Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-11-27


ciny is from tia, entities 10 the highest Gre
DIT
Correspondence Of the .7rsas)
STEsMgnAT UNITED STATES, .
Wednesday, Nuy. IA, lS3o }
Sir Having .ai an opportunity 10 acquire some IN.
formation relating TO lhr recent hostile movement near
Prescott liza thought mig hit be undressing 10
you, If should employ The leisure which this mode Of
travelling affords 10 send you brief accoSnt Of what
have Win sStd within the last l!srea four dayo
| to - ~ego las. week, with view to transact
business there. and then 10 proceed by steamboat
TO Ogdensbu:gh, where ! had also some business Ac.
cording the dverlsemenl, The er.lboat United
States, Capt }. Van Cleye Should haze left Oswego
last Thursday evening for Ogdensburgh, bot oSng TO
upon the Lake, which prevailed all last week. she
able get out until Sunday morning. went
on board after breakfast and found among others, Col
Morgan ard Mr. Cracker Of Oswego part proprIeors of
the boat, who going 10 Osdensburgh 10 meet the
other prGprIeoys 10 make arangems nis Tor Closing up
the season = business.
SoUn after came board body Of men came on to
the boat and took deck passages to ae number OF seven.
" or eighty. The circumstance dad net sGIpzs me at
the time, hnra that eigiaGls were constantly pass
ing III considerable numbers; and being myself in the
cabin whlir they were deck, took but little notice
of them. Al Sackeus Harhor twenty thirty more
board, and at Cape Vincent and French Creek,
fifteen or twenty more.
Soon after left the latter r,ace my attention was
particularly directed TO the character of the pas
sengcrs large proportion OF them appeared ~ be
American citizens, with sprlukling OF Canadians,
French and English; but they were very quiet-sald
little drank nothing that observed, and apparently
without ] was satisfied that they were not
ordinary passengers but concluded that they were ma
king their way 10 Lower Canada 10 take part in the oPe
lutIuns against the government Of that province.
When n little below Cape Vincent, Captain
Van CIeve applied TO by passenger of respectable
appearance TO take in tow Two schOoners which he SAID
were lying in the river below, loaded with merchandise
for Ogdensburgh which he DESTROYS VI getting into
port the morning. und, upon enquiry by the Cap
tan he assured him that the vessels had no connection
Whatever With the passengers, who by this time were
undet stood To be PATRIOTS (as they cned) The Cap
tain unfortunately yielded the request of this ndiv
dual and tie vessels, when reached, were tasen IN tow
being dashed 10 each side OF the sifanieoa-
They had toxes and barrels OIL deck and but just men
enough in sight 10 navigate them.
The facts relating TO these vessels thus far, derived
from Captain Van Cleve. ] knew nothing Of them un.
I'll some time after they had been fastened TO the boat
The weather very culd and had kept below TIL
after this event The Captain added, tha, It a
mon take vessels in tow the river, that
he paid the usual price for towing these schooners,
and that having become hat suspicious OF The cha
racter Of his passengers he thought the pnseoce o the
Of the vessels would be s?cs protection 10 his
beat.
Immediately after became acquainted with the pre-
sence VI The schDoners, observed men climbing IRON
them into the s'eamhoatand II was soon obvious that
their holds were filled with men Ct similar character
with those already tie bout ard that they IN al! pro-
babil,y contemplated descent upon OF the Cana
dian towns on The river They were then more open IN
one, and pistols III tic hands Of another
AT tins time was desired by Col Morgan 10 confer
with him, Mr.. Crocker and the Captain as 10 the course
of conduct to be pursued IN This emergency. We had
interview on the upper aecklhe patriots having all
cr"wGed into The cabins. 1t evident that we were
entirely III the power Uf aimed force Of about 200
men, and we could not doubt thai any attempt TO hwar
them would be- sisted. We dared not therefore cast
off the vessels, they would then doubtless have
drred the steamboat to be taken to the place they de-
signed 10 attack. The course finally determined upon
and adopted, was 10 lay by at Morlslown, ten miles
above Ogdr nshurgh-tO Communicate the facts 10
magistrate and To send express to OIdrnsburgh
-remainng ourselves al Morstuwn un!Il The express
should have time 10 Communicate The facts 10 the Mar
shal Of the Northern District, who, were informed
was al Ogde nsOufgh.
As we were going into the haror at Morris Own the
Patriots vountar uniasencd their vessels, after hav
ing transferred 10 them about lee leaving perhaps
all equal number yet board he steamboat. We
naiued about three hours al Mor:stOwn-Ca used nsOI.
nation be given TO magistrate the 1press
Immediately arrival, with direetioRs TO inform
magistrate Of The facts which had Ianspired in
the Marshal should have left. We then got under
weigh, and at about clock in the morning, reached
OsdensbuIgh.
Col Morgan aud myself Immediately communicated
the facts possession to several individuals IN Og
denshuigh Capt. Van Cl,ve informs me. that subse.
queny he to hs boat and iou"d That Ihr psssen
gers had left her ard size then made last 10 The deck,
and thought secure from any further IStrusioa.
IIr was dressing he same morning heard cheer
there, i"uId Ear lie steamboat in possession OF The
Patriots. and filled with aimed mcn-a hundred ct them
having rushed board and taken possession by force
One oil the schooncs with which We had parsd ompany
MouistOwn, aground on the shoal In the river,
nearly opposite Prescott, and the other anchor
the tcks Of both covered with men, have since
learned that leaving the steamboat they laid their
couse for Prscul but, owing 10 misma ment,
they did up Tie wharf at the right pont, but
brcame entangld with each other and in attempting to
draw of towards the American side, one OF them ran
npon The bar. The drse was 20 have taken Prescott
bv surprise IN the night, which was prevented by the
mistake IN coming MP 10 the wharf.
Soon after daylight, the schooner which had not
grounded sailed Go"n The rlver and landed her men
about ! 2 miles below Prescott, place called Wind
Mill Point Oh he British side, Ia the number as near as
can -arn of abou, 80 She remained of that Poin,
sy.ral hours, and then came up and 10y near The Anne
rcan shore opposite the lower part u the village Of Og
densburgh.
The United States are, being seizrd BY the Patriots,
first stood towards the vessel the bar. but finding
it owing 10 the shoaIness O the water To
enough to get her Off back 10 The wharf
Ogdrnsburgh for rope with which effect that object,
and proceeded again towards the Schooner Tie &C
count Of this secamd trip Of The boat is derived from
the individual who acted pilot. but wbo was forced,
lie declares Ia ne, 10 90 on hoard and Hssume The
conduct Of her by threats of his e should he rciuse-
The Incidents OF the trip fully ccrroborasd by my
observation FROM the shore. He went towards the
schooner but found lie could not get near enough to gel
her of even With the rope which had been procured -
Tie then went round The schooner and between her and
the British shore, and he got INTO The chan
ne which, at this place. is near the British Shore
the steamboat " Experiment., now in the British ser
vice came oct from Prescott and fired upon the
United States with her cannon Neither OF the two
Shots which were fred at this time took effect
The States Tie n ran down towards Windmill Point to
ll. other schooner which had not thcn come up-the
sExpcriment follow NJ her down The lower schooner
thru got under way and came up towards The grounded
schooner with view q take of her men, and
v.red by the nited States TO protect her from The
"Eznerirnrni;" and during this time The Experiment
fred some FIVE SIX shots oil her also without effect
Tn. oysr schooner then over 10 the Ogden sburph