from a
pursuing enemy cumbrous and useless baggage is abandoned, and bridges
and roads are destroyed and rendered as impassable as possible, in order
to impede the progress of the pursuers; but General Proctor encumbered
himself with a cumbrous load of baggage, and left the bridges and roads
in his rear entire, to the advantage of his pursuers. Whether this error
and neglect arose from contempt of the enemy, or from disobedience of
the commanding officer's orders, is not well understood; but the defeat
led to the harshest recrimination, and involved in unmerited disgrace
the division of the brave troops that had served with honour in the
Michigan territory; and General Proctor was subjected to a trial by
court-martial for his conduct in the whole affair--censured and deprived
of his pay for six months.

PART XII.

AMERICANS BURN MORAVIAN TOWN, BEFORE RETURNING TO DETROIT--FORM ALLIANCE
WITH INDIANS, WHICH THEY HAD EXCLAIMED SO MUCH AGAINST ON THE PART OF
THE BRITISH--ARE INTOXICATED WITH THEIR SUCCESSES IN THE
WEST--MAGNIFICENT CLOSE OF THE YEAR 1813, AS OF 1812, IN BEHALF OF
CANADIANS, BOTH IN UPPER AND LOWER CANADA--CANADIAN VICTORY OF
ISLE-AUX-NOIS--SPLENDID CANADIAN VICTORIES OF CHATEAUGUAY AND
CHRYSTLER'S FARM--AMERICAN ARMIES RETREAT INTO WINTER QUARTERS.

The American army returned to Detroit after the battle of Moravian Town;
but before doing so, they consigned the town to the flames, assigning as
a justification of the savage act against the unoffending Christian
Moravian Indians, a retaliation for what they called the massacre of
River Raisin.

During General Harrison's absence from Detroit, a few of the Indian
tribes tendered their services to General McArthur, to raise the hatchet
against the British, and their proffered services were readily
accepted--showing that, according to the American rule of judging, the
alliance of the Indians with the United States was quite right, while
with England it was all wrong and barbarous.

The success of the American arms on Lake Erie and its surrounding shores
so intoxicated and bewildered them, that, in their subsequent movements,
they calculated upon nothing but victory and conquest, made no allowance
for failure in any point. "Canada must now be ours" was their exulting
and arrogant language. But they had overlooked the fact that, however
gloomy the prospects of the Western Canadians were in October of the
year 1813, there were remaining elements of strength w