The Life and Correspondence of Sir Isaac Brock by Ferdinand Brock Tupper

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* * * * *

Of Sir Isaac Brock's brothers, the eldest, John, a brevet
lieutenant-colonel in the 81st regiment, was killed in a duel, in July,
1801, at the Cape of Good Hope, by Captain M----,[149] in consequence of
his having, as steward of a public ball, very properly resisted the
introduction, by his antagonist, of a female of disreputable character.
The second brother, Ferdinand, a lieutenant of the 60th regiment, was
slain in the defence of Baton Rouge, on the Mississippi, 21st September,
1779, at the early age of nineteen. The third brother, Daniel De Lisle,
a man of distinguished ability, was bailiff and president of the States
of Guernsey. No chief magistrate of the island was ever so beloved,
honored, and regretted, as Mr. Brock; and so universal was the feeling
of admiration for his talents and services, that the Royal Court decreed
him a public funeral at the public expense--a tribute of respect never
previously paid by that body to any individual.[150] The ninth brother,
Savery, who died on the 7th August, 1844, has been already noticed, and
the tenth, Irving, who died in 1838, at Bath, was "the accomplished
translator of Bernier's Travels in India," and a very powerful writer in
support of the government in 1810, at a very eventful and critical
period.[151] Singularly enough, of the eight brothers of this Family of
the Brocks who reached maturity, no male descendant of their name is now
in existence. Of their two sisters, who grew to womanhood, the elder,
Elizabeth, now the only survivor of the family, married John E. Tupper,
Esq., of Guernsey; and the younger, Mary, was the wife of Thomas
Potenger, Esq., of Compton, in Berkshire, first cousin to the Countess
of Bridgewater.

Of the five nephews and one great nephew of Sir Isaac Brock, who have
hitherto embraced the profession of arms, not one survives, four of the
former and the latter having sadly and prematurely perished, viz: first,
Midshipman Charles Tupper, of his majesty's ship Primrose, drowned at
Spithead, in 1815, by the upsetting of the boat in which he was
accompanying his commander from Portsmouth to the ship; second,
Lieutenant E.W. Tupper,[152] his majesty's ship Sybille, mortally
wounded in action with Greek pirates, near Candia, on the 18th June,
1826; third, Lieutenant William Potenger, adjutant 22d regiment, died on
the 19th November, 1827, of the fever, at Jamaica; fourth, Colonel W.
De Vic Tupper,[153] of the Chilian service, slain in action near Talca,
on the 17th April, 1830; and, fifth, the great nephew, Ensign A.
Delacombe Potenger,[154] of the 5th Bengal Native Infantry, while in
command of the light company, was killed by a bullet, which entered his
breast, in the disastrous retreat of the British army from Cabool, in
January, 1842. The remaining nephew, Captain Eugene Brock, of the 20th
regiment, died at Bermuda, in January, 1844.

* * * * *

Our memoir is concluded, and even if in its progress we have but feebly
and imperfectly narrated the career and portrayed the character of him
who is the subject, we trust that our labour has not been in vain,
because we feel that we have rescued much from oblivion that was
hitherto unknown and unrecorded. It was that feeling which prompted us
to undertake this work; and, in completing our task, we are not without
hope that the simple language of soberness and truth will be preferred
to a memorial composed with more art, but dictated by less sincerity.
And should we in the course of these pages have inadvertently fallen
into undue panegyrism, that common error of biographers, our excuse must
be, that we could scarcely avoid eulogizing one of whom it was written,
soon after his untimely fall, by a bosom friend:

"General Brock[155] was indeed a hero, a hero in the only true and in
the most extensive sense, resembling what history or fable has
represented, rather as the offspring of the imagination than a personage
that could have real existence, so entirely was every great and good
quality comprehended in his character."

* * * * *

_Additional Notes_.

The garrison of Michilimakinack, when surprised in 1763, (see page 244,)
consisted of the commandant, Major Etherington, two subalterns, and
ninety soldiers; and there were four English traders there. Of these
Lieutenant Jemette, about seventy soldiers, and one trader, were
massacred; but the commandant, Lieutenant Leslie, and the remainder,
were preserved by the Ottawas, and restored at the peace in 1764. The
English trader, who beheld and described the massacre, was Alexander
Henry, whose travels in Canada are cited at page 369.

