There is no country with which Great Britain is likely so soon to come
into hostile contact as the United States of America, and for such a
war we must certainly want an army such as I have in view.
It has long been the fashion, and I believe it is the object of many
interested and designing men, to endeavour to have the United States
of America considered as much more powerful and dangerous to Great
Britain then they really are. No nation, nor body of men, be they
who they may, composed of such heterogeneous materials, scattered
over so vast an extent of territory, in which the laws, enacted by
an often unruly legislature, are so powerless, and in many places so
weakly administered, as not to be able to prevent aggressions upon
an unoffending neighbour, or to afford sufficient protection to the
peaceably inclined against the hand of violence, can possibly be
considered powerful. I am aware that parts of the United States ought,
to a certain extent, to be looked upon as exceptions, but, generally
speaking, this is by no means an over-drawn picture of what is the
state of society in that part of the world.
If Great Britain was only prepared to convince the world of her
strength in steam ships, and to send forth even a portion of them
from the St. Lawrence, and from other points in our valuable North
American possessions, she must in a very short time destroy, or shut
up in their ports, in hopeless inactivity, all the so much boasted of
Navy or traders of the United States. And it might be asked--would any
other power, when they saw we were really in earnest, dare to aid them
in their difficulties; and what would then become of their immense
commerce, from which alone they derive their present importance? Are
not the feelings and interests of the Northern, Southern and inland
States directly opposed to each other; and would not the continuance
of the last war, for even a short time longer, have had the effect of
causing discontents and divisions amongst the several States, already
independent of each other, which could never again, in all human
probability, have been brought in consequence to act in unison.
But to convince even the most incredulous of this, and of the kind of
spirit which was found to exist amongst the people of the States, and
to point out clearly with what zeal and patriotism we were opposed in
the last war in the march of our troops upon Plattsburg, I have only
to lay before them some Brigade orders which were issued by Sir Thomas
Brisbane at the time.
"No. 5. None of the inhabitants of the country are to be prevented from
passing the advanced posts either to the front or rear, from one hour
after sunrise till sunset; and they are to be permitted to drive in
cattle, or any thing else they may think fit; but officers commanding
picquets are to be very careful in examining those who pass; and must
take up, and send to the head-quarters of the Brigade (Dowy's house)
such as may appear suspicious.
"No. 7. Major-General Brisbane having received instructions to advance
with the troops under his command into the territory of the United
States, avails himself of the opportunity, to request that commanding
officers will use every exertion to maintain the strictest discipline
in their corps; and he holds them responsible, that in every instance
when a complaint is made to them of any injury sustained by the
inhabitants, that it is inquired into, and if necessary redressed; and
whatever damage is done, that it is instantly paid for and charged
against those concerned, and where this cannot be ascertained to the
corps in general, so that unoffending people may not be sufferers.
"In taking the necessary precautions against individuals, who may so
far forget what is due to themselves and their country, as to commit
acts of plunder or violence, the Major-General is at the same time
fully convinced, that the troops in general are determined, that their
conduct shall not bring disgrace upon the British name; he therefore
calls upon them to discover those who may be guilty of acts of plunder
or oppression, that they may be brought to the punishment they merit;
and the soldiers must soon find that such a line of conduct will add
much to their comforts; for the inhabitants of the country finding
that they are properly treated and protected, will bring every article
requisite into the camp; for those who remain quiet in their homes
are not in the smallest degree to be molested, nor is their property
to be taken from them without their full consent and its being paid
for; as it is not against such persons that Great Britain makes war,
but against the Government whose folly and ambition have brought the
miseries of war into their country, and the army and individuals in
arms for its support.
"The Major-General commanding has requested the magistrates of the
country, to explain to the people his object and determination, on
entering the American territory; and he trusts that the conduct of the
soldiers will be such as to reflect no shade of dishonour on their
country."
