The Naval War of 1812 | Page 7

defeated by 300 American regulars
under Major Morgan, fighting from behind a strong breastwork of
felled trees, with a creek in front. On the night of the 15th of August,
the British in three columns advanced to storm the American works,
but after making a most determined assault were beaten off. The
assailants lost 900 men, the assailed about 80. After this nothing was
done till Sept. 17th, when General Brown, who had resumed command
of the American forces, determined upon and executed a sortie. Each
side had received reinforcements; the Americans numbered over 3,000,
the British nearly 4,000. The fighting was severe, the Americans losing
500 men; but their opponents lost 600 men, and most of their batteries
were destroyed. Each side, as usual, claimed the victory; but, exactly as
Lundy's Lane must be accounted an American defeat, as our forces
retreated from the ground, so this must be considered an American
victory, for after it the British broke up camp and drew off to
Chippeway. Nothing more was done, and on November 5th the
American army recrossed the Niagara. Though marked by some
brilliant feats of arms this four months' invasion of Canada, like those
that had preceded it, thus came to nothing. But at the same time a
British invasion of the United States was repulsed far more
disgracefully. Sir George Prevost, with an army of 13,000 veteran
troops, marched south along the shores of Lake Champlain to

Plattsburg, which was held by General Macomb with 2,000 regulars,
and perhaps double that number of nearly worthless militia;--a force
that the British could have scattered to the winds, though, as they were
strongly posted, not without severe loss. But the British fleet was
captured by Commodore MacDonough in the fight on the lake; and
then Sir George, after some heavy skirmishing between the outposts of
the armies, in which the Americans had the advantage, fled
precipitately back to Canada.
All through the war the sea-coasts of the United States had been harried
by small predatory excursions; a part of what is now the State of Maine
was conquered with little resistance, and kept until the close of
hostilities; and some of the towns on the shores of Chesapeake Bay had
been plundered or burnt. In August, 1814, a more serious invasion was
planned, and some 5,000 troops--regulars, sailors, and marines--were
landed, under the command of General Ross. So utterly helpless was
the Democratic Administration at Washington, that during the two
years of warfare hardly any steps had been taken to protect the Capitol,
or the country round about; what little was done, was done entirely too
late, and bungled badly in addition. History has not yet done justice to
the ludicrous and painful folly and stupidity of which the government
founded by Jefferson, and carried on by Madison, was guilty, both in
its preparations for, and in its way of carrying on, this war; nor is it yet
realized that the men just mentioned, and their associates, are primarily
responsible for the loss we suffered in it, and the bitter humiliation
some of its incidents caused us. The small British army marched at will
through Virginia and Maryland, burned Washington, and finally
retreated from before Baltimore and reembarked to take part in the
expedition against New Orleans. Twice, at Bladensburg and North
Point, it came in contact with superior numbers of militia in fairly good
position. In each case the result was the same. After some preliminary
skirmishing, manoeuvring, and volley firing, the British charged with
the bayonet. The rawest regiments among the American militia then
broke at once; the others kept pretty steady, pouring in quite a
destructive fire, until the regulars had come up close to them, when
they also fled. The British regulars were too heavily loaded to pursue,
and, owing to their mode of attack, and the rapidity with which their
opponents ran away, the loss of the latter was in each case very slight.

At North Point, however, the militia, being more experienced, behaved
better than at Bladensburg. In neither case were the British put to any
trouble to win their victory.
The above is a brief sketch of the campaigns of the war. It is not
cheerful reading for an American, nor yet of interest to a military
student; and its lessons have been taught so often by similar
occurrences in other lands under like circumstances, and, moreover,
teach such self-evident truths, that they scarcely need to be brought to
the notice of an historian. But the crowning event of the war was the
Battle of New Orleans; remarkable in its military aspect, and a source
of pride to every American. It is well worth a more careful study, and
to it I have devoted the last chapter of this work.
New York City,