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

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[NOTE.--Brockville was originally named Elizabeth Town, in compliment to
the general's mother, and the township or county, in which the village
is situated, is still called Elizabeth. There is a large township
bordering the river St. Clair and Lake Huron, in about latitude 43 deg. and
longitude 82 deg., in the western district of Upper Canada, named Sarnia,
the ancient name of Guernsey. This township was probably so named by Sir
Isaac Brock.]

No. 6. Page 338.

_At a General Council of Condolence, held at the Council House, Fort
George, 6th November, 1842,_

Present--The Six Nations, Hurons, Potawatitimies, and
Chippawas. William Claus, Deputy Superintendent-General.
Captain Norton. Captain J.B. Rosscaux, and several others of
the Indian Department. Kasencayont Cayonga Chief, Speaker.

"_Brothers_,--The Americans have long threatened to strike us,
and in the beginning of the summer they declared war against
us, and lately they recommenced hostility by invading the
country at Queenstown. In this contest, which, with the help
of God, terminated in our favor, your much lamented commander
and friend, General Brock, his aide-de-camp, Colonel M'Donell,
and several warriors, have fallen.

"_Brothers_,--We therefore now, seeing you darkened with
grief, your eyes dim with tears, and your throats stopped with
the force of your affliction, with these strings of wampum we
wipe away your tears, that you may view clearly the
surrounding objects. We clear the passage in your throats that
you may have free utterance for your thoughts, and we wipe
clean from blood the place of your abode, that you may sit
there in comfort, without having renewed the remembrance of
your loss by the remaining stains of blood.

Delivered eight strings of white wampum.[157]

"_Brothers_,--That the remains of our late beloved friend and
commander, General Brock, shall receive no injury, we cover it
with this belt of wampum, which we do from the grateful
sensations which his kindness towards us continually inspired,
as also in conformity with the customs of our ancestors; and
we now express, with the unanimous voice of the chiefs and
warriors of our respective bands, the great respect in which
we hold his memory, and the sorrow and deep regret with which
his loss has filled our breasts, although he has taken his
departure for a better abode, where his many virtues will be
rewarded by the great Dispenser of good, who has led us on the
road to victory.

A large white belt.

"_Brothers_,--We now address the successor of our departed
friend, to express the confidence we feel that his heart is
warmed with similar sentiments of affection and regard towards
us. We also assure him of our readiness to support him to the
last, and therefore take the liberty to speak strong to all
his people to co-operate with vigour, and, trusting in the
powerful arm of God, not to doubt of victory.

"Although our numbers are small, yet, counting Him on our
side, who ever decides on the day of battle, we look for
victory whenever we shall come in contact with our enemy.

Five strings of white wampum.

(Signed) "W. CLAUS, D.S.G."

No. 7. Page 343.

_Extract from a Description of St. Paul's Cathedral_.

"In the western ambulatory of the south transept is a tabular
monument to the memory of Sir Isaac Brock, by the same artist
(Westmacott).

"A military monument, on which are placed the sword and helmet
of the deceased; a votive record, supposed to have been
raised by his companions to their honored commander.

"His corpse reclines in the arms of a British soldier, whilst
an Indian pays the tribute of regret his bravery and humanity
elicited.

ERECTED AT THE PUBLIC EXPENSE
TO THE MEMORY OF
MAJOR-GENERAL
SIR ISAAC BROCK,
WHO GLORIOUSLY FELL
ON THE 13th OF OCTOBER,
M.DCCC.XII.
IN RESISTING AN ATTACK
ON
QUEENSTOWN,
IN UPPER CANADA."

No. 8. Page 343.

"This chief of the branch of the once great tribe of the Hurons visited
England some time ago. I afterwards saw him in Quebec, and had a good
deal of conversation with him. When asked what had struck him most of
all that he had seen in England, he replied, without hesitation, that it
was the monument erected in St. Paul's to the memory of General Brock.
It seemed to have impressed him with a high idea of the considerate
beneficence of his great father, the king of England, that he not only
had remembered the exploits and death of his white child, who had fallen
beyond the big salt lake, but that he had even deigned to record, on the
marble sepulchre, the sorrows of the poor Indian weeping over his chief
untimely slain."--_Hon. F.F. De Roos' Travels in North America, in_
1826.

