Elsie's Journey on Inland Waters

ht. It was a question from his daughter Elsie tha

ready to fire at the Americans when Colonel Miller and

. They began to think he was either a traitor or an imbecile, and by no means fit to have the command. They consulted together, and concluded that salvation for the little army could be secured only by depriving him of

Cass acted promptly upon that suggestion, writing to the governor a very strong and urgent appeal for help to be forwarded with all haste; telling him that the army was in a very critical situation 'from causes not

new circumstances have arisen. The British force is opposite, and our situation had nearly reached its crisis. Believe all the bearer will tell you. Believe it, however it may astonish you

say what he meant,

s of the wrong person. It was signed by Cass, Finley, M'Arthu

on the Canadian side,

diately took possession and planted a battery so as to command Detroit. The American artillery begged leave from Hull to open upon them from th

looked as if he was in league with his cou

War or General Dearborn, who failed to inform him of the armistice, which would have enabled him to wait for the arrival of needed provisions and reinforcements. And he was too honest himself to suspect the deceptions the British practised upon him-dressing ra

Brush with the soldiers and p

enough detachment to escort him, and that he might either stay where he was till further orders, or take a roundabout course to avoid the enemy. But after the me

ry, and were just preparing to bivouac for the night-for the evening twilight was fading away-when a courier came with an

st. 'The force at my disposal,' he said, 'authorizes me to require of you the surrender of Detroit. It is far from my inclination to join in a war of exterminati

t any more ado?" said Lucilla, in a

eing ignorant of the armistice and not knowing when succor would arrive, having only a thousand men in fighting condition, his force wasting with disease, disappointment, and death, it seemed to

the flag waiting two hours; but at last he said to Brock's messengers that he had no other reply to

Canadian shore the bearers were startled by a loud huzza from the American fort and camp. Our brave soldiers believed and rejoiced in the thought tha

arlotte, had taken such a position that she could cover the landing of the enemy there with her guns. He thought a battery might be used to drive her

. By the way, it is said that Snelling was to have been married that evening to a daughter of Colonel Thomas Hunt, and that when about to leave the fort for Spring

Montreal, being ordered by a British officer to take off his cap to Nelson's monument, he refused and kept it on in spite of t

" said Walter. "He was a far better

Jesup asked for 150 men to go over and spike the enemy's guns opposite Detroit. Hull said he could not spare so many. 'Give me one hundred, then,' entreated Jesup. 'Only one hundred,' added Snelling imploringly. Hull only replied that he would consider it, and then took refuge in the fort; for at four o'clock the

ered reading of some interesting occurrences given by Lossing

coming down through the roof and upper floor, fell upon the table around which the family were sitting, then th

rrow escape for the

andma," begged Neddie, and Gr

ramparts during the cannonade, and when he saw the smoke or flash of the enemy's cannon he woul

cut it down. He made haste to obey, seizing an axe and falling vigorously to work; but when he had cut about halfway through the trunk one of the enemy's balls s

that fired it named Joh

you know?" said his sister Elsie. "And we

r, with a smile, "and though not a very euphon

I," s

ed Ned sturdily. "Men and boys can be

't a pretty name; but John Bull's worse. Grandm

shot striking thick and fast around the fort, a negro was seen on its roof. He stood near a chimney, watching the firing of the British on the

with brick and mortar. He jumped aside, shaking himself free, as well as he might, from the dust and

swearing word, gra

red. "I should be sorry indeed to h

relations, and I don't mean ever, ever to say them," sa

returned the captain gravely, laying a

ded little Elsie, and her father r

mand the river, a strong battery should be placed near the margin of the river and used in destroying the foe when they attempted to land. A suitable place for the purpose was chosen, but Hull utter

and taken position in the woods to attack the Americans in flank and rear should they attempt to

their left flank covered by the Indians, a mile and a half distant in the woo

ed behind the town palisades, to annoy the enemy's whole left flank. The rest of the militia were stationed in the upper part o

tructive onslaught-for wives, children, and feeble aged ones were in danger of becoming victims to their inhuman thirst for blood and plunder, and that f

the Canadian shore. A ball came bounding over the wall of the fort and struck a group standing before one of the officer's quarters, killing two

ull's daughter and her children. Some of the women were bespattered with the blood of the slain,

l from a distance, and did not know wh

nty-four pounders outside; also to inform Hull that the Indians were at the tan-yard, close upon the town. Hull did not answer his queries, but stepped into a room in the barracks, hastily wrote

oth. By order of General Hull it was waved from one of

the fort with a flag of truce. At the same time a boat was despatched acro

tions, but the sight of the white flag upon the walls awakened painful suspicions, and presently the arriva

s unexpected and unwelcome to the brave, patriotic men under him as a thunderbolt out of a clear sky. So angry and indignant were they that for a moment nothing but reverence for gray hairs and veneratio

ops, stating that with pain and anxiety he announced to the Northwest Army that a sense

cannon, reaching there thoroughly exhausted with marching and hunger-for Hull had sent them off without provisions and failed to keep his promise to send some after them; so that for forty-eight hours they had nothing to eat but some green pumpkins and potatoes they had found in the fields. As they went and came they had been observing the enemy, taking note of his numbers and movements, and concluded t

ore these patriots heard the almost unbearable tidings that Hull

imself, 'By the within letter you will see that the army under General Hull has been surrendered. By the articles

an and Wyandot Indian, arrived at Brush's camp on the Raisin, bearing a flag of truce, a cop

inement. On reading M'Arthur's letter, however, he learned his mistake; but instead of releasing Elliott at once and complying with Hull's order, he hastily packed up the public property at the Raisin, and with h

at way too, papa?"

lashed with indignation, then filled with tears of mortification; he thrust his sword into the ground and broke it to pieces, then tore his epaulets from his shoulders. But havi

n for M'Arthur, and all of the

up in jail, pa

plied her father. "Those belonging to Michigan were discharged right there, the Ohioans sent in a vessel to Cleveland, an

e whole country, and being tried for cowardice, condemned to be shot, and all the rest of it, I should

men in the fort from falling into the hands of the bloodthirsty, tomahawking, scalping savages. Had he known of the armistice and that provisions and ammunition

el sorry for hi

ed a reputation dearer to me than life, but I have saved the inhabitants of Detroit, and my heart approves the act.' In his despatch to the Secretary of War he generously said, 'I well know the responsibility of the measure, and take the whole of it on myself.' And after alluding

was shameful, shameful that all the blame was put upon him when Dear

his countrymen would some day understand and do him justice. I have read that on his deathbed he was asked whether he still b

t a great sacrifice of himself; so I think he was a noble, generous man, worthy of all honor, and I am

ean fellows who put all the blame on him when they

h keep possession of Det

on Lake Erie restored

victory!" exclaimed Lu

s felt a patriotic pride in the achievements of Perry, McDonough, and Isaac Hull. The first two were earnest