(1897) A Short History Of The Union Jack

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THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES GIFT OF

Commodore Byron McCandless

/

A SHORT HISTORY — OF —

The Union Jack COMPRISING

A CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF

ITS

IMPORTANT

VICTORIES, APPORTIONED TO THE THREE STAGES OF OUR FLAG'S DEVELOPMENT, FROM SLUYS TO TEL-EL-KEBIR, WITH NOTES ON THE PRINCIPAL BATTLES.

BY

WILLIAM HENRY HOLMES,

B.C.L.

TORONTO:

THE

COPP,

CLARK COMPANY, LIMITED. 1897.

of Canada, in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven, by William Henry Holmes, Truro, N.S., in the Office

Entered according to Act of the Parliament of the Minister of Agriculture.

:

US 7

PREFACE. This

work was begun

little

vacation,

pamphlet

as a diversion during a

and was originally intended use

for

in

to

be a mere

the author's household only, as a

supplement to the ordinary school text-books used by the

members

— especially the boys —of his family;

the task progressed genial, and, in the until

it

it

but as

grew correspondingly more con-

enthusiasm of the subject, proceeded

attained, almost unwittingly, the proportions of a

small volume, which, at the earnest solicitations of his friends,

he has ventured to offer to the public.

Apologies

more

to

human is

for defects of

such efforts are often prefixed

propitiate vanity than

nature,

the best

I

all

could do

limited resources

for

the world knows,

at

in

my

any

is

real

excuse

not infallible

—

it

the short time and the very disposal,

for

I

have had no

opportunity for recourse to anything outside

my own

small library.

To in

attempt a description of each of the battles

listed

the following pages would, practically, be to write a

complete military history of the British Empire, which the author of this simple work to essay.

merely to

What he recite

victories, the

is

not so presumptuous as

has undertaken generally to do

the most conspicuous incidents of

is

the

most striking features of the campaigns, or

PREFACE.

VI

the chief points

of

interest of their scenes, or in the lives

To

of their principal actors. chief exception,

made

Inkerman

this rule

the

is

the purpose of comparison

for

with Waterloo, with the details of which the world, for nearly a century, has been familiar. It

may be commented

that

nificant actions have been

"

some comparatively

noted

"

at

insig-

some length while

the greatest victories in our history are passed almost

My justification of this

without reference.

one

—

particularly every

Briton

— who

is

that every-

able

is

read,

to

ought to be conversant with pretty much everything pertaining to such crowning achievements as Trafalgar

and Waterloo and often difficult

of

it is

— especially with people living remote from

public libraries or other tions

whereas

their respective heroes,

books

— to

more

or less extensive collec-

anything upon these

obtain

less

famous but nevertheless important successes. Exception

may

also be taken to the space devoted to

the affairs of Napoleon counteract, even to

this

I.

unnatural adulation of him of his British conquerors

;

my

trifling

reason for this extent,

the

is

to

wave of

—and corresponding censure

—which recently overflowed the

United States and was conveyed by American magazines to

Canadian

centres,

though without anything

the same effect upon the judgment of our people. "

unnatural

"

because the subject's

life

;

and

like

say

was so utterly

inconsistent with true democratic principles,

Majesty" so ruthlessly outraged

I

in

which

"

His

the annulling

PREFACE.

Vli

of his brother's marriage with a

fair

daughter of the

American Republic (Miss Patterson, of Baltimore) the self-made "Emperor" offered its democracy an insult which a people who pride themselves upon spirit

"

ought not so soon to have forgotten

because

it

was the homage of

their national ;

unnatural

"

puritans to a

political

barbarian, from whose devouring despotism their very republic

was saved only by the insurmountable

interposed

who can

by England's naval and

barrier

military forces

for

;

believe that, with the submission of Britain, the

tyrant would have limited

his conquests to the eastern

hemisphere?

One

of the difficulties of the work was the obtaining

of correct dates for in

— rather

this respect

I

a unanimity of the authorities,

found a surprising variation

claim to accuracy of those

I

have given

lies

fact that they are those of the majority of I i.e.,

my

only

the

:

in

the

references.

have taken some pains to get the Christian names— those by which they were generally

respective services, the navy or the ers lower in the social

case of peers, the

them

at the

army

known

scale than the peerage.

titles

in

their

— of commandIn the

given are those belonging to

time of the

battle.

With regard

to their

military or naval rank, in

the few cases where that

below General or Admiral,

it

will

be found

in

the note.

W. H. Holmes. Truro, Nova Scotia, January, i8gj.

is

A SHORT HISTORY OF

THE UNION The

flag of a

country represents

and however individuals of a domestic politics or

all

a

its

people as a nation,

community may

in creed, or

such communities of

divided

national flag affords

JACK.

differ in

however geographically a

may

people

common ground

the life,

markets of the

whether

in

peace as competitors

world or

in

war as defenders of the general

in the

be,

for united

interest.

Hence, as the representative of our homes, our

altars,

our people throughout the length and breadth of the land (as well as those

who have

who

repose within the

confided to us the trust) the

soil

emblem

and of a

nation becomes a sacred thing, the simple sight of which

should animate the true citizen with the noblest senti-

ment, banish narrow selfishness and inspire him with the loftiest

emulation of

virtue.

A SHORT HISTORY OF

2

Our

as that of the British Empire, symbolizes

flag,

the mightiest union the world has ever seen

;

a union

comprising four hundred millions of people and surpassing of

material and moral greatness the ancient empires

in

Persia,

Greece and

Rome

an empire possessing

;

one-half the shipping of the whole world and whose

navy

— the

Royal Navy

Germany and Russia sun never

sets,

—

is

as large as those of France,

together

and whose

cumference of ninety miles, Paris and Berlin

tongue of our

is

daily spoken

;

London, with a

is

;

as large as

is

surely

New

cir-

York,

an empire whose mother

by more than a hundred millions

own people and understood by

and which

dom

combined

an empire on which the

;

capital,

fifty

millions more,

becoming the language of Christen-

an empire which secures the amplest liberty of

conscience and action, and guarantees the fullest protection

to person

and property

—

"

No

freeman

shall

be

arrested, imprisoned, outlawed, or dispossessed of land,

except by the lawful judgment of his peers" runs the

most important provision of The Great Charter

to

which

from century to century patriots have looked back as the foundation of English constitution,

liberty

;

an

though that of a monarchy,

empire whose is

the nearest

approach to a true commonwealth that human society has ever attained to for

and

four

;

generations

citizen, the

an empire whose illustrious head

has proved herself, as sovereign

noblest ruler to

entrusted the destinies of a nation.

whom

has ever been

THE UNION

JACK.

Such a queen we Canadians are as our Sovereign

privileged to honour

to such an empire

;

belong, and to share the glories of

emblems,

distinct

of to-day

our fortune to

it is

its

thousand years has braved the battle

Our Union Jack

3

flag that " for a

arid the breeze."

a combination of three

is

those of England, Scotland and

viz.:

Ireland.

George

St.

the patron saint of England, and the

is

design for her flag was taken from the shield-device of the

Red Cross Knight

(red

on a white ground, heraldic-

ally described as argent, a cross gules). piece, Fig.

1.)

was the

This

England,

(See Frontis-

recognized

first

national

banner

of

having come into use as such during the

thirteenth century.

Of

the three original national flags of England, Scot-

land and Ireland, this

now

is

the only one in

flown at the masthead of an admiral's ship

the term

The

patron saint of Scotland

ground

;

— hence

" flag-ship."

diagonal cross or saltire of St. in

the

Patrick's

is

St.

Andrew, hence the

Andrew

(white on a blue

language of heraldry, azure, a

argent) as Scotland's banner. St.

official use, beiiiL,

red

saltire,

saltire

(See Frontispiece, Fig. the

standard

patron saint (red on a white ground, or

in

of

2.)

Ireland's

heraldic form,

A SHORT HISTORY OF

4

argent, a saltire gules)

was introduced

into the

(See Frontispiece, Fig.

represent Ireland.

Union

to

3.)

in

1603 James VI. of

Scotland became the unquestioned

king of the whole

Upon

the death of Elizabeth

He

island.

ascended the English throne as the descend-

ant of Margaret, eldest daughter of

Henry

became the wife of James IV. of Scotland

Mary Queen

tunate

who

the unfor-

of Scots was their grand-daughter

and her son the successor of her

The most

:

VII.,

rival,

Elizabeth.

cherished scheme of James was to effect a

union between England and his native country, but the nearest attainment to that end was the draughting of a

design for a union

no use

until the

which, however, was destined for

flag,

consummation of that grand project

in

the reign of the last of the Stuarts.

Soon mooted sion

after

the

accession of

Anne

the scheme was

within the walls of parliament, and a commis-

was nominated

in

1702 to treat concerning the

numerous meetings the scheme collapsed

union, but after

as neither side would agree to the terms of the other

compensation

for

the

unfortunate

being one insuperable difficulty.

was passed enabling the Queen mission,

whose

efforts

Darien

But

in

:

enterprise

1704 a

to appoint a

Bill

new com-

proved more satisfactory.

A

Treaty of Union was framed, which, although met by a storm of opposition from the people of Scotland, passed

—

THE UNION

—

JACK.

5

the Scottish Parliament in 1707 by a majority of one

hundred and ten

The proposed

votes.

treaty

was pre-

sented to the English Parliament on the 28th of January 1708, and, though certain factions here did their utmost

impede the

to

the

ratification,

Houses and received the royal

With regard that

effect,

assent.

to the date from

next ensuing, and

should, upon the

for ever after,

kingdom by the name of Great

The

which the treaty took

provided for in the following clause

is

"That the two kingdoms

May

measure passed both

first

Britain."

and Scotland

is

the 1st of

which James

I.

had had prepared

for

that

May,

of a

day of

be united into one

date, therefore, of the legislative union of

now adopted

:

and the design

1708, for a

national

England

union flag was

emblem

for the

United Kingdom.

The the it

flag of

England, then, down to

this period

Red Cross

of St. George on a white

field,

began

at

was

and under

Sluys a career of naval and military glory,

which has been steadily enhanced by achievements of succeeding reigns, and comprising a record of feats of

arms on sea and land the most in either

To

the

ancient or

modern

Red Cross Banner

brilliant

and

far

reaching

history. (Fig.

the following famous victories:

1,

Frontispiece) belong

A SHORT HISTORY OF

Battle.

—

THE UNION 4

For

three

and

years

JACK.

7

months

seven

(1779-1782)

Gibraltar was successfully defended by General Elliott

against the united forces of France and Spain.

This brings us to the period of the the

flag,

first

Union Jack,

upon the union of England and Scotland,

appointed as the national ensign of the United King-

dom.

(See Frontispiece, Fig.

union of the cross of Fig.

of

1,

piece)

is

formed by the

George (red on a white ground,

St.

Frontispiece) and the diagonal cross or saltire

Andrew

St.

It

4.)

(white on a blue ground, Fig.

described

in

2,

Frontis-

terms as azure, a

heraldic

saltire

argent surmounted by a cross gules fimbriated or edged

of the second.

As

to the origin of the term " Jack,"

have been given.

One

is

two explanations

that the coats of livery or uni-

form upon which the cross of

St.

George was

were called "Jacks"; the other tradition derived from the abbreviated

King James The

eign, first

First,

name

worn

that

it

is

of the reigning sover-

under whose direction the

Union Flag was designed, and who signed

name "Jacques"; hence "Jacques' Union," "

is

first

his

and, finally,

Union Jack."

Under added

this

flag

the

to British history

following :

glorious

names were

A SHORT HISTORY OF

8

Battlb.

THE and

this

UNION' JACK.

9

daring act was prompted, independently of that

by the sting of

British instinct for duty,

disgrace two years previously, which justly, reflected

upon the other

officers of that unfortu-

nate squadron.

The Foudroyant

French admiral's

flag-ship,

Gardiner vowed that

if

and

his admiral's

had, though un-

at

Minorca was the

unhappy

after that

ever he

crack French ship he would attack her at

even though he should perish by

redeemed

though

his word,

more than

;

at nine o'clock

became the

Gardiner's victory afterwards ship of Nelson,

who

Foudroyant" and sale

1892

is

;

;

he was later in

prize of

favourite flag-

same ship the news of

the

shocked

public

The

fight

often spoke of her as his "darling

this

by the Admiralty

breakers in desecration

The

refused to quit the deck

the action he received a mortal wound.

whose

was scarcely

half the size of her antagonist.

wounded but

hazards,

all

Nobly now he

it.

his little ship

lasted well through the night

severely

affair

got a chance at this

feeling

to a firm of

all

England

became

German as

a

ship-

national

instantly aroused,

the noble old ship was rescued, and, at a cost of

some

.£30,000, she has been restored as nearly as possible to

the condition in which Nelson 4

left her.

This was the second, and

powerful fortress; the

first in

final

1745 by

reduction

of this

Commodore Warren

with the British West- India squadron, and a land force

—

A SHORT HISTORY OF

IO

By

the

restored

to

of British Americans under Colonel Pepperell. treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle Louisbourg was

France

in 1748,

hence the necessity

Wolfe, the hero of Quebec

in

second

for the

siege.

the following year, was a

brigadier at Louisbourg, in the operations before which

he distinguished himself. 5

The

six English regiments in Ferdinand's

army were

the I2th, 20th, 23rd, 25th, 37th and 51st (according to their

numbering

which

in

Army my

the

the only copy

List of September, 1873, contains),

and at

Mind en they immediately fronted the French

cavalry,

is

ten thousand strong,

mistake

in

massed

library

Owing

in their centre.

troops marched directly upon their opponents

and,

in

with

fire

this

simple

fierce

squadrons,

became

line

in

line,

only repelled

and persistent charges of the enemy's

said Contades, "

a single

formation, they not

but countercharged

such successful tagonists

to a

construing the order for their advance, our

that

results

with the bayonet with

utterly demoralized.

what

I

hour their an-

within an

" I

have seen,"

never thought to be possible

of infantry

break through three

cavalry, ranked in order of battle,

lines of

and tumble them to

ruin."

One

of these regiments, the 20th,

became famous not

only for the vigour and effectiveness of clay,

but for the lusty shout

even more

terrible

its

— something

charges this different

and

than the well-known British "hurrah"

—

THE UNION

JACK.

II

that accompanies our infantry attacks with the steel

broke from the ranks

regularly

that

throughout the

wards

and

and a hundred "

Twenties,"

57th, were

in

Home

years

The

the regiment.

"

Diehards

"

180

of the

the point of the bayonet 2,000

Iakoutsk

Ravine, that same

in

Inkerman, when

regiment

Ridge, across the Barrier and

ment of

from the front of into the

Quarry

Minden yell" was the accompani-

their brilliant charge.

British world

memorable

familiar with the history of this

is

battle that

with the worthy

added Canada to the empire, and

monuments

A

Westminster Abbey. form of a window, has in

at

later,

company with 200

"

After-

battle.

demonstration was systematic-

faithfully preserved

driving at

Russians of the

6

and above the din of

field

this distinguishing

ally practised

and resounded

to our hero in

Quebec and

more recent memorial,

this

in

the

year (1896) been completed

the parish church of St. Alphege, Greenwich, England,

through the accounts.

liberality of a It

is

in

former auditor of the church

the crypt of this

remains of Wolfe were buried and "This victory of Lord

Howe

sixty-nine), as glorious as

other the

name than

title

service.

any

that of the

still

(at the in

church that

the

repose.

advanced age of

our annals, bears no

day on which

it

was won,

given above being that adopted by the naval

—

A SHORT HISTORY OF

12 8

The

of

battle

Aboukir Bay

—

For

navy.

Thorpe

We

known

that of

as

victory

ever achieved

by the

British

Nelson was raised to the peerage with the

it

of Baron

title

— also

ranks, from a professional point of view,

the greatest

as

Nile

the

and of Burnham

Nelson of the Nile,

in Norfolk.

come now

to the third stage of our flag's develop-

ment, the complete union of

St.

George,

St.

Andrew and

St. Patrick.

After

much

constitutional experimenting with Ireland

and the complete "

legislative

failure of

an eighteen years'

trial

of

independence," during which England and

Ireland were simply held together

by the

fact that the

sovereign of the one island was also the sovereign of the other, the first part of Pitt's great

plan for domestic

peace was carried into execution, and Ireland was, on the

first

of January, 1801, united to Great Britain, and

thenceforth

The

sent

her

to

representatives

Westminster.

red cross or saltire of St. Patrick (Fig.

piece)

was added

to

those

of

the

3,

previously

Frontis-

united

kingdoms, and as thus modified our national ensign (see Frontispiece, Fig. 5)

To

the

now

exists.

Union Jack of our century,

as the universal

representative of Britons, the following immortal roll to be ascribed

:

is

THE UNION

Battlk.

JACK.

13

A SHORT HISTORY OF

14

Romans, under Caesar antiquity

thirty

;

thousand

lished a

Europe.

Republicans,

power which overturned

The

at

Marengo,

consular throne, and estab-

Napoleon on the

seated

changed the face of

at Pharsalia,

all

the monarchies of

contest of twelve thousand British, with

an equal number of French, on the sands of Alexandria, in

remote

its

effects,

overthrew a greater empire than

that of Charlemagne, and rescued

mankind from a more

galling tyranny than that of the

Roman

first

emperors.

It

elevated the hopes and confirmed the resolution of

the English soldiers

;

it first

broke the charm by which

the Continental nations had so long been enthralled it first

;

revived the military spirit of the English people,

and awakened the pleasing hope that the descendants of the victors at Cressy and Agincourt had not degenerated from the valour of their fathers.

Nothing but the

recollection of this decisive trial of strength could

have

supported the British nation through the arduous conflict

which

awaited them on the renewal of the war,

and induced them

to remain firm

and unshaken amid

the successive prostration of every Continental power, till

the

dawn

of hope began over the summit of the

Pyrenees, and the eastern sky was reddened conflagration

accustomed

of

Moscow.

to the

The Continental

by the nations,

shock of vast armies, and to regard

the English only as a naval power, attached

little

im-

portance to the contest of such inconsiderable bodies of

men on

a

distant

shore

;

but the

prophetic

eye of

THE UNION

JACK.

15 •

Napoleon

at

once discerned the magnitude of

and

sequences,

he

the

received

its

con-

of

the

intelligence

disaster at Alexandria with a degree of anguish equalled

only by that experienced from the shock of Trafalgar."

—Alison

Ralph Abercromby received a mortal wound

Sir

the

History of Europe.

s

in

and was carried on board the Foudroyant,

battle

where he expired on the morning of the 29th. 2

Though

Hyde

Sir

seaman,

perienced

Parker, a brave officer and ex-

was

chief

in

command

the

of

squadron, the conduct of the bombardment was wholly in the 3

"

hands of Lord Nelson.

May

the great

God whom

I

worship grant to

country, and for the benefit of Europe

and glorious tarnish

it

;

victory,

and

and may humanity

dominant feature individually,

I

commit

my

and may His blessing

my

serving

and the

country

just cause

wrote the hero action

in

alight

which

is

fleet

to

Him

on

my

To Him

entrusted to

a great

any one

be the pre-

For myself

!

that

made me,

endeavours for I

resign myself

me

to defend,"

the privacy of his cabin just before the

began, and

answered

life

faithfully.

in

after victory

British

the

in

in general,

may no misconduct

my

Trafalgar

how

well

this

eloquently

worth)-

attests.

prayer was

Amid

such

glory departed the greatest naval genius of our nation

and whose exploits are without

any

other.

parallel in the annals of

—

A SHORT HISTORY OF

l6 4

It

was

at

Vimiera that the English

discovered

first

their ability to successfully encounter in line other troops in

dense formation, and learned the effectiveness of

mode

of fighting, which

this

our

afterwards distinguished

In this engage-

infantry from that of other nationalities.

ment Col. Walker, with 700

men

of the 50th Regiment,

was opposed to a French column of over 2,000 bayonets,

and

after a volley

skilfully

from

his "thin red line,"

which was

to the enemy's

advancing

drawn up obliquely

mass, whose flank as well as front was the 50th' s

fire,

British regiment with its levelled

rushed

now exposed

to

the order to charge was given, and the

row of glistening

steel

compact order on Laborde's column of thou-

in

sands and

rolled

"The French," afterwards

it

back

in confusion.

said the

this battle, "

Duke

of Wellington, describing

came on on

that occasion with

way less than I They came on, as

great boldness, and seemed to feel their

always found them to do afterward. usual, in very line,

I

Duke of was

three several times."

them

received

which they were not accustomed

pulsed them

It

heavy columns, and

to,

and we

in

re-

Gleig's Life of the

Wellington. at Vimiera, too, that shrapnel shells

made

their

debut, and the French were astonished at the deadly effect of the

bva

new

missiles, " which, after striking

point blank discharge whole

exploded with

all

files

the devastation of

of soldiers

bombs

in

in

down front

the rear."

—

THE UNION 5

When

JACK.

the struggle was at

struck on the

left

the

wound

As

the soldiers placed

height Sir John was

its

by a round

breast

17

shot,

and although

was mortal he lived to see victor}- assured.

him on

a blanket to carry

from the

field,

wound

Captain Hardinge attempted to take

;

the

hilt

" It is as well as

ihe dying hero exclaimed, rather

should go off the

it

him

of his sword was driven into the

field

it off,

is

it

;

I

During

with me."

but

had his

intense suffering which preceded death he never for a

moment

sweet composure, and continued to con-

lost his

At

verse in a calm and even cheerful voice.

Colonel Anderson, and

now was his old friend, said, " You know that I always wished Once only

voice faltered

his

;

it

his side

to

him he

to die this way."

was when referring

fondly to his mother.

His will

last

words were

be satisfied

;

I

—

hope

"

I

hope the people of England

my

country

will

do me

justice."

In accordance with his expressed wish, that he might

be laid citadel

in

the field on which he

was happily chosen

for

His midnight interment by the

fell,

his

the rampart of the final

resting-place

officers of his staff

accurately as well as graphically described

in

is

Charles

Wolfe's famous poem, with which the English-speaking

world

is

familiar.

Through the generosity of Marshal

Ney, a monument was soon after erected over Sir John 's grave

;

it

bears this inscription

:

—

8

A SHORT HISTORY OF

1

"A

la

Gloria

del

Ex mo S r D. Juan Moore, Gen

Y

1

,

del Ex'° Ingleso

a la de sus valientes compatiiotas, la

Espana agradecida."

The

twelve guns used at Corunna were spiked

and

buried in the sand, but afterwards discovered by the

Not

enemy. 6

"The

alleled in

one, from

first

was taken

to last,

rapid reduction of Ciudad Rodrigo

modern war, and

its

ceived and

was unpar-

was so unexpected,

fall

that Marmont's efforts to relieve

in action.

it

were scarcely con-

before the tidings reached

commenced

that the fortress he prized so highly

lowest estimate of time,

it

was

lost.

By

him the

was calculated that four-and-

twenty days would be required to bring the siege to a On the 8th, ground was broken, and on successful issue. the 19th the British colours were flying from the flagstaff of the citadel.

Massena, after a tedious bombardment, took a

month

to reduce

eleven days.

No

it

Wellington carried

;

it

full

by assault

wonder, therefore, that Marmont,

in

in

his despatch to Berthier, was puzzled to account for the

rapid

reduction of a

safety

and ultimate

place,

relief

respecting whose present

he had previously forwarded

the most encouraging assurances."

The

Maxwell.

splendid achievement of the conqueror of Rodrigo

obtained an honourable requital.

He was

Spain, to the rank of a grandee of the

advanced,

first

in

order, with

—

THE UNION the

JACK.

Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo by the Portuguese made Marquis of Torres Vedras, and at home,

title

he was

19

;

raised to the earldom of Wellington, with an increased

annuity of £2,000 a year. place in the

In the debate which took

Lower House, when the grant

his additional

honours was proposed,

"

for supporting

Mr. Canning took

occasion to state, that a revenue of £5,000 a year had

been granted to Lord Wellington by the Portuguese

government, when they conferred upon him the

Conde de Vimiero

;

title

of

that as captain-general of Spain,

£5,000 a year had been offered him, and £7,000 as marshal in the Portuguese service, all of which he had declined, saying,

and Portugal duty to

his

would look 7

and

he would receive nothing from Spain their present state

his country, for reward.'

Among

first

in

'

the slain

and to

:

he had only done

his

country alone he

"

in

this action

most distinguished

was a son of the

Lieutenant-Governor of

Upper Canada and founder of York (now the City of Toronto and capital of Ontario), the Honourable John Graves Simcoe. The Rev. Dr. Scadding, in his work "

Toronto of Old," thus

"The title,

refers to this sad incident

:

Iroquois at Niagara had given the Governor a

expressive of hospitality

whose door

is

always open.

1

— Deyonynhokrawen, 'one They

had, moreover,

council declared his son a chief, and

Tioga, or Deyoken,

'

in

had named him

between the two objects

'

;

and to

A SHORT HISTORY OF

20

humour them

in return, as

—about — was

occasionally

child

For most men them.

It

befell the

Liancourt informs

years of age, and bearing the

five

Francis

De

it

is

attired

in

Indian

well that the future

happened eventually that a

young

who had been

The

chieftain Tioga.

at

is

name

of

costume.

veiled from

warrior's

little,

the

us,

fate

spirited lad

one time moving about the assembled

Iroquois at Niagara, under a certain restraint, probably,

from the unwonted garb of embroidered deerskin,

in

which, on such occasions, he would be arrayed, and at

another time clambering up and down the steep

hill-

sides at Castle Frank, with the restless energy of a free

English boy, was at years, seen

of

'

last,

after the lapse of seventeen

a mangled corpse

;

one

in that ghastly pile

English dead,' which, in 1812, closed

at Badajoz."

His grandfather, on

a similar death before Quebec,

was serving as aide-de-camp

Battle.

in

up the breach

his mother's side,

met

which campaign he

to General Wolfe.

THE UNION 1

JACK.

Michilimackinac was the very

first

21

blow struck

in

the

war declared by the United States with the object of acquiring British

Canada, and, as a consequence, the other

North American possessions, and

for

which they

had long been making preparation.

The

island

was an important point commanding the

entrance to Lake Michigan

;

capture interrupted an

its

extensive American lake trade and afforded confidence

and protection

to British subjects

employed

trade on the islands and along the shores of

in

the fur

Huron and

Superior.

A

commencement

year before the

command

whom

troops

of the

in

the

of hostilities the

western

province (of

hundred belonged

to the

Army) devolved upon Major-General

Brock,

also

only

acting

fifteen

and

President

Canada during the absence of Governor Gore land.

The young

general

Imperial

who was Administrator of Upper in

— who proved himself as

Engcap-

able and energetic a statesman as he was a courageous

and able,

skilful

soldier

— early

foresaw that war was inevit-

and the scantiness of

his

resources both in

and material compelled the anticipation of

and

men the

provision for events independently of a legislature that

was almost traitorous

in

pensation for internal to strike quickly

and

able arrangements

its

apathy.

difficult}-

and external odds was

seize advantages; for

His plan of com-

hence

his season-

securing possession of Michili-

A SHORT HISTORY OF

22

mackinac and Detroit

and

;

was

it

these

first

two

successes that decided the result of the war, for Cana-

then

dians

that

realized

the

Union Jack was here

to stay.

President Madison declared war against England on

the

1

8th of June, 1812, but before any hostile step had

been taken by either side

— the

of the Little Belt

affair

and the President being accepted as the mutual mistake council dated

result

of a

— the British government, by an order

in

23rd of June, had actually repealed the

previous orders, so that

the ostensible ground of the

United States' complaint against England was removed.

But

made no difference to the American ruling who were not going to be balked by the lack of a

this fact

party,

casus

belli in their

scheme

and

England

believed, the task of

affording "

for the acquisition of

in

behalf of Europe was

America so favourable an opportunity.

Great events were about to take place when the

Americans thus thrust three

days

commence

later

the

themselves

Wellington

into

his

cause of complaint or hostility

the contest

the

crossed

Salamanca campaign

Napoleon crossed the Niemen on

No

Canada,

for the successful accomplishment of which, they

:

Agueda days

six

march

to

conformity with the

may have

common

afforded a

fit

to

later

Moscow.

now remained

although the right of search exercised by the

:

;

for

British, in

maritime law of nations,

subject

for

remonstrance and

THE UNION adjustment,

it

was no ground

JACK.

immediate

for

But on war they were determined and

And

hostilities.

war they went.

to

thus had America, the greatest republic

ence, and which

had ever proclaimed

the cause of freedom in to

23

war with Great

it

its

attachment to

nations, the disgrace of going

when

their only

had been removed

arms with those of France, mencing

its

exist-

Britain, then the last refuge of liberty

in the civilized world,

plaint against

all

in

;

ground of com-

and of allying

at that very

their

moment com-

unjust crusade against Russia, and straining

every nerve to crush

in the

Old World the

last vestige of

continental independence."

Captain Roberts, with a company of the 49th, a de-

tachment of artillerymen with two iron

six-pounders,

and about two hundred Canadian voyageurs, had been early despatched to St. Joseph's Island, St. Mary's river,

the nearest British point to Michilimackinac, to be in

readiness to

about

forty

move miles

at

once upon the American island,

distant,

moment he should

the

On

receive advice of the declaration of war.

of July an express arrived at

General

from

Brock

St.

informing

the 15th

Joseph's with letters

Roberts

that

war

had been declared and ordering him to "adopt the

most six

punctual

privates

o'clock force

on

in

the

measures

".

charge of

Leaving the

morning of the

— which, with three hundred

ed to about six

post,

an

officer

Roberts,

16th,

Indians,

at

embarked

and 10 his

now amount-

hundred men, though half the vov-

A SHORT HISTORY OF

24

aeeurs were without arms

—

in

batteaux, seventy

ten

canoes and the North-West Company's ship, Caledonia. The flotilla arrived at the island at three o'clock on the

morning of the

17th, at a spot since

known

as "British

Landing," and, through the exertions of the voyageurs,

one of the guns was hauled to a height commanding the Having completed all his arrangements for carryfort. ing the place by storm should resistance be offered

— and

his expedition was fully equipped with the appliances

necessary for a successful escalade

— Roberts,

eleven o'clock, sent in a flag of truce

American commandant

demanding of the

the surrender of the fort and

This was the

island to his Britannic Majesty's forces. first

intimation

mitted to

took

"

Lieut. Porter Hanks,

that that officer,

had received of the declaration that opposition

would be

of war, and

useless,

"

deciding

he accordingly sub-

Roberts's demand and the

quiet possession

at half-past

British

immediately

of the island, together with nine

vessels at the time in the harbour,

two others arriving

shortly afterward with seven hundred packs of furs.

Hanks's report of the capitulation was made to Excellency General Hull,

commanding

"

His

the North-West

Army," who underwent exactly the same experience, a month later, at Detroit, for at neither place a shot was fired

by the

garrison.

(The day before the surrender of Detroit the opposing batteries

exchanged long shots across the

river,

but with

THE UNION little

On

effect.

2$

the 16th the guns of the

charged for close action but Brock

JACK.

in

enemy were

of an assault,

anticipation

and Tecumseh were spared the service .by

prompt surrender.)

Hull's

Michilimackinac was again the scene of active operations in the last (1814)

campaign of the war, when an

expedition of about 1,000

men under

the

command

of

Colonel George Croghan attempted to regain possession of the island. directed

by

In this

engagement the

Lieut.-Col.

Robert

British force

was

McDouall, Glengarry

Light Infantry Fencibles, then the island commandant.

The Americans

arrived on the

selected for their landing the

had chosen viously.

in

his

4th of August and

same spot

successful

descent

Roberts

that

two years pre-

McDouall was calmly awaiting them

in

a well-

selected position, which was strengthened on the right

by an earthwork and the

left

four field guns,

and protected on

by dense woods occupied by Indians.

Croghan was taken completely by surprise on meeting so suddenly

this

obstacle

to

his

advance.

His

formation was a line of skirmishers composed of militia-

men, followed by their supports of similar troops.

came

his regulars, in

tending well to the

On

command

right,

and the

encountering the British

diately gave way.

Next

of Major Holmes, exartillery in the rear. fire

the militia

Holmes endeavoured

imme-

to restore con-

fidence by a steady advance with his corps against the

A SHORT HISTORY OF

26 British

left,

but a hot volley from the woods laid low the

wounded Captain Desha,

severely

gallant

major,

next

command, and wrought havoc

in

the regulars

:

the

line,

the

the ranks of

in

consequently, was thrown into

confusion, from which the best exertions of

were not able to recover

it.

An

effort

its

officers

was made to get

a gun into action, but so galling was the

fire

from the

breastwork that the attempt was relinquished and the discomfited invaders fled to their boats.

—

One major The American losses in this action were Fort whose memory (Andrew Hunter Holmes, in Holmes was named) and twelve privates killed two :

;

captains, one lieutenant, six sergeants, three corporals,

one musician and thirty-eight privates wounded.

Two

privates missing.

The

casualties of the British were insignificant.

Two

armed schooners, each carrying a twenty-four pounder, and which had convoyed the American troops, were even boarded and captured.

Thus

it

was that on the conclusion of the war the

Union Jack was

still

Michilimackinac, as

it

mouth of that famous

By

flying over this beautiful island of

was

also over Fort

Niagara at the

river.

the terms of the Treaty of Ghent, signed on the

24th of December, 18 14, both these posts were restored to the United States.

THE UNION 2

This

the

success

skilful

was

largely,

marching

if

Indians

force)

general

to

commanded who by

Tecumseh,

a circle

in

whose

across a clearing in the woods, and in

American

due

chiefly,

(who comprised the advance-guard

his braves

British

chief,

27

not

demonstration of the

by that heroic Shawanee

of the

JACK.

and

his

garrison,

front

full

arc

lay

view of the

them

impressed

with the idea that instead of 600 there were 3,000 redskins ready to

swoop upon them, and whom they feared

with a dread akin to horror.

By

the terms of this capitulation, two thousand five

hundred prisoners, as many stands of arms, thirty-three pieces of cannon, a

large

store

of ammunition, three

months' provisions, and a vessel of war

hands of the conquerors. 3

Though "the Hero

of

into

fell

the

(See Appendix V.)

Upper Canada" met

a glorious

death near these heights, the battle that resulted in this

famous victory was fought several hours the preliminary skirmish early in the dices II, III 4

ant

da)-.

after his

fall

in

(See Appen-

and IV.)

Captain Broke being severely wounded and Lieuten-

Watt having been

killed,

the

command

of

the

Shannon devolved upon Lieutenant Provo Wall is, who secured the American prisoners, and, under the most trying and arduous circumstances, brought his ship and

her prize safely into Halifax harbour, where she was received with loud cheering by the crews of ships in port

A SHORT HISTORY OF

28

and by the populace assembled For

victors.

Wallis was

his gallantry in this

made commander

Nova

Halifax,

Scotia, in

1857, admiral

in

famous action Lieut. age of

at the

1794, he

5

fleet

in

1847-51,

He

died in

hundred and one years.

Newark and

After General Vincent's evacuation of

Fort

in

became vice-admiral

1863, and admiral of the

in

created K.C.B. in i860 and G.C.B. in 1873. 1892, aged a

Born

22.

aide-de-camp to the Queen

He was

1877.

thousands to greet the

in

George on the 27th, he

to

retired

Burlington

Heights via Queenston, Beaver Dams, and the Mountain road.

A

spatched

couple of days later General Winder was depursuit,

in

followed on the 3rd of June by

General Chandler, who, on the morning of the within a few miles of the British

camp

5th,

was

with a brigade

consisting of about 3,500 infantry, 250 cavalry, and eight field-euns, flushed with their recent success

of

its

weakened by pirited.

against

repetition its

Vincent's

late reverse

and confident

force,

materially

and correspondingly

Vincent himself could see but

little

successful resistance with his diminished

army

from the lack of clothing and proper food.

dis-

prospect of suffering

One

regi-

ment, the 41st, was reported by Captain Fulton to Sir

George Prevost the 49th, as

" in

was compelled

as being

" literally

to

borrow money from the inhabitants

with which to purchase cattle with a

little

naked," and another,

rags and without shoes," while Vincent

meat.

in

order to supply his

men

THE UNION Sir

JACK.

29

John Harvey, however, was more hopeful

a plan and he was confident of the militia of Vincent's

week before and

his regular troops

he had

Nearly

success.

its

command had

;

all

been disbanded a

reduced by 350 men,

but the remnant of his army consisted almost wholly of the King's troops, and they were not only ready but eager, despite their hard condition, for

the enemy.

"

another go" at

Sir John's hopes, moreover, were not

Chateaux en Espagne

;

he was a practical

man and

he was brave.

His plan was

soldier as enterprising as

the result of a daring and

which he ascertained that were few and negligent

was long and broken

;

mere

;

reconnaissance by

careful "

a

camp guards of encampment

the enemy's

that his line

that his artillery

was feebly sup-

ported, and that several of his corps were placed too far in

the rear to aid in repelling a blow which might be

rapidly struck in the front."

He

proposed to General

Vincent the organization of a night attack with picked

men, and assured him of the success of the scheme, to which the General, at length, gave

his consent.

In addition to the strong force in the

American camp

under General Chandler, another brigade of nearly two thousand support.

men was advancing from But

Sir

John knew

his

the Niagara to their

men, and he carefully

selected seven hundred of the best of

them from the 8th

and 49th Regiments, cautioning them most particularly as to the nature of the service and their individual duty.

A SHORT HISTORY OF

30

The

night was

coats

"

"

and, moreover, the " red

pitch dark,"

were screened by thick woods extending close to

the enemy's camp, and through which the regulars this

as

"

time used to Canadian forests

At

redskins."

panthers from their

gleaming

in

a signal lair,

and

— crept

— by

as stealthily

they sprang like hungry

their bayonets, for

an instant

the light of the camp-fires, were plunging

the next into the bodies of the startled sentries

then

:

the carnage began.

The enemy's

field-pieces,

ready charged for action,

belched out with lurid flash their grape and canister, but before the

gunners could grasp a sponge-staff

for the

made camp was

second round, they were transfixed and the guns British

By

prizes.

time

this

the

whole

thoroughly aroused, and, scattered as caused by the

was, the panic

it

rush could not reach

first

it

all

;

so,

from

by

the heights close by, the heroic stormers, surrounded

and conspicuous exposed

to

terribly while

and

it

indifferent

fire

from

which they suffered

Heedless, however, of

lasted.

to

glare of the camp-fires, were

the

in

galling

a

the

odds,

the

bayonets reeking and more thirsty than ever

upon

"

depend for the

British

steel "

for success in hill,

that

since,

they were

such emergencies

they cleared

it

many

a

danger

field

of their tormentors.

—

for

it

was

accustomed

-to

— made straight

and, with that lusty and defiant

the precursor of victory on

all

Englishmen, with

"

Hurrah

1"

both before and

THE UNION It

was

done

all

JACK.

in three-quarters

31

of an hour, and both

the United States brigadiers, 123 officers and men, and their artillery

With

the

first

retreat, after

rein until a

the

were taken.

dawn

of day the Americans began their

burning their baggage, and did not draw a

dozen miles had been put between them and

men whom they

had, a few hours

previously, re-

garded as their certain prey.

On

the arrival, two days

later,

of a squadron of British

gun-boats and transport-schooners, which had

sailed

from Kingston with a reinforcement of 250 regulars the defence of the Niagara frontier, followed in

for

General Vincent

pursuit and came up with them

at the

Forty

Mile Creek, but the Americans avoided an engagement

by

precipitate retreat to Fort

the abandonment of their

George

camp

that

;

it

and so hasty was was impossible to

save their boats or baggage, or even to destroy them,

and these were captured by the pursuers, together with another hundred prisoners. flight the flanks

and

rear

For the remainder of the of the fugitives were

hung

upon by Canadians and Indians, who harassed them untiringly,

and they reached the frontier

in

a demoral-

ized condition.

Immediately afterward the American

detachments

Queenston, Chippawa, and

were called frontier cally,

at in,

Fort

Erie

and, for the remainder of the Niagara

campaign, the United States forces wen-, practi-

blockaded

in their

camp round

Fort George, and

A SHORT HISTORY OF

32

by very

that, too,

inferior

they cowed by the dix

II.)

6

The

numbers, so completely were (See Appen-

Stoney Creek.

affair of

direct result of Vittoria

Spain by the French invaders

was the evacuation of

its

;

was the

indirect effect

deliverance of Europe from the yoke of Napoleon and

removal of the danger to the rest of the world

the

threatened by his despotic tyranny

;

for, after

the defeat

of the allied armies of Russia and Prussia at Lutzen Bautzen, the two powers,

and

disheartened by these

and the neutral attitude resolutely maintained

reverses

by Austria, negotiated for peace. The news, however, of the loss of Spain and Wellington's advance on the Fyrenees inspired them with fresh vigour of the armistice Austria

fell

;

at the close

into line with the Allied

Powers, and as the 18th of October dawned on Leipsic the last hour of the French Empire began to "

The campaign a moral

from found

in

the

and

of Vittoria

is

toll.

the most glorious, both

political point of view,

which

is

to

But there

British annals

be is

one glory connected with the Peninsular war which the British

Empire shares with no other power, and which

the biographer of Wellington clusively his own. test,

and

in the

During

all

is

entitled to claim as ex-

the difficulties of the con-

midst of the almost overwhelming em-

barrassments which arose from the long continuance and oppressive burdens of the war, England never adopted

THE UNION the odious revolutionary

JACK.

33

drawing the

principle of

sources for the contest from the country carried on

;

and, from

great immediate

loss,

first

own

forces,

which

in

was

it

own

firmly, to her

last,

-repudiated the

Whatever she

should maintain war. her

to

maxim

re-

war

that

did, she did with

and from her own means alone

:

no

ravaged country had to rue the day when her standards

appeared among them

;

her armies had been

no tears of the fatherless and the

;

no wasted realm showed where

widow, mourning cold-blooded massacres, dimmed the lustre of her victories.

If disorders occurred, as

they did, and occur they

will, it

occur

was against her system

of warfare, and despite the utmost efforts of her

chief.

With unconquerable constancy, Wellington and the British Government adhered to this noble system, in the midst of pecuniary

difficulties

any other man, and

which would have crushed

financial

embarrassments

would have overwhelmed any other nation. this in

which

During

all

time Napoleon's generals and armies were revelling

wealth and affluence, and France

comparatively light taxation, the

was enjoying

itself

fruit

of the unbounded

and systematic extortion which they practised countries which their armies occupied.

end of these things, and the

final

But mark the

opposite effect of the

gains of oppression, and the rule of justice

tunes of nations.

in all the

14)011

the for-

Napoleon, driven with disgrace behind

the Rhine and the Pyrenees, was unable to protect even

the mighty empire he ruled from the aroused and uni3

—

A SHORT HISTORY OF

34

versal indignation of

mankind

;

while Wellington, com-

mencing from small beginnings, had an overwhelming

force,

at length burst, with

through the mountain barrier of

the south, liberated the whole Peninsula from the oppressor's yoke,

and planted

his victorious standard,

amid

the blessings of a protected and grateful people, on the plains of France."

Battle.

Alisoiis History of Europe.

THE UNION commandant on

his

JACK.

Bv

guard.

a cunning

she successfully passed the pickets

then

35

stratagem

Americans,

of the

possession of that portion of the country, and,

in

by a circuitous

route, in order to escape notice,

through

the most difficult country imaginable, she tramped

day

and night, barefoot and her clothing largely torn from

swamp and

her body, scrambling through

thicket, the

haunts of the rattlesnake and the wild-cat, and undis-

mayed by

the hungry howl of a wolf or the fiendish yell

of a redskin, she reached her goal, delivered her warning,

then sank averted, a

in a

swoon from exhaustion

victory gained, and

the

;

the danger was

enemy, instead of

surprising our troops, were, with their colours, artillery

and baggage, captured almost

to a

man.

His Roval Highness the Prince of Wales, when

Canada

in

made

i860,

hundred dollars

in

Mrs. Secord a donation of four

in recognition of the

above distinguished

service.

The heroine

died at Chippawa, Ontario, on the 17th of

October, 1868, aged ninety-three, and worthily rests

now

in soil redolent with deeds of glory, in the old church-

yard heroes

at in

Drummondville, and their

last

by

surrounded

British

earthly quarters, silently awaiting

the great reveille.

Fitzgibbon,

who

early in

his

Nelson at Copenhagen, spent the

career had last

years

ol

been with his life as

a Military Knight of Windsor, where he dud on the [2th

A SHORT HISTORY OF

36

of December, 1863, at the advanced age of eighty-three.

(See Appendices 2

The

II

and V.)

British force, so victorious at

Chateauguay, was

composed entirely of Canadians, and chiefly those

who

had descended from the early French

and

colonists,

throughout the war they afforded the most practical proof of their courage and loyalty. a gold medal was

presented

the British government,

by

Commander

tary

to

For

Colonel de Salaberry

and he was created a

of the Bath

in

mili-

for his services.

After

Home

govern-

several years' agitation of the subject, the

ment

success

this

1847 granted war medals for Detroit, Chrysler's,

De

and Chateauguay.

Salaberry died

in

1829, and an

adorns the

heroic bronze statue of the gallant soldier front of the Provincial Buildings in Quebec. 3

The

bravely

battles of

won by

Chateauguay and Chrysler's Farm, so

inferior

numbers, by making impossible

the junction of the expeditions of Generals

and Wilkinson

for a

Hampton

combined attack on Montreal, saved

the lower province and terminated the campaign of 18 4

13.

This was an unnecessary encounter, for the war at

that end.

moment, though neither general knew

On

entered

the 31st of

Paris

;

March

it,

was

at

an

the allied sovereigns had

on the 2nd of April the senate, by a

solemn decree, dethroned the emperor, and absolved the

army and people from 1

ith the formal treaty

their oaths of allegiance

;

on the

between Napoleon and the Allied

—

THE UNION

JACK.

37

Powers was signed, by which he renounced the empire of France and the kingdom of Italy

for

among which were

scendants on certain conditions, following:

and

— Napoleon was

of princes

island of

the

to retain the title of emperor,

his mother, brothers, sisters,

those

himself and his de-

nephews, and

and princesses of

Elba was appointed as

nieces,

The

family.

his

his residence (said to

have been the sole act of the Emperor of Russia, and to

which Lord Castlereagh, on the part of England, took exception, for reasons which results, two years

proved

were founded on wise grounds), and

erected

into

a principality

income of two million

his

in

favour

;

later,

was

it

an annual

hundred thousand francs

five

($500,000 a year) was provided for him, and two millions

more

to

descend after his decease to

his

heirs

both Maria Louise, with her son, and Josephine were equally

liberally

provided

liberty to take with

him

for

four

;

and he was to be

hundred

soldiers to

at

form

his body-guard.

Napoleon reached Frejus on the 28th of he was met by the

which he embarked

English

for

frigate,

April,

where

Undaunted,

on

Elba, and which was specially

provided for his conveyance.

Louis XVIII. was called by the senate to the throne of France, and his heirs, according to the established

order of succession previous to the Revolution.

A SHORT HISTORY OF

38 "

Louis XVIII. was not long

made upon him by

left

responding to the

On

the Senate.

the fugitive monarch

call

the 20th of April,

his peaceable retreat of Hart-

be again tossed upon the stormy sea of public

well, to

and made

affairs,

in

his entry,

amidst an extraordinary con-

course of spectators, into London, where he was received in

state

No

by the Prince Regent.

words can convey

an adequate idea of the enthusiasm which prevailed on this occasion.

It

was a great national triumph, unmixed

by one circumstance of strong of

the

total

alloy

system; sympathy with an

down

it

gave demonstration Revolutionary

the

illustrious race,

long weighed

with misfortune, was mingled with exultation at

the glorious reward

tury of versal

;

overthrow of

;

now obtained

White cockades were

and dangers.

toils

for a quarter of a cen-

uni-

the general rapture was shared alike by the rich

and the poor

;

the fierce divisions, the rancorous faction,

with which the war commenced, had disappeared

tumultuous swell of universal exultation.

'

in

Sire,'

one said

the monarch, with emotion, to the Prince Regent,

when

always consider

that,

he

first

addressed him,

under God,

I

owe

my

'

I

shall

restoration to your

Royal High-

ness.'

"The

Prince Regent received his illustrious guest with

that dignified courtesy for which he was so celebrated,

accompanied the royal family

to Dover,

and bade them

farewell at the extremity of the pier at that place.

In a

—

—

THE UNION

JACK.

39

day (April 27), and with the utmost splendour, the Royal Squadron, under the command of the Duke of Clarence, accompanied the illustrious exiles to their own country; and hardly had the thunder of artillery beautiful

from the Castle of Dover ceased to ring in the ears, when the chalk cliffs of France exhibited a continued

and the roar of cannon on every projecting point, from Calais to Boulogne, announced the arrival of the monarch in the kingdom of his forefathers." Alisons

blaze,

History of Europe.

This engagement, the hardest fought battle of the American war, is known as " Bridgewater " by the 5

Americans, and in the Imperial service as "Niagara," the following regiments including that name among the 1st, 6th, 8th, 41st, 82nd battle-honours on their colours :

and 6

(See Appendices II and V.)

89th.

Over the crypt-door of

monument

tabular

The

to

sculpture, executed

the

St.

Paul's Cathedral

memory

of General

is

a

Ross.

by Kendrick, represents Valour

placing an American flag on the departed hero's tomb,

weeping, while

Fame

descends

with a laurel wreath to crown his bust.

The

following

over which Britannia

is

the inscription Erected

is

:

at the public

expense

to the

Major-General Robert

Who

memory

of

Ross,

having undertaken and executed an enterprise

against the city of Washington, the capital of the United States of America,

which was crowned with complete succe^,

was

killed shortly afterwards while directing a successful

attack upon a superior force, near the

citj

of

Baltimore, on the 12th day of September, [814.

A SHORT HISTORY OF

40 In

this

young

campaign there served

who was

officer,

profession, to

attain

elevated to the

the 6oth Rifles a

in

destined to win distinction in his

high rank

in

the service, to be

Peerage and to merit the admiration

of his fellow subjects not only for his military genius,

but for his courage the

face

of

many

and simple devotion to duty

discouragements, the

lack of influence at the Horse Guards

rdsult

— Colin

in

of his

Campbell,

afterwards Sir Colin Campbell, and finally Lord Clyde,

whose

brilliant career

Battle.

we

shall treat fully at a later page.

THE UNION at

occupied,

the time,

Europe)

it

elicited

JACK.

41

completing the reply

this

:

—

-"

settlement

offers to sanction the treaty of Paris,

and pretends

substitute his guarantee for that of a sovereign

the same who

for

millions of victims,

sacrificed

;

who has

and the happiness of a

whole generation, to a system of conquest, which entitled to the

name

truces,

of peace, have only served to

render more oppressive and

more odious

;

who, after

having by his wild enterprises wearied even all

is

vears has ravaged and con-

fifteen

vulsed the earth to find food for his ambition

armed

to

whose

was unstained and benevolence unbounded,

loyalty

little

of

The man who now

Fortune,

Europe against him, and exhausted

all

the

resources of France, has been compelled to renounce his projects

and abdicate

wreck of

his existence

of Europe indulged

his :

in

power

who,

at a

in

order to secure the

time when the nations

the hope of enjoying permanent

repose, has meditated fresh catastrophies,

of double treason to the Powers

who

and by an act

too generously

spared him, and to a government which he could attack

only through the blackest treachery, has usurped a throne

which he had renounced, and which he had occupied only to

This

man

inflict

misery

on

France and on the world.

has no other guarantee to propose to Europe

but his word

;

but after the

fatal

experience of

fifteen

years

who would be

tee?

Peace, with a government placed in such hand-,

rash enough to accept the guaran-

and composed of such elements, would prove only a

A SHORT HISTORY OF

42

perpetual state of uncertainty, anxiety and danger.

power could

really

disarm

of the advantages of

a

;

true peace

crushed by inevitable expenses.

nowhere

revive, industry

where languish

as

;

:

As

they would

over every country

be

confidence would

and commerce would every-

there

would be

no

gloomy discontent would

political relations,

No

nations would not enjoy any

stability sit

in

brooding

and agitated Europe would be

in

daily fear of fresh explosions."

