1814–1821
united states’ plans—attempt on mackinaw—la colle—state of affairs on niagara frontier—drummond’s raid on oswego—dover—advance of u.s. force—capture of fort erie—battle of chippewa—critical position of british force—battle of lundy’s lane—retreat of u.s. forces—fort erie invested—assault on fort erie—sergeant powell—conclusion of operations on niagara frontier—prevost’s abortive attack on plattsburgh—defeat of british squadron on lake champlain—other operations—bladensberg—capture of washington—general ross killed—victory at baltimore—expedition against new orleans—its defeat—fort bowyer captured—treaty of ghent—sir william payne—sir john vandeleur—badge “niagara” granted—regiment returns to england—equipped as lancers—embark for ireland—disbanded.
the plans of the united states’ government for the campaign of 1814 varied considerably from those of the preceding years. they realised the mistake they had made in advancing on montreal without first getting possession of kingston, and they recognized the delusion on which they had acted, in believing that the canadians would welcome their troops wherever they appeared on canadian soil. it was, indeed, the unflinching loyalty of[194] the canadians to the british flag that had so far preserved canada, as the troops england had been able to spare, would, by themselves, have been inadequate for the purpose. the united states’ plans for 1814 were therefore directed to the following objects. to retake the island of mackinaw; to renew the invasion of the niagara frontier; and, after getting possession of forts george and niagara, to proceed against kingston. the united states’ officers on the niagara frontier, had also learned that enthusiasm without discipline was of little value, when opposed in the open field to a disciplined enemy; the winter and spring therefore were utilised by them in enforcing a higher degree of drill and discipline than had hitherto been aimed at. this resulted in a marked improvement in the fighting qualities of their troops during the remainder of the war.
in the middle of april, a reinforcement of 100 men, conveying a quantity of much-needed supplies and stores, under colonel mcdouall, was sent from toronto to mackinaw, which was reached after a most difficult journey on 18th may. a great number of indians then flocked into the post, which prompted mcdouall to fit out a small expedition of 150 men with 500 indians against a small post that had been lately established at prairie du chien on the mississippi, 200 miles north-west of the present town of chicago. moving by water, the expedition, under colonel m‘kay, was completely successful, and the post was captured with two guns, and 61 prisoners, on 19th july, at a cost of only three indians wounded.
on 26th july, a u.s. expedition from detroit, consisting of five armed vessels and about 750 troops, arrived off mackinaw, and landed on 4th august, when they were completely repulsed in an attack on mcdouall’s position, regaining their ships with loss and confusion. no further attempt was made, but part of the expedition uselessly remained[195] in the vicinity for some time, losing two armed vessels, which were taken, on 3rd and 6th september, by a small party of seamen and militia under lieutenants bulger and worseley. no further fighting took place in this quarter, and mackinaw remained in the hands of the british till the end of the war.
on the 30th march, general wilkinson at the head of 4000 u.s. troops advanced from plattsburgh, crossed lake champlain on the ice, and attacked a small british force, in a stone mill at la colle, under major handcock. wilkinson was repulsed with some loss, and returned to plattsburgh.
the position of the british troops on the niagara frontier early in the year was very discouraging. the hardships they had undergone during the operations in december had caused great sickness, so that the abandonment of fort niagara was at one time seriously entertained.
“the region between chippewa and erie had been so completely laid waste that it remained almost uninhabited. in addition to his troops, drummond had several thousand non-combatants to feed, and, in the destitute condition of the country, this seemed an almost hopeless task. most of the western indians that had survived general proctor’s defeat, as well as the whole six nations from the grand river, three thousand persons in all, of whom two-thirds were helpless women and children, had sought refuge near the british cantonments at burlington. their depredations so harassed and alarmed many of the inhabitants in the vicinity, that they abandoned their farms, and took shelter in the soldiers’ quarters. the homeless fugitives from the niagara were also dependent upon the over-taxed commissariat. thus, while his armed force numbered less than two thousand, between seven and eight thousand rations were issued daily.... the indians daily consumed twice as much flour as the whole of the troops. in the garrison of fort erie alone, not much exceeding one hundred persons, no less than sixty-nine cases of ague were reported in a single week.”[62]
[196]
a great number of indians on the united states’ side were forced to take up arms. marauding parties from detroit made frequent incursions, carrying off loyal inhabitants, and destroying delaware and point aux pins. by the end of january, black rock was re-occupied by united states’ troops, whence they annoyed fort erie by artillery fire. it was in the midst of these difficulties that drummond was obliged to send the re-inforcements under mcdouall to mackinaw, as already mentioned, and to further weaken his available forces by withdrawing a regiment from toronto to strengthen kingston.
