4 o’clock P.M
Thus situated , and not knowing what was going on elsewhere , he decided that his best policy was to return to Fort Erie , and ascertain if crossings had been made at other points , and if so , he was willing to sacrifice himself and his noble little command , for the sake of leaving the way open , as he felt satisfied that a large proportion of the enemy 's forces had been concentrated against him . He collected a few of his own wounded , and put them in wagons , and for want of transportation had to leave six others in charge of the citizens , who promised to look after them and bury the dead of both sides . He then divided his command , and sent one half , under Col. Starr , down the railroad , to destroy it and burn the bridges , and with the other half took the pike road leading to Fort Erie . Col. Starr got to the old Fort about the same time that he himself did to the village of Fort Erie , 4 o'clock P.M. . He -LRB- Starr -RRB- left the men there under the command of Lieut. Col. Spaulding , and joined O'Neill in a skirmish with a company of the Welland Battery , which had arrived there from Port Colborne in the morning , and which picked up a few of the men who had straggled from the command the day before . They had these men prisoners on board the steamer `` Robb . '' The skirmish lasted about fifteen minutes , the enemy firing from the houses .