City, port of entry and county seat of
Erie county, N. Y.; at the eastern extremity of
Lake Erie and the western extremity of the
Erie Canal; has extensive lake commerce with all western points, large live-stock and grain trade, and important manufactures; population in 1890, 255,664; in 1900, 352,387.
General Riall, with his regulars and
Indians, recrossed from
Lewiston (see
Niagara, Fort), when his forces had returned from the desolation of the New York frontier.
Full license had been given to his
Indians, and the desolation was made perfect almost to
Black Rock.
Riall marched up from
Queenston (Dec. 28) to
Chippewa,
Lieutenant-General Drummond in immediate command.
By this time all western New York had been alarmed.
McClure had appealed to the people to hasten to the frontier.
Gen. Amos Hall called out the militia and invited volunteers.
Hall took chief command of troops now gathered at
Black Rock and
Buffalo, 2,000 strong.
From
Drummond's camp, opposite
Black Rock,
Riall crossed the river (Dec. 30) with about 1,000 white men and
Indians.
The night was dark.
They drove the
Americans from
Black Rock.
The militia were alarmed, and at dawn
Hall ascertained that 800 of them had deserted.
Hall. with the rest of his force, proceeded to attack the invaders.
He, too, had a force of
Indians: but these, with more of the militia, soon gave way, and, the commander's force broken, he was in great peril.
Deserted by a large portion of his troops, vastly outnumbered.
and almost surrounded.
Hall was compelled to retreat and leave
Buffalo |
The Port of Buffalo in 1813. |
to its fate.
It was presently in possession of the
British and their Indian allies, who proceeded to plunder, destroy, and slaughter.
Only four buildings were
[
439]
|
A view of Buffalo's waterfront to-day. |
left standing in the village.
At
Black Rock only a single building escaped the flames.
Four vessels which had done good service on
Lake Erie — the
Ariel,
Little Belt,
Chippewa, and
Trippe--were burned; and so were completed the measures of retaliation for the burning of
Newark.
Six villages, many isolated country-houses, and four vessels were consumed, and the butchery of many innocent persons attested the fierceness of the revenge of the
British.