their women and children, under the protection of one thousand warriors. They were attacked here on the twenty-seventh of March, 1814, by Jackson's army, and their camp was carried, after a desperate fight, in which six hundred warriors were killed and two hundred and fifty women and children were made prisoners. This terrible blow put an end to the resistance of the Creeks. They sought peace, and were compelled to purchase it by the surrender of more than two-thirds of their hunting-grounds. Hot Naval Engagements. The year 1813 was eventful and important in the naval history of the republic, and once more the navy sustained the spirits of the country, which had been cast down by the failure of the army. On the twenty-fifth of February the American sloop-of-war "Hornet," Captain Lawrence, captured the British brig "Peacock," off the mouth of Demerara River, after an action of fifteen minutes. The "Peacock" was so terribly cut up by her adversary's fire that she sank in a few minutes after she struck her flag. Captain Lewrence returned to the United States and was promoted to the command of the frigate "Chesapeake, which was lying in Boston harbor preparing for sea. While there Lawrence was challenged by Captain Broke, of the British frigate "Shannon," which was cruising off Boston harbor. Although his ship was badly manned and his crew undisciplined, Lawrence accepted the challenge and put to sea on the first of June to meet the "Shannon." The action was begun about thirty miles east of Boston Light and lasted but fifteen minutes. The Shannon" was in every way superior to the "Chesapeake," and the latter ship was forced to strike her flag, with a loss of one hundred and forty-six of her crew. Captain Lawrence was mortally wounded, As he 64 Two Commanders Fall. The rejoicings in England over the ca ture of the "Chesapeake" were very grea.. Although not gratifying to the Americans, yet the little navy of the Union gained new courage, for its splendid services had won the respect of the "mistress of the seas." In the summer of 1813 the "United States," "Macedonian" and "Hornet," while attempting to get to sea from New York through Long Island sound, were driven into the harbor of New London, and blockaded there by a British squadron. In August the American sloop of war "Argus" was captured while cruising in the English channel by the "Pelican." In September the American brig "Enterprise," twelve guns, Captain Burrows, captured the British brig "Boxer," Captain Blythe, off the coast of Maine. Both commanders fell in the engagement, and were buried with equal honors. During the summer of 1813 the British fleet of Sir George Cockburn entered the Chesapeake repeatedly and ravaged its shores. All the shipping that could be reached by the enemy was destroyed, and the towns of Frenchtown, Georgetown, Havre de Grace and Fredericktown were plundered and burned. An attack was made on Norfolk, but was repulsed with heavy loss. Cockburn then plundered the town of Hampton, and sailed to the southward The barbarities committed by this fleet along the Chesapeake and its tributaries were horrible. Neither age nor sex were spared by the British sailors and marines, and women were ravished, and old men and little children murdered, with the knowledge of the admiral, who made no effort to stop the outrages. During the winter of 1813-14 a communication was received from the British government, stating that although Great Britain had declined the Russian mediation, she was willing to enter into direct negotiations with the United States, either at London or Gottenburg, in Sweden. The President at once accepted the English offer, and Henry Clay and Jonathan Russell were added to the commissioners already in Europe. Gottenburg was at first selected as the place of meeting, which was afterwards changed to Ghent. Great Britain Ready for Peace. At this time the opposition to the war was very great in many parts of the Union. The New England States continued bitterly hostile to it, and the legislature of Massachusetts, in a remonstrance addressed to Congress, denounced the war as unreasonable, and urged the conclusion of a peace. Congress itself was more divided upon the support of the war than it had ever been. It contained many new men, some of them destined to play prominent parts in the future history of the country. Pre-eminent among those was Daniel Webster, of New Hampshire, who from the first took a high position as one of the most gifted men in Congress. on the night of the fourth, and the next day a severe engagement occurred, in which the British were defeated, with the loss of five hundred men. The loss of the Americans was three hundred. Victory at Lundy's Lane. After his defeat at Chippewa General Riall fell back to Burlington Heights, and the Americans advanced to Queenstown, but soon after withdrew to Chippewa. Being strongly reinforced by a body of troops, under General Drummond, Riall advanced from Burlington Heights to attack the Americans, followed by General Drummond's command; and at the same time General Brown, who had heard of Drummond's arrival, set out from Chippewa to attack the British. The advanced forces of the Americans were commanded by General Scott. The two armies unexpectedly met at Bridgewater, or Lundy's Lane, immediately opposite Niagara Falls, at sunset, on the twenty-fifth of July. The British occupied a strong position, and notwithstanding the lateness of the hour, Scott resolved to attack them. The main body of the Americans, under General Brown, soon arrived, and the battle became general. The British had posted a battery on a hill which commanded the field, and were doing great execution in the American ranks. It was captured by the regiment of Colonel James Miller, and General Drum. mond, who had arrived on the field and had taken command in place of General Riall, who had been wounded and captured by