AND
THE CAPTURE OF CANADA.
BY
SAMUEL BARTON.
NEW YORK:
CHARLES T. DILLINGHAM,
718 AND 720 BROADWAY.
Copyright, 1888
by
Samuel Barton
[All Rights Reserved]
DEDICATION
To the Senators and ex-Senators, Members and ex-Members,
of past and present Congresses of the United States
of America, who, by their stupid and criminal
neglect to adopt ordinary defensive
precautions, or to encourage
the reconstruction of
THE AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE,
have rendered all American seaport towns liable to such
an attack as is herein but faintly and imperfectly
described, this historical forecast is
dedicated; with much indignation and
contempt, and little or no
respect, by
THE AUTHOR.
CONTENTS
Chapter
I. The United States Prior to 1890
II. Secretary Whitney's Efforts to Rebuild the Navy
III. Canada and the United States
IV. Retaliation
VI. The British Fleet Arrives off Sandy Hook
VIII. The Return of the Fleet
XI. The Armistice and Treaty of Peace
XII. Conclusion
The only apology which I offer for this authenticaccount of an event which (having occurred more thanforty years ago), can scarcely be supposed to possess muchinterest for the reader of to-day, is, that having been aparticipant in the battle myself, I feel a sort of pride inhaving an accurate and complete account of it handed down toposterity.
In my humble judgment no such account has ever yetappeared; and although I am but indifferently equippedfor the task—having dabbled but slightly in literature,during my busy life of three score and ten years,—yet Itrust that my earnest desire to relate the facts just as theyoccurred—and which I propose to do, without fear orfavor—will atone for any shortcomings from a purelyliterary point of view. Although I have said that no accurateand complete narrative of this occurrence has ever beenpublished, the reader must not therefore assume that thereexist no published accounts of it whatever. On thecontrary, it has been described more or less at length, by somany different writers, both in transitory and permanentform, that my chief embarra