by great exertions and the employment of soldiers in the shipyards, the british naval forces on ontario had established a superiority. drummond wished to attack sackett’s harbour, and destroy the enemy’s vessels there; but sir george prevost refused to provide the necessary troops. on the 5th may, drummond made a successful dash from kingston, with a force of about 1000 troops, upon oswego. they landed on the 6th, captured the fort, destroyed all military stores that could not be carried off, and re-embarked. this successful attack delayed the united states’ operations on the niagara frontier for several weeks, and enabled a strict blockade of sackett’s harbour to be established.
early in march, major lisle, with a troop of the 19th light dragoons and a few militia, was placed in the little village of dover, near long point on lake erie, to watch any attempt of the enemy from that side against burlington. on the 15th may, eight hundred u.s. infantry crossed the lake in armed vessels, and landed. major lisle withdrew his men, and dover was burned to the ground; after which the invading force re-embarked.
by the end of june, the united states’ troops on the niagara frontier had gathered in great numbers, and it was evident that an invasion was imminent. drummond[197] had vainly urged on sir george prevost the necessity of reinforcing the troops on the frontier; but sir george was convinced that the principal attack would come from lake champlain, and withheld the much-needed troops. from toronto to long point on lake erie, drummond’s force did not much exceed 4000 men. a number of important points had to be guarded, and the force under general riall on the actual frontier was only about 2200 men, including indians, distributed on a length of thirty-six miles, and including the garrison in niagara. only about seven hundred men were available for field operations. at the end of june, the strength of major lisle’s squadron was six officers, eleven sergeants, and one hundred and eighteen rank and file, in five different detachments, at fort george, queenston, chippewa, fort erie, and long point.
on the morning of the 3rd july, the united states’ force, 4000 strong, under general brown, was ferried across in two divisions above and below fort erie, under cover of a fog. a picquet of the 19th light dragoons narrowly escaped being cut off, and the fort was at once invested. it was occupied at that time by a garrison of 170 men, and, though in no condition to make a proper defence, it was expected to maintain itself for a short time. it was however surrendered after the exchange of a few cannon shots. riall, with his inferior numbers, contented himself by maintaining a small corps of observation in his front, while he himself remained encamped on the left bank of the chippewa. on the 4th, brown advanced, driving before him the corps of observation which destroyed the bridges as it fell back. a detachment of the 19th light dragoons under lieutenant horton, covering the rear, became involved in a skirmish in which they drove a party of the enemy into a house, which would probably have been captured had not assistance come to them.[198] four men and eight horses of the 19th were wounded in the skirmish. brown encamped that night within sight of riall’s position.
riall was reinforced on the 5th by the arrival of the 8th regiment from toronto, and, greatly under-estimating brown’s force, which now amounted to about 5000 men with nine guns, he resolved on leaving his field works, and attacking. at three in the afternoon, riall, whose force now amounted to about 1900 men, threw forward a body of militia and indians on his right flank. after some desultory skirmishing they were driven back by increasing numbers, and fell back on the three light infantry companies, who received their assailants under u.s. general porter with a terrific volley, driving them back in complete disorder, till they themselves were in turn forced to fall back by superior numbers. riall, meanwhile, had passed the chippewa, and drawn up his whole force in order of battle with three guns. after some cannonading, he formed six companies of the royal scots, and five companies of the 100th in two columns, and led them against the enemy’s centre. they were received with a tremendous fire against which they were unable to advance: almost every field officer, excepting riall himself, was struck down, and the columns, suffering heavy losses, were obliged to withdraw, leaving their dead and many of their wounded on the field. the 8th regiment covered the retreat, which was not pressed, and the force recrossed the chippewa to its former position. “the guns were removed only by the gallant exertions of some troopers of the 19th dragoons, who attached their own horses to the carriages, and rode off with them in the teeth of the enemy.”[63] the british loss amounted to 515 killed, wounded, and missing, which fell principally on the royal scots and 100th, who lost 422 officers and men out of a total of 950 engaged.[199] the 19th light dragoons had one sergeant and five men wounded. general riall, in his dispatch after the battle, says:—
“i am particularly obliged to major lisle of the 19th light dragoons for the manner in which he covered and protected one of the 24-pounders which had been disabled. lieutenant colonel pearson has reported to me, in the most favourable terms, the excellent manner in which lieutenant horton, with a party of the 19th light dragoons observed the motions of the enemy, while he occupied the position he took on his first landing (on 3rd july), and during his advance to this place.”
