There was a small creek close in front, and at a mile farther, Frenchman’s creek; both crossing Col. P’s line of march. “At this time,” says Major Denison, p. 54. “While I was close beside Col. Peacocke, a voice in the dark, said, ‘you can’t go down that way, sir.’ On looking closely we saw that it was a farmer living about a quarter of a mile back, who had given us some information as we passed. Col. Peacocke asked him; ‘Why not?’ He answered, ‘The bridge is broken.’ The Colonel questioned him closely and he adhered to it positively that we could not get through. This information, together with the inability for the skirmishers to make their way through the woods (these were tangled bush and logs, the ground marshy and wet, p. 53). This decided Colonel Peacocke. With that report of a broken bridge; with darkness of night set in; with uncertainty of his enemy’s place and strength; with the possibility of an ambush in the woods, or at the broken bridge, he was fully justified in remaining as he did until daylight.”
The reader will keep in mind that the blame laid on this commander for that halt implies that he thereby permitted the Fenians to escape. This is no light charge. But the graver charge of his not advancing from Chippewa at 3 or 4 a. m. so as to reach Stevensville at 7 remains as the gentleman of the 19th has put it.
In Major Denison’s account of the line of march taken, and as Col. Peacocke related to me personally when in conversation at Fort Erie, there arose several circumstances of hinderance. There was the bad and devious road taken by the river side instead of the better and shorter direct way, through his relying on advisers and informants who seem to have led him up the river side to Black Creek, around windings and out of the way in order to drive the Fenians from their properties, or prevent their coming upon them. Mr. Tupper, a government constable resident at Fort Erie, has since told me that he was sent to inform Col. Peacocke and conduct him from Chippewa, but that his service was not accepted. Tupper says that Mr. Street M. P. P. told the Col. that he was an official person and reliable. But after seeing him at Fort Erie that officer had no recollection of him at Chippewa. Major Denison remarking on the unreliability of persons offering to be guides, relates that one bustling person, talking on Friday night at Chippewa told what he could accomplish in taking a message to Port Colborne if he had a horse. He was furnished with a horse, and the message committed to his care; what did he do? He rode to the Fenians, gave them the message and the horse too; himself also, perhaps, for he never again turned up.
We are now sufficiently informed on the aspect which the campaign presented on the morning of 2nd June; at Chippewa, where delay was caused because volunteer militia had come without haversacks without food; at Ridgeway, where Col, Booker had arrived an hour before the time he should have been leaving Colborne; at Henry Angur’s farm, where the Fenian commander O’Neil had halted his force, while he sent scouts forward to see if British and Canadian troops were approaching in his direction.—With this sufficiency of information let us catch up to the gallant eight hundred sons of Toronto and Hamilton, cities; Caledonia and York villages, and march in their footsteps to the field of conflict.
CHAPTER XI.
Combat on Limestone Ridge.
Lieut.-Col. Booker produced the following as having been written by him at Colborne after the arrival of Capt. Akers: “Mem. leave not later than 5.30, at 5 if bread be ready. Move to depot at Erie and wait till 7. If not communicated with by 7, move to Frenchman’s Creek. If NO by telegraph, disembark at Ridgeway, and move to Stevensville at 9.30. Send pilot engine to communicate with Lieut.-Col. Denison at Erie and with telegrams.”
About that bread. The reeve of Colborne offered to provide rations for the 13th if presented with a requisition. Booker said; “No; I think the least the municipality can do is to provide us with rations.” He did not then give a requisition. But bread and cheese for supper were procured. About three in the morning an officer went to him at the house of Mr. Pring, customs collector, and spoke of breakfast being requisite for the men before starting on the march. Lieut.-Col. Booker was then seated with a dish of hot beef-steak before him. He replied to the officer: “I am very tired. Go see what you can get from the reeve or any one in the village.” The officer, accompanied by the Quarter-master of the Toronto Rifles, went to the reeve’s house; knocked at the door; saw a window raised, and heard an angry reply to their request, “You got all the bread I had hours ago.” Then the reeve shut down his window, and they went elsewhere. That was the bread, the supply of which, Capt. Akers had made a condition in the time of marching. What bread? None. The Lieut.-Col. who had his hot beef-steak as a foundation for the fatigues of the day, had presented no requisition, else the baker, being also reeve, would have readily complied with it. Booker says (Statement to Court of Inquiry)
“During the night at my request Major Skinner endeavoured to secure a bread ration for the men. Some biscuits and bread were obtained, and that officer reported to me that the baker would prepare a batch of bread to be ready at 3 a. m. of the 2nd.”