lency will be pleased to submit their names for promotion to the most favourable consideration of his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, viz. Captain Jervois, my Aide-de-Camp ; Captain Robinson, 8th (King's) regiment, (Provincial Lieut.-Col.) commanding the incorporated militia; Captain Eliot, Deputy Assistant QuarterMaster-General; Captain Holland, Aide-de-Camp to Major General Riall; and Captain Glew, 41st regiment. This dispatch will be delivered to you by Captain Jervois, my Aide-de-Camp, who is fully compétent to give your Excellency every further information you may require. I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed) G. DRUMMOND, Lient.-Gen. Return of the Killed, Wounded, and Missing, and taken Prisoners of the Right Division of the Army in Upper Canada, under the command of Lieutenant-General Drummond, in action, with the enemy near the Falls of Niagara, 25th July. General Total-1 captain, 3 subalterns, I deputy assistant-adjutant-general, 4 serjeants, 75 rank and file, killed; 1 lieutenant general, 1 major-general, 1 inspecting field officer, 1 deputy assistant quarter-master-general, 2 lieutenant-colonels, 2 majors, 8 captains, 15 subalterns, 31 serjeants, 5 drummers, 482 rank and file, wounded; 1 captain, 3 subalterns, 2 quarter-masters, 11 serjeants, 5 drummers, 171 rank and file missing; aide-de-camp, 4 captains, 4 subalterns, 1 quartermaster, 4 serjeants, 28 rank and le, prisoners; 14 horses killed, 14 horses wounded, 12 horses missing: total killed, 84; total wounded, 559; total missing, 193; total prisoners, 42.-Total 878. COLONIAL DEPARTMENT. Downing-street Oct. 10, 1814. A dispatch, of which the following is a copy, addressed to Earl Bathurst, one of his Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, was yesterday received from Lieut.-Ġen. Sir George Prevost, Bart. : Head-quarters, Montreal, My Lord,-The successful re. sult of the gallant enterprize against the enemy's small vessels lying off Fort Erie, as detailed in the enclosed extract of a dispatch from Lieut.-General Drummond, having encouraged the expectation that a favourable period had arrived for attacking the enemy in their entrenchments, the Lieut.General was induced to order an assault upon Fort Erie, and the works connected with it, before the break of day on the 15th instant. It is with deep concern I have now to acquaint your Lordship, that notwithstanding there was the fairest prospect of success at the commencement of the attack, our troops were afterwards obliged to retire without accomplishing their object, and with· siderable Joss. very cop To Lieutenant General Drummond's official report on this subject (a copy of which I have the honour of transmitting), I beg leave to refer your Lordship for the causes of our failure. It is, however, highly satisfactory to know, that until the unfortunate explosion took place, and until his Majesty's troops, by their near approach to the abbattis in front of the entrenchments, met such difficulties in penetrating as were found to be insurmountable without the aid of light, they behaved with their usual gallantry and discipline, and had gained, by their determined efforts, advantages which accident alone appears to have compelled them to forego. By accounts from Lieut.-Gen. Drummond to the 18th instant, I. find he has since the 15th been joined by the 82d regiment, and that the 6th was on its way to, and would probably be with the right division by this time, together with other reinforcements which are proceeding thither. I have the honour, &c. Earl Bathurst, &c. Extract of a letter from Lieut.- I have great satisfaction in acquainting your Excellency with the capture of two of the three armed schooners which were anchored off Fort Erie, and which very much annoyed our left flank. This enterprise was executed in a very gallant stile by Captain Dobbs, and a party of about 70 seamen and marines, who embarked last night in six batteaux, which I had caused to be carried across to Lake Erie for that purpose. fire of the battery on Fort Erie, and though the distance is found to be great, yet I hope a sufficient effect will be produced. Camp before Fort Erie, August 15, 1814. Sir,-Having reason to believe that a sufficient impression had been produced on the works of the enemy's fort, by the fire of the battery which I had opened on it on the morning of the 13th, and by which the stone building had been much injured, and the general outline of the parapet and embrazures very much altered, I determined on assaulting the place; and accordingly made the neces sary arrangements for attacking it, by a heavy