$777.

CHA P. within cannon fhot of the fhips. The troops immediately XVI. formed themselves on the high ground, where the enemy seemed more determined and refolute in their attack than they had hitherto been. In this fituation the general ordered the troops to advance, and to charge with their bayonets; which was executed with fuch impetuofity, that the enemy were inftantly broken, and the troops continued their paffage without further moleftation. The whole loss on this occafion did not exceed 172 men in killed and wounded, of whom the latter were more than two-thirds. That of the Americans was more than double, and the number of killed about five to one. On the British fide no officer of diftinction was loft; but on that of the Americans, befides general Woofter, three colonels, and Dr. Atwater, a gentleman of fome confequence in that country, were killed. Indeed, the number of officers, who affembled on this occafion, was out of all proportion to that of the private men; whilft the raw and undisciplined ftate of the militia, together with their weakness in point of number, obliged the former, as well as thofe volunteer gentlemen who joined them, to exert themselves in an extraordinary manner; and even after all, the reports of the stores collected at Danbury were found to be so much exaggerated, that it became doubtful whether the mifchief done to the enemy was equivalent even to the trouble and lofs of the expedition.

Successful incurfion of the provin cials into

In return for this incurfion, the provincials undertook a fimilar one against Long-Island, where they were informed that commiffaries had for fome time been emLong-Ifland ployed in procuring forage, grain, and other neceffaries for the British forces. Thefe articles were depofited for embarkation at a little port called Sagg Harbour, the diftance of which place from New-York, and the weakness of the protection, which confifted only in a company of foot and an armed schooner, seemed to insure a certainty of fuccefs; the principal difficulty lying in their paffage across the found, which was continually infefted by the British cruizers.

May 23.

This expedition was conducted by colonel Meigs, 2 brave and enterprifing officer, who had attended Arnold in his expedition to Quebec, and had been taken prifoner in the attempt to ftorm that place. On the 23d of May, he paffed his detachment in whale boats through the found, and landed on the north fide of the island; but having a narrow bay to crofs before they could reach the place of their deftination, they were now obliged to carry their boats across a neck of land before they could reach

1777

it. Having furmounted this difficulty, however, colonel CHAP. Meigs, with about 150 men, landed on the fouth branch XVI. of the island, within about four miles of Sagg Harbour. They arrived at the place before day, and fpeedily accomplished their purpose, notwithstanding the refiftance of the foldiers, and the crews of the veffels, together with the vigorous efforts of the schooner, which kept up a continual fire of round and grape shot at not more than 150 yards distance. Twelve brigs and floops which lay at the wharf were burnt, and every thing on fhore entirely deftroyed. Ninety prisoners were brought off, confifting of the officer who commanded the men, with most of the masters and crews of the veffels which they had deftroyed; and, according to the American account, the party returned to Guildford, in Connecticut, in no longer space than 25 hours after they had departed from it, having in that short time traversed 90 miles by land and water, befides destroying the floops, as already mentioned.

Howe and

The feafon for action was now far advanced; but, Operations through fome unaccountable negligence on this fide of of generals the water, the army was prevented from taking the field washingfor want of tents and field equipage; a delay which ton. could not but prove of the utmost service to the Americans. The fine weather brought reinforcements from all quarters to the Jerfeys; upon which increase of strength, general Washington quitted his ftrong pofition in the neighbourhood of Morris-town, and advancing within a few miles of Brunswick, took poffeffion of the ftrong country along Middle Brook. Lord Cornwallis, however, made a shift, with the old tents, to encamp the British forces at Brunswick, on the hills that commanded the Rariton, and along the communications upon that river to Amboy; his example being followed at that place by general Vaughan. The great object of the campaign on the fide of New-York, feems to have been, that fir William Howe should penetrate through the Jerseys to the Delaware, drive Washington before him, fo as to clear thofe provinces of the enemy, and reduce the inhabitants to fuch an effectual ftate of fubjection, that a fafe and open communication betwixt the army and the city of NewYork might be established. The fingle movement which the provincial general had now made, however, effectually prevented the accomplishment of this defign, or indeed. of any thing elfe of confequence. His camp, winding along the courfe of the hills, was ftrongly entrenched, fortified, and well covered with artillery; nor was it bet ter fecured by its immediate artificial or natural defences,

1777.

CHAP. than by the difficulty of its approach. He commanded a XVI. view of the British encampment on the hills of Brunfwick, and a great part of the intermediate country towards that place and Amboy. His army alfo increased daily in number. Several bodies of the New-England troops under generals Gates, Parfons and Arnold, advanced to the borders of the North-River, where they were ready to pafs over to the Jerfeys, whenever there was occafion; while, at the fame time, the Jerfey militia affembled with the greatest alacrity; fo that whatever pofition the royal army could take, it was ftill watched on all fides by its enemies. General Howe left no means untried to induce his rival to quit the strong position he had taken. He pushed on detachments, and made feints as if he intended to pafs him, and croís the Delaware. This manœuvre proving ineffectual, he advanced in the front of general Washington's lines, where he continued four days exploring the approaches to his camp, and accurately examining the fituation of his posts; hoping to find some weak and unguarded place upon which an attack might be made with fome probability of success; or that chance, inadvertence, impatience, or error, might occafion fome movement, or be productive of fome circumftance, which might lead to a general engagement. All these hopes, however, were fruftrated. Washington knew the value of his fituation; and as he could neither be provoked, nor furprised in fuch a manner as to oblige him to quit the advantages he derived from it, so he had too much penetration and forefight to lose them by circumvention or fleight; and he had too long profited by this cautious conduct, of never committing the fortune of America to the hazard of a fingle battle, to depart from it on this occafion, when it was not even demanded by any urgent neceffity.

