had joined the main army with 3000 men. York Island was too well fortified to invite the first attack. Long Island, although defended by 10,000 Americans, under Putnam, being of much greater extent, was more affailable. The army made good their landing on the fouth-weft fhore, on the 22d of Auguft, 1776, and a decifive action was fought five days after at Bedford, when the Americans, unable to withstand the valour and difcipline of their affailants foon fled; nor did the conduct of their General appear to more advantage than the bravery of his troops, for the whole army would have been cut off, had not their retreat to York Ifland been fecured by works conftructed on the heights of Brooklyn, oppofite to New York, and their embarkation covered by a number of floating batteries. One thoufand men were made prifoners, with the Generals Sullivan, Sterling, Adell, and ten other field officers; two thoufand were killed or wounded; whilft the combined army did not lofe more than three hundred and fifty men. The city of New York, and the whole ifland on which it is fituated, afterwards furrendered. King's Bridge, the laft place of ftrength which held out, was taken by affault; and the garrifon, confifting of three thousand men, was made prifoners of war *. Washington, with the main army, narrowly escaped deftruction on the White Plains. The Province of New Jerfey becoming then the feat of war, the royal army drove their enemies before them to the banks of the Delaware, notwithstanding General Lee reinforced the flying army with a body of four thousand men. The Earl of Cornwallis, who commanded the troops moft forward in the purfuit, was unable to attack the rebels, through the fatigue which his own men had endured, and because the whole of his corps had not joined him. This river was therefore croffed without any moleftation, and the views of the American General were now directed to the protection of his magazines in Pennsylvania, against which -he expected that General Howe's force would have been turned but no boats could be procured to transport the troops; and the month of December being far advanced, the army was cantoned over the Jerfeys, and the profecution of the war to the fouthward was reserved for the enfuing campaign. Four months had been paffed in very active fervice; the fuccefs had been brilliant, and the most flattering profpect presented itself of terminating the war in the course of the next year; at least of fubduing every thing to the fouthward, but the unconquerable will of the revolters. In this fituation of affairs, fuch a hero as Fre derick III. would have created the means of transporting his victorious troops to the oppofite fhore, and would not have thought of repofe until he had cut the finews of the war, by becoming mafter of the magazines which were there depofited; but fuch ardour is peculiar to commanders whose interest strongly incites them to give the most speedy termination to a war. It is a precipitancy which actuated neither a Ferdinand nor an Howe. No reflections were at that time caft upon the General for not pushing his conquefts farther, and his Sovereign fet his feal of approbation by creating him a Knight of the Bath. The gallant * A writer of great name, a quarter of a century ago, makes the following remark: "A man who fhall go out of the common road of life in pursuit of glory, and ferve the public at the expence of his ease, his fortune, or his pleasure, would be stared or laughed at in every fashionable circle, as a filly fellow, who preferred fhews to realities, and needless toil to pleasurable enjoyment. The laurel wreath, once aspired after as the highest object of ambition, would now be rated at the market price of its materials, and derided as a three-penny crown, and if its modern substitutes the ribbon, or the coronet, be eagerly fought after, it is not that they are regarded as the distinctions of public virtue, but as the enfigns of vanity and place." Brown's Eftimate, Vol. I. Se&t 6. Carleton, Carleton, who had pursued the Americans under the command of Arnold acrofs Lake Champlain, and taken or destroyed all their veffels near Crownpoint, received the fame honorary diftinction. General Clinton at the head of fix thousand men, with a fquadron commanded by Sir Peter Parker, took poffeffion of Rhode Island, which, as it afforded a fecure harbour, was a very valuable acquifition ; for which fervice he was likewife invefted with a red ribbon. It might, however, be afked, why this fquadron and detachment of troops did not rather fteer to the fouthward, and by failing up the Delaware, facilitate the paffage of the main army into Pennsylvania, and secure the poffeffion of Philadelphia? The Congrefs, thinking that capital insecure, had removed to York-Town, Before