Now was Harrison's time to raise the siege, by attacking the enemy on both sides of the river, and taking his batteries. This was the instant determination of the General, and he despatched captain Hamilton of Ohio, to general Clay, ordering him to land from six to eight hundred men, on the west bank of the river; to attack the enemy's batteries, spike his guns, cut their carriages in pieces, and destroy his property. Having done this, to ascend the river to their boats, and cross over the Maumee, and join those in the fort. The residue of the brigade was ordered to land on the east side of the river, and enter the fort. The regular troops under colonel Miller, and the Pittsburgh and Petersburgh volunteers, were ordered to hold themselves in readiness, for a sortie, to attack the enemy's batteries, on the east side of the river at the same moment, in which, the attack was made on the western side of the Maumee.

The conception of these simultaneous attacks, was a noble one, and now let us see, how it was executed.

The day of the 5th of May dawned, the sun arose and shone until 8 o'clock in the forenoon, before Clay and his brigade appeared to the garrison. The night was dark, and the pilot refused to proceed in the darkness. Hamilton met Clay, about the middle of the rapids, and delivered his orders to him. Clay selected Dudley, his oldest colonel, for the command of the detachment, who were to attack the British garrison, and eight hundred men, volunteered to serve under him. They landed on the western shore, marched furiously to the batteries of the enemy; slew, or drove off, all his troops, at these batteries, spiked all the guns, cut their carriages into small pieces, pulled down all the poles on which the red cross of St. George was flying, and then abandoned themselves to a real frolic.

Here, we leave them and go over to Clay and his remaining troops. Six boats contained all the remainder of the brigade, after Dudley had left it. In the foremost one, near the shore on which fort Meigs was, Clay was seen approaching the fort, assailed by a host of savages on that flank. Four boats' crews, by winds and waves, were compelled to land and fight their

way to the fort. General Clay, did the same. Harrison sent out Major Alexander of the Pennsylvania volunteers, to aid and protect the Kentuckians. The Indians increased in numbers on this flank, and finally, crawled along from stump to stump, to within, one hundred and fifty yards of the fort. Boswell (newly arrived,) Alexander and Herring, were ordered to charge them, which they did, with alacrity. The savages were driven off, and Clay, and his four hundred men safely entered the fort. All this was done before Dudley reached the British works. And at the moment when Dudley and his detachment began their attack on the enemy's batteries, Colonel John Miller with two hundred and fifty men, consisting of United States regulars, Pennsyvlania and Virginia volunteers and Sebree's Kentucky militia, in all, two hundred and fifty men, being ready, and drawn up in a ravine near the east end of the fort, marched rapidly, ascending the hill along the ravine until within two hundred yards of the enemy's batteries, they came into an open, level plain. Here they were fired upon, by three companies of British regulars, on their right; two companies of Canadian militia; and TECUMSEH and his warriors, on their left. In front, the enemy's three pieces of cannon, a howitzer and two hundred men, poured down upon our troops, a storm of lead and iron. Assailed by four times their own numbers, they were compelled, at the end of one hundred yards, to close up their lines. Then with the fury of the tornado, and the storm, they swept away all opposition. They spiked and rendered. useless the enemy's guns and mortar, drove off, killed, wounded or captured all this hostile force.

Miller and his men returned to the garrison. On both sides of the river, the sorties were victorious. So the noble conception of Harrison, had been nobly executed, on both sides of the Maumee.

After this last sortie, a British officer, major Chambers, bearing a flag of truce, was seen crossing the river from the enemy's side of the Maumee, and he landed on the beach under our fort. Major Hukill the general's aid, was sent to receive him. The officer told his errand; that he came to demand the

surrender of the garrison. Major Hukill told him, that such a demand was useless. But the officer insisted on seeing the general; so blindfolding him, major Hukill conducted him into the presence of General Harrison. The whole conversation on that occasion was reduced to writing on the spot. Its authenticity is placed beyond a doubt.

The conversation between Major Chambers and General Harrison was as follows viz:

MAJOR CHAMBERS. General Proctor has directed me to demand the surrender of this post. He wishes to spare the effusion of blood.

GENERAL HARRISON. The demand under present circumstances, is a most extraordinary one. As general Proctor did not send me a summons to surrender on his first arrival, I had supposed that he believed me determined to do my duty. His present message indicates an opinion of me that I am at a loss to account for.

