Chapter 33

In submitting to your view the conduct of the troops under my command on this occasion, I find every thing to applaud, nothing to reprehend. The utmost coolness and subordination was manifested, both by the 21st and 23d regiments. To Major Wood I feel particularly indebted. This officer's merits are so well known, that approbation can scarcely add to his reputation. He has the merit, with the Spartan band, in connection with Captain Towson's artillery, of defeating a vaunting foe of six times his force. Major Brooke did every thing in his power: and it affords me pleasure at all times to call the attention of the general commanding to this amiable and accomplished officer.

The officers commanding companies immediately engaged, have my highest commendation. Their conduct was most judicious and gallant. I cannot refrain from adverting to the manner in which Captain Towson's artillery was served. I have never seen it equalled. This officer has so often distinguished himself, that to say simply that he is in action, is a volume of eulogium; the army, only to be informed he is there, by a spontaneous assent, are at once satisfied that he has performed well his part. I have no idea that there is an artillery officer in any service superior to him in the knowledge and performance of his duty.

The officers I have mentioned as commanding companies of the 21st and 23d regiments, are particularly commended by their commanding officers. Captain Marston, a most valuable officer, commanded a first line of three companies opposed to the enemy's column. Captain Ropes commanded the companies of reserve. Major Wood reports in the highest terms of the good conduct of the subalterns. Lieutenants Riddle, of the 15th, attached to the 21st, and Hall, and ensigns Bean, Jones, Gumming, and Thomas, of the 19th, as being extremely active, and performing their duties with alacrity.

The manner in which Lieutenant Belknap, of the 23d, retired with his picket guard from before the enemy's column, excites my particular commendation. He gave orders to fire three times as he was retreating to camp, himself bringing up the rear. In this gallant manner, he kept the light advance of the enemy in check, for a distance of two or three hundred yards. I have to regret, that when entering our lines after his troops, the enemy pushed so close upon him that he received a severe wound from a bayonet.

Lieutenant Bushnel and Cissney, of the 19th, while gallantly engaged with the enemy at Fort Erie, were both severely, if not mortally, wounded. Their conduct merits the warmest approbation.

Permit me to recommend to your notice, the good conduct of my (p. 222) staff, Lieutenant Kirby, of the corps of artillery, my aid-de-camp, and Lieutenant Holding, acting brigade major; their activity and zeal was entirely to my satisfaction.

I close this long report, with stating to you, in the highest terms of approbation, the skillfulness exhibited by Doctor Fuller, surgeon of the 23d, and Doctor Trowbridge, surgeon of the 21st infantry, with their mates Doctor Gale, of the 23d, and Doctors Everett and Allen, of the 21st; their active, humane and judicious treatment of the wounded, both of the enemy and of our own, together with their steady and constant attention to the duties of their station, must have attracted your personal observation, and I am confident will receive your approbation.

I have the honour to be, etc., E. W. RIPLEY, _Brigadier-General commanding 2d Brigade_.

No. 42. (p. 223) PLATE XLIII.

_July 5 and 25, and September 17, 1814._

Brigadier Genl. James Miller. [Rx]. Resolution of Congress November 3. 1814.

BRIGADIER-GENERAL JAMES MILLER.

[_Victories of Chippewa, Niagara, and Erie._]

BRIGADIER GEN{L}. (_General_) JAMES MILLER. Bust of General Miller, in uniform, facing the right. Exergue: I'LL TRY. His answer when he received the order to attack the enemy's batteries on the hill at Niagara. FÜRST. F. (_fecit_).

RESOLUTION OF CONGRESS NOVEMBER 3. 1814. Colonel Miller, at the head of his troops, is carrying the British batteries on the hill at Niagara. Exergue: BATTLES OF CHIPPEWA JULY 5. 1814. NIAGARA. JULY 25. 1814. ERIE SEP. (_September_) 17. 1814. FÜRST. F. (_fecit_).

