with great rapidity; the militia skirmished with his advanced parties, and, except a few brave men, fell back precipitately in the greatest disorder, although the British troops did not deign 10 fire on them, except by their flankers and advanced patroles. The night previous, major Wool had been ordered to advance with a detachment of 250 men to support the militia, anu set them an example of firmness. Captain Leonard, of the light artillery, was also directed to proceed with two pieces to be on the ground before day; but he did not make his appearance until 8 o'clock, when the enemy had approached within two miles of the village. Major Wool, with his party, disputed the road with great obstinacy, but the militia could not be prevailed on to stand, notwithstanding the exertions of their general and staff officers; although the fields were divided by strong stone walls, and they were told that the enemy could not possibly cut them off. The state dragoons of New-York wear red coats, and they being on the heights to watch the enemy, gave constant alarm to the militia, who mistook them for the

enemy,

and feared his getting in their rear. Finding the enemy's columns had penetrated within a mile of Plattsburg, general Macomb dispatched his aid-de-camp to bring off the detachment at Dead Creek, and to order lieutenant-colonel Appling to fall on the enemy's right flank. The colonel fortunately arrived just in time to save his retreat, and to fall in with the head of a column debouching from the woods. Here he poured in a destructive fire from his riflemen, and continued to annoy the column until he formed a junction with major Wool. The field-pieces did considerable execution among the enemy's coluinns. So undaunted, however, was the enemy, that he never deployed in his whole march, always pressing on in column. This column, however, was much impeded by obstructions thrown in the way, and by the removal of the bridge at Dead creek; as it passed the creek and beach, the galleys kept up on it a lively and galling fire.

The village of Plattsburg is situated on the north-west side of the small river Saranac, near where it falls into lake Champlain. The American works were situated on the opposite side of the river.

Every road was now full of troops crowding on all sides in upon Plattsburg. The field-pieces were therefore ordered to retire across the bridge, and form a battery, for its protection, and to cover the retreat of the infantry, which was accordingly done, and the parties of Appling and Wool, as well as that of Sproul, retired alternately, keeping up a brisk fire until they got under cover of the works. The enemy's light troops then took possession of the houses near the bridge, and kept up a constant firing from the windows and balconies, but a few hot shot from the American works, which put the houses in flames, soon obliged these sharp-shooters to retire. The whole day, until it was too late to see, the enemy's light troops endeavoured to drive the guards from the bridge, but they paid dearly for their perseverance. An attempt was also made to cross the upper bridge, where the militia resolutely drove them back. The troops being now all on the south side of the Saranac, the planks were taken off the bridges, and piled up in the form of breastworks to cover the parties intended to dispute the passage, which afterwards enabled them to hold the bridges against very superior numbers.

From the 7th to the 11th, the enemy was employed in getting on his battering train, and erecting his batteries and approaches, and constantly skirmishing at the bridges and fords. By this time, the militia of New-York and the volunteers of Vermont were pouring in from all quarters. They were all placed along the Saranac, to prevent the enemy's crossing the river, excepting a strong body sent in his rear to harass him day and night, and keep him in continual alarm. The militia behaved with great spirit after the first day, and the volunteers of Vermont were exceedingly serviceable. The regular troops, notwithstanding the constant skirmishing, and repeated endeavours of the enemy to cross the river, kept at their work day and night strengthening the defences, and evinced a determination to hold out to the last extremity.

$ 8. Meanwhile the British were strenuously engaged in preparing the fleet, which was destined to co-operate with the land forces. It appeared in view at Plattsburg early in the morning of the 11th. This fleet consisted of the frigate Confiance, carrying 39 guns, 27 of which were twenty four-pounders; the brig Linnet, carrying 16 guns; the sloops Chub and Finch, each carrying 11 guns; and thirteen galleys, five of which carried two and the remainder one gun each. The American force consisted of the Saratoga, carrying 26 guns, eight of which were long twenty-four-pounders ; the Eagle, 20 guns ; the Ticonderoga 17; the Preble 7; and ten galleys, six of which carried two, the remainder one gun each. The British were superior, both in size and number of guns*.

At 8 in the morning, the American look-out-boat announced to commodore Macdonough, the commander of the squadron, the approach of the enemy. He at this time lay at anchor, in

a

Plattsburg bay, calmly awaiting the approach of the British squadron, the fleet being moored in line, abreast of the works, with a division of five gun-boats on each flank. At 9, the British fleet anchored in line abreast of the American squadron, at about 300 yards distance, the Confiance opposed to the Saratoga, the Linnet to the Eagle; the British galleys and one of the sloops to the Ticonderoga, Preble, and the left division of the American galleys; the other sloop to the right division of the American galleys.

In this situation the whole force on both sides became engaged, the Saratoga suffering much from the heavy fire of the Confiance. But the fire of the Saratoga was also very

destructive to her. The Ticonderoga likewise gallantly sustained her full share of the action." At half past 10 o'clock the Eagle, not being able to bring her guns to bear, cut her cable and anchored in a more eligible position, between the Saratoga and the Ticonderoga, where she very much annoyed the enemy, but unfortunately left the Saratoga exposed to a galling fire from the enemy's brig. The guns on the starboard side of the Saratoga being nearly all dismounted, or not manageable, a stern-anchor was let go, the bower-cable cut, and the ship winded with a fresh broadside on the enemy's ship, which soon after surrendered. A broadside was then sprung to bear on the brig, which surrendered in about fifteen minutes after.