MAJOR CHAMBERS. General Proctor could never think of saying any thing that would wound your feelings. The character of general Harrison as an officer, is well known. General Proctor's force is very respectable, and there is with him a larger body of Indians, than ever was assembled before.

GENERAL HARRISON. I believe I have a very correct idea of general Proctor's force; it is not such as to create the least apprehension, for the result, whatever shape he may be pleased to give it, hereafter. Assure the General however, that this post will never be surrendered to him, on any terms. Should it fall into his hands, it will be in a manner, calculated to do him more honor, and give him higher claims, on the gratitude of his government than any capitulation could possibly do.

Immediately afterwards, Chambers returned as he came, over the river, to Proctor.

We return to Dudley and his detachment, at the enemy's batteries, which they had taken, and then had given themselves up to exultation, at their success. The enemy had retreated entirely beyond Dudley's sight or hearing, and had then concentrated his forces, red and white. While a few Indi

ans, near Dudley, drew the attention of his men, a large detachment, three times Dudley's number approached him, at the batteries, and, and rushing on our exulting troops, in a few minutes, killed forty or fifty Kentuckians; wounded some seventyfive and captured five hundred and fifty prisoners. One hundred and fifty, on our extreme left of this detachment, escaped to their boats, crossed the river, and reached fort Meigs in safety, carrying their wounded along with them.

The enemy now found himself in a very crippled condition. His guns and mortars were rendered useless; and he had lost more in killed, wounded and prisoners, than the besieged. Proctor agreed to an exchange of prisoners, and also to account for the difference hereafter, Harrison having taken more prisoners than Proctor.

Our loss during the siege, was as follows: killed eighty-one; wounded one hundred and eighty nine; total killed and wounded, two hundred and seventy. Sixty four, were killed in the sorties, and one hundred and twenty-four wounded. The remainder, eighty-one, were killed and wounded within the fort. Dudley's detachment is not included in this estimate. Proctor finding himself completely baffled, in all his attempts to take this garrison, set himself seriously to work, to draw off his forces, in the best order he could do. During the succeeding three days and an half, he labored with this view, and on the 9th day of May, 1813, at noon, annoyed seriously, by our artillery, he sailed down the bay, and soon disappeared from the view of our garrison.

General Harrison, satisfied that Proctor would not return very soon, left the fort and went to Lower Sandusky, where he arrived on the 12th day of May. Here he found governor Meigs, and a large force of Ohio militia, who had come to relieve fort Meigs. Passing onwards, through Upper Sandusky and Delaware, to Franklinton, he found the entire road covered with Ohio militia, all pressing forward to raise the siege of Fort Meigs. Not one of these militia being needed at that time, the General, on the 16th at Franklinton issued a general order, dismissing these troops. The order

was drawn up, in highly complimentary terms to their zeal and patriotism, as follows:

"HEAD QUARTERS, Franklinton, May 16th, 1813. "The commanding general has observed with the warmest gratitude, the astonishing exertions which have been made by his excellency, governor Meigs, and the generals and other militia officers of this state, in collecting and equiping a body of troops for the relief of camp Meigs. But the efforts of these men would have been unavailing, had they not been seconded by the patriotic ardor of every description of citizens, which has induced them to leave their homes, at a most critical season of the year, regardless of every consideration, but that of rendering service to their country. The General found the road from Lower Sandusky to this place, literally covered with men, and amongst them many who had shared in the toils and dangers of the revolutionary war, and on whom, of course, there existed no legal claims for military services. The General has every reason to believe, that similar efforts have been made in Kentucky. He offers to all those brave men from both states, his sincere acknowledgments; and is happy to inform them, that there is at present no necessity for their longer continuance in the field. The enemy has fled with precipitation from camp Meigs, and that fort is in a much better. situation to resist an attack, than when the last siege was commenced.

"By order of the general,

"R. GRAHAM, Aid."

Against this order, loud complaints were made, by those who had come forward to see some fighting. But, the secretary of war, by a confidential order to the General, had forbidden his calling out any more militia, until we had full and free possession of lake Erie. The same order commanded him to employ and rely on regular troops. It also forbid any further attempts to retake Detroit, until Perry's fleet commanded the lake. These injunctions were to be obeyed by Harrison, not divulged; so he bore all the complaints of the