ole line of the Niagara into American hands. On the same day Prevost,
whose naval strength had been reinforced, availing himself of Chauncey's
absence, made an attack on Sackett's Harbour. The attack, which was
renewed on the 29th, was miserably conducted, and ended in failure,
though the Americans were compelled to burn the naval stores captured at
York. The reinforcements had, however, transferred to the British the
command of the lake, which was not challenged again till the end of
July. Meanwhile their land forces were not idle. On June 6 the Americans
were surprised by Colonel Vincent at Burlington Heights and over 100
prisoners, including two brigadier-generals, were taken. This defeat,
combined with the approach of the British naval squadron under Sir James
Yeo, induced Dearborn to abandon his other posts on the Canadian side of
the Niagara and to concentrate at Fort George, but on the 24th another
surprise ended in the surrender of a detachment of more than 500
Americans to a force of fifty British troops and 240 Indians. By the end
of July Chauncey's squadron was once more strong enough to put to sea.
It raided York on the 31st, but did not venture to join battle with Yeo;
though a skirmish on August 10 enabled Yeo to capture two schooners.

Meanwhile on the frontier of Lower Canada the British were everywhere
successful. On June 3 two American sloops attacked the British garrison
of Isle-aux-noix at the north end of Lake Champlain. Both ships were
compelled to surrender. On August 1 a British force raided Plattsburg
and destroyed the barracks and military stores. A combined movement on
Montreal was now made by the forces of the United States; it was mainly
owing to the loyalty of the French Canadians that they were repulsed.
General Hampton advancing from the south with a force 7,000 strong was
defeated at the river Chateauguay on October 26, by 900 men belonging to
the Canadian militia, commanded by Colonel McDonnell and Colonel de
Salaberry. The defeated general withdrew his troops into winter quarters
at Plattsburg. Not long after, on December 7, the American general
Wilkinson who had sailed down the St. Lawrence to Prescott and was
marching towards Cornwall, was defeated with heavy loss by Colonel
Morrison at Chrystler's Farm, and made no further attempt on Canada. In
the same month General McClure, who commanded at Fort George, retired to
the eastern bank of the Niagara before Colonel Murray's advance. His