THE BATTLE OF CHATEAUGUAY.


The War of 1812 has been called by an able historian "the afterclap of
the Revolution." The Revolution was, indeed, true thunder--a
courageous and, in the main, high-principled struggle. Its afterclap
of 1812 displayed little but empty bombast and greed. In the one,
brave leaders risked their lives in that defence of rights which has
made their enterprise an epoch in man's history; in the other, a mean
and braggart spirit actuated its promoters to strike in the back that
nation which almost alone was carrying on, in the best spirit of the
Revolution, the struggle for the liberties of Europe against the
designs of Napoleon. The brave spirits of the War of Freedom led the
affairs of the United States no longer. All the contemptible elements,
all the boasters, all those who had done least in the real fighting,
had long come out of their shells and united to establish the mighty
rhetorical school of the Spread Eagle! It was the legions of Spread
Eagleism who wore to have the glory to be got in taking advantage of
harassed England. The Battle of Châteauguay was one of the answers to
that illusion.

The War was introduced by a Declaration, in which President Madison,
in smooth and elaborate terms, pretended that his nation found cause
for it in the tyrannical exercise by British warships of what was
called _The Right of Search_--that is to say, a claim of ships of war
to stop the ships of other nations and search them for deserters and
contraband goods. That this was not, however, the true cause, was
shown by the facts and cries of the war.

Firstly, the right was one belonging to all nations by international