feffion of Ridgefield; and with less than an hour's advantage of time, had already thrown up fome fort of an entrenchment to cover his front. The courage and difcipline of the British troops would have triumphed over an enemy more equal in force and condition. The village was forced, and the Americans drove back on all fides. The action was harp, and Arnold difplayed his ufual intrepidity. His horse having been fhot within a few yards of our foremost ranks, he fuddenly difengaged himfelf, and drawing out a piftol, fhot the foldier dead who was running up to transfix him with his bayonet. [39. 283. 288. 353.] Gen. Tryon lay that night at Ridgeheld, and renewed his march on the morning of the 28th. The enemy hawing been reinforced with troops and cannon, the army was exceedingly harated during this day's march. Every ! advantageous poft was seized and difpu. ted, whilst hovering parties on the flanks and rear continually endeavoured to diftarb the order of march, and to pro. fit of every difficulty of ground. The army at length gained, in good time, the Hill of Compo, within cannon-fhot of the fhips. It was then evening; and their ammunition exhaufted, although it is reported, that they had been fup. plied with fixty rounds a man at their outlet upon the expedition. The forces immediately formed upon the high ground, where the enemy feemed more determined and resolute in their attack than they had been hitherto, In this fituation, the General ordered the troops to advance, and to charge with their bayonets. This order was executed with fach impetuofity, that the enemy were totally broken; and every thing being prepared at the shore for their reception, the troops were reimbarked without fur. ther moleftation. Large quantities of corn, flour, and falt provifions, a great number of tents, with various military ftores and neceffaries, were deftroyed in the course of this expedition. The lofs of men on the royal fide was, as ufual, much lefs con. fiderable than could have been expected; the whole, in killed, wounded, and miff. ing, amounting to 172, of whom more than two thirds were wounded. The general lofs under all thefe heads on the American fide was more than double, and the number of the slain about four to one. On the British fide no officer was killed. On theirs, befides Gen. Woofter, they loft three colonels, and a Dr Atwater, a gentleman of confide ration in that country. The number of officers that happened to be in the country, and to affemble upon the occafion, was out of all proportion to that of the private men; whilft the raw and undifciplined ftate of the militia, together with their weakness in point of number, obliged the former, as well as those vo. lunteer gentlemen who joined them, to uncommon exertions, and to expofe themselves in an extraordinary degree. Thefe circumftances may account for the number of men of rank in their fervice who fell on that fide. Upon the whole, the effect of this ex. pedition did not probably answer the expectation upon which it was founded. The actual public ftores at Danbury, and other places, were far inferior to what they had been fuppofed or reprefented; and though much mischief was done, it may appear doubtful, whether the lofs fuftained on the one fide, was equivalent to the risk encountered on the other. Events, however, are not to be confidered as tefts of conduct; and it muft ever be one of the first objects with a great general, to render the force of the enemy inefficacious by cut. ting off their refources. It was perhaps in return for this expedition that the Connecticut men not long after paid a vifit to Long island. Having received intelligence, that com. miffaries had for fome time been employed on the east end of Long island, in procuring forage, grain, and other ne ceffaries, for the British forces; and that thefe articles were deponted for embarkation at a little port called Sagg harbour; the diftance of that place from New York, and the weaknefs of the protection, which confifted only in a company of foot, and an armed fchooner of twelve guns, afforded encouragement for a defign to fruftrate that scheme of fupplying the wants of the army. The principal difficulty and danger lay in the paffing and repaffing of the found, which was continually traverfed by the British cruifers. Col. Meigs, an enterprising officer, who had attended Arnold in the expedition to Quebec, and had been taken prisoner in the attempt to form that city, conducted this enterprise. Having paled his detachment in whale-boats through through the found, May 23. and landed on the north branch of the island, where it is interfected by a bay that runs in far from the east end, it feems by the account, which is not in that part very clear, as if they had carried their boats over that arm of the land. They, how. ever, embarked again on the bay, which he crofled with 130 men, and landed on the fouth branch of the island, within four miles of Sagg harbour. They ar rived at the place before day; and notwithstanding the resistance they met with from the guard and the crews of the veffels, and the vigorous efforts of the fchooner, which kept up a conti nued fire of round and grape shot at 150 yards diftance, they fully completed their defign; having burnt a dozen.brigs and floops which lay at the wharf, and entirely deftroyed every thing on the fhore. They brought off with them about 90 prifoners, confifting of the officer who commanded, with his men, the commiffaries, and most of the masters and crews of the fmall veffels which they deftroyed. A circumftance which renders this expedition particularly curious, if a fact, is afferted by the Americans, They fay, that the party returned to Guildford, in Connecticut, in twentyfive hours from the time of their departure, having, during that space, not only effectually completed the defign of their expedition, but having traverfed no lefs by land and by water than ninety miles. A degree of expedition which requires fome credulity to be admitted; and from whence, if the fact is established, it would appear, that Meigs poffeffes no inconfiderable portion of that fpirit which operated in the Canada expedition. 