On the twenty-ninth the army arrived at Sandwich, nearly opposite Detroit. It was expected at this point that Proctor would give battle, but on arriving there it was found he had deserted the place on the day preceding. Here and there a few Indians could be seen plundering the inhabitants in the suburbs of Detroit, which kept the people there in a state of great perturbation.

General McArthur crossed over from Detroit and took possession with his brigade. On the thirtieth, which was a very trying, rainy day, the troops continued at Sandwich. The inhabitants of Sandwich, after some earnest arguments in the shape of threatened impressments, brought in provisions. A few of the soldiers had violated the rights of property, and upon hearing of this General Harrison issued the following order:

"The Commander-in-Chief of the Kentucky Volunteers has heard with extreme regret that depredations have been committed upon the property of the inhabitants of this town, by some of the troops under his command. He did not expect that it would ever be necessary for him to admonish citizens who are proud in the enjoyment of property at home of the impropriety of wantonly injuring that of others. Violations of this kind, while they disgrace the individuals who are guilty of them, will tend to injure the character of the army and detract from the merit which

the success of the present campaign would entitle them to claim. While the army remains in this country it is expected that the inhabitants will be treated with justice and humanity, and their property secured from unnecessary and wanton injury. The Commander-in-Chief of the Kentucky Volunteers enjoins it upon the officers of every corps to use their exertions to prevent injury being done to the private property of the inhabitants. He is determined to punish with the utmost rigor of martial law any one who shall be guilty of such violation."

From

How

The naval successes of the war on the side of the United States, in September, gave new cause of congratulation. Oliver Hazard Perry, born in 1785, lost his ship and sought service on the lakes under Commodore Chauncey and took part in the attack on Fort George, at the mouth of the Niagara River, which was captured by the militia. there he was sent to fit out a squadron on Lake Erie. well and successfully he did this is best told in the story of the destruction of the British fleet on Lake Erie under Commodore Barclay. Both English and Americans had put forth extraordinary efforts to build and organize a fleet on Lake Erie, the British preparing their vessels at Amherstburg and the Americans at Erie. With almost incredible energy and efforts he managed to construct nine vessels, capable of carrying fifty-four guns. Commodore Perry could

not restrain himself as he saw the British fleet maneuvering off the Canadian coast, and on the 10th of September, 1813, with all his squadron, he engaged the British fleet. Perry's flag-ship, the Lawrence, was disabled, and he boarded the Niagara. He had placed some Kentucky riflemen in the masts, and under their deadly fire a large number of British officers and seamen were killed, and after a tremendous conflict, at three o'clock the British flag was hauled down, and for the first time in her naval history Great Britain, the "Mistress of the Sea," had lost an entire squadron, and had surrendered this to a young man only twenty-seven years of age. His dispatch to General William Harrison, then in camp at the falls of the Maumee, "We have met the enemy and they are ours," immortalized him. It is unfortunate that all the names of these Kentucky riflemen have not been preserved; they numbered about one hundred and fifty. They were largely from Colonel William E. Boswell's and Colonel R. M. Johnson's regiments, and their accurate aim did much to dishearten the British and keep the decks clear during the conflict. This victory gave to the United States the mastery of Lake Erie. It was impossible for the British to construct a navy and organize a naval force on Lake Erie again, and the destruction of Commodore Barclay's fleet made access to Canadian territory by the United States

entirely practicable and comparatively easy, and rendered possible the pursuit, which was afterward made, of Proctor and Tecumseh. Perry subsequently carried his ships into Lake St. Clair, and in person he followed the fortunes of General Harrison and Governor Shelby. Six hundred British sailors were made prisoners. Commodore Barclay, the British commander, went into battle with one arm, and during the fight lost the other. The British loss in killed and wounded was two hundred, American loss twenty-six killed and ninety-six wounded. The news of this magnificent victory was communicated to the Kentucky troops about fifteen miles from Portage River, and gave new zeal and enthusiasm to the Kentuckians as they were nearing the end of their tedious and difficult march.

Colonel Johnson's regiment, with the exception of one company, had been encamped at Fort Meigs since the middle of September. It had been placed there to awe the Indians and to keep General Harrison posted as to the military conditions then existing west of Fort Meigs.

On the evening of the 25th of September a messenger arrived with orders from General Harrison to march immediately to the river Raisin. With the dawning of

the morning the march was begun.

The military instincts

of these veterans convinced them that the time of action had come. They had known of a large Indian force at Brownstown, and among men and officers there was a feeling that in forty-eight hours the command would come in contact with the enemy. For the use of the regiment four pieces of light artillery were taken from Fort Meigs, each of which was manned by a captain and ten men. These captains were Craig, Turner, Gist, and Sanford. On the twenty-eighth they reached the river Raisin. Frenchtown, the scene of the awful calamity nine months before, had been abandoned by its inhabitants, with the exception of a few French families.