Lincoln telegraph. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1836-1846, 1840-06-11

InioTCP INC DEhlSH army oU tho ANa0S0t1 O.
but the contiguity of fort Meigs to Maya
ra and Detroit, overawed him, and there
is little doubt that the establishment Of fort
Meigs postponed the fate of Niagara
Not daring to leave il in his neighbour
hood Proctor resolved to reduce It. Gen
eral Harrison, on receiving information to
that effect, fastened IRON Cincinnati, where
ne then was, with all the forces he could
collect, and on the twenty-second OF A
pril arrived at toIt Meigs, with three hum
dred men, which, with those already there,
made the whole of his force not more than
fifteen hundred men; one third Of whom
during the siege were on the sick reports.
This force was not third part Of what
ought to have been assigned to the defence
of such an important station. The secre-
tary at war was early enough apprised Of IL;
but neglected to authorize general Harri-
son, in time, to expedite sufficient num-
hei Of troops, Harrison however threw up
new batteries; the officers as we'll as sold
ders worked in the bitches; on the 9th
the enemy appeared; on the 2Sth the fort
was completely invested-and on the first
of May the enemy opened his battery and
continued firing till the fifth. The gen.
erals quarters were in the centre, and in
decidedly the most exposed part of the fort.
During the siege several shot passed
through his marquee, several Of his domes-
tics were wounded, and captain M'Cul-
nch, while sitting by the generals fire, had
the back part Of his skull carried away
During the whole time general Harrison's
fare was the same as that Of the common
soldiers--in no night during the seige did
he sleep more than an hour, and indeed,
he in general, when in the neighbourhood
Of an enemy, never slept on an average
more than four hours out Of the four aud
twenty.
The defence of fort Meigs may be fairly
considered as one of the most brilliant and
extraordinary events which distinguish the
late war. Exclusive of the vast dispropor-
ton of the armies, general Harrison had,
at the commencement Of the siege, only six
huedfed shot of all sizes: for the war de-
partment thinking a siege unlikely, had
made no better preparation. However,
the general put the best face he could up
on the matter, and kept his want of anu
milton profound secret-pretending that
he would not harrass his troops by unne-
cessary firing.
II happened tina, for the purpose OF de-
Tending the frontier, general Harrison had
made requisition on the government OF
Kentucky for fifteen hundred militia. ----
Those he hoped would have arrived IN
time for his purf ose; but only part Of
"a battalion under the command Of major
johnson Joined him before the Investment
of the fort: the;resdue descendedthe st.
Mary's and the Aa Glaize as conveys to
large supplies en- their way to the lake
An express sent to general Clay TO hasten
forward those troops. found him at fort
Winchester, with his brigade reduced by
detachments and sickness to about eleven
hundred effective men. Ia attempt to
throw himself into the fort inthe face Of nm
army of more than three times his number
seemed hazardous, if not rash; yet gen.
CLAY resolved 10 attempt it on the night OF
the fourth Of May, of which he sent notice
q 20 general Harrison, stating that he woald
make the effor, sometime between three
O'Clock in the morning and daylight. he
did not however arrive till nine o'clock the
succeeding morning, owing TO heavy rams
and darkness, and to his pilots having re-
IlSeu 10 eUtcf Tie ANoPAuSS e
teen miles long. Meantime general Har-
sison considering that fair occasion was
afforded him, of playing off surprise up
on-the enemy, despatched captain Ham'l-
ton to general Clay with an order to land
six or eight hundred of his men onthe north
side of the river above the enemy's batter
les, and marching down under cover Of the
woods, to storm them, spike the canons,
blow up the batteries. and retreat to the
boats If practicable, and if not TO file off
under the foot Of the hill, where they would
be protected by the artillery Of the fort
This order might, and ought to have been
executed, and in fact, so far ss carrying
the batteries and spiking the canon, was
executed without the loss of single man;
but colonel Dudley. who commanded the
detachment. refused to let the magazine
d. be blown up, and suffered himself to ANUS
ed BY a few Indians, and drawn oft into the
bush and swampt. while the enemy brought
a. force Of double his number from the
earap, and compelled all but about hun
bred and forty to surrender, after an obst'-
nate resistance. In the meantime general
Harrison ordered three sorties from the
fort; in ono of which, two batteries opened
by the enemy on the south OF the river
were carried, the canon were dismounted,
and f3rty-two. British officers were taken
These losses and discomfitures had the ell
iect Of convincing the British general Proc