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to confer with all well-disposed persons about the means of restoring public tranquillity, set about the most proper methods for reducing the city of New-York. Here the provincial troops were posted, and, from a great number of batteries, kept continually annoying the British shipping. The East river, about twelve hundred yards in breadth, lay between them, which the British troops were extremely desirous of passing.

302. At last the ships, after an incessant cannonade of several days, silenced the batteries; a body of troops was sent up the river to a bay, about three miles distant, where the fortifications were less strong than in other places. Here, having driven off the Americans by the cannon of the fleet, they marched directly towards the city; but the provincials, finding they should now be attacked on all sides, abandoned the city, and retreated to the north of the island, where their principal force was collected. In their passage they skirmished with the British, but carefully avoided a general engagement; and it was observed they did not behave with that ardor and impetuous valor which had hitherto marked their character.

303. The British and American armies were now not above two miles from each other. The provincials, who lay directly opposite, had strengthened their camp with many fortifications; and, at the same time, were masters of all the passes and defiles betwixt the two camps: thus were they enabled to maintain their station against an army much more numerous than their own: they had also strongly fortified a pass called King's Bridge, on the northern extremity of the island, whence they could secure a passage to the continent in case of any misforHere general Washington, in order to inure the provincials to actual service, and, at the same time, to annoy the enemy as much as possible, employed his troops in continual skirmishes; by which it was observed they recovered their spirits, and behaved with their usual boldness.

tune.

304. As the situation of the two armies was now highly inconvenient to the British generals, it was resolved to make such movements as might oblige general Washington to relinquish his strong situation. A few days after New-York was evacuated by the Americans, a dreadful fire broke out, said to be occasioned by the licentious conduct of some of its new masters; and had it not been for the active exertions of the sailors and soldiery, the whole town probably would have been consumed; the wind being high, and the weather remarkably dry, about a thousand houses were destroyed.

305. General Howe, having left lord Percy with a sufficient

force to garrison New-York, embarked his army in flat-bottomed boats, by which they were conveyed through the dangerous passage called Hurl Gate, and landed at Frog's Point, near the town of West-Chester, lying on the continent towards Connecticut. Here, having received a supply of men and provisions, they moved, on the twenty-first of October, to New Rochelle, situated on the Sound which separates Long Island from the continent.

306. After this, still receiving reinforcements, they made such movements as threatened to distress the Americans very much, by cutting off their convoys of provisions from Connecticut, and thus force them to an engagement. This general Washington determined at all events to avoid. He therefore extended his forces into a long line opposite the way in which the enemy marched, keeping the Brunx, a river of considerable magnitude, between the two armies, with the North River in his rear. Here the provincials continued for some time to skirmish with the royal army, until, by some manœuvres, the British general found means to attack them on the twenty-eighth of October, 1776, at a place called the White Plains, and drove them from some of their posts.

307. The success on this occasion was not so complete as on the former; however, it obliged the provincials to change their ground, and retreat further up the country. General Howe pursued them for some time; but finding all his endeavors to bring on a general action fruitless, he determined to give over the pursuit, and employ himself in reducing the forts which the Americans still retained in the neighborhood of NewYork.

308. Fort Washington was the only post the Americans then held on New-York island, and was under the command of colonel Magaw. The royal army made four attacks upon it. The first, on the north side, was led on by general Knyphauzen: the second, on the east, by general Matthews, supported by lord Cornwallis: the third was under the direction of lieutenant-colonel Sterling: and the fourth by lord Percy. The troops under Knyphauzen, when advancing to the fort, had to pass through a thick wood, which was occupied by Rawling's regiment of riflemen, and suffered very much from their welldirected fire.

309. During this attack, a body of British light-infantry advanced against a party of the Americans, who were annoying them from behind rocks and trees, and obliged them to disperse. Lord Percy carried an advance work on his side; and

lieutenant-colonel Sterling forced his way up a steep ascent and took one hundred and seventy prisoners. Their outworks being carried, the Americans left their lines, and crowded into the fort. Colonel Rahl, who led the right column of Knyphau. zen's attack, pushed forwards, and lodged his column within a hundred yards of the fort, and was there soon joined by the left column. On Nov. 16th, the garrison surrendered on terms of capitulation, by which the men were to be considered as prisoners of war, and the officers to keep their baggage and side-arms. The number of prisoners amounted to two thousand seven hundred. The loss of the British army was also consid erable.

310. Shortly after the surrender of fort Washington, fort Lee, situated on the opposite shore of the North River, was evacuated by the Americans at the approach of lord Cornwal lis; and at the expense of their artillery and stores. Fort Lee being evacuated by the Americans, the Jerseys lay open to the incursions of the British troops, and was so entirely taken possession of by the royal army, that their winter-quarters extended from New-Brunswick to the river Delaware. Had any number of boats been at hand, it was thought Philadelphia would have fallen into their hands; but all these had been carefully removed by the Americans.

