are well furnished with boats.

You will thus perceive the critical situation in which we are
placed on this line. We look with confident hope for the report of
your success, and Brigadier-General Vincent, (who is here and by
whose directions I am writing to you,) has desired rne to impress
upon you what essential aid could be rendered to us by the timely
arrival here of five hundred Indians should you have secured Harri
son s army. It is the Brigadier-General s desire, and in which I
most earnestly join, that you forward to us in the King s vessels to
Point Abino that number with as great expedition as possible. In
the event of your having captured Harrison s army you will see the
impossibility under existing circumstances of our taking charge of
them here, and therefore Brigadier-General Vincent requests you
will make the best arrangements in your power to dispose of them,
either by securing them at one or the other of your own posts or



185

passing them on parole into the United States by way of Cleveland
or other route as you may find expedient ; the latter line of conduct/
is perhaps the most preferable on account of the state of your sup
plies of provisions.

Sincerely wishing you every success, and hoping to send you
and receive from you good accounts.

P. S. Norton had gone towards you as far as the head of the
lake, but is called back.

(From Niles s Weekly Register, Baltimore, Md., 15th January, 1814, Vol. V., p. 327.
Said to have been taken in General Procter s baggage, 5th October, 1813.)



Jasper Parrish to Major-General I/ewis.

CANANDAIGUA, May 2, 1813.

SIR, I received your letter of the 27th ult. At the time of
delivering your letter to the Secretary of War, I had some con
versation with him on the subject of the war and employing such
of the Indians as have firearms and were offering their services to
the United States last fall. He observed that they may be of ser
vice to our army, and he would refer the matter to the President.

The President has given no permission to employ the Indians,
or even to accept of their services. He has sent a speech to the Six
Nations by me in writing, giving his advice to them to retire from
the lines during the war, to Alleghany, where they may sleep in
safety.

(From Ketchum s History of Buffalo, Vol. II., pp. 427-8.)



^General Dearborn to the Secretary of War.

HEADQUARTERS, NIAGARA, May 3, 1813.

SIR, I arrived at this place last evening with Commodore
Chauncey, in his fast sailing schooner the Lady of the Lake. We
left the fleet with the troops on board in York roads. The wind
has been so unfavorable as to render it im practicable to come to this
place with any prospect of effecting a landing.

I have had a conference with Generals Lewis, Boyd and Winder,
at which Commodore Chauncey was present. I did not find the
preparations at this place as complete as could have been expected,
but as soon as the wind will permit we shall make a descent. Com
modore Chauncey has returned to the fleet and will sail for this
place as soon as he shall judge the wind favorable for crossing and
landing the troops. In the meantime we shall be preparing to act
in concert. General Boyd will take command of the brigade lately
commanded by General Pike. We find the weather on this lake at



186

this season of the year extremely tedious and uncertain, especially
when we have to debark troops on the shore of the lake where
there are no harbors. Westerly winds are necessary, we have none
but easterly. I have no doubt of ultimate success, unless harassed
and dispersed by the elements.

I enclose a return of the killed and wounded. You will observe
the loss was very small, excepting that produced by the explosion.
As nearly as I have been able to ascertain, the loss of the enemy
amounted to from ninety to one hundred killed, two hundred
wounded and upwards of three hundred prisoners. I have not been
able to ascertain precisely the number of the militia put on their
parole. I presume it could not be less than five hundred. There
was an immense depot of military and naval stores. York was the
principal depot for Niagara and Detroit, and notwithstanding the
immense amount which was destroyed by them we found more
than we could bring off. General Sheaffe s baggage and papers fell
into my hands. These papers area valuable acquisition. I have
not had time for a full examination of them. A scalp was found
in the executive and legislative chamber, suspended near the Speak
er s chair, in company with the mace and other emblems of royalty.
I intend sending it to you, with a correct account of the facts rela
tive to the place and situation in which it was found.

(American State Papers, Military Affairs, Vol. I.)



Sir Roger H. Sheaffe to Sir George Prevost.

KINGSTON, 5th May, 1813.

(Extract.)