No. 9. Page 343.

To His Royal Highness the Prince Regent of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland,

The humble address of the Commons of Upper Canada, in
Parliament assembled,

May it please your Royal Highness,

We, his majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects the Commons
of Upper Canada, in Provincial Parliament assembled, beg leave
to offer to your Royal Highness the homage of our unfeigned
attachment to his Majesty's sacred person and government, and
of our filial reverence for the great and magnanimous nation
of which we have the honor to form a part.

While we pray your Royal Highness to accept of our most
cordial congratulations on the splendid achievements of his
Majesty's forces, and of those of his allies in various parts
of the globe, and in particular on the extraordinary successes
which, under Divine Providence, have attended his Majesty's
arms in this portion of his dominions; we should do injustice
to the memory of our late truly illustrious president,
Major-General Brock, under whose auspices the latter were
during his lifetime principally achieved, did we omit to
accompany them with feelings of the most poignant sorrow for
his fall.

He had endeared himself to us by his able, virtuous, and
disinterested administration of the civil government, and by
the zeal, military talent, and bravery, which characterized
and marked his conduct in the field.

To his energy, his promptitude, and his decision, do we feel
ourselves in a great degree indebted, for having at this
moment the happiness of enjoying the privileges of his
Majesty's subjects. His disinterested and manly conduct
aroused the spirit of the country, and called it forth for
self-defence against a most insidious foe.

In appreciating, as we do, his talents and eminent services,
most deeply do we lament our inability to bestow on them any
other reward than our praise. Without revenue for even the
ordinary purposes of the government, we have no funds from
whence to reward merit, however exalted and deserving.

We derive, however, much pleasure from beholding that the
services of our ever-to-be-lamented president and general have
been appreciated by your Royal Highness; and while we
feelingly regret that he did not survive to enjoy the high
honors conferred upon him by your Royal Highness in his
Majesty's name, we, with all humility, would beg to suggest
that a grant to his family of a portion of his Majesty's most
valuable waste lands in this province would be most gratifying
to us. It would, we doubt not, be acceptable to them, and it
would be the means of perpetuating the connection that had
taken place between us, as well as the name of Brock, in a
country in defence of which the general so nobly fell!!! and
which his exertions had so eminently contributed to save.

That your Royal Highness may long be preserved to fill the
exalted station to which you have been called for the
advancement of the happiness, honor and glory, of the British
nation, is the fervent prayer of his Majesty's faithful
subjects, the Commons of Upper Canada.

(Signed) A. M'LEAN, Speaker.

Passed the Commons House of Assembly, the Sixth Day of March, One
Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirteen.

No. 10. Page 344.

_Anniversary of the Battle of Queenstown, and the re-interment of the
late much-lamented Major-General Sir Isaac Brock_.

"There is something so grand and imposing in the spectacle of
a nation's homage to departed worth, which calls for the
exercise of so many interesting feelings, and which awakens
so many sublime contemplations, that we naturally seek to
perpetuate the memory of an event so pregnant with
instruction, and so honorable to our species. It is a subject
that in other and in older countries has frequently exercised
the pens, and has called forth all the descriptive powers of
the ablest writers.[158] But here it is new; and for the first
time, since we became a separate province, have we seen a
great public funeral procession of all ranks of people, to the
amount of several thousands, bearing the remains of two
lamented heroes to their last dwelling on earth, in the vaults
of a grand national monument, overtopping the loftiest heights
of the most magnificent section of one of the most magnificent
countries in the world.