All jealousies of the Congress were immediately cast

and the one object now of the powers was the

aside,

complete emancipation of Europe from the barbarous tyranny of

this

monster of the revolution and the per-

manent establishment of constitutional freedom, which, in the

name

of liberty, finally of glory,

first

ruthlessly overthrown

military

republic.

had been

by the devastating despot of a

For

this

purpose they engaged to

supply a million of men, but such was the exhaustion of the finances of the great powers from the unparalleled efforts

that

they had

made during

the two preceding years,

they were wholly unable to put their armies

in

motion without pecuniary assistance, which England was the one country to supply, and to support these enormous

hosts she paid to foreign powers that year a ing eleven million pounds sterling.

take up arms

in

Never did nations

a more righteous cause, and

the insatiate ambition of a

man who,

sum exceed-

in

opposing

for nearly

twenty

THE UNION years, deluged

the

in

43

blood for purely personal ends,

Powers acted

Allied

peace, of

Europe

JACK.

humanity and of

in

highest

the

interests

Waterloo was, indeed, a battle of giants, and

commanders who had

two great

of

christian civilization.

severally

every antagonist, were there for the

the

overthrown

time brought

first

Europe measured swords

into collision; the conqueror of

with the deliverer of Spain.

"

.

Never were two

.

.

armies of such fame, under leaders of such renown, and

animated by such heroic in

brought into contact

feelings,

modern Europe, and never were

ous at issue

Many

in

the

interests so

moment-

strife."

of Wellington's victories were as decisive, but

he had never

inflicted a defeat so terrible as at

Waterloo:

the rout, with Blucher's aid, was complete and the ruin irrecoverable.

Deplorable as was the

and devoted

soldiers in that brief

diminished families universal

it,

and

campaign, the grief of

over the splendid it

Nor were the

for the

spontaneously entered

and parish of the kingdom

life

The

into

for the

which

could not

advancement of

sufferers forgotten

rapturous applause for the victors. scription

victory

was realized that

have been so well sacrificed as such a cause.

gallant officers

was almost overwhelmed amid the

exultation

terminated

many

loss of so

in

in

the

general subever)-

chapel

widows and orphans

A SHORT HISTORY OF

44

who had fallen, and for the relief of those who had been maimed in the fight, soon reached the magnificent sum of five hundred thousand pounds, and afforded

of those

sympathy of

the most touching proof of the universal

the nation.

the close of the war, the year before, Wellington

At

had been elevated

and the munifi-

to the rank of duke,

cent provision of half a million pounds

made

as an expression of Britain's gratitude to the great

soldier

and when he was presented

;

Commons for the

to the

House of

to publicly receive the thanks of Parliament

achievements which had shed such lustre on his

country, the hero was received with loud cheers,

following

lord, since

this

I

eloquent

last

— tribute

and immortal

:

the

him "

My

had the honour of addressing you from

place, a series of eventful years has

none without some mark and note of your

The

all

standing, and the Speaker addressed to

members the

was

sterling

elapsed, but rising glory.

military triumphs which your valour has achieved

upon the banks of the Douro and the Tagus, of the Ebro and the Garonne, have

called

shouts of admiring nations. written

forth

the spontaneous

Their names have been

by your conquering sword

in

the

annals of

Europe, and we shall hand them down with exultation to

our

children's

children.

It

is

grandeur of military success which

not,

has

however, the alone

fixed

THE UNION

generous

that

and

lofty

your troops with unbounded

them

to

know

of victory

which

that the

in perilous

spirit

day of

battle

;

has

it

which inspired

and taught

confidence,

that moral courage

;

45

commanded our applause

our admiration, or

been

JACK.

was always a day

and enduring

fortitude,

when gloom and doubt had

times,

beset ordinary minds, stood, nevertheless unshaken

and

;

that ascendancy of character, which, uniting the energies

of jealous and rival nations, enabled you to wield at will

the

fate

repeated this

and fortunes of

thanks and grants bestowed

House,

in

gratitude

you have thought iedg-ements still

;

but

largely your

satisfaction

warriors

that,

when

It

h>\-

services,

to offer us your

acknow-

nation

debtor.

upon you

eminent

your

for

day

this

this

well

owes

knows to

that

recently visited

it

is

you the proud

amid the constellation of

who have

could present to

common

fit

For the

mighty empires.

illustrious

we

your country,

them a leader of our own,

to

whom

all

acclamation conceded the pre-eminence; and

the will of

Heaven and the common

destinies of

our nature shall have swept away the present generation, you will have left your great name an imperishable

—

monument— exciting serving at once to

others to like deeds of glory

existence of this country the earth."

;

adorn, defend and perpetuate

among

the ruling

and tin-

nations of

A SHORT HISTORY OF

46

Battle.

THE UNION

Redoubt, and

storming the Great yards, in

JACK.

47

for

three

hundred

the face of blasts of round shot, grape and

heavy guns,

canister from

led

the assault and carried

the sreat field-work, which was the key of the enemy's

Alma, himself being the

position on the

first

man

into

the breastwork, the most brilliant achievement of that glorious day.

At

was, too, his

first

experience of war.

was General Codrington

Inkerman became aware of the Russian approach, a little five o'clock, on that dark, misty Sunday morning

the battle of

who

it

first

after in

It

November

;

it

was he who, the following year, super-

intended the arrangements by which General Shirley so the Quarries on the 7th of June;

gallantly

won

when the

final assault

it

was he who was

Redan.

A

month

and

was made on the 8th of September,

selected to conduct the attack on the later

Lieut-Gen. Sir William John

Codrington, K.C.B., was appointed to succeed General

Simpson

as

Commander-in-Chief of the

Army

in

the

for the

first

Crimea. 2

In this

bombardment steamships were

time employed fortress,

in naval warfare,

and

in

three hours the

mounting 147 guns and which had

baffled even

the mighty Napoleon, yielded to British cannon. ;)

The

result of this

campaign was the annexation of

the great district of the Punjaub to our Indian Empire. 4

Although Marshal

St.

Arnaud and the French

ticipate in the glory of this victory

by reason of

partheir

A SHORT HISTORY OF

48 presence on

its

scene, yet as

British services, naval list

and

we

are dealing here with the

military, only,

we

give

the

in

only the names of our own commanders.

Waterloo had given the great nations of Europe nearly forty years of peace, assert the

weaker

power of

state,

and

and on the banks of the Alma, to

for the

was arrayed the

world,

and

justice in behalf of a threatened

freedom of that division of the

finest

army ever

sent by

England

against a foe.

Lord Raglan, the hero of

this great infantry fight

—

for

before the advance of the Guards and Highlanders nearly all

the Russian artillery had been withdrawn from the

front,

and from

this

done with small-arms

forward the work of the battle was

— was a grandson of Admiral Hon.

Edward Boscawen, who commanded the reduction of Louisbourg in

the English fleet at

1758,

and served, as

Fitzroy Somerset, throughout the Peninsular

War

as

aide-de-camp and military secretary to the

Duke

of

Wellington, for distinguished conduct

in the several en-

gagements of which campaign he had a cross and clasps.

He was

again with the

Duke

five

of Wellington, as

aide-de-camp and military secretary, at Waterloo, where, while riding near

from a shot.

He

La Haye-Sainte, he

lost his right

did not see active service again

arm

till

his

appointment to the command of the British expedition to the Crimea,

where he

fell

a victim to an attack of

cholera on the 28th of June, 1855.

THE UNION

JACK.

49

In this battle, in contrast to the deep, crowded masses

of the Russians and the French, Lord Raglan's troops

were

in their

English array, and the formation, suggested

by the genius of Wellington, and by

his distinguishing

ly

qualified

to

in

which the Briton,

independent vigour,

fight,

was

again

is

so peculiar-

successfully

tested

against the unwieldy system of the Continental armies.

When

the splendid battalions of the Guards and High-

landers formed on the southern bank and, in a line two

deep extending their majestic

more than a mile and a

for

advance up the slope

with the same step,

it

half,

in perfect

began

order and

was the most magnificent spec-

tacle ever witnessed on a field of battle.

were struck with astonishment at the

The Russians

sight, for

they had

never seen such a thing as an attack by a slender line in

the face of massive columns

in

admiration, and

in a

Canrobert exclaimed that

:

moment "

All

I

;

the French looked on

of enthusiasm Marshal

ask of Fortune

now

might command a corps of English troops

I

three short weeks

;

I

is,

for

should then die happy!"

Rut the most remarkable incident of the battle was the gallop of Lord Raglan, immediately after the

English advance, position,

first

into the very heart of the Russian

and the sudden establishment of the

I

lead-

Quarter Staff on the knoll to the east of the Telegraph Height.

command 4

This position, which gave him the complete of the fight, he reached alone

—

if

we exclude

A SHORT HISTORY OF

50 "

Shadrach," the grand, old hunter

ahead of any troops, and even before

who bore him his own staff.

was there before Codrington began the looked from

its

sion

—

the

and it

;

assault of the

now

as a spectator

it

from

he was there before the First Divi-

;

Guards

crossed the river

viewing

left rear,

the enemy's lines

He

which the English general

Redoubt, into

Great

— far

the

Highlanders

was an exploit unique

— had

in

even

the annals

of war.

The French had viz.,

failed in the object of their

the turning of the Russian

and the forces

"

left,

advance,

thus palsied were nothing less than the whole French

army, including even their reserves

they were threat-

" ;

ruin, but at the

ened not only with disaster but sheer sight of the English

even

in their

and the Mr.

very

rear,

the Russians

fate of the battle

Kinglake,

in

coolly directing their business

staff,

his

was

became paralyzed

sealed.

splendid

work, which

leading authority on this great war, says

no battle were

still

in

" I

:

is

the

know of

which, whilst the forces of his adversary

upon

their

general has had the

ground, and

unbroken, a

still

fortune to stand

upon a spot so

commanding as that which Lord Raglan now found on the summit of the knoll."

The Alma was

the

first

great battle

were extensively and successfully used. first

weapon

of this kind

in

in

which

rifles

Although the

the British service dates

"

THE UNION

JACK.

51

from about the year 1800, when the old 95th Regiment, the parent-corps of the Rifle Brigade, was

"Baker"

was not

rifles, it

until

government began seriously the adoption of the

and used by our troops

made

in

weapon used by the

the first

1851 that the English

to take into consideration

new system

year rifle-muskets were

armed with

the army.

for

(called

This

Minie muskets)

the Caffre war.

It

was also

principal regiments during the

period of the Crimean war, being superseded by the

"Enfield" during the last months of the campaign. so inadequate were the

very late

in

their hands,

means of production

the war before

and

at

all

our

Inkerman the 4th

that

men had

it

But

was

rifles

in

Division, with the

exception of Horsford's battalion, had, practically, no other arm

than

the

musket

— the

altered to the percussion principle.

Battle.

old

"

Brown Bess

A SHORT HISTORY OF

52

of short duration, and the brave defenders, overborne by

compelled to abandon their

sheer weight of numbers, position.

The only other occasion that infantry was opposed to the enemy that day was when four squadrons of Russian main body ad-

cavalry, detaching themselves from the

Ryjoff up the North

vancing under General

Valley,

approached Kadikoi and suddenly found themselves

in

the front of Sir Colin Campbell with 550 of the 93rd

Highlanders and some English soldiers a couple of

officers of the

and

a manoeuvre,

Guards

command

horsemen were

Muscovite

the

in

of

— a volley at long range, in

retreat.

But

to the English Cavalry

is

it

of "

chief glory

Balaklava

"

Division that

belongs, and the distinctive

Heavy and Light Brigades

exploits of the

the

among

are

the grandest of the achievements of British arms.

The

was the charge of the Heavy

of these

first

Brigade led by General Scarlett, and the slopes of the Southern

same

regiments

orders to do

so,

—

—

famous

"

bridge,

wrought such

that, in the

were

"

although

were the without

and which, under Lord Ux-

terrible

and lancers far,

scene was on

They

Wellington campaigns, formed the

Union Brigade

charge too

its

quickly followed the Greys and Innis-

killings

cuirassiers

Royals,

the

for

Valley.

havoc among the French

at Waterloo, but, carrying their

in turn

beset

by Milhaud's

fresh

THE UNION horsemen, brigade

53

Henry Ponsonby was

Sir

brought back

hardly a

however,

Discomfiture,

JACK.

triumphant

cuirassiers

Somerset's

Heavy

;

was

fifth

closely

of

1st

of

these

Edward

Lord

consisting

Guards, Royal Horse Guards and

numbers.

its

awaiting

by

charged

Brigade,

and the

slain

the

Life

Dragoon Guards,

the French cavalry was fairly overborne by the weight

of these matchless English squadrons, overflowing with strength,

and against whose giant wielded swords cuirass

and helmet proved no protection.

It

was short work

;

the French horsemen were scattered and the survivors

driven back to their lines with awful

At Balaklava was

Ryjoff's

loss.

the object of the " Heavies'

column of two thousand

coming under

artillery-fire

Valley, inclined to their

left

at the

in

attack

on

head of the North

and ascended the Causeway

Heights overlooking the South Valley.

suddenly came

'

troopers, who,

There they

view of our cavalry marching towards

Kadikdi to support Sir Colin Campbell, then threatened

by

the four

squadrons

detached

Scarlett's inarch

was

at

before

referred

to.

once arrested, and with three

squadrons, he showed a front towards the enemy,

advancing down the slope.

They

now

halted, he charged,

and in eight minutes, with his three hundred Scotsmen

and Irishmen, had cut clean through the huge human block,

composed of thousands, from

the Englishmen

made

front to rear, while

lanes from flank to flank.

Thus

—

A SHORT HISTORY OF

54 cleft

by the

the mass ing, fled in

first

swayed, then heaved, and,

in retreat across

rear of

horsemen,

terrible onset of our irresistible

finally break-

the Heights and sought refuge

the guns at the

foot

of the South Valley.

"It was truly magnificent; and to

me who

could

see

the enormous numbers opposed to you, the whole valley

being

Russian cavalry, the victory of the

with

filled

Heavy Brigade was

the most glorious thing

said a French general officer fight.

And

who was

a spectator of the

well indeed did the victors in

ordinary encounter

"

ever saw,"

I

extra-

this

prove to the world that they had

not degenerated from the

men

of the

who, by their heroic deeds on the

'

field

Union

Brigade.'

of Waterloo, so

faithfully represented the military virtues of the British

Empire."

An

hour

later

took place that great act of martyrdom,

which, as an example of unwavering devotion to duty, is

the history of war.

without parallel

in

All the world

is

familiar with this

heroes

—

god-like

whose chivalry

most famous

feat of

The Charge of the Light Brigade

electrified

Christendom,

elicited

nations a chorus of applause, and inspired

Laureate those immortal

in

lines that portray

from the

England's the tragic

scene so well.

Nor was

it

made by our garded by

all

in vain,

for

such was the reputation

cavalry, that, after that day,

the Russians as invincible,

it

was

re-

and so great was

THE UNION the ascendancy

JACK.

55

thus gained, that, thenceforward, they

could not be brought to face the English squadrons

in

combat.

Of

course

it

torian of the

was a mistake,

war says

"

:

The

but, as the greatest his-

perversity which sent our

squadrons to their

doom

part of the story.

Half forgotten already, the origin of

the 'Light Cavalry Charge' Its

only, after

is

is

fading

all,

the mortal

away out

splendour remains, and splendour like this

thing more than the

graces

the

life

of sight. is

some-

mere outward adornment which

of a nation.

It

is

strength

— strength

other than that of mere riches, and other than that of gross numbers

— strength

one generation to another are to come."

Battle.

carried

by proud descent from

— strength

awaiting

trials that

A SHORT HISTORY OF

56

men

;

moreover, he was supported by two ships in the

roadstead, whose

fire

was

effective over a large section of

Mount Inkerman. To combat this Russian host was an Anglo-French army of 65,000 men with 11,000 Turkish auxiliaries.

as

we have

And said,

although the front of action extended,

twelve miles, the necessity of covering

Balaklava, the British port of supply, stretched out the allied line to a total length of nearly

twenty miles.

This brief comparison between these two famous will

fields

enable the civilian reader more clearly to comprehend

the enormity of the task imposed, this

upon the

The

memorable day,

Allies.

four miles of fortifications along the Sebastopol

front are included in Prince MentschikofT s line of battle

because, not only was the garrison in constant and close

touch with the

field

or relieving army, but special, aggres-

sive duties were allotted to

it,

among which was General

of checking the siege, and

Timovieffs

powerful

apart from the regular work

sortie

Prince Mentschikoff's chief

against the

effort,

French

left.

however, was directed

against the scantily guarded English position on

Mount

Inkerman.

Not only was

this

portion of the

weakly guarded by the English (owing

Chersonese very to

the smallness

of their numbers and the heavy work imposed upon them in the trenches as

well

as in

the

field),

but the

enemy

was already master of the northern portion of the ground,

—

THE UNION

JACK.

57

which was commanded by the batteries

Foubourg and

Long

also

by

in

his war-ships in the

before daylight

the Karabel

upper harbour.

— which, morning, was much —columns of infantry and this

retarded by the rain and mist trains of artillery

and

began to

issue silently

at a quarter to six o'clock

from Sebastopol,

General Soimonoff's

skir-

mishers became engaged with our outposts.

This was the

whose camp was on the and who was the

enemy

heard by General Codrington,

firing

further side of Careenage Ravine, to divine the intention of the

first

to attack in force

;

his brigade

was immediately

put under arms, and Lord Raglan notified of the move-

ment of the Russians.

hour Soimonoff had

In half an

established himself on the crest of Shell Hill with twenty-

two heavy guns fire

in

position,

and he now opened a brisk

on the camp of the Second Division

in rear

of

Home

Ridge.

Under cover of

now

his

Shell Hill, rising, as

it

active

and commandin<7 suns

did, to a great altitude in the very

centre of the Inkerman Heights, flanked

by ravines and

crowned with heavy

a citadel over-

awing

all

batteries,

surroundings

was

— General

like

Dannenberg, now

as-

suming command, began the launching of Soimonoffs and Pauloff's columns, which were destined

for six long

hours to encounter alternately the most dogged

ance and the most desperate attacks that for

men

to

make.

it

is

resist-

possible

A SHORT HISTORY OF

58 "

Inkerman

"

was the supreme

effort of the

Czar against

the western invaders, and under his personal supervision

were formed the plans

such was the confidence placed

and

in

in

these skilful designs,

numbers by

the overwhelming

whom

be executed, that two Grand Dukes

to

Nicholas

— were

Moreover,

for their annihilation.

they were

— Michael

and

appointed not only to inspire the troops

with enthusiasm, but to witness the surely expected

triumph of their country's cause, that they, from personal

might

observation,

afterward

narrate

proud

their

in

capital the glorious spectacle of the Allies driven into

the sea by the sanctified legions of " holy

The key

"

of the English position was the

Russia.

Home

Ridge,

three-quarters of a mile south of Shell Hill, and against this

central

point the

chief exertions

of the

enemy

were directed, his steady endeavour being simply to crush by sheer weight of numbers the thin and broken line of

our troops, which, at best, was

one of out-posts

;

in the

had they any such thing as General Dannenberg

38

guns.

To

Pennefather the

proper sense of the term

reserves.

made

his first attacks

on Mount

forces aggregating 25,000 infantry

and

meet these advancing masses General

— who

was temporarily

Second Division through the

Lacy Evans

better than

and, practically, as such they fought

throughout the battle; nor

Inkerman with

little

— had

in

command

illness

of

Sir

of

De

but 3,000 men, with 12 guns under

THE UNION

JACK.

The English

Colonel Fitzmayer.

59

force on the north-

eastern corner of the Chersonese, small and broken as that force was, steadily proving invincible, the assailing

numbers were gradually

increased, through the hours of

the fight, to 40,000, while Dannenberg's artillery, along

a mile of front, was belching In

the

meantime

the

all

from a hundred guns.

fire

reinforcements

amounted only

available for our people

that

were

to 14,200 with 50

guns.

A series of defiles,

ravines or gullies, beginning with the

Careenage Ravine on the west to the Quarry Ravine on the east, ran up on the north side of

Mount Inkerman,from

and the valley of the Tchernaya, and con-

the roadstead

verged toward

Home

ing the

enemy easy

south.

It

Ridge, the English centre, afford-

ascent to Shell Hill and the toplands

was from such

lairs as

these (as well as from the

flanking juts of Shell Hill) that his columns attacks,

made

their

and the system of combat on our side was not

to await his assaults but to strike

wherever his head was shown.

"Donnybrook

tactics"

variably successful.

but

the

him immediately and These may have been plan

was almost

His masses, long before they could

see an enemy, were harassed by our pickets,

them with a

fire

was steady

and when

;

in-

from

their "

Minies

"

at length they

who

plied

as effective as

it

debouched from

the glen or the brushwood, they were charged by a score of our men, hastily got together by

some

lew-

officer

—

a

A SHORT HISTORY OF

6o

who

led so resolutely that there

was no

were actually within the assailing mass did the

they

till

the bayonet

;

rest.

Such was the exploit of General Lieutenant

aide-de-camp,

men

halt

Hugh

of the 77th, which, with a

Buller's youthful

some

with

Clifford,

by

"finishing touch"

Captain Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar and his picket

Under-

of Grenadiers, completely routed the enemy's

road Column. Such, too, was the charge of Colonel Egerton, with

259 men of strong,

his

made

regiment into the wing of a column 8,ooo with

such

impetuosity

opponents were completely shattered, their onslaught,

bayonet and

broke into the column

butt, tore

it

their

that

and, with

itself

asunder and sent

first

continuing

and,

it

in

retreat

from the English Heights. Similarly,

and with equal success, Colonel Mauleverer

charged with 200

men

the most part, too wet rain, to

take

fire,

i.e.,

of the 30th,

whose

from their night's for the

rifles

were, for

exposure to the

detonating-charge

in

the

percussion-cap to reach the powder in the chamber of the barrel

— and so were without any other resource than

the

bayonet with which to meet the masses of the Borodino regiment advancing up the face of Fore Ridge.

And

so

series of

it

was

all

along the Mount Inkerman

independent and close combats

in

line

—

which com-

panies struggled with regiments, and, completely isolated either by distance, by mist, or by brush-wood, each little

1

THE UNION

6

JACK.

party of Britons fought as though they were the only force in the field,

and that upon them alone depended

the honour and destiny of England.

In such a

spirit

were the thousands met and worsted by the hundreds.

The

Sandbag Battery

story of the

battle in

is

an account of a

This was a small earth parapet, from

itself.

eight to ten feet in height, with embrasures for two guns. It

had been erected

the early days of the siege for the

in

purpose of silencing a work on the opposite side of the valley, after

which accomplishment

Never having been intended

affording powerless.

stood facing a

slopes of the Kitspur,

it

this day, for here

It

simply rendered them north of east on the

and by reason of

was on both

that defied death.

it

little

mistakenly regarded as a link defence,

of course,

it,

when men once found

they discovered that, far from

it,

them any advantage, It

was dismantled.

for infantry use,

lacked a banquette, and hence,

themselves inside of

it

in

its

having been

the English chain of

sides fought for with a chivalry

was the scene of the hottest work

was spent

alike the energy

and the

blood of that splendid brigade of Guards against vastly

overwhelming odds.

At

least seven times

it

was cap-

tured during the course of the action, and such was the slaughter round this lethal spot that the French

wont

to

name

it

were

" L'abattoir."

The most important

incident of the battle

was the

bringing up of the ih'-poundcrs, which was accomplished

A SHORT HISTORY OF

62

with great physical

effort,

and

influenced the fate of a battle

if it

ever a flash of genius

was when Lord Raglan

was seized with the idea and determination course attack

to

—

the two heavy " long

for

—the enemy's

artillery

re-

;

it

was

domineering batteries

and from the moment of

;

Dannenberg's

fire

have

to

with which to

was more than a defensive move

it

an act of aggression

on Shell Hill

bills "

opening

their

ascendancy began

to decline.

was the execution of these guns

So

terribly destructive

in

the very heart of his position, the very base of his

Mount Inkerman, and

operations on

so steadily

was the

devastation wrought, that eventually he was compelled to relinquish his

In the

meantime

commanding and his battalions,

all-important post.

although they had fought

with a fiendish braver}', had been repulsed at

all

and, considering further effort useless, General berg, about

I

p.m.,

to retire to the

The French 8 o'clock of

gave the order

part in the fight dates from the arrival at

two battalions of Bourbaki's brigade, the 6th

work of the former was

Okhotsk battalions

in flank

Sandbag Battery, which

in all

1,600 men.

their attack

The

of the two

as the latter were advancing

upon Captain Burnaby and the

for his luckless forces

town.

of the line and the 7th Leger, first

points,

Dannen-

his Grenadiers in

and near

resulted in the defeat of the

Muscovites.

The

7th Leger did good service, too, in opposing, with

our troops, the advance of the enemy's great trunk column

THE UNION past the Barrier and against fortunately stopped

Home

63

Ridge, but which was

—just as the young French battalion

encouraging

(in spite of the

JACK.

efforts of its

own

officers as

well as the demonstrative exertions of General Penne-

father

and

brilliant

was breaking

into retreat

— by the

charge of Colonel Daubeney at the head of

men

thirty

his staff)

of the 55th, which was one of the finest things

performed throughout

this heroic day.

This

little

band

of Englishmen, without firing a shot, fearlessly assailed the right flank of the great oncoming mass, and did not stop until they emerged from the opposite side of the

column, through which

its

effect

spread dismay.

opportunity was immediately taken

General Pennefather

— the

7th Leger

The

advantage of by in

the

meantime

having been reformed and aligned with 200 English

under the 57th's colours Zouaves,

and a party of 60 truant

who had come up

to the front of their

own

accord and chivalrously offered their services to General

Pennefather

who

at

—

to

advance against the palsied Russians,

once began an orderly retreat and were soon out

of sight in Quarry Ravine.

Our

artillery also

was ably seconded by Boussiniere,

with twelve guns.

When

General Bosquet arrived on the scene at

o'clock, followed quickly

and

artillery that

in his

power

by a French

10

force of horse, foot

numbered about 4,000 men, he had

it

— such was the condition of the enemy, from

A SHORT HISTORY OF

64

repulses

repeated

his

pounders call a

sary's

'"

to deliver

combatants

class of

to the right, he, prac-

committed the same mistake

that was

made by

George Cathcart, which, we may reasonably

cost the latter his

the

what another

Duke

With

18-

out," but, innocently avoiding his adver-

"opening" and bearing away

tically,

Sir

—

knock

and the work of the two

life

say,

and very seriously compromised

of Cambridge and his Guards.

arrayed on Inkerman Tusk,

his force harmlessly

he was surprised by a Russian column, which sprang on his

from Quarry Ravine, and, before

left

could escape, captured one of his courtesy,

we must presume,

— Bosquet saluted

himself said

him

— they

the French general.

another Russian

French fire

of

to the

At

the

some

artillery

guns, while, out of

some other consideration Russian

refrained from

same

soldiery

all

but

killing or capturing

time, taken in rear

by

ascending the Kitspur, the

battalion

back in retreat

fell

or

the

his

;

and such was the pursuing

pieces of the enemy's artillery not accessible

two 18-pounders, that not only were those troops

that sought refuge in pelled to

rear of Boussiniere's

guns com-

continue their retreat, but the artillerymen,

after having endured cruel losses

were forced to seek safer ground

in

men and

for

horses,

themselves and

their cannon.

