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Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la darnlAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: la symboia «► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". laps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at ifferent reduction ratios. Those too large to be ntirely included in one exposure are filmed eginning in the upper left hand corner, left to ght and top to bottom, as many frames as iquired. The following diagrams illustrate the lethod: Les cartas, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmfo k des taux da reduction diffArants. Lorsque le document est trop grsnd pour §tre reproduit en un seul cliche, 11 est film* A partir de i'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche k droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Las diagrammas suivants iliustrent la mdthoda. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 I I I Ffti; THE HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN, PROGRESS, and TERMINATION OF The AMERICAN WAR. ••• *• • •• • • • .* • . ^1 » AND THB * a t • •.; • • • o • •* •• • • • • •*• •••• JN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. '*??■ DUBLIN: «INTBD rOK ME8SR,. P. WOG.N, p. .vkke, ,. moorh, AND W. JONES. 1794. • III 5C0t;74 r^FFEcrSof ^ and Piitct ii terii into hi Tbiftgen revi poiniid /or betwm Gtti Peaiiatrinit Emuiiim if VOL.H. CONTENTS. CHAP. XII. TV'^'sT J^FFECTS of the Surrender al Operations of Sir Giorge Collier. *. . »34 CHAP. L-^-t^T^'^^'V'r •-- ^j^^xsJvTi, -^* ( -W-- .-;f. C O N T E N.T 8., C H A t». XXXl. I ■.} RiduQioH of tu^ Jhrong Pojit on Hu4foris RivoT'^-'ExpeiHim again/i ConHeHicut—^ RavagiS'^Murmurs in ConneHicut — Fort Stonty Point furfrifed by General ff^ayne '•^loney Point evacuated by the Americant"^ Jgain po/fejfed by the Hriti/h-~-Britijfb Set- tlenunt in Penobfcot—Aiiacked in vain, by • the Americam— 'Reinforcement brought to the Britifb Amy by Admiral Arbutbnot, who fueceeds Sir George Collier in the Command of the Navy — American Incurfions into the Country of^ the Indians— 'Incurfions of :tjfe Indians into 'the American Settlements. '. Pa&« yss CHAP. XXXII. The Confederacy ajtainji Great Britain joined by Spain — French Attack en Jerjey—Hepelled — Naval Tranfadion^ — The combined Fleets of France and Spain threaten an Invafion of Great Britain-^Engagement between Cap- tain Paul y ones and the Convoy of a hritifh Flee* from the Baltic-r^Blockade of Gibraltar •-rhcurjion of the Americans into Weft Flo- rida—W^ Florida reduced by the Spaniards — The Spaniards attack the Britifh Logwood' tufters i-«.j»>^>i» CONTENTS. cutters in Honduras—Reduflion ef the Stan* ijh Ftrt Omoa^ the Key ef4at and Fall of Mdpr Far- gufoti'— General Gates rejigns the Gomnkm^t of the Soufifim American Army to Generat Greene— Danger ari^n^ to the BtiUjhGur^ rifonin NeUfyorkfromthe extreme Rigour of the WXrtter—Meafnres taken for the^ Defence (f NevnTork-^Unfuccefsfftl Attempt to ^abhjb the royal Standard in tbe^yer' feys: -^ -^ Page ^ . «57 CHAP. XXXVII. vl *The Americans dijlodged from Springfield, and that ^mm dfifiroged—A French Armament, arrives at Rhde JJland—A Scheme firmed by one ^General Wq/hinf^on! s OffxerSy Ar-^ noldifardeliveris^ an important J^^ iwto the Hands cf the Brit^ Armyr -^d^^nture and Fate of th4 Urit{lb Adjutant-General Major AndtM"'-^ general hxchan^e of l^r\foner^s Troops on hoik Sid^i retire into ^Tbe Winter garters. — — 269 if . 'Hi CHAP. ^ M -— r- : -.r/n-.... -N*., xit) C'ONT E'NT S.J CHAP. XXXVIIF. .. , ' Page Tranfaflibtts in Europe (und the Weft In^et^r^"^ \ Succejes of the Britijb Fleet under Admiral - Bjodmy-riSirf of Gibraltar — Grov/ip^dtfer- , ences. 'between, Great Britain and Holland-a^ ..^^\ Armed NeMta^lity, ,or affociatiitn among «Wr '*y., tral Maritime Powers, for the Purpofe of"'.^^ ejlablijhing the DoSlrine that Free Ships make Free Goods — Sufpenfion of the Treaties Be- tween Great Britain .aijd Holland-:— Naval Tranfa£lions— 'Commercial Treaty between .'' ' America and Holland— War on the part of Great Britain againft the Dutch. 28^ «.' CHAP.. XXXIX. Fre^h 'Attempt on the ' I/land of Jerfey^-.de- feaUd'— Naval Exertions of hath France ' and Britain- -Relief of Gibrltltar— Capture of the Dutch Ifland St. EiiAatius-And of Demarary and Jfequibo^ Dutch Settlements on the- Spanifh Main.-Frttitlefs Atiemi of the French on St. Lucie-^The J/Iand of Tobago furrendered to the French.' — 304 > CHAP. CONTENTS. CHAP. XL. J Reduflhntf Penfacoia by the Spaniards — Tfje f€fiaii>Slffd Fleets of France and Spain, ti the AmSaksf Seventy Sail , threaten D^ruaim to the Marine Force of. Englaud-^Tbe Bri- tt/b' Admiral, vnth twenty-one Jhips of tbt Line, prudently retires . into ^orbay '^wbere tbe^nemy do not think it advifitble to attack him — Caufes why the Combined Fleets enjoyed a temporary Superiority vuer that (f Great Britain-^A£lion between a Britifh and a Dutch Fleet, near the Dogger Bdnk'^BririJh Armammt fent dgainji the Dutch Settlement at the Cape of Good Hope-^Attacked by the. French Admiral Suffrein — The Dutch Gar- rifon at the Cape 'reinforced by the French^-^ Commodore yohnjione makes Prizes of four Dutch Eafi Indiamen—The Britijb Arma- ment under General Meadows fails for the Eaft Indies -^Invajion of the Carnatic Jby Hyder Ally — Defeat andDifaJierofa Bri- tifh Detachment iinder Colonel Baillie-^Ra- •vages Committed in the Carnatic by Byder Ally — The Command of the Britijb Army in the Prefidency of Madras cotnmitted to S.r Eyre Coote—Operations vf the Britifh Fleet in India. — — P«« 'I -15* ■^ I 32« CHAP. Xm ^•*ii,\i\ iir^BTti, iM CONTENTS CHAP. XLI. DifaftHhtti H Gtea* Britain of the Smtbtm Colonics — The Brit^ Army undtr L'rd Cormxidlks Joined bf a large Reinfarcauait . und^ General Lefiif—AHivn at the Cow>^ pens^ bettveen General Morgan and Ctdmtl Tarktonr'^otanel Tarleton defeatedo-mCon-^ feqnwef* of Cshnel Tarleton'e Defeat'^Tht armit under Lard CornwalUi croffet the River Catawha^-^Ltrd Cornwallis, Joined by the o$ber Dvoifion <^ the Army under Gst* lonef Webftn^ pwtfites General Morgan*-^A JwUtion formed bettifeen the /too Druifion* of the American Army-^Generai Greene driven out of North Carolina-^The Royal Standard erected at Hiliyhorot^b"^General Gretue, again crowing the Dany re-ente^T North Carotma-^ord C«mwa0s faUs back fromEillfborough^ and takes a new^P^tim •—Ej^ih of this retrograde iSavement-*^ Ailim itear Guildford between Lord Com* ivaUkt and General Greigne, —*■' 551 ( J ' CHAP. CONTENTS. xvu CHAP. XLII. I Proclamation by Lwd CormoaUis — The Britijb Army arrives in the Vicinity of JVilming- ton — General Greene marches againjl Lord Rawdon atCamden-^^EmiwraJj^ent of Lord Cormffailis'^^Lord CommalUs determines to march through North Carolina into Vir^nia -^Lord Rawdon refolvet to attaclt the Uamp of Central Greene at Hobyrk's ffill^Fort W«tf'^3s±jc ■~':7v.'>— --. CONTENTS. xix, ' J CHAP. XLV. Page The Confederate Armies arrive at IVilliamf-: burgb in Virginia—^Lord Cof'nwallis vindi' cated from the Charges of Co/onel Tarle- ton''— The Combined Armies encamp before Terk Town — Tork Town regularly invefted — Surrendered to General Wajhingion— Ef- forts of Sir H. Clinton for the ReliffofLord CornwiiU'ts-^Recapture of St. Eujiatiusr— Succefsful Cruize (f Admiral Kempenfelt* -iASZ C HAP. XLVI. Effeils of the Capture of Lord Comwallis*s Army — Meeting of Parliament'^Siege of Eort St. Philip's in the Ifland of Minorca — Capitulation of Fort St. Philip's — Redu^ion , of the Ifland of St. Chriflopher^s-^ei^ral Carleton appointed Commander in Chief in America injiead of Sir Henry Clinton — JVa-- val Engagement between Admiral Rodney and the Count de Graffe — Profperity of Bri- tifh Affairs in the Eajl Indies-— Condu^ of the new Adminijiration — Repulfe and Dif- comfiture of the Spaniards and French hefoire . Gibraltar-— Relief of Gibraltar* 467 m ■■^SW*-«ii^^ 1 t 1 "•'•^K^^eiri! !»•» ^^^^'^rsi^ mmm^M ^^'K^ fimaeasaiamtb mnjL tteaatB HISTORY bV l^HB AMERICAN WAR* GHAI^. XXL jtfiits^ tbe^rrendet' if ^rdtoga—^iUs brought into rartiamnt far RtcofuUiation and Peace wHh the AmericdnS'^Treaties entered into between the French King and the Thirteen revolted Cotonies-^ . Ctmmijioners appointed for fettling thi Differences between the Mother-country and her colonies -^Rup' ture between Great-Britain and France-^Fate of Burgoym*s /Irmy-^The Commiffiojiers for Feacf arrive in yiknerica^ and enter on the Execution of their Q^e. THE furrendet of Saratoga forms a memora- CHAP, ble aera in the hiflory of the American war. ^ jj^l^'j Although the fuccefs of the Brittfiiarms had not i,^^g, been fo brilliant, nor the progrefs made in repref« Bffeas of fihg the fpirit of revolt fo confiderable, as either ^JJJ'JJJ* the magnitude of. the force employed under fir toga. William Howe, or the military character of that general gave reafon to expeAj ftill, upon the Vol. II. B whole. ...i. ir « H18T0RY0PTHE CHAP, whole, until the unfortunate expedition from Ca- ^^'' nada, the advantages that had been gained were on' the fide of Great Britain. 1778. Whenever the Britifli and American armies had been oppofed to each other in the field} the fupe- riority of the former was confpicuous in every thing, and, in general, even in numbers. The Americans themlelves, impreflfed with an opinion of their own inferiority, were difpirited ; and it was with reluctance that they ever attempted to engage the Britifli troops upon equal, or nearly equal, terms. But fo uncommon an event as the capture of a whole army of their enemies ani- mated them with frefli ardour, invigorated the exertions of the congrefs, leflfened in the mind of the American foldier the high opinion which he had entertained of Britifli valour and difcipline, and infpired him with a jufter confidence in him- fclf. The confequences, however, which this evaht produced in Europe were of flill greater moment. In Great Britain the mod fanguine expectations had been raifed from the Canada expedition, the rapid fuccefs of which, in its firft ftages, feeming to promire the mofl: fortunate iflue. A junction of the northern army with that at New York was confidently expected ; and it was hoped that by this junction a decifive b!ow would be given to the rebellion, by cutting off the northern from the middle and fouthern colonies The Britifli nation, elevated with fuch hopes, and encouraged to cherifli them by the firfl intelligence from Ca- nada, which brought an account of the almoft initantaneous redudion of Ticonderoga, and the deltruCtion or capture of the piovincial naval force in Lake Champlain,, fuiFered proportionate difap- pointment upon hearing of the ultimate failure of the expedition and the total lofs of the army. But 'if "^-^^isaiss^^:" %-rr:-8.*.i>^-~^^;**>^ AMERICANWAR; f But if the difappointment oF the nation Was gfeat, C 1H A P. that of the roiniflry was ftill greater ; and in a fit . ^^l'_f ef defpondency, it would feem, they determined, -'"^ for the fake of peace, and of getting rid of a trou- blefonie and expenfive war, to give up every thing for which they had originally contended. To the furprife of all, and to the no ftnali mortifi- cation of thofe who had hitherto zealoufly fup- ported the meafUres of adminiilration, the minif- ter in the month of February introduced two bills into the houfe of commons) which were paflfed siiu through both houfes of parliament with great dif- brought hw patchy and received the royal aflent on the l^enYforre- cleventh of March. By the firft of thefe the duty conciliation payable 6n tea imported into America, which Was withthr the original caufe of difpute, was repealed ^ and a Americum legiflative declaration was made, that the king and parliament of Great Btitain would not in future impofe any tax or duty whatfoever payable in the colonies^ except only fuch as fhould be ne* ceiTary for the regulation of tr&de, and in fuch cafe that the nett produce of the duty fo impofed ihould be applied to the particular ufe of that co- lony in which it (hould be coUeded, in the fame manner as other duties colleded under the autho- rity of the aflemblies. By the other of thefe afts, authority was given to the king to appoint comminfioners with full powers to treat, confultj and agree, with any affemblies of men whatfoever in America, and even with individuals, concern- ing any grievances exifling in the government of any of the colonies, or in the laws of Great Bri- tain extending to them, concerning any contribu- tions to be furniihed by the colonies, and concern- ing any other regulations which might be for. the "common good of both countries ; with a provifo, however, that fuch agreement (liould uoc be binding until ratified by parliament. But in B 2 the -■>~tJmi<3iW' ''S5i»^-*->-^''^ 4 HISTORYOFTHE ^ xx\ ^ ^^^ following inflancf • the commiffioncrt were to ' be invefled vrith abfolute power, exercifeable •778. power, however^ according to their difcretion, for pro- claiming a ceflation of hoftiliiies by fea and land, for opening an intercourfe with the mother-coun- try, for fufpending the operation of alt adli of parliament relating to the North American colo- nies, pafled fince the tenth of February ^763* and for granting pardons to all defcripriont of perfons. Never perhaps was there a moment during thcJ whole of the Britifli hiftory, hi which the nation had greater caufe of mottincation than at the time of paffing thefe adts : And it will be difficult to defend the minifters of that d;ty againA the im- putation of either want of wifdom or want of firmnefs. If what was now propofed was a right meafure, it ought to have been adopted at fir(^, and before the fword was drawn : On. the other hand, if the claims of the mother-country over her cc^ Monies were origindly worth contending for, the flrength and refources of the nation were not yet fo far exhaufled as to juliify miniftera in relin- quifhing them without a further flruggle. But fuch was the difappointment in confequence of the failure of the expeditio:: irom Canada, and fo great an alteration had it produced in the opiiuons of thole who directed the councils of the nation^ that the conceflions wiikh had been repeatedly re- fufed to the petitions of the colonifts were now to be offered to them with arms in their hand's ; ami they were even to be courted and intreated to ac- cept of them. This moment of defpondence, humiHatton, and debafement, was feifed by the court of Verfaille ro give a fatal blow to theovPTgrown power ot i»f- rival. Ever fince the commencement of th rt- bellion the American colonifts had been eiicou^ raged «778. A M E R 1 C A N VV A Tv. J rtged in their revolt by fecret aflurancei of afll^- C JA^* ance from the court of France, ami by fu| '^Het of money, arms, and ammunition, dandedinciy con* veyed to them. The French were in he mean time making preparations ; and their original de- fign was, probably, to abftain from an ope^i decla ration, until Great Britain and her colpniet had mutually weakened each other in their civil con- tention. But the difrfter which happened to ge- neral Burgovr : ^ urmy, and the confequent con- ciliatory iT>(; cuiion of . l^oQce. HISTOHY OF THE to advert to certain political tranfa^tions and cir- cumltances by which they were immediately pre- ceded, and, in feme meafure, afTefted* Within lefs than a fortnight after fir William Howe's departure from Philadelphia, the Britifli commidioners fent to offer peace to North Ame- rica, arrived in tjie Delaware, and without delay entered on the execution of their office. Here it may be proper, before we proceed* to relate the (leps which they took to fulfil the pur- pofeg of their miflion ; to throw into one point of view feme previous proceedings of the congrefs, by which it will appear that, even before the arrival of the commifUoncrs, and without waiting to hear what they might have to urge, that aifembly )iad determiiied not to accept th^ terms which they had to oflfer. In the month of November of the pre- ceding year, the congrefs, with a view of removing the only obAacle or ground of apprehenlion which impeded the fucccjfs of their application to the court of France, entered into a refolution, declaring that all propofals for a treaty with the king of Great Britain, inconfiflent with the independence of the United States, or with fuch alliances as might be formed under their authority, would be reject- ed, And in the month of April of the prefent year, upon the arrival of the rough drafts of the conciliatory bills, they paHed refolutions of fuch a contemptuous, infulting, and provoking nature, OS left no hope that any reafonablq terms of ac- commodation would be accepted*. In thefe refo- lutions they affeded to confider thofe bills as the i'equel of an infidious plan formed by the Britifh government for enflaving America. The object pf them, they maintained, was to difunite the ♦ See the. Refolutions of Cangrefs of the ^2d of April, 1 778. colonies, «*?'<• T" \^ AMERICAN WAR. II colonies, create divifions, and prevent foreign CH A P. powers from interfering in their behalf* They, ^^^' pretended to demonftrate that thofe bills were an evidence either of the weaknefs or wickednefs of the Britifli government, or both ; and, afrer vari- ous other farcaftic flridures, they finally refolved, that any man, or body of men, who fliould pre- fume to make a feparate agreement with the Bri- tifli commiffioners, ought to be confidered as open and avowed enemies ; and that the United States neither could nor would hold any confc rence with thefe commiffioners, unlefs they fhould, as a preliminary thereto, either withdraw their fleets and armiies, or elfe in pofltive and exprefs terms acknowledge the independence of the Uni- ted States'. It happened too, that the conciliatory bills, after they had been paflfed through both houfes of parliament, and received the royal aflent, being immediately difpatched to America, reached that country fome days previous to the arrival of the commiflionefb. They wete forth- with forwarded to congreis ; but ihat affembly returned no other anfwer* than to refer to the aforefaid refolutions, in which they alledged that they had already exprefled their fentiments upon bills not eifentially different from thofe which were, now tranfmitted to them. Although thefe previous proceedings afforded 9 very unfavourable profpe£t of the fuccefs of the negotiation, which was rendered flill more hope- lefs by the arrival of Silas Deane at York Town on the fecond of May, with copies of the treaties, already mentioned, entered into between the French king and t^e A'ljfi'erican plenipotentiaries ^t Paris, tie cortimiirioiierst 'nevehhelfifs entered • .'. ».°lR^felutIon» pf Copgrk;Gs*^,jhe 6th of June 1778. oo upon , 00 forcements might be moft eafily and expeditioufly fent wherever they Ihould be required. But of all the ftations hitherto occupied by the fouthern army, Philadelphia was the lead adapted to fuch a purpofe. It was didant from the fea not Id's than a hundred miles, and communicated with- U ■# HISTORY OP THE CHAP. It only by a winding river. Thcfe, or other niard " ^ -L weighty Confideritions, influenced the minidry fd ,^^3^ far, that orders were fent from England for thd evacuation of Philadelphia ; which was effected at three in the morning of the eighteenth of June, the army retiring to the point of land below the town formed by the confluence of the Delaware and the Schuylkill, where the boats and vtfkU belonging to the navy were ready to. receive them^ And fo judicious was the admiral's arrangemeQtj on this occafion, that the whole army, with its baggage, was paflFed over the Delaware, artd en- camped on the Jerfey fhore, by ten in the fo(e> noon; meeting with little interruption from the enemy, though the Americans entered Philadel- phia before tl^e Ecitilh entirely left it. The fsund' fleet of tranfports that carried the A>l4iers, pro. vifions, and ftores» carried al(b the property of the Philadelpbian merchants attached to goverzt- mem. The great body of the loyaliftft of |%ila^ delphiik went along with the army : Such of thent as had the imprudence to remain bebind were treated with great feverity. Some were baniflted. Several mere thrown into prifon, and t;!<^d for their lives. Two of thefe, Roberts an4 CarliAe,- very lefpeflable characters, of the feft of Qua* kers, fuflfered death. The country through which the British army had to march being naturally flrong, and abound- ing with difficult paiTes, which, if occupied by- the enemy, might greatly retard its progrefs, Sir llemy Clinton thought it neceflary, in order to guard againfl: the confequences of fuch obdruc- tions, to carry along, with him a confiderabte quantity of baggage and a large fopply of provi • lions. The progrefs of the army, thus heavily incumbered, was uncommonly flow. The |\. «~«-e AMERICAN WAR. »7 1778. The preparations and arrangements previous to CHAP. the evacuation could not be made fo lecretly but ^'^ that intelligence of th m was conveyed to General Wafhington. From this intelligence he was en- abled to penetrate the defign, and had detached General Maxwell with a brigade into New Jerfey, with orders to aflemble the militia, break down the bridges, and, by every means in his power, impede and harafs the Britifh troops iu their re> treat, until he, with the main army, fbould crofs the Delaware and fall upon their rear. There are two roads leading from Philadelphia to New York ; one along the wedern fhore of the Delaware, as high as Trenton Ferry ; the other, that which was taken by the.Britifii army, running parallel with the (irft, but on the eallern bank of the riv«r. Tbe route of the Britiih army being along the eadern bank of the Delaware as high as Tren- ton, General Wafliington was obliged to make a conHderable circuit to crofs it -higher up. But, even after he had efieded his paflage, he kept for fome time a very cautious and refpeflftil diUance, lending forward detachments of his light troops to watch the motions of tbe Britiih army, and hang on its flanks and rear.- A little to the left of the mod northerly road leading from Trenton to New York, the country of New Jerfey becomes high and mountainous. This country General WaOi- ington entered when he pafled the Delaware at CorreH'R Ferry, and he thought that the very flow movement of the Britifli army indicated a defign in Sir Henry Clinton to draw him down from his advantageous fituation, and either force an engage- ment in the leve country, or, by a rapid move* ment, gain the high grounds which he had quitted. This idea alone can account for the extreme cau- tion with which he approached a retreating ene- my. The courfe of the Briiifti army now pointed Vol. II. C ' tVoju A tS M 18 TO R Y O F T H E 1778. CHAP, from the Delaware ; and the farther it advanced J^^ in this new direftion, the more General Wafti- ington ftrengthened his detachments } all of which were compoCed of chofen iiien> Sir Henry Clinton had hitherto met with very little moleflation from the enemy> His light troops had been fufficicnt to drive the Americans from the palfes which they occupied ; and the greatefl impediments which he met with, arofe from the dedrudion of the bridges. His courfe, fo far as he had yet gone, was the fame, whether he meant to proceed to New York by the .way of Sandy Hook, or by South Amboy, oppofite to Staten Ifland, and the North River*, but he had now arrived a: that point where the highways di- verge, and where it was neceflary for him to make an option which of thefe roads, during the re- mainder of his march he would puruie. The roads which led to Staten Ifland and the North River on the left, were the fliorteft ; but in that diredion the river Rariton intervened, thepafling of 9jJij'^^' powerfully reinforced his advanced detachments, . J:}'^ (hat the Marquis de la Fayette firfl, and after- ,.^78. wards General Lee, Were in luccefllon fent to take Dif6onuo« the command of them, l hey now amounted, |;^„^,J|V, laccording to General Wafhington's account, to more than Ave titoufand men^ and had taken poft Rt Knglifti Town, a few miles in the rear of the Britim army. A corps of fix hundred mtn under Colonel Morgan, hovered on the right flank of the Britifh, and eight hundred of the Jerfey mi- litia, under General Dlckenfon, were on the left ; vrhilfk General Wafhington, with the main body of the American army, encamped about three miles in the rear of his advanced corps. Such Was the dlfpofition of the two atmies on the evening 0I* the twenty-feventh of June ; and as it was now obvious, from the courfe which the Briti/h army had lately taken, that their march was a real retreat, and not a feint j this difcovery feems to have at lad determined the American general to rifaue an attack ; which he refolved to make the following morning, before the Britifh troops ihould reach an advantageous pofition, about twelve miles in their front. Orders were accordingly fent to general Lee to begin the at" tack with the advanced corps as fooh as the Bri- tifh army fhould be in motion, with an intimation that general Wafhington, with the main body of the American army, would advance, and fupport him. Sir Henry Clinton was I'ufficientiy apprized that general Wafhington, with the American ar- my, was near him, from the frequent appearance of his light troops during the preceding day ; and judging that his defign was rather to make an attempt upon the baggage, in which he thought himfelf vulnerable, than to rifqiie a general en- C a . , gagement. '-" .'■ , ' V ,r HISTORY OF THE 'Britiih. «'r June a8. I CHAP, gagement, he made a new difpofition in- order ^_3Jlij n^ore effedually to proteft it. The army marched ,^^9, in two diviHons; the van commanded by generat »nd of the Knyphaufen, and the rear by lord Cornwallis ; but the whole of the baj^gage was now put under the care of general Knyphaufen's divifion, that the rear divifion, under iotd Cornwallis, which confided of the flower of the Britifh army, being difincumbered, might b&ready to aft with vigour, as circumdances uiould require. This arrange- ment being made, general Knyphaufen's divifton, confining of the German troops, the yagers ex- cepted, and the fecond battalion of light infantry, with the baggage, inarched in purfuance of orders at break of day on the twenty-eighth of June, whilfl the other .divifion, with which the com- mander in chief remained, did not move till near ^ight, that it might not prefs too clofe upon the baggage, which was fo enormous as to occupy a line of march of near twelve miles in extent. But fcarcely had the rear-guard of the Britifh army defcended from the heights of Freehold, into a plain of three miles in length ^nd one in breadth, when the advanced corps of the Ameri- can army was feen approaching, and foon after- wards defccnding into the plain from the fame heights which the Britifli army had juft before quitted. About the fame time intelligence was brought th'»-rf- •*.*v.^'-Jr*"t*^:. -s^- . ^ l' >sa »rt^J»jj^>^:. ' f,: :hap. XXII. 1778. It .HISTORYOFTHE cefs, and being alfo confident that the end was gained fur which the attack had been made, re-i called his victorious troops, ready to fink under the heat and fatigue of the day, and retiring to the advantageous pofition where the firft attack had been made, fuifered them to reft till ten in the evening ; when herefumed his march to join general Knyphaufen's divifion with the baggage, carrying his wounded along with him, except fuch as could not with fafety be moved. Some at- tempts had been made upon the baggage by the enemy's light troops, which were quickly repelled through the able difpofition made by general Kny- phaufen for its fecurity ; and the two brigades of the enemy which had been fent forward on thi^ fervice, one on each flank, were, foon recalled, \n confequence of the events which happened iu the rear. In. the different engagements of this day, the whole lofs of the Britifh army in killed, wounded, miiling, and thofe who died of fatigue, amounted to three hundred and fifty-eight men, including twenty officers. Amongft the flain the officer ot greateft note was the honourable lieute- nant-colonel Monckton, who fell at the head of the fecond battalion Qf grenadiers, greatly and deferyedly lamented : And fuch was the e^^treme beat of the day, that three ferjeants, and fifty-fix men, dropped dead without a wouz^d. Colonel^ Monckton had been felefted for the hazardous duty to >yhich he was this day appointed, on ac- count of th^ cool intrepidity of his character. By his military qualities, and amiable virtues, he acquired the elteeni and the affetlion of both the ofiicers and the men. Thefe paid the moft mark- ed tribute of refpeft to his memory. During the confufion of a dangerous cannonade, the batta- lion in parties relieved each other, until, with their I: ^/.-V--- .. >.. -f K, A M E R 1 C A N W A R.i their bayonets (being deftitute of more proper C H A P. tools), they perfeded a grave, where they laid the ^_J™1^ body of their beloved cohimanding officer, placing ., __{j •over it with their hands the earth they had moifr tened with their tears. The lofs of the Americans eicceeded, by a lit- tle, that of the Brhifti army; for, according to their own accounts, it ambunted to three hun- dred and fixty-one men, including thirty two officers. The events of this day wer-e celebrated by the provincials as a vidbory ; but with what juftice thei particuliars which we have related will ferve to ,, fhew. And, independently of thefe, it is appar* ent that general Wafhington had, in this day's engagement, received fuch a check as determined him to draw off his troops towards the North Ri- ver, and moleft: his retreating enemy no farther. Wafhington, in his public letter, fays that he lay clofe to the Britilh army after the a3ion ; but that ft went off in fuch (ilence, as to give no alarm of its retreat to the Americans. This filence, how-t ever, it is well known, met with one interruption ; for, juft as the Britifti were beginning to move, fome horfes or cattle were ftraggling through a wood, and a battalion of light-infantry, taking them for the enemy, began a fire upon them, which continued for five minutes. But general Wafliington dates his letter to Lee, on that fame night, from Englifli Town, three miles from the field of battle. , - The condudl of general Lee on this day, which was fo fevere'.y arraigned, and" unjuftly punifhed by the Americans, was worthy of applaufe and admiration. He had been betrayed acrols fome narrow pafies of a marfh by the perfuafionthat he had to deal \yith a rear-guard of only two or three • - '..... battalions. ':ii( N 'n 1 <-:J.^-=--''*-?«^ir--;^-jHj::ji •-^*^.».,;;-;,jw':V-i>^«-^'**'*'"-^''-****^*^^^ ni r»ii) ii < »i «4 HISTORY OP THE Scxn ^' ^*^^*^^°"*- When he fuddenly perceived Cit thoti- Jl^^^ fand men, including the Britifh light-infantry and i77t. grenadiers, forming to receive him, he retired with fuch quicknefs of deciiion, though not at- tacked, that he repafTed the marfh before our line was in readinefs ^to move. Had he, in expefta- tion of fupport, mjiintained his ground on the plain, until the Britifh had attacked him, he ^u(l have been overpowered, and would not have had any retreat. On the other hand, the condud of the commanders in chief of the contending ar- mies, though each of them claimed a viftory, was made the fubjefl of animadverfion. Why, it was alked, did general Clinton -encumber himlelf with fo enormous a train of baggage ? Why, when a rapid retreat was his objed, did he halt the army, without being fatigued by long marches, for two days at Freehold ? It was undoubtedly his bufi- nefs to gain a communication with the fleet as quickly as poflible ; as it was of Waihington again to cut it off. At no time on the march did ge- neral Clinton fhew any other difpofition than that of retreating to New York. General Waftiing- ton's caution is therefore cenfurable. He ought to have attacked fo encumbered an army with all his light troops, and, in fpite of partial defeats, contended, in fuch favourable circumftances, for ultimate vidory. The check that the advanced guard of the American army fuftained did not, it was faid, appear to be fo great as to judify a de- clination of all farther attempts againlt the Britifh army, even m that very time. Having come up with the main body of his army, frefh and untired troops, he ihould have endeavoured to turn one of general Clinton's flanks. Had he fucceeded, . that part of the Britifh ari^y mufl have been de- (troyed, as, immediately after quitting the plain. ?•■,!■-. - „ i ' ■ '-- i»OJ*-*,^^^ i ■ ' t^4^>«»%-)(?i^..f^.;-' L-..«r^- — •*^ 't . AMERICAN WAR. tS any regular mode of retreat would have been im- C H A P. practicable ; for, on one fide, the road was com- J|?il*. manded by a pine barren precipice ; while beiow^ ,-.g^ on the other, it was frightfully interfe£ted and cut up by frequent gullies and ravines. Thefe, con- tinued on both fides for five or fix miles, pre- cluded the adion of flanking parties, at the fame time that the fummit of the precipice, open to an affailing army, would have poured eafy deftruftioit on a retreating enemy. Succefs in this quarter would have fecured equal fuccefs on the part of the - army that was encumbered with baggage. And to all thefe circumfiances, fo much in favour of the American general, ' was "added the almofl im- . > mediate appearance of a French fleet on the coaft of America. ,,, , Yet, in fuch a conjuncture of affairs, it was obferved the Britifh general rifked, and even courted an a6lion, while the American fuffered the important occafion to pafs by, when he might have terminated the war by one great and decifive cflfort. The Britifh army proceeded on its march, un- til, the baggage having reached Sandy Hook, ' there was no farther apprehenfion for its fecurity. m The fleet from the Delaware was there ready to receive it ; and whilfl preparations were making, by a bridge of boats, for tranfporting the troops acrofs an inlet of the fea which feparates Sandy Hook from the continent, fir Henry Clinton, with the army, lay encamped at the diflance of fome miles in the country, eagerly expefting general <■ Wafhington to come up, and fully determined to give him battle. But Wafhington was, by this ' time, on his march to the North River j and the Britifh general having remained for two days in this fituation, without feeing any thing of the provincials. if /■ m jit"^ r^^r^$^SK / 'A.w-w-*;*-**^' k!i""t,t>'''?*^fv't*?*"*"-i';=>'."^^i!-:' i6 HISTORY OF THE i it 11 1778. The Bii- tifh anny trriTcs at CHAP, provincials, proceeded from thence to Sandy ^^^^' Hook, where the army was embarked on the fifth of July, and the fame day landed at New York. It may be mentioned as a fad in natural hifliory, but not unconneded with this narrative, that the peninfula of Sandy Hock, by the ilorms of the preceding winter, bad been converted into an ifland, which made it neceflfary to pafs the troops acrofs the channel by a floating bridge. The queen's rangers, who formed the rear, guard when the bridge was broken up, embarked from the Jerfey fide in boats. \,f <;,^_ *-< " •:• r- AMERICAN W A R. ty CHAP. XXIII. The French Fleet Jets fail from Toulon to North Ame- rica — Thither alfo a Britijh Fleet fets fail under Vice-Admiral Byron^The Count D*E/laing, mif^ Jing the Britifh Army in Philadelphia^ comes to an Anchor of New Tork — The Harbour of this Place defended by a fmall Fleet, under Lord Howe — . P'F^jiaing Jets jail to the Southward — but changes pis Courfe, and arrives at Rhode IJland — Ame- rican Preparations for an Attempt on Rhode Ifland T-^fruJlrated — Naval Operations — Lord Howe re- Jigns the Command of the Fleet to Admiral Gam- bier* TH E French, as foon as they had determined c H A F. to take an open and a£live part in behalf of XXIII. the revolted colonies, began Immediately to arm " — ^ — ' by fea. At Toulon they equipped a fleet of twelve ^ JJ^^^^ ihips of the line and fix frigates ; which, with a fleet faiu <;onfiderabIe number of troops on board, failed [^™^^'"** from thence on the thirteenth of April, under the North command pf the count D'Eftaing ; but from ad- America, yerfe winds, did not pafs the (Iraits of Gibraltar till the fifteenth of May. The Britifh miniftry, who were not unapprized TWther of this equipment, got ready a fleet of an equal ^^^^^l^' number of (hips, the command of which was fctsM given to vice-admiral Byron. With this fleet the ^°™h''*^". admiral left Portfmouth on the twentieth of May, der vice^ ' jind proceeding to Plymouth, finally failed from "'J'"''^, jhence on the ninth of June, aftei: fuch advices ^'°^ had ■'i :>'\ 1 ■f' ,■ at HISTORY OFTHE CHAP, had been received as no longer left it doubtful i^^i|' that the Toulon fquadron was bound to North ^.j2. America. Thefe advices were brought by Captain Sutton of the Proferpine, who, from the ft raits of Gibraltar, had followed the French fleet for ninety leagues on its pafTagc. The count D'Ef- taing, thus poflefled of the advantage of being firil at fea, proceeded on his paflage, and arrived on the coaft of Virginia on the fifth of July, the fame day on which the Britilh army had embarked at Sandy Hook. He probably expelled to have found that army in Philadelphia, and Lord Howe's fleet in the Delaware : And had he found them in this fituation, it is not eafy to determine what might have been the confequence of a joint ope- ration between him and General Wafliington. Some have thought that the fate of both the Bri- tifh fleet and army would have been periloufly cri- tical ; whilft others, lefs prone to defpondence, have maintained with much confidence, that no- thing was to be apprehended by either, fo long as their provifions lafted ; of which they had a fuffi- cient Itock to enable them to hold out till the ar- rival of Admiral Byron. The c«nnt The count D'Eftaing, difappointed in bis firfl Sffit^'hc ^'^j*^ ^y 'h® cvacuatbn of Philadelphia, of which ^itifh ar° he received intelligence whilft he lay off the mouth "»y •'>?**''■ of the Chefapeak, coafted along the American come^to an fliore to the northward, and on the eleventh of T!""^'"^ July in the evening came to an anchor off New York, with an apparent defign of attempting to enter the harbour. TheTiar- The iiaval force under lord Howe; although bourof ehw much inferior to the fleet under the count D'El- Sded by a '^ing, was ncverthelefs refpedable ; the fliips be- rmaii fleet ing wcll manned, and moft ably oflicered. It Hot'e!"'^ confifted of fix fliips of the line, and four of fifty guns, with a number of frigates and fmalicr vef- fels : -!r-*i^'aWt~»'**^'^T'**»*^» ~-****'^**''**-»***-is(a-**» ,i,itiiimi*:t,i--' " .i AMERICAN WAR. '9 fels: And, intelligence of the count D'Eftaing's C H A P. approach having been received fome days before .^^^^j}^ became in fight, a maderly difpofition u* this ,^^g, force, for the defence of the harbour, had already been made under the immediate direction of the admiral, whofe exertions were mod nobly fecond- ed by the univerfa* ardour which prevailed not only in the navy, army, and tranfport fervice, but amongd all ranks and claiTes of people at New . , York, who ran in crowds to offer their fervice as • '> volunteers. A Britilh fleet blocked up in one of ' • ^ Its own ports was fuch a phscnomenon as filled them with indignation. ' For fome time after the count D'Edaing cam« to an anchor the wind was unfavourable to the execution of his fuppofed intention > but on the twenty-fecond of July it changed to the eaftward, and the I^rench fleet were feen getting under way* The long-meditated attack, it was now fuppofed, was inftantly to be made ; and fo confident were all, that it would prove abortive in confequence of the preparations made for defence, that the cri- tical moment which was to decide, not only the fate of the Britifh fleet, but of the army, was waited for with impatience. But the count D'£f- The count taing, to their great difappointment, as foon as £tf&n to his mips had weighed anchor, inflead of attempt- the routh- ing to enter the harbour, made fail to the fouth- """^ ' ward, and was foon out of fight. Whether he . ever ferioufly intended to make an attempt upon the harbour of New York, but, after reconnoitring its Htuation, with the difpofitions made for de- fence» relinquiflied the delign as impra^icable ; or whether his appearing before that harbour was only a feint to draw the attention of the Britifh commanders from the place where his attack was really intended} is uncertain: But after quitting > -r ^•X* ■*- i II \ 1 1 3» CHAP. XXIII. .1778. but chan^- cthitcourfe, and arrives St Rhode liland, July S^th. American preparati- eu« for an attempt on Rhode If- land, £rullrated. Naval ope- rjttiaat. H I S T O R Y 6 F T H E New York, and (landing to the fouthward, aS fat" as the mouth of the Delaware, he changed his courfe, and (leered direftly for Rhode Ifland, be- foie which he arrived on the twenty-ninth of July* Here at iealt it was foon obvious that he meditated a real attack, in which general Sullivan, with a detachment from Wa(hington*s army, and a force colledled from the neighbouring country of New England, was to cooperate. The expulfion of the Briiifh troops from Rhode Ifland had been in the contemplation of theprovin- cials for feveral months paft. In the fpring of thii year general Sullivan was fent to take the com- mand in its neighbourhood, and made prepara- tions for invading it. To thefe preparations ma-> jor-general fir Robert Pigott, who commanded at Rhode Ifland, was not inattentive; he readily per-* ceived their objed, and in order to retard them< projeded about the end of May two different en* terprifes into Providence Plantation; one con- dueled by lieutenant-colonel Campbell of tbd twenty-fecond, and the other by major Eyre, of the fifty.fourth regiment, both of which were fuc- cefsfuUy executed. In the (ird, under lieutenant, colonel Campbell, feveral houfes at firifl^ol and Warren, filled with military and naval (lores, fome gallies and armed floops, and one hundred and twenty-five boats, many of them fifty feet long, which had been coUe^ed or built on the Hickamucl river, for the purpofe of the invafion, were burnt and dedroyed ; and eighteen pieces of ordnance, mod of thetn of heavy metal, were rendered unferviceable. And in the lad expedi- tion under major Eyre, a large quantity of boards, plank, and other materials for Ihip-building, were burnt. The loflfes fudained by the provincials in thefe expeditions retarded their preparations fo much, that AM E R f C AN W A R.- 3« that when the count D'EdaIng arrived off Rhode CHAP. Ifland they were not in readinefs for co-operation ; ^^^'' and for the prefent he contented himfelf with (la- ,.-g tioning two of his frigates in the Seaconnet Paf- fage on the eaft, s nd two of his line-of-battle (hips in the Narraganfei Paflage on the wed fide of the ifland, to interrupt the communications of the garrifon, whild, with the remainder of his fleet, he anchored off Brenton's Ledge, at the fouth-eaft end of the ifland, in a fituation open to the fea. In this pofition he remained until the eighth of Augud, when, every thing being in readinefs on Auguft. the part of the provincials, he entered the har- , , bour with his fleet, receiving and returning the fire from feveral batteries as he paffed them, and came to an anchor between Newport and Conani- cut. Upon the firfl appearance of the French "t fleet at Rhode Ifland, a difpatch-boat was fent to New York with intelligence of this j and on the fixth pf Auguft lord Hove, after being detained for four days by contrary winds, put to fea with the Britifh fleet, which was now increafed to eight line-of.battle fliips, five (hips of fifty guns, two of forty-four guns, and four frigr'^es, with three fire fbips, two bombs, and a number of fmaller veffels. With this force his lordfhip appeared in fight of Rhode Ifland on the morning of the ninth t of Auguft, and after having communicated with the garrifon, and informed himfelf exactly of the fituation of the French fleet) came to ah anchor the fame evening off Point Judith, which forms the entrance on the fouth-weft fide into the great bay, or bafon of water which encompaffes Rhode Ifland, and the other fmaller iflands adjacent. If any advantage could have been gained by finding the count D'Eliaing in a confined fituation, where his large fliFps could not ad with freedom, and where ' • % H i $$ ■ HI8T0RY0FTHE C H A P. where they were alfo liable to be annoyed by the J^f^ batteries from the (hore, it wai loft by the Britifh ,^.g -admiral's coining to an anchor fo far to the fouth- ward, and at fuch a diftance from the mouth of the harbour : For on the following morning, the wind having changed to the north-eaft, the French admiral embraced this opportunity of fail* ing out of the harbour, with all bis fhip<, and forming thcni in order of battle as they came out, bore down upon the Britilh fleet. The Britift admiral, for the prefent, thought it prudent to decline an engagement, and ranging his (hips in order of battle, flood to the fouthwarJ, in the ^ hope that a (hift of wind might enable him to gain the weather-gage. Thus arranged, and thus re- \ latively fituated, the two fleets continued in light of each other for two days ; when the Britifli admiral, defpairing of a change of wind, and having failed in his endeavours to gain the wea- ther-gage, now waited, to leeward, the approach of the enemy, with a determination to engage | but, about this time, the wind freihening into a tremendous ftorm, not only parted the two fleets from each other, but feparated and difperfed the individud ihips of each fquadron*. The Britiih admiral, in the Apollo frigate, to which flnp he had fliifted his flag from the Eaele, that he might be the better enabled to dire£t the opera- tions of his fleet when in profpe^ of an engage- ment, on the day on which the dorm began, now, when the weather cleared up, found himfelf left with only fix ihips ; and the Apollo having fuilained fo much damage in the ftorm as ren- , dered it neceflary to fend her immediately into port, he again fliifted his flag to one of the other ihips, to endeavour to colled his fcattered fleet : But having in vain looked out for them for feve- » ral AMCRiCAMWAR. H rat dayi, he it length dhe^Ved hit courfe 'oi'^ilj^.f* Sandy Hook, which he reached on the feteti- ^i^UJ^ tcenth, and thenrd fouiid the reft of bit fquadron ,^^g. already at anchor. In hit paflate thither, the ! Britilh admiral narrowly efcaped the French fleets having come in fight of ten of their (hips, fome of ihem at anchor in the fea* about twenty-five leagues to the eaftward of Cape May. The reparation and difperfion of the two fieetf gave occafion to the accidental meeting of fingld ihipa, and produced engagements between them, which terminated fo much to the honour of Bri-' tifh valour and /eamanlhip, as to excite deep regret, chat, after the Britilh admiral had at laft determined to engage, the fiorm ihould havd intervened to prevent the a^ion. In the evening of the thirteenth captain Dawfon, in the Renown, of fifty gum, fell In with the French admiral'ir fliip, the Languedoc, of eighty-four guns, difi* mailed ; and notwithftanding her great fuperio« rity of forcet refolutely alTailed her with ap« parent advantage. Until darknefs put an end to the engagement, which would have been re-> newed the following morning, had not the ap« pearance of fix other (hips of the et\v'niy's fieet obliged the brave captain Dawfon to defift. The Tame evening, a fimilar engagement hap' pened between the Prefton of tifiy guns, com-< manded by commodore Hotham« and the Tonant, la French mip of eighty guns, with her main mill only ftanding, the reft being carried away ia . .f^. the ftorm. The event of this engagement way I fimilar to that of the former: It was bravely {begun and fuftained by commodore Hotham, till darknefs put an end to it in the i^veningy I and it could igpt be renewed in the morning, becaufe of the ^ppeaj-jmce of the reft of the French Vol. il. D i^ect. : 4* HISTORY OF THE i \ I ^H A P. fleet. But the Uft of the ctijgagcinent8t pro- ^j_^^^^^ duced by this untoward occurrence, of (hips of lyjS, difproportionate. force, puts all naval calculation from weight of metal at utter defiance, and gives the paltn to undaunted bravery and fuperior . &ill and leamanihip. )n the afternoon of the fix* teenth of Augud the Ifis, a ihip Ji^o of fifty guns, commanded by captain Raynor, fell, in yrith the Gxfar, a French ihip of feveBty^fbur guns, not difmafled nor inj.uyre4 by the ftorm* but capable of chafing, and bravely engaged her^fbr an hpur. and, a half with fuch advantage, ;hat at tl}e ei^d of tjbis period the French fhip fleered oiF, and putting before the win^l, left the lf?s incapable of purfuingirom.ther damage which fhe had fuftained in her mafts, faiifr, and ^ riggii^g. In other refpefts her damage was in- ' confiderable, and only one man was killed and ^fteen wounded : Whereas the ^French (hip had been fo roughly handled, and fo much injured in h^r hull, that ibe was obliged to bear away for ^l^e _ harbour of Boilpn to refit ; and her killed aofi wounded amounted to fifty, including in the l^l^er her captain,, the celebrated Bougainville, Whqfe arm was fhot away in tbe,a^ion« If.we reafon by s^nalogy, thefe fpirited anions, thus ii^bly fufiained againft fhips of fuch fuperior force* can leave no room to doubt that, had the two fieets come to adion on the day on which ^n engagement, was. expeded, the event would luve proved highly honourable to . the Brjtifh 4?S* ^^ ^^6 ^^0 fleets, the French appears to l|^ye fufiered the. moil by the (lorm, but both of t^jen> had fufl;ained confiderable damage. The ^^ritifh.fiiips which were difabled went into the harbour of New York. to refit; and the French admiral, after colleding his (battered fquadron, s,, . . wborc ron .im-} AMI R 1 C AN WAR. is bore away for the harbour of £6fton,'' in his GttAP. paiage to which ht again anchored off Rhode ^^^llr iOand^ for the purpofe of commanitating with ^^78' the provincials, who had efieded a landing upc»^ that ifland the day beforcbe failed' out of ^ the harbour.' On this fecoiid vifit io Khodeifliiml^ he remained only one day, when he ihi^ped hia^ courfe for Bofton. As foon as lord Howe's fquadron, which was now further increafed by the arrival of the Mon-l mouth, one of admiral Byron's fleet, vras fuifici- ently refitted, he put to fea with it again, hoping, from the intelligence which he had re- ceived of the motions of the French fleet, that he might be able to reach the bay of Bofton before it ; but in this hope he was difappointed. Upon his entering that bay, on the thirteenth of Auguft, he found the French fleet already in the, harbour, and fo well fecured by lying withiii certain points of land, on which batteries had been erected to cover and command the an- chorage ground, that all attempts againft them, ' in this fituation, appeared impradicable. Hav- ing advanced to the mouth of the harbour, and reconnoitred their pofition, he determined to quit the bay of Boflon, and proceed to the re- lief of Rhode Ifland; but that ifland being eva- cuated by the provincials before his arrival, and his aflidance in that quarter no longer being ne- ceflary, he returned with the fleet to New Yor'r, towards the middle of September. During his September, abfence (ix more fliips of admiral Byron's fquad- ron had arrived at that port ; and as, in confe- quence of thefe arrivals, the Britifli naval force in America was now unqueftionably fuperior to the fleet under the count P'Eftaing, and would be fl-ill farther increafed by the. arrival of admiral Byron, in the Princefs Royal, who was daily ex- D 2 peded •<. "^^^^'^J'^^^x,^^.^^, itSlBRlC A N" WAR, i.. , . CHAP. XXW. ■-^ 1778. \ A particular Account of the Pregrefs andljfve tfth^ I Amfrican 4t*^t on Rh4e JJland^ aWeetiyxt^ neroHy mfjaionedf ■ t A 6 our 9tt(Rttioii faidierto han been occupied CHAP, in detailing tbe more momentous operati- ^^^^' ons of the two fleets, ^nd the iiiTafion of Rhode lflan4 by jcfae proviDctals h^s only been iflcidentaHv mentiooed, ve (hail now briefly relate the progre6 apd ifliie of ^^X ipvi^^-^iv whkh would not hav«. been undertaken butt i prxAptA of 9, co-oper- ation from the count : ^aipg» ^d which wat abandoned as loon as that profpe^ was withdrawn. Preyioudy to the arrival of the Frqich fleet, Rho^e iiland wa^ iufQciently pro^'-ded againft an inra(ki|^ from th^ provindab, by ^ne garrifon which VfM placed ifi^ U» and by the frigates an^} other fmaHar veffels of war which were Rationed routed k font its fecurity : an<^ foon after the arriya} qf thf French fleet uppn the Ameiicart cdaft, the gi^rrifoa was reitiibrced with five battalions tind^fgefi^t Prefcpt; for it inas fptefeen |;{iat> if the Frencfei fleet fiiould af^ear before it, the 3riti^ ^^y^^ I force fhitionedtliere would be rendered ine^f^iye, and the fecurity of the place muH:, for a t)in^ a^ I lead, depend chiefly upon the ftrength of the gar« rifon. The event juflifjed this precaution ; for as foon f(s the count U'Eftaing pad detached twq of his line>of battle mips into the Warraganfet Paflage, and as many frigates into the Seaconne^ IPaflage, the retrea( of fuch of the Britifh (hips as wcr« ^ H IS TO R.Y O F T HE t •'> CHAP, vere advanced bcyohd them was cut off: They XXIV. could neither put to fea nor retnrn to the harbour 1778. Ir ./ of Newport ; and in order to prevent them from falling into the hands of the 1 rench, were dif- ma^ 'cd and burnt*:. Sir Robert Pigott, too, beiug threatened with a defcent infeveral quarters at the fame , time, vas obliged, notwithftanding his reinforcement, to withdraw his out-pods, and concentrate his (orce\ in an intrenched camp in the neighbourhood of Newpott. Thus, all the north part of the ifland was neceflarily left un- guarded ; and there the provincials, under general Sullivan, fuppofed to amount to ten thoufand nlen, j effected a landing on the ninth of Augud, the day after th^ count D'Edaing had entereH ihe harbour of Newport. They did not, howevejr, make their appearance before the 6riti(h lines till the fourteenth, when, taking poffeflion of Honey, man's Hill, they began to conftruft batteries, form lines of communication, . and make regularl approaches, which were continued without inter* xnilTion until the morning of the tw^nty-fixth.! But the re-appearance of the French fleet, in its (hattered and difabled condition after the (lorm, imd its final departure for the harbour ,of BoflonI to refit, threw a fatal damp upon the fpirits oil the men who compofed general Sullivan's army, [ Great part of it confided of volunteers : And thefe, diiheartened by the departure of the French fleet, returned home in fuch nyml^ers, three thou.j fand of them having gone off in the courfe of on^l if firiti(h Ships deftroyed at Hhode Ifland, tQ prevent them froigl falling into the Hands of the French : iuno 32 guns, burnt. Lark ditto ditto. Orpheus ditto ditto, florid diuo fMuk, Cerberus 32 guns, Falcon 18 guns, King's Fifher 16 guns, burnt, funk, burnt, dd •a-m E ^Cc k^ War. s$ 1778. day, that, according to the American accounts, ^J^^^* the forte which at laft remained did not greatly , ^^'^' I exceed that of the' Britifli garrifori. : General Sullivan's army being thus weakened by d^fertion, he faw the impoifibility of fucceeding, and took meafures for eflPeftirig a retreat. Orders were difpatched to repair aind ftrengthen the works in bis rear, upon the north part of the iiland, and atfo at Brillol and Tiverton upon the continent i^ Such parts of his heavieft baggage as could be fpared Were fent oflf ; ancf every previous prepara- * tion that was neeeiTary being made, he began hi?, retreat in^ the night of the twenty-eighth of Auguft. By evacuating his wot-ks in the night, ^ener^l SulHi^n gained a march of feveral hours, unper-^ , ceived by the BritiHi army, and by polling his light troops on various eminences in his line of march, and leaving them behind him with orders to fkirmifh with the Britiih troops !as they advanc- ed, and then retire, he W!(s enabled to make good t^s retreat with the main body of his army, his artillery' aiid baggage, to a commanding fitu- ation at the north end of the ifland ; which, as we have feen, he had previoufly ftrengthened with fome additional works, for the purpofe of cover- ing his retreat. Day-light in the morping of th? twenty-ninth dlfeoyiBfed to fir Robert Pigott the', retreat of the enemy ; and a purfuit biping in- ftantly ordered, the whole day was fpent infkir- milbes, in which the covering parties of the pro- vincials were fuccciTively driven from the different ports occupied by them, until they fell back upon the main body of their army, by tiiis time en? camped on the advantageous ground already mentioned. Thefe Ikirmifhes were terminated by a fharp aftion in front of the American en- campment, obftinately maintained for half an hour, at the end of which the troops engaged oii V 41^. lil&TDt? Of Tue C «^M* hoth fld^ wfTc witlktrnvn. Tbt Jpf« »f tfcu p»- >™^ viiia»It in lulled, irpniuMd, f94 miJ^ng, 4iiD«i l^^g, the varipus tnmfmtmM of t^^ 4iky« »i9oiiptfi to two fanndtea v^ Mevfta n>fn« i9cl»4ifig ^r cer» ;.aA4 to Qf^im^y ort» greatly infefted that part of the trade to NeV ^oi;f . which .pafied through the Sound. But as he aj>]proached the mouth of the river ^hicb, paffing by New 3-« mouth county in New England, together with a number of prizes which they had lately taken ; and never was a fervice more eiTeftually perform- ed. The Qeei of tranfports having proceeded to the ej^ftward with 9 fz^if wind, landed the troops on Itey. A M E k I C A N WAR. 4i 1778. on the blanks of the Acuflinet river at fix in the CH A P: evening of »hc fi^b of September. . And fueh was ^ ^^• the rapidity of the execution, that, by noon of the next day they were 4!! re-efnbarktd, having, in the niean ti^ne, buret and .deftroyed all the (hips in the whole extent of the river, amounting to ipore than feventy fail. They al(o burnt at Bedford and Fairhaven, the one of thefe towns fituated on the weft, and the other on the eaft fide of the river, a number of ftorehoufes filled with provifions, merchandife, naval and warlike ftores, and the cargoes of the prize-lhips,xwith feveral wharfs^ and two large rope- walks. They alfo dif- roantled and burnt, on 3be eafl fide of the river« an inclofed fort mounting eleven pieces of heavy cannon, with a magazine, and barracks for two hundred men* : This fervice being performed with thelofs of only one man killed, four wounded, and fixteen miffing, M exchange for whom fixteen perfons were brought from Bedford. The trppps being, re-embarked, the fleet pro- ceeded to the ifland called Martha's Vineyard, where they alfo took or burnt feveral veffels, dedroyed a fahwork, and obliged the inhabitants to deliver up their arm^ and furnifli a contribu- tion of ten thoufand iheep, and three hundred * Vefleli, Stores, &c. dedroyed oa A^ufTinet River, the 5th of September 1 778, by the troops under Major General Grey, • 8 fail of large (hips, from 200 tp 300 tons burden, mod of them prizes. 6 armed velTeis, from 10 16 guns. A number of floops and fchooners, amounting in all to 7c, befides whale-boats and others. 26 (lore houfes at Bedford, and fevetal at M'Pherfon's Wharf, Cran's Mills, and Fairhaven, (iiled with rum, fug^ar, melafTeq, coifee, tobacco, cotton, tea, medicines, gunpowder* fail-cloth, cordage, &c. ^ Two large rope walks. 13 pieces of ordnance dcftroyed at the fort, the magazine blown up, and the platform and barracks for 200 men burnt. oxen *f I '9 i. I f i l» % H itnr 0«T Of TH E CijlAP.e«€n) tndwidKhis fe^fofiablf Aipply «f prori- ^_^ _^ fiont the fleet returned ie New Yorkf. ,^^g. Another esfedkion vna foon aftersmwdf plin- Expcrfitioaiofd agaiuft Lktie £gg Harbour^ pn tfie eid coaft KttTe^gg ^ ^'V JcKey, 'w^c^ was ^Ife « noted rende«. X arbour. « xoiM fof |M-ivftteer8. 1 he vkinity of tbit, cthgt* for pri^"* ''^^^ infigaificam, little port, to that traft of the t<«n, ' fea thro«i||h whidi veieU nfually paft either m entering or coming from the harbouf of New Tork to the fouthward, r eodered it a moft eo^ve- liient fituation for annojring the trade of that place ; and 09 that neeoont the expedition againft ft became an ofejdi of fome confideratiop. To favour die fuceeA of this, at well at to procure forage, and open the eouatry on both fidet of the 1 Norm River, for the admiipon of provifipnt, the fimy wat p^t in motion* The firft dt^ifion, un- der Lord Cornwailis, advancing on the weft fide uriit. At Martha's Vinerard, one farfg of 1 50 tons, and ope fchooner of 70 tons burden, burnt } ;infi fcmr othef nHcIs witb 23 whale* boats^ takeo or dedroyed. A fdU-^york deftroyed, and a fpn()deuble quantity of fait takco, »> • 3^3 ftsod of arms taken, with bayonetf. pouchesi Qints, fome gunpowder, and a qu^intity of Itad. ' ' 300 oxen and to,rjoo meep. loccl. flerling in paper, the amoMOf of a tax cpl!<-'Aed iri Mar. ttia's Vineyard by the authority of the congrefs^, wa; received of the colttdor^ AMERriC AN W /bR. ^ f^Q, wtcli the other divifioa of thearnyrtook^CHM*. paralltl pofition otk tht an. By fome delay which occurred in tranli)ortiftg lieutenant-colonel Campbeira column acrols the North River^ the boats not having arrived in time, and by the intelligence carried to the enemy by fome deferters from- tbis^ columui the provincials at NeDir Tas^an were alarmed in time \ <\ I) '^ 4» CHAP, XXV. I', < i J It HISTORY OF THE time to make their efcape. But the- rrlkgeor Old Tasipan was (b completely furrounded in the night by the left coFumn, under major-getiera) Grey, whofe prompt execution and unrivalled ibccefs in enter prifes of this nature bad been the terror of the provincials ever fmce the (ixr^rife of general Wayne, that very few of the regiment^ which was quartered in it were able to make their efcape. The greatell part either fell viftirhs to the carnage incident fo tfte confufion and uncer- tainty of a nightly attack ; or were fortunate to bo made prifoners } and amongft the latter was their commander, dangeroufty wounded. The regiment was entirety rumed ; and the fuddertneft and feverity of this nightly enterprife ftruck fuch terror into the provincials that the Britifti ftihi> gers were not afterwards interrupted. ' ' In the ittean time, the fquadroh deftinedTor Little Egg Harbour, failed from Niw York uirder the diredion of captain Collins of the Zqbra; 'This little fquadron confided of the Zebra^ V^gilinr, Nautilus*, fome gallies, fmair armed veflels, and tranfports. Oh board the tranfports \vere ein- barked three hundred troops from the fifth regi- ment, and the New Jerfey volunteers, the whole under the com/nand 6f captain Patrick Fergufon, of the feventieth riegiment, an a£tive, zealous, and able officer, who, in this expedition, wasentruded with the conduft of the land fervice. Although this fquadron left New York on the thirtieth of September, it did not arrive off Little Eg|j Har- bour till the fifth of October in the evening, on account of contrary winds ; and in the mean time the couritry had been alarmed by receiving intel- ligence of the place of its deflination; which gave an opportunity to four privateers to put to fea and make their efcape, whilft the other veffels were carried up the river, as far as their draft of ' water AMERICAN WAR. f? I ^ati^r would perdiit. At the commanders of thii C H A P^ expedition learnt on their arrival at Little Em^J ^'^ [Harbour that the country had been already alarm- i^^g. [ed, they determined to lofe no farther time in [carrying it into execution. On the morning of [the 6th, the wind kill preventing the tranfports flrom entering the harbour, the troops were em- barked on board the fmaller veflels, which, with the row-galleys, proceeded about twenty miles up the river to a place caHed Chefnut Neck, where were feveral veflels, and a fmall village with flore- houfes,"^ for the reception of prize^-goods. Here the provincials had ereded two batteries j one level with the water, and the other upon a com- manding emiiMnce } but neither of them yet mounted with artillery. Behind thefe batteries, and a bread-work which they had alfo thrown up, they at fir (I made a formidable ihew of refiA- ance ; but as foon as the troops were landed. under cover of the row-gallies, fled. The. batteries, with the houfes and floras, were immediately de* molifhed by the troops, whilfl: the feamen fet on fire and burnt ten large prize fhips, which in con- fequence of the previous alarm had been fkuttled by the provincials, and could not be brought off. It had been propofed to penetrate by the fame river as far as a place called the Forks, the grand depot for prize-goods, within thirty-ftve miles of Phila- delphia ; but information was now received that the militia in that part of the country were rein- forced by a detachment of foot, a fmall train of artillery, and a corps of light-horfe^ and as, fi;om the Oiallownefs of the navigation, the troops could not be farther accompanied by the row gallies, it was determined to abandon this part of the enter- prife as impradicable. The troops were accor- dingly re-imbarlced,and proceeded down the river, la their paflage they were twice landed, and de- ftroyed •V I. HISTORY or THE GHA XXV '' -X . - f P' (ttoytd thiee fatt^worksi and fome hoitftf ind ftofes bttldngtng io perfdii ckher conctnied in fitting but prhratdd-s, or whoTe a£)ivity in thi ciiufe <>f Ailiorfca, and ilcg up tbtf river, us fuggeded to the aclite and enterpri^ng mtnd of captain Fergufon the probability of fufi prifing it^ Pulaiki'f corps^ conHAing of thrcv companies of fdot^ thi'ce troops of hurfe« arid a detachriient of artillery^ witb one brafs field^piec^f wa« qOattered about a mile beyond 1 brid({0^ wbtch cslptaiit Fergufon propofed to feizd^ fa returned to New yorjc. The farprife of Baylor's dragoons at Old Taapan, and that of Pula(ki*s legion near Little Egg Harbour, both of which happened nearly ai^out the fdme time, gave frefli occafion to the Americans to pour forth much virulent inve£live againft the cruelty of the Britilb troops. But whilit we admit the feverity of the execution on both thefe occadohs, candour requires us to add, that as both thofe attacks were made by furprife, and both in the night, and as the fuccefs of a fur- prife depends in a great meafure upon celerity of execution, it is impoffible, under fuch circum-r ftances, for a commander, however humane, to prevent carnage. In the lall of thefe enterprifes, it is alfo to be remarked, that captain Fergufon*$ foldiers 'twere highly irritated by intelligence im- mediatly before received from the deferters, tha( count Pnlaflvi had given it out in public orders to his legion, no longer to grant quarter to the Bti- tifli troops. This intelligence afterwards appeared to be falfe ; but in the mejin time captai|> Fcrgu^ fon's foldiers afted under the impredion that it was true \ and to his honour it is to \)t related, that although he did not fcreen the guilty, \ie was care- ful to fpare the innocent. The dwelling of a per- secuting committee-man he razed to the ground, Vol. II. ' E but 49 HAP. XXV. • 779. .r» t^ ^1 ■( )% Jfe k r I'v 1 1 5» CHAP. XXV. 1778. The wea- ther thii fummer uncom- monly tern- peftuout ia the Atlan- tic ocean. Difperfion and fate ef the fleet (inder ad- miral By- roQ. HISTORY OF THE but faved from the flames the houfe of a peacea- ble, inoifenfive (^aker, although it contained part of the baggage and equipage of Pulafki's le- gion, which it was an obje^ to deftroy, and which he had not time to deftroy in any other way than by fetting fire to the houre ; but the houfe, be- longing to a peaceable man, was faved, and with it the baggage. Before the fquadroh from Little Egg Harbour returned to New York, the Britifh army was withdrawn from its forward pofition ; and in this quarter nothing material was undertaken or atchieved on either fide during the remainder of the feafon. The weather, throughout the whole of this fummer, appears to havp been uncommonly boif- terous in the Atlantic ocean. From this caufe admiral Byron's fleet, which failed from England on the ninth of June, to counteraft the defigns of count D'Eftaing on the American coaft, was not only delayed in its paflage, but Avas at length, on the third of July, difperfed and feparated by a dorm. Some of the (hips arrived fingly '' New York, in the manner we have already fee^ ; und fix of them, under admiral Parker, having been fortunate enough to keep together, reached that port on the twenty-ninth of Auguft. But admiral Byron himfelf, in the Princefs Royal, which (hip was at laft left alone, after having made good his paflage within thirty leagues of Sandy Hook, came in fight of twelve fhips, on the eighteenth of Auguft, about ten milps to leeward of him, which, from taeir figpals, he at length difcovered to be the French fleet ; and as thefe (hips from their fituation equally obftrufted his courfe to New York or to Rhode Ifland, he was obliged, by a neceflity of refitting, to bear away for Hali- fax j where he arrived on the twenty-fixth of that month, ■^^teit AMERICAN WAR. month, and found the Culloden, another of his fleet, already in the harbour. Both thefe (hips being refitted with the utmofl difpatch, he failed again on the fourth of September, and arrived at New York about the middle of that month. The (hips of his fquadrcMi which arrived there before him were fo (battered and torn to pieces in the dif- ferent dorms they had encountered, that with all the difpatch that could be ufed they were not in re^dinefs to proceed to fea till the eighteenth of O^ober. On that day the admiral jailed again in queft of the count D'Eftaing, but his ill fortune (lill continued to perfecute him. Scarcely had he reached the bay of Bofton, when, on the firft of November, another tremendous (lorm arofe, drove his (hips out to fea, and fo difabled them that he was obliged to return to Rhode Ifland to refit, and leave the bay of 3oflon unguarded. The count D'Eftaing, whofe (hips were by this time completely refitted, embraced the favourable opportunity of putting to fea, which the depar- ture of the Britifh fleet had given him ; and leav- ing the harbour of Boflon on the third of No- vember directed Ijis cpurfe to th^ W^il-Indi^^t 5' CHAP. XXV. 1778. The admi- ral ftrug- gl« in vain again ft ad- verfc for- tune. The count D'Eftaing fet> fail to the Weft Indies. E » 'M' 'f^W" tm^ t^jjm^ HISTORY OF THE CHAP. XXVI. jExpedition to the IV^Ji Indies under the Command of General Grant — the Britijh CommiJJioners return to England — Review of their Proceedings Ex- pedition againjl Georgia — Redudfon if Savan- nah, CHAP, XXVI. 1778. Kxpedltion -to the Weft Indies un- der the command cf general Grant. T\\f Bri- * (h com- ituflioners return to £nj^knd. TH E feafon for aftive operations between the two grand armies being now over, rnd no greater force being ijeceflary to be kep . i New York, during the winter, than would be fufficit:;it for the defence of the different ports occupied by the Britifh troops ; as foon as admiral Byrop liad failed from thence for the bay of Bofton, a de- tachment of five thoufand troops was put under orders for embarkation, to proceed to the Weft Indies, under the command of general Grant. This force failed from Sandy Hook on the third of November. The tranfports were efcorted by a fquadron of fix (hips of war, under the com- mand of commodore Hotham. Towards the end of the fame month another embarkation took place, the objeft of which was the redudlon of the pro- vince of Georgia. The troops fent on this fervicc were commanded by lieutenant colonel Campbell, of the feventy-firft regiment, and the naval force by commodore Hyde Parker, About the time of the lafl: of thefe embarkati^ ons the Britifh commiffioners took a final leave of America, and failed for England. We (hall here, therefore, interrupt the thread of hoftile detail, I ■ V' ' . ■ for ik y/^ » ■■.^■^, %. ■ ■ '- V . AMERICAN WAR. 5) for the fake of giving a fummary account of their CHAP, proceedings fubfequent to the anfwer of congrefs .^-^^|\ to their firft apph'cation. In that anfwer, the con- ,--g^ grefs, as a preliminary to all negotiation, had re- quired cither an explicit acknowledgment of the independence of America, or elfe that the Britilh fleets and armies fhould be withdrawn : And even then they confined the extent of the negotiation to fuch an agreement as fhould not be inconfiftent Review of with treaties already fubfifting between them and f^%l^''°' foreign powers. Although the Britilh commiffio- ners, after receiving this anfwer, mufl have beert convinced that all farther attempts at negotiation with tl^e congrefs muft be fruitlefs, they never- thclefs thought it necelfary to reply, that iL might clearly appear to the world not td be ovtring to aiiy backwardnefs in them, if the negotiation fhould not fucceed. In this reply, dated at New York the eleventh of July, they r^jefted the lafl; of the two alternative preliminaries, which regarded the withdrawing of the Britifh fleets and armies, as en* tirely inadmifTible ; not only for the fake of guarding againft the defigns of the natural ene- my of Great Britain, but for the fafety of thofe who, in America, had taken an adive part in favour of the mother-country : And, with refpedt to the firfl of the alternatives, they declared, that if the congrefs, by the independence *A America, meant no more than the entire privilege of the people of that continen :o difpofe of their owfl property and *.o govern themfelves without any reference to Great Britain beyond what is necef- fary to preferve an union of force for the Tiety of . ' the whole empire, fuch an indt-pendence nad been ■ ; v already acknowledged in the firft letter from the \,:^ ',;-.' commiflioners. They alfo reminded the congrefs ' ' " that they had furnilhed that aflembly with a copy of the powers under which they afted, and as a /,: reciprocal ■ f'i V ' 'J 1: --■"'•" -m^=s^: - * ;i...f 54 H t S R Y OF THE ^w^i^*' J^ccipfocal mark of confidence they expcftcd tha) ^ the conjrefs would make known to them the pow- ers with which they Were entrufted by their con- ftituents to contrail allian £S ^I'ith foreign powers ; and, as thefe alliances were to have an influenr:u on the negotiation, fo they alfo expeded copies of the treaties on which they were founded. i> Jt the congrefs tc k no farther notice of thia feccrd letter of the commiflioners, than barely to enter a refolution upon their journals, importing that no anfwer fhould be given to it ; ns neither of the preliminary conditions upon which alone a nego- tiation could commeuce, had been yet compUc:d with. General Burgoyne's army being ftill retained in captivifcy, in direft vioiarion of the convention under \ ^.•ch ir had furrendered, a remonftrance on this fuh;ei5l; beariag date the feventh of Au- guft, was tht next paper addreflfed to the con- grefs by the BritiH-i commiflioners. In this re- moiiRrunce they complained with fome feverity of the detention of thofe troops, demanded a free entrance for tranfports into the harbour of Boflon to tranfport them to Great Britain, according to the terms of the convention ; and, to remove every poflible difficulty, offered to renew and ra- tify on the part of Great Britain every article of that convention, more efpecially the article by which the troops were bound not to ferve againll America during the war ; and to this reprelenta- t;cn they demanded a fpeedy, direft, and explicit anfwcir. But the congrefs, inflead of retummg a direct anfwer, tranfroitted to them a remojiflrance on the condudt of governor Johnftone, one, of the commiflioners. in which he was charged with attempting to bribe and corrupt fome of their members : And this remonflrance was accora - panied with a declaration that it was incompatible , ,'• wirh t- ■yi. AMERICAN WAR. 55 With the honour of congrefs to hold any farther CHAP, communication or iniercourfe with governor John- ^^^l. (tone, more efpecially upon affairs in which the caufe of liberty and virtue was interefted. Th s charge was founded on letters written by goveriiov Johnrtonc to individual members of congr c/ . ' with fome of whom he was perfonally acquainted, * In coofequence of an order of congrefs, that a^l letters re- ceived by members of that body, or their agents, from any fub- \c(\ c'" Crc : Britain, of a public nature, (hould be laid before (hern; the following letters were laid ou the table froa) goyernor JoluiiiuDe : To Francis Dana, £/f. (Private) ** Dbar Sir, *< It gives me great pleafure to find your name amongfl the lift of congrefs, becaufe I am perfuaded, from perfonal know- ledge of me, and my family and connexions, you can entertain no jealoufy that 1 would engage in the execution of any com- million that was inamirable to the rights and privileges of Ame- rica, or the general liberties of mankind ; while, on the other hand, your chara^er mud be fo well known, that no man will AifpeA you will yield any point that is contrary to the real inter- e(l of your country ; and therefore it will be prefumed we will Jofe no opportunity, from falfe punflilios of meeting to difcufs our differences fairly, and that, if we do agree, it will be on the mod liberal, and therefore the moll lalHng terms of union. There are three fa^ I'witli to aflure you of. Firft, That Dr. Franklin, on the 28th of March lall, in difcufling the feverat ' articles we wifh to make the bafis of our treaty, was perfei5)ly fatiiified they were beneficial to North America, and fuch as Aie (hould accept. Second, That this treaty with France was not the firft treaty that France had exaaecf, and with which Mr. Simeon Deane h)nuutnd to your per- I "i H M,-a i%=i^. -^'^ 56 HISTORY OF THE ^xxvi^ acquainted, and for others had received letters of ' introduction from their friends in England. Go- verBor 1773. fonal civilities, my friend Dr. Fergufon. He is a man of the greated genius and virtue, and has always been a fteady friend to Amerfca. Private " If you follow the example of Britain in the hour of h«f privilege, infolence, aid madnefs, and refufe to hear os, I ftill expert, fince I am here, to have the pfirilegeof comine among you, and feeing the country, as there are many men, whofe vir- tues I admire al>ove Greek and Roman names, that I fhould bt glad to tell my children about. ** I am, with clleem and affedlion, dear Sir, '* Your friend and fcrvant, rhtladelphia, June 10, 1778. «' GEO. JOHNSTONE." i • ! To Gtturaljotr" Rbbo* •• SlR( «« YOOR near and worthv eiat'tsit Ms . Dennis de Berdt, hat made me happy by favouring .-nt n-st'i a letter to you. 1 have been infonned by general Robertlbn of your great wbrth *s;"^'^it , 7.mf 'iflF??; Londi onaort, AMERICAN W A R/ 57 vernor Johnftone had not only been an uniform C H AC but a ftrenuout a4vocate in the Britifli parliament ^^^I* ft« .77S. fafety of both parties depends, all t.^e difTerrnce* that have or can fubfift between Great Britain and America, fltort of a total reparation of interefls. It) this commiflton I am an unworthy aflbciate. Though no man can feel the dtftn of cementiflg in peace and friendlhip every member of what was called the Bri> tilh empire, llrongCr than rtiyfelf ; yet I am fenfible that it might have fallen to the lot of many perfoni better qualified to attain the end propofed. All I can claim is ardent zeal and upright intentions ; and when I reflcd that this negotiation muft depend much more upon perfect integrity than refinement of uoderdand- ing, where a fenGble, magnanimous people will fee their own intereft, and carefully guard their honour in every tranfad^ion, I am more inclined to hope, from the good will I have always borne them, I am not altogether unqualified for the tafk. " If it be (as I hope it is) the difpofition of good men in the provinces to prefer freedom, in conjunAion with Great Britain to an union with the ai^cient enemy of both ; if it is their ge- nerous inclination to forget recent injuries, and recall ta their remembrances foriher benefits, I am in hopes we may yet be great and happy. I »m fure the people of America will find in my brother-commiilioners, and ibyfelf, a fair and cheerful cen> currence in adjafting every point to their utmoll wilh, not in- conlident, as 1 faid before, with a beneScial union of interefts, which is the obje£l of our commifTion. '* Nothing could furpafs the glory yon have acquired in arms, except the ,'xncrous magnanimity of meeting on the terms of juftice and equality, after demonftrating to the world that the fear of force could have no jufl influence in that decifion. " The man who can be indrumental in bringing us all toiiA once more in harmony, and unite together the various powers which this conteft has drawn forth, will deferve more from the king and people, from patrioiifm, humanity, friendfhip, anH all the tender ties that are aiTedied by tlte quarrel and reconcilia- tion, than ever was yet bellowed on human kind. " This letter from Mr. de Berdt I fl)all confider as an intro- duction to yoo, which line of communication I (hail endeavour by every rieans to improve, by public demon flrations of relpedJ, or private friendlhip, as your anfwer may enable me. "I am, with great refpefl. Sir, " Your moft obedient, and moft bumble fcrvant, London, April 11, 177*. «• Qli Q. JOHNSTONE." I' I J ^^m^ 4, (t H I S T O R \' O F T H K CHAP. for the rights originally claimed by the Ameri- s J^, ^«'"' » *"^ therefore, probably, thought himfcH' ,..g, entitled to take greater liberties with thofe whofe caufe he had fo powerfully fupported, than the other comrnifliv-'. vs ; >nd being alfo fully of opi- nion that the privileges now offered to the colo< nies, which were abundantly fufficient for fecuring their ToRoBiRT Morris, Efy ^P'''>ale) ** Dbar SiK, PhilaHelphta, June lu, 1778. *' T CAME to this country in * fincere belief that a recon> riliat'.on between Great Britain anri Amerii.a could be eHahlifhcd or terms honourable ard beneficial to both. I am prrfuaded, ar \ can prove, that the lad treaty with France fhould be no '.ar, and the. firft treaty, if ever you faw it, fliould be ai> in* oucement. •' Suppoftng every obdacle tc prevent us from treating re- moved, we are then to confider whether the terms propsfed are advantageoui. I inclofe you my fentiments on the lubjedl at largo if rhey concur with yours, we (hall join in the work with all the prudence, and t\\ the n^ean3 poITible and virtuous. I believe the men who have conduced the affairs of America incapnble of being influenced by improper motives. Bin in all fuch tranfaAions there is rilk, and I think that whoever ventures Hiould be fecured, at the fame time that honour and emolument fhould naturally follow the fortune of thofe who have fleered the vefTcl in the dorm, and brought her fafely to port. I think th.it Walhington and the prefident have a right to every favour that grateful nations can beflow, if they could once more unite our interells, and fpare the miferies and devadations of war. I wifli above all things to fee yon, and hope you v.ill fo contrive it. Do not think Great Britain is fb low ; remember fhe never cm he lower than you were at Trenton. It is the fame biun* lierers who produced the war who have conducted it. When ihe (enfe of the nation is roufed, believe roe fhe can make firug< ^les that few have conceived, but which i fhould be larry to fee exerted on fuch an occafion. •• Whatever may bt our fate, I fhall ever retaiii the ftritHeft private friendfhip for you and yours ; but let me entreat you to recuil all thofe endearing ties to y^ ur recollc«!ti3n. " 1 am, with afTei^io.T ,nd ell -vm, dear Sir, " Y< at obedient fetvanr, ;;. ' "GEO JOHNSTONE." ■^- -sujTSim^'i^, V* , *• - - ':3#>- AMERICAN WAR. 5^ their liberty, peace, and permanent happinef8,CH A P. and more extenfive than tbofe originally claimed ^^yj\ by themfelves, ought to be thankfully accepted, |, perhaps he was, for that reafon, lefs fcrupulout about thb means of inducing acceptance. Although, in the extrads of the letters which were publiflied on this occafion by the congrefs, there was nothing which amounted to the direfl: offer of a bribe, yet it cannot be denied that ge- neral expedations were held out both of honours and rewards, as naturally appertaining to thofe who fhould be indrumental in cementing the dif- jointed pans of the empire, and putting an end to the horrors and devadations of war. If we fuppofe the members of congrefs, to whom thefe letters were addrefled, to have been aftuated by the pure principles of virtue, patriotifm, and love of their country, fuch letters, which held out feltifli confiderations as motives to influence their conduct in a public concern of fuch magnitude, mud neceflarily have been oflfenfive ; and it was J probably owing to fome offended feeling of this iort that gover: '^r Johnftone's private correfpond- ence was at dru difclol'ed, and afterwards became the fubjed or public reprehenfion. Upon the re- ceipt of this complaint and declaration, governor Johnftone immediately withdrew from the coni- miiiion, and in the public adt executed by him on this occafion to tcftify his refolution, which was tranfmitted to the congrefs and bore date the jtwenty-fixth of Auguft, he recriminated on that affembly, and indiredlly charged them with laying hold of this pretence ro avoid returning an anfwer to the requifition of the commiliioners on the jfubje(^ of general Burgoyne's army ; in the fame manner as on a former occafion they had pafl'ed irefolutions about the cartouch-boxes of that sr- my, to aftbrd u learning jullification for breaking through V , s :3 • (( .-^ I» m 6m HISTORYOFTHE C H A P. through the convention by which ii had furren- XXVI. jj„^jj^ y^jjji J J i^g j^j accepted the office of a »778. commiirioner only from the defire of furthering the work of peace and reconciliation, fo he (ig* nified to them his determination, that no a^ done by him ftiould furnifh a pretence for retarding fo defirable an end. He therefore declared, that he would take no farther part in any thin^ that ihould be done under the cornmtfTion, referving to himfeif, however, the privilege of publifliing, if he fhould think (it, a refutai ion of the afperfi- ons which the congrefs had attempted to throw upon him. The other commidioners at the fame time tranfmitteil a declaration, fpecifying, that they were utter Grangers to the letters, and to the feveral things mentioned in the remonftrance of the congrefs refpeding governor Johnilone, until they had feen th«m publiflied in the newf. papers : That they neither meant to admit the conftru^ion put upon thofe letters by the con* grefs, nor to enter into an explanation of go* vernor John(lone*8 conduct, whofe abilities and integrity required no vindication from thein *, but that, in juflice to him and to themfelves, and for the honour of the commiflion, they thought it neceiliiry to declare, that in all the converfations held with him on the fubjed of their million, the principle of his reafoning feemed to be, that the terms which . they were empowered to offer to America were calculated to promote and eftablilh the liberties, peace, opulence, increafe, fecurity, and permanent happinefs of that continent, and that no other connexion or form of government could be equally conducive to thofe ends. As the commiflioners feem to have been of opinion that the recent connexion with France was the prin. cipal obilacle which they had to encounter, they embraced this opportunity pf adducing in their letter V A A M E R I C A N W A R. •• letrer to congreft fome new topics of reafontne to CH A P. enforce their former communication! on that fub- Ji?^, jt&t and endeavoured to demonftrate, that the ,^^g, interference of that power was rather from enmity to Great Britain than friendihlp to America, and merely intended to prolong the contefl, and fruf- trate the eiTe^a of the liberal concefliont made by the mother-country. They concluded by intimat- ing that, in their opinion, the general congrefs, upon the ground of their connexion with France, even if they had been legally authorifed to enter into it, were not entitled to alTume fo decifive a part as they had taken, without Ard confulting with their conftituents, the provincial aifembliei, and laying before them a (late of faflt upon which a true judgment might be formed. The com- miflloners, along with this declaration, difpatched again their former remonflrance on the detention of the Saratoga troops, flgned only by the earl of Carlifle, Ar Henry Clinton, and Mr. Eden : And thefe were the lad of their papers particularly ad- dreiTed to the congrefs. The congrefs were probably difconcerted by the readinefs with which governor Johnftone with- drew from taking any further part in the execu- tion of the commiifion. It was obvioufly their wifli to detain the Saratoga troops as prifoners until they fliould be redeemed by exchange. It was alfo their intention not to enter upon any ne- gotiation with the Britifli commifTioners compati- ble with their powers, left they (hould give um- brage, or create jealoufy in their new allies : And, to effet\ both thufe ends, it is probable that they would have willingly laid hold of the pretence of governor Johnftone's condud to break off all communication or correijpondence with the Britifli commiflioners, more efpecially as they knew there was flill ^ moderate party in all the colonies, which thought ( '"^'^ U ' .<•. 6i HISTORY OF THE CHAP, thought the terms offered by the commiffioners \J— t-ill f Sufficiently liberal to be accepted, and viewed i^^g^ with extreme concern and apprehenfion the new connexion formed with France ; a kingdom which they had been taught to confider as proverbially faithlefs. The (lumbling-block being removed which the congrefs had endeavoured to raife in the perfon of governor Johnftone, they were under a neceflity for their own credit, of paying fome attention to the remondrances of the Bri* ti(h commiiFioners on the detentiuu of the conven- tion army ; but inftead of repelling the charges which had been brought againft them, of having violated the law of nations by infringing a military convention, they again laid hold of a miferabte fubterfuge, and adhering to a literal interpreta- tion of their former refolution regarding general Burgoyne's army, they pafled another, bearing date the fourth of September, as an implied an- fwer to the remonftrance of the commiflioners, which imported that no ratification of the con- vention of Saratoga that might be tendered in con- fequence of powers which may reach that cafe by condrudion and implication, or which may fub- jedt whatever is tranfadted relative to it to the fu- ture approbation, or difapprobation, of the par- liament of Great Britain, could be accepted. That this refolution was evafive is apparent, when we reflect that it was pafTed without any pre- vious inquiry into the powers under which the commiflioners oflPered to renew the convention. - >• For any thing that the congrefs knew, the com- miflioners might have had fpecial authority dele- r gated to them by the king, for this particular purpofe, and independent of their general com- miffion. But, to drive that aflfembly from every V ' •: fubterfuge, and to remove every previous objec- '-'. tion, U ers i4»-.-. A M E R I C A N WAR. «S [Tioners viewed ie new I which erbially emoved raife in y were paying he Bri- convcn- charges F having military liferable :efpreta- ; general bearing lied an- iflioners, the con- d in con- cafe by nay fub- thc fu- the par- ccepted. pparent, any pre- hich the vention. le com- ity dele- irticular ral com- Im every ^s objec- tion, ■5. tion, fir Henry Clinton, on the nineteenth bfCHAP. September, tranfmitted to them an extract from J^i^XJl, an in(lru£tion fent to him by the fecretary of J..3, itate, and received fince the date of the remon- {irance made by the commifTioners, by which he was authorifed, not in implied, butexprefs terms, to demand a performance cf the convention made with general Burgoyne, and, if required, to re- new and ratify, in the king's name, all the condi- tions (lipulated in it. The offer of a ratification now .made feemed to be of that pofitive and pre- cife nature which fubftantially removed every pre- vious objedion. But the congrefs were not to be fatisfied; and to fill up the climax of that fyftem of evafion which they had purfued in all their de- liberations on this fubjedt, they affeded to confi- der fir Henry Clinton's letter as deficient in ref- {j|ed, from the cafual ufe of an exprefiion of dif- approbation, which, in the warmth of his feelings as a foldier, when vindicating the rights of foldi- ers grofsly violated, he had incautiouily fufiered to efcape him ; and inflead of anfwering or com- plying with the requifition, direfted their fecre- tary to write to the Britifh general, " that con- *' grefs gave no anfwer to infolent letters.** Thus thofe brave troops who had furrendered at Sara-" toga, upon the faith of a convention, which flipu- 4ated for their return to Great Britain, were, by the grofs violation of it, obftinately perfifted in by the congrefs, fiill dedlned to bear all the ills inci- dent to a ftate of captivity. The Britifti commiflioners, finding all efforts to open a negotiation with the congrefs vain and fruitlefs, at laft, on the third of Odober, pub- lifhed a manifeflo and proclamation, addreffed not only to the congrefs, but to ail the provincial afTeniblies, and to all the inhabitants of the colo> 'a ■m- nies "«.«!.'*' '^i"* '". -■•^J.'^.^ / 64 HISTORY OF THE CHAP, nies of whatever denomination *, in which they v^yL i ^*^*^^y recapitulated the different fteps taken by 1778. ^^cm • " MANIFESTO AND PROCLAMATION. " To the Members of the Congrefs, the Members of the Gene- ral Affemblies or CoDventions of the feveral Colonies, plan- tations, and Provinces of New Hampfliire, MafTachufett't > Kty, Rhode IQand, ConneAicut, New York, New Jerfey, ''< ' // Peoofylvania, the three lower Countries on Delaware, ^ary* ^ land, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Geor- gia, and all ochers, Inhabitants of the faid Colonies, of every Rank and Denomination. *» By the Earl of CarliQe, Sir Henry Clinton, and William Eden, Efq. Commiflioners appointed by his Maiedy, in pur- fuance of an Adl of Parliament, made an<^ palTed in the i8th Year of his Majefty's Reign, to enable his Majefty to appoint Commiflioners to treat, confult, and agree upon the Means of quieting the Diforders now fubdding in certain of the Colo- nies, pTant?uons, and Provinces in North America. " HAVING amply and repeatedly made known to th/; con- ^refs, and having alio proclaimed to the inhabitants of Nortji America in general, the benevolent overtures of Great biiiain towards a re-union and coalition with her colonies, we do not think it confident either with the duty we owe to our country, or with ajuil regard to the charaAers we bear, topeidft in hold- ing out oners, which, in our eftimation, required only to be known to be mod gratefully accepted ; and we have accprdingly, excepting only the commander in chief, who will be detained by military duties, refolved to return to England, a faw weeks «fter the date of this manifeHo and proqiamation. *' Previous however to this decifive (lep, we are led J>y a ju/l anxiety for the great obi^As of our miflion, to enlarge on fome points which may not have been fufficiently under 0ood, to re- cipitulate to our fellow-fubjei^s the bleflings which we are em- powered to confer, and to warn them of the continued train of evils to which they arc at prefent blindly ^nd obllinately expo- fing themfelvcs. •' To the members of the congrefs then, we again declare, that we art ready to concur in all fatisfaftory and juft arrange ments for fecuring to them, and their relpeiSivp conOituent<;, the re fdablifiiment of peace, with the exemption from any ini- yofition of tjxes by the parliament of Great Britain, and tlie ir- rc;TO';able cnjiyintnt of every pri\ilcge conftllent with that union ».. 'j^-*\ ll*rd^i TL' A M E ft r C A N W A R. i tliem to accomplifh the objeft of the commiffioh, C tl A P, an^ the refufal of the congfefs eveii to open a ^j_;^ conference j^^s. union of interefts dnd force on which our mutual profperity anid the fafety of o'"* common religion and liberty depend. We again aflert, that the members of the congrefs were not autho- rifed by their conflitution, either to rejed our offers without the previous confideration and confent of the feveral afll^mblies and conventions of their conftituents, or to refer us to pretended fo- reign treaties, which they know were delufively framed in the firu inftance, and whidh have never yet been ratified by thepeo> pie of this continent. And we once more remind the members of the congrefsi that they are rcfponfible to their countrymen, to the world, and to God, for the continuance of this war, and for all (he miferies with which it mull be attended. *' To the general alTemblies and conventions of the diiTerent colonies, plantations, and provinces, above mentioned, we now feparately make the offers which we otiginaliy tranfmitted to the congrefs ; and we hereby call upon and urge them to meet, ex'> firefly for the purpofe of confidering whether every motive, po- iticai as well as moral, fliouid not decide their refolUtibh to embrace the occafion of cementing a free and firm coalition with Great Britain. It has not been, nor is it, our wi(h, to feeic the objects which we are comniiffioned to purfue, by fomenting popular divifions and partial cabals ; We think fuch conduifl would be ill fuited to the generous offers made, and unbecoming the dignity of the king and the ffate which mak^s them. But it is both our wilh and our duty to encourage and fupport any men^ or bodies of men, in their return of loyalty to our fovereigh, and of afFetffion to our fellow-fubjedls. *' To all others, free inhabitants of this once happy ermpire, we alfo addrdfs ouifelves. Such of them as are aiflually inarms^ of whatfoever ranker defcription, will do well to'iecofreA, that the grievances, whether real or fuppofed, which led them int6 this rebellion, have been for ever removed, and that the jufl oc- caGoo is arrived for their returning to the clafs of peaceful citi- zens. But if the honours of a military life are become their ObjeA, let theni feek thdfe honours under the banners of their rightful fovertiign, and in fighting the battles of the united BHtifh empirte againft our late mutual and natural enemy. " To thofe whofe profeflton is to exercife the functions of itligion oh this cpntinent, it canrot furely be unknown, that the foreign power v^th which the congr'^fs is endeavouring to con- tit& thita, has etir been averH^ to toieriation, and inveterately VdL. II, P ojipofetf >^1 V •*> tM 6<5 H I S T O R Y O F THE ^XXv/*' ^^"^"^""^"^^ ^^^h them. They again fet forth the ,_.^^^ extent and bepeficial tendency of the terms which " 1778. they oppofed to the intercHs and freedom of the places of worfhip ; which they fervei and that Great Britain, from whom they : are for the prefent feparated, n^uft, both from the principles of her conftitution, and of proteflantifro, be at all times the be(l guardian of religious liberty, and moll difpofcd to promote and extend it. , ^ "To all thofe who can eftimate the bleflings of peace, and ' its influence over agriculture, arts, and commerce, who can feel a due anxiety for the education and eflablifhment of their children, or who can place a juft value on domeftic fecurity, we think it fuiScient to obferve, that they are made, by their lead- ers, to continue involved in all the calamities of war, without having either a juft objed to purfue, or a fubfifting grievance which may not inftantly be redrefTed. " But if there be any perfons, who, diveded of miftaken re- fentments, and uninfluenced by felflfli interefts, really think that it is for the benefit of the colonies to feparate themfelves from - Great Britain, and that fo feparated they will find a conftitution more mild, more free, and bietter calculated for their profperity than that which they heretofore enjoyed, and which we are em- powered and difpofcd to renew and improve ; with fuch perfons we will not difpute a poHtion which feems to be fuSiciently con- tradi(fled by the experience they have had. But we think it right to leave them fully aware of the charge which the maintaining fuch a pofition mutt make in the whole nature and future condudt of this war ; more efpecially when to this pofition is added the pretended alliance with the court of France. '* The policy, as well as the benevolence of Great Britain, have thus far checked the extremes of war, when they tended to dillrefs a people IHil confidered as our fellow- fubjeAs, and to defblate a country fliortly to become again a fource of mutual advantage : But when that country profefPes the unnatural de- sign, not only of ellranging herfelf from us, but of nxortgaging herfelf and her refources to our enemies, the whole conteft is changed ; and the qucliion is, how far Great Britain may, by every means in her power, dellroy or render ufelefs a con- nexion c.ontrived for her ruin, and' for the aggrandizensent of France. " Under fuch circumf^ances, tlie laws of felf-prefervation mud direA the condudt of Great Britain; an(| if thf^Htifli colonies are to become an acceflion to France, will ditcA her . . to render that acceiHon of as little avail as poflible to her ene- my. amitous, to 1 #!*• *<^-.-W:»'?»^.te.^; Wi¥»"'i!p~- •* \m. '' « » ' T'^:.' '.«&-• AMERICAN WAR. <57 Ithey were empowered to offer. Notwithftanding CHAP. |the obftrudions which they had met with, they ftiil ^^^•• declared «• If, however, there are any who think that, notwithftand- ing thefe reafonings, the independence of the colonies will, in Ihe refult, be acknowledged by Great Britain, to them we an- jTwer, without referve, that we neither polTefs or expert powers forthat purpofe ; and that if Great Britain could ever have JTunk fo low as to adopt fuch a meafure, we fhould not have jhought ourfelves compellable to be the inflrunients in making iconceflion which would, in our opinion, be calami^ous to the lolonies for whom it is made, and difgraceful, as well as ca- amitous, to the country from which it is required. And we hink proper to declare, that in this fpirit and (entiment we have legularly written from this continent to Great Britain. It will now become the colonies in general to call to mind heir own folemn appeals to heaven in the beginning of this lonteft, that they took arms only for the redrefs of grievances ; Ind that it would be their wifh, as well as their intereft, to re- \m for ever connefted with Great Britain. We again afk them, [fhether all theii grievances, real or fuppofed, have not been nply and fully redrefled; and we infift that the offers we have ^ade leave nothing to be wifhed, in point of either immediate btfcy or permanent fecurity : If thefe offers are now rejedled, le withdraw from the exercife of a commiffion, with' which le have in vain been honoured; the fame liberality will no lon- pr be due from Great Britain, nor can it either in juflice or )!icy be expeded from her. " In fine, and forthe fjller manifeftation, as well of the dif- blltion we bear, as of the gracious and generous purpofes of le commifRon under which we aft, we hereby declare, that Ihereas his majefty, in purfuance of an adt of parliament, made \i paffed in the eighteenth year of hismajefty's reign, entituled, \n adl to enable his majefly to appoint commiflioners, with IfuJficieDt powers to treat, confult, and agree, upon the means pf quieting the diforders now fubfifling in certain of the colo- Dies, plantations, and provinces of North America,' having en pleafed to authorife and empower us to grant a pardon or Itdons to any number or defcription of pert'ons within the colo- les, plantations, and provinces of New Hampfhire, MafTachu- Itt's Bay, Rhode Ifland, Connefticut, New York, New Jetfey, knfylvania, the three lower Count: ; >n Delaware, Maryland, Irginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia ; and licreas the good cfFeiSs of the faid authorities and powers lo- ards the people at large, would have long fince taken place, if due ufe had been made of our firit communications aod over« F 2 tures, 1778. "I 4 i. \ . 1 • J-: wiP — --^v. r^l ?■■ v^i 6» HISTORYOFTHE CHAP, declared their readinefs to proceed in the execution ^^- ^'t of the powers contained in their commiflion, and .778. *° tures, and have thus far been fruflrated only- by the precipitate refolution of the m-nibers of the coogrefs not to treat witJr'us, and by their declining to confuh with their confHtuents ; we ^ now, in making our appeal to thofe confHtuents, and to the free inhabitants of this continent in general, have determined to give to them, what in our opinion (hould have been the iirft ob< jedl "f thofe who appeared to have taken the management of their intereds ; and adopt this mode of carrying the faid autho> rities and powers into execution. H^e accordingly hereby grant and proclaim a pardon or pardons of all, and all manner of, trea- fons or mijprifions of treafom, by anyjurfon or perfons, '.t by any ' number or defcriptiim of per font, ivithtn tlje faid colonitf, pLnlali- ens, or provinces, cou' felled, commanded, ailed, or done, on or kef ore the date of this manifefto and proclamation. ** And we farther declare and proclaim, that if any perfon or peribns, or any number or defcription »f perfons, within xh laid colonies, plantations, and provinces, now adualiy fcrvin^; either in a civil or military capacity in this rebellior , ihall, ai any time, during the continuance of this manifello »nd procliH ^ HMtion,. withdraw himfelf or th( mfelves from fuch civil or mili- tary fervice, and fliall continue thenceforth peaceably as a good ana faithful fubjeA or fubjeds to his majedy, to demevn him> felf, or themfelves, fuch perfon Or perfons, or fuch number and defcription of perfons, (hall become and be fuHy entitled to, and hereby obtain all the benefits of the pardon or pardons hereby granted ; excepting only from the faid pardon or pardons every perfon, and every number or defcription of perfons, who, after ' ; the date of this manifeOo and proclamation, fhall, under any pretext or authority, as judges, jurymen, niiniHers, or officer! of civil julUce, be inRrumental in executing and putting ig death any of his majedy's fubjeds vvithin the faid colonits plantations, and provinces •• And we think proper farther to declare, that nothing herein contained is meant, or Ihuil be conftrued, to fet at liberty any perfon or perfons, now being a prifoner or prifoners, or who, during the continuance of this rebellion, (hali become a prifoner , '• or prifoners. • " And we offer to the colonies at large or feparately, a ge neral or feparate peace, with the revival os their ancient govern .. Y tnents fecured againfl any future infringements, and prote^ei •^! for ever from taxiitioD by Great Britain. " And with refpe(5t to fuch further regulations, whether civil military, or commercial, as they may vifh to be framed an «(Ukbii(hcd, ^j '"^..■ (#-*rtr^er * »(| |W V pk.