Neville Trueman, the Pioneer Preacher : a tale of the war of 1812Withrow, W. H. (William Henry)
History
Neville Trueman, the Pioneer Preacher : a tale of the war of 1812
Withrow, W. H. (William Henry)
Clergy -- Fiction; United States -- History -- War of 1812 -- Fiction
"It is only paying a debt he owes you, I am sure," replied
Neville; but as if unwilling to detract a particle from his merit,
he added, "He behaved very bravely in the late action, and his
praise is in every body's mouth at Vincent's camp."
"Who? Zenas? I am sure of that," replied Kate proudly.
"Zenas played a gallant part too. His wound is proof of that,"
answered Mr. Trueman, "but I was speaking of the Captain."
"Of course," said Kate, somewhat coldly, "but he is not my brother
you know," and the conversation turned in another channel.
We now proceed to notice briefly the progress of the war
elsewhere. The Americans having overrun so large a part of Upper
Canada, were free to concentrate their efforts on the reduction of
Kingston and Montreal. Wilkinson, Commander-in-Chief of the forces
on the Niagara and Upper St. Lawrence frontiers, received
instructions to effect a junction with the "Army of the North"
about to advance from Lake Champlain for the subjugation of Lower
Canada. There were comparatively few British troops in the lower
province, and only three thousand active militia, under General
Sheaffe, for the protection of a thousand miles of frontier.
In pursuance of the American plan of invasion, on the 24th of
October, an army of nine thousand men, with ample artillery, under
General Wilkinson, rendezvoused at Grenadier Island, near
Sackett's Harbour; but the stone forts of Kingston, garrisoned by
two thousand men under De Rottenburg, protected that important
naval station from attack even by a fourfold force. Wilkinson,
therefore, embarking his army in three hundred batteaux, protected
by twelve gun-boats, in the bleak November weather threaded the
watery mazes of the Thousand Islands in his menacing advance on
Montreal. A British "corps of observation," eight hundred strong,
under Colonel Morrison, followed the enemy along the river bank. A
number of gun-boats also hung on the rear of the American
flotilla, and kept up a teasing fire, to their great annoyance and
injury. Wilkinson slowly made his way down the St. Lawrence,
halting his army from time to time, to repel attack. Near
Prescott, his flotilla of batteaux suffered considerably by a
cannonade from the British batteries, as they were passing that
place on a moonlight night. The molestation that he received from
Morrison's corps and from the loyal local militia was so great
that he was forced to land strong brigades on the Canadian shore
in order to secure a passage for his boats. At the head of the
Long Sault Rapids, Wilkinson detached General Boyd with a force of
over two thousand men, to crush the opposing British corps. The
collision took place at Chrysler's Farm,--a name thenceforth of
potent memory. The battle-ground was an open field, with the river
on the right, the woods on the left. For two hours the conflict
raged. But Canadian valour and discipline prevailed over twofold
odds, and the Americans retreated to their boats, leaving behind
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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