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MILITARY JOURNAL, 
 
 DURING- THE 
 
 AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR, 
 
 FROM 17 75 TO 17 8 3; 
 
 DESCRIBING 
 
 WITH NUMEROUS HISTORICAL FACTS AND ANECDOTES. 
 
 TO WHICH IS ADDED, 
 
 AN APPENDIX, 
 
 CONTAINING 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF SEVERAL GENERAL OFFICERS. 
 
 BY JAMES THACHER, M. D. 
 
 LATE SURGEON IN THE AMERICAN ARMY. 
 
 "As Americans, -we liail ■wit'h delight any attempt to rescue from 
 olDlivion the words or actions of those "whose names "we have been 
 taught to revere." 
 
 HARTFORD: 
 
 SILAS ANDRUS & SON, 
 1854. 
 

 'SWViniAV 'S 'M. iatidBxaxIix 'auo^siuiy "O /A 
 
 SSSM KV3XS 'KOS -^ SaHQNV SV7IS JO AaaMOOJ 
 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 TO HIS EX&ELLENCY JOHN BROOKS, ESQUIRE, 
 
 GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS. 
 
 // is with peculiar felicity that your Excellency is recognized as one 
 among the few survivors of that heroic band who have been crowned 
 with military honors for glorious achievements, at an era when our 
 republic was in its infancy, and in peril for its existence. 
 
 This production, though aspiring not to the dignified title of history, 
 may revive in your recollection scenes and events of the deepest interest, 
 in which you nobly participated, and may afford to the rising generation 
 lessons of instruction and motives for gratitude to their progenitors, when 
 we shall be at rest. 
 
 Long may those public virtues and that philanthropy which are so 
 eminently your characteristics, continue to cement the love and gratitude 
 of the people, and may the benedictions of Heaven be your final reward .' 
 
 With sentiments of profound veneration for the patriotic warrior and 
 statesman, this work is dedicated, by 
 
 Your Excellency's obedient and very humble servant, 
 
 JAMES THACHER. 
 Plymouth, January let, 1823. 
 
« 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 It is through your earnest solicitations, my dear friends, that I commit 
 to public inspection the crude fragments recorded in my Military Journal, 
 kept during the American Revolutionary War. The subordinate station 
 which I sustained did not permit access to the great source from which all 
 important events derived their origin; nor was I made acquainted with the 
 views and motives of action. The transactions and occurrences which I 
 shall relate, though of minor import, and penned for temporary amusement, 
 are nevertheless of a nature too deeply interesting to be consigned to obliv- 
 ion. No circumstance pertaining to our country's emancipation, but should 
 be embalmed in the memory of our children, and transmitted to the latest 
 posterity, as among the most interesting transactions recorded in the annals 
 of man. When we contemplate the vastly-extended consequences of our 
 revolution, it will be conceded that every incident respecting its rise and 
 progress, and the renowned patriots and heroes by whom it was achieved, 
 is well worthy of perpetual remembrance. With these are associated the 
 primary principles of the rights of man, which so successfully prevailed 
 at the period of our country's infancy. Those phinciples, which are the 
 great spring of action in the bosom of the honest patriot, spurn the power 
 and paralyze the hearts of tyrants. The contents of these sheets refer more 
 to details of military manoeuvres and the internal police of camps, than to 
 projects and ev.ents which decide the fate of nations : they may, however, 
 afford amusement to the inquisitive mind, and, to the rising generation, 
 precepts not altogether destitute of importance and useful instruction. 
 They will disclose some interesting particulars, not generally known, and 
 may serve to augment the stock of information developing the fatal policy 
 of the British government, as displayed on the theatre of her American 
 colonies. This production may, moreover, subserve the purpose of an 
 epitome of the history of the revolutionary contest, and abridge in some 
 measure the labor of the youthful mind in the study of the more elaborate 
 and technical histories of that ever-memorable epoch. With this view, I 
 have prefixed a short sketch of interesting transactions prior to the actual 
 commencement of hostilities. "History," says a late elegant writer, "pre- 
 sents no struggle for liberty which has in it more of the moral sublime 
 than that of the American revolution. It has been of late years too much 
 forgotten in the sharp contentions of party ; and he who endeavors to with- 
 draw the public mind from these debasing conflicts, and to fix it on the 
 grandeur of that epoch, which, magnificent in itself, begins now to wear 
 
6 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the solemn livery of antiquity, as it is viewed through the deepening- twi- 
 light of almost half a century, certainly performs a meritorious service, and 
 can scarcely need a justification."* 
 
