mand on Lake Erie, succeeded in cutting out "The Adams" and "The Caledonia" from under the guns of Fort Erie. This brought up the spirits of the troops along the frontier, and they were anxious to make another attack upon Canada. Gen. Van Rensselaer determined to gratify them, and selected Queenstown as the point of attack. Every movement, however, showed a want of preparation for the brave attempt. As the supply of boats was entirely inadequate, he could only pass over two or three hundred men, who were exposed to a galling fire from a battery sweeping the river and the American shore. Col. Van Rensselaer, a relative of the general, soon fell, severely wounded; but he gave orders to storm the battery, which was promptly and gallantly done by Capt. Ogilvie and Capt. Wool, and the British were driven into a stone house. Gen. Brock, who came up hastily, was slain. While the enemy held the stone house, and annoyed our little army with a musketry-fire, some five or six hundred more Americans, with a single piece of artillery, got across the river. For the want of tools, no intrenchments were attempted.

In the mean time, a body of Indians rushed out from the woods, and assailed a straggling body of militia, who fled before them, producing a serious panic in the American forces; but our citizen-soldiers were brave, and, as they always have done, began on the battle-field to learn how to fight. Lieut.-Col. Scott, who had crossed as a volunteer, put himself at the head of a few regulars, and promptly repulsed the Indians.

The British general, Sheafe, now advanced from Fort George; and the sound of his musketry alarmed the militia on the American side, and they denied the right of their commanders to lead them into Canada. Our forces, engaged in attempting to fall back to the river, were thrown into confusion, and compelled to surrender.

We had lost in this ill-managed affair, in killed, wounded, and prisoners, a thousand men; the British, about a hundred.

Neither party seemed anxious to go on with the war. Negotiations for peace were attempted, it must be admitted, in good faith. The British" orders in council" had been quietly repealed; but their obstinate adherence to the right of search, and the impressment of seamen taken violently from under our flag, rendered all negotiations fruitless. Nothing could be more aggravating to a free and honorable nation. “Upwards of six thousand cases of alleged impressments were recorded in the Department of State; and it was estimated that at least as many more might have occurred of which no information had been received. Castlereagh himself admitted, on the floor of the House of Commons, that an inquiry instituted early in the preceding year had discovered in the British fleet thirty-five hundred men claiming to be impressed Americans." Federalists, as well as Democrats, felt the galling effects of this bitter wrong; and the war-spirit rose in the Republic, though, as a nation, we were never united in the war.

NAVAL ENGAGEMENTS.

Commodore Rogers had collected in the harbor of New York as many vessels of our little navy as possible, and, upon the declaration of war, moved out promptly to sea. "The Constitution," Capt. Hull, attempting to join Rogers, fell in with the British squadron, and, after a desperate race of four days, escaped into Boston. Without waiting for orders, he at once put to sea, making a fearless cruise in search of the Jamaica fleet. Not meeting with any adventure equal to his ambition, he returned; and, cruising in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, he spied "The Guerrière," an English warfrigate, Capt. Dacres. The prospect of an engagement was immediately clouded by the appearance of three other hostile ships and a brig. A chase soon began, one of the most exciting and remarkable in history. Capt. Hull found himself in the midst of the squadron of Commodore Broke,

* Hildreth, 2d Series, iii. 349.

with three sail on his starboard quarter, and three more astern. It was not a question whether "The Constitution" alone could fight the whole British squadron, but whether her commander and men had skill and energy enough to baffle all the efforts of the British squadron to bring on an engagement. This desperate nautical contest commenced on Friday, July 17; and at length, after exhausting all the skill and power at their command, "the English ships all hauled to the northward and eastward, fully satisfied, by a trial that had lasted nearly three days and as many nights, under all the circumstances that can attend naval manoeuvres, from reefed topsail to kedging, that they had no hope of overtaking their enemy."

"The Constitution," after a daring cruise, which showed that she was neither worried nor intimidated, went into port to prepare for further adventures.

In the mean time, "The Essex," Capt. Porter, soon after the departure of Rogers, got to sea, and took valuable prizes almost at her leisure. Among them was the frigate Minerva," thirty-six guns, conveying a large number of British troops, about a hundred and fifty of whom were made prisoners.