"The 13th of October, being the anniversary of the battle of
Queenstown, and of the death of Brock, was judiciously chosen
as the most proper day for the removal of the remains of the
general, together with those of his gallant aide-de-camp,
Lieutenant-Colonel M'Donell, to the vaults prepared for their
reception on Queenstown heights.[159]

"The weather was remarkably fine, and before ten o'clock a
very large concourse of people, from all parts of the country,
had assembled on the plains of Niagara, in front of Fort
George, in a bastion of which the bodies had been deposited
for twelve years.[160]

"One hearse, covered with black cloth, and drawn by four
black horses, each with a leader, contained both the bodies.
Soon after ten, a lane was formed by the 1st and 4th regiments
of Lincoln militia, with their right on the gate of Fort
George, and their left extending along the road towards
Queenstown, the ranks being about forty paces distant from
each other: within this line was formed, a guard of honor of
the 76th regiment, in parade order, having its left on the
fort. As the hearse moved slowly from the fort, to the sound
of solemn music, a detachment of royal artillery began to fire
the salute of nineteen guns, and the guard of honor presented
arms.

"On moving forwards in ordinary time, the guard of honor broke
into a column of eight divisions, with the right in front, and
the procession took the following order:

A Staff Officer.
Subdivision of Grenadiers.
Band of Music.
Right Wing of 76th Regiment.
THE BODY.
Aide-de-Camp to the late Major General Sir ISAAC BROCK.
Chief Mourners.
Relatives of the late Colonel M'DONELL.
Commissioners for the Monument.
Heads of Public Departments of the Civil Government.
Judges.
Members of the Executive Council.
His Excellency and Suite.
Left Wing of the 76th Regiment.
Indian Chiefs of the Five Nations.
Officers of Militia not on duty--junior ranks--First forward,
Four deep.
Magistrates and Civilians,
With a long Cavalcade of Horsemen, and Carriages of every
description.

"As the procession passed along the lane of militia, the
latter wheeled inwards by subdivisions in succession, as soon
as its own front was clear, and followed the procession. At a
certain distance from Fort George the quick march was taken
up, and arms were sloped; the members of the procession then
took their carriages, preserving as nearly as possible the
order abovementioned, and the whole proceeded on the road to
Queenstown. The 2d and 3d regiments of Lincoln militia, in
like manner, formed a lane, its left resting on the heights,
near the entrance to the monument, and extending along the
road towards the village of Queenstown. On reaching the
commencement of this lane, the procession resumed its
formation, all horses, carriages, &c., keeping in the rear;
and when the head of the column approached the monument, it
inclined to the right, to allow the body to proceed direct to
the entrance. The guard of honor then halted and formed in
parade order; the 2d and 3d Lincoln regiments following the
procession in like manner as the 1st and 4th.

"The time occupied in moving from the fort to Queenstown, a
distance of nearly seven miles, was about three hours,
including stoppages. Being arrived opposite the spot where the
lamented hero received his mortal wound, the whole procession
halted, and remained for a few minutes in solemn pause. It
then ascended the heights, and to the spectator who had his
station on the summit near the monument, nothing could be
finer than the effect of the lengthened column winding slowly
up the steep ascent in regular order, surrounded by scenery no
where surpassed for romantic beauty. On the bodies being
removed from the hearse and deposited in the vault, the guard
of honor presented arms, whilst the artillery, (which had been
taken from the enemy during the last war,) posted on the
heights, fired a salute of nineteen guns. The troops then
marched in ordinary time round the monument, and immediately
separated to their respective parades.

"All those who were inclined to visit the interior of the
vault were then permitted to enter in small parties. The
remains of the brave M'Donell lie to the left of those of the
general. On the general's coffin, which is otherwise quite
plain and covered with black cloth, are two oval plates of
silver, each six inches by four, one above the other. On the
first is the following inscription:

"Here lie the earthly remains of a brave
and virtuous hero,
MAJOR-GENERAL SIR ISAAC BROCK:,
Commander of the British Forces,
and President administering
the Government of Upper Canada,
who fell, when gloriously engaging the enemies
of his country,
at the head of the Flank Companies
of the 49th Regiment,
in the town of Queenstown,
on the morning of the 13th of October, 1812,
Aged 42 years."

J.B. GLEGG, A.D.C.

And on the second plate the following additional inscription is
engraved:

The remains of the late
MAJOR-GENERAL SIR ISAAC BROCK, K.B.
removed from Fort George to this vault,
on the 13th of October, 1824.

