Stranica 61 [61]
HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 47
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the British armed steamers Cobourg and Victoria ar- | Ogdensburg, ‘in restraining any attempt at rein¬
‘rived at Prescott with a reinforcement of troops, and | forcement. The dead and wounded lay on the
at about seven o'clock, they, together with the £x- | field until the morning of the 14th (Wednesday),
periment, opened a discharge of cannon, throwing | when the British sent a flag of truce for permission
e; shot at the Windmill. The insurgents replied from | to bury the dead, and both parties were for a short
“ _ their battery on shore. On Tuesday a detachment | time engaged in collecting and carrying off from
of forty men of the 83rd regiment, under Lieutenant | the field the slain. On the forenoon of Thursday,
Johnston, and thirty mariners under Lieutenant | Colonel North sent for several of the prominent
Parker, were landed, and joined by detachments of | citizens of Ogdensburg, to ask their advice on the
militia. At a quarter before seven the British ad- | propriety of applying to Colonel Young, the British
vanced in two columns. The left, under Colonel D. | commander, to ask of him the privilege of staying
Fraser, consisting of the mariners, Captain G. Mc- | the further effusion of blood, by being allowed to
Donnell’s company of Highlanders, Captains Jones’ | remove the invaders, and becoming responsible
and Fraser's companies of the znd regiment of | that they should attempt no further disturbance
Grenville militia, and 100 men of Colonel Martle’s | on the frontier.
men of Stormont militia. The right column was led The measure met with the approbation of those
by Colonel Gowan, of the Queen’s Borderers, and | consulted, and a messenger was despatched to ¬
one hundred of Captain Martle’s regiment. Soon | consult with the British commander, who declined
after a line of fire blazed along the summit of the | the proposition.
hill, in the rear of the mill, for about eighty or one The steamers Cobourg and Victoria, having been
hundred rods, and the report of small arms made an | dispatched to Kingston for guns of greater calibre,
incessant roar. The invaders were mostly protected | and the machinery of the Axferiment being under
by stone walls, and comparatively secure, while the repair, the citizens of Ogdensburg determined, if
British were fully exposed in the open field, and | possible, to remove their countrymen from their
d suffered greatly from the sharp shooters posted in | perilous position. This delicate and responsible
b the upper portion of the mill. The British did not | service was entrusted to Preston King, Esq., at that
. at that time have at Prescott guns of sufficient | time postmaster of the village. A sufficient number
hs’ weight to make a sensible impression upon the | of volunteers were raised for the occasion, and the
massive walls of the tower, their shot rebounding | steamer repaired to the vicinity of the windmill.
from the surface without producing effect. Among the volunteers, was a man connected with
After twenty or thirty minutes, the party gave the invaders, who was said to be an officer of their
way, and retired over the hill. At the time when | Organization; he was, i these reasons, recom¬
the action commenced, the invading force was mended to open communication with them, and
supposed to have numbered about one hundred | 5 sent on shore in a small row-poat, to announce
the errand of the steamer, which, as the shore was
and eighty, but during the engagement, a party
consisting of about fifty, were separated from their shoal, and there was no wharf, was compelled to
comrades, scattered, pursued and captured in detail. my saa several rods from the bank, to avoid
The invaders lost in the engagement five killed and grounding.
thirteen wounded. Finding that the stronghold | By subsequent information, it was ascertained
resisted any means of attack which they possessed, | that some person who went ashore in the first
the British resolved to await the arrival of heavier | boat, reported that a reinforcement of men and
cannon, taking precautions, meanwhile, to prevent | SUpplies might soon be expected by the invaders,
any reinforcement being sent over from the Amer- | and they were advised to maintain their position.
ican shore. From nine till three there was but After waiting a considerable time for the return
little excitement. An irregular firing was kept up | of the row-boat, Mr. King took a new boat, repaired
on the windmill, and a body of regulars fired an | to the windmill, made known the nature of his
occasional volley at a stone house in which a errand, stated the folly of looking for reinforce¬
portion of the insurgents were established. At ments, and earnestly requested them to avail
three o'clock in the afternoon, a barn was burned | themselves of the only chance of escape that
ed the invaders, as sheltering the British. During | would be offered. The invaders refused to avail
_this time, the force occupied the windmill and | themselves of the offer, and Mr. King was reluc¬
a : paveral of the houses adjoining, and the brow of tantly compelled to return, without having accom¬
oo hill. On the evening of the 13th, a requisition plished his purpose, any further than to bring off
Kent to Sacketts Harbour by the Americans | six or seven men from the mill. He had scarcely
fo more troops, to assist those already at | returned to port, when the British armed steamer
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