-r"-*'"' A M E R 1 C A N WAR. £9 to treat not only with deputies from all t^e colo- CHAP, nies conjun^ly, but with any provincial aflembly ^^^^ or convention individually, at any time within ,_.m the fpace of forty days from the date of their ma- nifedo ; and then, addrefling themielves to per- fons of every defcription, whether in civil, mili- tary, or ecclefiafticai capacities, or in piivate (la- tions. ■V ^ cAablifhed, we promife all the concurrence and nfTidxiice that his majefty's commillion auihorifes and enables us to give. " And we declare, that this manifedo and proclamaiion (hall continue and be in force forty days from the date thereof, thac is to fay, from the 3d day of O^obcr, to the 1 ith day of No- vember, both inciulive. " And in order that the whole contents of this manifefto and proclamation may be more fully known, we fliall dire(5l copies thereof, both in the Engiifh and German language, to be tranf- mitced by H.igs of truce to the congrefs, the general alTemblies or conveDcions of the colonies* plantations, and provinces, and to feveral perfons both in civil aftd inilitary capacities within . the faid colonies, plantations, and provinces } and for the fur- ther fecurity in times to come of the feveral perfons, or numbers or defcriptions of perfons, who are, or may be, the oby.As of this manifetlo and proclamation, we have let our hands and fcsls to thirteen copies thereof, and have tranfmitted the fame to th« thiiteen colonies, plantations, and provinces, above mentioned ; and we are willing to hope that the whole of this manifefto and proclamation will bs fairly and fr«ely publifhed and circu- lated, for the immediate, general, and mo(l lerious conlidera- tion and benefit of all his maje(ty's fubjedls on this continent. And we earneltly exhort all pvl il ail fir \\ CHAP, tions, and fuggeltinj^ feverally to the confideration yZlylli,^ °^ ^^^^ o* ^^*^^^ clafles luch motive* as might be 1778. fuppoled " And purfuant to his majefty't cor niiHon, we hereby r«. quire rtll oAiciis, civil and military, anu all other his majelly's lovinn* lubjcdls wh.itioever, to be aiding and alFilling unto us in the execution of this our manifedo aod proclamation, and of all the matters herein contained. *• Given at New York, this 3d day of Oflober 1788. •> 'Jj. S.) CARLISLE. - «• (L. S.) HEN. CLINTON. «• (L. S.) WM. EDEN. <* By their Excellencies command, ". ADAM FERGUSON, Sccreury." On the thirtieth of Odlober the following Maaifefto was pub' lifhed by Congrefs : *• By tht Congnfs of the United Statet of America, "MANIFESTO. " THESE United States having been driven to hoftilitiet by the oppreflive and tyrannous meafures of Great Britain; / having been compelled to commit the eflential rights of man to the decilion of arms ; and having been at length forced to fliake off a yoke which had grown too burdenfome to bear, they de> clared themfelves free and mdtpendent. " Contiding in the jufHce ot their caufe, confiding in Him who difpofes of human events, although weak and unprovided, they fet the power of their enemies at defiance. •• In this confidence they have continued, through the various fortune of three bloody campaigns, unawed by the powers, un- , fubdued by the barbarity, of their foes. Their virtuous citi- zens have borne, without repining, the lofs cf many things which made life defirabie. Their brave troops have pa -.tly endured the haidihips and dangers of a fituation, fruittu'. in both beyond example. " 'i'he congiefs, confidering themfelves bound to love their enemies, as children of that Being who is equally the Father «f all, and delirous, fince they could not prevent, at lead to alleviate, the calamities of war, have fludied to fparc thofe who were in arms againd them, and to lighten the chains of cap- tivity. •• The conduft of thofe Britain hath, with foroe few ferving under the king of Great exceptions, been diametrically opi pofitc. osn, — f-^^i venge, AMERICAN WAR. 7« fuppofed to have the greatefl: inHuence, adjured C H a P. them all not to lefs pats fo favourable an opportu- ^^^^-^ podte. They have laid wafte the open country, burnv -! the de- fencelefs villages, and butchered the citi7,.«ns of ,. •'erica. Their prifuns have been the flaughte- houfes of her loldiers, their fliips of her Teamen, and the fevtreit injuries have been ag- gravated by the groiTeft infuit^. " Foiled in their vain attempt tofubuigate the unconquerable fpirit of freedom, they have meanly aflailed the reprefentaMves of America with bribes, with deceit, and the fervility of adu< lation. They have made a mock of humanity, by the wanton deftrudlion of men ; they have maiie a mock of religion, by impious appeals to Gocl, whilfl in the violation of his facred commands { they have made a mock even of reafon itfelf, by endeavouring to prove, that the liberty nd happinefs of Ame- rica could fafely be f^ntrulled to t! 'fe who hdve foU t/jeir own, unawed by the fenfe of virtue or • ; fhame. " Treated with the contempt w'uch fuch conduiV deferved, they have applied to individuafs ; they have folicited them to break the bonds of allegiance, and imbrue their fouls with the blackefl of crimes ; but fearing that none could be found through thefe United States, equnl to the wickednefs of their purpole« to influence weak minds, they have threatened more wide de- vacation. "While the fliadow of hope remained, that our enemies CO'" ' he taught by our example to refpedl thofe laws which are held r{ trace, fhould be concerned in dif- tributing or delivering the manifeflo of the Britifh commiflioners, as violators of the law of nations, by circulating feditious writings ; whilfl at the fame time they ordered thofe feditious writings to be publifhed in the newfpapers. And fome time afterwards they pafl'ed another refolution, threat- ening to take exemplary vengeance if any one fhould attempt to put in execution the feverities denounced in the manifeflo of the commiflioners. The commifTioners remained at New York beyond the time limited by their manifeflo, which expired on the eleventh of November j but as they nei- ther ..-i ■ / 1 ;», M E R I C A N W A R. 73 • 77«. (her rccci' td any overtures in coiifequencc of it, CH A P. nor faw my prolped of being able to eHeft a re- ^^^** conciliation, they clofed their commilfion, ami embarked for England, after having made fon^e regulations for the benefit of the trade of New Vork and Rhode Idand ^ the only two places that remained to Great Britain in the whole extent of the revolted colonies. It was now at lafl feen, that all attempts to re- cover the revolted colonies by lenient means were ufelcfs ; and that force alone could again lubjed thein to the au hority of the mother-country : And the rapid 1\ ccefs of the expedition ^gainfl: Georgia, which we are next to relate, gave a plea- fmg hope that the war, if transferred to the fouth- ward, might be more fuccefsful in future, than it had been in times pail. As the land-force fei)C on this expedition contided only of the feventy* iirft regiment of two battalions, two battalions of Heflians, four battalions of North and South Ca- rolina provincials, and a detachment of royal artillery, amounting in the whole to three thou- fand five hundred men, major-general Prevoft, who commanded in Ea(t Florida, the colony next adjoining to Georgia on the fouth, hsd previoufly received orders to enter that province, by lansj, with the force under him, and make a jundioa with lieutenant-colonel Campbell, and take the command of the whole. But fo ably did the lad of thefe officers form h|^ plans of attack, and fo well was he fupported by the fpirit and bravery of the little army which he commanded, and the cor^ dial and zealous co-operation of commodore Parker and the naval force, that the reduClion of the province was completed before general Prevo/jt could form a junction. I'he Iquadron which accompanied the tranf- puris on this expedition, conridiiig of fome of the fmaller I , /i^u *■•'«- ;t - «-y..:.:i(ij.. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 11.25 *■ I. .>5- ';^''- ^ Hiotographic Sciences Corporation .-^ \ <^ o^ 23 WIST MAIN STRHT wnSTIR.N.Y. USM (716) •72-4S03 '^ ^ 74 HISTORY OP THE «778. ■'Si C H A P. fmaller fliips of war, arrived bJBT the ifland of XXVI. Xybee, at tlic mouth of the Savannah river, on the twenty-third of December. It ieems evident that the people of South Caro- lina and Georgia, apprehending themfelvesfecure againft an Invafion ever fince the unfortunate attempt upon CHarieJIpwh, made ^y fir Peter Parker and fir Henry (!!lintoQ in the year 1776, were rather occupied in planning and making preparations for the conquefl: of Eall Florida, than m providing for their own defence. Between the inhabitants of Eaft Florida and thofe of Georgia, a kind of predatory war had been carried on from the time when the lad of thefe provinces joined the general confederacy; the objed of which feems to have been fometimes plunder, and fometimes revenge. But during the laft fummer two incur0ons ffom Georgia were madie fi'om Eaft FloYida, which bad a more ferious alpe£l. The troops engaeed in thefe incurfions connfted chief- ly 01 irregulars, moft of whom had been obliged to fly from the Garolinas and Georgia, oi^ ac- count of their loyalty to iheir fovereign, and harboured all the refentment againft their perfecu- tors which can be fuppofed to arife from the un- worthy treatment they had received. One of thefe bodies of men proceeded by the inlets along the fea coaft, whilft the other marched through the interior parts of the country by the river /Vlatamaha. The firft advanced as far as the town of Sunbury in Georgia, the fort of which they fummoned to furrender. A colonel M'tn- tofii commanded the garrifon, and was refolved to hold out to the lad extremity. To the fummons of the befiegers for the furrender of the fort, he returned a defiance in this laconic anfwer: ** Come and take it." The befiegers being either unprovided with fufficient artillery, or thinking r:^-"-^-=^^.~sar7^^^E..>^~:^ AMERICAN WAR. 7S outh Caro- jlves fecurc unfortunate ly :fir Pct«t year J 7761 ,nd "making Idtida, than iet ween the of Georgia, carried on fe provinces e obje£b of ilunder, and laft fummer de from £a(t afpca. The nfifted chief- been obliged irgia, o'w ac- irereign, and heir perfccu- romthe un- d. One of • inlets along led through ly the river far as the jrt of which [olonel M*ln. iS refolved to :he fummons the fort, he Inic anfv^er: legers being artillery, or thinking thinking their force inadequate to the reduction CHAP, of the fort, abandoned theenterprife, and return- ^^^!}^ ed towards £aft Floridai T|ie other corps of , .g thefe irregulars penetrated through the interior country as hv as the river Ogeche, about thirty miles from Savannah. Here colonel Elben, who with two hundred continental troops had been fent to oppofe them,'prepared to difpute their paflage : And about the' fame time they were informed of the retreat of their companions from Sunbury^ Diiheartened with this intelligence, and dreading the oppoAtion which they were to meet in rhe paflage of the river, they I'uddenly decamped and began a retreat. Thefe incurfions into Georgia were followed by another into £aft Florida, on the fide of the provincials. The troops employed an this incurfion confided of feveral regiments of continentals, with fome militia from Georgia and South Xlarolina, the whole commanded by major- general Robert How. His objed was the reduc- tion of StrAugu(^ine, with the province of £aft' Florida : But this expedition proved not more fuccefsful than thofe which had be^n undertaken againft Georgia ; and to the misfortune of the peaceable inhabitants on both fides, general How's • retreat from £a(t Florida, like that of the Britifli irregulars from Georgia, was marked with rapiae, plunder, and general d^vadation. From this un- fuccefsful expedition general How had jnflt return- ed, and lay with his army encamped in the neigh- bourhood of Savannah, at the time of the ariival of the Britifh fquadron from New York. On the day after its arrival, part of the Britifli fleet got over the bar, and entered the river ; but the reft, in confequence of foutherly currents and boifterous weather, were unable to follow until the tw^nity'feventh. In the mean time a company of light infantry was landed on Wilmington Ifland, to .-,..*., i^y' ~ ■''"'*'^*:'> 76 HISTORY OF THE CHAP, to bring off fome of the inhabitants, and was XXVI. fortunate enough to fecure two of them ; from whom information was received of the ftate of 1778. h*- the province, and the poHtion of the miiitary force appointed for its defence. This was of fu<;h » nature as determined the commanders of thls^ expedition, although no intelligence had yet been received of the approach of general Prevoft, to lofe no time in commencing their operations. Savannah, the capital of Georg^ia, lies o>n the fouth fide o( the river of that name, abeut fifteen miles from the fea. In the vicinity of tiiis place, major-general Robert How, with a force confift- ing of fome regiments of American regular troops, ^d the militia of the province, in the whole about fifteen hundred men, was encamped for its protection, and daily expeAed 10 be joined by a confiderable reinforcement. The country between Savannah and the fea being low and marfliy, and interfe£led by creeks and cuts' of water, the firft pr amicable landing-place was at (he plantation of one Gerridoe, about twelve miles up the river ; and there a defcent was pro- pofed to be made without delay. In purfuance of this determination, the fleet on the twenty •eighth of December, in the morning, proceeded up the river, led bv the Vigiknt fliip of war, the Comet galley, th*: >pet armed brig, and the Greenwich armed flc^., with the defign of landing the troops at Gerridoe's plantation that evening; but feveral of the tranfports having got aground from the difficulty of the navig£ition, the defcent iltras neceflarily poftponed till the fol- lowing morning. With the rifing of the: tide, the tranfports being floated off, moved up to their ftation, and at day-break of the twenty-ninth'the debarkation began. From the landing-place, a narrow caufeway with a ditch on each fide led through 4- ■Ti^Sr^,, . '^''"^sa*^- ■,r':^:^c^-«^«=*^ /kMZKiQ A19^ WAR. 77 through a ric« fwamp to the high plantation' 9^^^- ground, at the diftance of fix hundred yards ; J^^JlIj and captain Cameron, of the feventy-firft I'egi- 31778. ment, having firft rea woody fwamp, and the houfes of a plantations ftlled with rifle-men; his left reached to the rice fivamps upon the river, and the town and fort of> Savannah covered his reiu*. One piece of cannon> was polled upon the right, another on the left,, and two upon the great road in the centre; in fi-^nt of which, at the diftance of one hundred* yardS) where the high ground was narrowed by^ thte approach of two fwampi^ a trench was cut acro6 the main roMl reaching from one fwamp to the other ; and aibout one hundred yards ftill far- . thet -«.^-: 7« HISTORY OF THE CH A P/ther in front, was a marfliy rivulet running paral- XXV I. jgj jQ jjjg whole extent of the provincial line. The «778. bridge over this rivulet had been burnt down, in order to retard the progrefs of the Bri; tifli artay. Hete the provincial general waited the approacn of the firitifli troops: And, had tht attack been made only in front, perhaps the ground might have been obftinately dilputed. But the Britifl) commander having received infor- mation of a private path leading through the fwamp which covered the enemy's righ^ flank, de- tached the light'infantry, under fir "James Baird, fupported by the New York volunteers, to proceed by that path and ^ain the enemy's rear : And as it appeared by fohie movements of the enemy that they wifhed atid expeded an attack upon their left, lieutenant-colonel Campbell, in order to in- duce a belief that this was intended, ordered the light infantry, and New York volunteers, to file off by the right, as if the defign had been to ex- tend the front of the Britifh line that way, until they reached a fall of the ground, by retiring within which to the rear, their fubfequent move- ments in their progrefs to the fwamp were effeftu- ally concealed from the view of the enemy. By this manoeuvre the attention of the enemy was drawn from that quarter where danger was to be moil apprehended ; and fir James Baird, under the guidance of a negro, having fafely conducted his detachment by the private path to the rear of the enemy, fuddenly iffued from the fwamp, and attacked a body of militia, which was pofted to fecure the great road leading from Ogeeche. Hitherto the Britifh troops in front had remained quiet upon their ground, without firing a gun in return for the provirrial artillery ; but as foon as it was perceptible that the light infantry had turn- ed the flank of the enemy, the whole Britilh line received .?,».«n-.. AMERICAN WAR. 19 1778. I^ceived orders to advance and move, on briiklj; CH AP. and the artillery, which had been previoufly form-, XXVI.- ed behind a fwell in the ground, to conceal it from view, was inftantly run forward to the eminence^ and began to play upon the enemy. Thus aflailed» the provincials quickly gave way, ^nd running acrols a plain in front of flr James Baird's light- infantry, which had by this time difperfed the militia and taken their cannon, were again attack-; ed by them ; who, with their ufual promptitude, daihing upon the flanks of the fugitives, com- pleted their rout, and added to the brilliant fuccefs of the day. The provincials flying in confufion through the town of Savannah, were clofely pur- fued by the Britifli troops ; and before night thirty- eight c«mmiifioned officers, and four hundred and fifteen men of the enemy, the town and fort of Savannah, with the artillery, ammunition and (lores, coniifting of a large quantity of indigo, rice, fugar, rum, &c. the (nipping in the harbpur, and a great quantity of provifions, were in the pofleflion of the conquerors, whofe lofs, during I the whole of this day, amounted only to feven I killed, and nineteen wounded*. So decifive a victory, gained at fo inconfider^ble Ian expence, rarely occurs, and muft be attributed partly to the inexperience of the American gene- I* Artillery, Stores, Ammunition, Shippiog 8cc. taken at the Re- daAion of SaTaanah, io the year 1778. 48 pieces of cannon. i ftand of colours. 23 mortars. 817 fmali arms. 94. barrels of gunpowder. 78 bag ditto. 1545 cannon (hot. 32 cartridges filled for 4-pdn. 104 cafe ditto. 200 flieiis. 9 tons lead ))igtail) and a confiderable quantity of flints, •ails, fpikes, &c. 3 large (hips, 3 brigantines, 2 (loops, and 2 fchooners, fome •f them with cargoes on board, taken ; and 2 (loops burnt. ral. -^c''<'- -~t. $S h I'Sf O R * F fHt CHA^.yat, but priocipally to the (\iptnot military (kifl 'L?^?lf •** addreft 6f the BfitHh commander ih iihprov. tfit. ^ '^ '^^ iitm6ft every favourable circumnanc^ mch prefented itrelf for, the final fucceft of th^ day* added to the ^eai, Vigour, pTopiptlt^de, and eiadinefs wSth- #hich bis orders were obeyed by ttte braVe Htde army whieh he commanded By the tttoremittth^ exertions of lieutenant. coloAel Campbell, aid^d by' the zeal and a^tvity of aH who tiKore a fhare in thfs e^editibn, thi6 r^* ntoiiis 6f the provihcial army v^re drive^ acroik the Savannah river into South Carolina, the difie< rent pofts upon tliat river Were fecured fpr fifty ihiles up, and the lower parts of the province were entirely at peace in liefs- than ten days after the defeat of the American arniy at Savsinnah. A great majority of the inhabitants cam^ ib, and | . lavinj^ takeA the oath of allegiaiite, fubmitted | theml^ves :^ain to the authority of the mother country. Rifle companies of dragoons were formed out of thofe who tame in to renew their allegiaiQce, Whofe duty it was to patrol the couiitfy i betwiedii' the advanced pbfU, ahd- give informatioir of the incurfions of the enemy ; and various^ other vdie and prudent regulations were adopted for' the j . fbture peace and fecuHty of the province. '•r:-r^> ;.' ■T'^i^(5 AHE R I C ANWAR. 01 ■' ^^4 C H A P. XXVII. Woe betvi($n the 4iiierifana and Indiafu-y/Var be- tvueen France afi4 Eniiand-^Cbaimfl t^ieet com' manded tj /fdmif^i JS^Ippel-^Eag^^ betyieen the French And Sngiij^ Ftfets-^Irreconeileable Dif firence Jlfeiwe*n^(m:4jd^rah Keppel and PaUi/tr ■^Injhmd ^y th^Z^^ tJIffir rijpe^ive Partu ,.;•;■■ .' . ..;!.>-'",, SUCH ycK th^ principal f eyentt on tlbe fea- coa^ of th« r«r<>it«don the t&,t^s Qfth< rutht^s invaders. Whole families were butchered, their houfes burnt«, the: griming corn cut up, and i^tire plan- tations lai4 waile. In t)^is barbarous ,\irarfare the ilouriihing new fettlenlent of Wyoming,- on the banks of the Sttfquehanna, fell a facrmce to an incurfion of the Indians: And the IndiaQ fettle- ments of Unadilla and Anaquago, upon d^e upper parts of the fame river, which were alfo inhabited by white people attached to the royal caufe, were I in their turn ravaged and defrayed by the Ame- ricans. * nA»^i*'=^- • Vol. ir. G But CHAP. XXVII. 1778. War be. tween the Americaw and Ind^ am. 'iid^'-- ■v(V ■ ^■T- -K. S.i ^^i::^^,:^;,^ .1:*. fc^- h H I S^O R Y bt T Ae CHAP XXVll. •778. War be. tWMb But we muft now for a time quit the continent of North Americf, to purfue the courfe of the war through the vsurious ouartert to which it was transferred by the hoftile intervention of the French. After the r^lcfipt had Ifee^ delivered which announced to the court of London the con- '^••■'•nexion and alliance formed between the king of ^*^ FiWittfe knd allai«rdr at tbndbn^ 6ad ievtr- ally qwikied the placed of t^ ifkftdWtfe, a^d te- tVrhlid tb their tetp0lit'4'£ftsiii% ; but flie yrOiBMI 'liMVil iiSStdX of the Fraeh h at Breft. inia thel6 %v^ 1i«id ««i8 ^mj^loytfdv i«el ev'eiV fiheiir Rristth^^ td gtt Velady fi^eh a M\ jkt fri^t etiable thedi td Isfeet chehr oppdn^ntiB Whh advantage tipbh th^r tMn eliemt^t. Th^t they ihight i!hie hldre J^^dKliy dilbraa the attention of t^^ Btitt^ tAiAiftry, the ftalie diiVice of threat- enMg an'ihirkridn ^^s Ugiin feforted to ; iind h(Vg6 .bddies of W(^d|M mr^e tA^rched froth the iatetitit jiim of 'the 'kiiijgddi^ to thie fea-<:oaft bbrderliig oh'tfi:e Brftifli chahnel. Ih 'Great Britiiin the pe<^te htid becAt a gdod deal ^ividc^d'oti the fiibjeft of thfe American wwr^ and ftom a lehb^tedge of this circumft^cfe the inihinry i^^ere pimbjihly deterred from aiftihg with thit ded^Abn #tiidi atone could have )>romif&d focdcfs. Hkd^ftb foieigii power >ilterf<^dd, {)er. haps the war might have gradually languiflied utv- till I ^Jii- '*...••■ 'j.;, ■-wt.-JLtSs^* ii d which the con- > king of ed ccAb- at Pairi*. , iiiid te- ittfcpelbr. n^ \o an confldtr- ons began ^ for open ^ ih tea iili^j but {ftdi h at l^ytfd', bid jrttt Whh Ttottliey e^ttelidon of threat- ; and tav'gfe \e intefidr bbrderliig AMBJllCAN WAR. tfl Ibci) t^tfii had been oileted at would hiik men HctmUd by m AihetituiM, whdfe ^oiircii, wf tUbiit folMgh m, thuft fdon hate film. B^t th^» tHU cbnifiiryVWai Wfidtr^d not only ai an z€t of tbfc mid tf^h^, bM ai a p^oof of ehihSty ahd Natf^d aitiiaft the Britlfli mrtU invet^ratdy malignant ; aiid to puiiiffi thii perfidioiit ihterfer- Mi'tMfjrUtim win unitiei^, lind every hatt4 tip* Itftid. hT aity allitemdit it to b^ madefh^ thelb tihdUMKfied aflertibixt, ii mnft be in iavblir of fbme bf t^h Itedtirt of ilit O|:lporitioti, t>r th^ iihmedidte adbdr^tt^ ^ho we^e fo touch ^ed- &rb^tfaticahfe'df iiiheiriea. that thiey ntit briiy ^t^ iHt ideaof reductt^ tfie rievbfted cblo- iiM to dbifdleiit^e bV fdrce, bSt even njbiicid iil ttr^r viaoi^et^. 13^t t^taiti it it, that alftir lfe bf tffe revolted caltAid \^h the coim bf France; th^ loft the hitoui aiia iSbSt opB\0n of aH thbF^ moide^ite men in the Britiih dominions who had forthei^Iy ef^f^d th^^if cadn^, frtim ^hcifAh, whHft tKey cobifid^red tAiiHi as hrjorM and innocent. But after th^Aiii(en Mr. Foi ind Hit. hxirkl, rer{iedt4g itiX Frtilch revotuti«>D. C 2 . enemies Ai ,'*■ 'I m ■\' .,-«a •hi I •4 HI8TORYOPTHE CHAP. encmtei little expcft^d. To guard againft the ^^^*'' poffibllity of an invafion, the militia were_ called forth 1778. The Britilh channel, commatid rd bv ul- iniritl pel. Kcp- and embodied } and although the French, by being the aggi-eflbrf , had it in their power to adapt their open interference to the Aate of their preparaUons, yet fuch. was the vigour of our exeriions, that a Britiih fleet of twenty fliipi of the line was cruifing in the channel before the jjrand fleet of France was in readineff , to coqie out of the harbour of Breft. Admiral Keppel had been fixed upon to com- !?*!'i"'*" raand the channel fleet, at being a brave and ex* perienced officer, >Kho was hi^ly popular, and much beloved in the navy ; and as he was attach- ed to the oppofition, it was hoped that his ap- fiointment, if it did not entirely reconcile the eaders of that party to the meafures which were in agitation, would at lead filence much of their clamour. In the Vidory, of a hundred, guns, he failed from Portfmouth on the twelfth of June J and during his cruife hoftilities were formally commenced between Great Britain and France, Whilft the fleet was at fea, on the Seventeenth, twp (Irange (hips bejng feen reconnoitring, orden| were given to chafe, and condu£l them under the flern, of the admiral's fliip< One of them, the Licorne, a Irrench frigate, of thirty-two guns, anii two hundred and thirty men, being overtaken towards the evening by feveral fhips of the fleet, cQurented to fail with them during the night, but in (he morning difcovtring an intention of going u^„ by attempting to get upon a di0^erent tack, a(ho( was fired acrofs her, when in an inftant flie poured a whole broadfide of 'her great guns and muiketry into the America, a Britiih li.ne-of- battle (hip which, happened to be neareft to her, and immediately ftruck her colours. Strange as this - ^ proceeding ,/ / AM E R IC A N W A R.'. •r / ■ ^1 guns, vertaken the fleet,' ght, but of going ent tack, iftant (He uns and of-battle heir, and as this roceeding proceeding was, it was rendered (IIU more extra* C H A P. ordinary by the following circumilance that at- ,]l]JJIi[;, tended it t For at the very inftant wl^en the French^~7778. frigate fired her cannon and mulketry, lord Long-^ ford, the comhiander of the 'Amferica, was flana-' i^g upon the gunwale of bis own (hip, in friendly converfation with the French conimander. A broadfide firom the America, which at fo near a diftance would have probabty funk the French firigate to the bottom, would have been a juft re- tribution for fo ufelefs and audacious a bravado \ but the noblie commander wifely reArained his re- fentnient, and fatisfted himfelfwith fending the Licorne under the ftern of the Victory, the other (hip, wh{ch proved to be the Belie route,' a large French frigaMK carrying heavy cannon, and conimanded by the (ieur de la Clocheterie, was adfo overtaken in the evening, but at a conflder* able diftance from the re(^ of the fleet, by iht Britifli frigate the Arethufa, of thirtyr-two guns; commanded by captain Mar(ha|l| who comti^uni- Cafed to the French commander the adpiiraVs re- Sueft to.fpeak with him, and his orders for con- u^ing hiin into the fleet. With tl^efe orders the French commander repeatedly and peremprdV rily refufed to complv. A fliot from the Arethufa was then fired acrols the French frigate, ip^Hiclii was returned wjth a broadfide from thp latter, when a furious and bloody engagetnent hes^n, which was obftinlately and refplutely; m^intajned on both fldes for more than two hours. It was almofl a calm, ^nd as the two frigates were near to each other, the damage done to both was very confiderabic ; but the Areihufa had fiiffered ,fo> much in her mafts, fails, and rigging, that at lad/ from the fcantinefii of the^jrind, (ne became quite unmanageable, and floated upon the water like a ^reck. Whilft the Britifli frigate remained in thii ^^.-1 ;,;■- \.r^" ■'■t ii»^)e H^t grcMf ft 9|i l^ft^r^, fl^? 4m&»fj|, 4r Y^f oyerljatattcfd hy thjj gr«>W Ipff of mf^m bo^4 ^f ^dlle Poiiles. ^>off4J^g to th« ?rf5te1* aecQunti tl^e xiUini{>]ef of JpHjed 09 board ^ ^If fpple yrw mmie^ af ifcfrty-eighr, 5P4 ifer vo\inde4 f^t fi'fty-feycni ifherie^p H^e ^retbuTaliAd oiit| efgl^t ifip luHp4 s^njl thirty-fix vowpM. Onr tbdloUQVi^mg fipnv^g ^othcf Fyencb frigatef.. ^eP^la«t of ifurty-twQ guns^pftiwo bupdite^ and twenty mi5n» iifhich w^f W^ 4«-<»y??f 4 S.f ' CQwqpitri^g, waif cpn4»pc<( into tbe ^gct. ^dii| coijf(niiience of the ^oftde pr9Cfs4lite pi ^be cofs^T ixmiith of tbp Belle Foute ?f^d t^e ticornp. yfift vritb the |(aft of thefc; (hips fe|^ into ^ly0pa|br . ' Tjie feizure si}i4 fletenttq^ p^ j!h,efc jS^ip^ fj|f-, ^0>ehr^ip, it fcen^s to fe a i^»ttf r of |i^fl^ coiUf!9ueneel)y which of rhemthe war is begtin \ and pin t]}f prefent pcc^fipn the 1}^^ deliberate a|E^ of lioiiiuy ha4 l^eil inroper cbpfba ip pn? pf ifheit cpfnip^pder|j hp fuffered - \ * »«>V^r. ,-^ AMt> vc AH"W A W ^' By, t^f fmuif^ of tb<^ fi?g^W», %WmJ 5^- b.W ^9, w^n »?^ W>^, W ^^V fy«f *: ^?tfft»»5^- meitt. ThjR fl«ftt a<{«dr4ifBgiy capip to v^ ^"^^ V a^$K l^ei't on tj^ie iw(i»my.%qith' oC JjUJ^nffrr tbthw thf a^il lo^4 of th a^"#^4^y i'jF*^ ■ M p??»«#?f <»f,*?! %4 T^tfr W^ ^^ M^^ mm^^ jJ?TaHM sw^lT^me^ #Mta %^WV^f ipet. Ql\ MlC (Weytyringd 0| JujlV, ^ ttl^ aft^^^ French anring the French fleet to ain enfl^agement ; but bis leeward (ituation ren- dered airhM endeavours fruitlefs. Although the fleet of the count d*OrviUiers outnumbered that of admiral Keppel by two fliips of the line, afid 4 much greater proportibti of frigates, he never- thelefs carefully -kept the advantage of the wind, j»nd with equal' caution avoided an engagement. But on the morning of the twenty-feventh, ttrhilft the Britifii fleet ftiH thafed to windward, endeavouring to profit by a flight variation in^ its favour, a fudden fquall tai^e on, at the very in- ftant in whith the French 'fleet wai in the ad of . perfor^iti|; an evolution, an-' ^i77«. By the manttuvreg necdTaiy for jhis pur{>ofei; aiid ^9^,f* \>y thje .length of time required for rcpairin|f Jthe,^™^*^ damages. fuftained by the uiips of thie rev divifion^ tinder (tr Hagh PalHfer, which had come laft.out of the engagement, before they could be again brought into their ftations in tbeJine, the day was fo^f^lP fpent, that the battle could HiQt be renewed that evening. In the mean time, the rount d'Orvilliers ranged his fleet in order :of battle to leewairdv and put on every appearance its if he meant'to wait the at^ck of the Britifli admiral in the . morning ; but in the night be quitted his fta- tion^'^nd (leered for the coaft of France, leaving three bf his frigates toihew lights at proper inter- nals, correfponding to the leading fhips of the three divifions of his fleet, thereby to conceal his flight from the Britifli admiral. In the morning the; French fleet was at fucfa a diftanc^as fcarcely to bedif^ernible. A fignal was made for chafing the frigates, but it was found impra^icable to over- take them ; and the fleet to which they belonged being flill at a greater diflance, with the wkid favourable for carrying it into port, a purfuit was deemed ufelefs. The Britifli admiral returned to Plymouth to repair the damage done to his fleet, and to land the \(^ounded men ; and the count d'Orviliier?, after the a£lioi>, made the bell of his way to the harbour of Bred, for a fimilar purpofe. The lofs of men on board the Britifli fleet in this day's engagement amounted to one hundred and thirty-three killed, and three hun- dred and feventy-three wounded : What thu lofs on the fide of the French was, does not appear ever to have been made public ; but it is highly probable that it was much greater, not only as a French fliip carries a greater number of men than a Britifli mip of equal force, but as the Britifli feamen point their guns at the hull, whilfl: the French f n i^ .y*;'^ • "^ii ■'^.'' yi^'^^M ".■v^ors^v mr 9» H IS T O |« Y 9 f T H E *5if.F' Fr«ch ifi»in«p pi;i9fii|])9A^> ^ip ^t tb^ Ails and 1 3 ?!^' tigging. irrwMdie- Iqv^ fr^w thiji ftngaoe^ieii^ ffM, s^| irre^ooc^^ twcM the Q^y^l coQim9.4ei; in c|UfiC ^4 ^^ Hugh Sladlifa, paLfer. t99X diylfioi^ pf ^es |$ef on thq ^ay of ^he <3t$|^Q- niea^ : A 4ifl^R(:9 v^ic^K ind^i^fa^^y the ^9^- crejst ^e^l ol ihft par^Caqt 4>p |i$^h M^, ^fe to fU(M a height, ^ 1^4 ae^rlf cr«i»ted 9 ^1 djifo- dpn m the navai^ f^wke. 4^ ls|ii faotl^ the i^onu- rikU were iq tn^if tuni triq^ l^gr a, court-inji^ial for iMf cpmiiif^ )i» 9Qjirab|fi, H« W49-a^t p|i^, (u|ly aM hi>.nftiir^l]b 9c<|aitif4> hm t^ cl^rg^ ^S^i^ hini w«« fey t^ie fsntenjpe pf tl^^ >»uct'ipai^^fl piPPQlMiced: to. be nu^i^iioiM. Wli^n f he i^wii aiid ihJ^i t^iahlw ^f Vath hpwie^ ot parU?i9Miat w«re v<^^d to hiin fqr hiaicpnduft. One laeniber palyi* W' Sturt, bsj^d the fUniQeCf (fo? m^ny itwa»bi9H^<^ ted the IncUQatioA), yifkm (he qu;e(lip|i waa pjut for thanks to admiral Kfppel, tp fay, in a very au^ihle a^ impre^ve tQQe of voice, Np. Bav after all thefe tdiigionie^, fo bonQurable to the nayal cponmaA- dec in chief, ^ vipjently ha4 ^h.is difpute been agitated i.Q the daily publicatioi>8, ^nd fo COQ^' dently did the parti^ns ofl each fide charge the other with cri^iii^al ini£co^4ii£k or negl^Ci: tbat an opi);>ion fee^? tp hi^vf becbine root, ed, aadftill iu a great inpafu^e p;efyaiis, not* MUhilanding th$ a^q.uittal of both the ;^^airau, that » an* Ad ;uri, W ,r, thanV allthefe lute been fo coq6' . charge negUtk [aiis, nlfied t^ eippire pC |hi! fea la |#fQfi«r» t^» ^ ^^ly loft aU ffcelr ppflf^iqiif m tlif E^ft. igh^p ^ f ^p^w?e ^af fi^n «>, li^ mj^taM«^ ^ eapiw4itift>ifly hf^fJ |hp *t«g|Mlll JSsift I^».<5pmi- pgi^y t^pM^^ t,\^fu 0|4f |8, a^d yd^ |jp. put^li 1 pp)jnpjitu4f| w^r? tliefc oc{if^ p3|pifrcftfi4 f4[ppi tl^^in ^Hci^g t^w fufpoi^r -^ «id, in the month of Odober, the town and fortrefs Qf Pondicheiry^ the capital o£ the French pof. felons, and the feat of their government in India, with an inimenfe train of artillery, anjl a garrifon of three thdufahd men, nine hundred pf Vbich were Eyrpp^ans, after being inv^il;e4 lpr two months and ten days by an army under major- general ^e^or Munro by land, and by a fauadron of (hips of \^ar under commodore fir Edward Vernon ■.rrrm,' ■■■i'' H ■ \P 9* m HI STORY OP THE VII. Tir « V ^^.i ! and it the Weft ^^ViT* ^^'"^^ ^y ^'^^» ^"^^ furrcndered by capitiiUtioa.* /t^:'j .'A^ti thus in lefs than four months fi-om the com- menceiiient of hodilities, the French power in Bengal, land on the coaft of Coromandel^ was entirely annihilated. Bui tn the weftern betni|phere, to which we mud ilto^ again retuhi, thie luccefs of thefe two great contrading powers, in their alternate en- deavours to wrelt nokh e^ch other their foreign poflfeffionsi was i^uch more equally balanced. Tlie French having been |>t^ihitted by the treaty of Paris, in i';f63, to (hare in the Newfoundland filhery, whiJeli is juftfy efl^emed'a inoft beneficial fource pf tommerce^; and , being, by the fame treaty, lairbwed during the fiOung feafon' the tem. ppranr ufe of the tt«rQ. jTii^U iflands of St. Pi^rri^ and' K^Quelon, , for th^ purppfe/ .of curing their fiOi, anif pYi^nng: th<^#m market | it wasthere- fbreth^^Mtobeam object of fioime imporunce t6 d^ri^ themoC tHem advantacefrlQ^foon af it was api^feiU that they no longer h/eld .themfelves bound by the treaty Jhfough which fuch privileges had beein ifecured to them. No iboner, therefore, had vite-admiral Moiktaeue§ Who commanded on the Newfoundland ftationV i-eceived advices" of the hoftile operations of the count d^£(laing on the coaft oi America, than he, in purfuance of orders previoufly tratifmittied to him from Eng* land, difpatched commodore Evans in the Rom. '*. ArttUery, A rms« Ammunition, and Stores, taken at Pondt' citerry, in the Daft Ineneficial the fam« the teni* U.Pi*trie ing their ras'there* iportance foonavit [lemfelVes privilegei therefore, anded on dvice« of jaing' on 'uance of rom Eng- the Rom- en at Pondi- gunpowdef tfrercnt fixes. AMERICANWAR. ^3 ney, with a fquadron of (hips of war, having on CHAP.i board a party of artillery and two hundred ma- ^^^^^ rines, nndei* the command of major Wemys, "Ttt?/ widi orders to difpoflefs the French of thefe two * iilandi, and deftroy thi^ir temporary fettlements. This feryice was perfornied without any difficulty. t Thefquadfori appeared in jthe road or St. Pierre \ on the fourteenth of 3eptember ; and the French goyembr) being ' totally unprovided with (he means of defence againft fuch a force, furren- ^ derfid upon the Hfft fuinmons. The arms of the inhabitant's, their tifhing ye^els, and furniture, with a confider^ble quantity of oil, fifli, and lalt, . were delivered up to the captors* ; and the in- habitants thehifelveS, aniounting to fomethins | more than two thbufand men, were (hipped oS for France. Every thing valuable, which could not be removed, was delirbvedi and the French (etttements oh thefe iOands were entirely laid walle. In the fame month, and almoft with the fame eafe, the nu^rquis de BouiUe, governor of Mar-, tinique, the principal of. th^ French windward iflands in the Weft Indies, made hiiiifelf maftcr of the Britilh iiland of Dominica. The contigu- ous iituation of thefe two. iflands, aAd the de- ienceliefs (late of the latter, rendered this an en- • terprife of little di^culty. jn the evening of the fixth of September, two thoufand men were em- barked on board, tranfports at Martinique, and * Armi, Atntnunition, Veflebt Fi(h, &c. taken at St. Pierrt; and Miqueion, in Newfoundland. 17 j muflc'ts, vrith bayonets and carionch-boxes 8 j fwords ' 106 belts 10 (hallops with fliifting decks It ditto with fixed ditto. ney, 165 (hallops withopt decks Sa canoes 16235 quintals of ii(k 20 1 hogflieads of oil 244 ditto uf i'ait. - with i ■■**! ,0^^' ^ Hiii oti 6p -iki f*.'-' Rt 'Ate nfLomt'ot m l^\ki^. m^i'it oft m tli^ ci^itiit df the iittid: aU fro^ift tl^if ^^^i! df th^ tt^rAm, of ^imm mitldiiis di B66!ftl haa bebn drtf^idfUlfy %m#, t!^ fdi'f l^af^liiil aJV cdh^W. tbrg^i^ ^ f^'^%' 8i^^li poich^d- iiid tll«ll%t p«ff^^ ioiiifdfh'e'^Blift iJH; at Poliit VMcli UH& ai iobh ^ a[ kdlfhtk '^H nSfmi m tratti^f f df Ldbbfere TaV iH M^ ^kf, btli! » ii»]i)i mt^iixtifd as t!fe} ^l^fdW^, tiiM, IMfe^laf tfbb/Hn tlie iff&d ^6U A only of a pany of the royal artillery, and,)t^e* «rhHadttf^Mtf!dj(^cKtbiihi iic0 tti^M, did fibi siiaSm iSm Hbn^^d m^hyiiiiitim ihakxtei'cmfidl th'dtt)i(<^ letm^tice aiai'nfl! a r6tc^ fo f(ip«d ihe inba> CHAP. l^itsiifkilitbemMymemof .tMrpr and of ^^^^*- aH'tbe ri^htii prifiteciv tod ioimdirittet whnch ""TttT" iMf lidd oiider tft« Imiilh j^Verameiit, with thi fMier advaAtag^e of exporting their product to whatever pan nfk the ^ovM they thooght fit, tipoil the Myment of fuch duties an the mhabittuitt of Hie vWiieh iflk^t hk^ beeii.accM^omed to pij( in th(B iilandft or in Europe. The iahabitaati iirtrt even aHo^ed to rietaiki their ahns^ upbn coiidi- tion Of not ifervhig againft Fhmce dorihg the war. The ^rrifob ^f Veguhrr trobpl^ afttr Marching out with all the honbttn of wwr^ and depofttihg dieirai>|iM, wete'tolyetranljpoiVed to CSreatBri^ tahi viider the donditlon of not fervhxg agat«ft tils kiH^ oJF Fkince vntil they Were exchanged^ H'Ad aa ft pattioilliir tnkrk of nefbeft for . gbverabr Sioatrtk Ire M to be at liberty to |^o Where hf pfnfe(i, aild to ctwtfauie in the Terviie t>f hl!l prince whih^t velhalnt. So haeftily Wis this hntfi*. iMbfs fettled) tlrat die eapitulatSo&iorihe fttrrend<^ ojf the iii^hble ifiiHd was ftgned, and this fVeneh t^atiBpoflSeilionbf ibit Yobn^i>efdren^t. The inar^tik d^ ^aaiiU having thm lAade hirnfflf msfter of Doftriifaflea^ Irfetuhied without defay to Martidiqae, Ica^rlttg iifteen biiMred of his -troops togarrifoiBtheiAand. His retniin was prohaMy faaileiied by the rl& Which he inct^red of being liiref cepted by admiVai 'Barringtoh, whb Was then at Barbadbes, With a fleet of two fliips of the Kife and feveral ftigites ; ankl the fame caHife tnay account ifbr the faciiity with which be ^rahtftd ia ifae terms of cspit^latidh alraoft every ■rhii^; Which was a(ked. This fuddeh and fuccefsful ittack created an vniverfal atarm in all the '£te|^liih Weil India iihnds. Bm the Frerich foi'ce at Martiniqiie w^s ftill inrnfficieht kn any di&im operaiiofi ; and fortunately ' ,:^ieS^im ,■■/ 9fi HISTOKY OF THp 1778. ■-.'* 'X' ■■'> I IV'.' - -1; C H A P. fortunately before the arrival of the count d'£ftaing > ^T^'^r'" ^^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^* ihe reinforcement of fliipt and troop9 which, we haye feen, failed from New York on the third of November, had reached Barbadoei, and joined admiral Barringcon, i»ho had been waiting there for fome time in expeda- tion of that jun^ion. The troops under general Grant being defigned fdr^mediate offenHve operations, were not dif. embarked? And on the twelfth of December, only two days after their arrival, admiral Barring* ton, with the whole fleet, left Barbac|oes, and failed for the French ifland of St. Lucie, where he arrived the following day. The ifland of bt. Lucie, on the weft fide, is indented by three |;reat bays, feparated from each- other by narrow rldgte of high and flrong ground jutting out into the ocean. The moft northerly of theie is called the Bay of Du Choque:; that in the tniddfo, the Carenage Bay, at the head of which ftands Morne Fortune,' the capital town of the ifland^ snd t^e feat of the government; and the tnoft (butherly of thefe bays is called the Grand Cul de Sac. It was this la.fl bay which the Briiifli lleec entered on the thirteenth of December. Brigadibf' general, now fir William Meadows^ with the fifth regiment, and the grenadiers and light-infaAtry of the army; which compofed . the . referve, . i)eing forthwith landed, forced the heights on the north iide of the bay, occupied by the chevalier de Mecond, the governor, with the regular force which he had under him, and the militia of the iiland, and took. poir(^flion of a battery of four guns which annoyed the fleet as it entered vthe bay: And In the mean time brigadier-general Prefcot was landed with five regiments, to fecure the other pods round the bay, and to preferve a communication with the referve. On the foliowr ing AMERICAN WAR. 97 ing morning, the whole of the troops being dif> CHAP, embarked, and brigadier 'general Ar Henry Calder, J^il[Y^ with four battalion!, being left to guard the i^^g. landing-place, to preferve a communication with the fleet, and to occupy the di£ferent paflet in the mountains on the fouth fide of the bay, the re- ferve, under general Meadows, fupported by ge- neral Prefcot's brigade, advanced towards the head of the Carenage, and without meeting with any material obflrudion, took poflefijon of the town of Morne Fortune, with the government houfe, hofpital, barracks, and all the (lores and magazines belonging to the ifland ; the governor having been obliged to retire from pod to pod as the Britifli troops advanced. From Morne For- tune brigadier-general Meadows proceeded on to the important poft called the Virgie, which com- mands the north fide of the Carenage harbour, and before the evening was in poffeflion of all the different batteries and pods upon the neck of land which feparates the bay of the Carenage from that of Du Choque. Scarcely had this been ac- fiompliflied, when the count d'Eftaing's fleet ap- peared in full view. That commander, upon his arxival at Martinique, had bean joined by a fleet of tranfports, with nine thoufand troops on board, and with tbefe and his fuperior fleet he was elated with the hope of crufliing the fmall naval force under admiral Barrington, and reducing moil of the windward Britifli iflands before admiral Byron could come to their afliftance. With hopes thus fanguine, he failed from Martinique ; Barbadoes, St. Vincent's, Grenada, Tobago, were all in their turn threatened with fubjedion to his irrefiftible force. But the unexpected attack upon St. Lucie, information of which was conveyed to him by a veflei which efcaped from the ifland, and met him at fea, difarranged all his fchemes, and for the Vol. IL H prefent , »~,#»^>r'»»jjpv. :y^ --^M i $• HISTORYOFTHE CHAP, prefent obliged him to give up hit viflonary plant C^^ of conqueft. The relief of thtt ifland wai firA to 1778. ^^ provided for} and with his fuperiority of force tie did not dotrbt of being able to accooopiifli k. Thither, therefore, he directed hit coiir<<., and appeared in fight, as we have already mentioned^ aimoft immediately after the Britiin troops had completed the circuit of the Carenage, «nd fe* cured the high grounds which command it on the north fide, fie was yet unapprised of the extent of iheir progrefs ; and on the following morning fleered with his whole fleet for the bay of the Carenage, fuppofing it not to be pofleifed by the Britilh troops ; but a battery which opened jpoe his fleet as it entered the bay, and flruck hit ui* ftip the Languedoc, (bon convinced htoi of hit midake, and obliged him, after returning fbit Alutation with a broadfide, to ftand out to Kt. • The count d'Eftaing, being thus difappointed in his attempt upon the Carenage, after difcover. ing by bis movements fome degree of embar- raflVnent and hefitation, dire^ed bis courfe to* wards the Or ;ndCuldeSac, where admiral Btr- rington, in expedation of an attack, had a;lreadf made a difpoikion for repelling it. Never, per* haps, was a greater Aake committed to the dc« fence of a ft)ree in appearance lb inadequate.— Admiral Barrington, with only three flii|»s of the Kne, as nianv fliips of fifty guns, and the Temain* ing part of bis force coiuilUng of frigates^ wat not onfly to defend himfelf againft twelve imps of | the line, witb a numerous train of frigates aod American armed fliips and |>r'7 tecr«, but atfo to proted a lirge fleet of tr?T>i,— ^ «^ »-■■•«*■. A M B R I C A W W A R. ^ Y«t fudh wai the confUknce of the ofRceri of A**LHAf* fleet in each other, but above »ll, in the nival ^^JJjJiJ^ ability and e)«perience of their aud nrm undaiMited ,^^g^ commander, that never wai a lefence u iJ^rtaken with more alacrity, or greater hopes of fucccfi j nor did ibe event difappoint their mo^ I'anguine e»pe6katioQi; During rne night, and in the morn- ing, the iranfportt'bmg warped into the bay, and tile fltip« of war ftationwi without them, in a line trr t tic -eniraiKre, fo joft a difpofition of hit i^::y inftij iuT faroe did the BritrQi admiral make, fhut the ?ount d'iEftaing wh repulfed with lofii h. vo different attacks which he made during the day ; flie firft with ten of his largefl: Ihips, and the lad with his whole force. Ihe lofs fuftained by the Brkifli fleet in tfaele attadis, confifted only of two men killed and eight wounded. One fo- Ktary trophy fell 4mo the enemy's hands, a fmgle mmfport, loaded «^ith the baggage of fomeoli- cera of the army, which there had not been time to ^NFarp within vhe line off (hips of war- The co«mt d'Eftaing being tbus completely foiled in bis naval operations, both at the Carenajf^e and the 'Grand Cul de Sac, determined to dilembark bis troops, and try the effed of an attack upon generail Grant by land *, and on the following morning, aftei^ being jcfined by a frigate^ which was feen ftanding into hie 4eet, with a ninnber of fignals iying, he plied to windward beyond the Carenage Bay, and came to an anchor off Groft fiSet. HI the «ight, and during the following day, bis troops were landed from the tranfports, which 'bad anchored in the bay of Du Cheque ; aiiil as the poffeflion of the poft of the Vergie wouM have enabled his fleet to enter the Carenage vfi«h faiisty, «n attack upon that poft was the iirft miUtary <^>eratioH that he projected. Two days ]o«fofe, tihe lafaty of the BritUh army depended H 2 upon ifl "■'^'L^-'^f^V^" f lOO CHAP, XXVII. > * HISTORY OF THE upon the fuccefsful refiftance of the fleet ; and now the fafcty of the fleet was in its turn to de- pend upon the exertions of the army : For fliould the count ct'Eftaing fucceed againft general Grant by land, admiral Harrington could not long with- ftand a combined attack from his fuperior fleet by fea, and his batteries on (hore. The high grounds of the Vergie were occupied by brigadier general Meadows, with the refcrve of the army ; and he prepared to defend them with a refolution fuitable to their importance, and the high expeftation» formed from his known gallantry, and the bravery of the feleft corps which he commanded. Every thing being in readinefs for the aflault, the French on the eighteenth of December advanced in three columns, led by the count d'Eflaing, the marquis de Bouille, and the count Louendahl. Thrice did they rufh on to the attack, and as often were they repulfed. In the emphatic language of general Grant, " their two firft attacks were made with ** the impetuofity of Frenchmen ; and they were ** repulfed with the determined bravery of Bri- •* ton?.*' In the third attack they were foon brdke and fled in confufion. General Meadows, altho* wounded early in the day, would not quit the field ; but on horfeback vifited every quarter where his prefence was neceflary, and continued to give his orders, notwtthftanding the anguifli of his wound, until.the triumph of the day was com- pleted, in the final rout and difcomfiture of the French. In the different adions of this day, the French artillery which had been taken upon the ifland was turned dgainft themfelves, and did fatal execution. Four hundred were left' dead on the field ^ and, according to their own accounts, their wounded were nearly three times that num- ber. The magnitude of their lofs, exceeding in number the whole of the Britifh troops whi(^ were AMERICAN WAR. 101 ' /I w«re engaged, evinces the defperation and perfe- CHA P. verance with which the French made and fupport- Ji^^Yil^ ed their attacks, and places far beyond the reach of ,..3^ praife the maflerly difpofition formed by general Meadows for the defence of his pod, and the bra^ very and firmnefs of the troops to whom that de- fence was entrufted. The whole lofs of the Bri- tifh troops amounted to one hundred and feventy- ' one : Of thefe thirteen only were killed, one hun- dred and fifty wounded, and eight miffing. After this fevere defeat, the count d'Eflaing remained ina^iye until the twenty-eighth of December, in the night of which he re-imbarked his troops, and on the following morning failed with his whole fleet to Martinique. Whilft the French fleet was yet in fight, the chevalier de Micond offered to capitulate for the furrender of the ifland ; and although he was now deflitute of all hope of relief* and entirely at the mercy of the Britifh commanders, who might have infifted on a furrender at difcretion, fuch liberal terms were granted as his deferted and defperate fituation gave him little reafon to expert. The governor and his garrifon were allowed to march out of their pofts with th€ honours of war, and to retain their bag- gage ;. and having delivered up their arms, were . to be tranfported to Martinique, as prifoners of war, not to ferve in any military capacity until ex- changed. The inhabitants, on delivering up their arms and taking the oath of allegiance to the king of Great Britain, were to be fecured in the pof- feffion of their habitations and property, and in the exercife of their religion, according ro the ef- tablifhed laws of the colony, and to be entitled to the fame prcte£tion as Britifh fubie£ts, and not to be obliged to bear arms againfl the troops of the king of France. Thefe terms being granted, all flores of ammtinition and provifions, and every thing >^ \1 /I IM HISTORY OF THE l^^^j. C^^^Mhittg in general belonging, to the king of France,' ,\(rere to be foithfuUy accounted for* anddetiYeFed up: to the Britifli commiflrtoners*. On the fixrb of January 1779^ admiral' Byrdn'f fleet, which bad been fo long expe£);ed, arrived at St. Lucie, juft eight days ^tertbe departuiieof the connt d'Eltaiag ; and had it not been detained in the harbour of Neivporty at Rhode Ifland, by eotti^ trary winds and ftormy weather for fourteen days after it was ready to &il) it ift probable, eil!ber that the retreat ,oi the count d'EHiaing to< MartiriiqtHi would have been- cut off, or that a general en^ eagement muft have been riiked in order to effbdt It. But all the proceedings of admiral Byron bad hitherto been marred by the oppofttion of the dements \^ and even in his prefent paflage froniL Rhode Ifland, the Fame, cme of bit fliipsy was dif- mafted. By his arrival the Britifl» naval force m tbe Welt Indies, became equal, if not fuperioi^, ttf that under count d'Eftaing, who was beneefev- ward obliged to ad upon the defenfive, and fltek- ter his fleet within the bay of Fort Royals 3o' apprehenflve did he appear to be of tbe eflfcds of » general engagement, that fo» fnc mombs^ toge» ther he only ventured twice to put to fea f azid both times haf>ily returned as foon as the Brilfifli' fleet was feen {landing towards hink The iflands of Martinique and St. Lucie are fo near (o eac|t other, that the French fleet could foascely comv * Ordnaocci Ammuaitioii, St«res» &c. takea at St. Luoie tt December 1778. $g pKce« o( brdUanee pf dtfftrent (att 5>766 round fliot J 07 langridge ditto^ 99 cartridgetfor ofdbatice too ^bolte \3M. tOiided powdtr 333 ittulk«(s lb. 1 00 nra&et cartridges Biled' with bail, 2 cwt, 2 qrt. muf- ket ball. out ■4*B?^:" AMERICAN WAR. 103 out of Fort Hoyd Bay without being f€en from ^^^J^' St. Lucie J and fome fmaU fall -failing veffcls were J^^^JI^ alfo appointed to watch it» motions. Frequent ,7^^. fquadron« w«re fent to cruife off the mouth of Fort Royal harbour, and if poflibie, provoke the count d'Eilaing to come out and rifk an engage- ment ; but no mortification of this fort could in* duce htm to deviate from his defenHve {>lan. Both fleets were reinfofced during the winter} that of admiral Byron by a fquadron of Ihips from £ng. land under commodore Rowley, who had under' his convoy a fleet of merchantmen for the Weft . India iflands; and that of count d'Eftaing by a fquadron from France*, under the command of the c(Mint de Graife : But notwithdanding this rein- forccmenty the count d'Eftatng, dill remained in the harbour of Fort Royal. When the feafon arrived for the departure of the Weft India fleet of merchant-fliipK for Eng- land, admiral Byron was obliged to quit his ftati* on, amd put to fea, for the purpofe of enabling the fliips from the different iflands to aflemble with fafety at St. Christopher's, which was appointed , to be the place of general rendezvous. Thither, therefore^ he dire^ed his courfe, having left St. Lucie on the iixth of June. The departure of the Brttifli fleet for the prore&ion of the home- ward bound trade, was the fignal for the French to commence their operations. A force, confiding of four hundred and fifty men, under the com- mand of the chevalier de Trolong dii Roniain, was embarked at Martinique,^ on board of four veflels, and failed for the ifland of St. Vincent's, where they arrived on the twelfth of June. A landing was immediately efieded, and a commu- nication opened with the Caribs, the original in- habitants of the iiland, who yet retained thepof- feflion of fome part of it. Between them and the Britifii I04 HISTORY OF THI5 CHAP. Britifli fettlers a war had broke out fome few ■Lr y L; yea" before, which, after much bloodflied on both i779< ^<}c^) terminated in the fubjugation of the former. But the Caribs, compelled to iubmit, were not re- iconciled : They dill retained their ancient refent* ment. They confidered the Britifh fettlers as unjuft intruders upon their poflellions, and were ready to join the French as foon as they landed. The garrifon of the ifland confifted of feven com- panies of the fixtieth regiment, amounting to four hundred and fixty-four men, rank and file, befides officers, under the command of lieutenant-colonel Etherington, as appears by a return of it made on the firil day of i^pril in the prefent year ,* but of thefe only three hundred and fifty-feven were actually effedive, the refl being confined with iicknefs either in the barracks or hofpital. The French, joined by the Caribs. advanced againft Kingilon, the capital of the ifland, without meet- ing with any oppofition. On the fixteenth of June they took poflefllon of the heights behind the town ; and on the fame day, without a muiket having been fired, the whole ifland was furren- dered by Valentine Morris, efquire, the governor, with the content of the commander of the garri- fon, on terms fimilar to thofe which had been granted by the marquis de Bouille to the inhabi- tants and garrifon of Dominica. '1 he eafy con- quefl of St. Vincent's feems to have been the cauie of much furprife to general Grant, who commanded at St. Lucie: But although no fatis* faftory reafon has been yet given to the public, for this tame fubmiffion on the part of the civil governor, and thy commander of the king's troops in St. Vincent's, uniefs the dread of the (Claribs, whofe ferocity during the former war was ftill remembered, can be admitted to be fuch j it is neverthelefs prefuniable, that fuch reafons did exift, AMERICAN WAR. 105 «779' exift, bccaufc it is fcarcely credible, that a Britifh CHAP, officer, bred in the army from hi& infancy, who ^^Y!j]ji had arrived at the rai^k of • lieutenant-colonel, would have confented to furrender his troops in this quiet and inoffenftve manner, if there had been any reafonabie hope of a fuccefsful refift- ance. The ifland of St. Vincent having thus become an eafy conqueft, the count d'Eftaing, whofe fleet had by this time been increafed by another rein- forcement of ihips under the command of mon- fieur de la Motte Piquet, failed from Martinique towards the end of June, to make an attack upon Grenada, during the abfence of Admiral Byron. His fleet confided of thirty-four (hips of war, be- fides a number of tranfports carrying nine thou- fand land forces. Of the fliips of war, twenty-fix were of the line, and the reil large frigates. With this formidable force he arrived at Grenada on the fecond of July. The fleet came to an anchor in the bay of Moliniere; and the troops were immediately landed. Detachments from thefe, during the night, took ppfleflion of fome heights in the vicinity of the town of St. George, the capital of the ifland, from which the count d'Eflaing, on the following day, was enabled to reconnoitre the defences of the place. Thefe confifled of a fort and an intrenched hill, upon which the hofpital fl:ood. This hill, which nearly commanded the fort, confliituteJ the principal defence of the place, being fteep and of difficult afcent, and flrengthened alfo with pallifadoes, and fome lines of entrenchment. The whole regu- lar force of the ifland did not exceed one hundred and fifty men, of whom twenty-four were artillery recruits, and the reft belonging to the forty- eighth regiment : To thefe were joined about four hundred militia, confiding chiefly of French in- habitants, i'N * i r rA n% HISTORY OF THE m m C^ A p. habitantflf, who had become fabjeds after the ^^ ^ peace of '763, and of people of colour ; but in Pl^^ the night anep the landing of the French, fo xmAj of the militia deferted, that the #hoie effe€kive force of the garrifon was reduced under three hundred men. To a fummons fent by the count d'Eftaing, demanding a furrender of the ifland, lord Macartney, the governor, refolutely anfwered, that he was unacquainted with the force of the befiegers, but that he knew his own,^ and was determined to defend himfelf as long as be could; The count d'Eftaing had hoped that the difplay which he had made of the magnitude of ' his force, both by fea and land, would have h^ duced the governor to capitulate, from a convidi- on that alt oppofition would be fruitlefs ; but the anfwer which he now received announced an obftinate reftftance, from which the iiege, if car- ried on by regular approaches, might be protraded until the arrival of admiral Byron with the Britiih fleet. He therefore determined, after viewing tbe- works, to ftorm the lines upon the hofpital hill, whatever number of men it might colt him. A difpolttion was accordingly made ; and the fol- lowing night the lines were aiTaulted in three different places, the column which made the prin- cipal attack being commanded by the count d'Eftaing in perfon. The French were at fir ft repulfed, and fuiFered feverely, not only from the fire of the garrifon, but from the guns of a fhip of war in the harbour, which enfiladed one of their columns. In the next attack, however, they were fuccefsful, forced the lines, notwithftanding » brave refiftance made by the garrifon, and gained > the fummit of the hill. The cannon found dn the hofpital hill were on the following morning turned againft the fort ; and that fort being com- manded by the hill, lord Macartney was reduced to A M E R r C A N WAR. ivf mt in :h, fo ^hole under t)y the of the olutely e force rtty and I a» he hat the tude of lavc itt' onvifti- but the iced an , if car- otraded B Britiih f\tk% tbe- ital hill, lim. A the fol- in three he prin- e count i at fitft irom the »f a ftiip ; of their •m-' to the neteffity of (ending a fla$if of truee with ar» CHA^. offer of ftirrendering. the iflaiw* by eapitutatiom JJJ^IJ^ In* anfwer to' bis flag^ he was allowed only an Xosksx and a half to* propofe his terms ; and allhoofhi tbefe were got^ready, and prefented ift dne einve^ they were inftantly and wholly reje^ed by "Ca^ douttt d'Eftaingy who, inftead of them,- made pro^ pofals fo extraordinary and inadmiffiblev ^^ thef gorrernor, with the confent of the principstl iinhaH bitants^ rather than accept of them; agreed l tiine, admiral Byfon, who^ had failied whh the hame ward bound fleet front- St'. Ghriiitopher's, on the fifteenth of June, after ac- cort^anying them a proper cK>ilance, and appoint-- iiitf^ a convoy to efcort them doting the remainder orrheir pafiage, returned with the r^tl of his fleet M' hiS' fbrnner flatiX)n at Sr. Lucie, where, hoW<^ eftfTyhe did not arrive until the firft of Jnly, hav^ ii^ been for fome time retarded by a (Irbng eafterif wind and lee-current, in hfis endeavouf^ to wea^ tber rhe ifland of Maninique. At St. Lucie h^ was informed of the capture of St^ Vincent's i And an arrangement Vor its recovery being ni» fUmly made between him> and general Grant, fd etpedittouflfy were (he tro^s embarked, which were dediined for this fervice, that the whole fleet fiuled on thie third of July. In the pafiage to St. Vinc^nt'sy information was received (hat the count i'Eftaing bad left Martinitfue, and was gone to Ittack Gfenada. This intelligence produced a chiMge in the pt m which had been pve'coneerted iMtween the admital and the general; and a de^ terntinafion Was now tnade to proceed with all ixpeditien (O ehe relief of Grenada. Soon after-> mn^A two TefleU whkh had made thcfir efcape^ after 'I :-i .- < ■; t idB HISTORY OF THE IM 1779- ( ( I CHAP, after the arrival of count d'Eftaing, and- before XXVTI. j|,g furrender of the ifland, met the Britifli fleet ; and from the intelligence brought by them, the admiral was led to believe that the naval force at Grenada, under the count d'Eftaing, was inferior to his own : From the fame fourqe of intelligence he alfo learned that lord Macartney ezpedted to be able to hold out for a fortnight. Admi- ral Byron's fleet, excluHve of tranfports, con< lifted of twenty-one (hips of the line, and one frigate ; the count d'Eftaing's force was reprefent- ed to be between fourteen and nineteen (hips of the line ; and under the influence of this intelli- gence, which afterwards appeared to be erroneous, the admiral made his fublequent arrangements for the attack of the French fleet. On the evening of the fifth of July the Britifli fleet being fo near that it mud neceflarily be in fight of Grenada on the following morning, the fliips of war were drawn from amongft the tranfports, and thefe were left to windward under the care of rear-admiral Row> ley, with three fliips of the line, who had, never- thelefs, orders to quit the tranfports and join the reft of the fleet whenever on the following morn- ing a fignal for that purpofe fliould be made. The van divifion of the Britifli fleet was com- manded by admiral Barrington, in the prince of Wales ; the centre divifion by admiral Byron, in the Princels Royal ; and the rear by admiral Hyde Parker, in the Conqueror. In this order they failed during the night ; and at dawn of. day the following morning were in fight of Grenada and the French fleet. One of the count d'Eftaing's frigates had brought him intelligei|ice, during ttie night, of the approach of admiral Byron, and he, in confequence of this intelii. gence, had given orders for his fleet to get under way by day-light in the morning ; fo that when the AMERICAN WAR. lOf 1779. the French fleet was firft defcried by admiral CHAP. Byron, part of it was already under fail, and the ^^^^I* reft in a clufter getting under way as faft as they could, a (ituation in which it was impoflible to afcertain their number. A fignal was immediate- ly thrown out for a general chafe towards the quarter where the French fleet lay, another for rear-admiral Kowley to quit the tranfports and join, and foon afterwards a third for a clofe en- gagement ; the (hip to fall in and form the line as they got up. As the Britifli fleet bore down, that of the count d'Eftaing ftretched out from the land, and formed a line to leeward. Its great fuperiority was now perceptible ; but if in confe- quence or this difcovery any alteration had been neceflary in the difpoiition of the Britiih fleet, it was now too lat6 to make it, as feveral of the advanced fliips were already engaged. Admiral Barrington in the Prince of Wales, captain Saw- yer in the Boyne, and captain Gardner in the Sultan, prefling forward with that ardour which has at all times diftinguiflied the Britifli naval fervice, had foon clofed with the enemy's fleet, and brought it to a£lion, bravely fuftaining their fpirited attack until they were joined by their companions. To fuccour thefe advanced fliips, and, if poflible, to make the a£tion decifive, the fame flgnals were ftill continued. But it was not the count d'Eftaing's intention, notwithftanding the great fuperiority of his force, to rifle the fate of Grenada upon the uncertain iflue of a clofe engagement with an enemy, which, though infe- rior in number, was formidable enough to create apprehenfion; he therefore kept his fleet at a cautious diftance, whenever the adion had the appearance of becoming general, and clofed only when fmgle fliips of the Britifli fleet, in confe- quence of their advanced fituation, were ezpofed to f 'i H .'• i :.■■.« k f f^'.m ■■^■^^■^-^^X£* '■•mTf^- ^»mm»f^' .no HI -STORY OF TH« ■^vivvi^* *** *^* "^^^ °^ fcveral of his own. HU ihips, too, ^^^** i>dng .c;lesner dian thofe of admiral iiyron, lie J779' 1 1 ^d k too much in tu power to inoreaie or •dinri- *iiifli his diftancc as it fuited ihis to flop the van of the enemj^, to dole adion. The Britifli ad. •mtral feeing the difabled conditioti of ib 'many f their movements plainly indicated, ^he dcHgo «f the count d'Eftabg againft the traofports k^- jing thus fruftrated, he tacked to the fouthward • Medway. 8. Fame 9. Nonfuch 10. Sulun 11. Prince& Royal ta. Albian 13. Stirling Cafile 14. Eliiabeth 15. Yarmouth 16. Lion 17. Vigilant 18. Conqueror 19. Cornwall 20. Monmoutk .91. Oraftan Captain Elphinfton Captain MoUoy Captain Affleck Captain Butchart Capuin Griffith Captain Gardner C Admiral Byron \ Captain Blair ! Captain Bowyer Captam Carkett Captain Trufcott Captain Bateman Captain Cornwallis Sir Digby Dent fRear Adm. Parker j Captain Harmood * Captain Edwards Captain Fanfliawe Captain Cvllingwood 61774 jao68 60074 61774 60074 joo*4 42060 60074 50084 60074 770 ?o 60074 50064 60074 500 S4 50064 50054 617 600 74 74 500,64 60074 16 3 a I at 16 15 35 25 30 la 46 It 6 4 9 39 6 a 6 a 30 a; at 63 i8j 346 The AMERICAN WAR. iij ' The ifland of Grenada having been furrender- ^^J,^' ed at Utrcretign, the governor, garrifon, and inha- J^^^Jl^j bitantt were fubjefted to the will of the conque- g^y^. ror, esccept fo far as the law of nations, indepen- dent of all pQ^tive ftipul^tlon, iinpofed limits to his authority. But even thefe, it is faid, were fliamefully tranfgrefled ; and the inhabitants ex- petittcedtll dkeiigor.Qtti pppifeffion and feverity .which flow from Di^c^troUed. power, when exer- y couut d'Eftaing. After remaining fome time at turc dT"' Grenada, for the purpofe of fettling the govern. count d*Ef- ment, he failed with his fleet for Cape Frahcois, liif|ai»k»ii. '^^ Hifpaniola. And here ►we (hall leave him, in I order to refume the relation of fuch events as hap' penedj penc . meni Tl operj provi but ii winfe this la tenani rcer ; him, i driven Una, r the pr into m framing fecurity and wai an expe principa as fQon enable i raiet wit] towards carriage baggage open be courfes, aswell a^ abounds j to make my's galll for want f %edtofi| >vhich the At laft, _ and reacl: auary, tj Weft Indies the French^ I, being but >minica, St. eat fuperio- r threatened id filled the I Weft India pprebenfion. afon, added , fet bound? jjefts of the Ibme time at the govern. )e FrahcoisJ ;ave him, m cnt® as hap- pened AMERICAN WAR. »«; pened on the American continent fmce the com- ^^J^ ^' . mencement of the prefent year. XXVlll^ The rigour of winter fufpended all military ,,^g, operations between the two great armies in the Event* on province of New York, until the return of fpring; AmSS but in the more foutherly climate of Georgia, the continent, winter is the propereft feafon for aftion, and in this laft province it may be remembered that lieu- tenant-cqlonel : Campbell began his viftorious ca- reer as late as the end of December. We left him, after he had defeated the- provincials, and driven them acrofs the Savannah into Soutfi Caro- lina, receiving the inhabitants of Georgia under the prote£lio^ of' Great Britain,' forming them into military corps for their bwii defence, and framing other regulations for the, future pe^ce and fecarity of the province. He hail alfo projeft^d, ajid was making preparations for procj^eding on all e.\peditioi;i : lip the Savannah to Augnfta, the principal town in the interior part of the pro'y,ince, as foon as the arrival of general IVevoftihoiild enable him to undertake it. That general had met with many didiciilties and delays in his march towards Georgia, from the want of horfes and carriages to traniport his artiilery, ammunition, baggage, and provifions. Thefe were. carried in open boats, through the different inland waftr- courfes, with which the fea-coaft of Eaft Florida, aswell as Georgia and the Carolina^;, cvery-where abounds; and tt^e boats were frequently obliged to make large circuits, in order to avoid the ene- my's gallies. . During thefe circuits the trftops,^^. - —^ for want of other provilioris, i^erdforaetinies^ob- Hged to fubfift for feveral days together on oy iters, which the inlets from the fea fortunately afforded. At laft, however, they penetrated into Georgia, and reached Sunbury about the beginning of Ja- nuary, the fort of which they immediarely I 2 in veiled. 1.} I'. .'I ■ f f ' ' :*'^'«^:^*^.,->^\: Ay-',-. .. # ' ■' ^ -• L_ia— '*'<-'^ ii6 ttlStO H Y ¥kE '."■'...-.. '•■ ■ . ■ " , ,, ■ , , CHAT, invefted, being the only jplacie of ftrength remain- • ^yil^; in^ in the poffeflion q( the Americans m i^he lowfer ~ 'IT parts of .the province. Lieuti!nant-co|onel Prevoft, the brother of the jgericfral, by niikihg a forced ; march With part ox ttie tirpdpgj li^ci pretioXifly ''furrounded' it to* jpifevent the garriYoh fVorti efcap. In^,, thc.comiiiander of whichat fifft feemed de- letmihed to tt^ke an, pblfiria^ tcMirttej btt aftef trenches were ojpeiied, and fom'^ pieces of .artillery hiid lyeen bioughi^up, *h6 tfrbtight fit, ibn R/^"**""' the niinth drjaniiary, to' Mrbnder the fort'at llSSJSdilcre^ion, jWth#i*at4s offort^ iJtece8>For(l. ^ ^aii'te, and. a' cbhitdetabf^.q^jlnthyof ^Tnfii)tt^ai- < j tion • } iiii ilcquifi^ion niade^with'th^ foft of 'tiiily t oiie Wii kill'^d and three Wouii^ed. the Ibft 'of Vthe"^itllrdn"' in ltif|ed^^^i^^^^^^ Inconfiderable j but the ifiii-ytVbfs, iriibui'tittg to "two f^uAdr^d anjd twelve, ^4re ia:ikde'i}rtifondrs of '%at, '• 'general • IVeVdft; sifter th^;Mu^i6ii^^ ^'(l^tinSiwry, pi'dce'^dcd to '^avihWah,''>6(?herd he irJ : iiv'ed abbuC l^ irtiddte bf'J^kiiVi^ry.j; and ai fobnl aftertl^ai'ds asvflie ^'ecfieifirry' ah'ank|y^ents^^'^^^ / cbhipf^t^d, iieutehant-cdlone'l Canip^efi f(^t 6\AM his expedition to Auguda. • *''AhiiIery, iStoit«; Arc. r^kcn at Siiiibtify in (ftat^ii uj January I ^79; wb«o the Fort was furroidered to Ocneral PicvoH ;Ji. ; j|^4.yiuec6s of brafi ord> ^^ ^. ," nance . * ,. -* -''i-braft fctetiiJitcIi 'iftOr- ...■ ^.iitar-.' .. ■• •-^' ''■ .^82^^ rpupd'fHot of different (izes loo cafe and grape mot, 30 (Heili, 50' hand grenades . . i 1. . . ».;.:• 180 i|iu(kct>UH ^yppets, f a . rifles, 40 fufeef a^d ^'t- btaes» and 4 wall piccct 300a ini)flu:t ,f^^^ , 500 carbine ditto 150 muiket ball, i^Sot cwt. lead irf bigs . tS powder barreU 400 muftet flints isccartrldge boxei,' ' ipouches with noi>ni u ■ 5P. cJta.w hapd^il:(».«ij Mies, wad-iio ' and fpunges. -''t.-^.i-:- i-*c:J V ' ■ **^ AMERICAN WAR, "7 1 remain- the lowfcr ilprevoft, T a foTced fOirt efcap- reeraed de- iritej blit e pieces of iffhr fit, "on tU fbrt'y cfes of otd. tofiof^My tliil.lbrs'of prtfondrs m and ai.f<»nl l^'itt'^ts '"Wttel bell fct butottl in 9*orgh, I General Ptcv I, .. ..;..■•'-■ lioikAt .^vvn^j^ Vo carViiic ditto [wdcr barrels ufltetfltni* . [nn4g(! Ijioxei,' uchetwithfow mnti" 'j ; -^ .whap^^i'^W' idles, wad-ho »779«' In war much depends upon the promptitude p H A P. with 'wh|ch z\ conii^'aridefr fdzes and ' TnipVfefl» l^''^^'^'' thbfe 6pportumtiear-6f afl:ibn that art pi'fefSiited by fqrtviitous ci^cumftances. T^hls bblei'VStidh has been" already '(^emplified in ^he condtidt of Ueuteh'antcolphcl Campbell, on tbe day oh whibh he, defeated' th^ ' A ihericah troops beroire SaVaii* hatt, with fo liitie lofs oh his own fide ;' anfl ft Ts further veri^ed by all the proceedings '6f this offi- cer during his comiharidV Had he' n6t'conii> minced his operatiohs' at' the critical hibmetit wiieilhe di« encou- was detached towards the frontiers of Georgia, rf^thT"^- with two hundred infantry, mounted on horfe- !•«». pcr- back, to encourage fuch of the inhabitants as J°'J^„*j'5 **' were attached to the 3ritifh government, and to uamiitoa. difarm the difaffeded. In his progrefs he foon difcovered that, althoi^gh n9an}(> of the people came in to take the oath of allfgiji'nee, the pro- feliions of a coi^fiderabje nuinber were i^ot to be depended upon; and that foiiie cJime in only for the purpofi^ of gaining information of his (Irengih and future defigns. In various quarters he inet with oppoHtion}. and all their places of flrength held out until fhey wgre redupedi The feduilion of moll of thefg was not, however, a woik of great difficulty, jis they confifted only of ftockade furts, calculated for defeDce againll the Indians. , At ./I /. . , i * tie ■! c)' 'j i p.- vi I ,; I'- lie HISTORY p F' T HE »779- CHAP. At lad, having neatly comptered his circuit^ he XXVIH. ^j^ attacked by a colonel Pickensi with five- hundl'ed miUtia; who had marched agatnft hhn from the diftri^t of Ninety-fiic, in 'the province of South Caroliria ; but the itnilitia were foon Te«> palfed and obliged to fly. The bodies of nine or ' ten who had been killed in the adion were after- wards found in the woods covered with leaves i their wounded thty carried oC During the pto^ grdfs of lieuteiaant'-CQlonel Hamilton, a number of loy^lills in the ititerior parts of North Carolina had embodied tbofe thefe, as well as to check colonel Hamilton'l'progrir^, that colonel Pickens had af.^ fembled hi^ 'niilitia ; aild finding that he could make ii6 iiftpreflion upon the latter, he turned his arms again(ith6ldy&HHs, who had by thti time- forced^ a paflfage ai^rofs the Savannah in the face of a detachment whi^h he ha%l left to oppofi^ : them; Hcciattie up wit)k them at I^eitle Creek, ahd an etigagemeiit enfueid, in which the loy^lifts; after an obftinate refiddiice, Were defeated with the lofs of their commander, colotiel Bofd^ and a conf^ derable number killed and wounded. About three hundred of tt^em, by keeping together, af. terwards found means tot join the Britifli army. The reft were - difperfed, fome flying back to -N0rth Carolina, and others into South Carolina, where theyvthr;eiy themfetvcs upon the mercy of their countrymen. Of thdfe who fled into South jrf>Ufta*^ feverfty were tried and convicted of fieifon againft the new govertimenil, but five only were put to death. * Lieutenajjt-cbldnel Campbell having received orders to retreat from Augufta, recalled the de- tachment from the frontiers, and about the middle of ^■^U: / :'>f * » ...<-"■ ,.^l lit; he ti five ift him incc of • •on re nine or ' e after- leaves I thepro^ imber of CaroUna il Boyd, Georgia, )ops. It 18 had af- he couW \irntd his thii time- he face of ofi^'them; ., ahd an Ms; after th the loft Id a confi- About [ether, af. :i{h army, back to Carolina, , mercy of Into South nv^fted of ut five only A ME IC-IC AN W-AR. r%^ of "FtlbruSfy rerired down the Savannah by eafy C H A P. marches until he reaohed Hudfan'S Ferry, .about; ^f^^J^ tVt^eniy'four milea above £b«nezerv now the head- ,'.^ ' quafirters of the ai^my* At- Hudfon-s F^rry heleft Febmry! tl?e iadv&noe of -th^amy. r under the* command of Heutenant^colonel Prevoft^ and returned to- Sa-c^J^J^u vannah* td >eftabli(b fom^e- civil regHlationa in the quit* Au- provinecj pfeviou* to hia departure for England, ^^^'"J which took* place' foon afterwards. savannah. The pofti^fr AugiifiaAvas too diftantto be fup^ ported^ fdr -as the Bmifli troops 'extendedvthem- felves akmgr th6 fotlthiern banks of the Savannah^ the prthriitiQials did thd- fame on the oppofite fide ; and- general Lincoln,' whofe force ws^s every day in(!reiifiRg<,l -. had not only efiablifhed fevetal pofts inforcd on- the north fide of the river^ but was, alfoenabled ta detach general Afhe, with one? thoufiitndr f)ve hundred militia, t»nd fome regular troops, t6 firengthen the provincial poll oppotfite to Augufta^ and to inlprove any' opportunity, which > miji^ht offer fof crpffing the river^ in order to fttaiten the Britiih quarters. G^e- ral A(he, upon his arrival at the poft oppofite to Augufta, found that town already evacuated by the Britifh' troops, who had retired down the riVeV : He therefore, in purfuance of his otders, crbifed the river, and followed them as far as Brier Cr^k, behind* which he took poll, aboiU thirteen niil&s above Htidfon-8^ Ferry; General' Lincoln was now forming a plan in ^"cmpt of concert with general Alhe, for confining the Bri- f!inc"n to tilh troops within ftill narrower limits ; but before '*'^?'."" '•'^ he could carry it into execution, lieutenant-colonel quarters. Prevoft, with a detachment confifling of , ;hree grenadier cc npanies of the fiftieth regiment, fir James Baird's light- infantry, the feconS battalion of the feventy-firft regiment, captain Tawes's pro- vincial troop of light dragoons, and fome rangers and ' ' 1-1 ■vji \k 5' t 12a H r S T ORY OF THE V il I ^'HA p. and militia, amounting in the whole to nine hun- JJ^^Jll^* dred men, by making a circuit, and croffing Brier i^^^o. Creek fifteen miles above the ^lace where general Afhe was encamped, found means to get into his rear unperceived ; and whilft major Macpberfon, with the firft battalion of the feventy-firft regiment, and fome irregulars, with two field pieces, ap- peared in front of the Americans, in order to draw their attention that way, they were on the h^tSel ^^^^^ **^ March attacked in the oppofite quarter vtnJt!' hy lieutenant-colonel Prevoft,' and totally routed and difperfed, with the lofs of feven pieces of . cannon, feveral (land of colours, almoft all their arms, and the whole of their ammunition and baggage. About one hundred and fifty of the enemy tell in the field of attion and in the pur* Aiit ; tw<:nty-feven officers, including brigadier- general Elbert, the fecond in command, with two hundred men, were made prifoners : and a much greater number periflied in the river endeavouring t:> make their efcape. Of thofe who did efcape, many returned home: And of the whole detach- ment under general Afhe, which was fuppofed to * exceed two tnoulknd men^ dniy four hundred and fifty rejoined general Liiicolnp 'J'he lofs of the Britifli troops amounted only to five privates kill. ed, and oneofiicer and ten privates wounded. The plan of this furprife was 'w^jl imagined, and the execution admirably conduced ; and both ferve to exhibit in a very fuperior point of view the military talents of lieutenant colonel Prevoft. In conlequence of this fignai vidory, the communi* cation was again opened between the Britifh polls and the frontier fettlements. In the mean lime a new governor was eleded for South Carolina, and to him and his council were delegated powers ai moll didatorial for the defence of the pravinc?. In confequence of the rigorous h^'li A M E R I C A N W A R. »*5 1779/ rigorous exercife of thofe powers, the army under C H A P. general Lincoln was foon afterwards remfor ccd .^ ^y j^ with a body of one thoufap^'* mtKtia; tnd this '~~' reinforcenaeot enabled him' to refume his former defign ' of entering Georgia by the. way of Aii- giiita, in order to interrupt the communitatioiifv which Lieutenant-cnlone! Prevoft's vi<^ory had opened ; he had alfo another powerful motiv« lor marching towards that place at ptefent, which: was to proteft the provincial delegates for Geor- gia, .wh6 had agreed to meet and hold & conven« tion at Georgia in the month of May. General I incoln's force now amounted to five thoiifand men : Of rhefe he left about one thoufand to gar-* rifon Puryfburg and Black Swamp, the former of thefe places under the command of colonel Mac- intofh, and the latter under general Moultrie; and with the reft, on the twenty-third of April, he began his march up the Savannah. "Five days after his departure general Prevoft, with a view of obliging hint to return, pafledover the greatell: part of his army into South Carolina. Ihe Ame- rican pofts at Puryfburg and Black Swamp were immediiirely abandoned ; and general Moultrie, * unable to withftand the force to which he was op- pofed, rerr.< iB ^r - »N. H'l S T.O RY 0,F, T.H E ^«,J!''«a»ving at th^faau.jtimp jnfarfil«tioa,of .^hc d»: ,22JCfoBcd«f* fts^tc .of.Charjieft^ t^t, fide on "W9-, ^Wpfc^iJC w9nl4fapwQ»cfrit, liebecanto chmik thehQipevof beuig i\)le..to fe^vt^^ ^t, ocfc^re geneial 14nco}i^ could.con^q tciiu xe^ef ^ a^d )1h; fm%er h^, a^jranced,. lib,. expe^a^iqpi, became the n^Qrc faQguine» ii^ cpnfipque^cc of ithe, gq;iej:al. fcojpe o^ th<( iatf;Uigqu:e r^eiyed. fi:oi^,thq ^ibabit^QM o( t^$q greaite(|, c^< forta were in^de to pi}f^ i^to,foine tolerable u^jtiq of defence. Tk^ 4aiye$9 with wJ^qh Spu^ p4; TolinaL abound*., w^ere nPsW 9f thj? gres^ff^ft. uft. The houfe^ in thc^fubu^b^ biqingburn^ dojyn, a wl^oiii »f being an4 ^T y.bpcft- vreti QH jiothcfe ack hof^ ;ff?«ce* a» Inooai^; , that at .c8^te(V,«;f- jbleftaW »Wn» ^^^ jt\p\oycd, |e4iacrQr« ifton, pn [qn w,ith- :rie, wUb ' the »7t9. thefemalns of his retreating armyj critcrcd theC^HA,r. town, govei-nor Rutlege arrived with a body of /'^^ tnilitia frcm the interior country, and colonel Harris Krith the three hundned* lijftht troops detach- ed by e^eral Lincoln. Count Pulafki too, with Ms legion, (iroiSed Cooper River to Chariedown tiiC fame day on which it ^as inve(ted by general Prevoil. The'arrival of thefe different rdnforce- menu all ilearlj^ abcfut'the fkme timej infufed foti^e fpirit into ^he ihhabitants, and'encouraged thent ' t6 ftand upon their defence. If numbers could give thienl corifidente, theV had i ndeed '6y ei'y rca* ion to expeft fdCcefs ; as; «f conf^quisnee of thefe ' reiniibrceiiyents, ' the g^trifon ^stkeeded' 'general Prevdft's aifmy in ntimber by at leaftr one third. On the i oth 'of Mky, ill th« fcvehingi th'i Bri- May. ti(h troops rfeached Aftley Fc-rry, and, having JJ^^;^^ ' paffed ' the river, aMea^ed before^ thd liher at of t«>e»i Chirftittbwh' oiitlie fbllbJWnfe day, the T^iiliidfer J;^,^^ of which was l^ent in ikirttiiflies oflittlembfnent. towL Oh the t >rffth thd Wwn 'Waif Aimthoried' tof^^ ' fender^ 'and fevoUrable ^tferms of 'capitiHatibn ifete offered, which hbWt^fit were' refefted. But as itiiiras of icbhfi^uelriCe tb the^ii'i-fron and i^e J)ebple of Iha tb*n to jgain as wtich tirii'e as pofll- blef things ^cre fd ebntrhred that ' ih^ \Wifofe day was fpent iti fending^^^aikd receiving'm^a^es|'in the Courfe of which aprqpofal was made oh their part for the ttei^trality of the pif6vince daKiig the warj ahd that at the idnd of the war itar fate !honid be detfeririJnied by the tJiaty of p6ace. ■ Bift after various mcdages ahid t^icprahationsof thtsptopo- fal, it was utterly rtfefted by getieral Prevoft ; and the commiffioners from th« toWh Siverb told, that as thei garrifon "Was itt arms, theymuft furren- der as prifoners of war. This declaration put an end to the hegotiation )i and th« ihhiibitants of the town now expected nothinjg elfe than an aiTault. But - i'i ■>ri' %,.*.•' n6 H 18 T R V OF T H E •779- C H^\ P. But on the following morninp^ fhcy wertf apjreeably J^^j^* ftirprifed when they found that the Britifii troop* had been withdrawn during the night, and had re-cro(Icd Afhiey Ferry. After taking a view of the lines at Charleflown, general Prevoft was con- vinced, that, although unfini/hed, they were not to be forced without fuch a lofs of men at he could not fpare. He alfo knew that the garrifon, reinforced as it had been, was now more numerous than the troops which he had to lead againll it* ; iind that general Lincoln was by this time haf^en- ing to its relief from the back country^ with. a force ftiil greater. The Britrfli general was there- fore, at lalt, prudent enough to retire, although with that lofs of credit which arifes from making an abortive attempt, the original deGgn of whtcn appears to have been unwife, and the means ufcd to accomplifliit incompetent and ineffectual. If general Prevofl had not a fufHcient force to main- tain the pod at Auguda, and preferve the proper communications with it; that force was dill lefs adequate to garrifon^Cbarlcdown, even, if he had takcQ if, and at the fame time preferve a commu- nitation with Georgia, or indeed leave a fufficient force for its defence. But if this confideratipn had been out of the quedion, he bad not with him a train of artillery fufficient to cover an i(- fault. The BrltiHi troops having crofled A(hley River, after foraging for feme days, retired towards the fea coad ; which, l^eing interfered by a chain of inland water cqurfes, leading all the way to the Savannah River, ajSorded them, in coniequence of their diipping, not only the eafied, but the fafcd means of effeding their retreat to Georgia, Gfnefal Prtvoft's, force .was. about 2400 men ; ihe garrifon 33J-0, ujcludtnj^ militia. and ^-P«^-^ AMERrlCAN WAR. «»7 •7?9. and tranfporting their baegage, unmolefled. From chap. the main land they paUe4 to Jamei Ifland, and ^^^'^ from thence to John's Ifland, where they took pofl until the arrival of a fupply of ammunition, which had for fome time been exoeded from New' York. In the mean time general Lincoln had proceed- led at far as AuguDa, notwithftsmding the intelli- gence he received of general PrevoU's irruptiftn mto South Carolina. JBut whilfl he remained at this place, the d^ily expreflfes which arrived from Charleftown, with information of the rapid pro- grefs of the Britifli troops, foon convinced him toat Ibmethtng more was now intended by this irruption, than a mere feint : And after eftabliOi- ing- a poft at Augufto» and marching, for three days down the fouth fide of the river S>avannah, a route which was preferred, as the diilance was nearly the fame, for the purpofe of difpla^ing his -force, and reanimating the almofl: defponding hopes of fuch of the inhabitants of Georgia as were ftill attached to the American caufe, he re- croiTed the Savannah, and returned with hafly marches towards Charlcftown, until he reached Dorchefler, at the entrance of what is called Charleftown Neck} ana here he edabliflied his head-quarters, until the BritiOi troops retired from Afliley Ferry towards the fea-coad. ^1 •• ' ■ V. . /*"».< ^•-»^mr-ie%mm)t^' m 'h!^ H tST O A V ^Or TH E »779- ' C H A P. ' XXIX. . Genera f Prfi/dji' depitrU fioa Jdbn*s l/ldiii4 td Sa^ 'Vannah'^Succeieded in; the CoHimdnd at Jobn*} If. land bjr Lieutenant Cdlgnel MaUldnd'^att^cl^by General Lincoln -^hi Americans repidJidr-Giene- -rdlPrevoJi hai)iHgeJldb'tiJbedd Paft iiiJbe^dnd •\6f?m B'Oyaiti-itires'vbitb thet^tftbijdfmjir "■Georgia* CH A p; TOHN'i' Ifland, of which .general ftevoft had J^2^ J takeckpoflfelTion, isteoafated from the lAain ' land- by 91L inlet to which Kks been given the name of Stonb River 4 and the communication Jbetween the one and the pther is fireferVed by a ferry. Dpoh the main land^ atthisierry^ a poft was ef- tabU0ied, as well for the fecurity af thejflgnd as for the pr6te£^ion of the Bi'i,tilh foragingpartids; which was thought ti (o much conreq^uencei that for fome time the g^iibn confided' p£ nfteen hundred men Under the command of lieutenant- colonel Prevoft. For the defence of this poft in front, three redoubts were thrown up,^ which were joined by lines of communication ; and its rear was covered by Stono Inlet, acrofs which, to John's Ifland, a kind of bridge was formed by the numerous floops, fchooners, and other fmaller veflfels that attended the army. Although it was neither the intereft nor inclina* tioa of Lincoln to rifque a general engagement with the Britiih troops, it was obvioufly his wiih to attack their out>polls, and cut them off in de. tail. With this view, on the fourth of June, he appeared ?>«- mcmb ihe^dnd i Jrmjta tevoft bad the *«n ti the taa^t m between ly a ferry. oft Was ef- [n^partks; jnceL thai . ^fifteen Ueutenant- Ithispoft in |up,- whkh m ; and its [fs which, to rmed by the her fmallcr Inor incUna* lengagcinetit lifly his wilh [n off in dc« [of June, he appeared A ^tE R I C A N W A R. appeared with his army in front of the pod at Stono Ferry , but, after viewing the lines, thought proper to retire. Not long afterwards, on the fixteenth of June, lieutenant-colonel Prevoft de- parted for Savannah, carrying with him the gre- nadiers of the fixtieth regiment, and all the vef- feis which had formed the bridge of communica- tion except an armed flat, capable of containing twenty men. About this time it feems to have been determined to evacuate the poft; ^"^ upon lieutenant colonel Maitland, who at Prevofii's de- parture was appointed to fucceed him in the com- mand, devolved th^ care of conduding that fer- vice which the injudicious condud of his prede- ceffor, in carrying away the veffels that preferved the communication with John's Ifland, had t;en in a particular manner diftinguithed them- felves. The artillery was moft excfcllently ferved) and did great execut m under the diredion of captain Fairlamb, and lieutenants Wilfon and Wallace, all of whom were wounded,' and the latter fo feverely, thai: he died a few davs after. It would be endlefs to point out the merits of all ' who were eiltitled to praife; but th^ fmgular gaU liintry of an a£lion ' performed by captain • Mon- criefF of the engineers, in the fight of both v«iies, cannot be 'mitted. That officer was on John's Ifland with ihe troops under general Prevofl at the commencement of the a£tion ; but as foon as the firing was h^ard, he rode \h all hafle to Stono Fcry, and croffing over, con^tributed by his dif. tinguifhed fervices, during the remaiudpf of the adion, to the fuccefs of the day. With twenty men only he faliied out in the face of the whole provincial army, took an ammunition , waggon, and brought it fafe within the lines. This was a moil feafonable fupply of what was greatly want* ed ;' for fuch was the fcarcity of ammunition in the Britifh garrifon, that the lafl charges were in the guns when the provincials gave way. The troops on John's Ifland were put in motion by general Prevoft as foon as he received intelligence of the attack, but they did not arrive at Stono Ferry in time to takf; any part in the adion. The app«:arance of a reinforcement coming to the af- fiftancc of the garrifon, might, neverthclefs, have contributed to damp the ardour of the Americans and haften their repulfe. \ The militia under general Lincoln were dif- hearrened by this )wifuccefsful attack ; and the greateft part of thdm foon afterwards quitted the army and returned home. The Britifh troops were AMERICAN WAR. '33 were no farther molefled : The port at Stono Ferry CHAP. AVas evacuated ; and the army retiring along the ^Jl^^]^ feacoafl* pafTed from ifland to ifland until it ^y^^,_ reached Beaufort in the ifland of Port Royal. At oeqerai Beaufort general Prevoft eftabliflied a pod, the Jf«roft, garrifon of wh/qh he left under the command ofta*bii(^cd» lieutenant>colonel Maitland, and returned with yo^ «» the the reft of the army to Georgia ; that the troops PortRty*!, might reft during the hot and fickly feafon, lyhich retire* with in this fouthern province prevents the operations f^l i^y u of an army as efFedualiy, as the rigour of winter oeorgi*, does in a more northerly climate. For the fame reafon the American army retired to Sheldon ; and nothing of any confequepce was attempted by either during the months of July and Au- guft. , The only real advantage gained by this irrup- tion into South Carolina, was a fupply of provifi- ons for the troops, the want of which had begun to be felt in Georgia, and the eftablifliing a poft at. Beaufort. But the American accounts have charged the army under general Prevoft >vith gaining other, advantages not of fo honourable a,. > kind, and with fuch an appearance of truth, that a regard to impartiality obliges us not to pafs them over unnoticed. By thefe accounts they have been charged* with plundering the i^habij. tants indir(;ciminately, and enriching themJ'elves at their expence ; an imputation, if true, of a moft difgraceful nature and ruinous tendency, not only to the army, but to the interelt of the Britifli nation ; as fuch a rapacious condudl mull have irritated the inhabitants in general againft the Britifli array, and alienated the attachment even of thofe who were the beft a,tFeftcd tc gon vernment. "1 i 1 - «*.4i>t1 ^if »34 HISTORY OF THE 'i- CHAP. XXX. ^ .{■■•' )■, M' ^e Count dEJiaing fets fail fov the American Cafi" tinent—and arrives on the Coajl of Georgia —^Ef' forts Military and Naval for the Prefervatio' of Savannah — Count d^Efiaing fummons Savannah to furrender t$ the Arms of his Moft Cbriftian Majejly — General Vrevofl fuccoured by Colonel Maitland — The combined Armies of France and America befiege Savannah — attack the Britifk i.ines'—repulfed viith confiderable Lofs—raife the Siege — The Campaign to the fouthward of Norttj America concluded'— Campaign in other Pans of the American Continent fpent in defultory Opera- tions — Naval Operations of Sir George Collier. CHAP. A LTHOUGH general Prevoft had been ob. XXX. £^^ Hged to retire from Gharleftown without reducing it, and although all the upper country of Georgia was now in the poflelTion of the Aine> ricans ; yet fo long as the Britiih troops main- tained a rooting in the lower parts of that pro- vince, with a poft at Beaufort, the inhabitants of South Carolina were expofed to incurHons fimilar to that which we have already related, and could not be free from the moft uneafy apprehenfions. The poft at Beaufort in the ifland of Port Royal was fecure againil an attack fo long as the Britifli maintained their fuperiority by fea ; and fo long as that poft was maintained, general Lincoln pould not even occupy his former quarters at Pu* ryft)urg, without the danger of being inclofed be- tween 1779' A ^l E R 1 C A N WAR. «3$ 1779. tween the Bripfli tfoops at. Savannah and thofe at C H A P, Beaufort. On the other hand, if khe Biiiifli loft ^''^• their fuperiority by fea, the feparation of their force into two divifions would render each of them an eafief conqueft. Moved by fuch <;onii- derations, Rutledge, the governor of South Ca- rolina, Lincoln, the commander of the fouthern army, and monfteur Plombard, the French con- ful at Gharleftown, feverally wrote letters to the count d'Edaing, who by this time had arrived at Cape Fran9ois, after the conqueft of Grenada. In thefe they reprefented to him the (late of affairs in the fouthern provinces, and pointed out the advantages which might be expedted, (hould he, during the hurricane months in the Weft Indies, vifit the American coaft with his fleet, and co- operate with general Lincoln in the recovery of Georgia. The coi^nt d'Jiftaing, who had difqre- tionary orders from his court for fuch a co-opera- tion, flufhed with his fuccefs at Grenada, indulg- ed the ambitious but vain hope of being abk, not only to fweep the Ame*' an con i: with his fuperior fleet, but by afting ir ^onjunftion with the pro- vincials to reduce the different pofts occupied by the BritiOi troops within the limits of the revolted provinces, and thereby put an end to the war ' even during the prefent campaign. To a man who entertained fuch vifionary projefts, the applicati- ons from South Carolina, with their propolals for co-operation, could not fail to be highly accepta- ble ', and they met with his immediate concur- rence. Georgia, it was fuppofed, would be an eafy conqueft, and wasr, therefore, the fitteft for the commencement of his victorious career. In compliance .with the requifition which had been made to him, the count d'Eftaing failed forthwith The cnunt for the American continent, proceeding by the fe^^alilf windward paffage. Two fliips of the line, vi'ith for the three ^ '""»"" continent. :P 136 HISTORY OF THE ^J? A P. three frigates, were difpatched as foon as he had ^ y w 8°' through the windward paflage, to announce ,^,j^ his approach to the inhabitants otCharleftown ; and anWet and With the rcfl of his fleet, confiding of twenty ofolofjhl! ^'Ps ?f the line, two (hips of fifty guns, andele- Reptembef. ven frigates, having on board a confiderable land force, he arrived on the coafl of Georgia about the beginning of September. So fudden and un- expected was the court d'Eflaing's appearance on this part of the i\tnerican coaQ, that the Experi- ment of fifty guns, comuiaqded by fir James Wallace, and two flore-fliips under his convoy, unapprehenfive of danger, had the misfortune to fall in with the Fr* nch fleet ofl^ the bar of Savan- nah river, and were of courfe taken, but not till after a defperate refiflance made by the Experi- ment, although flie had, been previoufly difmaded in a ilorm. The Ariel of twenty-four guns, which had been on a cruif^ o^CharleftowQ bar, ihared the fame fate. As foon as intelligence of the arrival of count d'EHaing reached South Carolina, general Lin- coln, with the force which he had then with him, inftantly marched towards Georgia : Orders were alfo iflued for alfembiing the militia, who were, with all expedition, to follow general Lincoln j and vefl*el8 of a proper draught of water were dif- patched from Charleflown to aflift in landing the French troops. It does not appear that the Britifh commanders in Georgia were apprifed of the arrival of count d'Eitaing until the fourth of September, when his whole force, confiding of forty-one fail, was feen to the fouthward of Tybee plying to windwai^d. information was immediately fent to general Pre- voft ; in confequence of which, meafures were theprcfcr- taken for increafing the fortifications at Savan- SjiTnni. ^''^^f ^"^ putting the town in a proper pofture of defence. T.fTorts mi' litary and r»val for -*?, I he had anounce eftown *, Fiwchty and ele- ible land ria abuut and un- ranee on 8 Experi- \t {ames convoy, jrtunc to of Savan- at not till p Experi- difmaftcd )ur guns, town bar, AMERICAN WAR. defence. The garrifon at Sunbury, under lieu- tenant-colonel Cruger, was withdrawn; and or- ders were difpatched to Beaufort for lieutenant- colonel Maitland with the troops, and captain Chriftian of the navy, with the (hips and gallies under his command, to repair in all halle to Sa- vannah. In the mean time, captain Henry, who com- manded the Britifli naval force in the river Savani> nah, was taking precautions as well for its fafety as for rendering it ferviceable in the defence of the town. .The leading marks upon the (hore, which point out the channel to ihips pafling the bar, were cut down } and the fquadron under captain Hen- ry, which confifted only of the Eowey, Rofe, Kepr pel armed brig, and Germaine provincial armed ihipt^-with fome gallies, was fo Rationed that ic might retire with i'afety towards the town of Sa- vannah whenever future circumflances ^ould ren;- der it expedient. The recreat of this fmall fquadron foon be- came a meafuVe of abfolute neceflity. On the ninth of October the French fleet came to an an- chor off the bar; and as the line-of-battle ihips, from their great draught of water, could not pal's it, nor come near the fliore, the fmall coafting veflels fent from Charledowii were employed in receiving the troops from the French Ihips, and landing them at Beaulieu in OfTabaw Sound, an inlet of the fea fome miles fouth of the mouth of the river Savannah. On the following day four French frigates entered the anchorage ground at Tybee, and lendered it nec^iTary for the Britifh naval force to move up the river to Savannah. Upon its arrival the guns were landed from the ihips, and mounted on the batteries. The ma- rines were incorporated with the grenadiers of the «S7 C H A P. XXX. ^779- r i! ' ! i i / »J« HISTORY OF THE >779- CHAP, the fixtieth reciment ; and the feamen were pur on ^^^- fhore to aflift in working the artillery. The Rofe, and Savannah armed (hip, with four tranf* ports, were funk acrofs the channel below the town, to prevent the French frigates from coming higher ; and above it fome fmaller veflels were funk, and a boom was laid acrofs to prevent fire- rafts from being fent down. The Germaine armed brig alone retained her guns ; and (he was (Rationed off Tamirawy above the town, to flank the right of the Briti(h lines. Thefe difpofitiont were made on the river, whilft on (hore the troops, a(rifted by fome hundreds of negioesj were employed in (Irengthening the old, and ereding new works for the defence of the town. As foon as the debarkation of the French troopi was completed, the count d'Mairig marched againft Savannah, and without waiting for a juhc* tion with the American army, which was every indant expected to come up, fummoned gehersd Prevoft to furrender the town to the arms of his mofl: chridian majefty, difplaying in his fummons, in terms bordering on extravagance, the magni' rude of his force, and the valour of his troops, who had fo lately (lormed the fortifications at Grenada, and in fo (hort a time atchieved the conqueil of that ifland, and threatening to make general Prevoft anfwerable in his own perfon, (hould he, after this premonition, wilfully perfift in making a fruitlefs defence. This bafty pro- ceeding of the count d'Edaing, without waiting for general Lincoln, or joining the American dates in the fummons for a furrender, had nearly created a difference between him and his allies. By fome it was thought to be a plain indication that tlie French meant to conquer for theinfelves; but upon a remondran^ile being afterwards made by general Lincoln, the count d'^Edaing gave AMERICAN WAR. »39 luton The tranf- w the oming } yrer« nt fire- imune [he wM to flanH »ofitiom ore the negioes^ Id, and town. :h tTodpi marched jr a June* was every ;d general ms of his fummons, ic magni' .lis troops, [cations at Sieved the ig to make m perfon, ;uUy perfift hafty PTO- ,ut waiting American had nearly his aiUes. ^ indication tbemfelves; wards made tftaing ga\«l »779' fuch an explanation of his motives and intentions CHAP. as was deemed fatisfaftory. General Prevdft, to ^^^' vrhom it was of the utmod importance to gain time, returned a civil meflage to the count d'Eflaing, acknowledging the receipt of tht fum- mons, and defiring twenty-four h^urs to consider of an anfwer, and to prepare the terms on which a furrender might be made, Ihould that be his ul- timate determination. The requefl was granted without any difficulty ; the count d'Eftaing ex- pe&ing nothing lefs than a furrender of the town at the expiration of the time^fixed for an anfwer : But it was made with a very different view by ge- neral Prevoft. He hoped that the troops under lieutenant-colonel Maitland might arrive during the interv&l j and in this hope he was not difap- pointed. That officer, after ftrugglin^ with diffi- culties during fome part of hh route, which, to a mind lefs determined, would have appeared in- furmountable, arrived at Savannah before the ex- piration of the truce, with the beft part of his de- tachment, amounting to about eight hundred iiy colonel men. As the French were in pofleflion of all the MaitUnd. lower part of the river, he had no other way left of effefting a junftion with general Prevoft but by tranfporting his troops in boais through the niarfh- es by an inland water courfe called Wall's Cut, which for two miles was fo (hoal, that the men, wading up to their middle, were obliged to drag the boats by main force .through the mud. The refidue of the garrifon at Beaufort, which for want of a fufficient number of boats could not be tranf- ported, remained with the (hips and gallies under the command of captain Chriftian; and their re- treat being now cut off, they took a new pofition in Callibogie Sound, where, by ereding batteries on the fliore, they made fuch a llrong difpofition for defence, that neither the French nor Ameri- cans General Prevoft fuccoured I 4 140 HISTORY OF THE ^'^ A P. cans attempted to moled them during the fubfe- ij^^lj^ quent fiegc of Savannah. ^J.f^^ The fafe arrival of fo conflderable a reinforce- ment, ^d that too of chofen troops, but above all, the prefence of the officer who commanded them, in whofe zeal, ability, and military expe- rience fo much confidence was defervedly placed by the army, infpired the garrifon of Savannah with new animation : An anfwer was returned to the count d'i'.(laing, that the town would be de- fended to the lall extremity : The zeal and ardour of both the officers and men were, if poffible, in- creafed ', and new defences were daily cpnftrudt- ed under the judicious eye and malierly diredion of that able engineer, captain Moncrieff. After the arrival of general Lincoln with the American army, fome time was required for land- ing and bringing up the heavy artillery from the (hips, which, on account of their diflance from the (hore, and a fcarcity of horfes and carriages, was a work of conflderable labour and difficulty. i. Itctarded by fuch impediments, the combined ai- mies of French ap4 Americans did not begin to break ground for the purpofe of carrying on their approaches until the twenty-third of September, ngr were their batteries ready to open until the oAober. fourth of the following month. During this in- bineda"- tcrval, attempts were made 10 interrupt their inittoi operations by two different forties ; the firft of AnfeWc'"'* which, uudcr major Graham of the fixteenth re- i)frie;:o tw- giment, reached the lines of the enemy, and threw them into confufion; and when this detachmem retired, it was incauiioufly purfued fo clofe to the Britifli lines, that the confederates in their retreat loll a great number of men, by a well-dire*cted fire from the works. The other fortie under ma- jor M* Arthur, W4S fo artfully conduced, that it produced vunn;ili. AMERICAN WAR. '4« XXX. »779. producfd a firing between the French and Ame-C H A p. rican camps. On the morning of the fourth of 0£lober the batteries of the beliegers having opened with a difcharge from fifty-three pieces of heavy cannon and fourteen mortars, a reqneft was made by ge- neral Prevofl that the women and children might be permitted to leave the town and. einbark on board veflels in the river, which fhould be placed under the prote£lion of the count d'Efliaing, and wait the iiuie of the fiege : But this propofal, dic- tated by humanity, was reje^ed with infult. Fortunately, however, for the inhabitants as well as the garrifon, although an inceflant cannonade from fo many pieces of artillery, was continued from the fourth to the ninth of Odlober, lefs in- jury wis done to the houfes in the town than might have been cxpeded ; few lives were loft, and the defences were in no refpedt materially damaged. The fren.ch troops landed from the (hips amounted to about five thoufand .men, and no doubt being entertained amongft the Americans of the fall of Savannah, the militia poured in as to a certain triumph, and joined general Lincoln in fuch numbers, that the combined armies, it is faid, amounted to more than ten thoufand men. The force in Savannah, under general Prevoft, did not exceed two thoufand five hundred of all forts, regulars, provincial corps, feamen, militia, and volunteers. But the difparity in num*^ :?