The Statesman.
London, England, 1814-02-26 00:00:00

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411.3"744Cr01t;0RY N, 1814.

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ED. (IA YNES, Adj.-Gen. N. A.

.I.I44III,zCALENCv LIEVT.•OZNERAL SIR G. PREVOST,
111110, IKJIMMAMDER or MIS MAJESTY'S FORCES IN
Val& I[ILEItI~ A.
Toth. Inhabitants of his Majesty's Provinces In
North America :

A PROCL Nt ATIO N.
The complete success which has attended his Ma-
jesty's arms on the Niagara frontier, having placed i
in our possession the whole of the enemy's posts on
that line, it became a matter of imperious duty, to
retaliate on America the miseries which the unforiu-
nate inhabitants of Newark had been made to suffer
upon the evacuation of Fort George.
The Alleges of Lewiston, Black Rock, and Buf. I
fate, have accordingly been burned.
At the slam time that his Excellency the Com-
mander of the Forces sincerely deprecates this int
of warfare, he trusts, that it will he sufficient o
,call the attenttion of every candid and impartial per-
song bottramongst ourselves and the enemy, to Ole
circumstances from • which it has arisen, to Willy
them that Ibis departureifiont the established usages
of wet. has originated with America herself, nod the'
to her alone ,are justly Chargeable'. all the awful and
unhappy consequences which have hitherto flowed, •
and ate likely to result from it.
It is net necessary to advert to the conduct of the
troops employed on the American coast, in conjunc-
tion with his Majesty's squadion, under Admiral Sir
John B. Warren, since, as they were neither within
the command, nor subject to the controul of his Ex-
cellency, their acts cannot be ascribable to him, even
If they wanted that jestification which the circum-
stances that occasioned them so amply afford.
it-will be fufficient for the present purpose, and in
order to mark the character of the war, as carried on
open the frontiers of these provinces, to trace the
lice et conduct observed by his Excellency, and the
troop? under his command, since the commencement
of hostilities, and to contrast it with that of the

emayri-
-1 The first invasion of Upper Canada took place in
July, 1812, when the American forces, under Briga-
dier-General Hall, crossed over, and took posses.
slots of Sandwich, where they began to manifest a
disposition so different from that of a magnanimous
enemy, and whisk they hire ;Luce invariably dis-
played,
to lin mar out as objects of their peculiar
inesitmakts. tbe /AIICAP Leg 11'.41.1i,esql. and