When peace was concluded at Detroit, by General Bradstreet, with the
Indians, in 1764, Pontiac fled to the Illinois; (see pages 164 and 243;)
but he appears subsequently to have joined the English, and to have
received a handsome pension from them to secure his attachment. Carver,
in his "Three Years Travels" in North America, relates that in 1767
Pontiac held a council in the Illinois, in which he spoke against the
English, and that in consequence an Indian, who was attached to their
cause, plunged a knife into his heart, and laid him dead on the spot.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 136: The medal is a very large and beautifully executed gold
one, made to suspend from the neck. On the obverse is, "Detroit;" on the
reverse, the figure of Britannia; and round the rim, "Major-General Sir
Isaac Brock." The medal was given only to the principal officers.]

[Footnote 137: This is doubtless the officer whose name is spelt M'Kec,
at page 252; see also page 294.]

[Footnote 138: The present Mrs. De Beauvoir De Lisle.]

[Footnote 139: The present Lieut.-General Sir Andrew Barnard, G.C.B.]

[Footnote 140: Her husband, who distinguished himself in Upper Canada
during the war, was then serving on the staff in Lower Canada.]

[Footnote 141: On the same day, ten years previously, Sir Isaac Brock's
nephew, Colonel Tupper, was slain in Chile.]

[Footnote 142: Exclusive of the chief justice and Mr. Justice Macaulay,
the speakers were, His Excellency Sir George Arthur; Sir Allan MacNab;
Mr. Thorburn, M.P.P.; Colonel the Hon. W. Morris; Colonel R.D. Fraser;
Colonel Clark; Mr. W.H. Merritt, M.P.P.; Lieut.-Colonel J. Baskin;
Lieut.-Colonel Sherwood; Colonel Stanton; Colonel Kerby; Colonel the
Hon. W.H. Draper; Colonel Angus M'Donell; the Hon. Mr. Sullivan;
Lieut.-Colonel Cartwright; Colonel Bostwick; Colonel M'Dougal; the Hon.
Mr. Justice Hagannan; Colonel Rutton; Lieut.-Colonel Kearnes;
Lieut.-Colonel Kirkpatrick; H.J. Boulton, Esq.; and Lieut.-Colonel
Edward Thomson.]

[Footnote 143: A public meeting of the inhabitants of Montreal was also
held in that city, for the same purpose as that on Queenstown Heights.]

[Footnote 144: We suppose that the chief justice was the lieutenant of
militia, who acted as one of Lieut.-Colonel M'Donell's pall bearers. See
page 332.]

[Footnote 145: The extracts given in inverted commas are from
"Buckingham's Canada," that gentleman being at Toronto at the time, but
unable from illness to attend the "gathering."]

[Footnote 146: In 1841, the Six Nations of Indians had contributed the
(for their diminished numbers and limited means) large sum of L167.]

[Footnote 147: See Appendix A, Section 1, No. 11.]

[Footnote 148: Bernard's Narrative of the combined Naval and Military
Operations in China. London, 1844.]

[Footnote 149: Captain M----, the son of a baronet, fell as a major and
aide-de-camp to Lord Lake, at the siege of Bhurtpore, in 1805.]

[Footnote 150: For a brief memoir of him, see Appendix B.]

[Footnote 151: One of his pamphlets went through four editions.]

[Footnote 152: For a short memoir, see Appendix C.]

[Footnote 153: For a memoir, see Appendix D.]

[Footnote 154: The only son of the Rev. Richard Potenger. (See page
269.) With this fine young man expired the last hope of his family, and
the continuation of his line.]

[Footnote 155: It is also creditable to the military character of the
little island of Guernsey, that of the five British generals killed in
action in 1812, two, whose names follow in the obituary of the _Annual
Army List_ for 1813, were Major-General Le Marchant, 6th Dragoon Guards,
at the battle of Salamanca, and Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, K.B.,
49th Foot, in America,--_Duncan's History of Guernsey_.]

APPENDIX A.

SECTION I.--BRITISH AUTHORS.

No. 1. Page 15.

_Lieut.-General Lord Aylmer, Governor-General of British North America,
to J. Savery Brock, Esq_.

SOREL, Lower Canada, August 23, 1834.