The apparent state of indifference of the people was so great, and the
effects of these orders, which were widely circulated, so evident, that
we found all the houses occupied, and every thing might have led us to
suppose we were still marching through Canada; and I do not remember
that a shot was fired at us until we fell in with some of the United
States troops as we approached Plattsburg.
Owing to a want of arrangement, and of sufficient preparation on our
part, we were last war unsuccessful upon Lake Champlain, and upon its
shores; and I had the mortification of seeing our fleet discomfited
in Plattsburg Bay. In consequence of this, and of the advanced state
of the season, and as no calculations of any kind seemed to have been
made for contingencies, our fine, but feebly commanded, army had to
fall back upon Canada; and the extensive and important conquests,
which were supposed to have been the objects of those who ordered us to
advance into the States, had to be abandoned.
The Americans pretended, that, in our retreat, they hotly pursued,
and occasioned us great losses; but there was no foundation whatever
for what they in this respect asserted, or for what was said on this
subject in their newspapers; for our only loss, I may say, consisted
in some heavy shot and an old gun, taken from the Americans, and which
had been left many years before in the States when General Burgoyne's
expedition failed, and which the state of the roads obliged us to
throw into the swamps, and in some worthless men who deserted from
their corps; for, whatever might have been said to the contrary,
nothing could be more unhurried or undisturbed than we were in all
our movements during the retreat. I do, however, recollect, that in
crossing the bridge at Champlain with the rear-guard, on our return,
that a Yankee had the impudence to say, when spoken to with civility:
"I guess as how you are not playing Yankee doodle now." Some of the
soldiers were inclined to have thrown him into the river, but of course
this was not allowed.
I was attached as Brigade-Major to the strong brigade (about 5,000 men)
of the army, which, under Sir Thomas Brisbane, formed its rear-guard,
and I can safely say, that although various stratagems were practised,
and every thing done by him so as to induce the American commander to
approach us, he never was able to succeed. I only mention this to show
what grounds they had for boasting. But is it not also too bad and
vexatious that works written by American authors are patronized and
lauded even in the United Kingdom, not so much perhaps on account of
their style of composition, or literary merits, as for the subjects
they contain; which are intended to extol, chiefly at the expense of
our navy, fierce and lawless men, many of whom were actually British
subjects? Yet who can for a moment suppose, that sending British seamen
or landsmen to the other side of the Atlantic, can deprive them of
their natural courage. There is, however, a degree of moral depravity
existing throughout the Union, which must always prevent these
extraordinary Republicans, should they even become more powerful than
they are at present, from being able to cope with us in war. And in
speaking of the degree of liberty enjoyed in the United States and in
Great Britain, what comparison can be drawn in this respect between the
two countries?--for who would prefer the tyrannical rule of a usually
tumultuous Democracy to the mixed Government under which all men enjoy
protection and sufficient liberty in the United Kingdoms, and all over
our vast empire, without its being allowed to become licentiousness?
As for the unfinished works at Plattsburg, had not Sir George Prevost
halted the troops, led by experienced and often before distinguished
generals, rapidly advancing against them, they must, with their
commander and all his troops, have been, I have no hesitation in
saying, in twenty minutes more in our possession; but as for the idea
which was foolishly entertained by some at the time, of our being
able, if successful in the assault of the works, to re-capture our lost
ship and vessels, it was too absurd to merit a moment's consideration.
The following official document will, I expect, be read with
interest, as it certainly removes much of the blame from Sir George
Prevost for the attack having been made upon the American fleet by
ours in an unprepared state; at least our Commodore (whether he was
injudiciously urged to go forward or not I cannot tell) acted with
a perfect knowledge of what he was about to attempt, and it would
have been produced had the former been brought to a court-martial as
intended. But the question should have been, why was the fine army,
confided to Sir George Prevost, pushed forward at all into the United
States, especially in the month of September, before our superiority
on Lake Champlain had been established? Extract from a communication
to Major-General De Rottenburg, dated Friday evening, 10 o'clock,
P.M.:--
"I have this moment received from Captain Downie intelligence of his
intention to weigh and proceed with the squadron, from its anchorage
off Chazy, about midnight, with the expectation of rounding into
the Bay of Plattsburg about the dawn of day, and with the intention
of commencing an immediate attack on the enemy's ship, vessels, and
gun-boats, if the anchorage they are in affords any chance of success;
in consequence you are to hold the left division in readiness to
execute the contemplated service at six o'clock to-morrow morning.
