The Rhode Island Republican

Official account of the Battle at Queenston Heights.

Washington-City, Oct 29. Copies of letters from Maj. Gen. Van Rensselaer, of the N. York militia, to Maj. Gen. H. Dearborn, transmitted by the latter to the Department of War.

Head-Quarters, Lewistown, October 14, 1812.

Sir—As the movements of the army under my command, since I had last the honor to address you on the 8th inst. have been of a very important character, producing consequences serious to many individuals; establishing facts actually connected with the interests of the service and the safety of the army: and as I stand prominently responsible for some of these consequences, I beg leave to explain to you, sir, and through you to my country, the situation and circumstances in which I have had to act, and the reasons and motives which governed me; and if the result is not all that might have been wished, it is such, that when the whole ground shall be viewed, I shall cheerfully submit myself to the judgment of my country.

In my letter of the 8th inst. I apprized you that a crisis in this campaign was rapidly advancing; and that (to repeat the same words) "the blow must be soon struck, or all the toil and expense of the campaign go for nothing: and worse than nothing, for the whole will be tinged with dishonor." Under such impressions, I had on the 5th inst. written to brigadier-general Smyth, of the United States' forces, requesting an interview with him, major-general Hall, and the commandants of the United States regiments, for the purpose of conferring upon the subject of future operations, I wrote major-general Hall to the same purport. On the 11th, I had received no answer from general Smyth; but in a note to me of the 10th, Gen. Hall mentioned that Gen. Smyth had not yet then agreed upon any day for the consultation.

In the mean time, the partial success of Lieut. Elliot, at Black Rock, (of which, however, I have received no official information) began to excite a strong disposition in the troops to act. This was expressed to me through various channels in the shape of an alternative; that they must have orders to act; or, at all hazards, they would go home. I forbear here commenting upon the obvious consequences to me, personally, of longer withholding my orders under such circumstances.

I had a conference with --- as to the possibility of getting some person to pass over to Canada and obtain correct information. On the morning of the 4th, he wrote to me that he had procured the man who bore his letter to go over. Instructions were given him; he passed over—obtained such information as warranted an immediate attack. This was confidentially communicated to several of my first officers, and produced great zeal to act; more especially as it might have a controlling effect upon the movements at Detroit, where it was supposed Gen. Brock had gone with all the force he dared spare from the Niagara frontier. The best preparations in my power were, therefore, made to dislodge the enemy from the Heights of Queenstown, and possess ourselves of the village, where the troops might be sheltered from the distressing inclemency of the weather.

Lieut. Col. Fenwick's flying artillery, and a detachment of regular troops under his command, were ordered to be up in season from Fort Niagara. Orders were also sent to Gen. Smyth to send down from Buffalo such detachment of his brigade as existing circumstances in that vicinity might warrant. The attack was to have been made at 4 o'clock in the morning of the 11th, by crossing over in boats from the old Ferry opposite the Heights. To avoid any embarrassment in crossing the river (which is here a sheet of violent eddies) experienced boatmen were procured to take the boats from the landing below to the place of embarkation. Lieut. Sims was considered the man of greatest skill of this service. He went