XXXI. 1777. CHAP. for this purpose. The Americans had alfo built a fort, called Mifflin, and raised a confiderable battery on Mud Ifland, which is admirably fituated for the erection of works to annoy fhipping in afcending the Delaware. It lies near the middle of the river, about feven miles below Philadelphia; no veffel of burthen can come up but by the main thip channel, which paffes close to Mud Island, and is very narrow for more than a mile below. Oppofite fort Mifflin is a height called Red Bank, overlooking the river and the neighbouring country, on which a refpectable battery was erected. Between these two fortreffes, which are half a mile afunder, the American naval armament made their harbour of retreat. Two ranges of chevaux de frife were alfo funk in the channel, confifting of large pieces of timber, ftrongly framed together, in the manner ufual for the foundation of wharfs in deep water. Several large points of barbed iron, projecting down the river, were annexed to the upper parts of these chevaux de frife, and the whole was funk with ftones, so as to be about four feet under water at low tide. Their prodigious weight and ftrength could not fail to effect the destruction of any veffel which came upon them. Thirty of these machines were funk three hundred yards below fort Mifflin, ftretching in a diagonal line acrofs the channel. The only open paffage between two piers, lying clofe to the fort, was fecured by a strong boom, and could not be approached but in a direct line to the battery. Another fortification was erected on a high bank on the Jersey shore, called Billingfport, and oppofite to this, another range of chevaux de frife was depofited, leaving only a narrow and fhallow channel on the one fide. There was also a temporary battery of two heavy cannon at the mouth of Mantua Creek, about the midway from Red Bank to Billingsport. ift Oct. BillingsFort taken. A DETACHMENT under colonel Sterling, croffed the Delaware, and taking poffeffion of Billingsport without opposition, enabled captain Hammond of the Roebuck, partially XXXI. 1777. partially to remove the lower line of chevaux de frife: CHA P. but the two upper lines ftill remained, with the forts which defended them, in poffeffion of the Americans. Such was the pofition of affairs, when lord Howe, after a boisterous paffage, arrived with his fleet from the Elk river, and anchored on the western fhore, from the town of Newcastle down to Reedy Island. Town. At this period, general Wathington having gained Action at intelligence, through two intercepted letters, of the German expedition against Billingfport, and received reinforcements of fifteen hundred men from the forts in the iflands by way of Peek's Kill, and one thousand from Virginia, decamped at feven in the evening from Skippack Creek, diftant about seventeen miles, and at ad Oct. dawn of day attacked the fortieth regiment, posted at 4th. the head of German Town, and obliged them to retreat. The commanding officer, lieutenant-colonel Mufgrave, placed five companies in a large ftone house in the village fronting the enemy, thus arrefting their career, while the British troops got under arms. General Washington furrounded this houfe with a brigade, and four pieces of cannon, but colonel Mufgrave refused to furrender, and from the windows did confiderable execution till affiftance arrived. The Americans were foon defeated, and compelled to retreat : which, by favour of a thick fog, they effected with all their artillery: their lofs amounted to fourteen hundred killed, wounded and prifoners; that of the Britith to fix hundred, including general Agnew and colonel Bird. General Washington was guilty of an egregious error in delaying his progrefs to befiege the ftone houfe; if he had left a corps to obferve it, and proceeded with his main force, the total defeat of the English army was extremely probable. THE grand object of freeing the navigation of the Attack on Delaware was eagerly purfued by the English, and no Red Bank. lefs vigorously oppofed by the enemy. General Washington, defpairing of making another effectual attack on XXXI. 1777. 22d Oct. CHA P. on the British force, detached large reinforcements to the garrifons, and encouraged exertion by liberal promifes of reward. Since the capture of Billingsport the Americans had negligently been permitted to fortify Red Bank, which was now attacked by a detachment under count Donop, a brave and high fpirited German officer. He advanced to the affault through a most tremendous fire, not only from the works, but from the gallies and floating batteries on the river; drove the enemy from an extenfive out-work, and compelled them to take fhelter in the redoubt, which for want of fcaling ladders could not be forced; and it was owing to this unpardonable neglect, that this refofolute band had the mortification of feeing the fruits of their gallantry elude their grafp. The brave Donop, extended on the earth, his thigh fractured by a musket fhot, could not accompany his troops in their retreat, which was no lefs perilous than their onfet: he fell into the hands of the enemy, and expired in a few days. Lofs of ta and Merlin. 