plucked up courage to return and hold it, his little force insist

ing on this course.

Whether he was a traitor, as was strongly suspected but not conclusively proven, or merely without courage, military ability and foresight, like too many of the American officers who held commissions on this frontier during the War of 1812, his negligence was criminal.

FORT NIAGARA CAPTURED.

On their arrival, as they stood gazing on the ruins of Newark, Colonel Murray said to General Drummond, "Let us retaliate by fire and sword." "Do so," replied that commander, "swiftly and thoroughly."

So intense was the feeling of the Britishers that preparations were rapidly made. On the night of December 18th, a cold, dark night, Colonel Murray crossed the river at the "Meadows." five miles above Fort Niagara, with 1,000 men, British and Indians. Carrying axes, scaling ladders and other implements for assault, shielded by the darkness, they pressed on to Fort Niagara. The advance pickets of the Americans were captured in silence, and the force placed for a simultaneous attack at several points - five companies of the One Hundredth Regiment were to assail the main gate, three companies of the same regiment were to storm the eastern semi-bastion, the Royal Scots Grenadiers were to assault the salient angle of the works, and the Forty-first Regiment was to support the principal attack.1

These preparations were unnecessary. At four o'clock in the morning of Sunday, December 19th, when the assailants reached the main gate of the fort, they found it wide open. They rushed in and seized the sentinels, who, in fright, gave up the

(1) Lossing's History of War of 1812, page 633, he quotes Colonel Murray's Official Report.

countersign. There were about 400 men in the garrison, some of them in the hospital; but enough, had the fort been properly patrolled and the most ordinary precautions been taken against a sudden attack, to have defended it. But the evening before, Leonard, their commander, without notice to his officers or instructions to them, had quietly slipped away to his home, which was at the meadows, where the assailants landed.

The occupants of the southwest block-house, and the invalids in the red barracks, jumped from their beds on hearing the noise, and made a determined stand, killing half a dozen, and wounding more, of the assailing party.

This resistance was overcome, and the fort was in possession of the British before the rest of the garrison were fully awake. Few shots were fired; the bayonet was the weapon1 and revenge the watchword. Little if any attempt was made to curb the British soldiers' thirst for blood, and many of the garrison, especially hospital patients, were bayoneted after all resistance had ceased.

The loss of the Americans was 80 killed, 14 wounded (these figures tell the story of British revenge), and 244 made prisoners; only about 20 escaped.

Colonel Murray was wounded early in the attack, and resigned the command to Colonel Hamilton, "under whose superintendence, it is stated, the women of the garrison were stripped of their clothing and many of them killed, and the persons of the dead officers treated with shocking indignity."2

The spoils of war, captured in the fort, consisted of 27 cannon, 3,000 stands of arms and many rifles, a large amount of ammunition and commissary stores, clothing and camp equipage of every description.

(1) Gen. Drummond's Official Report, December 19, 1813. (2) J. L. Thompson, History of the War, 1816, page 186.

DEVASTATION OF THE FRONTIER.

When in full control of the fort the British fired one of the

largest cannon as a signal of victory, and General Riall, who, with his blood-thirsty soldiers and Indians was waiting at Queenston for the news, at once crossed his forces to Lewiston, there to commence the devastation of the frontier.

Thus, inside of ten days, the control of both Fort Niagara and Fort George, which included the control of the river, passed, amid scenes of slaughter and devastation, from American to British hands, and once more the flag of England floated over the ramparts of Fort Niagara.

Bloody as was the vengeance wreaked on the surprised garrison, it was not so bad as that inflicted by the British troops and their Indian allies, the latter led by British officers in war paint, on the defenseless inhabitants living between Fort Niagara and Tonawanda. Almost every house in that territory, and all movable property was burnt, and men, women, children and even babes were slain and scalped.

Marauding parties from Fort Niagara were sent out and burnt all buildings to the eastward for a distance of eighteen miles. General McClure blamed Captain Leonard for the loss of the fort, charging him with gross neglect. Leonard, within a few days, gave himself up to the enemy, retiring with his family to Canada.1 Later he returned and surrendered himself. He was tried and cashiered.

The British held undsiputed possession of the fort from its capture until the close of the war.

Its occupation was of no direct benefit to Britain. The entire American frontier was desolate and in ruins. The war in this

(1) Fay's Official Reports, page 167.