of his manners, and the undeviating honour of his con-
duct, he bound to himself the hearts of all around with
the strong ties of respect and affection.



280 GLORY OF AMERICA.

Thus self-formed, and thus situated, the eyes of the army
were anxiously cast towards him as the chosen champion
who was to redeem their reputation from that diso;race with
which it had been stained by a long series ol" disasters.
The day for winch his heart had long panted at leno-th
arrived a bright day of fflorv for the hero, of g-loom alid
sorrow to his country. He was selected for the^command
of the land forces in an expedition against York, the ca-
pital of Upper Canada, and on the 25th of April sailed from
Sackett"s Harbour in the squadron commanded by Com-
modore Chauncey. The day before the expedition sailed,
he wrote a letter to his father, prophetic of his fate.

'- 1 embark to-morrow in the fleet at Sacketfs Harbour,
at the head of a column of 1,500 choice troops, on a secret
expedition. If success attends mv steps, honour and glory
await my name; if defeat, still shall it be said thai we
died like brave men, and conferred honour, even in death,
on the American name.

' Should I be the happy mortal destined to turn the scale
of war, will you not rejoice, O my father ! May heaven
be propitious, and smile on the cause of my country ! But
if we are destined to fall, mav my fall be like Wolfe's to
sleep in the arms of victory."'

On the 27th of April, "General Pike arrived at York,
with about seventeen hundred chosen men. and immedi-
ately prepared to land. The spot which was selected for
landing, was the site of an old French fort called Torento,
of v/hich scarcely any vestig-es now remain. The plan of
attack was formed by Genel'al Pike, and clearly and mi-
nutely detailed in his general orders^ which were directed
to be read at the head of every corps : every field officer
was also directed to carry a copy of them, m order that
he might at any moment refer to 'them, and o-iye explana-
tions to his subordinates. Every thino- was arrano:ed, and
every probable exigency provided for.^vith admiroable me-
thod and precision.

One paragraph of these orders is deeply stamped with
that unity of character so visible throuo-hout all his ac-
tions, and vrhich is, in truth, one of the^strono-est marks
ol a powerful and original mind. "^



ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE. 281

" No man will load until ordered, excepting the light
troops in front, until within a short distance of the enemy,
and then charge bayonets ; thus letting the enemy see that
we can meet them with their own weapons. Any man
firing, or quitting his post without orders, must be put to
instant death, as an example may be necessary. Platoon
officers will pay the greatest attention to the coolness and
aim of their men in the fire : their regularity and dressing
in the charge. The field officers will watch over the con-
-duct of the whole. Courage and bravery in the field do
not more distinguish the soldier than humanity after vic-
tory ; and whatever examples the savage allies of our ene-
mies may have given us, the General confidently hopes,
that the blood of an unresisting or yielding enemy will
never stain the weapons of the soldiers of his column.
Property must be held sacred ; and any soldier who shall
so far neglect the lion our of his profession as to be guilty
of plundering the inhabitants, shall, if convicted, be pu-
nished v/ith death. But the commanding General assures

I the troops, that should they capture a large quantity of
public stores, he will use his best endeavours to procure
them a reward from his government.''

j As soon as the debarkation commenced, a body of Bri-
tish grenadiers was paraded on the shore, and the Glengary
Fencibles, a local force which had been disciplined with
great care, and lias repeatedly prov^ed itself fully equal to
any regular force, appeared at another point. Large bo-
dies of Indians were also seen in difterent directions, while
others filled the woods which skirted the shore. General
Sheafie commanded in person.

Forsyth's rifiemen were the first to land, which they
eifected under a heavy fire of musketry and rifles from the
Indians and British. As soon as the fire from the shore
commenced, Major Forsyth ordered his men to rest for a
few moments on their oars, and return the fire. At this
moment Pike was standing on the deck of his ship. He
saw the pause of his f^rst division, and, impatient at the
delay, exclaimed, '' I can stay here no longer, come, jump
into the boat ;" and, springing into it, followed by his staff,
was immediately rov^^ed into the thickest of the fire.
24*



282 % GLORY OF AMERICA.

Tlie infantry had followed the riflemen, and formed in
platoons as soon as they reached the shore. General Pike
took the command of the first platoon which he reached,
and ordered the whole to prepare for a charge. They
monnted the bank, and the enemy, after a short conflict,
broke at once, and fled in disorder towards the works. At
that moment the sound of Forsyth's buMes was heard,
announcmg his success at another point. Its eflect upon
the Lidians was almost electrical ; they gave a horrible
yell, and fled in every direction.