column directed to the intrenchments on intrenchments on the side of Snake-hill, and by two columns to advance from the battery, and assault the fort and intrenchments on this side. The troops destined to attack by Snake-hill, (which consisted of the King's regiment and that of De Watteville's, with the flank companies of the 89th and 100th regiments, under Lieutenant Colonel Fischer, of the regiment De Watteville), marched at 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon, in order to gain the vicinity of the point of attack in sufficient time. It is with the deepest regret I have to report the failure of both attacks, which were made two hours before daylight this morning. A copy of Lieut.-Colonel Fischer's report, herewith enclosed, will enable your Excellency to form a tolerably correct judgment of the cause of the failure of that attack. Had the head of the co I have this morning opened the lumn (which had entered the VOL. LVI. P place place without difficulty or opposition) been supported, the enemy must have fled from his works, (which were all taken, as was contemplated in the instructions, in reverse,) or have surrendered. The attack on the fort and intrenchments leading from it to the Lake was made at the same moment by two columns; one under Lieut.-Colonel Drummond, 104th regiment, consisting of the flank companies 41st and 104th regiments, and a body of seamen and marines under Captain Dobbs, of the royal navy, on the fort; the other, under Colonel Scott, 103d, consisting of the 103d regiment, supported by two companies of the royals, was destined to attack the entrenchments. These columns advanced to the attack, as soon as the firing upon Colonel Fischer's column was heard, and succeeded, after a desperate resistance, in making a lodgment in the fort through the embrazures of the demi-bastion, the guns of which they had actually turned against the enemy, who still maintained the stone building, when most unfortunately some ammunition, which had been been placed under the platform, caught fire from the firing of the guns to the rear, and a most tremendous explosion followed, by which almost all the troops which had entered the place were dreadfully mangled. Panic was instantly communicated to the troops (who could not be persuaded that the explosion was accidental), and the enemy, at the same time pressing forward, and commencing a heavy fire of mus ketry, the fort was abandoned, and our troops retreated towards the battery. Iimmediately pushed out the 1st battalion Royals, to support and cover the retreat, a service which that valuable corps executed with great steadiness. Our loss has been very severe in killed and wounded: and I am sorry to add that almost all those returned "missing," may be considered as wounded or killed by the explosion, and left in the hands of the enemy. The failure of these most important attacks has been occasioned by circumstances which may be considered as almost justifying the momentary panic which they produced, and which introduced a degree of confusion into the columns which, in the darkness of the night, the utmost exertions of the officers were ineffectual in removing. The officers appear invariably to have behaved with the most perfect coolness and bravery; nor could any thing exceed the steadiness and order with which the advance of Lieut.-Col. Fischer's brigade was made, until emerging from a thick wood, it found itself suddenly stopped by an abbattis, and within a heavy fire of musketry and guns from behind a formidable intrenchment. With regard to the centre and left columns, under Colonel Scott, and Lieut.Colonel Drummond, the persevering gallantry of both officers and men, until the unfortunate explosion, could not be surpassed. Colonel Scott, 103d, and Lieut.Colonel Drummond, 104th, regiments, who commanded the centre and left attacks, were unfortunately killed; and your Excellency will perceive that almost every officer of those columns was either killed or wounded by the the enemy's fire, or by the explosion. My thanks are due to the under. mentioned officers, viz. to Lieutenant Colonel Fischer, who commanded the right attack; to Major Coore, Aide de Camp to your Excellency, who accompanied that column; Major Evans, of the King's, commanding the advance; Major Villatte, De Watteville's; Captain Basden, light company 89th; Lieutenant Murray, light company 100th; I also beg to add the name of Captain Powell, of the Glengarry light infantry, employed on the staff as deputy assistant in the quarter master general's department, who conducted Lieut. Colonel Fischer's column, and first entered the