Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1816-11-19

:
. And that the SAID Major Gen. Gaines
} IN his said official report, stated, tha
Capt. Blrdsall, OF the 4fh rifle regiment
win detachment of rifiemen, sal,antl,
rushed m through the gateway"{of rort
i.rie) TO their assistance" (meanipu ia
{ the assistance of Major Hindman and
MAJOR Trimhle) and with some infan-
try charged the enemy but was repulsed
and the Capt. severely wounded :" there
Dy exhibiting IN detail with praise conduct
a. Fort Ere, which, though gallant, was
OF little or no avail, and ofvery short con-
tinuance.
| And that the said Major Gen. Gaines.
IN his said official report, detailed. that g a
detachment of the Ilth, 9th, and 22r in
iantry, under Capt, Foster of the nth.
were introduced over the interior of the
bastionP (of Fort Erie" for the purpose OF
charging the enemy. Major Hall, As
sistant Inspector General, very hand
| somely rendered his services to lead the
charge. The charge was galantly made
| by Capt Foster and Major Hall, but o,y
ing to the narrowness of the passage up
10 the bastion, admitting only two or three
| men abreast, 1t failed. 1t was often re-
| peated, and as often checked :" thereby
showing forth IN detail and with praise.
and calling the attention Of his govern
al Fort Erie, who were sent into the fort
only short time before the close of the
action, and, however bravely, were worse
Than uselessly employed on impractical
BILE service, and for few minutes only:
And that the SAID Major Gen. Gaines.
IN SAID official report, with malice, omit
led TO mention the judicious arrange
ments and preparations, which Major
Tumble, under the most embarrassing
circumstances, made for the defence of
Fort Erie; the gallant manner i'll which
the detachment OF the 10th infantry. sta
toned Ill the fort, repealed the repeated
assaults OF the centre column of the enc
my and the prompt and skilf,rl dispo- |
sitiOn made of said detachment and The |
cool and desperate courage it DISPLAYED |
III the most hazardous situation, and a. |
gainst great superiority of force, when |
tue enemy had obtained possession of the |
northeast bastlon of the fort {: that Darf |
OF SAID detachment was formed so as TO |
command the gorge of said baStion. I'M |
der cover ofwhich line part ofsaid detacb-
ment was thrown into the adjoining stone
iness-house, and that thence a constant
and destructive fire was kept UP on the
enemy that part of said detachment
without the mess-houSe, was posted in
a situation which afforded it security.
lied II to po Tin. into tie hes.ion
tempted to force the door CT the mess
house aforesaid, and were driven back
with loss by said detachment OF the 18th
infantry and a small detachment Of artll-
lery, which in the last attack were aided
by Lieut.. John Brady, who had Just come
into the fort with about twenty men Ofthe |
odd infantry,-seyeral OF which cireum- |
stances were communicated III written |
statement to the said Major Gen. Gaines, |
before he forwarded or closed his said of |
fetal report, and ofall which circuinstan-
ces and of the defence of Fort Erie ge-
neraily, the said Mai. Gen. Gaines might
have obtained full information, had he re-
CURED it of Major 'Irimble, as ii was his
duty to have done and that the said Ma
Tor Gen. Gaines, in his said official report,
with malice, omitted TO allude TO said
circumstances i'll the particular manner
in which they mer.ted TO be spoken or III
said report
The said Major Gen. Gaines, by said
representations, wilfully incorrect state
ments, and designed suppression OF facts,
I'm his said official report, ascribing ser
vices 10 officers and men which they did
not perform displaying services, some
| of them performed an Fort Erie, with dis
proportionate emphasis and minuteness,
| ana improper partially, and unjustly
| concealing other services, OF much great
err importance and usefulness, performed
in Fort Erie, grossly injuring and insult
Ing Major Trimble, and the officers and
| men Of the said detachment OF the 10th
infantry, and very materially misrepre-
senting the battle of Fort Erie 10 his go
vernment, to the injury of the service.
Specification Sth. inthis-That the SAID
Mai. Gen. Gaines, in his official report
aforesaid stated that at this moment
every operation was arrested by the ex-
plosion of some cartridges, deposited in
the end of the stone building adjoining
the contested bastion. The explosion
was tremendous, it was decisive the bas-
ton was restored : hereby very impro-
perly misrepresentng the place ofthe ex-
plosion-the cartridges that exploded not
being in the end OF the stone building adj
Joining the contested bastiOn but under
the platform of the bastion ; and the
end Of the stone building being occupied
by his own troops, part of the 10th infant
rs, who poured from it constant and
destructive fire on the encnr and fur
ther by said statement, uniusNy and to
: the great injury of part Of bis army, as
scribing to an untoward accident veto
~ which had been insured by the val0l
: and good conduct OF his troops, who bad
fought thc enemy without intcrmssIor
and at first under the most disadvantage
Gus circumstances, Tor more Than two
1 4 al.