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"A few days after this success, The Essex' made a strange sail to windward." As she was disguised as a merchantman, the stranger bore down upon her fearlessly, and opened fire; when suddenly "The Essex" "knocked out her ports, and opened upon the enemy." Surprised and panic-stricken, the Englishmen "left their quarters, and ran below." Capt. Porter took easy possession of his prize, which proved to be "his Majesty's ship Alert,' Capt. Langham, mounting twenty eighteen-pound cannon, and with a full crew."

Let us now return to "The Constitution." She had gained a world-wide reputation for the naval skill of her commander and men in avoiding an unequal combat with a whole Brit

*Cooper's Naval History of the United States, p. 256.

She fell in with a

ish squadron. She was restless for a fight with some worthy antagonist, with a fair chance to test her prowess in battle. For this she did not have to wait long. daring craft, evidently searching for her. pared for action. Firing a few guns as and moving dexterously to prevent being raked, they seemed willing to fight at close quarters.

Both parties prethey approached,

"At six o'clock, the enemy bore up, and ran off under his three topsails and jib, with the wind on his quarter. As this was an indication of a readiness to receive his antagonist in a fair yard-arm and yard-arm fight, 'The Constitution' immediately set her maintop-gallant-sail and foresail to get alongside. At a little after six o'clock, the bows of the American frigate began to double on the quarter of the English ship; when she opened with her forward guns, drawing slowly ahead with her greater way, both vessels keeping up a close and heavy fire as their guns bore. In about ten minutes, or just as the ships were fairly side by side, the mizzen-mast of the Englishman was shot away; when the American passed slowly ahead, keeping up a tremendous fire and luffed short round the bows of the enemy to prevent being raked. In executing this manoeuvre, the ship shot into the wind, got sternway, and fell foul of her antagonist. While in this situation, the cabin of 'The Constitution' took fire from the close explosion of the forward guns of the enemy, who obtained a small but momentary advantage from his position. The good conduct of Mr. Hoffman, who commanded in the cabin, soon repaired this accident; and a gun of the enemy's, that threatened further injury, was disabled. As the vessels touched, both parties prepared to board. The English turned all hands up from below, and mustered forward with that object; while Mr. Morris, the first lieutenant, with his own hands endeavored to lash the ships together. Mr. Alwyn, the master, and Mr. Bush, the lieutenant of the marines, were upon the taffrail of 'The Constitution' to be ready to spring. Both sides now

suffered by the closeness of the musketry; the English much the most, however. Mr. Morris was shot through the body, the bullet fortunately missing the vitals; Mr. Alwyn was wounded in the shoulder; and Mr. Bush fell by a bullet through the head. It being found impossible for either party to board in the face of such a fire, and with the heavy sea that was on, the sails were filled; and, just as 'The Constitution' shot ahead, the foremast of the enemy fell, carrying down with it his mainmast, and leaving him wallowing in the trough of the sea a helpless wreck." *

Re-adjusting his ship, and taking a raking position, Capt. Hull saw the English Jack hauled down from the stump of the mizzen-mast, and the great battle was over. His prize was "The Guerrière," Capt. Dacres, one of his most persistent antagonists in the remarkable contest of naval skill, so recently terminating in one of our greatest naval triumphs.

"The Constitution" was soon refitted, and ready for sea; while The Guerrière' was completely dismasted, had seventy-nine killed and wounded, and, according to the statement of her commander in his defence before the court which tried him for the loss of his ship, she had received no less than thirty shot as low as five sheets of copper beneath the bends." All this had occurred within two hours, the whole period of the engagement; and the most destructive execution must have been within thirty minutes.

It is vain, at this distance of time, to attempt to describe the joy of the American people as the news of this great naval triumph flew over the land. It was hailed as decisive evidence that the boasted superiority of the British on the seas was at an end.

This impression was deepened by the grand victory of Commodore Decatur, in "The United States," over "The Macedonian," thirty-eight guns, Capt. Carden, after a most desperate engagement, in which "The Macedonian,” a beautiful ship with forty-nine guns, was almost literally cut to

*Cooper's Naval History of the United States, pp. 258, 259.