The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1864-09-02
War Fifty Years Ago.

The people OF the North have had very
little experience Of war since 1914, until
ihe present savage contest WIS COM
menced by the South. In that wear Sir
John Provost invaded Northern New York
with a British army oi ten thousand men.
10 the great CONSERVATION of the inhabi.
.tants Of the frontier in Vermont and New
Yoik. No such armies ravt rsed the
country then as those which form but aux.
iliary forces Of the great military com
mands now. Gen. lizard, South Caro-.
linian, who commanded the right wing oi
our grand Army Of the North, had about
thirty -ive hundred men Tor proposed
advance into Canada, and the British i'm
mediateIy opposed TO him mustered fly
FIVE hundred with reserve Of Two thous.
and at Montreal. lizard, however, was
ordered to, Niagara, aud the frontier was
left opeE for Provost's demonstrations.
The frontier war. lben, carried on upon
scale not much larger than that which
might measure John Morgan's raids.--
He had over five thousand men when he
entered Indiana and Southern Ohio. A
fight between three and four hundred
comba,ants was .signalizsd by the name
Of battle. Lieut.. Col. Forsyth led a
band OF seventy picked men from Cham
plain across the border. fought two hun
dred British troops, aid retrea,ed IN good
order with the loss Of one man killed and
five wounded. Soulherners and North.
erners fought together then. and For
sayth's dash was considered great ex.
plot. .l..gr-. ,t.. s.s, ..g. 70 sTsss
When Provost neared Piattsburg, which
was defended by Gen. Mscomb, with a
very small force in comparison with the
number of the assaiIan,s, Major (now
General) John +. Wool, for the purpose
Of encouraging the militia, took the inil.a-
tive with less lhan three hundred men,
and met the advance of tie invaders.
The militia, however, became alarmed
at the overwhelming numbers, and fell
back from the battle which was offered
by tho daring Wool. The history Of the
battle OF Pia,tsburg is well enough known.
II was fought on The lith OF September,
nearly .fif,y years ago. at the same time
that the British feet under Commodore
Downie, who was killed in the action, co
operating with General Provost, was de.
lea,ed by Macdonough upon Lake Cham.
plain, and the whole country was Iull ol
joyful congratulations at the result. This
demonstration essentially put an end 10
British invasion Of the North, Ir..g a,,.
The men who participated in the battles
Of that day little anticipated that within
hall century such immense armies as
are now gathered together for battle could
have stood in array against each other,
and still less could they have been made
TO believe that such an array could be
composed Of hostile brethren Of their own
fair country. They had known Of nc
such armies pittet by hundreds Of thous,
ands against each other, except perhaps
in Bonaparte's fatal Russian campaign
and they never dreamed OF such carnage
created upon, fields Of battle 10 one Of lhs
States OF their own Republic. with sucl
frightful aggregates of dead and wound
ed as have been counted upon our battle
field, since the commencement of The MAY
campaign. AS their experience had nevel
taught them, so neither could their fancie,
direct them 10 anticipate such gigan,i,
!. and wholesale war preparations and wal
conflicts as now exist in this once happy
country. s. r,o4e .t-b st. 2. i.sa7