"The batteries directed to be completed and armed in the course of the
night, are to open on the enemy's position the instant the naval action
has commenced. You will cause the necessary preparations to be made for
the rocket service of each battery.
(Signed), "G. Prevost,
"_Commander of the Forces_."
I shall pass this over without any remark, leaving it to the reader to
judge for himself; but we had far too many commanders, for they were
actually in each other's way. Here was Sir George Prevost himself,
Baron De Rottenburg and his staff, a brilliant head-quarter staff,
consisting of Adjutant and Quarter-master-general, assistants to both;
Military Secretary, Aides-de-Camp, Chiefs of Engineers, Artillery,
&c. &c., in short, enough to have caused confusion in an army three
times our numbers, and much more so amongst the three brigades, whose
experienced generals and staff wanted no help.
The moment the naval action commenced, the batteries, which had been
constructed entirely under Sir Thomas Brisbane's directions, opened
such a well-directed fire, that they apparently demolished all before
them, and in a very short time nearly silenced that of the enemy's guns
in their works. Under the protection of our artillery, the bridge over
the Seranac, (the planks only of which the Americans in their retreat
had been able to destroy or take up,) was repaired in a few minutes
by materials we had ready for the purpose; part of the troops, under
Sir Thomas Brisbane were moving down to pass by it to the assault,
and the greater part were marching rapidly under General Sir Manley
Power, and Sir Frederick Robinson, with the intention of effectually
cutting off the enemy's retreat, when the order from Sir George Prevost
to halt arrived, in consequence of our fleet having been discomfited
upon the Lake. It is, however, to be regretted that the works were not
allowed to be carried, for it would have prevented much boasting, and
would have served in some manner to counterbalance the loss of our
vessels. But what I witnessed during the whole of this unfortunate
and miscalculated business, convinced me that the enterprise which
embraced, as we understood, many extensive and important objects,
no doubt suggested from England, had been begun without almost any
fixed plan, carried on in considerable ignorance of the country, and
ultimately abandoned, because of an event, the probability of which
occurring, from the state of the two fleets, might, in a great measure,
have been calculated upon.
Any one of the three strong brigades into which our force was divided
was sufficient alone for all we had hitherto undertaken, and also
for the reduction of Plattsburg, if properly handled by an able and
experienced officer: but the ideas of military matters entertained
by the Generals and Staff we found in possession of power were very
different from ours; and I merely mention this to shew, that until our
Staff had acquired experience under the Duke of Wellington, they were
in general very deficient, and, as a further proof of this, I must
observe, that nothing could betray greater weakness and indecision than
the manner in which it was proposed to move upon Plattsburg.
It was at first intended that we were to have had a large body of
Indian warriors along with us in our invasion of the States; and Sir
Thomas Brisbane, attended by his Staff and several other officers, had
to go through all the customary ceremonies of war councils, speeches,
dances, presents, feastings, drinkings, &c., but after all we only took
them with us as far as the village of Champlain, and from thence, to my
great delight, at the request of Sir Thomas Brisbane, they were sent
back into Canada.
