Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1814-09-21


Col. Crogban, who had lost the aid Of thar va
iuable and ever to be-lamented officer Major
Holmes. who. with Capt. vsnhorn, was killed
by the Indians. The eaemy were driven from I
many of their strong holds; but such was the 7
impenetrable thickness of, the woods, that no
advantage gained could be proited by. Our at
tack would have been made Immediately under
the lower fort, that the enemy might not have
been able to use his Indian force to such advan,
tage as in, the woods, having discovered by |
drawing a hre from him in several instances. |
| that had greatly the superiority Of metal OF
him; but its scite being about l20 feet above
the water, could not, when near enough to do 1
him an injury, elevate sufficiently to batter it.
Above this, nearly as high again, he has ano-
Their strong fort, commanding every point of the
isiand, and almost perpendicular on all sides.
Col. Croghan not deemng it prudent to make
second attempt upon this place, and having AS.
certained to certainty that the oily naval force
the enemy have upon the lakes consists of one
schooncr Off guns, have determined to dis
patch the Lawrence ard Caledonia to lake Erie
Immediately, believing their services in trans
porting our armies there will be wanting; and
It being important that the sick and wounded,
amounting to about 100, and that part of the
detachment not necessary to further our future
operations here, should reach Detroit without
delay. by an intelligent prisoner captured in
the Mink, i ascertained this, and thai the me-
1 chanics and others sent across from York dur !
ing the winter we're for the purpose of building
q fjotilla to transport reinforcements and SUP.
pines INTO MackInac. An attempt was made 10
pass he by ne way of Matchads sI, but IL " -
found impracticabie from all the portsges be-,
ing q morass; that they then rcsorted to q small
! river called Nsutawasaga, situated to the sosth
OF Mstchadash, from which there is a portag e
OF leagues over good road to lake Simcee
4 thls place was never known till pointed out to
them last simmer by an Indian This river is
very narrow and has or feet water in it a.
bout 5 miles up, and is then a muddy rapid sha!
iowtor 45 miles up to the portage whe re their
armadawAs built and their storehouses are now
situated. The navigation is dangerous aud diff
icut. and so obscnred by rocks and bushes that
!no stranger could ever find it. 5ihaye, however.
ayailed myself of the means OF discovering il.
| snail also blockade The mouth of French ri, err
| until the fall; and those being the only two
channels of communication by which Mackinac
can possibly be supplied and their provsions
at TINS time being extremely short, L think they
VIII nc starved into surrender. This will al
SO cut OFT al supplies to tie ". w. Company
who are now nearly starving, and their furs on
hand Can only hnd transportation BY The way of
hudson Bay. AT this place Calculate On fall. |
ing in with their schooner which, it is said.
has gone there for load of provision. and |
iIi' IS age sent TO her not toventure up while we
| are on tn. lake.
FL
| man, air, your obedien, servant,
ARTHUR SINCLAIR. |
Secretary oil the Navy.
'Est-act Of te,ter from, Capt. a. Sinclair, h tle
H0n, Wni. Zones. Secretary sfthe .Nauy. dtt,ed
On board U. S. SIoop Niagara.
Eric, Sept Sd, 1914
SiR-1mmediately after the attack on Mich /
ilimackinsc, dispatched the Lawrence and
CALEDONIA, with orders to Lieut. Command ami |
Dexter, TO make all possible dispatch to Lake |
-tie, anu mere cooperate with our army, &c.
while shaped my course in pursuit of tie en- |
emys force, supposed to be about Nautauwas- |
auga; and cannot but express my surprise n,
having PASSED those vessels and arrived al Erie
before them. by that opportunity l. appraised |
you OF my movements UP to the 9th ult since |
which time have been fortunate enough TO find /
his Britannia Majesty's schooner Nancy. load
ed with provisions, clothing, &C. for the troops
at Mackinac.
She was two miles up the Nautauwassuea RI.
yer, moored under block house, strongly si,-
usted on the s. T.. side of Il river, which. RIM
ming nearly parallel with the Ray shore for that
distance, forms narrow Peninsula this and I
inc VINO being oil shore, afforded me AN oppor
tunliy OF anchoriug oppnsite 10 him, and with
an good battering distance but finding the sand
hilis and trees frequently interrupting my shot.
borrowed an 5 IL inch hoWitz r rom Colon,i I
Croghan, mounted it on one of my carriages. &
sent 1t on the peninsula, under the { O mmand q,
Lieut.. Hodup; situation was chosen bv Can, |
Gratiot OF the engineers, from which Il did |
srrat execution. The enemy defend himself
very handsomely, until one of those shells hrs
IN ms block house, and in few minute s b ew
up ms magazine-ThIs set fire to a train wl,;cI,
mad been laid for the destruction of the yess.I
anu In an instant she was in flames had mad,
thenecesssry preparation with boats for gett,ne
ON oo$rd OF her; bu' frequent and heavy *
P'os'ons below deck, ma e the risque of ives
too greet to attempt saving her. She was.
mere ore, with her valuable cargo, entirely con.
sumed. cnnot say whether those, VIII, de |
Tended her, were blown up in the ock house
UT wheeher they retrested in the rear of their
WORK. which they might have done unseen b,
us, as 1t afiorde- descent into bick wood
nope the latter. "A number OF articIas wers \
picktd up at aconsIlersbie distance Off; amot,g
tint IN was t1e commanders desk, contain ny co
pcs ot letters, &C. several of which Iber vii;
enclose you FOR your information Tn v servs
20 shew the vessel to have been comma d ii nv
Lieut. Worsiey OF the Royal Navy; of what in.
"nite importance Ter cargo was 10 tie Garrison
Al NJ 'ckinac' and that they have nothing sfloa
"ow on tIat lake The Nancy appeared To n,
avery fine vessel, Between the size of the ON
Charlotte and Lady Pr. vost. There were. 3
uis on the bioekhouse, 3 24-pounde RS, and
Ponnusr. lchnnot wat wa on tine yes
SCI, as all hel ports were closed also got a
ne% Coat called by them gun boat, but ,lnwo
my The name, bsing Calculated to noun, ONLY n
z4 pou d carronade. Il
Inc Hauisu~asauga is too narrow, and O.
yel,'vpS WIN bushes, fora vessel TO get Up, ex
oep' - w'rPhg, which prevented my ntiIns
gun boats III, OF Col Ciogh4n from aitemn ;r,
% turn his rear; as we saw a nuf,,,,er of I,d,o
rs sKulklag, and .occasitna,Ip f;r;,sr a.sa. H.