•• was in fome degree conipenfated by the extraoi- dlnary zeal and ardour which animated the be. lleged, from the commander in chief dowr lo the humble African, whofe inceflant and cheerful la- bours, in rearing thofe numerous defences which were completed with fo much expetiition as to adonilh the befiegcrs, ought not to be forgotten in M\ >4« HISTORY OF THE I'- '•'■■: C H A P. in a hiftory of this memorable fiege. When the XXX. French were firfl: landed, not more than ten or «779- Hr twelve pieces of artillery appeared upon the forti- fications at Savannah: But fo inceltantly did the garrifon labour in flrengthening and enlarging the old works, and iii er^^ng new redoubts and bat- teries, that before the concluiion of thefiege near one hundl^ pieces of cannon were mounted. The town of Savannah being fituated upon the fouthern bank of the river of that name, had two of its (Ides fecured by natural boundaries, one by the river behind it, and the other by a thick fwanip and woody morafs communicating with the river above the town. The other two fides were originally open towards the country, which in front of them for feveral miles wa« level and en- tirely cleared of wood : But they were by this 'time covered with artificial works, the right and left being defended by redoubts, and the centre by feamen's batteries in front, with impalements and traverfes thrown up behind to protect the troops from the fire of the befiegers ; and the whole extent of the works was furrounded with an abbatls. The redoubts on the right towards the fwamp were three in number : That in the centre was garrifoned by two companies of militia, with the North Carolina regiment to fupport them, under the command of lieutenant colonel Hamilton. Captains Roworth and Wylie, with the provincial corps of king's rangers, were ported in the redoubt on the right ; and captain Tawfe, with his corps of provincial dragoons dif- mounted, in that on the left, called the Springhill Redoubt, fuppotted by the South Carolina ^re- giment. To fhe right of the whole was a failors battery of nihe-pounders, covered by a company of the Britifh legion, under the command of captain .'»< AMERICAN WAR. «43 icri the ten OT e foTti- did the ing the md bat- ge near :ed. pon the iad two one by a thick with the jes were which hi I and en- i by this right and tie centre >alements 3tea the and the ided with towards lat in the )f militia, , fupport It colonel ^lie, with rs, were d captain roons dlf- Springhill rolina ^e- a failois company imand of captain »779- captain Stewart ; and between the centre and CHAP. Springhill redoubt, was another of thefe batteries, ^^^' under the direction of captain Manby, behind which were poded the grenadiers of the fixtieth regiment, under the command of lieutenar*->colo- nel Glazier with the marines which had been landed from the (hips of war. And the whole of thi$ force on the right of the lines was under the command of lieutenant-colonel Maitland. On the left of thelines were two redoubts firongly condrufl:- ed with a maffy frame-work of green fpongy wood filled upwithfand and mounted with heavy canuon, one of them commanded by lieutenant-colonel Cruger, and the other by ihajor Wright, having under him the Georgia loyaliits. Behind the im- palements and traverfes in the centre of the works were polled the two battalions of the feventy-firft regiment, two regiments of Hellians, the New York volunteers, a battalion of Skinner's brigade, one of Delancey's, and the light infantry of the army under the command of major Gra- ham ; all which corps were ready to ad as cir- cumftances fhould require, and to fupport any part of the lines that might be attacked. Such was the (late of the works at Savannah, and fuch the pofition of the troops for its defence, at the time when the count d*£(laing, grown im- patient under the uhexpedled refidance which he had met with, refolved to difcontinue his regular approaches, and (lorm the Britiih entrenchments. He had already fpent more time before Savannah, without having made any fenfible impreflion upon the garrifon, than he had afligned for the comple- tion of the whole enterprife. His fleet, lying at anchor in the open Tea, was expofed to the dan- ger of being driven off the coaft, at this late feafon of the year, by tempeftuous weather, and leaving him and his troops behind : But this danger ■44 HISTORY OF T II E i CHAP, danger was nothing, compared to what might ^J™^ have been apprehended had the Britifh fleet fol- ,y- lowed him from the Wed Indies, and made an artack upon his (hips whilft they were weakened by the number of men and guns that had been landed for. carrying on the fiege sf Savannah. Thefe confiderations, the force of which was heightened by a joint reprefentation from his naval officers, added to the natural impatience of temper which cbaradlerifed the count d'Edaing, deter- mined him to rifque an alTault under all its prefent difadvantages, rather than wade longer time in carrying on the fiege by regular approaches. To facilitate the fuccefs of the enterprife, an officer with five men, on the eighth of Odober, advanced under, a heavy fire from the garrifon, and kindled the abbatis ; but the dampneis of the air, and the moiflure of the green wood of which the abbatis wascompofed, foon exdnguifhed the flames. The morning of the ninth of Odober was fixed upon for making the. affault ; and two feign- ed attacks by the militia were to draw the atten- tion of the befieged to their centre and left, whilft a ftrong body of chofen troops from the combined armies fhould advance on the ■ i'j.ht of the Britifh lines, and in two columns m.;k- the real attack. The principal of thefe columns was commanded by the count d'Eftaing in perfon, afllfled by gene- rat Lincoln, and was defined to .attack the Springhill redoubt in front, whilfl the other column, commanded by count Dillon, fliould filently move along the edge of the fwamp, pals the redoubts and batteries, and get into the rear r> the Britifh lines. The troops which comprf^il ihefe two columns confifted of three thoufand five hundred French, fix hundred proviricial regulars, and three hundred and fifty of the Charleftown militia, a number more than double that of the vhole Attack the Britifh Une*. :-**vv** ^f-^^inHnkJkt AMERICAN WAR. »4S whole Bririfli garrifon, and were in motion long ^j^^* before day-light. Fortunately the column com- J!ijz. manded by count Dillon miftook its way, from the ,.79. darknefs of the morning, and was entangled in the fwamp, from which it was unable to extricate itfelf until broad day-light appeared, and expofed it to the view of the garrifon and the fire from the Britiih batteries. This was fo hot, and fo well directed, that.it was never able even to form, and far lefs« by penetrating into the rear of the Britifh lines, to accomplifh its original objeA. In the mean time the column led by the count d'Eftaing advanced againft the Springhill redoubt, juft as daylight appeared : And fuch was the darknefs of the morning, that it had approached very near before it was difcemible. But, as foon as it was difcovered, it became expofed to a continual blaze of mufquetry £rom the redoubt, and to a deftruc- tive crofs fire from ^-he adjoining batteries, which mowed down whole ranks of the allies as they ' advanced. From the numbers which fell, the head of the column was feveral times thrown into confufion; but their places being indantly fup- plied by others, it ftiil moved on until it reached the redoubt, where the conteil became more fierce and defperate. The. brave captain Tawfe fell in defending the gate of his redoubt with his fword plunged m the body of the third enemy he had flain with his own hand, and a French and Ame- rican ftaadard were for an inftant planted upon the parapet. The confll£t for the polTeflion of the redoubt neverthelefs continued to be obftinately maintained on both fides, and the event remained in fufpenfe; when lieutenant-colonel Maitland, feizing the critical moment, ordered the grena^ diers of the Tixtieth regiment, with the marine»„ to move forward and. charge the enemy's column, already ftaggering under the obflinate refinance Vol. 11. L it 146 HISTORY OF THE CfHAP, XXX. 1779. Repulfed wiu confi' it had mtet with at the redoubt, the ihugbttr which had been made by the artillery from the different batteries, and now aifo from the Ger- maine armed brig. This welUtinied moyeroent decided the fate of the attack. The a^ailanti were renulfed, driven out of the ditch of the re- deribieiofi. jou5(^ ;.iid routed with redoubled flaughter, leav- ing behirvi them, in killed and wounded fix hun. dred ^nd rhirty>feven of the French truo|:;8, and two hundred and fixty-four of the Americans. No purfuit was ordered, becaufe the befiegers, although they had fuffered greatly in the aflault, were ftiil three times more numerous than the garrifon ; but in their flight, as in advancing, they ^ere expofed to a heavy fire from the Britidi artil- lery, which was well ferved under the diredion of captain Charlton. In this af&ult count Fulaiki, who commanded an American corps, received a mortal wound ; and the count d'Eftaing, who was feen by the garrifon to behave with great gallantry, was wounded in two places, but in neither of them dangerouHy. No , unftuned talents, are ' The campaign in the other part* of America CHAP, was fpent in defultory operatioiis and partial expe- . ^^^' ditions, the objeft of which feems to have been to ,-_„ diftraft the attention of the Americans by their campaign muitipticity, and to weaken them by cutting off'"'*"'*?!'" their relources, and deitroymg their magazines of NorthAme- naval and military ftores, 'e'^rTt' Admiral Gambier, who fucceeded lord Howe in deiuitory in the command of the Britifli fleet on the A me- ope"j>«>ni. rican coaft, was recalled in the fpring of thentimuaf prefeut year, and in the month of April refigned ^ «• coi- thc command to fir George Collier. This brave "* and zealous officer, who now fucceeded to the >v command of the Britiih navy in North America, had been employed on the Halifax ilation from the commencement of the war. In :he Rainbow of forty-four guns he made one of a convoy which efcorted a fleet of tranfports with the firft divifion of the HeflTian troops, and a detachment of the guards, to America, in the year 1776. This fleet arrived at Sandy Hook in Auguft of that year, a little before general Howe began his operations againft the provincials ; and foon after thciir defeat on Long Ifland fir George Collier received orders to repair to Halifax and take the command of his majefty's (hips upon that important Ilation, in the room of commodore Arbuthnot, who was recalled*. On this fiation he continued until the fpring of the prefent year, and during the whole time of his command diflihguifhed himfelf as a brave, zealous, adiv^, enterprifing, and vigilant offices. The timely relief of Fort Cumberland, at the head of the bay of Fundy, which was invefted by the provincials from the eaflern parts of Maflfachufets Bay, foon after his arrival at Hallifax : The captur'^ of the Hancock of thirty-four guns and vwo hundred and ninety men, command- ed by commodore Manlcy, the lajgejit of a ' fleet f' IJ* HISTORY OF T HE •779. ^^^ **• fl«et of (hips of war which were fitted out at *^^* Boflon to annoy the trade on the coaft of No»t Scoria, and the Britifh fiOiery on the Banks of Newfoundland : 1 he driving off and difperfing the provincials, who in fmall veflels had a fecond time made a defcent near bt. John's River in Nova Scotia ; and, at a fubfeqnent period, the dettru^ti. on of the provifions, clothing, and military (lores, which with great pains they had colleded at iVia> chias, in the eaftern parrs nf Maflachufets Bay, for accompHfhing their favourite objed. the invaiioQ of Nova Scotia ; and in the deitrudioii of th«fi| ftores, the defeating the defigns of the American! againll that province ; The fcouring of the eaiterii coafts of New England with his cruifers, keeping them in a constant ftate of alarm, and taking theif privateers, -< '>?i :**<^ up their rivers with his flitps^ appearing .'cfore trHr towns and (hewing tht Eradicabiltty of a bombardment in cafe their oftile conduci ^h^iili demand fuch a puni(hment» and thereby convincing them that it was their iuf terslt to be quiet, and not farther moleft the peaceable inhabitants of Nova Scotia : The num- ber of priaies carried into Hallifax, and of Britifli veifels retaken from the enemy when they were upon the point of carrying them into their own ports : 1 he trade of Nova Scotia proteded, and the fifhery in the gut of Canfo fecured againft moledation : Thefe are but a few of the many meritorious fervices performed by this officer during his command at Halifax, for which, on more than one occafion, he received the thanks of the colony conveyed to him through the governor^ counfel, and aflembly. From fuch a line of ufeful and aAive fervice fir George was cdlled to New York to take the com- mand of the Britiih fleet on the North American ftation $ and not long after his arrival an expedi- tion '♦ . f ''*?^ .:ST^; >■->■ AMERICAN WAR. 15 1 «779- flon to the Chefapeak in Virginia, was concerted G H A P. between him and fir Henry Clinton, the comman- ^"^^* der in chief of the army. By the exports of tobacco from thj Chefapeak, the credit of congrefs with foreign nations was principally, if not wholly, fupported } and by the inland navigation of that bay Iftrge quantities of falted provifions, the pro- duce both of Virginia and North Carolina, were conveyed to the middle colonies for the fubfiftence of the American army. The ellabliOiment of a permanent pod in Virginia, in fuch a fituation as to obftru^ the commerce of the Chefapeak, both foreign and domeftic, was an object of the utmoft importance. But the feeble ftate of the army would not admit of a fuificient force to be detach* ed for that purpofe. A defultory expedition to interrupt the commerce of the bay for a few weeks, and to deftroy fuch magazines^ whether of provi- fions, merchandife, or naval and military Itores, as were acceflible, was all the commander in chief, under the prefent fituation of aflfaiirs, could con- fent to. A detaphment from the army, confiding of the grenadiers and light infantry of t*ie guards, the fbrry.fecond regiment, a regiment c Heilians, and the royal volunteers of Ireland, with a detach- ment of artillery, amounting in the whole to one thoufand eight hundred men, under the command of brigadier rammeu earth, being fourteen feet in height, and fifteen feet thick. Portfmouth was the place which the comman* ders on this expedition propofed to occupy } and the reduction of the fort was of courfe the firft thing to be attrmpted. As the Raifonable, from her gr.€at draught of water, could proceed no higher than Hampton Road, the commodore fhift- ed his bro? 1 pennant on board the Renown } and iOn the moi "ng oi the thirteei]ith of Odober the whole AMERICAN V \R. <» ththe dedto nedby I, and Eliza- >s, one wefteT9 anchct* lie prln- oppofite place of Norfolk* leatened k point pf anches cf nment Qf J war, had ed an in^ ding. At lOg docks, conftruA- out half a the <.vater ^ cannon } [tward cafe together, fiih hard. itiight, and 1779. whole fleet, except the Raifonable, got under way, C H AP. and entered the mouth of Elizabeth River. The ^^^• ebbing of the tide foon obliged the Oiipt to come to an anchor, but the troops being embarked on board the boats, proceeded, and eflfeded a landing under cover of the Cornwallis galley, and fome gun-boats, about three miles below the fort, at a place called the Glebe, the firft divifion at two in the afternoon and the fecond before fun-fet. No oppoiition was made to their landing, except an ineffe^ual cannonade from the fort, which was too diftar.t to do any mifchief. It was propofed that the troops (hpuld, on the following mornine, ftorm the fort on the land fide, where the fortin- cations were yet uniiniflied, whilft the Kainbow fliould move up and batter it from the water ; Bat a forward movement of the troops having beeB made that fame evening a^ foon as the fecond di- vifion had landed, the provincial garrifon, fearful of being furrounded, and having their retreat cut off, haitily evacuated the fort, leaving behind all the artillery,ammunition. baggage and (lores. Such was their trepidation, that they did not even wait to ftrike the American flag, but left it flying. General Matthew having thus eafily pofleflfed him« felf of the fort, took a (Irong pofition with the army between Portfmouth and the country, the right win;; reaching to the fort, the left to the fouih branch of Elizabeth River, and the centre covered in front by- an impenetrable 'fwamp. De- tachments were fent to Norfolk and Gofport ; and all the veflels in Elizabeth River, except fuch as were burnt by the provincials before their retreat, with an immenfe quantity of naval and military (lores, merchandife, and proviHons, were either taken or dedroyed by the Briti(h troops. Detach- ments were alfo fent to Kemp's Landing, in Princefs Ann country, and to the town of Suffolk in Nan- femond ■ ii ' m HISTORY OP TUT. CHAP, lemond county, and at each of thefe pUcet, parti- .^J^^' cularly the latter, an immenfe quantity of provi. 1779. ^^^* ^^^ ftores of ail forts, with fome vefleU rich- ly laden, were either taken or deflroyed. The Otter floop, and the privateers which went up the Chefapeak, were alfo fuccefsful, and took a number of prizes. In the mean time the fort was demoliflied, and the marine yard burnt, with all the timber it contained. Tnefe fervices being performed, the troops were re>embarked ; and the whole ieet, with t!ie prizes, having quitted Vir- ginia, arrived at New York before the end of the month, having been abfent only twenty-four days The damage done to the provincials was aftonifli* Ingly great, and has been eftimated at half a mil- lion fterling. The Americans tbeml'elves, before cheir flight from Portfmouth, fet fire to a fhip of war of twenty-eight guns belonging to congrefs, and ready for launching ; and alfo to two French merchantmen in the river, one loaded with bale goads, and the other with a thoufand hogfheads of tobacco. Befides thefe, eight other ibips of war, Sn different forwardnefs upon the. ftocks, and fe- veral merchantmen were burnt bv the BritiA troops ; and exclufively of all otner loffes, the number of veflels alone which were taken or de» Aroyed, during this fliort expedition, amotinted to one hondred and thiriy-feven. AMERICAN WAR. •55 I, pattt- pTOvU ill rich* ch went i took t fort was with all >s being ■ and the tied Vir- ndofthc Four davt «ftoni(K- ilf a mil- 58, before a (hip of congreft, ro French with bale gfheadt of ps of wai*, LS, and fe- jc Britifli lofTes, the Iken or de- lounted to iv II CHAP. XXXI. RtiMfhH tf tw$ Jironr fo/li on Hitdfoifs Rivti^^ Expiditiott Mgainft Conm^itut — Ravages- Mur>- murs in Ccn/ie/licui—Fort Stoney Fmt fiirpriftd by Gentrtl l^ayn^-^toney Point evacuated by the Americam — Again foffeffed by the Hritijh — Bri* HJb Selfiement in Penobfeot — Attacked in vain by lie Americans'— Riin/et cement brought to the Bri- tijb Army by Admiral Arbuthnot, who fitcceeds Sir George Co/lter in the Command of the Navy — African Imurjions into the Country tf the indb' an^'^incurjiont of the Indians into the Ameriean Settlements. PREVIOUSLY to the arrival of the fleet from c H A P. Virginia, (ir Henry Clinton had made pre- XXXI. parattons for attacking two (Irong pofis on Hud- ion*8 River, about fixty miles above New York, which the provinciaU were then fortifying Thefe were the important pofbs of Verplank's Neck and Stoney Pbint, on oppofite fides of the river, com- manding the paflfage at King's Ferry, which was the mod direa and convenient courfe of commu- nication between the northern and middle colo- nies. To gain thefe pods was an object of fome confequence, as, by the lofs of them, the provin- cials, in order to maintain an intercourfe between the provincials on the call and weft fides of Hud- fon's River, would be obliged to make a circuit of more than fixty miles through the mountains. A detachment from the army at New York was al- ready May. Ui r I^ HISTORY OF THE mwi i/'- '?: I ^JLyJ' ready embarked on board of tranfports, and thefe , y __, being joined by the tranfports with the troops ,^^p, from Virginia, the whole, on the thirtieth of May, proceeded up the North River, under the diredion of fir George Collier, who, as well as the commander in chief of the army, accompani- ed this expedition. The principal divifion of the a^my, under major-general Vaughan, was landed on the eaftern fide of the river, about feven miles below Fort Fayette, on Verplank's Neck, and the commander in .hief, with the other, proceeded onward within three miles of Stoney Point, where, on the weftern fide of the river, that< di- vifion was landed alfo. Stoney Point, by its high and commanding fituation, is a place of great natural flrength ; but, as the works were yet un- finifhed, the provincials were afraid to rifquean aflault, and quitted it as foon as the Britifh fleet appeared in view, having firft fet fire to a blockr houfe which they were conflruding upon the fummit of the eminence. It was taken pofTeffiopi of towards the evening, and fome heavy cannon and mortars were immediately landed from the fleet. Thefe were with much labour dragged up the hill during the night ; and fuch expedition was ufed under the direOion of major-general Pattifon, of the artillery, to whom this fervice was committed, that, by five the next morning, a battery of cannon and mortars from the fummit of Stoney Point opened upon Fort Fayette on the oppofite fide of the river. Fort Fayette was a fmall but complete work, inclofed with palli- fades, a double ditch, chevaux de frize, and ab- batis, and had a block-houfe in the centre, which was bomb-proof; but as it was commanded by the fuperior height of Stoney Point, the canno- nade from the latter, as well as from the gallies and armed veflfels upon the river, foon made a fenfible ^li. ■■iSjIsI .^'; ,v AMERICAN WAR. «S7 nd thefe t troops rtieth of ader the ; well as :otnpani- on of the 18 landed ven miles , and the )roc«e4ed ey Point, , that- di- )y its high J of great •re yet un- rifquean Jritifli fleet to a block-r upon the in poffeffiofi ivy cannon d from the dragged up expedition jjor-general this feryice It morning, the fummit Fayette on "ayette was with palli- Ize, and ab- intre, which imande^ by the canno- the galUes foon made a fenfible feniible impreflioi. During the cannonade it wa&in- CHAP, vefted by general 7aughan on the fide towards the ^ ^^ jj country, and the gallies being fo ftationed as to ^^^g, prevent an efcape by water, the garrifon, furroun- ded in every quarter, furrendered as prifoners of war, without ftipulating for any other condi* tion thafi a promife of good ufage. And thus thefe tv/o important pofts were gained with the trifling lofs of only one man wounded. Orders were given for completing the. fortifications at Stoney Point ; and garrifons having been appoint* ed for both the forts, the fleet, with the reft of the troops, fell down the river, and returned to New York. Soon afterwards an expedition was planned EzpeditioR againff the province of Connecticut, which, ^S^^^j_ abounding with men as well as provifions, w^s a cut. principal fupport to the American, army. One . purpofe of this expedition was to convmce the people of Connecticut that their province was not inacceflible, and that it was owing only to the forbearame of the Britifli government, which ra- ther wifhcd to reclaim than to punifh, that their country had not experienced the calamities and devaftations of war ; and another object was, to oblige general Wafliington to quit his flrong fitu- " atjoa upon the North River, and defcend into the low country for the defence of the fea-coafl;. On the fourth of July the tranfports, with the troops defliined for this expedition, which amounted to two thoufand fix hundred men, weighed anchor at the entrance into the found, and proceeded to- wards New Haven, the capital of Connecticut. The command of the land force was given to " major general Tryon; and the commodore, in the Camilla frigate, accompanied by the Scorpion . . floop, Halifax brig, and HuiT^r galley,, efcorted the tranfports, and took upon himfelf their direc- tion. li \ln V irx', '^i- r-p ^^^UQ <*.tt^-. "!'<>.■ I! I «779- 11 u I) I iu t^ H i*Toltlr O F 1- h E Cii AP.tion. At fome dtftanee below the town of New XXXI. Havtn, brigadier-general Garth, of the Guards, difembarked with the firit divifSon of troops, and notwithflanding a continued oppofition from the inhabitants during a march of feven miles, which he was obliged to make in order to pafs the head of a creek, he at laft forced his way and took pofleflion of the town* . Major>general Tryon, with the fecond divifion of the troops, landed on the oppofite Hde of the harbour, and took poflef- /ion of a fort upon the heights, by the guns of which the harbour was commanded. A comrauo nication was opened between the two diYifions of the army } and brigadier general Garth remained in pofleilion of the town during the night. All the artillery, ammunition, and public flores, and all the veflfels in the harbour, were either t^ called from tb^e ■S.pund, apd the army made a fo^. ■wtird m,o.veit\ent t^ -Ilobb's t;erry., on the Nlorth River. Brigadier-general Stirling, yith 2^ detac^ ment, was (ei^t up ^he ^iveif ^n tranfpprts, to the aiOEiflance of li,eutenJ^nt colonel Webi^ey : and the commander in ehief, v^'ith a greater force, fpoa afterwards folio wed, from ca expedaiioi^ th^t ge- neral Wafhington might be tetupted to qi^k bAS f^dneOG^s, andrifq^ue an engagement for thepoiTef- fion of Stoney Point. !$ut this wjs not general Wafliington's intention ; and ti; before, when, in- telltgence was, received of a Ii;rLtilh reinforcement adv^ncin^ up, the North River, ordCTs w*^?: J'VfiR f9r evacuating Stoney Point, whientm with a detachment of fix hundfed and fifty liien from the ffeVenty-fb&Y^h and eighty-fecorid regi- irifents, eiWbatrked in tranfports, and, efcorted by three flobpis of war, arrived in the bay 6( Pe- BcbfCoT, in order to form a fettlement, and efta- blifti a poft which might not only ferve tb cheek the JTicurfions of the provincials into Nova Scotia, but be the means of obtaining a conrtant fupply of (hip timber, with which the neighbouring country abounded, for the ufe of the king's yards at Halifajt a^d other places. The bay of Penob- fcot is about feven league? in breadth at tlia (}>QUth, and feventeen leagues iji length, term'i- M a nating 1\ :*=«- -ttfi:::^*: «a$ command of general Love). Agaiiifi" fo confide- CHAP, rable a force it was thought that general Maclean, ^^X'- with his handful of men, could nor long defend 1779. himfelf: And upon t^", departure of the fleet, his furrender, and tb'' ruin of the f^ttlement, were confidered by the people of Maffachufet's . Bay as events, of the completion of which no, doubt coulci be reafonably entertained. Intelligence of the failing of this armament was . brought to general Maclean on the twenty firfi of July, only four days before its arrival ?t Penob- fcot. All that time, two of the baftiou. of the intended fort were not begun, and the other two, with the curtains, were in no part 7hove five feet in height, and twelve in thicknefs. The ditch in. mod par: < was not more than three feei deep ; no platform vas laid, nor any artillery mounted. But upori the arrival of this alarming intelligence, all prefent thoughts of finifhingthe fort were laid afide, and the troops were employed day and, night onfuch work$ as were immediately necefla- ry to fecure them againft an aflault ; a mode of attack which they had the greateft icafon to ap- prehend wouW be purfued by the enemy., in con- fequence of their very fuperior force. Although the provincials arrived in the bay of Pcnobfcot on the twenty-fifth of July, they were unable to eflfeft a landing until tlie tvvenr- eighth. The three floops of war, under the direction of captain Mowat, being fo ftatioiieJ as to .ommand the mouth of the harbour, pjevented the provih-^ cial fleet from entering and effeding a lancing 011 that fide of the peninfula ; and oii the other fide the natural fteepnels and ruggednefs of ihe fhore rendered it an enterprife of difiicuUy and ''aogsr. At length, however they effeded their purpofe attacked in before day in the mornijig of the. twenty-eighth, vain by th« at a place which had. been thought inaccullible j/"'"'"^""- ,.. . ' arid • ifl '■W"*^ .-i4^**'*' - ' ii wmmmm^^mmm mm 1 65 HISTORY OF THE ; H A P. and on th^ thirtieth opened s^ battery ag^inft (he XXXI. ^ ^]^j^ at the drftance of fevcn hundred and fifty »779- PiV Auj(u;). m l! %H y IS. from the incelfant labour of the garrifon, during the interval between the ^i rtty.firft aird thirtieth of July, the gorge of on : oi the unfinilh- ed baiftions was (illed up whh Togs of timber ; and the other, containing the well which fupplied the garrifon with water, was fijrroupded with a, work QJT fj^fcines and earth, ten f^ct thick ; phrtforms were lajd, and artillery mounted } a ^rt of che- vaux de fri^e w,a» c.arried round the fort \ and the whole inclofe.d whh an abbati«} fo th^t by the time the enemy had opened their battery, geil^l' Maclean and hrs garriion thought themfelv^s tole- rably prepare() to refill ;^n alTaalt. The eiten;iy'8 fleet made frequent attemots to entjer the harbpur, but were conftantly repuued by the fife from tbp; fliips of war, ai\d a battery erected to ftipport them on, (hore. The provincial land force, nev«t- thelefsy continued to make approaches, and ereQ Dew batteries ; aQd a brifl^ cannonade was Itspt u>p between them and the garrifon fbr near a fort- night. Freqfuent (kirroifhes too happened withput the fort, the garri/bn being under tne necefl^ty ofi preferving a cofnmunici^tion with the fhippin^ and- battery- which, covered it. On the twelfth orAuj. guft. intelligence wa$. conveyed to general Mla(:lean by a defeitcr, that pn the following da^ an alTai^lt \yas to be made on the fort, and an atta<;k upon rile fliips of war at the feme time j and every ne- ceffary preparation wa^ made by the genera) for repelling them. But the approach of the. fquad- roii under fir George Coliier, as it after wards ap- peared, prevented the provincials from ej^ecujing. their intention j and, on the morning of^he fourteenth, tfte; garrifon, to their great furpril'e, dil'covered that Yhe work^ hac) been evapuated during the preceding night, and that the provin- cial i '..^- ■( A n4 E R r C A N WAR. 167 ft the d fifty rrifon, ft and ifinilh- r ; and ted the a. wor)i^ rtfoTms of che- and the by the VQ8 toje- enemy's tiarbpUT, Tom th?' ftoppoTt c, nevet- itiA cre^ ws^s kept t^ir a fort- i withput •ceffity oE jpiMand- ithotAur . M^^leair an affauli: aqk upon every nc- [enexal fo* he fquad- vvards ?ip- execujing. g of^hc it furprife* evaluated Ibe provin- cial to what iok ills plati ; 6Very bne indfeavoUring to pro oirii fafefty, and ndh^ dsiriilg to wait t he BHtlfh ftiUadt-bn. Two of the a 'til6d fhijji ferid^slvbuf ed to get to Tea i roufid Long lilahd, which lies in the nnUdle of the bay ; htit they Wei'e ^bon intercepted, the Cnii beihf; takdii, iHd the othei' riih a-(nbre and blown vp by hut CT&tf. the reft of their fleet, with the trsttlipbtts, f}^d iii the utthbfl confuHon to the head bf th6 bay, atid ehtei'edl the nioiith of Pe- nobfcdt fivet. They were purriied by the Britiflfi fquadron. By this difgracefui flight the pfbviii- cials bdtAnle £xpoTed to a danger alniofl: as great as that whieh th^y had efcaped. They were land- ed in ai vi^ild Uhcuitivatdd country, without prbyi- fionfi 6t any other neceffafies, and had to explore their way for tii()t€ than an hundred -miles through this pathlefs defert before they could reach a place from which fupplies might be obtained. In this forlorn and deftitute ficuation mutual reproaches palfdd bet\(reen the feani^n and tendfmen; and each accufed the other of being the caufe of their prefent misfortunes. A battle enfued, in which fifty or fixty \Vere flain j and ai much greater number, exhaufted with faifhine aiid fatigue!; be- fote they could reach the fettled parts of the pro- vince, periflied miferably in the Woods. Such was the iflue of the provincial expedition a^inlt the Britifli fettlement at Penobfcot ; for the fuc- cefsful »779- cial ti-objis, with the gr eateft part of the cannon, C ^ A i*. Wirt r6-embarked oti bo;ird thd fiiipS. The caufe X^'^^- of thii fudden retreat wad then unknown to the giltriroh ; but by ten in thd forenoon the appear- ance of the Britifh fquadron flahdihg up the bay quickly utiveited the myftcry. The provincial fleet appeared to be in difdrdef; and for Ibihe tmt the cbttithilild^ts feerhed uhdetermihed db. At leAgth slh ignominious f^ Ji ''■(A'^fi^' .imm-^ ■^> IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 1^128 12.5 itt Itt 12.2 lio 12.0 us lit u IL25 lU 1.4 I 1.6 /," o V I PhotDgra]iiic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STMET WnSTIR.N.Y. 14SM (7I«) •72-4503 •SJ \ V <^ ^. .A '^'°'«$^1^ ^ ^^.v^ ;\ ^:^^, ^ ^^<. /:A^^. Z \ c\ R: t6i jk-^ CHAP. 1^^ XXXI. 1^' «.-<-v->«J p. •779- i 1 Reinforce- mcnt i- brought to theBritifli fc* army by ■-'' B;/, . buthnot. who fuc- J'""' ceed* fir >§■■ G.CoUier *%-i' in the eotn- It, ' numdofthe Pi-'\ BOT/. i:j\ 5^'lV ' few' J P P\?i ft'" ■ tf 1 S T OR t F THE cefsfql defence of which, under, fo many dilad- , vantage^, general Maclean is entitled to the greated praife. And in the pf ogreils and iflue of this expedition, we fee how mu^ may t>e eif^Gtpi by a Tery incohfiderable force, when Britifli offi- cers ji£t with 2eal and unaniinity id the fervice of their king arid country*. The relief of the garrifon ^t t^enpbfcot, with the total deftrti^iori of the naval armament that had be^ fent a^imft it, was the laft of thofe merit^iQlis fervices performed by Jir George Cotlfef dluritig the fiiort but adlive period in which he had the commaind of the Brinfli fleet on the coaft of iSforth Anietica. On his return to New York he found himfelf fnperfeded by the arrival of admiral A^buthnpt from England with fome fhips of vrkr and a fi^ect of ttahfports, bringing a reinjPbrcem'ent of ttoo^ii, and a fupply of provili- oils and (jtores. To the admiral he refigned the cofrimand,, and fpoh afterwards' embarked for E^ngland. ;" '' ' The remfottJei^erit brought by idmiral Ar- buthnot had been Ion^.^nd impatiently expected by tit Henfy Clinton, who, frdm the feeble date ot the army, \iiras uilable, until its arriVal, to en- gage in any etiterprife of importance. Although * Theloft bf tfjc gtttufodmfyxnttd'id 76* killed, wounded, and rriiiling. 'ihc luis on board thie fleet was 1; killed and woondedi The American fleet . taken or deflroyedon thif expedition wasas follows : — Warren of 32 gans, 18 and i> pdiinderi. I^ronmouth 24. VeqgcMce.24> Potnam 2,2. Sally 22, blown up. Hampdea lOfOjiw, taken.' He6|or ae, blown op. Hunter, 18, taken. Black Prince 18; and Sky Kitcket 16; blown up. Brigs— AAiye 16 guns; Defence 16} Hazard 16; Ollij^ence 14 i Tyrannicide 14; l^rovid^nte fIoq> 14; blowU up. Spring Bird t A, burnt. Kaney 16, ftover ■«, taken. To^etiier witli «4,iiiii of lliips and veilels, as traofports, all burn. ■■'"' ■ '• ^ • ■"" 2 . it ment /*«b«^ . <>jr . >«'• AM E R I C A N WAR. 169. ' to the , iffue ot Uilh oifi- krviccof^ cot, vith nent that of thofe r George I in which ;et on the rntoNew the arrival with fome bringing ? of prouifi- efigned the barked fot dmiral Ar- ly expeSed feeble ftate! iVal, to en- Although fled, wounded, kilUd and khi* expedition IWonmouth 24. up. Hampden [ter, 18, taken. 16; Diligence ^wa up. Sprinji it it vtM now late, the feafon for adtion was not yet C H A P. > entirely over; but the appearance . of the count ^^^Jhl^, d*£(laing with his formidable fleet on the coaft of ly^^, Georgia, intelligence of which, as well as of his threatened attack againft New York, was brought about this time, obliged thetommander in chief to give up all thoughts of offenfive operations dtttmg the remainder of th« campaign^ and to concentre his force, that he might be prepared to ' meet, the fliock -which he was to exped from a combined attack of the French by fea and the Americans by land< In this view Rhode Illand was evacuated, and the garrifon withdrawn to ' New York. And in thi^ refped alone^ by oblig-. ing fir Henry Clinton to change his fyft«m, and a£t upon the defenAve daring the remainder of the campaign, the expedition of the coiintd-fif'' taing to the coaft of North America^ otherwife' unfortunate, may be faid to have been ferviceabls to the American caufe. Nothing elfe of moment happened upon the fea« coaft, except a bold apd fMccefsful attack made 6oid attack by the American major Lee upon the Britifli pofl >>7tiieA>n<- at PaulusHook, on the Jerfey (hore, oppofite tofiu." New York, which, although it had no effed upon ^^0^ the general iflue of the campaign, neverthelefs meiits notice, as it ferves to fliew how datigerous it is for the befl-difciplined troops to live in a (late of fecurity, even when oppofed to an enemy which they defpife ; and alfo as it affords one example out of many how well the provincials were fur- niflied with intelligence of every thing that jjafled • within the Britiih lines. Major Sutherland, who had the command of the poll at Paulas Hock, detached on the nineteenth of AuguH a part of the garrifon to proceed on fome particular fervice, into the country ; and intelligence of this move- ment being immediately communicated to major ' ^^ I on " yi r m^ -S^j^^^^ .■^^■— .-.w-^ir* * ''^*" ■ '■''^Qi *i>'^,iji^'_ 1', *^;pi'"iiy-^::^:\J^f* V. *':■'■■ ' 170 HISTORY OF T H B ni9^ P I CWyAP.Lee^ who commiaded fott« pMvintitili in the. ^^^J^ncighboufhowl. he refolded to atall hiinfelf of the opportuhity, trfalch tll6 abikbit of a pftrtof thi garrifoft afforded, to ifiak« an atwmpt upon thepoft. The deflga i*hith he bid forfiMd ^f cirHed into caecotion the following nighti Ad- vancing with thret hubdr»l tnen td tbi |;(IM of the works, he was itiiftaken by th« teMihll for the officer whd tommanded thtt pkttf (hit had inarched into the country iii the iHdtttifig« 4»d wal fuffered to pafi^ tdgtfhef wUb his muth^ ntent ; and in fucb an nnf^ldierly ftat« of HtWUf ity did he find the garrifon, th&t h« feiMid a blnck-i hoUfe and two redoubtfe^ I>efer6 the alavtd wa* given. Major Sutherland now thrdw hlMi^lf Into a redoubt, with flxty Hifllanfri and by Kd ft> ptetipitit&Y M to give occafion iofir Heiify Glintofi to tdtniktki In hii official difpatches, that theif teti-^at l»as ii dlfgraceful as their attack bad b^«n fpitlfed tod welUcondoaed. They ncVertbel^f^ tartled off with theni about forty ptifonei'S^ It M^aa itm their intention to remain in poffi^flidn -^^ the poft ; the objea of the attack bdng no ? thAk ib |(tve I'ome eclat to the Afflerieail ai-«n«« ^nd td ptdiAotd a fplrit of enterprife am&ngft she officer^ arid fol- diers* In the interior cc^'^ntfy the war of deyadatidn was dill carried on oietWien the provincials attd Indians. Againfl the latter an ^xpekiltiori^ of more than ordinary ma^itude, was plann^ hf the congrefs, to revenge the bloddy ineurfion^ of the precedinj^ year< The command of if wss given to majw-gen^al SultiVan ', and tHef f6i'^e cmplo)'ed I - ^'■EiM- ■ ~~'~'V.-;' >,'W ^ ;:;*':. AMERICAN WAR. «y' k in the. imftslf of n pwk of jpt upon Hti Ad- tmM\ f«>r ttin l^ftd is a«ittt€)i' { ti bltck- IhlfelfbW ty k«fp)ng • :kl^* fodA It thdiif 4t- tiirtlcd off -a&ikjt their e po^ ; th« grt arid fol- deyaftaticWi jedkiorii of ntiirfion* of I of if *'w ifie forte employail amdaaitd to- five tiroufaiidl meit VTfth CH Ai P; x\Ai foMey fovmed into- two #fifioB», and aceooiN . ^j*^ panied by itNiie artillwy and fUld-pMcscs^ general ^^^ StttHvaa entered the Indian country. 'Ehe Iiidi. Americam an6> AwiBg no profpeft of bckigi aMe to q^MxTe j^^^ ftxrb a foreet qoitted dieir fimhmnte a« biK «p. coumnr of proached them, antd ftedi ^i«o otb«f parer Tiw ^ '"'''^ Irsr of devaftatkrn now «omncwiea^ and the barbarous ftvage iMid tli»inortificatbn taiindifaat the civilized inhabitant of the fea-coaft could out- do him in deliberate a£ts of mifchief. Eighteen of their towns were laid in aflies, and more than one hundred and fifty thoufand bufliels of corn were deftroyed : Their gardens were laid wade : Even their fruit-trees were cut down ;«and nothing Was fuflfered to remain that could be fuppofed to sflFord them any fuftenance. But whilft the pro- incurHont tincials were thus layintr wade the Indian towns, ©f t^e indi- the Indians on their part were makmg mroads provineiai into the provincial fettlements, and much mifchief "**^*"'°"- Was done on both iides. Revenge for an injury received is a point of honour which an Indian never gives up : A fevere retribution was there- fore to be expe£ked for the ravages committed by general Sullivan. The Indians were irritated but not fubdued,. and had not deigned to fue -tor peace 2 V/hence it may be doubted whether this expedition was of any real utility. But if any benefit was derived from it, it was not equal to the expence which it cofl;, or the expectations which had been formed from it } and all who Were concerned in planning it feem to have been difappointed. The congrefs was diflfatisfied : Ge- neral Waftiington did not approve of the conduct I of the expedition; and general Sullivan, footi after his return from the Indian country, refigned his employments in difguft, and retired from the public fcrvicc. This, .!■«•' :^* < -roviiice8 < r cxpedi- prp c^te- (, which, leral Sul- )U9 : And, ind (auth-o it,t ... TI^i AMERICAN W A.IL •7S , ,.) C H A P. XXXIL Tbe Confederacy ^ain^ Gtedt Britain johfd h - Spam— French Attack on Jtrjey'-Rtpetled—Na'-' 'Vdi Tran/a^hm — The camfined PlMi of France and Spain threaten an Invafion ofCreat Britain '■"Engagement between Gapiam^J^aui Jones and the Convoy of ^a Britijh Fieet: from the Bahic-T- Blockade of Gibraltar •"Incur/ion of the Americans into Weft Florida—Weft Florida reduced by tbe Spaniards- The Spaniards attack the Briii/h Ltg- wood-cutters in Hnnduras-^Reduflion of tbe Span" ifh Fort Otnoa^ the Key of tbe Bay ^ Honduras ^'•^FroteSion afforded to tbe Britifb Commerce"' General RetrofpeSl of Btitijh Affairs at tbe Cmh clufton of 1779. FROM America we muft now pafs to Eu-CH A P. rope, where, through the, intrigues of the ,^j ^|^ court of France, one power openly joined the j_, confederacy againit Great Britain, and another, Tke conr her ancient and much-favoured ally, became fo f«^«'^y lukewarm in her attachment, that her fri'endfliip Great ^ni was no longer to be depended upon. uin joine^ When France firft determined to acknowledge ^ ^**°' the independence of the American colonies, and . to enter into a treaty wilh them, Spain was foli- cited to join in it. But, however defirous this branch of the houfe of Bourbon, as well as the otiier, might be to reduce the power of Great Britain, the propoiifion was at that time reje^ed; very probably from an apprehenfion that Great ^' r: .? •♦ i i-^*>«M«4^^ «¥''\ »74 CHA XXXII HlfiTOKY OF THE n:9 !*• Britain might be difpofed to retaliate by ftirring ^' up a rebellion in the Spanifli coloniei. The court "^ of France, nevertbelefs, unceafinj^ly continued its folicitationt, which, in the fallofthe preceding year, appear to have become effe^ual. The king of Spain, in the month of September of that year, interpofed fo far as to offer to mediate between the belligerent powers. However unfuirabk* in point of impartiaiky, it might appear for one teaacb of the houlb of Bourbon to undertake to mediate betwoen another branch of the (am« hbufeaad a third pow vility ; and, ia the anfwer dolivored to the Spsm- ilh s(mba0ador, a wifii^ was> exprefled that nothing ihfkt had pa0ed might interrupt the harmony fob* fiiViRg between Great Britaioi and Spata. Ait^ugh it was generally underilood, long before the end of this negotiation^ thai, if it^fatU ed in eSc&y. Spain waa to become a pirty in the vuar ; yet nq declaration of that nature: was.made for a ccoifidcra^Ie time after the an^er to his ul* tiinate .*♦"' -i-Hi- , V .• "*«"' AMERICAN WAR. «75 ftirring he court »ntinued receding rhe king hat year, ween the »artialkf, hoiife of A another er. Great Uaflion of f France, rbfcbfub^ tcprcfent- tifliaiflbaf- itally iaad- hekimgof nly for the (eaittoiake ntly rejeft' he king of , ttow pre- ^ which he ere fo near - tfcdby the f iflodmiffi' much b' H79- timvtft pi«pofltU>ns ha4 hem received by the king C H A p. of Spsiin. Hit vrepaiationa were not at that time ^XXXII. in a A«iBci«M ftate. of forwardaeft : And the ad< dr«(ii of ^a QWinftersy is timing tkf pvoper mo- flkemt of interfKoittion, \n% aa con%ticuous at their g«iiQr»| policy in furring h^ to be ied into the war vaa utterly reprc;henriUcv In the preceding year» the offer of mediation viaa not made untit a^r the return oi the (hipt aad troops that had h«e» «iQpk>yed in America, during the tate dif- putea ^QtiKaea Spain and Portugal, aad the arrival «f the rieh anotial fleets, which brin^ home the treftfures of lAexico and Peru. And, m the pre- ta year, the decbratioa vibkh announced war waiK lot deliiVQPcd ta the Bxittfli niniftry until it vtai iftoraiiy certain, that tho )iin£kioB of the Firenoh 9nd Sptfofli fleeta, botb of which were then ,^t fea, CQttld 901 be iip^ded. A momentarf zt- tenticoi to datea «aU put this matter beyond a UpMhi. The French fleet fjvAed from Bveft on the fourth qi }uM, and fteered fbc thecoaA of %aiti ; thft Bsitilh fleet being tla«a, and Cor ten days a£> HiTwards, ip harbouK On the fixteenth. of June i^be hoftkle refcript x^cas delivesed to the fitiitifli iRisai^ry» which announced the dieterminacioR of the 3p8oi&. court to join widi Frasice in the war; an4 oik (Abe t\irenty'£ourth of t^ £ime month a jupj^ion Wiis. made between th« Erencb aad Span** ijjih fleeUt Thus it i& appaocnt, that the Spauilh miniikry' delayed coming to an open rapture^ un- til, fr:oa> the certainty of uniting tiieir naval force vaih that of France, tfhey ha certain tndicationi of her ap- proaching downfall { and they viewed the profpeft with a malignant pleafure, or, at the leaft, with indtffierence. But it foon appeared that thofe who entertained fuch fentimenti were not fufficiently acquainted with the extent of the national re- fources, or the firmnefi of the Britifli fpirit, which difdained tamely to yield to any hoftiie combina- tioji, however powerful. The union of Spain with France had for fome time been forefeen} and the moft vigorous preparations were made to reftft the impending (Ibrm. Gibraltar, where an attack was expedea, wa», in the fpring of the •year, reinforced with troops, Siad pleilU^Uy fuj>. plied with provifions, ammunitidn, ani! nores. A fleet of tranfports, with a reinforcement of troops, and a large fupply of provifions and war- like Acres, under the convoy of admiral ArbUth- not, with a fquadron of (hips of war, was ready to fail for America by the beginning of May ; And it was propofed, with the channel fleet, to block pp the harbour of fireft, fo as to prevent a junc- tion between the French and Spanifl^ fleets, a meafure which it was fuppofed would be attempt- ed, as foon as Spain fnould throw oflF the mafk and declare for war. But unfortunate incidents frequently mar the beft-concerted defigns ; and part of this arrangement was prevented from tak- ing place, and another confiderably impeded, l^y the ccmfequences of an unexpected attack made upon the ifland of Jerfey. ^rencbat' Whillt admiral Arbuthnot was proceediog Kfc"" ^^^^ *^^ channel with his convoy, on the fecpnd * . ' . of T^5!^ AMERICAN WAR. lyy I in open le dates of without a Iping ami, >f her ap. i9 profpca leaft, with ; thofc who fuificiently lational rc- airit, which le combina- n of Spain n forcfeen-, ere made to r, where an >ring of the jirti&Uyfup- and itores. Fdrcement of ons and war- liral ArbUth- ^ was ready tfMay: And set, to block .►vent a junc- ^m(h fleett, a I be attempt- off the malk late incidents defigns; and ^ted from tak- impeded, l^y attack made 18 proceeding lonthefecpnd of May, he received intelligence of this attack, CHAP. , and immcdiatelv failed, with part of the fquad- XXXll^ ron^ for the relief of the ifland i leaving the reft, ,.^g, with theconvov, to proceed toTorbay, and wait hit return. Upon his arrival off Guernfey heeepeiuo. found that the French had been repulfed, and prevented from landing in Jerfey, and were re- turned to the coaft of France. And as his affift- ance w^ no longer neceffary, he altered his courCe, and failed for Torbay to rejoin the con- voy. Although the French had been repulfed, the expedition againft Jerfey was not abandoned. The iinall fquadxon which accompanied it, confifl- ing of three frigates, a cutter, and fome fmaller veiTeU, (UU hovered on the coaft of France, wait-< iog for an opportunity to renew the attack. But, during this mterval, fir James Wallace in the Ex- periment^ with the PaUas, Unicorn, Fortune, and Chabot brig, who had been fent in purfuit of it, got fight of the French iauadron, and drove it into Concalle Bay, where aJl the (hips were run a ihore under cover of a battery. Sir James Wal- lace was neverthelefs determined either to take or deRroy them. The Experiment was already fo near as to be confiderably annoyed by the bat- tery ; and the pilots refufing to take charge of her any farther, her brave commander, with the charaderiftic boldnefs of a Britifh feaman, took the charge upon himfelf, laid her a-breafl of the battery, and foon filenced it. The French ihips were nOw abandoned by their crews, and boarded by the boats from the Britiih fquadron. The French cutter was fcuttled as (he lay on the fhore, two of the frigates were burnt, and the third, with the fmailer veffels, was towed off in Voi<. II. N tri- — _.(-s-=:" tit CHAP. XXXII. >779' tnnMtU HiStORYOFTHfi triumph *. And by thii gallant adlion the Ifland of Jerfey was freed from all prefent apptehenfioni of danger. The neceflary deviation from hit eottrfe made by admiral Arbuthnot for the relief of Jerfey, aU thpugh as little time as poflible was loft by it, wai neverthelefs unfortunately, and without anv blame to be imputed to him, the caufe of mucn fubfe* qtient delay. His fleet, which had anchored in Torbay, was prevented from failing for near a month by contrary winds : And, when it did fail, the paflage became fo tedious, in confequence of the wellerly winds that prevail in the Atlantic in the latter part of the fummer, that he did not ar- rive at New York, as we have already feen, until the campaign was almoft over. Another confer quence, that followed from this delay, was not lefs injurious. It was feared that, dunng the in- terval of detention, the French might baye be- come acquainted with the force under admiral Arbuthnot, and the value of his convoy, which was immenfe, and thence beeti tempted to form fome fcheme for attacking him on hit paflage, and intercepting the convoy. 'Jo prevent the effedt of fuch a fcheme, if it was formed, and for the greater fecurity of the convoy, ten (hips from the channel fleet were detached, under admiral Darby, to accompany Arbuthnot a certain dif. tance on his paflage : And the weakening of the channel fleet, by fending away fo confiderable a detachment, was the caufe of delaying the execu- tion of the plan for blocking up the harbour of * Ships and Veflels uken and deftroyed at Concalle Bay. La Danae, 34 guns, uken. La Valeur, a6 guns, burnt. Le Reclufe, 24 guns, burnt. Le Dieppe, 16 guns, fcuttled A brig and two floops taken, and feveral iifliing boats, and other froall craft, dcllroyej. Brcft. '* AMERICAN WAR. »7» elfland fe made rfey, »l* f it, WM w blame ch fubfc. horcd in r neat a t did fail, quence of Ltiantic in lid not ar- een, until her confe. y, vai no* ing the in- t haye be- et admiral voy, vhich jd to form )affagc, and theeffeaof Jtnd for the [ps from the \er admiral 1 certain dif- ening of the Infidcrable a Ig the execu- harbour ot oocalle Bay. L guns, burnt, fc guns, fcuuled. Ling boats, and «779- Bred. The French did not fail to profit by the CH A P. delay : So ea^er were they to fend the Breft fleet , ^^^'^* to fea, that eight thoufand land-forcei were em- barked to fupply the want of fo many feamen ; and with thil kind of equipment it failed from Breft on the fourth of June. Count d'Orvillieri, who commanded it, had two obje£li in view : One was, to intercept the fquadron under admiral Darby in itt return} and the other, to form a jun^ion with the Spanifli fleet. In the firft he failed, ad- miral Darby having returned in fafety to the chan- nel ; but in the fecond he fucceeded, and joined the fleet of Spain on the twenty-fourth of June. The two fleets, when united, amounted to more than fixty fail of the line, with nearly an equal number of frigates ; and foon after the junction they fteered for the Britifli channel. The firitifli fleet, under fir Charles Hardy, who was appointed to the command upon the,teA2na- tion of admiral Keppel, was by this time alio at fea. It confided of thirty-eight fliips of the line, with fomething lefs than its due proportion of fri- gates, and cruifed in that part of the fea which, in nautical phrafeology, is called the chops, or mouth, or the channel. The great fuperiority of the combined fleet, in the number of mips, guns, The com- and men, feemed to juftify the forebodings of^Jt^it.^T thofe who prognofticated the ruin of the Britifli and Spain empire ; and, to add to the dangers of the prefent j^^Xn ^ moment, preparations were made on the French Great Brt. coaft, and an invaflon of Great Britain was threat- ened under cover of the combined fleet. On the other hand, every precaution was taken by the Britifli government, which prudence fuggefled, for defeating the expefted attack. A proclama- tion was iflued, ordering the cattle and draugbt- horfes to be driven from thofe parts of the iea- coaft on which a landing fliould be efledted ; the N 2 militia tain. i«6 HISTORY OF tHE CHAP XXXI i. mHitia was embodied; tnd liamerotts cruiiera ^ett Rationed in the narrow feas, to watch tjh« enemy's ■motion^. And thefe efforts of the go* vernnYent were iiobly feconded by tbofe of prtirattf indrvidoah ; for fueh energy had the national '%t« rit acquired under the profpe^b of the difficulties that furrotinded, and the dangers that tbreatenedy that meetings were held in tnoft of the principai t<3)Wns, bnd voluntary contributions made to raift in6n for the def&nce of the nstiom Aboot the middle of Atigud^ count d^OrvitK> ers, with the combined fleet, pasSed iht Britifli fleet under fir Charies Hard^, in the mouth of fhfecha^hel, withouH either fteet having difoovercid the other, and proceeded on as iarasPl^motttb; taking in the w^ the Ardent, a Brilifli ibip of war, on her pafiage to pin Or Chairles Ihiar4yv The ^ouni d'Orvilliers made no attetnpc ta iatid, btH eontin&ed for feverai days parading with the (CoYkl'bined fteet in fight of Piymouth, untU a Asong, eafterly wind fef in, and compjeiled him to quS the cbanftel. As foon as this abated/^ he nefluimed fo Che coani of England, and cruiftdf off the Land's End. The fame eafterly wind had alfo driven the fifltini jBcet to fea; but, on the latft day of Auguft, Hr Charles Hardy regained bis £brn;ier iiation-, and entered the channel in full view t^ the eiiemy^, who did not attempt to moleft hiok Ht now endeavoured to entice them into the nar-' rower part of the channel, where their great fu- periority in number would have left; availed them} vnd they followed him as high as Plymouth, but chofc to proceed no frrther. 1 heir crews were faid to be (iekly ; their Ihips to be in bad coindi* tioti : And the lieafon for equinodial gales was i-ift approaching. They therefore foon afterwards quitted the Engltlh Channel, and entered the har- L^our of iJrcltv 'J'bus alt the apprehenlioiifr whicb had -..-,*_ .-tJii*; ''^■■'^4 »atch tih« f the go- of |>Tiv««' lional ipi* diiBculties l;lFeateneclv E5 principal de to raife he Britifli fnottth of difoovefeid tiih Arip of rVos Har4^ ipt to laftd, tag with the ntUaftsong hisi to c|«it heueliatnei iftd off the ad had aVfo ithelrfftdaiy idbisforRier ■uU view of moleft himk into the nar^ leir great fvi- [vailed ihenv, y mouth, but crew« wtre bad ct>Bcli- A gales wa* >n atterwards ered thi; har- nlvonfr which had A M I R T C A N WAR. had bffen raife4 were quickly diffipated : And no- thing vv«s donean^erable to tbie mighty exp^da-. tions that had been fornjed fcom the union and co^ operi^tion of two fuch powerful fleets. Even duf« ing their cruife^ commodore Johndone, with a fquadron of Briti^ fliip$, hovered on the coafl of France and kept in in alarm. The trade of the eftemy was QVery where annoyed by the Britifli cruifcrs, and thi^ir merohant-ihips taken, evea at the entrance of their harbours. On (he other ihand^ the Britifii trade was lefs injured than in the preceding year : One of her homeward -bound Beets from the Weft ladies, x^onfifting of one hundred and tif^ienty-five faily arrived in fafety juH before the eombined fleers entered the channel ; sAd iicarcely had they left it> whca another fleet froitl the Eaft Indies was equally M>rt^pate. Sir Charks Hardy coi^tinued to cruife with th^ chan^ nel fleet until it wai late in the feafcm : And, not^i withftanding the apparent fuperiority of the erne* my, Great Britain, in effe*^, iliH remained |naf* ter of the fea. Ilie only one ef the homeward-bound Britifli ileiets that feemed to he in any danger, was that from the Baltic, under the convoy of the Serapis, captain Pierton, and theCount^lc of Scarborough, captain Piercy, the hrft a fliip of forty-four, gnd (he other of twenty guns. This fleet Was attacked near Scat borough, p|i the northern coaft of £n<» gland, by a fquadron under the command of cap- tain Paul Jones, in the iervice of congrefs, a ^^^ of a favageand ferocious dirppfuion, hardened by his crimes, and rendered defperate by the fear of punilhment. Jones's fquadron confifted of the Bon Homme hich^rd, a fliip of forty guns ; two frigates, one of thiity-fix, and the other of thirty- two guns; the Vengeance biig of twelve guns, fin4 a cutter} »nd was ^tted ou( from Port rprient CHAP, XXXIl. »779» } ! > v| ment be> twecncap- tain Paul Jones and the convof of a BritiP,! fleet from r ;«." 'a!ff'*»>««ji**ii.;i«'.. i it* HISTORY OF THE •779. CHAP. rOrient in the end of July, for the purpofe of in. ^^^^ tercepting the Britiih fleet from the Baltic. But by the eood condud and perfevering bravery of captain rierfon,. the convoy was faved, although both of the king's (hips were taken. As foon as the enemy was difcovered, a fign^l was made for all the fhips of the convoy to run in fliore, and en- deavour to make a harbour, whilft captain Pierfon fet all the fail he could to get between them and the enemy ; and as foon as he came near enough to difcover the fuperior force which he had tocon-\ tend with, another (ignal was made for the Coun- tefs of Scarborough to join him. Jones (hewed no backwardnefs to engage : He (leered diredly for the Serapis, and brought-to within mu(ket- (hot of her larboard bow, about half after fevenia the evening. An engagement immediately com- menced, and not more than two or three broad- fides were exchanged, when Jonss attempted to board the Serapis ; but he was foon repulfed, and obliged to (heer off. In a fecond attempt the two (hips became entangled, and dropped along*(ide of each other fo clofe, that the. muzzles of the guns touched the fides of the oppofite (hip. In this fi- tuation the engagement was continued till half an hour after ten, during which the Serapis was fre- quently fet on fire by the coAibuflibles thrown into her from jthe Bon Homme Richard; and* in the confufion, a cartridge took fire, which, com* municating to others, blew up all the o(ficers and men ftationed abaft the main-maft, and rendered the guns in that quarter of the (hip totally unfer- viceable. Ihroughout the whole of the action, the Alliance, the largefi of Jones's frigates, failed round, and, as opportunities offered, pourc^ her broadfides into the Serapis; andj towards the conclufion of the engagement, coming under her (lern, raked her &e>and-aft, and killed or wounded .■i^-.-:^.jtf AMERICAN WAR. ««J »fe of in- :ic. But avery of altliougli I foon as loade for !, and en- inPicrfon them and ar enough lad to.con-\ the Coun- nes (hewed red direftly lin muft^t- ■ter feven in liately corn- three broad- ttempted to •pulfed, and smpt the two along-fide of ,of theguM . In this fi- d till half an apis was fre^ ; thrown into d; and« in which, com- e officers and and rendered totally unfer- [f the aftion, :igate8, failed pourc4 l^« towards the Ing under her ^d killed or vrounded wounded fo manv ' her men, that captain Pier- CHAP, fon, feeingr no pr^ ^-jft of beine able to extricate .^^^ ^ the Serapis, thought it cruelty to his people ^.-o. longer to continue the adion, and ftruck his co- Jours. The Countefs of Scarborough, although fo much inferior in force, had engaged the Pallas, a French frigate of thirty-two guns, for nearly two hours, but was at length obliged to ftrike; her rigging being cut to pieces, feven of her guns difmounted, four of her people killed, and twen- ty badly wounded : And, to cut off all hopes of fuccefs from a further refiftance, jud before (he Aruck, the other frigate came up on her larboard quarter, and was ready to join in the a^ion. The carnage on board the Serapis was great: It amounted, according to the bed account that captain Plerfon was enabled to give, to forty- nine killed, and fixty-eight wounded ; buthehadrea* fpn to believe, although this was all the lofs which he was able to afcertain with precifion, that in reality it was much greater. His (hip too had fuf- tained very coniiderable damage ; and the main- mail went by the board juft as (he (Iruck* But the fcene which prefented itfelf on board the Bon Homme Richard was horrible beyond defcription. H^r quarter and counter on the lower deck were entirely driven in, and the whole of her guns oq that deck difmounted. She was on fire in twp different places ; had fev^n feet of water in her hold ', and her decks (Ireamed with the blood of the killed and wounded, which, according to captain Pierfon's account, amounted to three hundred and fix, a number more than tbree?* fourths of her crew. Under fuch circuml^ancps of accumulated horror and didrefs, none but ^ defperado would have continued the engage- ment ; but their rufHan commander was feen fe- veral times during th^ zd^ion yi\{ho\^t his co^t* and »»4 HISTORY OP THE •!•• CH A P. and with his fhirt-flecTCs tucked up beyond hit cl- XXXIi^ bow3, running about the Ihip, and brandi(hi^g a i^.Q, naked cutU& to keep, bis men at their quarters. To him, who, it feems, was a native of Galloway in Scotland, and who, it is faid, had, by his crimes, forfeited his life to the laws of his coun- tryi before he entered into the fervice of congreft, it was eligible to fall in battle rather than by the hands of the executioner : fiut, to a commander of any humanity, the lives of the people entrufted to his care, are an objed of the utmoil attention ; and, to fuch a commander, refinance appears un- jufllfiable, after it becomes hopclefs. The iffue of the engagement in favour of the Bon Homme Richard may therefore be alcribed tq. the different circumltances under which the two commanders ^fled, as much as to the difparity of i^orce. The damage done to the fion Hoqime Itichard was fo great that it cou^d not be repaired j^ the water gained upon her fo fad, that fhe fu|ik in lefs than two days afterwards, with fome of her wounded rnen on board. By this engagement two of his majefty's (hips were loft ; but a valuable convoy ivere faved. . The brave' refi ft anpe made by cap- iain Pierfon gave the (hips of the convoy time to efcape ; and enabled them to take (heiter in the different harbours oh the fea-coaU before they : could be overtaken. ■ ' The declaration which anripunced hoftilities on the part of the Spanifh nation was not made until every thing had been preyioufly prepared for ac- ting with effeft. The grand Span i(h flce| had ei- ther failed, or was ready to fail : Troops were in motion to occupy the works at St. Rbque, and ■inveft Gibraltar by land, wHilil a naval forcd was proceeding to block it up by fca: And orders had been difpatched to the governors of their fo- reign poffeffions to prepare them for the rupture. ■'■-■■"■ • • With AMERICAN WAR. |8< id hi* ct- idilhUig a quatto-s. Galloway I, by his his coun- fcOTJgTCfs, lan by the ommandcT c cntrufted : attention ; mpears un- The iffue on Homme the different :oramanders force. The chard was fo • Ac water s. in lefs than her wcwinded It two of his jablc convoy ladc by cap- ivoy time to lelter in the before they hoftilities on pt made until [pared for ac- h fleet had el- Iroops were in . Hoque, and aval forcd was J And orders |rs of their io- ir the rupture. I' • With 1779. With the help of fuch previous arrAngementa ItCHAp. was to be hoped, whilfl Great Britain was embar- XXXI l. raffed with the complicated operations of fo exten- five a w^r, that Spain might With eafe recover bac)^ fome of (he poOeflions that had been wrefled from her in lefs aufpicious times ; and Gibraltar in i.urope, and the province of Weft Florida ifi North America, appear to have been marked out as the firft objeds of attack. General KlHot, that brave and gallant veteran, commanded at Gibraltar ) and tne garrifon had been largely reinforced. With fuch advantages, added to the natural ftrength of the place, the redudion of it was thought iihpraflicable, in any other way tb^n by blockade : It was therefore in- vetted both by fea and land ; and the blockade Biocinde of was formally notified to ?ijl the maritirne powers *^*?"'*!f* in amity with Spain, that tney niight not ffttenipt to furnifh it with fupplies. But in this refpeft the Britifh miniftry had anticipated the views of Spain, and, under the apprehention of a rupture, had not only largely reinforced Gibraltar with troops, but plentifully fupp'ied it with provifions and (lores ; fo that an attack upon a place of fuch flrength, fo amply provided with every thing ne- ccffary to hold out againft a (lege, in which the enemy ini^ht unprofitably wafte their blood and treafure, was rather to be wifhed than regretted^ It wjis far otherwife with Weft Florida, a pro- vince of large extent, thinly fettled, and defended by an inconfiderable force. Its weftern extremity at a great diftance from Penfacola, the feat of the governmept, bordered on the Spanish province of Louifiana, from which it was feparated only by . the river Mifliffippi. Weft Florida was therefore peculiarly expofed to an attack, not only from its tveak ftate ot defence' but from its contiguity to ^be Spanifh territories. And Don Bernardo de. ' ' Galves, I » -v i86 HISTORY OF THE 1779. laofffiont . I CHAP. Galvet, the governor of Louifiana, having been XXXII. previoufly inftruded, had made all neceflary pre- parations, and was ready to pafs the boundary, ai foon as he (hould receive information of the com-^ mencement of hoftilities, intelltgence of which, it' appears, was communicated to him early in Au- guft, and long before it reached the governor of Weft Florida. In the preceding year a predatory incurfion had ptAeAm^ been made into this province by a captain Willing, w^ruri- ^^ American partizan, who, from having been a da. fettler upon the Mifliffipi, previous to the war, was well acquainted with the countries bordering upon that river. He fet out from Fort Pitt, and, de- scending by the courfes of the Ohio and Milfiffip- pi, arrived at a Britilh fettlement in Weft Florida, called Manchac, at the confluence of the river Ibberville with the Miffiftippi ; and fuch was the weaknefs of this frontier fettlement, that with twenty -five men only he entered it, took by fur- prife a Britilh merchant-fliip^ mounting fixteen guns, that lay there loading with tobacco and indigo, and made himfelf mafter not only of that fettlement, but of fome others that adjoined it upon the river Amit. Some of the principal in- habitants^ made their efcape, and flying to Fenfa- I9 rtft yieW- rovifionwy »U the go- t bdrdetWl at the feihe entered the governor of t upon th* ,f them pri- •ir ptinc'ipil CT8l DalHiig, luence ot* the that fuchaa ^ aifpatchtd rtachmeAt of (hote,. to col- he logwooa- he tranfports carried alfo a lores, and ar- oftioTConthe fame day on IS received ol A St. George's meUigencethc IS capt*^^^'* and coHefted te to Honduras t of war under ■reii, confiftin^ andPomoni Peter ParkcT, intercept fome ;c l\ad received From commodore LuttreJl, information wu C H A H; received that the fettters at Honduras, with their ^^I^< flaves, had retired to Truxillo, and th6 ifland of ^Ttt*^ Uattaa, on the Mufquito fliore ^ that the ^Spaniards bad been ahready diipofleiTed of St. George's Key, ^ by his Majeity's armed fchooner Racehorfe ; and that the regifber-(bip», which were the obie£k of commodore Luttrell's cruife, had taken flieltei in the harbour of Ornoa, and were top ilrongly pro- tected by the fortifications on ihore to be attacked by fea* Under fuch circamftaaces it was agreed between the commodore and captain Dalrymple to unite their force, proceed againft Omoa, and at* tack it both by fea and land« The united f^uadroa accordingly failed Bril for Truxillo, where a nam* ber of bay-men and logwood-cutters were collededy a^med aiui embodied ; and from thence^ proceed- ed againft Omoa. On the fixuenth of (>£iober in the evening;, Rt^uAioa the land forqe, which, even with the marines and ^(h^ort^"* ttiulquetry-men of the (hips, and the reinforce- omoa, the ment from Truxillo, did not much exceed five Ba^^JiSJ^^ hundred men, was difembarked at Porto Cavallq, dura*. a harbour which was fuppofed to be not more than nine miles dillant from Omoa. It had been in- tended to march forward in the night, to furprlfe the forty and take it by efcalade, before the morn- ing } but the country through which the march was to be performed was difHcult, being in fome parts interfered by lagoons and morailes, and in others by ileep precipices, rendered almoit impaf- lableby the late^rains) and through this difficuk country only a narrow path led to the fort, which* in th6 darknefs of the night, they were obliged to explore with lighted fplinters of the cabbage tree : 'I'be dillance too was found to be greater than had beenreprefented. By thefe obftrucUo5^' ,«jr^ft<^." v.y f9o HISTORY OF THE »779- C H A P, ed, captain Dalrymple found himfelf flill fix miles ^_J :'^ from the fort, and his men much fatigued. He fuffered them to refrefli themfelves for two hours, and then continued his march, putting the Indians in front to fcour the woods. A body of the enemy was difcovered lying in ambufh, about a mile from the fort, and quicklv diflodged. The heights round the town, and tne fort, with the roads leading to them, were fecured : Pofts were eftabliflied ; and .forne of thefe being galled by a fcattering fire from thehoufes in the town, captain Dalrymple found it neceflary to burn it down. Wbilft the town was in flames, commodore Lut* treirs fquadron entered the bay ; and the fort wis now invefted both by fea and land. Some days were fpent in landing cannon, and erecting batte. ries ; but, after they were opened, it was quickly perceived, that, altnough they annoyed the garri. fon exceedingly, they made no imprelfion upon the walls of the fort ; and that, in this mode, the liege might be protracted to an indefinite length. It was therefore determined to cut the matter fnort by attempting to take the fort by efcalade, efpeci* ally as the ditch was obferved to be dry. The at* tempt was to be made at four in the morning, by one hundred and fifty Europeans, confiding of feamen and marines, with a few of the loyal Irifh, under Cover of a cannonade from the (hips in the bay, and the batteries on the heights. At three the detachment allotted for this fervice moved down from the heights ; and in the valley, being formed into four columns, waited with impatience j for the fignal of attack. A little after four the i cannonade began, which fo engaged the ati;ention of the enemy that the alfailants, with their fcal- ing-Iadders, advanced, unperceived, clofe to thel ramparts. As they were ready to enter the ditrbJ they were difcovered : The enemy's drums beatj to AMERICAN WAR. 191 i fix mile* ucd. He ifio hours, he Inditnt ly of the t, about t ged. The , vith the Poftswere galled by a ,wn, captain rn it down, ^odore Lot- the fort wai Some dayi cfting batte- vras quickly ed the garri- preflion upon lis mode, the pfinitc length. 5 matter fcort raladc, efpeci- dry. The at. I morning, by confifting of he loyal Iriih, ^iclhip»i>**' its. At three [ervice moved 1 valley, being ith impatience [after four the ^ the att,enuon ith their fcal- ,, clofe to the inter the ditr.h, 's drum* beat to «779- to armi, and the alarm wai gifen. The aflailants, C HAP. for a moment, (hrunk back, but, almoft inftantly ^^^^^ recovering themfeivet ruflied on into (he ditch. The fcaling ladders were applied; and the Tea- men mounted the walls with alacrity. Two, who firft reached the top of the ramparts, prefented theirpieces at a body of the enemy aifembted to oppofe them, but, according to their orders, re- ferved their fire until they were joined by more of their companions. Theie followed fo clofely, that the Spaniards were ftruck with confternation, and fe«med to lofe the power of refiHance, notwith- (landing the exertions of their officers to encou- rage them. About one hundred efcaped over the walls on the oppofite fide of the fort ; the reft fled to the cafements ; and the governor and principal officers now feeing their fituation defperate, came and furrendered their fwords, with the keys of the fort, to captain Dalrymple. Such was the huma- nity of the aflailants, and fuch the good order pre- ferred in the aflault, that only two Spaniards were wounded with the bayonet, while in the act of refidance, and not one was plundered. An in- ftance of heroifm in a feaman is mentioned, to which hiftory affords nothing in its kind fuperior. He had fcrambled up the walls with a cutlafs in each hand, and meeting with an unarmed Spanilh officer, 'the generous tar difdained to take advan- tage of his helplefs fituation ; but, prefenting him with one of hiscutlaffes, added, *' Now you will be on a footing with me." The Spanifh gentleman was too much affefled with the Angular generofity of the adtion to accept of the offer, and quietly fur- rendered. Unfortunately the name oi this brave feaman has not been preferved. The Spaniards, during the fiege, lod, in killed and wounded, about thirty men ; and three hundred and fixty^ five with a confiderable number of officerjS, were made 1 • m m r ■•£ .■fioS-JP 'jw- — r •f» HISTORY OF THE '77»- C H A P. made prifoneri. The whole loft of the bcGegers, XXXtl. ^jj killed and wounded, did not exceed twcni^ 'I'bUs eafily wiu acquired the important fortrcft of Onioa, the key of the Bay of Honduras, and, in time of war, the receptacle of tite treafuj f (aut frdm Guatimala. The fort was built of ftonc, raifed out of the fea, and brought from the dif* tance of twenty leagues^ Iti walli were eighteen feet thick ) and, although it had cod the Spaniardg twenty years labour, the out-works were not then finifhed. But, to the captors, the mod important part of the acquilition was the two regifUr £h>pS( the value of which, with that of fome other prizes of lefs note taken in the harbour, was edimatr I at three milliotis of dollars. A convention was m?/ . for an exchange of prifoners ; and it was n ; .ne nei^ . bourhood to colled a force and invefl the fort. For a confuierable time it was defended with great bravery : But, at lad, both officers and men, * ' . amongft A M B R I C A H WAR. »9J Svegtxtt ; fortreri as, aud, fuif feat of iioncj a th^ dif* eighteen Spaniard* Qot then important lOcr &»?«♦ ther prizei [limaif^at I Dva» m?'' - •as n^TT^ed, a (hou^d be tiiU fubjefts SpanUh go- the cKpen< e ;uta» Owoa lonfequencc lUhouj^h an iiiimedutely ,d hundred ftic\e necef- id for which .jj more than ed Omoa, a as could be . harbour for long remain %e weaVnei* ,. ;ncneife Iveft the fort, ^d with great and men, amongft • 779' amonzft whom an epidemical fever b^j^an *<* ''*K*» ^^^ Af • and who, in the whole, amouii ^^ only to tighty- 2 y?'^ five, were fo weakened and overcome with the fa- tigue of condant duty, one cci 'inel being ubiiged, by (hifiini^ hit place, to ferve for five, that they faw it would he impotlible to withdan 1 an aflault, which the enemy were preparing to make. They therefore determined to evacuate the fort ; but to leave it is unferviceable as in their circumdances the ^ ju'J polfible make it. After the guns had cci. fpi cd, and the ammunition and military fturos deployed, the . garrifon, without loting a 1. 'e man in the evacuation, embarked on board the V eflels ih the harbour, and took a final leave of Oiaoa. It has already been obferved, that had the Bri- Protcaion ti(h fleet under admiral Byron followed that of Jf^^jJ;;*^^ France under the count d'Edaing, when he made commerce, an unl'uccefsful attack upon Savannah, it is more than probable, that to the difgrace of a repulfe from that town, would have been added the lofs of a great part of his fleet. But the Britifh fleet, in the Nation on which it did remain, performed very eminent fervices to the flate under the command of rear-admiral Hyde Parker, who fucceeded admiral Byron in the fall of the prefent year. The Britlfli commerce in the Weft Indies was pro- teded, whilft that of the enemy was almoft ruined by the capture of their merchantmen. Gre^ic part of a convoy bound to Martinique was either taken or deftroyed, in iight of the ifland, and of the French fquadron at FoM" Royal,, under mon- fieur de la Motte Piquet, who, in failing out of tht harbour to the relief of one of his frigates, was in imminent danger of having his retreat cue off by part of the Britifh fleet, then cruifing pff" the mouth of the bay. And to the captures of their merchantmen are to be added fuur of the Vol. II. O count ill .'J^' ."•f* WIS T O K'T OF THE 1779- CH A P. count d'£Aauig*s frigates,, on their retura td th«l XXXU. "^g^ Indaes from the coaft of America*. Tiius Great Britain continued to make a noble (land againft the machinations of her foes. Atidt although the year 1779 mud he confidered aa un- rfortunate, in iwhich me loft two valuable iflands^ \irithout gaining from h^r enemies a territorial equivalent ; it may, neverthelefs, be doubted whe- ther the lofs of thefe iflands was not overbalanced by the damage done to the French and Spanifh Commerce, not only in Europe and the Weft In< dies, but in every quarter of the globe. * The firll of thefe frigates was taken on the 24th of 0<3ober ; 'And from her admiral Parker firfl leariit with certamty, that couot d'Edainfg had gone| with all his fleet, to North America. H- ■ I t;^*:, ri« 4- I ••-,ttiA'" \ ;a tdth« i. a noble ed as un- le iflands* territorial bted whe- -rbalanccd id Spanilh \ : ! ' , -• I ,1 • AM ER I'C A N WAR. »9S c H A P. xxxm. Expedition under Sir Henry Clinton to South Carolina -^Fortijications of Charlejiown defcribed — Garri- Jon of Charlejfown — Siege and Reduilion of Charlejiown — hcurjion of the Spaniards intoWeJi Florida — Confequences of the Fall of Charlejiown^ Three new Expeditions fet on foot by the Britijb Commander — His Addrefs to the Inhabitants of South Carolina — /// Effeil-^Defeat of the Ameri" can Colonel Burford-^UifpoJition of the Britijh Troops in South Carolina— -Jidmini^ration of Earl Cornwallis there — Counter-Revolution among thq/e who bad fubmitted to the Power of Britain on the fall of CbarleJlown-^Detachments from Wajhing^ *' totCs Army fenl into North Carolina — Movements of the American Colonel Sumpter-^His Attempt §n the Britijb Poji on Rocky Point, SIR Henry Clinton having been cramped in his ^^Yin operations by tbe proceedings of the French C-UHi fleet under the count d'Eftaing, whofe unfuccefs- i^g^. ful attack upon Savannah, together with his final Expedition departure from the American coafl, has already H^jj^cun- been related ; no fooner received certain informa- ton toSouUi tion of the departure of d*Eftaing than he fet on^*™""** foot an expedition, the obje(£t of which was the taking of Charleftown, and the reduf 'on of the province of South Carolina. The troops defign- ' cd for this expedition were immediately embarked onboard the. tranfports;. and thefe, efcorted by admiral A rbuthnot with an adequate naval force, failed from Sandy Hook on the tvventy4ixth of O a December 196 HisTbRt OF rut I \ tjSo. December, C ri A P. t)ecember f 779. Sir Henry Clinton accoihpahieij XXX I II. j|jg expedition, leaving the garrifon at New York under the totnmafid of lieutenant general Knyphaufen. The pafTage might havef been ex- peded to be performed in ten days ; but fnch was the uncommon feverity of the feafoh, that (he fleet wad very foon feparated, and driveti out of its cpurfe by tempeiluous weather ; and fcareely any of the (hips arrived at Tybee, the appointed place of rendezvous, before the end of January. Some few ilraggling veflels wete taken; fome others were loIV ; aiid all received more or lefs damage. Almo(l alt the horfes belphging to the artillery ot cavalry perifhed during the paukge -, and amongd the (hips that were loll ^as one which contained the heavy ordnance. Fortunately^ however j the crews were all faved. Thofe fhips being refittecl that Hood in heed of imitilediate repair, tlie fleet failed from Tybee to North Edifto Sound, iri the province of South Ca- tolitia) aiid oh the eleventh of F'ebruary the , iroops were difembarked on John's Ifland, about thirty miles front Charleftown* Part of the fieet was immediately feht round to block up tht har. bour of Charleftown by fea ; whiift the troops, flowly advartcing through the country, pafTed from John's to James Ifland j and from thence, oVer Wappoo Cut, to the m^in land, until tbey at length reached the banks of Afliley River, op« pofite to Charlefl:own. So great were the impe- diments that they met with in their progrefs, or I fuch the extreme caution of the commander in I Chief, ih eftablifliihg and fortifying polls to pre- ferve his communication with the lea, that it wasj i\ot until the twentyininth of March that the ad. Vance of the army crofled Afliley River at the! ferry, and landed on Charleflown Neck, fomel miles above the town. The flat-bottomed boiu "ir *■ . . - , - '. .: fcadl A M E R re A N WAR. 197 mpahied at New it general been ex- t fuch was It the fleet out of its ircely any inted place jry. Some jtne other* sfs damage, artillety ot ,nd amongll h contaifted owevcr j the )d in ticed of »m Tybee to of South C.a- J'ebruary the mand, about :t of the Ceet up thfehar- . thetioops, iintrv, paffed from thence, nd, until they ley River, op- jerethe iitipe- ir progrefs, or iommander in | polls to pre' ea, that it wasj ;h that the ad- y River at thel n Neck, fomel lOttomed boaisl budl had been brought from North Ediflo Sound, CHAP, through the inlets by which the coaft is interfci^- ,^^]^^^^' ed, until they entered AHiley River, by Wappoc^ ^J^^ Cut J and the paffing over of the troops was cori^, du£ted with much addrefs by ciiptain Elphinftooa of the navy. On the following day the troops encamped in front of the American lines ; and oi\ the fird of April began to break ground before Charleftown, at the dlftance of e|gh(' huqdre^ yards from the provincial works. The 'iiow advance of the Britifli army had ^ortificjui- given time to the provincials not only to ftrength- ovuLt- en, but greatly to enlarge, the defences of Charr t<>^n <>«- leilown. Thefe now confided of a chain of re-*^^— doubts, lines and batteries, extending from Afhr. ley to Cooper River, upon which were mounted upwards pf eighty pieces of cannon and mortars. In front of the lines a canal had been dug, which was filled with water ; and from the dam at either end a fwamp oozed to each river, forming natural impedimems where the artificial terminated. Be-<- hind thefe ^ere two rows of abbatis, fome other 'V pbHrudiqns, and, immediately in front of the works, a double picketted ditch. The works on the right and left were not only of great ftrength, but advanced fo far beyond the range of the inter* mediate lines as to enfilade the canal almofl: from one end to the other: And in the centre was ^^■ - . horn-work of mafonry, which, being clofed dur* " \ ing the fiege, became a kind of citadel. Such were the defences of Charlellown on the only fide on which it could be approached by land; and, towards the water, numerous batte- ries covered with artillery forbad the approach of ihips. But, befides the fecurity which CharJef^ town derived from its numerous batteries, it was ftill more effedually protected by the bar, or fan4- " bai)k, at the niouth of the inlet that led from the I *?T:*::^'i'.:??fcf;v-'>*ta(k«Hi I9t HISTORY OF THE XXXnr * ^^ *^^" ^*' ^** impaflable by the larger fHipf K^-Jiz of War, and rendered the entry of otheri difficult i7&Ok Garrifon of Charlef. town. / and dangerous ; and, juft within it. Five Fathom Hole, of a fulHeient depth of water* furniflied a convenient ftation for a fqiiadron to command the bar, and render the paiTage of it ilill more diflicuU and dangerous. This Aation was occupied by the Americas; commodore Whipple, with a iquadroa of nine (air under his command, the largeft car. rying forty>four, and the fniaUelt (i^teen» guns. After the perils and difHcuhies of tiie bar were furmounted, before a fleet could reach Charlef. town, Fort Moultrie, upon Sulliv^an's liland, was. to be paflfed, the fire from which had, on a forq. er occafion, proved fo deftriidtive to a ^ritiih fquadron under fir Peter Parker ; and, fince that period, the works on Sullivan's Ifland^had.beea confiderably iftrengthened and enlarged. General Lincoln, trufling tQ thofe defences, and at the fame time expedizi^ large reinforce- rhents ftom the other colonies, inftead of re^iain- ing with hiis army in the opien country, (hut him- felf up in Charlellown, at the earneft requeft of the inhabitants, and with the force under his command, amounting to feven thoufand men of all denbminti'ions under arms, refohred to defend it to the kfl extremity. Great expectations were, utidoubtedly, at one time, entertained of the i^c- cefsfiil defence of the bar, from the advantageous pofition of the American fquadron) but it foon appeared that thefe were illufory: For no fooner did the Britifh fleet, on the twentieth of March, approach the bar, with an intention to pafs it, than commodore Whipple quitted his {lation and retired to Fort Moultrie, leaving admiral Arbuth- not to enter at his leifure, and occupy the flation which the American fquadron had juft before quitted ■^^ er (hips difficult Fatholft iiiftied 4 aatid tbft . difficult ed by the fquadroa rgeft car- bat were 1 Charlef- [land, wa& on a forn\- ; a Britifll fitice that Ihad bcea d. a defences e rctnforce- . of rettiain- r, (huthim- requeft of under hi» md iften of ;d to defend Rations were, fd of the fuc- idvantageous but it foon ■ or no fooner |h of March, \i to p2tf* ^V s ftation and liral Arbuth- ,Y the ftation mft before quitted. AMERICAN WAR, (Quitted* Before the Renown, Roebuck, and Romulus could pxfs Che b^Tt it wis neeeflary to lighten thein« by taking out their gussj provi^on, and water ; £lnd in that deitititte fitubtion they lay for ftipteen days, before a favou|«bte opportut*. nity oiFered for making the attempt, Ekit, wbdti the attempt was made, they e^eded their paflfage without any oppofitioit^ Except from fome {tallies left by comimodore Whipple^ which fired upon the I?oats of the fleet, ai^d endeavbured to prevent theni from founding the chanhel. Not long af* terwards, commodore Whipple retired to Char- leftpwn with his fhip^, part of which he (lationed ia Coopet River ; qnd the reft, withifo'me other veifels, were funk acrofsi the Aiouth of it, to f^e- veat the Briti^ ^eet firom entering^ This was a moft important precaution ; fo^ had the Britlfli fleet been permitted to gsiin the pofleffion of Cooper Rtyer, the lalrger Blips mig^t haive beeii fo ftattoned as to rake the Amrettcan litikes y the only cbmihnnieatio^ that remained between the town and the country wouid halve been intetrapt- ed ; all faopr^s of obtaining fuppH^s and reinforce- ments cut off, and the duration of the fiege, in ^11 prpbabitity, greatly fhortened^ A$ fpon als (he Bridfii began to eredl batteries^ SDgaihft the town, qidmirail Arbmhndt embraced the firft favourable opportunity that off^Ted for pafHng Fort Moultrie ; and on the ninth of April,, vrith a ftrong foutheriy wiktd and flowing tide, he weighed anchor, ;md <^£l;ed his purpofe with very little lofs. His fipuadTon coiififted of the Renown of fifty, the RonniluS and Roebuck, each of forty-four gmts i the Ri<:hmond, Clonde, R^iieigh, and Vir^inia^ frigates, and the Sand- Mi^ich armed fliip ; and although, in pailin^, the (hips were exppii'ed tp a heavy canno^iadc from , nt Fort 199 CHAP, XXXtll. 1780. ■* / rp i r "riT too HISTORY OF THE / 1 780. m CHAP. Fort Moultiie, their whole lofs of men, in kit. ^ -^- J led ;md wounded, amounted only to twenty-feven ; and the damage done to them in other refpefis was equally inconfiderable. As their entry into Cooper River was precluded, they anchored near Fort Johnflon, ju(t without the range of fliot from the batteries of the town. The fame day on which the fleet pafled Fort Moultrie, the nrft parallel of the befiegers was fi- niflied ;. and the town bein^ now almod com- pletely invefted, both by fea and land, the BritiOi commanders fummoned general Lincoln to fur- render. His anfwer wa$ Ihort, but firm, and conveyed an implied reflexion againfl the Bri. nih commanders for their fuppofed tardinefs in making their approaches : — *' Sixty days,*' faid he, " have paifed fince it has been known that *• your intentions againft this town were hoftile, in which time has been afforded to abandon it ; but duty and inclination point to the propriety of fupporting it .to the lafl extremity." The fummons being ine^ectual, the batteries of the firil parallel were opened upon the town, and foon made a vifible imprelTion. But dill the communication between the country and the gar- rifon was kept open acrofs Cooper River ; and on the very day on whicli the fummons was fent to general Lincoln, the American general Woodford paiTed Cooper River with feven hundred contineh- tal troops, and entered the town. To aflifl in prefer ving this communication, general Lincoln had left his cavalry without the lines, with orders to traverfe and keep open the country to the eaft. ward of Cooper River, as being fhat through which he expefted to receive his reinforcements ; and by the fame route he hoped to be able to make ' ' . ■ ' good I •i;- ■ . .': Chtrlef. town. i C( (( (C , 4>,.,.,«^»«. kA" ..I'^f^"."?*-'*'- AMERICAN WAR, aoi , in kit. ty.fevcn ; r refpcfts niry into ored near e of ihot k * affed FoTt ;cT$ was fi- [noft com- the Briiifli Din to fur- ftrm, and ift the Bri- tardinefs in days," laid known that were hoftile, abandon it J the propriety iiity." le batteries ot letown, and But dill the ' and the gar- iiver; and on |s was fent to •al Woodford red contineii- , To affift in [neral Lincoln s, with orders fry to the eaft. ^hat through linforcements-, ,e able lb make good good his letreat with the garrifon, ifs^t lafl: he CHAP, ihould find the town no longer tenable ^. ^Silli* T9 ,780, , * The underwrirten Letter was interoepted and puUiflied by Sir Henry Clinton's orders during the liege of Charleftown. South Carolina, May 11, 1780, front B. Smith to Mrs. Denjamtn Smith, dated C|Mfrl(;(lQwn^ April 30, 1786, HAVING never had an opportunity of writing to her flncf the enemy began to a£l with vigour, and knowing that a thou^ fund evil reports will prevail to increafe her uneafin^fs — mine I have fupported pretty well until lad night, when I really almoft funk under the load : — Nothing remains around tp comfort me but a probability of faving nty life, • • . . • After go- ing through many difficulties, our affairs are daily declining, and not a ray of hope lemainstoaflureusoffuccefs. ■ . - The enemy have turned the fiege iiito a blockade, which, in a Ihort lime, muft have the deCred effe^ ; and the mod fangaine do not now entertain the fmalleft hope of the town being faved. The enemy have continued their approaches with vigour conti-> nually, (ince I wrote the inclofed, and are now completing bat> icries about two hundred yards diQance from our lines ; they fire but feldom from their cannon, but their popping oflF ri6es and fmall-arms do frequent niifchief, and every night throw out an amazing number , of (liells among(l our people at the lines* which, though not attended with the damage that might reafo« nahly be expected, do fome mifchief. Our communication is entirely cut off from the conntry (excepting by a fmall boat at great rifque) by lord Cornwallis, who occupies every landings place from Haddrili's Point, a confidcrable way up tlie river, with two thoufaod five hundred men. When I wrote laf}, it was the general opinion that we could evacuate the town at pleafure ; but a confidcrable reinforcement having arrived to the enemy, has enabled them to ftrengthen their polls fo effedtually as to prevent that meafure. The fame caufe prevents our re< ceiving further fupplies of provifions or reinforcements, and a fhort time will plant the Britifh flandard on' our ramparts. You will fee by the inclufed fummons that the perfons and properties of the inhabitants will be faved ; and confequently I expeA to have the liberty of foon returning to you ; but the army mufl be made prifoners of war. This will give a rude (hock to the inde- pendence of America ; and a Lincolnade will becume as common a term as Burgoynade : But I hope we (hall in time recover thii t sot HISTORY or TrtR CHAP. Tb cut off th* retreat of tbe garrifon, and to XXX^II^ preveht it from receiving. reinfoFcementS) were . ^ ^Q^ %>i>je£t8 of fuch in^portance that they had not ef< caped the attention of the BritiOi general. But the rtiaintainiilg his own communications with the i'ea bad required all the troops he could fpare from the immediate operations of the Aege, until the Britidi fleet paffed Fort Moultrie, ^nd gained the ' command of the water between it and Charlef- town. From this time fir Henry Clinton felt no farther apprehenfion about his own comihunicati. ons, and was enabled to detach lieutenant-colonel Webfler» with one thquiapd four hundred men, this fe*trt blow. However* before tfaii happemr, I hi^ I flull 1)6 Mrpniued to rprurn'lfoine^ xthcte I mal^nzy, ai my fituattoa will not permit me to lake my further an 9&ivt part ; and there* fare my abantiomng my property wtU AtfajeA me to marly iocoa* "ftakncies aad lo/fes, without Wi*a any way ferviceabie to the Country. - • . This l«ti«r will run great tiCt^vK, aa it will he furroQnded' on all fides i but asi I know tbe perfim to whofe ca^re it is committee}, and fi^el for yo^r dncalV fituation, I coak{ not but trufl it. AfTure yourfelf that I (ball flrortly fee you, ii nMhiffg prevents Lincoln's furretider bat a pbint of hqoour in hddiirg oot to the hH extremity. This ii n^rly at hand, » '^ car provifions will fboii fail { and my plan is to walk off as foo(i asi f cait obtain permi^lion. .... Should' your father b(t at home, make hint acquainted with tbe purport^c^ this letter, and remember tat to him t aife to yo^r Aiothet-^ h^t do not let the intelligence go out of the hoiifer - - - r but a mor. tifying fcene muil tirft b« encountered ; The thirteen firipft will be (evetled ji) fhKe doffty and 1 owic my life to th<; demieocj of a contjuerdr. Your ever afftit^iooiate bufband. r ' '. f (Signed) B. SMITH. Noff. Thofe parts filled up' with h;fphtnt contain e>tpreflions cf tfoiicinef^ to his wife, no" way rntereiling tO' l he publiq ; it^r uhich reafon v/c bare omitted topubUih tletely routed and difperfed, with the loft of all his ftpres, camp equipage, Jindh^ggajje*. • Fort^-tWQ hrgt mggonu qm hundred and two waggon* liorfet, eightV'two dragdon-hMfei, and feveral ofRctfi bories ; . a quantitf of anrmurthion, iloar, butter» cloathiitg, camp and horfe eqiuipage ; karndt for all the waggOM ; alTtlit oifi^eri cioathtng' aid baggage; together with five puncheons of . ruav , lix hogflieads of mufcovaao fugar, four barrels of indigo, a (|u»ntiiy of tea, coffee, fpices^ naifa in cAiki, fottie French tloth, three birieis of fiunpewder, light dragoon fwordt, tic^ He. found in a ftore, wnicH was fin on fire, and blown up bjr ih« e^releflaefs of the ccniinel, who, in going to draw ibme rum^ let it on fire, and in a Aort tint the Adre was blown up. The lofs of the Americans, in men, i^as major fitmie of rulalki'a kgiob of dragoons, three captains, one lieutenahf, and ten fti- ntes, killed ; fifteen priv;Ktes, one captain, and two lieuteaants, wounded; fifty- eigh^ privates, two captains, and three lieu- tenants, taken prilOners, including the wounded. M.iijor Birnie was mangled in the mod (hocking manner; he bad fevers.! weundsk a fevere one behind his car. This unfor^nate officer lived feveral hours« reprobating the Americans for ttitxi cOnduA on this occafion, and even in his lad moments curfing the' Britifh tor their barbarity, in having refbfed quarter after he had (»t- rendered. The writer of this, who was ordered On this expe- dition, afforded every afllftance in his power ; and had the ma« jor put upon a table, in a' public-houfe in the village, and a blanket thrown over him. The major, in his laft^ moftients, was frequently infulted by the piivates of the legion: Somt dragoons of the Britifh legion attempted to rivifh Kveral ladies at the hovfe of fir John Collington, in the neighbourhood of Monk's Corner. Mrs. . the wife of Do^or 6t Charledown, was niofl barbarOufly treated; fhe was a mod delicate and beautiful woman. Lady — — ^ received one or two wounds with a fword. Mifs ■ , fifier to major was alfo ill treated. The ladies » made their efcape, and t» .1. ii -«,■ »•♦ HISTORY OF THE CHAP. By this defeat a pafTage was opened acrofi tb« ^^-S head branches of Cooper Riyer for the remaindei , g- of the detachment to move forward and occupy the country to the eadward of it. Some days af- terwards, by the arrival of a reinforcement from New York, the commander in chief was enabled to fend another detachment acrofs Cooper River ^ and tHe command of the whqle was given to earl Cornwallis. The force detiched to the eadward of Cooper River was novjr fo cpnfiderabie as tp cut oflF from th^ garrifon ail reafoiiable hopes oi effeding a retreat. A council of war was called ; and by their advice, an offer was made for furrendering the town on certain conditions ; But th land, with two hundred feamen and marines, to ilitack the fort by land^ whild the (hips prepared toi batter it from the water ; and, on the lame dav alfo, the broken remains of the American cavaU i-y, which had been colleOed with great care by a colonel White, were again defeated by colonel Tarleton on the banks of the Santee. Whillt the Americans lay under the preffure of thefe ac- cumulated misfortunes, the Biitifli commanders, tvith a viewof faving the effufion of blood, thought proper once more to open a correfpondence with general Lincoln for the furrendcr of the town : But the earrifon or the inhabitants were not yet flifficiently humbled to accept of the terms that were ofFcred $ and hollilities were recommenced, ^rhe batteries of the third parallel opened upon the town, and did great execution } and at this ilhort diftance the HeiTian yagers, poded advanta- geoufly, fired their tiillcs with fuch efie^l, that numbefs of the befieged were killed at their guns, and fcarcely any efC'iped who ventured to (Iiew themfelves over the lines, During this fire, which continuedl for two days without intermiiTion, the heficgers gained the counterfcarp of the outwork that flanked the canal ; the cwb. CHAP. fererc juftke might have diftated, the Brhl/h XXXI I r. icommanders, unwilling to prcft to unconditional fubmiflion a reduced enemy, whom clemency might yrt reconcile, accepted the propofition, and agreed to grant the fante terms which had bcei\ S'SSilTf- ^^'^^^ rejeded. The capitulation was figned on " ' the twelfth of May ; and on the fame day the garrifon laid down their arms, and major-general Leflie took poiTefllon of the town. By the articles of capitulation the garrifon were allowed fome of the honours of war : They were to march out and depofit their arms between the canal and the works of the place j but the drums were net to beat a Britifh march, nor the colours to be un. cafed : The continental troops and feamen, keep. ing their baggage, were to remain prifoners^ oF war until exchanged : The militia were to be per- mitted to return to their refpedive Jiomes as pri. foners on parole ; and, while they kept their pa< role, were not to be molefted in their property by the BritiOi troops : The citizens of all deicrip- lions were to be confidered as prifoners on parole, and to hold their property in the town on the fame terms as the militia : 'i'he officers of the army and navy were to retain their fervants, fwords, pillols, and baggage, unfearchcd ; they were perniitteil to fell "their horfes, but not to remove them out of the town : And a flag of truce was to be fur- niftied to carry general Lincoln's difpatches to Philadelphia unopened. The lofs of the Britifli troops, during the fiege, amounted to feventy-fix killed, and one hundred and eighty-nine wounded ; that of the garrifon was not, in the whole, quite fo much : But irt the number of the flain was greater. The prifoners taken in Charleftown, including the deputy gover nor, and the council of the province, feveh ge. oeral ofEcers, a commodore, ten continental re- '^' '■"' : —■<:r-'- .'.;:'^*.--,; .,..,;■ :':-, _;,■ , ' giincnts, .V AMERICAN WAR. t07 the Brltiih conditional clemency >fition, and 1 had beei\ t figned on me day the ajor-geneial arrifcn were fhcy were to ;en the canal ims were net irs to be un- amen, kecp- prifoncrs^ of ;re to be per- lomes as prl. ept their pa. leir property f all delcrip- irs on parole, 1 on the fame the army and ords, piftols, re permitted )vc them out ^as to be fur- lifpatches to ing the ficge, one hundred the garrifon But ii\ the The ptifoners deputy gover ce, feven ge- )ntinental re- giments, * A Retura of the Shipi and VeHcls takea or dedroyed at tlic Siurrender of Chiirieilown. The Bricole, pierced for 60, mounting 44 guns, twemy-f-jur and eighteen pounders, funk | her captain, officers, and com- pany prifoncrs. The Truite, 26 twclre pounders, funk ; her captain, &c, prifoncrs. Queen of France, 28 nin« pounde •, fuok ; her captain, &<. prifoncrs. General Moitltt'ie, 20 Gk pounders, funk; ditto. Notre Dame (byrig), 16 ditto, funk; ditto. Providence, 32 eighteen and twelve pounders, taken ; captain and company prifoncrs. Bofton, of tlie fame force, taken ; ditto. RJanger, 20 fix poundtrs, taken ; ditto. French Ships. L'Avanture, 26 nine and (Ix pounders, com- manded by the Siei;r de Brulot, Lieutenant de/Vaiifcaux, taken. and company. Polacre, 16 (ix pounders, taken. Some entpty brigs, lying at the wharfs, with other fmall vcf- fels, were alfo taken, and four ar.iicd gaikys. and 1780. giments, but much reduced; three battalions o^yi^y^.^ artillery, with town and country militia, amount- ^ cd t9 more than five thoufand men ; to whom mud be added about one thoufand American and French Teamen, and near four hundred pieces oi ordnance, with a confiderable quantity of ftorea** The commandet in chief, in hit public orders iflfded after the furrender of the town, and in his difpatthes to the fecretary of (late, was lavifh irt encomiums upon the ofncers who ferved under him, and the troops he commanded. The a0l(t- ance he received durine the fiege from his general officers, earl Cornwaliis, major-generals Lefiie, Huvne, and Kofpotch, and brigadier-general Pat- terlon, is not only honourably remembered but thankfully acknowledged. The merits of captain Elphinllon of the navy, who conduced all the naval operations relating to the army in its progrefs from North £di(lQ to Charleftown, and in the paf- fage of AOiley River, and alfo of all the other officers and feamen ferving on (hore during th€ fiege, are warmly recommended to the notice of the king, together with the fervices of the oiHcer^ :/ a ;lv f \\ V • il m \ iot H I S t R V O tf t H E- CHAI*. and foldiers of the royal artillery, the corjig of XXXi'lT* engineers, and in (hort of every other corps, 17804 livhethfer Britifli or Heflian, but mote particularly of the yager detachment. The names of litiite. nant-colonels Webfter and Tarleton, but above all of the chidf engineer major Moncrieff, fill up the lifl: of brave and meritorious officers that are particularly mentioned. The fervices of the two firft of thefe have been already noticed in the ,i progrefg of the fiege : By the bravery of the one, and the good conduct of the other, the Country ^ . to the eaftward of Cooper River was opened ta the Britiih troops, the American cavalry routed and difperfed^ and the communication between , . the town and the country cut off t And with re- \ fpe£t to the lad of thefe officers, no language cai\ exprefs more forcibly than that of the commander .> in chief, the fenfe which he entertained df his very extraordinary merit. . Thefe are his words : ** But to major Moncrieff, the commanding en- ** girieeri who planned, arid, with the affiftance " of fuch capable officers under him, condu6led the fiege with fo much judgment, intrepidity, and laborious ;^ttention, I wilh to render a tri- bute of the very highell applaufe and moft per- manent griltitude ; perfuaded that far more flattering commeiidations than I can bedow will not fail to crown ftich rare merit.'* Of this officer it may be remarked, that he was not more happy in the poffeffion of fuperlor talents than fortunate in occafions to difplay them. The fucceffive fieges of Savannah and Charleflown furnifhed him with opportunities of exemplifying his {kill in the two principal branches of his pro' feffion, the art of defetice, and that of attack: In both, his mafterly defigns were crowned wiili j fuccefs ', nor is it eafy to determine in which of - ^ them « (C •( (C ••'*t''* - AMERICAN WAR. Ji»f corps of »r corps* rticu\ar\y of lieiite- but above :ff, Wl up s that arc f the two ced in the 3f the one, he country opened to jilry touted jn between rtd with re- anguage cafi ; commander ained df his . his words: ,mahding en- the afliftance n, condu'Sled :, intrepidity, , render a tri- artd ittoft pe^ lat far more can bellow .erit. (d, that he was perior talents ihem. 'l'l>c Charleftowa exempiity»ng ^es of his pro* .at of attack: crowned with |e in which of them them his gr«at attainments in his profeffioQ flicyoeCH A F^ with the brighfelt luttre. *.^^iSi' WhiHl the Brltifh ar;ns were thns employed in ~^^{o, South Carolina, the Spaniards made a fr«::fli incur- incurfiont fion into Weft Florida, and fuicceeded in reducing •[^'J^^'^p*' the town and fort of Mobiile, with the adjoining Weft fio- country. In the month of January Don Bernards "<^^' de GaJY€8 failed from New Orleans, with » fleiet confiftiflg of iixteeo arioed veifels, and a riiumb^r of tranfports, having on board one thousand fiy^ litundfed regular troops, and five hundred people of colour. On his paflage he was overtaken by n llorm, in which feveral of his veflels w.eir« loft* with a number of his troops, afi^ great part of his provifions, artiUery, and ammunition. Wiill tbe rfft he arrived oft* the entrance Into MobiUf Bay, and iajuled upon the point of land forinH^ the eaftern extremity of that inlet, where hfi r^i* mained until he obtained a reinforcement of meiii, and a frefii Aippiy of pro^ ifions, artiU«ry, and ammunition. Wh(3n thefe airrived DoiB3e;mardp de Calves again einharked his troops, imd, fuimg up the Bay, lainded at Dog River, aboi^t four miles from MobiUe, on the twenty-fifth of Fe- bruary. From thence he advanced againft tbe ibrt, and proceeded to make regular approaches* a wafte of Is^uff and tune that feemed unn«G«C- fary againft aplaee fo lotalJy unprovided ^ d^ . fence. 