on among the militia who happened
to be in front, and Scott rushed his brigade forward to take the brunt
of the heavy assault. General Jacob Brown rode by at a gallop, waving
his hat and cheerily shouting, "You will have a battle." He was hurrying
to bring up his other forces, but meanwhile Scott's column crossed a
bridge at the double-quick and faced the enemy's batteries.

Exposed, taken by surprise, and outnumbered, Winfield Scott and his
regiments were nevertheless equal to the occasion. A battalion was sent
to cover one flank in the dense woodland, while the main body drove
straight for the columns of British infantry and then charged with
bayonets at sixty paces. The American ranks were steady and unbroken
although they were pelted with musketry fire, and they smashed a British
counter-charge by three regiments before it gained momentum. Handsomely
fought and won, it was not a decisive battle and might be called no more
than a skirmish but its significance was highly important, for at
Chippawa there was displayed a new spirit in the American army.

Riall retreated with his red-coated regulars to a stronger line at
Queenston, while Jacob Brown was sending anxious messages to Commodore
Chauncey begging him to use his fleet in cooperation and so break the
power of the enemy in Upper Canada. "For God's sake, let me see you," he
implored. But again the American ships on Lake Ontario failed to seize
an opportunity, and in this instance Chauncey's inactivity dismayed not
only General Brown but also the Government at Washington. The fleet
remained at Sackett's Harbor with excuses which appeared inadequate:
certain changes were being made among the officers and crews, and again
"the squadron had been prevented being earlier fitted for sea in
consequence of the delay in obtaining blocks and iron-work." Chauncey
subsequently fell ill, which may have had something to do with his lapse
of energy. The whole career of this naval commander on Lake Ontario had
disappointed expectations, even though the Secretary had commended his
"zeal, talent, constancy, courage, and prudence of the highest order."
The trouble was that Chauncey let slip one chance after another to win
the control of Lake Ontario in pitched battle. Always too intent on
building more ships instead of fighting with those he had, he is
therefore not remembered in the glorious companionship of Perry and
Macdonough.

This failure to act at the moment when Jacob Brown