the Americans, advanced to recover it. Hostilities were resumed by the Americans on the Niagara frontier with the beginning of the spring of 1814. Early in May General Brown, whose force had been increased to - five thousand men, crossed the Niagara. | Fort Erie surrendered to him without a blow - on the third of July. On the fourth General Scott, with the advanced guard of the army, moved towards the British, who had taken position, under General Riall, at Chippewa, fifteen miles distant. Scott was joined by General Brown, with the rest of the army, I cartridges they obtained from the boxes of Drummond made three determined efforts to retake the battery, but was driven back each time. It was now midnight, and about eight hundred men had fallen on each side. The Americans had exhausted their ammunition and were dependent now upon the retreated into the fort, carrying with them four hundred prisoners. The American loss in this brilliant sally was three hundred men. Drummond immediately raised the siege and retreated across the Chippewa. the fallen British. Finding all their efforts | killed and wounded upon the enemy, and vain the British sullenly withdrew and left the field to the Americans. The latter were so exhausted by their hard march of fifteen miles and five hours of constant fighting that they made no effort at pursuit, and soon withdrew from the hill to their camp. As they had no means of hauling off the captured guns they were obliged to leave them on the field. General's Brown and Scott were both wounded during the battle, as were nearly all of the field officers. Repulse at Fort Erie. The victory of Lundy's Lane was particularly gratifying to the Americans. It was won, not over Canadian militia, but over veteran troops who had served under Wellington in the wars with Napoleon. It broke the long series of defeats sustained by the Americans since the opening of the war, and showed what could be accomplished by American soldiers under competent and determined commanders and in anything like a fair fight. General Browne withdrew to Fort Erie after the battle, and being disabled by his wounds, relinquished the command to General Gaines. General Drummond moved forward and on the fourth of August laid siege to Fort Erie. On the fifteenth he attempted to carry the fort by an assault at midnight, but was repulsed with a loss of one thousand men. In spite of this reverse he pressed the siege with vigor, and in the meantime General Brown recovered from his wounds and resumed the command of the fort. On the seventeenth of September the Americans made a sortie against the batteries of the Brittish, which were two miles in advance of their camp. By a sudden dash from the fort they stormed and carried the batteries, spiked the guns, set fire to the magazines, inflicted a loss of six hundred in Around Lake Champlain. In October a reinforcement of four thousand men arrived from Lake Champlain under General Izard, who assumed the command of the American Army on the Niagara, He was one of the old-style commanders, and at once proceeded to neutralize the gallant achievements of Brown and Scott. He did nothing until November, when, fearing that Drummond would be reinforced, he blew up Fort Erie and retreated across the Niagara, leaving the entire Canadian shore in the possession of the British. General Izard had succeeded General Hampton in command of the army on Lake Champlain. Upon his withdrawal to the Niagara, General Macomb took command of the troops that remained on Lake Champlain, and held Plattsburg with a force of about three thousand men. Hearing that General Prevost was advancing to attack him, Macomb called on the militia of New York and Vermont to come to his aid, and about three thousand of them joined him, bringing his force to six thousand men. General Prevost having been reinforced from England, advanced against Plattsburg with a force of twelve thousand veteran troops, for the purpose of invading the State of New York. Upon the approach of this force Macomb fell back behind the Saranac, a deep and rapid stream which empties into the lake at Plattsburg, and the small American squadron, under Commodore Macdonough, was moored across the entrance of Plattsburg bay. This squadron carried eighty-six guns, and was manned by eight hundred and fifty-six men. The British army was accompanied by a squadron superior in strength to that of the Americans, and upon which they depended for the control of Lake Champlain. It was commanded by Captain Downie, mounted ninety-five guns, was manned by one thousand men, and had plenty of ammunition. Macdonough called the crew of his flag-ship around him, and kneeling on the quarterdeck of his vessel, prayed God to crown the American arms with victory that day. After a severe engagement of two hours and a quarter, the British fleet was defeated and forced to surrender, with the exception of a few gunboats, which escaped. While this battle was going on, Prevost tried repeatedly to cross the Saranac, but was each time driven back with heavy loss. During the night the British army retreated in disorder, abandoning their sick and wounded and a large quantity of military stores, having lost twenty-five hundred men in the engagement. SCENE OF THE BATTLE OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN. The country had ample cause to regret the weakness of its navy during this war. The exploits of those vessels which had managed to get to sea had shown what could be accomplished by this branch of the public service, and our deficiency in this respect enabled the enemy to blockade the ports of the Union, and to use the Chesapeake bay with as much freedom as if it were one of their own harbors. In the summer of 1814 a fleet of sixty British ships under Admirals Cockburn and Cochrane, having on board a land-force of five thousand men under General Ross, assembled in the Chesa peake. |