JAMES MILLER was born in Peterborough, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, April 25, 1776. He practiced law from 1803 to 1808, when he entered the army with the rank of major; was made a lieutenant-colonel in 1810, and distinguished himself in the West, under Harrison; and became colonel of the 21st infantry, March 9, 1814. He greatly distinguished himself at Chippewa, Niagara, and at Erie, for which he was breveted a brigadier-general and received the thanks of Congress and a gold medal.[99] At Niagara, when ordered to carry the British batteries on the heights, he made the celebrated reply, "I'll try, Sir." He resigned in 1819; and was governor of Arkansas Territory in 1819-1825, and United States collector of customs at Salem, Massachusetts, from 1825 to 1849. He died at Temple, New Hampshire, June 7, 1851.

[Footnote 99: The resolution of Congress voting this medal, and the official reports of the battles of Chippewa, Niagara, and Erie, are given under No. 39, page 203.]

No. 43. (p. 224) PLATE XLIV.

_July 5 and 25, 1814._

Major General Winfield Scott. [Rx]. Resolution of Congress November 3. 1814 etc.

MAJOR-GENERAL WINFIELD SCOTT.

[_Victories of Chippewa and Niagara._]

MAJOR GENERAL WINFIELD SCOTT. Bust of General Scott, in uniform, facing the right. FÜRST. F. (_fecit_).

A serpent, entwined in a wreath of laurel and palm, is biting its tail--emblem of immortality through glory and victory. RESOLUTION OF CONGRESS NOVEMBER 3. 1814. BATTLES OF CHIPPEWA JULY 5. 1814. NIAGARA JULY 25. 1814. FÜRST. F. (_fecit_).[100],[101]

[Footnote 100: See INTRODUCTION, page ix.]

[Footnote 101: The resolution of Congress voting this medal, and the official reports of the battles of Chippewa and Niagara, are given under No. 39, page 203.]

WINFIELD SCOTT was born near Petersburg, Virginia, June 13, 1786. He was graduated at William and Mary College, Virginia, studied law, and for some time engaged in practice. He was appointed captain of light artillery, May 3, 1808, and served in Louisiana under General Wilkinson, but resigned on account of differences with him. He was made lieutenant-colonel of the 2d artillery, July 6, 1812, and was taken prisoner at Queenstown Heights, Upper Canada, in the following October. He became colonel of the 2d artillery and adjutant-general under General Dearborn, March 18, 1813, and brigadier-general March 9, 1814. He distinguished himself at Chippewa, July 5, and on July 25, at Niagara (Lundy's Lane) where he was severely wounded. Congress gave him a vote of thanks and a gold medal for Chippewa and Niagara, and he was breveted a major-general, September 14, 1814. He went on a mission to Europe in 1815; was sent to Maine to settle the boundary question in 1839, and was promoted major-general and commander-in-chief of (p. 225) the army, June 25, 1841. As commander-in-chief in Mexico he took Vera Cruz, March 26, 1847, and gained the battles of Cerro Gordo, April 18; Contreras, August 19; San Antonio and Churubusco, August 20; Molinos del Rey, September 8; Chapultepec, September 13; and occupied the City of Mexico, September 14. For this brilliant campaign Congress gave him a vote of thanks and a gold medal.[102] He received the honorary degree of LL. D. from Columbia College, New York, in 1850, and also from Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1861. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Presidency in 1852; was made lieutenant-general, by brevet, February 28, 1855; was sent on a mission to Oregon to settle the boundary question, 1859; remained true to the Union at the outbreak of the Civil War, and resigned, November 1, 1861. He died at West Point, New York, May 29, 1866.

[Footnote 102: See No. 62, page 304.]

No. 44. (p. 226) PLATE XLV.

_August 15, 1814._

Major General Edmund P. Gaines. [Rx]. Resolution of Congress November 3. 1814.

MAJOR-GENERAL EDMUND PENDLETON GAINES.