I received yesterday your letter of the 19th March.... The
sight of your handwriting reminded me of old times, and brought
back the recollection of scenes which almost appear to have
taken place in another state of existence.... I made a tour in
Upper Canada last summer, and visited with a feeling of love
and reverence the monument at Queenstown, erected to the memory
of one who was as brave as he was good, and a better man never
breathed; to have enjoyed his friendship and good opinion, is
to me a source of pride and satisfaction.

Yours, my dear Savery, very sincerely,

AYLMER.

_Extract of a note from Lord Aylmer to the Editor_.--

"LONDON, August 5, 1844.

I am very glad to learn by your letter that a work is shortly
to appear, intituled 'The Life and Correspondence of Sir Isaac
Brock,' for sure I am that the more of him that is made known
to the public, the more highly will his valuable services be
appreciated."

No. 2. Page 206.

_From Captain Roberts to the Adjutant-General_.

Fort Michilimakinack, July 17, 1812.

On the 15th instant I received letters, by express, from
Major-General Brock, with orders to adopt the most prudent
measures either for offence or defence, which circumstances
might point out; and having received intelligence from the
best information, that large reinforcements were expected to
be thrown into this garrison, with the thorough conviction
that my situation at St. Joseph's was totally indefensible, I
determined to lose no time in making the meditated attack on
this fort.

On the 16th, at ten o'clock in the morning, I embarked my few
men, with about 180 Canadians, and two iron 6-pounders. The
boats arrived without the smallest accident at the port of
rendezvous, at three o'clock the following morning: by the
exertions of the Canadians, one of the guns was brought up a
height commanding the garrison, and ready to act about ten
o'clock. A summons was then sent in; a copy of the
capitulation which followed I have the honor to enclose. At
twelve o'clock, the American colours were hauled down, and
those of his majesty were hoisted. A committee has been
appointed to examine into the state of the public stores.

Enclosed also are the returns of the ordnance and military
stores found in the fort, and the strength of the garrison.
The greatest praise is due to every individual employed in the
expedition; to my own officers I am indebted, in particular,
for their active assistance in carrying all my orders into
effect.

No. 3. Page 275.

Extracts from "_The Letters of Veritas_;"[156] _containing a succinct
Narrative of the Military Administration of Sir George Prevost during
his command in the Canadas, whereby it will be manifest that the merit
of preserving them from conquest belongs not to him_. 8vo. Montreal,
July, 1815.

"_Then_ or _before_ was communicated to him (Major-General
Brock) the information of that _deadly armistice_ concluded
by Sir George Prevost with General Dearborn, which had so
fatal an effect upon all the future operations, and which tied
up the hands of the gallant Brock from executing his intended
plan of sweeping the American posts to Sackett's Harbour,
inclusive--an operation that most certainly would have been
then effected.

"This armistice, proposed by Sir George Prevost, merits
serious consideration, from its operation being so greatly in
favor of the enemy at that time, and so disadvantageous to us.
A period most precious to us, if we had profited by it with
vigour, was thereby lost in inaction, and the enemy in
consequence allowed to recover from the panic into which they
were thrown by Hull's capture.

"The transport of the American stores, ordnance, and
provisions, of each of which they were much in want, not being
prohibited by that armistice, was accordingly protected and
facilitated by it on Lake Ontario and along the Niagara
frontier beyond the enemy's most sanguine hopes, whilst their
then only disposable and invading force, under General Hull,
on the Detroit frontier, was left at full liberty to profit by
circumstances, the armistice as to him being at his option.

"Most fortunately, however, Hull's business was settled by
capitulation before the armistice was known to General Brock
or him; but had it reached him in time, he of course would
gladly have accepted it, to gain delay for the arrival of
reinforcements and a supply of provisions, from which would
have resulted the salvation of his army, the prejudicial
consequences whereof to us are incalculable; for, had a
knowledge of it reached the Indian nations at that time, such
a disgust and distrust would have been thereby excited as
could never have been removed; and the first effect of which
would have appeared in the immediate dispersion of the
Indians, whose powerful and indispensable aid at that early
period of the contest would have been totally lost to us.

"Madison's rejection of this armistice was followed by that
_chilling defensive system_ which General Brock was instructed
by Sir George to follow, and which palsied his operations
until his country had to mourn over his fatal loss at the
battle of Queenstown, on the 13th of October, 1812.

