canoes. of lieutenant Turner, to St. Mary's, to break up the estab-' lishment at that place, and capture a schooner which lay there waiting for a cargo of flour for the North-West company's establishments on lake Superior, which had fallen into the hands of the American squadron. by the capture of the schooner Minx, on its way from Michillimackinac to St. Mary's. The establishment, against which this expedition was directed, is a factory of the Montreal company, situated at the foot of the falls of St. Mary, the stream by which lake Superior discharges its waters into lake Huron. These falls are surmounted by a canal, by which goods are passed in boats from the vessels which navigate one lake to those which traverse the other. The launches, under lieutenant Turner, were rowed night and day ; but the distance being 60 miles, against a strong current, information of their approach reached the enemy about two hours before their arrival, carried by Indians in their light No resistance was made at the fort, but the British and Indians made their escape, carrying with them all the light valuable articles, such as peltry, clothes, &c. Turner, with his sailors and a few of the infantry, instantly proceeded to the head of the rapids, where the enemy, finding he could not get off with the vessel Turner was in quest of, set fire to her in several places and s utiled her. Turner, however, succeeded in boarding her, and by considerable exertions extinguished the flames, and secured her from sinking. But every effort failed to get her through the falls in safety. She bilged on her passage, and being immediately run on shore, was burnt. A part of the public property was brought away, and the remainder destroyed. All private property was respected. 9 10. On the return of the launches to St. Joseph's, the squadron proceeded to Michillimackinac, where they arrived on the 26th. This place is, by nature, a second Gibraltar, be. ing a high rock, inaccessible on every side, except the west: from the landing to the heights is nearly two miles, through a very thick wood. Finding that the British had strongly fortified the height overlooking the old fort, Croghan at once despaired of being able, with his small force, to carry the place by storm. He therefore determined to land and establish himself on some favourable position, whence he would be enabled to annoy the enemy by gradual and slow approaches, under cover of his artillery, of which he was superior to the enemy in point of metal. He was also induced to adopt this step by the supposition, that it would either induce the enemy to a attack him in his strong holds, or force the Indians and Canadians, the enemy's most efficient, and only disposable force, off the island, as they would be very unwilling to remain af ter a permanent footing should be taken. Unfavourable weather prevented the landing of the troops till the 4th of August, when the whole force was disembarked on the west end of the island, under cover of the guns of the shipping. The line being quickly formed, advanced towards a field, which had been recommended as a suitable place for a camp, by persons who had lived several years on the island. Hardly had the troops arrived at the edge of the field, before intelligence was conveyed to colonel Croghan that the enemy was a short distance a-head, and in a few seconds a fire of shot and shells opened on the Americans, from a battery of four pieces. The enemy's position was well selected ; his line reached along the edge of the woods, at the farther extremity of the field, and was covered by a temporary breastwork. On reconnoitering the enemy, Croghan determined to change his position, which was now two lines, the militia forming the front. He accordingly ordered the battalion of regulars, under major Holmes, to advance to the right of the militia, thus to outflank the enemy, and wby a vigorous effort gain his rear. But before this movement could be executed, a fire was opened by some Indians posted in a thick wood near the American right, which proved fatal to major Holmes, and severely wounded captain Desha, the next officer in rank. This unlucky fire, by depriving the battalion of the services of its most valuable officers, threw that part of the line into confusion, from which the best exertions of the officers were not able to recover it. Finding it impossible to gain the enemy's left, owing to the impenetrable thickness of the woods, a charge was ordered to be made by the regulars immediately against the front. This charge, though made in some confusion, served to drive the enemy back in the woods, whence an annoying fire was kept up by the Indians. Lieutenant Morgan was now ordered up with a light piece to assist the left, which, at this time, was particularly galled ; its fire soon forced the enemy to retire to a greater distance. The position contemplated for the camp being now occupied, was found to be by no means tenable, from being interspersed with thickets, and every way intersected by ravines. Croghan determined, therefore, no longer to expose his force to the fire of an enemy deriving every advantage which could be ob tained from numbers and a knowledge of the position, and therefore ordered a retreat towards the shipping, which was immediately effected. The loss of the Americans in this affair was 13 killed, 51 wounded, and 2 missing. The loss of the British has not been ascertained. 