in consequence of this repulse, nearly the whole of his indians and many of the militia left riall, in order to look after their families. on the 8th, brown threw a bridge across the chippewa, three miles up the stream, thus turning riall’s right. riall thereupon broke up his camp, and withdrew to fort george. brown continued his advance, occupied queenston heights, and took up a position, investing fort george, with his right resting on the niagara river, and his left on the lake. riall, after strengthening the garrisons in the forts, withdrew in the direction of burlington heights. to do this, he executed a remarkable night march, to avoid the enemy by whom he was hemmed in. at midnight, his force entered the lake, which is very shallow for a hundred yards from the shore, and, wading through the water for two miles and a half, he marched round the left wing of the investing army, without being detected by their vedettes. for ten days brown lay inactive, looking for the arrival of the u.s. ontario squadron to enable him to strike a decisive blow. but the squadron had been blockaded in sackett’s harbour ever since the capture of oswego, and was unable to render him any assistance. frequent skirmishes took place, in which the united states’ troops suffered losses, often at the hands of the canadians who were roused to[200] fury by the outrages committed on them. on one occasion the u.s. general swift was killed by a patrol of the 8th regiment; a wagon train was destroyed, and the picquet guard at erie cut off to a man. in retaliation for these losses, the united states’ troops burned the village of st david’s, and destroyed every dwelling-house between queenston and niagara falls; under circumstances of such barbarity that the colonel in command was dismissed from the army.
meanwhile, riall received some reinforcements from toronto, and a great number of militia again joined him, badly armed and undisciplined, but exasperated beyond measure at the brigand-like acts of the invaders. this enabled him to advance, and threatened brown’s communications. on the 20th, brown advanced to fort george, and commenced preparations for a siege, in the hopes that riall would again hazard an engagement with inferior forces to relieve the fort. two days later, riall with 1700 regular troops, 700 militia, and some indians, took post in front of twelve mile creek, in readiness to fall upon brown if he should commence active operations against fort george. on the 23rd, brown received intelligence that the u.s. squadron was closely blockaded in sackett’s harbour, and was in no position to render him assistance. he at once broke up his camp, and withdrew to the right bank of the chippewa, with the intention of depositing all unnecessary baggage and stores at erie, and then making a rapid advance on burlington and toronto. on the same day, general drummond reached toronto, from kingston, with the 89th regiment. these were at once sent forward, under lieutenant colonel tucker, to fort niagara, with instructions to take drafts from the garrisons of the different forts, and to march, on the 25th, to lewiston, where brown had established a base of supplies. riall was, at the same time, ordered[201] to advance towards the chippewa. drummond himself embarked for niagara, on the afternoon of the 24th, leaving toronto with only a few invalids as a garrison.
at midnight of the 24th, riall detached about 900 men under lieutenant colonel pearson, with whom was a troop of the 19th light dragoons under major lisle, to advance and occupy the high ground near the niagara falls. by seven o’clock the next morning, after a fourteen-mile march, pearson occupied a hill by lundy’s lane, within three miles of the united states’ camp, and one mile from the niagara falls. at the same time, drummond landed and commenced his march along the left bank of the niagara river, while tucker, in accordance with previous orders, marched along the right bank on lewiston. lewiston was captured at noon, and the two parties reunited at queenston. sending back part of the force, drummond, with 815 men and two guns, held on his way to lundy’s lane. brown, on receiving intelligence of tucker’s advance on lewiston, believing that his more considerable stores at fort schlosser were threatened, and that pearson’s party at lundy’s lane was only a strong patrol, resolved to make a countermove on queenston and fort george. riall’s remaining brigades at twelve mile creek were under arms at daybreak to support pearson. their advance was then countermanded, and they remained in camp till noon, when a force, numbering 1230 rank and file, with four guns, under colonel scott, was ordered to march at once for lundy’s lane. on neither side was there any immediate expectation of a battle.
a little before five in the afternoon brown detached a force of about 1800 men and two guns under general scott to advance on queenston. on coming in contact with pearson’s outposts, scott became aware that the force in front of him was stronger than he had supposed, and[202] delayed his attack, while he sent back to brown for more troops. riall, who had ridden on to join pearson, took scott’s brigade for the advance of brown’s whole force. he at once sent back word to the force advancing from twelve mile creek, which was still three miles away, to retire on the heights near queenston, and ordered pearson to retreat on that point. after retiring half a mile, riall and pearson met drummond advancing. drummond at once took the command, ordered the position at lundy’s lane to be re-occupied, and sent word to countermand riall’s last order to colonel scott, whom he directed to press on and join him.
scott (u.s.), fearing an ambush, advanced with great caution, which just allowed time for the british force to regain the hill before it could be occupied by the enemy. drummond’s force now amounted to about 1700 men, thus disposed. on the summit of the hill were two guns: a little behind them were five companies of the royal scots, a detachment of the 41st, the 89th, with their left resting on the road running parallel with the river from queenston to niagara falls. the line was prolonged towards the river by some of the 8th and some militia. on the road, somewhat retired, was major lisle’s troop of the 19th light dragoons. both flanks were thrown forward, the woods on the right of the line being occupied by the glengarry regiment, a corps of the macdonald clan raised in canada, that fought all through the war with great distinction. by a curious coincidence, drummond had under his command three regiments, in which he had served as a regimental officer; the royal scots, the 8th, and the 41st.
