houses, barracks, and public buildings were
burned, and such stores as were worth carrying away, taken. In Lake
Champlain, on the same afternoon, Colonel Murray and Captains Everard
and Pringle were retaliating at Plattsburgh, Burlington, Champlain, and
Swanton. Commodore Chancey having effected his purpose sailed for
Niagara, whither he was followed by Sir James Yeo, and looked in upon
on the 31st of July. Chancey, without loss of time, raised his anchors
and stood out of the bay, bearing down upon the British squadron. Sir
James manoeuvred, keeping out of range, and indeed coquetted with the
enemy, until he had an opportunity of pouncing upon two of his vessels,
the _Julia_ and _Growler_, which he cut off and captured. He still
pursued the same tantalizing course of action, and Commodore Chancey
became completely disheartened, when the _Scourge_ of eight, and the
_Hamilton_ of nine guns, in endeavouring to escape from the British,
capsized under a press of sail, and went down, all hands perishing,
except sixteen who were picked up by the boats of the opposing
squadron. Immediately after this disaster he stood off for Sackett's
Harbour, and arrived there on the 13th of August. He merely took in
provisions, however, and again sailed for Niagara, arriving there early
in September. On the 7th the British fleet appeared off the harbour,
and Chancey stood out into the lake. The two fleets manoeuvred as
before, avoiding close quarters, and indeed, for full five days, hardly
exchanged a shot. But on the 28th of September, the fleets approached
each other, and a sharp engagement ensued between the two flag ships.
The _Wolfe_, in which Sir James Yeo's pendant was hoisted, lost her
main and mizen topmasts, and only that the _Royal George_ ran in
between the _Wolfe_ and the _Pike_, enabling the former to haul off and
repair, the British flag ship would have been captured. As it was, Sir
James Yeo made off with his fleet to take refuge under Burlington
Heights.[21] Soon after, the American fleet took troops from Fort
George to Sackett's Harbour, from whence an expedition was being fitted
out, in the way, capturing five out of seven small vessels, from York,
containing 250 men of DeWatteville's regiment, intended to reinforce
the garrison at Kingston.

[21] The fleet consisted of the _Wolfe_ 23; the _Royal
George_ 22; the _Melville_ 14; the _Earl Moira_ 14;
the _Sir Sydney Smith_ 12; and the _Beresford_ 12.

On