The sloop that was opposed to the Eagle, had struck some time before, and drifted down the line ; the sloop which was with their galleys having struck also. Three of the enemy's galleys were sunk, the others pulled off. The American flotilla were about obeying with alacrity the signal to follow them, when all the vessels were reported to the commodore as in a sinking state ; it then became necessary to annul the signal to the galleys, and order their men to the pumps. The enemy's galleys thus got off in a shattered condition, for there was not a mast in either squadron that could stand to make sail on; the lower rigging, being nearly all shot away, hung down as though it had been just placed over the mast heads.

The Saratoga had fifty-five round shot in her hull; the Confiance one hundred and five. The Saratoga was twice set on fire by hot shot from the Confiance. The enemy's shot must have principally passed just over the heads of the sailors, as there were not twenty whole hammocks in the nettings at the close of the action, which lasted without intermission two hours and twenty minutes*.

1

This naval engagement was in full view of both armies at Plattsburg. The killed on board the American squadron amounted to 52, the wounded to 58. The killed on board the captured vessels amounted to 84, including captain Downie, the commander of the squadron ; the wounded amounted to 110; the loss on board the British galleys has never been ascertained. The number of men in the American squadron was 820; the British were supposed to exceed 1000.

§ 9. The batteries on shore were opened on the American works at the same instant that the engagement commenced on the lake, and continued throwing bomb-shells, sharpnells, balls, and Congreve rockets, until sun-set, when the bombardment ceased, every battery of the British being silenced. Three efforts were made to pass the river at the commencement of the cannonade and bombardment, with a view of assaulting the works, and an immense number of scaling-ladders had been prepared for that purpose. One of these attempts was made at the village bridge, another at the upper bridge, and a third at a ford about three miles from the works. The two first were repulsed by the regulars; at the ford by the volunteers and militia. Here the enemy suffered severely in killed, wounded, and prisoners; a considerable body having crossed the stream, all of whom were either killed, taken, or driven back. A whole company of the 76th regiment was here destroyed, the three lieutenants and twenty-seven men prisoners, the captain and the rest killed. The woods at this place were very favourable to the operations of the militia.

§ 10. The further prosecution of the expedition having become impracticable by the capture of the fleet, an event totally unlooked-for, at dusk the enemy withdrew his artillery from the batteries, and raised the siege ; and at nine, under the cover of the night, sent off in a great hurry all the baggage he could find transport for, and also his artillery. At two, the next morning, the whole army precipitately retreated, leaving behind their sick and wounded ; the commander left a note with the surgeon, requesting for them the humane attention of general Macomb.

Vast quantities of provisions were left behind and destroyed, alsu an immense quantity of bomb-shells, cannon-balls, grape-shot, ammunition, flints, &c. intrenching tools of all sorts, and tents and marquees. A great deal was afterwards found concealed in the ponds and creeks, and buried in the ground, and a vast quantity was carried off by the inhabitants.

Such was the precipitancy of the retreat of the British, that they arrived at Chazy, a distance of eight miles, before their

would be forwarded to Washington; with the others he would not comply.

In the evening, the British commenced the attack with rockets from one of the brigs: a great number of rockets were thrown, with little or no effect. The brig then hauled up within a short distance of the battery, and kept up a heavy and well-directed fire from guns of a very large calibre, which was returned by the two eighteen-pounders in the little battery, till their ammunition was expended. During this time the brig had grounded. A supply of ammunition having arrived from New London, the fire from the battery was re-commenced, and with such effect, that the brig slipped her cables, and towed off, out of reach of the eighteen-pounders, she having previously swung clear of the ground.

On the 10th, a number of flags passed; the commodore still insisting on his former terms. On the following morning, the last flag passed, with Hardy's ultimatum, at 11 o'clock, viz.: that Mrs. Stewart should be put on board by 2 o'clock P. M. or he would destroy the place. He, however, did not commence till 3 o'clock, at which time the bomb-ship commenced from two mortars, one a 15 inch and the other 13. The bombardment continued from this time till half past 8 in the evening, without intermission; the place was several times on fire, and as often put out by the soldiers and inhabitants.

At day light on the 12th, the attack was re-commenced from the bomb-ship, seventy-four, and frigate, and continued, with little intermission, till half past 9, A. M. when the tide began to ebb, and the ships thought proper to haul off. In the afternoon they set sail, and left the sound by dark.

As commodore Hardy has never favoured the world with his official account of this valiant and famous affair, we are entirely at a loss to conjecture what could have been his motive. One horse, and one goose constituted the whole list of killed on shore; a lieutenant and three privates, of the militia, were slightly wounded by the bursting of a shell, and two men in the battery by a piece going off at half charge. The town was but little damaged, considering the tremendous cannonade and bombardment it sustained: one half of the houses were untouched, and not one entirely demolished, although every ship threw its shot completely over the point. Nearly 300 shells and fire-carcasses were thrown into the village, making, it was estimated, 50 tons of metal. Three or four tons of shot, carcasses, and bombs were collected by the inhabitants.-After the bombardment, it was learnt from good authority, that the