The
British maintained for some time a fortified camp at
Burlington Heights, at the western end of
Lake Ontario.
There they made a depository of stores; and to capture these an expedition, composed of 300 land troops, under
Col. Winfield Scott, borne by the fleet of
Commodore Chauncey, left the mouth of the
Niagara River, July 28, 1813.
The usual feeble guard over the stores had just been reinforced.
Convinced that their forces were insufficient to seize the prizes,
Scott and
Chauncey concluded to attack
York, from which the
British reinforcements had just been sent.
The fleet bore the troops across the lake, and entered the harbor of
York on July 31.
Scott landed his troops without opposition; took possession of the place; burned the barracks, public storehouses and stores, and eleven transports; destroyed five pieces of cannon, and bore away as spoils one heavy gun and a considerable quantity of flour.
They found in
York (
Toronto) the sick and wounded of
Boerstler's command captured at the
Beaver Dams (q. v.).