Some Account of the Public Life of the Late Lieutenant-General Sir George Prevost, Bart Part 6

[49] Vide the Report in the Appendix, No. XXII.

[50] Review, p. 419.

[51] Review, p. 418.

[52] Review, p. 420.

[53] There cannot be a stronger contradiction to the Reviewer's a.s.sertion, that the order to retreat was precipitate, than the fact which was known to every officer engaged in the expedition, that after the last a.s.sault, and before any order was given for the retreat or re-embarkation of the troops, a flag of truce was sent into the town, with a summons for the surrender of the place, and that some time necessarily elapsed before a refusal was received to that demand. It was not until after the return of the officer with that refusal, and when all hope of the co-operation of the fleet had been relinquished, the artillery still not having been landed, that the order was given for the re-embarkation of the troops.

[54] Review, p. 419.

[55] Vide Appendix, No. XXIII.

[56] Review, p. 425.

[57] Vide Review, p. 426.

[58] Review, p. 427.

[59] Review, p. 425.

[60] Review, p. 427.

[61] Review, p. 427.

[62] Review, p. 427.

[63] "I have had the honor to receive your letters of the 9th and 18th inst. The first I received at York on my way to the centre division, and I cannot refrain from expressing my regret at your having allowed the clamour of the Indian warriors to induce you to commit a part of your force in an unequal and hopeless combat.

"You cannot be ignorant of the limited nature of the force at my disposal for the defence of our extensive frontier, and ought, therefore, not to count too largely upon my disposition to strengthen the right division."

[64] Review, p. 428.

[65] The order here alluded to by Capt. Barclay, is contained in a letter from the Adjutant-General, Col. Baynes, to General Procter, dated the 18th Sept. 1813, nine days after the naval action had taken place, and before the account of it had reached Sir George Prevost. This letter was written in contemplation of the necessity of General Procter retiring from Amherstburgh, in consequence of the difficulties of his situation, in which case it was thought advisable that an action should be risked.

[66] Vide Appendix, No. XXIV.

[67] Vide the Proceedings of the Court-martial, Appendix, No. XXV.

[68] Review, p. 432.

[69] Review, pp. 433, 434.

[70] Ibid, pp. 438, 439.

[71] Vide General Orders, Appendix, No. XXVI.

[72] Review, p. 440.

[73] Vide Extracts in the Appendix, No. XXVII.

[74] Review, p. 441.

[75] Review, pp. 440, 441.

[76] Review, p. 441.

[77] Review, p. 442.

[78] Ibid. p. 443.

[79] Review, p. 443.

[80] Ibid.

[81] As a confirmation of this statement, the reader is referred to an extract from a Letter addressed by Major-General Kempt to Sir George Prevost upon the subject of the intended attack on Sackett's Harbour, of which General Kempt was to have taken the personal command. Appendix, No.

XXVIII.

[82] The extract from a letter addressed by Sir James Yeo, to Sir George Prevost, given in the Appendix, No. XXIX. will shew his opinion of the manner in which the Lake Champlain Squadron was manned.

[83] The following is the Reviewer's mode of stating this:--"Had the Commander-in-Chief suffered these works to be a.s.saulted _as was eagerly proposed to him_ on the same evening, there is no question but they must have fallen with scarcely an effort before a single brigade."--p. 445.

[84] Vide the whole of this Correspondence in the Appendix, No. x.x.x.

[85] This statement and those of the General and other officers, subsequently referred to, all of which are under the hand, and many of them attested by the oaths of the parties, contain the facts relative to the expedition against Plattsburg, to which those officers would have been ready to depose before a Court-Martial.

[86] Review, p. 446.

[87] Review, p. 446.

[88] In the celebrated action between our fleet, commanded by Lord Howe, and that of the French, on the 1st of June, 1794, whilst they were in sight of each other, and preparing for action, the order was given for our men to go to breakfast. See Brenton's Naval History, vol. i. p. 272-307.

[89] Review, p. 448.

[90] Notwithstanding the opinion entertained by Sir George Prevost and the army regarding the probable fall of Plattsburg, it must be recollected that failure was possible, and that nearly at this very period we had been disappointed in our attempts both upon Baltimore and New Orleans. The opinion of the Americans themselves upon this subject, will be found well expressed in an extract from a Burlington paper (State of Vermont) of that period, given in the Appendix, No. x.x.xI.

[91] Review, p. 447.

[92] Review, p. 448.

[93] Vide Appendix, No. x.x.xII.

[94] A further confirmation of the favourable sentiments entertained in Canada, on the subject of Sir George Prevost's conduct and services, during the war, will be found in the extracts given in the Appendix, No. x.x.xIII.

from Christie's Memoirs of the Administration of the Government of Lower Canada, and Bouchette's Topographical Account of that Province.

[95] Sir G. Prevost's family, at the time of his decease, consisted of his widow and three children, viz. the present Sir George Prevost and two daughters. He likewise left two brothers, Major-General Wm. Prevost, late Lieutenant-Colonel of the 67th regiment, and James Prevost, Esq.

Post-Captain in the Royal Navy. A monument to the memory of her husband was erected by Lady Prevost in Winchester Cathedral, with the inscription which will be found in the Appendix, No. x.x.xIV.