ch 2, 1839.

_____

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.

_Brigadier-General E. W. Ripley to Brigadier-General Gaines._

To
BRIGADIER-GENERAL GAINES. Fort Erie, August 17th, 1814.

Sir: I take the liberty of reporting you the cause of operations
on the left flank of the camp, during the action of the 15th
instant.

From indications satisfactory to me, I was persuaded very early
of the enemy's design of attacking us in our position. Before any
alarm, I caused my brigade to occupy their alarm posts. On the
first fire of the picket, Captain Towson opened his artillery
upon them from Fort Williams, in a style which does him infinite
credit. It was continued with very great effect upon the enemy
during the whole action.

The enemy advanced with fixed bayonets, and attempted to enter
our works between the fort and water. They brought ladders for
the purpose of scaling, and in order to prevent their troops from
resorting to any other course excepting the bayonet, had caused
all the flints to be taken from their muskets. The column that
approached in this direction consisted of Colonel Fischer's
command, and amounted in number to at least 1,500 men; and,
according to the representation of prisoners, they were 2,000
strong. The companies posted at the point of the works, which
they attempted to escalade, were Captain Ross's, Captain
Marston's, Lieutenant Bowman's, and Lieutenant Larned's, of the
21st regiment, not exceeding 250 men, under command of Major
Wood, of the engineer corps. On the enemy's approach they opened
their musketry upon them in a manner the most powerful. Fort
Williams and this little band, emitted one broad uninterrupted
sheet of light. The enemy were repulsed. They rallied, came on a
second time to the charge, and a party waded round our line by
the lake, and came in on the flank; but a reserve of two
companies, posted in the commencement of the action to support
this point, marched up and fired upon the party, who were all
killed or taken. Five times in this manner did the enemy advance
to the charge; five times were their columns beaten back in the
utmost confusion by a force one-sixth of their numbers; till (p. 221)
at length finding the contest unavailing, they retired. At
this point we mad