the
hottest of the battle he presented himself, encouraging his men, both by
example and precept. But at the very moment when victory was declaring
in favour of the British arms, some ammunition which had been placed
under the platform ignited, and a dreadful explosion was the result, by
which the greater part of the British forces, which had entered the
fort, were literally blown into the air.[222] All exertions of the few
British troops who survived the explosion were found ineffectual to
maintain their ground, in the panic of the moment, against such an
unequal force as the enemy was enabled to bring up against them, and the
British forces were compelled to retire.

In this assault the loss of the British was severe. Colonels Scott and
Drummond fell, while storming the works, at the head of their respective
columns. General Drummond reported the killed, wounded, and missing,
officers and men, as 904. The missing were reported at nine officers and
530 men--afterwards ascertained to have been principally killed. The
American statement of their own loss made it 84 in killed, wounded, and
missing.

A day or two after this assault, General Drummond was reinforced by the
arrival of the 6th and 82nd Regiments from Lower Canada; but this
reinforcement was barely sufficient to supply recent losses. He deemed
it unadvisable to attempt a second storming of the fort against a force
twice as numerous as his own; but by continuing the investment, he cut
off all communication of the enemy with the surrounding country, cooped
him up in the fort, compelled him to draw his provisions and other
resources from his own country, and thus rendered his occupation of that
fort for the remainder of the campaign of no service to the invaders.

At about the expiration of a month, General Brown, having recovered of
his wounds, again resumed command of the army on the Niagara frontier,
and brought with him a strong reinforcement, resolving to attempt the
destruction of the British batteries in front of Fort Erie. Pursuant to
this determination, General Brown, on the 17th of September, at about
noon, ordered a sortie of the whole American force, including both
regulars and militia, in three divisions, under Generals Porter, Miller,
and Ripley; and before the ready and reserved columns of the British
could be brought from the camp (about a mile in the rear), the enemy had
succeeded in penetrating the batteries, destroying the works with one
maga