0 11. Michillimackinac being thus found impregnable by assault, measures were adopted for starving it into submission, by cutting off its supplies. The whole of the troops, except three companies, were therefore dispatched in two of the vessels, to join general Brown on the Niagara, and the rest of the squadron directed their course to the east side of the lake, in order to break up any of the establishments of the enemy in that quarter. The only practicable lines of communication with the lower country, while the Americans were masters of lake Erie, was with Montreal by Outawas or Grand river, which is connected by means of a portage or carrying. place, with lake Nipissing, which latter empties itself into lake Huron by means of French river ; or with York, by means of lake Simcoe and Nautauwasaga river. The first of these communications was learnt to be impracticable during the present season, on account of the marshy state of the portages. The squadron, therefore, proceeded to the mouth of the Nautauwasaga, where it arrived on the 13th of August, and the troops were immediately disembarked on the peninsula formed by the river and lake, for the purpose of fixing a campo On reconnoitering this position, a schooner, the only one possessed by the British in this quarter, was discovered in the river, a few hundred yards above, under cover of a blockhouse erected on a commanding situation on the opposite shore. On the following morning, a fire was opened by the shipping on the block house for a few minutes, but with little effect, owing to a thin wood intervening to obscure the view. Two howitzers, however, being landed, they commenced throwing shells, and in a few minutes one of the shells burst in the block-house, which shortly after blew up his magazine, allowing the enemy barely time to make his escape. The explosion set fire to a train which had been laid for the destruction of the vessel, and in an instant she was in flames. The necessary preparations had been made by commodore Sinclair for getting on board of her ; but frequent and heavy explosions below deck made it too great a risk to attempt saving her. She was, therefore, with her cargo, entirely consumed. a § 12. Colonel Croghan not thinking it advisable to fortify and garrison Nautauwasauga, the communication from York being so short and convenient, that any force left there might easily be cut off in the winter, the Scorpion and Tigress were left to blockade it closely, until the season should become too boisterous for boat transportation, and the remainder of the squadron returned to Detroit. But this blockade, which, had it been properly enforced, would probably soon have made a bloodless conquest of Michillimackinac, was soon put an end to by the capture of both the schooners. The Tigress was carried by boarding from the enemy's boats on the night of the 3d of September, and the Scorpion was surprised and taken by the Tigress, on the 6th, at the dawn of day. And thus, by the negligence of the officers, was the capture of Michillimackinac completely frustrated for this season. CHAPTER VI. § 1. State of affairs in the Creek territory. § 2. Battle of Eccanachaca. § 3. Expedition of general Jackson. § 4. Attack on general Floyd's camp. § 5. Battle of the Horse-Shoe. § 6. Treaty of peace with the Creeks. 7. Repulse of the British at Mobile. § 8. Proc. lamation of colonel Nichols. § 9. Destruction of the settlement at Barrataria. § 10. Capture of Pensacola. § 11. Capture of the American gun-boats on lake Borgne. 12. Military preparations at NewOrleans. 13. Landing of the British below the town. § 14. Battle of the 23d of December. § 15. Description of the country around New-Orleans. § 16. Operations of the British previous to the 8th of January. 17. Battle of New-Orleans. § 18. Bombardment of Fort St. Philip. 19. Capture of Fort Bowyer. § 20. Operations on the coast of South-Carolina and Georgia. § 1. THE forces employed in the war with the Creek Indians, a part of whose operations has already been detailed in the second volume of this work, were the Tennessee militia, under major-general Jackson, whose head-quarters were at Fort Strother, upon the Coosee river; the Georgia militia, under brigadier-general Floyd, whose operations were directed from the Chatahouchie; and a body of volunteers, in the southern part of the country of the Creeks, under the command of brigadier-general Claiborne. The settlements of the hostile Creeks were principally on and between the Tallapoosee and Coosee rivers. Here stood the towns of Tallushatches, Talledega, and Hillibee, which gave their names to the battles so called, which have already been noticed. The town of Autossee stood on the left bank of the Tallapoosee. Notwithstanding the decisive victories that had been obtained by the American troops, and the heavy losses of the Indians, and the destruction of their principal towns, this brave people were still unsubdued. General Claiborne, therefore, marched a detachment from Fort Claiborne, on the 13th of December, 1813, with a view to the further destruction of their towns. Fort Claiborne is situated on the Alibama river, at no great distance above where, by its junction with the Tombigbeee, it forms the Mobile river. The object in view was a town called by the Creeks Eccanachaca, or Holy Ground. This place, Claiborne was informed, was occupied by a large body of the enemy, under the command of Weatherford, a |