June 19.

General Howe now found it neceffary to change his measures. On the 19th of June, he fuddenly retreated with fome apparent marks of precipitation, and withdrawing his troops from Brunswick, took the road with his whole army towards Amboy. The bridge, which had been intended for the Delaware, was here thrown over the channel which separates the continent from StatenIfland; the heavy baggage, with all the incumbrances of the army, were paffed over; fome of the troops followed, and every thing was in immediate preparation for the pasfage of the rest of the army. In his retreat he was cagerly purfued by large detachments of the Americans, commanded by generals Maxwell, lord Stirling, and Conway, who gained fome trifling advantages; while fome

XVI.

1777

exceffes, committed by the foldiers during their retreat, CHA P. inflamed the enemy still more with a defire of retaliation and revenge. At last, general Washington himself, with the whole army, left his ftrong camp on the hills, and advanced to a place called Quibble-town, which was no sooner perceived by the British commander, than he marched back from Amboy with the utmoft expedition, hoping either to cut off fome of the enemy's large detached parties, or to bring them to a general engagement in the neighbourhood of Quibble-town; or, if neither of these could be accomplished, it was intended, that lord Cornwallis, with his divifion, fhould take a confiderable circuit, and thus gain poffeffion of some strong paffes, which would oblige the American general to quit the very advantageous ground he had taken. In all this, however, he was fruftrated through the skill and vigilance of his enemy. General Washington no fooner perceived the real intent of the enemy, than he withdrew his army from the plains, and with the utmost expedition regained his ftrong camp, fecuring the paffes, at the fame time, fo effectually, that nothing could be attempted against them. Lord Cornwallis, indeed, fell in with Lord Stirling, who had pofted himself in a strong fituation, in a woody country, with about 3000 troops, and who feemed inclined to difpute his paffage. These were broken, however, in a very thort time, with confiderable lofs of men, and three brass fieldpieces; but the neighbourhood of the woods, and the intenfe heat of the weather, prevented the purfuit from being continued with any effect.

General Howe, now convinced that it would be im- Expedition poffible to induce general Washington to quit his ftrong against Phi ladelphia. pofition, and hazard a general engagement; and, at the fame time, perceiving that nothing farther remained to be done in the Jerfeys, determined to undertake an expedition by fea, which must be attended by these manifeft. advantages, that it would be impoffible for general Washington to know where the ftorm was to fall. He must, therefore, keep his poft, and the king's army would make a confiderable progrefs, before he could be in a condition to oppose them; and fuch a progrefs would not leave him that choice of posts from which he had hitherto derived fuch advantages. Before we relate the events of this expedition, however, it will be neceffary to take notice of the particulars relating to the invafion from Canada, which was now conducted by general Burgoyne.

Though the ability of this officer was unquestioned, and his thirst for military glory, however rivalled, could

338

General

fets out on

Canada.

HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

CHAP. not be exceeded, his appointment to this command could XVI. not but, in fome meafure, be difagreeable to general Carleton, to whom it seemed naturally to belong. Of the 1777. latter it was faid, that his powers had been diminished in proportion to the greatness of his fervices. His power Burgoyne formerly extended to every part of America, to which he the expedi- might think proper to fend the army under his direction; tion from but now it was fuddenly reftrained to the narrow limits of his own province. He had unquestionably saved Canada in the manner already related, and was only prevented, by the latenefs of the season, from making an attack on Ticonderoga, and immediately profecuting the war to the fouthward. During the winter, he had exerted his ufual fkill and industry in forwarding every preparation which might conduce to the fuccefs of the enfuing campaign. At the opening of the communication with England, however, instead of the reinforcement he had demanded for the completion of his purpose, he received an arrangement totally new, which, as it had been formed without any reference to his judgement, left nothing to his difcretion or opinion in the execution. Two expeditions were to be formed, in which the number and nature of the troops to be employed, the particular service of each corps, with its fubdivifions, and the smallest detachment to be made from it, had been minutely and precisely stated by the minister. He was not even confulted as to the number and nature of the troops which were to remain in his hands for the fecurity and defence of Canada. In short, the army which he had lately commanded, was taken entirely out of his hands, and put into thofe of other people. The officers who lately acted under his direction were virtually placed in independent commands. They had received orders, indeed, to put themselves under the command of fir William Howe; but these feemed little better than a mockery, as that general had informed fir Guy Carleton, that the concerted operations of the camaign on his fide, would lead him to fuch a distance as to render any communication of that nature altogether impracticable. On this account, in all probability, he now refigned his government, though the length of time which must neceffarily elapfe before a fucceffor could be appointed, and arrive at the place of his destination, obliged him ftill to remain in the difagreeable place he occupied.

Notwithstanding this disgust, however, general Carleton fhewed that no refentment could warp him from his duty; and he applied himself with the fame diligence to