Shortly afterward General D'Autemarre

came up with

three fresh battalions, and, with this addition of strength

THE UNION to his forces, General

supreme

lions

were

In the

assailed

ground from which he had

meantime the Selinghinsk

in possession of

surrounding portion

65

Bosquet determined to make a

effort to recover the

been driven.

JACK.

the

of the

batta-

Sandbag Battery and Kitspur

were now

these

;

the

by the French, who, during the advance, had

been joined by a party of the Coldstream Guards now alignment on

in

the

right

of

Zouaves

the

;

the old

dismantled earthwork was once more carried and the treacherous Kitspur ceased henceforth to be a scene of conflict.

Although the French were now further reinforced by three battalions under Monet, of 7,500

men

making an

infantry force

and

at the disposal of General Canrobert,

although pressed by Lord Raglan to use these troops for

who

the relief of our weary soldiery,

dawn

had been constantly fighting

quarters, with great physical exertion, part, too,

without breaking their

to further

employ

since

—frequently

fast

—

and

early

at close

for the

most

he stolidly refused

this force in action, and,

beyond

their

mere presence, they gave the English no assistance whatever during the two remaining hours of the struggle.

Prince Gortchakoff, with a force of

all

arms number-

ing 22,000 men and showing a front of nearly

five miles,

from north to south, toward the eastern escarpment of the Chersonese, was charged with the duty of threatening this portion of the allied

line

for

the purpose of

A SHORT HISTORY OF

66

preventing any assistance being given by the troops there stationed to the English force on

man, when

it

and

his division

whom

Gortchakoff was to join with

on a certain condition, which, fortunately,

But

never happened.

their front, the real

stood by the

allies,

in spite

of this demonstration on

import of which was soon under-

the

Duke

of Cambridge and General

Bosquet found easy opportunity to share the English

Inker-

be attacked by Soimonoff and

should

Pauloff's 40,000,

Mount

Heights.

in the fight

on

But not so fortunate was Sir

Colin Campbell with his fine brigade of Highlanders,

whose

services

would have been so welcome to their

hard pressed and famishing comrades on the Inkerman but

front,

who

not once throughout this glorious day

were afforded an opportunity

drawing a

of

Their duty being to cover Balaklava,

in

trigger.

conjunction with

General Vinoy's brigade, Prince Gortchakoffs menacing

upon them the necessity of remaining

attitude imposed

inactive at their southern post. It

has

(Aubrey), battle.

men

been that

said, "

and

by

least

at

Strategy there was none."

first

one

Inkerman was the common

faced each other in mortal

historian soldiers''

In no battle since

combat was there

such desperate fighting, such enduring valour as was displayed by the English

hours on

common

Mount Inkerman

soldiery for seven

against terrible odds

they were invariably led and, as a

rule, skilfully

;

but

handled

by

THE UNION

JACK.

67

one of

whom

did his duty like

their officers, each

On

Paladin.

a

" Invasion of the it

is

this

point

Crimea "

quote from

I

had masses so great and so dense

true,

ground they assailed

tion to the

—could

in

Russians,

propor-

in

that, despite the

ness of the atmosphere, their columns lost

Kinglake's

"The

as follows:

— too

huge

dimto be

general be reached by orders dispatched

from elsewhere, and the whole of them might, therefore, if

maintain that clear singleness of action and

stead}',

purpose which makes the strength of an army

whilst

;

the English force, on the contrary, was broken up into

detachments so small and so

far

apart that the

mist

which lay heavy between them made their severance from each other complete

have seen, a young soldiery

field

officer

and

at

many

a spot, as

it

were, the

before

supreme commander

in

him,

a narrow

of action beyond the reach of control, and also cut

from

all

help.

But

this

kind of isolation proved not

altogether uncongenial to the peculiar people said

we

with a very scant following of

and strong bodies of Russians

became, as

off

;

to

have

been

always

who

without

warlike

are

having

patience to be 'military'; and for once, notwithstanding old

maxims, the slender and separate stems proved

A

stronger than the closely bound fagot.

had greatness and unity gave way spontaneous

The

efforts

a

force

which

number of

by segregated handfuls of men.

result was, of course, in a great

the high

to

quality of the officers

who

measure owing to thus found them-

—

A SHORT HISTORY OF

68

selves invested with power,

and

Clifford, Prince

Edward, Fordyce, Buller (with Egerton

under him), John Turner,

but

excepting

of independent

them came

Adams

It

(both

fights,

brigadier-

into action with a prospect

command, such

stance gave them.

number

Adams

and

Buller

generals) none of

that a

Mauleverer,

Bellairs,

one after another, conducted separate

these,

all

speaking generally,

yet,

Thornton Grant, Hugh

they were not selected men.

as that

which circum-

seems hardly unsafe to conjecture

of leaders

power by the chances of

thus raised up into sudden

battle, yet proving,

every one of

them, equal to the varying and successive occasions, were, after

all,

only

came, and

fair

that,

samples of the body from which they as

soldiery under them, our

men

both

regards

army

at

its

officers

and the

Inkerman was

rich in

able to cope with that kind of emergency which

can best be met by sheer fighting."

Now, battles

there

is

very

of Waterloo

mencement

we would

of this note,

ask here

—

much

in

common between

and Inkerman, and,

we

instituted this

at the

the

com-

comparison

;

without the slightest disparagement

of Wellington's greatest

fight,

but

in

reply to those

who

have attempted to detract from the glory of the more recent battle

—where was the strategy

at

Waterloo

?

The

English commander at Waterloo, like the English com-

mander

at

Inkerman, was entirely on the defensive, and

the plan jn both cases was one of simple resistance.

The

—

THE UNION former

was a

particular

in

display on either side.

JACK.

field,

69

devoid of any scientific

Napoleon's scheme was simply to

exhaust the endurance of the English infantry by a series of attacks delivered directly

the

is

way

the

Duke

described

from

Beresford a few days after the fight "

You

did

I

all.

call

He

pounding match.

a letter to Lord

:

moved forward

and was driven

off

1

8th.

Never

Both were what the

Napoleon did not manoeuvre

gluttons.

just

This

his front.

have heard of our battle of the

will

see such a

boxers

in

it

the

in

in

old

At Inkerman

style."

Prince Mentschikoff's idea was to overwhelm the

with

numerical superiority.

his

English commanders striking a finishing

relied

blow

;

in

at

the old style, in columns,

In

upon

both

allies

allies

battles the to

assist

in

the Duke's case, his ex-

pectations on this score were realized

;

in

Lord Raglan's,

he was disappointed.

Waterloo was the greatest victory ever won on land by British arms, but, apart

from the interests at issue and

the effects of the battles

upon the defeated, Inkerman

the greatest fight in the annals of the British army. is

for this

reason that

we have

is

It

treated this battle at such

length, for the details of which, as well as of the others

of the Russian

war,

we have

relied

chiefly

upon

the

incomparable work of the late Mr. Kin-lake previously referred to.

A SHORT HISTORY OF

7o

Battle.

THE UNION

JACK.

number of

surprise of the Malakoff, the larger

fenders rushed to the assault

of the

Redan

English,

7

to aid

in

its

which was not effected

free

and the Central Bastion, could make

to recover

Redan

it.

diversions, therefore, of the English at the

and the corps of General de

much

the

any attempt that the

Russians, after having been freed from duty at the

Bastion conduced as

until in

from Russian attack, was

in a condition to successfully resist

The

de-

repelling the

nearly two o'clock, by which time the Malakoff,

meantime comparatively

I

Salles

at

the

to the success of this

did the assault of the Malakoff

itself,

Redan Central

day as

for certain

it

is

that, but for the former, the retention of the latter would

have been impossible.

Speaking of the

Windham, in

it is

said

sacrifice

of our

by one writer

men under

:

"

Colonel

This was exactly

accordance with the tactics of the great Napoleon,

who was

men

in

the habit of sacrificing a certain

in order to secure the object in

number of

view.

He would

say to the colonel of a regiment, without mincing the matter, 'allez-vous faire tuer, vous et votre regiment,'

when he

sent a devoted corps to the attack of a redoubt

or a position which there

was not the

slightest

chance of

taking, but in order to facilitate the success of another

part of the arm)-.

who attacked olaced

in

And

the corps of General de Salles,

the Central Bastion and was repulsed, was

the same

position as the English, except that

A SHORT HISTORY OF

J2 the

work

it

who attacked

devoted band

French under de enfants the

perdus

result

against

The

had to do was not quite so desperate.

Sa-lles,

—of

the Redan, as well as the

were the forlorn hope

Notwithstanding

?

them our poor

all

—

les

And what was

armies.

the allied

the

brought

force

fellows occupied the place

and

held the Russians in check, not merely for an hour as

requested by General Pelissier, but for nearly double that

and that against immense masses

time,

enemy

of the

General Pelissier had, then, double

the time of respite he asked of General Simpson, and

during this interval the French had

The approaches on

their time.

made

the most of

the French side were

levelled so as to allow the entrance of artillery

rapid advance of the reserves.

by

this

A

and the

riumber of field-pieces

means were brought up and placed

and the Imperial Guard were entered

for the

addition to the troops employed in

the

in battery,

defence

assault.

in

The

cannon of the Russians were turned against the enemy and the place themselves.

in a

manner

After this

could not be retaken.

had

fortified against the

the It is

Malakoff was secure and true that after the Russians

finally repulsed the English,

but not

returned to the assault of the French

in

and they brought their whole army to

But

it

was too

the name,

till

then, they

the Malakoff; this operation.

late."

It is right, therefore, "

Russians

that our regiments have included

Sebastopol,"

among

the battle-honours

em-

THE UNION blazoned on their colours, allies,

for,

JACK.

73

equally with their gallant

they share the glory of this memorable day.

During the night Prince Gortschakoff evacuated the town, which, by

completely

and explosion, he endeavoured to

fire

By means

destroy.

constructed

previously

marched over

across

to the north side,

position on the right

of a pontoon bridge

the harbour,

his

army

where he took up a new-

bank of the Tchernaya with Mac-

kenzie's farm as his centre, the remaining ships of his fleet

having,

scuttled

in

and sunk

the

meantime,

been burnt or

either

in the harbour.

Sebastopol was not a fortress, but a military position of the greatest strength,

by reason of the natural con-

figuration of the ground, which the lack,

the

of a line of circumvallation,

allies,

Russians

augment rapidly and

to

on the part of permitted the

steadily under the

direction of the greatest engineering genius of his day,

Todleben, whose extraordinary defences, constructed the presence of a powerful

enemy

—

for

in

on the 26th of

September, when the English arrived on the south

side,

Sebastopol was practically open and only defended by the vessels

in

the

harbour

— and

which he had made

good against six bombardments, form one of the greatest achievements

in military

mechanics

in

modern

So, too, in the absence of investment,

it

is

times.

incorrect

t<>

speak of the operations before Sebastopol as a siege the

place

being

completely open

in

rear,

there

;

was

A SHORT HISTORY OF

74 nothing, from

first

to last, to prevent the defenders having

the amplest recourse to

the resources of the empire

all

to aid them- in the struggle, allies

were able to take

In the final

The

it

and the wonder

at all

bombardment

by

is

that the

direct assault.

the allies used 700 cannon.

weight of shot and shell expended by the

total

English alone before Sebastopol was nine thousand and

which twelve hundred and

tons, to project

fifty-three

thirty-nine tons of

gunpowder were

used.

The cannon captured by the allies reached the enormous number of four thousand pieces, for which, also, there were found 100,000 projectiles.

The

military novelties of the siege were

:

—

(1)

Rifled

ordnance, or rather ordnance so constructed as to give the projectile a revolving motion as

small-arms

used here

;

;

quarters in

such was the (2)

"

Electric

camp with

the

Lancaster

telegraph

War

least," (4)

Battle.

"

The newspaper war

gun

or oval-bore

connecting

Office in

Railway from port of supply to the not

the case of rifled

in

head-

London

front, and, " last

correspondent.

;

(3)

but

THE UNION

JACK.

75

which had been besieged by the mutineers seven days, and whose

little

commandants, the brave

Sir

garrison, having lost

two

Henry Lawrence and Major

Banks, were reduced to the severest Inglis,

for eighty-

straits.

although nearly a hundred and

fifty

Colonel

of his small

force were sick

and wounded, and the care of four hun-

dred and

women and

for,

fifty

children had to be provided

not only continued to repel daily assaults, but, when-

ever opportunity offered, took the offensive, no less than five sorties

having been made by the garrison, when two

of the enemy's heaviest guns were spiked and several

houses blown up from which the insurgents had kept up a most harassing

upon the defenders

fire

but when, at

;

they were reached by the relieving

last,

force,

was

it

found that the besiegers had so advanced their mines that another

day would have sealed the

fate of the heroic

Of their matchless resistance the London Tims spoke:—"The defence of that place is, we believe,

band. thus

without precedent

defended by

months

modern

in

sufficient

the attacks

warfare.

now

force have ere

of an

Fortified

army, and

in

towns

repelled for

some

case

s

courage and desperation have struggled against over-

whelming odds; but neither Genoa nor Saragossa can rival in

Sir

heroism the

little

Residency of Lucknow."

James Outram, however, finding

extricate

the

women,

children

remained with the united forces Sir Colin

and until

it

impossible to

non-combatants, finally relieved

Campbell on the 17th November.

This

by

reliev

—

A SHORT HISTORY OF

j6

ing expedition under the Commander-in-Chief was

posed

follows

as

:

—A

European

horse

comtwo

battery,

troops of horse-artillery, sixty Royal Artillerymen with

two 18-pounders and two 8-inch mortars; 320 of the 9th Lancers, detachments of Her 53rd, 75th

3,000 Europeans in

of Hodson's etc.,

all

besides a squadron of Sikhs and

:

and

1,000 Sikh infantry, sappers

Horse,

or,

him from Alumbagh, above

or an additional 2,000 natives.

In the face of 50,000 insurgents in Sir Colin, with disposal,

8th,

5th,

and 93rd, and 300 of the Naval Brigade,

including the 900 joining

miners,

Majesty's

and about Lucknow,

the comparatively small

deemed

city at this stage

it

;

force

his

at

unwise to attempt a capture of the the

abandonment of the Residency

was, accordingly, decided upon, but the chief difficulty

was the

safe

women and

removal of the sick and wounded, and the children

planned with such that,

the

;

skill

withdrawal,

however, was

and executed with such precision

throughout the arduous operation, not one was

In a despatch, dated

Alumbagh, Nov.

lost.

25th, to the

Governor-General, the Commander-in-Chief records the incidents connected with the evacuation of the

Residency.

After giving

an

account of

Lucknow

three

days'

skirmishes with the enemy, Sir Colin proceeds thus

:

Having led the enemy to believe that immediate assault was contemplated, orders were issued for the "

retreat of the garrison

midnight on the 22nd.

through the

lines of

our pickets at

THE UNION "The nance

and

ladies

the guns

it

JACK.

families, the

yj

wounded, the

was thought worth while

possessed by the commis-

stores, the grain still

and the

sariat of the garrison,

treasure,

to keep, the ord-

state

prisoners had

all

been previously removed. "

Sir

James Outram had received orders

guns which

was thought undesirable

it

and he was

directed

finally

to take

away

;

evacuate the

to

silently

to burst the

Residency of Lucknow at the hour indicated. "

the

The

dispositions to cover their retreat and to resist

enemy should he

pursue, were ably carried out by

Brigadier the Hon. Adrian

Hope

;

but

am happy

I

to

say the enemy was completely deceived, and he did not

attempt to follow.

On

our old positions

many

The movement

its

Each exterior supports,

hours after we had

till

in

enemy

"The only

them.

line

such combinations.

came gradually

at length

if

line

tortuous lane, and

retiring through

nothing remained but the

line of infantry and guns, with which

crush the

left

of retreat was admirably executed, and

was a perfect lesson "

the contrary, he began firing on

I

last

was myself

to

he had dared to follow up the pickets. of retreat all

lay through

a long

and

these precautions were absolutely

necessary to insure the safety of the force." Sir Colin

fell

children, etc.,

back on Cawnpore, whence the women,

were forwarded to Calcutta.

A SHORT HISTORY OF

78

army sustained a

In the meantime the the death of one of

severe loss in

most distinguished generals, Sir

its

Henry Havelock, who died on the 25th of November, at Alumbagh, from dysentery, brought on by exposure and

He had

anxiety.

been

every Indian victory from the

in

capture of Bhurtpore to the battle of Goojerat, and his record shed

the brightest

lustre over

British

arms

in

India.

Early bell

the following March, 1858, Sir Colin

in

was again before Lucknow,

adequate force

time

with

an

—about 40,000 men, of whom nearly one-

half were Europeans

was

this

Camp-

— of

under

artillery,

the

which a very large proportion

command

of

Sir

Archdale

Wilson, of Delhi, at whose disposal were 250 pieces of ordnance,

many

of them being heavy siege-guns.

On

the 9th the attack began, and by the 19th every post still

offering

Lucknow that, too,

resistance

at last

was

in

was successfully stormed and our complete possession, and

with comparatively small loss owing to skilful

generalship.

Oude was the stronghold of the mutiny, and with fall of Lucknow the speedy and final conquest of kingdom was

the the

assured.

In the suppression of the Sepoy Revolt the British troops covered themselves with fresh

glory,

and never

were their courage, endurance and devotion more severely tested

than

in

this

arduous campaign,

in

periods

of

THE UNION

JACK.

79

which resistance might reasonably seem without chance of

but

success,

faltered.

which

in

they never

In these emergencies

scintilla of

it

for

moment

a

was not the possible

hope that sustained them,

it

was duty

patient, stoical submission to destiny inspired

by

rous sense of honour, that never dreams of

fear,

action, brooks neither

who,

women

in their

lives,

official

" I

as

:

much may be ladies

saw nothing but luxury

— who

shared the dangers and the lion.

and, in

— many of them

army

of that

maiden

a chival-

doubt nor hesitation.

Such was the conduct of the men said of the

— that

trials of this horrible rebel-

cannot refrain," says Colonel

report of the siege of

Lucknow,

Inglis

"

his

in

from bringing

to the prominent notice of his Lordship in Council the

patient endurance and the Christian resignation which

have been evinced by the

women

Many,

have animated us by their example. been made widows, and their children cruel struggle.

But

all

alas

have

!

fatherless, in this

such seemed resigned to the

of Providence, and many,

will

among whom may be men-

names of

tioned the honoured

They

of this garrison.

Birch, of

Polehampton, of

Barbor, and of Gall, have, after the example of Miss Nightingale, constituted themselves the tender and tous nurses of the

wounded and dying

solici-

soldiers in

the

won by English

sol-

hospital."

Great, however, as

the honour

is

diers in this campaign,

it

is

equalled,

if

not surpassed,

l>\

A SHORT HISTORY OF

80

who remained

the chivalry of those native troops to the flag, in the face of the

loyal

most cruel circumstances

that could possibly befall a soldiery different in race and

creed to the authorities

And

who

the conduct of those

alike the

sepoys

seduccments and the threats of

(now misguided and

rades

commanded

ruled or

faithful

their late

this

above referred to I

am

never been surpassed.

be the

will

:

— "With respect to

of opinion that their loyalty has

They were

indifferently fed

They were exposed,

worse housed.

the relieving

by the following extract from Briga-

dier Inglis's report

the native troops,

is

This

unfortunate revolt.

better understood

com-

through foreign

defected

treachery) at the time in the ascendant, feature of

it.

resisting

in

and

especially the 13th

Regiment, under the gallant Lieutenant Aitken, to a

most galling

of round-shot and

fire

materially decreased their numbers.

the

enemy

them

;

They were

so near

that conversation could be carried on between

and every

effort,

was alternately resorted their allegiance to all

musketry, which

probability,

the

persuasion, promise

and threat

to in vain to seduce

them from

handful of Europeans, who,

would have been

sacrificed

by

in

their

desertion."

But the hero of

this eventful period

was the gallant

General by whose consummate genius the rebellion had

been so successfully crushed. dier as he British

He was

as perfect a sol-

was excellent a man, and the annals of the

armv

contain no more worthy

name than

that

1

THE UNION of Colin Campbell. fifteen,

"a

way

his

the

8

Entering the service a poor lad of

and penniless subaltern," he forced

friendless

to

JACK.

rank of

Field

Marshal, and

colonelcy of a regiment of the Guards

no man cared proverbial

for

less

distinctions

either,

death he reposes

in

The career

following :

—The

is

a

the

to

and although

two of the

he obtained

which are associated with the

profession of arms: in his

and

;

he climbed to the Peerage,

life

in

Westminster Abbey.

synopsis of

this

distinguished

Right Hon. Sir Colin Campbell, G.C.B.,

K.S.I. D.C.L., ,

Baron Clyde, of Clydesdale,

Scotland,

in

was the son of John McLiver, cabinet maker, of Glasgow, and was born there on the 20th of October, 1792. mother was a Campbell, of the Campbells of

His

Islay.

He

adopted her name, and through her and her family obtained his

first

commission

in the British

army.

He

entered the service as an ensign in the 9th Foot, on the

26th of May, 1808, and became a lieutenant on the 28th of

June at

in the following year.

the very

course. in

the

He

commencement

He was of his

in

the midst of war

long and brilliant

He was

began with the victory of Vimiera.

Walcheren expedition, and shared

and glory of Corunna, under Sir

was at Osma,

Vittoria,

the

valley of Malaga.

the

passage of the

through his thigh. 6

and the

He was

Bidassoa, a

At the

John

relief

in

Moore.

of the

severely

the

posts

wounded

toil

He in

at

musket shot passing

assault of

San

Sebastian,

A SHORT HISTORY OF

82

where he heroically

wounded.

led the forlorn hope,

1813 he was honourably mentioned, and,

In

as Captain Campbell, he, in 1814 and 181

60th Rifles

War,

the American

in

campaign probably preventing

his

His turn of peace-duty took him

West

Indies,

and

He became

in 1832,

5,

served in the

his presence in that

being at Waterloo.

some years

for

to the

1823 he acted as brigade-major or

in

the troops engaged rara.

he was twice

quelling the insurrection in

in

a major

in 1825,

Deme-

a lieutenant-colonel

and a colonel and aide-de-camp to the Queen

He

in 1842.

again saw active service that year in China,

where he commanded the 98th Regiment

at the siege

and capture of Chin-Kiang-Foo, and was present at the His

subsequent operations near Nankin. career

commenced about

Maharajpore.

throughout the Punjaub war

He was

fame.

at

when he

1844,

command

II is

of

in

Ramnugger,

the

first

Indian

led the 39th at

Third

Division

1848-49 established his at

the passage of the

Chenab, at Chillianwallah, where he was wounded, and In 1849 he was created a K.C.B., and re-

at Goojerat.

ceived the thanks of Parliament and of the East India

Company

for his

conduct

in

the campaign.

In 185

1

and

1852, and the following year, whilst brigadier-general

commanding engaged

in

the Peshawur districts, he was continually

operations against the

hill-

the valley, including the forcing of the Sir

Charles

Napier

Momunds, who

;

finally

and

repeated

made terms

tribes surrounding

Kohat

Pass, under

affairs

with the

after their defeat at

THE UNION

JACK.

8$

Punj Pao by a small detachment of cavalry and horse-

under Sir Colin Campbell's immediate com-

artillery

mand

—the combined

men.

He

tribes

numbering upwards of 8,000

returned to England in 1853, with the reputa-

tion of a general

that in 1854,

;

but his promotion had been so slow

when sixty-two years of age,

army was only

that of colonel.

his

rank

in

the

In that year he was

promoted

to the grade of

command

of the Highland Brigade of the First Division

of our forces in the Crimea

major-general and took the

:

at the close of the

was again thanked by Parliament

war he

for his services.

He

was created a G.C.B. and attained the rank of lieutenantgeneral

1856; he was promoted to the colonelcy of

in

the 67th Regiment, and was honoured with the degree of

D.C.L. by the University of Oxford. the

He

received also

Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, the Sardinian

order of

St.

Maurice and

order of the Medjidie,

St.

Crimean medal with clasps Sebastopol

;

Lazarus, and the Turkish

first-class,

for

with a medal

;

also the

Alma, Balaklava and

the war medal with five clasps, the Chinese

medal, and the

Punjaub

medal with two

was nominated military aide-de-camp

to

clasps,

and

Her Majesty.

His fellow citizens of Glasgow voted him a sword of honour, of beautiful design and exquisite workmanship, costing 280 guineas, which was presented to the distin-

guished warrior by Sir Archibald Alison: the City of

London

also

receipt in

honoured him with

England of the

terrible

On

the

news of the sudden

in-

their freedom.

A SHORT HISTORY OF

84 surrection

in

Campbell accepted the

Sir Colin

India,

command-in-chief, and within twenty-four hours started for the scene

of operations, arriving in Calcutta on the

29th of August, 1857. ber *

He was

at

Alumbagh

in

Novem-

he occupied Delkooshah and Martiniere, and then

;

hastened to the assistance of Outram and Havelock and the relief of

Lucknow

was wounded

at

at this time

above described.

as

Lucknow.

His other victorious battles

were Cawnpore, Nov. 3rd

Gwalior Contingent, Nov. 6th 1858

;

;

the defeat of the

Futtehghur, Jan. 2nd,

;

a defeat of the rebels again, Feb. nth.

capture of

Lucknow

Sir Colin

the following

month put a

The

final

period to

the insurrection, and Sir Colin was saluted as the preserver

of

British

empire

India.

in

On

the

16th

August, 1858, he was raised to the peerage with the

of title

of Baron Clyde and a pension of ,£2,000 a year was conferred

upon him, receiving

at the

of both Houses of Parliament.