Thinking it highly probable that the enemy would pay an
early visit to York, I had remained there long beyond the period I
had originally assigned for my departure for Fort George, in order
to expedite the preparations which the means in my power enabled
me to make for the defence of the place. Your Excellency knows
that I had intended to place Colonel Myers, Acting-Quartermaster
General, in the command there, at least for a time. I afterwards
learned that Colonel Young was in movement towards me with the
8th (or King s) Regiment. I then decided to give him the com
mand to avoid the inconvenience of separating the head of a depart
ment from me, and being informed that he was to accompany one
of the divisions of his regiment I wrote to him, both by the land
and the water route, to come to me without delay. About the 25th
of April I received certain intelligence of what had been before
rumored, that he was detained at Kingston by a severe illness, and
on the 26th I learned that Colonel Myers was to leave Fort George



187

that day for York. I therefore determined to wait for his arrival,
and to leave him in the command until Colonel Young might be in
a state to relieve him. It was in the evening of the same day that
I heard of the approach of the enemy. I have thought it proper
to enter into this explanation as Your Excellency may have expected
that I had returned to Fort George before the period at which the
attack was made at York. I propose remaining here until I shall
have received Your Excellency s commands.

(Enclosed in Sir Roger Sheaffe s letter to Earl Bathurst of 18th May, 1813. Canadian
Archives, Q. 317, p. 131.)



Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe to Sir George Prevost.

KINGSTON, May 5, 1813.

SIR, I did myself the honour of writing to Your Excellency
on my route from York, to communicate the mortifying intelligence
that the enemy had obtained possession of that place on the 27th
of April. I shall now give Your Excellency a further detail of that
event.

In the evening of the 26th information was received that many
vessels had been seen to the eastward. Very early the next morn
ing they were discovered lying to, not far from the harbour. After
some time had elapsed they made sail, and to the number of sixteen
of various descriptions anchored off the shore some distance to the
westward. Boats full of troops were immediately seen assembling
near the Commodore s ship, under cover of whose fire arid that of
other vessels and aided by the wind, they soon effected a landing in
spite of a spirited opposition from Major Givins and about forty
Indians. A company of Glengarry Light Infantry which had been
ordered to support them had by some mistake, (not in the smallest
degree imputable to its commander,) been led in another direction
and came late into action. The other troops, consisting of two
companies of the 8th (or King s) Regiment and about a company of
the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, with some militia, encountered
the enemy in a thick wood. Captain McNeal of the King s Regi
ment was killed while gallantly leading his company, which suf
fered severely. The troops at length fell back ; they rallied several
times but could not maintain the contest against the greatly supe
rior and increasing numbers of the enemy. They retired under
cover of our batteries, which were engaged with some of the enemy s
vessels that had moved nigher to the harbour. [They kept up a
heavy fire on us, some of their guns being thirty-two pounders.
To return it we had two twelve-pounders and two old condemned
eighteen-pounders without trunnions, and having part of the time



188

a twelve-pounder of the same description, which we had stocked
and mounted. With these defective means the enemy was kept at
bay for some time, when*] by some unfortunate accident the maga
zine at the western battery blew up and killed and wounded a
considerable number of men and crippled the battery. It became
too evident that our numbers and means of defence were inadequate
to the task of maintaining possession of York against the vast
vsuperiority of force brought against it. The troops were withdrawn
towards the town, and were finally ordered to retreat on the road
to Kingston ; the powder magazine was blown up and the new ship
and naval stores destroyed. Lieutenant-Colonel Chewett and Major
Allan of the militia, residents in the town, were instructed to treat
with the American commanders for terms ; a statement of those
agreed on with Major-General Dearborn and Commodore Chauncey
is transmitted to Your Excellency, with returns of the killed,
wounded, &c. The accounts of the number of the enemy vary from
eighteen hundred and ninety to three thousand. We had about
six hundred, including militia and dockyard men. The quality of
these troops was of so superior a description and their general dis
position so good that under less unfavourable circumstances I should
have felt confident of success in spite of the disparity of numbers.
As it was the contest, which commenced between six and seven
o clock, was maintained for nearly eight hours.

