"Your most obedient servant,

"WINFIELD SCOTT,

"_Lieutenant Colonel, Second U.S. Artillery_."

This report was forwarded by the Secretary of War to both houses of
Congress, and the immediate result was that Congress, on March 3,
1813, passed an act of retaliation. In May, 1813, at the battle of
Fort George, a number of prisoners were captured. Colonel Scott, being
then chief of staff, selected twenty-three to be confined and held as
hostages. He was careful, however, to entirely exclude Irishmen from
the number. Eventually the twenty-three men sent to England were
released, and Scott took great interest in securing their arrearages
of pay and patents for their land bounties.

The doctrine of perpetual allegiance had always been maintained by the
British Government, and examples were numerous of the arrest or
detention of prisoners claimed as British subjects. After this act of
Colonel Scott no other prisoners were set apart by the British to be
tried for treason.

These transactions gave rise to discussion of the question throughout
the country and in both houses of Congress. President Madison, and Mr.
Monroe as Secretary of State, took strong ground against the British
claim. While subsequent treaties were silent on the question, the
right is no longer asserted by Great Britain, and has been recognized
by treaty. Colonel Scott then returned to Washington.