scott commenced his attack about half past six, along the entire front. on drummond’s right and centre, the attack was not pushed home, and the british guns on the hill, from their advantageous position, had a decided[203] superiority over the attacking artillery. but on drummond’s left, the attack was successful. a battalion, ordered by scott to make a wide turning movement through the dense forest between the road and the river, suddenly attacked the canadian militia in flank, threw them into disorder, and captured some prisoners, occupied the road, and forced back lisle’s troop of the 19th for over a mile. at this juncture, general riall was severely wounded, and, being taken to the road, was conducted by mistake, in the growing darkness, into a party of the enemy, by whom he was at once made prisoner. the canadian militia, however, quickly recovered themselves, and formed up in rear of the 89th, at right angles to them, covering the flank and rear of the british position. they also cleared the road to the rear, and the enemy made no further headway on this flank during the remainder of the battle.
scott now made a determined attack, with the rest of his troops, on the british centre. it was repulsed after some severe fighting, in which both sides suffered heavily. a lull in the action then occurred, during which the artillery on both sides maintained their fire. scott, while reforming his ranks, was joined by brown and the rest of the united states’ troops; at the same time, drummond was joined by the rear division of riall’s troops, which had been marching and counter-marching, under conflicting orders, since they left twelve mile creek. with them came the second troop of the 19th.
“for a few minutes firing almost ceased, and this interval was employed by the united states’ artillerymen in bringing forward fresh supplies of ammunition, and a daring officer, captain brooke, stealthily crept up the hillside until within a few yards of the british battery, with a dark lantern, which he suspended in a thicket, as a guide for his gunners to take aim by; for although the moon had risen, its light was rendered faint and uncertain by drifting clouds of[204] smoke and dust, and the position of either line of battle was simply indicated at intervals, by the flash of their guns.”[64]
drummond employed part of his reinforcement to strengthen his right, while the remainder formed a second line in rear of the first. a field gun was also brought up in line with the two guns on the hill.
the united states’ commander was now convinced that the capture of the hill and the guns on it was necessary to success. forming a brigade, 1400 strong, in the hollow of the hill, he sent them straight against the guns. part of them recoiled under the heavy fire, but one battalion was able to approach under a screen of dense thickets, and gained a position behind a log fence within twenty yards of the guns without being observed. pouring in a volley, they rushed on the gunners with the bayonet, and were at once masters of the guns, which were turned upon the british line. a large body of united states’ infantry were then brought up on to the hill, and their artillery ascended the slope at a gallop. in doing this, one gun, of which the drivers were killed by a sudden volley, was taken by the horses into the british ranks, and secured.
“the remainder of the british artillery was at the same time brought forward, until the muzzles of the (opposing) guns were only a few yards asunder, and the battle thenceforward became a confused, ferocious and sanguinary struggle, waged frequently at the bayonet’s point, or with clubbed muskets, the british striving desperately to regain the ground they had lost, and their opponents to thrust them down into the hollow beyond, and drive them from the field. regiments, companies, and sections were broken up and mingled together. they retired, rallied, and were led to the charge again.”[64]
walker & boutall sc.
battle of lundy’s lane
9 p.m. 25th. july, 1814.
from l.l.h.s. publications.
for over two hours this desperate struggle in the dark continued, with varying fortunes. at one moment, the[205] 103rd, a young regiment, was forced back in disorder; at another the u.s. guns were captured, and two of them spiked. neither side could make headway, in spite of frequent attacks and counter-attacks. drummond was severely wounded but kept the field: nearly one-third of the british force were killed and wounded. the u.s. forces were in equally bad case. three of their generals were wounded, while the rank and file had lost heavily. in the confusion and darkness the whole force had become disorganized; scott’s brigade, that had commenced the fight, had dwindled to a few companies: there were an enormous number of stragglers. closing their ranks for a last attack the wearied british troops, headed by the light company of the 41st, regained possession of the hill and of the guns, just as brown had decided on withdrawing. desultory firing continued for a few minutes: it was not till near midnight that the british troops, wearied by prolonged marching and fighting, remained in undisturbed possession of the field. two of the enemy’s guns remained in their possession, while one british gun was carried off.
thus ended the battle of lundy’s lane, the most severely contested action of the war. on the british side both generals were severely wounded, one of them being taken prisoner. out of a total strength of somewhat less than 3000, the total british loss amounted to 5 officers and 76 men killed, 30 officers and 532 men wounded, 14 officers and 219 men missing and prisoners. the disproportion of wounded to killed, in this and other actions, was mainly due to the frequent use of buckshot by the enemy. the heaviest losses fell on the royal scots and 89th, who, out of a total of about 900 present, suffered a loss of 426. the 19th light dragoons had two wounded and one missing, together with three horses killed, ten wounded, and one missing. the united states’ loss was never correctly stated. of the four generals engaged,[206] three were wounded, while the disorganization of their force of about 4500 men engaged, and the loss of 16 officers killed and 56 wounded, makes it probable that their loss in killed and wounded was not less than 1200. several hundred prisoners remained in the hands of the british. in his dispatch, general drummond writes, “in reviewing the action from its commencement, the first object which presents itself as deserving of notice, is the steadiness and good countenance of the squadron of the 19th light dragoons, under major lisle, and the very creditable and excellent defence made by the incorporated militia-battalion &c.” this refers to the first period of the action when the left of the line was forced back.