22d. THE lofs of land forces in killed and wounded was the Auguf- about four hundred; but this was not the whole amount of the difafter. Several floops of war were ordered to move up the river to affift in the attack two of them, the Augufta and Merlin, ran aground; on the following morning, during an attack from the enemy, the Augufta took fire, and blew up with a few of the crew; and all efforts to float the Merlin failing in their effect, she was abandoned and burnt. The enemy's forts at length taken. 15th to PREPARATIONS for reducing Mud Island proceeded flowly, on account of the natural impediments; and when they were finished, fome days elapfed before the fleet could co-operate in the attack. At length, a 17th Nov. vigorous cannonade, in every direction, compelled the enemy to retire; the redoubt at Red Bank was abandoned on the approach of lord Cornwallis; the greater part of the American veffels were burnt; the chevaux de frise were with difficulty weighed, and the Delaware at last opened. GENERAL XXXI. 1777. ton en camps at Marfh. GENERAL WASHINGTON being reinforced by four CHA P. thousand men from the northern army, encamped at White Marsh, an advantageous ftation, about fourteen miles from Philadelphia. General Howe, in Wathinghopes of bringing him to an engagement, quitted Philadelphia, and hovered for feveral days about the Ame- White rican camp, forcing their out-pofts, and endeavouring by 4th to 9th every manœuvre to urge them to action, but finding Dec. all his efforts unavailing, he returned to the city, and general Washington, unwilling to relinquish his strong pofition, fuffered the rear of the English to retire unmolested. AT the close of the year, the American commander removed from White Marsh to Valley Forge, where he took up his winter quarters. He preferred this fituation to a more comfortable and convenient refidence in Lancaster, York, or Carlisle, because it afforded him better means of repreffing the difpofition of the country, to defert the cause of congrefs, and narrowed the influence of the British commanders to the very fpot of their refidence. His troops were in a state of fuch deplorable mifery, that their march from one place of encampment to the other might be traced by the blood which their bare feet left on the fnow, and hundreds were without blankets. It affords a ftrong proof of general Washington's influence over these men, that he not only induced them to brave with him the inclemency of a whole winter, but to undertake the difficult and unusual task of building huts for their refidence, as a substitute for tents: nor is it lefs honourable to the character of this chieftain, that once only, on an urgent neceffity, he ventured to fupply the wants of his troops by a compulfory requifition; he took this ftep with regret, and teftified, without delay, his repugnance ever again to practise a fimilar expedient. Huts his army at Valley Forge. VOL. H. See Washington's Letters, vol. ii. p. 222. FF ON СНАР.» XXXI. 1777. Sir Wil retires into winter quarters. On the part of the British commander the tranfactions of the campaign might be confidered glorious. He began late, and is accused of not extracting the utmost advantage from his fucceffes; but he gained two liam Howe brilliant victories in the field, drove the enemy before him, took the city which was the feat of government, and repeatedly braved the American army to a new conflict; yet the British cause was not advanced; the rival army maintained a pofition within eighteen miles of the city, and all general Howe's advantages were reduced to the acquifition of comfortable winter quarters in Philadelphia. Campaign of the Canadian army. Obfervations on the employment of favages. GENERAL BURGOYNE conducted the campaign in the North his appointment was inaufpicious, as it occafioned a meritorious and esteemed officer, Sir Guy Carleton, to refign his government in difguft. From this expedition, and the profperous fituation of affairs at the end of the last season, the highest expectations were formed; a body of feven thoufand one hundred and feventy-three veteran troops, exclufive of a corps of artillery, abundantly fupplied, and led by select and experienced officers, was fent from England; and vast quantities of military ftores were furnished for the use of Canadians who fhould enter the British fervice. SEVERAL nations of favages, on the back fettlements and borders of the Western lakes, joined this army, a tranfaction which was feverely cenfured in print, and in the British fenate. In the declaration of independence, the American congrefs made fimilar complaints, but without fufficient reafon. The employment of fubfidiary forces in any war, foreign or civil, is a practice in which all nations concur, and against which, in general, no arguments are advanced, except fuch as arife from prejudice and party heat. The Indians had been engaged in former wars by the Americans, the French, and the English, without exception or reproach. But in the prefent cafe, it was |