| The bulk of the
4th regiment had moved with General Izzard to Sackett’s Harbor. Put on transports the
where shipped to Batavia, New York. Once there they were marched south to Buffalo were
they crossed into Canada landing at Fort Erie. Izzard’s Division arrived in theater
on the 12th of October 1814. Joining Genera Jacob Brown’s Division the
American’s had 7000 well equipped, trained and motivated soldiers on Canadian soil.
This was the largest grouping of US Regulars in the War of 1812. Brown urged an immediate
attack on the British you had retreated from Fort Erie and dug in north of the Chippewa
River. Izzard however was reluctant to launch of frontal assault without the support of
the US Navy on Lake Ontario. Commander Chaunacey had again refused to come out of
Sackett’s harbor. Without the Navy the US Army could not secure the Niagara
Peninsula. Izzard sited these reasons as making a frontal assault unnecessary and instead
would try to lure the British out and then destroy their army in the region. Unfortunately
the two Division Commanders found that they were unable to co-exist. So as not to repeat
the disaster of the 1813 St. Lawrence General Brown moved his Division to Sackett’s
Harbor on the 21st of October, to counter an expected an expected British thrust at that
critical US post. Izzard began a heavy bombardment of British positions on the 15th of
October. The British Commander General Drummond refused to leave his works.
Drummond’s forces had taken heavy casualties during Brown’s summer campaign, he
was in no hurry to surrender the advantage of position to Izzard. |