The whole force, beinsf now landed and collected, was
again formed, and led on by General Pike in person, to
attack the enemv^'s works. They advanced throuofh the
woods, and after carrying one battery by assault, in the
most gallant manner, moved on in columns towards the
main worl:. The fire of the enemy was soon silenced by
our artillery, and a flag of surrender was expected, when
a terrible explosion suddenly took place from the British
magazine, which had been previously prepared for this
purpose. Pike, after aiding in removing a wounded man,
sat down on a stump of a tree with a British sero^eant,
who had been taken, and was employed with Captain
Nicholson and one of his aids in examining the prisoner.
The explosion was tremendous : an immense quantity of
large stones were thrown in every direction with terrible
force, and scattered destruction and confusion around
among our troops. The General, his aid, Captain Nichol-
son, and the prisoner, fell together, all, excepting the aid,
mortally wounded. General Pike was struck on the breast
by a heaiy stone. Shortly after he received the blow, he
said to his wounded aid, - I am mortally wounded \\Tite
to my friend Duane. and tell him what you know of the
battle, and to comfort my wife." In the same broken man-
ner, he afterwards added several other requests relathig to
his private affairs.

The command devolved on Colonel Pearce, of the 16th
regiment of infantry, who sent a flag to the enemy, de-
manding an immediate surrender at discretion. The sti-
pulation that private property should be respected, was
the only condition asked, which was unhesitatingly ^'ant-



ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE. 283

ed. The British general and a part of his troops previ-
ously escaped.

The troops were instantly formed again ; as a body of
them passed by their wounded general, he said, " Push
on, brave fellows, and avenge your general." While the
surgeons were carrying him out of the field, a tumultuous
huzza was heard from our troops ; Pike turned his head
with an anxious look of inquiry ; he was told by a ser-
geant, ' The British union jack is coming down. General
the stars are going up." He heaved a heavy sigh, and
smiled. He was then carried on board the commodore's
ship, where he lingered for a few hours. Just before he
breathed his 'ast, the British standard was brought to him ;
he made a sign to have it placed under his head, and ex-
pired without a groan.

His death was a great public misfortune.



LEONARD COVINGTON.

This gentleman was born in Maryland, about the 26th
of October, 1768. His ancestry was highly respectable,
and handed dowm to their posterity a valuable landed es-
tate, which devolved, at the decease of his father, on young
Covington. His father's name was Levin, and the subject
of this memoir was the elder of two sons. In his native
state, he received an eleofant Eno-lish and mathematical,
and partial Latin education. His pursuit in life, after the
death of his father, was designed by his mother to be hus-
bandry, on his patrimonial estate. But his inclination led
him to a far different pursuit the science of icar.

He entered the army with a cornet's commission in the
cavalry, shortly after the defeat of General St. Clair, by
the Indians, in 1791, near the Miami villages. In the
action with the savages, near Fort Recovery, his bravery
was put to the severest trial. His horse was shot under
him. For his conduct and bravery in the severe action



284 GLORY OF AMERICA.

on the Miami, "which followed, he won the admiration and
esteem of his brethren in arms, and the plaudits of his
general. After General Wayne had reduced the savages
to submission. Covington resio-ned his post in tlie army,
and retired to his farm, occupying himself with the useful
pursuits of civic life. The high estimation in which he
was held by his fellow citizens, is best tested by the vari-
ous stations to which their sutfrasfes elcA'ated him. He
was elected to a seat in the senate of Maryland ; a member
of the house of representatives of the congress of the Unit-
ed States, and one of the electors of president and vice-
president of the United States, Being attached firmly to
republican principles, his votes and influence were not lost
in the elevation of Mr. Jefferson to the presidential chair.

In the year 1809, when the injuries which Great Britain
was heaping upon his country' gave rise to the embargo
law, he accepted a lieutenant-colonel's commission of the
regiment of dragoons, then the only one in the United
States army. In consequence of his station in Louisiana,
he formed an attachment to that newly acquired section
of the United States, and purchased a plantation on the
banks of the ^Mississippi, not far from Xatchez, to which
he removed his family.

