General Dearborn, the commander of the United States forces on the
Ontario frontier, having resolved to attack York, the capital of Upper
Canada, embarked seventeen hundred troops, and left Sackett’s Harbor
on the 25th of April. On the 27th, the troops, under the command of
General Pike, effected a landing and drove a much superior force of
the enemy from the shore. But they returned to the attack, and the
contest was renewed. The enemy were again defeated and driven to their
works. The whole force of the Americans having reached the shore, and
being arranged in the order for attack, General Pike pressed forward,
carried one of the enemy’s batteries, and was moving towards the main
works, when a sudden and tremendous explosion of the magazine occurred,
hurling upon the advancing troops immense masses of stone and timber,
and for a time checking them by the havoc it made. General Pike was
mortally wounded. But the troops under command of Colonel Pearce,
pressed on, and captured the town, with all the land and naval forces
in and about it. The total loss of the Americans was three hundred and
twenty men. General Pike was greatly lamented. The British loss was
four hundred killed or wounded, and three hundred prisoners.
[Illustration: CAPTURE OF FORT GEORGE.]