1 he fort had been originally built lOnly 9$ I prote^ion againft the Indians ; and, .after j$ came into the poiTeifion of Great Britain, had been fuffered to go ko decay, until the beginning of the pcefent year, when captain Bumford* the chief engineer at Penfaooia, was fent to ^ut it in a (late of defence. But this, it feems, was impc^ bk, without an immeofe expence of money, an{l lagveMer length of time than interyened between jliaa Kd^ing the oommaod, and t)ta acrivsd of ihp Wi^ U. P Spaniards. > \ i!' «l« HlSTORYOF THE I. I' K Pa ^ H , .U Yv '^v** Sp*^'^'^"' '' ^*8 garrifoned by a company of ^ y*^ the fixtieth regiment, amoynting to eighty two 1760; ^^^i including officers ; and to thefe were added, upon the approach of the Spaniards, thirty •fix .ifailprs, forty-five militia, and fixty pe<^le of co, lour. On the fourteenth of March the Spaniardl opened a battery upon the fort, of eleven pieces of heavy cannon, which, in twelve hours, da* maged its defences fo entirely, and rendered it (• untenable, that the commanding officer thought fit to capitulate. Honourable terms were ob* tained ; and, although it was fcarcely poflible for the garrifon to hold out longer, their furrender itt this critical moment was, afterwards, a caufe of regret, when they were informed that general Campbell, with feven hundred nten, was then i part of the ,nof theonlv ;o\n had left puih CaroliM e exp€^^t^<^> hicf, imincdi- ,eU calculated eeninadc,aBy thofe of tlie Americail Amnerican cavalry who had furvived their laft de- C H A P. feat by Tarletpn, made a fhew of oppofition to ■'^^^^^Jlj the Britifti intered j and endeavoured to keep alive ,^8a the expiring hopes of the Americans. The fe- cond of thefe expeditions was to proceed up the foutfa-wcfft fide of the Santee to the diftrtd of Ninety-fix, in order to confirm and encourage the loyal, and reduce the difafiedled : And the third, with a fimilar intention, to move up the banks of Savanflah to Aug uila. In the mean time the commander in chief, who had received information that a French arma- ment, with tranfpmrts and troops, might be ex- * peded on the coaft of America, to co-operate with general Washington, was bufily employed in ^paring for his return to New York, and in cda^liihing fuch regulations for furthering and fecoring the Britifli intereft in South Carolina, as were neceflary, previous to his departure. AHiiaddreft Itsnd biir was publiihed and circulated amongft <« ^« >°- thc inhabitants^ by which they were reminded^ S^'soiIS that as the'commander in chief, upon his firft ar- Carolina, rival in the province, had taken no (lep whatfo- ever to excite the loyal inhabitants to rife in fa-^ Tour of government, whilft the king's troops em- ployed in the fiegeof Charleftown might be un- aUe to ftffift thefti in their efforts, nor wiflied to draw the king's friends into danger whtldany doubt could remain of their fuccefs ; fo now, that fuccefs was certain, he trufted that one and I aU would heartily join, and by a general con- currence give effect to fach neceflary meafures ^s might from time t9 time be pointed oiit. The helpuig hand of every man, it was faid, was wanted to re-e(lablilh peace and good government. IThofe who had families might ^m a militia to Iretnain at home and prefe|?ve peace and good or* |der in their own diftridst whilft thofe who were -i .. P i young, - , I * sift HISTORY OF THE wf- GH A P. young, and had no families, it was expend J]^'^!^ woald be ready to affift tiie king's troops in driv- 1780. ™S ^^^" oppreflbrs, and alt perfons whatfoever afting under the authority of congrefs, far from the province ; and, for this purpofe, that they fliould prepare therofelves to ferve with the king's troops for any fix out of the next twelve months, under officers of their own choice, and with this expr^fs ilipulation, that they fliould be allowed, when on fervice, the fame pay, ammunition, and provifions, as the king's troops, and fliould not be obliged to march beyond North Carolina on the one fide, or Georgia on the other. Hav. isig ferved for that period, it was faid, that they would have paid their debt to their country, . would be freed from all further claim of military fervice, except the ufuai militia duty at home^ and would be entitled to enjoy undifturbed that peace, liberty, and fccurity of property, wWeh Maj. they had contributed to eilablifh. A proclama. tion was alfo iflued by the commander in chief, en the twenty fecond of May, by which effefbal countenance, protection, and fupport, were pro> mifed to the kings faithful and peaceable fub- jetts, and the mod exemplary feverity, with con* fifcation of property, denounced againft thofe who fhould hereafter af^ear in arms within the province againO; his tnajefty's government, or who (hould attempt to compei any others to do A>, or who ihould hinder ,or intimidate any of die kiiig^s faithful and loving fnbjeAs from joining his forces, or perforni'ing thofe duties w^ich their allegiance required. And on the firft df Juiu another proclamation was iiTued, in the n%me of j fir Henry Clinton and admiral Arbothnot, as ^on* | mifliouers for redoriiig peace to the colonies, by which, a full and free pardon was promifed to all j thbfe who, having b«en iiufled from their duty, ihould nant-cc Ceri; the fu mm AMERICAN W/IRj 2>l» expend s in driv- rhatloever far from that they the king's /c months, 1 with this e allowed, nition, and ^ould not JaroUna on tier. Hav. 1, that they \t countfy, of iniUt»ry ty at home^ (lathed that perty, which A. proclama- ler in chief, tiich effeftaal »t, were pro- eaceable fub- ty, withcon- againft thofe IS vr«thin tho vernmeiit, or others to do ateany of Ae I from joming ies which thdi firft 6f ]m i the n^e ^ ithnot, as 90»- le cG^nies, by >romifed to all >m their duty, ftiould itfUo, Ihat^d ihimdcKatdy Return to their alleeianc^, and CHAP, a due obedience to the kws, excepting only foch . ^ ' as were polluted with tlve blood of their fellow- citizensy (hed under the mock forms of jnftice for their loyalty to their fovercigm, and adherence to the Bridiifh government : By the fame proclama- tion, the profniil''e of eiFedual countenance^ prow te^kion^ aAd fapport, was renewed to the loyal and well-afife^led ; arid, asfoon as the fituation of the province would admit of it, a r^ihflatemene of the mhabitantv in the poiTeflion of a^U tbofe rights anld iilnmtinitieS' which they formerly enjoy- ed under the Britifli goveminent ; aind alfo an ex- ^nnption from taication, except by theh o#n le- giflatord. Tbefe meafures feemed well calcnlated it* effeft. to encourage cLe loyal,, and intimidate the difaf^* feded 'f ahd appear to havd produced a con&der- ableeiedt. IV^ft of the people round Cbarlef* to#n cam& iny afnd ofFored to flaud forth in de- fence of. the Britifh government ; and not a few a&ually took up arais;, and placed themfelve^ un^- der the direction of major Fergufon, who was appointed tc comntand them. General WilKimibnr^ and thd mtlitia of the dl^lrifb of Ninety -fix, fubmitted to the officer who com- manded the expeditbn into that part of the coun- try 'f and the inhabitafits in the fouthern patrta of the province made the like fffbrnftfTion to the Britifh officer commaiufing at JB^anfort. Nearly about *' the fame time alfb, the commander in chief rie>- - cetved the plcafing intelligence that the continen- tal troops and militia under colonel Burford had been completely routed and difperfed by lieute- nant-colonel Tarletony who was fern by lord GernwalHs in parfuit of them, immediately after the furreiidef of Chair Idi own colonel Burford, V hofe ^P^ I •^1 h ••4 HISTORY OF THE c H A P. whofe force confitted of three hundred and eighty gi^'^^^ continental infantry, a detachment ofWa(hington*s J780. cavalry, and two fix pounders, quitted his poll on the banks of the Santee, and began a retreat up the north-eaft fide of that river, with a view of retiring into the back country of North Caro- lina to join a reinforcement which he expeded to meet him by that route. Earl Cornwallis did not begin his march in purfuit of him until the eigh. teenth of May, and then moved on towards Cam* den. After crofling the Santee, and marching fome days on the road by which Burford had re- treated, finding him too far advanced to be over- taken by the main body of his detachment, lord .iVv CornwalUs difpatched lieutenant* colonel Tarleton, with forty-men of the feventeenih regiment of dragoons, one hundred and thirty of the cavalry of the legion, and one hundred mounted infantry of the fame corps, to endeavour by forced marches pefeat of to come up with him. By this officer, after a ^^^i' march of one hundred and five miles in fifty, fiurford. four hours, Burford was overtaken at Waxhaws, on the borders of North Carolina, on the twenty? ninth of May, and defeated, with the lofs of al- mofl all his detachment, and the whole of hii > . artillery, ammunition, and baggage. The exe* cution done in this adion was ievere t One hun- dred and thirteen were killed on the fpot, and two hundred and three made prifoners, of whom one hundred and fifty were badly wounded. Bur* , ford made his efcape by a precipitate 6ight on horfeback. The king's troops were entitled to great commendation for their a£^ivity and ardour j on this occafion, but the virtue of humanijty wat totally forgot. The lofs of theBritifh troops wa< ' ' ]trifling} two officers and three privates being kijied WQUQi Th( South B^rfo parts tbeBi ^: I ••f AMERICAN WAR. ««$ one officer and fourteen privates CHAP. *^ XXXIII. wQunded *: The laft remains o( the continental force in South Carolina being extirpated bv the defeat of B^rford at Waxhaws, and the inhabitants in moft piMTts of the province having either fubmitted to tbe Britiih government, or taken paroles from the officers 1780. * Upon the roarcb to Camden the Britiih trobpi wer« fup- pofted from the country through which they fitted. A number o^Dej:toes» mounted on horfes, \vcre employed tinder proper coaduAor* io driving in cattle for ihe fupiwrt of the army, aq^* . tbPW^ ihcy were io general very fmall, the army was pleotifullx JapgHeid. t . ihe cattle were delivered alive to the regiments, who folliidiheir own botchers. On the 1 ft of June the royal arniy totiitpsflelSen of Camden, in a day or two after which. colonel TiHettm jpioed the army at Camden, diftaat nearly one hundred nUicl/roin Cbarleftown. Upon the approach of the army to Cagtjen the author, who had thie honour of being commiflarjr to (he troops under lord Cornwallis, was bv his lordfliip ordered to move on irt front, to poft ceminels, and take charge, of fuch ftores is might be found in the town. In confetjuence of that orderi ■* millbdongiog to a colonel Kerfliaw was taken pofleffion of; in it was found a quantity of wheat and floiir. In a ftore beioiiging to Jofeph and Eli Kcrihaw was found a quantity of oerchandiz'e ; 21 rice tietces, 3 hogflieads and a half of indi- goi'fome tea, fugar, coffee, and linen, which were fent to the general hofpital. A quantity of fait, 20 barrels of flour^ 18 ditto Indian corn meal, one hoglhead of rum, a quantity of Incon and hams, butter, brimftone, axes and wedges, fcot to the cMgineer department. Rhubarb in root, damaged, iisnt to tke general hofpital. A number of bats, and fomt grcMi cloth, dili^buted to the troops. In a barn Hear the river ninety hog- Iheadi of tobacco, part of which was dedroyed l^ the troops, the reft was ordered by lord Cornwallis to be fent to Charlef- town. We fliail have Dccafion hereafter to fliew how the indigo aqd tobacco were difpofed of. Near 100 head of ca'tle were ffluod in and near the town, together with Ibme (beep. Lord Cornwallis ordered the commiflaries to give no receipt to colonel Kcrihaw for the property taken from him, as he was deemed a Jttj violept man, and who was faid to have oerfecuted the loy- alifts. We will hereafter afEgn our reafpns for beipg (o particg- fv. A return was made every night to lord Cornwalirs of all fpeCiet of property taken in the courfe of the day, of its diftrir- btttion, and of the amount in hand. '■'-.■ .' ,* h ' ? 'I *i6 HISTORY Ol? THE ^ YVr^ officelrj commanding the detachments fent amonfj^ft ,^^2™!!* them, the commander in chief, confidering the 1780. province as completely reduced, thought fit, pre- vious to his departure for New York, to alter the condition of thufe who had fubmitted upon pa* roFe ; and, in(lead of confidering them any longer as prifoners, to require of them the duties, and entitle them to the rights of active citizens, and loyal fubjedts. For this purpofe, a proclamation was i0ued, bearing date the third of June, de- claring that all the inhabitants of the province who were prifoners on parole, except thofe who were in the military line, and thofe who were in Fort Moultrie, or in Charleftown, at the time of the furrender of thofe places, or who were then in aAual confinement, ibould, from and after the t\ir6ntieth of that month, be freed and exempted from all fuch paroles, and be reflored to all the rights and duties of citizens and inhabitants: !BKit, by the fame proclamation, it was alfo deelar^ ed that all pterfons under ihe above defcription, who fhouid afterwards negled to return to their allegiance, and a due fubmifiion to his majelly's government, fhouid be confidered as enemies and rebels to the fame, and be treated accordingly. Thefe general regulations having been eflablifhed, •t„Qe. the coraflftander in chief, on the fifth of June, embarked for New York, carrying with him all tlie troops that could be fpared, leaving lieute- nant-general earl Cornwallis in the command of thole that remained, with the charge of profecut- ing the war in Korth Carolina as foon as the fea- fpn of the year, and other circumflances, would permit. y DUpefition The foTcc left uTtder lord Cornwallis afmounted f>'*«^'"P*'P' to about four thoufand men ; and as the expedi- icuoUoa. tion into North Carolina was neceffarily delayed, from the heat of the feafbn, the impoflibility of fubfiftiDg AMtRicAK war; 217 t amxjn*gft Icring the [jt fit, pre- o alter the upon pa> any longer iuties, and [izens, and oclamation f June, de- te province : thofe who nho were in the time of were then and after the nd exetnpted red to all the inhabitants: a aVfo declar- e defer iption, :turn to their his majefty's ( enemies and accordingly, en eftabliihed, fifth of ]vmc, with him all eaving lieute- 6 command of re of profecut- oon as the fea- lances, would alUs araountfld as the cxpedi. I ffarily delayed, impoffibility of fubfifting i;fta. fuhfiftinsj a* arm^y tn that province until the har- CHAP. veft was over, aftd the neceflity of forming maga- *^^'"' zvtws, with a chain 6f dommunirptions properly ^'~*~' fecured before the expedition was begun, th« troops Were in the mean time (o difpofed in can. toftments m to cover the frontiers both of Soutlt Carolina and Georgia, and fecure their internal (fuiet. TtS« principal forc« irpon the frontiers was at Camden, under t-bc command of lord Rawdon : It cokufilted of the twenty-third and thirty-third regiments, the voiftfltears of Ireland, the legion cavalry, Browft's and Hamilton's corps of prcK- vi^ials, and a detachmcirt of artillery. Ma^or MV Vrthur, with thd two battalions of the feventy- iirlb, was advanced to Cheraw Hill, upon the river Pedee, to covet the eountl'y between Canu den aikl Georgetown, and ro correfpond with the bigiitand fettlemenc on Crofs Creek, in North C»- mlina: Afkd Georgetowti was garrifoned by » detachment of provincials under captain Saunders dff the queen's raiigers. Canfden was conneded with the didri^t of Ninety^fM by a ftrong poft at Rocky Mount, upon the Wateree, garrifoned by the New York volunteers, and Ibme militia, under lieutenant colonel Tnrnbult. At Ninety. fix were ftationed three battalions of provincials, and fome companies of light- infantry^ an firfl commanded l»y lieiut^nant-cblonel BE^four, and afterwards by lieutenant' colonel Cruger. Major Fergufon's corps of provincials, and a body of loyal militia, were not f^tionary, btst traverfed the country be* fween the Watetee and the Saluda, and fometimes approached the confines of North Carolina. At /\iigufta lieutenant-colonel Brown commanded with hisf own, and detachments from fome other regiments. The reft of the troops were Rationed at Charleftown, Beaufort, and Savannah : Briga> dier>general PatterloA commanded at the firfl of " thefe 1 K \ V '/ W I M ai8 CHAP XXXiil. 1780. Adoiini- ftntion of H I S T O H.t OF THE thefe places, and lieutenant-colonel Alured Ciwke at the laft. And at Camden was to be formed the principal magazine for the intetided exp«dj|- tion. , •Hr "(,•. Upon earl Cornwallis, as commander in chief in South Carolina, devolved alfo the care of ad« ^'Hui^'^^jufting the internal affairs, and eflablifliing fuch nander in regulations, whether civil or commercial, as m^ht flwth'ca- ^ neceffary for its future profperity; and, to roUm. enter upon this arduous talk, he repaired to Char, leftown, as foon as he had fixed the pofls, and cantoned the troops in the manner already mtn-, tioned. A correfpondence had been kept up with the loyalifts in North Carolina : And, as the en* pedition into that province was neceflarily delayr ed» his lordfhip fent emiffaries amongft them to requeft the welKaffefted to attend to their harveft« coUed proviiions, and remain quiet till the king's troops were ready to enter the province, yrbi^li would not be till the end of Auguft, or begiqf ging of September. But, unfortunately, ^ji prudent and neceffary admonition was not attepd* ed to. A number of loyal ids in Tryon CqupQ[' having prematurely affembled in arms under i colonel More, towards the end of June, were quickly routed and dilperfed by a provincial ibrce under general Rutherrord. This unfuccefsful io^ furredion furniihed a pretence for perfecuting the loyalifts in other parts of the province ; their gaolt were filled with loyalifts, and every day added 4 vi^im to their gibbets : Such were the fufierings of the loyaliAs ; and (q haraffed and oppreffed were they, that about eight hundred of them, who had intended to wait the approach of the king's troops, at length loft all patience, and, affembling under a colonel Bryan, quitted their habitations, and marched towards South Caroii* na, where, (hey were foiituaate enough to arriy; ; • > ,. unmolefted, AMERICAN WAR. 219 d Clwke rmed the e3cp«di- • in chief re of ad- ding fuch , as might ; and, to d to Char- poft»» and eady nwB»- ;pt up with as th^ en* nUy delayr 5ft them to icir harvcft* 1 th€ king's inc«, :wW«h , or bcgWi'' natcly, ^>t not attend- yon County ms under A June* ^it vinciallorcc :ucccf8ful ins* rfftcutingthc 1; theifgaote day adde4 4 die ftt&nngs nd opp»«ff«at»cnce, and» quitted their South CojqW- ugh to arriv? unmolefted, unmoleded, and joined major M* Arthur's detach- CHAP, ment at Cheraw Hill. Never was a finer body of ^^"^' men colleded : ftrong, healthy, and accuftomed ^,^g„. to the feverity of the climate } had they been properly difciplined, they might have rendered the molt important fervices. Upon their march- ing into Camden they prefented to our view the horrors of a civil war. Many of them had not feen their families for months, having lived in the woods to avoid the perfecution of the Americans. Numbers of them were in rags, mod of them men of property. There were men in Bryan's corps who pofliefled fome hundred acres of land, farms highly cultivated, and well (locked : Thefe, with families and friends, they abandoned, to manifcft their attachment to the Britifli gpvern- ment. * > In the mean time lord Cornwallis was bufily employed at Charleftown in forming regulations for the internal government of South Carolina, and in forwa>-ding to Camden the fupplies want- ed for the army upon the intended expedition. A board of police was eflabliflied for the admini- ftration of juiHce, until the fituation of the pro- vince (hould admit of the regular reftoration of its former civil government. Commercial regu- ktions were made for permitting to a certain ex- tent the exportation of the produce of the coun- try; and great pains were taken to inroll the mi- litia, and prepare, for aflifting in the defence of the province. In mod cafes paroles were exchang- ed for protections, accompanied with a renewal of allegiance; and for fome weeks an univerfal calm fucceeded the agitations with which the pro- vince was lately didraded*. ^ But • rrom the time.that the Brit^fb army entered Camden, until this period, it was wholly fupported by fuppliet firom the nei^h- ^,;.^,u„.-. ,: ! - . bouring I I , li \l i\) '( ■\ W '\ CHAP. XXXIII. 1780. Counter* rcToludon tinong: ihofe who had fubmit- ted to the Eawer of ritain on the fall of Chulef- tawn. HISTORY or THE But it was not long before the feeds of difcon- tent appeared, which, when fully matured, pro. duced a counter revolution in the minds and in> clinations of the people as complete and as uni- vcrfal as that which fucceeded the fall uf Charlef* town. Of thofe originally attached to the Ame« rican caufe, who, fmce the capture of Charlef* town, had fubmitted to the Britiih government, either by taking the oath of allegian<:e, or ob> taining a parole, fome were influenced by the ruinous appearance of American affairs, the de^ fpair of ultimate fuccefs, and a wifli to fave the femains of thdr property that had efcaped the ravages and devaftations of war ; others were in- fluenced by the fear of punifliment, if they per- fifted longer in maintaining an oppofition appa. rently fruitlefs ; and not a few by the hope of being fuSered to live quietly upon their estates, as prifoners upon parole, and enjoying a kind of neutrality during the remainder of the war. The determination of congrefs to fend a part of gene^ ral Waihington's army to the alTidance of their adherents iii South Carolina, and the vigorous sxertions of the colonies of Virginia and North Carolina to get a body of men in the field for the lame purpofe, quickly difpelled the apprehenfioni of the two fird of tbefe clafles, and roufed afreih their hoped \, And the laft of thefe claflfes of meo was very early difguRed by the proclamation of fir Henry Clinton, which, without their confent, abrogated the paroles that had been granted, and, bouring diflrifls. The militia were employed in colledling Indian corn tu be ground into meal, which, i/Tued when new, made a good fubltirute for wheat. They were alfo employed in ^olleif- ing cattle and (hecp; they were allowed four (hilhngs and eigkt pence per head tur cattle, and two fliillings and eleven pence itcrling per head for iheep (for driving only). The owners hd n'cher a receipt or a cenificate given them, (unleli avowedly hof- file}. ""'^ ^"■■•"■'' " '■'"'" in AMERICAN WAR. ••» difcon- d, pro- and in- as uni- Charlef- le Amc- Charlef. >rnment, ;, or ob- I by tl'.c , the de* fave the :aped the i were in- thcy per- tioii appa* e hope of sir ellates, a kind of war. The rt of gener pe of their ic vigorous and North ield for the prehenfioni oufed afrclt ffes of men amation of leir confcw, ■anted, and, \i in one indant, converted them either into loyal CHAP. fubjedh or rebel*. If it was proper policy at firft ^^^!*^ to hold a middle courfe between thefe oppofitc ,.g, extremes, the fame policy required that it mould have been continued Ibme time longer ; and that the condition of the inhabitants (hould have been altered, rather at their own application, either individually or colle£tively, than by the arbitrary power of the commander in chief. In this man- ner a proper difcrimination might have been made between the inhabitants who were really loyal, and thofe who were nominally fo: But, bv pur- fuing the oppofite courfe, they were all blended indifcriminately together. Even the violent re- volutionid, unlefs he chofe to leave the country, was obliged to aifume the appearance of loyalty : And thus the foundation of mutual jealoufy and didruft was laid amongd the inhabitants them* felves. The revolutionids complained that their condition was altered without their concurrence } and the loyalids murmured becaufe notorious re- bels, by taking the oath of allegiance, and putting on a fliew of attachment, became entitled to the fame privileges with themfelves. WhiUt thefe difcontents begin o prevail, intel-Thede ligence arrived that m.^jor^general Baron detachment Kalbe, with a detachrncnt of two thoufand tnen, ['.^"Jr^f kom Walhington's atmy^ had advanced -as fat a« ington't ar. Hillfborough, in North Carolina, and was prepar. ^^^[^"ci! ing to move forward to Salifbury, where colonel roiint., Pttrterlield, with three hundred Virginians, and Rutherford, with fomc North Carolina militia, bad taken pod : That Cafwell, with one thoufand live hundred militia of th« fame prdvince, had narched from Crofs Creek to Deep River, in order to join the baron de Kalbe on the road to Salifhury; that two thoufand five hundred Virgi- nia miliria were upon their march to the fouth- '■■',... ^. >.■,./, . ward; ^••. <-"'J ^, ^^?** t ly 1 I k 9 ' ' irXt HISTORY OF TH* i7to. Mere- mentiofthe Americaa colonel Swnpter. CHAP. ^ard; and that the affembljr of Virginia bai ^J^_''. voted five thoufand men to be imaiediateiy' draughted from the militia* who were to ferve as; corps of obfervationk This tnrelligence increafed the ill-humour of thofe inhabitants of South t^ rolina who were difaflfeded to the Britifli govern- ment, and cherifhed the fptrit of revolt, which began to dil'cover itfelf ; when not long afteN wards information was received that congrefs had determined to make a bold effort for the recover]r of South Carolina and Georgia, and that major- general Gates, whofe fame bad been already efla. bliflied at 'Saratoga, was appointed to the com-. mand of the fouthern army. Befides thofe corps of the enemy already mentioned, a colonel -Sump^ ter, who had fled out of the province after the conqueft of Charleftown, had influence enough to attach to himfelf a number of rhe people in that part of North Carolina where he had taken refuge, and with thefe, joined to fome refugees^ from his own province, forming a kind of flying camp, he had advanced as far as the Catawba fet» tlement. In confdquence of fuch threatening movements on the parr of the enemy, lord Raw* don found it neceflary to make an alteratiiMi in the difpofition of his pods, with a view of mak> ing them more compad ; and major M* Arthur^ whofe poft at Cheraw Hill was moll expofed, re- ceived orders to fall back. About this time, that fpirit of revolt, which {lad been hitherto reftrained by the ait\ance of the continental force now advancing to tUe fouth- ward, burft forth into action : And it made its appearance in two diflPerent quarters of the pro- vince nearly about the fame inftant of time. Ever fince the fall of Charlefltown the command of the militia, in the diflrid bordering on the rivers Tyger and Enoree, had been given to a colonel ■. iv.._ A ME R TC A N WAR. »*3 lediately' I govern - it, whicli ng ifteN ^grefs had, ! rccovety lat major- eady cfta- the com- hofe corp* lAeV'Sanp' i after the cc enou^ ; people in : had taken (le refugees, id of flying ^atawba fet» ireatening lord Raw- ilteration in 6w of inak- Nl^ArthuTj Bxpofed) re- Bvolt, which oii'^ance of to tUc fouth- it made its of the pro- nt of time. le command ering on the n given tea i78«, colonel Floyd, their former commander, colonel CHAP. Neale, a violent perfecutor of the loyalifts, hav-^^^^*'* ing fled out of the province. One Lifle, who had -^ belonged to this corps whilft it was ur.der the command of Neale, and who had bees ba- niihed to the iflands upon the fea-coail as a prifo- ner upon parole, availing himfeif of the com- mander in chief's proclamation of the third of June, took the oath of allegiance, and exchang- ed his parole for a certificate of his being a good fubjed. Returning to his former abode, he ob- tained a command under colonel FIoy4, and as foon as the battalion of militia was Fupplied with arms and ammunition, had the traiterous addrefs to carry it off to colonel Neale^ his former com- mander, who had joined Sumpter in the Catawba fettlement. This mftance of treachery happened m the north-weft quarter ' of the province ; and nearly about the fame time a fimilar inftance oc- curred in the north>eaft part of it. When it be- came neceflary for major M* Arthur to retire front . Cheraw Hill, he embarked in boats the Tick of his detachment, amounting to near an hundred, and ordered them to fall down the Fedee, to the Britiih poft at Georgetown, under an efcort of militia commanded by colonel Mills ; but as foon as the bpats had proceeded fo far as to be out of the reach of afliftance from major M* Arthur, the militia rofe upon their commanding officer, and carried the fick into North Carolina as prifoners. Colonel Mills with fome difficulty made his ef^ <;ape. Sumpter being joined by the battalion of mili- Hisattempt tia under Lifle, completely armed and furnifhed ^f^^^^' with ammunition, his adive genius led him to un- roc^ **^ dertake without delay fome enterprife againfl the Mount. ,, Britiih outpofts. Towards the end of July he . marched from the Catawba fettlement with nine hundred .A tti HISTORY f T |I E .1 /'x' f' u if'' f c H A P. KttRdrf d i»«ii; a«4 on tlwj thim«arti of th« SSi «*<*''*^ wade ?n attack on tfee BritiA pdl at RQ<;ky ,^jj^ MouDt, whfris iieuteflidQt coip»cl Ti«ri»bull. <;oqar manded. wiit|i one buadred and fifty of the corpi oil^»w York volunteers, and fpiv« inilkia. Ko«ky JMount was abjy defesdml by Ti»tnbuU, wilbJ^M little garrifon; and Suqspter, after being, fepu^fed u) tbree different attacks, with a cemfideTabieM pf men, was obl^ed to defiit He netreated an^ailt . jtowards the Cajtabaw fettleniefit^ without beij^ difcouraged by th^ want of fuccefs ; find, as iow^ as he bar This poll was occupied by the 'mhTktry of the legion, part of Brown's corps of provincials, a^i colonel Bryan's North Carolina refugees; the whole being under the command of major Gardei of the Fpince of Wales's American regiment Sumpter dire^ed his attack againfl: tl^ quarter of the poft which was occupied by colonel Bryan and > his refugees, and was fortunate enough to furprife them : This corps was but ill fupplied with am- munition, and had no bayonets. It is difiicuk even for the bed difciplined men to withftandthe sffedts of a furprife ; but, for undifcipiined men it is tmpoflible. The refugees fled wich the utmoft precipitation, and fpread confufion through ever/ quai'ter of the pod Sumpter, profiting by tin confufion, advanced with rapidity, and for a time feemcd to carry every thing before him. At ^ length the legion of infantry, and the detachment from Brown's corps, by making three de^rate charges with the bayonet, checked his progreis. Still, however, he perfevered, and the fate of the attack remained doubtful, when the appearances of ft xeiofoccemrnt changed entirely the fortune of the "#"=•- A-MERlCA)ft #AK. of ;lh« »t Rocky the co'P* a. Rocty i, 9S few ^y MoUttU itry of tlw iociatb, ^ iugees; th( jkjor Gard« I regimentt fct quarter of 1 Bryan and h 10 furprifc ed vrith am- : i« difitcvik vithftandthe riplined men th the tttmoft irough every ting by tk id for a time e him. At e dfitachmem iree de^ratt bis progTfib. le fate of tlJe ippearancesof le fortune 01 ^ the *H 1780. the dayv This teinforc^ment confided only of CHAP, forty mounted iafantry of the legion who werd^^^'i returning from Rockv Moi^nt.: But the captains Stevt art and Macdonald, who commanded it, by ordering the men to exteiic} ^heir files, gave it the appearance of a formidatble detachment. The Itogle horns were' dire&ed to found a charge: AM^Ie Avnerkant, ilmdy kept at bay, were iio# fiitrfaiof being «rcrpowered, and baftily retreat- ed« leaving biehindcfaem about one hundrec^df di^kiHed Mid wounded* ^"Qie lofs of the Britifli troops in MpeHingthis «lO»k^ doe9 Birt appear to haVe been exadW af- eerariiid^ but it is admitted to have beencp| ricans towards their right, orders were fent to the I Britifli Pritifl evacu of its of his the re po(t ai Wexhi lord i attemp f«tr,fc CtfBeic, lion at I htiiitan •pvnly^ in othei (he exai (srity. ^achm I aerofs th I lubitanti ((^ inten (be road] \t prefe led to hi) I Creek, [toadvan Camdenc j the part Idyiord ight [the civil dmepai wb«e t| 411 hi CMrleft^ arrived; of Augi Qining ''' 'i>\ \^ I* ^v* ■ A M E k » CAN WAR. iti Fririfli officer commanding at Rugeley's Mills, to ^ H A P. evacuate his poft, which was expofed on account ff^J]^' of its advanced htuation, and, after fending part 1^80. of his detachment to join the army, to retire with the reft to Camden. By the evacuation of the poft at Rugeley's Mills the road leading from ^ezhawa to Camden was left unguarded ; arid ktfd > Kawdon, fearing that general Gates might attempt to pafs htm by this road, and get into hit mty Imiad it necefiary to fall back from Lynchers Greek, nearer to Camden, and took a new pofi- ({on at Logtown. By this time almoft all the in- hibitants between Black River and Pedee had. •penly revolted and joined the Americans ; and» in other quarters, they feemed di(pofed to follow' the example, whenever it could be done with fe« etrity. Sumpter, with his force increafed by a J^dimeiit of a continental foldiers, was fent aerofs the Wateree to favour the revolt of the in- habitants on the fouth weft fide of that river, and 1 1» intercept the iuppliel and reinforcements on tbe r^d to Camden ^ and general Gates, in order 16 preferve a communication with Sumpter, mov'* led to his right up the nor.h fide of Lynchers Creek, and took poft at Rugeley's Mills, intending to advance from thence, by the Waxhaw road, to, Camden. Information of thefe movements on the part of the enemy being regularly tranfmitted ^ lord Rawdon to Charleftuwn, earl Cornwallis Aought it neceflary to poftpone the completion of {the civil arrangements in which he had for fome I ^me paft been engaged, and to proceed to Camden^ wbi^e the threatening afpe^ of affairs required ^1 his immediate attention. He fet out froni^^^^ Cliarleftown in the evening of the tenth, t^nd feu^rt irriired at Camden in the evening of the thirteenth, j^j^^''^'^ of Auguft. The following day he fpent in exa- CknXn!* |mining the condition of his own force, aAd in Auguft. 0.3 obtaining 1; tJif*"! III flh"'''^Hftflihi ft r Hi I' ^ aaS k 1 8 T O R y O P T BE. CHAP, obtaining information of that of the taitttiji ^Jfy^j Ngatly eight hundred Britifh troops were (ick at 1780. Camden. The number of thofe who were realty ' ' efiiedive, amounted to fomething mote than tm> thoufandt including officers, of whom aboMt fifteen hundred were regulars, or belong|ed to eftabliflied provincial corps* and the reft, militia and refuige^ from North Carolina. The force under general Qates was reprefented to amount to fix tnoulMidi men, exclufive of Sumpter's corps, which was eftimated at one thoufand : The Americaii ac ccunts, fince publiflied, fay that general Gt«tei'i army, even including Sumpter's corps, did S9t much exceed five thoufand meni but we haye ground for believing that general Gateft^s iorce was, little lefs than fix thouland ftrong^ Byt almoft the whole country fisemed upon the eve »f a revolt*. The communication between Camdea a»4 * The militia af South Carolina were in general faithlefituid altogether diflatisfisd in the Britifh fervice. One great caufe of comolaint with them was, (hat tK^r horfVs were fft^uemtjr prey- ed Mr the cavalry and quarMf mafttr*geneMl1 dapwttticm 1 aad that th ;th^|vhtn receipts w^re ghren, they not only fpectietf tfae|ro« 'peirty, but the value of that property, which gave tbcm a asgo* tiabie authority. Wheik certificates were given, the propertj was fpedtfied, but 00 value affixed. Its paymtnt, as before, wu to depend m the merit or damerit of the party at the esd of tk< war, iind- o/ri vbol tioni irmy viihi to be jMrila Obarii nacii> bflbim ndefi wmM Cinrk nKgnr beiniic liieh a ] ibliroii room& lb mud; in the ' ererinf vsrdaa atRugei testioa ' eidy in and top ttnental] J nation I earl Con \ms, at fflajor IW. Re jualefithei [Ik a decide [OMflitytOWsl \i ■'■r\ I A M E R I CAN W A H. •99 tod Charleftown appeared in danger of being cut CHAP. off by the enterprifing movements of Sumpter, ,^^j^|^ whole numbers were, daily encreaitng by the junc- . ,8. tiott of di£ifl«aed inhabitants. The fafety of the irmy depended upon prelerving a communication vilhtiierea coaft) and foraething was necc0ary to be done inuMCfUately for exiricacingit from its f0niam fituation. At this juncture a retncat to CharlcAown might haire been effeded without niicb difficulty ; but the fick muft have been left behind, the magazines of ftores cither abandoned •rdeiboyed, and the lofs of the whole country wMdid have necefiarily followed, except indeed Cinrleftown, in which there was already a fuffici- Mt garrifon for its defence. A defeat could not be much more injurious in its confequences than jaeh a retreitt * And where the motives for ^Gtiovt iiil troogly preponderated, there was not much room £or deliberation in the bread of an officer of b much enterprile as lord€orr;walli8. Confiding in the valour and dtfdplir^ of fair iroops, how^- ef«r inferior in number, f ;efolved to move £Mr« ward and attack the enemy, whofe pi«fenc fituationi at Rugby's Mills inclined him to execute his in- testion without delay. Meaning to attack them early in ths morning of the (ixteenth of Auguft* and to point his attack principaily againft the con*; doeRtal regiments, wfaofe pofition, frooi theinfor- I mation he had received, he knew to be a bad one, m\ Comwallis began his march towards Rugeley's VSikf at ten m the evening of the fifteenth of Auguft, committing the defence of Camden to laajor M' Arthur, with fome provincii^s, milit|a» lw»r. Eecinptt wJlt ciqitifiwes nerer, j unkfi the perfon whofe prmterty bad beep taken way known to [be I decided enemyi and Kis charstdler marked by afls of inhu- I nwniiy towards tbjrloyaiifts. convalefceuts 4P ,*»'ii^. •I» HISTORY OF THE \ ' y . i( i ^1 T \ •' ■ If '> * f) CHAP, convalefceius of the army, and a detachment of ^^^;}^ the fixty-third regiment, which was expe^od to 1780. arrive dfuring t^e night. The army marched in the following order : The front divifion, com- manded by lieutenant colonel Webfter, confifted bf four companies of light-infantry, and ikt twenty-third and thirty-third Regiments, preceded by twenty cavalry, and as many mounted infantiy 5f the legion, as an advanced guard. The centre divifion confifted of the volunteers of Ireland, the legion of infantry, Hamilton's North CaxoliM regiment, and colonel Bryan's refugees, under the cb'mmand of lor<:! Hawdon. And the two batta- . lions of the feventy-firfi regiment ibllow^^ ilf^ referve; the dragoons of the legion forming .tt|e rear-guard. It is not a little Angular that tbe jfame night nearly about the fame tiine, and with 4 fimilar mtentibn, general Gates ihoi)ld have left his encatnpinent at Rugeley's Mills, and moved forward towards Camden. Bpth armies marcht^ en the fame road, in oppofite dire^ions, their'ad. vanced guards n^et and fired upon each other AAienbe- aboui two 111 tile moming. Some prifonefs were iwMthe i^i^g on both fides ; and from thefe the refpedive Americans , , ' • • t • t_ i ■ under gene, conimanders became acquainted with the move. '*d^h ' Bri ^^^^* °^ ^^9 o^h^'' < 9<^^i^ armies halted and wete tiih, under formed^ an^d the firing foon afterwards ceafied at ^eeari if by itiutual confent. The ground, on which |iie „^cm-' ^^^ armies had accidentally met was as fayovra^e 'iaa. for lord Cornwaliis as he could have wi(hed : A fwamp on each' fide fecured his flanks, and narrow^ ed the ground in'front, ifo ai( to render the fuperi< ority of the enemy in numbers of leTs confe* quence : He therefore waited with impatience for the approach of day ; and as fbon as it app^eared made his laft dlfpofition for the attiick. The front line was made up bf the two divTiions of the army already mentioned under lord Rawdon and lieu- • tenanf- AMERICAN WAR. »J« tenarit-colonel Webfter, Webfter's divUion bebg CH A P. to rhe riifht, and lord Rawdon*8 to the left. Thelc v^iJ"[iy: divifiohs Were difpofed in fuch a manner, that the ^^JT*^ tfiiirty third regiment, on the left of Wcbfter'i, c6inmunicating with the volunteers t>f Ireland, on the right of lord Rawdon's, formed the cf litre of ttie line ; and to the front Une were attached two ftxr-|!^hdi^, ind iwoAtln>e«->btinderi, under the Ste&^fiof Heutenaiit Matleod of the royal artil- lery. The fevciity.firft tegiment, with two fix- pounders, forthed a fecond line, or referve, one mttafi6n%i6ing polled behind each wing; and ii| tlt^ rear of the whole; the cavalry were r^ady tithtk* to charge or purfue, as circumftances might ^i ' (.-' i > I i^'Attierican army was alfo formed in two Knetf, general Gift's brigade of continental troops tieihgon the right, the North Carolina militia in the centre, aind the Virginia militia, which had ioitt^il the army only the day before, with the Kght-infantry, and Porterfield's corps, being on (be left. The firft Maiyland brigade formed a fecond line 6t corps die referve : And the artillery vas divided between the two brigades. The bppoHte armies being thus ranged in order of battle, and fome movement being obferved on the left of the provincial line, as if a change of difpofition had been intended, lord Cornwallis deemed this the critical moment for beginning the adion, and gave orders tdt lieutenant-colonel Webfter to advance and charge the enemy. The order was immediately executed With fuch alacri- ty, and the charge made with fo much prompti- tude and fuccefs, that the Virginia miliria, quicikly giving way, threw down their arms and fled, and yerefoon afterwards followed by the greateft part of* the militia of North Carolina. The Ame- 4cm referve was now brought into adion ; and n » ) Jt.^ -», »v HI8T0RT OF THE M\ A C H A p. ^ genter^l Gates, in conjunction with general J5*^^* Cafwell, retiring with the miUcia, endeavoured to i'tSoT^ rally them at different adyantageoui paffes in tbt • ^ * rear of the field of aiE^ion» but in Tain : They rail at firft like a torrent, and afterwards fpread through the woods in every dire^ion. Lord Hawdon began the a£lion on the left with no left yigour and fpirit than Webdei had done on tht riffht i but here, and in the centre, againft part of Webfter*s divifion, the contell was more ob* Ainately maintained bv the Americans^ whole, ar* tillery did confiderable execution. Their Idft 0ank was, bQwever, expofed by the flight, of the ^ilitia i aiid the light-infantry and twenty-thiid reffimoit, who bad been oppofed to the fugitives, inltes|« wheeled to the left and came,.apQjp^,,tbe flaid^.Qf continentals, who, ^^f^tfiirSraye^refiftaiice for near three quarters of iik fi^^U yittK thrown into total confufion, and Ibrced to give w^y in ail quarters. Their roi^ WM completed by the cavalry, who continued the purfuit to ^Wlp Hpck, twenty-two milet from the field 9f'.,af^j|ii>. Between eight and nine hiia. dred of ti^ i^lnyi were killed in the aAion, and in the purfoii^ and about one thoufand made pri. foner^, manyjgijt whom were wounded. Of this nuii)ber« w^jinajor-geiieral baron de Kalbc, and brie«dierrj|eiwral Kutjierford^ The former of theie bmcers at the head of a continental regi. itieiit of infantry, made a vigorous charge on thjB left wing 9% the Britiib army, and when wounded ja|) J taken prifon^r would fcarcely be* Ijeve that the provincial army had been defeated. He died of his wounds a few days after the a^ioo, much regretted by the Americans. One hundred and fifty waggons, a conficlerable quantity of mi* litary llofes, and all the baggage and camp equi- page of the provincial army, !^ number of colours, '^ .-T* r/^' AMBiriCAN WAR. »33 ) rourca to es ia tiK They ran U fpr«ad I. Lor4 itb no leri lie on tht ainft part moTc ob* ^rhoCe.ar* Xbfir left ;ht. of the irenty-thH4 e fugitivei, be left tnd [ktaU* wbo« quarters of fufion, and lbe« '01^ intinued the mile* frou^ d nine biw- aaion, and id made pri* Of thi» Kalbc, and former of ital regi* charge on and when 'carcely be- ;n defeated. |r the adion, ne hundred itity of mi- camp c<|ui- [r of colours, and and' ftven pieces of cannon, were taken. Gene- CHAP. ni Gates* who retired with the militia to endeav- .^-^^^ our to raliy them, finding all his efforts Tain, i^s«. gave up every thing as loft, and fieu firft to Char- lotte, ninety miles from the place of a^ion ; and from thence to Hillfi>orough, in North Carolina, one hundred and eighty milee from Camden.-— General Gift alone, of all the American cpm- maoders, was able to keep together about one huniired men, who flying acrofs a fwamp on their right, throwh which they could not be purfued hy the Britim dragoons, made good their retreat in a body. The lofs of the Britilh troops in this battle amounted to three hundred and twenty.five, of whom fixty-nine were kilted, two hundred and forty-five wounded, and eleven miffing. The weight (H the a£tion fell upon the thirty-third re- giment in the left of Webfttr's divifion, and the Toianteers of Ireland in the right of lord Raw- dan'fr; and of conrfe, by thenr the greateft lofs was Cuftained, which amounted to two- thirds of the wh(^c. The road for fome miles was ftrcwed with the wounded and killed, who had been over- taken by the legion in their purfuit. The num- ber of dead borfe^j broken waggons, and bag- gage, fcattered on the road, formed a pefed feene of horror and confufion : Arms, knapfacks, and accoutrements found wi^e innumerable ; fuch was the terror and difmay of ihe Americans. |he number of killed, wounded, and taken, ex- ceeded the number of Britifh regular troops in the adion by at leaft three hundred. Lord CJorn- wallif's judgm«it in planning, his promptitude in executing, and bis fortitude and coolnefs during tbedme of the adion, juftly attracted univerfai applaufe and admiration. The lord Rawdon, who was only twenty-Ave years of age, bore a very confpicuous part in this day's adion. Colo- nel 3bw;r*i^''fr m HISTORY OP THE 1780. CHAP, nel Webfter*i conduA was confident with hit g^ XXXiy. ng,ai charafker : Cool, determined, vigilant, and adive in aAion, he added to a repotatton eftab. lilhed by long fenrice, the univerfal cfteetn and refpefk of the whole army, at an officer of great experience and obfervation at well at bravery and Tigid difcipline. In a word, every Britifli officer and foldier evinced in this day's a£tion the raoft perfect in^^idity and valour. The Amerieiik wounded were trcitcidwith^iheuimofl humanity. General Gates's condu£l hat been tn^thi coii. (Mtdi We are told no place was afipointed far rendesvtfift in cafe of a defeat : His baggtte fhoukl have been ifiuch farther in the rear : Sj delay Gates mult have added to his ftrength every hour, but he wis confident of fuccefi.' General Gatet't army being thus completely ruined and difperfed, the only provincial force ii South Carolina which remained entire was tint under Sumpter on the other fide of the Wareree< Had he been permitted to retire into North Caro* lina unmolefted, his force, fmaH as it was, would have been fufficient to occupy a convenient Itation for colleding the fcattered remains of the American army : It was therefore of importance to ftrike at his corps, and endeavour to cut it offi An objed of fo much confequence did not efcape the attention of the commander in chief ; and in the evening of the day of the engagement orders were fent to lieutenant colonel lurnbull, who, with the New York volunteers, upon evacuating the pofl at Rocky Mount, had joined major Fer. gufon's corps on Little River, to endeavour to in^ tercept Sumpter in his retreat. The light-infantry and the legion, who were deftined to proceed on the fame fcrvice, being exhaufted with the fatigues of the day, were fuffered to repofe themfelves during the night, but received orders to be hi readinefs i , t ..»■ •-i''».ir wounded, aad upwards of three hundred made prifoners. Sumpter's force confided of one hundred conti- nental foldiers, feven hundred militia, and two pieces of cannon : And he had in his train ^boi.;. t«o hundred and fifty prifoners, part of theui Britifli foldiers, and the reft loyal militia, a num* ber of waggons laden with rum and other ftores for the Britilh, which he had taken in the neigh* bourhood of Camden, on the oppofite fide of the river. The prifoners were all releafed, and the Kaggjons retaken : And the whole of the provin- .. €ial t^ .r^T '\.^<. l! HISTORY Of THE CH AP.cial ftores, ammunition, and baggage, with their ^y! y \ artillery, and one thoufand (land of avms, £eU 178a '°^^ ^^ liands of the conquerors. Sumpter, by riding oflF without waiting to put on bi» coat, which he had laid afide on account of the heat of the weather, made hit efcape; but the reft of bit detachment were all either killed, taken, or difperied The rapidity of Tarleton's march had been fo great, that when he arrived at Fiihing Creek, more than one half of his detachment, over- powered with fatigue, could proceed no farther. With onlv one hundred dragbons, and fixty of the light'infimtry, he continued the purfuit; and with diis fmall number the vidory was atchieved« The lofs of the Britifli detachment was inconfi* deraMe : It amounted to only nine killed, and fix wounded; but unfortunately, amongft the former; was captain Charles Campbdl, who commanded the light infantry, a young officer of the moft promifing abilities, whofe death was greatly la- mented. ;^ '. By the victory gained over general Gates it Camden, and the rout and total difperfion of his army, followed fo fof aims, fell Sumpter, by on hi» coat, f the beat of : the yeft of id, taken, or *s march had 4 at Fiihin^ chflicnt.over. d no farther. and iixty of purfuit; andi uras atehieved« was incoi^* tilled, and fix gft the formeri 3 commandied r of the moft as greatly la- ineral Gates 4t perfioB of hw the defeat %ftd the provinciiJ a time cntirelt cd earl Corn. V on his long^ rolina, butthe y, which were In the mean to North Garo- nds of govern' Imoft violent of, lines and 4lore« ■nment, wider |y would marpi •ft. The . .^he delay occafioned by waiting for the (j^otes, C H AP« gave time to the commander in chief Again to ^jf^^^ ettiploy his thoughts upon the internal a^airs of j.gg, the province, and to form feme new regulations which recent events and circumllances ha I ren- dered more immediately necrflary. It was now rttSdy of app^ent, by the revoltft that bad taken place up- *^ Amen- en the approach of general Gates, and by the '^'" Qumber of militia who had joined him after ex- changing their paroles for prote^ions, ^nd fwear- iog allegiance to the . BritiHi government, thai thofe perfons were not to be depended upon, . tiiat )he lenity which had been (hewn to them had been abufed, and that it was become necefTary to rtftrain their perfidy by examples of fevertty, and the terrors oi punifliment. With this view, . the rcfiraiA«a eftates of all thofe who had left the province toVrovmnHf join the enemies of Great Britain, or who were '^ «»w«r' employed in the fervice, or held commiflbns un- der the .authority of congrefs, and alfo of aII thofe who continued to oppofe the re-eftabliflament of his majefly's government within the province, were ordered to be fequeitered : A commitlipner was appointed to feize upon them ; ^ntd after ^ fuStcient allowance was made for the fuppprt oif the wives and families of fuch delinquents, the refidue of the annual produce of their eflates was to be accounted for to the paymaiter-g^eneral i>f t)ie foreeSa and to be applied to the public fer- ^ce. Inftant death was again denounced againft' tbofe who, having taken prote^ions from the Britiih |[overnment, fhould afterwards join th^ enemy I and, to imprefs them with an idea that ^s puniihment would be hereafter rigproufly in- flided, fome few of the mod {gardened of the lailitia, who had been taken in general Gates'e army with arms in their' hands, and prote&ions- in their pockets, were atlually executed. But perfidy, M*^] «S8 k tST 6 R V of T tit CHAP XXXIV. 1780. LordGira< wiOlU aurcbct ^V perfidy V it feeihs, was not confined to the lowiif ranks df nien : By letters fountf u|>oA Ibmeof the oifficers of general Gates's army, it was dif. covered that even perfons of fuperior rank, prifo- ners upon parole in Charle'ftownr, had held ah improper correfpondence with their friends in the country. In confequence of this difcovery, thofe perfons, and fome others, againft whom ther^ were ftrong circumftances of fufpicion, were at firft put on board the prifon-fhips, and afterwardi fent to St. Auguftine, in Eaft Florida, where paw roles were again allowed to them, biit under facA reftri^kions as their recent conduA rendered n^ ceflary. As fpon as th^ necelfary fupplies arrived, lord CornwaUis on the eighth of September b^ganhis ihto North march from Camden, proceeding through tlife caiioiiitt. YioHUi fettlement of Waihaws to Charlotte- towrf, in the back parts of North Carolina. This march was no doubt projected with a view of bearing down all oppofition : His lordihip was to pau through the moft hoftile parts of either province with the maiu army, whilft major Fergufon, with his corps of loyal militia, was to advance ftlH nearer to the frontiers JAd lieutenant-colonel Tarleton, with the cavalry, and the light and k- gion infantry, to purfue an intermediate cburfev and move up the weftern banks of the Waterife^ On the right of his lordlhip's march, but at a con* iiderable diftance, was the friendly fettlement dl highlanders, at Crofs Creek, and on his left aim* ther friendly fettlement in Tryon County. If he was able to reduce to obedience the inveterate 1b* habitants of the trad of country through which the main army marched, a communication might be opened between the friendly fettlements on^ (he right and left, a powerful afliftance derived from their co-operation, and the fpeedy redudion of the ..,-ts ^i-^l.-'TVv ' -^v.. ^ > ' ••. '^n „ , v\ A M E R rc A N W A R. «3# 3thelo«W ott ft>me of it was dif. rank, prifo- tad held an lends in the overy, t***^^* whom thert [on, -were at idaftenJrardl a, vfhere j«^ it undcrittA rendered niJ. arrived, io^d ber b^ganM through ^ harlotte-ttfwi^ . This march ;w of bearing ip was to pau Bither prbviiirt Fergufon, with (advance ftiH jtenant-colond it light and k- .Vediate cburfev f the Waterw; J, btttatacbn* iiy fcttlcmtnt^ [on his left atic :ounty. tf he je inveterate iii» through which unication might ttlcmerits on the e derived twin iv redudioR of ' the 1780. the whole province reafonably escpe^ed. Th^CHAP. previous meafures appeared well adapted to the ^^^^^V. end : And the redu^ion of the province of North """^ Carolina was undoubtedly at this time confidently iQoked for. But to confound human wifdom, and fet at nought the arrogance and prefumption of man, unexpeded incidents daily arife in the affairs of human life, which, condu£ked by an in- vifible hand, derange the bed-concerted fchemes, as will be exemplified in the event of the prefent expedition. . The march of the main army was performed without any material occurrence, except that a number of the convalefcents relapfed into their former (late of illnefs, and were left behind at Blair's Mills, under the care of major M' Arthur, vbo remained there, with the feventy-firft regi* meat, for their protection, for the fecurity of the mills, and for pr«>ferving the communication vith Camden. Tarleton, with the cavalry and light-infantry, received orders to pafs the Catawba, at Blair's Ford: And Charlotte was taken poi^ feifion of after a flight refiftance from the militia towards the end of September. At this period, major Hanger commanded the legion, colonel Tarleton being ill. In the ^.entre of Charlotte, intsrfeding the two principal (Ireets, flood a large brick building, the upper part being the court- houfe, and the under part the maiket-houfe. ^hind the fhambles a few Americans on horfe- back bad placed themfelves. The legion was or* dered to drive them off ; but, upon receiving a fire from behind the it alls, this corps fell back. Lord Cornwallis rode up in perlon, and made ults of thefc words : - " Legion, remember you have " every thing to lofe, but nothing to gain j" al- luding, as was fuppofed, to the former reputation of this corps. Webfler's brigade moved on and drove i\ i1. J \ . ' ' f— .y| » . ■». ■-»■.■•, «40 H I 8 T O R Y O F THE 'If 1290, ■ ' 4 'Jli VI H' •< i hN [ 1 V 'i ^^^H^^Bk,^^^! 1 ' 1 xxjf^v' ^^^^^^^ Americans from behind the court^houfe; ^ • the legion thenpurfued them; but the whole of the JElritUh army was a£lually kept at bay, for fome minutes, by a few mounted Americans^ not exceeding twenty in number. T' e vicirlty of Charlotte abounded with mil's*: and the army, during its ftay, wasfuft ci«?);itly 'ttpplted with provisions, notwithftanding th( hoitile difpofition of the inhabitants. So ia^ veterate was their rancour, that the meflengeriy with exprefles for the commander in chief, were Irequemty murdered; and the inhabitants, in- ftead of remaining quietly at home to receive payment for the produce of their plantatioast made it a pradice to way-lay the Britifli foraginr parties, fire their rifles from concealed f^aces, aid then fly into the woods f. Neverthelefs Charlotte, froiii * In colonrl Polk's mill wat found tweqty*dght thoofiod weight of Bour, and a quantity of wheat. t There were feireral large, well cultivated farms in the oeigh* bourhoed of Charlotte : An abundance of cattle ; few Aeep ; the cattk being moftij, miich-covs, or cows with «alf, which at that (eaibtt of the year was the beft beef; for the cattk ia North and South Carolina ran wild in tlie woods, and at tbii ftafon are in general very poor. As an intlance, when the ar- aiy was ac Charlotte, we killed upon an average lOO head p(r ^y. The amount of rations ifiiied, including the army de|ian« ments, militia, negroes, &c, was4ioo per day. TJ^e l^naeft of the cattle will account for the number killed each day. Tbit was not confined to Charlotte, for they Were poor at this fetfoa tbrongltout the Caroiinas i very few eriod tie royal araiy was fupported by lord Rawdon's moving with one half of the army one day, and colonel Webfter, with we other half, the next day, as a covering party, to proteA the foraging parties und cattle-drivers. This roeafure was rendered neceflary frea the hoftile difpoHtion of the inhabitants. Wheat and rye vet collected is the liraw, Indian corn in the hulk, and brought is waggons to Charlotte, where (in the court- hoafe) It was mrtfli- •4 Ml Iqr ifac niUtia and negroea, aod ibea fent M ihe «till<^ this ..i*'''3K-" j*--St''«mi»iMK >oirt*Houfe| P whole ol at bay* for Biicanh not AMERICAN WAR. 24tt from its intermediate pofition between Camden and Si?J\^- Salifbury, was a convenient fituation to be oc- I^ cupied whenever the army fliould advance farther ,y8o. into North Carolina ; and here, accordingly, lord Cornwallis intended to e(tablifli a pod. But whilft he was taking meafures fur this purpofe, the un- ivelcome news arrived of the defeat of major Fergufon ; the fall of that officer, and the de« ftrudion, captivity, or difperfion of his whole corps. The total lofs of fo confiderable a de- tachment, from the operations of which fo much was expeded, put a (lop, for the prefent, to the ^rther progrefs of the commander in chief, and obliged him to fall back into South Carolina, for' dbe protection of its wedern borders againli t^e incurfions of a horde of mountaineers, whofe appearance was as unexpe£ted as their fuccefs was ' fatal to the profecution of the intended expedi- cattle; ftsf^fliewj v» with t»\f$ which •. for the catUe » 'woodf, » CHAP. Xixr. III ii \ i f (I r H 'i :72^ Americans tinder Colotff.! Clarke make an Atfeitk on Augii/i i — Reirn't of Clarke— : he Detachment under Klajar Fer^>ifon attacked and overpou^ered by /imeikan Mountiiineefr — Lord Corfiwal^s fnfls ' haCh to South Carvf'bja — didnc! Tarleten cik'cis ''■■^■■^ the Inroads of the Jmerkat: P^firtixan Mnrter^-^ ''' Jundion of the /liHerkun forces undtr i^.tiiprer, 'Chrh, and Brannen-x-Aclm at Biackjfkk's '^ Hill bettoeen Sumpter andTarUton. ■M. CM A XXXV, ^:I 1780. Ki order to trace the caufeir of ah event fo ihlw portant in its confequences as the defearef major Fergufon, it will be neceffary to go a little farther back, A colonel Clarke, an inhabitant of Georgia, who had fled from that province after its redudion by colonel CampbeU' in I779« having attached to himfelf fon^e fdltt>wers on the &oa< tiers of North and South Carolina, made hi» ivay through thde provinces, his: numbers increasing as he 8 hill he found was already oc^v^ led by the enfimy; ' -v but, tack on Au gutta. ^ . AMERICAN War. *♦» I ti event foiW;- the dcfeatm to go a Utile an inhabitant ■province after a 1779' hamg s on the froft- tna4eW*w*Tf IbcTs increa&Bg the province ot ; of lord Co«' e, he ma^;^»^ an§ea, .vnth » ftv provincials, th^e vHth\« rds Garden m I Savannah. ^^^\ ,dbytheen?^i, bat, bringing his cafinon to bear upon themy and CHAP, at the lame time making a charge with his whole ^^^^• force, the enemy were dislodged, after a defpe- Tifta rate conflid of twenty minutes, at the end of which, lieutenant colonel Brown gained pofl^flioa of the hill, although with the lofs of his cannon^ the trdops which he had under him i)ot being fufficienc in number to force the one and fecure the othet . This pod, fo> gallantly won, he brave- ly maintained, under many dtfadvantages^ until lieutenaut-colonel Cruger, who had intelligence of Clarke's motions, arrived from NiRety>fix,. . 2iad brought a. detachment to his aihriance. Clarke^ receiving information of Cruger's march, ■ endeavoured by menaces of cruelty to intimidtite Brown into a' furrender of the pod \ but finding Ihs menaces ineffectual, he haiUly decamped, upon the nearer approach of the reinforcement, and retreated with: his followers. Thefe had ori- ginally amounted to about feven hundred niten i but ift the different eonfltds with the garrifoa,. and in the blockade of Garden Hill, Cladrke had> loft about one^txtb pa«-t of his nuimber. On the ])»rt of the Britiih troops^ captain Johnfon waA killed, and lieutenant-colonel Brown wounded: helo6in other refpe£U was inconfiderablei and^ U principally upon the Indians. The retreat of Clarke and his followers was fo precipttale, that,.curke! ° although a puvfuit was ordered, veryi few- prifonera veit made, ht>t th^ Britiih cannon were retaken. StiU« however, it was hoped^ that Clarke's retrea.t m^t be cut off*, as> nkajor Fergufon, with his corps, travcrfed the country between him and North Caroliiia ; and intelligence was accordin^y CtQt to that officer, acquainting- him widx the route ?'hich he bad taken. Major Fergufonv whofe zeal ui'the l^r >''ce of his king and coantryy «» equai to his other great abiUdfMu aa aSkar, R a did J i/ m I »<4 HISTORY OF THE f CHAP, did not fail to take immediate meafures for ac- J^JI^JJ^ complithing an objeft fo defirable, and advanced! 1780. nearer to the mountains than the other purpofe» of his expedition probably required: But, unfor- fttnately for his fuccefs, another enemy appeared at this juncture, vhofe fuperiority in numbers it was hazardous to encounter, and whofe rapidity of movement rendered a retreat difficult in his prefent advanced fituation. This enemy was compofed of men who had aflembled from differ, ent views and with different objects, and the uni. on of their force againA Fergufon was in a great iHeaCuTe accidental. The firfl divifion of thiefe men confifled of the wild and fierce inhabitants of Kcntuclt^v, and other fettlements weftward of the Alleg cy ?*-)untains, who, affembliag under the colo:uv- Cmi; bell and Boone, palTed the mountain.t^, -iifuh in intention of feizing upon' a' quantity of prti^zas which they underftood were but flightly guarded at y^ugufta, and which were about that titne to- have been diflributed aimongil the Greek and Cherokee Indians. After pailitig the mountains they h^aad of Clarke's 'repuife at Auguila, and from. hi» failure, coriceiving thrr own force to be jnfufEcient for attempting the pofl, they turned their thoughts towards Fefgufbi)^ whofe movements on the fronti^s, indicating in j, approach to their country, gave .liem coniideva. ble alarm. In this new defign they wers joined by a colonel Williams, an American partizaa^ qf die di(tri<:t of Ninety -fix, with a confiderable number of followers. The other divifion of thele men, confifliug of the inhabitants about Holli&n Kiv«r, Powel'» Valley, Berkeley, Botetouh, and FincafUe, on the frontiers of Virginia, had af* Dsmbled < under the colonels Cleveland, Shelby, Sevier, Brandon,, and Lacy,, with a view of op' poficg tit ad?iuice of the Britifh army, towards V' ' - .their I AMERICAN W A K. »4J ; for ac- advanceil purpofes It, unfor- appearttd lUmbeTS ir ferapidUy :ult in bis nemy wa» torn differ- nd the \mi- 8 in a g'eat on of thfefe inliabitafit* weftward of ibling under J pafled the laing upon a erftood wetfe i which v«rc uted amongft After pafflnj e*8repuife it iceiving thrt ttempting *e airds Fei^^ufob^ indicaungim «in conlideta- .y were joW_ sah paTtixait Q* a confideraWe iivifion ofthele t about Hollien Botetouh, and irRinia, had af- ^eland,. Shell)y, a view of op- army towards their thcNr fettlenients : But after they had proceeded CHAP, fome diftanceon their march, thinking themfelves XXXV. unable to attempt aiiy dired oppofition to the ^"TtSo^ army under lor'J Cornwallis, t' "^y too bent their force againfi^ the devoted Fergufon, who they un- derdnod had talcen poll with his corps at Gilbert- town, in the vicinity of the mountains : Thither, therefore, they direded their march. Thefe men were all well mounted on horfeback and armed with rides: each carried his own provifions in a wallet, fo that do Incumbranoe of waggons, nor delays of public departments, impeded their movements. Fergufon's vigilance neverthelefs prevented a furprife : Whilft they were yet at fome diftance, he received intelligence of thwir ap- proach, by means of his emiflaries, ard immedi- ](tE^y began a retreat towards the Biitiih army,, (ending forwad-d iw:0engers to acquaint lord Corn- wallis with his danger ; but thefe unfortunately were intercepted. W hen the difiierent divifionfi of mountaineers reached Gilbert-town, w^ich was nearly about the fame time, they amounted to upwards of three thoufand men. Fr m thefe, fifteen hundred of the beft were felet od, who, Diounted on fleet horfes, were fent in purfuit. of Ferguton, and overtook him at King's Mountain on the ninth of Odtober. At this place he had baited, upon thie near approach of (he enemy, and, after occupying the bell; pofition he cG\ild iir.d, determined to wait the attack. King's Mountain, from its height, was undoubtedly an eligible fuuation for receiving an attack; but in another refped it was advantageous to the aCail- ants : Being covert:d with wood, it aftbrded them an ' opportunity of fighting in their own way, by placing themfelves behind trees. When they ap- Thedetach- proached the mountain they divided into different J^a"or""erl' bodies, and under their refpei^ ii^- ■ ,s ■ ^"^"■■5fc^"«„»^ j «^k^^^-.- AMERICAN vr A R, «47 > ColondT I, but ivas ipproachiDf; nent gWeA iclby, from n fuccotftui, n back. By impbeU had d the attack quickly pre* iii Tuccefiftfl. n parties was former ftatl- 18, poured in i this maimer near an hour, they were in bayonet, and >tachmeat had r parties. Al- o; I'crgufon'i ber wouncled: fplrit of that He perfever- attac!ks from mortal wound. men were un- by his brave Bred under all es of his fruits le utmoft con« their hopes of ;, the fecond in mce to be vain, quarter. Th^ amounted to eight «i{^Ut hundred and ten: Of Jc, about one^HAP. huttdred only were Britifh re^uUrs. The lofs of ^^^V. the Anierioans, in the nugn(bt;r of killed, was ^"TtSoT* triflinj^, but they had a coniiderable number wounded : And brtUiant as rheir fucccfs was, they Shamefully Aained the laurels they had won by cruclcies exercifed upon the prkbners, ten of whom were hanged immediately after the ac- tion. Much had been expeSed from the exertions of major Ftrf?ufon in cdle^ing a force upon the frontiers t And by his unfortunate fall, and the ilaugiuer, captivity, or difperfion of his whole carps^ the plan of the expedition into North Ca- rolina was entirely deranged. At Polk's Mill, near Charlotte, a fmaU detachment of the twenty, tiurd regiment was |>ofted, commanded by lieu- tenant Gayoii, a very young man. The Ameri- C9J1S made an attack upon the mill, with a very fnperior force, but were repulfed. Lieutenant Ouyon's condud was highly applauded. The weftem frontiers of South Caf olina were now cx- pofed to the incurfions of the mountaineers ; and it became necelTary for lord Comwallis to fall back for their protedion, and to wait for a reinforce- ment before he could proceed farther upon his expedition. Fortunately the friends of govern- ment in North Carolina, rendered cautious by tfaeir misiartunes in former iniurredions, had not been fo ready to take arms as was expected : No general rinng had taken place ; fo that the re- treat of the Britifh armv did not much increafe, altbough it prolonged their fuiferings. On the fourteenth of Odober, wtiich was as Lord Com- foon after lord Conjwailis received certain in-^*j''f"* telligence of the lofs of Fergufon's detach- southCaro- ment as the army could be put in motion, he be- '""• gan his march back to South Carolina Nearly about A, .Cfe.-, ; , j», -wi rF U^lt! 148 H I S '!• O R Y OF T U 1 fi ' ( Ift C H A I', about this time lord Cornwallig fell fii> , ^nd \*oti. J2^XV. liijued ill for fome time; the command devolved ,-J^ on lord Kawdon. In this retreat the king's troops I'uflered much, encountering the greateU difficul- ties ; the foldiers had no ttsnts } it rained for fe. veral days without intermiflion { the roads were over their (hoes in water and mud. At night, when the army took up its ground, it encamped in the woods, in a moil unhealthy climate ; for many days without rum. Sometimes the army had beef and no bread ; at other times bread and no beef. For five days it was fupported upon Indian corn, which was collected as it flood in the field, five ears of which were the allowance for two foldiers for twenty-four hours. They were to cook it as they could, which was generally done by parching it before the fire. In riding through the encampment of the militia, the Au< thor difcovered them grating their corn, which was done by two men of a mefs breaking up their tin canteens, and with a bayonet punching holes " through the tin; this made a kind of rafp, on which they grated their corn : The idea was com* municated to the adjutant-general, and it was af- terwards adopted throughout the army. The water that the army drank was frequently as thick as puddle. Few armies ever encountered greater difficulties and hardfhips ; the foldiers bore them with great patience, and without a murmur: Their attachment to their commander fupported "v . them in the day of adverfity ; knowing, as they did, that their officers*, and even lords Cornwallis and Rawdon's fare was not better than their own. Yet, with all their refolution and patience, they could not have proceeded but for the perfonil exertions of the militia, who, with a zeal that did them infinite honour, rendered the moft im- portant fevvices. The continual rains had fwelled • . ' . . •- ^^^ .■|»».'»V'^- ^*-.«fl»j»*j*-.- i I (it K , -nd oon- nand dcvoWed e king's troops reatell difficuU t rained for fe- the roadi were jd. At night, i, it encamped ly climate*, for limes the array times bread and fopported upon d a» it ftood in re the allowance jours. They were h was generally fire. In riding militia, the Au- heir corn, which bicaking up their et punching hol«$ kind of rafp, on ;he idea was com- al, and it was af- the army. The frequently as thick pcountered greater foldiers bore them Ithout a murmur: iimander fupported i knowing, as they en lords Cornwallis ter than their own. and patience, they t for the perfcnil L with a zeal that Idered the moft im- al rains had fwellei the AMERICAN WAR. M9 the rivers and creeks prodigioufly, and rendered CHAP. the roads almofl impalTabie. I he waggon and ^^ij[), artillery horfes were quite exhaufled with fatigue ^(lo, by the time the army had reached Sugar Creek. This creek was very rapid, its banks nearly per- pendicular, and the foil, being clay, as flippery as ice. The horfes were taken out of feme of the waggons, and the militia, harnefled in their dead, drew the waggons through the creek We are forry to fay, that, in return for thefe exertions, the militia were maltreated, by abufive language, and even beaten by fome officers in the quarter- mailer general's department : In confequence of this ill ufage, feveral of them left the army next morning, for ever, chufing to run the rifque of meeting the refentment of their enemies rather than fubmit to the derifion and abufe of tbofe to whom they looked up as friends*. At length the army reached the Catawba, which was forded by the troops. This river is * The militia, moft of them being mounted on hoHcback, were not in fo wealc a (Vitte ui the regulars { but they were not without their fl)»re of toil and trouble, added to their exertions ilrcady mentioned : For as foon as the army had taken up its ground for the night, to endeavour to procure a limited and Icanty reit, the duty of the militia began. They were a/Temhled by the Author, who always attended them in iwrfon^ and went ID qued of provifiont, which were cuileded daily from the country through which the army marched : Nor were their dif- ficsltits on this fervice trifling; they were obliged to ride through rivers, creeks, woods, and fwamps, to hunt out the cattle. This fervice whs their cooAant and daily duty ; they were freouently oppofed i fometimcs worded, and with no in« conrtdrrable lofs. In (hort, fu eifentially nrceflitry was this un- fortunate defciiption of people, that it was impoflible to have fuppoited his MajcOy's army in the field without them. Cattlc- drivipg was of itlelf a perfe*^ buHnefs ; it required great art and experit^nce to get the cuttle out of the woods. The com- mllTary was under the greattft obligations to thofe people, with- out whofe affidance |ke could not potfibly have found provifions . foribeurniy. _ » ....... fix I i - i 11 H .^ :;.'•/ ■•*•******■■',, ;:L :'-«*»*•' ;"''''>*■"■ :::=fflr" = ^j^'jp ' — " t<^^ -^ - »> a; ", ' , , -^Jo HISTORY OF THE 1780. \*H I,'- '^ '■ ■ I I; T ■ /I C H rA -p. .fix huadred yard* wide, and three and a half feet XX3(V.: 4eep. Two hundred rifle-men placed on the op. poTite bank nuift have dedroyed many of our men before we xould have gained the ihoie. On the twenty^fUh of Oddber the army arrived at Wyanefborough, an intermediate (lation between Caiaden asd Ninety^fix : The ariny, thus en< camped^ was at lund eitbei* to fuccour Cai|»dea «r Ninety-iix ; aod covered hota the eaeiny'« bcur. ftonsaU the ouatry behind to the fea<<:oa(l. L&tA CornwaUis, however, did AOtexpe^ to remain loag without fuch a reinfor>Gein AUttioa of the tdefeait of tirsdes at Camden. This detachment was feat to Virginia with a view .of co turned, I % .«V-.. i^**'*^ A M E a T C A. N war; '^P id a half feet d on tlae op- V of our men iboie. On ny awv«dat Ltian between Hy, thus «n. aemy'« i»c»t. :9-4:oaft* 1-ord ^ to r«nuia , woiiU «fiable ig . as he had iuo4crth-«»ft paT» ot depredations of lamc of Marion, •eat of general y up the inhabi- ; but after that bme time to re- ad now again re- • turned, turned, and, traroi.'ng^h«e ^country rbeRwcn the - Hap. rivers Peik« and Saatae, wirthout of»poiiti(m,'iivai£ -'^XV. lo fucc^fsful in ftrrving up reb«llion, '^tm. tkvc "7«!j» i^hole of that «liftri^ was upon ^he ew af ;a revolt. The number of hh followers too liad foincreafttd that he was enabled to fend fiarties aerefs the Santee, and thT«at«n>ed to interrupt the leomtnunicat'ion 'between Camden and Chin'- ■ ' )eilown. To reprefs his incarfions, ilieutenam- Coionei colonel Tatlelon was fent againft him with the ^h"5[J°'J,g light infantry and legion. That officer, after inroads of ^tuning information of Marion '« ilrength, ^« a"'!^'- uHlich he found to be not fo great tas h had aan^a"" been reprefemted, endeavoured, by conoealing "«°- ^s own, to invite an attack, and liad nearly iucceeded. Marion advanced within two miles «f the firitifh encampment; bat beorg then iRformed of his danger, immediately retreated amonglt the fwamps and (nan^hes, through wtHch it was impoi&ble to follow iiiin. Tjiiy expedition was however ferviccable in amotbcr Tefpeft, by convincing htcenth of AuguUhe had re> Hired into a remote part of the province called the INev Ac^uiiitioH', the inhabitants of which had |«ot yet iubn>ft»ed to the Eritiifli arms. Here he jwas indefirtlgaWein ftirring them up to take arms; and the reputation he had already acquired, with his peculiar tabn-t for enterprife, in a ftiort time rocurod him a number of followers. W^th thefe J"'.. f- '( ''■»>r - i!r.i*i*4^- ■«.-.;.i£JWni,,^5pfef)i^ ?•»'— UlKt -^^>I.^ei£«B:i^„«:?!e- ^ Mil 1 ' ll(H r -'* ' i^n 1 ■ ^ *' ' litfsH w i *5« HISTORY OF THE C H A P. he now advanced towards the Britifli quarters^ in^ j^-^^j tending to form a junclion with colonels Clarke 1780. ^^^ Brannen, and with their united force to at. tack the BritiQi pofl: at Ninety-fix. Earl Com- wallis receiving intelligence of his approach, Uid a plan for furprifing him in his camp at Filh Dam, upon Broad River, the. execution of vpfaicb was committed to major Wemyfs, of the fixty. «-^ third regiment. That officer accordingly marched from Wynnefliorough in the evening, with the iixty-third regiment mounted, and about forty of the legion cavalry that had been left behind when Tarleton marched into the eaflern parts of the province, intending to make his attack at day- break in the morning; but reaching the place of ':*'■ his deft ination fooner than he expeded, and fear- ful left the enemy (hould difcover him before it was light, and have time to efcape, he ventured to make his attack in the niglii. At the head of] his detachment he charged the enemy's piquet', 1 but, unfortunately, from five .ihot only, that were fired before the piquet retired, he received two dangerous wounds ; and to this accident Sumpter probably owed his fafety. The com- mand now devolved upon a young lieutenant, uo-j ;4<. acquainted with the plan, the ground, or the] ftrength of the enemy, and all was confufion.! Sumpter had time to draw out his troops ; andl the Britiih detachment was repulfed, and obligedl to retire, leaving behind their commander, andl about twenty of their number killed or wouudrll junaion of Sumpter now croifed the Broad River, and formij twforecr^d the intended jundion with Clarke and Bran. under nen } and lord Cornwallis, alarmed for the fafei curke!and of Ninctyfix, fent an exprefs to recall Tarletoij Braooen. with the light troops from the eaftern parts of tba provincej f I quarters^ ini. tlonels Clarke d force to at- . Earl Corn- ipproach, Uid camp at Fifli ation of vybich 1, of the fixiy. lingly marched ning, vrith the 1 about forty of .ft behind when a parts of the attack at day- ing the place of e£led, andf«ar. er him before it pe, he ventured ! At the head of] enemy's piquet', fliot only, that Ired, he received to this accident! fety. The cpnv ig lieutenant, uu- ground, or the I was confufion.! his troops •, andl fed, and oblige(l| commander, and! led or wouudd! liver, and formil :iarke and Bran-f med for the fafetf „ recall Tarletot aftern parts of th^ province' AMERICA*! WAR. t$i ica I vtew. that the infantry and cavalry might be at hand to tipport each oiher. But, at the hour of four in the i^Q.i -».!?? province. He had orders to proceed by the near- ^ H A pi eft route againfl Sumpter : The flxty-third regi- ^^'X^- jnent was lent forward to join him upon hii ~ march j and the fcventy firft advanced to take poft at Brieriey's Ferry for fupporting him. Sumpter moved forward with great confidence, becaufe he knew of theabfence of theBriti(h light troops in the eadern parts of the province ; and Tarleton, after receiving lord Cornwalls's ex- prefs, came back with lb much expedition, that lie had nearly got behind Sumpter's corps before the latter was aware of his return. Inthenighr nrecedtng the day on which Tarleton expedeJ to effeft his purpofe, by marching up the banks of the Enoree, Sumpter was apprifed of his danger by a deferter from the fixty-rhird regiment, and Hijinediately began his retreat. Tarleton, while on his march the next morning, received infor- mation that Sumpter was retreating, and commenc- ed a |>urfuit with his ufuai celerity. At a ford upon the Enoree, he came up with, and cut to pieces part of the rear-guard of Sumpter's detach- ment, which was waiting for the return of a pa- irole J the main body having pafled the river fom'e hours before. The rapid river Tyger crofTed the line of march which Sumpter was puffuing at ibme diftance in his front, and if he was fulFered topafs it unmoleded, it' was feared that ail far- ther purfuit would be fruitlefs. Tarleton, im^ prefled with this idea, moved on with as much expedition as he could, conftftently with ano.'ier object, which a knowledge of Sumpter's force rendered it neceffary for him to have fteadily in This was to keep his detachment compaft. r I ^?ime^-- m * Jit. '' • f -0 /, ;<) k\ I lit CHAP. XXXV. vfl^^^^l 1 k ■- AAIon at Bi'^^^^^1 t 1 ^:l : - .,■- Biack- pU^^^^H ^' 1 ■ . 1 . , ." Qock's Hill |:(;^^^^^H ■■ .<«i \ ■ ; *- between ''' l^^^H Snmpter f ^^^^^^1 i\ ■< ■ a andTar- ( i^^K^M 1 ^^ i ^^ ^■ •< kton. i'^HH 1 : HISTORY OP THE the afternoon of the twentieth of Navembefj findlBg, that, unlefs he altered his difpcfition, Sumpter would have liine to pajfs the Tyger before he could cona«, up with htnt, he took the refolution of preffing forward with the cavalry,, and eigtwy mounted men of thefixtyi-third regiment, ngi^iog in the who^, two hundred and Any nisa, aojd left the infantry, who were much fadg.ued with their previous exertions, to come on at theif own pace. After an hour's mavcbv ^^ overtook Sumpter, advantageouily poiled on an eminence called filackflock'a Hili, near^ the bank& of tiie Tyger, and without waiting: to be joitted; by the light- iafan try, made a precipitate aitack with the forc6 which he had then with hi«i'. Sumpter'^ nuunbersy which were more thon< dsfuble the Brililh force ^ this moment oppofed: to: him, per. h^ would not hav« availed on equai grouflc);. but the advantages of a (Irong fituatien gave hia^ a moil decided Aiperiority, efpecially over cavtdi^, f* Xhat part of the hill to which the aitack vig directed wasnearly perpendicular, with afnu^l rivuiet, bruflvwood,: and a railed/fence- in froBj;, The r«aF of tbe Amerkiaas, and psart of \hm right dank, were fecured by the river Tyger, and tdheir left was covered' by a< large long bacn, into whkh a contfiderable divifion ot their fcnrce had been thi'own^. and- from whichi as the apertures between the logs ferved'them for loop holesi, they fired with fecurtty. Bii« uih vabiur was contiCpicuoas in this adioO'; but no valour could furmt»u>nt the obftaicl<£s and dif. advantages that here flood in itr way. The fixty-third regiment wasi rougiily handled: The commanding officer*, two o^exs |,, with (( y the river Tyger, id by a- i*f R^ ^^H \ derable divifion of i n^, and: tiom whkhj le logs fervedthenj with fecurtty. Bvi. 8 ia this a6fci9»'» b«| theobfta«l(2sand('" in its way. The rouglily handled:! , two orfJ«s t. *«1>| :nan: Gibfon and Cope. /AMERICAN WAR. >55^ • »» • The whole of this accoimt of the aftlon at BlacIcRock's is I taken from Mackenzie's Stri«5tures on Tarleton's Campaigns. The account is there faid to have been compiled from the con* current teftimony of feveral officers prefent in the aftion ; md it his been preferred to Tarleton's own account, becaufe his claini' ofviflory is evidently incunfiftent with fome oiher circumnancet which he admits, panicularly this, that he did not gain poiTeflion of the field of aftion until the next morning, after it had been Uuitied by ^^' Americans in the night. 17*^ otie third of their privates* fell, tlowenant- C H A P. cofortel Tarteton-, oWietving thtt* JltfifatieiH .^^^^^ charj!;ed with his cavah^; b«t WMkbhi tor ittl^ lodge the enemy, either ffoirt the^ lc winter \ ^fiT-^JSarmts-' ^^y AMERICAN WAR. *S9 tablifhed hit saled, head- jury) and af. DTC to cncou- ithern troop*, to enjoy the on more than ; lent to com- itie on thefe* lowing day gc- l of the army, amp&ignofthe ;, the ev«nu of ity, have beea of the rftUU«ry d armies in the -other piincifil ntinent of Aiw- ►refent year, an4 ccurred in otbcr h the war in itt :amp»i?» vas the Monh America, faids were froaen ee iiion»h« : And n Biany paru paf. iinry Crmtonc(e- linft Charleftovu, : to the fecurity cd But by thq unex' s deprived of thofe infular ftiuAtionu me expoled tp a n. By the tmm iichconftitut attack was ir tt the only evil to which the garrifon aad inhabitants were fubjefted: They were de- prived of thofe fupplies which a communication by water would have afforded, and in particular fuffered feverely for want of fuel. Such was theit diiirefs for want of this article, that it became oecefiary to break up fome old tranfports, and to pull down fome uninhabited wooden houfes, t& lupply their mod prefling neceflities. But the fame 2eal animated them, and the fame ardour ran through the whole fervice, as when, in a' former year, the count d'Eftaing anchor d off ISandy Hook, and threatened to enter the har>- Ibour. Had general Walhington been in fufficient force Ito have hazarded an attack, it is difficult to fay [what might ultimately have been the conferucnce: [It was however fufnciently apparent, th^kt he- pouid have met with the mod determinea refif- ance. But general Wafhingcon was in no con- dition to make the attempt : His army had been wakened by the large detachments drawn fr m it' S 2 for I \ 26o HISTORY OF THE ll\ ill ^H^BF^H^ li-'U l^i ^R> ' Ail^^B&^Bi VI' K| 1.^ i t CHAP, for the relief of Charleftown ; and ainongfl t^ • ^^^^' troops that remained with him a mutinous fpirit began to appear, in confequence of their fulfer. ings from the fcarcity of prov':a >ns and the want of all other neceflfaries. Th Ucitrudion of the continental magazines by the defultory expediti. ens of the preceding year, againd different parts of the fea-coail, probably laid the foundation of this fcarcity : And the evil was increafed by the rapid depreciation of the paper money iffued by congrefs, which rendered it difficult for their contra^ors to procure fupplies. Thus, in con. fequence of the reciprocal weaknefs of the two armies, the winter pafTed without any thing ma- terial happening between them, except an ineffec- tual attempt made by the American general lord Stirling, about the middle of January, to take Sraten Ifland. He marched over the ice fi«oitt| the Jerfcy fhore in the night, furprifed a fmall jjoft, and made a few prifoners ; but was fconi obliged to retreat, and in his retreat loft fomeofj his own men,' who fcrved to exchange for the i prifonefs that he had taken. ' The enemy having eftablifhed a port at Young'j i Houfe, in the neighbourhood of the White Plains, which greatly annoyed the provincial loyalift8,a| well as the Britifli army, by the interception ofj catile and provifions intended to be brought tof New York, became an objeft of importance withl the governor and commander of his majefty'il troops, if poflible, to diflodge that party, confill-f ing of about three hundred men. Much as itl had b :en the wifh of both to drive the enemy fronil this ppil, no means had been ufed for that enii,| on account of their didance, twenty iliiles fron the out-pofts of our army, till the month of F© bruary 1780, when, after a great fall of fnow.i Wll - J i •> t f«;. './'' r. V ■ x r H E ind ainongft t' • mutinous fpint e of their futfer. :\% and the want Jtruftion of th« efuUory cxpediti. ift different pam Lhe foundation of increafed by the money iffued by difficult for their s. Thus, in con. iknefs of the two ,ut any thing ma- except an inefFec- erican general lord January, to take over the ice itovi\ , furprifed a fmall ers ; but was fcon retreat loft fome of o exchange for the | edapoft atYoung'j )f the White Plains, ovincial loyalift8,a the interception of! I to be brought to of importance VfiA „er of his majeftyH] e that party, confift; 1 men. Much as rt drive the enemy from ufed for that en(l,| _;, twenty rtiiles fror till the month of r< great fall of fnovf,« AMERICAN WAR. tSk was fuggefted that a detachment of foidiers might CHAP. be conveyed in fleighs in one night, and furprife XXXVI. the enemy by break of day. Major-general Ma- T^SoT* thew, who commanded at King's Bridge, on the fecond of February communicated to lieutenant- colonel Norton of the guards the intention of ge- iieral Tryon and lieutenant-general Knyphaufen, to fend ii detachment of troops to Young's houfe ill fleighs, which would be ready at King's BrtJge jQ the evening, and that lieutenant-coion ^^ Mon was to command the party, lhe colon' h .^hly gratified by this command, and ,K fay any thing that might feem to i fervice, or throw difHculties in the way of the in tended expedition, yet thought ic his duty to point [out the improbability of the fleighs anfwering the purpofe: And fo convinced was general Mathew, from the reafons which lieutenant-colonel Norton , jdduccd, of the very little chance of fucceeding ^y means of the fleighs, that general Mathew, in itehandfomeft manner, in the event of the fleighs Ipon trial not being found to anfwer, left lieute- it-colonel Norton at liberty to ad with the de- iichment as he pleafed ; either to convert it to a [raging party, to proceed, or to return, as he [ould think mod; advifable. -Under thefe circum- ices, lieutenant-colonel Norton, on the evening the fecond of February 1780, fet out with the ir flank companies of the guards, two compa- of Heflians, and a party of yagers, in the ghs; and taking alfo with him two three- * " inders, a detachment of yager cavalry, and the |unted Weft Chefter refugees. The fleighs, , ■ ig foon found, inftead of accelerating, to re- Ithe progrefs of the troops, were ordered back, ' the detachment moved on. Not long after r I men had quitted the fleighs, and were march- forward, word was brought to lieutenant- > ":: - colonel '^ r\ # *'■■'■•: 1' I* ' *' ' ' B;' '1 '■ '1 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) fe 1.0 I.I 1.25 UilJi 12.5 ■u lii 12.2 £ lii 12.0 WMU 0% V. PhotDgra{diic Sciences Corporation ^^ ^\ ^r\\ 23 WIST MAIN STIIIT WnSTM.N.Y. USIO (716)I73-4S03 ■^ Q,\ f . ««k BI^*Ot V d f THTE cr '/. • 1 CHA^Rid^))^iielil9br«on« thut the* horfes were' not aUetb ^ y^ Aw« tl*c guns, through the fitotf-; be wattiherefoK 1.7&0. obliged tO leave the guA»s aflchvrith ftheiQ'aguani' foffioient to eafure their* return. The detach- ment' comkiued^ it» inaToh thJFough' bye-ways, attd^ acroffr the country, ih- wii^tx^ to avoid felling Iq' Wh the enemy** pfttrofes', ftilt itt hopee, by perfe* verance-and'exertiont to- reach' Young's Hbufe by< break dffev>en mibs (hort^of tfa^. ehemy's port' : ^ long way for m^ weariedwiffr Tiiarehing a41 night ih bad> roadfi, and' with the fhovk itv many places ahov^ two t'eet> deep; Their frtuation was now^ nota lit^leembarrafflftgi fi^ the guns, intended ^ to • open the; doors' of the ftdne boufife, were left behind; to- i\irprife the* enemyAnw | impoi&ble. To- proceed, and not to carry ttbei, point, would be to expofe the- detachineBt,! ial their return, already fatigued with' a long andi toilfome- march) to be haraflied for the fpac6cip| twenty miles j by- aneriemy in force^ frelh^ aBd^ittJ a perled- knowledge of' the cottmry« Ih- tbefef ' ' circumftanees, tbe^ colonel^ unwilling to retttraj without accompUfliing fome Sbjeft that roightl anfwer the expe^ati&n of thpie who had i^accdj their confidence in him j determined at all eventtj tO) march ro the enemy's poft, and then' a^ accord ing to cireumftaneesN; availing him(el#' (^ foa axes he-had fcHind by the way, and 'an iro» cro the better to enable' the grenadiers to f^rettli doors and windows of the houfei Whbntfee tachment ar riyed within two mil^es of the eaefi the cavalry were ordered to ad vancej and' invd the. houfe in- fuch a-manner as to prevent retreat or reinforcement. This order j frefli' depth- of the fnow^ could not be- carried into ex cutionj ^nd the-cavalry dpewup on-an- emiawid at fdnie little dilVaikce from^- thie houfe^ As tlj h flank c apfVOBN nmrchi cotoaei pofltioi] Msutens ia^iRtr) right, b coitipan to cut 9 froMt Vk Youflg'j two l^ead tbepatt) men; f up with who weri chard adj cdthenv that did force the^ timely a] with a pa guard*, houfe waj ftarp wa{ that the company] it impoF ^atryy rear of lion.* * No acei I»t from tfael reafoir to btif "«'*» aihont ilMBmCAM W A K.: •« rtaMfttb ihenlbre ra guard' detach- ways, and' hlling ID' by pwfc* Hbufeby 1 from thc' ioTt< of tbe* •aried'witH d' wtb the Bp. Vatti alRtigt Aft 'eAemy^mi'l 3ca*ry4*«J chinent,! \&> a long and'l the fpac^of'l p4b\ aBd^i&l yv 1*1' thefej ig to returel that roight] had place atalleventt)] eft-aftaccojil nfetf'of foB aB ito« cro to force til Whfcn the of- the enei BCj and'invt -evojit dcr» ftreitt' LMtedinwex an- emw«><^ ,oufe< M tH flank cooiipaief of fbe fifft btftaNoil of gtM^ ^WAg apprincfaedi patti«s of tbe iocviy ««M Abfd^v^ C^^^w itsirchihg vdry deti^Tately to i«infbf%< H^uMMui*' ^ ^ coloael Thomfon, in Yo«ng'» Houf((»r Th« dS& Kfiiion for attack was then (oon made, by llfirStt^ tttenant-coloiiel Hall, with his company of Hght- iafantry of the guards, to afcend the hiil on his rights below whkh (tood the houfti wMlft tfhe fifft cofktpany of grenadiers iatlifted a Ilttte to the Ie^| to cut efi[ the retreat of a party thai had advanosd froOK Ham«ioad*8^ sboufie at a famW diftanot fivflt Youttg's. Very fhoftly afte^ rhfc feparationr df thd t«0 leadfid^ cofi^^anies, the trihg. began betweeik ttieparty ia the Kouie and lieutenaBt colonel Uklt'* men ; Nor was it long befor& thie ^reiiadier^eaiii« up with the party of the enen^ pft itieiidbned, vho were ia readmefs waiting for them- hi thie Qr« cbard adjoiniug to Ha-mmond's houfe^ aodrcceiiTw ed them with » degree of eoolnef9 and eoiif agtf> that did the American^ honour. To fu]^erior force'they were obliged to give way ; and by the timely, arrival of lieutenant^colonel Pennington, ' with a. part of the fecond convpany of grenadietv. guardt, who had advanced 'm a ftrarght line^ tlr» beufewas carried, and the enemy (^feated. Set ftarp was the confTid, aiKd' fo ipeedily terminated, that the whole of lieutenant-colonel Pennington's company had not time to come upv wtneh made it impoffible for the feeond eempaiiy of li^t i»»^ faatryy commanded by lieutenant- calomel Guy- diekei», or the other troops, which were in' th6' rear of the line of march, to fhare in tile ac- tion.* * No accurate aceoont was takent of die killbd of ttl« eneitty;, bot ftom the numbers that lay dead aroamf'the houfe, there wac reafoif to believe not lefa than fony. Nbecy were mailir ptifO' met, among which were the lieutenant- colonel commMdiitit of the diftriA, t captatB, r captai»-lieate'{nmu^ 2 HcMeiiaAtf, and' seniigns. The 4^ ;*■ ^A -i**;^i4;j»w,-».„.. ^., ,^-. i^4 H I S T O R Y O F T HE ^?3m* "^^ ptifoneri, b«ing put under a proper efcbrt, . ^^^^y^ind the troops fbnaed again in line of. jnarcbj. i^lip, the detachment took the direA road ^ to King^g Bridge, vrhich they reached by nine on the lame eveniqgf. For f Twelve of the prifboert were fo feterely woao.dcd, that they were obliged to be left at different hoofes on the road. £i|hty-feven were conduced to New York. The lofs fufiained by the deuchment under colooet Nortoot — Y«gers,..^ men woooded. Refiigeest i cajxaia wounded. Firft lieht-infaotry company of the guards, i rank and file wounded. Firfl grenadier company ditto, 2 rank and 61e Icilled. Wounded, I Keutenanty i ferjeanr, i it rank and file. Second grenadier company of the goards, i ferjeant, 3 rank and file wounded. Total; kijled, a, wounded, 23. Lieutenant-colonel Norton made his report on. the 4th of Fe-. bruary to major-general Mathiew of the killed and wounded of the detachment, together with the number of prifooers taken, In the afternoon of the 4th, the major of the brigade, in a po* lite letter to lieutenant-colonel Norton, inclofed him a copy of the after- orders of the 4th inftant, viz. PuiRc Orders, King's Bridge, 4/A of February 1780. *< Major general Mathew returns his thanks to lieutenant' colonel Norton, and the officers and privates of the detachment under his command, for t.hcir condu^ and fpirited behaviour on the morning of the 3d ini|ant, and for their intrepidity and per. feverance in that duty : The fuccefs of which claims the gene* ral's bigheft approbation.'* ." On the 5th of February i7So,the . .ing Order was given out from Head Quarters at I>ilew York. ■ . ** His excellency lieutenant general Knyphaufen defires hit thanks may be given in public orders to lieutenant-colonel Nor* ton of the guards, for l.H good condufl and gallant behaviour, in attacking and forcing a conCderable body of the rebels, ad* vantageool^ poded at Young's Houfe, in the neighbourhood of White Plains, on the morning of the 3d iollaot. His excel* lency returns Jtia thanks to the officers and private foldiers of the diflPcrent detachments employed od this fervice ; and the ge« neral is particularly obliged to the officers and men of the Wed Cbefter refugees for their very determined behaviour upon tbii as well as former occafioos." SubfequcDt 1 ifJ8 AMERICAN WAR. a^ For fomc days in the winter, general Wafting- ^^^'** ton's army was entirely without bread. Occafionsil ^^^ ^^ fuppliet ,780. Subfequent to the order of thanks, highly flattering toxdoael Nonoo and the party, the generals havi<;g iearnt mure narti£)i- Urly the difficulties the detachment had encotiiitered, and think- ing that the extraordinary exertions of the troops merited yet i'orther attention at their iiands. lieutenaot-eolohei Nonbo was dcfired to makC' major-general Mathew a iWmal report df the cxcu I fion to Young's Hoafet and 10 mention as. many circum- (hinces as he fliOuld deem worthy of notice, giving him to on- dtriiand the report would be tranfmitted to EIngtand. Lieute- nant colonel Norton accordingly made his fcport to ma}or-gen$«i rai Stathew, which was fcnt to (ir Henry Clinton, the com- mander in chief, then at Charleftown ; and. from fir Henry for- ^. warded to England by the earl of Lincoln, aid-diil*camp to the commander in chief, by whom it was delivered in to the fecre- tary of date's office. The only account given to the public of t^is expedition in the Gazette, was on the 36th of April 1780, io the extrad of a letter from lieutenant.-general Kynphaufen tQ lord George Germaine, as follows :— ' ** General Mathew fent a ' detachment of guards, and pro* vioci^il horfe, under the comnhand of lieutenant-colonel Norton, (0 attack a poll at John's Houfe, upon the White Plains. '1 his did not fuctied entirely to'bis wiflies ; but the rebels, who were poftcd in a Itoufe, were however attacked and diflodged, with the lofs of 40 men killed and 97 made prifbners." An a^ of generolity was upon .jisoccafion displayed, which ought not to be pa/fed over in filence : The wounded Americans were placed in houfirs, and a fum of money given by the firitifh oliiceis to the occupiers or inhabitants of thofe houfes, as an en- couragement or reward for the trouble they might be at in at« tending on the wounded Americans. When the Gazette, giving an account of this expedition, arrived at New York, general Mathew immediately took it to general Knyphaufen, and fltewed it him. General Knyphauleo exclaimed, " This is not my account ! for my account of this I expedition was perfeSly agreeable to the order of thanks I gave, and my letter to the minifter if^oke in the handfomeft manner of ^ coloAel Norton's conduA, and the officers and men under ^is command." But tliis mutilated, mod untrue, and unjuft ac- coant, was not without its objfdt, it being intended to wound the feelings of the father through the fon, the father, then fir *" ^ [Fletcher Norton, afterwards lord Grantley, having dared to Ihiot that a frugal expenditure of the public money was expcAed by . .> &i *^^ *^ AiSeriags of the ttoopi ncceffiiriW pt». 1780. ^ced difcontent ; aod towards the end of May two regiments actually mutinied. Means however trere found to pacify ihem ; and after foane time they returned CO their duty. By the thawing of the ice upon the apptoach of fpring. New York was reftorcd to ht infolni fituatioB ; and alt further appt ehenftont for iti fafety being at an end, the Britift conunandera tfaNNFe were at Uberty to employ their force oib- firety agatnft the enemy, and to take advantage of any £ivottrable circumftances that nriglit occur for annoying them. InteUigoice of the ike anutinQos difpo&ioB oi the American army beii^ carried to by the conftmoni. Wlten, at fpeakcr of ths hou(e oC commiii, he addreffled his majefty upon pi;efenting a bill, gicanting fiipplkt 10 his majeffy, on tbe7rh of May 1777 (v(de vor.i. Chap, xni] §r FItfcber Nbrton's fpeech gave great t^nte to the mi. ntfters { and' aitiioogh geaeralv Jtnyphaufen'k and Ma(h««'i moff favourable account of the expediti'on to YooAg's Hod(<, together with the very handfome and well deferv^ order of thanks to colooel, now the honourable majOr-genera), Nortoo of 4)c guardt» and the detachiBent Hinder hn eoamancU wti« de> Itvered (by the earl of Liotoht* then aid-du-carap to fir Hemy CliBCon^^ to lord George Gerinaine in perfony as the mtiiifterliir Aaaeiiean a^rs ; yet wte l«e. from the Gaaetts account, hew faiff a relation was given to the public. There is a ceruin degree of fiune, and honourable amUtios, to which every good maa looks up :, But were that farnvto be blafled for either private or party palpofes^ all •ttiuiationy tht Sreat incentive to glorious aAioot, would bo (t^pptefled ^it- 1 royad; Liis well obferved by the great Roman hiftorian TAOiTt>i.(o(j whofe admirable writMig» Mr. Murphy haa, at a very feafeaabii I time» prefented to the Knglifli reader an exaeUeat traBiflttioflU " That it is incumbent on the Writer «f UAory to lejudgo tlMJ anions of men, to the end, that the^od and worthy maymMl • with the reward due to eminent virtue i and that pemicioas ciiij zena may he deterred by the condemnation that waits 00 rUl dcediatthe uibunaJ of pollerity. Inthttconfifta tbeQhiefp>it| of the hifloriao'i duty." AMERICAN WAR. *«t May 'ever time (ifolw or iti indcrt cut for siedto Nef# > the mi- Mathew'i L's Roolc, Korton o( nit de- » fir Hemy minifies Mt iDunt, kM e ainbirioiii ifarnvtobe uUtioDy thi "ed smidfr tRDiflauoa))! Kj^gp lb* I khymayiR^I Irniciou* ciii'l Litits 00 p4| It^ftOhiefputl Ffcw Tefk, aiiil inlorimtidn bviiig aNb receireiiCTH AC th*r tfte iirfiabkamptB of tAe Jerfey» wew d^oniKiio* !^^"?^ etf i«ith the new (late ol tMng», and wiflia4 to lei* i^j^ <(hblift (hdr old Beam of goiFeFrnnent, general Khyphanfen was imhieed to detach a confkieiabhs ferce-ufid^er bri^dlers-gefverat Ma«lk«w and S«ef« Hhg*, \^ehr bndffd at Xliaaibeth.town, ia the Jfertieys, oft the levenifh el Jane. H the tnbabi^ tants were- dii^pe^d to throw off theyokc 06 coii» grelH thefofce fent to their affiftance woold enable tilein to- dicr it : And if » mutinous dt(^oAli0il«ftiil pretaited' tftuongfl the foldvers of (he AmeruBaa jinny-, f^nie-adNanfa^ might probaMy be gaiiud (liver general Wistflitngton'. It foon. now^vsr ap- peared tHar part ef thisitnteliSgeiice was lalfe,. and ttte- refll matiy i-nagnified. Ahhough' the iofa»> bitairts or the- Jet/eys had murmuved in- con&- mnencte' of' the depr LHii3tion» pdmmttced upon, them m: the AVnerican fHd) ers' in the time! of tiieic dmi-efs for want' of ^orovifione, they hadi neres -, tfaought'of defertinfg^ the American catsfe : Ob the contrary, tii^eymadtr the greaiteft exertipna to tt* Iteye-thte' neceifities ' of ' tli^ofc very men tO- whofe depredations thef were expofed j aiid il» ^as. pr ia- cipaily owing to thefeexert^'^naf that the Avnerican army had not been actually difbanded. A muti- nous difpodtion had alfo certa/nly difcovered itfelf . amongft the foldiers of the American army: , But it arofe from didrefs, and not difafieftion ; and the two regiments which h;^d already muti- nied, were foon pacified. Undt*r fuch circum- itances the Britifh commanders .experienced a grievous difappointment : Inftead of being re- ceived in the jerfeys as friends, the militia very generally turned out to oppofe theti^* During their march from Elizabeth-town to Connecticut Farms, a diftance of only feven miles , they were annoyed by parties of militia the whole vay j who, if •61 HISTORY OF THft '. ! 1780. T^rvf' *^ ^^^ ^^'* unable to make any impreffion, or XXXVI. ^g any coniiderable injury, ihew^ at leaft that it was not from want of inclination : And when the Britifliv troops approached Springfield, a de. tachment from that army, which was reprefented to be mutinous, was feen drawn up in force on the other fide of the river ready to difptite their paflage. It being now apparent that the informa- tion, upon which this expedition bad been under- taken# was not to be depended uppn, the ^rittfli troops in theeveiiing returned to £.linjbeth>town, sad would huve crofled the lame night to Staten lilaiid, had not the ebbing of the tide, which on that - flioce leaves a large fpace covered with deep mud between the high land and the water, ren- dered it impoifible to embark I the cavalry titl the next morning ; and to cover their embarka- tion it was neceflary that the infantry fliQuld rH' ' main with them. In the mean time, the Brittflv commanders had leifure torefledupon their difi appointment, and the confequences of their fruit*, leu expedition; and. it was determined, for the credit of the Britifh arms, to remain fome d;iys longer in Ne1>r Jerfey, l^if^ their precipitate'rctreat , Ihould be reprefented as a flight. AMERICAN WAR/ «#9 CHAP. XXXVII. fbe Americans diflod^ed from Springfiild^ and that Town defiroyed-"4 French Artna ment arrives at Rhode Ifland-'A Scheme formed by one of General WaJbington*s Offuers, Arnold, for delivefir^ an important Poji into the Hands of the Britifh Army !- "Adventure and Fate of the Britifb Adjutant- General Major AndrifrA general Exchange of Prifoners"JTbe Troops on both Sides retire into Winter Sorters, WHILST, in conGequence of this deter* CHAP, mination, the Britilh army lay at Eliza- ^^^vrf. beth-tbwn, fir Henry Clinton arrived from South """"f^ Carolina ; and the poft at Springfield having been reinforced and put under ^he command of general Green, a refolution was taken to attack and dif- lodge him before the army returned to New York. In puriuance of this refolution the army marched at break of day in the morning of the twenty- third of June, and arrived at Springfield with very little interruption. The enemy appeared de- termined to difpute the further prbgrefs of the Britifii tro9ps at two different pafles upon the river, but were diflodged from both after a confi-The Ame- derable refinance, nearly about the fame time, [•=■"» ^I'f- and forced to flee to the heights in their rear, from .where they again took poft. The town ofspnngfieio, Springfield was burnt: And the Britifli army, "i,5*dc. having reded a few hours after the adion, re-Aro^ed. turned the fame day to Elizabeth-town, and in the u "Viirrfffir''lkirf'' f HtSTO&Y or THE \ CHAP the evening, under cover of a redoubt that had ^-^X!!f ^"^ thrown up by the Aii^ericani, but now oc- 1780. cupied by the BritiUi, paflfed over to Staten Ifland without moleftation, I^y meant of a bridge of boats. Before the- Briciii txo6pt mlffcbed out from Elizabeth-town, fome (tains had been taken to miflead general WaOiin^on, as to the real defign 6fth« Britiilicommaiidct. The tranfportt were ftfienbled, tad troops emba^edi ai if an cacpe- ditfoA had bedi iatended ^ the North River againft Weft Point i aikl by lueii indications ge- neral Wafliingion wit fo Air alarmed, that he ac- taally marched fro«i his' camp in the Jcrftfys to- ward* the North River. But he marched with great deliberation, cantioufly intending nor to remove too far from Morris-town, untU the future movements of (ir Henrv Clinton (hould enable htm to difcover hit real intention ^ and he had proceeded only fifteen miles, when information was brought to him, that the Bririfli tK>0|», in^ ftesd of going vp the North River« were march* ing out m force towards Springfield. Geneni Wafhington ifflmedtat<^ halted, and fent bade i detachment to reinforce general Green ; but ht-^ . fore it arrived the t&ion at Springfield was over, and the Britilh troops had retreatM to Elisabeth- town. The real objeft of the expedition was pro- bably aguflft the American magaeines at Morns- town : But the oppofition made at Springfield was an indication to the commander in chief, that every mile of bis future match through a country naturally diflieult, and abounding with ftronj; pafles, would be not left obftinately disputed, mkI determiiied him to abandon an enterprife, whicb, even if it (hould be foeeeftful, might coil him too itruch; more eTpeciaDy as the expelled arrival AMEMCAN WAR. •n n^ of a powerfnl French armament on the coaft of C H A P. America, obligtd him not to engage In any expe- ^^^"" dition that woald either require much tmie, or carry him a cooiidcrablB diftanee from New- York. The Britifl) army haying qnltted New Jerfey, gmeral WaAington on hii part planned an enter- pri^againft a Britifli poft at Bergen Point, on dM North River, oppofite to New York, which was garrilbned by fieventy loyaliftt. Thii enter- prifeliad for ita bbjed not only the redudion o£ tk|t poft, but the carrying away of the cattle upon Bergen Neck, from which the gaarriibn of Hew York wai occafionally fuppUod with frefli pmvifiona, through the poft occupied by the loy- ^si And die force appointed for carrying it tito execution, amounted to about two thouEmdi ■en, under die command of general Wayne« iriH) had rendered himfelf famous by the furprifb ti Stoney Point. At Bergen Point, the defencea of which confifted of a block-hoofe furroundedby aa abbatis, this brave little baud of loyal refugees 4«faadod tbemfelves againft a cannonade of three hours, and repulfcd an attempt to ukc the place by adault: In the aifault the Americans loft' a number equal to the whole amount of the garri* foa, and in thehr retreat fome ftragglers werfli» amde prifoners, and part of the cattle retaken, uhich they were attempting to carry off. la the mioaa time, on the tenth of July, the ex- ^ i^^^k pcfted armament from France arrived at Rhode armuBcn Ifland. It confifted of Jieven ihip! of the line, fbme ^^ ^ frigates, and a number of tranfports, having on buui. board fix thoufand troops ^ the fleet being com- nanded by the chevaikr.de Ternay, and the troops by the count d« Rochambeau : And i^ oidicsr to prevent difcuflion, and obviate every dif- ficulty that might arif(^ upon tike jun^ion of the French )i ,# — ^ •7* HISTORY Of THE *-ji V^ 1 CH A P. French troopt with the American araiy, a com- J^f^^'* miflion was feat to general Wafhington, appoint- 17S0. ''^S ^i*" ^ licutenaiit-general of France, wmch of courfe pur the count de Rochambeau under hn, orders. The arrival of fo confiderable a reinforcement diflfufed a general joy amongft the, adherents of congrefs throughout the American Itates, and ex- cited them to Irefli exertions. Thofe ftatet, .which had lately'turned a deaf ear to the applications not only of general Wafliington, but of congrefs, were now eager to raife and fend forward their quotas of men : And the American army, which, from the various caufes already mentioned, had been reduced to a (late of imbecility, benn again to make a refpe£lable appearance. When the French arrived at Rhode Ifland, the Britijb fleet under admiral Atbuthnot was inferior lo that of the chevalier de Ternay ; and a plan wu laid for attacking New York : But the arrival of fix ihips of the line from England, which followed clofe on the track of the chevalier de Ternay, foon gave admiral Arbuthnot the fuperiority; and the Britifh commanders, inftead of waiting to be attacked, made preparations in theiir turn for ading offenfively a^ainft the French at Rho(|,e Ifland. Sir Henry Chnton, with the tranfports and troops deflined for this expedition, proceeded to Huntington Bay; in the Sound, whilft admiral Arbuthnot, with the (hips of war, failed round Long Ifland, in prder to co-operate by fea. But in the mean time general Wa(hington, whofe army had been increafed by the arrival of confi* derable reinforcements, fuddenly paflfed the; North River, and approached King's Bridge. So unez* pe£led a movement obliged fir Henry Clinton to abandon the expedition againft Rhode Ifland, and return with the troops tor the protedion of j New •;.»' 