“The fourth day of July, 1814, was one of extreme heat.  On that day my brigade skirmished with a British force commanded by General Riall from an early hour in the morning till late in the afternoon.  We had driven the enemy down the river some twelve miles to Street’s Creek, near Chippewa, where we encamped for the night, our army occupying the west, while that of the enemy was encamped on the east side of the creek.  After our tents had been pitched I noticed a flag borne by a man in a peasant’s dress approaching my marquee.  He brought a letter from a lady who occupied a large mansion on the opposite side of the creek, informing me that she was the wife of a member of Parliament who was then in Quebec; that her children, servants, and a young lady friend were alone with her in the house; that General Riall had placed a sentinel before her door; and that she ventured, with great doubts of the propriety of the request, to ask that I would place a sentinel upon the bridge to protect her against stragglers from our camp.  I assured the messenger that the lady’s request should be complied with.  Early the next morning the same messenger, bearing a white flag, reappeared with a note from the same lady, thanking me for the protection she had enjoyed, adding that, in acknowledgment for my civilities, she begged that I would, with such members of my staff as I chose to bring with me, accept the hospitalities of her house at a breakfast which had been prepared with considerable attention and was quite ready.  Acting upon an impulse which I never have been able to analyze or comprehend, I called my two aids, Lieutenants Worth and Watts, and returned with the messenger.

“We met our hostess at the door, who ushered us into the dining room, where breakfast awaited us and where the young lady previously referred to was already seated by the coffee urn, our hostess asking to be excused for a few minutes, and the young lady immediately served our coffee.  Before we had broken our fast, Lieutenant Watts rose from the table to get his bandanna (that being before the days of napkins), which he had left in his cap on a side table by the window, glancing through which he saw Indians approaching the house on one side and redcoats approaching it on the other, with an evident purpose of surrounding it and us, and instantly exclaimed, ’General, we are betrayed!’ Springing from the table and clearing the house, I saw our danger, and, remembering Lord Chesterfield had said, ’Whatever it is proper to do it is proper to do well,’ and as we had to run and as my legs were longer than those of my companions, I soon outstripped them.  As we made our escape we were fired at, but got across the bridge in safety.”

After the battle of Chippewa the mansion described, being the largest near by, was used as a hospital for the wounded officers of both armies.  The general went there to visit his officers, whom he found on the second floor.  On going there he met the hostess, who, by her flurried and embarrassed manner, impressed the general with the belief that she had endeavored to entrap him.  But years after General Scott was inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt and think that the presence at the house of himself and staff was accidentally discovered by the Indians and British.