England, and

in

In

same time the thanks 1859 ne returned to

June, i860, was appointed colonel of

When

the Coldstream Guards.

the order of knighthood

the Star of India was created in 1861, Lord Clyde, of course,

was placed among the

first

and chief

recipients of

the honour.

Throughout

his long

and active career Lord Clyde's

constitution proved as unyielding as iron to disease, but

the death of his old friend and illustrious companion

arms, Sir James Outram,

in

in

March, 1863, was a shock

—

THE UNION

JACK.

which seemed destined to sap

followed

Shortly

his vitality.

he was seized with an

afterward

85

illness

was

which

by atrophy, and on the 14th of August, at

General Eyre's house at Chatham, the lion-hearted hero

On

passed peacefully away.

remains were interred

Saturday, the 22nd, his

Westminster Abbey, close beside

in

those of his noble comrade, Sir James Outram, over

whose grave only a few months previously he bent deep "

His tomb bears the following inscription

grief.

Beneath

this stone rest the

Lord Clyde, who by

his

of arduous service, from sular

War

to

own

:

remains of Colin Campbell, deserts,

through

the* earliest battles in

fifty

years

the Penin-

the Pacification of India, in 1858, rose to

the rank of Field- Marshal and the Peerage.

lamented

in

He

died

by the Queen, the army, and the people,

August the

14th, 1863, in the

seventy-first year of his

age." It

is

Inglis less

—

a source

of pride to

afterwards Sir

defender of the

of Major

J.

Canadians that Colonel

E. Inglis, K.C.B.,

Lucknow Residency from

Scotia.

daunt-

the time

Banks' death until the arrival of Generals

Outram and Havelock, was born his father

— the

in

Halifax, where both

and grandfather resided as Bishops of Nova In

1858 an address was passed

Houses of the

Provincial

guished fellow-countryman.

by the two

Parliament to their distin-

A SHORT HISTORY OF

86

When

the mother-country was under the pressure of

the great Indian rebellion, Canada offered

to

regiment and place

the

The

Government.

offer

disposal of

the

at

it

raise

a

Home

was cordially accepted, and

in

an incredibly short space of time a regiment, recruited entirely in

Canada, was enrolled and completed.

In

succession to the Ninety-ninth, which was the last regi-

ment on the Army

List,

it

was numbered the Hundredth

Recriment of Foot, and inscribed

in full as the

Prince

of Wales' Royal Canadian Regiment. This, however,

ber

;

was not the

first

regiment of that num-

there had before been one known as the iooth

Prince Regent's Regiment, which was disbanded

The

peculiarity of this

was a regiment raised population, and talions of the

of

the

yet

army

world.

occurred before.

army

it

from the colonial

among

the regular bat-

instance

of

this

any part

kind had ever

Royal American Regiment was,

indeed, once included as the 6oth of the

strength of the

8 1 8.

Canadian creation was that

for indiscriminate service in

A

1

in the colonies

enrolled

No

in

;

but

bled that of the iooth.

It

its

line

in

the

constitution never resem-

was raised about the middle

of the last century, and united

in its

composition the

characteristics of a colonial corps with those of a foreign legion. it

It

was intended

was open especially

be disposed to

enlist

for

duty

in British

America, but

to foreign volunteers for

colonial

service

who might under the

—

THE UNION

Independence the 60th retained

still

much

of

been converted into a companies,

forty

87

After the termination of the war of

Crown.

British

JACK.

it

American

lost its

stamp

foreign

its

rifle

character, but

and having

;

regiment of no fewer than the

furnished

army with sharp-

shooters through the wars which ensued.

At no

time,

however, was there a regiment of the Line, disposable regiments

other

like

for

the

ordinary service of the

empire, raised in America or from American colonists.

On the

1

the institution of the Territorial system the

title

of

ooth was changed, and by Royal Warrant, dated

1st July,

1

88 1, was styled the

Leinster

1st

(Royal Canadians), under which designation

Regiment

it still

forms

part of the regular infantry of the army.

The year

following the organization of the

new 100th

the regiment was presented with colours by the Prince

of Wales, which ceremony was described by the London

News "

as follows

The

formed

first

last

the

public act of the Prince of

week

(January

inst.

colours 1

:

to the

On Monday,

at Shorncliffe.

1859),

his

Highness

Royal

regiment raised

Wales was

in

per-

the 10th

presented

Canada, and called

ooth, or Prince of Wales' Royal Canadian

Regiment

of Foot. "

The

Prince of Wales and the

attended by their respective

Duke

of Cambridge,

suites, arrived at

the

camp

from Folkestone, under an escort from the nth Hussars,

A SHORT HISTORY OF

88

His Royal Highness was received by

at 2 o'clock p.m.

a Royal salute from the troops on the ground, consisting of three batteries of the Royal Artillery, one squadron of the

nth

Hussars, two troops of the Military Train,

one company of Sappers and Miners, the of Foot, the iooth

I

ith

Regiment

Regiment, and the Royal Dublin

City Militia.

The whole of the troops on the ground were commanded by Lieut-General Mansel, K.H., Commandant "

Lord

of the South-Eastern Division. of the

iooth,

Melville, Colonel

and Major-General Crawford, as well as

several other officers of distinction, were present.

"The

infantry were formed in

artillery at right angles to

line,

them on

Regiment being the centre of the

and the cavalry and

either flank, the iooth

line.

The Prince passed down the front of the Duke of Cambridge making remarks upon each "

his

Royal Highness, evidently denoting

seeming particularly struck with the

line,

satisfaction,

fine

the

corps to

and

body of men

composing the iooth Regiment. "

After this his Royal Highness took up a position in

the centre of the

line,

and the iooth Regiment, being

advanced about forty paces, formed three sides of a square by the wheeling up of three of

both flanks

;

the

drums were

its

companies upon

piled in the centre,

and im-

mediately before the Prince, and upon them were placed the two colours to be presented.

—

THE UNION "

The Chaplain (Rev.

form of prayer

JACK.

89

E. G. Parker) having read the

for blessing the colours, the

Lieut.-Col. Robertson

and handed them

two majors,

and Major Dunn, took the colours

to

the

Prince,

upon which the two

senior Ensigns of the regiment advanced and, kneeling

before

his

Royal Highness, received them from him,

and, rising, remained in that position whilst the Prince

addressed the regiment as follows

:

Lord Melville, Colonel de Rottenburg, and Officers and Soldiers It is most gratifying to me that, by the

of the 100th Regiment,

—

Queen's gracious permission,

my

first

the presentation of colours to a regiment which offering of the loyal at their desire,

monial

in

and

my name

spirited

is

the spontaneous

Canadian people, and with which,

has been specially associated.

The

which we are now engaged possesses a peculiar

cance and solemnity, because, this

I have had army should be

public act since

the honour of holding a commission in the British

emblem

in confiding to

of military fidelity and valour,

you I

cere-

signifi-

for the first

time

not only recognize

emphatically your enrolment into our national force, but celebrate

an act which proclaims and strengthens the unity of the various parts of this vast empire under the sway of our common Sovereign. Although, owing to my youth and inexperience, I can but very imperfectly give expression to the sentiments which this occasion is

awaken with reference to yourselves and to the great and flourishing province of Canada, you may rest assured that shall ever watch the progress and achievements of your gallant corps with deep interest, and that I heartily wish you all honour and success in the prosecution of the noble career on which you calculated to

I

have entered.

"The

Prince's address

attention, both

ment

;

by the

was

officers

and, although delivered

listened to with profound

and the men of the in

regi-

a tolerably loud tone

—

A SHORT HISTORY OF

90

of voice, was spoken with quiet emphasis, and without the least appearance of hesitation or timidity. "Colonel, the Baron de Rottenburg,

of the regiment, replied as follows

May

it

please your Royal Highness,

manding

present

its

colours,

that

we are

all

and

officers

most

—As

it

this

the immediate

Com-

Canadian Regiment,

day

for the gracious

and men.

I

in

terms

condescending to in

which you have

assure your Royal Highness

I

great colony in which this regiment was raised,

amongst whose ranks hundreds of belong to

command

deeply grateful for this act on the part of your Royal

The

Highness.

in

duty to your Royal Highness for the honour

which you have done the regiment

addressed the

is

:

Officer of your Royal Highness's

my humble

tender

who

are

more or

grateful for the

less

sons are serving, and

its

connected with Canada,

honour which the

first

who

all

will also feel

regiment raised

in

a

colony for general service has received from your Royal Highness;

and

I

assure you that at the call of our Sovereign,

send ten such regiments as

this

one

in

Canada would

defence of the empire,

should such an emergency ever arise requiring their services. iooth Regiment has received able

manner

its

first

The

colours in the most honour-

that such could be bestowed, viz., from the

the illustrious heir to the throne of this empire.

It rests

regiment to maintain their colours always with honour dently assure your Royal Highness that they will do

so.

:

hands of with the I

confi-

If

these

colours are ever unfurled in the presence of an enemy, the officers

and men of the iooth Regiment

will

the defence of their colours, of their I

be ready to shed their blood in

Queen, and of their country.

again humbly thank your Royal Highness for the honour you

have done the regiment.

THE UNION "

The

mony

JACK.

91

youthful Prince performed his part of the cere-

in

a most able

manner

— the

whole tenor of his

bearing being cool, manly and dignified, such as would

have done credit to one over whose head forty summers

had passed. officer

It

made

a great impression

upon every

and man of the regiment.

"After the addresses the colours were marched through the ranks of the regiment from saluted,

and then placed

centre of the regiment.

left

in their

to right

;

they were

proper position

The whole

in

the

of the troops then

broke into open columns and marched past the Prince in

quick time and then returned to quarters.

"The Prince subsequently partook of an elegant luncheon in the officers' mess of the 100th Regiment and left shortly

afterwards

cheering of the to a

men

for

Dover, amidst the enthusiastic

of the 100th Regiment, who, almost

man, turned out of

their

own

accord, and

made

the

air ring with the expression of their loyalty. "

In the evening the officers of the 100th

gave a

and

ball

supper,

Regiment

which was numerously

tended, and went off with great

at-

eclat.

"In further celebration of the day the non-commissioned officers

of the regiment invited a numerous circle of

friends to a ball

and supper, which was, by the permis-

sion of the authorities, allowed to be held in the mess-

room of the C

range."

A SHORT HISTORY OF

92

More than once

since the

mutiny Canada has offered

to furnish troops for the defence of the empire.

In 1878,

during the war between Russia and the Ottoman empire,

when, after the further

fall

of Plevna, the conquerors marched

south and penetrated the Balkans, with every

prospect of their ignoring the Treaty of Paris of 1856,

and pushing on nople at

;

when

home

until

they became masters of Constanti-

the fleet was sent into Turkish waters, and

the Reserves were called out

great war

seemed

inevitable

then

;

;

when another

again

it

was that

Canadians showed themselves ready to face the threat-

ened storm with their brothers over

seas.

In 1884 a

Canadian contingent was with Lord Wolseley

Soudan

;

and

in 1896,

when

in

the

the President of the United

States, in his

message to Congress concerning the Anglo-

Venezuelan

boundary

dispute,

threatened

recklessly

England with possible war, Her Majesty's subjects loyal

Dominion promptly and

enthusiastically tendered

their services to the mother-country

And

in the

for

any emergency.

there can be no doubt that, in proportion as the

power and prestige of England increases and the develop-

ment and prosperity of the empire continues

to excite

foreign jealousy, especially in nations mistakenly claim-

ing a freer and more progressive form of government, so will the different sections of the great British

be drawn more closely together "

Blood

is

thicker than water."

in

the

community

common

weal, for

THE UNION

JACK.

COMMANHF.R.

Battle.

93

Keign and OppobdH) Power.

Datb.

CANDAHAR

Sir Frederick Roberts.

ALEXANDRIA'

Sir

Beauehamp Seymour.

July

TEL-EL-KEBIR. 2

Sir

Garnet Wolseley.

Sept. 13, 1882.

1

The most conspicuous

was the to this

1,

Victoria v. Afghanistan

1S80.

11, 18S2.

ii

v.

Egypt.

engagement

incident of this

work of.H.M. Gunboat Condor, and

brilliant little

Sept.

vessel

and her gallant commander, Lord

Charles Beresford, belong the chief laurels of the action.

Ordered at 7.20 a.m. by the admiral

engage Fort

to

Marabout, which was somewhat harassing the vessels Penelope, Invincible

ing the

Mex

and Monarch, which were bombard-

Forts, the

Condor ran

little

the enemy's guns and engaged him, In

quarters.

very short time the

a

carrying only three small guns

one

112-pounder

second strongest

— while

in

the

— two fort

in right

under-

practically, at close

Condor,

though

64-pounders and

was reckoned the

Alexandria, mounting four powerful

and twenty smaller smooth bore guns, succeeded silencing all the guns but one

;

the plucky achievement

being acknowledged by the Admiral signal, "

in

in the

now

familiar

Well done, Condor!'

Admiral Seymour's management of the squadron was a perfect scientific demonstration, and he received by

telegraph

Her Majesty's congratulations on

of the operations.

On

his

return to

the success

England

at

the

"

A SHORT HISTORY OF

94 close of the

the

campaign he was raised

of Baron Alcester

title

The bombardment cal test of class,

result

in 1895.

of Alexandria was the

modern heavy

and the

he died

;

to the peerage with

proved

that, in

practi-

first

guns of the

rifled

"

Infant

comparison with the

was more than

old pattern ordnance, their effectiveness

proportionate to the increased cost

of construction of

the weapon, as well as of the projectile, and the size of

As an example

the firing-charge.

of

of the expensiveness

modern cannon, the 67-ton breech-loading gun of 13^

inch bore and firing a shot of 1,250

over £13,500 to make, and

it

upwards of a year and a half life,

in

one

to turn

The

charges.

full

weight, costs

Woolwich Arsenal

takes

the language of artillerists,

with

fired

lbs.

out, while its

only 120 rounds

is

22-ton gun, the smallest

type of heavy breech-loader carried

in

the modern ships

of the Royal Navy, attains a range of 21,800 yards, or

The

nearly 12 miles. firing

380

charge

lbs.

weight

To go

144

lbs.

— the

outside our

represented recently

is

in

cost of this

is

£5,000, and

its

of powder, with a projectile of

round costing £33.

own

service (for

the Royal

Canada

is

well

Navy, and a Canadian has

been promoted to the rank of rear-admiral,

Archibald

Lucius

Douglas, a

Quebec, where he was born

Admiral

gun

Sir

Provo Wallis,

"

in

The

native 1842.

of

the

city

So, too, the late

father of the Fleet

the time of his death, in 1892, was a

of

Nova Scotian

;

"

at

and

THE UNION we hope

the day

important

JACK.

95

when Canada, as an community which it is

not far distant

is

member

of that great

Navy

the office of the Royal

to protect, will take

an

active participation in this powerful

and glorious service

by contributing more

and sharing

of

responsibilities

to

its

force

130-ton gun has a range of 15 miles, and can

The

shots a minute.

fire

this

The powder used by

gun

for a charge. is

The

to

is

two

have

these guns

it

cost

$1,500. is

very coarse, some-

times being in grains as large as two inch prisms. object of this

the steel

shot weighs 2,600 pounds, and 700

pounds of powder are required of a single round from

in

Krupp

maintenance), the

its

The

burn more slowly, although the

shot has a greater muzzle-velocity by reason of the length of bore through which

it

has to go.

It

has the further

advantage of producing not a sudden blow, comparatively speaking, but a steady pressure, so that the strain

on the gun

is

jectile

that

weighs a ton

powder were

The English

not so great.

has a firing-charge of 450

110-ton gun

lbs.

of

powder behind a pro-

if

so

great

;

of fine grain the

a

quantity of

shock of sudden explosion

would probably destroy the gun. 2

A prominent

feature of the Egyptian expedition

was

the presence of representative squadrons of the House-

hold Cavalry.

had been

at

The

last active service

of the Life Guards

Waterloo, since which campaign their duty

comprised nothing more exciting than the usual barrack

A SHORT HISTORY OF

g6

routine, attending etc.,

State ceremonials, mounting guard,

and the splendid fellows of the premier corps had

become the butt of

satirical

who begrudged

radicals,

every shilling voted for the maintenance of the historic

They were

brigade.

frequently taunted with "existing

merely to be looked at

was given them

"

;

so that

when

the opportunity

to share in this active foreign service

was seized with

avidity

effectiveness in war, of

as

which

a chance it

to

it

prove their

was said that even no

an authority than the Commander-in-Chief of the

less

expedition (then Sir Garnet Wolseley) had doubts. this

be

true,

If

he must have been amazed at their success-

work at Tel-el-Mahuta, the 25th of August, the very

ful

next day after their landing, when nearly 10,000 of the

enemy were the

dispersed by their irresistible charge and

work captured which threatened

to cut off the chief

water supply to a large section of country. to this great advantage, five five

Kassassin, three days

advance-guard was hard

from the enemy 1,875

men and

— the

later,

when General Graham's

pressed by harassing attacks British

four guns, three of which

rounds of ammunition

force

guns.

A

comprising only

force

— he

— some

had but twenty-

sent to

reinforcements, the Egyptians having full

seventy-

railway-vans laden with provisions were captured.

At

five

In addition

Krupp guns and

Mahsameh

now appeared

for

in

8,000 infantry, 1,000 cavalry, and 12

detachment of the Household Brigade and the

THE UNION

JACK.

97

7th Dragoon Guards, under General Drury Lowe, was at

once despatched to Graham's assistance, together with

Royal Horse Artillery and a body of

four guns of the

Upon

Marines.

their arrival

on the scene the guns were

galloped to the front, and, unlimbering under a hot

soon made awful gaps with their shells

and preparing the way

ranks, silencing his artillery

blow by the Whitehall

decisive

was sent

firing "

Heavies, who,

now

to

the

giants.

guns and

"

Then

charge

fire,

enemy's

in the

"

for a

cease the

to

"

unleashed, sprang from their ground

and thundered upon the

foe,

Colonel Ewart, like Scarlett

and Cardigan at Balaklava, showing the way. "

The dense

line of riflemen," said the Times, describ-

ing this charge,

"

was broken

like a sheet of glass,

and

Arabi's troops were hurled backwards to the earth by

shock of towering horse and dint of heavy blade for

some distance the

were

enthusiastic troopers,

sitting so serenely at Whitehall,

of shrieking fugitives, cutting them

who

and

;

lately

chased the crowd

down

right

and

This spirited cavalry charge was one of the most

left."

brilliant

*

achievements of the campaign. So, at

Tel-el-Kebir, the work

was finished by the

Household Brigade, with the Dragoon Guards, and the native

Indian cavalry,

who

cut

to

retreating soldiery and brought the

pieces

war

the tide of

to a close

the capture of Arabi at Abassiyeh the following day. 7

by

A SHORT HISTORY OF

98

the return of the Life Guards and the Blues to

On

London they were given an public,

by every possible

sign,

and the English

ovation,

manifested

its

appreciation

of their splendid services in the late war, and which have,

we

trust forever,

An

stopped the mouths of radical traducers.

important section of Sir Garnet Wolseley's force

consisted of native Indian troops, in

under the

command

all

about 5,500 men,

of Major-General Sir Herbert T.

Macpherson, K.C.B., V.C., one of the

Outram and Havelock, arduous service he won

Lucknow

of the

the soldier's

distinction, the Victoria Cross

heroes, Relief, in

under

which

most dearly prized

and, for thirty years prior

;

to this Egyptian campaign, prominently identified with

the Indian army. It

was the

first

campaign of any note

in

which Eng-

land had employed such troops outside of India. in

When,

1878, the Reserves were called out and orders issued

for the

despatch of 7,000 Indian soldiers to Malta, the

action of the

Government was severely

criticized

through-

out the kingdom, and condemned by the Opposition as

unexampled and

unconstitutional.

Lord Beaconsfield,

however, disputed that assertion, and explained that the step was neither illegal nor without precedent.

Indian troops, he said, service in the

Cape

;

Native

had been sent from India

for four years,

for

during a period of

disturbance, the Straits Settlements had been garrisoned

by the Madras native infantry

;

and again Indian troops

a

THE UNION had been employed Abyssinia.

in

Nor was

there,

JACK.

99

Hong-Kong, and during

in

So much

the war

absence of precedent.

for the

he contended, any Act of Parliament

for-

bidding the use of native Indian troops for European warfare

the provisions of the Mutiny Act referred only

;

to the tvJiite

soldiery

;

army

serving in India, and not to the native

and since the native Indian army were forces

of the Crown, the Sovereign had an absolute right

not

right

limited

— to

move such

So much, he

pleased.

said,

for

troops

—

whither she

the unconstitutional

character of the proceeding.

The Indian contingent Canal

till

did not arrive

in

the Suez

after Kassassin, but at the close of the

day of

Tel-el-Kebir these eastern troops had marched more than thirty miles over

sandy roads under an Egyptian sun

and fought a victorious

battle within the space of sixteen

Such men merited, indeed, the congratulations of

hours.

the Viceroy of India, as having "added fresh lustre to the reputation of the Indian army," and proved them-

way worthy

encomiums passed upon them by the Indian Government for, amidst the finest

selves in every

the

;

troops of which England can boast, none proved themselves

more

gallant,

none more

than the swarthy and

faithful

loyal,

none more zealous,

soldiers of our

Indian

empire.

The this

result of the

work of the Indian Contingent

in

war was thus expressed by one of the leading

A SHORT HISTORY OF

IOO

London papers :—" The events of the Egyptian campaign have shown, in a way not open to misconstruction, the

that

British

troops of Hindustan

Empire

of India

— that

— and

are

troops of the

the

the foes of England are the foes

that they

who

dare insult the honour or

touch the interest of our nation and

count not only to cope with the power

isle,

must lay

their

and might of this

country, but to measure swords with the thousands of warriors of the East ever ready to serve their

This

defend her dominions.

campaign, which

will

is

Queen and

a lesson of the Egyptian

not be easily forgotten or lightly

overlooked."

A

novelty of this campaign was the ironclad train for

offensive purposes,

which was devised by Captain Fisher

of the Inflexible, and which was very successfully used

on the

The

line of railway

first

between Alexandria and Cairo.

service of the train

was a reconnaisance on the

28th of July, for the purpose of ascertaining the amount of damage done by Arabi to the road-bed (in order to prevent a sudden advance of our troops upon his position)

and the time which would be required

the connection.

expression

The

train's

"company"

to restore

— to use a naval

— consisted of General Alison, Captain Fisher,

Flag-Lieutenant

Lambton,

and

Mr.

Wright

of

the

Egyptian Railways, accompanied by 300 marines and six

mounted

armament comprised

a Nor-

and one nine-pounder gun.

Two

infantry.

denfelt, a Gatling

Its

THE UNION

IOI

JACK.

empty trucks were placed in front to strike torpedoes or explode mines. The Nordenfelt gun was mounted on one of the front trucks and was provided with an iron shield, while the rear. rails

Gatling on the last carriage covered the

The reconnaisance was

made

successfully

— the

having been torn up at a point between Mellaha

Junction

and Gabari, and, although a brisk

fire

was

exchanged with the enemy, no casualty was sustained. On a later occasion, the 5th of August, the armoured train

was used

in

reconnoitering Arabi's position.

of the trucks, this time, carried a 40-pounder

gun, which did good execution, being

truck-platform

as

just

if

in

battery

Armstrong from the

fired

in

a

One

permanent

work.

The

train

had now passed the experimental stage and

was destined in

modern

to

become an increasingly important

warfare.

The sand-bags

"wheeled ironclads" -for so

these

of

these

having a

parapet so constructed

superseded by iron and to-day its

is

a

steel,

decidedly more

latest

—have

latter

been

and the war-locomotive of

business-like structure than It is well

makeshift predecessor of 1882.

in its

first

Egyptian engines

were protected as well as the gun-trucks, the regular

factor

represented

form by two locomotives recently built by

the Baldwin Locomotive

Spanish military corps

Works in

of Philadelphia for the

Cuba.

Both engines have

cabs of heavy steel plate, capable of resisting

rifle-fire,

A SHORT HISTORY OF

102

and the windows and doors are

fitted

having loop-holes through which the

with steel shutters, "

small arms or the machine-gun, which

crew" can operate is

to

be mounted

in the cab.

A

note upon this expedition would scarcely be com-

plete without a brief sketch of the distinguished career

of the hero to whose genius cess

is

due,

its

quick and complete suc-

and who has recently attained and now occuwhich he has

pies the highest position in the service to

devoted his

Marshal the Right

Field

Joseph,

life.

first

was born

Honourable

Sir

Garnet

Viscount Wolseley, K.P., G.C.B., G.C.M.G.,

Golden Bridge House, County Dublin,

at

Ire-

land, on the 4th of June, 1833, his father being the late

Major Garnet 1852,

J.

Wolseley, of the 25th Foot.

young Wolseley was gazetted

80th Foot and saw his

year

in

in

the

the second Burmese war, in which he was severely a storming party in an attack on

He was

Myat-toon's stronghold.

months

later

was gazetted

90th Light Infantry. ordered to

attack on

invalided

to a

home and

Lieutenancy

in

the

In November, 1854, the 90th was

the Crimea, where he served before Sebas-

topol as Acting Engineer

On

In March,

an Ensigncy

active service the following

first

wounded while leading six

to

" the

the 3rd of

Quarries

"

;

was

slightly

and mentioned

wounded in

in

an

despatches.

August he was severely wounded

in

the

trenches, which prevented his being present at the final

THE UNION

JACK.

assault on the 8th of September.

duty he served

for

103

Upon

his return to

the remainder of the campaign as

Deputy-Assistant-Quartermaster-General with the Light

On

Division.

of his

company

mission

When

his return to

in

the

the

in the 90th,

England he took command although his captain's com-

regiment was dated

Sepoy

December,

rebellion broke out in

ordered to India and was present with Sir Colin bell's force at

the final relief of Lucknow.

1854.

1857, he

was

Camp-

He was

after-

wards appointed Quartermaster- General with the Oude Division

and received the brevet rank of Lieutenant-

The

Colonel.

following year

he served

in

China as

Deputy-Assistant-Quartermaster-General with Sir

Hope

Grant, and was present at the capture of the

Forts

and the surrender of Pekin.

When,

in

Taku

November, 1861,

the seizure, by Captain Wilks of the United States warship

San

federate

Jacinto, of Messrs.

