HAMILTON'S REPORT



Company had deserted the preceding night, and Mr. Maisonville
was betrayed and deliver'd to the Rebels by his own Cousin. The
firing was but slack after sunrise, and about 8 o'clock a flag of
truce from the Rebels appear'd, carried by Nicolas Cardinal a
Captain of the Militia of St. Vincennes, who deliver'd me a Letter
from Coll Clarke requiring me to surrender at discretion, adding
with an Oath that if I destroy'd any Stores or Papers I should be
treated as a murtherer. Having assembled the Officers and read
this letter I told them my intention was to undergo any extremity
rather than trust to the discretion of such sort of people as we had
to deal with. They all approve of this resolution, on which I
assembled the Men and informed them of our determination. The
English assured me they would defend the King's Colors to the
last, adding a homely but hearty phrase, that they would stick to
me as the shirt to my back-they then gave three cheers-The
French on the contrary hung their heads--I return'd for answer
to Coll Clarke's Note, that threats would not prevent us from
doing our duty as British Subjects, and the Flag having returnd,
the firing recommenced. La Mothe's Volunteers now began to
murmur, saying it was very hard to be obliged to fight against
their countrymen and relations, who they now perceived had joind
the Americans-As they made half our number, and after such a
declaration were not to be trusted-The Englishmen wounded,
six in number were a sixth of those we could depend on, and duty
would every hour fall heavier on the remaining few; considering
we were at the distance of six hundred miles from succour, that
if we did not burn the Village we left the enemy most advan-
tageous cover against us, and that if we did, we had nothing to
expect after rejecting the first terms, but the extremity of revenge,
I took up the determination of accepting honorable terms if they
could be procured, else to abide the Worst.
  I stated these considerations to the Officers first, who allowed
them to be reasonable then to the Men, who very reluctantly
admitted them, and here I must declare that if the defence of the
Fort had depended on the spirit and courage of the English only
the Rebels would have lost their labour, but Colonel Clarke has



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