The Great Lakes: The Vessels That Plough Them: Their Owners, Their Sailors, and Their Cargoes, Together with a Brief History of Our Inland SeasCurwood, James Oliver
History
The Great Lakes: The Vessels That Plough Them: Their Owners, Their Sailors, and Their Cargoes, Together with a Brief History of Our Inland Seas
Curwood, James Oliver
Great Lakes (North America); Inland navigation -- United States; Shipping -- Great Lakes (North America)
This last blow lost the Niagara frontier to the British. General
Vincent at once gave orders that Forts Chippewa and Erie and all public
property as far down as Niagara Falls should be destroyed. The magazine
at Fort Erie was fired, and a little later, Lieutenant-Colonel Preston,
in command of the Americans at Black Rock, took possession of what
remained of the stronghold, thus giving Perry an opportunity to get
out of the Niagara River five of the vessels which were to play such
an important part in the naval history of Lake Erie. Sacketts Harbour
was now in much the same condition that York (Toronto) had been, and
was even more poorly defended. The British planned to regain a part
of their lost prestige by its capture, and on May 27th, Commodore Sir
James Lucas Yeo sailed with a large fleet and a strong land force under
Sir George Prevost to make the attack. On the 29th, eight hundred of
the British regulars landed, but despite the astonishing inadequacy of
the American garrison they were beaten back with a loss of fifty-two
killed and two hundred and eleven wounded, while the Americans lost
but twenty-three killed and one hundred and fourteen wounded. The
British squadron returned to Kingston, and for several weeks thereafter
co-operated with the army forces and made several unimportant naval
captures while Chauncey awaited the completion of the new ship _Pike_.
During July, General Dearborn was recalled from his command at Fort
George because of the capture by the British of Lieutenant-Colonel
Boerstler and seven hundred men, and during this same month Black Rock
was captured by the enemy and recaptured by the Americans, but it was
not until the 30th that an important blow was struck by either side.
On this day the Americans again descended upon York, destroyed eleven
transports, burned the barracks, and captured a considerable quantity
of supplies and ammunition.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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