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to evacuate it. He immediately wrote to the general that he was satisfied he could defend it successfully, and declined obeying. It has been said that Croghan wrote this despatch with the intention of suffering it to be taken by the enemy. It however reached General Harrison's hands.

On the 1st of August, General Proctor appeared before Sandusky, or Fort Stephenson, with the force already mentioned, and several gun-boats. After having disposed of his force so as to render retreat impossible, he sent two officers with a flag to summon the fort, and to make the usual threat of a massacre. With his characteristic coolness, Croghan replied that he intended to defend the fort; and, "when it was taken, there would be none left to massacre."

The British boats immediately opened with all their guns and a howitzer. When day broke, it was discovered that a battery of three six-pounders had been placed within two hundred or three hundred yards of the pickets, and which immediately opened. About four o'clock, P. M., the whole fire of the British was concentrated on one angle, for the purpose of effecting a breach, which would enable them to carry it by storm. To strengthen this, bags of sand and flour were immediately prepared; and the only gun, a six-pounder, was masked in the bastion which covered the point by which it was evident the enemy intended to enter, if possible. This gun was filled almost to the tompion, with grape and missiles of every description.

Soon after, a column of five hundred men, commanded by Colonel Short, advanced to what they fancied the weak point, while several feints were made on other parts of the work. A number of volleys were then fired by the enemy, with no other effect than to

envelope this column in smoke, under cover of which it advanced within twenty paces of the bastion, in spite of a heavy fire of musketry from the fort. The British leader then ordered an assault, and, as he did so, shouted, "Give the Yankees no quarter!" The column rushed forward, and was in the ditch. At this moment the gun was unmasked, and fired. Words cannot tell how fearful was that discharge, which mowed down the enemy. Short was instantly killed. A heavy fire of musketry was at the same time delivered, and the column withdrew. The gun was loaded again, and the next officer in command (Colonel Warburton) madly advanced again to the assault. He went headlong with his command into the ditch, and when it was nearly full, the cannon was a second time fired, with more deadly accuracy, if possible, than before. No effort of their officers could bring the British again to the assault, but they fled to the woods. The Indians were too prudent to attack a work which was so well defended, and followed them. During the night, they retreated, leaving the dead and wounded and seventy stands of arms, besides a boat.

This was a brilliant victory. The enemy numbered nearly twelve hundred men; Croghan's force was precisely one hundred and sixty. The killed were buried with the honors of war; and, forgetful that the wounded had, but a few months before, participated in the massacre at the river Raisin and Fort Meigs, he extended the utmost care to them. Previous to the final retreat, before the enemy had suspended his fire, the wounded were taken from the ditch into the fort, and placed in the hospital, under the care of the medical officers.

The American loss was one killed and seven wounded.

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That of the enemy, a total of one hundred and fifty men. This defence called forth the greatest enthusiasm in the United States. Major Croghan received the thanks of both houses of congress, and swords were presented by the nation to himself and Captain Hunter, Lieutenants Johnson and Baylor, and Ensigns Shipp and Duncan, of the 17th regiment, to Lieutenants Anthony and Anderson, of the 24th, and Ensign Meeks, of the 7th.

General Harrison in general orders complimented the whole garrison. A rarer compliment was also bestowed on Croghan by the ladies of Cincinnati, who presented him with an elegant sword..

For this gallant defence he received the brevet of lieutenant-colonel from the date of his report, August 2d, 1813. This affair was one of the most gallant actions of the war, and placed Croghan's military talent as far above dispute as his courage.

CHAPTER II.

Surrender of Michilimackinac - Croghan's expedition - Defeated-St. Mary's and St. Joseph's-Croghan resignsReturns to the service-Monterey-General Jesup

THE defence of Fort Meigs took place in May, 1813. On the 10th of September, Perry won his brilliant victory, and on the 5th of October was fought the battle of the Thames, the result of both of which was the annihilation of the Anglo-Indian power on this continent, and the death of Tecumseh. The credit of the battle of the Thames is due to the volunteers, and this is proved by the fact that there is not now one officer remaining in the regular army, breveted for services in this brilliant action, though there are twenty who were participators in the triumphs on the eastern lakes. We lose sight here of Colonel Croghan until the spring of 1814, when he was assigned to the command of an expedition fitted out against the forts at Michilimackinac and St. Joseph's, near the place where Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior connect. Michilimackinac had early in the war been captured under peculiar circumstances.

War was declared by the United States against Great Britain, June 19th, 1812. On the 17th of July, 1812, the American fort of Michilimackinac was summoned to surrender by a force of nearly a thousand men, three hundred of which were British troops, and the rest Indians, the whole of which on the previous day had left St. Joseph's. The garrison consisted of but fifty-six men of all arms,

commanded by a lieutenant of artillery, named Hanks. An American who had been captured by the enemy was sent to inform the garrison and people of the village, which had grown up around the old French trading station, that in case of resistance all would be put to death. This circumstance is convincing proof that Great Britain went into the war with a determination to let loose the Indians on our frontier, and that the subsequent conduct of Proctor was not a variation from, but a strict adherence to the rule proposed by the English government. On the 17th a flag demanding immediate surrender was sent to the garrison, who thus were informed that the two countries were at war.

Up to the date of the formal summons, Lieutenant Hanks had considered the demonstration of the attacking party but as an outrage of the Indians, fostered and encouraged, perhaps, by the British Northwestern Company, which, to all intents and purposes, had an existence separate from the British government. He had not expected war; the government had not prepared him for it; and he was aware that no gallantry could save his command. It was, therefore, his duty to surrender. He did so, and the British became possessed of one of the fortresses of the United States. The stipulations of surrender insured protection to the garrison, which, for once during the war, were observed to the letter. It is pleasant to observe that on this occasion, the seven hundred savages were not turned loose on the lone fifty-six men surrendered by Lieutenant Hanks.

Fort Michilimackinac commanded the whole northwestern trade, which, as Breckenridge says, passed under its guns as absolutely as that of the Mediterranean did under Gibraltar. No blame was attached to Lieutenant Hanks. It was obvious that the negligence

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