Li the mcrease of the army, after the commencement of
hostilities between the United States and Great Britain, in
1812, he Vv^as promoted from a colonel of horse, to the rank
of briofadier-sreneral. and commanded at the Natchez when
an mvasion was expected in that section of the union.
When the storm had blown over^ he repaired to the north-
ern frontier, where his services were more immediately
wanted. With his brigade, he set out with General AYil-
kinson in his expedition against Montreal, in the autumn
of 1813, the failure of which resulted from the conduct of
General Hampton, u^ho evaded the consequences by an
early resignation.

In the battle of Williamsburg, General Covington was
ordered, in conjunction with General Swartwout, to out-
flank the British, if possible, and capture his artiller}'.
Covington, while voluntarily leading a detachment of his
brigade to a ciiarge, was mortally wounded, died in three



' LEONARD COVINGTON. 285

days afterwards, and was buried with military honours at
French Mills, at a place now called Mount Covington,
regreted, beloved and esteemed, by the whole army.



JOHN CHRYSTIE.



The subject of this biographical notice was born in
New York, soon after the war of the revolution. His fa-
ther was Major James Chrystie, of the Pennsylvania line,
, whose conduct in the struggle for liberty gained him a
high reputation.

He received his academic, and part of his collegiate
education, at Princeton College, New Jersey, from which
he was removed to Columbia College, New York, where
he graduated in 1S05 or 6. He then began the study of
the law, which he relinquished in 1808, for the commis-
sion of lieutenant of artillery, in the additional troops then
to be raised. He was attached to Colonel Sinmions' re-
giment, and was stationed at Oswego, on Lake Ontario,
New- York. There, he commanded a Avhole winter. The
spring following, he was ordered to New Orleans. From
the amiableness of his manners, and the respectability of
his talents, he soon attracted the attention of General Wil-
kinson, who took him into his military family, as his aid.
He stood high in the confidence of the principal officers of
the army. In the year 1811, finding no prospect of active
service, he resigned his commission, and re-commenced his
legal studies in his native city.

On the commencement of hostilities with Great Britain
in 1812, he again entered the ser^dce, with the commission
of heutenant colonel of the 13th regiment. Colonel Schuy-
ler, in the army of 25,000, just ordered to be raised by con-
gress. With part of his regiment, he accompanied Colonel
Van Rensselaer in his irruption into Canada during the
summer of 1812, He commanded the reg^^ilar forces of



286 GLORY OF AMERICA.

the United States at the battle of dueenstown, the superior
regular officers having been wounded in crossing the Nia-
gara Strait. Here he sustained the conflict with the Bri-
tish and Indiana the greater part of the day. Wounded
in the sword hand, he was compelled to surrender to an
overwhelmino: force under General Sheaife, after havina:
kept him a long time in check. Several bullets had per-
forated his clothes. He was sent a prisoner to Montreal,
and thence to (Quebec. During the winter following, he
was discharged on his parole of honour, and returned to
New York. As soon as exchanged, he returned to active
service on the frontiers, just when his friend General Pike
breathed his last in the arms of victory. He was soon
after appointed inspector-general of the army, and colonel
of the 23d remment.

He accompanied Generals Dearborn and Lewis into
Canada, and was taken with the bilious colic at Fort
George, which terminated his existence, in 1813. Short
as was his military career, it was encircled with a halo of
glory which brightens the page of American history. His
remains were interred with the military honours due to
his rank and character.

In disposition he was open, mild, and amiable. His
mind was well stored wdth useful knowledge. He Avas
full of spirits, animated, and brave, and passionately fond
of an active military life, panting for a niche to himself in
the temple of fame. The grim tyrant of the grave seized
his victim in his early start on the high road to honour
and glory, and thus arrested his race for the desired goal
of his ambition. ' ^



WILLIAM HENRY ALLEN,

Was a native of Providence, Rhode Island, and was
born October 21st, 1784. His father, William Allen, a
friend to the independence of his country, was appointed



WILLIAM HENRY ALLEN. 28T

a lieutenant in the revolutionary army, in the incipiency
of the contest, and never sheathed his sword till the free-
dom of his country was consummated by the peace of
1783. His mother was the sister of William Jones, Esq.
one of the late governors of his native state.