't*-- K^ ,»Vi^ E<#'4*>»»- -rj;; %" AMERICAN WAR. ^is A ea. New YorV, leaving admiral Arbuthnot to blotflk C H A ^. „p the French fleet by fea. The objeft of thii ^[^^^JiJJ; expedition was lofl, from a circumflance but too ,^(|(>> frequent in the hiilory of this country, a difaeree* ment between the commanders in chief of the land and naval fervice. Upon the return of the Britifh commander, general Waflilngton drew oK hit forces to a greatier diflance, cautioufly avoid- ing fuch a pofitibn as might be the meant of bnnging on a general engagement. About this time the count de Guichen was ex- pe^ed from the Weft Indies, with a land force, and twenty ftiips of the line. In view of this af- TilUnce the New England militia had aifembled very readily, and marched to Rhode Ifland, when their allies the French were threatened with an attack from fir Henry Clinton : General Wafliing- ton's army too, as has been already mentionedf^ I bad been greatly increafed by the arrival of frefli I reHforcements. And with thefe different bodies ofmeti, when united, it was intended to attack New York by land, whilft the count de Guichen, (joined by the fquadron under the chevalier de iTemay, fliould block it up by fea. But the coutit jde Guichen, as we fhall fee hereafter, when we Icome to the tranfa^ions in the Wed Indies, had Ibeen fo roughly handled in his different engage- Iments with admiral Rodney, and his (hips were In fo fhattered a condition, that inflead of pro- Iceeding to America, according to the original de- iign, he returned with his fleet to France, taking under his convoy the trade from the French if- llnds. The failure in fo confiderable a part ren- Itred impra£licable the further profecution of the peme againd New York ; and as foon as gene- IWaflimgtoii was made acquainted with the de- irture of the count de Guichen, it became ne- fary for him to concert new meafures with the Vol. II. T French i I ^^:^f£:r<' --Wi3si;^S!2»ii^fIP^ iP^-l? ■fi:;_:-a?-«:-Ic^v".,?' ./ *74 History of- 1* he i In .11 CH A P. French commanders at Rhode IflaiKl, for fhpir ^X xy card. After the evacuation of Philadelphia fay the Britiih troops in the year 1778, he was ap. pointed to command the American garrifon tl|^ took pofleffion of it ; and while he aded in that capacity had the misfortune to difguft many of the inhabitants, and even to fall under the dif* pleaure of congrefs. He lived expenfively, and, as was fuppofed, confiderably beyond his Hated income ; but he was at the fame time concerned in trading fpeculations, and had (hares in fcvenl privateers; and upon the profits exptfded from thofe adventures, he probably relied, as means oil enabling him to keep up the (late andAyleof, life he had allumed: tehad alfo chiims againilj the public to a conHderable amount ; and upon V the payment of them he depended as a fund to fa' ti»fy tlie immediate deman s of his creditors, wkj were beginning to become importunate. > But the trading ipeculations in which he had engaged proved unprodudi^e ; his privateers were unfuc- ccij»iui i and a confiderabjc ponlon cf his demand] ..^•■.v, .-_ ,. agaiiill ><..-..-. ,*-/' AMERICAN WAR* *n their erviftw. onnec* ch and rom hi» me was UverinR >f Weft \ River, y cut off indmid' is dcfign srvices in oft raeri. s in ^e :e and re* elphta by e 'W'a» % :rifontl|H ed inihat many of r the dif- vely, a^^l* bis dated concerned in fcveral ;{\ed irom $ means ot' ,nd ftyle of ims againft and upon ■e power which he w^s about to join, that might fund to fi' nder his acceflion of more importance. A cor- l;tor») >iv^ Vpondence was opened with fir Henry Clinton : But tht Be delivering up the po(l ^% Weft Point, where ltd engaged Irnold now commanded, was the fervice he pro- jere unCuc-Wed to perform f and the interval of general I bis demantlKifliington's abfence, when he went to confer agaiuftB -.''H* T i with 1780. againft the public was cut off*, by the commilfio- CHAP. ners appointed to examine his accounts. From^*^^'^"^ the decifion of the commiifioners, general Ar- nold appealed to the congrefs, who appointed a committee of their own members to revife the fen- tence : But the committee of congrei's were even lefs favourable to his views than the commiffioners, 6'Otn whofe decifion he had appealed. They re- ported that the balance already allowed by the commifiioners was more than general Arnold was entitled to receive. So many difappointments could not fail to ruf- fle a temper lefs irritable than general Arnold's : RecoUe^ing his former fervices, he gave full fcope to his refentment, and complained of ill- ufage and ingratitude in terms better calculated to ipiovoke than to mollify, 'and fuch a;i were pecu- offenfive to congrefs. His enemies availed ithemfelves of his indifcretion to fwell the tide of [popatar clamour which already ran ftrongly againit A court-maftial was appointed to examine lioto his condud during his command inPhiladel- Iphia, and by the fentence of that board it was in ptneral terms reprehended, and himfelf fubjedted [0 the mortification of receiving a reprimand from ral Wafliington. From this moment it is fuppofed that Arnold iDrmed the defign of quitting the American ferv- |ce and joining the Britifh ; and only delayed the Kecution of his parpofe until an opportunity ottld oflFer of performing fome eflential fervice to * ■'. ( • .«• - .'Att ■' 1 . ^'IVt«- ■iltrnAi %■: ^^'i ^ • ■ -..y-i A,.,,, K k >1 '^di Jl:. »76 CHAP. XXXVII. 1780. Adventure end fate «f the Britiih adjutant* general major Andi£> I I li*' / HISTORY OF THE with the French commanders, was the tiifie ap, pointed for fmifhing the negotiation. Jo facili- tate the means of carrying on the previous con refpondence, the Vulture floop of war was ftati- oned in the North River, at fuch a diftance from Weft Point, as to excite no fufpicion, but near enough to ferve for the intended communication; and as general Arnold required a confidential per^ Ion to treat with, major Andre, aid du-camp to fir Henry Clinton, and adjutant-general of the Britiih army, undertook to confer with him, and bring the negotiation to a conclufion. For this purpofe he repaired on board the Vulture fidop. At night, in purfuance of a previous arrange^ merit, a boat from the , Ihore carried him- to the beach, where he met general Arnold; and day.! light approaching before the bufinefs on which they had met was finally adjufted, major Andr^ was told that he muit be conduded to a phct of j fa^ety, and lie concealed until the following night, 1 when he might return on board the Vulture with- out the danger of being difcovered. 1 he beach where the firft conference was held was without, but the place of fafety to which major Andre vas conducted to lie concealed during the day, was within the American out-poft<, againll his inten-, tion, and without his knowledge. Here, how-l ever, he remained with general Arnold during the! day ; and at night, the. boatmen refuting to carryl him on board the Vulture, becaufe (he had fhitte her pofition during the day, in confequence ofi gun being brought to bear upon her from tiJ fhore, he was reduced to the neceffity/Of endeavJ curing to make his way to New York by land] Laying afide his reg^ei|tals, which he had hi] thetto worn, he put gj|^i^lain fuit of clothes, an receiving a pafs frotrtgeneral Arnold, under tb aiTumed name of John Anderfon, as if be baj heel I .'i^ ■^rt::. p.. . _. . .,jj(|pi:-,«-*i».^ ,«*..v1J ^.J~ ^i»i>,w^ — ; •-.•- ■..., ■/»«/' , . Aj-S^v'^W'. HE was the tufte ap- tion. io laciU- he previous cor* of war was ftati- :h a diftance from ufpicion, but near A communication; a conftdential per. :e, aid du-camp to ant-general of the nfer with him, and ncluiion. For this i the Vuhure floop. i previous atrange- e carried him- to th& I Arnold; and day^ e bufinefs on which iufted, major Aridr^ idudedto aplacdof il the following night, lard the Vulture with- covered. 1 he beach as held was without, ich major Andre vu I during the day, vras ofts, againll his inten- Lvledge. Here, how- eral Arnold duting the Limen refufing to carry becaufe (he had Ihittt* in conl'equence of ,r upon her from tlw he neceffity/Of endeavJ to New York by M tals, which he had hi lain fuit of clothes, an eral Arnold, under tl nderfon, as if he h» bee AMERICAN WAR. *n been fen t down the -untry on public bufinefs, CHAP, he fet out on his I ft. 5 to New York. His paff-^^^^'^* port fecured him frovij interruption at the Ameri- g^ can out-pofls; and he had alxedy pafled them all, and thought himlelf out of danger, when three American nlilitia men, who had been lent out to: patrol near the road along which he travelled, fuddenly fprinp;ing from the woods, feized the bridle of his hcxrle and flopped him. The fud- deunefs of the furprife feems to have deprived major Andre . of his wonted prefence of mind; ind, although a man pf- the greatelV addrefs, he was entrapped by the rude fimplicity of clowns. Having inquired from whence they were, and be- ing anfwered, " From below;" *' And fo," faid he, '• am 1.** It was not long before he difcov- ered his miftake ; but too late, it would appear, to remove the impreflion which his firfl: anfwer had made. Ihe men who had made him prifoner ftarched him for papers, and having taken from his boot a packet, in the hand- writing of general Arnold, determined to carry him without delay to their commanding officer. It wa$ in vain that he offered them a purfe of gold and his watch, to fafl'er him to pafs : His promifcs of an ample pro- vifion, and getting them promotion, if they would iccompany him to New York, were equally una- raiKng. The unfortunate Andre, after thefe ef- . forts to regain his liberty, feems to have been re- gardlefs of what. might be his own fate, and was [only anxious to fave general Arnold. Before the commanditig officer of the militia he continued to perlonate the fuppofed John Anderlon, and re- qiieiied that a meflenger might be fent to general [Arnold to acquaint him with his detention. A lefienger being accordingly difpatched, and fuf- llicient time having elapfed for general Arnold to take his efcape, he no longer dii'guifed his real name. i (- -.M.. 0- ]?-ii ' 1 I 4) i79 lilSTORY OF THE CRAP, name, and avowed him felt to be major Andr^, y y !*' adjutant-general of the Britifli army: He alfo 1780. wrote a letter to general Wafhington, in his real name, acquainting him that he was his prifoner, and accounting for the difguife which neceffity had obliged him to afTume. The meflage fent ta general Arnold, announcing the detention of John Anderfon, was fufficient notice to him to provide for hh own fafety : He quitted Weft Point without delay, got on board the Vulture floop, and in her proceeded to New York. In the mean time general Wafliington returned from his interview with the French eommanderi) and being informed of what had paiTed during his abfence, together with Arnold's efcape^ he rein. '•\ forced the garrifon of Weft Point with a ftrong detachment from his army, and appointed a board of general officers, to inquire into and re. port upon the cafe of major Andre. The can. did, open, manly, and ingenuous explanation of his condud, given by major Andre, before the board of officers, imprefled with admiration and efteem even his enemies who were about to (bed his blood. Difmifling from his thoughts all per< fonal confiderations of danger, he was only anz* ious that the tranfadion in which he had been engaged, Ihaded as it was by the intervention of | ' unfortunate circumftancei, might be cleared from obfcurity, and appear in its genuine colours, ati leaft with refpeft to his intention, which was incaJ pable of fwerving from ths paths of honour. But the board of officers fixing their attention upon the naked fa6b of his being in difguife with*! in their lines, without perhaps duly confiderir the unfortunate train of incidents which'unexped«| ediy, and almoft unavoidably, led liim intothatl fitpation, were of opinion that he came underl thedcfd of the ca timt incc fiw, an ^'ncd hii tfOHi of tj bis fate fil Henry Cli joyed in a a correfpo means of a which jufti ^cft, to intj mf Ws lettc bcrtfon, wii wth any o Jleral Wafti tween genen iadbeen pre efforts to fa] wiling: His greatnefs of 1 pad efcaped , J Wore it waj ertinguiflied 1 paftington, Inwined. Ali mer from nJ pious to his el licath from thl Bore correfpl jic would notr pwfidcrable i ^«unate prifJ "^ober this I AMERICAN WAR. «7^ sturned anderif ring his he rein. a ftrong inted a ) and re* the can. nation of efore the ation and t to ihed 8 all per- lonly anx. had been ention of ited from (I0UT8, at . was inca- ff honour, attention fguifevnth- :onfideringl unexpeft- .i intothit ;ame undet| the defcription, and ought to fufier the punifli-''^* A P. ment, of a fpy. ^^il]^i2 The concern felt at New York, in conrequence i^go. of the capture of major Andre, was in the mean tiore inconceivably great : His gallantry as an of- ficer, and amiable demeanour as a man, had gained him not only the admiration, but the afiec- tion, of the whole army ; and the uncertainty of bis fate filled them with the deeped anxiety. Sir Hfnry Clinton, whofe efteem and regard he en- joyed in an eminent degree, immediately opened a correfoonde'nce with general Wafliington, by means of a flag of truce, and urged every motive vbich juftice, policy, or humanity, could fug- ged, to induce a remiflion of the fentence. Find* , mg^his letters ineffedtual, he fent out general Rof bertfon, with a flag, to confer upon the fubjefb - vith any officer that fliould be appointed by ge- neral Wafliington. An interview took place be- tween general Robertfon and general Green, who bad been prefident of the court martial. But all efforts to fave the unfortunate Andre were una- niltng: His doom was irrevocably fixed. The . greatnefs of the danger which the American army ' bad efcaped by the difcovery of Arnold's plot : ,' before it was ripe for execution, feems to have octinguiflied in the breafl of the inexorably Waihington, every fpark of humanity that re- : oained. Although entreated by a mod pathetic letter from major Andre, written on the day pre- Ivioas to his execution, to change the mode of his Ideath from that of a common malefactor to one ' ore correfpondent to the feelings of a foldier, le would not condefcend to grant even this in - oniiderable boon to the fupplication of his un- irtunate prifoner: And on the fecond day of :ober this accompliflied youQg oflicer met '':•"' -" •-"-■ - ■ •■•■-■•■ ' :.:hk; i\ ) v ..^.V^fr:. -••'--■•■■ .JT^J^I^^^ .*, -.— .^- -^ -:-«--, '7 I / / R I '280 HISTORY OF THp »78o. CHAP. hU fate, in the manner prefcribed by his fentcnce, ^y^^^; with a compofure, ferenity, and fortitude, which aftoniflied the beholders, and excited thofe einoti- ons of fympathy that would have been niore bo- nQurably and humanely exercifed in averting than lamenting his fate. Thus Jell the unfortunate Andre. Tf intention is necefiary to con(litut;e guilt j and if guilt alQ^e merits punilhment, fome doubt may be entert^JQ. ed with |-efpe£t to the fentence of the board of QfHcers. Major Andr6 did not, at firll, knovring. ly enter within Jthe American lines : He was then alfo in his regimentals : And when he' actually found himfelf within thofe. lines, qontrari)y to his intention, whatever he afterwards did, in or. der to extricate himfelf, by afluming a difguife, and uflng a feigned paifport, ought rather to be afcribed to the impofed neceifity of his fuuation thaii to choice. But, even if the fentence pro* nounced ags^ind him (hpuld be found agreeable to the letter of the law of nations, fo unfuitahle is the exercife of extreme iudice tQ our in^p^rfefl (late, that we turn with difguH froQi thofe tranf< actions, in which the finer reelings of humanity have been facrif\. I '4' ;Ji «t4 HISTORY OF THE CHAP our glorious atchievements in former wars. He XXXVIII j^j^j jjggjj jjm ^ fg^ jayg j^( fgg^ when he fell in 1 7S0. ^'^^ ^"^ ^°°^ ^ ^^^^ ^^ twenty-three fail of Spa. nilh (hips bound from St. Sabaftian to Cadiz, fix- teen of them laden with proviflons, naval llores and bale goods, and the reft (hips of v^ar belong- ing to the royal company of Caraccas that had been aligned to the others as a convoy. The fame good fortune, about a week afterwards, brought him in fight of a Spanifii fleet of eleven ihips of the line and two frigates, that were cruif- ing o£F Cape St. Vincent- under the command of Don Juan Langara. A lee-fhore at no great dif- s tance favoured the efcape of the enemy, and ren. dered a purfuit from the Britifh fleet hazardous; and the ihortnefs of a winter's day, already far advanced, with tempeftuous weather, increafed ' the danger. But the gallant Rodney, like the in- . trepid Hawke, chofe to rifk fomething, where the performance of a great national fervice was the expected confequence ; and threw out a lignal for '^ a general chafe, taking the lee-gage to cut off the ** • enemy from the fhore. Night came on; but the purfuit was dill continued. The (hips of the Britifh fleet clofed with thofe of the enemy as faft as they could get up; and the adion was not ended till two in the morning, when the Monarca, • the headmoft of the enemy s fleet, ftruck to the Sandwich, ..^admiral Rodney's (hip. The San Domingo, one of the enemy's (hips, blew up early in the engagement ; and every foul on board perilhed. Four of their fleet, including the Phoe- nix of eighty guns, Don Juan Langara's (hip, were ^ taken and carried into Gibraltar. Two otbei^i . ..( had (Iruck ; but after the officers had been (hifted, ' were driven on fhore by the tempeftuous weather, .' ' and one of them was entirely loft. The two frigates and four (hips of the line, alone efcaped, two .|i^!^^ >»♦■ i'- He U in Spa* , fix- lores long- t had The vards, eleven cruif- and of ;at dif- id ren. rdous *, ady far icreafed ; the in- lere the was the gnal for off the but the of the y as fait was not lonarca, t to the he San blew up on board the PhoB- hip, were ro othe^ in (hifted, weather, rhe two efcaped, two A M E R rc A N W A R. ' U^ two of the latttr much damaged in the aftion. CHAP. 'Iht enemy, although inferior in number, main- ^^Y|^ tained a running fight with great bravery ; and ,^8^. the vidtory was not obtained but at the expence of thtrty>two killed, and one hundred and two wound- ed, on board the Britifh fleet. The weather conti- nued fo tempeftuous, that it was with difficulty feme of the Britifli (hips, on the day after the aftion, were able to extricate themfelves from the dangerous fhoals of St. Lucar. The convoy being conducted fafely to Gibraltar, Qji.*JuJ^ and the provifions and (lores having been landed, admiral Digby, taking under his charge the Spaniih prizes and homeward-bound tranfports, failed for England on the fifteenth of February, with the greateft part of the fleet ; and admiral Rodney, with the red, proceeded to his flation in the Weft indies. The homeward-bound fleet under admiral Digby got fight of a French convoy, efcorted by feveral mips of war, but at.fuch a dif- tance that the greateft part of it efcaped by an early flight. 1 he Prothee, a French fhip of fixty- four guns, one of the efcort, was however taken, and fome few of the merchant-fhips. In the mean time the differences fubfifting be- cro^'ng tween Great Britain and Holland were every day between" increafing, and verging faft towards a ftate of hof- Great uri- tility. The Dutch merchants, particularly thofe ^oiunl of Amfterdam, had, from the beginning of the difturbances in America, maintained a correfpon- dence with the people of that country, and in the progrefs of the war fupplied them, not only with merchandife, but with warlike (lores, without which the very unequal conteft could not have been fo long fupported by the Americans. The carryiljg on a clandeftine intercourfe of fuch a nature, with thofe whom Great Britain claimed as her fubje^s, was not to be endured, even in a '^' nation A ii ■■r' :Us a86 HISTORY OF THE Ji CHAP, aation ftridly neutral, and far left in one bound t« ^^ y^ll* her by th« moft foJemn engagements of ancient i7lo. friend0)ip and alliance. Varioui remonft. ncet on this fubjeft were accordingly prefcnted by the Briti . > ever equitaMe, produced much difcontent among the Dutch merchants : They complained that by • - the feizure sind detention of their veflels, the ex- ., ^ prefs letter of the treaties fubfiding between Great Britain and the republic of the States General was grofsly violated ; whilft the real fa£t was, that they themfelves, by furnifhing the enemies of Great Britain with things neceflary for carrying on the war, which this proceeding was calculated to prevent, were ading directly contrary to the ' fpirit of all thofe treaties. •' By the vigilance of tnc Vu'rKn cruifers this .,f.y ti'ade was in fome degree chettivc iud th i^p- ' " ' plies, thus obtained by the Irench, became not a little ^precarious. But towards the beginning of the V. I '<-. i ■ .....,:^ .,..,. -J^^Jp^?*^-^. ^#M-«Lr'Tr": .-.--■*l^ in one bound f lentk of ancient mon(t. "ce« on ted by theBrttiih fatiifafVion wa* of France in the f the butch be- thcy bad hereto. h whatevCTtbey , to do tbe fame, J of naval ftorei ices prefcnted on d ineflfcftual, the eceived orders to jg , from good fan urfuanceof r-xlv tiant-lhipi as were ar the ufe of the itilh porta, from »art at foon as the Lnded i and 'm the made to tbe ihip. proceeding, bow- difcontent among )mplained that by cir veOels, the ex- ing between Great te States General real faft was, that ,; the enemies of elTary for carrying ng was calculated contrary to the li'r'fii cruifers this ind th >p- jch, became not a Is the beginning of the AMERICAN WAM/ the prefent vear, a number of Dutch fliipi, laden with naval uores, being ready io fail for the porta of France, the owners availed theinfelves of the opportunity of the departure o'' ^ Dutch lqu4dron that was proceeding to the Mediterranean, under the command of count Byian \ to pui tueir ihipt under his protection in their patfage through the channel. Timely information of their defign be- ing conveyed to the Britifli court, commodore Fielding was difpatched, with a fufficient force, to cxw'Sn ii^ tlie channel, examine the Dutch convoy, • I < ji;: : fuch of the (hips as were found carrying 0. tfK I ade which Great Britain was determmed ' ^ prohibit. The two fleets met in the channel on (i.u third of January. Permiifion to examine the convoy being refufed, and the boats of the Britifli deet fent for that purpofe being fired upon, com- modore Fielding fired a (hot acrofs the way of the Dutch admiral, which was anfwered with a broad- fide from the latter. The Britifli commodore did not fail to return the falute, when the Dutch admiral ft ruck his colours. In the mean time the greatefl part of the convoy had borne away for the coaft of France, and efcaped : Thofe thSit remain- ed were fafely conduced to Spithead, whither count Byland chofe to accompany them, to wait for orders from the States General, although he was told by commodore Fielding, that he was at liberty to proceed upon his voyage. This pro- ceeding, bordering upon hoftility, increafed the clamours of the difcontented in Holland, and added ftrength to the party attached to France, which was already too powerful. Whilft Great Britain was thus availing herfelf I of her maritime power to prevent the Dutch from fupplying her enemies with the means of carrying on the war, another of her allies, upon whom ihe had alfo ilropf claims of friendfliip, was a^ively wfc' engaged CHAP. XXXVlll 1780. »( Armed neutralitf, or aflbciati- on among neutral ma< ritime power,, for the purpofe ofeftablift- 1^1 h r ( i' ^ ■** It? {hill I r - I %\U >CT^ rt 1 s r o Vy * V ii i foodt. CHAP, engaged in promoting a fcheme fbr altering the XXXVtIl i^ceived law of nations, and rertdering fuch a 1780. trade legitimate as the Dutch had been attempt. iBgthedoc tng to carrying on with France. It was obvioufly trine, that the intent of the greater maritime powers, when free Ihips , , t 1 /t. • r 1 • make free engaged ift war, that the (hips or neutral nations fhould be liable to a fearoh, and fhould not proted enemies property ; and fuch was hitherto held to • be the law of nati<>ns, except in thofe inftances ' where it had been altered by treaties and conven- tions between particular powers : It was not lefs evidently the intereft of the weaker commercial powers, when engaged in war, that the fhips of neutral nations fhould pafs free and unmolelted ; , becaufe, whenever the ftate of th^^ war rendered them unable to carry on trade in their own (hips, they might employ thofe of neutral powers. The alteration propofed by this fcheme was, that a fi'ee Ihip fhould make free goods, or, in other words, that a neutral (hip, although loaded with a cargo belonging to one of the powers at war, fhould pafs as free and unmolefted as iil time of peace: A fcheme evidently intended to wound Great Britain in her moft effential intereil j and to her furprife, Ruflia was the power that brought it for- ward. In the war of the latter with the Turks fome few years before, the condud of Great Bri- tain had been fuch as to entitle her to expeft from Ruffia, fupport and afTiftance under her prefent embarraffments, rather than a regulation calculat- ed to encreafe them. But with nations, if not with individuals, views of intereft are the grand motives to adion ; and their policy confifls in improving thofe opportunities that occur for pro- moting it : Friendlhip, gratitude, and the other virtuous affections that adorn private life, feem to .V have little influence upon their condud. In a war between Great Britain and the kingdoms of France I and if!i'i/-^«'r^ --•■»^ "■ ,^^.^^.>ti'^^' TS^' «■ IE )T alteTing the dering fucb a been attempt- was obvioufly powers, when [leutral nations uld not proteft utherto held to thofe inftances ies and conven- It was not lefs ^ker commercial hat the fhipsof ind unmolelled ; tht^ war rendered their own fhipS, •al powers. The e was, that a fi'ee in other words, aded with a cargo fs at war, Ihould in time of peace: wound Great ereft ', and to her hat brought it tor- er with the lurks idua of Great Bii- hertoexpeftfrotn under her prefcni IreRulation calculat- 'ith nations, if not lereft are the grand policy conftlts m that occur for pro- de, and the othet Tivate life, feem to conduft. l^a^ar kingdoms of irance American war. ijl9 1789. siAct Spain, the local fituation of the former enables CHAP., her in a great meafure to cut off thofe fupplies of ^XXVIII naval ftores which the north of Europe alone can. furnifh. Hence, in time of war between thole, powers, this kind of trade experiences coniidera-. ble interruptions. Ruflia, Sweden, and Denmark, all partook of the lofs ariflng from fuch interrup- tions. ' And the prefent embarralTed (late of Great Britain was laid hold of as a fit opportunity for compelling her to fubmit to fuch a regulation as,, might remove the inconvenience complained of by thefe northern powers. This fipheme is faid t6 have originated with the king of Sweden ^ but it was firii promulgated by a declaration of the em- prefs of Ruilia addreiTed to the belligerent powers, vhich was followed by decUriations of the like import from the courts of Sweden and Denmark ! The bafis of the whole being, th;jit neutral powers unconcerned in the war mould be permitted to carry on their commerce in the fame unlimited manner as in time of peace, thofe articles called contraband alone excepted. The other neutral • powers in Europe were invited to accede to the principles contained in thefe declarations ; and z$ , It was propofed to compel the pradical ex^cutipijL of them by a maritime force, to be equipped by each of the contra^ing parties, hence the confe- deration gained the name of the armed neutra- lity. The declaration of the emprefs of Ruflia being onformable to the prefent interefl pf the cou^tf f France and Spain, was received by them with \^utmo(l fatisfaftion ) and fuitable anfwers wer« eturned. Great Britain alone was to fuftain au injury from it, and at another time, and under iflferent circumflances, perhaps it might have beei;L fefented as an infult. But at prefent it was thought it to return an anfwer which might neither give Vot. II, U offence. ..!.V ; -■ T.^ H ■Va.:.U 290 HISTORY OF THE ••i^. ,y !/» ,v.- CHAP, offence, nor derogate from the dignity of the ^^™J^ Britifli nation by a tame fubmiffioh to the claims 1780. of the northern powers. 1 he anfwer was decenr and refpeftful : But, far from admitting the prin- ciples laid down by the cmprefs of Ruflia, the general law of nations, as it had been hitherto linderftood, was held out as the only rule of deci- fion in maritime cafes, except fo far as it had been altered by treaties between particular powers ; and that between thofe powers the treaties of courfe ■ \ furniftied the rule. The emprefs was affured, that . from the commencement of the war the ftriftcft _ orders had been iffued to the Britiih naval com- manders for refpefting her flag, and obferving all the (lipulations contained in the commercial treaty fubfifting between the two nations ; and that the '. fame orders would be continued, and ftri£lly ^xe^ cuted. But fhould any infringement happen, the Courts of admiralty, to whom the decifion in fuch cafes belonged, would afford redrefs in fo equitable . • - a manner as fhould be perfedly fatisfafl:ory to her imperial majefty. By thefe proceedings of the northern powers it I became fufEciently apparent that from thejn Great] Britain was neither to exped afliflance nor fup- \ port : And about this time it feems to have been! determined in the Britifh cabinet to put to the] tefl the fincerity of the Dutch, and try how far! , they were to be relied on for the performance ofj thofe engagements to which they were bound bjf treaty. The ground of the alliance between Great Britain and Holland was mutual fafety and protedion ; and in cafe either nation was attacked the other was to lurnifh certain fuccours. ThefJ had been already formally demanded, on the pan^ ( of Great Britain, after Spain took a part in thj war : But the States General had hitherto negie" ed either to furnifh the fuccours, or give a fatij fadorl -1!l»«., jfi^t. HE dignity of the i to the claims wer was decent lilting the prin- . of Rufiia, the J been hitherto nly Tuie of deci. ar as it had been liar powers -, and reaties of comfc . was affured, that war the ftrifteft Jritiih naval com. and obfervingall commercial treaty ons; and that the d, and ftriaiy ^xe. ement happcnvthc 'he decifion la fuch drefs in fo eqiitable | yfatisfaaorytobet ; northern po^ersi* ,at from them Great t afliftance nor fup. tfeems to have been :abinettoputtothe b, and try hov^fa r the performanceo they were bound b] he luiance bet^eei Jas mutual fafety an ■^nation was attach •tain fuccours. JlhJ demanded, on the p Lin took a part in ^ 'a bad hitherto nede^ |cours,orgtveafat AMERICAN WAR. 291 1780. April. faftory anfwer to the demand. The Britifli am- C HAP. baifador at the Hague was now inftruded to pre- ^^^^^^^ fent a remonftrance on the fubjedl, to claini the fuccours. ftipulated by treaty, and to declare, that if a fatisfaftory anfwer was not given to this re- quifition, within three weeks after the delivery of the remonftrance, fuch a negled on the part of the States General would be confidered as a declarati- on that they withdrew from the alliance between the two nations. The remonftrance was accordingly prefented on the t wenty-firft of March, and no fatis- faftory anfwer being given within the time limited, the threat held out v\ as put in execution. By an „" Se"fr«. order of the king In council, bearing date the ties be- feventeenth of April, all the treaties fubfifting be- ^"" tween the two nations were to be fufpended, and Britain and the fubjefts of the' States General were in future ""^^"f/ to be entitled to no other privileges than thofe en- joyed by neutral nations, unconnected with Great Britain by treaty: By this decisive meafure the unfriendly difpofi- tion of the Dutch towards the Britifli nation was laid open, or, at leaft, their total indifference about is fate : And it feeras to have been wife policy in the Britifli miniftry to put that difpofition to the tell ; fince it is fafer to have an open enemy than ian infidious friend. Thefe feveral tranfadions, hich happened foon after the beginning of the irefent year, difclofed the temper of molt of the wers of Europe, upon whom Great Britain had y claim for afliftance ; and from them it became anifeft, that flie muft henceforward fupport the ontcft againft the united power of the houfe of urbon, not only without the aid of a fingle ally, ut under the convidion that the other nations of urope viewed her danger with unconcern, and ther rejoiced in the profpeft of her ruin, than iihed to prevent it : A conviction mortifying no U 2 doubt ,) (^^ / ii9* HISTORY OP THE 17^0. May. Naval tranfadli' em. iS^'i^, ^' . I CHAP- doubt in the extreme, but at the fame time not XXXVlII entirely without its ufe, as it had a tendency to *"""^'''*^ flimulate to the braved exertions thofe who felt the genuine flame of patriotifm, and whof« love for their country was fuperior to 9H the confidera- tions of party. Upon the death of fir Charles Hardy, in the month of May, the command of the channel fleet was given to admiral Geary, who failed in queft of the enemy, about the ufual time, with thirty (hips of the line. During his cruife, in the bt. ginning of July, he came in fight of a fleet of about thirty fail, which he afterwards found to be a convoy of French merchantmen from Port au Piince, in the Weft Indies, bound to France. A general chafe was immediately ordered ; but it was evening before the headmoft of the Britilh fleet reached the epemy, and a fog foon afterwarih coming on, twelve only of the merchantmen vere taken. The reft, with the two armed (hips aiccompanied them as a convoy, efcaped in thej The French and Spanifli fleets again formed jun£tion this year, as they had done in the prece< ding one. They did not however attempt t^entj the channel, but cruifed in that tra£t throu^l which the outward-bound trade from Great Brij tain to the £aft and Weft Indies ufually and from their number fpread over an irnini extent of fea. A fleet for the Eaft Indies, another for the Weft Indies, failed together Portfmouth towards the end of July, under convoy of captain Moutray of the RamilKet, tended by two frigates, and unfortunately, ifl tj night of the eighth of Auguft, fell in with tl divifion of the combined fleet which was manded by Don Lewis de Cordova. The.— . milKes, with the two frigates, and a few merchafl'^j f 1'^. THE ,e fame time not xd a tendency to 8 thofe who felt 1 and whofe love \\\ the confidera- 68 Hardy, in the f the channel fleet /ho failed in queft time, ^ith thirty cruife, in the be- fight of a ftect of I rwards found to be :men from Pott au )Vind to france. A eW ordered; hut it I Imoft of the Mlh 1 fog foon afterwatdji e merchantmen vctel wo armed (hipstkl ivoy, efcaped in m fleets again formed ad done in the ptect- ' rever attempt t<^enta I that traft throuji rade from Great Bjy Indies ufually pafff^ )Tead over an mm the Eaft lndie«> «, failed together nd of July, under r of the Ramilhes, d unfortunately, rat icuft, fell in with* fleet vhich was « pe Cordova. The fcs.andaf^wmerchi AMERICAN WAR. «93 m men, efcaped : All the reft, amounting to more Chap. than forty fail, were taken and carried into Cadiz. ^^2f^]li[Jj This misfortune was the more feverely felt, as a j^go. number of the (hips were loaded with naval and military ftores for the ufe of the fettlements in thofe parts of the world to which they were bound. Not long afterwards admiral Geary re- figged his command, and was fucceeded by admiral Darby. . The oppofite grand fleets did not this year come in fight of each other: Of courfe nothing de- cifive was done by fea. But feveral hard-fought anions took place between fingle {hips, in which Britifil valour maintained its wonted fuperiority. In thefe anions the Belle Poule of thirty-two guns became a prize to the Nonfuch, commanded by fir James Wallace: The Artois and Fcarl, two French frigates, were taken by commodore John- ilone, in the Romney; the Nymphe, by captain o Peere Williams in the Flora; and the count d'ArtoiSj a private (hip of war, mounting fixty- - ; four guns, by captain Macbride in the Beinfaifant. Nor muft we omit a gallant adion performed by captain Moor, of the Fame, a private fliip of war belonging to Dublin, who alone attacked five French privateers, drawn up to receive him oflf Cape de Gat, and captured four of them. The fiege and blockade of Gibraltar was dill continued by the Spaniards; but with no greater profped of Aiccefs than when it commenced. The danger of a famine, arifing from the long conti- nuance of the blockade, was averted by the fup- plies which admiral Rodney conveyed in the be- ginning of the year : And all the other efforts I of the Spaniards to reduce it, were either prevent- ed from taking efFed by the vigilance of general Elliott, or fuccefsfuUy refuted by the determined fpirit and perfevering bravery of the garrifon. After / A*V. '■r'- < t^ 5*- ' ? f.:!!lijflfc£^v ^ . 294 HISTORY OF THE 1780, in r CHAP. After relievinff Gibraltar, in the manner alrea- v^S^J^ dy related, admiral i .odney proceeded to his fta- tion in the Weft Indies, and arrived at St. Lucie on the twenty-fcventh of March. The reinforce- ment of Ihips, which he carried out, brought the contending fleets nearer to an equality ; thefupe- riority in numbers ftill, however, remaining with the French. But although, before the arrival of admiral Rodney, the French fleet was fo much fuperior to that of Great Britain in the Weft India feas, no advantage was obtained proportioned to that fuperiority : On the contrary, the trade of the enemy had been greatly annoyed, their force leflened by the capture of feveral of their frigates, and the empire of the fea difputed with an un- daunted firmnefs which no fuperiority in number could difmay. Only two days before the arrival of admiral Rodney, monfieur de la mot te Piquet, who was cruifing with four fliips of feventy-four Runs, and two frigates, for the protedion of the French trade, fell in with and attacked three Bri- tilh (hips of war, one of thera mounting fixty. four, another fifty, and the third only forty four! guns, the largeft commanded by the honourable . captain Cornwallis. Nolwithftanding the great difparity both in number and force, the Britillil commander gallantly prepared to receive the ene- my's attack, and to give a new difplay of Britilh] valour on that element on which it feems peculi.i arly deftined to (hine. The engagement beganj nbout five in the afternoon, and was continued! during the whole night, and part of the foUowingl day. when the combatants feparated, as if by mu-T tual confent, to repair their refpedive damages.! On the third day in the morning, a Britifh fhipod fjxty-four guns, and two frigates, having appear] ed in fight, captain Cornwallis refolutely bora down upon the enemy to bring them again toacj tionf .i'V- ^^1 > 'f AMERICAN WAR. ag$ tion : But the French fquadron had fuffered fo C H P. much in the firft engagement, that monfieur de ^^^^^" la Motte Piquet declined to renew it, notwith- ^TtBcT' llandinf? the fuperiority of force he flill poflTefled. Alfo, previous to the arrival of admiral Rodney, the count de Guichen, with twenty -five (hips of the line, eight frigates, and a number of tranf- ports with troops, had appeared before St. Lucie, and difcovered an apparent defign of attacking it; but after viewing the difpofitions made on fliore, by general Vaughan, and the judicious ar» rangement of the fquadron under admiral Hyde Parker, for repelling the attack, he thought pro- per to return to Martinique, without making the attempt. This vifit v/as returned by fir George Rodney foon after his arrival. On the fecond pf April he failed for Fort Royal |i;-iy, in Martini* que, to offer battle to the enemy, and approached near enough to exchange fome (hot with their batteries on fhore. The couiu de Guichen how- ever did not think fit to come out : And admiral Jlodney, after remaining two days before Fort Royal, and endeavouring in vain to provoke the enemy to an engagement, returned to St. Lucie, y leaving fbme fad (ailing veflels to bring the earli- ell intelligence of any movement that fhould be I. made by them. Nothing happened till the fifteenth of April, when, in the middle of the night, the cpuat de Guichen came out of Fort Royal harbour, and failed with twenty-three fliips of the line, and a number of frigates, immediate intelligence be- ing conveyed to fir George Rodney, he inftantly put to fea, with twenty (hips of the line. On f; x ; the fixteenth he got fight of the enemy, and on the feventeenth, after various manoeuvres prac- tifed on both fides, by the one to elude, and by the other to force an engagement, the French fleet il t)' t-ssato>< -■ *^ illSTOJiY QF TPHE T I'' ..-*^"-? C H A F. fleet was brought to aition. The tiring bdgai^ y XX Vin about one, and did not ceafc till four in the af. •'1780. ternoon. The Sandwich, fir George Rodhey^g ftiip, after beating three of the enemy's fleet in fucceflion, out of the line, engaged with the Cduronne, the count de Guichen's (hip, fupport- ed by two others, the Triumphant and Fendaat, knd ahhough alone, maintaine4,this unequal com* bat for an hour and a half, at the end of whicti the French admiral bore away. At this time the enemy might be faid to be completely beaten ; but iiich was the didance of the van and the rear froin the centre of the Briti(h fleet, and fuch the crip. pled ftate of feveral of the (hips, particularly the Sandwich, which for twenty -four hours was with difficulty kept above water, that an immediate jpurluit could not be ordered with any profped of advantage. In the mean time every endeavour was ufed to refit the difabled (hips ; and > on the twentieth, the Britifh commander again de* fcried the enemy. He purfued them, for three days fucceflively, but without effeft. They ftu- dioufly avoided an engagement, and endeavoured to pufli for Fort Royal in Martinique. From this ; i retreat they were however cut off by fir George V I. Rodney, who had penetrated their intention in< time to counteradl it y and they were at lad oblig' ed to take (helter under Guadaloupe. In the ac- i "^ tion the lofs of men on board the Britifh fleet amounted to one hundred and twenty killed, and] ^ three hundred and fifty-three wounded : That of I the French in killed and wounded was faid to bef /' near one thoufand. Although a victory wasun-j • : ' dpubtedly obtained, it is plain, from the BritiHtl commander's difpatches, that it was not fo cont'f blete as he wi(hed, and had reafon to expert atthel beginning of the a^idn : And although blame isl hot diredly imputed to any of the officers utiderl ■ J" V ! - • . , himJ r-„ ''■- ^^•"tadlLJ^I The fifing besgan U four in the af, Jcorge Rodney's enemy's fleet tft ngaged with the in's (hip, fupport. lant and Fendaat, ^this unequal com- the end of which At thU time the jletely beaten; but [1 and the tear from and fuch the crip, ps, particularly the Four hours was with that an immediate withany profpeaof ne every endeavour led (hips i and . on immander again de- icd them, for three .teflfea. Theytttt. it, and endeavoured irtinique. From this ^t off by fir George •d their intention ml tey were at laft oblig- idaloupe. In the ac ,ard the Briiifh fleet id twenty killed, and \e wounded: That oil aunded was faid to be leha viaory wasun-l lain, from the Britilh lat it was not fo com-l reafontoexpeaatthel nd although blame «l of the officers underl hitnJ AMERICAN WAR. •0 1780. him, It U ippixent that he thought himfelf not CHAP, vett fupported by fome of them. Sir George ^^'^"^ Rodney, finding, from an ineffeaual purfuit of three clays, that it was in vain to follow the ene- my any farther, judged it belt, as the next poifl. ble chance of bringing them again to aaion, to hf off Fort Royal in Martinique before them, the only harbour in the Weft Indies where they could repair their damages. To Fort Royal he accord- ingly dircaed his courfe, and continued to cruife pit Martinique, until the condition of fome of his owft Ihips obliged him to return to Gros Iflet Bay ]a St. Lucie to refit. The tick and wounded having been landed, and the fleet watered and refitted, the Britifli com- maader receiving information by his cruifers, on the fixth of May, that the French fleet was ap- proaching to windward of Martinique, immedi- ately failed in queft of it with nineteen (hips of tfaie line, two (hips of fifty guns, and fome fri- gates. After beating to windward for feveral days, he at laft got fight of the objea of his wifhes : But it was not the intention of the count de Guichen to rifque an engagement, and being to windward, he had it much in his power to avoid it *, yet not fo effeauaily, but that the rear of his fl^et was brought to aaion by the van of fir George Rodney's on the fifteenth and nineteenth of May, and on both days the advantage was ma < Bifeftiy on the fide of the latter. After the laft of thefe aaions, the French fleet flood to the north- ward with fuch a prefs of fail, that in three days their whole fleet was out of fight. Their fuperi- otity in failuig was fuch, that all further purfuit feemed in vain ; and fir George Rodney, having heen led in chafe of them already forty leagues to windward of Martinique, proceeded to Barba- does to refit fuch of his ihips -a had been difabled . . . .-, ... .. ^ . ,, . ... . jj^ I I ■ t ,\irjs.\. s^S HISTORY OF THE J 7^0. n C H A p. in the late engagements. The abfence of the Jl^Jl^ Britiih fleet afforded an opportunity to the count de Guichen, which he did not fail to embrace, of returning with his fliattered fquadron to the har- bour of Fort Royal. That fir George Rodney fliould put his fleet in the bell poiTihle flate, and that he (hould occupy a windward (lation, became the more neceflfury, in confequence of information, received by him about this time, of the approach of a fleet from Spain, which if I'uffered unmoleded to join that of France, would give to the latter a dangeroug fuperiority. The Spanifh fleet, of which he re. ceived information, had failed from Cadiz on the twenty.eighth of April, under the command of Donjofeph Solano, and confided of twelve (hipg of the line, a proportionable numbe.' of frigates, and eighty-three tranfports, having on board near twelve thoufand troops, and a confiderable train of artillery. That the Britiih Admiral might not lofe the opportunity of intercepting this arma. ment, he ufed the greateft difpatchin refitting his fleet at Barbadoes ; and having put to fea as foon as it was in readinefs, crulfed in that latitude, in which, according to the information conveyed to him, there was the greateft chance of meeting with Don Solano. But the extreme caution of the latter proved the means of his fafety, and de- feated all the attempts of the Britifli admiral to intercept him. Inftead of failing direftly to Fort Royal Bay, in Martinique, the appointed place of rendezvous, he kept more to the northward, and flopped fliort at Guadaloupe, difpatchinga frigate to acquaint count de Guichen of his arri- val, and requeuing a jundion where he then was. The count de Guichen, upon receiving this intel- ligence, immediarely failed, with eighteen Ihips of the line, and keeping to leeward of the iflands, 0£^£^l_ •^-li^ • ) HE bfcnce of the y to the count to embrace, of on to the bar- put hU fleet in 5 Ihould occupy more neceffary, eceived by him of a fleet from led to join that ter a dangerous of which h€ re- >[n Cadiz on the he command of i of twelve (hips tnbe; of frigates, ng on board near lonftderable train dmiral might not pting this arma- :ch in refitting his put to fea as foon I that latitude, in aiion conveyed to hance of meeting treme caution of lis fafeiy, and de- Britifh admiral to ig di-reaiy to Fort le appointed place to the northward, lupe, difpatchinga uichen of his arri- where he then was. receiving this intcl- vith eighteen Ihips leeward of the illands, A M £ R I C A N W A R. tf « iflands, joined the Spanifli fquadron under Demi- CHAP. nique. SSliU The combined fleet now pofl*eflred fo great a ,-8o, fuperiority, that it had nothing to fear from fir George Rodney ; and the land force that accom* panied it was fo confiderable as to portend ruin to the Britifli interefl in the Wed Indies, by the fuc- ceflive reduction of all the iflands. It was gene- rally fuppofed that the conqueft of Jamaica was the principal objed of the Spanifh armament, in effeding which the French fleet, without doubt, was to co-operate. But the Spanifh troops had been fo crowded '^n board the tranfports, that a peflilential diflemper broke out amongll them : And it raged with fuch violence about the time of their arrival in the Weil Indies, that it became neceflary to land the men in order to check its progrefs. For this purpofe, the combined fleet proceeded to Fort Royal Bay in Martinique: And the allies were for a time obliged to fufpend their operations. Sir George Rodney having been difappoiiited in his defign of intercepting the Spanifh fquadron, returned to Gros Iflet I3ay in St. Lucie, as the mod convenient flationfor obtaining early intelli- gence of any movement made by the enemy. Al- though their numbers had been IcfTened by the ^ contagious diflemper, they were fliil in fufficient - , - force to have attempted the conquefl of Jamaica V with every profped of fuccefs : But a difference July, of opinion between the two commanders proved fatal to the expedition. After remaining inaftive for feveral weeks in the bay of Fort Hoyal, the combined fleets put to fea in the night of the fifth I July, without making fignals or fhewing lights, and direfted their courfe to Saint Domingo. Here they feparated, the count de Guichen, with the French fleet, putting in to Cape Francois, whilft ; Don V i - 1 i it R4 ^•, 1? i. ilH ^^^^^H 1 . Commerci- '^''^^^^1 al treaty between ^h^Ht America Hj^H/ and Hoi- n^H^I H^Hl ! iaud. -i. li CHAP, and they were encouraged to hope for fuccefs in XXXVUI ^i^giy folicitations to that end, partly from the fa- vourable difpofition of the inhabitants of Amfler- dam towards their caufe, who had already tailed the fweets of the American commerce, and partly from the prevalence of a party which the intrigues of the court of France had raifed in Holland in oppofition to the Stadtholder and the Britiih in- tereft. / Moved by fuch coniiderations, the congrefs in the prefent year appointed their late prefidem, Henry Laurens, to proceed to Holland as their ambaifador, with full powers to bring the com- mercial treaty to a conclufion. Mr. Laurens ac- cordingly embarked at Philadelphia in a vefTel bound to Holland, carrying with him all the pa« pers that in any manner related to the objefl of his million, and particularly the provilional cbm^ , mercial articles fettled between William Lee and John de Neufville. But the veifel was taken on her paflage to Europe, and with her Mr. Laurens and his papers; the box cohtaining them, which had been thrown overboard, having been prevent- ed from fmking by the alertnefs of a Britiih fea- inan. Mr. Laurens's papers having furniflied the Bri- tiih miaiftry with full evidence of what they had long before fufpefted, the unfriendly difpofition of the Dutch, their connexion with the revolted colonies, and the underhand practices of the pen- fionary Van Berkel to make that connexion ftill clofer ; they determined to demand inllant fatis- faftion for the injury. For that purpofe the pa- . pers, which afforded the evidence, were tranfmit- , ted to the Britifh ambaffador at the Hague, who was inftruded to prefent a memorial to the States General, requiring them to difavow the proceed- ings of the penfionary Van Berkel and his accom- plices, for fuccefs ia • from the fa- lls of Amfter- ilready tafted ce, and partly hi the intrigues in Holland ia the Britilh in- he congrefs in late prcfident, slland as their bring the com- Ir. Laurens ac- hia in a yeffel lim all the pa- the objeft of rovifional cdm- illiam Lee and ;l was taken on er Mr. Laurens ig them, which ig been prevent- f a Britifti fea- irniftied the Bri- f what they had endly difpofition ith the revolted tices of the pen- t connexion ftill ind inftant fatis- purpofe the pa- , were tranfmit- the Hague, who rial to the States vow the proceed- el and his accom- plices, AMERICAN WAR. |d$ pHces, and to inflift upon them a punifliraent S^L^,?; fuitable to the magnitude of their offence: He vras further enjoined to declare, that, if fatisfac- tion in thefe refpefls (hould be either refufed or delayed, the States General would be confidered ag making themfelves parties to the injury, and fuch meafures be purfued as ihe law of nations author ifed for compelling a reparation of the \rrong. The memorial was accordingly prefented ; and no fatisfadory anfwer being returned by the States General within the time expeded, the Bri- tilh ambaffador was recalled from the Hague, and on the twentieth of December, letters of reprifal were ordered to be iffued againft the Dutch. In the mean time Mr. Laurens, after an examination before the fecretaries of flate, was committed on a char^p^ of high tre^fon a clofe prifoner to the Tower of London. I i J ( V SP* HISTORY OFT He k in [■"!l I'll hi y. 11 '"i 1 ■■■ t I! r CHAP. XXXIX. 1^ 1780, French at' tempt on the ifland •f Jerfcfi CHAP. XXXIX. Fnttch Att^pt OH the IJland •; -^ ->W <» > J-.k<'>«4M^ * .^.j.*-^.vS.\» ^' *^^-^'* •'^-n-*:'***^' 7- .■/*■ joV HISTORY 01^ THE CHAP, tonty refufed : And the French, who had advanc ^^^^*' cd to the gate, placing the lieutenant-governor in their front, were fired 1781. i iektied. front, were fired upon and compelled to retire. In the mean time major Pierfon, upon whom \\ie command of the troopj devolved, after the lieutenant-governor became a prifoncr, having collected them from their different ftations, and aifembled as many of the militia as cotild be got together, advanced againd the town, and Seized the heights adjoining to it. Whilll he lay in this fituation he received a fummons to furrender, agreeably to the capitulation ; to which he gallant- ly anfwered, that unlefs the French themfeives laid down their arms, and furrendered within twenty minutes, they might expeft to be attacked. An able difpofirion of his troops was accordingly made ; and at the end of that time, the town b«ing a&aulted on all fides, the French were fo fierce!) charged, that they retreated from every quarter to the market-place. Here, their force being concentered, the adion was renewed with freu vigour under the eye of their general, who. di. vefting himfelf of the magnanimity attached \ the character of an officer, and even of the feel- ings belonging to a man, kept by his fide the lieutenant-governor during the heat of the battle, expofmg him, although a prifoner, to the fire of the Britifh troops. But at length, the baron de Rullicourt received a mortal wound : When the fccond in command, feeing his troops unable 1 any longer to withiland the impetuofity of tbej aflailants, and his o^n fituation hopelefs, re- quelled the lieutenant-governor to refume his as- 1 thority, and accept the I'ubmiflion of him and hi; troops as pril'oners of war. In the attack of St. Helier's, the lofs of the aiTailants was not fo great! as might have been' expeded: Of the Britifli C-^?'«- " >• , - regulars •-.'■'■ '''.i,.-^t- 1. + ', . HE ho had advanc- ant-governoi in d con>pelled to ■)n, upon whom lived, after the rifoncr, having nt ftatioTis, and as could be got town, and fcized liUl he lay in this ns to furrender, which he gallant, rench themfelves irrendcred within e€i to be attacked. ,8 was accordingly ne, the town being ch iver< fo fi«rcel) roin every quarter their force being fenewed with freOi general, who. di. nimity attached fo- 1 d even of the feel- ept by his fide the . heat of the bank, rifoner, to the fire length, the baron tal wound : When ig his troops unabk impetuofity of the ation hopelefs, re- ar to rcfume his att- flion of hire and hjs in the attack of St. ints was not fo great .d: Of the BriHlh regubn tA M E R I C A N^ WAR. ^^f.. regulars twelve only wrere killed,' and th»rty.(ix CHap. wounded j and of the militia four were killed, ^^^^X. and twenty-nine wounded. But the death of the ^n^^ brave major Pierfon, who fell at the end of the ac- tion and in the moment of complete victory « filled «very on« with regret. To his gallantry anC good conduct, and to the brave exertions of the officers and troops under hiro, his country was indebted on the prefent occafion for the fafety of Jerfcy. Although moil of the troops were new levieS) they fought with the firmnefs of veterans : And the lofs fuftained by the militia fhews that tbey were entitled to a full (hare of merit for the fuccefs of the day. Of the enemy not one ef- caped, all who furvived the adion being made pri- foners of war. In this manner ended the fecond expedition undertaken by the French againft the iiland of Jcrfey, under all its circumihnces more difadrous to them than the firft. In the mean time they were draining every Navai «. Dirve to place their marine upon a more J'efpc^a- J"jh f,"^^^ bie footing, and to fit out fuch a fleet as might udBriuiii. give them a decided fuperiority in the Wed Indies daring the following fummer : Whild the Britifh minidry on the other hand exerted themfelves not itfs (Irenuoufly, to equip fuch a force as might be adequate to the various fervices which the war in its extenfion required them to provide for. That which was the vntoH preifing, and demanded thdr " immediate attention, was the relief of the garrifon of Gibraltar, more endangered by the want of ifupplies, in confequence of the blockade, than by the tremendous fire from the enemy's batteries. Gibraltar hwHng received no fupplies imce thofe ^ conveyed by fir Oeorge Hodney in the beginning of the preceding year, both the garrifon arid inha-> bitants were at this time in the utmod di^refs fof jwant of provifions. The allowance to the garrifon X a had ' I; .,«' if 1 1' / V .^J>.. *_ „,;^f'-'>^-«.;.>A4.>, J 308 CHAP XXXIX. 17*1. ■■■•; A' . if r I- ».- m' HISTORY OF THE ■ had been reduced to a pound and a half in the week of falted meat for each man, which at length became fo bad as to be fcarcely eatable. Frefli provifions, when they could be procured, fold at the mofl: enormous prices : Pigs at two ^guineas, turkies at three, geefe at thirty fhillingg, fowls and ducks at ten (hillings, damaged bifcuit at a (hilling the pound, peafe at eighteen-pence; and all other necefiaries in proportion. Fuel was fo fcarce, that it was with difficulty enough was found for dreiling their victuals. Thefe diftreffes were known in England : The heceffity of attempt- ing to relieve the garrifon was of courie urgent ; but the difficulty of accompliChing it was great. .The Spanifn fleet, under Don Louis de Cordova, had orders to cruife upon the coafl of Portugal, and was reprefented to confid of thirty (hips of the line : A French fleet, not much inferior, was ai- moft in readinefs to put to ,fea from Bred ; pnu all the force, which the Britilh miniftry could fpare from other fervices for the relief of Gibral- tar, confifted only of twenty ei^ht (hips of the line. Thefe, however, were commanded by the adtni. rals Darby, Digby, and Rofs, all of them officers of great profeffional reputation. With this fleet admiral Darby failed from Poitfmouth on the thirteenth of March, taking under his convoy the trade bound to the Eaft and Weft Indies ; and having touched at Cork to receive the tranfports with proviiious, and afterwards conducted the outward-bound trade as far as was thought necel- fary, he left them to purfue their voyage, anJi fteer^d. diredly for the bay of Cadi? ; into the harbour of which Don Louis de Cordova, upon receiving intelligence of admiral Derby's ap. pioach, had thought fit to retire with the 8panilh| fleet, without daring to rifque an engagement.! Whilll admiral Darby cruifed ofl* Cadiz and thel %4'n mouth I H E d a half in the man, which at :carcely eatable, d be procured, es : Pigs a^ two iX thirty {hillings, damaged bifcuit t eighteen-pence; ,rtion. Fuel wai culty enough was Thefe diftreffes iceffity of attempt, of courfe urgent ; [hing it was great. Louis de Cordova, coaft of Portugal, ►f thirty (hips of the AMERICAN WAR. 309 mo ch inferior, wa« ai- .a from Breft \ m 'tifti miniftry could the relief of Gibral- Mitlhipsofthelme. luledby theadmi. all of them otficers )n. With this fleet Pottfmouth on the inder his convoy the Well Indies -, and eceive the tranfports ards conduaed the as was thought necel- ue their voyage, anJ of Cadi»-, into the is de Cordova, upon dmiral Diirby's ap H uth of the Straits, keeping the Spanifh fleet in C H A P. P°rl, the 'tranfpopts with the provifions and ftores ^^^^J^l^ proceeded to thfe place of their deftination, under ,^81. the convoy of the divifion of the Britifli fleet com- Relief of manded by admiral fir John Lockhart Rofs : And ^'^'■'^'"• thus, to the utter mortification of Spain, Gibral-* tar was a fecond time relieved, and fupplied with every thing necefl^ary for fuftaining the fiege. Whilft the Britifli fleet was abfent on this ferv-" ice, that of France deftined for the Weft Indian ftation, and conlifting of twenty-one fliips of the line, failed from Breft under the command of the count de Grafle. The French polTeflions in that quarter, from the inferiority of the fquadron left for their protedion by the count de Guichen when he returned to France at the end of the pre- ceding fummer, had been expofed to the attempts of the Britifh commanders during the winter, and probably fome of them owed their fafety to the war with Holland. Sir George Rodney, after re- maining at New York until the hurricane fealbn was over, returned to the Weft Indies towards the clofe of the former year, and in conjiindtion with general Vaughan was meditating a defcent upon fome of the French iflands, when he receiv- ed information of the rupture with the Dutch, and inftrudions to commence hodilities againft their Weft Indian poflfeflions. Of thefe the little illand of St. Euftatius claimed the firft attention, not from its intrinfic value, but as being a gene- ral depot of merchandife, from whence not only the American colonies, but the French iflands alfo, derived confiderable fupplies : And it was the iinore obnoxious to Britifli vengeance, that the re with the Spanilh ■commerce -be?: ween it and the American colonies, f ue an engagcment.Bconnived at by the States General, was the ori- f d off Cadiz and theftnal caufe of diflference between the two nations, tnouthpfhich at laft produced an open rupture. Of fmall M t is'' -'\ ■:,%' u<^.. 3'» HISTORY OF THB 1 T- ,*y /■' - V:' ]/ ^ ^. CHAP, fmall extent, of barren foil, and without any tfa. ™^ tive produftions of value, the ifland of St. Eufta. 1}%%. t^^ ^^^ o^ i^o importance, except from its com. merce Being a free port, it was inhabited by people of all nations, who reforted thither for the fake of carrying on commerce with their refpe^ire countries; and during the prefent war, from the y great demands for merchandife of all kinds it < America, the trade of the illand had increafcd to an amazing extent. So confiderable was the inh f porta tion of merchandife into St. Euflatius, tbit the bulkier articles, f r want of room in the ware* houfes, lay in the ftreets. The whole ifland wti a kind of natural fortification, with only one coow venient landing-place ; but nothing had been done towards improving thofe defeniive advantages, nor was it even provided with any thing like a February, fufiicient garrlfou. Such was the fituation of 'St. Kudatius, when fir George Rodney and general Vaughan, on the third of February, appeared before it with a force of fhips and troops more pro^ portioned to the importance than to the difficulty of the acquifition. A fummons was immediately fent to the governor, requiring him to furrender the ifianU; with which, knowing its defencelefs flate, and his utter inability to make any eifeduai reHftance, he thought it prudent without delay to comply ; And thus the iflaud of St. £u(tatiut, wich all its (lores of merchandife, was furrendered at difctetioa to the Britifii navy and army. The value of the merchandife thus furrendered was • fuppofed to atriQunt to four miliioBs; and what- ever parts of it belonged to the Dutch, the French, or the Americans, unqueitionably beeame lawful prize to the captors. >B>ut feveral Britifh ageatt j having fertled there for the purpofe, as they pre- tended, of purchafing American produce umlerj the impUied fft^^tioo of «n ft^ of parliament, it became i'.i.^^t'^n!Mti. tr-^^ij, ^iy-.K^-'^'Tr. ~'''^*^^ [ without any *a- land of St. lufta- ept from its coiii- was inhabited by ted thither for the ith their refpe^ite ent war, from the e of all kinds ift d had incrcafed to lerable was the im» St. Euflatius, thtt F room in the waie- je whole ifland ww with only one co*. thing had been done fenfive advantag«t» th any thing Uk* a the fituation ot bt. todney and general February, appeared and troops more pro^ than to the diificulty >n8 was immediately ing him to i'urrendcr owing ita defenceleft tomakeanyeffedual ient without delay to id of St. Eu(tatitt»» dife, was furrendered lavy and army, iw hus furrendered was milUoBS-, and what. ;he Dutch, th«Frencli, «iably became lav»f«l feveral Biitilk agcntt purpofe, as they pre- Jftcan produce un4« »a of parliament, H • ^ became AMERICAN WAR. ' became a queftion, whether the property of fuch ^ perfons, ccnfidered as inhabitants of Sc ^uftatius* ^ uras or was not fubjed to confifcation. Perhaps fome dillindion ought to have been made be- tween thofc Britifh agents, whv uad btttafidi £it- tled in St. Euflatius for the purpofe aforefaid^ and thofe who were alfo concerned in carrying on an illegal intercourfe, either with the revolted fubje^^^ of Great Britain, or her open and avowed eaemies ; and poffibly it was not an eafy matter to laake the proper difcrimination. However this might be, the proceedings of the Britiih com* manders with rei'pefk to the property of fuch per* fons, became altcrwaids th« fubje£t of much controverfy in the courts of law, and of graat vexation to the captors themfelves, in confe* ({uencc of the oppofite deciiioni given by fome of the tribunals before whom the St. Eudatius pritft aufes were fucccffivcly carried* A Dutch frigate of thirty-fix guns, five ihips ot vtr of inferior force, and more than one hundred and fifty fail of merchantmen, were taken in the bay ; and a fleet of thirty ihips richly laden, which bad failed from St. Euilatius for Holland two days before its capture, were purfued, overtaktn, axid I brought back, together with their convoy*, a (hip otTixty guns, commanded by an admiral. The farrender of St. Euftatius was followed by that of the iflands of St. Martin and Saba in its vici- gity; and the Dutch colours having been kept flying upon the forts of the captured iilands for fome time after the furrender, a number of iFreacb, American, and Dutch veflels. were dc« d by the fnare, and became an eafy prey it [tltenew pcfieflbrs. After the capture of St. Euflatius, general inningham, governor of Borbadoes, fent a finiMniy by captom Peaders of Jut xnajefty'a ,. floop 3»« HAP. XXIX. 1781. ki. tl H > r .J»J..l.' ~- ^IS HISTORY OF THE h J -'f. C H A ?. floop Barbuda, to the inhabitants of the Dutch XXX fX. fettlements upon the Spanifli main bordering on ,-^,, the river Demarary and Iflequibo, informing ■ndofDe- thcm of that event, and requiring them to fur- yj^J^'^y^""'* render to his majefty's arms. Thefe were new Dutihfet- fettlements, but fiom the richnels of their foil of Jj*"'"".?" great future expedaiion. Being totally unpro- «dn!""' vided for defence, the inhabitants, in anfwer to the fummons, fent a deputation to governor Cun- ningham, u^ith an offer to furrender upon the fuppofed terms granted to St. Eudatius. 'n the mean time a fquadion of Britifli privateers, chiefly belonging to the port of Briftol, upon hearing of the Dutch war, united their force, and boldly entering the rivers Demarary and Iflequibo, cut out even from under the Dutch forts and batteries, and brought off, almofl all the Dutch fhips of value in either river. The deputies fent from thefe fettlements to governor Cunningham, of Barbadoes, were by him referred to fir George Rodney and general Vaughan at St. Euf\at!U8, who difdaining to take any advantage of the im- provident offer of the inhabitants to fliare the fame • fate as the people of St- iiuflatius, and thinking ■ that a line of diltinclion ought to be drawn be- tween the inhabitants of thofe Dutch colonies, who, previoufly to the commencement of hoilili- ties againfl Holland, had openly alfifttd the ene- mies of Great Britain, in violation of the treaties fubfiding between the two nations, and fuch as, ^ occupied in their own domeffic affairs, had given no fuch provocation, granted to the deputies, terms of capitulation fufBcieruly liberal, by which the inhabiianrs of thofe fettlements were fecured in the full pon'eflion of their civil government and private property. Whillt fir George Rodney remained at St. I^pflatius, and befqre he had finiihed the variety ^v: . ■. ■ ■ of I ■ K 4 ij,^, 11 E Its of the Dutch in bordering on iiibo, intorming ng them lo fur- rhefe were new jls of their foil of \g totaUy unpro- ints, in anfwer to to governor Cun- rrender upon the Euftaiius. tn the , privateers, chiefly \, upon hearing of force, and boldly and Iffequibo, cut 1 forts atid batteiics, he Dutch (hips of deputies lent from r Cunuingham, of rred to fir "George m at St. Euftatms, idvan^age of the im- mts to fliare the fame latius, and thinking Tht to be drawn be- tofe Dutch colonies, lencement ot hollili- enly aififted the ene- jlation of the treaties nations, andfuchas, lie affairs, had given ted to the deputies, ruly liberal, by which laments were fecured civil government and ney remained at St. ad finilhed the variety ot AMERICAN WAR. 3'5 i! of bufinefs in which he was involved, by the cap- CHAP. tureof that ifland, the difpofal of the merchandife XXXIX. found in it, and the claims of the Britifh mer- ,^g,^ chants, advice was brought to him of the failing of count de Grafle from Breft, with the French fleet dellined for the Wefl Indies. Upon receiving this intelligence, fir Samuel Hood and rear-admi- ral Drake were immediately difpatched to wind- ward with eighteen fhips of the line, to endeavour to intercept and bring the count de Grafi'e to ac- tion, belure his force was increaled by the junc- tion of the French fquadron already at Marti- ' niqoe. Thefe admirals accordingly proceeded to April, Fort Royal Bay, off which they cruized until the twenty-eighth of April, when the advanced (hips announced by fignal the approach of the French fleer. A general chafe to windward was immedi- ately ordered, and cne line of battle a head formed, which was continued during the whole night, in order more efiedually to cut off the French fleet from the harbour of Fort Royal. In the morning the French fleet was (fill to windward, .' and the convoy clofe in with ^he land : It was of courfe in the power of the count de GrafTe, by bearing down, to engage virhen he pleafed ; but i- he kept at a diftance, and avoided an engage- '' ment. Every exertion was made by the Britifii commanders to bring him to adion, and in the courfe of the various evolutions praftifed .by them with this intention, the French fquadron in Fore Royal Bay unfortunately found an opportunity of coming out and joining their admiral. By the junction, he acquired a fuperiority of force over ' the Britifh fleet, in the proportion of twenty four > ' to eighteen, .but flill avoided a clofe engagement, y ,.• The endeavours of the Britifh commanders to cbme up with him were neverthclefs unremittingly continued J , V I ,:../,-, \ ■ i SH HUTOKV OP tHt : i /' / CH A T». comlnaed; and they fo far fucceed^d, at to XXXjX. jj^j^g, ^„ j^ partial adion. Only the van and iy({, fome fhipi of the centre of the Brhifh fltei could get near enough to engage ; and in their Rruggles to clofe >vith the enemy, they were for a confiderable time expoTed to a great fu- periority of fire, and fuflained much damage. The lots of men was not great; but at the end of the engagement, which la(Ud about three hours, the KuiTel was found to have received fo many fliott between wind and water, that fte was obliged to bear away for the iflaiid of St. Eudatius to refit : Four other fhip« were alfo much difabled. The enemy did not efcape without damage ; but their fuperiority of force dill remained. The hext morning fir Samuel Hood endeavoured to gain the wind of the eoe* my, that he might engage with left difadvan* tegt ; but it was to no purpofe. At lad, find* ing all his efforts ineffectual, and feveral of hit fhips fo crippled as to be unfit fbr immediate aftion, he bore away for Antigua to get them refitted, and tras followed by the count de Graffe, vtrith the whole French fleet. The next day fom« (hips in the rear of the Britifh fleet being in daa< ger of being cut ofF, fir Samuel Hood bore down with the van and centre for their protection, and made fo refolute a ffand, that the count de Graffe, notwithflanding his great fuperiority, did not dare to perfift in the attempt; but foon af- ter wards gave over the purfuit, and returned to Martinique. Whtilt the Britifh fleet proceeded to Antigui to refit, an attempt was made by the French to Mar. regain pofTeffion of the ifland of St. Lucie, lo the night between the tenth and eleventh of May, a force from Martlnitjue, commanded by the vif^ count % I ' j ll mag«. it end three cetred hatfhe of St. ive alio tfcape f force Samuel he ene. ifadtan. ft, find. il of hit imediate et theni t Graffe, lay fottte in daft' ^rt down ote£tion, count de »rity, did foon af- urned to • 7»». AMERICAN WAR/ y^ count Damas, a^ing under the orders of the C H A P. Marquig de Bouiili, who accompanied him, land- XXXIX. ed upon the ifland in three different places, and early the next morning furprifed the town of Oros Iflet, and made- prifoners Ibme fick of the forty* fixth regiment that were in the hofpital. Pigeon liland, which commanded the anchorage ground it Grot Iflet Bay, and was garrifoned by a com- pany of the eighty-feventh regiment, under the i^^mmand of captain Campbell, and fome Teamen iiiider the direction of lieutenant Miller, of the javy, was immtdiately fummoned to furrender, with a threat,' that the garrifon, in cafe of refu- fal, might expert to fuffer all the fererities autho- rifed by th« htws of war : But captain Campbell, the commanding officer, bravely bid defiance to the enemy, and refolved to defend his pod to the lad extremity. On the day after the landing of the troops, the count de Grafie appeared with twenty- live (hips * of the line, and iluod in for Gros Iflet Bay, as ' if with intention to anchor ; but was foon obliged to alter his defign, and fall to leeward, in confequence of a well directed fire from the batteries on Pigeon ifland. In the mean time general St. Leger, who commanded at St. Lucie, had made a mo . lence of the ifland : And the fortunate arrivO of a frigate and two Hoops of war, fupplied him wnh a reinforcement of flea- men to afTift in manning the batteries. So deter- mined an appearance of refiitance entirely difcon- certed the views of the French com'nanders, who had expe^ed an eafy conqueft. The enterprife cie was in confequence abandoned : 'J'heir troops were re-embarked in the night: And the next i»ornin^ their whole fieet returned to Mani* nique. . .. ■ . ., -^ -..,- „ , : ' . This Fruitlefs at- tempt of the French on St. Lu- ' fr/' \ 3«6 HISTORY OF THE \l'^ 'f^h A 1781. TV. v.. • •/'■ CHAP. This fruitlefs attempt upon St. Lucie was fol- XXXIX. lowed by anofher againft the ifland of Tobago, ' which proved more fuccefsful. A fmali fquadion of (hips from Martinique appeared before it on the twenty-third of May, having on board twelve hundred troops, under the command of the fieur Blanchelande, governor of St. Vincent's, who efle^ed a landing the next day. The whole forcQ that could be colleded for the defence of the if, land, did not exceed five hundred men of all de- nominations, including regulars, militia, and fome armed negroes. With thefe governor Fer. gufon took a ftrong pofition on Mount Concordia, having firfl difpatched an advice-boat to Barba- does, witl^ intelligence of the attack. Mount Concordia was an eligible fituation, becaufe from thence both fides of the ifland might be diftin^ly feen ; and in tnis pofition the governor, and dia- jor Stanhope, who commanded the regular troops, defended themfelves until the fird of June. Im- mediately after the landing of the French troops, a fummons was lent to the governor to fur render the ifland, and an oSer was made to grant the mod favourable terms ; but both were inftantiy rejeded. Threats were then made, that unlefs the militia returned to their homes, their planta- tions would be burnt : But thefe alfo were difre- carded. The fieur Blanchelande, feeing fuch a ihew of refiflance, difpatched a vefTel to Martini- que, requefting a reinforcement. His requcft was inftantly complied with : And a powerful re- inforcement, commanded by the marquis de . Bouill-- in pcrfon, and accompanied by the count de Grafle, with the whole French fleet of twenty- five (hips of the line, arrived at Tobago on the thirty -firfl: of May. Upon the arrival of the French fleet with this reinforcement, a council ot war AMERICAN WAR. 3»7 it on iwelve 5 fieur , who B forc« the if" all de. a, and or Fer. icordia, Barba- Mount jfe from liftinaiy and (ha- r troops, ne. Im- hi troops, ;urrender rrant the inftantly war was held between the governor and his garri- CHAP, fon: And the engineers' being of opinion that^^^'^* Mount Concordia was no longer tenable againft ,-g,^ fo fuperior force, a refoiution was unania)ou(ly taken to retreat to a flill flronger pbfition upon the main ridge, the approach .to which was by a road of fome miles in length, fo narrow that two men could not walk abreaft, and inacceffible on each fide by impenetrable forefts. In purfuance of this refoiution, the ganifon left Mount Con- cordia at one in the morning of the firft of June, unperceived by the enemy, and without molefta- tion reached the defile leading to the main ridge before eight. * No movement perhaps was ever fo critically ex- ecuted, preparations having been made by the enemy for (torming the Britiih lines at Mount Concordia %)n the fame morning on whicK the garrifon had evacuated them. And as the mar- quis de Bouiile, in confequence of the great fu- periority of his force, entertained no doubt of the r fuccefs of the attack; fo his difappointment was extreme, upon finding that the garrifon had ef- caped to an inaccelUble part of the ifland, where ;^ his own numbers could not avail, and where they might defend themfelves with eafe againft any force, fo long as their provifions lafted. His cha- grin on this occafions feems to have betrayed him * • intounul'ual adts of feverity, inconfiflent with his ; fdrmer condud of lenity and moderation. Fear- ful lefl the garrifon (hould hold out until the ar- rival of the Britifh fleet, which might fruflrate the whole expedition, he began to execute the threats made by the fieur Bianchelande. Two of the neareil plantations were immediately fet on v fire : An order was iffued to burn four more with-. , in the fpace of four hours } and a flag of truce . was '' -:>■■>> ! » I I /^■^--"^ JHf- .:^- .<*■ ,'!' 'jl%9 HIS TORY f T »E ]- « ll'/ C H A P. vag fent to ac<)uaint the governor and tiihaUtaiiti, »7a». that the like execution wookt be repeated every four hours, until the iflaad fliould be furrea. dered, Thefo ruiaotts deva(lation» orercame the firm, rif fs of the militia. To &ve their property, they determined to capitulate ; and in this determina- tion they >were joined by ^a commanding officer of the troops. It was ia vain that the governor rcprefented the natural ftrength of the poft which they now occupied, and urged them to perfiA ia the defence of the iiland ami! the Britiih iiest fliould come to their reliefs They had alrea<^ held out for more than a week agaii^ a very fu. perior force, in daily cxpefbtienof retiof : They had alfo by this time received inldrma^ioB that a reinforcement coming to their affiftaact had been obliged to put back on account of ffit arrival of the French fleet. They defpaired of further r^ lief; ?.nd they faw their babitatfotti in fiamet. Under fuch circumftaneeff no remonflrances of the governor could prevail ; and in< order to <^ tain better t«rms for the inha^ita^s, he wasat iaft obliged to yield, and join in a meafure whieh he could no longer prevent. A treaty for a capituia* Hon waxs entered upon, and terms were obtained for the inbabttants, not lefs beneficial than thof« granted to the inhabitants of Dominica. The difference of opinion that hod taken place between the governor and the commanding officer c^ the troops, was the caufe of their a£bing feparately in the treaty opened with the marquis de SouilM; the ternij which refpeded the inhatMtants being fettled by the governor with thdr concurrenee, and thofe regarding the regular troops by majoy Stanhope, without the participation of the go* vsrnor. *^ J-. r and tiihal^ttajiiti, ^ wpeawd ev«ry hould be (urrett- rrorcamtt the ftrm- icif property, Aey in thU determiM- >mm»ndiiig officw ihat the gjverow , of the peft which them to peffiftin il the Bntllh iw They had alrwdy t aeaiwft av«^^«- iettof relirf: They I UiftwwwaioB that a r affiftaftc^ ^^ ^, «ired of funhetF^ ibitat|««8 in flamei. ,0 remonilTances ot I and in order to ob- »t»nt», he v,aj?tjf a mealare whMh he treaty for a capit^la- tcrmt were obtained benefice than thcrf« of Domiaica. IM I taken place between anding officeF o* the r aft-mg feparately f marquis de Bou»m ; he inha*Mtant» being h thdr concurrence, mUt tTOopa by in!^» ;;icipation of the g* AME R I C A N WAR. S»9 lyli. In the mean time the ihips of -the BritiAi^ fleet, <^ H A p, that had been difabled in the late atlions between ^^^y* . vice-admiral (ir Samuel Hood and the count de Grafle, having been repaired, and fir George !?odney having ae expeditioufly as poflible joined lit vice admiral with fuch fhips as had remained with him at St. Euftatius, the whole fleet, then aiaoanting to twenty (hips of the line, proceeded under his command to Barbadoes, where it arriv- ed on the twenty-third of May, the fame day on which the French armament had flrfl: appeared off Tobago. Governor Fergufon's difpatch-boat, with advice of that armament, and the attack on Tobago, reached Barbadoes early in the morning ef the twenty>ieventh ; and on the following day, admiral Druke was difpatched to its relief, with Be (hips oi the line, three iirigates, and Ibme tianfports, having on board the fixty-ninth regi- ment, and twoi^ companies of other regiments, under "^e command of brigadier general Skeen<*. This vr ■ :^ reinforcement of which the governor and in .:.uat8 of Tobago had received intelli'^ gence: But the previous arrival of the whole French fleet prevented it from landing. As foon as adn^iral Drake difcovered the enemy's fleet ly- ing between him and the ifland, he returned to Barbadoes, in purfuance of his orders, not to rifque his Squadron agatnft a fuperior force. Sir ^ George Rodney now put to fea with the whole fleet; but before be reached Tobago, the ifland bad i'urrendered. A train of unfortunate circumflances feems to I have led to this event. The ifland might probably hare beoi faved, had fir George Rodney failed with his whole fleet to its relief as foon as he was [apprized of its danger, initead of fending only a muadron of Ihlps with a reinforcemenr. The previous intfUigence conveyed to the inhabitants, Uat 11 I >-^ ^-, ■/h '\^' -»-n- 3»o HISTORY OF THB Jl l,V a '/ /; CHAP, that admiral Drake was on his ^affage with this ^2_'™\ reinforcement, rendered the dilappoiiitment 1781. greater^ when they found that he was obliged to put back, and, added to the burning of their plantations, threw them into a (late of defpair. £ut even after a!' thofe unlucky circumdaacet, had there been a more cordial co-operation be- tween the governor and the commander of the troops, it is poffible that the militia, after the ex- ertions already made by them, might have been prevailed upon to hold out longer: Or even if the militia were determined in all events to fur- render, fuch was the nature of the defile, accord, ing to governor Fergufon's defcription, that the regular^ ihemfelves might have defended it againit any force, until the arrival of fir George Rodney. On the fy^yer, .^he enemy's fleet was jpot to he feen, In the night it hajd talked and iieered for Cour|land B^y, in Toh^go ; 9nd dur- ing the reinaind^r of the fummer, the count de Gtaf(e, notwithf^ai^diQg M^ iupfn^^^ of fiv« ihlps of t^e line, cautii)HAy a^voidj^tp . r^^q^xe a 1 -.. , C t ^ ■^•~ tV"!* hi. II. f fM HISTORY OF THE > 'f: ft 'if'' C H A P. XL. Redu^ion of Penfacola by thf Spaniards — The com. bined Fleets of France und Spain, to the Jmount of feventy Sail, threaten Deflrudion to the Marine Force of Eng/and—The Britijh Admiral, itrith twenty-one Jhips of the Line, prudently retires inio Tor bay— ivbere the Enemy do not think it advifabk to attack bim~Caufes.why the Combined Fleets en- joyed a temporary Superiority over that (f Great Britain — Ailion between a Britijh and a Dutch Fleet, near the Dogger Bank — Britijh Armmm feni againjl the Dutch Settlement at the Ckpe of Good Hope — Attacked by the French Admiral Stfffrein — The Dutch Garri/on at the Cape rein. forced by the French-^Commodore Johnjione maket Prizes of for Dutch Eaji Indiamen — The Bri- lip Armament under General Meadows fails far the Eaji Indies — Invafton of the Carnatic by Hydtr j^lly — Defeat and Difajier of a Britifl) Detach! ment under Colonel Bail He — Ravages committed l\ the Carnatic by Hyder Ally — The Command ofth Britijh Army in the Prejidency of Madras comtnii ted to S r Eyre Coote— Operations of the Brit'( Fleet in India. WHILST the French were thus availind themfelves of the embarraffed ftate ol Great Britain, to wreft from her her Weft Indi( iflands, the Spaniards were employed upon th continent of America, in recovering the poffeff ons which had been taken from them in the foil merwar. In each of the two preceding ycarJ ■" t " ' ' ■ 'r-' V, •. -^, <-• #*»* AMERICAN WARi ^3 'he com- 'mount of Mariiu aly wth ^tires into advijahh Fleets en- of Great la Dutch \ Arm^mtnt I ibeCkpeofi h Admiral] Cape reih Ulone mah\ ^The Bri- us faili /orl tic by Hydtrl ij]) Detach] ccmmitted i mand ofth^ iras comm\\ the Brit$ as we have already feen, they had conquered a ^ ^ A P, part of Weft Florida ; and in the prefent year the ^*"' conqueft of the whole province was atchieved by j-g,. the redudion of Penfacola. Don Bernardo dt Gaivez, intent on making this conqueO, went from New Orleaiis to the Havannah, in the fail of the preceding year, to folicit a force that might be Re^u^ion adequate to the purpofe. In confequence of his by^hlfspii reprefentations the expedition was undertaken, but aivdt. the firfi fleet that failed was difperfed by a Aorm, foineof the (hips loft, and the reft obliged to re- turn in diftrefs. The perfeverance of Don Ber- nardo de Gaivez was however not to be conquered. Another armament was got ready with all expedi- tion. A land force, amounting to five or fix thou- fand men, with a large train of artillery, was em- barked on board tranfports ; and the whole, under the convoy of fome (hips of war, having failed from the Havannah in the month of February, arrived in fafety off the bar of Penfacola on the ninth of March. General Campbell ftill commanded the Briti(h troops in Weft Florida out, reduced as they had been by the captureof lieutenant colonel Dickfon's detachment on the Miftiftippi, and the garrifon un- der captain Durnford at Mobille, they did ot at this time exceed nine hundred and fifty men, con- filling of firitifh regulars, German auxiliaptes, part of two provincial regiments, and foine mi- litia. Notwithftanding the great difparity of force be- I iween the befiegers and the garrifon, the Spanifh general thought (it to fend for a reinforcement. in the mean time the troops that he had, with him were landed,^ and the Britilh works at Penfr«> Icola regularly invefted. After fome time the ex- Ipeded fuccours arrived, part of the Spani(h gar- |iifon of Mobille having marched acrofs the coun- rt"' - Y 2 ^ try .,..«.,.^j^'i ,^^^r'*"*" ,»v..<| .>*»•% \ . • ^^ ■'^'■- t«4 HISTORY OF THE '■■■■si.' .CHAP, tr* to join in the fiegie, and a fleet of fifteen ihipi ^j^f^ ot the line, under the command of Don Solano, ,^gi, having arrived from the Havannah, with an addi. tional land force of three thoufand men. Ahho' the defence made by the garrifon was brave and fpiritedjandtheprogrefs of the befiegers hitherto ^roportionably flow; it was apparent, frr^m the fcM'ce with which it was inveded, that the place mtift ultimately fall : But its fate wais unexpeA- edly precipitated by the bafenefs and perfidy of a traitor. A man of the name of Canhon, formerly an officer in one of the provincial regiments it garrifon at P^nfacola, had been broke tbe year h^ fore by k corrt-martial for ungentlemanltke behk* viour, and retired to the Creek country among the Indians, whence he returned as foon as hie heard of the lafiding of the Spaniards, and joiaed them on the fifth of April. By him they \tren: tnade minutely acquainted with the (late and fitua* tion of all the Britifh woi^ks, atid were thus^na^ bled to dired their fire towards thofe qiiart^n Ivhere it wsls likely to producie the gVeiitefl efffid. Indefatigable in his traitorous ;purpbfe, he ufedto tlimb to the top of a tall pine>tree, commanding a view of the Britifh works, from whence he ^ enabled to inform the Spanifli bombardiers whtife the fhells difcharged from their inortars took efied, and whethernear or at a diflancefrom the Britiihl magazines. Thus inftru^ted, and improved by repeated (rials, they acquired fuch a knowledge y - as at Ifiii^th enabled them to do fatal erecntion. On the morning of the eighth of >fs^y, 'a 'fteil burfting at the door of a magazine in one of dit| :'- advanced 'works, fet fire to the po\vder witbh,| which in an infbnt redticed die ^holeredoubt tol «; a heat> of rubbifh. By the expioiion^evemy-fiil ' of the garrifon lod their lives, : and twehty^ftnirf were bidly wotmded. The fsneiuy imm^iateiyl ' * advanced! ■r, ■\ '„'''^i.!c= ^U^ fK ■ xt'C ■ ■ ■ ,. :• - AMERICAN WAR. W lihipi olano, add). AUho' tre and iltherto [^m the te place lexpeft- idy of ft bTincTl^ nehtt ia year bft ke behii- jy among on ats'hb nd joined ' tbcy >*«« and fitut* e qdartitt itefteffca. he ufedto mm: ncc he^ iicT8"whe*e took efiefi, the BriiSfc aprbvedb^ knowledge execotion. Ay, -a 'fteHj one of At I rder vrithin, redoubt 8)1 i^cvemy-fix] twehtfy*feui immtdiatclyl advanced] 1781. advanced to take advantage of the confufion ; butCH A P. were repulfed in their firft attempt by the fire from " ^^' two flank works, which had been added to the te- doubt after the commencement of the fiege, and which fortunately were not injured by the blow- ing-up of* the magazine. This repulfe procured a fliort refpite to the garrifon, during which thofe who had beeii wounded by the explofion were carried off, fome of the cannon rempVed from the flank works, which it was now judged ne(:eflary to evacuate, and the red fpiked up. The enemy, however, again advanced in greater forcie, and un- der cover of the flank works, which had been abandoned, kept up fo hot a fire of mufquetry upon another redoubt, that the men could no lon- ger (land to their guns. There was alfo, it feems, a fcarcity of ordnance fhot in the garrifon, from the great nuniber that had been already expended. Under thefe circumftances general Campbell thought fit to capitulate; and thus the province of Weft Florida was once more re-annexed to the Spanifli dominions. In thefe military operatipns abroad the French and Spaniards acted feparately, but in Europe they undertook a joint expedition againil the ifland of Minorca. The plan of the expedition bad been laid in the beginning of the year ; but the neceflary preparations delayed the execution of it until the middle of fummer. After the re- turn of the Britilh fleet from conveying fuppHes to Gibraltar, and whilfl: it cruized near oar own coafts, for the protedion of the homeward bound trade, a French fleet of eighteen fhips of the line failed from Brefl: towards the end of June, and in the following month joined the Spanifh fleet at Cadiz. At Cadiz was prepared the principal ar- mament deftined againfl Minorca : ltcon(i(fed of I ten thoufand men, with a fuitable train of artillery, • - ». . and r- , * .. ,v.-,:...« *^- ja6 HISTORY OF THE ■1 1781. The com- C H A P. and was commanded by the duke de Crillon, a ^^ • French general of great reputation. When every thing was in readinefs, the armament failed about |he end of July, under the convoy of the com. .bined fleets, and being accompanied by them as far as any danger was to be apprehended, arrived in fafety at Minorca. On the twentieth of Auguft the Spanish troops were landed, and being foon afterwards joined by fix thoufand French from Toulon, St. Philip's Cadle, the principal, fortrefs of the ifland, was regularly invefled : But, as the duration of the fiege was protrad\ed, in confe- quence of the brave defence made by the garrifon, juntil the month of February 1782, the account of Its progrefs and termination will more properly belong to the tranfa6iions of that year. The combined fleets having convoyed the arma- bined Heeti mcnt againft Minorca as far as the ftraits of Qib *nd "pab, raltar, and feen it fafely into the Mediterranean, to the altered their courfe, and failed for the coaft of ?eTnTyfafi,EnKJand, with orders to fight the Britiih fleet, threaten Arriving off the mouth of the channel, they ex. to^h^'ma" tended themfelves in a line acrofs it from the rine force of iflands of Scilly to Ufliant, amounting in all to England, fgyenty fail, fifty of them being of the line, and The Britiih fomc of thcfc of the largeft rate. The attentioQ admiral, ^f j^j| Europc was again direfted to the operations twet.ty.one of fo powerful a fleet, and the defl:ru£tion of the (hips of the marine force of England was confidently expeft- line.pru- p , . / t * dcntiyre- ed : l^ut the race is not always to the fwitt, nor the battle to the llrong. Admiral Darby, who was then cruizing in the channel, with only twenty- one fliips of the line, having fortunately met with a neutral veffel that had paffed through the com- bined fleets a few days before, received from her information of their approach, as well as of their great fl:rength, and prudently withdrew into Tor- bay, to wait for a reinforcement. In this fituatloB tbel tires into Torbay, i\ *; THE uke de Crillon, % on. When every ament failed about jnvoy of the com- panied by them u jrehended, arrived wentieth of Auguit ed, and being foon fand French from ne principal, fortrets celled: But. as the rotraaed, in confc lade by the garnfon, 1782, the account ot will more properly that year. r convoyed the arma- as the ftraits of Qib o the Mediterjanean, led for the coaft ot ight the Britiih fleet, the channel, they ex. ^e acrofs it from the amounting in all to being of the line, and rate. The attention efted to the operatioM the deftruftion of the ! ras confidently expea- ways to the fwift, no^ dmiral Darby, who was nel, with only twenty- le fortunately met v/uh ,fled through the com- ore, received from k ach, as well as of the« tly withdrew mto Ipr- ment. Inthisfituat.^ AMERICAN WAR. .^17. the enemy, vaft as their fuperiority was, and al- C H a P. thouih their orders were to fighf, did not dare to , J^ h' attack him. 'J he count deGuichcn, who com- ^.y^^ manded the French fleet, and Don Vincent de Dos, the fecond in command of the SpaniOi fleet, were vhere the eager to make the attempt, but in a council of war '"tljfin*!^;, h»d for deliberating on the fubjedl, their opinions "dvifabk to vcre over-ruled by a great majority. The defign *"»'^'' •»'*"• of attacking admiral Darby in Torbay being given up, the commanders of the combined fleets next turned their whole attention to intercepting the homeward-bound Britifh trade, but met with no fuccefs. The. crews of their fliips being fickly, and their (hips themfelves in bad condition, the ftormy month of September quickly obliged them , to put an end to their cruize. Early in that month they feparated, the fleet of France (leering for Breft, and that of Spain for Cdidiz, where ihey feverally arrived much diattercd and difabled. In the mean time great apprehenfions were entertain- ed in England for the fafety of the home-ward - / bound convoys, more efpecially as admiral Darby was prevented from failing by contrary winds, '^ for fome time after he received his reinforce- ments : But fortunately none of the merchant fleets that were expeded, arrived upon the coaft until after the combined fleets had feparated and returned to port ; and by the time of their arrival, admiral Darby, with thirty fliips of the line, was, atfea for their protedlion. By the various fervices, upon which, in confe-Caufeswhy quence of the extenfibn of the war, it became ne- 'Jj^edTeets iCeifary to employ feparate fquadrons, the grand enjoyed a [channel fleet was unavoidably weakened; and the '''"P.j^r^ [combined fleets thereby obtained a more confider- over that of able temporary fuperiority The war v-iih Holland '^f"' ^"' required that a fquidron fliould be fent into the » [north fea, as well for the fafety of the Britifti trade , -'^ 19 ,:•'■'.. L'l I' ,; M \ sir H'I« t O R Y O F T H R C H A P. to the Baltic, at for th^ obftruaioh of that-af tlAi' ^^^J^^ Dutch. This fquadron confiftcd of aM old eighty. ,-^j giin (hip, that carried no heavier metal than- g fifty, an old flxty-gun (hip that had been dlfcharg. ed, biit was lately refitted for fervice, tSvo ftiventy. fours, a fixty-four, a fifty, a forty four, and fouf ^> frigates } and the command of it Wat given to admiral Hyde Parker, a veteran officer of diftinf. If guiihed bravery. Their Baltic trade being of tfi^' utmoft importance to the Dutch, thfcy ftrained every nerve to fit out a (Irong fquadron for iti ptdtedion, which, when it went to Tea, confift'ed ^ of eight (hips of the line, and ten large frigates, under the command of admiral Zouttman. it fo happened, that whild admiral Parker was on lift ( return to England, with a large fleet under hik -. convoy, admiral Zouttman failed from Holland, liaving under his convoy a Dutch fleet bound tc the Baltic. The two fquadrons failed nearly in the fame track, and in oppofite directions, mef upon the Dogger Bank on the fifth of Auguft ; and both without delay prepared for a£^ion, aftet taking fuch previous meafures as were necefTatjr for the fafety of their refpedlive convoys. On« of the Dutch iine-of-battle fhips had, from fome caufe or otther, returned into port, but a forty, four gun Ihip, carrying heavy metal, being fub- ilituted in her room, admiral Zouttman's line (till confifted of eight (hips of two decks : That of admiral Parker confilled only of feven, and of thefe one mounted only fifty, and another forty- four, guns. His two fmalleft frigates were fent • ^ off with the convoy, and the two largeft ftatiofled fo as to be in readinefs to tow off any of the (hipi of the line that might be difabled in the adioil. The Britifh fleet being to windward, of courfe bore down upon that of admiral Zouttman, who, Dutch fieet unlike fonie modern naval comniandibrs, pradifed near the qq | Dogger - Bank. Adion be tween a Uritiih and •■•'^T -■';*• v., HR of that (ir m F ai\ old eighty. metaV thwi « I b^en dlfchafg. e, tvo ftvent^. f four, and fouf it v^aa g»v^,w office ot diftini. adc being of Ai' h, they llra\tled f^uadron for Ut t to fea, confifted m large frigatd, Zouttman. it fo ?atk6r was on tii« e fleet under hU ed from HoUattd, Itch fleet bound t6 ,08 failed nearly m te direftions, met le fifth of Augua i d for aftion, aftet as were neceffaty ive convoys. Oti p8 had, from fotne port, but a forty, metal, being fub- al Zouttman's line wo decks ; That of f of feven, and of and another forty- \ frigates w6re fcnt wo largeft ftationed off any of the (hips fabled in the aaiofi. rindward, of courfe ral Zouttman, who, tnmandfers, praaifed nn AM E Kf I C A W WAR. S«9 Mjp nltnctfuvres to avoid a decifive engagemenr ; ^ H A P. biit rathef feletned' to court it, and prepared to ^^• difpute the day with hl^ opponent by dint of bard "^tSi fitting". No gun i^as fired on either fide, until the two fqUadronv came ib near as to be within hllf ihttfquet fhor^ when admiral Parker, ranging ifongfide the Dutch admiral, and the other mipi df his fquadfon bearing down in like manner apoti tbofe of the' enemy that were oppofed to *> then)', the a6tion began and con tlnued with un> ' reitHf ting fury for three hours arid a half) at the end of which both fleets were fo difabled, that neither of them could form the line and renew . the a£Hon. They lay-to for fom4! time, at a fmall diftane^ from each othei, repairing their damages, when the I)utch admiral, with this convoy, bore iway for the Texel ; and the Bt itifh fleet was fo difabled as not to be in a cod dition to purfue. Although no ftiip was taken on either fide, this ins by far the hardefl-fought ba'ttle of any that Bad yet happened by fea during the war. The oblfmate refiftance made by the Dutch incontef- ivantage was gained by admi- fal Parker was very apparent, from the Dutch idmiral being the firil that bore awav : Tlie ob- . . . i«^ i I 330 HISTORY OF THE I f f II V^ii \ 'h CHAP, je^ of his failing was alfo completely defeated, as - ^_J~;^the convoy which he had under his charge, was 1781. obliged to put back, and could not, after the ac. tion, proceed with fafety on rheir voyage. Tijc Britiih fleet aifo fu£fer«d much ; and the lofs 6f men was great. It amouuted to <>ne hundred and four killed, and three hundrecf and thirty-nine wounded, amongfl whom Were a number of va- luable officers. But the Dutch fhips were fo mi. ferably torn and (bartered, that it was with diiS. culty mofl: of them were kept above water until they reached a port ; and the HoUandia, one of them, aduaily funk the night after the engage- ment, with all her wounded people en board. The lofs of men fuftained by the Dutch has never been publiJQied by authority : It was, how- ever, known to |>e great, and, according to pri- vate accounts fi^m Holland, amounted to n^ai twelve hundred n^en. Befides the lof^ of one of their capital (hips, and the unferviceable condition of fome of the reft, in confequence of the damage fuftained in the adtion, it was a grievous mortification to the Dutch to fee their Baltic convoy obliged to return, and one of the mod beneficial branches of their commerce, for this year at leafl, entirely interrupted. But this was not the only remaining mortification which the fortune of war in this eventful year fubjedted them to bear. For not long after the action with admiral Parker, intelligence arrived in Europe of the capture of five of their Eaft India (hips in Saldanha Bay, on the coafl of Africa, by a Britifh fquadron under the command of coinnio- dore Johnitone. Previous to the commencement of the Dutch war, this fquadron was in fome ftate of prepara- tion, and is faid to have been defigned to favour - an ao infurr America. interferer a foverei condemn! warrantat kx\t^ tha rally take) duft of t the de/igi been fairl; ation, afte the war h and a^ualj But this p] \ was rupture wit change of 1 primarily d ^ons at the confifted oj ther of fixtj i gales of thii ! cutters, a I ilore-fhips, thirteen Ind Indiamen of the fecor ment, with Iraents, of * The new lOfithand looth jrullarton, Kfq. jancjent family JHumberftont, |oi iSta/orili. ^ \V: ed, as- f, was the ac- lofs 6f cd and ty-nine ■ of va- fo mi* \h diffi. :eT until , one of engage- I board. Itch has. as, how- g to pri- 1 to n^ai A M E R 1 C AN WAR. an infurre^tion in the Spanifh colonies of South America. And as in another part of thi&.Avork the interference of foreign powers in Jifputes between a fovereign and his fubje^ts has been generally condemned, and* pronounced to be illegal and un- warrantable, it will be proper in this plaice *j pb- ferve, that however true fuch an afiertion, geae^r rally taken, muft be admitted to be, yet the con- duct of the Britifli miniftry, bad they executed the defign here afcribed to them, would hate been fairly juftifiable upon the ground of retali- ation, after th$ Spaniards had taken a part in the war between Great Britain and her colonies, and actually aflifted the latter in their oppofition. But this plan, which appears to have been well laid, was never carried into execution* : The rupture with Holland appears to have produced a change of the plan ; and the armament was now primarily dedined to a^ againd the Dutch pofTef- fions at the Cape of Good Hope. The fquadron confifted of one (hip of feventy-four guns, ano iher of fixty four, three fifty-gun fliips, three fri- gates of thirty- two guns, two floops of war, two cutters, a borab-ketch and fire-fliip, two ordnance I llore-lhips, eleven tranfports, five vidluallers, and thirteen Indiamen. On board the tranfports and Indiaraen was diftributed a land force confifting of the fecond battalion of the forty-fecond regi- ment, with FuUarton's and Humberftone's regi- ments, of one thoufand men each, but all newly ♦ The new regiments, of one thoufand men each, viz. the oSthand inoth, were comjileted in January 1781, by William r'ullaiton, Klq. the author of the plan, the rcprefentative of an lancient family of that name to Airfhirc, and Mr. iVlakenzie jHumberftont, a young gentleman of jjreai hoj>es, of the famil)- lof Svatorih. 