1814. finished works of the Americans, and consumed five Sept. days in erecting batteries, and throwing up breastworks, for the protection of his approaches. Of this interval the american general did not fail to avail himself; and kept his troops constantly employed in finishing his line of redoubts."* The reader need scarcely to be reminded, that this is the same Plattsburg, at which colonel Murray, with 1000 troops, landed; the river on which it stands, the same Saranac, up which the colonel ascended, three miles, to burn the enemy's barracks; and that those barracks were burnt, while an american regular army, more than twice as strong as general Macomb's, lay encamped in the neighbourhood.+ British squa from Isle aux Noirs. Sir George Prevost knew perfectly well, that dron the Confiance, although afloat and with captain moves Downie's pendant flying on board of her, had scarcely men enough to get the rigging over her mast-heads, and that the shipwrights were still at work upon her hull; but he, notwithstanding, urged captain Downie, both by letter and through the officers of his staff, to cooperate with the army. At length came an insinuation, that "the commander in chief hoped captain Downie allowed himself to be delayed by nothing but the state of the wind." The effect of this upon a spirit like that of the gallant first lieutenant of the Seahorse in July, 1808, may be partly conceived. On the 8th the wind proved fair; and immediately the Confiance and her consorts moved from Isle-aux-Noirs into Lake Champlain, and anchored abreast of the main body of the british army, to wait until the whole of her crew had arrived from Quebec, and until the carpenters had fitted the ring-bolts for her guns, and the joiners completed the magazine for the reception of the powder, without which those guns could be of no use. On the 9th captain Downie received a draught of marines, numbering, with a few artillerymen and + See p. 367. Sketches of the War, p. 319. See vol. v. p. 88. Confi soldiers, 86 men; and, in the course of that and the 1814. following day, the whole of the petty officers and Sept. seamen intended for the ship came on board; form- State ing a total of 270 officers, seamen, marines, and of the boys. The seamen, among whom were 19 foreign- ance's ers, were men of inferior quality and bad character; crew. who, as the term is, had "volunteered" from their respective ships, or, in plain words, had been dismissed from them in disgrace. Some, indeed, had been liberated from irons, for the very purpose of manning captain Downie's ship. Ten ships of war at Quebec had furnished 118 of these "volunteers ;" and some transports had lent 25 of their men. The men of the Confiance, therefore, were all strangers to each other and to their officers; and captain Downie was acquainted with no officer on board his ship but his first lieutenant, and the latter with none of the other officers. George instant of the On the 10th, just as the last draught of the motley crew we have described was ascending the side of the Confiance, while the loud clank of the builder's hammer was still sounding in all parts of the ship, while the guns were being breeched and pointed through the ports, and while the powder, Sir for the want of a place fitted for its reception, was calls lying in a boat alongside, an officer from sir George for the Prevost came to solicit the instant cooperation of coope. the british squadron. Relying upon the assurance ration now given by the commander in chief, that the army squashould attack the works of Plattsburg while the dron, squadron was attacking the american ships lying in promifront of them, captain Downie, in spite of the un- make a prepared state of the Confiance, consented to go simulinto action on the following morning. It was then agreed, that the Confiance, when rounding Cumber-attack land head, which forms the northernmost point of the Plattsburg bay, should scale her guns; and that, at army. that instant, the column of attack should advance to storm the american works. As it could not well be said, that the Confiance mounted any guns at all, and ses to tane ous with Guns mount the 1814. until they were placed upon her broadside, and as Sept. that had only just been done when the ship was thus on the eve of going into action with a greatly superior force, we have deferred until now giving any account of the Confiance's armament. The ship ed by mounted 26 long 24-pounders on the main deck, also two 32-pounder carronades through her bow, and two of the same through her stern ports. Upon the poop were mounted, en barbette, four 24-pounder carronades, and upon the topgallant forecastle, in the same ineffective manner, two 24-pounder carronades, and one long 24 on a traversing carriage; making a total of 37 guns. Confi ance. Capt. ameri can dron. On the 11th, at daylight, with the carpenters still sails to working at his ship, captain Downie made the signal attack to weigh. This was promptly complied with; and the Confiance, Linnet, Chubb, Finch, and 10 gunsqua- boats, made sail towards Plattsburg bay. At 7 A. M. the american squadron was seen at anchor, in line ahead, abreast of the encampment of general Macomb's army. The Eagle, flanked by five gunboats, was