[_Victory of Erie._]

MAJOR GENERAL EDMUND P. (_Pendleton_) GAINES. Bust of General Gaines, in uniform, facing the right FÜRST. F. (_fecit_).

RESOLUTION OF CONGRESS NOVEMBER 3. 1814. A winged Victory, standing on a British shield, holds a palm branch in her left hand, and places with her right a crown of laurel upon the cascabel of a cannon standing upright in the ground, and forming the centre of a trophy of the enemy's arms: on the cannon is the inscription ERIE. Exergue: BATTLE OF ERIE AUG. (_August_) 15. 1814. FÜRST. F. (_fecit_).[103]

[Footnote 103: The resolution of Congress voting this medal is given under No. 39, page 203.]

EDMUND PENDLETON GAINES was born in Culpepper County, Virginia, March 20, 1777. He entered the army as ensign of infantry, 1799; became first-lieutenant, 1802; captain, 1807; major and lieutenant-colonel, 1812; colonel, 1813, and brigadier-general 1814. He greatly distinguished himself at the battle of Erie, August 15, 1814, and was badly wounded on the 28th of the same month. For his services on this occasion he was breveted major-general, September 14, 1814, and Congress gave him a vote of thanks and a gold medal. He served in Florida (Seminole war) and in Georgia (Creek war); and was commander of the southern and afterward of the western military districts. He died in New Orleans, June 6, 1849.

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ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. (p. 227)

_General Gaines to the Secretary of War._

To the Honourable Head-Quarters, Fort Erie, U. C.,[104] John ARMSTRONG, August 15th, 1814. Secretary of War, Washington, D. C.

[Footnote 104: U. C., Abbreviation of Upper Canada.]

Sir: My heart is gladdened with gratitude to Heaven and joy to my country, to have it in my power to inform you that the gallant army under my command has this morning beaten the enemy commanded by Lieutenant-General Drummond, after a severe conflict of nearly three hours, commencing at 2 o'clock this morning. They attacked us on each flank, got possession of the salient bastion of the old Fort Erie, which was regained at the point of the bayonet, with a dreadful slaughter. The enemy's loss in killed and prisoners, is about 600; near 300 killed. Our loss is considerable, but I think not one-tenth as great as that of the enemy. I will not detain the express to give you the particulars. I am preparing my force to follow up the blow.

With great respect, etc., Edmund P. GAINES, _Brigadier-General commanding_.

_____

_General Gaines to the Secretary of War._

To the Honourable Head-Quarters, left wing, 2d Division, John ARMSTRONG, Fort Erie, U. C., August 23d, 1814. Secretary of War, Washington, D. C.

Sir: I have the honour to communicate, for the information of the department of war, the particulars of the battle fought at this place, on the 15th instant, between the left wing of the 2d division of the northern army, under my command, and the British forces in the Peninsula of Upper Canada, commanded by Lieutenant-General Drummond, which terminated in a signal victory in favour of the united American arms.

Our position on the margin of the lake, at the entrance of the Niagara river, being nearly a horizontal plain, twelve or fifteen feet above the surface of the water, possessing few natural advantages, had been strengthened in front by temporary parapet breast works, entrenchments and abatis, with two batteries and six field pieces. The small unfinished fort, Erie, with a 24, 18 and 12 pounder, forms the north-east, and the Douglass battery, with an 18 and 6 pounder near the edge of the lake, the south-east angle of our right. The left is defended by a redoubt battery, with six field pieces just thrown up on a small ridge. Our rear was left open to the lake, bordered by a rocky shore of easy ascent. The battery on the left was defended by Captain (p. 228) Towson; Fort Erie, by Captain Williams, with Major Trimble's command of the 19th infantry; the batteries on the front, by Captains Biddle and Fanning; the whole of the artillery commanded by Major Hindman. Parts of the 11th, 9th and 22d infantry (of the late veteran brigade of Major-General Scott) were posted on the right, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Aspinwall. General Ripley's brigade, consisting of the 21st and 23d, defended on the left. General Porter's brigade of New York and Pennsylvania volunteers, with our distinguished riflemen, occupied the centre.

