The Java lost 69 killed, and 101 wounded; the Constitution lost 9 killed, and 25 wounded.

In the course of the general operations of autumn, against Canada, 1812, the Americans surprised and took two valuable fur ships upon Lake Erie, and brought off one valued at 100,000 dollars. This successful enterprise kindled fresh ardor in the breasts of the American troops, and they pressed General Van Renssellaer to lead them against the enemy. The general gratified their wishes, and on the 12th of October, crossed over the lake at the head of about 2000 men, and effected a landing upon the Canada shore. General Van Renssellaer was severely wounded at his first landing; but kept the field at the head of lus brave troops, and was soon joined by Colonel Scott with his artillery, and the British retired before the victors. To support the assailants, the troops of Buffaloe and Lewistown, were put in motion, to be in readiness to cross over and secure whatever conquests might be won.

Peuding these operations, General Brock advanced with a strong reinforcement of regulars and Indians, and the combat became fierce and bloody; but the British recoiled. Stung with mortification at his disappointment, General Brock again rallied his troops to the charge; but he fell mortally wounded in the heat of the action, and his troops again recoiled. At this eventful moment, when the American troops were exhausted with the fatigues of the day, and anxiously expecting the volunteers to cross over and secure the victory they had gained, such was the delay that the general crossed over in person to lead on the reserve; but to his inexpressible mortification, and chagrin they refused to follow, upon constitutional grounds.

Pending this parley, the Brrtish again returned to the combat, to revenge the death of their brave Gen. Brock, and to wipe off the disgrace of the day. The conflict was renewed, and raged with such violence, that the Ame

ricans were overpowered; about sixty were killed, one hundred wounded, and one thousand taken prisoners. Had the volunteers followed their general, the victory of the day would most probably have been complete, and the whole aspect of the ensuing campaign most probably changed.

General Van Renssellaer soon after retired from the command, and was succeeded by General Smyth.

General Smyth reconnoitered the field of action, and made great preparations to cross over and renew the combat, on the shores of Canada; accordingly he issued a proclamation, calling for volunteers to join in the enterprise, and actually assembled his troops upon a certain day, (November 28th,) to embark for the expedition against the enemy; but when the van of the American army had crossed over and found the enemy in readiness to receive them, they retired from the fire of the batteries, and returned, leaving a detachment of about thirty men, who had effected a landing, to fall into the hands of the British. Such was the resentment of the officers and troops generally, at this dastardly failure, that General Smyth was constrained to renew the attempt; and on the 4th of December, the troops were again embarked, and General Porter, of the New-York volunteers, took the command of the van. In this state of anxious suspense, when all hearts were alive to the object before them, the general announced his intentions of abandoning the enterprise for the season, and the troops retired into winter quarters.

Such was the mortification, and resentment of the army, that General Smyth thought it necessary to challenge Gen. Porter, to vindicate his courage, and then withdrew from the command.

Pending these operations, the pride of Ohio and Kentucky was deeply wounded; they roused to the contest,

as volunteers, and rallied round the standard of General Harrison, in such numbers, that he was constrained to dismiss several whole regiments, as supernumeraries.

General Harrison took the command of these volunteers in September, and sent several detachments into the Indian country, to relieve the posts that were in danger from savage war, and desperate attacks; particularly Fort Harrison, upon the Wabash, which Captain Taylor was then defending with desperate valour.

In these expeditions, Gens. Hopkins and Tupper, and Cols. Campbell and Russell, distinguished themselves in giving security to the forts, and the frontier generally.

Pending these operations, Gen. Winchester detached a strong party from Fort Winchester, to give assistance to the village of Frenchtown, upon the river Raisin. This detachment, under the command of Col. Lewis, consisting of about 500 Kentucky volunteers, and regulars, reached the Raisin on the 18th of January, 1813, and by a bold movement attacked, routed and dispersed the enemy.

Gen. Harrison having arrived with his volunteers at this time, at Fort Winchester, sent forward Gen. Winchester at the head of 200 men to support his detachment, and take the command; he arrived safe, and encamped for the night contiguous to the fortified encampment of Col. Lewis; but the enemy had collected his routed forces, supported by a strong reinforcement, and on the night of the 22d he commenced a desperate attack upon General Winchester, in his unfortified camp, and cut off the whole party, together with the general and Colonel Lewis. This opened the way for a desperate attack upon the fortified camp, and a firm resistance commenced, until about eleven o'clock, when a parley ensued, and the enemy attempted to gain by stratagem what he despaired of gaining by force. He proffered an honorable protection, if the party would surrender prisoners of war; but threaten

ed savage vengeance in case they persisted in their defence his arts prevailed; the whole detachment laid down their arms, and submitted as prisoners of war.

war.

Here opened the second volume of the massacre of Fort William Henry, (upon Lake George,) in the old French Genaral Proctor violated his engagements; gave up the prisoners to an indiscriminate savage massacre, as well as cruel savage tortures; and the wounded were consumed, the next day, to the number of sixty, in the general conflagration of the village.

To attempt to paint the horrors of this whole scene,, would exceed the powers of my pen; language would shrink from the task; humanity stand appalled at the recital; and even Britannia herself would blush at the deed.

General Harrison, upon the first intelligence of the defeat and massacre on the Raisin, constructed hastily a stockade upon the Miami of the Lake, for the protection of his troops, which he called Fort Meigs. General Proctor followed up his victory; advanced to meet General Harrison, and invested him in Fort Meigs. General Proctor commenced his attack upon this fort with desperate fury, which continued for several days; but General Clay and Colonel Dudley advanced to the relief of the fort, at the head of a strong body of regulars, and volunteers; the latter engaged the enemy, supported by a sortie from the fort, and drove them from the field; but fell into an ambush, in his unguarded pursuit of the enemy, and suffered severely in the loss of his whole party.

General Clay, in co-operation with the garrison, suceeeded in raising the siege, and dispersing the enemy, and thus Fort Meigs was relieved, after a siege of thirteen days.

These gloomy and distressing scenes of the forest, served as so many shades to the brilliant scenes of the ocean, where the American flag continued to wave victorious.

On the 24th of February, 1813, Captain Lawrence in the Hornet of 16 guns, fell in with, and captured his Britanic Majesty's brig Peacock, of 18 guns, after an action of 15 minutes. The Peacock went down at the close of the action, with her brave Captain Peake, and the rest of her killed; but the 33 wounded were all saved. The Hornet had one killed, four wounded, and lost three sunk in the prize.

In April, Capt. Lawrence returned to port, and was promoted to the command of the Chesapeak, then lying at Boston, in a state of repair, and many of her crew had been discharged. When the Chesapeak was ready for sea, the British frigate Shannon, with the Tenedos, appeared off the harbor of Boston, and invited the Chesapeak to the contest; Capt. Lawrence promptly obeyed the invitation; completed the compliment of his crew, by volunteers, and put to sea, June 1st. The Shannon manoeuvered for the combat, and the ships were soon in action, and along side; a short and desperate conflict ensued; Capt. Lawrence was wounded early in the action; but kept his station, until the fatal ball pierced his body, and he was carried below, when he exclaimed-" Don't give up the ship." Capt. Broke seized this eventful moment; boarded the Chesapeak, and carried her, after a sharp and desperate conflict, in which all her officers were killed or wounded; and seventy of her crew were killed, and eighty wounded.

The Shannon had twenty-three killed and fifty-six wounded. The Shannon sailed for Halifax with her prize, where Capt Lawrence and Lt. Ludlow were honourably interred, with the honors of war.