Upon a similar plate, on the lid of the aide-de-camp's coffin, was
engraved:

The remains of
LIEUT.-COL. JOHN M'DONELL,
Provincial Aide-de-Camp to the late
MAJOR-GENERAL BROCK,
who died on the 14th of October, 1812,
of wounds received in action the day before,
Aged 25 years.

"Several printed papers, having the following extract from the
government dispatches of the day, were handed about:

[See dispatch from Earl Bathurst to Sir George Prevost, page
328.--ED.] "Besides which, on large placards, to the number
of several hundreds, copies of the inscription to be placed on
the tablet, over the entrance of the monument, were
distributed amongst the assembled multitudes, and which is as
follows:

"The Legislature of Upper Canada has dedicated this Monument
to the very eminent civil and military services of the late
Sir Isaac Brock, Knight of the Most Hon. Order of the Bath,
Provisional Lieutenant-Governor, and Major-General commanding
the Forces in this Province, whose remains are deposited in
the vault beneath. Having expelled the North Western Army of
the United States, achieved its capture, received the
surrender of Fort Detroit, and the territory of Michigan,
under circumstances which have rendered his name illustrious,
he returned to the protection of this frontier; and advancing
with his small force to repel a second invasion of the enemy,
then in possession of these heights, he fell in action, on the
13th of October, 1812, in the forty-third year of his age,
honoured and beloved by the people whom he governed, and
deplored by his Sovereign, to whose service his life had been
devoted."

REMARKS.

"By the best computation we could make, and avoiding all
exaggeration, at the time the procession reached the monument
there could not be less than five thousand persons present,
many of whom were from the United States. General Brock,
indeed, was a man no less esteemed by the enemy than he was
admired and almost adored by his friends and soldiery; and we
heard several Americans say, who had served against him and saw
him fall, that they lamented his death as much as they would
have done that of any of their own generals, on account of his
humanity, and the great attention he had uniformly shewn to his
prisoners.

"His excellency the lieutenant-governor (Major-General Sir
Peregrine Maitland, K.C.B.) was in full dress, and, we are
happy to say, appeared in good health after his late fatiguing
journey of inspection to the Lower Province. The two M'Donells
and Captain Dickinson, of the 2d Glengary regiment, relatives
of the deceased Lieut. Colonel M'Donell, in the highland
costume, appeared in the procession to great advantage, and
seemed to excite much attention.

"But, amongst the assembled warriors and civilians, none
excited a more lively interest than the chiefs of the Indian
nations from the Grand River, whose warlike appearance,
intrepid aspect, picturesque dress and ornaments, and majestic
demeanour, accorded well with the solemn pomp and general
character of a military procession--amongst these, young Brant,
Bears Foot, and Henry, were distinguished. In our mind we never
saw a dress more elegant of its kind, and fit for active
service in the woods, than that worn by young Brant, who, with
his tomahawk in hand, was a perfect resemblance of all that
could be imagined of the accomplished Indian warrior.

"Amongst the numerous gentlemen in the procession, we observed
that old veteran, Lieutenant M'Dougall, of his majesty's 8th
(the king's) regiment, who, like a brave and loyal man, came
from Sandwich to attend the re-interment."--_Upper Canada
Gazette_, _October_, 1824.

No. 11.--Page 410.

"Queenstown, at which place the steam boats start for Toronto, is
situated in a delicious valley, through which the Niagara river, in
colour a deep green, pursues its course. It is approached by a road that
takes its winding way among the heights by which the town is sheltered,
and, seen from this point, is extremely beautiful and picturesque. On
the most conspicuous of these heights stood a monument, erected by the
provincial legislature in memory of General Brock, who was slain in a
battle with the American forces, after having won the victory. Some
vagabond, supposed to be a fellow of the name of Lett, who is now, or
who lately was, in prison as a felon, blew up this monument two years
ago; and it is now a melancholy ruin, with a long fragment of iron
railing banging dejectedly from its top, and waving to and fro like a
wild ivy branch or broken vine stem. It is of much higher importance
than it may seem that this statue should be repaired at the public cost,
as it ought to have been long ago; firstly, because it is beneath the
dignity of England to allow a memorial, raised in honor of one of her
defenders, to remain in this condition, on the very spot where he died;
secondly, because the sight of it in its present state, and the
recollection of the unpunished outrage which brought it to this pass,
are not very likely to soothe down border feelings among English
subjects here, or compose their border quarrels and
dislikes."--_Dickens' American Notes_, vol. ii. pp. 187, 188.

