for the
darkness of night, under cover of which, a sudden attack was made so
successfully, that he made prisoners of two generals and a hundred and
fifty men, besides capturing four guns. It was now the enemy's turn to
retreat, and they did so in admirable confusion. Arrived at Fort George
a halt took place, but a fortnight elapsed before General Dearborn had
sufficiently recovered from the effect of this surprise to send out an
expedition of six hundred men to dislodge a British picquet, posted at
Beaver's Dam, near Queenstown. The dislodgement was most indifferently
effected, inasmuch as the expedition was waylaid on their passage
through the woods, by Captain Kerr, with a few Indians, and by
Lieutenant Fitzgibbons, at the head of forty-six of the 49th regiment,
in all, less than two hundred men, but so judiciously disposed as to
make the Americans believe that they were the light troops of a very
superior army, the approach of which was expected, and they, to the
number of five hundred, surrendered, with two guns and two standards.

It now became the turn of the British to invade, and early in July,
Colonel Bishop set out on an expedition to Black Rock, at the head of a
party of militia, aided by detachments of the 8th, 41st, and 49th
regiments of the line. He was perfectly successful. The enemies'
block-houses, stores, barracks, and dockyard were burned, and seven
pieces of ordnance, two hundred stand of arms, and a great quantity of
stores were brought away. But it was at great cost. While employed in
securing the stores, the British were fired upon, from the woods, by
some American militia and Indians, and while Captain Saunders, of the
41st, dropped, severely wounded, Colonel Bishop, who had planned, and
so gallantly executed the assault, was killed.

While these things were happening in the Far-Civilised-West of that
day, the British flotilla on Lake Champlain, had captured two American
schooners, the _Growler_ and _Eagle_, of eleven guns each, off
Isle-aux-Noix.

After it had become apparent that the Americans had the command of Lake
Ontario, and could visit to burn and destroy every village or
unfortified town, held by the British, some slight and very inadequate
exertion was made to remedy so distressing a state of affairs. In May,
Sir James L. Yeo, with several other naval officers and 450 seamen
arrived at Quebec, _en route_ for the lakes. Captains Barclay, Pring,
and Finnis, had been some time at Kings