sorties In addition to the heavy casualties from the assault, Lieutenant General Drummond's force suffered severely from sickness and exposure. The British troops lacked tents and their crude huts and shelters made from bark and branches provided little cover. When the autumn rains began, the ground rapidly became inches deep in water. Drummond nevertheless was reinforced by the 6th and 82nd Regiments of Foot, both of them veterans of the Duke of Wellington's army in the Peninsular War, and maintained the siege. Major General Louis de Watteville also joined him to take over the day-to-day conduct of the siege. On 29 August a chance British shot severely wounded General Gaines and Brigadier General Ripley resumed command. Ripley's opinion of the entire campaign was far from positive and he had even openly rumoured that the British would bring up further reinforcements and capture the fort. Major General Jacob Brown had only partly recovered from his wounds received at Lundy's Lane, but he nevertheless returned to Fort Erie to replace the pessimistic Ripley in command. It was known that Drummond's force was dwindling and there were strong arguments for simply waiting for Drummond to abandon the unsuccessful siege, but Brown was determined to attack. Action of 4 September On 4 September, a detachment of Brigadier General Peter B. Porter's brigade of volunteers from the New York and Pennsylvania Militia was sent out to attack the British Battery No. 2. The action lasted for close to six hours before being brought to a halt by a "tremendous rain and thunder storm". During the action, Colonel Joseph Willcocks of the Canadian Volunteers (a small unit of Canadians fighting against Britain) was shot in the chest and killed. Action of 17 September On 15 September, the British finally completed Battery No. 3 at the western end of their siege lines, which enfiladed most of the American defences. Brown planned to outflank the western end of Drummond's siege lines, capture the batteries and spike the guns in them. Brigadier General Porter was entrusted with the main attack. His pioneers cleared a trail through the woods to a point behind the British Battery No. 3. Drummond's troops and Natives, who were probably made lethargic by rain, sickness and shortage of rations, failed to report any of this activity. Although the British had constructed a blockhouse to cover the end of the entrenchments, the surrounding woods had not