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September 2, 1814 - Lt.-Gen. Drummond to Prevost

Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 8:20 pm
by pud
**Capt. E, Cruikshank's account and Documentary History of the Campaign on the Niagara Frontier in 1814 - Part 1: Headquarters, Camp before Fort Erie, 2nd Sept., 1814

"Sir, Major General DeWattville arrived yesterday.
The 6th Regiment marched into camp this morning, and has voluntarily undertaken to labor this night on the construction of a battery, which it has been thought advisable to advance in front of our right picquet to within about 550 yards of the Fort. It is intended to open the rear face and complete the destruction of the stone buildings. This battery will, I hope, be ready to open on the morning of the fourth. I propose to arm it with three heavy long guns, an 8 inch howitzer and a heavy mortar. Its fire, combined with that of the other batteries, will probably decide the mode of attack, which I feel it to be of much importance not to defer. I enclose a Buffalo paper of the 30th, in which Your Excellency will find the cause of my deciding not to pass troops to the other shore. I allude to the call made to the militia of the opposite Frontier, numbers of whom I have occasion to believe have already come forward. It is also reported that the enemies 6th and 13th Regiments and a body of riflemen are also at hand.

A large brig, from whence I have not yet learned, has arrived and anchored off Buffalo since my last. If from Lake Huron, she will have brought them an account of the failure of their expedition against our possessions in that quarter.

On Lake Ontario, the enemies blockading squadron not having been seen for some days, I sent the Vincent across to York, where she has arrived in safety, and Captain Dobbs has directed the Charwell to push across the first morning the wind is fair. By their aid I got quit of many encumbrances, (prisoners and sick,) and shall receive the supplies which are waiting at York for this division.

I am happy to report that a large detachment of batteaux laden with provisions and stores, which Major General Stovin having properly sent off from Kingston on first learning our alarming situation, have passed York in safety and are by this time, I hope, at Fort George.

Captain Romilly is now from sickness wholly incapable of service. I have therefore to hope that Your Excellency will see the necessity of ordering up another engineer officer of that rank. Independent of the important charge which attaches to that department on this Frontier, there is at the present moment another highly important scheme to be prepared, which requires more experience and judgment and involves a greater degree of responsibility than any of the young men of that department at present with this division can be supposed to possess or ought to be required to assume. I allude to the selecting of a site for a work to protect the formation of our naval establishment on Lake Erie."