"Such, however, was the impulse he had given, and the valour
and zeal wherewith the regular troops, militia and Indians,
had been inspired, that the valuable effects thereof survived
him; and gave a brilliant victory on that day to his
successor, General Sheaffe, a lover of armistices also, who,
in proof thereof, made _one of his own_, which threw away most
of the advantages of that victory; for he neglected (although
strongly urged thereto) to take Fort Niagara, which could have
been done on the afternoon of the day of the Queenstown
battle, without loss, as the enemy had entirely, or almost
entirely, then evacuated it: had he done this, and at the same
time crossed over a part of his force to Lewistown, as he was
urged to do, and as Brock would have done had he survived, the
whole Niagara line would have been cleared of the enemy, and
all our after disasters in that quarter prevented.

"It has been urged in favor of Sir George's timid defensive
system, that it was proper in order to avoid irritating the
enemy, and thereby uniting them; as also, that his force was
inadequate to offensive warfare. Now, no positions were ever
more untenable, for to think of conciliating an enemy by
leaving to him the full benefit of maturing in security all
his means of annoyance against you, and at the same time
muzzling yourself, is a most extraordinary doctrine; surely,
to do so must ensure success to that enemy, as we know that
success will unite discordant parties and interests, whilst
defeats promote disunion, and would have strengthened the
anti-war party in the States, by furnishing to them
unanswerable arguments when depicting the folly and impolicy
of the war, which had been so wantonly declared by the
Madisonian party.

"Were facts in support of this view of the subject necessary,
they would be found in the effects upon the public mind in
that country, produced by the capture of Michilimakinack and
Detroit, with Hull's army. Did these events irritate and unite
the enemy against us? No, they increased irritation, it is
true, but against their own government."

(In his tenth or concluding letter, Veritas recapitulated his
preceding arguments, and observed:) "That to General Brock's
zeal and energy, left as he was without orders, along with
other causes independent of Sir George, the preservation of
Upper Canada, in the first instance, and of Lower Canada as a
consequence, are mainly to be ascribed."

No. 4. Page 277.

_Extract from Sir George Prevost's General Order, Montreal, August 31,
1812, in announcing the refusal of the American President to continue
the armistice._

"The invasion of the Upper Province, undertaken so immediately
after the declaration of war, shews in the strongest manner how
fully they had prepared themselves for that event, and how
highly they had flattered themselves with finding it an easy
conquest, from the supposed weakness of the force opposed to
them, and the spirit of disaffection which they had previously
endeavoured to excite amongst its inhabitants. Foiled as they
have been in this attempt by the brave and united efforts of
the regular forces, militia, and Indians of that province,
under the command of their distinguished leader, their whole
army with its general captured, and their only remaining
fortress and post in the adjoining territory wrested from them,
it is not to be doubted but that the American government will
keenly feel this disappointment of their hopes, and
consequently endeavour to avail themselves of the surrender of
Detroit, to term it an invasion of their country, and to make
it a ground for calling upon the militia to march to the
frontiers for the conquest of the Canadas. A pretext so weak
and unfounded, though it may deceive some, will not fail to be
received in its proper light by others; and it will be
immediately perceived by those who will give themselves the
trouble to reflect on the subject, that the pursuit of an
invading army into their own territory, is but a natural
consequence of the first invasion; and the capture of the
place, to which they may retire for safety, a measure
indispensably necessary for the security and protection of the
country originally attacked."

No. 5. Page 333.

"To Colonel Brock, of the 49th, who commanded at the fort, I am
particularly indebted for his kindness to me during the
fortnight I remained at Niagara. Among many pleasant days which
I passed with him and his brother officers, that of our visit
to the Tuscorora Indians was not the least interesting. They
received us in all their ancient costume; the young men
exhibited for our amusement in the race, the bat game, &c,
while the old and the women sat in groups under the surrounding
trees, and the picture altogether was as beautiful as it was
new to me."--_Note in Moore's Epistles, Odes, &c_.

"At Queenstown the battle was fought in which General Brock
fell, and the inhabitants point out a thorn bush at the bottom
of the heights, where it is said that he received his mortal
wound. His career was a short but a brilliant one; and had the
direction of the affairs of the Upper Province, after his
death, been characterized by an equal degree of courage,
prudence, and humanity, a very different series of subsequent
events would have claimed the attention of the
historian."--_Duncan's Travels in the United States and Canada,
in 1818 and 1819_.

