The Sun.
London, England, 1814-02-02 00:00:00

i. 11141, 4 LI,
American Commanders were previously opposed,
the last being ,bound by the instructions of his
Gov,ernment, and the most solemn obligations of
duty to precipitate his descent of, the St. Law-
rence by:: every practicable means, because this
being effected, one of the greatest ditiictilties op-
posed to the American army would be surtnonnt-
ed ; _and the former,' by duties equally imperious,
to retard it, and if possible to pre-ient such a de-
scent. He is to be accounted victorious who ef-
fected this purpose. The British Commander having
failed to gain either pt the objects, can lay no claims.
to the honours of the day.. The battle •flircttiated,'
and triumph seemed at different times, inclined to:
the contending corps. The front of the • enemy
was at first forced, back more thann-a and
though they never regained the grOUnd they lost,
their stand was perManent,•and their charges re-
solute. Amidst these charges, and near the close
of the contest!, we lost a field-piece by the fall of
the Officer who was serving it with the same cool-
ness as if he had been at-parade, or at a• review.—
This was Lieutenant-Smith, of the light artillery,
who in point' of merit stood conspicuous..'J he
enemy having halted, and our tromps having again
formed in battalion, front to front, and the lire
having ceased on both sides, we resumed our po-
stiOn on the bank of the river, and the infantry
being ninth fatigued, the whole were reimharked,
and.proceeded down the river without further an-
noyasice. from the enemy or their gun-boats,
while.the dragoons, with. five pieces of light artil-
ler-marched down the Canada shore without
molestation. •

It is due-to his rank, merit, and his services,'
that I shOuld make particular mention of Briga-
dier-General Covington, who received a mortal
wound directly throagh the body, , while animat-
ing his men and leadiin them to the charge. Ile
fell where he fought, at the head of his men, and
survived but two days.
__, The next day-the flotilla passed through the
Saut, and joined that -excellent officer Brigadier-,
General. Brown, zit Baruharts, near Cornwall,
where be had been instructed to take pest and
wait my arrival, and where I confidently expect-
ed to hear of Major-General Hampton's arrival
'on t,,e opposite shore. '•
But immediately after I had halted,. Col. Atkin-
son, Inspector-General of the division under Ma-.
jor-General Hampton, waited on Inc. with a letter
from that officer, in which, to my unspeakable
mortification and surprize, he declined the junc-
tion, ordered and informed the he was marching
to Luke faainplain, by way of co-operation in the
proposed attack on Moutreal. This letter, together
• with a copy of that to which it is in answer, were im-
mediately submitted to a council of war, composed
of many General Officers, .and the Colonel com-
manding, the elite, the Chieti Engineer and Adj.-
General, who immediately gave it-as their opinion,
that the attack on Montreal should be abandoned for
the present season, aml the army neaf Cornwall
h-g inunediately -erdssed to the American shore, for
Biking up winter quarters, and that this place af-
fu'rded an eligible position for such quarters. I
acquiesced in this opinion, nyt from the short.;
nth of the stock- of provisions, (which had been
reduced by the acts of God), because our meat had
been increased five days, and our bread had been
reduced only two days, and because we could, in
case of extremity,- have lived on the enemy, but
because the loss of the division under Ma;or-Ge-
neral Hampton weakened- my force too sensibly
to justify the attempt.
In all my measures and movements 'of conse-
qttence I le've taken the opinions of nay General
Officers, which have been in accord with my own.
I. remained on the Canadian shore till the next
.day, without seeing or hearing from the powerful
force of the enemy in our neighbourhood, and the
same neighbourhood, and the same day reached ,
this position with the artillery and infantry.
The dragoons have been ordered to Urica and
its vicinity, and I expect are 50 or 60 miles on
the march. - You have under 'cover a luminary
abstract of the killed and wounded in the affair of
the 11 th inst. which will soon be followed by a
particular return, in which a ju!..l regard IN Hi be
paid to individual merit. -The dead rest in ho-
nour, and the wounded bleed for their-country,
and daserve its gratitude. With respect, I have '
the honour to be, Sir, your obedient Servant,

• JAA. .
[lleee follows a statement of the killed WILKINS-6N
and wounded.—
Killed, lU:2—Wounded, i37.]

EXTRACT OF A LETTER OF TUE 15TII NOVEMBER
FROM GENERAL WILKINSON.
• " It is a fact, for winch lam authorised to pledge
myself 'on the most confidential authority, that in
the 4th of the present month, the British garri-
son Of:MoAtreal consisted solely of four hundred
marines and 200 sailors, which has been sent up
We have, with the provision here,
from Quehec;
and that left at Chateaugay, about ten days sub-
sistence, to which l shall add thirty more.
" Hon. General J. Armstrong, Secretary
• at War."

FROM GEM. WILKINSON TO GEN. IIA;k/PTON..
Head-quarters of the Army, 7anites above 0r,,-
densburg. Nor. 6," ISI3.
SIR, I address you at the special instance of
the Secretary of war, who by bad roads, , worse
weather, and ill health, was diverted from meet-
- ing me near this place, and determined to tread
back his steps to ‘Vashington from Antwerp, on
the 29th inst. -
I am destined to, and determined on, the attack'
of Montreal, if not prevented by some act of God ;
and to give security to the enterprise, the division
under your couu must co-operate_ with the
corps under my immediate orders. The point of
rendezvous is a 'circumstance of the greatest inte-
rest to the issue of this operation,and the distance
which separates us, and myr ignorance of the
practicability of the direct or devious roads or
routes by which you must march, make it requi-
site that your own judgment should determine the
paint. To assist you in-making the soundest de-
termination, and to take the most prompt and et,
fectual measures, I can only inform you of my in-;
tendons and situation, in solve respects of the
first importance. I shall pass Prescott to-night,
because the state of the weather will not allow
me three days Co take it ; shall cross the cavalry
at Hainilton, which will not require a day. I
shall press forward, . and break down every ob-