It was also intended that the whole army were to have moved in one
column, by the road leading to Plattsburg, which crosses the Dead
Creek, near to its mouth, where there is a bridge, and a ford a little
lower down, where it enters the Lake, and there we knew the enemy had
for some time been preparing to receive us. Sir Thomas Brisbane, who
led the advance, not looking upon this plan as judicious, and being
also fully aware of the difficulties which this Creek even naturally
presented, sent me from Champlain, accompanied by some flank companies
and Indian warriors, which altogether formed a strong reconnoitring
party, to ascertain if a road fit for the march of troops and cannon,
(of which we had lately heard), could not be found to our right, and
by which the formidable position of the Dead Creek might be turned. I
marched by what is called the Batemantown road, and very soon found
that it had been made, even as far as Plattsburg, fit for any military
purposes, at least, at that time of the year.
Sir Thomas Brisbane, at such an evident proof of want of necessary
and proper information on the part of our Staff, (for we were still
strangers in the country), had almost made up his mind to allow them to
take their own way and to march as they intended; but those feelings he
has so often evinced for the welfare of those placed under his command,
and for the good of the service; together with being convinced, that
his brigade must have suffered severely in forcing the Creek, induced
him to communicate in time with head-quarters on the subject, and the
consequence was, that the whole arrangements were altered; his own
column only marching towards the mouth of the Creek, and the other two
taking the road, which, it had been ascertained, turned the enemy's
position. The result was, that the Americans had to retreat upon
Plattsburg without being able to offer almost any resistance; and the
only loss, I may say, we did sustain was from the fire from the enemy's
gun-boats stationed at the mouth of the creek, where we were obliged to
ford it, as the bridge had been nearly destroyed. Sir Thomas Brisbane
was anxious to have turned our field artillery against the gun-boats.
But a senior general, who happened to be present, would not allow this
to be done; as he said it would only the more attract the enemy's fire
towards a point upon which it was already directed with right good
will. He, however, at last went off, as my general had previously
done with the advance towards Plattsburg, when our rocket-brigade was
brought forward, and a rocket well laid by the officer commanding it,
having, I believe the very first discharge, struck one gun-boat, and as
we heard afterwards wounded the officer commanding on board, and as it
in its continued flight went close over most of the others, the whole
took to their oars in an instant, and we were no more molested by them.
Up to this period the war had been carried on in a very irritating
manner, and in some instances in a way which could produce no advantage
to either party; for even sentinels on their posts were cautiously
approached and fired at.
Sir Thomas Brisbane proposed to the American generals Izard and
M'Combe, to put an end to such barbarities, and in future to carry on
military operations in the manner adopted by European nations. This
being readily agreed to by them, I did not hear of another instance of
the kind occurring upon either side as long as the war lasted; indeed,
this kind of polite intercourse between the generals was attended with
the best results, not only amongst those under them, but also produced
feelings of respect and offers of attention, if opportunity offered,
after the war was over.
Neither during our expedition to Plattsburg, nor for some time
afterwards were our affairs in the Lower Province well managed. Just
before the closing in of the ice on the lake, and when a part of
the United States fleet were still at Plattsburg, but, as we well
knew, from good authority, completely off their guard, and full
of that dangerous confidence often arising out of a victory too
easily achieved, it was arranged to surprise and capture them by our
gun-boats, and a number of batteaux manned by volunteers, of which
there were hundreds from the regiments. The attempt was intended to
have been made in the night; the soldiers in the batteaux being armed
with cutlasses, pistols, and with boarding pikes, of which there were
plenty at Isle aux Noix; and the following letter was addressed, by
order of Sir Thomas Brisbane, by me to the lieutenant of the Navy in
command of the gun-boats there; who, as it may be well supposed, being
delighted at an opportunity of retaliating upon the Americans, most
readily agreed to the proposal contained in it.
"_St. Johns, November 12, 1814._
"Sir,
"Major-General Brisbane has desired me to communicate the following
circumstances to you, with a view to induce you to co-operate in an
attack upon such of the enemy's fleet as still remain in the Bay of
Plattsburg, upon which, with your assistance, it is proposed by Sir
George Prevost to make the attempt.
