In the mean time, colonel Fergusson had been detach- CHAP. ed, with his own body of light infantry, and another of XIX. militia which was attached to it, to make incurfions on the borders of North-Carolina. No great confequences were 1780. expected from this expedition; yet, as he was neither Colonel incumbered with baggage nor artillery, and his troops defeated & Ferguffon were particularly distinguished by their alertness and ac- killed. tivity, it was conceived that they might ftill further break the spirits of the enemy, and prevent them from collecting together any confiderable force in these parts. This commander was, however, tempted, by the hopes of cutting off a colonel Clarke, who, with his party, were returning from an expedition into Georgia, to stay longer in the mountainous parts than was abfolutely neceffary; and to this he was the more encouraged, that he had no idea there was any force in the country now capable of looking him in the face. The scattered inhabitants of the mountains, however, affembled without noise or warning, under the conduct of five or fix of their militia colonels; and forming a body of 1600 horsemen, excellently mounted, eagerly purfued and overtook him on his way to pafs the Catawba ford. Having discovered his danger, from which he could not escape, he took the best position the place would admit, and which was by no means disadvantageous. But his men being covered neither with horse nor artillery, and befides difmayed and astonished at finding themselves fo unexpectedly furrounded and attacked on every fide by this cavalry, were not at all capable of withstanding such an impetuous affault. A total rout enfued; the colonel, with 150 of his men, were killed on the spot; about as many were wounded; and the prifoners, including the wounded, amounted to 800. According to the American accounts, 1500 ftand of arms were taken, and Ferguffon's force was faid to amount to 1400 men. This defeat proved exceedingly detrimental to the royal cause; and even the lofs of the colonel himself was very fenfibly felt. He was perhaps the best marksman living; and probably brought the art of rifle-fhooting to its utmost perfection. He had invented a gun of that kind, upon a new construction, which was faid to have exceeded, in execution and facility, every thing of the kind that had been known. He was even faid to have greatly exceeded the American Indians in the adroitnefs and quickness of firing and loading, and the certainty of hitting the mark, lying upon the back, belly, or every other poffible pofition of the body. It is faid, that, at the battle CHAP. of Germantown, General Washington owed his life to XIX. this gentleman's total ignorance of his perfon, as he had been fufficiently within reach and view during that action for the purpose. 1780. This misfortune, the first that Lord Cornwallis had General yet experienced, was foon apparently recompenfed by a Sumpter defeated by fevere blow given to general Sumpter by colonel TarleColonel ton. The former having raised 1000 men, advanced Tarleton. towards the poft called Ninety-Six, with a view of attacking either it, or fome others in its neighbourhood. Confiding, as he had formerly done, in the diftance of his enemy, he had almost been furprised on the fouth banks of the river Enorree; and though, by a lucky information, he was enabled to pass the river before the enemy came up, he could not prevent his rear-guard from being cut in pieces. He continued his flight to the river Tyger, but was pursued with the utmost rapidity by Tarleton, with the cavalry of his legion, and the 63d regiment mounted on horseback; the infantry of the legion, with a three pounder, being all the artillery he had, were left several miles behind. Sumpter, unwilling to pass the river in fight of an enemy already flushed with fuccefs, perceiving that Tarleton had left his infantry behind, and confiding also in his superior numbers, attacked the British forces, but was obliged to pass the river in the utmost disorder, after having loft 120 men in killed, wounded, and prifoners. Three American colonels were killed, and Sumpter himself dangerously wounded. Of the British troops, above 50 were killed or wounded; and among the former were fome gallant and promifing young officers. Tarleton purfued the blow with the fame rapidity which ufually diftinguished his operations; nor did he leave the purfuit until this body was totally dispersed. country men. In the mean time, General Arnold, having failed in Addrefs of his grand project, finding himself utterly reprobated and general Arhold to his profcribed by his countrymen as a traitor, and, instead of performing any meritorious fervice to the cause in which he was embarked, having occafioned the death of a brave and much efteemed officer, determined if poffible to efface these ftains by fome fignal exploit. Having been made a brigadier-general in the royal army, he began with iffuing an address directed to the inhabitants of America; in which he took a review of his former conduct, affigned his motives for it, and justified those by which he was then influenced. This proclamation was foon followed by another, infcribed to the officers and foldiers of the continental army 1780. who had the real intereft of their country at heart, and were determined to be no longer the tools and dupes of CHAP Congress or of France. In this he rejoiced in the oppor- XIX. tunity he now had of inviting those whom he addreffed to join his Majefty's arms. He was authorised to raise a corps of infantry and cavalry, who, with refpect to pay, clothing, and fubfiftence were to be on the fame footing with the other troops in the British service. The private men were to receive a bounty of three guineas each, befides