in the van; then the Saratoga; next to her the Ticonderoga; and lastly the Preble, also flanked by five gun-boats. It was captain Downie's intention to lay the Confiance athwart the hawse of the Saratoga; that the Linnet, supported by the Chubb, should engage the Eagle, and the Finch, with the gun-boats, the Ticonderoga and Preble. While the squadron was lying to, that the commanding officer of each vessel might be informed of the plan of attack, commodore Downie caused it to be made known to the different crews, that the army would cooperate with them. This was necessary, to inspire the men with confidence, in attacking a force so evidently superior. Lieutenant John Robertson, first of the Confiance, went to her crew while at their quarters, and explained particularly to the men the nature of the cooperation, as he had understood it from captain Downie. At 7 h. 40 m. A. M. the british squadron filled and scales as by certed move can made sail in order of battle; and the moment the 1814. Confiance, the leading ship, arrived abreast of Cum- Sept. berland head, she scaled her guns as had been agreed Confi upon; but the signal was not answered from the ance army. Sir George Prevost did, however, direct a her signal to be made it was for the army "to cook," guns instead of to fight; to give the men their break- preconfasts, instead of to deprive the enemy of the oppor- signal, tunity of taking his. To the honour of the soldiers, but the and the officers in general, they all panted to rush makes forward; but, in truth, a third part of the troops no would have done all that was required, and, in two ment. hours from the time the Confiance scaled her guns, would have given a victory to both army and navy, instead of a flight to one, and a defeat to the other. Captain Downie now discovered, too late, the mistake into which his confidence had led him. The Confiance was already in the enemy's bay, and almost within gun-shot of his squadron. At 8 A. M., Amerifavoured by a very light air, amounting almost to a calm, the american row-gallies and gun-boats boats commenced upon the Confiance a heavy and galling Confifire. Having by this means had two anchors ance, shot from her bows, the Confiance, at 8 h. 10 m., action was obliged to anchor within 400 yards upon the combeam, instead of, as had been intended, close athwart the bows, of the Saratoga. The Linnet and Chubb soon afterwards took their allotted stations, something short of that distance; but the cutter presently had her main boom shot away, and, drifting within the enemy's line, was compelled to surrender. The Finch had the misfortune, while Finch ceeding to her station, to strike on a reef of rocks ground off Crabb island; where there was an american and battery of two guns, which fired at the Finch, and gunwounded two of her men, the only loss she sus- retreat, tained. All the gun-boats, except the Murray, Beresford, and another, abandoned the object assigned them; that is, ran away, almost as soon as the action commenced. Within 15 minutes after pro gun fire at and mences gets a british boats 1814. the commencement of the action, fell the british Sept. commanding officer, the brave, the lamented captain Death Downie. The way in which he met his death, is of of capt too extraordinary a nature to be passed over. Downie Confi ance, to bring side to obliged to sur A shot from the Saratoga struck one of the Confiance's 24-pounders, and threw it completely off the car riage against captain Downie, who was standing close in the rear of it. He received the blow upon his right groin, and, although signs of life remained for a few minutes, never spoke afterwards. No part of his skin was broken: a black mark, about the circumference of a small plate, was the only visible injury. His watch was found flattened, with the hands pointing to the hour, minute, and second, at which the fatal blow had been given. At length, the greater part of the Confiance's guns failing on the larboard side having been disabled, lieutenant Robertson, now the commanding officer, a fresh made an effort to wind the ship round, to bring her broad- starboard broadside to bear; but, owing to the loss bear, is of her two anchors and the shameful flight of the gun-boats, this object could not be effected. Having render, nearly the whole of her guns on the engaged side in a similar state to those of the Confiance, the Saratoga let go a stern anchor, cut her bower cable, and, with great ease, winded herself round, so as to bring her larboard broadside to bear upon her antagonist, now lying in a defenceless state; and who, at 10 h. 30 m., after receiving several raking broadsides, hauled down her colours: thus affording the extraordinary instance, of a ship being launched, fitted, fought, and captured, within the short space of 16 days. Sur- A few minutes before the Confiance surrendered, render unable to withstand the heavy and well-directed Linnet, fire of the Linnet, the Eagle cut her cable and took &c. up a fresh position between the Ticonderoga and f Preble. The attention of the american commodore was now directed to the Linnet; who, although greatly disabled, continued the action with spirit. At 10 b. 45 m. A. M., after having, for upwards of 10 minutes, |