the following day, general ripley, who had succeeded to the command of the united states’ troops, advanced across the chippewa to see to his dead and wounded; finding the field in occupation of the british, he immediately retired, broke down the bridge, destroyed a quantity of camp equipage and stores, and retired precipitately to erie, which he reached on 27th. the light troops, cavalry and indians were sent in pursuit, and made a few prisoners. on reaching erie, ripley at once set to work to enlarge and strengthen the defences, in anticipation of attack.
drummond, after repairing the bridge, and receiving some reinforcements that brought his effective strength up to 3150 men, followed in ripley’s footsteps, and appeared before erie, which he invested on 3rd august. ripley’s position was now very strong, with new earthworks and batteries extending from the fort to the edge of the lake. on the river side he was covered by the batteries at black rock: while from the lake, his defences were flanked by the fire of three gunboats. on the night of the 3rd, drummond threw a small party of about 450 men across the river to capture the batteries at black rock. failing to effect a surprise, they recrossed, with[207] the loss of 25 men k.w.m. two days later, the spirits of the besieged were raised by the arrival of general gaines to supersede ripley. on the night of the 12th, a daring exploit was performed by captain dobbs of the royal navy. with 75 seamen from lake ontario, he attacked and captured, in open boats transported overland, two of the three gunboats on lake erie: the third gunboat cut its cable, and escaped. on the 13th, drummond’s batteries opened fire on the enemy’s works, and continued the cannonade on the following day, preparatory to a grand assault. at 2 a.m. on the 15th, the assault was delivered in three columns. the right column, headed by sergeant powell of the 19th light dragoons, “who was perfectly acquainted with the ground, volunteered to act as guide, and preceded the leading subdivision in the most intrepid style,” was to attack a work called snake hill at the border of the lake. the picquet of cavalry under captain eustace, 19th light dragoons was detailed to act with the right column. the rest of the squadron was drawn up in the rear of the most advanced battery, in readiness to receive prisoners, and conduct them to the rear. the centre and left columns were to assault the fort at different points. the scaling ladders with the right attack were too short; after prolonged efforts, and suffering great losses, the column was obliged to retire without gaining a footing. the left column also was beaten back, losing its leader and many men. the centre column, which was the weakest of the three, led by lt. colonel drummond, the general’s nephew, alone effected a lodgment, and maintained its position till daylight, in spite of the most desperate efforts of the garrison. lt. colonel drummond fell; but his men, reinforced from the left column, continued to resist all attacks made to dislodge them, till a tremendous explosion of stored ammunition took place, killing many, and forcing the remainder to retire. almost[208] every officer with the centre and left columns was killed or wounded. this disastrous repulse cost the british force a loss of 905 of all ranks, killed, wounded and missing; great part of the loss being ascribed to the explosion.
drummond continued the blockade, and his troops now began to suffer greatly from sickness. on the 2nd september, general brown, who had recovered from his wound received at lundy’s lane, resumed command of the u.s. forces at erie, in place of gaines who had been severely wounded. on the morning of the 7th, a united states’ picquet, consisting of an officer and 21 men, was surprised and cut off to a man, by a small party of infantry and a detachment of the 19th light dragoons under captain eustace, the whole commanded by captain powell, d.a.q.m.g. the general order of the same day says: “sergeant powell, 19th light dragoons, has been named to the lieutenant general as having again distinguished himself on this occasion.” this brave soldier was subsequently taken prisoner, and is believed to have died before he could be exchanged. on the 17th september, favoured by a heavy fall of rain, brown made a sortie in three strong divisions. the battery guards were surprised, and the whole line of entrenchments was for a time in the assailants’ hands; till drummond, bringing up troops from the camp, drove out the enemy, and recovered possession of his batteries. the sortie cost the british troops 609 killed, wounded and prisoners, in addition to three of their few heavy guns destroyed, and other damage. this, together with continuous bad weather and increasing sickness among his troops, caused drummond to give up the blockade, on the 21st, and withdraw his head quarters across the chippewa on the 24th, which was done without molestation. a strong body of troops was maintained in advance of the chippewa, occupying the line of the black creek. in his[209] dispatch of 2nd october to sir george prevost, drummond reports the capture by the enemy of a patrol of a corporal and six men of the 19th light dragoons. “the dragoons must have been most culpably careless and confident, or the circumstance could not have happened.” about the 8th october, general izard, with a large body of u.s. troops, arrived by land at lewiston, from sackett’s harbour. instead of crossing the river to drummond’s rear, as he should have done, he continued along the river to black rock, and assumed the command at erie. izard’s force now amounted to over 8000 men, from whom some decisive action was to be expected. izard advanced to black creek, and offered battle, which drummond was not strong enough to accept. beyond some skirmishing, izard made no further use of his superiority of force, awaiting co-operation from the lake. but the u.s. squadron on ontario was held fast in sackett’s harbour by sir james yeo. izard remained inactive till 20th october, when he fell back, and carried his force across the river to black rock and buffalo. on the 5th november, he blew up fort erie and evacuated the place. drummond at once disposed the men in winter quarters. major lisle’s squadron was ordered to hold itself in readiness to proceed to lower canada, and one troop under captain eustace was sent to ancaster.