When we had proceeded some miles from York we met the
light infantry of the King s Regiment on its route for Fort George.
It retired with us and covered the retreat, which was effected with
out molestation from the enemy.

[Your Excellency is apprised of the causes which conspired to
delay so long my departure for Fort George.

I propose remaining here until I shall receive Your Excellency s
commands.*]

(Canadian Archives, Q. 121, p. 217. Enclosed in Sir George Prevost s despatch to
Earl Bathurst of 18th May, 1813, No. 60.)

*These passages were omitted from this despatch when printed in the London Gazette.



Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe to Sir George Prevost.

KINGSTON, 5th May, 1813.

SIR, I did myself the honour of writing Your Excellency on
my route from York to communicate the mortifying intelligence
that the enemy had obtained possession of that place on the 27th
of April, and I shall now enter into a fuller detail than I was
enabled to do at the date of that letter.

In the evening of the 26th of April I received information that



189

many vessels had been seen from the high lands to the eastward of
York. Soon after daylight the next morning the enemy s vessels
were discovered lying to not far from the shore of the peninsula in
front of the town. They soon afterwards, sixteen in number of
various descriptions, made sail with a fresh breeze from the eastward,
led by the ship lately built at Sackett s Harbour, and anchored off
the point where the French fort formerly stood. Many boats full
of troops were soon discovered assembling near the Commodore s
ship, apparently with an intention of effecting a landing on the
ground off which he was anchored. Our troops were ordered into
the ravine in the rear of the Government garden, and Major Givins
and the Indians with him were sent forward thro the wood to
oppose the landing of the enemy.

The company of Glengarry light infantry was directed to sup
port them, and the militia not having arrived at the ravine the
grenadiers of the King s and the small portion of the Royal New
foundland Fencibles belonging to the garrison of York, were moved
on, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Heathcote of that corps, commanding
the garrison. This movement was directed to be made within the
wood, parallel to the lake side, and only so far from it as not to be
discovered by the enemy s vessels, several of which were at no great
distance from the shore. Captain Eustace s company of the King s
Regiment and some militia that were quartered at the east end of
the town and had been left there during the night lest the enemy
might make some attempt on that flank, were ordered, with the
exception of a small party of militia, to join these troops, which was
soon effected. While these operations were going on Major-General
Shaw, Adjutant-General of Militia, led a portion of the militia on a
road at the back of the wood to watch our rear and act according
to circumstances. By some mistake he drew away the Glengarry
company from the direction assigned to it to accompany this detach
ment, so that it came late into action instead of being near the
Indians at its commencement. The movement of the other troops
was retarded by the difficulty of the wood, while the enemy, being-
aided by the wind, rapidly gained the shore, under cover of a tire
from the Commodore s ship and other vessels, and landed in spite of
a spirited opposition from Major Givins and his small band of
Indians. The enemy were shortly after encountered by our hand
ful of troops. Captain McNeal of the King s Regiment was early
killed while gallantly leading on his company, which suffered
severely. The troops fell back. I succeeded in rallying them
several times, and a detachment of the King s, with some militia
whom I had placed near the edge of the wood to protect our left
flank, repulsed a column of the enemy which was advancing along