payment at the full value for horfes, arms, and accoutrements; and as he had the appointment of officers, he fhould, with the greatest fatisfaction, embrace the opportunity of advancing men to whofe valour he had been witness. Great as these encouragements, he said, must appear, to fuch as had suffered every distress of want of pay, hunger and nakedness, from the neglect, contempt, and corruption of Congress, they were nothing to the motives which, he expected, would influence their brave and generous minds. He wished to lead a chosen band of Americans to the attainment of peace, liberty, and safety; and to share with them in the glory of refcuing their native country from the grasping hand of France, as well as from the ambitious and interesfted views of a defperate party among themselves, who had already brought the colonies to the very brink of deftruction. Thefe proclamations were at prefent feconded by the Diftreffes of most powerful arguments that could influence the minds of any people; we mean the diftreffes in which the country was really involved. The depreciation of the American paper currency was now arrived at its utmost height. Some of the earlier emiffions had fallen below the real value in the proportion of one hundred to one; and even the latter emiffions, which were most valued, had fallen at the rate of forty to one; at the fame time that the circumftances of the war had raised the price of foreign commodities and every neceffary of life to the most enormous pitch. This was exceedingly ruinous to the American officers, more than even to the foldiers; for though the latter were ill clad, they had in general been well fupplied with provifions; while the officers had, for the most part, been obliged to mortgage their fmall eftates almost to the full value, in order to defray the enormous expenses of the fervice. Thefe grievances had been long and repeatedly complained of, both to the Congrefs, and the general affemblies of their refpective states, without receiving any redrefs, fo that a great number of officers were on the point of throwing up their commiflions. the Ameri cans. CHAP. Notwithstanding all this difcontent, however, and XIX. the real grievances that occafioned it, the proclamations iffued by general Arnold, and the vast offers held out to 1780. them, produced not the leaft effect in the American army. The high reputation which that general had ac quired was fo totally funk in the deteftation of his treachery, that, far from being able to bring over any confiderable body, it never could gain a fingle officer, nor even, as far as appeared at the time, a fingle foldier to the cause of Britain. Infatuation On the part of this country, however, it was a misof Britain. fortune that every inftance of fuccefs was confidered as decifive and final. The frenzy of making rejoicings and illuminations for our fuppofed victories was carried to fuch an extreme, as to become altogether ridiculous ;* and it does not appear that even the commanders in America were free from the general deception. The victory at Camden was looked upon to be fo decifive with regard to the fouthern colonies, that no farther obstruction was thought to lie in the way of lord Cornwallis from South Carolina to the Cheafapeak; and under this mistaken notion, that the refiftance in these parts was abfolutely at an end, the commander in chief at New-York dispatched general Leflie with 3000 men Leflie's ex- to the Cheafapeak, in order to co-operate with his lordpedition fhip, and to prevent any fuccours from paffing to the affiftance of the southern colonies; but at all events he was to act entirely according to the orders he received from Cornwallis. His lordfhip, however, being at too great a distance either to profit by a diverfion, or to form a junction with Leflie, orders were inftantly fent to that commander to proceed for Charlestown. Here he arrived in the month of December, and Leflie, with onehalf of his troops, was ordered to join the army, while the other was ftationed in Charlestown for the fecurity of the place, and in order to preserve communications. General to Charlestown. It is to be queftioned whether fo many illuminations were occafioned by the fplendid victories of the war of 1755, as by thofe indecifive instances of British valour during the war with America, In the metropolis of Scotland, illumination-candlesticks were advertised, as if we had been forever fure of an uninterrupted course of victory. CHAPTER XX. -Takes General Greene appointed in place of Gates-Tarleton defeated by Morgan—Cornwallis purfues MorganDeftroys his baggage- -Defeats Davidfon Wilmington-Defeats Greene at Guilford- -Colonel Webfter killed-Exploits of Philips and Arnold in Virginia -Difcontents of the Americans-Lord Rawdon defeats Greene-Abandons Camden-Retires to Nelfon's Ferry-Relieves Fort Ninety-SixCornwallis's operations in Virginia—Attacked by Fayette and Wayne Fortifies York-Town and Gloucester -Plan laid for his capture-Sir Samuel Hood arrives off Chefapeak-Arnold's expedition into Connecti cut-Engagement between de Graffe and admiral Greaves-Cornwallis befieged at York-Town and Gloucefter Capitulates. T Greene TOWARDS the clofe of the year, while Cornwallis CHAP. was making preparations for a powerful invafion XX. of North-Carolina, general Greene was fent by Washington to take the command of the fouthern army instead 1780. of Gates, who had been set afide after his misfortune at General Camden, though without any mark of difhonour, but ra- fucceeds ther of applaufe. The new commander brought no Gates. troops along with him, but was obliged to depend entirely on the resources he fhould find in the fouthern colonies. He was looked upon to be the beft officer in the VOL. V. Q3 |