* * * * *

SECTION II.--AMERICAN AUTHORS.

No. 1.--Page 233.

_Extract from Jefferson's Correspondence_.--_Monticello_, _October_ 1,
1812.

"I fear that Hull's surrender has been more than the mere loss
of a year to us. Besides bringing on us the whole mass of
savage nations, whom fear, and not affection, had kept in
quiet, there is danger, that in giving time to an enemy who can
send reinforcements of regulars faster than we can raise them,
they may strengthen Canada and Halifax beyond the assailment of
our lax and divided powers. Perhaps, however, the patriotic
efforts from Kentucky and Ohio, by recalling the British force
to its upper posts, may yet give time to Dearborn to strike a
blow below. Effectual possession of the river from Montreal to
the Chaudiere, which is practicable would give us the upper
country at our leisure, and close for ever the scenes of the
tomahawk and scalping knife."

No. 2.--Page 240.

_Revolutionary Services of General Hull, as taken from his Defence
before the Court Martial_, _in March_, 1814.

"For more than half a century I supported a character without
reproach. My youth was devoted to the service of my country; I
fought her battles in that war which achieved her liberty and
independence, and which was ended before many of you,
gentlemen, who are my judges, were born. If upon any occasion a
man may speak of his own merits, it is at such a time as this;
and I hope I may be permitted to present to you, in very few
words, a narration of my life, while I was engaged in scenes
which were calculated to prove a man's firmness and courage. I
shall do it with less reluctance, because the testimony I have
offered of the venerable men who served with me in the
revolutionary war, will vouch for all I have to say. In the
year 1775, at the age of about twenty-one years, I was
appointed a captain in one of the Connecticut regiments; during
that campaign, and until March, 1776, when the enemy evacuated
Boston, I served with the army at Cambridge and Roxbury, and in
the immediate command of General Washington. I was with that
part of the army, in March, 1776, which took possession of
Dorchester heights--the movement which compelled the enemy to
evacuate Boston. The next day, the regiment to which I belonged
marched for New York. I was on Long Island when the enemy
landed, and remained until the night the whole army retreated.
I was in several small skirmishes, both on Long Island and York
Island, before the army retired to the White Plains. I then
belonged to Colonel Charles Webb's regiment, of Connecticut.

"This regiment was in the severest part of the action on
Chatterdon's Hill, a little advanced of the White Plains, a few
days after the main body of the army abandoned New York. This
battle is memorable in the history of our country; and the
regiment to which I belonged received the particular thanks of
General Washington, in his public orders, for its bravery and
good conduct on the occasion. It was particularly distinguished
from all the other troops engaged in the action. I received a
slight wound by a musket ball in my side, but it did not
prevent me from remaining at the head of my company.

"I was in the battle of Trenton, when the Hessians were taken,
in December, 1776; and, being one of the youngest captains in
the army, was promoted by General Washington the day after the
battle, to a majority, for my conduct on that occasion. The 1st
of January, 1777, I was in the battle of Princeton. In the
campaign of the same year, the regiment to which I belonged
served in the northern army. I was early in the spring ordered
to Ticonderoga, and commanded the regiment (being the senior
officer present) under General St. Clair, and I was with that
officer in his retreat from that post.

"After General St. Clair's army formed a junction with General
Schuyler's army on the North River, at Fort Edward, the
regiment to which I belonged was detached, and marched to Fort
Schuyler, and relieved that post, which was besieged by General
St. Leger.

"On the retreat of General Schuyler's army from Fort Edward, I
commanded the rear guard of the army; and, being two miles in
the rear, was attacked by a large body of British troops and
Indians at daylight in the morning, in which action were killed
and wounded between thirty and forty of my guard. And I
received the particular thanks of General Schuyler for my
conduct on the occasion.

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