Peter Buel Porter was born in Salisbury, Connecticut, August 14, 1773. He was graduated at Yale College, New Haven, in 1791; and studied law and commenced practice in Canandaigua, New York, in 1795. He was a member of Congress, 1809-1813; a major-general of New York volunteers, 1813; and distinguished himself at the battles of Chippewa, Niagara, and Erie, for which Congress gave him a vote of thanks and a gold medal.[97] He was again a member of Congress, 1815-1816; was appointed a United States commissioner for determining the north-western boundary, 1816; and was secretary of War in 1828-1829. He died at Niagara Falls, March 20, 1844.
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.
Brigadier-General P. B. Porter to Major-General Jacob Brown.
Fort Erie, September 22d, 1814.
To
Jacob Brown, Esq.,
Major-General commanding.
Sir: In executing the duty you have imposed on me, of reporting the conduct of the officers and men composing the left column, which you were pleased to place under my command, in the sortie of the 17th instant, the pleasure I derive in representing to you the admirable conduct of the whole, is deeply chastened by sorrow for the loss of many brave and distinguished men.
Being obliged, from the nature of the ground, to act on foot, it was impossible that my own personal observation should reach to every officer. Some part of this report must therefore rest upon the information of others.
It is the business of this communication to speak of the conduct of individuals; yet you will permit me to premise, although well known to yourself already, that the object of the left column was to penetrate by a circuitous route between the enemy's batteries, where one-third of his force was always kept on duty, and his main camp, and that it was sub-divided into three divisions: the advance of 200 riflemen, and a few Indians, commanded by Colonel Gibson, and two columns moving parallel to, and 30 yards distant from, each other. The right column was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Wood, headed by 400 infantry, under Major Brooke, of the 23d, and followed by 500 volunteers and militia, being parts of Lieutenant-Colonels Dobbin's, M'Burney's, and Fleming's regiments, and was intended to attack the batteries.