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HALIFAI.Z.P,iIagiLI ill dooming their property
. . —.....,-
•
! ffagration.
HA.Ltrxx,. F. 5.,--Captain Co&r acme. 1 Various instances of thiare, ,
Camplo his Excellency Sir George Prevost airlted Sandwich and its nelghbou.
here from Quebec on Monday evening. Ire Is 'Ole': I When his Majesty's standard , _,, mg ttpoL
bearer of divatches of dispatches for England, lord; r fbrt of Michilimackinac, and affording !rislection ta .
*e uniterligsAA:takei his departure from hence to- fhe persons and property of those wt,o nad snlntltetr::
morruiiiilalliajcity's brig Raleigh.
• • ft tu;•asweiltsehjahOlistefedvioliwteeheksft;liffrteesrs"oafr.Dl4etrtohiett.%:lticisiThis
.CANADA—CIENEItAL ORDI3ItB. (together with the whole of the Michigan territory,
Head-quarters. Oldies, ,lwo.ll. 1814. bad surrendered to his Majesty's arms.
. - His Excellency the'Commander of the Forces has i
'Had not' his Excellency been actuated by send.
the satisfaction of announcing to the troops, that he il menta far different fronethese ',which had influteated
has received a dispatch from Lieutenant-General : the American Government, and the persons ens.
Drummond, reporting the complete succea of twat- ! ployed by It in the wanton acts of destruction of'prit
tack that was made at day-break, on the morning ; rate property, committed during their short Occupies 4
ofthe 30th of December, on the enemy's position at 1 tion of a part of Upper Canada, his Excellency
Black Rocks where he was advantageously posted,' could not have failed to have availed himself of Out
with epwards of WOO men ; and after a short but , opportunity which the undistuthed possession of the
:severe contest, the enemy was repulsed in the most whole of the Michigan territory altordeehan of
Phi" woluuses.'ked pursued in his retreat to Be- ' amply rettliatteg for the disfistatitte iststent aifil-.1-rue
falo, where be attempted to make a stand, but on . had been pursued at Sandwich and On -the Thhtties.
receiving a few rounds from the British field pieces, I
an
he abandoned that post also, and fled with precl,td- But strictly in Conformity to the views and' dispel:
on of his own Government, and to That liberal
tation to the Eleven Mile Creek,. on Lake Erie, and magnanimous policy which it had 'dictated, he
leasing seven field pieces, and four schooners and chose rather to forbear an imitation of the etteMyl
sloops, with a considerable quantity of ordnance , example, in the hope, that such forbetrance would
and other valuable stores, which have fallen into 'be duly appreciated by the Government of the United -
our hands. The enemy suffered severely, but from ;States, and eould produce a return to the more ci.
the rapidity of his flight, 70 prisoners only are i vilized usages of war.
taken, among whom is Doctor or Lieutenant-Colonel 1 The persons and property, therefore, of the Wm-
Chapin.
i bitants of the Michigan territory were respected, anti
The corps under Major-General Riall consisted tiremained unmolested.
of detachments from the Royal Scots, Bth, 41st, and • - In the winter of the following year, when the eete.
the flank companies of the 89th and 100th regiments, cess which attended the gallant enterprise against
the whole not exceeding 1000 men. I Ogdensburgh had placed that populous and lionrish.
The Lieutenant-General bestows the highest praise': log villag: in our possession, the genetealty of this
upon the undaunted courage, and patient submi.sion I British character was again conspicuous in the sera:
of the troops, in contempt of the inclemency of the I pulous preservation of every article which could be
weather, and the hardships to which they were ex_-' considered as private property; stir!, public bnitfingb
posed. only being destroyed.as were used for the iionnunbt
No British Officer has fallen on Ois occasion
; I nation of troops and for public stores. ' •
Lieut.-Col. Ogilvie, Bth, and Capt. Fawcett, 100th l -The destruction of° the'llefenCes 'of Ogdettsberghs
grenadiers, were won ceded • and it is supposed our : and the dispersion of the enemy's force in that neigh.
loss does not exceed 25 killed, and .50 weuaded. : bourhood; laid' epee the' whole of their frontier on
Black Rock and Buffalo were burnt previous to I the St. _Lawrence to the Incursion, of his Majesty's
their evacuation by our troops, together with all the i troops; and Hamilton, as well as the numerous set.
public buildings 'anal the four vessels. A consider- i tlements on the banks of the titer, might, at any
able quantity of stores had been sent away before
,senet, had such been the disposition of his Majesty's
the conflagration. .
ED. B % YNES, Adj.-Gco. N. A. 1 derca__A and laid waste.
° I-Government, or of those acting under it, been plus.
''2During the course of the following summer, by*"
llend-uworier., Qw.b.c, lanegs Ler4.
His Excellency the Governor-in-Chietnpd.Cons. liwtuitate result of the motel prize against Plattfi
wander of the Forces has received from ColOnet Sir liurgiv, that town was for several hours in the coot.
Sidney Beckwith, a report from Captain Barker, of !lOW' possession of our troops, there not being auy
the Frontier -.Light Itifuntry, stating the complete' force in the neighbourhood which could newel:is a re•
stews, of an etpedition committed to the charge oft sistriee. Yet even there, under circuinsteuces of-
,
'Mt rilteei.; igit-tiiiiitieMrs tiOo toi
A -itv pw; . a rt. IA
ro
wg
4.1°1;"4 "al I°°l when the seven! *x.". .f ,a°
•444
Derby, in the State of Vermont, which were taken! the enemy, in the wanton destruction at York, of
possession of at day-break, on the 17th of Deem- 'private property, and buildings not used for military
her. An extensive barrack for 1200 men, lately !: purposes, must have been fresh in the recollection of
erected, was destroyed, together with the stables :.thes.forces employed on that occasion, and would
and storehouses, and a considerable quantity of va-1 have justified a retaliation on their part, their finks
suable military stores have been brought away. I bear:mice was strongly manifested, and the direction!
Captain Barker mentions Captains Curtis and I his Excellency had oeiven to the Commander of that
taplio, Lieutenants Messa anti (indwell, and 'Ensign ; expedition so scrupulously obeyed, that sc.:Lively can
as . another instance be shown in which, during a state
~Bortero, of the township battalions of militia,
lliaving been most active with the volunteers of the war,circumstances,
: of and under similar art enemy,
eniiairt, in the execution of this judicious and spirited so completely under the ir..wer and at the mercy of
enterprise. their adversaries, had so little rause of complilat.
During the course of the same summer, Fees
Schlosser and Black Rock were surrised and taken
by a part of the forces under the command of 'Ma.
jor-General De Rottenburgh, on the Niagarlon.
tier, at both of which places personal pAsperty was
respected, and the public buildings were alone de.
stroyed.
It was certainly matter of just and reasonable ex.
pectation, that the humane and liberal course of con-
duct pursued by his Excellency on these el ff,e,-eit cc-.
casions, would have had its due weight with the
American Government, and would have led it to
have abstained, in the further prosecution of (he
war, from any acts of wanto,iness or violence, which.
could only tend unnecessarily to add to its ,rdinary
calamities, Ind to bring down upon their own twat..
fending citizens a retaliation, which, though distant,
they must have k- own would await and certainly
follow such condte ' .
Undeterred, however, by his Excellency's example
.of moderation, or by any of the consequences to be
apprehended from the adoption of such barbarous
measures, the American forces at Fort George, act•
ing, as there is every reason to believe, uoder the
orders, or with the approbation of their Government,
for some time previous to their evacuation of that
fortress, under various pretences, burued. and. de.
stroyed the farm-houies end buildings of many of the
respectable and peaceable inhabitants of that neigh.
bourhood. But the full measure of this specie* of
barbarity remained to he completed at a genien aill,
all its horrors might lie'mpre fully and ke'e.nly. lilt'
by those whq were to' become the wretched trietle si
of it. '
It will hardly be credited hy those who shalt here.
after read it in the page of h,tsto7; that in the en.
lightened era of the nineteenth -Wilsey', and in the
inclemency of a Canadian winter, the 'troops of a pa.
tion calling itself civilized' and Christian, had wan.
tonly, and without the shadow of a pretext, fefred
400 helpless women and children to quit their dserioi..
lings, and to be the mournful spectators of the coil.
fiagration and total destruction of all that belonged
to' them.
Yet such was the fate of Newark on the 10th of
' December, a day which the inhabitants of Upper
Canada can never forget, and the recollection of
which cannot but nerve their arms when again op.
posed to their vindictive foe. On the night of that
davl the American troops, under Brigadier-General
°M'Clute, being about to evacuate Fort George,

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lard was wa‘lng woo the