311. Instead of this enterprise, Sir Henry Clinton undertook an expedition to Rhode-Island, and became master of it without losing a man. His expedition was also attended with this advantage to him; the American fleet, under commodore Hopkins, was obliged to sail so far up Providence river, that it was entirely useless. The same ill success attended the Americans in other parts. After their expulsion from Canada, they had crossed lake Champlain, and taken up their quarters at Crown Point: here they remained for some time, in safety, as the British had no vessels on the lake; and consequently general Burgoyne could not pursue them.

312. To remedy this deficiency, there was no other method but to construct vessels on the spot, or take to pieces some ves. sels already constructed, and drag them up the river into the

lake. This was effected in the space of three months; and the British general, after incredible toil and difficulty, saw himself in possession of a great number of vessels: by which means, he was enabled to pursue his enemies, and invade them in his turn. The labor undergone at this time, by the sea and land forces, must have been prodigious; since they had conveyed over land, and dragged up the rapids of St. Lawrence,

no fewer than thirty large long-boats, four hundred bateaux, besides a vast number of flat-bottomed boats, and a gondola of thirty tons.

313. The intent of the expedition was to push forward, before winter, to Albany, where the army would take up its winter-quarters; and the next spring effect a junction with that under general Howe; when it was not doubted that the united force and skill of the two commanders would speedily put an end to the war.

314. It was the beginning of October, before the expedition could be undertaken; the fleet consisted of one large vessel, carrying 18 twelve-pounders; two schooners, the one carrying 14, the other 12 six-pounders; a large flat-bottomed radeau, with six twenty-four, and six twelve-pounders; and a gondola with eight nine-pounders; besides these, there were twenty vessels of a smaller size; also gun-boats, carrying each a piece of brass ordnance, from nine to twenty-four-pounders, or how. itzers. Several long-boats were fitted out in the same manner, and a vast number of boats and tenders of various sizes, to be used as transports for the troops and baggage. It was manned by a number of select seamen; and the gun-boats were served by a detachment from the corps of artillery. The officers and soldiers appointed for this expedition, were also chosen out of the whole army.

315. The American force was too inconsiderable to withstand this formidable armament; general Arnold, who commanded it, after engaging the British fleet for a whole day, took advantage of the darkness of the night to set sail without being perceived, and was next morning out of sight: but he was so quickly pursued by the British, that on the second day, he was overtaken and forced to an engagement.

316. Notwithstanding his gallant behavior, he was obliged to run his ships ashore, and set them on fire. A few only escaped to lake George; and the garrison of Crown Point, having destroyed or carried off every thing of value, retired to Ticonderoga. Thither general Carleton intended to have pursued them; but the difficulties he had to encounter were so many, and so great, that it was thought proper to march back into Canada, and desist from any further operations until the next spring.

317. The American affairs now seemed everywhere going to ruin; even those who had been most sanguine in her cause, began to despair. The time also for which the soldiers had enlisted, was now expired; and the bad success of the preY

ceding campaign had been so very discouraging, that no person was willing to engage himself during the continuance of the war, of which the event appeared so doubtful. General Washington had the mortifying evidence of the daily decrease of his army; so that from thirty thousand, of which it consisted when general Howe landed on Staten-Island, scarce a tenth part could be mustered. General Lee had collected a body of troops to assist the commander-in-chief, but having imprudently taken up his lodgings at a distance from the troops, information was given to colonel Harcourt, who happened to be in the neighborhood, and took him prisoner.

318. The loss of this general was much regretted, especially as he was of higher rank than any prisoner in possession of the colonists, and could not therefore be exchanged. Six fieldofficers were offered in exchange for him, and refused; and Congress was highly irritated when it was reported he was to be treated as a deserter, having been a half-pay officer in the British service at the commencement of the war. They issued a proclamation, threatening to retaliate on the prisoners, in their possession, whatever punishment should be inflicted on any of those taken by the British; and that their conduct should be regulated by the treatment of general Lee.

319. Congress now proceeded with the utmost diligence to recruit their army; and bound their soldiers to serve for the term of three years, or during the continuance of the war. The army, for the ensuing campaign, was to consist of eightyeight battalions, of which each province was to contribute its quota; and twenty dollars were offered as a bounty to each soldier, besides an allotment of lands at the end of the war.

320. In this agreement, it was stipulated, that each soldier should have one hundred acres, an ensign one hundred and fifty, a lieutenant two hundred, a captain three hundred, a major four hundred, a lieutenant-colonel four hundred and fifty, and a colonel five hundred. Those who only enlisted for three years, were not entitled to any lands. Those who were wounded in the service, both officers and soldiers, were to enjoy half-pay during life. To meet this expense, Congress borrowed five millions of dollars at five per cent., for which the United States was security.

321. At the same time, a declaration was published, tending to animate the people to vigorous exertions, in which they set forth the necessity there was of taking proper methods for securing success. They endeavored to palliate, as much as possible, the misfortunes which had already happened; and re

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