gan. The lofs fuftained by the British troops was very CHAP. trifling, not exceeding 150 in killed, wounded, and mif- XVIII. fing. This expedition feems not to have been attended with any great effect as to its immediate purpofe; for fo bold and numerous did the American privateers continue, that in a very few days, two of the royal floops of war were taken by them. Among other views of the British commander in the Connecticut expedition, it was fupposed to be a probable method of drawing general Washington from his ftrong pofts in the Highlands into the Low Country, where he might be forced to a battle on difadvantageous terms; and on the fame principle, fome other expeditions of less note were undertaken. But this cautious general in every instance avoided the fnare; nor could any art on the part of the British commander ever make him. quit his pofts in fuch a manner as to afford him the leaft advantage. On the furprife of Stoney-Point and Verplanks he had indeed moved from the Jerseys, and taken poft among the high grounds farther up the North-River, but this only with a defign of watching the motions of the British army, not of undertaking any action of confequence. A very fpirited enterprise, however, was now undertaken and fuccefsfully executed by general Wayne. This was no lefs than an attempt to furprife the ftrong pofts of Verplanks and Stoney-Point. The works of the former had been completed and repaired with the utmoft induftry by the British, as far as the fhort time they had poffeffed the place would admit, fo that it was now in a very strong itate of defence, and was garrifoned by a whole regiment of foot; the grenadier companies of another; a company of loyal Americans, and fome artillery; the whole being under the command of lieutenantcolonel Johnfor. The garrifon in the oppofite poft, at Verplank's Neck, was under the conduct of lieutenantcolonel Webster, and was at leaft equal in force to that at Stoney-Point. 1779. Stoney Point fur General Wayne fet out on this arduous task on the 15th of July, attended by a strong detachment of the belt American infantry. They went from Sandy-Beach about noon, and marched 14 miles over high mountains, through deep moraffes, difficult defiles, and roads exceed ingly bad and narrow, fo that they could only move in prifed by fingle files during the greateft part of the way. About the Ameeight in the evening, the van arrived within a mile and a half of the fort, where they halted, and the troops were formed into two columns as faft as they came up. ricans, July 15. CHAP. The general iffued the most exprefs orders to both coXVIII. lumns, and which they feem to have exactly obeyed, not to fire a fhot on any account, but to place their whole re1779. liance on the bayonet. Two attacks were, therefore, made on oppofite fides of the fortification, to which the foldiers marched with unloaded mufkets and fixed bayonets, whilft a detachment in front amufed the garrifon with a feint. They found the approaches more difficult than, from their knowledge of the place, they had been led to expect, the works being covered by a deep morafs, which at this time was overflowed by the tide. According to the American accounts, neither the deep morafs, the formidable and double rows of abbatis, or the strong works in front and flank, could damp the ardour of their troops, who, in the face of an inceffant and tremendous fire of mufquetry, and cannon loaded with grape-shot, forced their way through every obftacle, until the van of each column met in the centre of the works, and the garrifon were obliged to furrender prifoners at difcretion. General Wayne was wounded in the head by a musket ball as he paffed the laft abbatis, but was gallantly fupported and helped through the works, by his two brave aids-de-camp, Fishbourn and Archer, to whom he acknowledged the utmost gratitude in his public letter. The total number of prifoners amounted to 543; the number of flain, on the part of the British, to 63. The artillery, ftores, &c. were by no means inconfiderable. As foon as Stoney-Point was taken, the artillery was directly turned against Verplanks, and a furious cannonade enfued, which neceffarily obliged the fhipping to cut their cables, and fail down the river. The news of this difafter, and of colonel Webfter's fituation, who likewife expected an immediate attack on the land fide, no fooner reached fir Henry Clinton, than he took measures for the immediate relief of Verplanks, and recapture of StoneyPoint. But of whatever importance the poffeffion of the latter might be to the Americans, general Washington was by no means difpofed to hazard a decifive engagement on its account, especially in a fituation where the command of the river would afford fuch decifive advantages to his opponents in the difpofition and fudden movement of their troops, either with refpect to the immediate point of action, or the feizing of the paffes, and cutting off the retreat of his army, as might probably be attended with the moft fatal confequences. The works were therefore deftroyed, and the artillery and ftores brought off; three days after which the British took poffeflion of the place without oppofition. Hook. The fuccefs of the Americans in the furprife of Sto- CHAP. ney Point, encouraged them to make a fimilar attempt XVIII. on Paulus Hook four days after. This was a strong poft lying in the Jersey fide, oppofite to New-York. Such a 1779remifinefs, however, had prevailed on the part of the garrifon, that the enemy completely furprifed the place Unfuccefsat three o'clock