covering was soon torn
away and the flames extinguished in the wood beneath. The storehouses at
Navy Hall were, however, next set in a blaze which could not be overcome
owing to their exposed situation, and they were totally destroyed. The
artillery combat was resumed, and continued till not only Fort Niagara,
but all the other batteries on that side of the river were absolutely
silenced and deserted. One of the largest guns in that fort had burst,
completely wrecking the platform, disabling several men and dismaying
the remainder to such an extent that they deserted the place in a body,
and could not be induced to return until the firing had ceased. For
several hours the works were entirely abandoned, and could have been
taken without the least resistance, had Evans been able to spare men for
the purpose.

On the next day, a cessation of hostilities was again agreed upon which
continued until the evening of the 20th of November. During this
interval the six battalion companies of the First Lincoln Regiment were
consolidated into three, under the command of Captains John Jones,
Martin McClellan, and George Ball, each containing about eighty rank and
file.

At six o'clock on the morning of the 21st November, the guns of Fort
George and five detached batteries began a second bombardment of the
American works chiefly with the object of diverting the attention of the
enemy to that part of the line, as general Smyth who had succeeded Van
Rensselaer was massing his troops in the vicinity of Buffalo, with the
apparent intention of forcing the passage of the river between Fort Erie
and Chippawa. The fire from the American batteries, which appear to have
been weakly manned, was ill-directed and occasionally ceased altogether
for long intervals, while flames could be seen rising from their works,
apparently caused by the explosion of shells. One of these missiles fell
within the north blockhouse in Fort Niagara, and dismounted the only gun
there. Another shot from a twenty-four pounder on the right of Fort
George dismounted a heavy gun near Youngstown, while a third silenced
the piece on the roof of the messhouse at Fort Niagara for nearly an
hour. One of the guns in that place also burst with disastrous results,
killing two men and disabling others. A large building under the walls
which covered the landing of troops was entirely destroyed. By five
o'clock in the afternoon Fort Niagara was absolutely silenced, and only
the You