Though his parents designed to give him a classical
education, the bent of his genius induced them to waive
their intention, and to gratify his darling passion for naval
life. He consequently received a midshipman's warrant,
in May, 1800. Three months after this, he was ordered
to repair on board of the frigate George Washington, Cap-
tain Bainbridge, which vessel was bound to the Mediter-
ranean, with tribute from the United States, to the Dey of
Algiers. In his letters to his father, he always expressed
his determination to support the American character, by
his good conduct as an officer, and his demeanour as a
gentleman. No peculiarity of incident checkered his voy-
ag"e from the United. States to Algfiers.

Commodore Bainbridge returned to America on the
19th of April, 1801, when a reduction of the navy ensued.
Eight days after the return of the subject of the present
memoir, and before he had an opportunity of visiting his
family, he was ordered on board the Philadelphia, under
the command of Captain Barron, bound for the Mediter-
ranean. He entered on the service with alacrity. Nothing
material transpired during the cruise. The ship returned
to the United States on the 27th of June, 1802. He was
now, for the first time after his entry into the service of
his country, enabled to enjoy the society of his fi-iends,
and to visit his paternal abode. However, but a snort re-
pose was allowed him from the fatigues of naval service,
as in October, 1802, he sailed in the frigate John Adan:L3,
commanded by Captain Rodgers, to visit, for the third time,
the Mediterranean. From his letters, during this period,
only two extracts are necessary to be given :

" During our stay at Malta, we had an opportunity of
visiting most of the public buildings ; cdid among the rest,
the superb church of St. John. The floor is laid in differ-
ent coloured marble, in mosaic, representing tomb-stones
of the different knisfhts who distino^uished themselves in



288 GLORV UF AMERICA.

figlitiiio:, and in falling in defence of Qn'istianity, against
tlic iniidels. On every side is a Latin inscription, describ-
ins: his death. The walls are hi nig with the most sn-
perbly embroidered tapestry, representing the birth, crnci-
fixion, and ascension of our Saviour. The death of the
saints is likewise represented in the same manner, and
they appear like the most beautiful paintings. The wings
are divided into chapels, and here they show us crosses
and saints in abundance, and the rich attire of the bishops
and clergv embroidered with gold. In an inner chapel
Vv'e were shown a number of relics, one of which they de-
clared was a fragment of the cross on which our Saviour
was crucified; another wa.s the palm of the hand of Saint
John. The body of Saint Clement v\^as exposed lying in
state. This was a room that the French soldiers did not
penetrate : it is said that they robbed this church of half
a million."

Durins: this voyasfe, he was informed, bv his corres-
pondent, of a report, which afterwards proved unfounded,
that a younger officer was advanced over his head. This
was the manly reply of a boy of seventeen : " I am too v/ell
grounded in old principles to mind such assaults now. If
the government decide thus, I can sa^^, amen, with all my
heart."

Commodore Rodgers retarned from his cruise in De-
cember, 1803.

Early in the year 1804, Allen was ordered on board the
frigate Congress, lying at Washington, of which he w^as
appointed sailing master. This frigate sailed on the first
of July, under the conmiand of Captain Rodgers, for the
Mediterranean. On the outward bound passage, while
the ship v.^as lying to, in a violent g^ale, Allen, on the fore-
yard, assisted the sailors in taking in a reef. Letting fall
that part of the sail on vv- hich he had hold, he was preci-
pitated lieadlong into the sea, to the depth of twenty feet,
passing in his fall very near the anchor on the bovv\ For-
tunately, he arose near the mizen chains, and by taking^
hold of them, narrowly escaped inevitable death, as the
ship was then drifting very fast. Yvliile cruising off the
coast of Tripoli, Captain Rodgers intended, if the com-



WILLIAM HENRY ALLEN. 289

mand should have devolved on him, in consequence of the
ilhiess of Commodore Barron, an attack on that place.
He took Allen with him in the schooner to take the sound-
ings, preparatory to the anticipated assault. They enter-
ed the harbour with muffled oars ; and, after taking a
sounding, and making a complete survey, they passed so
near the Tripolitan gun boats, that they distinctly heard
the men conversing below. They also heard the sentinels
on the wall of the battery conversing together. As they
were returning from the harbour, a heavy gale spiimg up,
and they had a narrow escape to the Nautilus, which ves-
sel was then in the very act of leaving her position. Du~
ring this cruise, which extended from 1804 to 1806, Allen
thus writes to his correspondent :