in the morning, and carried a blockhoufe ful attempt and two redoubts almost without any refiftance. In that on Paulus critical moment, major Sutherland, the commander, threw himself haftily, with forty Heffians, into another redoubt, from which they kept fuch a warm fire, that the Americans fcandaloufly deferted their new posts with as much. expedition, and as little difficulty, as they had attained them. In the mean time, fuch intelligence was received at New-York as neceffarily called Sir George Collier, with the greater part of his naval force, away from that city. This neceffity originated from an expedition, undertaken in the fummer from Halifax by Colonel Macleane, with a view of establishing a strong poft on the river Penobscot, in the eaftern confines of New-England, where that colony borders on Nova Scotia, and amidst fome new and weak fettlements which the Maffachufett's people had established after the peace of 1763, and formed into a county under the name of Lincoln. Here he June. arrived about the middle of June this year, with a force of about 650 men, convoyed by three floops of war; and here he began to erect a small fort in a fituation perfectly well chofen for annoying the enemy. This tranfaction occafioned an unusual alarm at Bofton, Americans and the most vigorous measures were adopted in order defeated at to prevent the fcheme from being completed. Orders' Penobscot. were immediately given for an expedition to the Penob fcot; and, in order to fecure armed veffels and tranfports, an embargo for 40 days was laid on all their fhipping; as an encouragement to adventurers, the ftate also gave up to the captors its fhare in all the prizes that should be taken. A very confiderable naval armament, and a body of land forces, were likewife fent thither. On the other fide, the works of the new fort, though the utmost diligence had been used in their conftruction, were yet fo far from being finifhed, that they afforded but very imperfect means of defence against any great fuperiority of force. Colonel Macleane, however, had the good fortune to receive intelligence of the armament preparing at Bofton, a few days before its arrival; upon which he immediately changed his plan of operation; and inftead of proceeding further in the conftruction of t VOL. V. M 3 CHAP. works which he could not have time to complete, used XVIII. the utmoft diligence to put himself in the beft pofture of defence which the prefent ftate of the place, and the fhortness of the notice, would admit. 1779. July 25. July 28, August 14. On the 25th of July the American fleet appeared to the number of 37 fail; and foon after their fhips of war began to cannonade the veffels lying there, and a battery of four twelve pounders, which had been erected on the bank of the river for their protection. Their fire, however, was fo well returned, that their fhips found it neceffary to retire; and though they renewed their attack the following day, they fuffered a fecond repulfe, and were not able to make good their landing till the 28th of the month. Two days after their landing, the Americans opened a battery about 750 yards diftance from the works, and another fomewhat nearer, but without being able to make any impreffion. In this ineffectual manner the fiege was carried on till towards the middle of Auguft, when the British commander received intelligence from a deferter, that a general affault was determined, and that the fhips and fort were to be attacked at the fame instant. But while the troops in the fort were eagerly expecting the attack, on the morning of August 14, they were furprifedat obferving an unusual calm in the camp of the enemy, and, on a clofer infpection, found that they had abandoned it in the night, and reimbarked both their forces and artillery. Nor were they long in the dark as to the caufe of this myfterious event, for while they were endeavouring to profit in fome degree by the confufion they obferved in the enemy's fleet, Sir George Collier, with his fquadron, appeared full in view, failing up the river. The wretched affailants at first made fome fhew of refiftance, by drawing up in a crefcent across the river, as if they defigned to difpute the paffage; but their refolution foon failed, and they betook themselves to an ignominious flight. A general chace, which terminated in univerfal destruction, took place. One frigate of 20 guns, and another of 18, were taken. The Warwick, a new frigate, of 32 guns; 7 others of fmaller force; 6 armed veffels, and 24 tranfports, were burnt or funk, fome of these by the Americans themselves.-The conduct of the provincial Admiral, Saltonftal, was execrated in the highest degree by his countrymen. It was even faid, that the indignation of the land forces rofe to fuch a pitch, that they came to blows with the feamen in their way home. CHAPTER XIX. Unfuccefsful attack on the Savannah by d'Estaing-Dif- turbances in North Carolina Camden-Tarleton defeats Sumpter-Unfuccessful W CH A P. 1779. HILE matters were going on in this disastrous way for the Americans, Admiral d'Estaing arrived from the West Indies, where he had taken the Iflands of Grenada and St. Vincent's, and been reinforced Unfuccefsby a confiderable fquadron under M. la Motte, with ful attack10,000 land forces. The firft object to which he turned vannah by his attention was the deftruction of the small force under d'Estaing, General Prevoft, which would free the fouthern colonies from their present alarm and danger. The second was to attack, in conjunction with general Washington, on the Sa |