There seemed no alternative but such a purchase or a war. Diffi culties with England began to increase. Several American vessels with valuable cargoes are seized by the British.

1806.

Jan. 16-Two million dollars are voted that the President may commence negotiations with Spain for Florida. The British continue to violate our flag by impressing seamen on our vessels.

March 26-A retaliatory law was enacted by Congress forbidding the importation of certain English goods, to take effect in November in order to give time for negotiation. Provision was also made for increasing the army and navy.

The summer of this year was disturbed, in the west, by rumors of a design to separate the Louisiana Territory and Western States from the Union, by the establishment of an independent government.

Apr. 10-Gen. Horatio Gates, an officer of the Revolution, died. Dec. The session of Congress commencing the first of this month was largely occupied with a law forbidding the slave trade after 1808. There was much violent debate but the law was enacted early in the next year.

Robt. Morris, of Pa., on the 8th of May; Geo. Wythe, of Va., on the 8th of June; James Smith, of Pa., on the 11th of July, signers of the Declaration of Independence; and Gen. Henry Knox, an officer of the Revolution, on the 25th of Oct., died. Gen. Knox was Secretary of War during Washington's administration.

1807.

Feb. 10-An act for commencing the Coast Survey, and appropriating $50,000 for that purpose, is passed.

The English had defeated and almost annihilated the French and Spanish navies, and became very tyrannical toward neutral nations, which begins to injure our commerce. Bonaparte retaliates in the same spirit which doubles the difficulty.

Mar. 18-A treaty made by American ambassadors with England was rejected by our government because the British refused to allow that British born citizens could become American citizens by naturalization. These the English government claimed the right of impressing from our vessels, which we denied.

June 22-A British ship of war, the Leopard, fires into the American frigate Chesapeake while unprepared to resist, and took several men from her. Three Americans were killed, and eighteen wounded. It greatly exasperated the Americans.

July 2―The President ordered all English ships of war to leave American

waters.

Aug. 25-Com. Preble, of the U. S. navy, died.

Sept. 15-Aaron Burr tried for treason, (he was the leader of the conspiracy

believed to have endeavored to detach the Mississippi Valley from the Union,) was acquitted for want of evidence, though generally believed guilty.

Nov. 26-Oliver Ellsworth, U. S. Chief Justice, died.

Dec. 17-Bonaparte's "Milan Decree " subjects American commercial vessels to seizure.

22-This and like British "Orders in Council" caused Congress to lay an embargo, forbidding any vessels to sail from our ports.

1808.

Jan. 1—The act of Congress, passed in the previous session, to carry out the provision of the Constitution to abolish the slave trade at this time, goes into effect to-day.

Apr. 17-Bonaparte orders the seizure and confiscation of all American vessels in France, or that should afterwards arrive there.

Nov. 7-The tenth Congress assembles again. Much discussion is had over the embargo, but it is finally determined to make it still more stringent and place the country in a state of defense.

-A presidential election this month results in the choice of James Madison for the next term. He was a republican, or democrat, in politics.

1809.

Jan. 9-An act is passed "more effectually to enforce the embargo.”
Feb. 3-Illinois organized under a Territorial Government.

Mar. 3-The Tenth Congress closes, at the same time as the Administration of Jefferson. Madison was inaugurated the next day. He served two terms. A war with Great Britain was commenced in his first, and ended in his second term.

9-Thos. Haywood, of S. C., signer of the Declaration of Independence, died.

Apr. 19—An arrangement of the difficulties with England concluded with the British Minister, Erskine, and, in the expectation of permanent peace, the Embargo and Non-intercourse acts cease by proelamation of the President.

May 22-An extra session of of the eleventh Congress meets.

July 20-News arrives of the rejection by the English government of the Erskine treaty.

Aug. 9—The President forbids, by proclamation, all intercourse with Great Britain and France.

Nov. 8-A new English minister having been sent, his arrogant tone causes the U. S. government to decline further intercourse with him. 1810.

Mar. 23-Bonaparte crders the sale and confiscation of 132 American vessels (detained in France by previous decree) and their cargoes, and the same confiscation is ordered of all American vessels after

ward entering French ports. The 132 vessels and their cargoes were worth $8,000,000.

Aug. 5-The French government announces the revocation of their confiscation act, to take effect Nov. 1. A deadly struggle had been, for many years, going on between Napolean Bonaparte and England. This hostility of France to American commerce was in retaliation of the British "Orders in Council" against neutral commerce trading with France. England had nearly destroyed the French navy and considered herself mistress of the seas. She wished to reduce American commerce to the condition of colonial times, which, with impressment of seamen, was the cause of the present struggle. Our commerce was constantly growing, our people spirited, and resolved to have their rights and Flag respected. 1811.

Feb. 26—An act passed establishing naval hospitals.

May 16 The American frigate President, and the British sloop of war Little Belt, fire into each other. The Little Belt is disabled. This was a retaliation of the firing of the British ship Leopard on the American Chesapeake, four years before, and also of the capture of an American merchantman bound to France, off New York, by a British vessel about this time. Several instances of impressment, by the British, from American vessels, had lately occurred, and there was a feeling of great exasperation toward England. The English government had not yet made any atonement for the attack on the Chesapeake.

