BATTLE OF BRIDGEWATER.

Copy of a letter from Capt. L. Austin, Aid to Gen. Brown, to the Secretary of War, dated

H. Q. Buffalo, 29th July, 1814.

I have the honor of addressing you by desire of Gen. Brown, who is now confined by wounds, received in a severe and desperate engagement with the enemy, on the afternoon and night of the 25th inst.

Our army had fallen back to Chippewa. The enemy, collecting every regiment from Burlington and York, and meeting with no opposition on Lake Ontario, transported, by water, to fort George, troops from Kingston, and even Prescott, which enabled them to bring a force against us, vastly superior, under the command of Lieut. Gen. Drummond and Maj. Gen. Riall. They were met by us near the falls of Niagara, where a most severe conflict ensued; the enemy disputed the ground with resolution, yet were driven from every position they attempted to hold. We stormed his batteries, directly in front, and took possession of all his artillery; notwithstanding his immense superiority, both in numbers and position, he was completely defeated, and our troops remained on the battle ground, without any interruption. As, however, both Generals Brown and Scott had received severe wounds-almost every chief of battalion disabled-and our men quite exhausted, it was thought prudent to retire to our encampment; which was done in good order, without any molestion from the enemy--our wounded having first been emoved.

Maj. Gen. Riall, with the aid-de-camp of Lieut. Gen. Drummond, and about twenty other, officers, with two hundred privates, are taken prisoners.

The loss, on both sides, is immense; but no account has yet been returned. The aid, and brigade Major of Gen. Scott, are both severely wounded; and Capt. Spencer, an aid of Gen. Brown, most probably dead, having received two balls through his body. Both Generals Brown and Scott are on this side, confined by their wounds; Gen. Ripley commands on the other. General Brown received his wounds at the same instant during a late part of the action; but still continued to keep his horse, until exhausted by loss of blood--this, probably, has rendered his wounds more painful than they would otherwise have been.

I have the honor, &c.

L. AUSTIN, A. D. Camp.

Hon. Sec. War.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

General Operations Continued.

SIEGE AT FORT ERIE.

General Drummond advanced and invested the American army in fort Erie; but finding an obstinate resistance, he attempted to carry it by storm, August 15th. Here the scenes of Chippewa and Bridgewater, were renewed. The enemy were repulsed with great

loss.

General Brown had now recovered of his wounds and resumed the command, September 2d.

General Drummond continued his operations before fort Erie; stengthened his works and pushed the siege. On the 17th, General Brown executed a gallant sortie, by performing a circuitous march, and surprised the en

emy upon the flank of his trenches; charged him in column, and carried his works with a dreadful carnage. More than 800 men fell, on the side of the enemy, and the Americans lost 300. General Drummond raised the siege and retired to Chippewa.

BATTLE AT FORT ERIE.

Copies of letters from Brig. Gen. Gaines, to the Secretary of War, dated

SIR,

H. Q. Fort Erie, U. C. Aug. 23d, 1814.

Loss of sleep, and constant exposure to the weather, in its various changes, gave me, some days ago, a violent cold, which has put it out of my power to do any thing more than the state of the service here rendered absolutely indispensable; hence my apology for delaying, until this day, my report of the battle of the 15th inst.

General Drummond is quietly engaged, in collecting his reinforcements; his camp appears to be fortified: I attempted to look at it, a few days past, and it cost me a fine young officer, Lieut. Yates, of the 4th rifle regiment, killed, and Lieut. Kearsley, of that excellent corps, with Lieut. Childs, of the 9th, wounded; with the loss of some 2 or 3 privates killed, and 5 or 6 wounded. The loss of the enemy, I was unable to ascertain; he would not leave his defences, and I did not think fit to leave mine at all exposed. Several deserters say, that the 6th and 82d regiments arrived last night-if this be true, their strength is about the same as it was before the battle of the 15th; their Col. Scott, is dead. About 20 deserters from the De. Watteville regiment, and some few from other corps, concur

THE AMERICAN NAVY.

355

in the report, that their loss in killed, wounded, and missing, on the 15th, was upwards of a thousand.

E. P GAINES, B. Gen. Comg.

Gen. ARMSTRONG,

Sec'y War.

SIR,

DETAILED REPORT.

H. Q. Left Wing 2d Division, Fort Erie,
U. C. Aug. 1814.

I have the honor to communicate, for the information of the department of war, the particulars of the battle fought at this place, on the 15th inst. between the left wing of the 2d division of the northern army, under my command, and the British forces in the Peninsula of U. C. commanded by Lieut. Gen. Drummond, which terminated in a signal victory, in favor of the United American arms. Our position, on the margin of the lake, at the entrance of the Niagara river, being nearly a horizontal plane, 12 or 15 feet above the surface of the water, possessing few natural advantages, had been strengthened in front, by temporary parapet breastworks, intrenchments, and abattis, with two batteries and 6 field pieces. The small, unfinished fort, Erie, with a 24, 18 and 12 prs. form the N. E.-andthe Douglass battery, with an 18, and 6 pr. near the edge of the lake, the S. E. angle of our right; the left is defended by a redoubt battery, with 6 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 Capt. Towson; Fort Erie, by Capt. 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 Maj. Gen. Scott,) were posted on the right, under the command of Lieut. Col. Aspinwall; Gen. Ripley's brigade, consisting of the 21st and 23d, defended on the left; Gen. Porter's brigade, of the New York and Pennsylvania volunteers, with our distinguished riflemen, occupied the centre.

I have, therefore, 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 its appearance than injurious in its effects, as it did not disable a man, or damage 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 of the British army, which was instantly returned on our part ; and Capt. 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 annexed paper, No. 1. is a copy of Lieut. Gen. Drummond's plan of attack.

The night was dark, and, the early part of it, raining; but the faithful centinel slept not :--one third of the troops were up at their posts. At half past 2 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 musquetry, under Major Wood, and artillery, under Capt. Towson. Being mounted at the moment, I repaired to the point of attack, where the sheet of fire, rolling from Towson's bat