Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1812-09-21

storm otraIn, rendered thci. return to cam
a,1iSpensibly necessary for their own com
'1rt. Capt. Brlsn, VITA MS small de,acn
nent, and the provisions being st,li at the
river K iisn and in situation 10 be destroy
ed by the sdvages, on the 18Th ipSJ. in the
evening, L pernIrtel coils. H'Ar.aAr and
Cass to select from their re5i neat four nun
| dred 0f their MOST elective nen, anl PRO-
Iceed an upper route throu5h the w0ols,
which had sent an express u capt. Brush
| take, and had directed the militia uf the
| rivcr Ralsin To accompany him a. 4 REM
forcement. The force oftae enemy contm-
ualiy decreasing and the Necessity of open
| ing the CON nlnlcat0n, ahl actl.s, Oh the
defensive, becoming more apparent, had,
! previous to detachm., coils. VI Arthur and
| Ciiss on the llth ilst. evacuated Irl deSeroy
cd the fort on the opposite bank. On the
18Th IN the evening, gen. Brock arrived at
Amherstburs about the h0ir colonies NJ Ar
thar and CaSs marched, OF wnIch 1T tnat
time had received no information. Ont the
18TH received a summons from hin to sur
render fort Detroit, OF winch th paper mar
ked A is Il copy. NV anSwcr is marked &.
NJ his tins had received 40 information
from coils. M'Artnur and CAss. An ex press
was Immediately sen5 strongly escorted with
orders for them to return. On the !J.n, as
| soon as Gen. Brock received my letter, MS
batteries wpcned on the town and iort, and
continued Until evening. In the evening all
the British ships Vt war came ncAriT AZ far
up the river Saad which, three uiies be-
low Detroit At day light ON the l6,h lat
| which TINS | had received no miorn aiiun
from co.'s. al'Artnur ANA CAss, my OK. II es-
ses. sent the evening before, and III tine nI5 ht,
having 0een prevented from passing 10y nu-
merous bodies OF lndians) the cannonade lie
i'm :. Ia 1 roc 10. ID
information, that the British army, and In
| dams, were landing below the Spring wells,
! under the cover of their ships OF war. Al
| At this time tne wdoie effective force at nv
dispu sd! a. Detroit did mol exceed eight nan
| dred men. Being new troops and unacCus-
| toned 10 a camp iife; having performed Il
laDoiIous march navin, been en5aacd in d
number of battle, and skIrnIsiies, In which
many had fallen, and more mad received
Wounds, IN addition to which large muinOcr
being sick, and unprovidcd with medicine,
aud the CoInfortsnecessary tor their situation
arc the general Causes by which the strength
| or the army was thus reduced. Ihe tort
! at this time was filled win women, children,
and the old and decrepld people Of the own
| and country they we're unsafe III the town,
| DIS 1t was entirety open and exposed o the
| enemy IS batteries. Back OF the fort, above
Or be.ow it, ohere was no safety fur them ON
account OF the indians. In Lne irst Ins.auce
the enemy'S hre was Principally d.reCtcd
against our batteries towards the Ciosc,
1t Was directed against the iOlt 4tuIe, ANA
almost every Shot and Shell. had tneir eiIect.
1t now became necessary either 90 hgnl
| the encmy III inc held; coiieCt the wnoie 10. &c
! IN ;he fort /; or propose terms OF CapItui.illom.
| could not h..e Carried INTO INC ned IOTc
| than SIX hundred men, and letI Any adequate
force lin III tIIt. There were landed al. IN A
| time OF III enemy d regular Inrce Oi mach
| more than that nuinOer, an,I twice Tie nuaI-
Der OF indians Considering tn. great me
quality OF free, did not tnInk IL eXyedlent
| TO adopt the nrst measure. nc second
| must have been attended wi,h d great sacrl-
| hce OF blood, and no POSSIBLE advantage, b.
! Cause The Confess Could not have been sds
tanned more than day for the want of pow
der and but very few days tor Ihe want Oi
provisions In aIdItion to this, Cuis. vi hr-
thur & Cass wouid haze Deea al nos,
zardons situation. lGaie,i nothing but the
last alternative. nave dared to .,dopl It
l well know the ilgh responsibility of tn
measure, and take the whole of 1T my
self IL was dictated by sense u duty, and
a full Conviction Gifts eXpedIcncy. Ehe BANDS
of savaSeS which had then joined the Brush
force we're numerous beyond any former eX
ample. Their numbers have since increas
cd, and the history OF the barDarians Of the
north OK EGrOpe does not furnish example
of more greedy violence than 1hese saVages
have exhibited. \ large portion Of the brave
and gallant Ulcers and men 1 commanded
would cheertuIiy have Contested until the
last Cartridge mad been expended, aud the
bayOnets worn to the sockets. could not
Consent to the useless sacrifice OF such brave
men, when knew il as impossible for me
Co sustain my situation. Ii was IInpussIjle
in the nature OF things that an army could
have been furnished with the necessary sup
plies Of provision, military stores, clothin.;
and comforts for the SICK on pack horses,
through wilderness of two hundred miles,
filled with hostile savages. 1t was Inpossl-
bic, sir, that TINS little army, worn down by
fatigue, by sickness, by wounds, and deaths,
could have supported itself not only against
tine collected force of all the northern natl
ons of Indians; but against the united
strength of Upper Canada, VIII ,se popular
on consists OF more than twenty times the
number contained IN the territory Of .sIicni
gan, aided by the principal part OF the regu
lar forces of the province, and the wealth
and influence of the North West and Other
,rading establishments among tie Indians,
"hicn have in their employment and under
their entire control more shan two thousand
white men. Before / close this despatch it
is duty | owe my respectable associates in
command, Co.'s. M'Arthur, Fndley, Cass,
and Lieut.. Col. Miller, 10 express my obliga-
ton to them for the prompt and jud ,clous
manner they have performed their respec-
tive duties. If aught has taken place during
the campaign, which is honorable to the ar.
my, these oficcrsare entitled 20 a large snare
Of IT, Ii the last act should DC disapproved,
| M ~ ~ rs 70 e bsluurrg RI