' I was, while at Lisbon, witness to a very ludicrous
ceremon^^ My ears were saluted by the hoarse chanting
of some Portuguese sailors, and I perceived about twenty
in number approaching, bearing a large topsail, barefoot,
with their hats in their hands, into which the multitude
would, now and then, drop a six-pence, to save their souls
from purgatory. On inquiry, I was informed, that it was
a custom among them, when overtaken by a violent gale
at sea, instead of trusting to their own exertions, to offer
up their prayers to their guardian saint, and to promise
him the best sail in the ship, if he would condescend to
protect them from the dangers of the element. The top-
sail was then taken to the church, in the manner describ-
ed, laid at the foot of the altar, and dedicated to the saint.
It was then appraised by an old friar, who, unwilling to
distress the votaries of old mother Church, accepted, as an
equivalent, in money, one half of its nominal value. The
saint has, by this time, become perfectly well acquainted
with the value of sail cloth."

In October, 1805, Captain Rodgers removed to the fri-
gate Constitution, and assumed the command of the squad-
ron, in consequence of the return of Captain Barron to the
United States. Mr. Allen also removed to the Constitution,
and was promoted to a lieutenancy. In a cruise off Capa-
nea, he, in company with Commodore Rodgers, visited
Mount TEtua. Ascending the south side of the mountain,



OK

A0



;^0 GLORY OF AMERICA.

the wind, while blowing from the north, covered that side
of tlieir bodies exposed to its violence. Vv'ith frost, while the
other remained perfectly free. Descendmg, they lost
their way amonof fields of lava, but were found by the
mop.ks in the convents below. He likewise visited Blount
A^'esuvius. and the cities of Herculaneum and Pompeia.
He served as third lieutenant on board the Constitution,
and returned in that frigate to the United States, in the
year 1S06.

During these several cruises to the Mediterranean, al-
though notliing transpired on board the frio-ates where he
was stationed, that might fairly be denominated naval
glory, still a peculiarity of circumstances gave a lotV and
elevated tone to the feelings of all the ofiicers. An Ame-
rican squadron in the waters of the Mediterranean, was a
novelty. That squadron was small, and it was destined
to pass under the review and strict scrutiny of Ensflish
ships of war, occasionally stationed in those seas, and
passing the Straits of Gibraltar. Personal courage, skill,
and correctness of discipline, could alone ensure them re-
spect in a company so illustrious ; and to these points all
their elforts were directed. They felt the high responsi-
bihty attached to their station : and Imowing how import-
ant the first impression of a national character was. they
acted up to that dignity which the occasion required.

After this long and fatiguing cruise, he was permitted,
for a short time, to visit his friends and relations in Pro-
\ddence. In Februarv. 1S07. he received orders from 2:0-
rernment to join the frigate Chesapeake, commanded by
Captain Barron, then fitting out for tlic Straits. He re-
mained at Philadelphia v,iiile the ship was preparinsf for
sea, durino- which time he was busily employed in recruit-
ing men for the service, and then entered as third lieu-
tenant.

The circumstances preceding and succeedinsf the attack
on the Chesapeake, by the Leopard, he handsomely de-
lineated, in a letter to a correspondent. Therein he ex-
pressed his abhorrence at the conduct of the officer having
command of the Chesapeake, in tan:iely submitting to the
indignities offered by the Leopard. His letter to the Se-



WILLIAM HENRY ALLEN. 291



cretary of the navy, demanding a court of inquiry to be
called upon the captain, was signed by four heutenants and
the sailing master. The secretary replied, that ''their
communication did them honour, and their request should
receive proper attention." It is difficult to conceive the
excoriated state of Lieutenant Allen's mmd at this time.
Words seemed hardly adequate to express the indignation
he felt at the scenes he had witnessed. To have the flag
of his nation disgraced; and to suffer the wrongs ol his
bleedino- countrymen to go unavenged, was too hunii hat-
ing for bis noble spirit to brook. In a letter to his father,
he says, " If I am acquitted honourably, (in other words,
if Commodore Barron is condemned,) you may see me
ao-ain : if not, never."- " We he here," says he, m another
letter ' " ready, at a moment's warning, to wipe from our
flao- that diso-race which has been detailed on it by our
blo'od Whe'n I suffer mv memory to dwell on this, I leei
that I can trifle with my existence at pleasure." At length
this question was put to rest by the condemnation ol Bar-