t. Regis. Your
excellency doubtless recollects the armistice which immediately preceded
the capture of Detroit, which gave the enemy an opportunity to recover
from their consternation, to fortify and strengthen their lines, to
accumulate in security the means of annoying us at pleasure along our
whole frontier, and which sent at least 800 of our Indian allies in
disgust to their own homes."

_Colonel Baynes to Major-General Brock._

MONTREAL, August 13, 1812.[89]

I wrote to you from Albany on the 8th instant, but as my
letter was submitted to the inspection of General Dearborn, I
of course confined myself to the sole subject of the armistice
entered into with that officer.... A clause, admitting
reinforcements to pass with stores, was readily agreed to on
my part. General Dearborn told me that a considerable
reinforcement with stores was on its way to Niagara, and that
he could not delay or alter its destination. I informed him
that we were also forwarding reinforcements and stores, and
that it would be advisable to agree that all movements of that
nature on either side should be suffered to proceed
unmolestedly by troops under instructions to preserve
defensive measures. I am apprehensive that General Dearborn
may not explicitly explain all these points; and I have
therefore cautioned all the officers, to whom I have
communicated them, to act with the utmost caution, and to be
prepared for all events that may arise. I feel extremely
prepossessed in favor of General Dearborn, whose manners
appear to evince great candour and sincerity: he assured me
that no event of his life would afford him so much
satisfaction and happiness as resigning his command in
consequence of our honorable adjustment of differences. He
told me that General Hull was placed under his orders merely
for form sake, but that he acted by particular instructions
from the war department, and would not consider himself bound
to obey any order that was not in conformity to them.

[Colonel Baynes describes at length the incipient state of
military preparation for the invasion of Lower Canada, which
he witnessed on his journey; and after mentioning that the
Americans had sent the most efficient of their forces to the
Niagara frontier, he adds:]

Under all these circumstances, which I have represented to
Sir Georg