The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-03-30
CENTENARY OF BATTLE OF LAGOLLE'S MILL IN CANADA.

A century ago Great Britain and the United States were at war, and the Americans. despite the failure of several attempts in that direction. were still bent upon the conquest of Canada. After several Eeverses in the field, in which the unexpected loyalty of Canadians to the British Crown had been fully demonstrated the people of the United States no longer believed that the capture of Canada was "a mere matter of march ing. as Thomas Jefferson had de- flict Yet the Americans were no. discouraged, and early in 1914 Gen James Wilkinson was given the com mand of an army numbering 4,00o men, with which to effect the Cana dian conquest.
 The battle of Lacolle's Mill, fought just a century ago today, March 30, 1914. proved that wilkinson was as inefficient as his predecessors. He flung his army of 4,O00 against a gall Iant handful of $40 defenders, and was flung back again, although the British troops and Canadian militia in the improvfsed fort exhausted their ammunition early in the engagement regiment, was in command at La coIIe's Mill. He had with him 1so privates of his own regiment, the re- mainder of the $40 defenders being made up of marines, militia and iron
 tier light infantry.
 A contemporary account by Bri- tish officer describes LacoiIe's Mill
 as "a structure of stone, consisting
 of two stories with wooden single roof, in size fifty by thirty feet, and situated on LacolIe River. about three quarters of a mile from it's mouth. It had been made defensible,'' the mar rator continues, ..by filling it's win
 dows with heavy squared timber. with interstices for the discharge of mus ketry. A bridge that crossed the riv- CT below the milT-led to small house on the north side, converted into a blockhouse by a breastwork of logs. An ordinary barn stood near the rear. 1 South of the mill there was a clear ing of the width of 200 feet, and to the north of it of about 100 feet The building was otherwise surrounded 1 by woods. Owing to the season of the year a foot of snow was lying on the ground somewhat affected by the snow ttaw The action at La
 coIle's Mill lasted two hours and a
 half Then the firing ceased from the mill, for the long defence hae.
 exhausted the ammunition. Two pri-
 yates dispatched to Ile-aux-Hoix for a supply were captured The discon- 1 tinuance of the musketry fire led the United States forces to advance near CT the mill, in the open. No attempt was made, however, to storm either. the mill or the bIockhouse. Dusk was coming on when the United States forces retired from the position they | had taken up. Thus had the attack 1 on the mill failed, much to the sur
 prise of the defenders. who could not 1 understand the withdrawal of the, | Americans, who if they had pressed the attack might have taken the posi-
 ton by storm. as there were 1000, and ing 34O."
 Because Of his failure in this case | Wilkinson was retired. A court of inquiry acquitted him. but discharge , him from the service, and the old rev olutiorary hero went to Mexico, where he died in exile Gen. Brown was
 the next to attempt the conquest of l Canada, but, after victory at Chip | pewa. he faced Sir Gordon Drummond at Lundy's Lane, and the American advance was again checked. The Americans retired to Fort Erie, Ieav- l ing the captured batteries behind
 them The treaty of peace a few months later put an end to the fu- tile attempts to raise the Stars and Stripes over the Canadas.
 nE XNNE E LADDER