The National Register. — London, England, 1814-09-25 00:00:00

0.-^•• 510 TTTE NATIONAL REGISTER. Hcad-quarters, Upper *Canada. near Niagara Fells. 27 tit July, 1 a'4. Sr --I embarked on board his Majesty's schooner Nettey, at York, on Smulay evening, the 'nit inst. nod reached Nineat a at dirybreak the hallow ieg morione. trout Lieutenant-Colonel 'l' ticker. that Major-Gen. Riad was understood to be moving towards the Falls of Niagara to support the advance of iti* which he bail pti-lied on to that place on the pri•ceding evenieg, I ordered Lieutenant Colonel Morrisoe, with the 89th reeimeut, and a detach •ment of the Royals and drawn from Fort George, and Mts. sissaga, to proceed to thc same point, ill order that, with the united force, _ ;.et against the enemy ( posted at Street's Creek, with t aileanee at (leippae.a) en my ;arrival, if it should be found exits,- dicta. I order. d Licata melt Coloeel Tucker, to proceed up the rielit bank of the river %%I tli diree hundred of the 414, and about two hundred of the Itoyal and a body tit Labatt Warriors stip. ported (on the rivet) by a party of artilCil seamen, Dialer Captain Dobbs, Hord Navy. The ;eject of this movement was to disperse or rapture a tinily °Nile enemy which %vas cocamped at Lewiston Some miavoi:lable delay having oeceared in the march of cur troops na the rig:st haek, the enemy had moved MI previous to Lient-Col. Tucker's arrival. 1 have to express myself satisfied with the exer tams of that officer. Haying refreshed the troops at Queenstown, and having %might across the 410, Royals, and Indians, I sent back the 41st and 100th regiments to form the garrisons of the Forts George, Miesissaga and N; gam. under Lieutenant Colonel Tucker, and moved, with the Bth, and detechmen s of the Royals and King's, mid light company of the 414,- in al about eight hundred men, to join Major-General Rieli'4 division at the Fails. W lien arrived within a few miles of that pnsition, I met a report tom Mejar-Gcn Riall, that the enemy was advancing in great force. I nom , diaoey pushed on, rind joined the head of Lient.-Col. Mor rlson's collam, just as it reached the road leading towards the Bea • yet! Don, over the teamit of the hill at Lundy's Lane, instead of the wßole of Major-Gen Riail's division, which I expected to have feeet oceepyme this posi loot, I found it ahnost in the occupation of the < n' m y . who e column' , were within 600 yards of the top of the eni tae sitiroun lin woods filled with his light troops. The eel nee ..f Major-Gen Itiall's • ion, consisting of the Glengarry Tient Wattle!, ate I C. rporated M Ltia, having commeeced their rte teat Nam Foot George, I cenine: mantled these corps, and formed the h9tls iegiment a . ai the :t (seal Seets detachments and 41st light companies he the re•!r of 'he lel:, their I. ft resting on the great road; my two 24 p.m! der brass field guns a little advanced in front of the centre ou the •nnni of the bib ; die Glenearry Light Infantry of Elie Held tlm b f lueorparated avid the detachment of the King's It g ment on the left of the great road. I had scarcely eompleied this f rmation when the whole front was warmly and elm% iy engs_ed. The enenr e 's principal efforts Vr ere directed our let and center Ater repeated attacks, the troops on the left were partially forced back, and the enemy gained a momenta!) , pos seslion of the road. 'rids Ease him,. however, no material advan tage, as the troops which had been forced back formed in the rear of the 89th regiment. fronting the road, lied se cnrieg the flaak. It Ara , daring this shortietert al that Major-Gen Riall, having receayed 2 severe woned. was ietercepted as lie was passiug to the rear, by a patty ()flue Viler' 's cavalry, and m ids primmer. In the centre the reps fed and die -milled at 'arks of the enemy were met by the 09111 regiment, !he ile;aelneents of the Royals and King's, and the compauy 41 . •1 'centavo, with the most perfect steaditiesa and in trepid gallaetry, and the enemy was constantly repulsed with %Pei y heavy loss. also determined a manner were these attacks directed tag tart oar run*, that our artillerymen were bayonetted by the eee my in the act of l•ading, mid the mezz•ee of the enemy's guns were advanced within a few yard.: of ours Tile darlent•ss of the Bight daring this excr fordiaary co. flies urea-it:tiled several uacommon in• Indent,: : oar tro tp , hiving f r a inotuent hear pushed back, som • °lour guava remained true a few minutes in the enemy's hands; they were, however, not only quickly recovered, but the two pi •ve , a 6-pounder and a 51 inch howi'zer, wLich the enemy had brave! t np, were captured by us, tneether with several timieik, and in lie - hering up our gutty at one per od, one the enemy's 6-powele_s was putt, by mistake, upon a limber of ours, and one of oer pounders Main re-I on one of is ; by which means the pieces wt re exchanged. and thus, though see captured two of his guns, yet, a , Le obtained ode of ours, we have rained only one gin. About nine o'clock (the action having commeeced at six) there was a short intermission of firing, during which it appears the enemy was employed in bringing up Ike whole of his temaining force, and he. shortly afterwards renewed his attack with fresh troops. hut was every whete reordited w:ta taped gallantry and success. About this period the remainder 41 Rialr.s division, which had been SEPT. t 5. ( altered to retife on the advance of the enemy, consisting of the rejment under Col. Scott ; the head-quarter division of the Royal Scots ; the head quarter division of the Bth or King's; flank companies W4th. Some detachmeets of militia ander Lieut.