Page:Tupper family records - 1835.djvu/181

 of two thousand five hundred men, with twenty-five pieces of cannon, has surrendered to the British and Indians, commanded by Major-General Brock, without a buttle, — without any apparent effort to maintain the honor of his country.

" As yet this lamentable transaction is involved in mystery. Our army appears to have been well supplied with all sorts of stores, — to have had an abundance of provisions, with every muni- tion of war, — and the British force (without taking into view the advantages that might have been expected from the strong fortifi- cations at Detroit) seems inferior in point of numbers to the troops under General Hull. We are lost in astonishment on reflecting on this disaster, — how it has been brought about is yet incomprehen- sible ; a strange misfortune, mighty error, or horrid treason has befallen us ; but as we are uninformed of the particulars, it is right to suspend our opinion until the facts shall appear, all of which shall be carefully recorded.

"The western papers, and private letters from that quarter, abound with the severest animadversions on General Hull, — charg- ing him with incompetency, or insinuating something worse. This is also surprising, for few men ever entered upon a command with greater popularity than that gentleman.

" Extracts of a letter from Colonel Lewis Cass, 3d regiment Ohio volunteers, to the Honorable William Eustis, secretary of war, dated Washington, September 10, 1812. — 'Sir, having been or- dered on to this place by Colonel M'Arthur, for the purpose of communicating to the government such particulars respecting the expedition lately commanded by Brigadier-General Hull, and its disastrous result, as might enable them correctly to appreciate the conduct of the officers and men, and to develope the causes which produced so foul a stain upon the national character, I have the honor to submit for your consideration the following statement : —

" ' When the forces landed in Canada, they landed with an ardent zeal and stimulated with the hope of conquest. No enemy appeared within view of us ; and had an immediate and vigorous attack been made upon Maiden, it would doubtless have fallen an

easy victory The plan of attacking Maiden was abandoned,

and instead of acting offensively we broke up our camp, evacuated Canada, and re-crossed the river in the night, without even the shadow of an enemy to injure us. We left to the tender mercy of the enemy the miserable Canadians who had joined us, and the protection we afforded them was but a passport to vengeance

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