39. 407.] The feafon for action was now advanced; but from fome improvidence or inattention unaccounted for at home, the army was restrained from taking the field through the want of tents and field équipage. Lord Cornwallis, how ever, made shift with the old tents, to encamp the forces at Brunswick, on the hills that commanded the Rariton, and along the communications upon that river to Amboy; the example being followed at the latter place by Gen, Vaughan. This delay was of the utmost importance to the Americans. The winter campaign had been principally carried on by detachments of the militia, the greater part of whom returned hom when the time of their service was expi red. Others, more generous, more patient of toil, or more fanguine in the common caufe, outftayed the allotted time, merely from a confideration of the weakness of the army, and the ruin which must attend their departure before it was reinforced. In the mean time, the business of recruiting, under an engage ment of ferving during the war, or ever for three years, went on but flowly The term of service was contrary to the genius and habits of the people; and the different provinces found the great eft difficulty in raifing any thing near th ftipulated proportion of troops whic had been allotted for each by the con grefs. In this extremity, the making draughts from the militia was looked in feveral as the dernier refort. Such a act of force, however, upon those wh were contending for liberty on the mo enlarged plans, and who confidered a the rights of freemen as facred, was irk fome and dangerous. Every metho was tried to avoid having recourse t this difagreeable meafure and final re fource. In fome of the colonies, th inlifting of apprentices, and of Irish it dented fervants, was permitted, contra ry to former refolutions and decree with a promise of indemnification their masters. As a farther check upo the increase of the force in the Jersey the New England provinces, which a bounded with men, were taken up wit their domestic concerns. An invafio was expected on the fide of Canada Hudfon's river and Rhode island afford ed continual room for apprehenfion; no did an expedition against Bofton appea at all improbable; efpecially as the grea number of British prizes which wer brought into that port had, befides ren dering it an object of the first import ance, renewed, and even increafed, it poffible, the deteftation and abhorrence with which that people had been long regarded. In fuch circumftances, the advantages of an early campaign, and the benefit which the enemy derived from the delay, are obvious, The fine weather brought reinforcements from all quar ters to the Jerseys, Those who fhuddered at a winter's campaign, grew bold in fummer; and the certainty of a future winter, had no greater effect than diftant evils ufually have. Upon this increafe increase of ftrength, towards the latter end of May Gen. Washington quitted Lis former pofition in the neighbourhood of Morris-town, and advancing within a few miles of Brunswick, took poffeffion of the ftrong country along Middle Brook. Upon this fingle movement hung a great part of the future events of the war in the Jerfeys. Washington turn ed that avantageous fituation to every account of which it was capable. His camp, winding along the courfe of the hills, was ftrongly entrenched, fortified, and well covered with artillery; nor was it better fecured by its immediate natural or artificial defences, than by the difficulties of approach which the ground in tont threw in the way of an enemy. In this fituation he commanded a view of the British encampment on the hills of Brunswick, and of much of the intermediate country towards that place and Amboy. The great object of the campaign, on the fide of New York, feems to have been, that Sir William Howe fhould have penetrated through the Jerseys to the Delaware, driving Washington before him, fo as to clear thofe provinces entirely of the enemy, at the fame time reducing the inhabitants to fo effectual a fate of fubjection, as to establish a fafe and open communication between that city and the army. If in the profecution of this defign, the enemy hazarded a battle, nothing was more wifhed, nor Could any great doubt be entertained of faccefs; or if they conftantly retired, which was more to be expected, the confequences in regard to the general bjects would be nearly the fame; and The army having, by the reduction of Be Jerfeys, left every thing fafe in its rear, and fecured the paffage of the Delaware, would of course become mafters of Philadelphia, which, from its fitua. tion, was incapable of any effectual de fence, and could only be protected by Washington, at the certain expence and hazard of a battle. In this manner feveral conceived and reafoned on the operations in Jerfey. Others were clearly of opinion, that the bringing of Washington to a decifive action upon terms of any tolerable equa. lity with regard to ground, in fuch a country, and against his inclinations, was a thing impracticable; that if he could not be