-Col. Hamilton, In-pectiog Field Officer,. joined the troops engaged, and I placed them in a second line, With the exception of • the Royal Scots, and flank companies 104th, with which 1 prolonged my trout line on the right. where I was apprehensive of the enem.'s outflanking me. The ceemy'a efforts to carry the hill wei eeontinued until about midnight, when he lad sulfured so severely from the superior steadi ness and discipline of his Majesty's troops, that he gave up the con test and retreated with great precipitation to his camp beyond the Chippewa. On the following day he abandoned his camp, threw the greatest part of his bageaee, camp equipage and provisions, into the Rapids; and having set tire to Street's Mills and destroyed the bridge at Chippewa, continued his retreat in great disorder towards Fort Eric. My light troops, cavalry, and Indians are detached in pursuit, and to harass his retreat, which I doubt not he will continue until lie reaches his own shore. The loss sustaived by the enemy in this severe action, cannot be estimated at less than fifteen hundred men, ilicluding several hnn dreds of prisoners left in our hands; his two commanding Generals, Brown and Scott, are said to be wounded, his whole force, which has never been rated at, less than five thousand, having been engaged. Enclosed I have the honour to transmit a return of our loss, which has been very considerable. The number of troops under my com mand did not, for the first three hours, exceed sixteen hundred men ; the addition of the troops under Col. Scott, did not increase it to more than two thousand eight hundred of every dose% lotion. A very difficult, but at the same time a most gratifying duty re mains, that ofendeavouring to do justice to the merits of the officers and soldiers by whose valour and discipline this important success has been obtained. I was very early in the action deprived of the services of Major-Gen. Riahl, who, 1 regret to learn has snilered.the amputation of his arms in the enemy's possession; his bravery, zeal and activity have always been cnnspicuous. To Lieut.-Col. Harvey, Depaty Adjutant-General, I am so deeply indebted for his valuable assistance previous to, as well as his able acid energetic exertions during this severe contest, that I feel myself called upon to point your Excellency's attention to tee distinguished merits of this highly deserving officer, whose services have been particularly conspicuous in every affair that has taken place since his arrival in this province. The zeal and intelligence displayed by Major Glegg, Assistant Adjutant-General, deserves my warmest approbation. I much regret the loss of a very iutellirnt and pro. wising young officer, Lieut. Meorsum, athith regiment, Deputy As. 'istant Adjutant-General, who was killed towards the close of the action. Tice active exertions of Capt. Elliot, Deputy Assistant Quarter Master General, of, whose gallantry and conduct I had oc. easion, on two former instances to mutat k, were conspicuous. Ma. jor Manic and Lieut. Le Breton, of the eaaarter-MastersGenerars Department, were extremely useful to me; the latter was severely wounded. Amongst the officers from whose active exertions I derived the ereatest asAstaece, I cannot omit to mention my Aides de Getup, Captains ,Tervoise and Lorin:;, and Captain Holland. Aid de Camp to Major ; Captain Loring was unfortunately taken primmer by some of the enemy's dragoons, whilst in the execution of an order. In reviewing the action from its commencement, the first object which presents itself as deserving of notice, is tile steaciiiiess and good coeutenanee of the squadron of the 19th !Hit dragoons under Nlajor Lisle, mei the very en di table and excellent defence made bs the hieorporated militia battalion, under Lieut. Colonel eon, who was daegerously wounded, and a detachmeet of Bth reelieent, under relooel Campliell. Major Kirby sec ceeded Li en t. Cobalt-I Robinson in the command or the incorpo rated militia battaiion, and centime d vet y gaflaally to direct its efforts; this battalion has horn nt.ly oreanized a few 'eoliths, and much to the credit of Ci:ptain itobin7 , on, of the Kiag's reeiment (Proviio iii Lientenent Coolie') has attaived a highly mpectable degree of In the r. iterated and determined attacks which the enemy made On our centre, for the purpose of gaiiiiag, at mice, t e crest of our position and our elms, the steadiness and intrepidity displayed by the troops allotted for the defiewe of that post, were never sui passed : they eousisted of the IA battalion of ti;e 89t1t regiment, conunivalad by Limit. Colonel Morrisine and after the Lientenaot Colonel had liven obliged to retire from the field, by a severe wound, by Major Clifford ; a detaelimeet of the Royal Scots, under Lieutenant Fraser; detachment of the Bth (or King's), under Cap tain Campbell ; light company 4th regiment, under Captain Clew, with some detachments of militia, under Lieutenant Colonel Parry,