their influence on the health of the soldiery. Ma.

ny

of the diseased were left at fort Howe, at the commencement of the campaign. Governor Houstoun arrived at St. Mary's on the 4th of July, and colonel Williamson on the 11th. The scar. city of forage had reduced the horses to thirty. five below the necessary number to drag the ar. tillery, ammunition, provisions, and baggage. Under such circumstances, an advance was im practicable, and a retreat could only be accom plished by means of the water communication along the coast inland. The hospital returns con tained one half of the army, and after the militia had joined in the expedition, it was found that there were as many independent commanders, as corps. Governor Houstoun declared that he would not be commanded by general Howe; colonel Williamson said that his men were volunteers and would not yield to be commanded by a continental officer; or in fact, any other, except himself; and commodore Bowen insisted that the naval department was distinct and independent, of officers in command in the land service. With such disunion, the prospect of rendering essential service was unpromising and will always be attended with fatality.

The mortality occasioned by disease, increased to an alarming degree. A great number of militia had volunteered their services from the interior, where they had enjoyed the blessings of a healthy climate, breathed pure air, and drank

clear water.

The apprehensions of such, sur rounded with swamps at that season of the year, induced many to desert the camp and return to their homes. Under the influence of such unpropitious prospects, there were strong grounds for the belief that a general action would have been fatal to the American army.

The rapid progress of disease and other embarrassments which have been noticed, induced general Howe to call a council of war on the 11th of July, to consult on the propriety of retreating while it was in his power. The council was composed of colonels Samuel Elbert, C. C. Pinckney, John White, Tarling, Eveleigh, RoKirk; and lieutenant-colonels

bert Rae, and

Habersham, Thomas Pinckney,

Henderson,

Wise, John
Grimkie,

Brown, Roman De Lisle, Joseph Lane, and Philip Lowe.

General Howe opened the business upon which the council of war was summoned, by stat ing to it, the motives of the enemy from EastFlorida. "The posts they occupied and were endeavouring to occupy, the stations their armed vessels had taken possession of, the number of insurgents rising in arms and forming a junction with them, the information received from deserters and persons entitled to credit, who had escaped from St. Augustine, and from his spies sent out to make discoveries; all united to establish the

fact, that an immediate invasion against Georgia, in all probability, too formidable to be repelled by the force he had at command, had induced him to call to the assistance of Georgia the continental troops of South-Carolina; and that that state, with a conduct conformable to her usual spirit and generosity, had sent with the utmost readiness, even more than of right could have been demanded; who in concert with the militia and continental troops of Georgia, had chased the enemy out of the country, obliged them to evacuate fort Tonyn, from whence continual inroads had been made into Georgia, dangerous to the persons and property of its inhabitants; by which the army had, in the general's opinion, answered every purpose for which they had been called. But willing to have with him, the opinion of the field officers on every occasion, where they ought to be consulted, and ready to relinquish his own, should they offer any reasons which could authorise his doing so; he wished to propose to them several questions. But previous to this, he thought it necessary to give them the following additional information: that driving the enemy out of Georgia and dislodging them from fort Tonyn, were the principal ends at which he had aim. ed; yet had the enemy in defence of that post, or any other, thought proper to oppose him, and he had been happy enough to meet them in detail, he should have been ready to have availed himself of every advantage which might have resulted

from it. By the information received from cap.. tains Moore, Heyrn, and Taylor, the roads through Florida were naturally bad; had been rendered worse by the enemy's having broken up and destroyed the bridges and throwing other im pediments in the way, so that neither artillery nor ammunition waggons could pass without great labour and loss of time; and that from all appear. ances, the enemy had abandoned the idea of opposition on the north side of St. John's river: that the deputy quarter-master-general had reported, that the long march and hard service had destroyed many horses, and rendered so many others unfit for use, that there was a deficiency of at least forty for the absolute necessities of the service : that the surgeon-general and all the surgeons of the army had reported, that at least one half of the troops were sick, many of them dangerously ill, and that by the encreasing inclemency of the climate, the greater part of the army then fit for duty, would either by continuing there or advancing, most probably be destroyed: that by the information received from commodore Bowen, the gallies could not get into St. John's river, without consuming much time and labour in cutting a passage through Amelia narrows; and that if such a passage could be effected, the accounts he had received, all concur in making it probable that the enemy were ready to oppose his opera tions, when in the river, with a superior force.'

The general therefore thought proper to propose the following questions.

1st." As driving the enemy out of Georgia, and demolishing fort Tonyn, were the objects principally aimed at; have not these purposes been effected?

"Resolved unanimously in the affirmative. 2d. "As it appears from information above recited, that the enemy do not mean to oppose us in force on this side of St. John's river; is there any other object important enough in our present situation to warrant our proceeding?

"Resolved unanimously in the negative.

3d. "Is the army in a situation to cross St. John's river, attack the enemy, and secure a retreat in case of accident, though they should be aided by the militia, now embodied under governor Houstoun and colonel Williamson ?

"Resolved unanimously in the negative. 4th. "Does not the sickness which so fatally prevails in the army, render a retreat immediately requisite ?

"Resolved unanimously in the affirmative.

"The general then proceeded to inform the council that the governor had denied him the right to command the militia, even if a junction had been formed between them and the continent. al troops, notwithstanding the resolution of congress declaring that as to the propriety of under, taking distant expeditions and enterprizes, or other military operations, and the mode of cons