331 U Britifli ar- mament fent againft the Dutch fettlementt at the Cape of Good Hope, ■i.: ■1 1! I : 'I I i < raifed, • r-yi'ttnr-ifr - 13* HISTORY OF THE XL. 1781. ■?v ! ■& -. i i / 1 i f -l 'I ^5 A P. raifed, four companies from other regiments, and a detachment of the royai artillery. The land force was commanded by general Meadows, >vho had gallantly diflingui(hed himfelf, as may be feen in a former part of this work, in the fuccefsfal defence of the pod of the Virgie acainft the furiou; attack of the count d'Eftaing in the year i 778. . With this fquadronj commodore Johnftotie ;y/ failed from St; Helen's on the thirteenth of March, in company with the grand fleet under admiral Darby, when it went to the relief of Gibraltar, and proceeding on his dellination, ;7ithout any mate' rial occurrence, until he arrived at ht. Jago, one ^ of the Cape de Verd Iflands, there, on the tenti) of iVpril, anchored his fquadron in Port Praya Bay, for the purpofe of procuring fupplies of freft water and provifions. As the ifland of St. Jago belonged to the Portuguefe, a neutral nation, , Praye Bay was of courfe a neutral port : And by the law of nations the fliips and veflfels of ei* ther of the powers at war, when lying in a neutral port, are exempted from infult or nloIeflatioD by 1 the others. Infuch a fituation no danger was ap.] prehended, more efpecially as an enemy's fquad- \ ron was neither kno'.t ; , rjor fufpeded to be in thofe I feas; from whence it b.;ppened that commodore Johnilone's fhips were fuffered to fpread themfelvei ( about in the bay, without much order, and ra- ther with a view to their own convenience in rea<| . dily fupplying their wants, whereby much timel would be faved, than for the purpofe of defence.! In this (late of fecurity they were fuddenly attadc-f ed on the fixteenth of April, by a fuperior Frencbj fquadron under monfieur de Sufirein. Althoughl commodore Johnftcme's expedition was to be il ' fecret one, it fufficiently appears from what hap-l pened, that both the Dutch and the French had! either by their fagacity penetrated into the intenl tionl h .,*»tScsii .,„, -■-■—•" 'CttP'- i/ k AMERICAN W'A R. m 1781. ^on of the Brttifli miniftry, or by their emHTsnries CHAP, and fpies difcovered the real objeQ: of the expedi- ^^ tion. rhe former, confcious as they were of fb« treaknefs of the garrifon at the Cape, and feeing in all their extent the ruinous confequences that would follow its capture, were neverthelefs unabfae to equip a fleet in time for its protection, and iti their diftrefs applied to the French for afliftance : And the latter, in order to give an earned of good 1 fsuth to their new aiTociates in the war, readily complied with the requifition. A fquadron, fa- pirior in force to commodore Johnftone^s, was Krith all difpatch fitted out at Bred, and failed , from thence only nine days after the commodore left St. Helen's. The fquadron confided of fivte (hips of the line, and feveral frigates, with a number of Eaft India (hips and tranfports, having on board a conHd'erable land force, a:nd a train (h ^artillery. Moniieur de Su£frein, who command- ed it, received Orders to countera^ the operatiom of commodore Johnftone wherever he might hap- lento meet with him, but in ati efpecial manner to provide for the fecurity of the Cape of Good Hope. With fuch orders he proceeded on his dxpedition, and having difcoverdd the Britifli fquadron at anchor in Port Praya Bay, took tin; fadden refolution of attacking it, although in ot / ifiedtral port, expecting probably, in thatfituation, to find it unprepared for a£tion, Tvnd to obtain ^ti eify conqueft. In the former of thefe e^xpeda-attadceiifcy^ lions he appears not to hate been inidaken, bnt^^jj^ in Ae latter was grievoufly difappointed. Whensuffr««. leriorFrendiltbe alarm was fird given, at lead fifteen hundred Althoaghlferfons are faid to have been abfent from the (hips to be ileftheBrittfh fquadron, ehiployed in the neceflary . what ha^lfervices of watering, lifhing, and embarking Hve- French badlftock, 'and other >ne& provifions. The commo- te the inten-p dofe^^t tioni ts, and le land ■8, who befeen iccelsful : turlou; 778. >hn(tofte [ March, admiral ithar.and uy mate* [ago, one the tentl} ort Praya es of freft : St. jago al nation, )ort: And fiels of ei- ,n a neutral eftation by rer was ap« ny's fquad- beinthofe ommodore themfclvei er, and ra- lence in tea- much time of defence, enly attack- ■4J. \ ik % '■"■^<, ''TrtN.,rt,.t, ;, ■^ ^:.:^»^' 334 HISTORY OF THE CHAP. XL. 1781. ) - i¥ '''■"■K^A x^y4 dbre's firft fignal was for all perfons to' return , from the fhore, which he enforced by the firing ' t >f a gun ; another was foon afterwards made to unmoor, and a third to prepare for aftion. But the French commodore gave them little time for preparation. The appearance of his fquadron ..as firft communicated by fignal from the Ifis, lyjiig near the mouth of the bay, between nine ar u ten in the morning ; and before eleven mon- fieur de -Suffrein, having feparated from his con- voy, entered the bay with five (hips of the line. In the Heros, of feventy-four guns, he led the way, and, firing at the Ifis as he pafled, kept on his courfe until he was within a cable's length of the Monmouth and Hero, two of the largeft fhips of the Britifli fquadron, and there dropped his anchor ; the next French fhip tha? followed was the Annibal, which (hot a-head jf monfieur de SufFrein, and there dropped anchor; the third, the Artefien, anchored about the fame diftance aftern : And in this fituation they began a heavy cannonade, fprings having been pafTed on their cables before they entered the bay. The other two French (hips, the Sphynx and the Ven. 1 geur, did not anchor, but ranged about theoay, i firing at every (hip as they paiTed, and endeavour- ing to board the merchantmen ; but in this they I had little fucccfs. Notwithftanding the fudden- nefs of the attack, the fire of the French fquadron I was returned with vigour and effeft by fuchof the Britilh ihips as could bring their guns to bear.j Captain Alms, in the Monmouth, kept up a well- directed fire; and from the Hero, captain Ha\vler| ilTued a conftant, awful, heavy dilcharge of artil. lery. On board the lad of thefe (hips commodorti Johnftone removed, foon ^fter the beginning ofj the adtion, finding that the Romney, from her[ particular fituation, was likely to have no greatj ■>-d^ >.,>•■ >- #''• ■*-»*^^».***#' v.-> •;,. AMERICAN WAR. 335 I return le fiiinj); iiade to n. But time for ■quadron the Ifis, een nine en mon- L his con- the line. B led the ffed, kept a cable's wo of the and there Ihip thaf t a-head ^f id anciior; It the fame they began n paffed on bay. The ^d the Ven. ut the oay, endeavour- in this they the fudden- ch fquadron by fuchof uns to bear, pt up a well- )tain Hawlet arge of attil- comniodort beginning of' y, from bet Lve no RTcail Ihare fhare in it : He was accompanied by general Mea- ^ HA P. dows, and captain Saltern. Captain Paifley, in iJ^T^li tlie Jupiter, by working hard from the beginning ,_8i. of the bufmefs, had got a fpring upon his cable, by which means every (hot from his fhip took ef- feft. Even the Eaft India (hips, recovering after a time from their furprife, materially afTiiled in the aftion. It was not long before the Artefien, that had anchored aftern of monfieur de Suf- (, frein, quitted her ftation, and went out to fea, carrying with her the Hinchinbroke Eaft India- man. She had alfo boarded the Fortitude ; buf ^ - her decks were quickly cleared of Frenchmen by the gallantry of captain Jenkinfon, of the ninety- eighth regiment, who, with his company, poured in upon them a conftant and welUdiredled fire of mufquetry. They had afterwards the fatisfadion of taking out of the water, and faving two of the enemy, who in the conflid had been forced over- board, and CDuld not regain their own fhip by fwimming. About three quarters of an hour af- tef the commencement of the aftion, the French commodore, finding his fituation too hot to be longer endured, cut his cable and followed the Artefian. The Annibal, the only remaining French (hip, was now left as a mark to be fired at by every Britifh (hip that could bring her guns to bear upon her, and in a fhort time was reduced to an apparent wreck. Such a pidure of diftrefs, ■■ it is faid, was fcarcely ever feen. Having re- ■ raained :r. this fituation for near a quarter of an hour, her cable was either cut or (hot away, when the (hip turning round on her heel, drifted out 10 fea be/bre the v i.d, her maft tottering, her yards hanging different ways, and her fails in rags. As (he pafled along, her mizen-maft firft, and afterwards her inarn-maf*, fore-maft, arid -.■ ^•- ,• ■■■--■ ' .■ part '' ■ .t^: : i\ ^r,^ ■^m'' V ■,^- \ --'■*']5^'*«((si^^ i.t« HISTORY ,0¥ THE pati of her bowfpHt, .in fuccc0loo fell iwo the Tea. After (he got cle»r of the Bfitilh (hipf, Tome of her companipjis took her in tqw, ^nd, i^ the furpi^iie of every o;nc, the Annibal, notwitb. ft finding her 4ifJiblc.cI fituation, ha J itift goojJ (of. tut-e to efcs^pe. The commodore, .s»*ier {'irn«,iij. in^?, by fignalB all his c?ptW5s» ar-d rcceiyiijg froai them a report of the ilateicjF tkch fliip*, or k ^i a purfuit ; m4» in the .jR >rajiey, w^;. t^e n ;, thas got out of liie bay. He ^vas follpw^d jn (uj. CfffioJi by the ivjll, pf hi*, fqiiadmij, except tjie ^jj, captain Suttoa, who being eoo^oyed in je- ^pairiwg his daw^ageSj did not Q.bqy his fvnalir near tbr^e hours, .ultl^Qugh it wa« ?nforcvti by.^ie repeated firiqg of gims It Js to ' ^ renJaSfkp;!, ,that,«Ubough the Iljs, lyiqg pf u jjlitf piowiiipf the bay, had very little fliare in the ,afti^,,jjie bad fuitaiiied fome damage -fram the ,fire ^pf ^^ French fhips as they palfed and rqia^ed i% The Ifis having at 1^ come out, tji^e pvirfuit ,^^ continued ; but Xo jnuch time had been ali;qi4y waited in waiti.r|g for fisr, that before the-cqip.j modore could come.near the French (quadrQa^el fun had fet, tand the. wind becpme.hoifterous. ilfl he difcontinued the purfuit, the probability ,^8, [ rthat monfieur .de Suffrein would r^ach the Capcl before .him : If he continued it, ,uid-:^i^gage4,tis| ,Toon as he came yip, zfi a£lion in the night jpl Ihble to fo.Qiuch uncertainty, as fcaroely. to befi^eJ concUable with the main object, of the eacpedifioni On the other handj if hepurfu^ed. but d^fmp the engagement until the morning, he; wpuldiii > the .mean time be led. £0 . fat to , leeward alter, {^ ^French {hips, which were ninning before i4Qm\ with all their fails fei, that it would pe impolT p», rintQW, and, tp Lumbal, notwitb- haiJ ui£ gooj^ for. •cIt ftiip4» o*^ ^«^; • ad foUpWied m iu;. )i^, except tJie^K, efloployed in ,tc- Qb^y his fv);nal,v,.t E to ' ' remnkpjl, in the ,^ai^v.Ac rom the fire ;pf tlie and rep?tffe4 ;^«. out, t^epurfuit wi B had been alifwiy that before thecoj^ Fieneh Cqttai^dr<>a# •come.boifterous. If the probability nW8, jijowXd r^?iGh the Cape d it, aiid-,c;i^gageW tioninithe;Wgbt»?s| v,a8.fcarcfilyto.Je,«^ ieftofihe^pedyion ,ur(tte4, but dpW morning, ^^!^f^f to leeward atterf inning befmet^efjfl it would PeimpoM t>,windwaj:d^nd |J<}« »xp€diUQa^'V*%■<* i-. *f^' t-r. >j», -ri- H* h»st6ry 6 t th« \ 1781. French . CHAP, ftff.ftiling vfeflfels to proceed ahead of the reft' of ^^' the fquadron, for the purpofe of gaining inteili- gertce, vith orders to rejoin him irt a certain la- firadti. The detached fquadron, having proceed- exi tb the fouthvtard df the Cape, fortunately, 6ti th^ firft of July, fdl in with and took a Dutch ihip bound for Ceyldn, laden with ftores and pro- vifions, and forty thoufand pounds in bullion, ' ^Hich had left Saldahna Bay only a ftvf days be-i The Dutch forfe. From her they learnt that monfieur de garrifon at Suffrciri, with hi* fquadron, and part of his com. tefnfo*r«d voy, had arrived at the (ape on the twenty-firft by the of JuHe, whcre he had landed five hundred mert to reinforce thfc garrifon, amongll \»rhorn were dghty or ninety arlilleiy men. Itlfey alfo receit* ed information th^t five Dutch Eaft lAdia (hips, honr^ ■::».r4-bound, anid richly laden j wer6 lyirig in F«l jii n; bay, about forty miles north frorn the ti2L[K. W:'Ji this intelligence, and their prlie, the Jf^ ;t*:hed /quadron returned, and oh the nihili bf July joined the commodore at the iaippoitited jpilace of rendezvous. A coiifultatioil was tlo# held between the commodore and general Mea^ dows, on the fubjefl of the intelligence recehred by the Dutch prize ; and the attempt upon die Cape was given over as impracticable. At ^ tonfultaiion colonel FuUarton was prefeiit, aAd urged the moi\ forcible reafons for refuming (noi I that the defign againft the Cape had mifbarHd) the original projedl of an attack on the Spahil fettlements in South America; from' whence -tK^ might afterwards proceed to the Eafl Ifldi^, through the Pacific Ocean : Biit the dommodtWel determined either to take or deftt-oy the fiiipstlij^l lay in Saldahna Bay. In profecutioin bf this dl}| fignhe fleered for the land, and, as h6 approii^ll ed the fhore, took the pilotage upon hth^dfj jtldgJE v.. ^*.;' — " "I"" p' y AMERICAN WAR. 339 5ft' of itcUi- in h- )ceed- ly, on Dutch 1(1 pro- lulUon, ays b. .' &^\.^ S4« HISTORY OF THE . i:i ■-' ■. x I I C H A P. and inflead of dividing the land force, to fend the . ^^ " whole to the Kail Indies, to replace the bfs of ,.fl^ colonel Baillie's detachment. Accordingly, the The Britift Dutch pfizes, after being fitted for fea, were dif. under" cne- ?*^'ch "id without a convoy to St. Helena ; and the r4iMM- commodore having accompanied the detachment w*h**t*ft°^ fhips bound to India with his whole force to lodiw' * the fourth degree of longitude beyond the Cape, there feparatcd from it, and, with the Komney and frigates, returned to St. Helena to join his prizes, and ccnJ ci them to England. In their *• way thicher they were U'parated by a flormj and two of the prizes were unfortunately loft. " In a former part of this work we have already feen that in the firft year of the war with the French, the power of that nation in India was at- moft annihilated. After the taking of Pondicher. ry, the iflands of Bourbon and Mauritius, ivith the port of Mahie, on the continent of Afia, were nearly all the pofleflions that remained to them in ihat quarter of the world. Neveithelefi they contrived to maintain their influence with the native powers, and at Ico^^th, by means of j their emiflaries, to excite a powerful combination amongfl them, which threatened de(lru£tion ti the Britifh intered. During the courfe of .he) former war, the Englifh Ea(l India company had acquired fo immenfe an extent of territory, andj feemed Aill fo defirous of grafping at more,] that the native princes were become jealous of] their greatnefs, and fecretly wifhed the deU'ruftionf J of their power. Many of them had alfoprivatg '' grounds of difguft, arifmg from the rapacity ahl unprincipled conduct of leveral of that compan^i fcrvants. Fiom fome caufe of diflference avi liat broken out between the Englifh company aoJ th< M^hraitas, a fierce and warlike nation, anj on.; of the moii powcrfiil in Hindoftan. celcbraw / ' : i'--^' •*4;._w ■ ^"^Al^^ ' M^ '" *' '' ^/. ndthe bfs of ly, the ;tc dif. and the chmcnt force to le Cape, Romney join hi* In their rm*, atid re already with the lia was al. ?ondicher. itiuB, ifivh t ol Afw, jtnatned to levcTthelcfi luence with y means of otnbinat'on I ftruftion tv virfe of Ael ciinpany W rritory, an^l at moT«l e jeatous ofl le deHfTuftionl i alfoprivatj rapacity aM ,at compan^j erence aw company aw : nation, m ,doftan. '^ cclebratd AMERICAN W A R. 34» 1781. t» celebrated Hyder Ally Cawn, res^ent of the TVTy. CHAP. fore country, wan at the fame time engaged in a '^^- war with the Mahratras. But in confequence of the intrigues of French agents, means were found to fettle the differences between thefe two powers, and inftead of being enemies, to unite them as friends. Hyder agreed to join the Mahrattas in the war : Powerful fuccours were promifed to be feat from the French iflands of Bourbon and Mauritius : And in the end a confederacy againd the Englifh was entered into between the Mah- ratta ftatej, Hyder Ally Cawn, the Ibubah of the ' * Decan, and the rajah of Berar, to which mofl of the lefler powers of Hindoftan were prevailed up- on to accede. Hyder's countpy is fepaiated from the territories belonging to the India company by a chain of mountains called the Ghauts. From ihefe mountains Hyder, in the month of June 1780, after making all necelfary preparations, defcended with an army of an hundred thoufand men, who fpread themfelves like a torrent over the country below. For a confiderable time be- fore this invafion, intelligence had been repeated- ly conveyed from the frontiers to the prefidency of Madra«/, acquainting them with the hoflile dif- poltion manifelled by Hyder towards the Englifli, and his preparations for entering the Carnatic. But that I oard treated with contempt all fuch in- timations, and had taken no fufficlent meafures '• tor the defence of the eftablifhment againil fuch Ian attack. Amongll other cvib flowing from i^^^^p,^^ ^^ iheir ihameful inditl'erence and inexcufable negli- theCRrna- gence, this was not the lead, that tht conipany's 'j^^ aii"^" troops on the coall of Coromandel had not been :ollefted together, but were fullered to remain fcattered about the country in diifert^at diitrids; ind garrifons ; from whence ic happened that when lyder made his irruption, no fuHjcient army, could I M ,;,f ;T|gi3iX;.' ■ JJi. 34* H r 8 T O R Y OF T ^* fi h 111 ■■.«... ! > HAP. could immediately be brought into lii'j iteld tonp. Jl ~l. pofe him. When at lall the appearance of Hy. j.g,, der's horfe, in the neighbourhood of the Monnti convinced the prcfidcncy of the truth of their previous intelligence, the troops in Madras and its neighbourhood were aflembled ; and thele, af- ter beinj^ joined by the troops from Pondicherr y, under colonel Bniithwaite, amounted only to hf. te«n hundred Europeans, and four thouland two hundred fepoyi;. With this force, and an artillery of forty-two iield pieces, five cohorns, and four battering cannon, general fir He6ior Monro marched from the Mount to Conjeveram, the largefl: village in the Carnatic, fixty miles diftaat from Madras, and thirty five from Arcot, thea befieged by the enemy. The march of fir Hedor Monro to Conjeveram, as had been fbref^en, <^liged Hyder Ally to raife the fiege of Arcot; and this fervice being performed, the Britilh ge- neral determined to remain in his prefent fituati(H) until be ihould be joined by colonel Co(by, with a detachment of fifteen hundred fepoys, and fom« cavalry, then on his march from the Tanjore country, in thefouth, and by another detachu>ei>t of three thoufand men, including two companies of £ur(^ean infantry, and fixty European artille* ry'^men, with ten field pieces, under colonel Bail, lie, coming from the Guntoor Ctrcar in the north. The progrefs of the laft of tbefe oificerj ' to the fouthward had been retarded, partly by the ,. oontradiftory nature of the orders received during • ' V hits march, proceeding from the fluduating and ]'' 7. uncertain ilate of the Knglifh councils at Madrai, I and partly hy the ovtTflowing of rivers in his way. Movt^ever, at leugth he arrived at Perambaucum, [ a village Wit^iin iifteen miles of the main army. , Hyd»r Ally, by meaos of his emifl'aries, had ex- act inteiiigeoce of Che colonel'^ mot ions ; and dif- patched patched borfe, < artillery po/fibJe, TO. N^ tachnien «flder <: with his, fppuJJcd ior lever verecl roi woe wing I fevoiira fui whyetJj aad ucquji apprehend tor Monro evening o wen unda iivce colp gr«at jexfii hteik g prevl iordabi^ u^l 0%<}d to, I liponfequii unfuccefsfu] colpn^l Uj^J Jrocantinie formatioA f : m .i«*^ .J^^^* AMERICAN WAR. 34 i 3 op- iheir I and le, af- hcrry, to ftf- ^d two rtilleiy .d four Monro \m, the ) dilhat 3t, thca Heftor Ebref^en, f Arcot; ritilh ge- : fttuat'ten ^y, with anil fom« ; Tanjore tacbiuent ompaiiHes ian artille. onel B»»l- ar in *l^' efe officerJ tly by tlM ved during .uaiing and at Madrii, in his way. mbauctttt, lain army. hadex> and di(- patched • 7H1. es, patched bin fon Tippoo Saib, with thirty thoufand CHAP. borfe, eight thouiand fiiot, and twelvu pieces of J^^ ^ artillery to attack t^ein at Perari)haucuni, and, if poflible, prevent hii juntlion wiih fir Hetfior Mon- ro. Numerous as the troops conipofing this de- tachment were, compared with tiie fmall force wader colonel Baillie, the bttex, neverthelela, with hiii ui'ual ^allautry, and with great flaugliiter, r^puli'tid th«:m in vario^is ilerce attacks, thatlajledl for feveral hours. Still however tJbje enemy ho- vered round him, with an apparent intentip^ pf renewing their attacks wbei^ever there ftiuuld be ^favmirable oppurtuuity : And as their numbjcfs f^emfid to inci-eafe, coJonel Balllie became doubt- ful wh/Bther be Qiould be able to effsiX a junctipn, aad acquainted the co^nniaader in chief with his apprehenCxMiS' i bis ii^dJigeao: reached iir He^:- tor Monro on the iixth of Septcti^ber, and, iQ Xhe evening of the «jgbth, twelve hmidred chpfi;;i men under colonel l^letf her were detached to reu9- ijOiTce colpAfil fia^Mie* Thci« having moved with gr«at ^jcpedition, airrived at Peramb^ucum at break " f"'"- vitb a detachment, wa? prdercti to ftorm j but "" beipg prevented ffoin reach^i^g ihem by an un- fordabl? water-courfe chat intervened, he was obligtid to return without eft'eCting his purppCe. laconfequence of the ftre of the enemy, and this unfiiccefsful movement, iome confufipn and dif order arofe aiiiongfl: the fepoys, which determined cojpnel liuillie tp halt till the morning. In the meantime Hyder Ally, who received minute in- fpcmati^n of ,«Vi^rv thing \h Tiaffed jiTt the larched ,t dawn march, himfelf ny, and poo had ht pieces :re open- der Ally. J colonel if cavaln [id a half, ely blow. artly from from^ tbe len. The r from the :ed nearer, ireaten co- y to detach ly of Euro. eing njade :poy8, who ibably con. ley faw the w in great And every )ut in vain. eavy canno* nd retreat of )anic-ftruck, id to a fmall e turopeanj' ,n of a rifinz elves againd horfe made dreadful 1781^ ■^r-? dreadful havoc amongft the fepoys. It was hoped CHAP, that the main army, under fir Heftor Monro, ^L. might dill come to theiir relief : And in the mean time fo bravely did this fmall body of men defend themfelves againft Hyder's hoft, that although he advanced, both with his horfe and foot, within fifteen yards, he found it impofiible to break them. But at lad all hopes of fuccour being at an end, and many having already fallen, the Bri- ti(h commander, knowing that it was impoffible for fuch a handful of men to maintain their ground much longer againfl fuch a multitude, and willing to fave the few that remained, flepped forward with a white handkerchief in his hr.nd, and com- manded his men to ground their arms, and call for quarter. But this order was no fooner complied with, than the enemy ru(hed upon them in the rood ferocious manner ; and numbers were in- ftantly put to the fword. Nor would the carnage have ceafed, notwithftanding the furrender, but for the humane interpofition of two French offi- ccrs, Lally and Pimoran, who at laft prevailed upon the barbarian Hyder to fpare the gallant re- mains of the Britifh detachment. The niunder gave orders to ftop the further etFufion of blood : But could the brave men, who were thus become his prifoners, have forefeen the unexampled mife- ricsthcy were to endure in the dungeons of the tyrant, during a long captivity, they would have I deemed immediate death a happy deliverance from IS more than (iavage brutality. 4jjt?i 1 ^ r Hyder, fearful of being attacked by the main jarmy under fir He£lor Monro, fuddenly retreated, after his vitlory, to a place called the Round Wells, wherti he had before been encamped. In |faft, when Hyder began his retreat, fir He6kor lonro, with his army, was at no great didance from him. The cannonade that happened on the evening »lil -''Stf.^ -■^'J^ , V— *™ • ■'-^'{'.'■•' J46 HISTORY OF THE I n"- CHAP. evening of the niith of September, when t^ij^ i..^b^..j ""i*^<^ detachments und^r Bailiie and Fletcher ,_g,^ began their march, having been heard at Conje. veram, and reports being brought in, that ^y, der's army, which had been encamped in th^ ■ ,, neighbourhood, was in motion, the Qritifh gene- ral became apprehenfive for the fafety of the de. cachments, and took th^e refolution of moving that fame evening to their ajGTidance. Verbal or. ders to that effedik, it is faid« wer? given ; but unfortunately, from fome caufe or other, th^ march was delayed until the next morning. Whtui day-light appeared, it was no longer to be doubted that Hyder had decamped ; and the cannonade having been heard to commence foon afterwards with redoubled fury, this general immt^diately gave orders for the aroiiy to be put in motioia to. wards Perambaiicum* From the mlAake of the guide, the army was led by a circuitous route ft< veral miles too for to the right, by which ibrae time was loft. When at laft it arrived within two miles of the field of aO;ion, the firing wjs obferved fuddenly to ceafe ; and foon afterwardjj fome wounded fepoys being brought in, that hadl efcaped from the general carnage, related the nature! and extent of the misfortune that had happened.] Upon receiving this intelligence, the gen<^ral imJ mediately returned upon his rteps to ConieveramJ and after the heavy cannon had been Cpiked, and] fuch of the baggage and (lores deftroyed as couldj not be eafily moved, he retreated with the remaijsf of his army toChingliput, and from rhence, 'n ale»j days, to the Mount. At Chingliput, the array ^ joined by colonel Cofby and his detachment, wJip, although he had to march through a large extento country, entirely over-run and pofleffed by the en my, had the good fortune to arrive in fafety.arid pij ferve his cannon and baggage. By the rapidity c his movements, he in fome meafure eluded thedd r, when tbs and Fletcher yird at Conje. in, that Hy- »mped in th^ e B"tilh gene. tety o^ ^^® ^^ on of moving ce. Verbal or- gr^ given-, but or other, th^ noruing. Whaa er to be doubted I the cantionade J foon aiter\vai(is eral immediately put in motuyi to- [e ©ittake of the ircuitous roatefe. Lt, by which Ibrae lit arrived withia ,n, the ftn«g *f ,d foou afterwards )U2bt in, that U \ related the nature^ bat had happened, ce, tbe general m. >ps to Conieverara; d been Cpiked, and , deftroyed as couWj ed with the remaiw rom thence, ^n a te« .\iput, the array ^t is detachment, vho uRh a large extent' poffeffedbytheer iveinfafety.andpi By the rapidity ■afure eluded the d( AMERICAN WAR. HI fifjns of the enemy j and whenever be wa« haraff- CHAP. ed by their cavalry, the well-regulated difpofuiom _5i^ of his march, with the good countenance preferv- ,-g, ed by the officers and troops, prevented thero *" from making any ferious impreiGon. By the retreat of the Britilh army to the Raragw Mount, the whole country was laid open to be committed ravaged at pleafure by Hyder and his irregular I,"att'by"" hod. The dominions of the £afl India company HydcrMj. on the coaft of Coromandel, which of late were fo extenfive, might now be faid to be confined t» Madras, and a few miles round it, and to fuch forts and garrifons fcattered about in di^erent parts of the country as were dill occupied by the company's troops. To reduce thefe, Hyder now direded his attention. Arcot, the capital of the 4 Nabob's dominions, foon fell into his hands, the redudion of it being haftened by the treachery oif foine of the Nabob's principal fervanis. Not ^, long afterwarids CarangooJy and Gingee, with many other inferior pofts, were added t© the lift of his conquers. And the prej&dency of Madras* «f late fo full of fecurlty, now dreaded all the liorrorf and miferies attendant upon a fiege. They had already applied to the governor- gene- ral aud fupreme council of Bengal fur aiTiftaAce * Aad to the vigcu-ous meafures adopted and prouv uted by that board mull in a great meafure b-s aributed the favourable change which not long afterwards took place in the company's affairs jon the coad of Cororaandel. General Tr Eyre |Coote, commander in chief in India, who was hea at Calcutta, was requefted to take upon him- elf the cooiuiaad of the army at Madras ; and ifi rder to enable him to carry his plans into axecu- ioii, independently ()>f the Aladras prefidency, ho feeaied delirous of thwarting all the meafures f the goveraor. general and cmiunaadtr in chief, he f 34S HISTORY OF THE \' C HA P. Jie was furniOied with fifteen lacks of rupees, over which fum that board (whofe difpofitions towards 1781. tViv The com- the governor-general, and the majority in his Council, were well enough known) were not to poflefs any controul. Sir Eyre Coote was alfo empowered to take a feat in the council of Ma> dras ; and Mr. Whitehill, the prefident, was fuf. pended. I'he commander in chief, although then fixty-three years of age, cheerfully confented to undertake the arduous charge thus committed to him, of endeavduring to rcftore the profperity of the company's affairs on the coafl of Coromandci, and of freeing that country from the r-'vages of Hyder Ally. He embarked without deiay at Cal- mandofihccutta, with three hundred Europeans in battalion, j^"''!^ ,i,g upwards of two hundred artillery men, five hun-, prefidency dred lafcars, fome pieces of cannon, and a ilarge wi^uS fupP^y of provifions ; whilft ten battalions of fe. to fir Eyre poys, with twenty pieces of cannon, were under I Coote. orders to march by land from Bengal to the Car*j natic. Inftrudions were alfo fent to general God- dard, who commanded the army afking ag ' " the Mahrattas, to fend by fea to Madras as many] troops as he could fpare. Sir Edward Hughejf was folicited to block up Hyder's fea-ports on thej Malabar coaft, and prevent him from receivlDgl fupplies from the iflands of Bourbon and Mauri-f tius; and the government of Bombay receivedj orders to make a diverfion on the fame coalt io| favour of the war carrying on in the Carnatic, aal thus alarm Jiyder for the fafety of his own dorai] nions. Sir Eyre Coote arrived at Madras on the fifth i November, and after furmounting many difficall ties and obftacles, which either from the incap city of the prefidency had not been forefeen, i from their negligence, were not provided foj took the field in the beginning of the year 178J •-««.• ^itj(j»ii*»i (A AMERICAN WAR. 349 :8, over towards r in his B not to was alfo \ of Ma. ; wasfuf- )ugb then ifented to imittcd to )fperity of romandel, ■nvages of lay at Cal- \ battalion, , five hun- ind a (large lions of fe- were under to the Cat- cneral God- king againft ras as manv ard Hugbtt ports on the (n receivinjl i and Mauri- jay receivedl 'ame coart itt| Jarnatic, aal is own doraij on the fifth :nany diffical the incai ^ forefeen provided f' he year i^ WW 1781. n 1 with a Anal) but well-appointed army, and an ex-C HAP. ccllent train of artillery The fieges of Vellore, ^^• Wandewalh, Parmacoil, and Chingliput, then blocked up by Hyder, were immediately raifed ; and he, with his whole force, retired to a guarded diftance. From this moment the company's affairs on the coaft began to wear a more favourable af- peft : Some of the forts that had been furprifed were in a (hort time retaken : Ryder's ravages , were neceffarily confined within narrower limits in confequence of the cautioii with which he avoided an engagement : And by the Britifh com- mander's taking the field, the credit of the com- pany's arms, which had been at a low ebb ever fmce the defeat of colonel Baillie, was reflored, and the difaffeftion of the natives, which had be- gun to be general, was in a great meafure reprelT- ed. In the courfe of the year fir Eyre Coote ; ; found means to worft Hyder in feveral battles ; and although the latter flill maintained his ground in part of the Carnatic, a large extent of country, which had been over-run, was recovered and freed from his ravages. Sir Edward Hughes performed the Cervices ex- operation* pefted of him: Hyder's ports on the Malabar °J^'''^^^^": coad were not only blocked up, but his (hipping indu. de^royed at Calicut and Mangalore, two of his principal arfenals, and two of his principal arfe- nals, and his hopes of becoming a maritime pow- er thus nipped in the bud. Towards the clofe of this year alfo, the Dutch fort of Negapatam, in the Tanjore country, the garrifon of which had been reinforced by two thouiand three hundred of Hyder's troops, was taken by a joint operation of the fquadron under fir Edward Hughes, and a land ii ce under fir Heftor Monro, which the [commander in chief was enabled to fpare, after he favourable change that had taken place in the Carnatic. 3- ■ , v.. I ^; 'f b, Ml J^ ■>«M tJO HISTORY OF THE C HA P. Carnatic. The immediate confequence of the sJ^' ftiH of Nepapatam was the evacuation of all the 17S1. ^"^^^^ ^^^ (irong places poiTefled by Hyder's troops in the Tanjore country and its borders. Such Wert the effeds of the rigorous meafures adopted by the governor-general and fupreme council of Bengal for the relief and affi (lance of the Madras government ; and fuch the fuccefles that attended the company's troops under the aufpices of their veteran commander fir £y re Coote*. m 4 * For a mere fjU and paiticiHar account of tbe miKMry aod nava] operations in India, at this period, fee Memoirs of the late War (1778 — 84) in Afia: With a Narrative of the Im, prifonment and Sufferings of orir Officers and Soldiers, by u OiScer of Cobnel BailtfR's Detachment. >■' I ''(I jf ' »«^•■ '* W^ ..»*-. ■*i'^»-*'--"''« ^^WJrC--" - T~. ■*??*?■; > "■ " uence of the ;ion of all the rtyder's troops orders. Such afiues adopted ;me council of of the Madrai 198 that attended ufpices of their «f the miKwry »d fee Memoirs of the larratWe of the Im- atid SoJdiers, by ii AMERICAN WAR. 35» CHAP. XLI. Djfafe^ion to Great Britain ef thf Southern Colonies ^fhe Britijh Army under LotdCotnivallis joined ' by a large Reinfor'cemeni under General Lefire — A^lion at the Cowpens^ between General Morgan and C'jhnel Tar'eton — Colonel Tarleton defeated^— Confequences of Colonel farletori's Defeat — The at- my under Lord Comwallis croffes the River Ca- tawba — Lord Comwallis, joined by the other Di- vijion of the Army under Colonel tVebfler, purfues General Morgan—- A JunSlivn formed between the ' ivjo Dvwijions of the American Army — General Green driven out of North Carolina — The Royal Standard ereiled at Hillfbormgh -General Greene^ again crojftng the Dan, re-enters North Carolina — Lord Comwallis falls ba k from Hiliporoiigh, and lakes a new Pofttion -Ljfedls of this retrograde Movement— 'Adion near Guildford between Lord Comwallis and General Greene. WE mad now return to North America, the CHAP, grand theatre of the wal",' where it firft XLf, Ibegan, and where the events of the prefent year were of fuch mdmentous importance as to pro- Iduce a total change in the future condud of it, pd in effed to jilace within the grafp of the re- iVolted colonies that independence and fovcreignty Ifor which they had been fo long contending. [From the beginning of the year 1779 the princi- al efforts of the Britifh arms were direfted againft [the fouthern colonies, not only as they #ere emed the eafieft to be reduced, but as, from the 1781. 1 ,1 n^--: KL. b 35» CHAP. XLI. 1731. DifaffcAi- OB to Great Bntain of the tbuth- era colo- The Bri- tiih army under lord Comwai- li* joined by a large reini'itrce- ntent under gTOcral Lcflie. H I S T O R Y O F T H E the nature of their produflions, they were the moft valuable to the mother-country. Georgia M'as accordingly recovered in the year 1779, and the province of South Carolina reduced in the year 1780. For fome months after the taking of Charleftown, the capital of South Carolina, there was in that province the brighteft profpeA of re. turning peace and tranquility. But too foon the iky became overcall ; and it was perceived in the for.Uiornas it had been already experienced in fome of the northern colonies, that the inhabitants after their fubmifTion, and even whild the Britiih troops remained amongfl them, did not perform the duties of their allegiance without reluftance, and when left to themfelvcs, quickly reverted to their old courfes, and joined the flandard of re- volt. In the tranfaftions of laft year we have endeavoured to alTign fome motives for this ver. fatility of c&nduft amongll the inhabitants of South Carolina ; but to whatever caufe their difaffedion was owing, it gave much trouble to earl Cornwallis, and greatly retarded his opera- tions. The efficient army for diftant fervice was fo much weakened by the large detachments left behind for overawing the inhabitants, that a finglei misfortune was fomecimes fufficient to render an expedition abortive. In the fall of the preceding year the lofs of major Fergufon's detachmenti obliged lord Cornwallis to return from his nor- thern expedition anc' ^"all back to Wynnefboroughj in South Carolina. &'.ill, however, the projefted movement into North Carolina was deemed foj eifential, that he only waited for a reinforcement to renew it. The expeded reinforcement arrive at Charleftown on the thirteenth of DecemberJ It confifted of a large detachment of troops unde general Leflie, wiio, upon landing, received lorJ Conrwallis's orders to march without delay, ani joi again/l I by defult oppo/ite ( our-pofts iiich mi'A and, tru vouJd 00] vifions, hi Spirit into and co-ope eie&ml. ing of th Howard, under maj< under iieu .'under the < direfted to tbc wefteri threaten th m of th< [narch to font of Ca Towards] Received inf] ^ican annyj 'le movem) ifled bothf Vol. II. mmmtm "•a**.-- .fc-- XTLu^ A M E R I C A N WAR. XLI. 178:. f I / join him with about fifteen hundred men. ThftCHAP. general accordingly, after wailing fome few days to procure horfes and waggons^ bcgaa his inarch on the Bineieenth of P'-cember. In the mean time ;,<;neral Greent, who had fucceeded Gates in tiie -cmmand of the Ameri. can army, fir'Hng it difhcult to procure a fufHcient; liipply of provifions in the neighhourhood of Charlotte, as that country had been already ex- bauded ; and being fenfible that his prefent force was too weak to attempt any d5re<^ operatioa aguinfl lord Cornwaliis i refolved to divide it, and bydefultory incurfions in different, and nearly oppofite quarters, to alarm and hvafs the Britiih out-pods on 'He frontiers of South Carolina. By [uch mi'xns his troops would be kepi in adton, and, tru cffing diSerent parts of the country, would not only be more eafily fupplied with pro- vifions, hut might in their progrefs infufe fome fpirit into the militia, without whofe afiiftance and co-operation he faw that he could do nothing effeftual. Accordingly the light troops, confift- ing of three hundred infantry, under colonel Howard, one hundred and feventy itfle-men, under major Triplet, and feventy light dragoons, ^ under lieutenant-colonel Walhington, were put he pi^ecedmgMyjjjgj. ^^^ command of general Morgan, who was detachment jj^g^^g J to proceed by the heads of tht -Ivers to the weftern frontiers of South Carclina, and threaten the Britiih port at Ninety-fix ; whilfl: the reft of the army under general Greene fiiould inarch to the Pedee, and alarm the country in ont of Camden. Towards the end of December earl Cornwaliis eceived information of the divifion of i.ie Ame- ican army, and foon afterwards an account of e movements of general Morgan, who had fled both the Catawba and Broad Riv r, and Vol. II. . A a was ere the Georgia 79, and 1 in the aking of i\a, there d of re. foon the red in the ienced in iihabitants the Btitilh t perform reluftance, •everted to lard of le- ir we have For this v«. habitants of caufe theii ;h trouble to I his opeta. t fervice was chments left that a fingle o render an •om his nor. ;nne(boroi the projeftei las deemed ' iTeinforcemenl lement arrivi |o£ December, ^f troops undi received Ion ,ut delay, a« joii •■< * 'U i -•-v.. 354 HISTORY OF THE 1781. C H A P. was fald to be rapidly advancing to Ninetyf t. . ^1 Upon receipt of this intelligence, lieutenant-coio- nel Tarleton was detached with the light and le< gion infantry, the fufileers, 1 » feventh regiment, the firft battalion of the fwciity-firll regiment, about three hundred and fifty cavalry, two field- pieces, and an adequate detachment of the royal artillery, in all about one thoufand men. He le^ ceived orders to pafs Broad River for the protedlj. on of Ninety-fix, and either to (Irike at Morgan, and pu(h him to the utnioil, or at lead oblige him CO leave the country. Morgan, in his march, had collefled about four or five hundred militia, and upon his approach to the difirid of Ninety-fix, was joined by two hundred more, who had fled from the frontiers of Georgia when Augufta was taken pofleflion of by the firitifli troops. Thus the two detachments were nearly equal in ]()oint of numbers, but in cavalry, and in the general quality of the troops, Tarleton was greatly fupe* nor' :k''f. The • Dr. Ramfay, in Mi Hiftory of the Revolution of South Carolina, charges the Briiifh with feizing the property of the j American; : and their coinmifTitries aod quarter-roaften with idking provifions. and all other things wanted by the arm]i, ■wherever they could be found, charging them, at the fame timt, to the Brilifli government. That peculation was carried on in I I'ome departmeuts of the BritiRi army, and that many individual) I made large fortunes in (hit way, cannot be denied. But thitl never took place, in any great extent, In ihe fouthern army.r And the writer of this, who was contmiflnry to the army undtrl lord Cornwailis, takes the prtfent occafion of repelling the ci"! Jun>rites of Dr. Kamfay, as far as they may relate to himfelfi aoir appe^t'.ing for the innocence and propriety of his conduct to muTl individuals now living in Carolina, as well as to the gentlemtif ot the army in which he feived. The commiifary, during tin time when he was at the Congarees, employed in colleAing pnj vi/ions, and fettling refugee families on the deferted plaotaiiMr ef the Aoiericans, wiUiout bein^fujipoi ted by anv troops, or cm ... - •. - J •'■ •■.' - ' -" '-'If vcrii/ .R ,.:. AMERICAN WAR. Hi 1781. i I The Britifh army now proceeded to the north- C H A P. weft, between Broad River and the Catawba. This ^^I. route, leading to the back country, was chofen, that the army might the more eafily be enabled to pal's the great rivers in its way at the fords near their fource : It alfo afforded a profpeftof cutting oiF Morgan's retreat, if he fhould elude arleton, or at lead of preventin;^ his jundion with the ar- my under general Greene : Nor was the Bi '^(h ge- neral without hopes, that by following :his . ourfe he might get between Greene's army ; ' '^ inia, and force him to an adion before 1 ned by his expedted reinforcements. Th( ji under general Leflie, which had bee y halted at Camden, until lord Cornwalhs muai be ready to march from Wynnefborough, the longer to conceal from the American general the road which the Britifh army meant to take, now re- ceived orders to move up the banks of the Cataw- ba, and join the main army on its march. The march both of lord Cornwallis and general Leflie, encumbered as they were with baggage and artil- lery, was greatly retarded by the fwellingof creeks and water- courfes. Thefe obdacles Tarleton alfo experienced ; but having the command of light troops, he more eafily furmounted them, and pro- bably overtook Morgan fomething fooner than I was expeded. ^ lering party, furniflied fupplies to the army at Wynnefborough ind Camden, each poll being about forty miles from the Cong%> I K(9. He h^d feveral mills to attend and feed daily, fonie of which lay ^ix miles apart The number of perfons employed by the cominiir''J\ t m:L.«, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1^ l^|2J *u Ui2 122 iM 12.0 lU u im ||l-25 III N_ III 1.6 ll^s 111^ |i^ ^ 6" ► 7 Photographic Sciences Corporation ^>^ 23 WIST MAIN STIKT WnSTIR.N.Y. MSM (716) •72-4303 '4^ 4^ ci^ ^ S5« C ttA P, XLI. HIStORY Of THE Th€ latter, after retreating over the Pacolet, ma<}e a (hew of difputing Tarleton's paflfage by guarding the fords. Tarieton however, on the (ixth of January, found means to pafs over hit detathment within fix miles of the enemy's en. campmcrit ; and Morgan was obliged to make a precipitate retreat, leaving in his camp the provi. fions that were dreffing for his troops half cooked. Tarieton advanced and took pofleHion of the ground that had been left by the enemy only a few hours before. At three in the morning the march of the Brl. ti(h light troops was refumed in purfuit of geaerat Morgan ; the baggage being left under a guard ^dmpofed of a detachment from each corps, with orders tuot to move till daytight appeared. Tarie. ton, after a fatiguitig march through fwamps and broken (pounds, at length cam^in fight of tbe enemy ilDeut eight in the morning : Two of their videttet were foon afterwards taken ; and front them information was ry the Brittfh troops, had refolved to hazard ai adion rather than be overtaken in the fe^rd of the river. With this view he drew up his force in tira lines, the militia under colonel Pick^is fonniii|[| the firft line, and the continentals, under colondl Howard, with the Virginia riflt-men, the fectnil Waililugton's dragoons, with fome mounted mili'f tia, were drawn up at fome diftance in the reaiJ as a corps of referve. The ground which he dcJ cupied does not appear to have been well cbofesf It was an open wood, ^gndconfequently liable M be penetrated by the Britifli cavalry i Both "' flanks wer^jexpofed } and the mer« at no diflance, ran parallel to bin rear. *ii^ fucba tion, hit, with a i a defea meot w« tieut< iateliigei ed, with( the Am^ and lifty faarry, ai to form i being sLtta ! m battaj the reft of a referve, J beiflg fetti I Ml troops^ Jof fuccefs, I attack, e^ei [njijor Uev/i a J, A M £ R I C A N W A R. Pacolet, flfagc by on the >vcT hit »y*s en. tttake & je pTov'i- ; cooked. of the ly oAlyt F the Bri. >f general r a g»w H7 t?^'. tion.Ke gave a manifell a C HAP. the fviar BQ other sAicii icflcaed ib mach diiho, ^ ~ ;_ nour upon the Britifli arms. The Britiih were Ai. 1781. ptfior IB numbers. Morgan had ovAf &9e h^. ' ' dred and forty contUientaiB, the left mHhii. Tarleton's force compofed the light, troop* of lon| Cornwaliis's army. Every difafter that befcl lord CornwaUts, after Tar1eton*s mod: flumefci defeat at the Cowpens, may moft jwiUy be attli. buted to the imprudence and unlbidierly cond«ft jof that officer in the a£tion. It was aflced, why he did not confult majors M' Arthur and Nc«r. OMrfli, officers of experience aad reputation, wbo had been in iiervice bcfoite Tarieton was born? Colonel Tarieton, in his Hiftory of the Southern Canspaigns in America, admits that the ground on which Morgan formed had been defcaibedwiib Seat perlpicuity to him. He atlb admits, that be d obtained a very accurate knowledge of ijlor. gan's fituation, and of the ground on which Mor< gan had drawn up his army. That there wti every pTo(jte6k of fuccefs from the animttion and alacrity of his troops ; that his troops moved i& a good line ; that his ^e was weli fupported, aod produced much daughter; that the continentaig and back woodfmen gave ground, and the Britiih Tufhed forward ; that the ground which Morgan had chofen was' difadvantageous fior the Aneri. cans, and as proper a fituation for adion as cole. nd Tarieton could bave.wiihed : Under all thefe advantages in favour of Tarl^^tion, and difadvaata- ge& againd Morgan> Tarieton is ccmipletely defeat' ed and totally routed, is it po^le for the nuod to form any otherxondv(k>n, than that there was a radical defed, and a want of miiitary know* ledge on the part of colonel Tarieton? That lie poffeflies peribiaal bravery inferior to no man, it beyohd a doubt; but his talents at the period lire are fpeaking of never exceeded that of a partican a captain tidliho* irereOi- nvHitii. lof lotd at befid ftiamcfe) be attti- condvft Led, why endNcv- iioa,vbo rat born ? Southern ke ground ribcdwiiii E«, that he t of ^at' hich Mor- there wti Atftionand i nuiv«dm orted, and ^ntinentais the Biitiih ch Morgan he Aneri* >n at colo* er all tfaefe diMvaata- teW defeat* ttienuod there mii taiy know • I? That he no man, u period w a psrtiBia • captain A M E R f C A N W A R. Sil csptam of light dragoons, daring in Ikirmiihes. CHAP. He could defeat an enemy in detail, by continttalljr Ji^^[^ baraffing, and cutting off detached parties. , ^g,^ The defeat of hit majefty'a troop vice ; that this arrangement, which deprived them of all future profpeft of fpirituous liquors, and even hazarded a regular fupply of provifions, was acquiefced in without a murmur. In the mean time general Greene, upon receiv- ing information of 16rd Cornwallis's march, and hig rapid purfuit of Morgan, left his army upon the Pedee, under the command of general Huger ind colonel Williams, with orders to retreat by forced marches to the upper country, in order jioform a junction with the light troops wherever it might be pradicable, whilft he, with an efcort of dragoons, proceeded immediately to that corps, that he might be the better enabled to regulate its movements for facilitating the propofed junction. After travelling with great expedition, he arrived at Morgan's camp on the lad day of Janukry. In the courfe of two days, the river having fallen fo as to render it fordable, lord Cornwallis determined to attempt a paifage. That he might perplex the enemy, and draw off their attention from the real object, lieutenant-colonel Webiler, with one divifion of the army, was detached to a public ford called Beattie*8, with orders to can- nonade, and make a feint, as if he intended to force a paiTage ; whilft lord Cornwallis, with the other divifion, marched £> a private ford near M*Cowan*8, where the paiTage was in reality to be attempted. The divifion under lord Corn- wallis marched from its encampment at one in the morning of the firll of February, and reached the ford about dawn. The numerous fires ft;en on i * The remainder of the waggons, baggage> and all the tlore of ^ourandrum, were delUoyed at Kamrour's Mill. the !^ l«4 HISTORY OF THE C H A P. the oppofite fliore quickly convinced the Britifli ,^ ^^*;^ commander that this ford, althou|;h a private ,.g,^ one, had not efcaped the vigilance of the enemy. General Davidfon, with three hundred militia, had been fent to guard it only the evening before. '^""y Neverthelefs lord Cornwallit determined to pro. Cornwaiiu ceed ; and the paflage was gallantly and fuccert. croflet the fuHy efffded by the brigade of guards under ge. tawbt?*' Bo| O'Hara. Plunging into the rapid ftream, in many places reaching above their middle, and near five hundred yards wide, they marched ob with the utmoft (leadinefs and compofure^ and although expofed to the fire of the enemy, re> ferved their own, according to their orders, until they reached the oppofite bank. The paifage of the river was made in the following order : i he light infantry of the guards, led by colonel Hail, firft entered the water : They were followed by the grenadiers, and the grenadiers by the battalioni, the men marching in platoons to fupport one another againll the rapidity of the ftream. When the light-infantry had nearly reached the middle of the river they were challenged by one of the enemy's centinels. The centinel, having chal* lenged thrice, and received no anfwer, immedi* ately gave the alarm by difcharging his mufquet; and the enemy's piquets were turned out. No fooner did the guide, who attended the light in- fantry to Ihew them the ford, hear the report of the centinel's mufquet, than be turned round and left them. This, which at firft feemed to portend much mifchief, in the end proved a fortunate k cident. Colonel Hall, being forfaken by bis guide, and not knowing the true diredion of the ford, led the column diredly acrofs the river, to the neareit part of the oppofite bank. This di- region, as it afterwards appeared, carried the Britifli troops confiderabiy above the place where the AMERICAN WAR. 3) by his [on of the river, to This di- jrried the iace vrhere the the ford terminated on the other fide, and vrher« CHAP. the enemy's piquets were pofted ; fo that when ^ ^ they delivered their fire, the light infantry wer« ''i^gi, already io far advanced as to be out of the lind of its direction, and it took place .angularly upon (be rear of the grenadiers, fo as to produce no great eflfed. When general Davidfon perceived the direction of the Britifii column, he led his men to that part of the bank which faced it. But by the time of his arrival the light-infantry had overcome all their difficultiti : They were getting out of the water and forming, and fo foon as they bad formed, quickly routed and difperfed general Davidfon's militia, killing or wounding about forty of them. General Davidfon was the laft of the enemy who remained upon the bank, and in mounting his horfc to make his efcape, received a mortal wound. In efieding this difficult and dangerous paflage (tf the Catawba, in the face of tlut enemy, the whole iofs of the guards amounted only to forty* lieiitenant-colonel Hall*, and three privates, being killed, and thirty- fix wounded f. The other troops which compofed lord Cornwallis's divifion of the army followed the guards in fucceflioa ; and, as foon as the whole had landed, lieutenant cobnel Tarleton, with the cavalry, and the twenty- third regiment, was fent in purfuit of the militia* * Lifutenunt- colonel Hall wm killed i« «(ceodi«g th« txMiicy i|ier he had crofied the river. f The fellowHi]; accid«iK« Imppeiied to the hprfn of the gf I ttoil officers in paung the river :-^I^rd Corowidlil's horfe was ktin the water, but did not drop tilt tve reached the (hore. Gtneral Ledie's horfei werecarried by the rapidity of the llream fome diftance down the river, until his groom got upon a rocic ind held them. Brigadier 0*Hara's horfe roiled over with him MA the water : the brigadier, no doubt, was thoroughly wet from I thii accident, but deceived no other injury. "■ Upon li • !} Sround not long sfttr th aAion, relates, that he did not (ee ten dad bodies of the pro «iali(Athc whUti 'irithdrawoj AMERICAN WAR. 367 lat thd It Tar- left be. okpoft for the y only. Itfferent iie place unpre* Ttheleb, hU men n at the e enemy, jar fifty j ie whole. the broad ^, and the ilitia,»fira 1, at Tar. an on the etvreen the ' the moil I rmy inittl •t with no ! • bis ctmpaigMj Btlongafwtik i% of the pM trlthdravni withdrawn ; and the light troopi under Morgan C H a P. began a precipitate retreat towards the Yadkin. ^ ^M'_f The other divifion of the Britifti army, under ,.g,, colonel Webder, pafled the Catawba at Beattie'i LordCorn. Ford, in the courfe of the day, and at night joined ^"^jl^^ lord Cornwallit's divifion, about five inilei from other dwu the ford, on the road to Salifbury. Early the *•" "' •** next mornmg the Britiih troops marched m pur- coIomi •fuit of Morgan j but the celerity of his move- ^•Jjjj'' . ments baffled all their efforts. He reached the Hra]i'il£' trading ford on the Yadkin in the night between 1*°* the fecond and third of February, and with the sjfiftance of all the boats and flats that could be collected, completed the paflage of his corps, with their baggage, by the following evening, except only a rew waggons left under an efcort of rifle- men. The rifle-men, after a flight refiftance, fled under cover of the night, and the!" waggons were of courfe taksn. The American cavalry had pafled by the ford of the river ; but a heavy rain that fell during the day, rendered the river unlbrdable by the next morning : The fame rain, b^ fwelling the creekf, and increafing the badnefs of the roads, had alfo retarded general OHara on his march } and thus Morgan's detachment, from fortunate incidents, had another hairbreadth efcape. All the boats and flats having been fecured by Morgan on the other fide of the river, the river itfelf being unfordable, and continuing to rife, and the weather ftilt appearing unfettled, lord iCornwallis determined to march up the weflern banks of the Yadkin, and pafs by the ihallow I fords near its fource. All hopes of preventing I the junction of the two divifions of the American arniy were now at an end ; but ftill another object, not lefs eflential, remained, whith the new line of direction of the march was calcul^^d to favour. ' ■ Thi» i I ,1 /i' i f ■ i : 368 HISTORY OP THE . ! ^ v,^ ^' This waSi to get between the American anny and XLI. Virginia, ta which province it was obvious gene. rak Greene meant to retreat, rather than hazard an adion wiih hi» prefent ottmbers. As r!»uch, therefore, as it watthe intereft of general Greene to fecure his retreat, and avoid an action, fo mucii was it that of the Britiih commander u> intercept bim, and compel it, before he was joined by his reinforcements. The lower fords, upon the rirer- tbat feparates North Carolina from Virginia, we$e reprefented to be impaflable in the winter fea^Mi, and ihe ferries to be fo didaat that a fufficient number of fiats could not be colleded to tranf. port the American army in any convenient time. Lord Cornwallis, mifled by this informaticm, di« refted his march to the upper fords upon the Dan, in order to intercept Greene's retreat, by the paly route which at. that feafon of the year was t^vK' fented to be pradicable. A jundion In the mean ttme the two divifibns of the Aine- formed be- ffccan army formed a jundion at Guildford Coart. twrdivifi- houfe. A council oi war was held : And by oiu of the their advice a retreat inio Virginia, without ha* tZj!'^ zarding an aftion, was finally refolved upon, hi order the more eafily to effed this, a light army was formed of the beft of the American troopt, amounting in the whole to ab \a light army lean troops, en hundred { > in hoat of reft o( the the neareft Orders vrere icceffary fci xzX Greene I , Atlafthel rd Cotnwal-I as of paffingl w, both the| baggage, itt; ftead of meeting with any difficulty or delay, were CHAP. pafled over with eafe, at Boyd's and Irwin's Fer- _^^'_^ ries, in the courfe oi a (ingle day, the fourteenth ,^8,, of February. The light army, which was the laft General in crolfing, was fo clofely purfued, that fcarcely ^^'^^^ If" had its rear landed, when the Britifh advance ap- North Cb> peared on the oppofite banks ; and in the la ft "^'* twenty- four hours it is laid to have marched forty miles. The hardfhips fuffered by the Britim troops, for want of their tents and ufual baggage, in this long and rapid purfuit, through a wild and unfettled country, were uncominonty great ; yet fuch was their ardour and fervice, that they fub- mitted to them without a murmur, from the hope of giving a decifive blow to the American army, before it crofted the Roanoke. And that the latter efcaped without fuSering any material injury, Perns more owing to a tri^in of fortunate incidents, judicioufly improved by their commander, than to any want of enterprife or activity in the army that purfued. Yet the operations of lord Cornwallis, during the purfuit, would probably have been more efficacious, had not the unfortunate aflfair at the Cowpens deprived him of almoft the whole of his light troops. Lord Cornwallis having thus driven general The royal Greene out of the province of North Carolina, ^.'^J* returned by eafy marches from the banks of the Huub*. Dan to Hillfborough, where he erected the king's *""«*»• (landard, and invited by proclamation all loyal fubjefts to repair to it, and take an adive part in jJliRing him to reftore order and conftitutional gorernm.ent. The loyalifts in North Carolina were originally ndore numerous than in any of the Other' colonies : But the misfortunes confeqiient on premature rifmgs had conflderably thinned them. Some had fufi^ered, others had left Vol. II> B b the -.jCSJ^- »*.'"^ -*«'**► MJ 370 HISTORY OF THE 1781. Genertl Greene, ,. h: CHAP. the country and joined the king's tp* -. to ^^' the fouthward, and thofe who remained - . s be- cotne cautious from the recollection of p&^ mif. carriages. Their fpirits may be faid to have been broken by repeated perfecutions. Still, however, the zeal of fome was not reprelTed ; and, influ- enced by them, confiderable number? were pre- {nring to aflemble, when general Greene, alarmed with the intelligence of their motions, and the prefumed eScGt of lord Cornwallis's proclamation, and being, about the fame time, reinforced with fix hundred Virginia militia, under general Ste. vens, took the refolution of again crofHng the Dan, and re-entering North Carolina. Even with il^k'croff. this addition to his nuiqbers, he had no intention ingtheDaa.Qf hazarding an action ; but he forefaw that his Noith'ca- return into the province would check the riling roitna. fpirit amongll the royalifts ; and he boped^ bjr means of his light troops, to interrupt their com* municaiions with the royal army. Lieutenant, colonel Lee, with his legion, was detached acrofs the river on the twenty-nrft of February, and the next day general Greene pafled it with the reft of the array. A number of loyalifts being ready to affembief under a colonel Pyle, upon the branches of Hav.j Riv-er, lieutenant-colonel Tarleton, with the ca- valry, and a fmall body of infantry, was detach- ed towards that pan of the country, to give countenance to their rifing, and to afford tnem 1 afliflance and prote^ion. Th^ Americain colonel j Lee, having alfo received intelligence of the pro- pofed infurre£tion, haftened with his legion to-j wards the fame quarter, in order to counterafil Tarleton's operations, and, if poffible, ihtcrceptl and crufli the loyalills befor6 their junction wiAJ the Britifli troops. The loyalifts affenib|cd, andj on the twenty.fifth of February were proccedingl tol AMERICAN WAR. 371 1 to . £ be- raft mif- tve been lowever. d, Influ- ^ere pre- aUrmed and the lamauon, ced with icral Ste- )ffing the Even with intention w (hat his th« rifing hoped^ by their com^ Jcutenant- ched acrofs y, and the the reft of (0 Tarieton*? encampment, unapprehenfive of dan- CHAP XL I. 1781. lancw ger, when they were met in a fane by Lee, with )iis legion. 'Vhe loyalifts, unfortunately miftak- irtg the American cavalry for Tarleton's dragoons, allowed themfelves to be fiirrounded before they difcovered their error. When at la(t it becanie manifefl, they called out for quarter; but no quarter was granted ; and between two and three hundred of them were inhumanly butchered, while in the act of begging for mercy. Humanity (Iiudders at the recital of fo foul a maflacre : But cold and unfeeling policy avows it as the moft efedual means of intimidating the friends of loyal governmeqt. The country round HilHborough "being nearly i^rf^"™" exhaufted of provifions, and this forward pofition Jd^'from ^eing thought too didant, after the return of gene? Hiiubo- fijl Greene's army, for affording effe^ual protec- take-in"* tion to tl^e ^reat body of loyalifts who refided pofition. between Haw and Deep Rivers, lord Cprnwaliis thoijight it ei^pedient to retire from Hillfborough, and take a new pofltion between thefe rivers, fo as eflfe^ually to cover the country in his rear. This was accordingly done ; and the Britifli army, after palling Haw River, encamped on AUamance Creek. The bulk of mankind being guided by external appearaiices, nothing could be more uq- I iavourable to lord Cornwaltis's prefent views than this retrograde movement upon the approach of general Greene's army. If the loyatifts were be- fore cautious and flow, they now became timid to an excefs, aa4 dreaded taking ary aftive mea- thi'ireir^ fuie whatfoever in behalf of the king's govern-^'** fflept, tnor'i elpecially when they reflected on the difafter that had happened to colonel Pyle, wfaofe Idetachm^nt was cut to pieces within little more Itban a mile of Tarleton s encompment. "^hen |loi(} Cornwallis, therefore, had retired beyond the 3 b a Haw,. EffeiSs of movement* '.<*'**,*■ C3f S7» HISTORY OF THE w : H A p. Haw, he had too much reafon to complain that ^^^' he found himfelf amongft irrefoiute friends, and 1781 adjoining to inveterate enemies ; and that between the two he was fo deltitute of information that he had loft a very favourable opportunity of attack- ing the American army. It has been already Hated that lord Cornwaliis hoifted the royal ftandard, and iflued a proclama- tion, at HilKborough. As much has been laid upon this fubjedt, as to lord Cornwallis's leaving HilKborough before the period dated in his pro- clamation had expired, and of the confequent diftrefs of the loyalifts, the author, who had the honour of being commiflary to the army under his lordihip's command^not wifhing to (brink from any refponfibiUty annexed to his fituation, feeig it incumbent on him here to (late a few fads. ' The author ever believed, aiid is well founded in hit aifertion, that one principal caul'e of lord dorn* wallis leaving Hilliborough fo foon as he did, vas in confequence of a u ritten report being made by the author, as well as from feveral converfations held with lord Cornwallis upon the fubjed, dating the impolTibility of fupporting his majefty's army < at Hiilfborough. There being few cattle to be had in its neighbourhood, and thofe principally draught oxen, lord Cornwallis had promifed tbatj they fhould not be flaughtered but in cafe of abfo- lute neceility ; but that tieceiTity did exift, an^l compelled the author to dired that feveral of thel draught oxen fhould be killed. 1 his meafurej . although the effed of neceflity, caufed muchl murmuring amongft the loyalifts, whofe propeftyj thefe cattle were* Mod of the qattle in the nejgh| bodrhood of Hiilfborough had been confumedbji the Americans, who held a pofl ^r a very cond] derable time ill that town. ^^ ■ , ^Durind AMERICAN WAR. 373 During the time the royal army held Hilllbo- CHAP, rough, the author's cattle-drivers were obliged to ^ J^^j- go a Gonfiderable diftance from the army for ,-3,^ . cattle, and even then brought in but a very fcanty fupply. Lord Cornwallis could riot have remained as long as he did at Hillfborough had it not been for a quantity of fait beef, pork, and fome hogs, found in the town. Such was the fituation of the Britifli army, that the author, with a file of men, was obliged to go from houfe to hou'e, through- out the town, to take provifions from the inhabi- taflts, many of whom were greatly diflrefled by this meafure, which could be jullified only by extreme neceffity. As lord Cornwallis retired, the American army advanced ; and general Greene having paifed the Haw, near its fource, took port: between Trouble- jbme ( reek and Reedy Fork; but not thinking himfelf yet ftrong enough to rifque an aftion, he changed his pofition every night, in order to avoid the poffibility of it. The American light troops and militia were polled \ip6n the branches of Reedy Fork, whi|ft general Greene, with the main army, at fpme diitance, inclined towards Guild- ford Court-houfe, Whilft the American army lay in this fituation, lord Cornwallis, receiving in- telligence that their light troops were carelefsly polled, determined to beat up their quarters, and compel them to retire to a greater didance ; be- ing at the fame time in hopes, if general Greene fliould move to their afllflance, that a favourable opportunity might offer for attacking him to ad- vantage. Accordingly, early in the morning of the fixth of March, the Briiifliarmy paffed Alla- mance Creek, and marched towards Reedy Fork. [Fortunately for the American light troops, thev received information/ of the march of the Britilh larinv, whilft it was vet at fome diftance, and haftily fi ,.^^^ 374 HISTORY OF rat CH A P-haftily calling in their detachments, retired at:rort ^J^^^ Reedy Fork. At Wetzell's Mill, upon that creek, ,-gj, they attempted to make a ftand, but wercl quickly diilodged with confiderabte flaughter by thfc bri- gade under lieutenant- colonel Webflet*. Gteene, inllead of marching to their affiftance, upon re. ceiVing intelligence of the advance of the firitilh army, retreated over the Haw, in order to pte- lerve his communication with the roads, by which he expeded his fupplies and reinfoixements. Thefe were now fait approaching ; and in a few days he was joined by another brigade of militia ftom Virginia under general Lawfon, two frbm North Carolina, under generals Butler aAd EatdA, and a confiderable detachment of regulars railed for eighteen months. He had alfo been joined, fmce his lad return into North Carolina, by't^ ihifitia from the frontiers under colbnelis Campbell and I^refton; fo that his numbers at this time probably exceeded five thoufand iotien. General Greene, thus powerfully reinforced, knowing that the time of fetvice of the militia would loon expire, determined to avail himfelf of his prefent ftrength by offering battle to lord Cornwallis. ^Accordingly he again adv&nced, and, repafling the Haw, moved forward to Guild- ford Court'houfe, within twelve miles of the Bri- tifh army, which iiQce his laft retreat, had taken a new poiition at the Quakers' Meeting-hpufe in the Forks of Deep River. The near approach of general Greene, aiid all his other movements, fmce he was joined by hii reinforcements, indicating an intention of no lon- ger avoiding an adion* lord Cornwallis embraced with much fatisfadlion the proffered opportunity of giving him battle. On the evening of the fXtrth. fourteenth of March, the baggage was fentoffto Bell's Mill, upon Deep River, efcorted by lieute- nant- y , A«»***Jj«^^i,_^^__^ ,-•' "^i.,. AMERICAN WAR. 375 XLI. 17K1. nant-colonel Hamilton, with his own regiment, CHA^ p. ooe hundred infantry of the line, and twenty of ^' ' Tarletoa'd cavalry ; and, at dawn the next morn- ing, the reft of the army was put in motion to- vrarJs Guildford Court houfe. About four miles AAionncu from Guildford the advanced guards of both ar-^j''*""^ mies met, and a (harp confllA snfued, which was ior7c^- well fupported on both fides. Lieutenant-colonel »^aii»»»n<» Tarleton commanded the Britifh advance, which crltne. confided of the cavalry, iheMight infantry of the guards, and the yagers ; that of the Americans was commanded by lieutenant-colonel Lee, and was compofed of his legion, with fome moun- taineers and Virginia militia. Lee behaved with great bravery, aiid maintained his ground with firinners, until the ajspearance of the twenty-tliird regiment, advancing' t6 fuppott larleton, t>bliged the Americans to retire with precipitation. 1>ur- ing the ikirmith general Greene drew up his army on very commanding ground, in order of battle, which confided of three lines. The two brigades 6f Notth Carolina miiitiii, pofted behind a fence in the (kirt of a wood, with open ground in front 6f their centre, and their two flanks extending into the woods, compofed his finl line ? The Vir- ginian militia, under Stevens and Lawfon, form- ed the fecond line, and were ported entirely in tl>e wood, about three hundred yards in the rear of the firft: Two brigades of continental troops formed the third line, and were drawn up ch icily la open ground near Guildford Court-houfe, about four hundred yards in the rear of the Vir- ginia militia. Colonel Wafliltfgton, with the dragoons of the firft and third regiment, a de- lachment of continental light 4ikl'antry, and a regiment of rilfle-nien under colonel Lynch, form- ed a corps of obfeivatioii for the fecuriry of the right :j .4a&i3Sii^^ ....^.^gf*^.,. '-N«^V>;'-^ 37< HISTORY OF THE t i r CH A P. right flank; and Lee, with his legion, a detach. ,^J5Ji^ rocnt of light infantry, and a corps of rifle-men, 1781. '^^^ appointed to the lame feivice on the left. As foon as the head of the Britifli column ap. peared in fight of the firft line of the Americans, a cannonade was begun from two fix-pounders, po(Ud upon the road in their centre, which was immediately anfwered by the royal artillery under lieutenant Macleod ; and, whilft this cannonade continued, the Britifli commander,'with the utmoft difpatch, made his difpofition for the attack^ which was in the following order: The feventy.firil regiment, with the regiment of Bofe, led by ge. neral Leflie, and fupported by the firfl: battalion of the guards, under colonel Norton, formed the right of the Britifli line ; and the twenty.third and thirty-third regiments, led by lieutenant* colonel Webiler, and fupported by brigadier gene- ral O'Hara, with the grenadier and fecond batta. 4ion of the guards, formed the left. The light infan- try of the guards, with the yagers, polled on the left of the artillery, and the cavalry in column behind it on the road, formed a corps of obfer' yation. This difpofition being made, the line received orders to advance, and moved forward with that fteady and guarded, but firm and determined, I refolution which difcipline isilone can confer. It has been remarked by an eyewitnefs*, that " the order and cbolnefs of that part of XVebder's brigade which advanced acrofs the open ground, expofed to the enemy's iire, could not b^ fuffiJ ciently extolled.'* At the diflance of one hun- dred and forty, yards they received the enemy's I ^rfl: fire, but continued to advance unmoved.! When arrived at a nearer and more conveniertl diilance, they delivered their own iire, and rapid-l Ttned the enty -third iieute^aat* idier gene* :ond batta- ight infan- (led on the in column is ot obfer* :ampaign». AMERICAN WAR. »?7 ly charged with their bayonets : The enemy did CHAP. not wait the (hock, but retreated behind their ^'''• fecorid line. In other parts of the line the Biitifh ~^;j,, troops behaved with equal gallantry, and were not iefs fuciiefsful. The fecond line of" the enemy made a braver and (touter refidance than the (ird. Polled in the woods, and covering themfelves with trees, they kept up for a confiderable.time a gall- ing (ire, which did great execution. At length* howeve^, they were compelled to retreat, and fall back upon the continentals. In this fevere coniliid: the whole of the Britifh infantry were engaged : General Leflie, from the great extent of the ene- my's fronr, reaching far beyond his right, had been very early obliged to bring forward the (iril battalion of the guards, appointed for hisreferve, and form it into line: And lieutenant colonel Wcbfter, finding the left of the thirty-third regi- ment expofed to a heavy fire from the right wing of the enemy, which greatly out flanked him, changed its front to the left ; and the ground be- - come vacant by this movement was immediately occupied by general 0*Hara, with the grenadiers, and fecond battalion of the guards. Webller, moving to the left with the thirty-third regiment, fupported by the light-infantry of the guards, and the yagers, routed and put to flight the right wing of the enemy, and in his progrels, after two fevere ftruggles, gained the right of the continen- tals; but the luperiority of their numbers, and the weight of tlieir fire, obliged him, fepaiated as he was from the reft of the uriti(h line, to re-crofs a ravine, and occupy an advantageous pofition on the oppofite bank, until he could hear of the progrefs of the king's troops on jthe right. The Ikitilh line, being lb much extended to the right ' and left, in order to fhew a front equal to the enemy, was unavoidably broken into intervals in Ithe I ti :l if" J i V ,), (.1 ;> 1 m ,^r?t»,. •^^_ 378 HISTORY OF THE V ' C H A P. the purfuit of the firft and fecond American lines i ^ ~^' fomc parts of it being more advanced than othen, ,^g,, in confequence of the different degrees of refift. ance that had been met with, or of other iiiipedi* ments arifing from the thicknefs of the woods, and the inequality of the ground. The whole, however, ftill moved forward; and the fecond battalion of the guards, commanded by the ho. nourable lieutenant-colonel Stuart, was the firll that reached the open ground at Guildford Court* houfe. Impatient to Hgnalize themfelves, they immediately attacked a body of continentals, greatly.fuperior in number, that was feen formed on the left of the road, routed them and took their cannon, being two fix-pounders } but purAi* ing them with too much ardour and impetuofity towards the wood in their rear, were thrown jimo confufion by a heavy fire received from a body of continentals, who were vet unbroken, and being inftantly charged by Waihington's dragoons, were driven back with great flaughter, and the lofs of the cannon that had been taken. Lieutenant Macleod, advancing along the road with the royal artillery, had by this time reached the open ground. By a fpirited and well-directed cannonade be checked the purfuit of the Americans. Fortu- nately alfo, the feventy-firft regiment, belonging to general Leflie's diviiion, was feen emerging j from the woods on the right, and the twenty-third, not long afterwards, made its appearance on the left. To the right and left of thefe regiments, general O'Hara, although feverely wounded, rallied j with much gallantry and great expedition, the re* mains of the fecond battalion of the guards ; andl the Americans were quickly repulfed and put toj flight, with once more the lofs of the two lix-i pounders : Two other fix-pounders were atibl taken, being all the artHlery which they had in thel field/ ■rt??»t~' :>-■ AMERICAN WAR. I lines i , others, ,f refift- iiiltJedi* woods, I whole, ! fecoad the ho- the fira rd Court- res, they tinentals, :n formed and took nut purfo* npctuofity rowniinto a body of and being oons, were I the lofs of Lieutenant h the royal len ground, ttonade he IS. Fortu- bclouRini? \ emergJBg wcnty-third, anceonthc > regiments, I ided, rallied tion,thcTe.l guards ; and! 1 and put tol the two fij-l •s were aMol evhadinthel ftf 1781. fitid, aind two ammunition waggons. The C H a p. fevency«firft puihed forward to an eminence ht the ^^** Court-houfe, on the lef^ flank of the continen* ttls. Lieutenant'Coloitel Webder again advanced acrofs the ravine, defeated the corps that was op- pofdd to him^ and contleAcd himlelf with the centre of the Britifli line. The continentals of the Am^ricah s^my being now driven from their ground, as well as the tiiilitia, a -general retreat took place } but it was cblidu£led with order antl regularity. The twettty-third and feventy-firfl regiments, with part of the cavalry, were at (iril fe&t in purfuit of the etiemy, but afterwards re- ceived ordets to return. It is probable that, as the BritiOi commander became more acquainted tith ill the cli-cumftances of the adion, and the ilQmber of the killed and wounded, he found it tcctfftiy to countermand his orders, and defift iiom the purfuit. The aftron being now ended itithe centre and on the left of the Britifh line, a firing was dill heard on the righr^ where general Lellie, with the fil-ft battalion of the guards^ and the regiment of Bofe, had been greatly impeded in advancing by the excedive thickniffs of the woods, which rendered their bayonets of little ui'e. The broken cd)-ps of the enemy were thereby en- couraged to make frequent (lands, and to throw in an irregular fir6 ; fo that this part of the firitilh line was at timeS warmly engaged in front, flank, and rear, with Ibme of the enemy that had been routed in the fiHt attack, and with part of the extremity of thdr Mt wing, which, by the ciofe- Inefs of the woods^ had been paffed unfeen. At one period Of the a£lion the firfl battalion |of the guards was completely broken. It had fufier- greatly in alcenciing a woody height to attack le fecond line of th6 Americans, ftrongly pofted ipon the top of it^ who, availing themfeives of the advantages ;-j M^l \ ,, h \ I'll .-^■'^^L S8« HISTORY dF THE C H A P. advantages of their fituation, retired, as foon ai ^^^' they had difchar^ed their pieces, behind the brow i7tti. 1' i Lf h [I of th<: hill, which protci^ed them from the (hot of the gi.^;\rd8, and returned, as foon as they had loaded, and were again in readinefs to fire Not- withftanding the difadvantage under which the attack was made, the guards reached the fumiQlt of the eminence, and put this part of the Ame. rican line to flight : Pwt no fooner was it done, than another line c; '.ok A' tericans prensntcd it. felf to view, extt ' lir,, fa. i jyond the right of the guards, and inc^< li towards their flank, fo ai almod to .< ompal& them. The ranks of the guar^ls huL L>«.en thinned in afcending the height, and a number of th: c^flicers had fallen : Captaio Maitland, who at this time received a wound, re. tired to the rear, and having had his wound ditiT- ed, returned immediately to join the battalion of | guards to which he belonged Some of the men, ^ too, from fuperior exertions, had reached the fum- mit of the eminence fooner than others ; fo that j the battalion was not in regular order when it re- ceived the fire of the third American line. The] enemy's fire being repeated and continued, andj from the great extent of their line, being poured] in not only on the front but flank of the battalion,! completed its confufion and diforder, and, not-j wiihftanding every exertion made by the remaio< ing officers, it was at laft entirely broken. FortuJ nately, at this time, the Hefllan regiment of fiofeJ commanded by lieutenant-colonel de Buiy, wbiciir had hitherto fufFered but little, was advanciofl in firm -^"1 corr-pc£l order on the left of the guard to attach, the enemy. Lieutenant-colonel ^om thought the fortunate arrival of the regiment ( Bcfe prefented a favourable opportunity for lorn ing again his battalion, and requefled the Helfiai lieutenant-colonel to wheel his regiment to tbl rigli| y \ AMERICAN WAK. S8i as foonu nd the brow n the ihot ot at they had afiTC Not. >r which the ) the fummit of the Aine. r was it done, I pTefwtcd it- tjc right of the r flank, fo at ranks of the ing the height, lUen: Captain J a wounji, re- is wound dreff- the battalion of jme of the men, •cached the furo- others •, fo that der when it re- ican line. The continued, and, ,e, being pourtd' of the battahon, forder, and,not. by the remain- broken. Fortu. egiment of Bole, de Buiy, WW" vras advancini \eftoftheguati nt-colonel Notk f the regiment ortunity for iori uefted the Heffn i regiment to t! 1781. right, and cover the guards, whilft their officers CHAP, endeavoured to rally them The requeik wa» ini' ^^'• mciliat<^ly and mod gallantly complied with » and, nder the ^jver of the fire of the Hellians, the cxerti< ns of lieutenant-colonel Norton, and his tew rciuaining officers, were at lafl luccefsful in rclloring order. The battalion, being again form- ed, ih'^antly moved forwaid to join the lieflians The atrick was renewed, and the enemy were de feated. But here the labours of this part of the line did not yet ceafe. No tooner had the guJtrds and Heflians defeated the enemy in front, than they found it neceflary to return and attack ano- ther body of them that appeared in the rear ; anc* in this manner were they obliged to traver' the fame ground in various diredions, befo. e the enemy were completely put to the rout. The firing heard on the right, after the termination of the adion in the centre, and < u the left, induced lord Cornwallis to detach Tai'etcn, with part of the cavalry, to gain intelligence of what was doing in that quarter, and to know vhether general Lcflie wanted affiftance. But befc re Tarleton's arrival on the right, the aifair was over, and the Britifli troops were (landing with ordered arms; all re- finance having ceafed on the part of the Ameri- cans, except from a few hardy rifle-men, who, larking behind trees, occafi )nally fired their pieces, but at fuch a didance as to do no mifchief. Thefe Tarleton, when requeftei!, readily under- took to difperfe with his cavalry, and ruihing for- ward under cover of a general vol !ey of mufquetry from the guards and the regiment of Bofe, quickly performed what was expe^ed . f him. In this affair Tarleton himfelf receiyed .. flight wound, but the red of his corps returned unhurt. I'hus ended the hard-fought a6lion at Guildford Court- houfe. In IS 382 HISTORY OF THE / (' i C HAP. In this battlv the Britilh troops obtained a viclo. ^__^^;;^^ Ty n>oft honourable and gforious to tbemfelveg, ^J^^^ but in its conCequences of no real advantage to the caufe ia which thej were engaged. They at- tacked and defeated an army of more than three times their own number*, not taken by furprife, but formed in regular order of battle and ready to engage ; an army too, that is allowed on all hands to have been ilrongly and judicipufly poised, on ground chofen with car^, and mod; excellently adapted to the nature of the troops that occupi^ij it. llie refi (lance of the enemy was 'm proportioi^ to the advantages they poffeifed ; ijor did they yield but with extreme reluftance. Even the mi- litia, encouraged by their position, fought with bravery, and greatly weakened the Britifhljn^ before it reached the continentals. The Virginia militia, who compofed the fecond Anieric^njline, did not quit their ground, it is faid, gntil their commander, teeing them no longer able to withr (land the attack of regular troops, ^nd ready to be overpowered, gave orders for a retreat. A vidory atchieved under fuch difadvantages of numbers and ground, was of the mod honourable kind, and placed the bravery and difcipline of the troops beyond all praife ; but the expence a; which it was obtained rendered it of no utiUty. * By the return of the adjutant of the day it appears that the British troops engaged in the a<5lion amounted to 1445. The cavalry are not included in this return, and indeed they were not engaged, except fur an inibnt on the right, after the a^m in the centre and on the left was over. The An^cricans were | generally fuppofed to amount to 7000 men, and a letter, found 1 in the pocket of one of their feijeants that was (lain, fpeciiies 7000 to be the number of their army : But Gordon, in his H>(-| tory, who appears to have taken their numbers from ofHcial in' cuments, (taxes iliem to be 1490 continentals, and ^753 miJitiaij in all, 4243 foot foldiers aitd zoo cavalry. But he feemj no; to have included the back woodfmen under Campbell and l*ref-| ton ; To that tlieit whole number probably exceeded 7000 nco. Befortl AMERICAN WAR. 383 id a victo- lemrdves, intage to They v- ban three y furprife, d ready to L all hands lotted, oa ixcellently Lt pccupi^d proportiori p did they /et> the mi- •oaght with Britiih lin^ he Vlxgm lerics^n-Vujei , until their ibl« to withr ^lid ready to retreat. A vantages of lonourable pline of the expence a? f no utility. appears that tk to 1445* '^''* idecd they we« , after ibe aftioo Aniericans w"? d a letter, found a» nain, fpecihe* rdon. io his W- from ofiictal i^i■ ,nda7 5 3 ■"''''"'''■' But he leemj not ,mpbeU and Vni- :eded 7000 men. Before B 1781. Before the provincials finally retreated, more than CHAP, one third of all the Britifh troops engaged had , ^^'" fallen. The whole lofs, according to the oiHcial returns, amounted to five hundred and thirty-two : Of thefe, ninety-three were killed in the adtion, four hundred and thirteen were wounded, and twenty-fix milling. Amongfl the killed were the honourable lieutenant-colonel Stuart of the guards, lieutenant O'Hara of the royal artillery, brother of the brigadier, lieutenant Robinfon of the twenty- third regiment, enfign Talbot of the thirty- third, and enfign Grant of the feventy-firft ; and amongil the wounded brigadiers- general O'Hara and Howard ; lieutenant-colonels Webfler and Tarleton ; captains Swanton, Schutz, Maynard, Goodricke, lord Dunglafs, Maitland, Peter, Wil- moufky, and Eichenbrodht ; lieutenants Salvin, Winyard, Schwener, and Graife ; enfigns Stuart, Kelly, Gore, Hughes, and De Troot j and adju- tants Colquhoun and Fox. The lofs of the Americans in this aftion has been varioufly eftimated, and does not appear ever to have been fully afcertained. If we are to ere - dit their official returns, their whole lofs in killed and wounded, as well of militia as continentals, did not exceed two hundred and fifty men. But, by lord Cornwallis's difpatches, it appears that between two and three hundred of their dead were found upon the field after the adion ; and if we proportion their wounded according to the number of the flain, their whole lofs in killed and wounded muft have greatly exceeded that of the Britifli troops. The number of thofe who were miffing, according to their own returns, was con- felTedly great ; but as the Britifti troops took but few prifoners, it is probable that the greateft part of the miffing confilled of militia, who, efcaping from '•1 % ■1 S84 ftlSTORY OF THR ') ? J I*. ft"; M • \ { N CHAP, from the aftion, fled to their own houfes, and did ,^_™;|^ not afterwards return*. ,.y,. The wounded of both armies were collected by the Britxfli as expeditioufly as poflible after the ac- tion: It was, however, a fervice that required both time and care, as from the nature of the ac- tion they lay difperfed over a great extent of ground. Every ailidance was furnifhed.to them, that in the prefent circumftances of the army could be afforded ; but, unfortunately the army was deditute of tents, nor was there a fufficient number of houfes near the field of battle to re- ceive the wounded. The Britifli army had march. ed feveral miles on the morning of the day on which they came to adion. They had no provi- lions of any kind whatever on that day, nor until between three and four in the afternoon of the fucceeding day, and then but a fcanty j^lbw. ance, not exceeding one quarter of a pound of ♦ We fli.ill here relate an anecdote refpedling the late captain Maynard of the guards. He was naturally of a cheerful dif- polition and great hilarity, and in feveral actions, during the courfc of the war, he had (hewn great gallantry ; but a certain i prefentime.it of his fate on «he day of the aftion at Guildford poflefled ills mind, which prefentiment was too fatally realized, While the troops were marching on to form the line of battle, I he became gloomy, and gnve way to defpondency. Not lefi] than two or three different times did i»e tell colonel Norton, who commanded thebittalion, that he felt himfelf very uncom- fortabk', and did not like the bufinefs at all' Colonel, nowthtl honourable major-general, Norton, endeavoured to laugh hinl out of his melancholy ideas, but in vain; for even after thel cannonade began he reiterated the forebodings of what hecon-f ceired was to happen. Early in the a6lion he received awoundj in the leg ; unable to proceed, he requefled Mr. Wilfon, thel adjutant of the guards, to lend him his horfc, that he miglitl - ride on w th the battalion, and when in the aft of mojnting, anof ," ^ ther fhot wsnt through his lung?, and incapicicated him fronil proceeding. After biing conireyid in a litter to WilmlijtonJ and then linnering a few days, he died of his wounds, gready] regretted. " flowerj .jiM diate pnrfuit, or to follow the blow thenday; thu the a^ion* Added to its other. diftrefTes, the aN ipy was almod deftituie of proyiiions : Undtt fuch circumftances, although a vi£U)ry,ha4 been gained, a retreat became neceflary towards that quarter from whence fupplies covld be obtained. About feventy of the wounded^ not in a cojuy. tion to tii»vel, were left a( the Quakers' MettiBg< houfe* under the prote£li more crnchy ; that aUhouf^ che-msn intglft;efoapef orgowith' I78>»< the army, yet, fuch was the diabolical conduA of thofe people, that tliey would inflJA the fevered punifliment upon their fami- li j Kcorn- t^n^ents, and ftill hoping to roufe the loyalifts io maUii. adion, lord Cornwallis, on the fame day on w)u<|h he began his march from Guildford Court-houie, iflfued a proclamation, reciting his viftory, calling upon aH loyal fubjedts to ftand forth and afliftin 'reftoriog order and good government, and pro- mifmg protedion in their perfons and propertied to all thofe who had taken part in the revolt I {murderers excepted), who Ihould be defirous dfl returning to their allegiance, and (hould adtuatiyl furrender themfelves, with their arms and ammul nition, on or before the twentieth of April, mm pernniTion to return to their houfes, upon takin a military parole, and a promife of fpeedy refto^j ratio •■^.jf'^'t: '**«tfSS5«r- AMERICAN W A K. 39* :fsful ex- mfelf Tef. mouth of of Crofs cr, about to tfa« laft dly fettle. be plenti- fick and tbem, and J munication Craig, for country did kovr greatly^ , anotliet of I, iYat Crofi e iunftion of Id be witling ig rebelUon*, irrAugemtntt alted for the with fiith fen. ke loyalift* JO day on vrtadh CouTt-boufc, laory, catling and afliftin icnt, and pro- ind propertiei in the revolt |bc defirous of hould adkuall] ■ms and ammu. of April, wtli [s, upon taking of fpeedy refto- ' radr 1781. ration to all the privilegei of legal and conftitu-' C H A pi lional government. ^J-''- Lord Cornwallis, having luued his proclama- tion, proceeded Howly towards Crofs Creek, at veil ror the coarenience of the wounded, as the more eafy fubfiilence of rhe troops, wherie he ar- rived about th« end of the month. General Greene followed through the fame trad of coun- try as far as Ramfay's Mill, on Deep River : And occafional ikirmiflies happened between the light troops, but nobbing of moment between the two armies. Upon the arrival of the Britiih commander at Crofs Creek, he found himfelf difappointed in all his expectations : ProviHons were icarce: Foiir days forage not to beprocurcd within twenty miles; tnd the communication cxpeAc^d to be opened between Crofs Creek and wUmiiigton, by means of the river, was found to be imprafticaDle, the river itfelf being narrow, its banks- high, and the inhabitants, on both fides, for a confiderable dif- The Britiih ancc, inveterately hoflile. Nothing therefore ^JJ J' DOW remained to be done but to proceed with the the ^cinitx array to Wilmington, in the vicinity of which it J[£n. I arrived on the feventh of April. The fettlers t^>- on Crofs Creek, although they had undergone a variety of perfecutions in confequence of their Ursvious unfortunate infurredions, ftiil retained a [warm attachment to their mother-country, and I during the ihort ftay of the army amongft them, jail the proviiions and fpirits that could be colleft- jed within a convenient diflance, were readily [brought in, and the (ick and wounded plentifully jfupplied with ufeful and comfortable refreih- cats. During the march of the Britiih army to Wil- ington, colonel Webfter of the thirty-third, pptains Schutz and Maynard of the guards, and captain r I i .?.0> 19 HISTORY OF THE CHAP, captain WilmoUCki and cnfign dc Trott of the re ^LII. gjmcnt of Bofe, all of them officers of merit, died of the wounds received at Guildford Court- 1781. houfe. The fird is faid to have ** united alt the " virtues of civil life to the gallantry and pro- *' feffional knowledge of a foldier *." Sq amiable and diftinguiihed a charader could not fail to be univerfally refpeded, and his death \yas lamented by the whole army f. Lord Cornwallis being under the neceflity of repairing to a fea-port town, to obtain neceflary * Tarleton, p. 281. }■ The fynpathetic manner in which lord Cornwallis commu- n'cated to ihe reverend Dr. Webfter, of Edinburgh, the intdlj. (;coce of his fon't death, is at once a proof of his tordlhip's ^oodncfkuf heart, his tender fenfibiiity. and of the high ellinu- tion in which he held the deccafed. The following i^ a Copy of his Letter Oil that ocufioD : •< DiAR Sir, Wilmitigten, April, 23, ijgi. " IT gives me great concern to undertake a taflc which! not only a bitter renewal of my own grief, but mud be a viob ihock to an aiTeAionate parent. " You have for your fupport, tlie aflinance of religion, gosjl fenfe, and the experience of the uncertainty of human hippj-l ncfs. You have for your fatijfaflion, that your fun fell nobljiil the caufc of his country, honoured and lamented by all N felluw- fupplia A M E R I C N W /V ".. \i if there- >f merit, ■d Court- ed all the ai\d pro- Q amiable tail to bt lamented \ecefliiy of 1 neceffary nwaH'ts commu- rgh, the inttlli- r hi* lordlhip's the high «i'ini»- Dwing 14 a Copy X a taflc whtchhl mud beaviobtl of rerigiofl, goodl of hum-An happi-I |ir fun fell nobly Hi ented by all kif and viriue, whid the keen (enfibilil [iderationswillgiil ade to bear this ff| lompaniun to pear that it wjks followed by all the confequences of fome- thing nearly allied to a decifive defeat. He was not joined by the loyaUfls, who were dill over- awed by the republicans. We mull now attend the motions of general Greene, who, in the mean time, had entered South Carolina, and made his appearance before Camden, rhe amount of the force which he arried with him is very uncertain. The Ameri- can accounts reprefent it to be nine hundred and thirty continental foldiers, and two hundred and fifty*four North Carolina militia ; but we are well informed that general Greene had In the adion above fifteen hundred continentals, and f^vecal corps of militia. The garrifon at Camden, under lord Rawdon, amounted to fomething more than eight hundred men. Some welUaffeded militia, ihat ame from a didance to offer their fervices in (bis feafon of danger, were oeceifarily, though [Tcladantly, di)niiffed, on account of a fcarcity ifprovifions; but, by arming every perfon al- eady in the garrifon capable of bearing arms, ven muficiuns and drummers, he muftcred an e^ive force of about nine hundred men. Ge- ml Greene, whatever his force might be, hought it infufHcient for florming the Britifh orb, or even regularly inverting them. After arious changes of pofition he at length retired ;o Hobkirk's Hill, about two miles from the Britifh \ } |J I \ ■ 5 CHAP, XLII. .1781. J^ord Raw- don rc- folvcs to attack the camp of general Greene at Hobkirk's ilUl. HISTORY OF THE Britifli lines, and there encamped, with an inten. tion, it was fuppofed, of waiting for the jun^ion of colonel Lee with his legion, and iVJarion with his militia, who were then ading at fonxe didance in the eallern parts of the province. Whilft the American army lay at Hobkirk's Hill, information was brought to Camden that general Greene had detached part of his militia to bring up his heavy baggage and cannon, which, for fome. caufe or other, had been fent off fome days before : And as Lee and Marion had not yet joined, lord Raw. don thought this the proper time for an attack, in the abfence of the militia, and before thfe coming up of . the cannon. Accordingly, at nine in the morninjr of the twenty -fifth of /\pril, he marched out with all the force he could mufter, and by making a circuit, and keeping clofe to the edge of a fvvamp, under cover of the woods, happily gained the left flank of the enemy undifcovered. In that quarter the American camp was themofi aifailable, becaufe there the afcent of the hill was the eafieft ; but the impenetrable fwamp that co- vered the approach to it had freed the enemy from all apprehenfions of an attack on that fide. In this fancied (late of fecurity, the driving in of I their piquets gave them the firft alarm of the ad- vance of the Britifli army, which moved on to the] attack in the following order : The fixty.third re- fiiment, fupported by the volunteers of Ireland, formed the right ; the king's American regiment,! fupported by captain Kobertfon's detachment, the! left J and the New York volunteers the centre of I the Britifh line. '1 he South Carolina regiraentj ;ind the cavalry were in the rear of the whole,| and formed a corps of obfcrvaiion. The enemy, although apparently furprifed, anil at firit in fome confufion, formed with great expe-f ditlon, and met the attack with refolution andl bravery. 6v* AMERICAN WAR 397 an inten* s juuftion uion with le didance Whiia the iformatbn reene had I his heavy e caufe or fore: And lord Raw- n. attack, in thb coming nine in the he marched ker, and by to the edge ods, hkpoily ndifcovered. was the moil ■ the hill was amp that co- enemy from ,at fide. In [riving in of m of the ad- 1 Ived on to the] kxty-third re- of Ireland,! an regiment,! .acliment, thtl ,the centreofi |lina regiment f the whole,! Ifurprifed, and] [th great expe^ refoiution and] hravery. bravery. Their firft line confifted wholly of con- CHAP, tinental troops, the Virginia brigade being on the ,3{\;i^ right, and the Maryland brigade on the left. Their ,-3,. artillery arrived jull as the aftion began, and was polled in the centre. Their fecond line was form- ed entirely of militia. General Greene, after viewing the advance of the firitifh troops, and the narrow front which they prefented, was fo confident of fuccefs, that, with a view of render- ing it mere complete, and hemming them in on every fide, he made an alteration in his firit dif- pofition. The right of the Virginia, and the left of the Maryland brigades, were ordered to take the Britifh troops in Hank, whild the remainder ofthefe two brigades marched down the hill to attack them in front; and in the mean time lieu- tenant-colonel Wafhington, with the cavalry, was detached to fall upon their rear. Had thefe feve- ral attacks fucceeded, undoubtedly nothing but ruin awaited the Britifli army : But lord Rawdoh, difcovering the enemy's defign, quickly extended bis front, by bringing forward the Irifh volun- . teers, and forming them into line. The Ameri- cans who defcendeJ the hill in front, although they fought for fome time with great bravery, and were well fupported by a dedrudive fire of grape- Ihot from their cannon, could not long withAand the itnpetuofity of the aifailants. Being compelled to retire^ they were purfued by the Britifh troops to the top of the hill. Lord Kawdon having guned thefummit of the eminence, and filenced [the American cannon, which were immediately drawn off, was enabled to bring the remainder of his force into action, and at length put to rout the Uhole American army. The continentals feveral times rallied and returned to the charge, but were las often broke and put to flight, in the mean [time Wafhington with his dragoons, having got into ,\jf :r,J^, '^nrjjiii "Jir?^^^"-"''"''^ ^'^ rZlf^^l 39« HISTOltV OF THE CHAP. XLII. 1781. / V-'- \\ ■ h. "- -, '-^ I ■ '" " Jf .>4v. into tl^e rear of the Britiih troops, had made a few fliragiglers prifoners, and exa<£led pa? ol I confiftency, that fome of the miffing^ were k^td^ and others wounded. It was a hard^fou^ ac* tion \ and the vidory^ was not bloodlefs ow thel part of the conquerors : Although thirty^ei|^[ only were killed, their whole lofs, iacluduig tb«| Wounded and minings amounted to two huRdr«(i| and fifty-eight, a number whichv in the pre^H perilous ftate of the province, could not be wdll fpared. One officer only was amoagft the flfli&i| but eleven were wounded. i Jt„ :«*t^ ■^^S^.^^-'VI*^"" ■ ^' ff- '••*»^ v- AMERICAN WAR. 399 id made a If okfr from n the field. I diSer«iH ite enough hi&Tetread. fuperipvm sriag a.pw. arther tiMA edtoR.uge< Dd there en. lent for the mdng^ fo8M la front the a( of puffak) ;arried«&bi|i to &cQo«nts^ I'ft ftatcmeWj wards of five hundred wwe ler kiUedof «iat«& his y» only to eij^ grounded; aA4 ^g•, btttatthft s degree (tfiQi> ^ vere kilidi, jdlef* °^ '^ :^ thifly^ei^ ' ittcludkg tbel two hundt^ ^tt the psefenti \\d «\ot be^dl] igft theilaifti Hi Had lord Rawdon, inftead of marching out to C H A P. meet the enemy, remained in his works, fuch was ^^^^» the fuperiority of Greene, particularly in cavalry, "^781 that he mull have reduced his lordfhip, in a ihort time, to the neceffity of fur rendering through want of provifions. The quick and marked deci5on with which he a£ted on this, as he had done on ;, former occafions, formed a very general preiage ^' that he was one day to rank with the great military • commanders ; though fo amiable a di(lin£lion is \ not to be attained without the happieft union of courage and genius. Pi. military leader cannot be -formfid, like many other charaders of refpeftabi- lity in the ftate, by mere experience in the com- mon courfe of bulinefs. At the fame time that he endeavours to controul accidents by general maxims and comprehenfives views, he muH: vary his particular meafures with the varying moment of adion. In the midfl: of danger, and at a mo- ment's warning, he mufl; call to his aid all the:fe- fults of his pall experience and obfervations ;%ao nilh from his mind every extraneous idea that fimcy or cafual affociation might fuggeft to difl:ra£t his thoughts and miflead his judgment, and per- ceive, at a glance, the fhorteit and mod effectual pirocefs for attaining his objed. > Upon the approach of the American army, a very general fpirit of revolt (hewed itfelf amongd tb? inhabitants of South Carolina, particularly in the didrid of Ninety fix, on the weltern frontier, and on the North-eaft in that tra£k of country which lies between the two great rivers Pedee an4 Santee. Even in Charleftown itfelf, many of the inhabitants, although awed and retrained ^ the p^elence of the garrifon, gave evident figns of dlfafie^tion. In the mod tranquil period of the pj-ovince, Sumpter, on the north- wed frontier, and Marion in the North*ead, had kept alive the em- bers *^'-'- • I ■ . ■ '"^•fcK.'^-i;**-,''^ ■■^ - - ♦ v'Ni^'''' u 400 HISTORY O t^ THE ^ I I C H A P. bers of revolt, which, although at difFererit tirdej vJ^T" ■ varioufly agitated, in confequence of the reftlefs ,T,3, dirpofition of thofe partifans, were neverthefs pre- vented from gaining ftrength by the afcendaiicy of the Britifli arms ; but they now burft forth into a flame, as foon as intelligence arrived that general Greene had entered the province. To encourage this fpirit of revolt amongft the inha. bitants, and to make a diverfion in the north eaft part of the province in favour of the attempt upon , Camden, general Greene had detached lieutenant- colonel-Lee, with his legion, from Deep River, to precede the army, and in conjundidn with Marion, to attack fome of the Hritiih poft^. Lee marched with fo much expedition, that a jijinftibn was formed between him and Marion on the four- April, teenth of April, and on the Hfteenth, in purfuaace of their orders, they appeared before Fort Watlbn, a Britifli poll on the Santee. Forr Watfon is fitu- ated upon an eminence, about thirty feet above the level of the circumjacent plain. Theeminenceis anartificial mount, railed by the Indians before they were difpoflefled of the country, and for fotne dif- tance round it were no trees to (he'ter the approach of an enemy. The garrifon was without artillery, and fo were the befiegers : Neither had the latter intrenching tools to aflift them in making ap. proaches. But the ingenuity of a colonel Maham quickly devifed a method of reducing the fort, as unexpected as it was efHcacious. Under his di- redtion a work upon an unufual plan was fpeedlly conftrufted which overlooked the fort. Upon the top of this work American lifle-men were ported, who fired at every one in the garrifon who ven- tured to make his appearance, and feldom miffed. their aim : Preparations being made at the fame time for (forming, the commanding officer made overtures for capitulating upon honourable tertns. Thefe Thefe vig fu] After el iX^.j^ZJ^.,:K, i*i^ 'Ai^aiife^Jpsai ^•5i .»