several times during the summer marauding parties from the united states, taking advantage of the undefended state of the detroit frontier, had crossed the border, plundering and burning, and carrying off peaceable inhabitants. drummond was unable to spare any force to meet this evil, and the province suffered cruelly. towards the end of october, a mounted force of 1500 undisciplined men, under general mcarthur, crossed the border by lake st clair, and marched to moravian town on the thames river, continuing eastwards[210] in the direction of burlington heights, where only a few militia and some 300 of the 103rd, under lt. colonel smelt, were stationed. smelt at once moved forward to grand river with about 170 men of the 103rd, 27 of the 19th light dragoons, 150 militia and some indians. after making a demonstration of crossing, mcarthur turned back and regained detroit, on the 17th november, without having effected anything beyond the destruction of a great quantity of property. “both in their advance and in their retreat their progress was marked by plunder and devastation.” captain eustace and his party marched to dover.
a return, dated 8th november, shows that out of 7552 men on the frontier between toronto and long point, 1327 were in hospital at that date. the total strength of the 19th light dragoons’ squadron was 123, of whom 34 were sick.
the operations for the year were at an end on this part of the frontier. fort niagara still remained in british hands, and the projected attack on kingston had not been made. the only results of the strenuous efforts made by the united states’ government, at this point, had been to show the improvement of their troops, both in generalship and fighting power, since the beginning of the war. beyond this, there was nothing to show for the offensive operations undertaken by the united states during the year.
the abdication of napoleon, and the peace concluded in paris at the end of may, set free for service in america the troops serving under wellington in the south of france. a number of regiments were embarked at once for quebec, so that, by the end of august, sir george prevost had upwards of 16,000 british troops in lower canada. with them came instructions to attack plattsburgh, which, to observers at a distance, appeared to be the point from[211] which the most formidable attack might be directed against montreal. the strategy was at fault, as the experience of the preceding year had shown that, while kingston continued to be held in force, no attack from plattsburgh was likely to be successful. on the other hand, a british success at plattsburgh could lead to no decisive result. the true point of attack was sackett’s harbour, on lake ontario. the occupation and retention of this point would have destroyed the u.s. naval power on the lake; montreal and kingston would have been secured from attack; and sir gordon drummond would have been master of the situation on the niagara frontier. the u.s. government gauged the situation more correctly, and denuded plattsburgh of troops to reinforce sackett’s harbour. the event showed that plattsburgh was only of secondary importance.
for the expedition against plattsburgh sir george prevost formed three brigades on the frontier extending from the richelieu river to the st lawrence commanded by major generals power, robinson and brisbane. the whole division was under command of major general de rottenburg, and amounted to 11,000 men. with it was the rest of the 19th light dragoons not engaged on the niagara frontier.