190

the bank of the lake side, but our troops could not continue the
contest against the greatly superior and increasing numbers of the
enemy. They retired under cover of the batteries, which were
engaged with some of their vessels that had begun to beat up
towards the harbour when their troops landed, occasionally firing,
and had anchored at a short distance to westward of the line from
the barracks to Gibraltar Point. From that situation they kept up
a heavy fire on our batteries on the blockhouse and barracks and
on the communications between them, some of their guns being
thirty-two pounders. To return their fire we had tw^o complete
twelve-pounders and two old condemned guns, (without trunnions,
eighteen-pounders,) which after being proved had been stocked and
mounted under the direction of Lieutenant Ingouville of the Royal
Newfoundland Regiment, whom I had appointed assistant engineer.
A twelve-pounder of the same description was added during the
engagement. With these defective means the enemy was kept at
bay for some time, when by some unfortunate accident the travelling
magazine at the western battery blew up and killed and wounded a
considerable number of men, many of them belonging to the grena
dier company of the King s Regiment. The battery was crippled,
the platform being torn up and one of the eighteen-pounders over
turned. The magazine was replaced and the battery restored to
some order, but it was evident that our numbers and means of
defence were inadequate to the task of maintaining possession of
York against the vast superiority of force brought against it, though
providentially little mischief had hitherto been done by the long
cannonade of the enemy, except to some of the buildings. The
troops were withdrawn towards the tow y n, and the grand magazine
was at the same time blown up. The enemy was so near to it that
he sustained great loss, and was for a time driven back by the
explosion. Some of our troops were not beyond the reach of the
fragments of the stone, though they escaped with very little injury.
Captain Loring, my aide-de-camp, received a severe contusion, arid
the horse he rode w r as killed. The troops were halted at the ravine,
not far to the westward of the ship-yard. I there consulted with
the superior officers, and it being too apparent that a further oppo
sition would but render the result more disastrous, some of the
enemy s vessels indicating an intention to move up the harbour in
order to co-operate with the land forces, I ordered the troops of the
line to retreat on the road to Kingston, which was effected without
any annoyance from the enemy. When \ve had proceeded some
miles we met the light company of the King s Regiment on its
march to Fort George. I had sent an express the preceding even-



191

ing to hasten its movements, but it was at too great a distance to
be able to join us at York.

The ship on the stocks and the naval stores were destroyed to
prevent the enemy getting possession of them. An attempt to set
lire to the Gloucester, that was fitting out for purposes of transport,
proved abortive. She was aground, a mere hulk, her repairs not
being half finished. I have been informed that the enemy succeeded
in getting her off and putting her into a state to tow her away, a
number of shipwrights having arrived from Sackett s Harbour with
the expectation of employing them in a similar task on our new
ship.

The accounts of the number of the enemy landed vary from
eighteen hundred and ninety to three thousand. Our force con
sisted of a bombardier and twelve gunners of the Royal Artillery,
to assist whom men were drawn from the other corps, two com
panies of the 8th (or King s) Regiment, one of them, (the grena
diers,) being on its way for Fort George, about a company of the
Royal Newfoundland Regiment and one of the Glengarry Light
Infantry, and about three hundred militia and dockyard men. The
quality of some of these troops was of so superior a description,
and their general disposition so good that under less unfavorable
circumstances we might have repulsed the enemy in spite of their
numbers, or have made him pay very dearly for success ; as it was,
according to reports that have reached me, his loss was much greater
than ours, a return of which I have the honour of transmitting,
except that of the militia, a return of which has not yet been
received, but I believe it to have been inconsiderable. Donald Mc
Lean, Esquire, Clerk of the House of Assembly, gallantly volun
teered his services with a musket, and was killed. Captain Jarvis
of the Incorporated Militia, a meritorious officer, who had a share in
the successes at Detroit and Kingston, had been sent with a party
of militia in three batteaux for the militia clothing which had been
left on the road from Kingston. He came to me during the action
to report his arrival and soon afterwards he was severely wounded.
A few of the Indians, (Missassaugas and Chippewas,) were killed
and wounded, among the latter were two chiefs.

[Canadian Archives, Q. 317, p. 150. Enclosed in Sir R. H. Sheaffe s letter to Earl Bath-
urst of 18th May, 1813.)



From the Quebec Mercury, Tuesday, 25th May, 1813.

Extract of a letter from Kingston, Upper Canada, dated 7th
May.

