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calabashes of water, knapfacks, bad arms, &c. fpent our ftrongeft men; the weak unferviceable. Tuesday the twenty-fifth day of April we marched, and lay that night in the woods. Wednesday, adjutant-general Jackfon, commanding four hundred in the forlorn, advanced near the fort to the town, where difobeying his order to have two wings on each fide the woods for difcovering ambufcades, and cowardly neglecting the duty of his place (I doubt treacherously,, put captain Butler (a ftout buț unexperienced foldier for fuch a design) to lead the forlorn, who innocently fell into their ambufcades, but moft bravely behaving himself with his divifion, fought it to death, and very orderly brought up his men until flain; fo did captain Pawlet of the firelocks fight to death, whom Jackfon fecing fall, inftead of relief, faced about and bafely ranaway. Thereupon all the forlorn immediately, as a torrent in a narrow paffage freightened on a fudden makes furious way into the fea, tumbled into the reformades, they all as fuddenly tumbled into the horse, they all mixed like amafs (infonarrow a pass) not able to contain above fix abreast. The clofe thick woods encompaffing the fides, where the enemy was lodged to flank us, and the fort great guns loaded with fmall thot, bits of iron, broken piftol barrels, and fuch mifchief, had full power and fure aim all along that narrow pafs; they in the fame moment routed the gc neral's own regiment, and, altogether mixed and crowded, fell into major-general Haynes's regiment; never was any thing fo wedged as we which made the enemy weary with killing; and had not the rear part of major-general Haynes's regiment drawn into the woods, and fo counter-flanked, beating back the enemy to the fort, regaining all the ground, bodies, and ambufcades, even under and befide the very fort, (which was maintained all night,) our whole army had been in that fudden motion difordered and confufed. Jackfon fncaked into the buthes, like an old fox, and faved himself. Our moft gallant, noble, and valiant, major-general Haynes, with whom and near his perfon (at his own great defire) I was myfelf all this while, was flain, lanced through the body, yet regained and brought off by his own regiment: this was a great lofs, as our ma jor general, his lieutenant, colonel's clerk, died of their wounds. Major Forgifon of the general's regiment, captain Butler, captain PawJet, captain Hine, captain Hancock, with many licutenants, enfigns, and all the reformades, only feventeen excepted, got into the woods, and many hundred foldiers, with the lofs of nine colonels, that is reformades, captain Pawlet's of the firelocks, five of the general's regiment, and two of the major-generals, to the great difhonour of ourselves

and

and nation. Yet what God will must be done, and this our affliction I hope will turn to mercy, if we be humbled as we ought. Thursday the twenty-feventh of April, early in the morning, our general demanded of captain Hughes, whether he could play the mortar-piece; who anfwered no, for the fort had fuch command over all thofe places, that it would beat them from it. This I heard him fay and confefs. Whereupon, confidering the foldiers weaknefs, want of victuals, and most of all water, and alfo the former difcouragements, a retreat was privately concluded, a strong rear-guard appointed, the ten mortar fhells neatly buried, our mortar-picce, drakes, fpades, and fhovels, all drawn off, and we fafely all that day got to our old landing-place and fort. There we stayed our general's many goings to general Penn and Mr. Winflow, and every return created new councils; the rain increased, our men weakening, all even to death fluxing; the feamen aboard neglecting us forced us to eat up all our troop horfes, the enemy driving all relief from us, triumphing in these our cncreafing miferies. Our councils refolved by fecking God to purge the army. First, Jackfon found guilty of cowardice, had his fword broke over his head for a coward, his commiffion taken away, and er the army, and fo to be fwabber to the hospital fhip of fick people; which was accordingly done. Some women in men's cloaths we punifhed, and all fufpected whores narrowly fought after; all officers ftrictly commanded to obferve duty upon greatest pains. One of the major-general's (now Fortefcue) foldiers proved to run away hanged, and indeed, like a wife prudent general, all things by him ordered; yet our fick nefs increafing, it was refolved again to fhip directly for Jamaica, where God hath owned us. I cannot now omit to exprefs fomething concerning this our bufinefs, which I am fure the world will miftake in reporting; but myfelf being a prefent eye witness there on the place, and amongst the crowd in the midst of danger, near the major-general's perfon, I have not, neither fhall I relate, any thing but what I know for certain truth. I know a three-fold cord cannot be easily broken, but when they twist not equally together they many times cut one another; and thus I am fure that in martial affairs, where commanders fhould exccute like lightning, and thofe variable as the wind, according as, the prefent emergency requires, and not go for confent of others to the lofs of all. I well know his highnefs would never fubmit in all his paft, actions to fuch curbs, nor can brave defigus ever fucceed with such bridles, which I hope to be amended.

The

The original of another letter from Mr. Daniel to one Mr. Stirrope, to the fame purpofe, I have by me, and therefore I forbear to infert it.