"Close to the spot where we landed in Canada, there stands a
monument to the gallant General Brock, who was killed during
the battle of Queenstown, in the act of repelling an invasion
of the frontier by the Americans, during the late war.... The
view from the top of the monument extended far over Lake
Ontario, and showed us the windings of the Niagara, through the
low and woody country which hangs like a rich green fringe
along the southern skirts of that great sheet of
water,"--_Captain Basil Hall's Travels in North America, in
1827 and 1828_.

Travelling in the state of New York, the author observes: "The late Sir
Isaac Brock was, by some accident, mentioned. The canal agent spoke of
him in terms of great respect, as the best commander the British had
ever sent to Canada--equally regretted on both sides of the St.
Lawrence...."

"From Niagara Falls we proceeded by the stage first to
Queenstown, (seven miles,) near which a monument has been
erected to the memory of Sir Isaac Brock, from the top of
which, about 120 feet high, there is a noble view of Lake
Ontario and the adjoining country, and thence to the village of
Newark, (seven miles,) formerly called Fort George, on the
Niagara river."--_Stuart's Three Years in America._

"Immediately above Queenstown stands Brock's monument, on the
heights where the battle was fought in which that hero was
killed. His body was removed to it from Fort George, in 1824.
The view from this fine column is probably the most beautiful
in Upper Canada."--_M'Gregor's British America_, vol. ii.

"Seven miles south of Fort George, and at the foot of the
romantic heights of the same name, which have become famous in
Canadian history as the scene of a battle wherein General Brock
fell, is the village of Queenstown, pleasantly situated on the
Niagara, and opposite to the American village of Lewistown. The
monument, built to the memory of the gallant general and his
companions, on the loftiest part of these heights, forms a
prominent object to the numerous _voyageurs_ who are constantly
arriving at this portage, in elegantly fitted up steam boats,
from York and Kingston, to view the neighbouring falls of the
Niagara. The village contains a church, court house, large
government stores, and a population of between 400 and 500
inhabitants."--_The Canadas, by Andrew Pichen._

"Leaving a garrison in Detroit sufficiently strong to keep the
inhabitants in awe, General Brock lost no time in quitting the
conquered post and hastening to Niagara--a command he had only
relinquished for the purpose of undertaking an achievement
which the gallantry and determination of his character could
alone have crowned with such unqualified success....

"The month of October was marked by an event of the most
melancholy nature--the death of General Brock, who fell a
victim to the intrepidity and daring of his character.... The
loss of their leader, however, cast a gloom over every English
brow, and an advantage thus purchased was deemed at too high a
price. General Brock was beloved by the soldiery, particularly
the 49th, of which he had long been lieutenant-colonel, and the
indignation of their grief for his loss cost the Americans many
a life on that day, that had otherwise been spared. At
Amherstburg, the account of his death was received with
heartfelt concern, and not a man was there of those he had
lately led to victory who failed to pay that tribute to his
memory, which the gallantry and magnanimity of this glorious
chief were so every way calculated to awaken in the breast of
the soldier."--'_A Canadian Campaign_,' _by a British Officer,
in the New Monthly Magazine for December, 1826, and February,
1827._

"Immediately opposite the town of Prescott, on the shore of the
United States, is the town of Ogdensburg; and twelve miles
higher up, on the Canadian shore, stands the delightful village
of Brockville, so called in honor of the late lamented Sir
Isaac Brock. This enchanting little spot unites in its
situation every beauty of nature. In front of it flows the
river St. Lawrence, interspersed with numerous islands,
variously formed and thickly wooded; behind it is an assemblage
of small hills, rising one above another in 'gay theatric
pride;' and on each side are a number of well cleared farms, in
an advanced state of cultivation. Every thing combines to
render it pre-eminently beautiful. The dwellings are built of
wood, and tastefully painted; and the court house, in an
elevated situation at the back of the village, seems, from its
superior size, to be the guardian of the villagers--an idea of
my fancy, which I did not seek to confirm by entering within
its doors. Brockville contains 450 souls. It has a parsonage
house, but no church has hitherto been erected."--_Five Years
in Canada, by E.A. Talbot._

"We remained an hour or two at Brockville, the village of
palaces; and few villages have I seen more attractive than this
one. It is situated on a shelving bank, with a southern aspect,
and groves of trees round it. The houses and churches are built
of grey stones, and, being covered with tin, have a light and
pleasant appearance." _Alexander's Transatlantic Sketches._
London, 1833.

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