Daily National Intelligencer

From the Ontario Repository.

BATTLE AT BLACK ROCK—BUFFALO DESTROYED.

The following information is obtained from Maj. H. Norton, (an aid to Major Gen. Hall) who was in the battle.

On Wednesday night last, about 11 o'clock, our parole guard was fired upon by a small party of the enemy, about a mile below Conjoquity creek. This was the first notice of the enemy approaching our shore. The alarm was instantly communicated to Maj. Gen'l Hall, who was at Buffalo with 1200 men—the residue of our force, 200, being at Black Rock, and were also under arms.

Col. Chapin, with 400 men, marched against the enemy, who were supposed to be landing between Grand & Squaw islands, and met their advance at Conjoquity creek, and in possession of the sailor's battery. They had repulsed our troops at Black Rock after exchanging a single shot, which so alarmed the militia under Col. Chapin, that all, save about 30, fled, and he in vain endeavored to rally them to face the foe.

Col. Blakely's regiment of Ontario volunteers, with Capt. R. M'Kay's company from Caledonia, marched to relieve Col. Chapin and his brave few: but before they reached the spot, they received orders to repair to Black Rock, to which point a division of the enemy's boats were now discovered to be steering. The order was promptly obeyed and as the boats made the shore, they received a most destructive fire. In one of the boats, every man, save one, was killed or wounded, and this one taken prisoner. The enemy now commenced throwing shells and hot shot from the opposite shore, to annoy a reinforcement going down to the Rock—while at the same moment their regulars attacked from below, and their Indians commenced a cross fire from the adjacent fields and woods. In this situation our troops sustained the action in a most gallant manner for 20 or 30 minutes, when they were compelled to retreat, which was made in great disorder, and exposed to the fire from the pursuing Indians.

Our loss is not known; but is believed not to exceed 30. The names of officers who are missing, as far as we can learn, are: Col. Percy Gardner, of W. Bloomfield; col. Boughton, of Avon; capt. Rowley and lieut. Lusk, of Victor; capt. Tyler, of Monroe; lieut. Harris, of E. Bloomfield, and captain W. Hull, of Buffalo. Some of the enemy, it is ascertained, were killed. Col. Chapin, of Buffalo, was taken prisoner. The activity and bravery of the major general, and most of his officers, was conspicuous throughout the affair. And had the whole militia been firm, the issue of the battle would have been very doubtful, and perhaps very different.

The loss of the enemy as near as can be ascertained, is at least twice as great as ours. We took five prisoners. Their force, on the day previous, was estimated at 1300 regulars, 500 militia, and 800 or 1000 Indians; under the command of major general Riall.

Maj. Gen. Hall had been but 3 days at Buffalo previous to the action; his force 1500, of which about 300 were on guard and patrol duty, and engaged in making cartridges. In the engagement the average number of cartridges was only about 12 to a man. Each British soldier had 60.

The enemy followed up their success, and soon after entered the village of Buffalo—Here all was confusion, alarm, distress; the inhabitants who had remained in the village were got off as well as possible; and we have heard of but one outrage on the defenceless: Mrs. Lovejoy, wife of Mr. Joshua Lovejoy, was killed in her house by an Indian. The reader must picture to himself, for language cannot describe, the horror which prevailed. The fate of the place was known to be fixed! Buffalo was to be sacrificed to the vengeance of the foe! And the whole of this pleasant and flourishing village has been laid in ashes!

Geneseo, Jan. 5.

We understand from a person who left Batavia on Monday, that Gen. Hall's head-quarters were at that village, and that he had received direct information that the British had left Buffalo and returned to their own side of the river, having previously advanced about 5 miles in the country, destroying all before them.