Canada -- Social life and customs; Ontario -- Description and travel
Let us turn to a little pleasanter phase of this early stage of the war.
General Brock, as before mentioned, was killed early in the day at the
battle of Queenston, on October 13th, 1812. That his high character and
bravery were not overestimated the sequel will show. Thompson, who
fought on our side, and who wrote of the war in 1832, being an
eye-witness, says he was held in such high esteem, even by the enemy,
that “during the movement of the funeral procession of that brave man,
from Queenston to Fort Niagara, a distance of seven miles, minute guns
were fired at every American post on that part of the line, and even the
appearance of hostilities was suspended.” From some relative of the
author who fought on our side the word has come down to him, that the
Americans fired on their side of the Niagara River an answering shot for
every one our men fired, all the time they were marching the seven miles
down the river in the funeral procession. And the relative in the ranks
added that every voice was hushed, not a word was spoken, grief was
apparent in every man’s face, and every one seemed sorry because we had
such a war on hand, and because we were engaged in the business of war
with our kinsmen.
And now the second year of the war had come with its attendant
vicissitudes and dangers.
Very few of the militia had been allowed to leave the ranks during the
past winter, for an attack was expected just as soon as the ice should
break up in the bays on Lake Ontario. In the early spring of 1813 the
ice seems to have left the bays very early, for on April 26th the
American forces were enabled to appear off York, in gun-boats and
transports, and eager for the fray. Now, it has always been asserted
that Great Britain availed herself of all the savages she could get,
both in the War of 1812, as well as in the War of the Revolution in
1776. In a measure only is this true. We see them, however, at this time
helping to oppose the landing of the Americans at York on April 26th,
1813. If the author speaks in positive terms he hopes to be forgiven,
for his forbear, Roger Conant, was there, musket in hand, and by his own
lips has given the record which by natural descent has come down to the
author. He said Indians were placed along the lake bank, one Indian
between two white men, to repel the advance of the Americans from their
boats on landing. That is to say, two white men were supposed to be able
to keep one Indian up to his duty. But they couldn’t do it, for when the
Americans really did land, and began the attack, many of the Indians got
up and fled back from the shore of the lake to the forest beyond. And it
is further told to the author by the same descent of lip service, that
some of our militiamen were so incensed at the Indians for running away
that they turned their muskets around from the Americans and fired at
the fleeing Indians. Very probably their aim was faulty, for so far as
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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