“Acting upon this idea, Colonel Peacocke chose Capt. Akers R. E. for this service and explained his plan and the reasons which induced him to adopt it; but with reference to the roads he left it entirely optional with Lieut.-Col. Booker and Capt. Akers to choose a road after making thorough inquiries as to the most available route, _and the route most remote from the position of the enemy_—going even so far as to tell Capt. Akers that they might go along the Welland railway, northerly to a point opposite Stevensville and then march due east to that place; or take the Grand Trunk railway for some miles, and then cut across the country in a diagonal direction to the point of junction. _Ridgeway was never mentioned as a point to leave the railway_; and there is little doubt that with a correct map, Colonel Peacocke would have positively forbidden it—Ridgeway being nearer Fort Erie than Stevensville, and the further march being consequently brought nearer to the enemy’s position than the occasion called for. From information received since, there is no doubt that the shortest and safest route lay from Sherk’s crossing across the country to Stevensville.” Yes, that was the route. But Lieut.-Col. Booker had no map; not even the poor pretence of one which the officer in chief had. Lieut.-Col. Dennis may have known the roads but his head seems to have been deluded with the idea of independent command. Booker in his official report contradicts the chief direct. He says: “In accordance with instructions received from Colonel Peacocke, through Captain Akers I proceeded by a train at 5 a. m. to Ridgeway station.” “Ridgeway station,” says Major Denison “was never mentioned as a point to leave the railway.” In his statement to the Court of Inquiry Lieut.-Col. Booker again names Ridgeway as the place to which he went, but went with hesitation. His hesitation, however, did not grow out of a doubt whether his superior intended him to go there, but whether he and Dennis and Akers should not go off on an expedition of their own to French Creek, leaving Colonel Peacocke to his own fortunes. Says Lieut.-Col. Booker [Court of Inquiry]. “On arrival of Captain Akers, it appeared that Lieut.-Col. Dennis and myself were in possession of later and more reliable information of the position of the enemy than Colonel Peacocke seemed to have had when Capt. Akers left him at midnight. It then seemed necessary to enquire whether the original plan for a junction at Stevensville to attack the enemy supposed to be encamped near Black Creek should be adhered to, when it appeared they were encamped much higher up the river and nearer to Fort Erie.”