The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1814-02-05

more civilized uSagcS OF war.
| The persons and proper;y. therefore, OF
The inhabitants of The Michigan Territory,
we're respected, and remained unmoiesIed.
IN the winter Of the following wear, when
the success which attended the daring and
gallant enterprise assirst Ogdepsburgh,
had placed that populous and riourishirg
village IN our possession, the generosity OF
the British character was again corspicu
Gus, in tn scrupulous preservation OF every
tarticle which could be considered "a private
property-such public buildings only being
destroyed as were used for the acrOpmoda
ton of troops and for public sores.
! The destruction of the defences Of Ogdcns
burga. and the dispersion of the enemy's
force in that ncighbrrhood. laid open the
whole of their frontier on the St. Lawrence,
to the incursion OF his mejesty's troops. and
| Hamilton. as we'll as the numerous Sc tie
ments on the banks Of the river, might, at
any hour, had such been the disposition of
his majes'y's government, or those acting
under it, been plundere,- and laid waste.
During rbe course Of the following sum
ner, by the fortunate result of the enter
prize against Plartsburgh, that town was
for several hours in complete possession of
our troops, there not being any force in the
neishborhood which could attempt a resist
ance. Yet even tnere. under circum stances
of rong temptation and when the recent
example Of the enemy ia the wan'on Dies
truction at York, Of private property, and
buildings not used for military purposes,
must have been fresh IN the recollection Of
| the forces employed on thar occasion, end
would have justified retaliation On their
| part, their iofbearance was strongly mani
tested, and the directions his exc el'encv had
given to the commander Of that expedition.
So scrupulously obeyed, that acarcel, can
another instance be shown iii which, during
a state OF war, and under similar ci-cun.
stances, an enemy, So completely under the
power and at the mercy Of their adverse
res, had so little Cause ~ compla amt.
During the course Of the same summer.
forts &chlcsser and Black Rock, ere sur
prized and taken by nart Of toe forces Nm
der the command OF major general De Rot
Itenburg on the Niagara frontier, at both of
which places personal property was re-
spected, and the public buildings alone were
ldeStrol ed.
1t was certainly matter Of just and rea
Esonable expectation hat the humane and
liberal Course of conduct pursued by his ex
cellencv on hose different occasions. would
| have had it's due weight on the American
government, and wou'd have led j. 10 h We
abs,ained, in the further prosecution OF lie
war, from any acs of wantonne or vio-
Hence, which could only tend unnecessarily
down upo their un Eending citizens re'a"
alton. which. thoUgq distant, they must have
known would await aud Certainly follow
such conduct.
U.deterred. however, by his excelIency's
example OF moderation, or by any of the con
/ sequences t. be apprehended from the adop.
ton Of such barbarous measures, the Ame-
rican forces az Fort George, acting. as there
is every reason to believe, under the orders,
| no
ment, for some time previous to their eva
cuation OF that fortress, under various pre-
enc. S. burned and destroyed tue farm
houses and buildings Of mauv If the respect
able and peacesble inhabit ANS OF that neigh
! borhood. But the tuli measure Of this sDe-
cies .! barbarity, remained to be completed
| at season when all its horrors might be
more fully and keensy ielt By those who
were TO become the wretched victims Of il
Il viii hardly be credited by those who
! shall hereafter read IT in the page uf tiSto
! ry, that in the enlightened ezra Of the 9th
century, aud in the InClemcncv If a Cana
dian winter, the troops Of a nation calling
itself civilized and Christian, had wautonly,
and without the shadow Of ptetext, forced
400 helpless women and children to quit
! their feelings, and to be the mournful spec
tators of the conHaRration and total dsstruc-
tioH Of all that belonged to them.
Vet such was the fate Of Newark, on the
! 1Oth OF December, day which the inhahi
tauts of Upper Canada can never forget,
! and the recollection Of which cannot but
nerve their arHs when opposed 10 their vim
g. die i've foe. On the night Of that day, the
American troops under brigadier general
! Mcclure, being about 10 eyacuste Fort
/ George, which they could no longer retain,
| by an act OF iEhuman,ty. d,sgraceful to the
/ nation to which they bel ng, SCI FIRE to up.
wards of $50 houses, comp sing the beauti.
ful village Of Newark, aud barned them 70
the ground, leaving rithout covering or shell
ter those "ionacent, unfortunate and DIS
tressed iuhabtants,' who that officer, by
his proclamation. had previously engaged to
| pr sect.
His exccl'cncy would have III consulted
the honor Of hi country, and The justice due
to his majesty's injured and insulted suhiects.
had he permitted an act of such needless
cruelty TO pass unpunishcd, or had he failed
to visit, whenever the opportunity arrived.
upon the inhabitants OF the neighbo,ing 4
uierican frontier, the calamties thus inHict-
! ed upon those Of our owp.
The opportunity has occurred, and full
measure OF re sliatiOn has taken place, s.ch
as it is hoped will teach the enemy O. re-
pect in fu ure. the avs of war, and recall
/ him o a sense Of what is due to hiSnseii as
well as to US.
| l.. -, E.-,L,.