the clofe of the campaign, the Commander in Chief had written to the American minifter the outlines of his plan of operation for the next campaign, with the force requifite, in order, if poffible, to finish the war in one year. He propofed, that ten thousand men should act on the fide of Rhode Island, and penetrate eastward into the country towards Bofton, leaving two thousand for the defence of Rhode Island; ten thousand in the Province of New York, to move up the North River to Albany; five thousand for the defence of York Island and its dependencies, eight thoufand to cover Jersey, and to keep General Washington's army in check, by giving a jealousy to Philadelphia, which, as well as Virginia, he proposed to attack in autumn. South Carolina and Georgia he propofed as objects for winter. But to carry this plan into execution, he informed his lordship, that ten ships of the line, and a reinforcement of fifteen thousand rank and file would be abfolutely neceffary, befides an additional battalion of artillery. Such a requifition at a time, when, in England, America was confi dered as almoft conquered, was looked upon as extravagant, but future experience juftified the calculation, and a most unexpected event gave a new turn to the war. The inhabitants of New Jersey fuffered feverely from the unbridled licentioufnefs of the troops, particularly of the German auxiliaries: an attachment to the royal caufe, was no protection against thefe depredations. In confequence of this cruel oppreffion, the minds of the natives were alienated, difcipline among the troops was fatally relaxed, and a dangerous fecurity prevailed. Washington availed himself of this pofture of affairs, and collecting 3000 men, his army having almost deferted him, on Chriftmas-day, crofied the Delaware upon the ice, and furprized Trenton, the most westward poft, which was occupied by about 1200 Heffians*, commanded by Colonel Rhall, to whom General Howe had fent orders to build redoubts for the better security of so important a ftation. These orders had been neglected, and the Commander was apprized of the approach of the enemy when oppreffed with intoxication. In this ftate of imbecility he attempted to rally his troops and march them out to the attack, but in the first on fet the American riflemen directed their fhot fo perfonally, that moft of the officers fell, and among them Colonel Rhall, who, for his unfoldierly negligence paid the forfeit of his life. The troops, deprived of their officers, threw down their arms, and furrendered prifoners of war. *The reafon which General Howe affigns for entrusting fuch an important poft to foreigners, is, that the left was the poft of the Hefsians in the line, and had he changed it upon this occafion, it must have been confidered as a difgrace, fince the fame fituation held in the cantonments as in the camp. Two of these battalions had served in Germany during the last war with great credit, and had given recent proofs of their bravery. This This ftroke revived the drooping fpirits of the Americans: another army was foon collected, and all Weft Jersey, together with a confiderable part of the eastern diftrict, was recovered as rapidly as it had been loft. It feems, however, ftrange, that all the fortreffes in the country fhould be fo haftily abandoned, when fo large an army was at hand to affift in keeping the poffeffion of them. The Commander in Chief has been roundly charged, with throwing afide the cares annexed to his important truft, and giving himself up to the blandishments of beauty and the fascination of deep play. Not fo were the intereft of the New States attended to: Dr. Franklin had paffed over into France, for the purpose of forming an alliance with that kingdom, whofe fecret fupport and affiftance had at all times been rendered. This man (who formerly for many years carried on the bufinefs of a printer at Philadelphia) may be confidered as the first fruits of American genius: and perhaps no man ever owed more to the time and place of his birth: had he been a native of London instead of Boston, and born into the fame rank of fociety, the world would probably never have heard his name either as a philofopher or politician. Pent within a populous city, his occupation would have been more laborious, and his incentives to cultivate fpeculative science, would have been fuppreffed by every confideration of intereft or ambition. He might have distinguished himself as an ingenious artift, but he would neither have formed an hypothesis to account for the phoenomenon of the Aurora Borealis, nor have traced out the principles and operations. of the electrical fluid; and what is much more important, he would never have become a powerful engine to shake a + His father was a tallow-chandler. S 3 great |