I then, being very weak, ordered the council of war to fall about the diftributing the army into the feveral plantations, that they might fall to work and live (for the future) upon their own endeavours, and fix plantations to be fupplied at hand (Europe being far off) for the further car rying on the design, in what other place thould be judged moft fit to attempt, according to my inftructions I fent alto feveral parties abroad to difcover the country, and attempt upon the enemy, and to fecure the pales into the mountains; who returned with fome prifoners and pillage, ad fhortly after molt of the regiments were fent to their feveral plantations as it fell to them by lot. I preted again for bread, but it was anfwered the men must work or rot: I replied their prefent labours must ftay a time to receive a return of a crop, and, if they were not fupplied till they did reap the fruit of their endeavours, they would certainly be loft or rot before that day; but all, as above-witnelfed by letter, did take litle effect upon thofe who regarded not our mifery and fufferings.— About this time I difpatched tome letters into England to give an account of our condition.

A LETTER TO SECRETARY THURLOE, JUNE 13, 1655.

SINCE my last we have only taken fome prisoners, the rest continue in the mountains wanting houfes, bread, and willing to fubmit, if not awed by a few and difcouraged by fome foldiers that are unruly, occafioned by extreme want, which to redrefs was the work of this day, and we hope to make them good fubjects, being most of them Portuguete. The Spaniards we shall remove, and endeavour to gain all of them by our civility.

We

We ftruggle with all difficulties, about two thousand men fick. fall fhort both of bread, and brandy, &c. of what was promised and believed to be provided for us. We have not three weeks bread, and little caffava in the country, of which the enemy steals a fhare. Our men die daily, eating roots and freth fleth (when any food is gotten) without bread or very little, we not daring on a fudden to take them from bread; by degrees accuftoming them to want that which none will have five

weeks

weeks hence, at half a bifket per diem. There muft fome block-houses be erected at the harbour's mouth, were our men able to work at fuch hard labour, though I fear indeed they will not be able to plant caflava to feed them, or other neceffaries to preferve life, many preferring nay defiring death rather than life, though they have recovered their hearts (courage I cannot fay they had) which they loft at Hifpaniola. Yet I am confident they must not be the men mult carry on this defign in the field, it may be they may in the country by planting, for I am confident had we raifed men over England at a venture we thould have been better fitted than by thofe affigned us; thefe with fome other reasons have moved the council of war to defire me (if the Lord gave health) to present our condition to his highness and council, with fome expedients which at prefent are not refolved upon; neither am I able to enlarge, having quite Ipent my fpirits, to give fome competent account by general Penn, who yefterday vifited me, and told me he refolved for England to-morrow, a warning too fhort for me to be large, who am fo weak after five weeks flux, only fome few days intermiffion.

The inclosed is a true account of the island, which for commodities, air at leaft, equals any fituation among the Spaniards, and exceedeth ilif paniola in the judgment of

Sir, your yery obliged fervant,

RICHARD VENABLES.

A LETTER TO MR. NOEL, JUNE 13, 1655.

1 RECEIVED yours concerning Mr. Blake, and the other expreffing my lords mind in the managing this defign, which at prefent we cannot put in execution: first, because it was not pofitive in our inftructions but conditional: fecondly, in regard there are but few plantations all along that coaft to Carthagena, and in confequence not victuals for us: thirdly, Carthagena itself is five miles diftant from any fresh water, and is fupplied only with rain water kept in cifterns; and fo we were not able to Яtay there any time fourthly, our tents not coming nor our stores, we doubted the rains (which would kill us all) would overtake us before we could gain any place of fhelter, or make one; they usually on that

coaft

coaft, falling in the beginning of April, and deftroying the natives if lying in the open air, as we muft, and our men raw and unfeafoned to the climate. You were pleased to affure me, by the colonel and commissioner Povey, that one hundred tons of brandy were put on board the fleet for the landmen, as well as the feamen. We find a very great failure in this, and our men die daily, as the phyficians tell me, for want of it and bread, of which none muft tafte five weeks hence, at the rate of half a bifket per diem; and freth fleth and roots put them into fluxes, which fweep them away by ten and twenty per diem. Frequently our planting tools fall very fhort; we must have more; forty fets apiece for fmiths and carpenters.. I am informed that much of our cloathing is fpoiled at fea with wet; a fupply of this alfo, with ftore of iron and fteel, fhoes, and linen, we want moft. Match and flint wafte daily, and not to be supplied here. Ammunition alfo, and a new fquadron of thips. But I carnefily defire you to prefs hard for fwords and targets, and black jacks; without the laft not a man can march in thefe torrid regions, where water is precious and feant; and without the other we fhall do little fervice in thefe perpetual wilderneffes. And if you forget brandy, bread, meal, peafe, and rice, never expect good of all that hath been expended, nor probably to fee us alive. Our wants are great, our difficulties are many. Unruly raw foldiers, the major part ignorant, lazy, dull, officers, that have a large portion of pride but not of wit, valour, or activity; but this must not be made public, though I defire my lord may know it, but no more. Good fir, ftir for us with vigour, and you will ever oblige,

Şir, your very humble fervant,

RICHARD VENABLES.

A LETTER TO MR. ROWE.

I MUST of neceffity inform you of a jarr that hath lately been betwixt captain Butler and myfelf, upon information given me of his fetting the officers in difguft against me, of which feveral complaints were made unto me; whereupon I told him of it, and indeed called him drunken fot; for when the treaty was betwixt the French governor and us, he was fo drunk that he fell from his horfe and vomited, of which I have fufG ficient

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