תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

fuch filence, that the Americans left the island without alarming their enemies, and without lofs.

In September, the city of New-York was abandoned by the American army, and taken by the British.

In November, Fort Washington on York Island was taken, and more than two thousand men made prifoners. Fort Lee, opposite to Fort Washington, on the Jersey fhore, was foon after taken, but the garrison escaped.

About the fame time, General Clinton was fent with a body of troops to take poffeffion of Rhode Island, and fucceeded. In addition to all thefe loffes and defeats, the American army fuffered by defertion, and more by sickness, which was epidemic, and very mortal.

The northern army at Ticonderoga was in a disagreeable fituation, particularly after the battle on Lake Champlain, in which the American force, confifting of a few light veffels under the command of generals Arnold and Waterbury, was totally difperfed. But general Carleton, inftead of pursuing his victory, landed at Crown Point, reconnoitred our pofts at Ticonderoga and Mount Independence, and returned to winter quarters in Canada.

The American army might now be faid to be no more. All that now remained of an army, which at the opening of the campaign amounted to at least twenty-five thousand men, did not now exceed three thousand. The term of their engagements being expired, they returned, in large bodies, to their families and friends; the few, who from personal attachment, local circumstances, or fuperior perfeverance and bravery, continued with the Generals Washington and Lee, were too inconfiderable to appear formidable in the view of a powerful and victorious enemy.

In this alarming and critical fituation of affairs, General Lee, through an imprudent carelessness, which ill became a man in his important ftation, was captured by a party of the British light horse commanded by Col. Harcourt; this unfortunate circumftance gave a fevere fhock to the remaining hopes of the little army, and rendered their fituation truly diftreffing.

While these things were tranfacting in New-Jerfey, General Washington, far from being difcouraged by the lofs of General Lee, and always ready to improve every advantage to raise the drooping fpirits of his handful of men, had made a stand on the Pennsylvania fide of the Delaware. Here he collected his scattered forces, called in the affistance of the Pennfylvania militia, and on the night of the 25th of December (1776), when the enemy were lulled into fecurity by the idea of his weakness, and by the inclemency of the night, which was remarkably boisterous, as well as by the fumes of a Christmas-eve, he croffed the river, and at the breaking of day, marched down to Trenton, and fo completely furprized them, that the greater part of the detachment which were ftationed at this place, furrendered after a short refiftance. The horsemen and a few others made their escape at the oppofite end of the town. Upwards of nine hundred Heffians were taken prifoners at this time.

This fuccefsful expedition first gave a favourable turn to our affairs, which, after this, feemed to brighten through the whole course of the war. Soon after, General Washington attacked the British troops at Princeton,

and

and obtained a complete victory; not, however, without being bravely opposed by Colonel Mawhood.

The addrefs in planning and executing thefe enterprizes reflected the highest honour on the commander, and the fuccefs revived the defponding hopes of America. The lofs of General Mercer, a gallant officer, at Princeton, was the principal circumftance that allayed the joys of victory.

The following year, 1777, was distinguished by very remarkable events in favour of America. On the opening of the campaign, Governor Tryon was fent with a body of troops to deftroy the ftores at Danbury, in Connecticut. This plan was executed, and the town moftly burnt. The enemy fuffered in their retreat, and the Americans loft General Wooster, a brave and experienced officer.

General Prescot was taken from his quarters, on Rhode Island, by the addrefs and enterprize of colonel Barton, and conveyed prifoner to the continent.

General Burgoyne, who commanded the northern British army, took poffeffion of Ticonderoga, which had been abandoned by the Americans, He pushed his fucceffes, croffed Lake George, and encamped upon the banks of the Hudson, near Saratoga. His progrefs, however, was checked by the defeat of colonel Baum, near Bennington, in which the undisciplined militia of Vermont, under general Stark, difplayed unexampled bravery, and captured almost the whole detachment.

The militia affembled from all parts of New-England to stop the progrefs of General Burgoyne.

Thefe, with the regular troops, formed a refpectable army, commanded by General Gates. After two fevere actions, in which the Generals Lincoln and Arnold behaved with uncommon gallantry, and were wounded, General Burgoyne found himself enclosed with brave troops, and was forced to furrender his whole army, amounting, according to fome, to ten thousand, and according to others to five thousand feven hundred and fifty-two men, into the hands of the Americans. This memorable event happened on the 17th of October, 1777; and diffused an universal joy over America, and laid a foundation for the treaty with France.

But before these transactions, the main body of the British forces had embarked at New-York, failed up the Chefapeek, and landed at the head of Elk river. The army foon began their march for Philadelphia. General Washington had determined to oppose them, and for this purpose made a stand, first at Red Clay Creek, and then upon the heights, near Brandwine Creek. Here the armies engaged, and the Americans were overpowered, and fuffered great lofs. The enemy foon pursued their march, and took poffeffion of Philadelphia, towards the clofe of September.

Not long after, the two armies were again engaged at German-town, and in the beginning of the action, the Americans had the advantage; but by fome unlucky accident, the fortune of the day was turned in favour of the British. Both fides fuffered confiderable loffes; on the fide

of the Americans was general Nash.

In an attack upon the forts at Mud-Island and Red-Bank, the Heffians were unsuccessful, and their commander, colonel Donop, killed. The

British

British alfo loft the Augufta, a fhip of the line. But the forts were afterwards taken, and the navigation of the Delaware opened. General Washington was reinforced with part of the troops which had compofed the northern army, under General Gates; and both armies retired to winter quarters.

In October, the fame month in which General Burgoyne was taken at Saratoga, General Vaughan, with a small fleet, failed up Hudson's river, and wantonly burnt Kingston, a beautiful Dutch fettlement, on the west fide of the river.

The beginning of the next year, 1778, was distinguished by a treaty of alliance between France and America; by which we obtained a powerful and generous ally. When the English miniftry were informed that this treaty was on foot, they dispatched commiffioners to America, to attempt a reconciliation. But America would not now accept their offers. Early in the spring, Count de Eftaign, with a fleet of fifteen fail of the line, was fent by the court of France to affift America.

General Howe left the army, and returned to England; the command then devolved upon Sir Henry Clinton.

In June, the British army left Philadelphia, and marched for NewYork. On their march they were annoyed by the Americans; and at Monmouth, a very regular action took place between part of the armies ; the enemy were repulfed with great lofs, and had General Lee obeyed his orders, a fignal victory muft have been obtained. General Lee, for ill conduct that day, was fufpended, and was never afterwards permitted ta join the army.

General Lee's conduct, at several times before this, had been very sufpicious. In December, 1776, he lay at Chatham, about eleven miles from Elizabeth-Town, with a brigade of troops, when a great quantity of baggage was ftored at Elizabeth-Town, under a guard of only five hundred Heffians. General Lee was apprized of this, and might have furprized the guard and taken the baggage. But he neglected the opportunity, and after feveral marches and counter-marches between Troy, Chatham, and Morris-Town, he took up his quarters at or near White's tavern, where he was surprized and taken prifoner by a party of the British horfe. He was heard to fay, repeatedly, that General Washington would ruin a fine army. It was fufpected that he had defigns to fupplant the General, and his friends attempted to place him at the head of the army. General Washington's prudent delays and cautious movements afforded General Lee's friends many opportunities to spread reports unfavourable to his character. It was infinuated, with fome fuccefs, that General Washington wanted courage and abilities. Reports of this kind, at one time, rendered General Lee very popular, and it is fuppofed he wished to fruftrate General Washington's plans, in order to increase the fufpicions already entertained of his generalfhip, and turn the public clamour in his own favour. His conduct at Monmouth must have proceeded from fuch a defign; for he commanded the flower of the American army, and was not deftitute of courage.

In Auguft, General Sullivan, with a large body of troops, attempted to take poffeffion of Rhode Island, but did not fucceed. Soon after, the ftores and fhipping at Bedford in Massachusetts, were burnt by a party

of

of the British troops. The fame year, Savannah, then the capital of Georgia, was taken by the British, under the command of Colonel Campbell. In the following year (1779) general Lincoln was appointed to the command of the southern army.

Governor Tryon and Sir George Collyer made an incurfion into Connecticut, and burnt, with wanton barbarity, the towns of Fairfield and Norwalk. But the American arms were crowned with fuccefs, in a bold attack upon Stoney Point, which was surprized and taken by general Wayne in the night of the 15th of July. Five hundred men were made prifoners, with little loss on either fide.

A party of British forces attempted this fummer, to build a fort on Penobscot river, for the purpose of cutting timber in the neighbouring forefts. A plan was laid by Massachusetts to dislodge them, and a confiderable fleet collected for the purpose. But the plan failed of fuccefs, and the whole marine force fell into the hands of the British, except fome veffels which were burnt by the Americans themselves.

In October, General Lincoln and Count de Eftaing made an affault upon Savannah; but they were repulfed with confiderable loss. In this action, the celebrated Polish Count Pulaski, who had acquired the reputation of a brave foldier, was mortally wounded.

In this fummer, General Sullivan marched with a body of troops, into the Indians country, and burnt and deftroyed all their provifions and fettlements that fell in their way.

On the opening of the Campaign the next year (1780) the British troops left Rhode-Island. An expedition under General Clinton and. Lord Corwallis, was undertaken against Charleston, South-Carolina, where General Lincoln commanded. This town, after a clofe fiege of about fix weeks, was furrendered to the British commander; and General Lincoln, and the whole American garrifon, were made prifoners.

General Gates was appointed to the Command in the fouthern department, and another army collected. In Auguft, Lord Cornwallis attacked the American troops at Camden, in South-Carolina, and routed them with confiderable lofs. He afterwards marched through the fouthern states, and supposed them entirely subdued.

The fame fummer, the British troops made frequent incurfions from New-York into the Jerfies, ravaging and plundering the country.

In June, a large body of the enemy, commanded by General Kniphaufen, landed at Elizabeth-Town point, and proceeded into the country. They were much harraffed in their progrefs by colonel Dayton and the troops under his command. When they arrived at Connecticut Farms, according to their usual but facrilegious cuftom, they burnt the Presbyterian church*, parfonage houfe, and a confiderable part of the village. But the most cruel and wanton act that was perpetrated during this incurfion, was the murder of Mrs. Caldwell, the wife of the Reverend Mr. Caldwell, of Elizabeth-Town.

* Prefbyterian Churches were called nefts of rebellion; and it appears by the number that were burnt in every part of this continent where the British bad accefs, that they were particularly obnoxious.

The

This amiable woman, feeing the enemy advancing, retired with her houfe-keeper, a child of three years old, an infant of eight months, and a little maid, to a room fecured on all fides by ftone walls, except at a window oppofite the enemy. She prudently took this precaution to avoid the danger of tranfient shot, fhould the ground be disputed near that place, which happened not to be the cafe; neither was there any firing from either party near the house until the fatal moment, when Mrs. Caldwell, unfufpicious of any immediate danger, fitting on the bed with her little child by the hand, and her nurse, with her infant babe by her fide, was inftantly fhot dead by an unfeeling British foldier, who had come round to the unguarded part of the house with an evident defign to perpetrate the horrid deed. Many circumftances attending this inhuman murder, evince, not only that it was committed by the enemy with defign, but also, that it was by the permiffion, if not by the command, of General Kniphaufen, in order to intimidate the populace to relinquish their cause. A circumftance which aggravated this piece of cruelty, was, that when the British officers were made acquainted with the murder, they did not interfere to prevent the corpfe from being stripped and burnt, but left it half the day, ftripped in part, to be tumbled about by the rude soldiery ; and at last it was removed from the house, before it was burned, by the aid of thofe who were not of the army.

Mrs. Caldwell was an amiable woman, of a sweet and even temper, difcreet, prudent, benevolent, foft and engaging in her manners, and beloved by all her acquaintance. She left nine promifing children.

Mrs. Caldwell's death was foon followed by that of her husband's. In November, 1781, Mr. Caldwell, hearing of the arrival of a young lady at Elizabeth-Town point, whofe family in New-York had been peculiarly kind to the American prisoners, rode down to escort her up to town. Having received her into his chair, the sentinel observing a little bundle tied in the lady's handkerchief, faid it must be feized for the ftate. Mr. Caldwell inftantly left the chair, saying that he would deliver it to the commanding officer, who was then prefent; and as he stepped forward with this view, another foldier impertinently told him to ftop, which he immediately did; the foldier notwithstanding, without further provocation, fhot him dead on the spot. Such was the untimely fate of Mr. Caldwell. His public difcourfes were fenfible, animated and persuasive ; his manner of delivery agreable and pathetic. He was a very warm patriot, and greatly distinguished himself in fupporting the cause of his suffering country. As a husband he was kind; as a citizen given to hofpitality. The villain who murdered him was feized and executed.

In July, a French fleet, under Monfieur de Ternay, with a body of land forces, commanded by Count de Rochambeau, arrived at RhodeIfland, to the great joy of the Americans.

This year was alfo diftinguifhed by the infamous treafon of General Arnold. General Washington having fome business to transact at Wethersfield in Connecticut, left Arnold to command the important poft of Westpoint; which guards a pafs in Hudfon's river, about fixty miles from New-York. Arnolds conduct in the city of Philadelphia, the preceding winter, had been cenfured; and the treatment he received in confequence, had given him offence.

Не

« הקודםהמשך »