^**^: AM£RlCAti W ^1L, ^m it tithes I reftlefg lefs pre- endailcy ft forth red that ce. To ;he inha- orth eaft np't upoa' iutenant- tp River, tldn with M, Lee 1 jui the four- purfuztrtce t "Watfon, fon isfitu- eet above minenceis •eforethey r fotviedif- approach t artillery, . the latter laking %. lel Maham ;he fort, at iderhisdi- as fpeedlly Uponihc ere pofted, who ven- ,om miffed. at the fame Ifficer made able terms. Thefe Thefc WCTt readHy granted : And Fdf r Waffoii CHAP, tvif forreiidcred on tht tweftfy-ttiird ef Aptii, . ^^^*V ^ After this e)e)»ioft, Xee and Marion ree«^in^itu ,^3,. teffigence that cdonel Watfon, with five hundred Fort wa't- men, was bh hrs riiaf ch through thaf pari ^ U^" x 4mr HISTORY OF T,H B CHAP, loft 6f. men fuilained in the a£^ion, he KaU^tW 1781. ; I refolved to make one effort more, before, he «va. cuated his ]x>ft, to (Irike a blow at geq>er^I GrQqne, who, after remaining fome days at Rv[|ge^yV Mjillt to colled his (Iraggleri.'p^Ued the AV^teree, . and encamped behind Twenty-five Mile Creek. Lord Kawdon .had good information of thena, .ture of the grouqd where Gr(;ene wa$ encamped and thought that by making a circuity and gcfttiug into his rear, an attack might be i^ade ^^ithgreat profpe^^ . of fuccefs. ^Accordingly,. with .thi« view he march.ed from .Camden in the night i^cceeclin? { the day on which colonel Watfon arrived. ^ t\n general Greene had by this time decamped from 1 , Twenty-five Mile Creek. Having received ipforf ' mationof the arrival of WatfonV corps, and C(m< eluding that lord Rawdon, thus reinforced /would immediately attenvpt to ftrike at him,^ he c|iange(|| his ppfition for, another at a.greater diflance, (Qudtl (Ironger, and more eafily defended. Intel|igeocc| of this n^vement being brought, to lord RavM while on bis march, he proceeded, along the dirndl road tQ general Greene's mv. encampment, «hert| he arrived the next day. After driving t|i {>iquets, and; examining every point of hisfiti tion, he found it too (Irong tp be attempted withqui fufferiqg fuch a lofs as could not. be cofnpenlkti by a viaory.. Under fuch circum^ances, his Ion ihip relinquiflied his defign of attacking American army, and on the fame day returned 1 5iL..£r" Camden. On the ninth of May fuch ftorei w TMiom ef- deftrpyed as could not hb removed, and on Kg gene- ****^^ Camden was (evacuated; lord Kawdon 1 ^ rxiorecM tiring by eafy marches towards Nelfon's Ker^"i" "7u' I •^^^ in Older to gfv. tim. to >, m»»r?|E>l«>>»l«£a ifll retire* from habitants, as cbofe to accompany Inm^ to carry (».j ,^f Sd'ti' iheV effefts and moveable property. The BritjK^^ I"*^"*' wdftT army, completed its paflage at Nelfon's Fctry, Kf j|, ? ^^ C««iicr. iS;;ss6-.si?Ba^.-«-r-. .^- '"*>r,;;fw- A M ER I C A N W A R« 46j 6: he «va* lGr«|ne, !W?iteTee, lie, Creek, of vbe na/i encamped, .h.tlmview i^cceeding I lived., i ^ut iinpe4 from eived v^imf ps, ana con* I )rced,\»onU| he ctiangedl (lance, nucli| InteUigeDCcI ord RaMf^on,! mg the diteftl )inent,vhett| living in of hisAtj, ipted WitliQ coinpeD^ ^ices, hislor jattacking ,y re,furwdi Ich ftorei W( lii, and on Id Bawdoni clfon'f Ver n^tocairil . TheBnr A7«»- Annft 0Q9» theefening of the fourteenth, and from thencc^HA P. proceeded to Monk's , Corner, for the greater ***^'* fecurity of Charlc fliowA, the garrifon of which, its wonc$ being at that time unhniihed, was infuffi- cicntfor its defence. In the mean time the 0temf\ detachment were to^ fac«efsfuL in re- ducing feveral of the Britiffi out-pods. Fort_^_^^ Motte, on "the.Congaree, aftei a brave defence, p^iit re^ was furrendetpd to Lee and Marion, on the tic- f,JJ'jJ^ venth of May,: About the fame time, Suropter ncsiu. poffefled hitntelf pf OrangebMrgh ; and on the fif- teenth Lee reduced Fort Oranby> General Greene having fo far facceeded in his views upon th.e north aiid north-eaft parts of South Carolina^, and obliged lord Rawdon to retire to Monk*s Cc^ner, now turned his attention to the veftern frontier, and with equal facility hoped to reduce the Britifh pods at Augufta in Georgia, and Ninety-fix in South Carolina. Orders had been previoufly difpatched to colonel Pickens to afl^mble the militia of Ninety-fix ; and immedi- ately after Lee's fuccefs at Fort Granby, he, with his legion, was detached to join Pickens, and lay fiege to Auguila, whilft general Greene, with the main army, n&drched to inveft Ninety-fix. Lee having joined Pickens, their firft attempt was ag^inlt' Fort Golphin, fituated on the banks of the Savannah, fome miles below Augufta, which was fpeedily redu|ed by a detaehment from Lee*s legi- on. The twil commanders now advanced with their whol^ force againd Fort Cornwailis, at Aagufta, ,a'nd began to make regular approaches, idd inveii it in form. At Augufta lieutenant- colonel Browne-fiill commanded, and prepared to ^difend it with that fpirit and refolution which he ad maoifefted on' a former occafion, when be- gged ))y colonel Clarke. Although the works if the befiegers were puflied on with vigour, and Dda theix 4^^. ¥h HISTORY OF THE tHK r. their ajpproaches made "with jttdim^nt, no Ml van. «3^^ tagentaifbr a tionfidehible time obtained ovet the i^i. viS^^t ahd brkve commander of the ^rrifen. Bwc at leligth the Ikint tnode of attack, fhe dS< cacy bf Which had been tried at Fort Watfbn, was h^re alfo kdopted «with Aicdeft. Works were toiK ilruded bf a l^ffideiit HeigHt to overlook the fori, Irom whence Riflemen fired with Aich xiaerring iiftif that the artillery men were either killed dt driven jfroin their guni ; and none df ihd gatV)!^ could (hew themftlV^ without beine thbt dtmn. AuJX Neceffity , therefote, at iail Obliged ^oIoihA fir««ad furrendered tbcap^ttMle, atid the foi^t^ after a gallant ddbice» ;?;|it^*#aa&rrcndeBcdont^ Jtfn*. S '^ Qm Men GenePt p the name frd from the country, of the fp lloclcade ag^tnft at ferttcain ip the yea wppriiicj [.,5^r, was '.?^^ ' 5W*it;int8 agai&ft a»iy fu4dtn a^^uk if Qm lb* ladi?^i»« Af. ^_ ter It cafne into ^be p^e^on of the Brit^fli, trooni, riibHlt*" in the year 1 7 80, fome othe? wor^f wer< atfcfed, Nincty-to. 0)^ principal of wbiql^* f9\m% ^rpin (fs form, die [Jt?r, was on th9 right of ^e yillige^ ft was plani^qd by lieutenant HaJ^MiiH? pfthe^gtheers, a^>4tt iraifersiiidabbatis; But *f?.wboifc of t^e ^^Qi;k| were in ^n >|i^i(|icrf V?K'c ?jt the c0m* meAc^nent of the liege. ^ When 4o6 HISTORY OF THE 1781. CHAP. When lord Rawdon found himfelf under the ,^~[J^ neceflity of evacuating Camden, and abandoning the upper country of South Carolina, he was yx'cW aware of the danger of Ninety fix, from the difficulty of fending fuccours to fupport a pod at fuch a aidance: Kepeated expreiles were there* fore fent to lieutenant>colonel Cruger, who com- manded the garrifon, dire^ing him to evacuate his-poft, retire to Auguiia, and, after joining hit force with'that under qoionel Browne, and taking the command of the whole, to ad according to his difcretion, and as circumftances (bouid pdint out. In cafe thefe fhould fail, lord R«wdon had alfo taken the precaution of direfHng lieutenant* colonel Balfour to difpatch other meflengers from CharleJlown with the like orders. But lo univer> fal was the difaffe£tion of the inhabitants of the country, and fo well had they guarded all the roads and paths leading to Ninety-fix, that not one of all the mefifengers arrived in fafetv. Lieutenant- colonel Cruger w;3 therefore tota^y ignorant of the fituation ofthe army under lord Rawdon, i nor had he any informatidn of theac> tibh ^t'Hobkirk's Hill, and the fubfequent evacu* aticii of (Camden, but from an American officer who happened to be made prifoher : But be knew well the difaffeflion of the province, and the in. veterately hoftile difpofition of the inhabitants around hirn, and had alfo' reafon to apprehend an attack froth the American army. In this ftareof 1 uncertainty, with fefped to the poifibility of ob. tainihg fuccours. and under fuch circumdancd ql apprehended danger, he thought it incumbeot I upon him to put his poH^ in the belt pofflbleftate of defepce. The whole garri Ton was immediately fe't to work,' the. officers cheerfully, fharing in the I labour with the cpmmon (bidiers \ and by theirl united exertionV a bank of earth parapet hi' wall AMERICAN WAR/ 4«.f wat^'in a ihort time thrown up round the ftock- C U A P. adc} and the whole ftrengthened by an abbatis. . /'^^^ifj Block-houfes were alfo ereded in the village, tra- ,.3,' verfes made for the fecurity of the troops, and ca- poniers or covered communicatio'nc between different parts of the works. It has beea already obferved that a regular work called the Star de- fended the right of the village ; and on the left of it was a valley, through which ran a rivulet that fupplied the place with water. The country prifon navin^ been fortified, commanded the val- ley on one fide, and a ftockade that was erefted 00 the left covered it on the other. But for the defence of all thefe works there were only three pieces of artillerv, and even for thefe a fcanty and infafficient fupply of ammuniition. The garrifon itfetf was not numerous: It con(!(Vkd of about one hundred and fifty men of the firft battalion of De- Uncey's, and two hundred of the fecond battalion of New Jerfey volunteers^, bpth of them provincial regiments, and raifed fince the commencement of j the war. But as they had been conftantly em- Iployed in adlive fervice fince the year 1776, they [were at this time, for their nuitober, perhapk equal to any troops. To thefe were added about two hundred loyal militia under a colonel King : And to their honour it is to be related, that aU - though they had the Britifh commander's permifli* [onto quit the garrif6h, and, being provided with tgood horfes, might have effeftfcd thtit reti'eat ei- Itiier to Charl^ftowiL or Georgia, they nobly dif- jdaiiied to quit theiir )K)il in the hour of danger, sd turning their horfes loofe in the woods, die- ItenAinedto affifl in the defence of theplae^, and ■abide the fate of the garrtibn. The Britift coirt-. niander wasmdaced to offer this permiffioh both roA motives of policy and humaftity: He appre- |ie&ded a fcarcity of provifions, if-the fiege fhould W*l .■^^-'■'- 4«l ,^I8T0]IY OF THE QMA P/ i)|«ttl4 be ipwn out to-any Iciigthi and fron what Vj!.?! b>4 bvpfiPe4 too often alr««dy, he had reafonto Iji^r ^<^* ^^ •fltould the place ultunatcly fiill» even ' ibe fftlemn coga^emc^iu of a capitulation would . M;^ Itiffici^t fia raiOi a proceedings and to teach him to bit jQoft to ihfw them ^ little more rclpaft. By el^ ,v«n in the iporning of the twenty-fecond of Uvj, ^.pUtiorinwa«. prepared in one of the falient sa- jde^K of th^ Star, oppofite to thj^ j^prican wrodu, tor /i)eceiving. the tl^ee pief;e| ojFartiH";, m jpyac^r cover of an ificelTant cannonade i i om thm, jmi continued peali of nmfquetry tr^Ain the pw- f^^ a pa^y. of only thirty jneo rallied ^om (h; jSiar, ^tfriedihf Antpr^qm wprb, and put to tk i^yoneMv^^yr^.^ (My'^c#W^t TibefewereMl ^ ^lAWjsd bgr ^»p}h^lf^x^y-^X9^ 4he loyal tnilij .V)iq3^ui9)^l]({4e|V)oh^d the >Mocks, .and load^i !«^al tPfgroef' with the imrenichiiig ^ooli ojf ,^mpiac»nir A^thoi^ pnei;^! Oteene put .wdiplf ar^j^ motion to fuppoxt Ijia |)e in the .tKenche^, toe buiinels was fo £9^peditioi jfHts^QTvm^i that both the detachmont^ retmi v'ithii v„. AMERICAN WAIL 4«4 fron what IreafoAto foil* even ion would ihe'ur fttpu. i ibc vtn- red in fi^bt the txtmi afjny ioi lage. aadio (c tbegvn* e thrown «p uipns- H»i midificudioed •n f xcufible; [ i hisga^rriibi ^c aovamaf;; lb him to bit )«ft. By tie, icondof Mif, b« falient u- lexican vfoib,! airtill ;, wij dc iiom thcoil Uuin thejWrl Uiedfrom M ; loy^J. nwWj ^ poll d..' Jtccne pot Co w^pcdjtwji nwnt* rcivw wiiMii the fortifications without fufttiaing tnyCHAr. other initiry than the loft of the oftcer* who ^"h , iB|)«ry valiant^ oommandcd the firft party Uiat falUed forth. To the regret of the whole garriibn, he received a wound, of which he died the fiallow- i»g n^*»<- In the night of the twenty-thiTdofMay,tbeA«e. ricani again hroke ground } but at the rtfTpcQful diftaace of four hundred yarde, and beyond a ra- fiae From this point they continued to make re» gular and guarded approaches ; but worked fo ez* peditiouflyt that although they were frecjuently interrupted by Tallies from the garrifon, they had oonpieted their fecond parallu by the third of June. The adjutant-general of the American ariay was now Cent to fummon the Britiih com- jaandcr to farrender bis poft. He pre&nted to tiw officer who received him, a paper fign^d by hiiMfelf } difplaying in pompous language the late {ocoefles of the Americans; declaring that the garrifon had every thing to hope frpm their gene- Ktfity, and to fear from their refentroent i calling 4)pon the commanding officer to furrender without i^tey ; and threatening, if he perltfted in a fruit- Iclii refiftance, \o make him perfonally refponfible for all the confequencei. In anfwer to a paper of fe extraordinary a nature, not figned by general GieeBCi^ the Britiih commander contented him- felf with dire£)ang a meflfage to be delivered to the A«iiencaa adjutant^general, importing, that lieu- tenant-colonel Cr4iger wtf determin^ (o defend bit poll : to the Haft extremity, and that g^eral Qreeae's promifes and thr^s were ^ike wdif- ierent to him- 17I1. *'^ij The 41* 11 I S T O R'Y O F THE CHAP. XLin. 1781. The American batteries were now opened- from their fecond parallel, and a heavy crols fire com» meuced, which enfiladed fcvcral of the works. The enetny alfo puflied on a fap againll the Star, tind contiirued to advance their batteries, one of which, conflruded of gabions, was erected within thirty- five yards of the abbatis, and raifed forty feet high, fo as to overlook the works of th^ gar- lifon. Riflemen po/ted updn the top of it did con< fidenible execution, and proved fo incbmmodious to thofe who worked the artillery, that the guns of the Star were neceflarily unmanned during the day, and ufed only 1)1 thie night. The garrifon tried to burn the battery by firing heiited fliot, but, froiti the want of furnaces, did not fucceed; mid '^e only precaution wbich they coiild take againft tiiis deuruftive fire of the ridd-m^n,! was to crown their parapets with fand-bags. Loop* holes were however left for the loyal militia to Ute through^ ^"4 with their rifles they aflfo did confiderable execution; Ati attempt was .made by the enemy to fet fir6 to the barracks by (hoot- ing African arrows : But the Britifli commander fruftrat^d - tbch* defign by directing all the build, ings to bt utriroofed, a meafure from which both foflicers and men were expofed, during the r^ mainder of tha fiege, tain the pernicious effeflj of the nightair: Neverthelefs, fuch was their zeal for the fervice, and fuch their confideiilce in lieutenantcolonel Cruger, that his order wu obeycd'^ith the utmoft alacrity. The gafyHbn was now deftinied to have their feelings wounidfed'''by an exhibition which thej were not prepared to expert; This- Was the con* trivance of lieutenaKt-colonel Lee. When he joined the American army on the eighth of June,l after the redudion of Augufla, he brought with hiffll him tl hii van txpliiti view of ui\ mui garrifoi] produce lion at a encount( ra( capable i aoiitfult The . junftion 1 began to fort on til comipunii Ion this /] ice, whii [thofeagaii N AMERICAN WAR. 4ii 5(3- from I ^^^ ^^® Brttiffi priforiers ; and either to gratify CHAP. ire com- ; worki. the Star, , one of •d wiihin fed forty F th*!5 gar- t did COQ< nmodious t th« guns luring the e garrtfon eatcd flwt, )t fucceed} could take gg. Ldop- i\ mlUtia to ley aclfo did [ was .made it by Ihoot- ■cointnaudcr \\ the boild- which both fittg the re- Icious effcfti :h was their onfideirtce in order vw to have their which thej was the con- When ht ghth of June. brought Witt hia hifc vanity, or for fotne other caufe» hitherto un- XLIII. explained, marched tbem'pafl; Ninety-fix, ii^ fqU ^ view of the garriion, with alt the parade of inar- tialihunc, atid pr^eded by a Britifh (landard rer verfed^ If the intentioni was to difcourage the garrifon^ it failed entirely of its effeft, or rather produced' an; opponte one. Fired with indigna- tion at a figtst fo unbecojiiiag, they determined to encounter every danger, and endure every hsrrd- ihip, rather thai) fall into the hands of an eiiemy capable bf dffgracing th^ir fuccefs by fo waaton aniitfutt offered to tli^ir prifoners. The American army, flrengthened by the juD^^ion of the troops wna had reduced A ugtifta, began to make approaches againft. the ftocfcade fort on the left of the village, which kept open the comrpunicatipn with the water. The operations on this fide were entrufted to iieutenantcofonel Lee, whilH general Greene continued tb direft thofe againfl the Star. In the night of the i^nth of June a fortie was made by two ftrong parties ofthegarrifon The |?arty to the right entering the enemy's trenches, penetrated to a battery of four guns, which nothing but the want of fpikes and hammers prevented them from deilroying. iHere they difcovered the mouth of a mine in- |tended to be carried under a curtain of the Star, land had nearly taken the chief engineer of the Americans, who happened to be viewing it at the itiine of the fortie. In making his efcape he was founded. The other divifion upon the left fell in kh the covering -party of the Americans, put a lumber of them ta the bayonet, and made their ;ommanding officer prifoner. Although lieute- lant-colpnel L6e broke ground at a refpe6tful dif- ice from the ftockade on the left, and made his [pproaches with great caution, he neverthelefs loft a con- 17R1. X.- '-V mi .If. \\ ■ #•« HISTORY 0,F THE '■ L P" i; N A P. 2 confiderable number of men, .Cfau;riiied i»it^ ^JJJl^JJ^ his l(iflesy and vexed a( meeting with io much <^ ,.gj ppfitiQn, he fuffere'^' H% impatience, on the tweliti) 'of June, \i9 get the better of his difcretion. At eleven in the forenoon he directed a ferjeant inij Us men to advance with lighted corabuilibles, and itt fire, to the abbatis : The party advanced, ^nd Attempted to execi^e theii^ ordersi^^ but not oi^of ,thetn returned. The garrifon 6rcid upon them, apd the whole fell a facrifice fo the raiknefs of their coqfimander, who was obliged to folicit \ truce to bury the dead; When the cannon ar. rived from Augufta which this o^Scer had dire^ed .to be fent after him, he redoubled his efibrtfr ; and by the ieventeenth of June the fiockade fort wj|s | lb completely enfiladed by a triangular fire, that, being no longer tenable, it was evacuated in tiie night, and without lo<> . ' I AboMt this time the IV : ^ri^jjrs of the garrifbnbe- 1 fan to be extreme for t's;? cf water. A welUad been dug in the Star with great labour, but so { water wa^ to be found ; nor was any to be pro* cured except from the rivulet on the left, wkhioj piftolihot of the enemy. )n the day nothugl could he done: 3ut in tne night, naked qegrottl being fent out, whofe bodies in the d^knefs wckI . not diftinguiihabLe from the trees that furrouodqdj tbem^ with great hazard to themfelve$f brougkl in a fcanty . fupply. That the defence of the place,! under fuch circumftances of diftrefs, could ncMbej . p)uch loioger protra^ed, a^ears obvious enougM But the Britilh commander, even in thisextiM mity, was not dilcouraged. He pla)ce4 bis Goii| . dence in the well-knowp s;e^l, a^ivityv ^^ ^^\ . , prife of lord Rawdon» who be did not don - ■ ' wpiild come to his relief the moment he df> it with propriety, and in the mcian time, tiaj . 4cf ^)| ^ 4i^culties, he hoped tip maintaio ui aisdAi iliaeiils foperfe uiKter ti tkefrpk vcrbeiii of rpeeil M6i^ : A Tiuthrpr ef;Md I wis «h« jftffttlpei Ahboa gctice A^ ined vith much Kff^' be tweUih ^lon. At rje^ iiui iiced, 9nd pan them, zaiKneftof to foUcU I catinon ar> bad dJieCttd efibrtfr ; and ade fort vn^ ar fire, thai, | cuatedinthej i gartifonbC' A well hid bouT, butfto y to be pro- eleft, wltkis day nottuBg ak^d Aegron l^^&nefs vcK at furrouadod lve9, brought! eo^ the place, , could not be] ivious cno' _ in lhi««tt'" jj-f;i^ bis coii| ity^ aiid entet' did not doii^ Rent he couli lean timCf ^; niaintaio*^^ poi poft ufttil bit «rtiviK WWKk the Briiifb e«ni- CM A f. Aiader tn» ezwttiig bimftll to imfttla finiilw fcii^ j^^-^ tittenti into the gartifeii;, and cKCOitragifig thdsi ,f(^. tepcrfevert, an AmerkM loyirtift, in open dzty iibder tlw five of the ttamji hairing rodtt through theh )>iqcict« and reached the vilki^» deUveved a vtrtwk ineffage from bvd Rawdon, ** that he had «• faffed Oraiigebuffgh, and wat lA fiilk mardi to ^ taife the liege.'* At fneh ai crifiv, the pro^a of fpeedy r^cf difpeUtd the ck>ud from every ^t4: Am unufual degree i^f animftticn iiacceedcd: fMn fttku diftt-ewbt were no longer thought of j and t|ie only objed that occupiied their minds, wiig the fiiici^e&Fuidefen^rof tl^ptftce uiltittfae jo^ffttl period oF lotni Rawdon's ftfrkaVj Aiiboogh that officer, upon receiring intetli- gciiM of the Tiege of Ninety Ttx, felt thellrongeft incHDatioa to risiieve it, an objeft of fttll greater ii^peytanee, tSe fecurity of Charleftown in the pn^t difaJS^ed Hate of th« country, demanded bitErll: atteiitran, and obliged htnv for fome time to tematn ftear the fea.coaft. Fortunately, how- mi, the arrival of three regiments 6-om Ireland oa the third of June, placed the one ih a (late of ^ffcty, and enabled him to march to fhe relief of iki others On thefeventh of Junehe left Char-< leftown, taking with him the flank, companies of I three ttewly-arrived regiments, and being [jMAndbythe troops from NtonkV Corner, pro- ceeded on bis march with all the expedition that ibeheat of the weather, then beginning to be in- x Kkife, woutd permit. The route he took inclined June, a Ikltt to the right of the dire^ road to Ninety^ fee, and was chden for the fake of enabling hrm to gst between general Greene and his detachmemS;^ ; . loe the Cohgaree. His whole force amounted toi iMsr eighjtteen, hundred infantry, and one hundred |and fif(y cavalry.- ■* ^^ >' General 1^ ^ i I: ■i '\ ■..-T'-^-*^ 4«4 HISTORY Of TH'fi !, .'!) ;- C H A P; Getfehil Greenef hiid i%gu)ar imeliiHfe^^Eeof lord J^"- Rawdon's movements ^ aild finding from Ws-pro. 1781?^ grefs that i( would be impoffiWe to reduce Ninety^ fix by regular approaches before his atrtval, determined to hazard an aifauU* Althougki^e American works tvere not, entirely finilbedj Ahcj were in a ftate of great ibrwankii^sr Tbetc third parallel was comj^etedt and # mlsm in4 'two trenches had been puOisid •nwtthln « ^wlect of the ditch. In the morrtiag o^ th« %iffht«^t)i of J une a heavy cannonade was begun from all ibe i^mr; Jcan baueries : At noon two patrits adViUc. ed under cover of the tuenchfet which approactied jieareftto the works, and made lodgments in Hie dikh : Thefe were immediately followed by other parties with hooks to draw down «h«; fand>bagi, and tools to reduce the parapet. 1 he rifle tnen, U the mean time, pofled on their battery^ nrwe ready to take aim at every Briciih foldier thatsp. peared; and the Virginia and Maryland brigadegj having maimed th« lines of the third parallel, jired from them by platoons. The nght flank of tie | enemy was expofed to the fire of a three-pounder, as well as to that of the block-houfes in thevik j lage ; and major Greene, who commanded intbe | Star, with much honour to htmfelf, and benefit] to the fcrvice, from the beginning of the fiege, 1 had his detachment ready to receive them on the parapet with bayonets and fpears. > As the r^ain I body of the American army did not advance be- yond the third parallel, and was contented with fupporting the parties in the ditch by in incefotj fire from the trenches, the garrifon oetermined to put a fpeedy period to the afllault by an effort «f| gallantry which confounded the enemy. T«o parties of thirty men each, one under captain Campbell of the New Jerfey volunteers^ and the othffr under captain French of Delancey's, iflfued fronl from thed the A /iich i fore i The I carna^ admit thedit Greea fo hop( in the < the fiet (eat o& and on of the e own ac iixty-fii Mitis, ai miJitia, proporti payofct {heir to That of killed, a ney vai and cap with caj ;he Uexk vound^( niomingJ when he [ acrofs thj nor the march, ^ purfuic oj was the \ ' A M E R 1 CA H WAR. 4«1 ce of lord ) bis- pro. \^ Ninety* 'het« third FcW'fect e( hi««ftth of Fom ftU the it! td^«tt& ap!proacbed nenti i» the ed by other efand-biigs, le Tiflc nieo, ttteryi N»«e idi«r that4p- tnd bf igadct, fiankDftke ree-pounder, Ki ir.tiievil- latided in the , and benefit ►f the fiege, thetn on the As the t^m lt advance be- ►ntented wA an iaceffaai ^;etininedto \v an effort «f imy. '^'^ „ider captain :ecTtf tndtht ;ncey*», r^^^ troD from the frilly -port in the rear of the -Star, entered C ^ A P. (heditQh, and taking oppof^edireftions, changed jJJ^HIlJ. the Americans who had made the lodgment with ,^8,. fuch impetupfuy, that they drove every thing be- fore them until they met in the oppofite quarter. The bayonet being the only weapon ufed/the carnage wa» great : Lven the Araerican accounts admit that two-thirds of their people who entered the ditch were thither killed or wounded. General ^, g,^ Greene, feeing it ufelefs any longer to continue of Ninetr- rphopelefsan attempt, called off his troops, and '^ '*'^'^' in the evening of the following day finaily nrifed , the Tiege* , His baggage having been previouily feat on^ bis arrny marched with great expedition, and on the twentieth crofled the Saluda. The lofs of the enemy, during the fiege, accordin;^ to their own accounts, amounted to one hundred- and iixty-nx men, including one colonel, three cap- tains, and five lieutenants : But as the lofs of the militia, who, it is faid, on this occafion bore the proportion' of three to one to the troops in the pay of congrefs, was not included in their returns* . thjsir total lofs mult have been much greater. That of the garrifon amounted to twenty-feven killed, and fitty-eight wounded. Lieutenant^ Ro- pey was the only convmiHtoned officer- killed} and captains French and Smith of Delancey's, with captain Barbarie and lieutenant Hatton of the New Jerfey yolunteers* were ^mongr*: the wounded. Qn the twenty-firft of June, in thej^^,^^^, morning, lord Rawdon arrived at Ninety. fix, and don.having when be found that general i^reene had retreated 5[^*f*.fl* icrofs the Saluda, neither the heat of the weather pJSg'!^ nor the fatigue of the troops, after fo long a"f"^ march, prevented his lordlhip from fetting out In ^"*"'' purfuit of him the fame evening. But fo rapid was theflight of the Americans, that he foon per- ceived IV •iV' ^' ■r" •' ,„-..->* --- -VS^v* ^ HISTORY OFTHtE ; XLlIi Jk7»i» ^jJAP. esivcd tberc was Iktie pro(i>ed of overtakid^ " tkcm* NevcrtbdlaTs, the patraie, under mskiiy va«s^ and the rage of a btfrn»iif( fun« wai cm* tiiiued as far as &e bfanks of th« Enoree, wb«n hit lordflnp, finding it in Tain to proceed any fat. iber, r^turiMd towarda Ninety^ix. As fhepoft 0(f Ninety-fix wa» now to be evttcnared, beH^ without ue Kmin to which the Brki(h comnuMi. dart, from rccem circun>ftancet, had deternUntd 10 conf no their defence, lord Rawddn thovvki k neceflary to pay aJIdse attention to the toyat mhi. bilanta who hod remained faiehfirf to their engage* BSKiUB. He conreaed the principal perfont amongft tik«m, and ofilsred, if (hev chofe fo remain^ aiMi would undertake the dui^ence of their dittrii^ s^attiA their own difaffe(5ted inhabitatit»> ro leave a party iut their countenance and afliftance« viA ^o«i tone to time to fend fuch reinforceqisBU from* the Congavee as might be equal to vny ferct that general Greene could fpare fbr invadi^ them i but if they were unwUting to demean, h« pronifisd that care ihouid be taken< for th<' jmanl of then* and their faniiiiea withm the nc^ frontier i,oid Raw-{|^etft to be eftabliihed. The inhabitants accepted hiif hil' the lafii of thefe propofats : and in order effec* force, ttttlly to. grant that protodion which he had po- Z't!^^. nif«dr lord Rawdon left more than ha^ hi^ foite ICC, with lieuteoant'CoIonel Cruger, to efeort tfaen) wheS' they ihouid be ready to inove, whilfl: V) ^^^. with eight hundred infantry, and ftxty^ caT^ry, marched towards the Congaree. . A4thoagh general Grccnei in his- retreat fVoo . I^wet^-fiXy hadpafled not only the- Enoree, but Tygtr anod Broad Rivers, no fooner did he bear thaM Kprd Rawdon> had dividied hifi forcsv tthanhe rtftiisncd, with aview of interrupting }Malcrd(h!|)'» ^«nkdc8n»on. thf Congaree) where it'wais foppof* -■ ft: A M E k i C A N WAR. 4«r at cott> ^ \fh«a my f»- , btmi Mnmaa* etnktAcd yal mht* •exigage. aittodgft laiiv, tcA t diftrt^ , to leave orcenutAts any force eiwAO* He !<• ^mowl .^ ftoniier ;s accepted •der effcc* le hadj^o> hii fowe :ort tbem Xf eavairf, Bttcat fro* ^noTee, bnt [did h« beat »i8 lord(hi|p'» cd i7bi ed lief mwht to eftablifh a pdfte Lof d Rawdon, it C « A P. is^obabfe, ^o\i\d ne»t haVef lindertaketi his hiatch X^'*^- to t^at part of the tountry tkrith fo diminiflifcd a lattti had hte hot £:t:pedea to be m^t there by ^ fttong c6iTi« from Charleftown, i*rbich he had at fiiplt ordered to t:ike poft at Orangeburgh, ahfid at- tcf#ard8 tor joift him upon the Congaree at aft ip- pd}ftted fitrte. From fome catife or othei', thfs c(H^8, iftcr it Irad begurt its inarch, \tras recalled bjf dtdets from Gharleftown ; and, unfortunately, the letter iTom th^ cejmmandinrg crfficer, accjuair/f- M lord Ra#don WJth hi« teed, and the i'mpoffi- bSty of tteteting hUi at thi tithie a^ppointed, v^£(s intercepted *nd catried to general Gtdene. Ujl^oti tU rec<}ipt of this let'ter ht pr6ffed forwai'd oh his mtch with i-edoubJed expedition, hoping to ob- tiift fonie advantage over lord Rawdon, \diilft he tidied for a tftimdreemerit that AVas n6t to jbJn hfjft. Soon after his }oTdfttp'» arrival at th'd CHA- gitee, owe 6f his fofagmg parties was fUtpf ifed by kc's legion, arid about forty eavalry w^ere mide pfiftfm^rs. 'fhie afppearance of the enemy's li|;ht trodps in that quarte^ of th^ country, qtiickly coii- viliced his \6idlii\p that gerierai Greene*^ arrtiy yfii at my gr<^at diftance ; and as he: had not bi^^n jollied by his reiwfbriiertient at the appointed tiuie, hfc thought it necbffery to takid meafures f6f Tils own fecarity. Accordingly he retired froihttie Cbngarde, a*nd niarched for Orangeburgh, where -"i .^ 1»« exp^fted to irieet the reinforcement from Gharleftown. After forcing his palfage at lioon ' dky, in the face of the enemy, over a ct'6t% th? biidges of which were broken dti^ti and its foi-Js guarded by lee's legion, he Without fiirtti<^f ^q- leftation arrived' at Orangeburgh, atod Wa:^ jolHed R«tiK» to Hid next day by lieutenant-colonel Stuah, WitHthe O""**- ird regiment, from Charleftcwh. '" '^ Vol. U. E e Qeneral i^^ 'h r.y».,-«-' 41 8 HISTORY OF THE lySii CHAP. General Greene, finding that lord Rawdonby XLIII. }^jg aftivity and enterprife had extricated himfelf " from the danger to which he >vas expofed, colleG:- ed all the militia he could, and advanced with his army within five miles of the BritiOi encampment, which at the head of his cavalry he reconnoitred in the evening, lord Kawdon giving him no inter- ruption, as he wiihed for nothing more than an attack in his prefent pofition. But the American commander, inftead of prep&ring for an attack, decamped in the night, and retiring towards the Congaree, had pafled that river before lord Raw. don was apprized of his retreat. It is probable | that general Greene's retreat was haftened by in. telligence received about this time, that lieute- nant-colonel Cruger, after evacuating Ninety-fix, j and conducting the loyal inhabitants and their fa< milies fafely within th« Britifh pofls, was advanc- ing to join lord Rawdon with the reft of the army. Whilft the main American army retired acrofsthe Congaree, Sunipter, Lee, and Marion, with their refpe^ive corps, were detached by different routes to the lower part of the country, for the purpofel of harafling the Britifh outpofls, and wayUyingI their convoys. They fucceeded in taking fomel waggons with bagguge and (lores, but failed inl an attempt upon the nineteenth regiment at Monk'i| Corner. The weather now became fo intenfely hot, thatl hoftilities for fome time were necelTarily fufpend] ed : General Greene retired with his army to thq high hilUof Santee, where he was foon afterward joined by the different corps under Lee, SumpterJ and Marion ; and lord Kawdon, on account ( ill health, availed himfelf, in this interval of ; adion, of his leave of abfence obtained fome tin July. HoftMitiei fufpended by the in- tenfe heat of the fea- fen. Lord Raw' cou^t of hit before, and embarked for Europe. health, em- harks for Xurope. At his dep turd ;%-,■ --*-'^-; . jmW^ A. -^"^-s^ AMERICAN WAH. 4J9 iwdon by •d himfelf i, colleft- d with his ainpment, lonnoitred I no inter- re than an American an attack, owards the lord Ra\». is probable :ened by in- that Ucute- ; Ninety-fix, and their fa.' was advanc-! of the army, redacrofsthe n, with their flferent routes I ir the purpofel id waylayingl taking (omel but failed ill >entatMonk'»| ture, the command of the Britifh troops ift the C H A P. field devolved on lieutenant-colonel Stuart of the ^Ll»l. third regiment, or Bufis. Although general Greene in the courfe of the prefeiit year had been driven from South Caro- lina into Virginia, was afterwards defeated in two general engagements, and finally obliged to raife the fiege of Ninety-Hx, and fly with great preci- pitation before the Britifh army ; yet, through his own firmnefs and perfeverance, the fucceffes of his detachments againfl the Britifh outpofls, and the advantages derived from the general dif- afedion of the inhabitants to the Br,itifh caufe, he fucceeded in the main objedt of the campaign. The Britifh troops, harafl'ed and wearied out with the defence of an extenfive frontier, to which their forc^ was unequal without the afTi (lance of the inhabitants, were obliged in the end to aban- don to him the greateft part of South Carolina ; the limits of their poflefTions being now confined within the three great rivers Santee, Congaree, and Ediflo ; and before the end of the year* as will prefently be feen, their limits were contracted * withm a much narrower compafs. After the retreat of the Americans from Orange- I burgh to the high hills of Santee, the Britifh ar- my under colonel Stuart moved forward to the! Congaree, and encamped near the jundionof that jiiver with the Wateree. In the mean time gene- ral Greene was reinforced by a brigade of conti- Inental troops from North Carolina^ and intent [upon profecu^ing his plan for the recovery of jSouth Carolina, put his forces in motion as foon las the extreme heat began to abate. On the Itwenty-fecond of Auguft he marched from the Wgh hills of Santee with an intention to give bat- Auguft. |lle to the Britifh army, and proceeding up the £ e 2 northern [/ 13 r »>^ si - ii 4fte HISTORY OP THE 1781 1 CH A P. northern banks of the Wateree, crofTed ii neu ^^'*^* Camden. From rhencc he dircdcd his march to Friday's Ferry on the Congaree, vvhere he war joined by general Pickens with the militia of Nvnety.fix, and by the South Carolina (late troopi uruier colonel Henderfon. The Britifli commander, upon receiving intelli. gence that general Greene >va8 on his march to attack hiin, fell back with his whole force to Eu^ taw, about forty miles from the Congaree. Thjg movement was made for the purpofe of meeting a convoy of pTovifions then on the road from Charleftown, rather than weaken the !krmy whllft an attack was expedted, by fending off fo (Itong un efi^ort as would have been necefHiry for fecuring its fhfe arrival. General Greene having pafled the Congaree, continued to advance towards £u. taw, but by very flow marches, that he might give time to general Marion to Join him with his bii. S;ade of militia, 'lliis junaion was made on the I fieventh of September, about feven miles from Eutavr ; and at four in the morning of the follow. ing day, general Greene marched with his whole force to make hiis projeQed attack. At fix o'clock! in riie morning came in two deferters froml Greene's army, with intelligence that he was onl his march to attack the Britifh army at EutaW.I Unfortunately their report was neither cfeditedl tior enquired itito ; but they themfelves fent to pfi.[ fOh* A party of four hundred men without iinml with a fmall guard to cover them, were fcmiiir fearch of vegetables in the very road on whiq the deferters gave information that general Green was marchrng. llie event proved that the intelli^ gence given by the deferters was well fdunde The unarmed rooting party and their fmalJ guafi^ making at the leali; a third part of colonel Stuart^ forcej AMERICAN WAR. 4»« meeting a road from wmy whllft iff fo fttong for fecuring kving paffed towatds Eu- e might give with his bii. made on the I miles from )f thefolW ith his whole At fix o'clock ferters from ai he was on' my at Eutaw. thet ctediiedl ves fent to pfi" without artm,] were fewii oad on whicl Tcneral Gtcei ut the inteW] well founded •ir fmall guati :olonel Stuait' foicej force, fell an cafy prey to Greene'a army j i^ few C H A P. ftrageling horfemen that efcaped, apprized the. ^ X^ ^JI- Brttifti commander of the enemy's approach, at ,-8,^ the fame time iiifufing a degiee of panic into all viihwhom they communicated. The Brttifii w^re drawn up acrofs the road on the heights n^ar the Eutaw Springs, The flank battalion, commanded AAion be- by major Ma]i)ribank«, covered the right flank of '„*!""„"!;'' the army, his right being upon a rivulet with an andKcnerti interval of a hundred paces from the water; his JaTJh« left to the road waa con<;ealed by a very thick euuw hedge. Two pieces of artillery, with a cover ing.^P""^*' party of jnfantry, occupied the road. The x^' nuinder oif the Britlfh fcrce extended to the left of the road, in an oblique diretlion. The front line; of th^ Americ9Aarmy was compofed of four battalions of militia ;. the fecond line, of three brigades of continental troops ; colonel Lee, with fiis legion, covered theif right flank, and colonel Henderfon, with South Carolina (late troops, their left: Cplonel WaflungtQn, with his cavalry ^nd the Delaware troops, farmed their body of r^ferve. Two three-poundefs were ia front of their line, and two fixpounders. with the fecond linp. The legion and the ftate troops formed their advanced guard, and were to retreat on their flanks when the Britifh fliould form The enemy attacked with great impetuofity ; the chief i m predion feem- ed to be defigned againft the artillery on the road, and to turn the left of the Britilh. The prefl\ue of the enemy's fire was fuch as compelled the third regimenr, or Buffs, to give way, the regiment being compofed of new troops. The remains of thofe veteran corps, the fixty-third and fixty-fourth regiments, who had ferved Uie whole of tne war, loft none of their fame in this aflion. They rufli- ed with bayonets into the midll of the enemy ; nor im 4" HISTORY OF THE XLlIt. 1781. l' ^ CHAP, nor did they give ground, until overpowered by *'"' number! and fevere flaughter. Various wai the fuccefs in the centre and on the right. At this time colonel Wafhington, endeavouring to pafs throug!\the right of the flank corps and the rivij. let, led his cavalry with great gallantry to the charge. The flank corps received this charp^e with great fleadinels. i\t the flrfl Are, colonel Wa(h. ington was wounded and taken prifoner, and k. veral of his men fell, which prevented a fimilar attack. The artillery on both fides was feveral times taken and! retaken. ; At this time the flank battalion, whofe pod had bfeen paflTed undifcovered by the main body of the enemy, wheeled round, and coming in the rear of the enemy, threw them into confufion, which being increafed by a fire from the New Yoi|k vo- lunteers, under the command of major Sheridati, who had taken poll in a flone houfe on the open ground upon the right of the road, decided the adion. Inceflant' peals of mufquetry from the -windows poured deflruftioh upon the enemy, aiid efFeitually (lopped their further progrefs. Al. though feverely checked, the Americans were not difcouraged, and brought up four fix pouiidcrs to batter the houfe : But the fire of the detachment -within continued to be fo well fupported, that the American artillery became ufelefs, and moll of the oflicers and men that were attached to it, ^vere cither killed or wounded. In the mean time the left wing of the Britifli army having recovered from its confufion, had again formed the line, and the battle was renewed with great fpirit in that quarter. Tiie rontefl was obftinate and bloody; but the Americans were at laft obliged to retire. For want of cavalry, no purfuit could be made; whilfl that of the enemy, which was numeroiu, !■> ; covered AMERICAN WAR. 4*3 7crcd by was the At this to pafs the rivu- y to the arpewith lel Walh. r, and fe- a fimiUr as feveral 'e pod had ody of the n the rear on, which Yoi(k vo- r Shetidan, n the open lecided the from the ;nemy, and rrefs. Al. tis were not )outidcrs to detachment ed, that the nd inort of to it, Were an time the recovered he line, and nrit in that nd bloody ; •ed to retire. d be made; s numerous, covered covered their retreat. They were obliged to aban- CHAP. don two of the four pieces of cannon thai had , ^j^'|^' , been brought up againft the houfe, and they left ~JTJ, behind them, according to their own account, one hundred and thirty-nine of their number kill. ed on the field of battle Their wounded^ which may be fuppofed to bear the ufual proportion to the killed, were carried of}' during the aiflion. About fixty of the enemy were made prifoners, and amongft them lieutenant-colonel Wafhington, who commanded their referve. The whole lofs of the Americans in this action may be edimated at more than fev?n hundred • men, including fixty commilfioned officers, of whom fevenrcen were killed and forty-three wounded. The lofs of the Britifh army wa^ alfo v^ery great ; it amounted to eighty five killed, thi~5 hun(' 2d and fifty-one wounded, and two hundred i « \ fifty-feven mif- fing; in all, fix hundred ai: i ninety-three men, including twenty-nine mmiffioned o ' .ers, three of whom were killed fixreen wounded, and ten milBng. The incidents attending this aftion gave occaii- viaory in I on to both commanders to claim the victory. Ge chimST neral Greene founded his pretenfions upon the re- both par- treat of the Britifh lin;:, and its being purfued to tbehoufe and open ground in the rear; and mofl aflurediy, for fome time, the fortune of the day |feetned to be entirely in favour of the Americans. • The account here given does not agree with the returns ubiilhed by \.i> ^ efs : But that return, as given in Tarleton's lAppendix, a^;^' r., upon the face of it, to be iacoirredl The Ipticulars do noi make up the funi totnl. The number here eiU- pieJ fiippofes the wounded to have boine the ufual proportion Kothe fl.iri ' The (lain being left on the field of battle, their Bumbe' could not be concealed. Rarnfay Hate), that the lofs of leriiral Marion's brigade of militia is not included in the return bublilhedby congrefs. The %te». I ^nK H 1 .^ T O ?l Y Q F THE '?*»• C H A P. TJie Britifh commiUJtler, on the pthcr |i9i^d|» r*ft« XUIJ. e(i^ l^isclain) of viflory upon this ground, thjit ^. though a tenjporsify advjintage ^a4 been ot^taisff} over part of the 3riti^ ^^^ which rendere4 a retr?at neceiTary, ye( the troops, who had thui retreated, afterwards formed and renewed jJie ^sfttle with fo much fpirit, t|^at the Americans •were ^Itijnately obh'ged tp qv^jt the f^eld, ai^d r^. tire to a ftroDg pofitjpn feveq miles in their rear. T)^s ^(]l:toQ was nevjcrthelef^ cel^bra^ed in Ani^rl- <^ as a ^reat and glorious vi^^ory ^ s^nd in co^. jDevnoration of it the congrefs voted a Britifli Oa^dard and gold ipedal to be prerente4 tp g^e< r^l Qreepe. Ths(t |t ws^s a bloody, hard-fought st^ioii, the lofs on both ri4?s fufficie^tly teftifi^j ^ut tl^at neither party obtained a decifive z^dvap* tug^pv^r the other, the CPi^du^ of bpt)^ , c^qi. ii)s^|:^d^rs after the adion plainly (^ep^Qaurat^. The Britifli commander remained uppn the groMn4 iiiip night ^ft^r the a^tipn and the fpllpyriqg da;, without any att^n^pt being mad^ Uy general Greene to moled him ; and when he afterwa^di; retired to IVionk's Corner fpr the fafety and prcK tension pf hi$t wp\inded, the Aijnericax\ commands contented himt^lf with advancing to the ground l^t tiy the Rriti(h troops, and fppn afterwards re- treated to his former encs^mpment onthe high hills of Santec, placing a large river between hipi and the Britiih army. The reafonable conclnnoii^ to be drawn from the conduct of both feems to be this, that in the a£lion both armies fuffered fo much, that for fome time afterwards neither of them was in a iituation to undertake any thing ^ainfl: the other. Indeed this was ^he laft adion of any confequence that happened in 3outh Caro* Una between the king's troops and the Americans: The former, from this time, chiefly confined ^hemfeives to Char leftown Neck and fomepoilsin U A M E R IC AN W A R, 4*1 ^4» reft- nd«r€4 % had thui BW«d the J. an4r?. heir tear, in Ani^ri- id i^ cq^- a Britlih 4 tp gene- i^rdfouglit \y teftifiOi five s^4vap. both I cw- ipoaUratfi. I the growni pyriHg daj, Vy general e aftcrwatds pty and pffo^ cQinman^fst the gTownd terwards i?? le high hills een hi\n aiimman4 of general FhUipt. ■ ? I • Dcilrudioa of Ameri- can ftore? 4'! ' :L. h 1781. CHAP, rightly judged it to be the intention of general XLIV. Philips to take pofleflion of Peter(bur|gli, in order to facilitate a jundion with earl Cornwollis, and iie hoped, by forced marches, to reach that place befoii^ hi n The expedition with which the Brj. dlh hoop:> I ^'turned, entirely fru (Ira ted his inteii- ?'on : an- lon his arrival at Ofborne's on the ibuth iidc of Janies River, he found they were al- ready in poiTeffion of Pcterfburgh. Thus foiled in his defign, hcre-crofled James River, and took a poiition on the north fide of it, between Rich. mouci a id V ilton. It fe'^ius to have been lord Cornwallis's firft ob- je . >oeiK}eav6ur to ftrike a blow at the marqulsj his next, to' deltroy fuch of the enemy's ftores as might be within his reach after the American army had been either defeated or obliged to retire ; and ladly, after proceeding to the execution oit thefe objeds, which probably might be accompliihed by the time he could hear from New York, to keep himfelf difengaged from any operation that could interfere with the plan that might be devifed by the commander in chief for the further profecuti- on of the campaign. Having fettled his own temporary plan of operations, lord Cornwallis marched from Peterfburgh on the twenty-fourth of May, and crofled James River at Weftover, about thirty miles below Fayette's encampment*. The Britilh army was already greatly fuperior to the continental force in Virginia, and about this time it was confid^rably inci eared by the arrival of two Britifh regiments, and two battalions of j A^^pueh troops from New York, fent by the com- mander in chief (who had not yet received intel- • The channel of the rJ er where the Rriti/h crofl*ed exceed- ed two miles. The pali^i^e was efTcdled by fwimiuing the horfes I over a pa;t, and wading ihrough the ref>. iigence D' ,.*i*- „::••<;>- ., ~^-; J*.— «»«■ ^*i^.. r f AMERICAN WAR. 43 » hi f general , in order 3lU8, a^d that place h the Bri- his inteu- le's on the sy were al- rhu8 foiled r, and took ween Rich* s's firft ob- le marquis ; ^*s (lores as erican army I retire j and ion olt thefe )mpU{hedby Drk, to keep n that could ,e devifed by ,er profecuti- led his own Cornwallii wenty-fourth It Weftover, ncanipment*. J fuperior to id about this ly the arrival battalions of ! t by the com- eceived intel- fh crofled exceed- imraing the hoiles I 1781; ligence of lord Cornwallis's arrival to reinforce CHAP, general Philips, under an apprehenfion that when XLIV, the Americans heard of lord Cornwallis's march to ihe northward, they might make fome attempt to overpower general Philips before a junftion of the two armies could be efFefted. Uf this rein- forcement the forty-third regiknent alone joined the army : The other Britilh regiment, and the two battalions of Anfpach, were fent to ftrengthen the garrifon at Portfmouth. The force under Fayette being fo much inferior to that which was oppofed to him, he decamped from the neighbourhood of Richmond, as foon as be heard that lord Cornwallis had croflfed James River, and retired towards the back-country, in- clining his route to the northward, that he might be in readinefs to form a junction with general Wayne, who was on his march through Maryland to reinforce him with eight hundred men of' the Penfylvania line. The Britifli army for forae time followed the route taken by the marquis de la Fayette, and in this direction proceeded as far as the upper part of Hanover Couftty, deftroying in their way whatever public (lores they found. But Fayette's movements were fo rapid, that lord Cornwallis foon found it would be in vain to fol- low him, and impo(rible to prevent a jundion be- tween him and general Wayne : His lord(hip*s attention was therefore dircfted to other objefts more attainable, which the intelligence received on his march had prefented to his view. One of thefe objeds was to break up the fe(fion of the general a(rembly, then met under a guard jatCharlotteville, for the purpofeof voting taxes, draughting the militia, and making aii 'addition ta the regular force of the (late. The other objeft I was to (Irike at the baron Steuben, w ho was faid to '^'t .•<#■*«- -• Tl Vi IpfCr ^ (bHAP. XLIV 1781. Charlotte- ville fur- prifedbj colonel ^vkton. #:: A M E R I C A N W A R. to be at the' Point of Fork, on James Rtrcr guarding a confiderable quantity of flores, with a ftrong detachment of troops called eighteeo. months men*, and militia. To acromplKh the £ril, Tarletpn vras detached with one hundred and eighty cayalry of the legion, and feveirtj mounted infantry of the twenty-third regrment^ under the command 6f captain Champagnef : And the execution of the latl was entrufted to iieute. oant colonel Simcoe, with the queen's rangers, and the fecond battalion of the feventy-firft regi. isent, commanded by captain Hutqhinfon, the detachment amounting to five hundred men. Tarleton proceeded to Charlotteville, with great expedition ; and on his way overtook twelve wag- gons loaded with arms and cloathing for the ufe of the army in South Carolina, all of which were burnt and deftroyed. The K«vanna^ dbrjpchof James River, waifhes the foot of the hill on which Charlotteville (lands. Through, this river Tartt' ton charged at the head jf his cavalry, and took or difperfed the guards Rationed on the oppofite bank. With the like rapidity he entered the 1 town, and took prifoners feven members of the afTembly* The red made their efcape* So unex* peded was Tarleton's vifit, that the enemy had not time to remove their itores. A confiderable * So called from the time for which they engaged to fcm. t The 71ft regiment was ordered to accompany Tarleton ool 'thj» fervice ; but upon receiving the order the officers drew uptl ren^ondraoce, and prefcnted it to lotd Cornwullis, ititting tlititl unwillingnErs tofeive under Tarleton, from a recolieiftion of bul conduift at the Co u' pens, where the other battalion of tiie ^liil was taken by Ntorgan. In confetjueitce of this remonftrinctf the 7 1 it regiment ikm -attached to colonel Simcoc. quanutjl t - (■«ViifV»»*!Sk ijgagcd to (em. jpany tarleton M officers drew op» vaVUs, lining <>>«' J recolleftion of H Ittalion of the id] Ithis remonfttM«i icoc. quaftttt AMERICAN WAR. <|uintity was found, and the whole dedroyed*. Tarleton, after performing this fervice^ proceeded down the Revanna, according to his orders, to co-operate with Simcoe, if he fliould have occafion for his alFiftance. The Point of Fork, to which lieutenant-colonel Simcoe wak direfting hiii march, is fo called from being ihe point of land that in- tervenes at the coTidux of the twc great branches of James River, the Fluvanna and Revanna. The united dreams from the point of junction take the Bime of James River. As the greateft part of i)i( detachment confided of infantry, his progrefs could not be fo rapid as that of Tarleton ; but it ws as expeditious as the nature of his detachment would admit : And by the prudent precautions' taken for lecuring every perfon met or feen on the road, he effedually concealed his march from the eneuy. By foine of his prifoners he found that baron Steuben was apprifed of T. /leton's march, but knew nothing of Simcoe's; and from the fame perfons he learnt that the baron had begun totranfport his dores to the fouth fide of the Flu* Tinna, and meant to follow them with his whole detac' ment. Upon receiving this intelligence, Simcc^ prefled forward with diii grriater celerity, ling at lead to cut off the Laroa^s rear 'guard jbefor'' It had time to pafs the river. But upon ihitirrival at the Point of Fork, heiound that not nij the do' es, but the J>aron's whole force, had iiied the riv er, except about thirty perfons then nthe bank ready to embark. Thefe were imme- iately fecured ^y the .cavalry* As both the emy's dores and troops were now completely * Stores deftroyed at Churlottevillc : 1 000 new fire-locks, made i^t Fredericflwrgh. Upwards of 400 barrells cf gunpowder^ Severiil bgds. of tobacco, and fome cootiMatal cloathiog. Vol. 11. F f out ■^ CHAP. JCLIV. 1781. Stratagun praAifed withfucceft by colapcl^ Simcoe, oa baron St«u* ben. f ■ (♦.■> ■'*^t;^ A b , 49f HISTORY or THE GHAT, eiit of Slii^coe's reach, a deep and unfordabI« Titt t ^^^^ int«rv€ninfi^t with the boaii all fecured»atht;©thS'^^g bor(fl'ed the liverj This (bop wais taken for the iecunty of capn^ StcTmifbn and his ftnall detachment of lighl infantry, who Ww^ tn the mean time emplo)redi bringing off or deftroying the ftores abandon by the enemy ; tmd it anfivered every purpofetk was expected from it. In the couri'e of thed a patrol'e of the enctay appeared, which fled vij the utmoft precipitation, upon i'eeing the firiti hoiTai '♦■^;j|WXi?-j .-y4. i.j*"'^' . AMERICAN WAR. r6abl«TU«i av(HiTt»g xt t the troops ?ance of thfe eftfvil in hii fxpeduion, greatctt pin coc *Vfp^y«d ofliWt, opoft ,d bis ext^^ ttMd moved of, tctothePoini hetny Jiad fled, cured, captain It Jinfantry, afid wffed ihcrivtr, their fftddlw. -ing bU huffm )een Uft by tk ftftnce from tbt A by Hvhiditk of tbeir patrrf Aioolt, and mal ler to raifeftfct 5^ed ibe jW ttiity of c*pw hmeiit of lig^ me employed Jlores abandoi sveryputpofetl lourfe ot thedJ .,: which fled Vii ieeifi? the Bnr hulTi ^ «7*«- hviflTart ; and from die report made by tKii f>a(roleC H.A f. to the baron Steuben, he was induced, (hough al. ^l-t^. ready thirty miles from the Ft uvanna, Co continue his march twenty miles farther without halthig. In the mean time the marquis de la FayetC^, who upon the advance of the Britifh army had re- treated acrofs Kappahannoek River, being joined by general Wayne with hit detachmem, re-eroffied that river, and followed the Britilh amy in its march to Williamfburgh : On the road he w«s alfo joined by the baron Steuben, with hieeigbteen- months men, and militia. Although a dawn of pfrofperity had begun to unfi,vonr». sppear in South Carolina, under the atifpices of bi" afpeft** Greene, the general ftate of Am«ricar aHairs «' ^«^- feemed at this time to be in a ruiiraus train^ and**" &ft verging towards <4iat period when the conteft ravft ccafe, on the part of the eongrefs, for want ef rcfoBTces to maintain it. The bitts of credit, by which they had hitherto fupported the vrar, now fail«d them. The depreciation had becoiMe fo timnenfe, that thej no long^ anfwered the por- pefes far which they were iflned, and, in 4ie conrfc of the prefent y«ar, funk nnder liietr own buHc, and were annihilated in the hands of thofe fhat poflefled them. The failure of this medinm of twnmcree mnltipiied beyond ealtnlatfon tbe difli- tttlties under wirtch the eongrefs laboured, and had a fatal inluence on their 'l«fvicc thrchMjhout the I irfaete extent of the union. The agents for pubttc departments could no lon_ger m^t their pur- i tfcifes i and warrams of irapreffe became neccfaty I to forcefrom individu»i3 whatever was wanted lor ^(ypubltc fcrvice, inii the fupport of fhe army. {Etch the troops were ready to mutiny in levcral jllhcea for want of pay and clothing. Although ral "Wafcingtan's army was greatly diminifh- i, he fbuTtd it "ftill too kirge for the means he hail Ff2 of t ^i '■■»»«, \ i'' If ( 456 HISTORYOr THE /, C H A r of fubftding it. In a letter written by him on the **-*^ tenth of May, it the following paflage : *' From 1781. ** ^^* P°'^* °^ Saratoga to that of.Dobb'g Ferry, " inclufive, I believe there is not at thii moment /• on hand, one day's fupply of meat for the •• army." And in another letter, dated almoft two months afterwards, he intimated his fears of being obliged to difband his army for want of , fubfidence. The marine force of the congreb was not in a better condition than their army : . Of all the armed vetTels that had been fitted out by them, two frigates alone remained ; the red h^d been all either taken or deflroyed. The im- menfe value of the public property and (lores dc- (Iroyed in Virginia, darkened the gloomy profped, and feemed to haflen with rapid (irides the sera of public bankruptcy. Nor could they derive any comfort from the commerce carried on by indi\i (|uals, which was now almofl annihilated, in con- fequence of the captures made by the Britilh . cruizers, and the great lofTes fuftained at the tak- ing of St. Euflatius- The people too, in many of the colonies, were become tired of the war, and feemed to languiih under the long continuance of their did refles and di'iiiculties. Some fignal fuccefs, fome atchievemeilt of im- portance, that fliould reHed luHre on the Ameri- rcan arms, was therefore neceflary to rellorethe declining (late of their atiairs, to roufe afrefli the fpirit and energy of the people, and even to enable congrefs to maintain their authority. But no en- 1 terprife that promifed fucccl's couid be attempted] againft any of the Bfitifh pods in /Vmerica, with- out the co-operation of a French fleet and army. The congrefs had been already difappointed io I their expeflations of fuch a co-operation for three I years iucceiavely ; but as they had renewed their] applications on that head, towards the end of the V \ preceding] m on the *» From )*i Ferry, I moment t for the ted almod his fears or want of B cotigrefc leir army : I fitted out d i the reft , '1 he ira- d Acres de- ny profpeft, } the sera of derive any ,n by indivi* ited, in con- the Britilh _ at thetaV ^, in many of [he war, and ,ntinuan€eof "la AMERICAN WAR. precedin.c; year, ?.Ad had at the I the court of France acquainted fame time vy*f*.r with the ici* perate fbte of their atfairii, which the eiTed of luc!i a co-operation could alone fave from ruin ; they hoped that the intered of that court, ai much as its friendfhip, would induce a compliance. Wafhin^ton looked forward with eagernefs to fuch. an event, ai the only thing that could enable them to prolong the conteA : And, as foon as he heard of the arrival of M. de Barras, who was - fent out from France to tike the command of the ' fleet at Rhode Ifland, and brought with him dif- patches for the count.de Rochambeau, he haften- ed to Connedicut, that he mi<^hi have a conference with the French general- The count's difpatches feem to have given full fatisfadion to Wafhington, as at this interview it was agreed between him and I the French general, to carry into execution the [attempt againit New York which they had medi* tated the preceding year} if their force, s when alfemhled, (hould be found equal to the enterprife : Hut, in all events, it was their determination, up- lon the arrival of the count de GralTe, to flrike a Iblowat one or other of the l.ritifli poAs, where Ifuccfifs was mod rearlonably to beexpeded. This liaterview took place on the twenty-firll of May, )iml immediately after it, letters were written by Wafhington, requeuing, that the battalions com-. . ofing his army might be filled up to their full Dinplement, and at the fame time be made a re- kuifuion to the New England ftates,. for dx thou* bnd two hundred militia, to be ready to march thenever he (hould call for them. The exprefs arrying the letters written by Wafhington to ngrefs, after this interview with the French gc- iral was intercepted in the Jerfeys ; and the let- Irs were carried to fir Hanry Clinton. They dif- 3^ ofed the nature of the enterprife in agitation, and h ciiman Yo$k. (I I iN ) i \ 43» HISTORY 01 THE '^ i^Oi. C HAP. fteih td have ttlftrmed hifti fot tke httiy •! New XLIV. y^rft. Ip c©lifeq«tnc« of the information gather* ed from thefe letter^, tht comtnaAder in chief liiade a reqciHkioit of pan of the troopt under lord CornvraUis'fl cotniMmd in Virgi^:ia, and di- refted that they (hould btfiwit to New York with- dut delay, unlefi hit (otdfiiip ihould s^t the tini« ^ engaged ih fome important movement that tnigbt render it neccflkry to detain them fome time longer ; or unlefd be ihould be difpofcd to execute the plan whieh the Commander in chief feems to have had much at heart, of carrying the war to the upper part of the Chefapeak, and upon the Strfquehahna, ivhere a number of loyalifts iiad afibciated for their mutual defence, and were faui t« be ready to a€l whenever the king's troops ihould appear amongft them. At the time of r^ ceSving the difpatches containing this reqiiifition, lord Cornwallis was engaged in no important ope- ration : He had returned from his expedition up James Hiver, and was then with his army at Wil. Ifamfburgh : Neither did he mean to engage ia the expedition to the upper part of the Chefapeik, of which he difapproved^ without exprefs ordert from the commander in chief, which wooM exetnpt him from all rerponfibility, at ieafl for the pran of that expedition. Under thefe circutii' ftances he prepared, Without delay, to compi^ with tho comftiander in chiePs requifition for ' tro6ps ; and ae, after their embarkation, he «u of opinion that thofe whieh remained would not bt fmffcient to enable him to remain at WiHiaki^ btirgh, he took the refolution of paflihg June Rivet, and retiring to Fortfmouth. Aa a> :pttk wa«( feftt off to acquaint the comro»i der in chref with this determination^ and w the fteps taking for an rmmsdiaite cospii' tktict #ith hh requiStion. In the diffstciii writtffl writr tidb mehti been taken of Dpi fiflenti make borho tionof the iJe; be dbli| where, feniive ( vvlh'ngn 0fit, t cbMnan >e marqj ' body of riref, at pwach about *ere tak« Ml i drlv< 6flly the About foi ' ■, II \ A M £ R I C A N ,W A R. ♦»f. »:fft«:. wfhttft 6n thw occafion, whtcii bstr date the diir!t<^^ ^ i*» rieth of June, lord ComwsUli& talsc* occafioiv to.^H^'\ ittindon, that upon viewing Yoxk (which had been ptop^ofed as a defenfiye poft» propel' to be taken for the fecarity of fliipping), he was clearly of opinion that it far exceeded his power, con-:. fiftently with the ^K^mmander in chief's pJans, to inake defenfive poft» there and at GJouceftcr, v both of which wouid be neceflary for the protect tion of (hipping ; and apparently chagrined with the idea of having his force reduced fo far as te be obliged to ad upon the defenfive in a provinca! wbere, in his own opinion, the tnofl; vigorQus of*. f«nlive operations were nece(l»ry, he intiinated % villingners, if the commander in chief appn>ve4! of it, to return to Cbarleliown, and take the cMnnand in South Carolina, although in that Matter nothing but mtirtt&catioa and difappoint^ mentwas tbbeexpeft, , The refolu tion of pafling Jamt* River i)eing^ taken, the army maichod from Wiiliamftmrgh on the fourth of July, and encamped on a piece of ground that covered a ford into ihc iil.:nd of James Town ; and the fame evening the queen's rangers pjkSed the river. Oa the fifth the whsflU carriagee, and on the fixth the bat-hor&s and I baggage were pail^d over ; whtiA the ^nay ronii- iiued in the fame encampment. In the mean time marquis de la i'ayette, thinking diat.the main of the Britiih army had already crofl[ed ihc rifer, advanced by forced maroh^ to ftrike a I blow at the re«r^guard. lufprmation of his ap- proach was communicated to earl Corn w^iis about noon of the fljtth of July, and feme pains juiy l«ere taken, by fufFeringihe pi flight : But, on the left, lieutenant-colonel Dundas's brigade, confifting of the forty>third, feventy-fixth, and eightieth regiments, being op- pofed by the Penfylvania line, aflided by part of Fayette's continentals, with two pieces of cannon, the action, while it laded, was fliarp and bloody. After a (tvert contefl:, the provincials wer^ rout- ed, and their cannon taken. They fled acrbts the morafs in great confufion ; but by the time of their flight it was dark, and to that circumdance alone they owed their fafety : An hour more of day-light would have probably been attended with the ruin of Fayette's whole detachment, as the cavalry were in readinefs to purfue, and the light. infantry and other troops on the right of the Bri- tifli line in excellent condition to fupport them, from having fudained no lofs in the action. In this action the king's troops had five ofBcers wounded, and about feventy privates killed and wounded. The lofs of the enemy in killed, wounded, and prifoners, amounted to about three hundred. The weight of the adion fell upon the feventy-fixth and eightieth regiments, both of 'them lately raifed ; and their firmnefs and intrepi- dity did them fmgi'.lar honour : The gallantry and good condufl: of lieutenani-''olonel Dundac^ who commanded them, merited ;>nd obtained the j higheft commendation* The army having paifed i .■:■:-■ ' ■-.• ■ James Janie were Gorn< reft Aft the ti the c< failing wallis, taken at Will ing hi further to repo; fenfive which within Point O on Yorl was recc lis was c gibie, t( Town, I pofe of I lord/hip the troa be fount ihe com quitting he declar in th;'.' lend fher different | |recorr,in( Nuitted m Poiii without /t'^ ■r • -r A VI E^RI CAN W A Ri 4)HJ; ;ar till tO" with nine iUtia, and ont of the oops were advanced :, the siiFair Lat quarter ere quickly iant-colonel forty-third, , being op- i by part of i of cannon^ and bloody. I werf rout- ed acrbfs the the time of circumftance our more of ttended with ment, as the ind the light- it of the Bri- ipport them, le action, la five officers les kill^id and y in killed, ;o about three fell upon the ints, both of li and intrepi- , gallantry and [Dundac, who obtained the having paffed Jamei Jairies River, the troops ord^ed for embarkatifinrCTH Arfi' vfcre fent forward to Portfmouth, whilft lord J^^^^ Gornwallis followed by eafy marches whh the ,Jjgj,, fgft Lord Corn- After the embarkation of the troops-, but before ^*g?^* the tranfports pur to fea, an order arrived from jame* Ri- the commaader in chief to countermand their ^^^•^*°"* "" failing. He wrote at the fame time to earl Corn- Portf- wallis, exprefling his furprife that he ihould have""""** taken the refolution of quitting the neck of land at Williamlburgh without conl'ulting him j direft- ing him, if he was flill there, to remain until further orders ; or, if he had left it, to endeavour torepoiTei^ it, for the purpofeof eftabliihing a deii feDfive poH: for the prote^ion of (hips of the line^ ' which he fuppofed might be found fome where within that neck, and probably either at Old Point Comfort on Hampton Road, or York Town on York River : And as the firil ojjjyiefe places was recommended by the admiral, iroro Gornwal- lis was direfted to examine it, and, if found eli-. gible, to occupy it either with or without York Town, as (hould feem expedient. For the pur- pofe of eflablifliing fuch a poll as was wmteJ, his lorJfhip was at liberty to retain all or any part of. the troops ordered for emburkaiion, that (hould be found ne -'^ary: And, in the (Irongell terms, the commanuer in chief deprecated the idea of quitting the Chefapeak entirely ; on the contrary, he declared, that as foon as the feafon for adling ' • . in tli'* country returned, he fliould probably fend there all the troops he could (pare from the dilFerent pods under his command : He therefore I recommended it to lo/d Cornwallis, if he had quitted York, to re-occupy it, or at lead to hold Old Point Comfort, if it was poffible to do it,, [without at the fame time holding York. ■ • , Uponi . ' «> V: 44» HISTORY OF THE i7«i. CHA^F. Upon the receipt of thofe cttTpatches, lord XLiv. CornwalUs, who, by that time, had reached Portfmouth, directed Old Point Comfort to be viewed by the engineers and the officers of the na- vy. From their report it appeared, that works cpnftrud^ed on Old Point Comfort would neither .command the entrance into Hampton Road; nor fecare his majefty's ihips when lying a^ anchor within it: It could therefore be of no ufe as a de. fenfive ftation for ihips ; and as Portfmouth w>g admitted, on aM hands, not to be fuch a pod as \iras defired, from its giving no protection to ihips (tf the line, lord Cornwattis was of opinion, that the fpirit of his in^lru^tons If ft him no other option than to fordfy York and Gloucefter, the only places th»t remained capable of affording the re. qttiiite pratedion to ihips of that denomtmtion. Meafures were accordingly taken for feizin^ aod fortifying iki0f pods, and for evacuating Poitf- mouth.and month. Patt of the army, in tranfports and boat«, tratet hit proceeded up the Cbefapcak, and took pofleifioa force at ^f fhcm oA the fitA of Auguft ; and the evacua. croncefter, tiofi of PoFtfmouth having been completed oa the twentieth, lord Cornwallis's whole force on the twenty-fecond was concentered at York and Gloa. certer. la the mean time general Waihington had affem* bled hie army at Peek's Kill towards the end of the month 6f j-une, and marching from thence lo White Plains, was the^e joined on the fnth of July by the count de Rochambeau with the French t'l-oofM from Rhode Ifiand. In the evening of the &o'rce.of twenty-firft, the whole American and part of the wiihington French array marched from their encaiflpment towards King*6 Brl^u, ., and appearing before it early next morning, were drawn up in order of battle^ whilft the French and American officers re* connoitredl Augikft. Evacuates Portl- and Ro- chatvibeau. LU^i. .fe*=;*'H^''-'f*^ -, A .— . .^v^'i.-ir ■"'J'-. ,:"^»*«- E :che8» lord id reached ifort to be ; of the na- that works (uld neither Road) nor tg a^ anchor ufe as a de> fmouth Vfu ich a poft as aion to Ihips >ptnion, that t other optioB kar, ths only rding the re. «noinii^tion. >r fetzin^ and ruating Poit(- E>rt8 and boati, took poiTeffioa kd the avacua. Upleted oa the [ force on the orkand Glott* jton had affem. rdt the end of (From ^ence to on the f»th of with the French evetting of ^ and part of the ;ir encampment I paring before it I up in order of tricanoffic€F8re' connoitrsd A M E R I C A K W A R. Hi I7»*» coonoitrfi the pofvtior, of the Britiih work(« The c H a P. fame fcene was re-a&^d ia ihe morjaii^g of the, ^*^IV. tventy-third, and in the afternoon the confede- rated armies returned to their former enc;imp>- ment. Both the Fstsnch and Ain«ricaa.cointnan* den bad been for feme time ioipatiently expeft, ing difpatches fcom the count de Graifc At length (hey arrivvsd abotit the middle of Au^oil, and announced the intentien of the count de QraiTv to eater the Chefapeak with his fleet sibout the end of the tnonth, and commeACe his operationi there. They alfo gave intim»tiont that be couU wot re* nain long upon the American coiift. If any doubt exifted ^fore, m to the point d attack, it was now renvbved. Nothing could any- where be done without a covering fleet ; and as the count 4e Grafle had determined so enter the Chefapeak* it was agreed between Wadungtoa and KochambeskU, that Virginia fliould be the feene, and an attack upon Lord CornwalKs: was - the objed of their joint operations. Letters t9 this eiFed were difpatched to meet the count de Grafle on his pafiage, and in the mean time mea- furcs were taken to continue fir Henry Clinton in the belief that New York was ftill the obie<^ of their enterprife. After fdveral woveniems, and v4ri^s deceptions pr«ctifed ta induce this beUef, the allied army fuddealy marched! acrofs the jer- feyg t.-^^' .'■ ><. — -• ' ., - .'t^^*.,, . -*^V-"^ i\_. t ■'■■ ,*, ■^*fIt-« i *\' ""l"* 'f^K.j ^:\ riSPr 44« HISTORV OF TMt 'i' i;- CHAP. of.b&ftIe fhijMaiid fevcral frigatawer'e employed; ^£J[^J^ and irith the Tcff he remained at anchor In Lynha*. itHi. ^^" ^^» P^ fMhin the cape«. In the mean time admiral Gtares hav'-/^- exa- mined the entrance of the Deta^are by m'\p^ of his frigates, and finding no er. my to be there,, proceeded dn to the <*ape$ of Virginia, in fight of -which lie artiYed on the morning of the f§th of September. Hh adrasKed firigatts fpeedifyw. nounced by firgnat the appearatice of an enemy's fle^t at ailch ft. The French! ir^n appeaTe^to 'be ttrnfidtral^ly wtyrfted, as it waj tibtiged tti b«ar aw^iy, iii tJTder to gire an cyppori ♦unity tt) fhe dicirtre to ndtanre to its fijpport : But! fto flitp t^tt t^h^ ft^ -Jrafs tak^en. A.dmiral Gnrrtsl preferveif Partial a tionbe- ■.^.^rM.-,'...^. i^,, . '■:^tx:,^: s^.itif'. VA^i"' >£'-^,r- tmii^ . ;■ , ,^ AMERICAN WAR. 40 bav'-^ exa- by m-v^ of to be there,, nia, in fwht of the «th :s fpeedUyw- ,f an enemy's ind the vrmd itcred to offer SraffepcTceit- ay iwastheBri" bnd fquadroft s for his feips Ime pnr^mJfrt- cir heads to tk f Ae «ptt te ac able to aval ,ers. The Bri. ks rear btin^ ■van, the adcn- -cet t<5 "W«aT, bif t\ the fame tad dward in a H« Berts vrcre nw ttffg dear of the! down oponfte tithe afternoon 1 ;^ the van and] ct«, Vhtch conti. it. TheFrenA pctrHkd,, as "rt wa K) gitc -an ofppoT- its fupport : But Admiral Gn^\ prefervei 1781. preierved the weather- gage during th« night, andCM A P. intended to hare renewed the battb next morning, . -^J^'X' until he found, from the report of the captains, that Mcveral of his (hips werefo much difabled, a« not to be in a condition to engage until their da- mages were repaired. Neverthems, the two fleets continued in fight of each other for five days, and were at fome times very near. The French, al- though it was fteveral times in their option, from having gained the wind, (hewed no inclination to rcae-v theaftion ; and it was not in the Britiih ad- mind's power, from the crippled ftate of his fleet, to compel them. At length the count de Grafle, ;}ti the tenth, bore away for the Chefapeak, and the next day anchored within the capes. Upon bis arrival he had the fatistadion to find that M. k Barras had got into the Chefapeak in fafety, whilft the two fleets were at fea, brin^^ing with him fourteen tranfports laden with heavy artillery and all forts of military itores proper for carrying on a fiege. The lofs of men onboard the Britim fjtt in this adion amounted to ninety killed and two hundred and forty-fix wounded. The whole of the van divifion under admiral Dritke had fuf- fered confiderable damages in their mads, fails, and tigging : But the Terrible proved fo leaky afti; ibe a^ion, tliat on the eleventh it was found ner^hiry to abandon her. Her people, provifi- on-, and iteres, being taken out, (he was let on lire, and burnt. Ths French accounts make their iofg i.i this action amoant to about two hundred and twenty men, including four officers killed and ci^;U«ien wounded. Admiral Graves, after Tecon- noi»'-ng the pofition of the French fleet upon their return to the Chefapeak, and finding thalt they blocked up the entrance^ determined, in.pur- fuanceof the advice of aeouncil of a 'wsr,^ 'to re- turn -tr V-c'^jfj- ■v, -* 44« JU fi T O R Y O F T li K CHAP, turn to New York before the equinox, and there ^LIV. yfg every means for putting his fliips in the bcft , ,,5J J poflible ilate for lervicc •. In the mean time tiic commander i:i chief at New York, with a view of making ;i diverfion in Conne^icut, and drawing genera! Wafliington'g attention that way, detached brigadier-general Arnold with a confiderable force to make an at- tenipt upon New London. The troops embarked on this expedition confided of the thirty-eight!), fortieth, and fiffv- fourth regiments* the third bat- talion of New Jc- fey volunteers, the loyal Ame- ricang, the American legion, fome refugees, a detachment of yagers, and another of the royal artillery. They pafled through the Sound in tranfports, and landed in the morning of the fixth of September, about three miles from Ne\fr Loa- don, in two divifions, one on each fide of the harbour. That on the Groton fide, confiding of the fortieth and fifty-fourth regiments, the third battalion of New Jerfey volunteers, with a dp. tachment of yagers anc) artillery, was commanded by lieutenant-colonel Eyre, and that on the New London fide, confiding of the red of the troops, * The reader is reqaeflcd to run his eye over the Plan of th!i adion, by which it will appear, that the advantages ariling from the fituatioo of the French were not improved at they might hut been ; for when the Britifh fleet arrived, under a very favoun< ble and leading wind, the French fleet was lying promifcuoallj at anchor; they were obliged to flip their cables, and fereau I them ftretched acrofs, and ftood oat to fea from the re(t of their fleet : The remainder waiobliged to make feveral tacks in work< ing out of the bay. It was very generally faid, th^t had the Britifh fleet continued its courfe, the wind llill being as favourav. ble as it could blow, the feven French (hips i> advanced mud have been cot off from the reft of their fleet. But for fome ffi- ion, which h^tn never b«en e?cplatnecl, the Briiilh admiral haaled I hi$ wtnd. Ths advance of the Britiih becominj> their rear, the fleet flood out to fea, and were followed by the French. lai fhort time the xftion commenced. byl ^^. . ./Vf^-.«»«'««^>. :: -« 1 ■If AMEAlCAM WA«. 449 and there n. the bed II chief at iverfion ia ifliington*« ier-general lake anat- 8 embaflted irty- 'eighth, le third bat- loyal Ame- refugees, i of the royal ,e Sound in 5 of the fixth m Ne^y Lou- fide of the confifting of ats, the third , with a de- s commaaded t on the New jf the troops, erthePlanof»hii uagesarilingftoiB nihey might han er a tery favouta- ing promifcuoally )Im. and fevenof imthereltofiheit sral tack* in work- aid, thit had xk [\ being as fa»o"»" .Qj advanced mall , But for fome rej- Itilh admiral hiuW linij their r«f» ^ the French. lo* til k79i. no by brigadier.gQner^t Arnold. On the New Loq- CHAP. doa fide no great Qppofition was made; A redoubt, ^^V* from which the enemy had beguna ciatfooade, wai abandoned by them upon the approach of gendh ral Arnold F>th part of his diyifion i and foon ii^ terwarda Fort Trumbull, chat com.maiided the . harbour, wal entered by captain Millet M the head of Four cotnpaniei of the thirty^eighth re^ff men , tiirough a (hower of grape-fhot whkh fUi: ' liarg^ed frQm their cannon, but wir', • niifchief, only four or five being fc.ilU l in the aflfauU. General Arnold loft xing pofleflion of New London : He New lot- Wasoppoic by a fmall body of the eperay with a ^^n taken field-piece; but they were foon jfo hard prefled J'raoir** as to be obliged to fly, and leave their .pi^ice of artillery behind. On the Groton fide ojf the har- bour was Fort Grifwold, a regular work of cond- derable ftrength. It wag afTiKuked on three fides by the fortieth and fifty-fourth regiments, under lieutenant-colonel Dyre, and defended by the ene- my with the mod obftinate bravery. At length the gallant eiForts of the aflallsnta were fuccefsful ; and with fixed bayonets they en- |.ter^d the work» through the embrafures, m the kfc of the enemy, who were armed with long "pears to oppofe them. A confiderj^bte carriage low enfuea, until the enemy wsr6 driven from k ramparts, and h:kd ceafed from all farther re- ftince. The honour obtained by fhe Britifh oops in this aflfauh was great, but too dearfy urchafed. Two officers, and forty-fix foldiers, erekiiied, and eight officers, with one hundred d thirty five foldiers, wounded. General Ar- [old, upon his landing, had been informed that ' e works at FortGrilwold wcr^ incomplete, and Vol. H. G g i|t« i ' •»(♦--'■*• t', ■* <};3S^V.i,;.. s^^^MI^-^^ \-^^ .', H'-'--^^ <*•, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 121 125 ■u liLi |2.2 £ U& 12.0 iJ& |l.25|U,j^ < 6" » Hiotographic Sciences Corporation ^^ ^\. ^r\\ 23 WIST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. I4SS0 (716) 172-4503 ^A^ V '^ 5^ 450 HISTORY OF 1*He CltAP.itrgamfon incptifiderable : But wh^ be arrived ^^^V^/ at New London, and, from ' art ¥rttirtence, had 'j^3^;>#ici^«|d itsgr^tftrcngth, he difjpatched an officer ^ 1o countermand his orders for an aflfautt, who un- fortunately reached colonel 'Eyre a few minutei ^ob }ac«« The fort had tefufed to furrender, and 'thb adion was begun. Of the garrifon eighty-five were killed, inclttdin^ colonel Ladyard, their commander ; fixty %erb wounded, mod of them inortaUy, and fiiventy made prifoners. Ten or twelve of the eiiejcoy's (hips were burnt, that con- tained an immenfe quantity of European and Weft India goods. ' Unluckily they alfo contained fome gunpowderjt unknown to general Arnold, by the explofion of which the Barnes were coromuniated to the dwellihg-houfel in the town ; and a great part of it was confumed, notwithdandind evenr endeavour to (lop the progrefs of the . coniagnn- j on. Upwards of fifty pieces of cannon, and a great quantity of military (lores found in thedifle<| refit works, were alfo dsftroyed* ^' ReMra of Ordnance. &c. taken in Fort GrUwoId and hij Dependenctea. In Fort Grifwold: Iron ordnance, mounted onc8rriagn,il eighteeo-pounder, 14 twclTCpounders, 2 nine-pounders, 1 fii-j pounder, 1 four-poiunder, 1 three pounder.- TrarelliDg: il twelTe-pounder, 3 foor-jpoonders. In the Fleche; trirdKaj 3 four-poondera. On the lower battery, 7 eighteen-poandcr * t^elvc-poundcra. . Total of iron ordnance, 35.— Mnrqne • ; French, loi.— Pikes, 80— Round (hot, 1680 cightceof dera, a 100 twelve pounders, 290 nine- poonderi, loofix-^. ders,. SOD four-ponndert, 40 three pounders. — Grape Ahx. i]| eighteen-pounderti, 340 twelve pounders, 75 nine-pooodfli,f fix-pounders, 90 foor-poonders, 75 three-pounderi. Cartrf'' filled, I a eighteen-pounders, 23 twelve-ponnders, 8 Hine;.. ders, 4 fix pounders, 14 four pounders, 6 three-poundcn> Mufquet cartridges 10,000; powder, corned, 150 cwt/ carriages, 1 garrilbn thirty-two pounder a travelling t« pounder, two ammunition waggons, ftores for labm-atory, &c| m '••Hjstu^^Sff^ 'm>m1i% iT-^m .**"■" AMERICAN WAH. iv be arrived ^ence, had { an oiBccT t, who un- ew tnmuttt render, and I eighty-five fyard, their ioft of *«» T8. 1'enot nt, that COB- Ban and Weft intatned fome riiold, by the ;omm»^^caied ; and a great kandinri every he coniaptn- :attnon, and* I indinthcdiie. CHAP. Retarn of Ordoance foaod tnd (piked on the New Loodon fide. XLIV. Mine iron eighteea*ponnders, itiouisted at Fort Trnmbullt 6 gxpouodert at ditto, 6 twelve or oine pounders, mounted at Fort Folly ; » ditto difmouoted ; i twelTe pounder oa the road tQ New London. Toul 14. In Fort Truinboll, 14 eighteen, and three fix-pounden* ' A quantity of ammuoitioo and (torei of different kinds was (Joftroyed in the magazine at Furt TtambulL and at the meet* jM^ofc io New London. 1781. ,,tGiifwoWandhi| Gga 4- J"* ^^ ^1 I"' ■*^. 4f» HISrORYOF THE CHAP- XLV. 1781. The Confederate Armies arrive at If^illiam/burgi k Virginia-— 'Lord Cornwallis vindicated from the .■^ Charges of Colonel TarUton — The Combined Ar- mies encamp before Tork Town—Tork Town re- ' \ gularly invefted — Surrendered to General tVif/b- ittgton Efforts of Sir H. Clinton for the Reliftf Lord Cornwallis — Recapture of St, Eujlatius— Succefsful Cruize of Admiral Kempen/elt. CHAP. A LTHOUGH the damage done to thd Aim. ^X' . £jL 'icansby this attack upon New London was immenfe, it was not of fuificient importance to flop general Wafliington in his progrefs to Virgi- nia. The enterprife in which he was now engag- ed was of the utmofl: moment. If fuccefsful, it would have material influence in (bortening the duration of the war, and was not therefore to be r abandoned for any pa^' ' confideration whatfo- .ever. The combined a' ;, after pafiing through I V; ■ Philadelphia, marched to the head of Elk. River, which falls into the Chefapeak at its interior ex- tremity. Tranfports from the French fleet were] fent thither to receive them, and by the twenty, fifth of September the whole were landed in the I The confc- neighbourhood of Williamfburgh, and joined the Sarrive t^oops Under the marquis de la Fayette and mon- atwuiiam-lieur de St. Simon. General Wafliington, andl (burgh in jjjg j,Qy^( jjg Rochambeau, with their fuites, left the army upon its arrival at the head of Elk, andl proceeded by land to Williamfljurgh, where theyl arrived! Virginia. n M £ K I C A N W A H. "Vi ! from the nbined Ar- k fownre' leral W^fh- the Relifsf Eujiatm— felt. to the Aim- London vas [iportancc to refs to Virgi- J now cngag- faccefsful, it jortening the lerefore to be ation whatfo. affing through of E\k River, ts interior ex. neb fleet were jy the twenty- landed in the and joined the yette and mon- afhington, and leir fuites, lett •ad of Elk, and' rrh, where they ■^ arrived! arrived On the 14th. They irnmediately repaired C H \ P. pfi boird the Ville de Paris, p wait upon the count > J^ ^ ' 4e OralTe ; and at this meeting, a council of war j^gt. was held, in which the plan of their future ope- ntions was fuiuily fettled aind agreed upon. About this time a party of North darolina loy- alifts, to the number of fiip hundred and forty, uader the command of Macneil, a colonel of mi* titia, fuTprifisd HilKhorough, furroundeda churcli Vherea body of xontiuentals were ftationed, and took about two' hundred prifoners, among whom was Mr. Burke, the governor of North Carolina^ his council, two colonels, four or Ave captainft, ire fubalterns, together with feveral other men ^ rank ; and releafed fixty men that were in gaol 00 aeconnt of their fidelity and attachment to the Brjtifli government. On their return they were attackisd by a body of about three hundred of the i^xDy, who lay in ambuih near the banks 0$ the Kain Cr«ek. An adion took place, in which the byalifts fuifered the lofs; of tl;^ ^s^.„ AMERICAN WAR. 4SS * Tarleton, p. 369, could 1781. b^en embraced, confidently with the orders under C HA P. w]iich he aded, the infttu£lioni he had received, ^^' "' and the intelligence which had been from time to time forwarded to him. It has alfo been faid * that if this meaCure was not thought eligible, in that cafe he ought to have abandoned York Town, and returned with his army to South Carolina. But it ou|;jbt to be recolleaed, that, fome little time before this, he had be^n made acquainted fitfa the commander in chief's defign of commenc- ing rplid operations in the Chefapeak, as Coon as the feafon of th^ year would permit: And if he had at this fiine withdrawn his army ff pm Virgi- \^^ tha^ pljin of operj^tion, which he alfo knew was agreeable to the wiflies of the Britifli mihiftry, ni^il ^iave.been eniirelj^fruflrated. '^ith tl^is ih« ^oroatipn before him, and with even a conditio- o4 alTurance of relief, he would fcarcely have Been juHifiable in taking a ftep that would have teen attended with fach a confequence, except uiider circnmftapces of a more preffrng neceiHty t|in yet exilled. Befides this, by his march to Ciirolina, he! Muft have abandoned and given iip to the enemy, a confiderable quantity, of artillery, ti^ (hips of war, tranfports, proviHons, fibres, aa'dhofpitats, with the fick and wounded. It feems, therefore, under all the circumftances, that fuch allep at that time could not have been juftified : ^tfd bad |ie attacked the marquis de la Fayette, pKyioujly to the arrival of Walhington and Ro- chambeau,' he mu(l have greatly impeded the pro- grefs of the works at York, by drawing oflT the troops employed upon them, from whofe linre- nutting labour during the month of September, ^cy were in greater forwardnefs by the time the coiubined army aifembled at Williamiburgh than The com' bined ar- mies en> York k- i; yr« H I 6T O RY O F T H E CHAP, could have b^en expe£fccd» although they vereoot ^^V* even then nearly finiA^ed*. Ifae worki condrud* ing for the defence of York were of two' kinds } the on0 for the immediate defence of the towQ^ and the other a range of redoubts and field-viroiit at fome diftance from it, calculated to impede the enemy's approach. In this untoward pof^tion the Britiih troopa were ftationed, when the combined army of French and Americans appeared in -fight of York, on the twenty eighth of September, having marcbed - frcm WilUamiburgh that morning. They en. camped that night about two miles from (he works, Mmpbefore and the next morning were feen extending them, felvci towards the left of the Britiih army, but at a cautious diHance. The latter wiflied tobeatf tac'iced^ but the enemy appeared difpofed to pro. cad with great circumfpt^ion. Nothing mate* r'al happened on this day, either within or without fne lines, until the evening, when an exprefs ar. rived with difpatcbes from the commander in chief at New York, bearing date the twenty-fpurtli of September. In thefe earl Cornwallis was in- formed, that at a council held that day, between the general and flag officers, it was agreed tbat Dpward of five thoufanci troops (liouldbe embark- ed on bqard the king's fl)!p8 \ that every exertion .would be made, both by the army and navy, to relieve him } and . that the fleet, confifling of I twenty-three fail of the line, mi^ht be ezpe^edto fail by the fifth of October ; And iii a poftfcript his lordfhip was advertifed, that admiral Digby, with three more (hips of the Une^ had iufl arrived at Sandy Hook. Upon the receipt of thefe dis- patches, lord Cornwallis in the night withdrew fiis army within the works of the town, in ftilll expe£tation of being able to hold both the poiiJ p/" York, and Glo\jcefter until the promifed reliefl AMERICAN WAR. jroop9 were of French ork, onihe ig marched They «j. [1 the works, nding them, irtny, but at led tobeatf jofed to pro- othinp^tnaie, I'm or without n e:sprefs ar. amnoander in ^wenty-fpuril^ gvalli* was in- day, between g agreed ^hat lid be embark- every exertion and navy, to confifting of .beexpeftedto in a poftfcrijt dmiral t)ighy, lad Juft arrived )t of thefc dif- light withdref le town, in m \ both the pofti promifed relief arrived. 4sr arrW ed, provided It came within any reafoliable CHAP, time. The works abandoned by the Britiih troops J^^^' were occupied the next day by detachments from "^.^glT^ the combined »rmy : The fame day the town wa* vorkTown regularly tnveiied ; and in the night the enemy r«suiuir began to break ground, the French making their"'*"'*' approaches on the right of it, and the Americans on the left, the extremities of the two armies meeting at a morafs in front of thet centre of the Britifli works. The fame day the Duke de Lau- zon, with his legion, and a body of Virginia mi- litia under general Weedon, took a p<3ition ift front of the other Britiih poft at Gloacefter Town, ind kept it from that time bloclpded. In the night of the fixth of Oftober the enemy made their firft parallel at the diftance of fix hundred yards from the Britifti works, and by the jifter- noon jof the ninth, their batteries were complet- ed, which imnliediately opetied upon the town. From this time an incefiant cannonade was kept up: And the continued difcharge of fhot and '■'"■■' Ihells from a numl>er of heavy cannon and mor- tars, in a few days damaged the unfinifhed works on the left of the town, filenced the guns that :> were mounted on them, and occafioned the lols of agreat number of men. In the night of the ele- venth, the enemy, with indefatigable perfevcr«\nce^ '; opened their fecond parallel three hundred yards nearer to the works than at fir(l. In the meai> time the garrifon did every thing in their power to interrupt them in their work, by opening new embrafures for guns, and keeping up a cohdant fire with all the howitzers and fmail mortars they could nfian ; and about this time, the lofs of men fuflained by the enemy was more confiderable than at any other period during the fiege! They were particularly annoyed and impeded in their : approaches by two redoubts, advanced about thres . i / , hundred 458 HISTORY OF THE *^yr V '■ ^""**"*^ y**"**" '^^ ^'^^^ °f th* Britiih worki. v-i^ Thefc they refolved to aflfault ; and to excite a i;8i ^P^^^i o^ emulation, thereduflion oi the, one wai committed to the French, of the oth«r to the Americans. The attempt was made in the night of the fourteenth, and in |l>oth inflances fucceed- ^ ; and by the unwearied labour of the enemy, / . both redoubts were included in their fecond pa. / fallel before, the morning. The Britifli troops baring been weakened by ficknefs, as well as by the &e of the befiegers, lord Cprnwallis could not venture to make fo large forties as to hope from th^mmucll fiiccefs ; But at the prefent crifu fome attempt of that fort becamioi neceflary, in ' ^ order to retard the opening of the enemy's batte* ties in their fecond par^^Uel, againd the 6reof which, it was forefeen tbM the Britifli works (^ the left, already half ruined, . could not Iftand many hours. A fortie of three hundred andfif. iy men, under the diredion of lieutenant-colonel Abercrombie^ was therefore 6tdered againft two of the enemy's batteries, that feemed in ^e greatefl ftate of forwardnefs. A detachment of the guards, with the eightieth company of greu* diers, under the command of lieutenant>colone! Lake, of the gu&rds, was ordered to attack the and a detachment of light infantry, under one the command of major Armflrong, was to attack the other. The two detachments accordingly fid- lied forth a little before day-break of the fixteeoth of 0£l6ber, forced the redoubts that covered the batteries, fpiked eleven heavy cannon, and, after killing or wounding about one hundred of the Fre ich troops, who had the guard of this part of the trenches, returned within the lines with very little lofs. But this action, although honour- able to the officers and foldiers who performed it, yielded little public advantage. The cannon, . • ' -■■ - . ' having h worki. I excite a e, oae was m to the the night BtTucceed- )e eoemy, fecond pa- ti(h troops well at hy allia could as to hope refent crifii eceflary, ia smy's batte* the fire of (h works qa dpotlftand lired and fif- inant-colonel againft tf o pmed in the etachment of ^ny of greitt' jnant-colonel attack the antry, under was to attack cordinglyW- the fixteenth ,t covered the .n, and, after ^ndrcd of the 1 of this part he lines vith lough honour* performed it, The cannon, having AMERICAN WAR. 4f9 i7»i. having been haftily fpiked, were Toon rendered fit C H A P. for fervice ; and before the evening, the whole ^^^• battery and parallels appeared to be nearly com- plete. At this time not a gun could be (hewn by the garrifon on that fide of the works attacked by the enemy, and the (hells were nearly expended ; lord Cornwallis was therefore reduced to the ne- ceflity of either preparing to furrender, or at- tempting to efcape with the greateft part of the army ; and *he determined to attempt the latter, on the Glouceller (ide of the river, where briga- dier de Choife now commanded, and lay with a fmall corps at fome diftahce, in front of the works. It was determined that he (faould be at- ucked before break of day by the whole Briti(h force ; and the fuccefs of the attack was not in the lead doubted. The horfea taken from him (for he had a con(iderable corps of caValry) would in part mount the infantry, and the reft might be (applied by others coUeded on the road. As no baggage was to be carried, his lordfhlp intended to nave proceeded to the upper country by rapid marches, leaving his future route uncertain, until be came oppoftte to the fords of the great rivers ; when he meant to have turned off fuddenly to the northward, upon a fuppofitibn that the enemy's meafures would be principally direded to prevent his efcape to the fouthward. After turning to the northward, it was his lord(hip*8 de(ign to force his way through Maryland, Penfylvania, and the Jerfeys, and join the commandeer in chief at New York. Undoubtedly the %ue{n|>t was beyond cal- culation hazardous,' and the iflue totally precari- ous ; but, if it afforded even a glimpfe of hope, it was preferable to an immediate furrender. In purfuance of this defign the light-infantrj;, (he greatell part of the guards, and part of the iwenty-third regiment, were embarked in boats, . and • I ' \ 4<^ HISTORY OF THE C H Al P. and tranfported to the Gloucefter fide of the rivet 'JJ;^ before midnight, when a violent ftorm erofe, which 1781. ^^^ ^^^y pi'^v^Qted the boats from returning, but drove them a confiderable didance down the river. The paflage of the reft of the troops was now he. (;ome impraflicable, and, in the abfence of the boatst thofe that had already crofled could not poflibly return. In this divided ftate of the Bri< ti(h force, the enemy's batceries opened at breali of day : Fortunately the boats returned foon af. terwards, and brought back, in the courfe of th« for&nooo, the troops that had beet) carried over in the night, without much Iqfs, although the paflage between York and Gloucefter was greatly ezpofed to the enemy's fire. In the mean timet by the force of the enemy's cannonade, the Bri* tifli wdrks were tumbling into ruin : Not ^ guQ could be fired from them, and only one l^ight* inch and little more than an hundred cohorn (hells remained. They were in many places a&il. able already ; and if the fame fire continued a few hours longer, it was the opinion of the engineer, and principal officers of the army, that it would be madnefs to attempt to maintain them with the prefent garrifon, exhaufted by the fatigue of con- ftant watching and unremitting duty, and reduced in its numbers by ficknefs even more than by the enemy's fire. Under fuch circumftances his lord< ihip9 on the feventeenth of Odober, unwilling to expofe the remains of his gallant army to the danger of an aflault, which, from the enemy's . numbers and the ruined ftate of the works, could not fail to be fuccefsful, made propofals for aca- s pitulation. The terms were adjuftcid in the courfe of the next day, which, though not altogether j agreeable to carl Cornwallis's wiihes or propofals, were, neverthelefs, fuch as his defperate fituation, obliged him to accept } and on the nineteenth th; ...^ \ - • ■• . > -' ■ ■'• ' pofts AMERtCAN WAR. 461 f thi rivet ofe* which ruing, but 1 the river. as now be* ijce of the could not of the Bri* ed at break led foon af* >urfe of the arried over [though the was greatly > mean timci ,dc, the Bri. : NotaguQ iy one If^ght* idrcd cohoia f places affail* ntinued a few the enginesT, that It would them with tb« fttigue of coft- , and reduced e than by the ances his lord- ber, unwilling It >rmy to the n the enemy's ^ works, cpuW )ofals for a ca- id in the couife not altogether ics or propolals, jerate fituaiioD, nineteenth th? ' polls potkt of Tork and Ofouceftclr were furrendered toC HAP. general Waflllngton as commander in chief of the . ,^'^ combined army ( and the (hips of war, tranfports, , ^g 1 . snd other veflTels, to the count de Grafle, as com • Surrender- mandcf of the French fleet. By the articles of ;i'^S,"." Capitulation, the garrifon of York and Oloucefter, ington- including the officers of the navy and feamen of every denomination, were to fur render as prifo* neri of war to the combined army : The land force to remain prifoliers to tlie United States, and the Teamen to the mod chriftian king. The gar- rifon was to be allowed the fame honours which ihe garrifon of Charleftown had obtained when it jtttrendered to fir Henry Clinton. The officers ind foldiers were permitted to retain their private {Property ; and the oflicers had liberty to proceed upon parole either to Europe, or any maritime poft on the continent of America in the pofleffion of the Britifli troops. Although the article for exempting from punifliment fucti of the natives or other inhabitants of America as had joined the Britifh army, and were then at York, was reject- ed by general Wafliington, the fame thing was in effed obtained in a different form, by the permif- fion granted to earl Comwallis to fend the Bonetta floop of war to New York with his difpatches with - o«it being fearched, and with as many foldiers on bbitd »s he (hould think fit, fo that they were ac- counted for m any future exchange. By this per- minion he was tacitly empowered to fend off fuch of the inhabitants as were obnoxious to punifli- ment ; which a:ccordingty was done. By the furrender of the pofts . of York and Gloucefter . the Americans became poflcffed of a large train of artillery, many of which were of brafs, together with a coniiderable quantity of arms, ammunition, warlike (lores, and provifions ; and to the French were delivered up one frigate, two '4 , % "^C-'i''"'- «J^j 46a H I 8 T O R Y O F T H € ijSi. I ? C H A P. two fhipt of war of twenty gang, suid a number Xi-V. of tranfports and other vefleU. The Charon, of forty-four guns, and another (hip of war, were fet on fire by the enemy's (hells, and deflroyed during the ftege. The combined army confiited of feven thoufand French and nearly the fame number of continental foldiers, and about five thoufand militia. On the day previous to the fuN render, the. rank and file of the garrifona of York and Glouceder amounted to five thoufand nine hundred and fifty ; but fo great was the nutnber of the fick and wounded, that only four thoufaad . and feventeen were reported fit for duty. In the mean time fir Henry Clinton had draughted from the garrifon at New York a corps of feven thoufand of his befl troops, with which he propofed to embark on board the king's fhips, and impatiently waited for the moment wh^a the fleet would be ready to fail. He had already ia< formed lord Cornwaliis, that it was hoped the fleet would " (tart from New York about the fifth of October/' and afterwards, from the aflurances given him by the admiral, that h mt^rht pafs tbe Bar by the twelfth, if the winds permitted, and no unforefeen accident happened : But the fleet did not finally leave Sandy Hook until the nine- teenth, the day on which lord Cornwaliis furren* dered. The commander in chief embarked with the troops, as he had propofed, and the event of the fiege not being then known, both the navy and army put to fea with a determined refoludon to make the mofl vigorous efforts for the relief of earl Cornwaliis, and with confident hopes that thofe efforts would be attended with the mod com- pjete fuccefs. It was, therefore, with extreme mortification, when ihey arrived off the Capes of | Virginia on the twenty- fourth, that they received accounts which led them to fufpeA that earl Cornwaliis ■>ai,« •If r' i i A M E R. I C A N W A R. Mi' ;l' 1781. CornixfalUs had already capitulated. They how- CHAP, ever remained off the mputh of theChefapeak un- ^f*^* til the twenty-ninth. The intelligence received during this interval was fo uniform in its tenden- cy, that no doubt at laft remained about the iflue of the fiege. It was apparent, that the Britifli ar- mament had arrived too late to afford earl Corn- wallis the promifed relief ; and as that relief was the fole 6b]e€t of the expedition, the admiral de- termined to return to New York. The Britifli fleet at this time confided of twenty-five fhips of the line, two fifty-gun fhips, and eight frigates : That of the French amounted to thirty-fix fail of the line, befides frigates. Unfortunately, the let- ter written by earl Cornwallis to the commander in chief, acquainting him with the furrender of the pofts of York and Glouce.ler, and narrating the caufes that led to that event, with the motives that influenced his own condud, produced a dif- ference between them, which terminated in an ap- peal to the public. Such was the fate of the army; vhich, if fuccefs were the uniform refult of me- rit, would have undoubtedly fliared a different fkte : If bravery in the field, and patient, and even cheerful, fubmiflion to fatigue, inclement ikies, and the want not only of the comforts, bot fometimes even of the neceffaries of life *, have any claim to efteem and admiration. It has been obferved, and juftly, that in almoft all the general aflions to the northward, the troops under fir William Howe were fuperior in. number to thofe under general Walhington ; but, on the contrary, * The wiUer of this oarntiTe relates thefe tbiogs from his own knowledge. The fouthern army had no proviHon in the field but what paflWl through his hands. Iheir allowance frequently fcanty, and generally bad. The army under lord Cornwallis, in marches and coanter-marchcs, marched above 1500 miles. in -4'iMaiAi ^T-lA*a.iF%b^i w 4«4 H t 3 TO 14 T ^P tW k Recapture tiut. CH A P. in every general aAion to the footHwftrdy the cad. ^JJ;]^ my greatly outnumbered the' Brit^fli either under lord Cornwaltis or lord Rawdon. The misfortune that happened in Virginia wn foon afterward* followed by another in the Weft Indies, whkh^ although r:ot of equaV magaittide, was the caufe of much difcontent, as it feemed to hare arifen from* grofs negfigenc^ or ft ill greater mifconduO. This was the recaptui-e of the? Dutch ^lt.Euaii- ifland of St. Euftatius by the marquis de Bouille. The marquis having received minute inforiAation, by means of feme of the traders, of theftateof the iiland, together with the careleflhefs of the governor, he determined to attempt the redu£lioft of it by farprife. It has been already noticed^ that the ifland of St. Fuftatius might be confidet* ed as a natural fortification j with only one firfe landing-place, where the town flood, and which -was protected by a fort. But at the back of the iSand were alfo fome fmall bays, ix^here a landing •might be effefled in very moderate weather, 9^. though at all rimes accompanied -with cofifiderable rifle and danger. Of one of thefej which bad been left unguarded, th« marquis de Bouillie had received intelligence; and thei^'he determined to attempt a defcent. Having embarked about two thonfand men in a number of fmall vefleli, he hWei from Martinique, and took his meafures h &s to arrive before the place, in^iere he propofedto land early in the night. So hazardous was the attempt, that ih embarking, many bf the boats were daflvsd' to pieces^ and a number of foldiers loft; and with all the eflbrts he could make not more than foin* hundred men 'Were landed by an hour before day-light ; and as" almofl the Htbole of the boats were by this time dafbed to ^^m^ fi/.-^ A MB R I C A N WAR. ^ the Weft lagmtude, it feemed tiU greater the Datch de Bouille. iforittathm, the' ftate of ntft of the re reduction diy tvoticed, be coftfidct- \\y one fafe , and which back of the re a hndmg \»feathcr, jA- cofifiderablc vhich had . Bouille had etermined to cd abDttt ttw i\l vcffels, he s meafurcs fo propofedto Jous ^«a8 the bf the boats tr of foldiers could make ^ere landed ar almoft the time dafbed to »T««« i< ;«>■ to ptecei, n<» h^j remained oi^ bemKp a&Ieto CH AlP. land the reft. A ihe troops ^hich had beea ^^^' landed were net cquai in numoer to the ganlfbn, the marquis de Bouiil^ was fenfible that nothing hut a bold attempt to take the fort by fui>priJe could poifibly fucceed. He accordingly- put hie troops in motion, and inarched with^ the vtaioft expedition towards the fort, diftant about fix miles* The way to it was not only difKcuk, tint interfef^ed by a d^ie where a handful of men might have (topped an army. But in his fituatisti every riilc was to> be run. His retreat being cut oSf nothing but fucceJs eould pollibly fave him and hit troops from deftrudion or captivity. A difcharge of mufquetry from Uie French at a divi- gon of the Britifli troops, which was feen exerci- fing in a field at fbme diHance from the fort, gav« the firft alarm tq the garrifon. Thofe who were ia quarters immediately hurried to the forty and (» loaded the draw-bridge^ that it could not be ralGBd until t-he enemy arrived, and entered with them. Lieutenant-colonel Cockburn cbegoveN Bor, who bad been taking an early ridie according Itocudom, feeing' fome ftrange vefTelsoiFtheiflana, took the alarm and returned ^ but the French m the mean time had reached the town, and made him prifoiier before he difm.ounted*. Thus was the ifland of St> EuftatiuS' reduced by [the marquis de Bouill^ on the morning of the |twnty>ftxth of November, with no other I/ofs thafi [tea foldiers killed and wounded. With the ifland ' Lieuienant-colonci Cockburn, a uat'vs- of Aberde n^ w«i awards tried by a, cwrMnartiaJ, and fijuad guilty nf.cujpabie j^ttt in not taking the necefl-iry jirecautions for the defence qf llie ifland, nocwithiianding he had received the falleft ictell/geoce fan iDWoded att4ck. .:•.',".■ Voi,Iliji*«v- H b ;*0/ 4;fcAi /^' 4*6 HISTORY OF THE C H A ?. the conqueror* became poflefled of ^ large fum of ^^^* money, eftimated at two millioni of Hvres, being the produce of the late fales of prizes. Whilft St. 1781. / Succeftfal cruize of admiral Kempen- feldt. I i ■ I Euftatius was in the pofleifion of Great Britain, fome pains had been taken to fortify it. Sixty, eight pieces of artillery were mounted for its de- fence, and the garrifon confifted of two regiments muftering fix hundred and feventy-feven men. The dependent iflands of St. Martin's and Saba were attacked immediately afterwards, and (bared the fame fate as St. Eudatius. After all thefe misfortunes, the year (781 clored with a fuccefsful cruize of admiral Kempenfeldt in the European feas. Information had been re* ceived in England, that a large convoy of tranf* ports with troops, and of ftore-lhips and provifion veflfels, was getting ready at Breft, and to fail in the month of December, the greateft patt of it being deftined for the fleet under the count de Grafle, and the remainder for M. deSuffrein'si fquadron in the Eaft Indies ; and the whole to be| convoyed a certain diftance by a fleet of ~ war under the command of the count de Guichen.