Page:History of the Fenian raid on Fort Erie with an account of the Battle of Ridgeway.djvu/82

Rh from Toronto to St. Catharines consisting of one Batty. Royl. Arty., under the command of Lt. Col. Hoste, C. B., and 200 men, 47th Regt. under the command of Major Lodder.

You had also placed under my Command, for the defence of the frontier, 7 Cos. Volunteer Force stationed at St. Catharines, under the Command of Lieut. Col. Currie, the Queen's Own Regt. of Volunteers at Port Colborne, under, and the 13th Batt. Volunteer Militia commanded by Lt. Col. Booker, at Dunnville, and you had informed me that I should be re-inforced at St. Catharines that evening by 800 men.

Your instructions were that I was to make St. Catharines my base, to act according to my own discretion as to advancing on Clifton or elsewhere, and to attack the enemy as soon as I could do so with a force sufficient to ensure success. On arriving at St. Catharines I received telegrams to the effect that the Fenians, about 800 strong, were marching on the suspension bridge and were actually 2 or 3 miles from Chippawa. I pushed on immediately to the bridge, leaving orders for all troops arriving at St Catharines to follow as soon as possible.

On reaching the Bridge I heard the enemy had not yet reached Chippawa, and, being anxious to save the bridge over the creek, I pressed on with the 400 Infantry in the train, preceded by a Pilot Engine, the Battery marching by road in consequence of the reported want of platform accommodation at the Chippawa Station. It was dark when we arrived at Chippawa. We bivouacked there that night.

I here received numerous reports from scouts sent out by Mr. Kirkpatrick, the Reeve. They agreed generally in the statement that the Fenians had entrenched themselves roughly a little below Fort Erie, at Frenchman's Creek and had sent on a party towards Chippawa. Their strength was variously estimated from 800 to 1,500.

I resolved on effecting a junction with the force at Port Colborne to which place I had already ordered the Battn. from Dunnville.

With this object in view, I selected Stevensville as the point of junction and having explained to Captain Akers, Royal Engineers, who accompanied the force from Toronto, what my object was, and that this point was chosen because, judging from the information received we could not be anticipated at it by the evening. I despatched that Officer at 12 'o'clock to communicate with the Officer Commdg. at Port Colborne, to make him conversant with my views, and to order him to meet me at Stevensville between 10 and 11 o'clock next morning, informing him that I should start at 6 o'clock.

I continued to send out scouts during the night, and to receive reports which made me believe that my information was correct, and that the enemy had not left their camp.

At about 2 o'clock I received a telegram from Col. Booker, dispatched before he was joined by Captain Akers, informing me that he had given orders to attack the enemy at Fort Erie.