I have heretofore omitted stating to you, that during the 13th and 14th, the enemy had kept up a brisk cannonade, which was sharply returned from our batteries, without any considerable loss on our part. At 6 P.M. one of their shells lodged in a small magazine in Fort Erie, which was fortunately almost empty. It blew up with an explosion more awful in appearance than injurious in its effects, as it did not disable a man or derange a gun. It occasioned but a momentary cessation of the thunders of the artillery on both sides; it was followed by a loud and joyous shout by the British army, which was instantly returned on our part, and Captain Williams, amidst the smoke of the explosion, renewed the contest by an animated roar of his heavy cannon.

From the supposed loss of our ammunition, and the consequent depression such an event was likely to produce upon the minds of our men, I felt persuaded that this explosion would lead the enemy to assault, and made my arrangements accordingly.

The night was dark, and the early part of it raining, but the faithful sentinel slept not; one-third of the troops were up at their posts. At half-past two o'clock, the right column of the enemy approached, and though enveloped in darkness black as his designs and principles, was distinctly heard on our left, and promptly marked by our musketry under Major Wood, and cannon under Captain Towson. Being mounted at the moment, I repaired to the point of attack, where the sheet of fire rolling from Towson's battery, and the musketry of the left wing of the 21st infantry under Major Wood, enabled me to see the enemy's column of about 1,500 men approaching on that point, his advance was not checked, until it had approached within ten feet of our infantry. A line of loose brush representing an abatis only intervened; a column of the enemy attempted to pass round the abatis through the water, where it was nearly breast deep. Apprehending that this point would be carried, I ordered a detachment of riflemen and infantry to its support, but having met with the gallant commander, Major Wood, was assured by him that he could defend his position without reinforcements. At this moment the enemy were repulsed, but instantly renewed the charge and were again repulsed. My attention was now called to the right, where our batteries and lines were soon lighted by a most brilliant fire of cannon and musketry; it announced the approach of the centre and left columns of the enemy, under Colonels Drummond and Scott; the latter was received by the veteran 9th, under the command of Captain Foster, and Captains Broughton and Harding's companies of New York and Pennsylvania volunteers, aided by a six-pounder judiciously posted by Major M'Ree, chief engineer, who was most active and useful at this point; they were repulsed. That of the centre, led by Colonel Drummond, was not long kept in check; it approached at once every assailable point of the fort; and (p. 229) with scaling ladders ascended the parapet, but was repulsed with fearful carnage. The assault was twice repeated, and as often checked, but the enemy having moved round the ditch covered by darkness, added to the heavy cloud of smoke which had rolled from our cannon and musketry, enveloping surrounding objects, repeated the charge, re-ascended the ladders; the pikes, bayonets and spears fell upon our gallant artillerists. The gallant spirits of our favourite Captain Williams and Lieutenants M'Donough and Watmough, with their brave men, were overcome. The two former, and several of their men, received deadly wounds. Our bastion was lost; Lieutenant M'Donough, being severely wounded, demanded quarter; it was refused by Colonel Drummond. The lieutenant then seized a handspike and nobly defended himself until he was shot down with a pistol by the monster who had refused him quarter, who often reiterated the order: "_Give the damned Yankees no quarter._" This officer, whose bravery, if it had been seasoned with virtue, would have entitled him to the admiration of every soldier, the hardened murderer soon met his fate. He was shot through the breast while repeating the order "_to give no quarter_."