on the 3rd of september, sir george prevost, advancing by chateaugay from the st lawrence, crossed the frontier to chazy, and, on the 5th, reached, without opposition, a point eight miles from plattsburgh. the u.s. troops about plattsburgh, at the time, amounted to about 1500 men, of inferior quality, under general macomb. this force was augmented by about 3000 militia from the surrounding neighbourhood during the operations, but neither in quality or numbers was it fit to stand before the troops under prevost. on the 6th, the army advanced on plattsburgh, driving in the u.s. pickets and outposts. so feeble was the resistance made that general macomb[212] mentions in his dispatch that the british troops pressed on in column, not even deigning to fire, except by their flankers and advanced patrols, on the militia that they brushed out of their way. in the advance, the 19th light dragoons had one man and two horses wounded, two men and six horses missing. plattsburgh stands on the saranac creek which runs at right angles into lake champlain. the high ground on the south side of the saranac was occupied by macomb with some hastily constructed redoubts. the houses on the north of the saranac were occupied by british troops, on the 6th. on the lake lay the u.s. squadron, consisting of four vessels and ten gunboats. the british squadron, consisting of four vessels and twelve gunboats, was still at the north end of lake champlain, awaiting the completion of the flag-ship which had only been launched ten days previously, and whose crew had hardly joined her from quebec. sir george prevost had only to advance on the 7th to make himself master of the feeble defences opposed to him, when he suddenly conceived the idea that he must await the co-operation of his lake squadron. for four days prevost lay inactive, while he urged captain downie with his ill-prepared ships to join him, and engage the enemy’s squadron: the time was utilised by macomb in strengthening his defences and collecting reinforcements. on the 11th, the british squadron appeared in sight, and engaged the u.s. ships, while prevost put his troops tardily in motion. they forded the saranac, and ascended the opposing heights, when, with victory in their grasp, they suddenly received the order to withdraw to their former positions. the british lake squadron, after a most deadly contest of over two hours, had been completely defeated, and sir george prevost at once threw up the sponge. the same night, leaving his sick and wounded, together with a quantity of stores, he commenced a retreat, which much[213] resembled a flight, to the canadian frontier. in the many wars in which the british army has fought, it would be hard to find a parallel instance in which british troops have been so mishandled. the co-operation of the fleet was unnecessary, as the enemy’s squadron could not have maintained its position with the whole of plattsburgh in british hands. nine thousand of wellington’s veterans, who had defeated napoleon’s choicest troops again and again, were made to retreat from an inferior force that could not have withstood them for an hour, with a loss of less than 40 killed since they had crossed the frontier. no wonder that the enemy first took the retreat for a ruse de guerre, and that a british general broke his sword, vowing he would never serve again. in the whole of the operations against plattsburgh, the land forces under prevost’s immediate command suffered a total loss of 37 killed, 150 wounded and 55 missing. in their anger at the fiasco, an immense number of men deserted during the retreat, causing a greater loss than a successful prosecution of the enterprise could possibly have entailed. the 19th light dragoons while covering the retirement, lost five men and horses taken prisoners.
only brief mention need be made of land operations elsewhere, as they do not come within the scope of operations in which the 19th light dragoons were concerned. in the middle of august, a combined military and naval expedition fitted out from bermuda, under major general ross and vice admiral cockburn, landed at benedict in the potomac river, 50 miles from washington, and marched on that town. at bladensberg, on the 24th, ross encountered a u.s. army of about 8000 men under general winder, and gained a complete and easy victory, taking 10 guns.[65] washington was occupied the same evening.[214] on the following evening, after burning the most important public buildings, in retaliation for the outrages committed on the canadian non-combatants, the force retired, and re-embarked on the 29th, without molestation.
at daylight on the 12th september, the same force landed 13 miles from baltimore, and advanced on that place. on first coming in touch with the enemy, ross was killed by a chance shot. colonel brook assumed the command, and at about five miles from baltimore a united states’ force of about 7000 men was encountered and overthrown in less than half an hour. two field pieces and many prisoners were captured. preparations were then made for a combined attack on the city, when it was discovered that the harbour was so effectually closed by sunken vessels, that naval co-operation was impossible. it being considered that, under these circumstances, the loss that must be incurred in taking the place by storm would be out of proportion to any benefit to be gained, the troops were withdrawn, and re-embarked without the slightest molestation, on the 15th. the troopships, after hovering on the coast, rather aimlessly for another month, then set sail for jamaica, where an expedition was preparing against new orleans.
the mistake that had been made by the united states government in the early part of the war, in under-rating the difficulty of conquering canada, and in believing that the inhabitants would join the invaders, was now to be repeated by the british government. british ministers had been brought to believe that the inhabitants of louisiana were disaffected to the u.s. government, and that the state could easily be taken possession of. with this object, an expedition against new orleans had been planned in england; and, it was in order to save the troops for this purpose, that the attack on baltimore had been abandoned. new orleans, though a great commercial[215] centre, was devoid of any military importance, and the expedition was destined to furnish another example of the faulty strategy that was exhibited on both sides during the war.
on the 8th december, the expedition under major general sir edward pakenham, appeared off the coast, and, on the night of the 12th, captured the enemy’s squadron of gunboats. on the 16th, the landing of the troops commenced, at the mouth of the pearl river. considerable delay ensued, owing to the swampy nature of the ground, and the advance did not approach the city till the 23rd. general jackson, in command at new orleans, occupied a long line of entrenchments at right angles to the river. he was also assisted by armed vessels on the mississippi which inflicted severe losses on the british troops, and greatly delayed their advance. on the morning of the 8th january, the attack was made, and repulsed with heavy slaughter. pakenham fell at the head of his men; major general gibbs died of his wounds the following day, and major general keane was severely wounded. the total loss amounted to 2119 killed, wounded and missing. so strongly were the enemy posted, that his loss did not exceed about 80 men. under this disastrous repulse the expedition withdrew on the 18th, and re-embarked. a portion of the expedition was then directed against fort bowyer, on mobile point, which capitulated, on 12th february, without resistance. twenty-eight guns and over 300 prisoners fell into the hands of the british.
