Parties were
regularly stationed to defend the Madison, and, in the days, we worked at
her rigging, and at that of the Pike, in gangs. Our larboard guns were
landed, and placed in a block-house, while the starboard were kept
mounted. My station was that of captain of one of the guns that remained.
The winter lasted more than four months, and we made good times of it. We
often went after wood, and occasionally we knocked over a deer. We had a
target out on the lake, and this we practised on, making ourselves rather
expert cannoneers. Now and then they rowsed us out on a false alarm, but I
know of no serious attempt's being made by the enemy, to molest us.
The lake was fit to navigate about the middle of April. Somewhere about
the 20th[6] the soldiers began to embark, to the number of 1700 men. A
company came on board the Scourge, and they filled us chock-a-block. It
came on to blow, and we were obliged to keep these poor fellows, cramped
as we were, most of the time on deck, exposed to rain and storm. On the
25th we got out, rather a showy force altogether, though there was not
much service in our small craft. We had a ship, a brig, and twelve
schooners, fourteen sail in all. The next morning we were off Little York,
having sailed with a fair wind. All hands anchored about a mile from the
beach. I volunteered to go in a boat, to carry soldiers ashore.
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