The battle now raged with increased fury on the right, but on the left the enemy was repulsed and put to flight. Thence and from the centre I ordered reinforcements. They were promptly sent by Brigadier-General Ripley and Brigadier-General Porter. Captain Fanning, of the corps of artillery, kept up a spirited and destructive fire with his field pieces, on the enemy attempting to approach the fort. Major Hindman's gallant efforts, aided by Major Trimble, having failed to drive the enemy from the bastion, with the remaining artillerists and infantry in the forts, Captain Birdsall, of the 4th rifle regiment, with a detachment of riflemen, gallantly rushed in through the gateway to their assistance, and with some infantry, charged the enemy, but was repulsed, and the captain severely wounded. A detachment from the 11th, 19th, and 22d infantry, under Captain Foster, of the 11th, were introduced over the interior bastion, for the purpose of charging the enemy. Major Hall, assistant inspector general, very handsomely tendered his services to lead the charge. The charge was gallantly made by Captain Foster and Major Hall, but owing to the narrowness of the passage up to the bastion, admitting only two or three men abreast, it failed. It was often repeated, and as often checked; the enemy's force on the bastion was, however, much cut to pieces and diminished by our artillery and small arms. At this moment every operation was arrested by the explosion of some cartridges deposited in the end of the stone building adjoining the contested bastion. The explosion was tremendous: it was decisive; the bastion was restored. At this moment Captain Biddle was ordered to cause a field piece to be posted so as to enfilade the exterior plain and salient glacis. The captain, though not recovered from a severe contusion in the shoulder, received from one of the enemy's shells, promptly took his position, and served his field piece with vivacity and effect. Captain Farming's battery likewise played upon them at this time with great effect. The enemy were in a few moments entirely defeated, taken or put to flight, leaving on the field 222 killed, 174 wounded, and 186 prisoners. A large portion are so severely wounded that they cannot survive; the slightly wounded, it is presumed, were carried off.

To Brigadier-General Ripley, much credit is due for the (p. 230) judicious disposition of the left wing, previous to the action, and for the steady disciplined courage manifested by him and his immediate command, and for the promptness with which he complied with my orders for reinforcement during the action. Brigadier-General Porter, commanding the New York and Pennsylvania volunteers, manifested a degree of vigilance and judgment in his preparatory arrangements, as well as military skill and courage in the action, which proves him to be worthy the confidence of his country, and the brave volunteers who fought under him. Of the volunteers, Captains Broughton and Harding with their detachments posted on the right, and attached to the line commanded by Captain E. Foster, of the veteran 9th infantry, handsomely contributed to the repulse of the left column of the enemy under Colonel Scott.

The judicious preparations and steady conduct of Lieutenant-Colonel Aspinwall commanding the first brigade, merit approbation.

To Major McRee, chief engineer, the greatest credit is due for the excellent arrangement and skillful execution of his plans for fortifying and defending the right, and for his correct and seasonable suggestions to regain the bastion. Major Wood, of the engineers, also greatly contributed to the previous measures of defence. He has accepted the command of a regiment of infantry, (the 21st,) for which he has often proved himself well qualified, but never so conspicuously as on this occasion.

Towson's battery emitted a constant sheet of fire. Wood's small arms lighted up the space, and repulsed five terrible charges made between the battery and the lake. Brigadier-General Ripley speaks in high terms of the officers and men engaged, particularly Captains Marston and Ropes, Lieutenants Riddle (of the 15th, doing duty with the 21st) and Hall; Ensigns Benn, Jones, Cummings and Thomas of the 21st, and Keally and Green of the 19th.

Major Hindman, and the whole of the artillery under the command of that excellent officer, displayed a degree of gallantry and good conduct not to be surpassed. The particular situation of Captain Towson, and the much lamented Captain Williams and Lieutenant M'Donough, and that of Lieutenant Watmough, as already described, with their respective commands, rendered them most conspicuous. The courage and good conduct of Lieutenant Zantzinger and Lieutenant Childs, is spoken of in high terms by Major Hindman and Captain Towson, as also that of Sergeant-Major Denhon. Captains Biddle and Fanning, on the centre and right of their entrenchments, threw their shot to the right, left and front, and annoyed the Indians and light troops of the enemy approaching from the woods. Lieutenant Fontaine in his zeal to meet the enemy, was unfortunately wounded and made prisoner. Lieutenant Bird was active and useful, and in fact every individual belonging to the corps did their duty.