Mason and

Commissioners to England

and

Slidell,

Con-

France, on

board the British mail steamer Trent, threatened to embroil

England and the Federal States of America

in war,

Wolseley was despatched to Canada as Assistant-Quartermaster-General. of a campaign,

The

early removal of the prospect

by the prompt compliance of President

Lincoln with the demands of the British Government

and the consequent restoration of the Confederate Commissioners,

permitted

which he employed of the Confederate

in

Wolseley

a

respite

from duty,

privately visiting the headquarters

Army

in Virginia,

where he enjoyed

—

A SHORT HISTORY OF

104

the society of Generals Lee and " Stonewall

Jackson,

"

while further adding to his knowledge of the business of war.

Upon

his return to

Canada he bent

especially in view of threatened

his energies

Fenian raids

thorough organization of the volunteer

—

militia,

to the

of the

material of which he had already formed a high opinion;

and the success of a

reputation

his efforts in this direction

He was

handling irregular troops.

for

appointed Colonel

in

1865,

and

in

1867 was again

in

Deputy Quartermaster-General of the Colonial

Canada

as

Forces

in- succession

breaking out of the

manded

gained him

the

Red

to Colonel

first

Lysons

;

and, on the

Riel rebellion in 1870, he

com-

River expedition, composed of Cana-

dian volunteers and a regiment of Imperial troops. striking incident of this enterprise

was

The

successful

his

advance from Thunder Bay to Fort Garry (now the loyal

and thriving

city of

Winnipeg) through 500 miles of

wilderness that presented difficulties of penetration cient to tax equally the skill

suffi-

and the courage of an older

and more experienced campaigner

(for

he was only

thirty-seven years of age) but which were overcome with

a resolution as patient and dogged as

it

was dauntless,

and, on the part of the men, with an endurance not sur-

passed

and

in

the annals of the army.

the practical

of Canadians

formation request

that

of the

Lord

It

was

this

experience

knowledge thus gained of the

prompted Lord Wolseley,

Gordon

relief-expedition in

qualities

on

the

1884, to

Lansdowne, then Governor-General,

to

THE UNION

JACK.

10$

organize a corps of Canadian voyageurs to aid in the transport of troops and stores up the

returned

Commander

the

Manitoba Government, Colonel Wol-

restoration of the

seley

On

Nile.

England, and was made a Knight

to

of the Order of St. Michael and St. George,

and shortly afterwards was appointed Assistant-Adju-

He commanded

tant-General at the Horse Guards.

the Ashanti campaign, 1873-74, on the successful

ter-

mination of which he was voted the sum of .£25,000

was also created a K.C.B., and was confirmed rank of Major-General.

he

:

the

in

welcomed him on

Britain

return as a tried and distinguished military leader

in

his

the

;

freedom of the City of London was presented to him, together with a sword of honour, and he received the

thanks of both Houses of Parliament. Military

Commissioner

Council of India sioner, in

;

member

a

;

Governor,

of the

High Commis-

and Commander-in-Chief of the Island of Cyprus

1878; and

1879-80.

and

1876

in

Natal

in

In 1875 he was

He

Governor of Natal and the Transvaal, was made Quartermaster-General

Adjutant-General

campaign

was

he

in

For

1882.

raised to

the

the

in 1880,

Egyptian

made

peerage and

General, and the Nile expedition, 1884-85, brought him

a Viscounty.

In

1890 he was appointed Commander-

in-Chief of the forces

moted a Field gazetted

Colonel

in

Ireland,

Marshal. of

the

In

and

in

March,

Blues,

1894 was pro1895,

and on the

he

was

1st

of

A SHORT HISTORY OF

106

November he succeeded

the

Duke

of

Cambridge

as

Commander-in-Chief. In addition to his talents as a general, Lord Wolseley includes those of an author, the following works having

come from in

his

pen

:

—

An

i860" (i860).

"

Narrative of the

account of his

Virginia appeared in the January

Magazine (1869)

"

;

"The

1863.

in

War

visit to

with China

army

the

in

number of Blackwood's Pocket-Book"

Soldier's

System of Field Manoeuvres

"

(1872); "Marley

Castle," a novel (1877), etc. It

by such men and such deeds that the Union

is

Jack has been carried to and firmly planted quarter of the globe ally

excited

;

in

every

and with a success that has natur-

the envy

peoples

of

less

endowed by

Providence with those national qualifications for prosecution

rational

of such

a

the

task and the fearless,

steady and impartial discharge of the duties and obligations consequent

upon the attainment of such a

position;

but a jealousy balked by the fact that wherever that

emblem

holds

its

sway there the

rights of person

and

property are best protected from injustice within, as well as invasion from without,

there

is

ever witnessed. that

while

flag floats its

best of

and

available the mightiest

all

No enemy

for

which glorious duty

power that

this earth

has

can point to a spot where

that has not been blest

by

its

advent,

friends can as surely prove a decline in the

that pertains to civilization where

it

has been

THE UNION divorced.

While enjoying the prosperity which

have

tories

its

strength and

its vic-

constantly

it

the

as

British

be preserved, and that

it

immediate

or to

that

forget

empire has been made so must in

which

and

us

procured

we should not

guards,

IO7

JACK.

ability,

not

merely to

punish insult directed toward

resist

aggression

itself,

but, in the general interest of

mankind, to protect

weaker states from the despotic ambition of powerful and rapacious neighbours,

the best guarantee of the

is

"

world's peace and freedom.

That empire," said one of

England's greatest statesmen years since, in the

Upper House,

"

was formed by the

enterprise and energy of our ancestors, is

one of a very peculiar character.

of

either in ancient or

it

modern

I

my

lords

flag

floats

over

many

waters

;

it

;

and

it

know no example

No

history.

Caesar or

Charlemagne ever presided over a dominion so Its

many

a speech, not

in

peculiar.

has provinces

in

every zone; they are inhabited by persons of different races, different religion, different laws,

Some fully

of these are

bound

to us

manners, customs.

by the

ties

of liberty,

conscious that without their connection with the

metropolis they have no security for public freedom and

self-government

;

others are

bound

to us

by

flesh

and

blood, and by material as well as moral considerations.

There are millions who are bound to us by our military sway, and they bow to that sway because they know that they are indebted to

it

for order

and

these communities agree in recognizing the

justice.

All

commanding

A SHORT HISTORY OF

I08 spirit

of these islands that has formed and fashioned in

My

such a manner so great a portion of the globe. lords, that

empire

is

no mean heritage

heritage that can only be enjoyed

and

tained,

qualities that created

it

— by

not a

must be main-

courage, by discipline, by

by a reverence

determination, and

by

patience,

it is

only be maintained by the same

can

it

;

it

;

but

for

public law and respect for national rights."

when

In these days of ultra-commercialism

must not only be pecuniarily not quoted belittled

which are

the stock bulletins, are too apt to be

in

by a

profitable but immediate,

to a people, but

most valuable

qualities the

returns

whose standard of

certain class

life

is

the

during his earthly existence

of each

individual gain

irrespective of the after consequences to his successors

But, to the intelligent busi-

or the future of the state.

ness man, loyalty

—

is

— even,

by no means an

idle

too,

sentiment

thing by which a country,

which

the

of

stability

directly or indirectly, It

is

this

from a

its

;

it

indeed, some-

is,

as a nation,

lives

commerce

(which,

includes

his

loyalty, irrespective of

of view

selfish point

and on either

business) depends.

and high above petty

Crown

politics, this true and constant allegiance to the

and Constitution as part of the righteous British "

people

—

in

contradistinction

patriotism," so often the enticing

treason,

with

seduced

— that

which is

the

to

living of the

that

boasted

and deceptive

ignorant

and

foil

of

unwary are

the secret of the power of England, the

—

THE UNION

IOy

JACK.

foremost example of commercial success to-day

and

;

it

family

the base

constitutes

— a consolidation, of Britons — which

structure

the world

in

of that

imperial

for all purposes, of the great is

fabric laid

by

silently but surely rising

the mutual love and faith of parent and children

,

a

whose foundations have been deeply and firmly

by the

realization of

mutual interest

in

times

when

competition, politically as well as commercially, limits success to only the strongest combinations, and cemented

by the highest admiration, the deepest veneration and the most loyal affection for our

common

Sovereign

sterling sentiments begotten

by the

faultless rule of the noblest

personage and the grandest

monarch

that ever adorned a throne.

peerless

life

and the

— —

APPENDICES.

I.

II.

Calendar of Victories. Canadian Battle

Fields.

III.— Canada's In Memoriam. IV.

View from Brock's Monument.

V. — Lundy's

VI. VII.

Lane.

General Smyth's Dedication. United States History.

VIII.— Comrades

in

hi

Arms.

1

APPENDIX

I.

CALENDAR OF VICTORIES. January. i6th.

Corunna

1809

19th.

Ciudad Rodrigo

1812

...... ....... February.

14th.

St.

17th-

Meanee

2 1 st.

Goojerat

Vincent

1797

1843

1849

27th. 29th.

1814

Monmouth and Foudroyant

•

1758

.

.

March. 19th-

Capture of Lucknow

2 1 st.

Alexandria

24th.

Dubba

•

1858

•

.

.

.1801

.

1843 April.

1

2nd.

Copenhagen

6th.

"Badajoz

oth.

Toulouse

1801 •

•

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.1812

.

.

18 14

.

May. 5th.

16th.

Fuentes d'Onoro

Ubuera

19th-

La Mo

23rd.

R;

8

•

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

;

•

•

.

.

.

113

.

.

.

.1811

.

.

.

181

.

.

.

.

.

1692 ij j

33

APPENDIX

ii4

Jtine. ist.

of June"

Chesapeake and Shannon

5th.

Stoney Creek

16th.

2

ist

1st.

13th.

1

"The Glorious

8th. 1

st.

I.

.... .

.

-

1794 18 13

181

Sluys

1340

Quatre Bras

1815

Waterloo

1815

.......

Vlttoria

23rd.

Plassey

24th.

Beaver

27th.

Dettingen

Dams

18 13

1757 181

1/43

1708 1882

1812

1812 1704

1814

1758 1809

1759 1798 1588

1704 1812

CALENDAR OF VICTORIES.

I 1

5

2 1st.

Vimiera

1808

24th.

Bladensburg

18 14

26th.

>essy

27th.

Busaco

3

j

st.

1346

.

1

San Sebastian

.

.

.

.

.

8 10

.1813

September. 1st.

Candahar

8th.

Sebastopol

1880 .

.

.

.

.

.

nth. Malplaquet

-1855 1709

13th.

Quebec

1759

13th.

Tel-el-Kebir

1882

15th.

Kabool

1842

19th.

Poitiers

1356

20th.

Alria

1854

20th Delhi 23rd.

1857

Assaye

1803

October.

......

nth.

1797

.1812

13th.

nston

20th.

10

1827

Trafalgar

1805

2

1

st.

.

.

.

.

.

.

25th.

1415

25th.

1854

26th.

18 13

APPENDIX

n6

I.

November. 3rd.

Acre

l8 4°

5th.

Inkerman

l8 54

nth.

Chrysler's

20th.

Quiberon

Farm

.

.

•

•

•

l8l 3 1

7S9

December. 19th.

Fort Niagara

l8l 3

—

APPENDIX

II.

CANADIAN BATTLE FIELDS A?id the Lesson They Teach the Young

The anniversary hand and

it is

Men

of Canada.

of Niagara (Lundy's Lane)

a seasonable time to revisit,

imagination, a few of those spots

near at

is

only

in

the

made famous by

the

if

blood of our countrymen and hallowed by their sacred

memory.

And

we may

these reflections

in

find

some-

thing to revive the fainting heart of the whining pessimist

and

to stimulate

the patriotic enthusiasm of younger,

braver and more honest souls.

For

purpose

this

not be necessary to wander over

all

even within the precincts of our

sister

eastward, whose

own and whose

soil is

Canada

it

will

or intrude

province to the

as prolific of noble deeds as our

patriotism has been as frequently and as

satisfactorily tried.

Within a few miles of Toronto

— practically within

its

neighbourhood by reason of the easy communication there as

it

is is

a stretch of country as rich in beautiful in

its

natural

its

scenery,

peninsula, whose almost every acre has

an army and whose frontier was 1812 to

181

5

— the

romantic history

felt

the

Niagara

the tread of

for three years

— from

theatre of exploits as valorous and 117

APPENDIX

Il8

II.

heroic as any that grace the page of British military history.

The

In an old guide-book of "

American

lished on the

1850, referring- to this

side in

section, as well as the corresponding "

viewed from

battles of

been

any spot

The

lost.

bank of the

Mount Eagle Tower,"

this classic circle has

and pub-

Falls," edited

says

it

:

river, as "

Within

been fought the greatest number

America and more human

in

victims of war within this area of forty

miles, of French, English

and American, inclusive

epidemics and diseases incident to war, cannot be

mated

than thirty thousand."

at less

It sets

numbered paragraphs, the various points of which

I

4th

— Four

esti-

forth,

in

interest (of

:

miles east of Fort Niagara

At the mouth of

Mile Creek.

of

give only the historical) within range of

shall

sight as follows "

of

has

life

this

is

the Four

stream the British

regulars and provincial auxiliaries landed and entrenched

themselves then

in

in

1759

in their

in

The

and those of

this creek, also,

with his regiment

October, 181 2,

of Queenston. battle

At

possession of the French.

Col. Chrystie landed

batteaux

advance upon Fort Niagara,

colonel his

were made prisoners.

in

thirty-nine

a few days before the battle

was taken prisoner

in that

regiment who were not killed

And

here

may

most singular want of management

in

be mentioned a providing boats

CANADIAN BATTLE FIELDS. for the

to

conveyance of our troops from the American side

Canada on "

A

II9

that occasion.

number of batteaux had been

large

built at the

Falls for this expedition, yet thirteen boats only were

The

ready.

dawned and

many

forces were ferried over in these, but as

enemy was enabled

the

them were soon

of

disabled,

to

direct his

and before the

fire,

battle

was over the whole were wrecked, destroyed or

The

day

thirty-nine boats of Chrystie's corps at the

lost.

Four

Mile Creek, only eleven miles distant, lay unused, and those built at the Falls were noticed a few days after,

strung along the road at different places to the very brow of the mountain. " 5.

The

now but

ruins of Fort George, distant eight miles, are

just discernible, so completely are the

dilapidated, yet at the

commencement

of the war this

fort

was the strongest and most complete

any

this side of

" 6.

The

"The

is

fortification

of

Quebec.

village of

of Niagara,

works

Newark, now known by the name

seen between Fort George and the lake.

battle of the 27th of

May,

18 13, took place near

the lake shore, a mile west of the village, and was for

our arms a most brilliant

an incessant

fire

affair.

For three days previous

of red-hot shot had been kept up from

Fort Niagara, the Salt Battery at Youngstown and the other batteries on this side, upon Fort George and the British

works, and nearly every building occupied

by

APPENDIX

120 their troops

At

II.

was rendered untenable or was burnt down.

sunrise on that

day the American

flotilla,

of eleven men-of-war, was anchored out

in

two hundred boats, under cover of the

fire

proceeded towards the shore.

At

the

consisting

the lake and of the

same time a

fleet,

terrific

cannonade was maintained from the American side the river. clear

and

of

This scene, with the glorious sun just rising effulgent,

described by those

is

who beheld

it

as inexpressibly grand and absorbing the very soul with

the intensity of the emotions which

it

The

excited.

troops landed, rushed up the bank and their impetuosity

soon drove the enemy from the "7.

A

field.

mile from the fort on the American side

Youngstown, where there was a

large,

called the Salt Battery, from

having been at

made with about over with earth. " 8.

Three miles

effective

hundred barrels of

five It

its

salt

is

work first

covered

mounted two eighteen pounders.

this side of

Fort Niagara

is

one of

the old battle grounds of the French and English, in

which,

in

1759,

victory over a

were on

their

river.

English gained a most decisive

body of about

way from

to reinforce the

"9.

the

fifteen

hundred men, who

the western posts of the French

fort.

The Five Mile Meadow' is a mile further up At this place, after the American victory '

the

ob-

tained at Fort George, the dragoons belonging to the

army

crossed in scows for the purpose of cutting off the

CANADIAN BATTLE FIELDS. retreat of the garrison, but the

they

made good

their retreat

121

enemy was not pursued with their arms and some ;

of their artillery and stores. " 10.

Part of Lewiston

seen,

is

under the brow of the heights and but where the steam

now

ferry

The

3 o'clock in

conflict

is

General

river

Van

till

the

13th of

commenced between

the morning and continued

the afternoon.

lies

hidden from view,

crosses the

the battle of the

troops were ferried over to

October, 18 12.

but Queenston

2

and

4 o'clock

in

Rensselaer was wounded

and disabled from advancing in the early part of the engagement. " 11.

and

general rest

In

view

full

and

beneath

his its

rods below the

rises

up Brock's monument, broken

from the heights of Queenston.

shattered,

The

aide-de-camp, Lieut.-Col. McDonnell,

Brock met

base.

his fate

monument, near a cherry

about

fifty

tree at the foot

of the hill in rear of Queenston. "

Below the mountain and beyond Queenston, on a

point of land above the river, are the remains of Fro-

man's battery battle and

;

it

did great execution on the

at the close of the tragic retreat,

vainly attempted to " 12.

On

swim the

day of the

when many

river.

Lewiston Heights was a heavy battery called

Fort Grey, after Col. Grey, of the United States army,

under whose direction

it

was

built.

A

constant but not

APPENDIX

122

very effective

fire

II.

was kept up from

it

during the battle

of Oueenston.

From

" 13.

Tower at

the

the river

is

commanding viewed

site

of

Mount Eagle commencing

for eleven miles,

the whirlpool and running

through

torrent-like

its

deep gorge to the termination of the mountain ridge thence to Lake Ontario the current agitated

by the wind,

is

is

smooth and

joins the lake the small point of land,

;

strong and, unless Just as

clear.

it

on which old Fort

Niagara stands, juts from the east and intercepts the eye from the river as

"Space

will

it

debouches into Ontario.

not permit us to detail the

and romantic events of which

fortune, has been the scene since

La

great

varying

Salle, en route to

down

to

evacuation by the British at the close of the war,

in

the Mississippi, erected its

many

this old fort, with

its first

palisade in 1678

accordance with the terms of the treaty of Ghent, signed

on the 24th of December, 18 14. " 17.

Round

the right

bank of the whirlpool passes the

Portage road, the oldest road in the country,

and travelled by the French.

At

this point

first

made

is

inter-

it

sected by a deep ravine where in 1759 took place a cele-

brated and bloody encounter, called Devil's Hole, between a

had formed an ambush

the battle of the

band of Seneca Indians, who

in the

surrounding woods, and a

hundred British troops escorting

With the exception of four

men

cattle

and

the whole

provisions.

command

CANADIAN BATTLE

FIELDS.

1

23

The bones

were killed or cast down the bank to perish.

of the slaughtered are yet found on the rocks below, two skulls having been picked

up

ninety years after

in 1849,

the engagement.

"20. Opposite, on the Canadian side,

lies

the township

of Stamford, a fine tract of country, thickly populated

and

in

a high state of cultivation

to the west, "

;

the village, two miles

hidden by the woods.

is

Eight miles

Beaver Dams.

still

to the

west

Beech Woods, or

is

There Lieut.-Col. Charles G.

Bcerstler, of

14th United States infantry or "Maryland Regi-

the

ment," on the 24th June, 18

13,

with between five and six

hundred men, unfortunately allowed himself to be surprised

Those that were

and surrounded by the enemy.

not killed of the whole body

were captured, together

with the colours of the

and two pieces of

14th,

field

artillery. "

Thirty miles

further

still

west

another spot long to be remembered nate

affairs

of that war.

Stoney Creek,

is

among

the unfortu-

which we suffered during the progress

in

The enemy succeeded

generals, a portion

of the troops and

in

capturing two

two

and drove back the Americans with heavy disaster, after

which followed

totally eclipsed

the

field

guns,

loss.

This

Boerstler's, just

mentioned,

brilliant prospects with

which the

From

campaign had opened. put upon the defensive

;

that time our arms were

next followed the retreat from

APPENDIX

124

the shores of Canada, then soil,

II.

the invasion of American

the loss of Fort Niagara and the devastation and

depopulation of

fifty

miles of this frontier.

"21. Those three objects at the southwest, which are seen to spire above the woods, are observatories built

upon the ground of the bloody It

battle of

Lundy's Lane.

was fought on the 25th of July, 1814, and the struggle

lasted from 5 o'clock in the afternoon

midnight.

The Americans were under

Generals Brown, Scott and Ripley, of

two were wounded and obliged to

till

12 o'clock at

the

command

whom

retire

of

the

first

from the

field

before the close of the engagement. "

General

Drummond, who commanded

the

British,

returned to Forts George and Niagara, and the Ameri-

cans to their

camp

at Bridgewater.

Both sides claimed

the victory. " 22.

Two

miles beyond the Falls, and hidden

woods of Goat

Island,

is

which occurred on the

by the

the battlefield of Chippawa, 5th

of July,

18 14.

General

Brown, having under him Generals Brown, Scott and Porter,

who eminently

distinguished themselves in that

engagement, drove the enemy from

all his

positions

and

obliged him to retreat. "

Twenty

side,

miles beyond

is

Fort Erie, on the British

and Black Rock and Buffalo on the American,

memorable

as

scenes of

war-like action

— of

all

assaults,

—

CANADIAN BATTLE FIELDS.

day and night

bastions blown up, reciprocal invasions, attacks, sorties, rapine

and destruction."

Speaking of the aspect of says

The farms have a

"

:

The waving

pastures, the towering

by any

centuries,

which

of

fields

it

and garden-like appearrural wealth

in

and

the velvet-like

grain,

and unsubdued parts of

on some sides close

still

country

this part of the

fine

ance, and are not surpassed

beauty.

I25

in

forests of

the scene,

and the comfortable homes

give interest to the beholder;

— many of them veritable mansions —of the inhabitants, embowered mind that found

The our

in

and shade, evidence

in trees of fruit if

there

is

comfort

in this

world

is

it

to be

such retreats as these."

victory of Queenston, of which,

for

decisive and

their its

defeat,

was as

results fruitful.

is

it

American guide avoids mention

apology

to the

in

noticeable, lengthy-

its

brilliant

as

it

was

The Americans, under

the generalship of such experienced

and undoubtedly

able officers as Winfield Scott and Chrystie, occupied an

entrenched position on the heights,

in

force

a

third

stronger than our own, to say nothing of the advantage of their

by

commanding

from assault

position, protected

serious natural obstacles

Sheaffe's plan of attack

;

yet so skilful was General

and disposition of

General Brock and Colonel McDonnell had preliminary skirmish early

in

the morning

his forces fallen in the

— and so gal-

lant and impetuous the advance of our men,

many

of

APPENDIX

126

whom,

after half a night's rest,

II.

had had a forced march of

seven miles, from Fort George on the one side and ten

from Chippawa on the other, through roads almost impassable from the recent heavy rains, that the Americans

became

and

terror-stricken

storm, losing

five

fled

hundred men

precipitately before the in killed

and wounded,

and surrendering to the number of one thousand, gether with their colours and

Though cans,

in

suffering

their

to-

artillery.

so disastrous a defeat the Ameri-

inmost

hearts,

thanked

God

for

the

removal of Brock, and considered the price they paid a small one for such deliverance.

And

this fact is the

best evidence of our hero's gallantry, and of his faithful

and

illustrious service to his

The monument "Guide"

of the

which

is

referred to in the eleventh paragraph is

not

the present beautiful structure,

the second memorial Canadians have erected to

that splendid

energy,

Sovereign and his country.

man and

courage, and

gallant soldier, to

determination

in

whose the

foresight,

beginning

of the war, they are indebted for the preservation of their country

to a people

and

The monument was a

plain

all

those blessings that are guaranteed

by the sway of the Union Jack. here spoken of was built in 1816, and

column one hundred and twenty-six

height, terminating in a cupola.

one hundred and seventy

steps, led

A

feet in

spiral stair-case, of

to

an upper gallery

protected on the exterior by an iron railing, and from

—

CANADIAN BATTLE which a magnificent view of

FIELDS.

\2J

picturesque and romantic

its

surroundings was obtainable. Its

site

was on

the

right,

north

or

of

side,

the

present avenue, about a hundred yards to the eastward

new

of the

shaft, the spot

the trees and shrubbery

in

old foundation

is

still

being noticeable by a clearing ;

and, on close inspection, the

discernible, for the grass

grows

reluctantly there, and gentle Nature seems loath to efface

completely the early and sacred work of loyalty and affection. Its inscription, slightly different

ceeding memorial, was as follows

to that of the suc-

:

The

Legislature of Upper Canada has dedicated this monument many civil and military services of the late Sir Isaac Brock, Knight Commander of the most honourable Order of the Bath,

to the

Provisional Lieutenant-Governor and Major-General his

Majesty's forces therein.

He

fell

action

in

October, 1812, honoured and beloved by those

and deplored by devoted. of

his

his Sovereign to

whom

whose service

His remains are deposited

commanding

on the 13th of

his

he governed, life

had been

in this vault, as are also

aide-de-camp, Lieutenant-Colonel John

died of his wounds, the 14th of October, 181

those

McDonnell, who received the day

2,

before in action.

In the interim, between the death of the General and

the removal to this in

monument, the body

a bastion of Fort George, to which

becoming ceremony the second day interment taking place on the 16th)

it

lay

entombed

was taken with

after the battle (the ;

and as the proces-

APPENDIX

128

II.

sion slowly traversed the intervening seven miles along

the bank of the river, and for nearly the whole distance

of the opposite shore, the Americans, with a

in sight

chivalry as admirable as

it

was generous,

fired

guns at every post along that part of their

minute-

lines,

and

studiously cloaked for the'time every sign of war.

On

the night of the 17th

named

of April, 1840, a vandal,

endeavoured to completely destroy the

Lett,

column by an explosion of gunpowder. however,

the

left

monument

The

concussion,

standing, but such were the

injuries to the structure and such the indignation aroused

by the dastardly attempt, that it was decided to remove it altogether and replace it by another of far greater dimensions, and of design as graceful and workmanship as exquisite as any of that class in the world.

Of

the

success of their noble efforts, the present elegant and majestic fabric that crowns those classic Heights grandly attests,

and proclaims alike to the land the worth of her

hero and the gratitude of her people.

The bombardment and

capture of

Newark and Fort

George, which our guide describes so graphically and for

which so much credit plished

whom

by a

is

given to

its

side,

was accom-

force of nearly eight thousand

men, to

was opposed a British brigade of less than fifteen

hundred with only

five

guns, and who,

attempting to prevent the enemy's terrible loss

in

heroically

landing,

suffered

from the broadsides of the ships anchored

CANADIAN BATTLE FIELDS. within three hundred yards of the artillery

numbered

was greatly

when

shore,

29

and whose

fifty-two pieces, supported, moreover,

and the adjacent

by the guns of Fort Niagara It

1

to the credit of General

was

further resistance

batteries.

Vincent that,

he effected an or-

useless,

derly retreat with the remnant of his brigade, together

with their arms and part of their artillery and stores.

A

few days later

— the

5th of June

— occurred

that

almost quixotic achievement at Stoney Creek, where a

men under

party of seven hundred

Sir

more than three thousand

a night attack, surprised

hundred Americans, capturing both hundred and twenty-three

in

five

their brigadiers, a

and men, and four

officers

This disaster caused the immediate

pieces of artillery. retreat of the

John Harvey,

Americans

to the frontier.

Equally romantic was the victory (at Beaver Dams) of dashing and intrepid

that

James Fitzgibbon, than sessed no

and

in

its

little

and valour

The

Lieutenant

those stirring times pos-

and whose

brilliant

the war entitle

him

most worthy heroes.

connection

Canadians ought never geous

officer,

character,

services throughout

to rank as one of

And,

whom

more chivalrous

effective

young

with this

to forget the

woman, Laura this success

famous engagement,

is

name

Secord, to

of that coura-

whose forethought

largely to be ascribed.

reverse at Chippawa, on the

5th of July the

lowing year, reflected no dishonour on our arms.

fol-

Though

APPENDIX

130

II.

him were greater than three to one, the plucky-hearted Riall attacked them with the fearlessness

the odds against

and the chivalry of a Paladin, and he was so successful in

the

first

part of the

engagement that

Porter's brigade

was thrown into complete confusion, and charge of our militia and Indians. with

and

the ardour and

all

matchless

their

The

troops fought

bravery of British soldiers,

their terrible losses in killed

eloquently to

fled before the

and wounded gallantry

testify

and

stoical

endurance.

But

no other battle of the war, and, probably,

in

of ancient or of

modern

human courage and

was there a greater

times,

test

devotion to duty than at Niagara,

where the bloody struggle was prolonged far into the night, and with a desperate bravery as undaunted and tenacious as that of Waterloo or Inkerman.

and gory

"

Sand-bag battery

"

The famous

of the latter field wit-

nessed no more heroic work than did the Churchyard battery of

Lane.

Lundy's

Think of men marching

twenty miles under a Canadian July sun and entering a

murderous action

was the

at

nine o'clock at night

classic feat of Scott's brigade,

with an enthusiasm

"

above

all

Yet such

!

and they did

Greek, above

all

it

Roman

fame."

The Americans, though undoubtedly themselves, on this

glory of those

beaten, proved

occasion, worthy of our

who conquer

steel.

the truly brave

is

The

greater

CANADIAN BATTLE than the glory of those cowards, and

it is

this

for

nothing

it

gain easy victories over

had been exerted

invasion

of

Canada was

and that England had

"

her hands

full " in

Peninsula, and on that account unable to lend us aid.

And, unless current events greatly

selves,

same

the

dominant

in

by

government believed we were

ignoble, too, because that

helpless

in a better

inspired

greedy aggrandizement, the more

than

else

131

but just to them to admit their hero-

ism and to wish that cause,

who

FIELDS.

feeling

the republic

belie

the

any

them-

becoming

is

again

in

which the Christian

rapidly

for-

bearance of England, which democratic ignorance has construed as sciolist

fear,

has been

systematically abused by

and unscrupulous statesmen

dignified patience

is

until

well-nigh worn out.

Great Britain's

This condition

of affairs cannot be long maintained, unless the best

American

intelligence should assert itself

and counteract

the dangerous influence of designing politicians, whose

supporters

are

hungry

for

army

scattered "boodle" incident to

by no means franchise else, is

is

safe to count universal,

a marketable

and

contracts

— a contingency

war

upon

in

and which,

commodity

the it is

a country where the

like nearly

—and we

everything

must be

pre-

pared sooner or later for the worst results of American maladministration.

Throughout the severe campaigning of '14,

Englishmen had no reason

181

2,

to blush for the

'13

and

conduct

APPENDIX

I32

II.

of their Canadian comrades in defending this portion of the empire, and " the old flag

"

was carried

as proudly,

and protected as sacredly, on the banks of the rence and the Niagara as

it

St.

Law-

was afterwards on the plains

of Belgium or the shores of the Black Sea.

More than one to

emblazon on

British regiment

colours

their

the

have not disdained glorious

names

"Queenston" and "Niagara," and Canadians, should point to them with as generous,

of

surely,

not greater

if

pride.

The country then

was, comparatively, a wilderness and

the inhabitants generally poor, yet

was made they

left

their

selfish consideration

every

when the

call to

arms

homes with an abnegation of and flocked

to the standards

with an alacrity and enthusiasm worthy of their nationality,

and ready to go

Without anything defence, which

"

quo fas

like the

et gloria dticunt."

prospects of a successful

we to-day might not unreasonably count

upon, they never despaired of their country, and rightly considered recent

it

American

they knew

less evil

With

rebellion fresh in

the scenes of the

many

well all the horrors which

full

war, even in

a

treason to do so.

its

worst form, was,

in their

of their minds

war

entails,

but

manly estimation,

than the sacrifice of honour and the loss of

independence their country,

;

and, above

all,

they realized their duty to

and had learned to appreciate that priceless

CANADIAN BATTLE FIELDS.

1

heritage of British liberty and civilization which

had handed down

to them,

33

England

purchased with her treasure

and her best blood. Their devotion was so entire and their loyalty so notoriously disinterested that the republic did not then contain a mind so foolish as to even dream

of offering

-

them a

consideration for their birthright, as has been suggested in

And

our day.

pioneers of

the world knew, too, that Englishmen,

commerce though they were

in

every quarter

of the globe, and though they had ever used every legiti-

mate device and lawful means

to multiply their spindles

and looms, and to increase the quantity and value of output, had never yet, and never

their

a market price

will, set

on the precious products of the human heart, of which patriotism, next to the love of God,

is

the chiefest virtue.

Canadians can look back with honest pride upon the heroic achievements of these early patriots, and

necessity arises, the

same immortal

spirit

the land, and the recital of their deeds will

will stir

when the animate

the

young

blood of our countrymen to a generous emulation of merit so exalted.

William H. Holmes. Toronto, 21st July, 1890.

—From the

Toronto " Empire

" oj

2jth July, iSgo.

APPENDIX

III.

Canada's in memoriam to her great and distinguished SONS.

Our Duty

in the Erection of National

Monuments

—

—No Memorial

Stone for Governor Simcoe The Splendid Shaft that marks the Death of Brock— A Graphic Description of the Monument

and its Surroundings.

What commemorative sculpture, etc.

—

— such

as family portraits,

well-appointed

to a

is

art

home, national

memorials are to the country that has been benefited

by the

And less

lives of their distinguished subjects.

this class of art exerts a two-fold influence,

potent because

it

silent

is

to an appreciation of art

per

educates the mind

it

:

se,

no

and,

secondly, by a

contemplation of the characters of the subjects,

it

stim-

ulates the emulation of virtue.

By no

persons

is

such an influence experienced to as

great an extent as by those who, having spent the early portion of their lives in a

owing

young country

to the limited population

upon the public

purse,

like this, where,

and the great demands

the revenue has been able to

supply only the most practical necessaries, and who, being possessed of a

fair

education

and having some

love for historic literature, for the first i34

time find them-

":

CANADA'S IN MEMORIAM. selves in one of the tourist,

in

European

art

in

— perhaps

—

in

—

arms, in science,

of pride in his heart

one doubt the so,

and

On

dit qu' a la

said

that,

a

an inspiration that ?

And

can any-

remember the passage

I

vue de l'Apollon

l'ame doit se sentir, de

(It is

his

feel

In one of the French text

?

prend une plus digne attitude vie,

characters

literature or

who has been

realize

used at college,

I

the

such emotions upon the mind

upon the character

books that "

effect of

in

he not, at the prospect,

will

never before took possession of his soul

and,

such a

or in

Paul's,

35

face to face with the

the particular one

very ideal of a hero thrill

St.

comes

some of the noblest

heroic representations of

of English history

When

capitals.

Westminster Abbey,

public squares of London,

1

;

le

corps se redresse et

au souvenir d'une belle

meme,

relevee et ennoblie

!

on viewing the statue of Apollo, one

stands more than usually erect, and the body, spontaneously, assumes a

more

dignified attitude.

In the

same

way, when contemplating a grand character, the soul should In

feel itself

exalted and ennobled.)

Canada we have a few public monuments, most of their subjects and the country, but in

them worthy of this

respect

nation.

we have only commenced our duty

It is

Toronto as

its

as a

a disgrace to this wealthy province, and to capital, that not a stone

to preserve the

memory

has been scratched

of Colonel the Honourable John

Graves Simcoe, and to publicly record the gratitude of

APPENDIX

136

Ontario due to

its

first

and

III.

illustrious lieutenant-gover-

nor, who did so much to promote the prosperity of Upper Canada. Of those who argue that the expenditure of money upon such memorials is folly and that the endowment of some useful public institution or a chair in a university is a monument more enduring and consistent with modern civilization, I would ask how many Canadians know the origin of Lake Simcoe's name

or that of the county town of Norfolk

Or,

?

if

they do,

how many ever associate the famous lieutenant-governor with it? To the farmer who drives ten or twenty miles down Yonge street with produce for Toronto market, though the cobble-stones, striking cry

"

Simcoe

!

"

"

Simcoe

!

"

at

his horses' feet, should

how

every step,

often

would the maker of the celebrated road himself be suggested?

It

is

only by some object specially de-

signed to attract the attention and to

man can

and deeds, that

himself, his attributes

rightly

tained

be

which our French friend aptly

effects,

in

:

such a

monument

subject actually lives and

The

construction of the

it

is

illustrates,

ob-

immortal.

first

roads of the province was is

the main artery,

not be a good suggestion to erect his

monument

The

Yonge and

on that thoroughfare

Queen

memory

the spirit of the noble

a great work, and, as Yonge street

would

his

mind the

be perpetuated and the good

to

said

call to

streets

?

intersection of

would make an admirable

site for

such an

Canada's in memoriam. ornament

it is

the very heart of the city, a

much more

and commanding location than the crossing

elevated

of

;

137

Yonge and King,

and, with the removal of the corner

buildings, which are old

would be allowed

and inexpensive, ample space

A

bronze statue, on an

of granite,

would constitute an

for traffic.

appropriate pedestal

imposing centre-piece, and ornamental drinking-fountains on the north-west and south-east corners, with bronze vases on granite bases or similar ornaments on the other

two, would complete

would be a

credit to

Simcoe Square" and one that

"

any

The Brant memorial

city.

of Brantford

is,

unquestionably,

the finest specimen of that kind of art (bronze) in Canada,

and, with the surrounding trees and shrubs, plants and grass,

kept with a Parisian neatness and care, forms one

of the most beautiful public squares in America.

London

(Ontario) has, in Tecumseh, a hero who, so far as individual

character

memory

is

concerned, was the peer of Brant, and whose

she, with the aid of the country, should

delay to honour as worthily. the war of 1812

And among

our leaders

less

in

we have the names of men whose sphere whose

of action was, perhaps, less extensive, but

were no

no longer

less chivalrous

lives

and whose services were scarcely

important to the empire than those military heroes

whose statues adorn George's Square Trafalgar Sheaffe,

Square General

in

London: General

Sir

George

in

Glasgow, or

Sir

Gordon

Roger

II.

Drummond,

APPENDIX

138

Phineas

Major-General

Vincent,

General John

III.

Riall,

Colonel Sir John Harvey, Colonel Joseph Warton Mor-

Lieutenant James Fitzgibbon, are a

rison,

memory

has a

Canadians.

first

Port

If

claim upon

memory

how much more should

the eminent

devotion she

volumes

services of those is

indebted

few whose

homage

of

Upper

could afford to pay her tribute

Hope

of merited honour to the

Williams,

the

of the late Colonel

the province recognize

whose courage and

to

for her existence?

for the appreciation, the

It

speaks

loyalty and the grati-

tude of the early inhabitants that they twice erected a

memorial to the gallant Brock, and to say that the present

one

that class in the world.

There

is

it is

no exaggeration

the finest

monument of monuments

are, of course,

of greater height, such as the one at Washington, which is

five

with

hundred and

little

Bunker

fifty-five feet,

but

it is

a simple obelisk

The same may be said of the monument of Boston. The Scott monu-

pretence to

Hill

ment, Edinburgh,

is

art.

the

same height

as Brock's, but

it is

of a distinctly different style (Gothic) and, consequently, is

not comparable with the

Scott's,

though much more ornate and

Albert Memorial

in

London, but

than the Canadian column. falgar

In the

latter.

Square

is

this

is

same costly,

twenty

in

is

feet

The Nelson column

almost identical

class as

in

the

lower

Tra-

design with Brock's,

both being copied from one of the Corinthian columns of the

Temple

of

Mars the Avenger

at

Rome, but

the state-

liness and beauty of proportion of the latter are greatly

CANADA'S IN MEMORIAM. enhanced by the sub- basement, which structure in this

fifteen

respect

it

higher than

feet is

raises the super-

the

also superior to

139

And

former.

"The Monument,"

which marks the starting-point of the great fire of London in 1666, and which is also a fluted column and very similar to Nelson's

By

and Brock's.

of twelve feet over the latter, the

the small advantage

London monument gains

the distinction of being the loftiest isolated column in existence.

The Colonne Vendome, height as Brock's, but

and the same feet, is

in Paris, its

is

disproportionate to the length of the shaft.

Colonne de Juillet, on the site of the Bastille,

more

graceful structure than the former, but

hundred and sixty-four

is

it is

a

The much

only one

feet high.

But apart from the individual beauty of our memorial the grandeur of its commanding site, which is three

is

hundred and «'

of bronze

diameter, thirteen

the

mound

above the

fifty feet "

on the

field

river,

and beside which

of Waterloo (which the writer

visited in 1878), in its artificiality, looks like

ated

potato-hill.

Brock's world,

monument

The is

commanding,

prospect

an exagger-

from the summit of

one of the most magnificent as

it

in

the

does, such a vast expanse of

land and waterscape— of plain and tableland, of lake and river.

And when we

Falls, the Rapids, the

include such famous scenery as the

Whirlpool, and the more peaceful

flow and graceful curve of the Niagara from the Heights to

its

outlet,

where can we go

for

comparison

?

APPENDIX

140

To from

who is thirsting for a stimulant to his should recommend a summer sunset viewed

the artist

genius

ful,

III.

I

advantageous point.

this

for

All

is

the reality of Gray's pastoral sketch

Now

:

fades the glimmering landscape on the sight,

And

all

the air a solemn stillness holds,

Save where the beetle wheels

And drowsy Then,

so calm and peace-

the country, and he can experience, indeed,

it is

at the

tinklings

lull

his droning flight,

the distant folds.

remembrance of the scenes and

made

this

shaft

beside him, he can realize the

ground

philosophy

historic

full

Await, alike,

The

th'

the all

pomp

of pow'r,

that wealth e'er gave,

inevitable hour

:

paths of glory lead but to the grave.

Spread out before him, as a carpet, diversified

His eye can range

placid lake, which Sol, descending, has

and

lies

the fruitful

by wood and meadow, by vineyard,

orchard and plantation.

flood

force of the

:

The boast of heraldry, And all that beauty,

plain

that have

at the sight of the noble

gilds the

far

made

over the

a flaming

land with his aurient beam.

The

lowering clouds reflect the double light and the radiant

heavens vie with the earth

for brilliant

supremacy.

In one blood-red mass of living light he kisses the sea,

and, growing

more and more ruddy

as he sinks,

takes a last glimpse along the mirror surface, sheds a

CANADA'S IN MEMORIAM. parting smile and

Deep crimson

gone.

is

141 follows gold,

bright purple succeeds the crimson, and the purplish hue

Darkness

soon dissolves into the fast-growing grey. follows in the train,

and

Sable night

brooding on the deep.

monument, the gem of

Brock's

which, in

sits

its site, in its

all

our public

surroundings and

beauty, stands unrivalled on the globe,

known, sad to

little

am

I

the hope that

ally acquaint

even to Canadians, and

relate,

tion of

in

individual

comparatively

is

for

constrained to give a detailed descrip-

this reason it

in its

and

art,

my

countrymen may person-

themselves with

this

famous spot

;

may

the better appreciate the sacrifices of their predecessors in this fair

owe in

province and realize the debt of honour they

to their

18 16

The

memory.

first

and destroyed by a vandal

present massive memorial,

entrance

monument was

tells

the visitor,

as

the

in

brass

"was erected

erected

1840.

The

plate at the

chiefly

by the

voluntary contributions of the militia and Indian warriors of this province, aided

ture."

by a grant from the Legisla-

The work was begun

October

in

that

year,

the

in 1853,

and on the 13th of

ceremonies

of laying the

foundation-stone and also those of the third reinterment of Brock took place his

;

his remains, together with those of

aide-de-camp, having

been

temporarily

removed

from the ruined column to an adjoining burying-ground. The foundation-stone was laid by Lieut.-Col. McDonnell,

APPENDIX

142

man who

brother of the gallant

III.

shared the fate and the

The

honours of his commander-in-chief. present at the inauguration on the 1859,

and

it

was a great

Williams, K.C.B., the

"

event.

defeat than

General Sir

Hero of Kars," himself

and who was more honoured falls to

it

13th

in

writer

was

of October,

W. Fenwick a Canadian,

the circumstances of his

men

the lot of most

to

be

in

the

achievement of the most complete success, was then

Commander

He

of the forces in Canada.

was present on

who represented and who were sup-

the occasion and inspected the troops, nearly every district of the province,

plemented by a considerable number of veterans of the

war of

1

arrayed for the most part

8 12,

uniforms of that early period, and of Indians from the ginal

in

the quaint

by a numerous band

Grand River Reserve, whose

abori-

costumes enhanced much the picturesqueness of

the general

effect.

orator of the

Sir Allan

McNab was

Napier

the

day and delivered the inaugural address,

which comprehensively set forth the exploits of the chivalrous Brock.

The foundation solid rock

and

massive stone.

of the

monument

is

built

upon the

forty feet square and ten feet thick of

is

Upon

this

the structure stands in

grooved plinth or sub-basement thirty-eight

and twenty-seven

feet

in

feet

a

square

height, having an eastern en-

trance by a heavy oak door and bronze pateras, and forming two galleries to the interior one hundred and fourteen

CANADA'S IN MEMORIAM.

I43

extent round the inner pedestal, on the north and

feet in

south sides of which,

in

vaults underneath the

ground

massive stone sarcophagi, the remains of

floor, repose, in

On

General Brock and those of his aide-de-camp.

the

exterior angles of the sub-basement are lions rampant,

seven feet in height, supporting shields with the armorial bearings of the hero, and beneath, upon a riband,

motto,

On

" Vincit Veritas!'

ing inscription

the north face

the

is

the follow-

is

:

Upper Canada has dedicated

this

monument

to the

memory

of

the late Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, K.B., Provisional Lieu-

Commander

tenant-Governor and

whose remains are deposited invading enemy, he October, 1812, the people

On

in the

whom

whose service

fell

in

in action

Opposing the

near these heights on the 13th of

43rd year of his age, revered and lamented by

he governed and deplored by the Sovereign

his life

to

had been devoted.

brass tablets within the

ing inscriptions

of the Forces in this province,

the vault beneath.

monument

are the follow-

:

In a vault underneath are deposited the mortal

remains of the

lamented Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, K.B., who

fell in

action

near these heights on the 13th 'of October, 1812, and was entombed

on the 16th of October,

moved from thence and ward of this of that

site

at the

bastion of Fort George, Niagara

reinterred under a

on the 13th of October, 1824

monument having

was found

it

former structure and erect

this

laid,

;

and

in

;

re-

to the east-

consequence

received irreparable injury by a lawless

act on the 17th April, 1840,

being

monument

requisite to take

monument

— the

down

the

foundation stone

and the remains again interred with due solemnity on

13th of October, 1853.

APPENDIX

144

III.

In a vault beneath are deposited the mortal remains of Lieut.-Col.

John McDonnell,

P. A. D.

C, and aide-de-camp

Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, K.B., who

fell

to the

mortally

lamented

wounded

in

the Battle of Queenston on the 13th of October, 1812, and died on

His remains were removed and reinterred with

the following day.

due solemnity on the 13th of October, 1853.

Round slightly

the base of the

monument, which

platform,

elevated

is

a

Roman

presentations of

is

a

on the

interior.

are placed massive military trophies, re-

armour, on pedestals of cut

stone twenty feet in height.

basement

upon

dwarf-wall enclosure,

seventy-five feet square, with a fosse

At the angles

rests

Standing upon the sub-

the pedestal of the order, sixteen feet square

and twenty-eight

feet high, the die

having on three of

its

enriched panelled sides emblematic basso-relievos, and

on the fourth, fronting Queenston, a scene of the battle in alto-relievo.

It

represents the hero at the

received his death-wound. foot of the

heights, he

is

moment he

Having dismounted

at

the

seen at the head of his old

regiment, the 49th, leading the troops to the assault and

animating the men by voice and gesture.

York Volunteers

high up-raised and pointing with his sword

which

it

the

and a junior

in

the direc-

had been compelled

commencement of

the action and

was the object of the charge now

this heroic attitude

Push on,

he shouts inspiringly, his right arm

!"

tion of the redan battery, which they to relinquish at

"

to regain.

In

he was for the second time struck,

officer seeing

him

falter, is

about to support

CANADA'S IN MEMORIAM. him

A

as he sinks.

few paces to the rear a soldier

man who

seen taking deliberate aim at the shot.

fatal lions'

The

plinth of the order

heads supporting festoons

column, a fluted

I45

shaft,

is

of the

ninety-five feet in height

in

and ten

the

fired

enriched with

is

bold

Roman

is

The

relief.

composite order,

feet in diameter, the

lower tones adorned with laurel leaves and the flutes

The

terminating on the base with palms.

column high.

is

sixteen feet

On

each face

is

capital of the

square and twelve feet six inches sculptured a figure of Victory, ten

with extended arms, grasping military

feet six inches high,

shields as volutes, the acanthus leaves being wreathed

with palms, the whole

in

the style of the antique.

From

the ground to the gallery at the top of the column winds

a spiral staircase of cut stone, with a solid newel, of two

hundred and

steps

thirty-five

and amply lighted by

loop-holes cut at intervals in the fluting and unnoticeable from the exterior.

Light and

air are

admitted to

the upper and lower galleries through sufficiently large circular openings (bull's eyes) enriched

with wreaths of laurel in

relief.

Upon

round the face

the abacus stands

the cippas, supporting the statue of the hero, sculptured in

the full-dress uniform of a field marshal, seventeen

feet high, the left

hand resting upon the

right arm extended, with baton.

hundred and ninety

monument

contain

expense, could be 10

feet.

The

sword-hilt, the

total height

about forty acres, and, with

made

is

The grounds surrounding a

most beautiful park.

one the

little

The

APPENDIX

I46

lodge at the entrance

is

and the gates and

ture,

III.

a pretty

little

cut-stone struc-

surmounted by the arms

piers,

handsome specimens

of the general, are

of

here a carriage road winds gracefully up the

art.

From

hill,

and, on

attaining the summit of the heights, broadens into a

avenue one hundred

feet in width, skirted

planted with chestnuts, maples, the

monument Were

diameter.

ance

it

not for

it

etc.,

and terminating

its

at

feet in

present neglected appear-

would not require an extraordinary effort for the

traveller,

who has

visited the other continent, to

imagine

Champs

Elys^es.

himself in an unexplored section of the

The

by boulevards

hundred and eighty

in a circle a

fine

was between £40,000 and £50,000, or

total cost

nearly a quarter of a million dollars.

Such a park, so art,

beautiful

and so famed

by

nature, so embellished

in history, is a

by

most interesting point

for the intellectual tourist, and, with the splendid service

by the magnificent steamers of the Niagara Navigation Company, it ought to be the most popular

afforded

rendezvous for the Toronto excursionist.

monument and tion, are

its

This superb

surroundings, in their present condi-

the picture of neglect and indifference, and a

sadly eloquent censure upon the people and the Govern-

ment of

this province,

who,

I

think

I

am

safe in saying,

have not during the past thirty years spent $500 altoIt cannot be expected that gether in their preservation. the caretaker,

who

has simply the use of the lodge,

CANADA S

IN

MEMORIAM.

47

1

much labour on the summer months, should have a

without salary, can afford to expend park, which, during the staff of at least three

competent gardeners

The avenue should be

a creditable shape.

and the boulevards defined and relieved and

alternate beds of blooming design.

An

could be

made

reservoir

at

pieces

that

by

at intervals

near, which

is

by means of a pony-pump and

comparatively small expense.

couple of Crimean guns, thirty-three

in

it

regravelled

foliage plants of artistic

abundant supply of water available

keep

to

or,

better

still,

And

if

a

a few of the

Brock brought from Detroit,

could be had and placed at the head of the avenue, they

would make a

fitting

completion of the grand approach

to the stately column.

and weather,

In addition to the wear of time

this beautiful

and costly memorial, which

badly needs a thorough repointing, has suffered from vandalism, the statue having been damaged by a shot,

which took off the end of the baton.

the sacredness of

its

object,

it

structure to be left so exposed

is

far

rifle

Outside of

too valuable a

and unguarded.

If the

Government would permit a detachment from C Company, Infantry School Corps, to be stationed at Queenston, the lodge could

be readily converted into a proper

guard-room, and a red-coated sentry at the gate and another at

the

monument would

inhabited appearance and ensure for cost

the

little, if

New

any more,

to

give it

the

respect.

place It

an

would

keep the men there than at

Fort, and, to prevent

monotony, they could be

APPENDIX

148

exchanged monthly

if

III.

transport being

necessary, the

quick and inexpensive.

The Government, by arrangement

with Sir Casimir

Gzowski, the owner, should include the adjoining

acres

and should

southern

the

acquire

also

a

boundary of the park,

some very

in

its

on

field

north

the

The former

adjacent to the burial-ground. cally worthless

strip of eleven

present state, while

is

practi-

contains

it

On

interesting relics of the war.

side

that land,

and within forty yards of the monument, are the comparatively well-preserved

remains of a redoubt and out-

works that were alternately garrisoned throughout the

war by the

and the United States

British

are clearly

lines

the

defined,

troops.

Their

work having been well

constructed with glacis, ditch, parapet and banquette,

and

it

is

even now, with the aid of the trees that have

since overgrown the fortification,

man rear.

The brush should be

restored say,

ment

a

task for a

difficult

to enter the enclosure except by the entrance in the

for

and sodded,

not,

any

use,

hostile

to the park.

location

by the

The

cleared it

is

but

needless as

flagstaff,

side of the

and the ramparts for

me

to

an historic orna-

which, in

its

monument, looks

present

like a pin

stuck in the earth, would be a becoming adjunct to the redoubt.

The

burial-trenches of the soldiers

killed in the battle are in the

heights,

though

field at

who were

the foot of the

at present scarcely traceable; they should

CANADA'S IN MEMORIAM.

149

Were

be mounded and becomingly marked.

provements that

I

the im-

have suggested carried out and the

tramway continued along the

river

bank from the Whirl-

pool to Queenston, the revenue from the fees to ascend the

monument would be

almost,

if

not quite, sufficient to

With

meet the cost of proper maintenance. dock now

the

new

Queenston and the increased attraction of

at

the park, the Toronto steamers would be enabled to

regular stops at that point, which, hitherto,

make

it

has been

I

desire to

impossible for them to do.

There

is

just

one more suggestion that

connection

offer in

tation of the colours to the 10th

time since

in

At

with this subject.

the re-presen-

Royal Grenadiers, a short

the pavilion, the Hon. Mr. Allan, in his

excellent address, mentioned his having in his possession

one or more of the old battle-flags of the York inscribed with the glorious ton," "

Stoney Creek,"

Now

I

made by these

which

if

the application were

the proper authorities, Mr. Allan relics

to

militia,

"Detroit," "Queens-

etc.

have no doubt that

sacred is

names of

be preserved

in

would allow

the

Cathedral,

the proper repository for such memorials, and

to which they would add historic interest and be a con-

stant reminder of the "

was a member

Hero of Upper Canada," who

of St. James' congregation.

There the

public would have at least a weekly opportunity of seeing

the standards their forefathers so valiantly defended and

APPENDIX

150

III.

which inspired countless deeds of the truest heroism.

There they would be a the

scriptural

silent,

yet eloquent, illustration of

injunction to fear

God and honour

the

King, and would prove a perpetual object lesson exalting the heroic virtues, and "showing honour, patriotism

and the love of truth and

money and

justice to

be things beyond

the most precious possessions of states as

well as of individuals."

William H. Holmes. Toronto, August, 1890.

— From the Toronto Note — Since

the

publication

ceding article (Appendix

and River Railway line constructed

"Empire" of joth August,

II.)

Company

i8go.

of this and the pre-

the Niagara Falls Park

has been organized and

its

along the route outlined above.

Shortly afterward,

also, the

monument, by

direction of

the Ontario Government, was overhauled from base to

summit and put

in

a thorough state of repair.

W. H. H.

APPENDIX

IV.

VIEW FROM BROCK'S MONUMENT.

What

the

Duke of Argyll Had to Say of it

" If the cataract

once was

in iSjg.

of Niagara had continued to be where

would have given additional splendour to one of the most beautiful landscapes of the world. Init

it

stead of falling, as

where

it

would have poured range of

does now, into a narrow chasm

it

cannot be seen a few yards from either bank,

cliff,

magnificent torrent over a higher

its

and would have shown

Of

miles over land and sea.

had never heard, and

it

I

saw

this it

hundreds of

for

landscape

by the merest

In the war of 1812 the Americans invaded

Queenston and seized the steep

I

line

confess

I

accident.

Canada

at

of heights above

that town, which form the termination or escarpment of

the comparatively high table-land of the upper lakes.

The American

forces

were attacked and speedily dis-

lodged by the British troops General Brock.

This brave

the action and a very

under the

officer,

command

however,

of a lofty column, has been erected to his the '

summit of the

Brock's

ridge.

fell

handsome monument, Being told

Monument was an '

151

at

of

early in

consisting

memory on

the hotel that

object of interest and that

APPENDIX

152

from

it

there was a

We

Niagara.

we met with

my

mind.

'

good

found a

in

It is

'

IV.

we drove

view,'

good

America has

No

indeed.

view,' left

there from

scene

such an impression on

altogether peculiar, unlike anything in

the old world, and such as few spots so accessible can

command

even

in

American Continent

is

its

The

lakes

great

and

make much

are generally too large to eye.

One

the new.

rivers are often so

glory of the

rivers.

But they

impression on the

broad as to look

like lakes

without their picturesqueness, and the lakes are so large as to look like the sea without

great glory of America surface.

is

its

its

grandeur.

Another

vast breadth of habitable

But these again are so vast that there are few

spots indeed

whence they can be seen and estimated.

But from the Queenston Heights both these great tures are spread out before the eye after a

which they can be taken is

in.

The

in

steep bank below us

covered with fine specimens of the thuja occidentalism

commonly

called the cedar in America.

north-east the horizon

is

side the shores can be seen illimitable distance

of blue. fair

To

the

line.

But on either

in

fading tints

turning towards the north-west, the

Province of Ontario stretches in

immense

escarpments of the same table-land.

this

to the

bending round the lake to an

and losing themselves

left,

Looking

occupied by the blue waters of

Lake Ontario, which form the sky

in

fea-

manner

plains

and

The whole

of

immense extent of country has the aspect of a land

comfortably

settled,

widely cultivated and beautifully

VIEW FROM BROCK'S MONUMENT.

Towns and

clothed with trees.

by

To

spires.

the

by smoke, and a

the atmosphere

cent river

few-

on the Canadian shore, and seen

left,

over a deep bay, the City of Toronto

when

indicated

villages are

spots of gleaming white,

little

153

is

clear.

distinctly visible

is

At our feet the magnifi-

of the Niagara emerges from

ravine into

its

the open sunlight of the plains, and winds slowly in long

reaches of a lovely green, and round a succession of low-

wooded

capes, into the vast waters of Ontario.

contrast

is

of

its

very striking between the perfect restfulness

current here and the tormented violence of

course at the "

The

The

falls,

at the rapids,

and

its

at the whirlpool.

six or seven miles of road between Niagara

the Heights of Queenston afforded

me my

first

and

oppor-

tunity of seeing a bit of Canadian country in detail.

The farms seemed

to

be of very considerable

cultivation careless, so far as neatness

is

manifesting that complete contempt of face

which

conspicuous over the

is

size

— the

concerned, and

economy

of sur-

whole of

North

America.

Straggling fences, wide spaces of land along

the roads

left

unappropriated,

masses of natural wood wild

all

these

features

—

irregular

odd corners

proclaimed

a

clumps

left

and

rough and

country where

and

never

vast landscape from Brock's

monu-

economy

in

culture

attended

to.

The

was wholly needless

ment, along both shores of Lake Ontario,

as far as the

APPENDIX

154

IV.

eye could reach, exhibited the same characteristic features.

They

are features eminently picturesque,

com-

bining the aspects of wildness with the impression ot

exuberant

—From Grace

fertility

an

and of boundless wealth."

article, "

in " Fraser's

First Impressions of a

Magazine

"

New World"

oj December^ 187Q.

by /us

APPENDIX

V.

lundy's lane.

A

Recent Discovery at the

Famous Old

Battlefield

—A

Visit to

the Scene.

The

recent discovery of a burial-trench at Lundy's

Lane has awakened

fresh interest in the scene

and the

history of that famous fight, which added another and

worthy name to the glorious record emblazoned on the colours of the regiments that

had the fortune

to take

part in the victory, and forever inscribed on the

memo-

ries of Britons in whatever quarter of the globe their

lot

has been cast.

Imbued with

this

interest, the writer visited

mondville on Saturday

And

last.

Drum-

right here regret

must

be expressed that that municipality should have seen to

change the name of

dians

and

will,

their pretty village,

which Cana-

nevertheless, continue to designate

familiar

name

illustrious general,

out of

to the

by the old

memory

of the

who, by his heroic bravery and un-

daunted resolution at a tide of battle

homage

fit

most

critical

moment, turned the

and gave the spot an honoured place

in

the page of history.

The newly found north of

the

trench

a hundred and

is

Presbyterian

church, and, so

»55

fifty far,

yards eleven

APPENDIX

156 skeletons have been

on Friday

V.

exhumed, nine on Thursday and two

which have been taken charge of by the

last,

Historical Society for reinterment in the cemetery.

The ist

Imperial troops engaged in the battle were

Royal Scots, 8th King's,

41st, 89th, 103rd

:

the

and 104th,

with detachments of Royal Engineers, Royal Artillery,

and Royal Marine

The Canadian

Artillery.

Militia

were represented by the following corps: 19th Dragoons, Provincial

Light Dragoons, Glengarry Light Infantry,

York

Incorporated, Militia, 2nd

and 5th Lincoln

The remains and

103rd

and

1st,

2nd, 4th

Militia.

lately

found are those of men of the 89th

regiments,

numerals very

Militia,

the

buttons

still

retaining

the

distinctly.

Mr. John Orchard, magistrate of Drummondville and secretary of the Lundy's

Lane

Historical Society, has

the custody of the relics found with the bones, the most interesting being a portion of an officer's tunic, consist-

ing of the lower portion of the back and the tail,"

which was the regulation pattern

army

at that period.

The

cloth

is

swallow-

in the British

wonderfully well preserved, considering

the time, seventy-seven

years, that

earth, without so

much

The

become a tan

lace,

"

scarlet has

while discoloured,

it

has been in the

as the protection of a pine box.

is

but

colour,

little

and the bullion

corroded, and here

lundy's lane. and there the gold threads glisten

157

new light, as summer night.

the

in

they did on that fiery July day and lurid

Now

the losses of the 89th, to which regiment this

tunic belonged, and which suffered the most severely of

the troops engaged that day, were

all

N.C.O. and

men

killed

;

Two

:

11 officers, 177

officers,

27

N.C.O. and men

wounded, and 37 N.C.O. and men missing and as the two officers killed were Capt. Spooner and Lieutenant ;

Lathom, one of the skeletons found must be that of one of them.

The

89th, under Col. Morrison, were

the heroes of

Chrysler's farm, which put an end, the year before, to the

formidable invasion of Lower Canada

York on

at

the 21st of July, with

they had arrived

;

Sir

Gordon Drum-

mond, from Kingston, and immediately embarked

in

schooners for Niagara.

The on

this

103rd were, like the 41st, a

"boy regiment," and

account were not permitted during the previous

year to serve

They were

in

the

field,

but kept on garrison

part of Scott's brigade that

march of nearly twenty miles

made

duty.

that famous

(part of the distance having

been doubled on account of countermanding orders) from St.

Catharines, then

known

as "

The Twelve," on

the

afternoon of the 25th, and cheerfully engaged the stub-

born It

enemy was

at 9 o'clock.

at such

church, though in

an "evening service" held, not its

in

the

very yard, and to which they were

—

APPENDIX

158

summoned

not by the vesper

V.

bell,

but by the booming

of cannon and the murderous rattle of musketry, that

the lads of the 103rd received their "baptism" of

From Brock's

fire.

the elevation of the country the stately shaft of

monument

is

plainly discernible, towering above

the woods that fringe the northern horizon, while close

on the crest of

at hand,

this classic slope, are the less

pretentious, but no less sacred, memorials of as faithful soldiers

and the graves of as noble

Here are a few of the

dust.

inscriptions

Sacred to the

Memory

:

of

Lieut-Col. th« Hon. Cecil Bishop. 1st

Foot Guards, and Inspecting Field Officer

in

Upper Canada. Eldest and only surviving son of Sir Cecil Bishop, Bart.

:

Baron de

la

Zouche

in

England. After having served with distinction in the British land, Spain in

and Portugal, he died on the 16th

consequence of wounds received

in action with

Black Rock the 13th of the same month, family and friends, and

This tomb, erected

much

dilapidated,

is

is

the

to the great

Hol-

enemy

30, at

grief of his

at the

time by his brother

officers,

becoming

now, 1846, renewed by his affectionate

man and

in

aged

buried here.

the Baroness de la Zouche

of an excellent

army

July, 1813,

and the Hon. Mrs. Pechell,

beloved brother.

in

sisters,

memorial

lundy's lane.

159

To the Memory of Gordon and Capt. Torrens,

Lieut-Col.

of the Royals,

Campaign

Killed at Fort Erie during the

of 1814.

Erected by Major Barry Fox,

late of said

Regiment, their Friend and Companion.

June

Sacred

185

20,

1.

Memory

to the

of

Robert Dossie Patterson. Captain

1st

Who,

Regiment of

in the 6th

after Serving

the

Duke

Infantry,

Royal

Warwickshire.

under Sir John Moore and

of Wellington Throughout the

Peninsular War,

fell

before Fort

Erie at the age of 26.

September

17,

1814.

to the Memory of William Hemphill,

Sacred

Lieut.

of the Royals,

Who

fell

Lundy's Lane on the

at the Battle of

25th July,

18 14.

This Stone was Placed by his son, Lieut-Col. Hemphill, of the 26th Cameronians, July 17,

1854.

Here Rests

Laura Beloved Wife

of

James Secord, died October

1868, aged 93 years.

17,

—

APPENDIX

160

There

another grave that

is

mentioned

here.

It is

Here

marked lies

may

F.

with propriety be

:

body

the

Abraham

V.

of

Hull,

Captain in the 9th Regiment U.S. Infantry, Fell

Near This Spot

Who

in the

Battle of Bridgewater, July 25th, 1814.

Aged This young the

1

officer

was a son of General Hull, who on

6th of August, 181 2, surrendered Detroit with a

garrison of 2,500 eral

men and

Brock without

"Those

fields

33 pieces of artillery, to Gen-

firing a single gun.

This country churchyard

The

28 years.

is

indeed holy ground, and

are sacred, and that sward shall be Canadians' boast,

spot where valor's few hurled back the dark invader's host.

The tale shall live while grow the trees, while rippling water runs, Of Fame's bright birth to Canada from the life-blood of her sons."

William H. Holmes. Toronto, 7th September, 1891.

—From

Toronto " Empire " oj 8th September , i8gi.

APPENDIX

VI.

GENERAL SMYTH'S DEDICATION. Dedication of " Precis of The I Vars in Canada from 1755 to the Treaty of Ghent in 1814" by Maj.-Gen. Sir fames Carmichael

Smyth, Bart., C.B., K.M.T., K.S.

IV.

To His Grace

The Duke of Wellington, Master General of His Majesty's Ordnance, K.G., G.C.B.

&

&c, &c,

My

Lord,

the best of

— In my

my

G.C.H.

&c.

anxious endeavours to execute to the important commission in

abilities

His Majesty's North American Provinces, which your

Grace was pleased, of entrusting to

very

my

part

interesting

year, to

last

care,

do me the high honour

became a very necessary and

it

my

of

duty

to

make

myself

acquainted with the details of the several campaigns,

and the objects of the

different

formerly taken place, both the Canadas.

in

movements which had

attacking and defending

1 he following pages are the result of

my

reading and reflections upon the subject, aided by the local information I

I

venture, with

acquired the

in visiting

utmost deference, to lay them

before your Grace. 11

the country.

161

1

APPENDIX

62

The

VI.

events of these wars afford, in

demonstration

as

as

clear

that of

my

opinion, a

any proposition

in

Euclid, of the impossibility (under Divine Providence)

of these Provinces ever being wrested from under His

Majesty's authority by the government of the United

we

States, provided

avail ourselves of the military pre-

cautions in our power to adopt, by establishing those

and

communications posterity will

those

occupying

one day learn with,

if

points,

which

possible, increased

respect for your Grace's great name, were principally

suggested by your Grace. It will

that

ever be to

me

a subject of proud recollection

should have been selected

I

contribute

my

by your Grace

to

humble efforts towards the completion of

a plan, the outlines of which had been already traced by

your Grace's own hand. I

have the honour to

My

be,

Lord,

with the utmost respect,

Your Grace's most obedient, most obliged, and most

faithful

humble

servant,

James Carmichael Smyth. Nutwood,

Reigate,

15th August, 1826.

APPENDIX

VII.

HALIFAX HERALD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY

15,

1897.

United States History. It

has frequently been pointed out that histories of

the United States, written in

have been designed mainly

up United States youth

that country, appear to

for the

purpose of training

to hate the

Mother Country,

from which the founders of that great republic not only took their lineage, but also received their language, their

and the most valuable features of

laws,

institutions.

terrible

To

fictitious

accomplish

most undesirable end,

this

stories of cruel

have been written up against the

their political

and wanton atrocity

British,

an ever present part of the smaller

and these form

histories, to fire the

generous blood of youth, and of the larger histories, such as Bancroft's, to confirm the settled animosity of maturer years. will

But

it is

pleasing to be able to note that this

towards the British, thus engendered

States by false history,

is

United

matter for regret of some, and

we would hope of many, leading men States at

in the

ill-

in

the present day, and that there

the United is

in

that

country some evidence of a desire to re-write those portions of their history relating

regard to the truth.

t<>

the British, with due

—

APPENDIX

164

The

alleg?d burning of Norfolk, Virginia, in January,

by the

1776,

VII.

British

under Dunmore, the Royal Gover-

nor of Virginia, was one of the British "atrocities" which has long done duty in United States history

But

just indicated.

it

will

in

be seen from the

the

way

letter of

William Henry Sargeant, keeper of the Norfolk Library, reprinted

in

February 8th

and the

this

inst.,

British

New York

from the

issue

that

it

was

not

who burnt Norfolk

at

all,

Post of

Dunmore

Lord

but that the

destruction of that town of 6,000 inhabitants in mid-

winter

is

chargeable to the Continentals themselves, that

the whole subject was investigated by the Legislature of

Virginia in 1777, and a report

made

to that effect,

and

it

also appears that not only did the Virginia soldiers set fire

to the

main part of the town, but they could have

extinguished the flames of

Lord Dunmore,

Why is

if

in

the few houses fired

they had had a mind to

known.

attack upon

These houses were made a base

Lord Dunmore's men landing

supplies for the starving refugees on the ships. is

so.

Lord Dunmore burnt the few houses he did

also well

who

by order

do

to

obtain

Leasing,

about as anti-British as any United States

bears truthful testimony on

writer,

this point, because appar-

ently the picture of British distress pleased him.

says

He

:

Distress soon prevailed in the ships its

for

keen fangs.

;

famine menaced them with

Parties sent on shore to procure provisions from

UNITED STATES HISTORY. the neighbouring country were cut

165

or greatly annoyed by the

off,

became

Virginians, and supplies for the multitude of mouths

more

precarious.

the houses, and

The

ships were galled

their position

became

by a desultory

came

Dunmore.

By

gave boldness to Governor

into the

harbour and

the captain

him

to cease firing

on the ships and supply the

otherwise he

should

answered by a

flat

refusal,

the

of the

Howe, command-

visions,

bombard

from

this juncture

Liverpool, he immediately sent a flag to Colonel ing

daily

At

intolerable.

the Liverpool frigate from Great Britain

fire

fleet

with pro-

The

town.

and the governor prepared

patriot

to execute

his barbarous threat.

He

never carried out any barbarous threat, unless

burnine a few houses that were made an enemy's

fort to

prevent his getting supplies for the starving people of could be called barbarous.

the

fleet,

left

for the

The

barbarity was

Continentals and their convention, as Mr.

Sargeant very conclusively shows.

( Reprinted from

New

York Evening Post of Feb.

The Burning of Norfolk To

the Editor of the

Sir,

day,

if

—

If

we

we

i8gy.)

in 1776.

Evening Post :

are to believe the school histories of the

are to believe Bancroft and Fiske, the British

under Lord Dunmore, early

in

the Revolutionary war,

burned the City of Norfolk to the ground matter of

8,

fact,

;

and

yet, as a

the destruction of that prosperous town

was accomplished by the Continental forces themselves, and partly by the direct orders of the convention State of Virginia.

of the

APPENDIX

l66

VII.

Bancroft, in his eighth volume, describes in his most

graphic manner the destruction of the

and concludes

city,

by saying that the American commanders, Woodford,

and

flames,

hardly

certainly

argues

made every that

troops

effort

arrest

the

would

without tents

midwinter have burned down the houses that

in

were their only

shelter.

He

goes on to say that

Washington learned the

fate of the rich

own

he called

'

to

Howe and

country,'

so

for

When

emporium of his

Virginia,

heaved with waves of anger and grief;

"

'

I

breast

his

hope,' he said,

'this and the threatened devastation of other places will

unite the whole country in one indissoluble band against

a nation that seems

lost to

Fiske treats of the incident

virtue,' " etc.

every sense of briefly,

tions the fact that the Continentals

and

in

no wise men-

had any part or por-

tion in the destruction of the town, but assumes that the

whole conflagration was the

result of the British

bom-

bardment.

Though

it

does not seem to be generally known, the

whole question of the destruction of Norfolk was gated

in

the General Assembly. 10,

1777,

and

I

discussion

in

the

Their report was made October

suppose

Auditor's Department.

is

still

At any

on

rate,

it

House of Delegates

the

is

accompanied by a schedule of

file

in

the

was a matter of in 1835-36,

was published with the proceedings of that report

investi-

the year 1777 by Commissioners appointed by

all

year.

and This

the property

UNITED STATES HISTORY. destroyed

— time

the depositions that, out of

1

when, by whom, and value establishing

the

facts.

It

— and

67

by

establishes

one thousand three hundred and thirty-three

houses burned, only fifty-four were destroyed by Lord

Dunmore, and state that he

that on January

when the

historians

burned the whole town, he burned only

nineteen houses

November

1,

— thirty-two having been burned by him and three January

1775,

30,

establishes that eight

21,

1776.

It

hundred and sixty-three houses

were burned by the troops of the state before January

and that four hundred and sixteen houses were

15, 1776,

destroyed by order of the convention

goes on to say

Upon an

in

February.

It

:

inspection of the schedule and the depositions which

have been taken,

it

appear that very few of the houses were des-

will

troyed by the enemy, either from their cannonade or by the parties

they landed on the wharves so feeble that

which they did of that

we

;

set fire to

kind prevailed

efforts of these latter

were

might have been saved had a disposition

among

have had no such intentions fire to

indeed the

are induced to believe that most of the houses

;

the soldiery,

but they

appear

on the contrary, they wantonly

to set

the greater part of the houses within the town where the

enemy never attempted

to approach,

and where

it

would have been

impossible for them to have penetrated. I

find this corroborated

ginia Gazette,

by an extract from the Vir-

published on

board the ship Dunmore,

lying off Norfolk, dated January 15, 1776, which

found

in

American

archives, 4th series (vol.

iv.,

is

page

to

be

542).

APPENDIX

168

As

VII.

the wind was moderate, and from the shore

it

was judged with

certainty that the destruction would end with that part of the town

next the water, which the King's ships meant only should be fired

;

but the rebels cruelly and unnecessarily completed the destruction of the whole town by setting

the houses in the streets back,

fire to

which were before safe from the flames.

The only explanation

that

I

have seen of the action of

the state troops in this matter

Roche.

It

is

worthy of

was that they had burned the

order that they

S*ir

zvJiole

Boyle

town

might be better able to defend the

remainder.

Wm. Henry Sargeant. Public Library, Norfolk, Va. t

January

in

23, 1897.

APPENDIX COMRADES

VIII.

IN ARMS.

Loval Canada shows the way Colonies, and the Dominion

a

little

experiment

in

to

the

all

British

be the scene of

will shortly

military organization which

may

well lead to developments of exceedingly great import-

Next month a company of the

ance to the Empire.

Royal Regiment of Canadian Infantry

stationed

Nova

Halifax,

at

exchange

of the Berkshire Regiment,

company

duties with a

will

Scotia,

months the Canadian detachment

and

will

now

several

for

share

the

in

Should the

duties and discipline of the English army.

experiment prove successful, other companies of the

Canadian regular force

will

in

turn be associated with

British regiments for similar periods, and

not to

Tommy

make our Canadian

man"

class fighting

—

well, there

is

if

the result "

Atkins

no force

in

a

is

first-

comrade-

ship, in discipline, or in the spirit of hearty emulation.

The Canadian well

trained

regulars are already a fine

and

excellently

hardly be doubted that they

management

body of men,

equipped. will

But

it

can

improve under the

of English officers, and with the stimulus

of friendly rivalry to urge them sponsible for the scheme

—

it

on.

The

officials

re-

was suggested by Canadian

169

APPENDIX

I70 officers

VIII.

and recommended to the Imperial Government

by General Montgomery Moore that

its

development

will

— are

careful to specify

be conditional on the success

of the experiment to be tried next month, but the plan is

and so human that

so simple, so logical,

fail

can hardly

of success.

Need we say

that the advantages of the plan will not

end with the putting of a

matter.

The

extra polish on the

little

That

of the Canadian soldier?

feel

it

great point

is

drill

small

relatively a

is

that our colonial troops will

themselves veritably comrades

arms with English

in

regiments, and in a double sense soldiers of the Queen.

The

still

greater point

of every colony will

that the loyalty of Canada, and

is

which the experiment

in

be braced and stimulated as

shall

be

tried,

has never been

it

before.

There

friend of

any one of these sturdy colonial lads who

not

feel their

is

mother or a sweetheart or a

not a

thing to be glad and proud

England's honour.

of,

something to draw them

and make them more jealous of

closer to England's flag

We

shall

want our

of the colonies one of these days.

converted

to

peace,

remains to be fought. too surely

will

comradeship with England's soldiers some-

come we

soldiers of the

and the In the

shall

fighting cousins

The world

final

day of danger that

not yet

will all

be right glad to know that the

Empire are the comrades and

the soldiers of England.

is

war of the world

That way

lies

our

friends of

hope— it

COMRADES IN ARMS.

may ning

be, ;

our salvation.

it is

for

England

there

on,

until

flag

which lacks

defend

is

its

1

Canada makes a good to see that the

never a colony

complement of

I

begin-

good work goes

under the

British

British soldiers to

it.

—From the London {England) Daily Mail

THE END.

7

0/

March

2j, i8gy.

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