Alexandria gazette & advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1822-1824, 1824-06-12
HuxL,S DEFENCE.
MEMOIRS OF The ciAPAIGy OF THE
NORTH WESTERN Army,
IN THE YEAR 1919.
No. XIV.

No. XIV.
FELLOW CIrIzENs:
Having in the former numbers ex.
planned the motives which rendered
it expedient to cross the Detroit ri
yer, and take a position with the
principal part of the forces on the op
posite bank: I shall now endeavor to
satisfy YOU Of the propriety OF the
delay i'm this situation. and offer the
reasons why an attack IN the Bri-
fish fort at Maiden was not made.
In the same letter from the secreta-
~ of war, which authorised me to
commence offensive operations, an at
tempt to take possession of the Bril-
fish fort at Maiden. was left to my
discretion. This letter AS received
the 9th of July. in the evening. On
the same evening this letter was re-
ceived, I wrote to the secretary. in
answer tn it, these words: "The Bri-
fish command the water and tho sa-
wages. lido not think the frcp here
equal 10 the reduction of Amherst
bnrg. You therefore must not be
too sansuine."
As the secretarv's letter only au-
thorised me to make the attack on
the British fort at Maiden. provided
/ considered my force adequate to
the enterprise, and consistent with
the safety o. my other posts; and as
i'm nv answer, which was written on
the same evening that / received
these orders, I gave it as my opinion
that my force was not equal to the
enterprise. and gave my reasons for
the opinion, viz: that the enemy
commanded the water and the sa-
wages. l could not have believed it
possible. that it conld have been
made an article OF charge against
me, under these circumstances, for
not attempting an enterprise, for
which | had stated to the govern
ment, to the accomplishment of
which my force was not adequate. con.
tent with the safety Of my other
posts, especially after that part of
my conduct, had been fully approved
by the administration, as appears by
the letters I have already recited.
Irepeat, that l could not have be-
lieved it possible. after the govern
ment had coufided this measure to
my discretion. and had fully approx
ed of my conduct, that it could have
been made capital article of charge
against me. But so it was, and |
therefore must ask the indulgence Of
your patience, in stating the reasons,
which governed my conduct.
Afte: having received these discre-
tionary orders, and after having gi-
ven this answer and opinion, if 1 had
made the attempt, and it had been
unsuccessful, what would the officers
OF the administration have saidl-
They would have said, and with pro-
priety, that l was only authorised to
adopt this measure, provided my
force was competent TO it; that | had
communicated to them my opinion
that it was not competent to it, and
therefore il had been attempted. con-
trary to the spirit Of the orders ]
had received. and would have been a
sufficient ground for an article Of
charge. In explaining the reasons
of nv conduct, or this occasion, no
thing shall be disguised. nothing shall
be kept back. nothing shall 9e said,
but what is founded in truth, whe-
Their it operates for me, or against
me. Under these impressions, /
wish YOU to understand, that on the
9th ofJuIy, when l wrote to the Sec
rotary of war, and informed him
that my force was not equal to the
reduction Of Maiden, it was uncertain
what part the inhabitants of Canada
would take in the war. They were
subjects of the British nation, and
liable to the orders of its government.
Unless in some way they could be
prevented from taking part in the
war, they alone were sufficient to o.
verwhelm the whole of my army.
They were militia, composed of the
same materials, as the principal part
of my army, and more than FIVE times
its number. With respect to the ss-
wages, many of them at that time
had joined the British standard, and
no certain calculations could be
made, that | should be able to induce