VAN RENSSELAER'S CAMP.
After midnight, on the morning of the 11th, the American general, Van
Rensselaer, believing, as he wrote, "that Brock, with all his disposable
forces, had left for Detroit," launched from the Lewiston landing, under
cover of the pitch darkness, thirteen boats capable of carrying 340
armed men.
To Lieutenant Sims, "the man of the greatest skill in the American
service," was entrusted the command. Sims entered the leading boat, and
vanished in the gloom. Whether he had taken all the oars with him, as
reported, or whether the furious storm and the sight of the whirling
black waters had frozen the hearts of the troops, must remain a mystery.
The other boats did not follow.
Meanwhile, 350 additional regulars and thirty boats had arrived from
Four Mile Creek. Flying artillery came from Fort Niagara, with still
more regulars, and part of Smythe's brigade from Buffalo. Troops, as
Brock's spies had truly reported, now overflowed the United States army
headquarters--three more complete regiments from New York and another
from Fort Schlosser. Lewiston bristled with bayonets. The entire
expeditionary force was in command of Colonel Solomon Van Rensselaer, a
militiaman, between whom and the officers commanding the regular troops
much jealousy and great friction existed. Both branches of the service
were determined to monopolize whatever credit might ensue. A storm,
more furious than ever, prevailed for twenty-eight hours. The men sulked
in their tents.
On the night of the 12th, the storm having abated, though the sky was
black as ink, added numbers having developed greater courage, Van
Rensselaer resolved on another attempt. He secretly notified
Brigade-Major Smythe, in command at Buffalo, that in accordance with the
letter reproduced in a previous chapter, he would storm the Heights of
Queenston that night. With experienced river men as pilots, with picked
crews, and protected by the big guns at Fort Gray, 600 men, with two
pieces of light artillery, in thirteen boats, in the grim darkness of
the morning of the 13th--a sinister coincidence--drew up in silence on
the wharf. They comprised the first detachment of 850 regulars and 300
militia, the advance attacking party--"the flower of Wadsworth's
army"--embarked to "carry the Heights of Queenston and appal the minds
of Canadians."
Let us trace the fulfilling of Van Rensselaer's boast.
The regulars crossed first, almost out of the line of fire of the
British batteries, and under cover of six of the enemy's field-guns that
completely commanded the Canadian shore. Some of the boats of this
flotilla effected, as we know, a landing above the rock, still visible
at the water's edge, under the suspension bridge. Here they disembarked
their fighting men--the 13th regulars and some artillery--and, under Van
Rensselaer, attempted to form. The empty boats recrossed the river to
ferry over more soldiers.
* * * * *
A sentry of the 49th--our hero's regiment--overheard voices and tramping
of feet. Scenting danger, he ran, without firing, to alarm the main
guard.
In a few minutes Dennis advanced upon the landing place with forty-six
men of his own company and a few militia, and discharged a murderous
volley, leaving Colonel Van Rensselaer, with eight officers and
forty-five men, killed or wounded. The enemy retreated to the water's
edge for shelter, confused and shivering. The Lewiston batteries at once
opened fire on the redan on Queenston Heights. The position of Dennis
being thus revealed to Dearborn's gunners, they immediately turned their
battery of six field-pieces upon his handful of men, and the position
proving untenable, he withdrew to the shelter of the village, on the lip
of the hill, still continuing to fire downwards on the invaders.
Vrooman's battery then opened fire, and Crowther brought his two
"grasshoppers"--small three-pounders--to sweep the road leading to the
river.