The Memoirs of Jarvis Hanks Scene from the Battle of Chrysler's Farm Jarvis Hanks - biography Memoirs Continued Part 1: Early Life and the Decision to Enlist Part 2: The Harsh Reality of Army Punishment Part 4: Drilling in Winfield Scott's camp at Buffalo Part 5: At the Battle of Lundy’s Lane Part 6: The siege of Fort Erie Part 7: Very Close Shaves Part 8: PEACE! Drummerboy Jarvis Hanks' account of the Battle of Lundy's Lane Boys at War

Part 3: An American farmer's greed; battle in a Canadian farmer's field One farmer, near our encampment, had still in the ground a number of hundreds of bushels of potatoes. The owner was offered fifty cents a bushel for them, if he would dispose of as may as were wanted for that price. In refusing this proposition, he added that he "could get a dollar a bushel for them in Kingston". It was soon noised around in the Camp that an American farmer was intending to supply provisions to the enemy and before the next morning it was decided to relieve him of the trouble and expense of digging his potatoes and of transporting them to market. The Soldiers had relieved him of the burden, and when he applied to the officers to remunerate him for his loss, they gave him no encouragement, or consolation, and he retired, lamenting his unwise decision, which had resulted so unfortunately for him. In the first days of November, General Wilkinson being prepared, the army embarked in bateaux, and set out for Montreal (...) and passed on to Williamsburg, or "Chrysler's field" on the Canadian side. We arrived here on the 10th of November and went ashore and built fires of the rail fences. It was very cold and sleeting all night. I remember well that I had at that time a leather cap, and kept it on my head while I slept. Before morning I had, in trying to keep warm, changed my position with relation to the fire, and placed both my head and feet in such close contact with it repeatedly that my cap and shoes were burnt so badly as to be nearly valueless. On the 11th the battle was fought at this place. It commenced about 10 A.M. and continued until 4 P.M., six hours, when we retreated to our boats and rowed down a few miles and landed on the American shore and camped for the night. In this battle we lost General Covington and several other officers, and some two hundred men killed and wounded; but it is difficult to say which had the advantage, on the whole. After this we proceeded up nine miles to "French Mills". Winter had now set in, and being in forty-five degrees north latitude there was no hope of being able to prosecute the campaign further and we took up our winter quarters in this dreary spot. We pitched out tents, spread hemlock boughs for our beds, built temporary fireplaces of stones and clay mortar and made ourselves as comfortable as the nature of the case would admit. The snow was soon four feet deep and the cold excessive. By the middle of January the barracks were completed, and we commenced occupying them. The first job of tailoring I ever performed was here. I had two blankets, and cut and made a pair of pantaloons out of one of them; as I needed the latter article much more than the former. Oh! what a pair of breeches!