Makers of the world's history and their grand achievements . constructing the latter,a great advantage was secured, carebeing taken, as a matter of course, tomake her of a size sufficient to becertain of possessing the greatestforce. The American brig, which wascalled the Eagle, was launched aboutthe middle of August ; and theEnglish ship, named the Confiance,on the 25th of the same month. commodore MDONOUGH. As the English army was already collecting on the frontier, theutmost exertions were made by both sides, and each appeared on the lakeas he got ready. Captain MDonough, who still commande
Makers of the world's history and their grand achievements . constructing the latter,a great advantage was secured, carebeing taken, as a matter of course, tomake her of a size sufficient to becertain of possessing the greatestforce. The American brig, which wascalled the Eagle, was launched aboutthe middle of August ; and theEnglish ship, named the Confiance,on the 25th of the same month. commodore MDONOUGH. As the English army was already collecting on the frontier, theutmost exertions were made by both sides, and each appeared on the lakeas he got ready. Captain MDonough, who still commanded the Ameri-can force, was enabled to get out a few days before his adversary ; andcruising being almost out of the question on this long and narrow bodjof water, he advanced as far as Plattsburg, the point selected for thedefence, and anchored, the 3d of September, on the flank of the troopswhich occupied the entrenchments at that place. About this time, Sir George Prevost, the English commander-in-. 170 COMMODORK THOMAS MDONOUGH. chief, with a force that probably amounted to 12,000 men, advancedagainst Plattsburg, then held by Brigadier General Macomb at the headof only 1,500 eflfectives. A good deal of skirmishing ensued ; and fromthe 7th to the nth, the enemy was employed in bringing his batter-ing train, stores, and reinforcements. Captain Downie, late of the Mon-treal, on Lake Ontario, had been sent by Sir James Yeo, to command onthis lake, and render all possible aid to the infantry. YOUNG OFFICER SEVERELY WOUNDED. On the 6th, Captain MDonough ordered the galleys to the head ofthe bay, to annoy the English army, and a cannonading occurred whichlasted two hours. The wind coming on to blow a gale that menaced thegalleys with shipwreck, Mr. Duncan, a midshipman of the Saratoga, wassent in a gig to order them to retire. It is supposed that the appearanceof the boat induced the enemy to think that Captain MDonough himselfhad joiued his galleys ; for he concentrated afire
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbiography, bookyear19