June 1-Gen. Eaton, prominent in the war with Tripoli, died.

19-Samuel Chase, Chief Justice of the U. S., died.

Aug. 2-Wm. Williams, of Conn., died. The two last were signers of the Declaration of Independence.

The relief of American commerce from outrages by the French proved delusive, and many grievous wrongs are suffered this year. Nov. 7-Two twin brothers of the Shawanese tribe of Indians (Tecumseh and the Prophet) had been for some years engaged in forming a conspiracy among a large number of Indian tribes on the Northwestern frontier to exterminate the whites. Gen. Harrison's army is attacked by the Indians this day, at Tippecanoe. They are defeated by Gen. Harrison.

Dec. 2―The ratio of Representation is revised on the census of 1800, and fixed at 35,000.

1812.

Jan. Various acts are passed for putting the army and navy in a condi

tion for war.

Apr. 4-An embargo is laid on American shipping, by act of Congress. 8-Louisiana admitted into the Union as a State.

20-Geo. Clinton, Vice-President of the United States, died.

June 4--The Territory of Missouri organized.

23-The British government repeal the obnoxious "Orders in Council," but refuse to give up the right of search and impressment on American vessels. The American government refuses to be satisfied with this; besides, it had already declared war, June 18th.

CHAPTER XX.

THE WAR OF 1812.

We have stated in connection with the appropriate events, the causes of this war which had accumulated during the last five years at a rapid rate. The seizure and captures of American vessels by Great Britain amounted to 917; by France to 558. Upwards of 6,000 cases of impressments were recorded in the American Department of State; and in all these our Flag had been violated. It was estimated that about as many more had been made, of which no official information had been received. The Americans were averse to war and had long borne these injuries in the hope that a settlement might be reached by negotiation; but they insisted on the inviolability of our Flag, and the right of naturalization. On the commencement of hostilities 2,500 of these impressed sailors, claiming to be American citizens, refused to fight against America, and were impris oned by the English government, where most of them were kept to the close of the war.

Aug. 24—The English government, however, had the magnanimity, when news arrived of the Declaration of War by the United States, to allow all American vessels then in their ports six weeks to dispose of their lading and to depart undisturbed.

The great success of the war on the American side was on the sea, where it was much more seriously detrimental and mortifying to the English than victories on the land would have been. The land forces were generally inefficiently conducted, though the close of the war was signalized by the victory of Gen. Jackson, at New Orleans, which was extremely gratifying to American pride. July 12—Gen. Hull, with 1,800 troops, invades Canada.

Aug. 8-After various mishaps, Hull retreats to Detroit.

9-Col. Miller defeats Tecumseh and a body of British troops at Maguaga.

15-Ft. Dearborn (now Chicago) was abandoned by its small garrison, by the orders of Hull. During their retreat they were attacked, and most of them massacred by the Indians.

16-Gen. Hull surrendered Detroit and all the military forces and stores in the territory to the British. He was afterward sentenced

to death by a court-martial, but pardoned by the president, though degraded from all military command. "19-The U. S. frigate Constitution, Capt. Hull, does great honor to the American arms by the capture of the English frigate Guerriere. This vessel had challenged the American vessels in a contemptuous way. She had 79 killed and wounded, the Constitution only 13. There were 10 impressed American seamen on the Guerriere. Sept. 7—The U. S. frigate Essex captures the Alert in 8 minutes. Oct. 13-In another invasion of Canada by Gen. Van Rensselaer, though much gallantry was displayed, an unexpected British reinforcement obliged the surrender of 700 men after 160 had been killed and wounded.

แ

18-The U. S. sloop of war Wasp captures the British sloop of war Frolic, which was the strongest vessel. The Frolic had 100 killed and wounded, the Wasp but 10. Both were captured by a British 74 pounder the same day.

25-Capt. Decatur, of the frigate United States, captures the Macedo nian, a British frigate. British loss 104, American only 7.

Nov. 22-The U. S. brig Vixen is captured by the English frigate Southampton. Both were afterward shipwrecked.

A presidential election in this month secured the re-election of
Madison.

Dec. 29—The U. S. frigate Constitution, Commodore Bainbridge, captures. the British frigate Java, off the coast of Brazil. American loss 44, British 151. These naval victories with so little loss produced much exultation in America, and much surprise and mortification in England. The Americans were able seamen, and had long burned to avenge the insults and contempt of the English navy. Americans are capable of extraordinary vigor when thoroughly aroused. The operations on land had been much interfered with by the strenuous and almost treasonable opposition of the anti-war party, and this continued to be an embarrassment during nearly its whole course. The general disfavor with which this. violent opposition was regarded, however, and the sympathy felt for the President, so embarrassed, procured his re-election.

1813.

Military operations this year were, in part, more creditable and encournging The regular force amounted to about 55,000 men; an act had been passed authorizing the construction of four 74 gun ships, and six fortyfours; and for an increase of the navy on the lakes.

Jan. 22-A disastrous enterprise at Frenchtown (now Monroe, Mich.)

results in the loss of nearly 900 American troops under Winchester. The wounded were left by Gen. Proctor, the British commander, to be massacred by the Indians.