in the middle of march, news was received that a treaty of peace had been signed at ghent on 24th december, and the war was at an end.
during the summer of 1814, the head quarters of the regiment was moved from la prairie to chambly, where they remained as long as the regiment was in canada.[216] the four troops left behind in ireland had been moved, on the embarkation of the regiment for canada, to radipole barracks, near weymouth; and thence to maidstone, in february 1814. in july of the same year, the regiment lost its colonel, lord howe, by death. in his place, lieutenant general sir william payne bt., was transferred as colonel, from the 23rd light dragoons. he was an officer who had served in the royal dragoons, and commanded the british cavalry at the battle of talavera. his connection with the regiment was very brief, as, in the following january, he was appointed colonel of the 12th light dragoons. in his place, major general sir john ormsby vandeleur k.c.b., lieutenant colonel in the regiment, was appointed colonel.
sir john vandeleur had entered the army in 1781, and saw service in flanders in 1794, and at the cape of good hope in 1796. he commanded a brigade of cavalry, under lake, in the wars against scindia and holkar, 1803–5, and especially distinguished himself at laswaree, and on other occasions. in 1807, he exchanged into the 19th as already mentioned.[66] in 1811, he commanded an infantry brigade in spain, under wellington, and, at ciudad rodrigo, led the assault after craufurd’s fall, when he was severely wounded. afterwards he commanded the 4th cavalry brigade at waterloo, and succeeded to the command of the whole of the cavalry, on lord uxbridge being wounded.
during 1814, gold lace was substituted for silver in the uniform of the regiment.
in may 1815, sanction was granted, under the following order, for major lisle’s squadron to wear the badge “niagara” for their services on the niagara frontier. the[217] privilege seems to have been extended later to the whole regiment.
horse guards
19th may 1815.
1815.
19th light
dragoons
(squadron
under major
lisle). royal
scots—1st
battalion. 8th
or king’s—
1st battalion.
41st—fl.
cos. 89th—
2nd batt.
100th—
103rd—
glengarry lt.
inf. fencibles.
sir,
i have had the honour to lay before the commander-in-chief your letter of the 26th february last, and am directed to acquaint you in reply that his royal highness the prince regent has been pleased, in the name and on the behalf of his majesty, to approve of the regiments named in the margin, being permitted to bear on their colors and appointments in addition to any other badges, or devices, which may have been heretofore permitted to be borne by those regiments the word “niagara,” in consequence of the distinguished conduct of those corps in the capture of fort niagara by assault on the 19th december 1813, and in the battle at lundy’s lane, in north america, on the 25th july 1814.
i have &c.
h. calvert
a. g.
lt. general
sir george prevost bt.
or general officer commanding canada.
detachments of the regiment were quartered at la prairie, isle aux noix, blairfindie, quebec, montreal, and st john’s.
in 1816, the whole of the ten troops of the regiment, amounting to 620 rank and file, appear to have been in canada. at the very end of the year, the strength of the canadian establishment was fixed at 5000 rank and file. in order to bring it down to this number, the 19th were held under orders to return to england, but, it was not till the following 6th august that they embarked at quebec,[218] and landed at tilbury, 13th september. on landing they marched to romford, where they remained till the following march.
the execution done by the polish lancers at waterloo induced the military authorities in england to arm four regiments with lances. accordingly, the 9th, 12th, 16th, and 23rd light dragoons were equipped as lancers, in september 1816. but great reductions in the military establishments were in progress, and, in october 1817, the 23rd were disbanded, their horses being made over to the 19th, whose establishment was reduced to eight troops. at the same time, the 19th were ordered to be equipped as lancers.[67]
in march 1818, the regiment was moved to hounslow and hampton court, with detachments at pimlico and kensington. on the 26th may, the regiment, together with the 10th hussars, was reviewed at hounslow by the prince regent, and, in november, they were on duty, at datchet, for queen charlotte’s funeral.
the regimental muster rolls show that in october the regiment had 455 rank and file.
in june of the following year the regiment moved to brighton, with troops at hastings, arundel and rottingdean.
a year later (june 1820), the regiment was ordered to nottingham, with troops at mansfield, sheffield, loughborough, peterborough and derby. in spite of the distance, they marched to hounslow to be reviewed, on 4th august, in company with the 10th hussars and 12th lancers, by george iv., when his majesty expressed his “unqualified approbation” of the three regiments.
officers of the xixth lancers, 1818.
to face p. 218.
during the winter, the regiment marched to manchester, and, in the end of may, embarked for ireland, where they were quartered at newbridge. but further reductions[219] were in progress, and, on 23rd august 1821, warrants were issued for the disbandment of the 18th light dragoons and 19th lancers, which were carried into effect on 10th september. the strength of the 19th, at the time of disbandment, was 103 officers and non-commissioned officers, 336 rank and file, 273 horses.
