124 SIR ISAAC BROCK.
advancing to within eight yards of the prisoners and firing in three divisions, upon the signal being given for that purpose, the ser- geants, commanding the divisions, ordered the men to make ready, and immediately after about ten muskets in the centre went off ; this created confusion, and many other single shots were fired, and from a distance of at least fifty yards ; the consequence was, that the poor wretches fell one after another, and, being partially wounded, some of them cried out bitterly. Forty shots must have been fired before one poor fellow in the centre fell, although it appeared that he received a ball through the lower part of the belly on the first discharge, as he was seen to put his hands down and cry out : the party was now ordered up singly, that is, each man, who had not fired off his piece, went and lodged the contents of it in the breasts of the culprits, and by that means put them out of torture. It was on the whole an awful and affecting sight, and from the appearance of the soldiery, seemed to have made a very proper impression.'
" Requesting my best compliments to Colonel Brock and the other gentlemen of the regiment, I remain," &c.
No. 2.
Extract from General Order, Head Quarters, Montreal, August 31, 1812.— See p. 15. "Captain Pinkney, aid-de-camp to General Dearborn, arrived at nine o'clock last night, being the bearer of despatches from the commander in chief of the American forces, with the information that the president of the United States of America had not thought proper to authorise a continuance of the provisional measures entered into by his Excellency and General Dearborn, through the adjutant- general, Colonel Baynes, and that consequently the armistice was to cease in four days from the time of the communication reaching
Montreal, and the posts at Kingston and Fort George That
the conquest of the Canadas, either for the purpose of extending their own territories or of gratifying their desire of annoying and embarrassing Great Britain, was one amongst others of these objects, cannot be doubted. The invasion of the Upper Province, under- taken 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
�� �
