hazarded, for the purpose of protecting that place, or even of extricating the troops; but if no such refraint had been laid-upon his activity, it ftill would have been a question of great doubt, whether, in the prefent ftate of things, the defign would have been practicable. For befides the growing force of the enemy, and their poffeffion of the pofts on all hands, there were no magazines, no depofits of provifions of any kind, for the fupport of the army on the way; and to truft to the uncertain gleanings of a wasted and hoftile country on a march, furrounded on every fide by fwarms of light troops, and of militia on horfeback, with an enemy much fuperior in number ftill to encounter, would have been hazardous in the extreme. Thus circumftanced, he difpatched feveral meffengers by different routes; and to guard as much as poffible against mifchance, applied to Col. Balfour to fend others from Charles Town, with inftructions to Lieut. Col. Cruger, who commanded at Ninety-Six, to abandon that place, and to remove with the garrifon, as fpeedily as poffible, to Augufta, upon the Savannah, which was the neareft poft of Georgia.

So bad was the intelligence, and fo difficult to be obtained, that it was not until after the arrival of the troops at Monk's Corner, that Lord Rawdon difcovered, that it was not Gen. Greene, but Sumpter, who had taken poffeffion of Orangeburgh; the former being then occupied in taking a Britifh poft at the Congarees. While the troops were employed in covering the districts from which Charles-Town drew its fupplies of

provifion, Lord Rawdon was preparing for more active fervice, by unceafing efforts for the augmentation of his cavalry; an arm of force, indifpenfibly necefiary for the profecution of a war in the fouthern colonies; but that country, which abounded fo much in horfes, had been fo ftripped of them by the difaffected, and by the plundering parties of the enemy, that this was now become a measure of no fmall difficulty.

In the mean time, the Generals Philips and Arnold, carried every thing before them in Virginia; and fucceffively defeated all thofe bodies of militia which could be fuddenly brought together, and were hardy enough to venture the encounter; whilft their beft troops were fighting the battles of others in the Carolinas. The long navigation of James River, and of its numerous dependent rivers, branches, and creeks, laid the country open to them, on either hand, as well as to its interior and central parts, for a great extent. At Peterburg, on its fouthern branch, otherwife called the Appomatox River, they deftroyed four thoufand hogfheads of tobacco; being the princip part of the whole annual remittance of the country for France, which. had been collected at that place, The damage done by the deftruction of fhipping and veffels of every fort, both in the rivers and on the ftocks, of fhip yards, docks, and all their dependencies, of public buildings, barracks, and warehoufes, of timber, ftores, flower, and every fpecies of provifions, was prodigious, and indeed feemed almoft incredible, after fo long a ftate of war and trouble, and fo

[F] 4

much

much particular ravage, as that quarter had already undergone. It, however, afforded a melanlancholy teftimonial, of the former profperity of a country, which had ftill fo much left to lofc.

The enemy's marine firength in the river, having, we prefume, retired as far as the depth of water would admit, at length drew up in a state of defence, about four miles above a place called Of borne's, on the fouth, or Appomatox Branch. Gen. Arnold fent a flag to treat with the commander about the furrender of his feet, which the other refufed to, liften to, declaring he would defend it to the laft. Arnold

April 27th. having ordered up

fome artillery, advanced them to the bank of the river, within an hundred yards of a ftate fhip of 20 guns; his troops being not only expofed to her fire, but to that of another of 26 guns, of a ftate brigantine, of 14, befides a number of other hips and vef fels, more or less armed; at the fame time that a party of militia kept up a heavy fire of mufquetry from the oppofite fide of the river. The defence was by no means anfwerable, either to this formidable appearance, or to the feemingly refolute answer of the commander. The fire of the artillery from the fhore took place fo effectually, that it foon drove the militia from the oppofite fide, and compelled the fhips, not long after, to strike their colours. The want of boats, together with the height of the wind, prevented Arnold from being able to take poffeffion of the flips, until the feamen had not only made their efcape, but had fcuttled and fet fire to feveral of

the veffels. Two fhips, and ten leffer veffels, loaded with tobacco, cordage, flour, and other articles, fell, however, into his hands. Four fhips, five brigantines, and a number of fmall veffels, were burnt and funk. The whole quantity of tobacco taken or deftroyed in this fleet, exceeded 2000 hogsheads.

The troops then advanced up the Fork, until they arrived at Manchefter, which lies on the north branch, or properly the main river, and is, including the windings, at least 150 miles from its mouth, where it falls into the Chefapeak. There they deftroyed 1200 hogfheads of tobacco; the Marquis de la Fayette with his

army, who had arrived at Richmond, on the oppofite fide, the preceding day, being fpectators of the conflagration, which they probably could not, or at least did not, attempt to prevent. The army, on their return, made great havock at Warwick; where, along with the fhips on the ftocks and in the river, a large range of rope walks were deftroyed; and a magazine of flour, with a number of warehoufes containing tobacco and other commodities, of tan-houfes, full of hides and bark, were, along with feveral fine mills, all confumed in one general confiagration. The army then returned to the fhipping, (which feem not to have afcended fo far as the Fork) and the whole fell down towards the mouth of the river.

The war was now parcelled out in a frange manner, and the British force broken into fmall divifions, and placed in fuch diftant fituations, as to be little capable of concert and mutual fupport. We

pel them to the difgrace of laying down their arms.

have seen that it raged pretty equally in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia; while the force feems every where to be fufficient for deftroying confiderable tracts of country, and accumulating a great deal of fpoil, but wholly inadequate to the main purpose; and incapable of bringing matters to any decifive conclufion. Thus numbers of brave men were continually loft without any equivalent effect; and the veteran battalions were worn down and confumed, by incredible but fruitless exertions of valour, and by a feries of the most brilliant fucceffes, which produced no permanent advantage.

The fituation of Lord Cornwallis at Wilmington was exceedingly difficult and grievous, His force was by this time reduced` very low; and probably did not greatly exceed a thoufand efective men.

He was informed of the unfortunate turn which affairs had taken in South Carolina; and notwithstanding his reliance on the ability and gallantry of Lord Rawdon, he had too much room for apprehenfion that they would become ftill more critical. The attempt to return to his relief, through fuch vast tracts of an exhaufted, hoftile, or defart country, would have been attended with infuperable difficulties. The Pedee was full in his way, and was impaffable in the face of an enemy; fo that, befides the impracticability of procuring fubfiftence for his troops in fuch a length of march, he would run the hazard of being hemmed in by Greene, in fuch a manner among the great rivers, that mere necefity and diftrefs might at length com

He might indeed have waited at Wilmington, for tranfports to proceed by fea to Charles-Town. But this would have been a meafure fo little reputable, and in the end productive of fo little advantage, that nothing less than the most extreme neceffity, could induce him to fubmit to it. Along with its other ill confequences, much time would be loft, and the cavalry would have been of neceffity facrificed. It would befides totally change the nature of the war; reduce it to be merely defenfive; and feem no lefs than a dereliction of its hope and fortune. All the flattering ideas of the reduction of the fouthern colonies, and even of a co-operation in Virginia, would have been no

more.

Under these embarraffing circumftances, and environed with the moft perplexing difficulties, he formed the bold and vigorous refolution of marching to Virginia, and endeavouring a junction with General Philips. This meafure, in a fituation which afforded only a choice of difficulties and dangers, was undoubtedly the best that could have been adopted; but yet was a refolution of fuch a nature, as could have been only conceived or entertained by an enterprizing, and determined mind. It was indeed a perilous adventure. The distance was great, the means of fubfiftence uncertain, and the difficulties and hazards were fufficient to appal the boldeft. The troops had already experienced the miseries of traverfing an inhofpitable and impracticable country, above 800

miles in different directions; and they were now to encounter a new march of 300 more, in much worse circumftances, and under much more unfavourable aufpices, than at the outfet. Notwith landing the fupplies which they had received at Wilmington, they were fill fo deflitute of neceffaries, that, in the noble commander's own words, his cavalry wanted every thing, and his infantry every thing but thoes. Neither, fays he, in any condition to move, and yet they must march to-morrow! He had already himself a fore experience, as he pathetically obferved, of the miferies of marching feveral hundreds of miles through a country, chiefly hoftile, frequently defart, which did not afford one active or ufeful friend, where no intelligence was to be obtained, and where no communication could be established.

are

The fituation of affairs was, however, fo urgent, as to admit of no hesitation or delay; for if Greene fhould return from South Carlina, the junction with Philips would be impracticable; and Lord Cornwallis was in no condition to maintain the war where he was. To guard against the worst that might happen, he difpatched inftructions to Colonel Balfour, to fend tranfports and provifions to Wilmington, in order that they might be in readiness to receive the troops in cafe of misfortune. Having thus provided for every poffible contingency, he began his march on the 25th of April, and arrived at Peteriburgh, in Virginia, in fomething lefs than a month.

He there received the unwelcome news, of the lofs of Major Gen. Philips; who, to the great

detriment of the fervice, had died of a fever a little before his arrival. That gentleman had been diftinguished in early life, by the full approbation which his ability in the conduct of the artillery had received from that great commander, the Prince Ferdinand of Brunfwick, on different occalions of the late war in Germany; a commendation which he juliified in every part of his fubfequent conduct, but particularly in the unequalled toils, duties, and dangers, of the northern war under General Burgoyne.

The command had

devolved immediately May 13th. upon General Arnold, on Philips's death; and Sir Henry Clinton was fending General Robertfon, the Governor of New York, to affume it, when he received the account of Lord Cornwalls's arrival, which rendered the meafure unneceffary. He likewife difpatched a reinforcement of from 1500 to 2000 men, to the Chefapeak, in order to fupport the war with vigour in Virginia. In this central province, all the scattered operations of active hoftility be. gan at length to converge into a point. The plot thickened apace; and here the grand catatrophe of the American war, began at length to open to the fatigued attention of the world. The Marquis de la Fayette, with a very inferior force, kept on the north fide of James River; and with a degree of prudence and caution, which does not always fuit the military vivacity of his country and time of life, acted fɔ entirely on the defenfive, and at ` the fame time made fo judicious a choice of poils, and thewed fuch

vigour and defign in his movements, as prevented any advantage being taken of his weakness., He had been in long and anxious expectation of being joined by General Wayne, with the Penfylvania line; and hoped that junction would have been foon followed by the arrival of Gen. Greene

from South Carolina.

Upon the falling down of the British forces towards the mouth of the river, with a view of collecting contributions at Williamsburg, and in the adjoining country, De la Fayette fhewed no fmall activity in counteracting their defign; and upon their fudden return up James River, and landing at Brandon, on the fouth fide, he immediately conceived their object to be the forming of a junction with Lord Cornwallis, of whofe marching through North Carolina, he had received fome faint intelligence. He accord ingly made a rapid movement, in order to get before them to Petersburgh, where the advantages of fituation would in fome confiderable degree have compenfated for the want of force, and would have rendered the junction troublesome, if not difficult. In this defign he was foiled, through the vigilance and forefight of the British commanders; and the laft act of Gen. Philips, was the taking poffeffion of Peterburgh, four days only before his death. It does not appear that the Virginia militia difplayed any great exertion at this time; and thofe who joined Fayette, being moftly without arms, could be of little ufe to him who had not the means of fupplying them.

During thefe tranfactions, the important poft at Ninety-Six, in

South Carolina, was clofely invefted, and held to be in the most imminent danger. It feemed ominous (but fuch was the hostile ftate of the country) that none of the meffengers, which Lord Rawdon and Colonel Balfour had difpatched to Col. Cruger, with orders for abandoning that place, had been able to reach him. The fort was, however, in a better ftate of defence than had been expected. The works were completed and ftrong; and the garrifon amounted to near 400 regular troops, befides militia. In these circumstances, Greene found himfelf obliged to fit down before it in form, on the 22d of May; the garrifon made a gallant defence, and the failure of provifions afforded the principal caufe of apprehendion.

The fortunate arrival

of three regiments from June 3d.

Ireland, under the conduct of Col. Gould, afforded an opportunity for the relief of this garrifon which would otherwise have been defperate. For though they were deftined to join Lord Cornwallis, the good difpofition and promptnefs of the commander to concur in the immediate defence of the province, as a more urgent fervice than any other in view, prevented thofe difficulties which must otherwife have arifen. Thefe circumftances fuddenly changed the face of affairs, and enabled Lord Rawdon to undertake the relief of Ninety-Six.

Augufta had also been for fome time befieged; and the whole province of Georgia was deemed to be in fuch imminent danger, that Lord Rawdon found himself under a neceffity, even in that

ftate