ans, who attacked him on the 5th of
October. Proctor fled early in the battle, but his regulars fought
bravely. The 1,500 Indians, under the lead of Tecumseh, displayed
unusual heroism, but, when the great Tecumseh fell, they fled in a
panic. The American victory was overwhelming and complete.

Tecumseh's irresistible eloquence had roused the Creeks to take the
warpath in the South. The danger became so imminent that 500 of the
inhabitants took refuge in a stockade known as Fort Mimms, Alabama,
thirty-five miles above Mobile. The sentinels, believing there was no
danger, were careless, and on August 21, 1813, nearly a thousand Creeks
attacked the place, which was surprised and captured after feeble
resistance. More than 200 were tomahawked, the negroes being spared to
become slaves of the Indians.

CAPTURE OF TORONTO (YORK).

In April of this year, General Dearborn crossed Lake Ontario from
Sackett's Harbor to Toronto (then known as York), which was the capital
of Upper Canada and the chief depot for the supply of the western
garrisons. Under a sharp fire, General Zebulon Pike drove the enemy from
the works. The explosion of a magazine in the fort caused the death of
General Pike in the moment of victory.

The operations left Sackett's Harbor almost unprotected, and led to an
attack by the British admiral, Sir James Yeo, and General Prevost. The
commander of the garrison appealed to General Jacob Brown, a militia
officer of the neighborhood, who hurriedly gathered a small force and
added it to the defenders. In the attack which followed Brown showed
great skill, and General Prevost, believing his retreat was about to be
cut off, fled in a panic, leaving 300 dead and wounded. In the
engagements in that section during the remainder of the year, General
Brown was about the only officer who displayed any military ability, his
skill eventually placing him at the head of the United States army.

The fighting that followed was mainly in favor of the British, who
recaptured York. Eight hundred Americans were made prisoners at Beaver
Dams, and, as the autumn approached, the enemy found themselves in
command of a powerful squadron.

INCOMPETENT COMMANDERS.

There was much dissatisfaction with General Dearborn, the head of the
army. He was in ill-health, never led his troops in person, and missed a
good opportunity of capturing Montreal. He was relieved in June and
succeeded by General Wilkinson, who arrived at Sackett