night, sent off his heavy baggage, and under cover of the darkness retreated with his whole army, towards Canada, leaving his wounded on the field and a vast quantity of bread, flour, and beef, which he had not time to destroy, besides a quantity of bomb-shells, shot, flints, and ammunition of all kinds, which remained at the batteries and lay concealed in the ponds and rivers. As soon as his retreat was discovered, the light troops, volunteers, and militia, were ordered in pursuit, and followed as far as Chazy, capturing several dragoons and soldiers, besides covering the escape of hundreds of deserters, who still continue to be coming in. A violent storm, and continued fall of rain, prevented the brave volunteers and militia from farther pursuit. Thus have the attempts of the invader been frustrated by 'a regular force of only fifteen hundred men; a brave and active body of militia of the State of New York, under General Mooers, and volunteers of the respectable and patriotic citizens of Vermont, led by General Strong, and other gentlemen of distinction; the whole not exceeding 2500 men. The British forces being now either expelled or captured, the services of the volunteers and militia may be dispensed with. (Signed) "ALEXANDER MACOMB." Sir George Prevost's Account. Extract of a dispatch from Lieut. General Sir George Prevost, Bart. dated Head-quarters, Plattsburg, State of New York, Sept. 11, 1814. Upon the arrival of the reinforcements from the Garonne, I lost no time in assembling three brigades on the frontier of Lower Canada, extending from the river Richelin to the St. Lawrence; and in forming them into a division. As the troops approached the line of separation between this province and the United States, the American army abandoned its intrenched camp on the river Chazy, at Champlain; a position I immediately seized, and occupied in force on the 3d inst. The following day the whole of the left division advanced to the village of Chazy, without meeting the least opposition from the enemy: On the 5th, it halted within eight miles of this place. The next day the division moved upon Plattsburg. Here I found the enemy in the occupation of an elevated ridge of land on the south branch of the Saranac, crowned with three strong redoubts and other field-works, and block houses armed with heavy ordnance, with their flotilla, consisting of the Saratoga, of 26 guns; Surprize, of 20 guns; Thunderer, of 16 guns; Preble, of 7 guns; ten gun-boats, of 14 guns, at anchor out of gunshot from the shore. I immediately communicated the circumstance to Captain Downie, who had been recently appointed to command the vessels on Lake Champlain, consisting of a ship, a brig, two sloops, and twelve gun-boats (the Confiance, of 36 guns; Linnet, of 18 guns; Broke, of 10 guns; Shannon, of 10 guns ; twelve gun-boats, of 16 guns); and requested his co-operation, and in the meantime batteries were constructed for guns brought from the rear. On the morning of the 11th, our flotilla was seen over the Isthmus which joins Cumberland Head with the main land, steering for Plattsburg Bay. I immediately ordered that part of the brigade under Major General Robinson, to force the ford of the Saranac, and to escalade the enemy's works upon the heights. The batteries opened their fire the instant the ships engaged. Scarcely had his Majesty's troops forced a passage across the Saranac, and ascended the height on which stand the enemy's works, when I had the extreme mortification to hear the shouts of victory from the enemy's works, in consequence of the British flag being lowered on board the Confiance and Linnet, and to see our gunboats seeking their safety in flight. This unlooked for event deprived me of the co-operation of the fleet, without which the farther prosecution of the service was become impracticable, I did not hesitate to arrest the course of the troops advancing to the attack, because the most complete success would have been unavailing, and the possession of the enemy's works offered no advantage to compensate for the loss we must have sustained in acquiring possession of them. I have ordered the batteries to be dismantled, the guns withdrawn, and the baggage, with the wounded men who can be removed, to be sent to the rear, in order that the troops may be sent to Chazy to-morrow, and on the following day to Champlain, where I purpose to halt until I have ascertained the use the enemy purpose making of the naval ascendancy they have acquired on Lake Champlain. I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed) GEORGE PRevost. This expedition served no other purpose than that of parading a numerous army to demonstrate the folly of invading the territory of the American Union. THE CHASE AND CAPTURE Of the Frigate PRESIDENT, by a BRITISH SQUADRON. Neither Naples, nor Constantinople, unites the various advantages of sea and river communication for which New York is distinguished. It is situated on an island in a capacious bay, formed by the conflux of two large rivers, the Hudson and the East River; and no view can be more picturesque than that of the adjacent islands, the shore of the Hudson, and the more extended one of Long Island, as it stretches towards the Sound.-Commodore Rodgers having been appointed to the Independence, a new 74 fitting for sea at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the command of the President frigate was given to Captain Decatur, with orders to proceed upon a cruize in the bay of Bengal; the Hornet and Peacock were to join him at Tristran d'Acunha, an island in the South Atlantic ocean, the place of rendezvous. As the President lay ready for sea, at Slaten Island, off New York, she was watched by the Majestic, Captain Hayes ; the Tenedos, Capt. Hyde Parker; the Endymion, Capt. Hope; and the Pomone, Captain Lumley; their usuaľ station was close in with Sandy Hook. On the 14th of January they were blown off from the coast in a severe snow storm, when Decatur, availing himself of a dark night and heavy gale, put to sea under close reefed topsails, with a merchant brig in company. Unfortunately, in going over the bar, the ship, by the unskilfulness of the pilot, struck and injured her sailing; and it blew too bard from the westward to think of beating back again into port. In the mean time, Commodore Hayes, suspecting Decatur would make a dash out to sea in the night, disposed his squadron with so great judgment, that at day break, Sandy Hook bearing W. N. W. 15 leagues, the President was discovered standing to the southward and eastward, not more than two miles distant on the weather-bow of the Majestic. A signal was immediately hove out for a general chase, and the English squadron crowded all sail after the President, steering free with the wind abaft the beam. The Endymion, by her superior sailing, shot ahead of her consorts, and engaged the President in a running fight for two hours and a half, when, having her courses, her main-top-sail, her jib, fore-top-mast-stay-sail, and spanker cut from the yards by the President's shot, the President got a-head; but, at eleven at night, was approached by the Pomone and Tenedos, and having received two broadsides from the Pomone, she shewed a light in her mizenrigging as a signal of surrender. The Tenedos had a raking position a-stern of the President; but Captain Parker withheld his fire, conscious that Decatur was at his mercy he sent his boat to take possession of the chase. Captain Decatur's Letter. H. B. M. ship Endymion, at Sea, The painful duty of detailing the particular causes which preceded and led to the capture of the late U. S. frigate President, by a squadron of H. B. M. ships, (as per margin,) has devolved upon me. In my communica |