"The enemy's force there, by the latest information, consists of only
two sloops, and seven gun-boats, indifferently manned, and little
or no attention is paid to the common measures of precaution. It is
therefore natural to suppose, a sudden attack, or even surprise, might
be attempted with every prospect of success.
"On our part we can only employ batteaux for this enterprise, manned
by volunteers from the regiments, in such numbers as you would think
necessary to act along with your gun boats; and the strength of your
crews could be increased if you require it. Of course, the whole will
be under your direction, and success must depend upon secrecy, rapid
preparation and action.
"Major-General Brisbane, therefore, begs you will ascertain if the
report of the strength and number of vessels in Plattsburg Bay be
correct, and at all events, he requests that you will lose no time
in coming here to arrange matters, or should you not think such an
undertaking practicable, you will be so good as to point out in what
the difficulties consist. It is, however, obvious, that when affairs
of this nature are once proposed, the sooner they are carried into
execution the better, or else entirely laid aside."
This well arranged attack, which, if successful, would have greatly
improved our situation upon the Lake the following spring, had the
war lasted, was, however, put a stop to only a few hours before the
departure of the expedition, by an express from the General commanding
the forces, who had become apprehensive that the attempt was too
hazardous.
I am induced to continue this subject for various reasons, but
principally because much that occurred during the last war in
North America, is at this moment becoming interesting; and useful
conclusions, in both a naval and military point of view, may be drawn
from what has already taken place there.
After the disappointment to our hopes of retaliating upon it, the whole
of the enemy's fleet were laid up for the winter at Whitehall, at the
head of Lake Champlain. It was again proposed by Sir Thomas Brisbane,
and agreed to by Sir George Prevost, to destroy them by an expedition
of five thousand men, which were to have started suddenly under the
orders of the former, to be conveyed to the point of attack, with their
supplies of provisions, and combustibles for destroying the ships,
&c. over the ice and snow in sledges. This also, from the excellent
information we had been able to procure, held out every prospect of
complete success; but the same timid councils again prevailed, and this
second, but much more important expedition, when about to start, was
almost similarly countermanded; and the disappointment was particularly
felt by us, for several of the regiments which were to have been
employed in this enterprise, formed part of the force which was not
long after assembled under Sir Thomas Brisbane at Paris, and when the
Duke of Wellington inspected it, he was pleased to say, that had these
fine regiments (and they amounted to nearly nine thousand men) been in
time for Waterloo, the Prussians would not have been wanted upon that
occasion. I must also add, that most of these corps had been formed
and accustomed to war under his Grace in Portugal, Spain, and the
south of France; and having been found at the end of the war to be the
most efficient of the army, they had been at once ordered off to North
America, where, from the way in which things were managed, they had not
the power of farther distinguishing themselves.
But I could, if necessary, show that at last we would have completely
effected our object in destroying the American fleet at Whitehall;
but in a very different manner, and which, from the share I had in
the transaction, and from the secrecy I thus feel imposed upon
me, I do not consider myself at liberty to disclose, and which the
notification of peace with the United States alone prevented. At that
moment it was quite evident that the effects of the war had begun to
be most seriously felt; and it was also an expensive, and as the Duke
of Wellington would pronounce it to be, _a useless little war_ for
Great Britain to be so long engaged in. If we are again provoked to
hostilities, which is very probable, the people of the United States
should be made to feel what are the effects of a war carried on in
earnest in their own country, by such a powerful empire as Great
Britain; but for this our navy and army must be properly prepared.
I have for several years past given the subject of our Boundaries with
the United States much consideration, and I have endeavoured to obtain,
by all the means I could bring to my aid, a correct view of it; but
what has been published in the "Times," of the 27th of April, and 26th
of May, 1840, as communications from Mr. Waddilove to the Editor, puts
the whole of that long misunderstood question, in so much clearer a
light than what I had prepared for this work (though I had come nearly
to the same conclusion) that I hope I shall be excused for giving them
in this place.