No doubt you have heard ere this of the attack upon York.
On the 26th ult. an alarm was given that there were ten sail of the



192

enemy below York. I was on piquet that night, and early in the
morning we discovered 14 sail of the enemy coming up the river.
The whole of the regulars in garrison were assembled, which con
sisted of not more than 300 men. The enemy got up and com
menced landing. They landed from 2,500 to 3,000 men, out of
which were killed and wounded about 600. We sunk several of
their boats and killed numbers on the beach. Captain McNeal of
the 8th Regiment fell early in the engagement. We were forced to
retreat from the bush to one of the batteries, where we commenced
a heavy fire on their shipping. In the meantime the powder maga
zine which was on the battery unfortunately blew up, whereby we
lost about twenty men. We immediately collected the men together
and had the bodies removed and commenced again firing on the
enemy. We had then been hard at it from seven in the morning
until three in the afternoon, when we discovered three columns of
the enemy advancing. We then turned one of the guns on them
and commenced firing. However, our force was so reduced, and the
enemy s grape, canister and round shot came so thick amongst us,
both from them and their shipping, that we had to spike the guns
and retreat to the lower battery. We then gave them a few more
shot and were obliged to retreat. When we got 200 yards from
the powder magazine it blew up, being set on fire by ourselves,
which must have killed several hundreds of the enemy.

(File in the Library of Parliament, Ottawa.)



MS. Carefully Preserved by the I/ate Colonel William Allan of
Moss Park, Toronto, apparently the Original Draft.

YORK, 8th May, 1813.
MY DEAR SIR,

Knowing your anxiety for our fate and the interest you have
in the safety of this Province, we hasten to give you as accurate an
account as we are able of the events which have happened here
since the day previous to the attack :

On Monday, 26th April, about five o clock P. M., an express
arrived from Scarborough informing General Sheaffe that the
enemies flotilla, consisting of at least ten sail, was observed at the
distance of eight miles, steering apparently for York.

The militia were immediately called to arms, and they assem
bled with the greatest cheerfulness, as from the number of regular
troops accidentally in the garrison it was supposed that we were
strong enough to beat any force that could be brought against us
in that number of ships. The troops were stationed in different



193

places during the night to guard every approach to the town. At
daylight on the 27th the enemy s ships were seen standing in
towards Gibraltar Point, as if they intended to put troops on shore
on the neck of land below the town, but soon after, changing their
mind, they steered for the mouth of the harbour. The number of
vessels now visible amounted to fourteen, and we could see by our
glasses that the decks were crowded with troops. About six they
began to land above the old French fort, nearly two miles above
the garrison. The first division consisted of the rifle corps, which
immediately took the woods on gaining the shore. In the mean
time I was astonished that the troops and field pieces were not
ordered to march much sooner to the place of landing, as it was
easy to ascertain it after the flotilla had passed the lighthouse. At
length the troops were seen marching towards the shore opposite
the enemy s ships, but without artillery, as it was supposed to be
impracticable to bring the field pieces through the wood. From the
most correct accounts that can be procured, our troops did not pro
ceed to attack the enemy for a quarter of an hour after they had
actually reached the ground, during which time they were landing
in great numbers. At length the grenadier company of the Eighth,
joined by a few militia volunteers, advanced to attack the Americans
as they mounted the bank, and behaved with the greatest courage
and intrepidity, but unaccustomed to fighting in the woods and con
spicuous by their dress, they fell on all sides without even knowing
whence the fire proceeded. The riflemen were hid behind trees and
logs and never appeared but when they fired, squatting down to
load their pieces, and their cloaths being green they could not be
distinguished from the bushes and trees. About the same time
Major Givins with the Indians were actively employed on the right,
but they were not supported, and after losing some of their best
men, one chief killed and another wounded, they retreated through
the woods. The division of the Newfoundland Regiment and a
battalion company of the regulars were also engaged, but not being
so far in advance as the grenadier company their loss was very
inconsiderable. The place chosen by the enemy for landing was
very advantageous for their troops, being full of shrubs and bushes ;
his riflemen were immediately covered and cut oft* our people,
with little or no danger to themselves. From the frequent halts
made by our troops on their way to the scene of action and coming
up in small divisions there appeared an indecision and want of
energy which was very injurious to the cause. In a very short
time the grenadiers and Newfoundland division, with some militia
who had joined, were so much galled by the fire of the enemy
and had so many killed that they were obliged to retreat upon the



194

first battery. This was all the fighting we had, and altho the
advantage was not on our side the day, in our opinion, might have