The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1814-12-17

Oh w asrulSton ana jeit4tSu1, decline a third
term as President yet, SEEING that his SO do
ing might be Interpreted as mark of sub
mission to us, be ought again &c be elected
The fayoTitc idea in England appears to be,
that We ought to seid cut great overlnieinr-
thS rorce, get possession ot some place III the
heart OF the-country, and there conipe. the
GovernmSa, t. surrender M the Republic on
cur own terms. l suppose, that cur comman-
Gers knew better than 70 sftc'Hht any thing Of
the Sind- L suppose, that oar Government
knew better thaa 70 order them, or authorize
them to make any such attempt. And yet,
what arp We to Go by such a mode of war
fare as We arenow carrying on Suppose we
were to set possession of New-Ecrk and some
other maritime towns ; what should we gain
but an enormous eXpancc TO Keep those pla-
ces !! Cooped up in them, how ridiculous
should We lcok No: we shall never beat
that people, unless the heofiie MesastiOes Join
as and, as this has not been the case vet,
IL any enc instance, what reason have We to
expect, bat that itnevGr viii be the case, in
spite OF all the auurcments held out to that
people IN che prospect or participating in the
support oil the ARM, the navy, the church,
the law, the mobility, and the financial system
OF the former Dsother Country ?" But, we
must not, in this larger view of The American
Var, overlook particular. events, and espcci-
ally, thai just announced 10 Us from Foys E
Chhfis.vn. htler that battle, it appears that
tie contest was renewed (eur army having
been 5ei,fot'cea) in the front of Fort Erie, into
which tue Yankees had RETIRED s, where cur
gallant cct,ntryDen and their associates seem
cd to have been resolutely bent to fulfil our
wishes, & to give them a drafting" Alas the
Grabbing" tell upon our own gallant army,
Who amounted TO only about two thousand
men, and who were compelled 20 retreat,
vith ali possible spesl, leaving eO5 either
fisad, wounded, c. prisoners The Ameri-
can zen. Gaines, saysSthat he destroyed our
people at the point OF the bayoHet. Our Ge-
neral says. that the sngle of bastioa was
blown up wisii two hundred Of our men on it.
I his last might b., and yet the case would
not be much altered IN our favor. Such con-
tict as this, never before read of It sur
passes that of Chippewa and that surpass-
ed, IN point OF proportionate destruction, any
thing in modern warfare. And, it ought to
be observed, that great part Of this army of
Yankees were n,aifia some OF them uoittyr-
teers; and not a man of them who would suf,
Ter any one to say that he had him under his
command Its, then, fact beyond all dis
pute, that the Yankees will sometimes fight
and, as there is no such thing as ascertainins
beforehand the precise time when the fighting
mt will come on them, they being such an r-
regular sort OF people, & subject TO no kind If
discipline, think it is the height of prudence
III our Commanders on the Atlantic coast not
to venture too far at time from our Ships
Upon hearing u tie battle Of Erie (for
. II cost as many men as several of the bet
ties or Wellington,) 1 was, must confess,
ca ger TO hear what the Times writer would
De able to say upon the subject. had half a
mind 10 hope, that he would begin to repent
or the part he had acted in the stirring up of
This war but, on reelection, | concluded.
that, like the reprobates mentioned i'm the
good book, repentance was not in his power
MS conclusion was right, as the reader will
now see. '' The unfortunate epent which
cast partial shade over the successes of our
Canadian army is at length communicated
to US IN An authentic shape We extract
IRON the papers received yesterday from that
part OF the world, copy of Sir George Pre-
vost's General Order, dated Montreal 18th
OF August which states the loss sustained at
the attack en- Fort Erie of the 18th prece-
ding, at 902 killed, wounded and missing
Compared with the whole number of General
Drummond'i force, this loss is no doubt very
considerable /; but we are glad to see no hint
gwen, that the event is likely to occasion our
troops to fall back. The misadventure must
no doubt, be ranked amongst those chances of
VGr to which the 6rauess armies and best
Ict9 ila',s are subject. 1t was preceded by
Brilliant achievement. executed days before
by Capt. Dob0s, of the Royal Navy, who,
with party OF seamen and marines, most
CALAMITY boarded and took two armed schoon-
ers, anchored close to Fort Erie. The CON
sequence OF the capture being TO deprive the
enemy's position OF great |. 1T Of its de-
fence, Gen. Drummond resolved To follow It
up by general attack on Fort Erie and the
American entrenchments. In this daring at
tempt he had neGriy attained comhlcte sac
cess. The spirit Of our brave soldiers SIR
mounted eVe7y obstacle. They had actually
entered the fort, and had already turned part
of its guns against the enemy's last point OF
refuge, when suddenly tremendous ezplo-
sion took place, which not only DESTROYED
many valuable lives, but necessarily involved
all cur operations IN Confusion, and left no zl-
tentative but a precipitate retreat to our first
approaches. 1t is eUide7f, therefore, that
Gen. Gaines's boast of having repuIsed our
men at the floirt Of me bayonet, is idle erzs-
co,1adc. The Lan1eHta5Le result was, in all
probability, accustomed by accident but if
the american General had any share in it. it
was one which reflected more credit on his
fioiicy than on his bravery. To spring mine
On an assailing enemy, may be in such cir
cumstances an allowable mode Of destruction
but whilst humanity is panied by conteDpla-
ting such an event there is no counter feeling
OF admiration for the heroism Of those by
whom the dyeadfui deed was executed."-
On you vile hypocrite " Hispqanit,,''
on yOdr lips on these same lips from which
have proceeded so many urgent exhoYtations
40 r.ctg rruill4tP Americane and ,yho ., a.: