ew off his regulars and left the rest to capitulate within the town,
wherein considerable public stores were lost;"[122] and the Americans,
having secured their booty, re-embarked and sailed on the 2d of May for
Niagara. The inhabitants of York do not appear to have been satisfied
with the conduct of Major-General Sheaffe in this affair; and, although
it was not ascertained whether his removal was the result of the
displeasure of the Commander-in-chief, he was replaced early in July by
Major-General de Rottenburg, and on his arrival in the Lower Province he
assumed the command of the troops in the district of Montreal. A few
months after, the Baron de Rottenburg was in his turn succeeded by
Lieut.-General Gordon Drummond, who commanded in Upper Canada to the end
of the war.

We have alluded (page 278) to the discomfiture of Sir George Prevost
before Sackett's Harbour, that naval arsenal whose destruction
Major-General Brock was so unfortunately prevented from undertaking. The
governor-general having proceeded in May from Montreal to Kingston with
Sir James Yeo, who had just arrived from England to command the British
naval forces on the lakes--the squadron on Lake Ontario now consisting
of two ships, a brig, and two schooners--the public was on the tiptoe of
expectation for some decisive dash on the enemy's flotilla on that lake.
An attack upon Sackett's Harbour, in the absence of their fleet at
Niagara, was resolved upon, so as to destroy "the forts, the arsenals,
and the dock-yard, where the Americans had a frigate almost ready for
launching, and several other vessels; but when this wavering and
spiritless general reconnoitred the place, he would not venture an
attack, and returned across the water towards Kingston. Then he changed
his mind and went back to Sackett's Harbour; and (but not without more
wavering and loss of time) our troops, about 750 strong, were landed.
The Americans were presently driven at the bayonet's point into some
loop-holed barracks and forts; and so panic-stricken were they that they
immediately set fire to their new frigate, their naval barracks and
arsenal, and destroyed a gun-brig and all the stores which had so
recently been captured at York. While the arsenal was in flames, while
the Americans were flying through the village, and when the complete
success of the assailants was certain, Sir George Prevost sent a
precipitate order for retreat, merely because a momentary resistance was
offe