanced upon them, after

dispatching a messenger to general Brown with this intelligence,

The report of the cannon and small arms reached general Brown before the messenger, and orders were instantly issued for general Ripley to march to the support of general Scott, with the second brigade and all the artillery, and Brown himself repaired with all speed to the scene of action, whence he sent orders for general Porter to advance with his volunteers. On reaching the field of battle, general Brown found that Scott had passed the wood, and engaged the enemy on the Queenstown road and on the ground to the left of it, with the 9th, 11th, and 22d regiments, and Towson's artillery, the 25th having been thrown to the right to be governed by circumstances. The contest was close and desperate, and the American troops, far inferior in numbers, suffered severely.

Meanwhile major Jessup, who commanded the 25th regiment, taking advantage of a fault committed by the British commander, by leaving a road unguarded on his left, threw himself promptly into the rear of the enemy, where he was enabled to operate with the happiest effect. The slaughter was dreadful ; the enemy's line fled down the road at the third or fourth fire. The capture of general Riall, with a large escort of officers of rank, was part of the trophies of Jessup's intrepidity and skill; and, but for the impression of an unfounded report, under which he unfortunately remained for a few minutes, lieutenant general Drummond, the commander of the British forces, would inevitably have fallen into his hands, an event which would, in all probability, have completed the disaster of the British army. Drummond was completely in Jessup's power; but being confidently informed that the first brigade was cut in pieces, and finding himself with less than 200 men, and without any prospect

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support, in the midst of an overwhelming hostile force, he thought of nothing, for the moment, but to make good his retreat, and save his command. Of this temporary suspense of the advance of the American column, general Drummond availed himself to make his escape. Among the officers captured, was one of general Drummond's aids-de-camp, who had been dispatched from the front line to order up the reserve, with a view to fall on Scott with the concentrated force of the whole army, and overwhelm him at a single effort. Nor would it have been possible to prevent this catastrophe, had the reserve arrived in time; the force with which general Scott would then have been obliged to contend being nearly quadruple that of his own. By the fortunate capture, however, of the British

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aid-de-camp, before the completion of the service on which he had been ordered, the enemy's reserve was not brought into action until the arrival of general Ripley's brigade, which prevented the disaster which must otherwise have ensued*.

Though the second brigade pressed forward with the greatest ardour, the battle had raged for an hour before it could arrive on the field, by which time it was nearly dark. The enemy fell back on its approach. In order to disengage the exhausted troops of the first brigade, the fresh troops were ordered to pass Scott's line, and display in front, a movement which was immediately executed by Ripley. Meanwhile the enemy, being reconnoitered, was found to have taken a new position, and occupied a height with his artillery, supported by a line of infantry, which gave him great advantages, it being the key to the whole position. To secure the victory, it was necessary to carry his artillery and seize the height. For this purpose the second brigade advanced upon the Queenstown road, and the first regiment of infantry, which had arrived that day, and was attached to neither of the brigades, was formed in a line facing the enemy's on the height, with a view of drawing his fire and attracting his attention, as the second brigade advanced on his left flank to carry his artillery.

As soon as the first regiment approached its position, colonel Miller was ordered to advance with the 21st regiment, and carry the artillery on the height with the bayonet. The first regiment gave way under the fire of the enemy; but Miller, undaunted by this occurrence, advanced steadily and gallantly to his object, and carried the heights and cannon in a masterly style. General Ripley followed on the right with the 23d re

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giment. It had some desperate fighting, which caused it to faulter, but it was promptly rallied, and brought up.

The enemy being now driven from their commanding ground, the whole brigade, with the volunteers and artillery, and the first regiment, which had been rallied, were formed in line, with the captured cannon, nine pièces, in the rear. Here they were soon joined by major Jessup, with the 25th, the regiment that had acted with such effect in the rear of the enemy's left. In this situation the American troops withstood three distinct desperate attacks of the enemy, who had rallied his broken corps, and received reinforcements. In each of them he was repulsed with great slaughter, so near being his approach, that the buttons of the men were distinctly seen through the darkness by the flash of the muskets, and many prisoners were taken at the point of the bayonet, principally by Porter's volunteers. During the second attack general Scott was ordered up, who had been held in reserve with three of his battalions, from the moment of Ripley's arrival on the

field. During the third effort of the enemy, the direction of 1 Scott's column would have enabled him, in a few minutes, to

have formed line in the rear of the enemy's right, and thus have brought him between two fires. But a flank fire from a concealed party of the enemy falling upon the centre of Scott's command, completely frustrated this intention. His column was severed in two; one part passing to the rear, the other by the right flank of platoons towards Ripley's main line.

This was the last effort of the British to regain his position and artillery, the American troops being left in quiet possession of the field. It was now nearly midnight, and generals Brown and Scott being both severely wounded, and all the troops much exhausted, the command was given to general Ripley, and he was instructed to return to camp, bringing with him the wounded and the artillery. The pieces, however, were found in so dismantled a state, and such had been the slaughter of the horses, that to remove them at that late hour was found to be impracticable.

On the return of the troops to camp, general Brown sent for general Ripley, and after giving him his reasons for the measure, ordered him to put the troops into the best possible condition; to give to them the necessary refreshment; to take with him the picquets and camp guards, and every other description of force; to put himself on the field of battle as the day dawned, and there meet and beat the enemy if he again appeared.