| To cruize for and endeavour to intercept this fleet] and convoy, admiral Kempenfeldt was difpatcbedl in the beginning of December with twelve Mm of the line,'' a fifty gun fliip, four frigates, and a| fire-ihip, being all that were then in readinefs foiq fea. On the twelth of that month he fortunatet got fight of them in a hard gale of wind, wbe the French fleet was much diiperfed, and the con voy confiderably aftern. ' The admiral determine to profit by the enemy's accidental fituation, and by carrying a prefs of fail to endeavour to cut a thdr convoy ; in which attempt he in part fuij ceeded. A confiderable number of prizes vc taken, fifteen of which arrived fafe in Britifli por while fome that had (Iruck afterwards efcapedij wd ture is AMERICAN WAR. ^ r lySiclofed Kempenfeldt had been re- ivoy of tranf- and provifion ind to fail in :eft paVt of it r the count de . de Suffmn't he whole to be eet of ihips of nt de Guichen.1 ercept thisfleetl yras difpatchedl th twelve Ihipil frigates, and i| in readinefs fot . he foTtunatel "of wind, whe ed, and the CM niral deterroint al fituation, anj •avour to cut he in part U of prizes v( .inBritilhpoi wards efcapedj 1781. th6 night. Two or three were fa^d to have beenC H A ^. funk ; and many others loft their voyages in cob- ^^^* fequence of the great difperfion of*^ the convoy that neceflarily enfoed. In the mean time the count de Guichen was coUeding his (hips, and forming the line. Towards the evening the Bri- tifh admiral found it neceflary to do the fame ; and, after taking meafures for keeping his fleet con- neded, went upon the fame tack with the enemy, intending to engage them in the morning. But when day light appeared, and he faw the French fleet to leeward, confifting of nineteen (hips o£ the line, and two others armed en flute, he did not think it prudent to rifk an engagement ; and con« tenting himfelf virith endeavouring to fecure the prizes already made, returned with his fleet to Portfmouth. The Agamemnon, however, and the frigate la Prudente, were detached to follow the French fleet, with a view of capturing any of the convoy that might chance to be feparated. It does not appear that they met with any fuccefs in this defign ; but on the twenty-fifth of December they made prize of five large fhips bound from Bourdeaux to Martinique, which were deftined to join the convpy under the count de Guichen. The prizes carried to England had on board near ele- ven hundred land forces, and between fix and feven hundred feamen. They were ainioft all freighted on the French Kmg's account, and were chiefly laden with brafs and iron ordnance, gunpowder, fmall arms, flints, bomb-fhelis, cannon-balls,' and a vail variety of other ordnance and military Iftores. Some of them were laden with cables, fail-cloth, and cordage ; and others with wine, oil, brandy, rum, flour, bifcuit, and falted provifions* {From the nature of the lading with which thefd ips were freighted, the importance of the cap* Iture is very apparent ; and fortunately for the ' H h a fafety m ■H ■>, g^ . ♦ i . 468 HIsyOR Y 9 jf TBE CHAf.fafetypf the Britifli Weft Jndia iflpds, thpr|. "^takeii,' was io (tia^ttfered a^d di/afeled by ftprmy V^ei^ther. that onlv a few of them. accomDaniprI kw V -5. Meeti inthi miip fhit*s- Chiif Naval tb'e Cci ayid Ft kltaK JKre^al yea ■tare of a ^ Hder wh(^ w Heoterj)t-irin ■ Bhiinthe'il Bwrdmgly Krybthe ■ ■ . Wtbthe' * Vrfachrm Kb^gun Biiiiiburs c pjand V wjxt' filenc Bi adive i va'time, i ^■y-y^v'- ttHpatien ■./ ^ AM^Kltfll^ WA*, 46^ C HA P. XLVI. ;ecfi if tJji Capture of Lord Cornivailis*t Arm^ Meeting 6f Pdfliawiint-^Siege of Fort St. Pbttip*i in thi Iflarid of Miriorcd—Capitulathn of F6rf St. Philip' s-^RtduSiion of ibe Ijland of St, tbrMe- fhlt^s—Oenerdt Carietoh appoinkd Con/ti/iiinder in ' C^iif iA AmiriU inftiaSt of Sir tJenry Clinioh-^ Navai Etlga^emint betiveen Jdmirai ktdnej tikd;- the Count de Grafe^Pfofperity of Britijh fairi > Uihi Edft Indits — CbnduH 6f the nniD Admtnif . tmitt^Ripulfe an4Difcoihfitur^ oftbe Spaniardf avd Prtn^b ^^fore Qibrahar-^kelief of Gib- kltat* I /j FTER fo many defeats' and Idffes to whicihC H A P. |jj[j[ th6 arms of cdngrefs had been fubjeft^d for . ^^^|\ (jveJUal yeaVs piaft,' fo brilliant ah event as' thecap- ,,3^ taf6 oF a whole army, and at irs head a coh^man- Effeditof |(ler\#hdwa« elteemedone of thfe braveft and rtiott S^J'"' ifer^fifing of rh'eir foe's; could nor fail to give cornwai- m thefrtioff heart-felt fatisfaftiDh; att4 way gc- "''»•^^ irding^y <:6lebriTed with' fuitable rejbicings and , fery bthcr denionftraiion that could' iierve to cdii-- ^ tb the' p^opk a pi'o'p^^ idea of its impof tan . tage fi rt in"' 470 HISTORY O F T H E CHAP. tage would fpeedily operate their relief. But ,J^J;^J[J;^ greatly as the viewg ot congrefs were forwarded 1783. ,# / * - ».*■■ by the itvfluence of this event upon the people of the revolted colonies, the benefits thence derived were inconliderabie compared with thofe that fprung from the effects produced by it upon the people of Great Britain. The fums raifed by par. liament for the fupport of the war, which feetned to increafe every year of its continuance, were 'already fo immenfe, that the public burdens impofed for the payment of the intered were nearly infupportable. The murmurs of the peo. pie had been hitherto fupprefled, from the hopes held out of a fpeedy and fuccefsful termination of the war -, and with the recovery of the revolted colonies, accompanied by the monopoly of their trade, they were taught to exped fuch an influx of wealth as would fpeedily compenfate for the pre* fent extraordinary expenditure. But after the events of the lad campaign, no one could be found fo fanguine as to exped that the revolted colonies could be recovered by force of arms. The expe- 1 tience of nearly fix years ferved to (hew, that j although a province might be over-run and fub- dued, it could not be fecured and preferved with' I out the concurrence of the inhabitants : And the war waged in the fouthern colonies for two years pad, eftabliflied the fad beyond contradi^iocl Although Georgia had been co.npletely reduced,! and civil government re-e(labliflied : Although alll refinance had ceafed in South Carolina, and a ge.1 neral fubmiifion taken place among the inhabiJ tants : Although the Britifli commanders in thofej provinces had been uniformly fuccefsful in all ge neral actions they fought, and had not in a finglcj inftance been defeated : Yet Charleitown anil Savannah, the two capitals, with a few dependei J 'V ■ ..'i.iiAjT*-«**^.^Jf .^.~*'^**'-- •'"-'*'•■■*»'»* ■^ ■•_-■**? t . AMERICAN WAH. 47H pods, were all that at this time reinaincii\^ Great CHAP. Britain of thole extenfive provinces. Thefe fa6kt ^^^^' naturally led to this inference, that it was^ madnefs to perfiit in an expenfive war^in which even fuccefs failed to produce its natural confequenccs. Such were the fentiments beginning to prevail amongfl: the people, when the parliament met on the Meeting af twenry-feventh of November of the jM-eceding P"*»»>«»» year. In the king's fpeech the loflfes in AmeHca were neither difliembled nor palliated ; but ilatcd a» a ground for requiring the firm fupport of jpar- liament, and a more vigorous, animated, and united exertion of the faculties and refources of the people ; whilft his majefly, at the i^nie time». exprefled his determined rerplution to perfevere in the defence of his dominions until fuch a paci- fication could be made as might confift: with the honour of his crown and the permanent intereft and fecurity of his people. An addrefs of thanka being moved for in the ufual form, was violently combated by the oppofition, under an idea, that if they agreed to it, they bound themfelves to fup> port his Majefty in profi^cuting the American war ; and an amendment of a diiierent tendency was offered by Mr. Fox. But the amendment waa rejected, and the addrefs carried in its original form by a confiderable majority of two hundred '" and eighteen againft one hundred and twenty- nine, in the courfe of this debate, although the minifters did not feem to be perfe£fcly agreed amongd themfelves, it appeared to be then: deter* mination no longer to carry on the war intmriiaHy I in the.cdlonies, but to keep poiTeflfion of i^ie pods which they at. prefent held, and dire£t their principal efforts againfl; France, Spain, and Hol- t land. This difclofure of a change in the mode of con- Idufting the war» although it mail have operated ^ii i aa I ;fa^-v 4Tt HISTORY OF THE 'i' Cfi A p. at t ffel^T to ihc cokmtci, gave no liitiffafUoo to ,^!^}^ the dp|>orilion, whd mavntained that the general rstac ^^^ ^ ^' nation demaaded a peace with Atne* rica ; whereat the mini^ry Aill avowed the defion of cxrrytng on that war, and had only varied tna «■ form. The oppofi(i«n now looked forward with eager expedation to the eera of the diflblution of that miniftry which had fo loi^ fuccefsfully with. llood their nsdeft attack*. The misfortunes of / the laft campaign gave them advantages which all the imfluence and power of the adminiftraticn ^cre unable to furmount. By this time the Amc' rican war was generally difrel^ed amongd the people ; and by the oppofition it wa« reprobated, together with the incapacity and raifcondu^ of miiiHlers, as the caufe of all our mitffortunet. The profecution of it, unfortunate as it had beeo, was dill fuppofed to be a favourite mfafure with the court. The oppofition, on the other. bond, loudly maintained, that to put an end to it ' was the only means of faving the nation from bankruptcy and ruin t And upon this ground, the itrongell they could adopt, as being that on which they expefted to be fupported by the nation, they continued to harafs and diftrefs adminiflration by a fuccfflion of motions in the houfe of commons, February. ^^^\ jj \^^ qj^ ij^g twcnty-feventh of February, they fucc(;eded in carrying a vote for addreflio^ his Mejeiiy to c^reft hi& minifters no longer to wage an opfenfive w^r againft the revolted cole- liies, and to aflure him that they would moil cheerfully concut '^^ fuch meafures as may b« found neceflary {o accelerate ; caftle, and rendered a number of thr guoii mounted upon them unferviceable. itil?, v' w* ever* the body of the works remained uui.ijured, and the garrifon not much diminiflied. But, aboat this time, a mod inveterate fcurvy began tp pre< vail amongft the troops, which, baffling all'medi> cal (kill, by the beeinning of February had fpread ^ fo widely, that of the whole garrifon only fix hundred and fixty were capable of bearing armi. Under thefe circumftances general Murray was ^^Foit reduced to the neceflity of capitulating. In the St. PhiUp'i. article? of capitulation every thine was granted that he required, except the claufe for freeing the Sarrifon from being prifoners, to which thedoke e Crilion was prohibited from cbnfenting by a fpecial inftrudion of the king of Spain } but in ' order to foften the rigour of this inftru^ion, the troops were allowed to be fent to Great Britain, under the cuftomary condition of not ferving UO' til thev were regularly exchanged. The terms of ca]'irulation havmg L. <: ' '' rtle d, St. l^ilip's Caftlej was furrendered on 'Vi<; : ' ■ f Febm'-' : Ajii thus the ifland of Mii.^rcu was reUored tothej crown of Spain, after it had been in the pofleffioij of Great Britain about feventy-four years. Tf whole Icfs of the garrifon, iakiUed and Vound duri \' ifkMEl^lCAN WAR. 475 lount to leccffiury i\ng thU rave ind jharafter e monthi ae enemy »Tki« and r they had their guns out tti V' rk« of t'.»', the {^tt, uiii>>jured| Bat,aboat ^an tp pw; ig all'medi. r 1»ad fptead 311 only f« paring arflu. Murray ^ ing. ln«e wa« granied ,r freeing the ich the duke renting by a )ain > but « ftruftion, tne ireat Britain, ot fcrving ««»• The tcrmi « Philip'* CaftU reftored to tbe ft the pbffeffioa ,r years. J«l landVounde ■^ duni dirriag t|M fi€ffe, amounted to two hundred andCHAp. eight : Of tnefe ftfty.nine were killrd, and one X^V* hundred and forty nine woui tJ. "TtJT" Nearly about the fame time the 'fland of St. acvere landed on the eleventh of January. Brigadier- general Frafer, a brave old officer who commanded the few Britiih troops that were in the ifland, find- lag himfelf totally unable to oppofe the landing of the French, took pod with, his little garrifon upon Brimiio;»e Hill, where he was joined by go- vernor Shirley with fome. militia of the ifland. The regular force under Frafer confifted of the firft battalion of the firft regiment, the two flank cpmpanies of the fifteenth, and a detachment of the royal artillery, the whole amounting to fix hundred men. The militia who joined him with governor Shirley, were about three hundred, firimdone Hill, where he took pofl, was a place of great natural ftrength, from its height and in- acceflibility : Some works had been erefled upon the top of it, but in no reQ>e& fuitable to the na- tural ftrength and importance of the place. The French, having landed, immediately began to in- veft Brimilone Hill, whilft the count de GrafTe ' ^ with f \ 476 HISTORY of THE (; 1 > i 7 C H A P, With tkii fleet hy at arichot in BaflTe tei*r^ Rdiid, ^J^J^]J^ td cover the fiege. Sir Samuel Hood, #Ho ih thd lysjtT^ ablience of fir George Rodney commandled tht ' f * Britiflx deet in the Weft Indies, and was then at ; '" Batbadoes, having received intelligence of the deftination of the French ^rmlment, failed with his fleet for the relief of St. Chriftopher'i, whet£ be arrived in the Evening of the tWenty-third of January, rhe next morning at dawn he be- gan to form his line, ^ith a view of bearing down and attacking the French fleet at an- chbr. His oWn fleet confifted of only t\^ehty. tw6 fliips of the line : That 6f the count de GriEifle amounted to thirty-two'; but evert with this inferiority, relying on the fuperiot- flcill atid valour of Britifli feainen, he determined to make a' bold attempt fot the relief of the ifland. txoiti the cirCumflancd of two of hi^ fliips running foul of e^ch other, he Was prevented from executing his defign on that day; attd in the njeab' time he, took a Ffeiich frigate f^om Mattini<)ue, Iddd«(^ With ordnance (lores for the fie^tg of BrimftoAei Hili> the capture of Which greatly delayed the' enemy in making their approaches. The nei^t morning the Britilb fleet having' foi^ntied the'Hfte; * advanced to the attack. The count de (!}t-aflb, on' perceiving their de^lign, left his atichoi'agie gi'ouhd and (todd out to fea, with a view of obtaining rodtn to avail himfelf of his fupetidrity in' riambet. Sir Sbtiiuet Hood iitifliediaitety faw the advantage t6 be gained frOm fhis movemenT of t&e efieihy; and ftill- preferVing; the appearance of ati attack,' in' ordet t6 draw thtih' farther from' the latad, at lii(l pulhied by theni with full fail, and took poffeflibtt' of the anchorage which they ha:d quitted. The couikt def Graffe attenipted to cut off the^^ BHtilh' reat; btit comtnodore Affleck, who conima'nded it, ftlp|)orted by his fecond^, captain Cornwkllis aiid » ' 4 V ^^I^ AN WAIL. ^ho i^ tbi ats then at rice of the failed witK ler's, whete ity-ihird of wn he be- of beatiftg fleet at an- ,nly t^^tiii- ic coutit de t evch with fidt (kUl attd iried to make land. l^JpW; ^untiirig toul oiri e46c»iting [ridalii time he liqufe, l«*3ia«d of fitimftotiei delayed thfe" ts. The nfeJ^t ^rti^the-lifte, de 6ta(fe, tin' btaining ttJo*^ Wriiitnbet. Sit e advaiitage t^j |tie ehertiy; atid all attack^ ij t^la!nid,atVaft to6kpi>tfeffiott' dultt^d. ThJ off the Btitift' i6 coiriina^ded tiiin CotiiwiiUw aao 477 and Iprd Robert l>f;»flnprj, Hept vp fo trcmeodous CHAP, a fire, that h? could n^ake ijp impreflion, apd with ^^b^^', little lofs to themfi^Ivps, greatly covered the other g, {hip9 pf the diviiion vhilft getting into their Nati- ons in the anc)iorag^-ground. TwQ attjiiclcs were ma()e the next day by the count de Grafle upon the Britifli fleet at anchor ; but In bpth he was re- pulfipd, and in the laft with fp confiderable loft, that during the remainder of the fiege he kept at a diflance. The lofs pf the 9rit|(h fleet in thefe attacks an>ounted to feyenty-two killed, and two hundred and forty-fpur wounded : That of the i| Frie^ch is unknown, bi)t It wa$ f^id that they fent a thpuf^nd wounde4 men to St. Euftatius. Ths luccefsful ipanoeuvre prfidifed by the Britifli ad- miral pf decoying th^ count de GrajTe from the road of Bafle Terre, and occupying it in his (lead, produced at firft flattering expe£lations that the iiland might yet be preferved. But the great fu^ perjority of the French force on fliore, compared with that of the garrifon, foon enabled the m3r« qu)3 de 3ouille to.invefl the fort on Brimflone Hill fo clofely, that all coinmunication between it and the Britifli fleet was entirely cut' off, whilfl:, in confequence of ths fame caufe, his own commu- nication with the count de Grafle was open, by iqeans pf every other landipg-place upon the ifland, except tl^at of Bafle Terre Road. The Friencji, although ^:^pofed to a vigorous fire from the garrifon, and confiderably delayed by the cap- ture of one of their ordnance veflels, and the lofs of another, wrecked upon the rocks^ continued to advance their works and profecute the attack with unremitting induftry, until they had mounted on their different batteries twenty-four large mortars, and twenty-three pieces of heavy cannon. 'I'he effed of the fire from fo powerful an artillery ading upon afpot, the greatefl diameter of which was : ■I .,- • ■.-.,. ' - . - f .. .. -*- 47« HISTORY OP THE C HA P. was not more than two hundred yards, may be ^J^V- eafrly conceived : Early in the fiege, every houfe l^^i!^ on the hill was either confumed or torn" to pieces by the enemy'* bombardment and cannonade : In the latter part of it, almoft all the gons were either difmounted or difabled ; and at lad an entire and perfed breach was made on the north- weft tide of the works, which, from the want of intrenching tools, it was impoflibie to repair. By this time alfo, from the great defertion of the mili- tia, and the number of the killed and wounded, ^« thofe who remained-in the garrifon, tit for duty, did not exceed tive hundred men. After all the efforts of courage and perfeverance, governor Shirley and general Frafer were reduced to the necedlty of capitulating; Very liberal terms were obtained both for the inhabitants and the garrifon : And on the twelfth of February, the fort at Brim, (lone Hill, and the iiland of St. Chridopher*^, with the dependent ifland of Nevis, were Surren- dered to the marquis de Bouille. The whole lofs of the Briti(h regulars in garrifon at Brimllone Hill during the tiege, amounted to one hundred i j and feventy-tix; thirty-eight being killed, ont hundred and twenty-tive wounded, and thirteen miffing. There being no farther occation for the Britim fleet to remain in Bafle Terre Road, fir Samuel Hood put to fea in the night of the four, teenth, unperceived by the enemy, and direded his courfe to Barbadoes, where he expeded to meet tir George Rodney with a reinforcement of j ihips from England. The furrender of Mont* ferrat, as was expected, fucceeded the lofs of St. Chriliopber's and Nevis ; a detachment from the French fleet, on its return to Martinique, having] appeared before it on the twenty-fecond of Fe« bruary. .•^^'^t- Froffll 'V" f. !» *^ W. w K .♦' AMERICANWAR. 479 gons were at lad an I the north- the want of repair. By of the raili- id wounded, fit for duty, After all the :e, governor -duced to the al terms were tthegarrifon: : fort at Brim. Chrlftc)pher's, were furren- The whole lof$ ft at Birimftonc ) one hundred ng killed, om d, and thirteea accafion for the lerre Road, fit ght of the four, ly, and direfted : he expefted to •einforcementof -snder of Mont- d the lofs of St. Khment from the Ttinique, having] ty-fccond of re- 178a. From the avowed principles and fentimentsofCH'AP. thofe who held the chief oiEces in the new admi- XLVL nitration, no doubt was entertained that peace with the revolted colonies would be one of the iirft objefts of their attention, and that the claim of independence fet up by the latter, would be no-, bar to a fettlement. In the preceding year, the . Aiperican congrefs had granted full powers to five of their agents in Europe to treat of^a peace } and . ^ with thofe perfons, or fome of them, means were found to open an intercourfe early in April : But fo many previous difficulties were to be cleared away, that fome time mud be expected to elapfe before they could enter on the final difcuffion of the bufinefs. . > One of the laft afts of the former adminiftrati- °*""^ on was to appoint general Carleton (now lord^p^^^^ DorchederJ commander in chief in America in commander the room of fir Henry Clinton. He was continu- S,^eri«hi- ed in office by the new adminiftration ; and, in find of fir confequence of the initruftions he received, a fort ^SJ,. of tacit cedation of hodilities was obferved be- tween the two armies in the licighboarhood of New York ; neither of them attempting to molell the other. In other parts of the world, the war was ftill to be profecuted with vigour agalnft France'* Spain, and Holland. The two former of thefe powers had agreed to renew their attempt this year againft the ifland of Jamaica : And, to fruf- ^ trate their defigns, fir George Rodney, foon after his arrival in England, in the fall of the preceding year, was difpatched to refume his command in the Weft Indies, with a reinforcement of twelve Ihips of the line. He failed from the Channel in January, and arrived at Barbadoes on the nine- teenth of February. In confequence of the inteU I jigence there received of the atttack made on St. Chriftophcr's (the news of its furrender not hav- ing j^ ' ">■• t ^^^i. ABKi|» ^o H.IST08 Y Q F THE C (^ A P. ing then arrived), be put to Tea immediately, trith ^'^^'- an iotention of joining fir Samuel Hood, and at- tempting it9 relief. On his paHaee, t\e met the Britifli deet returning from St. Chnftopher's ; and as the ifland was already furr«ndered, and the count de Graffie had failed for Martinique, he pro- ceeded with the whole fleet to St. Lucie, the mod convenient ilation for watching the enemy's moti- ons. For this purpofe fome of hi& frigat«s were Rationed fo as to g>ve bimthe earlieH: intelligence } whiUl the red of the fleet took on board proviQoos and water to, lad them for five months. As the Safety of Jamaica, and indeed of every other Bri. tiih ifland in the Weft Indies, depended upon the exertions now to be made to bring th£; count i^ Qralfe toa^ion, before he could form ajundioa with the Spaniih fleet to leeward^ the intervening fpace of time was probably a period not only of great expe^ation, .but of much anxiety and dif. quietude, to the Britifh admiral. On the fifth of April intelligence was received, that the Frencl^ were embarking troo)}s on board their (hips of war ; and on the eighth, at break of day* a fignal from the Andromache, captain By- ron, announced that their fleet was coming out of Fort Royal Bay, and (landing to the north-weft. Sir George Rodney immediately threw out the fignal for weighing anchor, which was inflantly obeyed with fo much alacrity, that the whole firi- tilh fleet, confiding of thirty-fix (hips of the line, was clear of Gros Iflet Bay before noon, and pro< ceeding with a prefs of fail in purfuit of the ene- my. Before day the next morning, the enemy was difcovered under Dominique; and in this fituation both fleets were far fome time becalmed. The enemy got the breeze fird, and (lood towards Guadaloupe : The van of the Britifli fleet, com- manded by fir Samuel Hood,, refzeived it next,! and y ately, with od, and at- t\e met the jher's; and d, and the que, he pro- le, themoft lemy's moti- Frigat^s were intelligence i krd provifions tha. A» the ry other Bri- ded upon the thfc count de rra ajunftion le intervening d not oiily of \%itiy and dif- 8 was repeived, roo\>& on board th, at break of »e, captain By- { coining out of the north weft, threw out the was inftantly t the whole Bri- ips of the line, noon, and pro- fuit of the ene- ing, the enemy I J and in this _, time becalmed, id ftood towards •itiOi fleet, com- epeivedit nex^i ■^ and e 'AWEKiCaN virAR. and flood after them with a prefs of fail ; whilft C the centre and rear were (till becalmed. Although it was obvioufly the defign of the Count deGrafle to avoid an engagement, the opportunity which now prefented itfelf of overpowering the Britifh van, whilft the centre and rear lay becalmed, wa6 not to be refilled : When, therefore, fir Samuel Hood's divifion hiaid approached fo near as to en- gage, the count de GraiTe bore down upon it with bis whole force. At one time, it is faid, the Bar- fleur, Hood's fliip, had feven of the enemy's (hipi firing upon her, and during thegreatefl part of the ad:ion not lefs than three : And although every (hip of his divifion had a fupetior force to contend whh, fo nobly did they fupport each other, and with fuch effect return the enemy's fire, that no advantage could be obtained over them t and, as it afterwards appeared, the enemy in this un-^ equal conflid received more damage than they oc- cafioned. At length part of the centre got near enough to engage, and take part in the adion : But when the breeze reached the rear of the Bri-^ ti(h fleet, the c^uut de GrafTe withdrew his fhips from action, and, having the advantage of the wind, kept at fuch a diitance as to baiHe all the endeavours of the Britifh commander to renew it. Inthisattion the Royal Oak and Montagu, the two leading fhips of the van, fuilained conlidera- ble damage, and the fervice a heavy lofs, in the death of captain Bayne, ot the Alfred. IVo of ihe French (hips were fo much difabled as to be obliged to quit the fleet, and take fhelter in Gua- daloupe. The Britifh fleet lay-to the night after the action to repair their damages, and the next morning made lail to windward in purfuit of the enemy ; but with fo little efFed, that by the morn- ing of the eleventh the French fleet had got fo far to windward, that fome of their ftiips were fcarcely Vol. II. I i vilible. 4^1 HAP. XLVl.. 1782. i^ r" ifcr..rr»t*»-- "■ v,^-4. — ,,A**tf*< ,»i*.A*^.« 4t3 HISTORY OFTHE 1783. ■/ ■t' m \ CHAP, vifible. In the mean timie the rear divifibn of the XLVI. Britifli fleet, commanded by Admiral Drake, had been tranfpofed to the van, which now became the rear. Fortunately, about noon of the eleventh, one of the enemy's (hips ^ha% feen a great way to windward, apparently in a difabled condition^ repairing her damages : A general chafe was itn- niediately ordered ; and towards evening one of the leading (hips approached fo neiir, that flie muft inevitably have been taken, had not the count de Orafle, feeing her danger, borne down with his whole fleet for her prote^ion. This movement brought the two fleets fo near, that nothing but the approach of night prevented an immediate engagement ; which muft neceifarily happen in the morning, if things were preferved in their prefent relative ftate during the night. Such mea. iures were immediately taken by fir George Rod* ney as he thought would be effedual for that pur- pofe; and when day-light appeared, he. had the fatisfadion to perceive, that what he had (b much defired was on the point of befng accomplifiied ; and that it was not in the power of the count de Grade, if fo inclined, to avoid a general engage- ment. The fignal for clofe aftion was ihrowii out ; and, about half after fcven in the morninj;, the action was begun by captain Penny in the Marlborough, ihe leading flup of the Britifli van. The two fleets met on oppofite tacks, and there being little wind, the Britifh ihips ranged flowiy along, and dole under the lee of the enemy's lifle, delivering and continuing a moft tremendous fire, which the French received and returned with the utmod firmncfs. About noon fir George Rodney, j in the Formidable, having pafled the Ville de Pa- ris, the count de Graffe's (hip, and her ft«ondu fo clofe as to be ainiolt in contaft, and having made a vifible iinprcfTion upon them by a firefo Naval en- pagsnient between admiral Rodney and tlie count de GraJfe. "**■"■**?- - .^^^Ai>-^>*j diately wore round ; and a fignal being made for the van divifion under admiral Drake to tack, the Britiih fleet thus gained the wind, and flood upon the fame tack with the enemy. By this bold ma- noeuvre, the French line was effectually broke and feparated, and the whole thrown into coofufion : It decided the fate of the day, although it did not end the adtion, which continued with unren^itting fary till fun-fet. The rear of the Britifli ileet be- ing becalmed, did not for fome time get into adi- on, and when the breeze fprung up, it was fo fmali, that fir Samuel Hood, in the Barfleur, took an hoiur and a half to pafs the enemy's line only fo ia as the opening made by the Formidable, keep- ing up, during all this time, a moft tremendous, well-connefted fire; The French fhips being crowded with men, the carnage on board their fleet was prodigious: Still however they fought vith fuch obftinate bravery, as if the fate of their country depended upon the i(fue of the day. Count de Graffe, with his own and the other (hips in the centre, withflood till evening all the efforts of the various (hips that attacked him. The gal- lantry of captain Comwallis of the Canada, a fe- venty-four gun (hip, was, on this occafion, the admiration of the whole fleet: Having fought the Heftor, a French fhip of equal force with his own, until (he (Iruck her colours, he left her to be taken poffeffion of by a frigate ; and, as if emulous to |revenge his brother's caufe, pufhcd on to the ille de Paris, which he engaged for two hours, iotwithdanding the inequality of his force, and lis left ,■ * •484 HISTORY OF THE I 1782. ti> \ CHAP, left her a) mod a wreck. Still, however, the count '^L^'- de GraiTe refufed to furrcnder, and feemed un- willing to flrike to any (hip without a flag. To. wards i'un fet fir Samuel Hood, in the Barfleur, reached the Ville de Paris, and poured in a mod dcftrudive fire. The count de Grafle bore it for about ten minutes, when he (Iruck his flag, and furrendered. At this time, it is faid, only three men were left alive and unhurt upon the upper deck, of whom the count de Graffe was one. Previoufly to the furrender of the Ville de Paris, the He^or, as already mentioned, had flruck to captain Cornwailis. The Ardent, of fixty-four guns, taken by d'Orvilliers in the Britifli Channel, ■was retaken ; the Csfar and the Glorieux, both of feventy-four guns, had alfo furrendered, but not till they were reduced to mere wrecks ; and the Diadem, another feventy-four, had been funk by a fingle broadfide from the Formidable in a generous exertion to fuccour the Ville de Paris. Night at length putting an end to the engagement, the Britifh admiral threw out the fignal for his I fleet to bring-to, that he might keep it collefted, and fecure the prizes. But unfortunately the Cs- far, one of them, blew up by accident in the night of the engagement ; and a lieutenant andl fifty Briiiftj feamen, with about'four hundred pri- foners, peri/hed by the »:xplofion. On board tnel Ville de Paris were found thirty-fix chelts of mo-j ney deflined for the pay and fubfiftence of the! troops in the defigned attack on Jamaica; andiiT feems to have been Angularly providential, thaij the whole train of artillery, with the batterina cannon and travelling carriages meant for that exj ped tion, were pn board the Ihips now taken. Tbl Ville de Paris was the lart;tlt (hip in the Frenclj king's ftrvice : bhe was a prefent Irom the cityt Pans to Louis the Fifteenth ; and no exnence d ... iparej \i AMERICAN WAR. 4«y l^ared to render the gift wqrthy both of the city CHAP and the monarch. Her building and fitting for XLVL lea are faid to have coft one hundred and feventy- *^,"^^ iix thoufand pounds (leriing. Sir George Rodney in tliis engagement happily exemplified the great advantage derived from « bringing Britiih (hips and feamen into ciofe a£fcion. The whole lofs of men on board the Britiih fleet, ' in the aftions of the -ninth and twelfth of April, amounted only to two hundred and thirty-feven killed, and feven hundred and fixty fix wounded : Whereas the lofs of the French, in the fame adi- ons, was coinputedVat three thoufand flain, and more than double that number wounded. That the computation was not exaggerated, appears probable from the known lofs on board particular fiiips : In the Ville de Paris alone were killed up- wards of four hundred, and in feveral other fingle (hips between two and ^oo. And, by the confeflion of the French themfelves, their fhips that efcaped, were fo fliattered in the action as to be little lefs than ruined. The Britiih line confifted of thirty- fix, and the French line only of thiriy-two (hips, after the two difabled in the adion of the' ninth had left it : But when it • is confidered, that fix (hips of Hood*s divifion, from the fcantinefs of ' '' the wind, never could be brought into aftion, it will be found that the fuperioriry in number of .• thofe afbually engaged, was at leall on the fide of the French. The enemy's (hips that efcaped, made oflF to leeward the night after the aftion in the bed man- ner they could, and before morning were entirely out of fight. Four of them ran do vvn to this Dutch ifland of Cura^oa; but the greater part, under Bougainville and Vaudreuil, the fecond and third in command, kept together, and dirctted their courfe for Cape Fran9ois. The next morn- ing fir George Rodney, after receiving a report ' ^ of , t J' r' f / *., '.►i. _,'^i-, r \ 4^ HISTORY or THE li e H A r. of the ftate of his fl^et, attempted to purfuc, buf r^^-^^-'_r ^** bwtcalmed for three days under Guav.. .„ • - made. ■\*>j-»M" AMERICAN WAR. 4t7 made. On the fixth of May, in the evening, theC H A F. Spanifh armament, confiding of three frigate* and > ^Jt^L, fixty fail of tranfports, haying on board two thou ,_j,j^ .iand five hundred troopa, appeared before them : And on the next day , upon the fir(l fummons, the ** governor, after holding two confultations, one with hii council and the other with the ofHcers of ' ,' the garrifon, confiding' of only one hundred and ..... • ieventy invalids, and the principal inhabitants of * -r , . [ the place, agreed to furrendei oa terms of capl- *- ' tuUtion. • . . Whilit fir George Rodney triumphed over the ''ofperfty enemies of Britain in the Weft ; the credit and affair? In reputation of her arms were nobly fupported in the Eaa th^Eaft, under the aufpices of the governor ge- ^°''"*" oer.fT, .;ii:^; .^... AMERICAN WAR ly became new adml. ru£t, as far the enemy's i homeward Dutch fleet France and ibraltar, by lual fupplies, tiing« in iheir 8 for Ji peace, defire of oh- the month of a cruize with a convoy faid i on the twen. ic cqnyoy con- ing troops on i iloTes for the ndies : It failed the Pcgafe and each, I'Aaio- ed en flute, and mmediately or- I, in the courfe iptain Jarvisin aptain Maitland ve of the tranf- ju^dron. After •ington returned the month. In- U time, that the the Texel, lord was difpatchedj tch its motions, g only in a ftate ad already faileilJ buu 4H C T! A P. XLVI. i7H». but, upon receiving intelligence of lord llo-x deilination, returned again into port, where it quietly remained during the time of his lordlhip's cruize, which lafted about a month before he carried his fqv.adron back to Spithead. About the beginning of June, the comhined fleets of France and Spain, under the command of the count de Guichen and don Louis Clordova failed from Cadiz ; and in its progrefs to the northward took eighteen (hips of a fleet of Britifli merchant- men, bound for Newfoundland and Quebec, chiefly laden with provifions. The reft of the merchantmen, amounting to about ten fail, with the fhips of war appointed for their convoy, made their efcape. As the combined fleet proceeded to cruize about the mouth of the channel, great ap- prehenfions began to be entertained for the fafety of a homeward-bound Jamaica fleet that had fail- ed under the convoy of only three fliips of the line. The utmoft exertions were therefore made to forward the equipment of the Channel fleet, that it might proceed to fea for its protection : But with all that could be done, not more than twenty-two fail of the line were ir. readinefs in the beginning of July. With thele lord Howe received orders to put to fea ; and he accordingly failed from St. Helen's on the fecond of the nonth. It does not appear that his lordlhip, during his cruize, either faw the combined fleet, or that for whofe protedkion he failed : But fortunately the , ' • latter got fafe into the Channel on the thirtieth of July; and about tea days after, the Britifli fleet '. returned into port. '' * ' In the mean time the mighty preparations madeRfpuir^-and by the king of Spain, for the reduftion of Gi.2];;:',''p'»:* hraltar, and the vafl expectations formed from nianu and them, drew the attention of all Europe towards fo7"Gib** that fortief"?. The fuccefiive difappointmentsrajtar. I which *'"*©■ ( w^'' V , 49«» HISTORY OF THE C H A P. which the Spaniards had - ?■ 178a. ^'. » L i'« '?^ already met with, it would feem, ought to have taught them wifdom, and induced them to abandon the at- tempt as hopelefs ; efpecially as their arms might have been'employed in other quarters more beneficially to themfelves, and confequently more injurioufly to Great Britain.: But their obftinacy and perfeverance feemed to increafe with their dif- appointments, and the difficulties which they had to furmount. Towards the clofe of the former year, their advanced works upcvn the lilhmus^ after being completed at a vaft expence, were de- moli(hed in one night by a fuccelsful fortie from the garrifon. The guns and mortar;, mounted upon the batteries were fpiked, and the batteries themfelves fo effedualiy fet on fire, that before morning they were nearly confumed. After! thi» misfortune, the enemy feem to have principally relied on an attack by water with floating batte* ries. The plan of thefe batteries was the contri. vance of the chevalier d'Arcon, a French, engi, neer of fome diftinftion. They were to be of {uch thicknefs and flrength as to be impenetrable by fliot from the heavieft cannon, and to be con- flru^led of materials calculated torefift the ad ion of fire. From (hells they were to be protected by a floping roof, which, by means of a mechanical contrivance, might be raifed or lowered at plea- fure. Thus fecured, fuch a fhort diilance might be chofen, that the heavy artillery with which they were to be mounted, could not fail in a little time to ruin the works of the garrifon, and: ren. der an aflfault pradicable. The engineer had the addrefs to reprefent his fcheme in fo favourable a point of view, that the molt flattering hopes of! its fujcoefs were entertained, and no expence was; fpared to complete the machines according to his/ plan. Whilfl they were in a flate of preparation,, •;. ;^'^y• • .' • • . • . ■■ the ../.* -^ £ ^ met with, lught them ion the at- their arms larters more uently more sir obftinacy ith their dif- ich they had the former :he lAhnius^ ce, were de- I fortie from IK. mounted the batteries , that beiore I. AfterUhi» e principally, Dating batte- as the contti. French engi. ere to be of impenetrable id to be con- ifttheaflion protefted by a mechatnical ered at plea- iftance might with which fail in a little on, and ren- ineer had the favourable a ing- hopes oE expence was »rding to hiSi prcparationv the i'AMERICANWAR. * #^ »78,*. the duke de Crillon, after his fuccefs at M5noroa>^ H A P. was appointed to command the Spaniflr army be- ^^^*' fore Gibraltar: That army was reinfoFced by twelve thoufand auxiliary Krench troops ; and to add fplendour to the fcene, two of the French princes of the blood, the count d'Artois, and the duke de Bourbon, with a number of the firft no- bility, both of France and Spain, repaired to th)* Spanifli camp. 1 he battering machines required fo much tim^ in preparation that they were not in teadinefs before the beginning of September, about which time the combined fleet of France and Spain arrived in the bay. When joined by the (kips already at Algefiras, it confided of forty- eight or forty-nine (hips of the line. The batter- ing machines were ten in number, and were coir.- Rianded by admiral Don B. Moreno : They were mounted with one hundred and iifty-four pieces of heavy brafs cannon, and had onboard upwards of fix thoufand men, a great proportion of which were artillery-men, thirty-fix beinj^ allotted for tlie fervice of each gun. They had alfo on board I a number of fpare guns to replace any that might be damaged in aclion. To give the utmoft effe£k Itoihe attack, it was propofed that when the bar- tering fliips (hould take their Itation, the Spanifli kun and mortar boats, of which they hai^ a great number, (liould place themfelves fa as to flank the Britifh batteries on the water, and if poffible drive the artillery-men from their guns. The combined fleet was to cover and affift tlie batter- ing fliips : And to diHra^ the attention of the Igarrifon, a furious cannonade was to commence [from ail the batteries on the lfll\mus. An ini- Inienfe number of large boats, that had been col- llefted from all the ports in Spain, were allb to be In teadinefs to carry over the bay and land troops Tin the fortrefs as foon as the battering ftiips fliould produce fi' I ■> ? )^ t I '■f; . M \^ k ai^ -^ V i»>. ' m: %> • *■ .•A '^'T^^I ■tf- HISTORY OFT HE XLVl. 1782. ^.^., "1> t,* ♦ «' Hi If h^\^. Nj [ ' ;i^-' 1 P ■ •*/ • . -iv w ■• •• ' •' -, (TS [» ■ ' »' ''*'' i m .*"•'" • 'ml R ^ m S '*■ ' V •1 CHAP, produce their expefted efFeft. The plan being ' ' arranged, and every thing in readinefs, the bat- tering (hips got under way about feven in the morning of the thirteenth of September, and be- tween nine and ten anchored in a regular line, between the Old and New Mole, at moderate dif- tances from each other, and about half a mile from the Britifli works. Immediately a furious connonade began, not only from them, but from all the enemy's numerous artillery upon the Iflh* mus, which was returneid by the garrifon with ihowers of (hells and red-hot balls towards every quarter from whence the attacks wiere made. The hills all around were covered with fpedators to behold a fcene beyond defcription grand, awful, and terri(ic. So fiercely did the garrifon return the enemy's cannonade, that continued torreintsof fire and fmoke feemed to iffue from every quarter of the rock : But the attention of the befieged was principally fixed on the battering (hips, which for fome time appeared to anfwer every expedati- on that had been formed from them. Neither fhot or (hells feemed to afFed them. At length, about two o'clock, fmoke was feen to iffue from the upper part of Don Moreno'^s (hip : And the people on board were difcovered ufing fire- engines, and pouring water into the (hot-holes. Not long afterwards the prince of NafTau's (hip, the next in (ize to the admiral's, was obferved to be in the faqie condition. This (ight, without doubt, ani-| mated the garrifon to fre(h exertion, and had an oppofite e(Fe£t upon the enemy. The other bat-| tering (hips were evidently affe£led with the fitua- tion of their admiral and his fecond, fo that the I (ire of the garrifon had gained a vifible fuperiority j before the evening, and it was continued with un- remitting fury during the nigh^ About one ini the *'- *? A MERIGAN WAR. 493 the morning the flames burd forth on board the C two (hips already mentioned, and feveral of the others wefe vifibly on fire. Signals of diftrefs were now made ; and boats were lent oflF from the ihore to their afliftance. Captain Curtis, whoi commanded the Britifh naval force at Gibraltar, feized this opportunity of completing the deftruc- tion of thofe macijiines, which had created fo much apprehenfion. He Rationed his gun-boats (q as to flank the line of the battering fliips, and by keeping up a conftant fire, to cut them ofi^ from that aniftance which they had begun to receive from the ^ore. In this dreadful fituation the battering (hips remained during the reft of the night, expofed to a dired fire from the garrifon, and a raking fire from the gun-boats, cut off from aflfiftance., and the flames increafing every inftant. When day-light appeared, it prefented fuch a fcene of diftrefs, that every hoftile idea was for a time extinguiflied, in compaflion for the miferable wretches who yet remained on board the enemy's battering fliips. The fire from the fortrefs ceafed : And the braveft exertions were made by captain Curtis and the Britifli feamen, at the rifque of their own lives, to refcue the Spaniards from the furrounding flames. By their intrepid efforts about four hundred of them were faved from in- evitable deflrufition. Nine of thefe battering machines blew up fuccelfively in thecourfe of the day ; and the tenth was burnt by captain Curtis, alter he found that flie could not be brought off. In this attack by fea the enemy were fuppofed to have loft about one thoufand five hundred men, including the prifoners and wounded. Thus dif- aftroufly ended the laft attempt of the Spaniards for the red udion of Gibraltar. . About the time of this attack lord Howe failed from the Britifli channel with the grand fleet, con- fifting HAP. ■ ,' ILLVl. ■ '' ■ * S^^^^"^ *■ 178a. •' ft v., • , I . ...* - \ 5 ' V 1 • -A Relief of Gibraltar^ ' ^£ r/l; f>i I w *» •♦ m H18T6I1Y dr T*rtE CHAP fifling oF thirty-four (hips of the line, to 6fcoft i XLV 1782. ^ number of tranfports carrying troops, and ladcii with thofe' (lores and fupplies which wefetb enable general Elliot to cofttinue his> brave defence. Hi$ ioidfhip wai much delayed on his paflage by con- trary winds ; but he at laft reached the Straits, and entered them on the eleventh of Odober. That fame evening part of the '.'i * ' f'i.V. AMERICAN WAR. 49J 1, to 6fcOft 4 S, and ladcA ef e to enable ;fence. HU rage by con- i the Straits, of O^ober. )orts got fafe ength of the ift it into the vtd with his le eighteenth bay, where landed their f gunpowder m additional jr of his lord- whole of this in the face of jraltar Bay at my either de- jrity of their by their op- nce, that they The relief of > on the nine- wind to repafs The combin- ieth, towards ence a diftant uch contempt lough three of own fhip, he ley afterwards )S in the rear; be obliged to (beer flieer off with \ok. In the morning, the combin- C H a P. ed fleet being a great way to windward, and appa> ^3^ rently fleering for Cadiz, lord Howe proceeded j-g^^ on his return to England, difpatcbing on his way eight fhips of the line to the Weft Indies, and fix ' . ' *; to the coaft of Ireland. ' '• During thefe tranfadions a partial change had "r ■''■] taken place in the Britifh adminiftration. Upon che death of the marquis of Rockingham, about the beginning o£> July, the: earl of Shelburne was ' , appointed fir ft lord of the treafury in his ftead. > ^ In confequence of this appointment, orfrom fome « other caufe, Mr. Fox, and feveral other principal * .* members of adminiftration, refigned their offiees» and were fucceeded by others, more in the intereft '^ of the earl of Shelburne. Thofc changes, however, did not afFe<5t the ne- gociations carrying on at Paris for putting an end to the war. Mr. Ofwald, a Britifh merchant, arid % the particular friend of prefident Laurens, who had been fo long confined in the Tower, was ap- . ' ,. pointed to negotiate with the American commifli- oncrs ; and Mr. Thomas Grenville firft, and after- wards Mr. Fitzherbert, were fucceffively deputed ' to treat with the minifters of the other allied powers. The later events of the prefent year had all a tendency to bring the powers at war ^, • more nearly upon a level. At the clofe of the . ^ former year. Great Britain feemed nearly over- whelmed by the ftrength and fucceTTes of her nume* _ reus foes : But the fignal vidiory obtained by fir George Rodney in the Weft Indies, with the blow given to the naval forceof France in that quarterof the world ; the defeat of the Spaniards before Gib- raltar, and the fuccefsful relief of its garrifon, in the * view of a fuperior fleet j and the fplendld effeds of .^i.^(i 1% 1 ., j.r m I \n.'. r '^#^' J# t <\1' ' '*»• ' . 496 HISTORY OF THfc '■i. CHAP, of the Britilh policy and arms in Afia ; raifed tiVe ^J~^ reputation of the nation to its wonted level 1J82 "Tiongd the powers of Europe, and gave her ad- ditional wtight, either for the accomplifhmem of peace, or the farther profecution of the war. But the derangement of the finances, both of France and Spain, was the principal caufe which difpofed ihoib powers to liflen to the terms of accommoda- ■ lion. ■ . . • The internal diflrelTes in every quarter of the revolted colonies, the mutinous difpofition of their armies, from the want of all neceifary fupplies, * and the utcer inability of the congrefs to furniih them, were well known to the American com inif. lioncrs, and llrongly prompted them not to let ■ pafs the prefcnt opportunity of reftoring to their country the blcflings of peace. The negoiiiations with thofe commillioners were therefore firft btought to aconclufion: And, on the thirtieth of November, provifional articles of peace were figned by Mr. Ofwald on the part of Great Bri, tain, and by Mr. John Adams, Benjamin Frank- lin, John Jay, and Henry Laurens, on the part of the revolted colonies, now the United States of America, which were not to take efled until peace fhould be agreed upon between Great Britain and France. By thofe articles the thirteen United * Slates of America were acknowledged to be free, fovereign, and independent : The limits of their country were afcertained, as far as was pradicable, by natural boundaries ; and thofe limits were ex- tended fo far to the weflward as to contain within, them an immenfe extent of territory, partly un- fettled, and partly flill inhabited by the Indians, the original proprietors : A right, was granted to ttiem to fifli on the banks and coafts of Newfound- ' luiiJ, in the Gulnh of St. Laurence, and on the 1 • * coaflsj n ' "^^^ AATE^I can WA Ri m \ ; rairtid the wonted level gave her ad- iplifhment of he war. But rth of France rhich difpofed ' accommoda- uarter of the jfition of their ffary fuppliw, rrefs to furnife :rican comvnif- !in not to let (loring to their he negotiations therefore firft ,n the thirtieth of peace were t of Great Bri. enjamin Frank- , on the part of nited States of ed until peace reat Britain and thirteen United ged to be free, limits of their was prafticable, limits were ex- contain within lory, pardy un- 1 by the Indians, twas granted 10 Pvs of Newfound- cnce, and on the coa!U, ctNifts« b^ys, aod emtk% tif all tib'dther Britiih CH AP» doduitkiis inJIaetJca^ anclto Cttifie aim dry their ^'^^^■ fifli in any of Ac uitfimM ba^**; barboui"!* and ^TtST^ creeks of Nbva Scotia* MMdalen, Iflands^. and ' ' ' Labrador: It was ftiptilated that creditors on ' cither' fideAiould meet with nolawftil iinpediment in the tccojvefy of their debts : Arecpininendation was to be mMle by congrefs to thd legtllaiures of Aediffsreiit ftates; to reil^e the <^onfiicated ellates tad propcfiies of real BritiOifubjeds ; alfo of ^oferefident within the Britiih lines in America, idio had not borne arms againft the United States ; u4 idlb 6f pefCBM of any other defcriptibn, upon tbe>r n^ndin^ to the prefent poflfeflbrs the price M JUf jptid w fnch poffeflbrs at the time of piir- dilfing rach^ eftjulet: It was ftipulated, that no fttttire eot^kteSati* §u>tAd be made, nor any pro- (editions c^MMiiJfld^ lor the part taken by any peHbn'daring dM wm, Hor any future lofs by any one, either Mth>$ffMl^» ftberty, or property, on that account : It ji^:|||rrd that prifoners on both lides fhoaid be kt at ifterty, and that the Britiih :s within the Unked States (hould be evacuated I with all convenient fpeed : The navigation of the MtiHilippi to remain free and open to the fubje£);s of both powers. And ihould any place be taken on either (ide, before the arrival of thefe articles in America, fuch place to be reftored without com Ipeafatiop. The preliminary articles of peace with France, lapon which thofe with America were to take effed. If ere not figned till the twentieth of January 1783. JThofe with Spain were executed at the fame time. IThe genera^ ground of thofe articles was the mu- tual reditution of all places takea on either fide , iuring the war, with fome few exceptions. France vas to retain Tobago aod^ Senegal; Spain, Mi- Vol. n. Kk norca i r,l y^' \:--- /■» .4^ .' '5"™:U f. the American Sta«i Ich are 640 ^^^.''fV rhich being d«duaed, nited States of Ame. ical and very .nterefti«! elineated Scotland liod of OlVXTf* » Wil a force ai waa exerted by Great Britain had never C H A P^ been fent to fo great a dift 'Jnce, no/ refilled by .^Y*' any po^ver apparently fo unequal to the conteft* The military genius of Britain was unimpaired) file rofe with e^ailic force under every blow ; and feemed capable, by the immenfity of her reveouet^ of wearying out, by perfeverance^ the adverfity of fortune: But wifdom, vigour, and unanimity, were wanting in her public councib. The elo- quence of fome legiflators in oppolition to govern- ment ; the narrow views of niinifters at home ; and the mifcondufl of certain commanders abroad^ through aJerieaof pufillanimity, procraKlination^ difcord, and folly ; brought this country, in fpite of the gallant dBForts of the Britifli officers and foldiers by land and fea, the juftice of their caufe, the firnmefs .of their fovereign, and the general vows of the people, to a crifis, which has not in- deed been followed (fo limited are our profpefts into futurity) by all that calamity which was gene- rally apprehended, but which, neverthelefs, altho' the national cbara&er, for fpirit and enterprife, was abundantly fufitained by .'ndividuals, cannot be regarded otherwife than as a difgracc to the firitifl) : Since it exhibited, in our public condud^ the triumph of party over genuine patriotii'm, and a fpirit of peculation and plealtrre prevailing in too many indances over military difcipline, and a fenfe of military honour. The Britifli miniHer from the names of places, to fpeak of the geugrftphical know*. ledge, and the natural qiiicknefs in geneial, of mankind in 9, lavage ftate. Oh this fubjca he f«ys : *♦ In the country of thd " illionois, a chief of the Cafcafkias conceived the fublime " idea of uniting all Indian nations and tribts into one grand «' alliance, oflpenhve and defenfive. If this had been realized^ t* Dr. Franklin's confederation of the thirteen States would havt cut but a poor figut-eon tite American continenr, and.theipji* ' tural man would have outdone the pliilorophef." . I 'i m Kfc 2 did ' "'•■^.•, V / *"■) 50* friSTORY OF THE I'/ - V C H A P. did not poifers that towering geniui which is alone ,^^i^^i^ fitted, in difficult and turbulent times, to overcome the feditious, and roufe the remifs to their duty. Though a man of fine talents, as well as an ami- able dlrpofition, he was conftitutionally indolent : And, befides this, there was not that degree of cordiality and perfeft unanimity that the minifter was led to fuppofe amongft the friends of his ma- jefty's government in America. It is, perhaps, a matter of doubt whether the loyalifts were^not, on the whole, too faneuine in their expedations. But it is the nature ot men to cherifli the hope of relief with an ardour proportioned to the greatnefs bf their misfortunes. On the whole, the Britifli government did not proceed on any grand fyilem that might conkroul particular circumstances andevents ; but ftudied ta prolong their own authority by temporary ex- pedients. They courted their adverfaries at homcj by a (hare of power and profit ; and the public enemies of the (late, by partial conce(5on8.- But thefe availed much more to the eftablKhment of new claims, than all the declarations of parliamen> . tary rights and royal prerogatives with which they were accompanieJ, did to maintain the rights of eflabli(hed government : For fads quickly pafs 'into precedents : while manifefio is oppofed to manifeflio,' and argument to argument. Had the mcafures adopted by Britain, been adopted in . time*, perhaps they would not have been adopted . in vain. Their concefiions, as well as their arma- : faenis, were always too late. Earlier conce(rion, ')?■ ' . •?, ^s''*^**? mighty naty, Great Britain had a force in Ame- ■ rida, amQubtine. pearJy to 42^000 men, befides from ajtOooto .30,000 loysliffi; wfio were a^uaHj epJifled in the fewaJ pto- ; vincial corps raifed daring the war. hiL or l> . J^> >!--'. ?''Vr !.»•* V> ^.■^'^ AMERTCAN WAU/ !•' his alone overcome ticir duty. Lg an ami- indolent: degree of he minifter of hUma- perhaps, a I v^erenot, speftations. the hope of :^cgTcatncfa ncnt did not ;ght conkroul J but ftudied Imporary ex- ariesathome, nd the public ceCions.- But abllfhment of of paTliaroen^ ith which they the rights of ;8 quickly pafs is oppofed to fcnt. Had the en adopted in been adopted I as their arma- Her conceffioD, Ld a force in Ame- Ides from a 5.000 to in the Xe»«ral pro- of an earlier appHcation of that mighty force C H a p. which wa? at the dilpofal of the commanders in J^i^Zil* chief ia i777» might perbapi have prevented or " quaflied the rtsyolutiop. . , '. . , , While the natural ftrength and fpirit of Great Britain were embarrii0ed and encumbered with the difadvantages and errors qow enumerated, the Anierica^Svin fpite of a tboufand difficulties and wants, by the energy of liberty, the contrivance of necelTity, and the great advantages arifing from the poiTeinpn of the country, ultimately attained their obje^. The Americans, indeed, were not fired with that enthufiadic ardour, which nations of a warmer temperament, in all ages, have been wont td difplay in the caufe of freedom. But they were guided by wife councils ; they were fteady and perfevering ; and, on all great occafions, not a ■■'• little animated by the courage of general Wa(h< ington, who has been proverbially called a Fabius, but in x^'hofe character courage, in fad, was a V feature ftiil more predominant than prudence. The American generals, having the bulk of the people on their fide, were made acquainted with every movement of the Britifiiarmy, and enabled, for the mofl part, tb penetrate their defigns: To obtain intelligence, on which fo much depends, was to the Briti(h commanders a matter of pro- portionable difficulty. The Americans had neither money nor credit : But they learned to (land in need only of a few things ; to be contented with the fmall allowance that nature requires ; totbfFer, as well as to a£l. Their councils, animated by liberty, under the mofl diflrefTmg clrcumftances, took a grand and high-fpirited courfe, and they were finally triumphant. The Revolution of America, though predicted by philofophy, was generally confidered as a re- mote ,. \ I ^a . J ^^ K/i fm H I S T O R Y O P, fte. C H A P. mote condneef^cy, if net a thing wholly ideal and X^X*' vifionary. lu immediate caufes were altogether unforefeen and improbable. It came U a furprirc upon the world : And men were obliged to con- etude, either that the force of Great Britain was MI-direQed, or that no invading army, in the pre- fent enlightened period, ean be fuccefsful, in a covntry ^here the people are toleraibly united. '1- I i ii i.l ■nt ,»*■. ■, ' •' !■■ '^^H^^ ly Ideal and s altogether ^1 a fuTpnfe iiged to con- Britain was ^, in the pre- cefsful, in a ily united. T * * .y; ;. ^( .;.,, > f ^^^P^^f^ VHTT y T I N D E X. i«* J/, B, The Nuinerali refer to the Volumcsi and the Figures to ike Paget. I:-. " A. aBERCROMB/E, colonel, killed at Bunker's HUl, '• •4?- Aierenmbut colonel, expedition of, i. 414. His fortie from York, ii. 458. ^: AB'umt, Battles, Sktrml/bes * ,. For thefe fee the names of the refpe^Hve comraanders ^oder whom, and the places near which they were fought. Adanut SaniHcl, a Itftdei in the profiacial congrefs of Mafl*a- chufett's Bay, i. ij;. Excepted fronn the proffered pardon by gofernment^ 140. MfgMj mouotiuni, >• 3> , Allen, £tha^, furprifes Ticonderoga, i. 147. And Crown Point, ijA' America, pee Coltniu,. Congre/t, and the feversU provinces by name. Aaurieatu, fertility of genius of, t. 188. Driven out of Canada, 198. Defeated at Long Ifland. 219. Glorious retreat of, 232. Dilhearteped bv their loflcs, 23 1 . Animofities between the northern a^dfoathcm troops, 23s. Burn part of New York, 234. Principle of their army, 242. Become de^oo- deot on the fucccls of the Britifli arms, 2^3. Of Carolina and Virginiaf defeat the Indiaas, aSo. Fleet of, burnt, 340. i^ifcontents I* ** ) \X^^'- ,.^iS3ai:ii,..',',V«-4.ifc-*fL ~i-.,.'j*i>.i,r; ti-v,i;'J?5K& I N D E X, i ■/\ % DifcoDtenu of, on th* diCii>pointment at Rhode lOaiMi, ii. 41. AUiance of, with Fnince, oaket and roufta-Hiffe Bcmih, ij. Army of, with tbai of Frsoce, b«(ia|^ Savanmb, 140. Attacks the Britifli '' Summons it to furreader, ikid. In great want of artil- lery, 157. Attacks the city, 1 58. Wounded, fM<^ Raifesthe (iege, 189. Engaged in the action at Still Water, 375. Dif. ' tinguiflies himfelf greatly, ibid. Wounded, fighting againft Burgoyne, .)8i. Luiguned with, the American fervic^, ii. ; 274. Caafes of that dilguft, 37;. Forms a fcheme for de- liveryig up a ftrocg poft to the Briiidi, 276. Efcapes to New York, 278. jiJCmhRett provincial, of America, oppofetheflampa£V, i. 39. Diflblution of, by the governors, hitrUul by diffuung difcon- tent through the country, 81. ^1.'^ fi. Baillie, colonel, ii; ^4,%. Defeat and deftrujlion of a. detachment under, BarnngioHf admiral, fails with the Britifli fleet againft St. Lucie, ii. 06. Engagement with the French, I e8. Wounded, up. Bl»ckpotk*t Hiut aAion between Snmpter and Tarleton at, ii. 254. Battle, of Bunker's Hill, i. 141. For other battles fought is America, fee the names of the places near which, and the . feveral commanders under whom iney were fought. SofioH, riotous oppolition to the ftamp a£l, i. 43. Oppofei . the board of cudoms, 66. Riot about the cuHoms, 70. People prbpofe holding a convention, 72. Infult the foldiers, ,'84. Kiot, 8;. Meeting at, 9a. Petition the governor againfl the judges, 93. Aflembly at, denick the right of par* liament to legiflate for the colonies, 94. Petition his majefiy to remove the governor, 95. Kiot about the ititroduAion of tea, 96. People deftroy the cargoes of two (hips laden with tea, 96. Port (hut by an i£t of parliament, 99. Pi-oceedings in,, 00 healing of the port-bili, 104. fjihor^ the other co. Ionic: M^ detachment under, I "N D E X. iunict to gire op all iradie with Britain, 105. Caufe of, dpottfcd by the other Colonies, 108 ' Meeting of del«rgatcs at, 113. EfeAs of fhutting the port of, 126. Blockac^^ of hri- tim troops ar, 187. Evacuatedhy the Britifli, 188 Kiot k, between the American and FrtAch failors, ii, 41 . See Mafu' ebufttt't B»j: Botuutf itiarquift d«, reduceY the ifland of Euftatius, ii. 4R4. Alfo the ifland of St, ChriAopher's, 475. And Nievis, 478. ■ , : , Britttint govermnent of, rclblves to perfiu in coercife meafures, ' i. t )7« People of, generally fot the war, 288. Sends co'n>> niiifioners to treat with the Americans, ii. 7. Breaks with France, fj/i. 219. £un/(fr'8 Hill, defcription of, i. 140. Battle of, 141. Etrbrs ' committed in this aiflion, 145. Burfordi the Aiiterican colonel, defeated by colonel Tarleton, it. 214. Burgoy/tie, general, appointedH,.to retreat to Foit George* fS}.. loqpradicable, iiiJ, AtteNi|(tt to retreat to Fort Edwird, H^. Bm^ods hit retreat cut a|^ ibid. I* completely furroaaded* 3&4.~. Endeavours to forc«^^tbc Americans 10 fighu Hid. M»ku overtures to genortl GNiMlii^ior«Conremion» 385. Propoiali on boti) fidet, ^86-i-j8'9, Ctfflveotioo ratified, 300. Re. feAions on ,thi<( event, 39Z. The conduft of Burgoyne diftitfled* 394> Attempts to thro« the blame of his roif. carriages on lir William Howe, ana •% lor> Mallerly movemenUf by which he compelled the Americans to fight, 77. Pefeats them, 79. Reduces Savannah, 80. ^ Praife of him and his troops, iiui. Reduces Sunbury, 1 16. . . Expeditio" of, to Auguft;l in Georgia, 119. Is ordered to V retire from Georgia, and retaro 19 iSavanuhf 121. >• vfA%^'. ■ , '-■ . • i . ■• ■, ' Canada, 1.^ , .A. •Ji:*'»**ii;J*'.^-».*— -..'-A-^W'-'-.T^ ii' N DT E JC. an of St. Lucie, ii. CiniMdn, nA for ieitfemefit of, i. loi. Peaple ff, i^iftfti by the affsnibly of Mafliiehurett's Bay, 1 16. D nada; becattfe aftiTC in framhig the *& for kttiftnent of; i. iS3> '^4« NegieAs the merchant*, xnttivating the nobiefic wAy, iliitl. Almofl taken by -the Americana, (56. But cfcaj^ingt arrivea at Quebec, «M« Rarages et "Jby>547> Sw IndSett £afi. CaroJinat North and . South, origioaliy the fame (ettlemenc, planted in the reign of Charles II,. i. 1 1. Receive a conRi* tution from Mr. Lock?, which, though a]>parenily wife in theory, not reducible to praAice, iild. Danger of fpccuJa> tive reiinement in legiflation, ibid. Experience the only fure guide, iHd. Pioceedings of North Carolina againft their gOTernor, Mr. Martin, 170. Who is forced to leave the province, 171. Proceedings of South Carolina 9gainit lord William Campbell, their governor, itiJ. Efforts of theBri- tifli ill North Carolina, sot. Oi'the Scotch emigrants, iiiit. Riots between the American French faiiora, ii. 41, 42. Many of the inbabitaots join the Briti(h after the redudion of Charleftown, 213. Again become diiiiffeAed to Britain, 230. Many of thom found guilty of treachery, 236. for which fome are puoilhed, 237. Calini^ht river, aAion near, between lord Cornwallis and §«• neral Morgan, ii. 364. C/bf heat and cold ia Nc»rth Ame* rica than in the uir<; latitudes of- Europe* i^ jr. £f{eA of, on the manners of . le Several provinces, -5 »• 6. CliniM, fir Henry, fer^icea of, at Bunker's Hi|lt i« Hi* Makes , an attempt -o^n the fouthern provinces, toy. llTues a i proclamation^ inviting the Americans to return to their alle. 1. giiocet Hid. Which produce* no t(ft&. Hid, Makes an v attempt againft Charleftown, so8. Which ' proves anfncccit. ^ ful, 310. Sails for New York) sii. Expedition tof, . . againft Rhode Iflaad, 248. Sucoefsful, iiui. An unwife ■■: meiSare, Hid. Expedition of, up the North River, 3^. ^ Reduces Forts Montgomery and Clinton, 4c 1. Appointed *^r to, fuc'^ red fir William Howe as commander in chief, 432. Evacuates Philadelphia, ii. 15. Marches to New York by " Sandy Hook, iS. Battle of Freehold Court Houfe, 30. ''■ Arrives at New York, 35. findeavours to make adefceat at New London to deftroy the American Privateers, ±». The • . unfavourable wind. prevents him from landings iiia. .Sends ' feveral detachments to deftroy the American privateers, 44. Attacks Verplank's Neck and Steney Point on the Hudfon ^ Rim, 1^5. Reduces them, 156. Expedition of, againft '; Connedlicut, 157. 'Receives a reinforceiiKnt, 168. Expe- ,' dition of, to South Carolina, 195. Fortifications of Char> < ° leftown dcfcribed, {97. Garriwn of, 198. Siege of, 200. i;* Redudionof, 206.. Grent praife of the officers and troops . by fir Henry> 207. Addrefs to the pec^le of South CaroiiDa, ' 311. Departs for New York, 216. Applies to general Walhington in behalf of major Andri, 379. Jq vaint Hid. CollUri fir George, arrivea at Long ifland with a reinforcement • from £n|land» i> 234. Commands the fleet 00 the Ame- rican ftation, ii. 149. Operations, 150, 151. Expedition of, to deftroy the mag^izines of the Americans^ Hid* Sails ' to aflift general Maclean at Penobfcot, 1 66. Relieves the gar* ' rilbn, 168. Refigns his command, i^m/. Succeeded by admiral Arbuthnot, ibid, doioniei naturally feize all opportunities of afl*ctting their ic* dependence, i. i. -, American, had no reafon to expeA that they, eonld • maintain independence againft Englanq, .but the contrary, i. I, 3. Geographical deicription of, IT-3. Divided into northern, middle, and fouthern, 4. Diverfities of manners -' and inhabitants, and their caufts phyfical and moral, Hid. Hiftory of the fettlement of, 7—9. State of commerce and ' revenue at the peace 1763, 1 1— 13. See each by name. Co mm/ 'goners far peace, (earl of Carlifte, governor Jolintlone, tad Mr. Edeni with the geaeral and. admiral, for thf time I m^ :..ji». ■smf=fi r M D E X. (|ui» de BouiU6, in North Ame* r J. Effieft of, 6. It i. 143* MakM X9J, Ifluei a irn t9 their alie* iiiJ, Makes an proves unfiicccls-. Expedition tof, tiid. An unwire wrth River, 399. 4c I. ApjKMmed der in chief, 4)2. to New York by ;:ourt Hbufe, 30. makeadefceBtat atcen, 4i- The tingt »*«"• \Send8 an privateers, 44, int on the H^dfon edition of, agwnft Kot. 168. Expe- . ifications of Char- 8. Siege of, »oq. ificers and troops of South Carolina, Applies to general 9. In vaiot Hid- ith a reinforcement fleet 00 theAme- 151. E>tp nature, on the Britiih conftitution, and on their feveral charters, 117. Petition the king, 118. Addrefs the people of Britain, ihid. Recom- mend the conduct and caufe of the Boftonians in an addrefs to the colonies, 119. Addrefs the Canadians, f^*»''s5j-.HM6ai»j**»Ti«i.i-.^'i!*! — JiK*s<«*t fife" •■''•v.. .i, - ;'».>.V .«*- ae^Mtt- '4mm I N ^ E X. ABimatiAK and fiicccrtful ftddreb to the pcoplie. a$7> Re- , oouac* airdcpendtnce on OreiK BHraia, 17^. C^mmhtee .-, 94 formi «• ptao of a coaftitbtion tor America* iM, 174. Approve of, and traiifMit tiw plan to the Imrtl 0atci» 377. ). Refufc to ftittfil the tcrma, of Gutet'a' coavemion with Bar. tf. goyne, ii. 7. MaftifeAly jgHiIty of ia}«ilice» i|^ Hk itib. iutiqni inimical |t4> the coodtiaiorp pfaMiof BritaiiH io» Will noradmia Dr. Fergttibo (o lay the BiitJAt prc^fala before tbeniy nor liften to aoy fernif* without the previoat acicaow* ^. kd|^i«nt «f their indepeadcvce, 13. Grois violation of the V convention of Saratoga, 63. From confideraiioo' of policy averfe to a genetal ei(chang» of prifonert, tSi. CftieHkui, mean* of rubfiftence, attd empioymcot of the ioha* ,^v, biiauti; i< 4. Chiefly occupied in acriculture^nd pannragr, ^; itid' Planted by Pnriiaoe flying from the bigotted tyranny , of Laud, 8. £ltpedi(ion of Clinton 9gainil, ii. 15I. Great V lofs to the inhabitants, 159. The people think thcmfelves ncgledfld by WaihingfOn and, Ihc congrefir i6o> Murmai^ thereupon, ihUf. Connelly t Mr. hit fcheiAe for attacking the Americans ir^ the back rottlemeou, i. 168. Fruftrated, 170. Conjlltutknt new one of the American go««ti>ni«nt, a flcetch of, i. >73' Cootrt ur Eyre, the command of the Uritifli army in the pred" . deHcyof Madras committed to> ii* '{48. Ute Intltet, Bo/I, Cerntu^lut lord, penetrates iiito the jerfeye, i. 346. Strikes terror into the Americans, iiiJ. Biit is retrained by an ?<•, efdv friW geperai Howe from taking advantage of their " . panic, Z47. Take* the command of the Jerfey army, 165. 3^ JEndeavours to bring vWafliington to a battle, who retreats, V; Uiid. Marches to the relief cf Brunfwick, 467. Takes poiTeJUoD of fhiMelf^i*, 32^. Commands a ftrong de- uchment againft iiouth Carolina, ii. 204. Left by Clinton commander in chief there, 216. Adminiflration of, iii South Carolina, at 8. Wife regulations for the government cf the province, 219. Sets out for Camden^ 227. battle there with general Gates, 230. He is vi'floi:iouS; 23 1 — ConduA as a general univerfally admired, 233. Jllarche: into North Carolina, 238. A wife meafure, but not foilov/ ed by fuccefs in proportion to its wifdom, Hul. Obliged t-> .. return to South Carolina, 247. Falls fjck, 248. Difficulties of the army, Hid. Great attachment of the army to theic general, 250. Arrives at Wynnefborough, 335. CtoRh the river Catawba, 364. Joined by colonel Webfter, pqr- fues general Morgan, 366. Drives general Greene from North Carolina, 369. Greene re-enters that province, 370. tiord Cornwallis retires, 37 «. Battle with general Green? at Guildford, 374. Vifloiiou*, j8«. But with very confi- ^^ ..*» EQple, a(7> Re- I7«. Conmnhtee «ric»» iM» •74. ftrtl 0tt«t» 377. emioo with Bun e, (^ Ml fifo- lrttaiB» lo» Will \ propofak before previoat ackoow- M violation of thfe eraiioD' of policy 181. fmcBt of the ioha* ur«and paftnrage, bigoned tyranry ft, it. 157. Great ; think thcmfelTes 1^ i6o> Murtnui^ Vtnericans ir^ the ro. Binart, » fltetch of, army in the prefi- SttltuCifs, BaJ. 'If i. 246. Strikei is reftrained by an advantage of their Jerfey arroy, 165. attle, who retreats, iwick, 467. Takes lands a ftrong At- Left by Clinton minidration of, in or the gorernment mden, 227. tattle vl«51oi;iou5. 231 — ed, 233. Marcl^e;- Lire, but not follov/ , Hid. Obliged t.. k, 248. Difficultits f the army to theif i3gh, 335. Croflb one! Webfler, pvir- neral Greene tVom that province, 37(.'. th general Greene at t with very confi- i^cr^iibl: t N D B }& derable loft, }82. Retires towardi Croft-Creek, %t6. — Difappoinred iti his cxpeftations of being joined by the loy- tMt, iiid. Iffues a proclamation, intiting the Americans to . return tn theh> allegiance, a^a Benevolent and feeling tetter to announce the death of^colonel WebAcr to his father at EUinborgh, 391. Sends Aieflengers to lord Rawdon, who are unfortunately intercepted, 303. Embarrafinient of, Hid, Determines to nMtrch through North Carolina into Virginia, 394< Marches from Wiimingtoti, 39;. Joined by general Arnold, 429. Endeavours to itrike a blow at the marquis de la Fayette, 430. Who decamps and cfcapes with his army, 43 1 • Patt of his troops are feitt for by Clinton, 438. Sets off from Williamftargh, 430. Crofles James River, tnd retires to Portfmouth, 441. Evacuates Portfmouth, 442. French and American lorces join, Hid. He concentrates bis troops at York and Gloucefter, 4^4. The combined armies, under Wafliington and Rochambcau, iovell York Town, 4$7. Cornwallis's troops make feveral fallies, 458. Sorrende^to general Walhington, 461. Efforts of fir Henry Cliliion for the relief of, 462. Efft&i of the ^pture of, 469^ Covtpens, aflion at, between general Morgan and ciolonel Tarleton, in which the latter is defeated, ii. 357. The difaffrous confequences to 'he brtiilh army of that defeat, 361. Criilott, duke of, comman the S{»n.Ai army before St. Philip's in the ifland of Mir „a, ii. 47^. And before Gibraltar, 49'« Croivn Point, important fituation of, i. 147. Reduced by the Americans, 148. Abandoned by them, 361. Cutmngham^ his Hidory ' of Great Britain, a clear, accurate performance, fuperior to any in the language for particular and intelligible accounts of mtliury operations, i* 417. D. Danhury, expedition to, i. 311. Darby, admiral, fuccecds Geary, ii. 293. Danvfan, captain of the Renown of fifty guns, engages with a French (hip of eighty four, ii. 33. Denne, Silas, American ambaHTador at Paris, ii 5,6. Declaration of Rights, publiihed by the American congrefs, i. Dtlavoaiv, lower counties on, i. 10. Seizure of pods 00, unaccountably negleSed by general Howe, 267. D'Efiaing, fails with a fleet from Toulon to North America, ii. 27. Comes to anchor off New York, 2ii. Arrives at Rhode Ifland, 29. Intends to co oi)erate with the American general Sullivan, <*-. f'^'it-^iiijffX.Sni.^ «**,,-„ ~' *«li!i;.>^tefea.aliv»t^^.f.. .fti^-i^,-,f^-^^fif^.,^.,g^{fiff^^' f IN O E X. . SolIiTan, to expel the Britifh from Rhode Iflao'd, jOt IVir. ;.tnied, ikU. It oppofed bv lord Howe, 31. Offers battle , -r«o the Britifli admiral, iM, Who decline! fightiitg on ac* count of the wind, Hut* The Britilh admiraf appearing at lad willing to fight, it feparatcd from him by a l*orm, 32. Hit fleet It Mattered, 34 Which he refita at Bofton, 55. tiaili to the Weft Indiea, 51 . Attempti to rcliere Si> Laaie, 97. But it repalfed, 103. It reinforced bjr De Graflr, but , de'clioet an engagement with the Britifli admiral, iiiJ. Oa . the departure of Byron coromencea oficnljve optrationa, , S>ld. Kcducts St. Vincent '1, 104. Attacki Grenada, 105. Which furrendert, 106. Battle with the Eogli/h fleet, 1 to. X>eclines a clofe engagement though fuperior in forte, 111. .vDepartt forHirpanioIa,ii4. SailitoN. America, 135. Arrives off Georgia, ibiiK Summons Savannah to furrender, 1 36. Con* duA, precipitate, ibid. Atucks the Britifli lines, 144. Re> pulfed with great loft, 14$. Raifet the (lege, 147. Returns . to France, ibid. Digby, admiral, conduct home the Spanifli prises, ii. 2Q). Domittiea, conquered by the French under the marqu^ di Bouill^, ii 9^. Damp^ colunel, a German, bravery and condaA of, at Red Bank. i. \i'^. Killecf, ibid Dunmore, earl, and governor of Virginia, fends to government ' a very unfHVoUiHbie (late of the province, i. 161. Uopo« uuiar, makes a conciliatory propofition to the council of Virginia, 162. Reje^ed, 163. Apprehend ve' of a defign to detain his per,ion, 164. N>irrowly efcapes being feized, ibid. Retires to Norfolk, Hid. luues a prcciamation to dlaUilh niKiriial law, 165'. Emancipates all flitves who fliould join the Britifli, ibid. Attempts to diflodj^e tiie enemy from ilieir llropg . |>olls, 167. Compelled, with the loyalifts, to abandon Norfolk, ibid. Joins the army at New Vork, i63. E. Eden, Mr. See Commifflontfi for Peace. England, See Britain. — — — , New, phylical and moral rhara^ers of the people of, i. 5. Carries on a clandeftine trjtde with Spaniili America, 16. Difpleafed with the commercial regulations of Britain, 23. Denies the authority of pailianient to levy taxes, 24. Endenvours to excite oppoiition in the other colonies, 29. Adivv in oppodng pailiamentary fup/emacy, 31. See Majfuihufet't Bay, and the other provinces, Erjiinet ftr Wtlliuin, routs a confiderable body of Ameticans, i. ?«i. 3«4 ..... -. „ ^ . , . " . * ' Eufiatiut, :',-'«, :.-::::^..-. .;-r ■v -5V-- ;■; ■■ a-itS iX^^'ii'JSft^- ■siH ind, 30» Fhif- , OSert battle (tfthttitg on tc> ral apuearing at »y a l*orm, 52. I at Bofton, 55. dieveSi'LMic, r De Gfafl»» bat niraU i^iJ. Oa nfive optiatkmi, I Grenada, 105. Qgliih fleet* 1 10. 3r in force, 11 1 • ica,i35. Arrive* ender, ij6. Con- iinei, I44> K<* e, 147. Reiurni ri«e<, 11* iH the marqu^ d< H — *-» ndaft of, at Red ids to government t, i. 161. Uopo. :o the council of mfivc' of a defign tpes being feized, prcclamation to fliive» who (houtd le tnc enemy from the loyalifts, to New Vork, i63. . of the people of, gSpaniih America, llation* of Britain, Ito levy taxes, a4< Ither colonies, 29« Imacy, Si- Sec I' ly of Ameiicans, i. Eujiitiut, I N D £ X^ Stijfmtiiu, eaptare of the Dutch ifland of, by (ir Oenrgc Rodmy and general Vaughan, ii. 509. it it rccapturad by tlic roar* ^uit de booilK^ 464. F. Fetyv/oH, Dr. Adam, appointed fecretary to the coromilEoners for peace, ii. 12. Refufed a paflpoit, itid. See Commljijiurt for Praet. - . m.ijor, appointed to command the South Carolina Joy- alilti. ii. 113. Comn^Hnds a boJy on the frontiers of North Carolina, 243. Hit high charadler as an officer, ibid. Attacked and furrounded by a ( reat ouniber of Americans, 24c. Intrepid courage and maderly conduA of, 24^. Falls, ibid. — , Geofge, governor of Tobago, attacked by the French, ii. 319. Sends an exprefs to Barbadoes, ibid. Affidaoce does not arrive in time, ibid. Surrenders the iOand, 320. Fleet, Englifli. See KeppeU Pallifer, Hood^ Rjitdney, Hgc^ French. S^t ly/Jlaing, deGraJi, i^c, . SiianiHt. See .^in. ——, Dutch. Set f/o/lan J. .1 — — , Ruffian. See Neutrality. ^\ Florida^ Eaft, preparations of the Americans to attack, ii. 117! General Lincoln takes the command of their troops, ibid. , Weft, reduAion of, ii. 186. Invaded by the Spaniards, 187. Reduced by them, ibid. Honourable terms granted to the inhabitants, t^/^. F«rt Chambl^ taken by the American gienefal MoiKgomeryj i* Saint John taken, 1. 152. — — ^wairtl, expedition of colonel St. Leger to, I. 368. ■— •Stanwtxi iovefled by St. Leger, 372. Siege of, raifed, >• 374- —— Mongomery reduced by colonel Campbell, i. 401. — - CKnton, reduced by fir Henry Clinton, i. 401. Foxt Hon. C. J. made fecretary of ftate, ii. 473. Plan of his adroiniftration refpedling the war, 495. JV;f/(o/a fe^w aB s tawfc^ft5awswa«a8afe je Bouilt^, take rififh, 464. A lip's in Minorca, nding officer, to duces 8t Chrif- GrafTe and fir De GralTe and y defeat^ > A^' rs by name. • the province of r Gets into his on, «W, i. 444. Gaming, of every Ijieries, permitted and fanflioned in the Bri- tifh army, i. 345. General bad efTe^s of that vice on the human mind and body, Hid. Particular bad effe&i of, on the army, 346. Garth, general, takes poflefllon of New Haven in Connedlicut, ii. 15:8. Gatej, ,gcnet»\, takes the command of the American army io the north, i. 374. Commands at the battle of Still Water, 375. Dt-clines hazaiding a general engagenr nt, *8a. Hu- manity o., to the fick and wounded of the Britilh army at Saratoga, 38 {. O dtrs o^, againfl plundering, 384- Re- ceives propofals from general Biirgoyne foi a convention, 38c. The convention at length, 390. Generous behaviour of, to the unfortunate Britilli, 392. Appointed commander of the fouihern army, ii. 222. Defeated at Camden, 230. Reiigns the command, 21^8. Geary, admiral, takes the command of the Channel fleet, ii. 292. Falls in with a fleet of French merchantmen, ibid, Kefigns 293. Gcrmaine, lord George, fccretary of ft^te for the American department, accufed by Burgoyne of being the eaufe.pf his diicomfiiure, i. x^. Satisfa^orily vindicates himfelt from that charge, ihid. Accufed by fir W. Howe, 440 Affcrts that Howe had power to ad according to circumUancea and his own difcretion, 441 . German Tov/n, a^ion at, i. 334. The mtfconduft of theEnjg- li{h commander in chief pointed out, 335. Gibraltar, being befieged by the Spaniards, is relieved by fir Geprge Rodney, ii. 283. Is again relieved by the admiralf Darby, Digby, and Riifs, 308, ^09 RepuHe and difcom> fiture of the Spaniards and French before that foitrefs, 480. Relieved by a fleet under the command of lord Howe, 493. Grafton, duke of, prime minifler, i 59. Procures an »^ for duties on articles imported to America, 60 Refigns, 83. But continues on the fide of government, ibid Brings in a conciliatory bill, 184. Subftance of it, 185 It is nega- tived, 186 Graptt general, expedition of, to the Weft Indies, ii. j^2. His .operations there, 96 Defeats the Ficnch, too. Greene, gtwrd\, fucceeds Gates in the command of the fouthero jirmy, ii. ,258. ^J^rafles the Brittjh outpofts; in South Caro- I . «-■ -■«oiiK»5w^'- « ^•^■;^ — ~ •^*.'6s«ij.w^.-^.''-ift»«iW.-A-!r:--:'* / INDEX. 1*1*1 353' Driven out of North Carolina, j68 Re-cnt«r« it, ^70. AAion wiih lord Cornwarllii near Guildford, 37^. Defeated, 381. Mitrches againd lord Kiiwdon at Camdeo, 39 V Conipelt Fort Waifon to furrender, 401. Encampi at rwenty faed by lord Rawdon, ihid. Battle between, and colonel Stuart, near the Eutaw Springs, 421. Both parties claim the vidorv, 413. GrenvUle, George, prime minider, meafures of, concerning the colonies dirpieafing to the inhabitanti, i. 29. Fropofes the (lamp'aA, 30. Which is (Irenuoufly oppofed by the parlia* mcnt, iSid. But carried by a sreat maiurity, 31. Dilmifled from bis office, 41. His dimiiflion htvourable to the colo* aiei, 43' Caufes of his difmiifion, itid Gny, najor*general, defeats the American general Wayne, i. 319. Expedition of, to Buzzard's Bay. li. 42. Deftroys - the American privateers on the Aiufltnet Hirer, 43. Guichtn, count de, aAion between, and fir George Rodney, i. 2q6. Guildford, aAion near, between lord Cornwallis and general Greene, ii. 375, Remarks thereon, 382. H. 'i .. Ham^re, New, infurreAion in, i. 13^. Hancock, John, riot at Bofton concerning a (hip belonging to him, u 63. Excepted fr6m the oflFered pardon by govern* ment, 140. Made prelident of the congreis of Maflachufett's Bay, 121. .NffCfotl't Bridge^ aAion at, i. 411. . Hardy, fir Charles, takes the command of the Channel fleet, ii. 179. Is pafl*ed by the combined fleets, i^feech of, on the ftaaip* aft, i. 37. Hiiyhorougb, the royal ftandard erefled at, ii. 369. Holland, differences of, with Great Britain, ii 385. Carriifi naval (lores to France, 286. The fliips of, (isized by the Britifl), 287. Sufpenlion of treaties Of, with Britain, 291. Commercial treaty between her and America, 301, 302. — 3 • Ww - •t*^^ INDEX. W«r between her and Britain, 303. Dutch iflaiid of St. EufUiiut captured, 31 1. Recaptured, 404. Dutch fettle- ments on the S|)4ni(h Main talctn, jia Adlion between the Britifh and Dutch 6eeti at the Dogger Hank, ^iH. Hood, fir (iamuel, engajjfs the French fleet near Fort Royal Bay, ii. 313. CommanJs the En^Hfh fleet in the abfence of fir George Rodney, 476 1« attacked by the count de Graflc, but repulfei hint, 477. Hrtham, commodore, his important ferricei on Hudfon's Ri»er, i. 404. In the Prelton, a fliip of fifty guns, fightt the Tonant, a French (hip of eighty, ii. 53. Commands a fqiiadron fent to the Welt Indies, ^2. Hondurat, attacl( upon, by captain Luttrell, ii. 188. Hofvt, general, his conduA at Hunker's Hill, i. 143. Eva i< ation of BoOon, 187. Embarks for Halifax, 188. Ctn- fured by many for not g<»ing rather to Long iflmd, 314. Arrives at Sandy Hook, ibid Lands the Bntifh troops at Staten Ifland, 115. Detail of his forces, ibid. Is joined by lord Howe with a large reinforcement from Britain, 216. The late arrival of the troops a great injury to the Britifh caufe, ibid. Empowered, with lord Howe, to treat with the Americans, ibid. Opens the campaign, and puts the coemy to flight at Long IQand, 219. Declines attacking the American lines, aai . The Americans efcape from the ifland, S2a. His orders for purfuit too late, x2) Makes overtures for peace to th< Americans, 125. Takes pofTelTion of New York, 2^0. Engages the Americans at White Plains, 238. Cenfured for dividing his army into fmall unconneifted de« tachments, 251 Blamed for giving an important command to colonel Rhalle, 262. Difafler at Trenton attributed to that Caufe, ibid, Negledls to fortify the polls on the Dela< ware, t6\ Suffers the Jerfeys to be recovered, lO-j. His conduA contralled with that of general Walhington, 270. doles the campaign 1776, 272. Opens the campaign 1777, J 08. Endeavours to bring Wafhin^ton to adion, 317, Lelinquifhes the Jerfeys, 319. Proceeds tu Chefapeak Bay, ikid. AAion at the Brandywine, 326 Defeats the '.-^fri. cans, 327. But does not improve the viftory. 328. .'»1:.jn at German Town, 334. Suffers the Americans to ree, 346. General ceafure of his condudl, 347, Reftgns the command of the armf, 4a;. Imputes his refignaiiun to the warn of fupport from adminidation, ibid. That allegation tiianifeflly un- founded, 426. Mifchianza, a feflival in honour of, 429. Du Portail's letter refpedling his condudt, 4)0. Returns to Ensland, 439. Complains of defamation, ibid. Obtains a parTiancntary iaf^uiry, 443. Refltt^ioas on that enquiry. ^» -flSfcMr-*, -.,<5»*w98,r.~ --i!&-''*S*«St^*l«" INDEX. Hoibe, lord, atrrives at Sandy Hook with a fleet from England, i. 214. Empowered, with his brother, to treat wi;h the Americans, 216. Writes to doflor Fianklin and general Waf^'ngtqn refpe^ing peace, 217 Cunltrence at Staten ifland with a committee from congrefs, 225 Attacks Mud \flandi, 3}6. Takes it, 340. Defends (he harbour of New York with a fmall force, ii. 28 Sails (0 Rhode Ifland to oppoTe d'EHaing, 31. The fleets feparated by a rtorm, 32. .-Refigns the command to admiral Gambicr, 30. See Howe, .general. Huyne, major general, fervices of, at Charleltoun, ii. 207. Hutchlnfofit governor of MalTachufett's Bay, i. 94, Letter ofj id'^^f^s tl^c aiTembly, ibid. I'etitions for a removal of, from his office, 95. J. J/tmdiea, and other Well India idand^. See U^eji Indies, Sar. rington, Byron, and Rodney. \ Jarvisi captain (now admiral fir J ), captures the Pegafe, a French line-of- battle rtiip, ii. 176. Hcpflled, 177. Ano- ther attempt on, 307. Is bravely defended by major Pierfon, 306.. — — , New, peopled by the Dutch and Swedes, i. 9. Opera- tions there, fee Curn*»-**a>r?. IN D E X. to the Carnaticv iiiJ. Haftings detaches the Mahrattas from the interef^s of Hyder Alley, 487'. hJiaa. lavages employed by Burgoyne, i. 357. Dcfert him, 378- Johnjione, goTernpr, one of the commiflioners for p- ace. See Commiffioners. Sends private Utters to members of congreTm ii; 54. Obfervations on tbefe letters, 59. Withdraws from thtf conmiflion, ibid. Sails fiom St Helens with a fquadron agaioft the Dutch fettlements at the Cape of Good Hopei 331. F3 attacked by the French admiral Suffrein, 333. Falls in with and takes a Dutch (hip bound for Ceylon, richijr laden with (lores, and forty thoufand pounds in bullion, 338^ Makes prizes dta men, 339. Jonat Paul, aAion between, and a Britilh convoy, ii. i8a. Defperate courage of, 183. Judgesy Arodrican. new regulations concerning, i. 91. Dif- gufting to the Americans, 92. 3^ry, trial by, claimed by the Americans on the promulgation of the plan for trying certain crimes in England, though committed in America, i. 78, 79. K. KtpptU admiral, appointed to the command of the Brit((h Heet in the Channel, ii. 84. Hodilities commenced between France and England, 8e;. Engagement between the Belle Poole, a French, and the Arethuia, an Englifh frigi'te, ibid. Engagement between the Englifh and French (leets, 87. Difference between Keppel and Pallifer, 90. Ke|()pel tried, ibid. Honourably acquitted, ibid. Rejoicings in London on his acquittal, d)id Receives the thanks of the houfe of commons, ibid. Is appointed firft lord of the admiralty, 473. Knyphaufen, general, arrives at Long_ Ifland with a body of HelTians, i. 238. His fervices at Fort Wafliington, 243. At Brandywine, 326. His conduct at Freehold Couit Houfe, ii. 22. Left commander o( the garrifbn of New York, 196 His prudent meafures for the defence of New York, 267. L. Lau'rens, Henry, prefident of the congrefs, appointed ambalTa- do"* to Holland, ii. 302. The velTel in which he embarked •- ?aken on her pa(rage to Europe, ibid. Is examined before Secretaries of ftate, and committed a clofe prifoner to the Tower INDEX. Tower of London, 30$. A letter Trom the comaiittee of congrefs, found among Mr. Laurens's papers, 348. >f,«e, the American general, taken prifoner, i. 253. His cha- raAer and abilitiee, 254. Hit conduct at Freehold Court H^ufe meritorioBt, though it met witii punishment, ii. 23 • l^j, major-general, hie important fervir-s at Charleflown, ii. 207. Sent by Ciutton to co operate with Cortiwallis, 250. Ordered to join him at Wynneftorough, Hid- Joins him there, 35S. Command* pan of the army at the battle of Guildford, 376* lexingtoH, the Engiifli. forces are defeated at, i. 133. liberty, too exalted f))ecalative ideas of« lead into mod fatal confequences in praiSice, i. 11. Lincoln, the American geneial, commands in the fouthern colonies, ii. 117. Arrives at Chariefiv^n, i^iurgh near bavannah. Ibid. At> tempts to ftraiten the frit lOi quarters, 121. Pruftrated by , general Prevoft, i2i« Attacks the Britifh troops under cflJooel Maittand, 130. JLcpuifed, 1^1. Is abandoned by a great part of his troops, i|2. Retires to Char'eflown, , 198. summoned by Clinton to iurreoder, 200. {|is firm aD(wer, ibid. Capitulates, zo;, 206 Locke, the dilhnguifhed philoropher, forms a code of laws for Carolina, apparently excellent in thtory, but by experience ^oved inenedual, i. n. Lang I/land, battle of, i. 219. « LoyaPyis, American, exert themfelves in Virgipia, and after* wards retire to Norfolk with lord Dunmore, i. 166. In North Carolina fet up the '-'nVs (landard, 201. Join with the Scotch Highland en i;^< ots, 202. Divided in their councils, 203. Proceed to V ilmingtbn. 20^. Attack the Americans, 205. Dtfeated, 206, Tbofc of Jerfey and New York pillaged and infuited, 271. Condufl of thofe of Philadelphia on the departure of the corgrefs, ibid. Strata- gem of, 414. Lttcie, St. Attempt of the French on, ii. 31;. Luttrell, commodore, reduces the Spaniih fort Omoa, ii. 189. Lutfvych, commodore, deAroys the American gallies at Skenef' - borough, i. 362. M. \y Mmemrtfuyf lord, governor of Grenada, furrenders the ifland, • ii. 107. Aiic/e/m, colonel, charafter of, i. 150. His vigorous meafures to oppofe the Americans in Canada, 151. Haftens to the :■ ■ -.'■ ■ ':'■ ■'::,.■,-;.::;•.■;,■;■•. i'. v-^r;' defence '^^%^,.^j,r^ ■JM i £' ''^ ^-Wr., b MB. ... ^ I'Kll !■ I ft. i.-JI ^■xmf'- -^ *r.W«5K.'/V. I N D E X. e committett of 253. His cha- Freehold Court iment, ii. 23 • Charleflown, ii. lornwallis, 250. hid- Joins him at the battle of , •33- into mod fatal in the fouthern ibid' Lftabnfhes nnah, Hid. At« . Fruftrated by i(h troops under s abandoned by a hai'cflown,, 198. Ifis firnn aoTwer, code of laws for but by experience gipia, and after- ice, i. 166. In 20I. Join with Divided in their 104. Attack the )fe ■ of Jcrfey and >nduft of ihofe of efs. Hid. Strata- Omoa, ii. 189. gal lies at SkeneN enders the ifland, vigorous meafures Haflcns to the defence defence of Quebec, 155. Diredi the attilleiy and fbnificii> tions, i;6. . , colonel Francis, forms a ictdcBKBt in PcDoUcot, ii. 163. Attacked by the Amerieam, 165. His Ttgppr aad coodoA difappoint the anewpti of the eneny, 167. Rdicf^ ed fay fir George Collier, 1 68. Maitland, mujor, expedition of, up the Delaware, i. 419. Deltroys a great quantity of (lores and provifions, and 4 mimber <)f (hips, ikid. Succeeds general Prefvoft in the coa» mand at John's ifland, ii. 1 29. Attacked by general I«incoin, 150. Whom he repuifes, ibid. Marches to the affiance xS general Prevoft at Savannah, 138. Hta death and charaAcr, 148. '. , captain of the Q^een, captores TA^oaairey a French (hip of war, ii. 488. Manners, influence of climate and foil 00, illaftrafted in the northern, middle, and footbern colonies of North America, i. 5 — 11. Marjlandt (irfl fettlement of, i. 10. Carries on a condderable trade with Li(bon and the Mediterranean, 17. Delegates of, ftcede from congreis when declaring America independent, 213. Majjacbufett^s Bay, fettled by Puritans flying from the periccu* tion of Laud, i 8. Soon h.^gins to flourifh, 9. Pleafed with duties impoliid by parliament, 24. A(rembly denies the right of the Britiih parliament to levy taxes, ibid. That denial imputed to the continuance of the republican principles of the firll fettlers, 2^. Prcpofes aflembling a general con* grefs, 40. This propofal generally approved o^ 41. Tu- mults in, on the piomulgation of the itamp aA, 64. , Difa* greement between the inha'oitants and the governors, 65. AfTembly of, enters into a general confideration of grier- ances, 66 Petition of, to tlie king, ibid Sends a circular letter to the other colonies, (latin» grievances, 67. Thac letter feverely condemned by government, but moft favoura- bly received by the other colonies, 68. AiTembly required t* refcind the refolution which produced it, 69, 70. Whicb. they refufe, and are therefore dilTolved. ibid. The diiwfl* tents of the people break out into open violence, ibid. ThMf form a/Tociation.* for diftrefHng thr trade of Britain, 75. IM« pleafed with new regulations about the judges, 9<. Affembfy denies the right of the firitifh parliament to legiflate for them, 9j. Apologize afterwards for their violence, 94. Pray for the removal of their governor, 95. The people enter into aiTociations againft the importation of tea, 96. The people, by the recommendation of the alTembly, enter into refolu- tions fdr breaking off all trade with Britain, 109. Violence of the populace, and civil government diiTolved, 110. Army and ' " •■»■•«■;*'■. '%f :rs-«--"^''J«>^A . , I.--V!S.!.^ . ^^-,>-fJ(i.--M»— ~- ,,-j»>;ist.*-^- I N D E X. V ■\; iM4 ihititsry flbre» begin to be collefled, 1 12. DelegMet of the county of SuiFolk meet at Bofton, 1 1 3. The condudk of th« people receives the unqualified approbation of the general oongreu, 117. Provincial cqngreis held at Salem, iti. Interferes in the regulation of the militia, 123. Provide , itrms and military Aores, ibid, Provincial cnngrefs meets at Cambridge, la?. Prepares for hoflilities, itiJ. An army, J if»'''ed, 1 3 J. Stt Bofton> Mmuhoodi lieutenant- colonel, expedition under, to affift the leyaliltt in Jerley, i. 409. ASion at Quintin's Bridge, 4ro. Ingratitude of an American foldier, 41 1. AAion at Han- Cock s Bridge, iMd. Matheiv, major-general, commands at King's Bridge, ii. a6i. Sends a detachment under colonel Norton to attack a llrong pod at Young's Houfe, 262. Publicly thanks the colonel and iiMR for their fervices, t6\> Gazette account of that afiair motilated, 263. Maynard, captain of the guards, a very remarkable anecdote of, ii. 384. Meadoiutf general, his gallant and judicious condu£l« at St. Lucie, ii. 100. Maderly difpofition for the defence of hit poll, 101 • Wounded, ibid. Sails fur the Eaft Indies, 340. Mi/^tppit the navigation of that river by the peace to remaio free to particular powers, ii. 497. Mtntritff, captain, his exertions and fervices as chief engineer at iiavannah, ii. 147, 148. His important fervices as chief engineer at Charieitown, 207. His great abilities and pro* feiuonal charadler, ibid. Montgomtry, the American general, marches to attack Canada, i. 149. Takes Fort Chambl6e, 1 5 1 . St. John's, 152. Moo. treal, 153. Summons Quebec to furrender, 155. Attempts to ftorm it, 156. Killed, 159. His character, 159,160. Mtntrtai taken by the Americans, i. 1 53. Morgaiit general, and colonel Tarleton, adion between, ii. 357. Confequences of Tarleton's defeat, 361. 1 Mud {/land, attack on by the Englifh forces, i. 336. N. Nnufound/and, filhery of, fufFers by the difpute of Britain with America, ii 92. St. Pierre and Miquelon, iHands near, - taken from the French, ii. ibid. Netvte, captain I'homas, curious and interefting extract from his 'Tour in England and Scotland, ii. 498. Nfw Tori, trade of, i. 1 7. General congrefs held at, 44. Refoiutions againft the (lamp ad, 45. (Hct Congre/t ) Af- ^ (embly refufes to fupply the troops with the articles direfied ■s-r; « iacvf '•■■*" V&' - •>J*«,iyaB*«ci markable anecdote :8 to attack Canada, INDEX. I'rt the ne\«r rtiutmy aft, 58. Lfgiflatf^e fw^Amiir of t^« afleffibly fufpended by aft oifparKamfnt, 66. But afterwards reftorcd, 75. Preparations to impede the progress of the Bfitifh, 215. Briti{h force* take pofleffion of, 230. Part" of it barrred by the 'Hmericans, 234. North, lord, made prime minifler, i. 82. Introduces a pfan for repeating all duties in America, excepting on ten, iM' Increafes the demands of tht colonifts, 89. ^tf Parliament. NottoHf colonel. See Mathews. ffeutrality, aritiedi an accouftt of, ii. 287. O. Omod, A Spanirti fort, key 6f the Bay of'Hendorals, taken by the Brilifh, ii 1R9. Hero^fm of a Britifh feaiTiafi, 191. pppqfition members fupport thtf caufe of ihe AnKricans, i. 77. Their fpeeches are x\\t means of raiiihg a party af home favourable to thi Americans, ^8 Defend the conduA of the inhabftauts of MafTachufett's Bay, "9. Impede the meafiiies of government refpefling Artier-ca, lOj. Their forebodmgs excite th-j Americans to aft as ihey had foretold,, ibid. Pro* pofe treating with the congrefs, i^o. Support and vindicate general Hurgoyne after the difafter of Saratoga, 398. Alfo general Hotve on his return from America, and inlitl on an int]tiiry into the condnft of the war, 439. Cfivald, a Britifh merchant, negotktes the peac6 en the part of Great Britain, ii. 496. P. aaion between, it. Paper r urrericy of th<» colonies, art aift pafled for reftraining, i. 20. htate of, 21. Obfervations on paj^er currtnty, 26. Pal.: Thomas, powerful tSt&i of his pamphlet called Com- mon Senfe in producing the declaration of AiDerican inde- pendence, i. 214. Writs the Crifis, a fevere fatiie 00 general Howe's feflival, 430. Pa/li/ir, ad, .iral, comniani' '.he rear of the Channel fleet tiAucr K<:t)pel, ii K9. DifT^-rtnce between, and Keppei,' 90. Tried and acquitted, ibiJ. Parker, fir Peter, expedition of, againft Rhode Idand, i. a. ,8. .— . . , admiral, adliun between, nnd the Dutch admiral Zoutman, li. 328. *-'-^' — , fir Hyde, corHrtiatids itn arm^nte nt againA G orgia, ii. 2 Succels of that expedition, 74, Engages the Dutch I tii ntzt tht! Dogger Biknk, 328. ParJiamtnt i .......;= j t^-m^i^^^fj INDEX. ■ - » ^K farJiaififiU *Sk^ pf* for the fopprelfion of fmngjline, j. i j. fttt l' A impodng duties on cenain kind of rn^rchjintji^ in America, ip. ObjeAs of this ad, the comcrmc.t. of ihc 'colonies, and revenue of the ftate, ibid. A^ tor royiating he part c cur- rency of America, 20. Thefe ; ?» r<. •: on grc^tt dif: on'.»otj . in America, 30, 31. (See Stamp Ali,J vjppofcd in > r. • -ica . as uncoil tlitutiotal, 4.. The ; pht r!" pt r!' if .ni mj. (r » taxes oil thv' Amfricam: Jepied uy the coiigrfifs, 45. /wj /or repealing the jiamp a£i, 70. A/companied by an adi de- clarirg that pa>!i. ment had 3 right to legidate for America in every cafe, 5 1 . AB. for providing for the more comfortable ■ ;. lubfi(tence of the troops in ^metier, 57. Afk for Jervjng duties on imports into, <() A'.tacked in coioriial paropt.iets v and news papers, Oj. AddrtriTes his Majefly O'l the difor- •: derly ftate of Maflachurett's B;:/, 76. D'''ontiiHje«all the duties in America, exc; i)t or. lea, 82 Adj S.- exporting te4 ' ;.• free of duty. g6. DifguAirijg to the t Jew Engiandets, ibid. /t£l for (hutting the port of tioflon, 99. AA for chajiging the conftitution of Maflkchufrtt't Bay, ico. AA for the bet- , ter government of MaHacbufetts, 101. For the fettlanem of ' Canada, loa. For prqhibitting the moft difaffeded coiooiet ficom trading with any country but Britain, 137. Makes a conciliatory propo(itio.n to A incftica, 138. Not accepted, 139. 4 His Majefty's fpeech at the opening oi, after commencement* of hoftilitics, 174. Arguments for and againft coercive mea- fures, 176, 177. Coercion ri:rulved on, 178. Meafures "i adopted accordingly, 180. 'lakes the A mericail petition into confider^tion, 181. Rejet^ts it, 182. Conciliatory bill propofed by Mr. Burke, (^/<£. Rejefled 183. Aft for pro- hibiting all intercourfe with America, ibid. Conciliatory motion by Mr. Hartley, i7iV. Rejeded, 184. By the duke of Grafton, ibid. Rejected, 186. Debates on the procla- .' motion of lord and general Howe, 294. Bill for fecuring perfons accgfed of high treafon, 300. . Motion by lord Cha> ■ f- tham for addrefling the King againft the war, 303. Manly f • ' fpeech of the fpeaker to his majefty refpe£ting the public money, 305. Bills for reconciliation with Ameiicaii. 3. t'alterfon, geneial, fervices of, at Charleftown, ii, 207. Peek't HiU, expedition to, i. 310. Penobfcot, Britifti fettlement in, by general Macl^^Of fi^d fuccefs- ful defence of, ii. 167, 168. 'Vi \ Penfyhania, planted by Penn with Quakers, i. iq. Afi*erobly of, iecedes from congrefs, 213. See PLdadelphia. Penn, William, fettles Penfyironia, i. 10. , Kichard^ prefents a pt tit ion from congreft to his majefly, i. 171. Percy, lord (now duke of Nov ' i' iberland), fentwith a detach* . Bient to fejze the m''.ita>y f cs at Concord* near Bofton, L 130. l' V^f\ ^■' ■"^Sl^Ztt.^ '^ ^m < " '^'t^ - ^^ iii T aiii i i m i tT *^' i^-^fl", ,.-,.■<( -v,«~«*-i j)|p!,» -f JtaC/ f^l I W -lfc- I N D-wE X. ,dj H • cxpeirting te* I]0. Annoyed, by the Americans, iBid. Acquires a high chara^er as an uflicer, 135. Cummands a body at Long Ifland, 219. Cartiei the advanced puds of the enenry's campt 245. PUir/on, major, defends St. Melicr's, capital of the ifland of Jerfcy, againA the French, ii. 306. Is killed, 307. Piuaitntt major, kilied at Bunker's Hill, i 143. His charader, 144 P'lUt William (earl of Chatham), avetfe to the fyllem refpedling America propofed by government, i. 29. His motion for an addrefs to the throne for peace, 303- Pigoft, major-general, his fuccefsful defence of Rhode Ifland, ii. 38. Pre/cot, general, carried off by the Americans, i. 319. /V«;o^, general, defeats the American^, ii. 122. Unfuccefsful attempt of, againll Charleftown, i26< Departs for Savinnah, 129. Befieged there by the Americans and French, 140. His liaes attacked, 144. Repulfes the enemy with great lofs, 146. Putnam, general, commands a detachment from Connedicbt, i. 1 36. Account of, Hid., Makes good his retreat from Ntv York. with the American army, 233. ' ^inttri's Bridge, adtion at, i. 410. R. Maclv^flf a»d fuceefi* Rar. Iratagem of, i. 41.6. jS.-w^fi'i--'^: t'~;,v 'isi;nionH io prevent, jbid- ProiTuce muimurt.amon^ the American*, 13. AfTeA branches of fair and lucrative trade, 16. Sfain, favours the Americana, i. 290. Joins the confederacy againft Britain, ii. 173. Blockade of Gibraltar, iSj, Spaniards reduce Weft Florida, .187 Attack the BritiHi logwood- cutters in the Bay of Honduras, 1^8 Attack Gibraltar, but are repulfed, 489, 49^ bee Fra.ice. Stamp'oSt oppefed by a powerful party at home, i. 32. Caufes of that oppofition, 35. Not a new fydem, but a conti- nuance of the roldi 49, 50. Produces alamu in Britain as well a* Afitrrica, 'thid R^pc/I of, ^i* Declaratory aA if^ed,, tibid. :Repeal of, cauUt great joy in Amen^^* •'^< £6r, expedition qf, i. 368. Invefts Fott ^unwMC, 372. Obliged to raile the Hege, 3'74« J^t^m, Menf de, the |*'ren«h ^dmical, is 4%i^9^6. by commo- dore Johnilone, ii. 333. Sumpter, the American colonel, defeated by Tarkton^ii. 235, j)0if>9 Clatke and Braaneo, t^. T, Taxation. See ParFiamentf Stamp a8, t^c. 214. I f -^^tr'^'.. - Ks'»^';^-y.>?---^;;>- y'> »' ■ " » " *■»*■< mwt{$ but open to i* 4a. Unitfcwith ommand the BritiKi )yj the provifiODs to the naval glory of merchantmen, ihid. i(h fleet, Hid. Re- tch iHand of Euila- ly ov^r the French, Imer'vcati »i;iniet, ii. in the colonies, i. 13. muttnurs among the r and lucrative trade, oins the confederacy of Gibraltar, tH5. Attack the Britilh uras, iH Attack bee Fra.ice. home, i. 32. Caufet fyftem, but a comi- ) aUriD^ i" ^ntainas ji. JDtclaratory aft joy in Aniericai ihU. g Foit ?tanwMc, 371. iid^fi^ted.by commo- by Tarleton,4i. a35- 2M' INDEX. 2i4> Surprifes and defeats the Americans under colonel ijumpter, 235 RepcU Marion, the Americiin iJiitizan, 2^1. Albion with .lie Amtiicans at Uia flock's Mill, 254. De- feated by general Morgan, 359. Confequences tif bis defeat, 36 1 . ITicmderoga, capture of, i. 147. Tobago, capture of by the French, ii. !?i6. frmton, the Englilh troops are furprized at by general W«(biii£- ton, i. 3-59. V. Vaughan, general, in conjunftlon with fir George Rodney, cap- tures the Dutch ifland of St. Eu'tatius, ii. 309. f^'irginia, fettled in the beginning of James the itVs reign, i. & General afTembly of, oppofe the Itantp aA, 3«). Pttte a relb- lution for a faft on account of the Bodion port-bill, 106. Fropofe an annual congrefit of the citizeps, ibid, Hee Cora- nvauu. United States^ the new conditution of in 1776, i, 273. W. U^aVactt fir James, deftroys the American gallies in .ZEfopiu Creek, i. 407, 408. Wayne, general, furprlfes Stoney Point, ii. 61. Wajbington, general, fmallnefs of his .-irmy at the opening of tlie cannpaign 1776, i. 216. Applies to gei.cral Howe for the releafe of Lee, 255. Surprizes the brit ih troops at Tiea- ton, 259. This viflory animatei rhe Americans, 261. Marches into the Jerfeys, 263. His judicious re'.reai, 264. AAion with colonel Mawhood, 265. Recovers i great pant of the Jerfeys, 267. Wifdom and acliviry of, ir 'he winter campaign, and well-timed proclamation, 324. D.llreffed fituation of his army, 344. Prepares lu impede the Britifk in their retreat from Philadelphia, ibid, baule of Freehold Court'houfe, ii. 20. Sends a detachment to encourage the difaflPeded Carolinians, 221. DiftrefTes of this army. See Howet Clinton, and CorwalUs. Warren, doAor, killed at Bunker's Hill, i. 143. Webjler, lieutenant-colonel, ins conduct at the battle of Camdea greatly praifed, ii. 233. High general character, 235. Death of, fee Corniva/lis. Whiu Plains, baitle of, i. 23B. jr». tvW«^lWli^ *'i . i ■A.C y INDEX. lyh% Ninot granted hy Cbarlei II. to his brother, i. 9. Averfe to giving up trade with Britain* 1 a6. Refufei to accede to the refoluuona of congreft, iM, Local (huation of, 230. Taken pofleiEon of by the Britifli« Uid. Britilh garrifoa of, X in danger from i^e rigour of the winter, ii. acP. Tifi Town taken H) * ,c American and French torcei, ii. 457, ZiNrfWMW, admiral, aAion between and admiral Parker, near Uie Dogger Bank) ii. 398. t HE X N D. T ^■-r-. her, i. 9. ATerfe Fufea to accede to ituation of, 239. iriti(h garriloD of, h forces, ii. 457, J Parker, near Uie ■ I'i