brought to fuch an action in fuch a manner, fo as wholly to drive him out of the Jerfeys, the attempt to pafs a river like the Delaware, full of armed veffels in its ftream, ftrong forts in its islands, great obftructions in its channels, with an enemy in front, and leaving a ftrong army on their rear, would be a very unadvited enterprife; and the failure in it would be the total and immediate ruin of the royal cause ia America. On the other hand, if the obstacles in the Jerfeys were found fo great, that they could not be overcome without much lofs of time, and expence of blood, it was thought adviseable, in thofe circumftances, to profit of the powerful naval force, and the infinite number of tranfports and veffels of all forts which lay at New York; to combine this powerful auxiliary (which had hitherto produced fuch fignal advantages in every inftance where it could be brought into action) with the land force, and by conveying the army by fea to the place of its deftination, to elude all thofe dif ficulties by which the paffage through the Jerfeys might be clogged. In this alternative, the object was ftill the fame, the means of attaining it being only changed. Philadelphia was the immediate point in view. If that object was properly chofen, and the general opinion at that time pointed it out as the moft eligible, the paffage by fea feemed the moft fecure of its effect, though unquestionably the floweft in the operation. The Delaware, or the great bay of Chefapeak, opened the way into the heart of the richest and beft of the central colonies, and led either directly, or by crofling a country of no great extent, to the poffeffion of that place. That point gained, Philadelphia was to become the place of arms, and centre of action, whilft every part of the three hoftile and flourishing provinces of Pennfylvania, Virginia, and Maryland, would, from their deep bays and navigable rivers, be expofed to the combined powerful action and continual operation of the land and marine force. However, before this plan was adopted, as we fhail fee, measures were taken in the Jerfeys, if poffibte, to bring Washington to an action. The operations in the fouthern or central provinces, however efficacious or extenfive, did not, by any means, include all the great objects of the cam paign, paign. Something was of courfe to be expected on the fide of Canada, where a very confiderable army had been collected, and by the fuccefs of the laft campaign on the lakes, had a way opened for it to penetrate into the back parts of the New England and New-York provinces. The command in this expedition was committed to Gen. Burgoyne, who was reported to be author of the plan. The great body was to be feconded by a lesser expedition from the upper part of Canada, by the way of Ofwego, to the Mohawk river. This fcheme was eagerly adopted by the minifters, who founded the greateft hopes upon its fuccefs. All the advantages that had ever been expected from the complete poffeffion of Hudfon's river, the establishment of a communication between the two armies, the cutting off all intercourse between the northern and fouthern colonies, with the confequent opportunity of crushing the former, detached and cut off from all affiftance, it was now hoped would have been realifed. The greater hopes were conceived of it from the opinion entertained of the effect of the lavages on the minds of the Americans. It was known, that the provincials in general were in great dread of them from their cruel and defolating manner of making war. These were therefore collected at great expence, and with much labour, from all parts of the continent. In a word, this expedition feemed to become the favourite object of, the prefent year. The tents and field equipage, with a body of Anfpach troops, and a number of British and German recruits, having at length arrived at New York by the beginning of June, the General, Sir William Howe, paffed over to the Jerfeys, and took the field about the middle of that month. The enemy were now in a strong ftate of defence. Washing ton's army, befides the advantages it derived from the inacceffible pofts which it occupied, was become more confiderable as to number and force. Several bodies of the New-England troops, under the Gen Gates, Parfons, and Arrold, advanced to the borders of the North river, where they were ready to pafs over to the Jerfeys, whenever opportunity invited their action, or the neceffity of their friends demanded their affiftAt the fame time the Jerfey militia affembled from every quarter with ance. the greatest alacrity, fo that in eve pofition it took, and motion it mad the army was watched and environed enemies. The General left nothing untried th could provoke Washington to an engag ment, nor no meafure uneffayed th could induce him to quit his pofitio He pushed on detachments, and ma movements, as if he intended to pa him, and advance to the Delawar This manœuvre proving ineffectual, advanced in the front of his lines, whe he continued for four days, explorin the approaches to his camp, and acc rately examining the fituation of t pofts, hoping that fome weak or u guarded part might be found, up which an attack could be ventured wi a probability of fuccefs, or that, in t nearnefs of the armies, chance, ina vertence, impatience, or error, mig occafion fome movement, or be produ tive of fome circumftance, which woul open the way to a general engagemen All these hopes were fruftrated. Waf ington knew the full value of his fitua tion. As he had too much temper t be provoked or surprised into a derelic tion of his advantages, fo he had to much penetration to lose them by cir cumvention or fleight. And he had to long profited of that rule of condu from which he had not once hithert deviated during the courfe of the trouble of never committing the fortune of A merica to the hazard of a fingle action to depart from it upon this occafion when it was not even demanded by an urgent neceffity. Sir William Howe did not yet feer to have abandoned his design of enticin Washington to quit his faftneffes. H fuddenly retreated, June 19. and no without fome apparent marks of pre cipitation, from his pofition in front of the enemy; and, withdrawin his troops from Brunswick, returne with the whole army towards Amboy If the General's defign was what have fuppofed, this movement produce all the immediate effect which he coul bave expected. The army was eager purfued by feveral large bodies of th American regular forces, as well as the Jersey militia, under the comman of the Gens Maxwell, Lord Sterling and Conway; the latter of whom was colonel of the Irifh Brigade, and one that numerous train of officers in th French French fervice who had taken an active part against Great Britain in this unhappy civil war. Such trifling advantages as the bestregulated retreat must afford to the purfuers, and fome exceffes committed, perhaps with a view to the general defign, by the retiring foldiers, ferved to increase the ardour and inflame the pas fions of the Americans. The measures which the General immediately adopted at Amboy completed the delufion. The bridge which was intended for the Dehware, was thrown over the channel which feparates the Continent from Staten island. The heavy baggage, and all the incumbrances of the army, were paffed over. Some of the troops followed, and every thing was an immediate preparation for the passage of the rest of the army. By thefe judicious measures, if the immediate defign failed of effect, every thing was forwarded as much as it could be for the intended embarkation; a measure of which the Americans had as yet no knowledge. Every thing concurred, along with the anity natural to mankind, in inducing the Americans to believe, that this retreat was not only real, but that it proceeded from a knowledge of their fupe. riority, and a dread of their power: Even Washington himself, with all his caution and penetration, was fo far impofed upon by this feint, that he quit ted his fecure pofts upon the hills, and advanced to a place called Quibbletown, to be the nearer at hand for the protection or fupport of his advanced parties. The British General loft no time in endeavouring to profit of thofe circumfances. He immediately [June 26.] marched the army back by different routes, and with great expedition, from Amboy. He had three objects in view To cut off fome of the principal advanced parties; to come up with, and bring the enemy to an engagement in the neighbourhood of Quibbletown; or, if this defign, through the celerity of the enemy, failed in the effect, it was intended that Lord Cornwallis, who, with his column, was to take a confiderable circuit to the right, thould, by turning the enemy's left, take poffefEon of fome paffes in the mountains, which, by their fituation and command of ground, would have reduced them to a neceffity of abandoning that strong camp, which had hitherto afforded them fo advantageous a fecurity. Lord Cornwallis having difperfed the fmaller advanced parties of the enemy, fell in at length with Lord Sterling; who, with about 3000 men, ftrongly pofted in a woody country, and well covered by artillery judiciously difpofed,. not only lay full in his way, but fhewed a determination to difpute_his paffage with vigour and firmnefs. The ardour excited upon this occafion, by an emulation between the British and Heffian troops, was confpicuous and irresistible. All obftacles gave way to their impetuofity in preffing forward, to try who fhould obtain the honour of firft coming to a close engagement with the enemy. The party of Americans firft attacked, unable to withstand the fhock, were foon routed on all fides, having fuftained, besides no inconfiderable lofs in men, that of three pieces of brass-ordnance, which were taken by the British guards, and the Heffian grenadiers. The purfuit was continued as far as Weftfield; but the woods, and the intense heat of the weather, prevented its effect. In the mean time, Gen. Washington foon perceived, and as fpeedily remedied, his error, by withdrawing his ar my from the plains, and again recovering his ftrong camp on the hills. At the fame time, penetrating into Lord Cornwallis's further defign, he fecured thofe paffes in the mountains, the poffeffion of which by the British troops, would have exposed him to the neceffity of a critical change of pofition, which could not have been executed without dans ger. Thus was this, apparently, well-concerted fcheme of bringing the enemy to an action, or at leaft of withdrawing them from their strong holds, rendered abortive, by the caution and prudence of Gen. Washington. Sir William Howe was now convinced, that he was too firmly attached to his defenfive plan of conducting the war, to be induced, by any means, other than by fome very clear and decided advantage, to hazard a general engagement. Nothing then remained to be done in the Jerfeys. To advance to the Delaware, through a country entirely hoftile, and with fuch a force in his rear, appeared to the Britifh commanders no better than madnefs. All delay was therefore not only fruitless, but a waste of that time and season which might be employed to great advantage elfewhere. The General ac cordingly |