enemy's intrenchments, and by his coolness and gak lantry particularly distinguished himself; Major Villatte, of De Watteville's regiment, who led the column of attack and entered the intrenchments; as did Lieutenant Young, of the King's regiment, with about fifty men of the light companies of the King's and De Watteville's regiments; Captain Powell reports, that Serjeant Powell, of the 19th dragoons, who was perfectly acquainted with the ground, volunteered to act as guide, and preceded the leading subdivision in the most intrepid style.In the centre and left columns, the exertions of Major Smelt, 103d regiment, who succeeded to the command of the left column, on the death of Colonel Scott; Captains Leonard and Shore, of the 104th flank companies; Captains Glew, Bullock, and O'Keefe, 41st flank companies; Captain Dobbs, royal navy, commanding a party of volunteer seamen and marines, are entitled to my acknowledgments, (they are all wounded). Nor can I omit mentioning, in the strongest terms of approbation, the active, zealous, and useful exertions of Captain Elliot, of the 103d regiment, deputy assistant quarter master general, who was unfortunately wounded and taken prisoner; and Captain Barney, of the 89th regiment, who had volunteered his services as a temporary assistant in the engineer department, conducted the centre column to the attack, in which he received two dangerous wounds. To Major Phillot, commanding royal artillery, and Captain Sabine, who commanded the battery` as well as the field guns, and to the officers and men of that valuable branch of the service, serving under them, I am to express my entire approbation of their skill and exertions. Lieutenant Charlton, royal artillery, entered the fort with the centre column, fired several rounds upon the enemy from his own guns, and was wounded by the explosion. The ability and exertions of Lieutenant Philpot, royal engineers, and the officers and men of that department, claim my best acknowledgments. To Lieutenant Colonel Tucker, who commanded the reserve, and to Lieutenant Colonel Pearson, In-` specting Field Officer, and Lieutenant Colonel Battersby, Glengarry light infantry, and Captain Walker, incorporated militia, I am greatly indebted for their active and unremitted attention to the security of the outposts, To the Deputy Adjutant General, and Deputy Quarter Master General, Lieutenant Colonel Harvey, and Lieutenant Colonel Myers, P 2 and and to the officers of their depart- His Excellency Sir George Camp, August, 15, 1814. Sir, I have the honour to report to you, for the information of Lieutenant General Drummond, that, in compliance with the instructions I received, the brigade under my command, consisting of the 8th, and De Watteville's regiment, the light companies of the 89th and 100th, with a detachment of artillery, attacked this morning at two o'clock the position of the enemy on Snake-hill, and to my great concern failed in its attempt. The flank companies of the brigade, who were formed under the orders of Major Evans, of the King's regiment, for the purpose of turning the position between Snake-hill and the Lake, met with a check at the abbattis, which was found impenetrable, and was pre vented by it, to support Major De Villatte, of De Watteville's, and Captain Powell, of the Quarter Master General's department, who, actually with a few men, bad turned the enemy's battery. The column of support, consisting of the remainder of De Watteville's and the King's regiment, forming the reserve, in marching too near the Lake, found themselves entangled between the rocks and the water, and by the retreat of the flank companies, were thrown into such confusion, as to render it impossible to give them any kind of formation during the darkness of the night, at which time they were exposed to a most galling fire of the enemy's battery, and the numerous parties in the abbattis; and I am perfectly convinced, that the great number of missing are men killed, or severely wounded, at that time, when it was impossible to give them any assistance. After day break, the troops formed and retired to the camp. I enclose a return of casualties. I have the honour, &c. (Signed) J. FISCHER, Lieut. Col. De Watteville's Regiment. Return of Killed, Wounded, and Missing, of the Right Division, in the Assault of Fort Erie, the 15th of August, 1814. Total.-Killed,-2 lieutenantcolonels, 1 captain, 1 lieutenant, I serjeant, 1 drummer, 51 rank and file. Wounded-1 deputy assistant quarter master general, 1 major, 8 captains, 11 lieutenants, 2 ensigns, I master, 12 seamen, 20 serjeants, 2 drummers, 250 rank and file Missing |