 It may be deemed reproachful to our country that nearly half a century 
 has elapsed since the American colonies were emancipated from British 
 thraldom, and that we are yet unfurnished with proper biographical memoirs 
 of the renowned patriots and heroes whose unparalleled efforts, under Prov- 
 idence, achieved the inestimable blessings of liberty and freedom. No 
 characters, assuredly, are more worthy to excite the curiosity and gratitude 
 of posterity than those who contributed so largely to the establishment of 
 our invaluable civil and religious privileges under a republican constitu- 
 tion. The immortal chieftain, indeed, and his illustrious compeer. General 
 Gheene, can receive no additional memorials from any labors in my power 
 to bestow. I might incur the imputation of arrogance were I to imagine 
 myself competent to the duty of portraying in a just light the characters of 
 those whose revered names are introduced into the appendix of this work. 
 I can only claim the merit of having exerted my best efforts to procure doc- 
 uments and assistance, and to illustrate their qualities under the guidance 
 of the legitimate principles of impartiality and justice. Should posterity 
 inquire why their ancestors, destitute of military education or experience, 
 abandoned their peaceful abodes to encounter the perils of uncertain war- 
 fare, let them be told it was not to execute the mandates of a tyrant in 
 subjugating their fellow-men, but it was in defence of our most precious 
 rights and privileges ; it was a display of that genuine patriotism and true 
 glory which it is ever most honorable to venerate and cherish. While their 
 own hearts glow with patriotic fervor, let them reflect that true glory con- 
 sists in the love of peace and the culture of benevolence and good-will to 
 men. Let their souls hold in detestation every species of warfare, save that 
 which may secure and defend the invaluable heritage which their fathers 
 have bequeathed them, and for which their memories should be embalmed 
 with the incense of gratitude. 
 
 N. B. Should the reader conceive that, in detailing the ravages and 
 aggressions of the British army, I have indulged in language of asperity, 
 inconsistent with that urbanity and good-fellowship which it is desirable 
 should be cultivated between the two nations at the present day, it may be 
 observed that this is but a feeble specimen of the belligerent language 
 employed by writers at that period when the wrathful passions were recip- 
 rocally excited and continually aggravated. 
 
 * Silliman's Tour from Hartford to Quebec, 1820. 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL. -1775. 
 
 January. — At the precise period when my medical 
 studies and education are completed, under the patronage 
 of Dr. Abner Hersey of Barnstable, and I am contem- 
 plating the commencement of a new career in life, I find 
 our country about to be involved in all the horrors of a i^ 
 civil war. A series of arbitrary and oppressive measures, 
 on the part of the mother-country, has long been advancing 
 to that awful crisis, when an appeal to the power of the 
 sword becomes inevitable. The event of this mighty 
 struggle is to decide an affair of infinite magnitude, not 
 merely as it respects the present generation, but as it will 
 affect the welfare and happiness of unborn millions. The 
 great fundamental principle, in the present controversy, 
 is the right which is claimed by the Parliament of Great 
 Britain, to exercise dominion, as the only supreme and 
 uncontrollable legislative power over all the American 
 Colonies. "Can they make laws to bind the colonies in 
 all cases whatever ; levy taxes on them without their con- 
 sent; dispose of the revenues, thus raised, without their 
 control; multiply officers at pleasure, and assign them 
 fees, to be paid without, nay, contrary to and in direct 
 violation of acts of our provincial assemblies, and approved 
 by the crown? Can they enlarge the power of admiralty 
 courts; divert the usual channels of justice; deprive the 
 colonists of trial by a jury of their countrymen; in short, 
 break down the barriers which their forefathers have 
 erected against arbitrary power, and enforce their edicts 
 by fleets and armies?" Then indeed are we reduced to a 
 state of abject slavery; and all resistance to acts of Par- 
 liament may justly be called by the name of treason and 
 rebellion. "The people of these colonies consider them- 
 selves as British subjects, entitled to all the rights and 
 privileges of Freemen. It is inseparably essential to the 
 
8 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1775 
 
 freedom of a people, and the undoubted right of English- 
 men, that no taxes be imposed on them but with their 
 own consent, given personally or by their representatives. 
 From their local circumstances, the colonies cannot be 
 represented in the house of commons of Great Britain; 
 the only representatives of the people of the colonies are 
 the persons chosen therein by themselves; and no taxes 
 ever can be constitutionally imposed on them, but by their 
 respective legislatures." All acts of Parliament therefore, 
 for raising a revenue in America, are considered as de- 
 priving us of our property, without our consent, and con- 
 sequently as a palpable infringement of our ancient rights 
 and privileges. They are unconstitutional and arbitrary 
 laws, subversive of the liberties and privileges secured to 
 us by our royal charters. It is not consistent with the 
 principles which actuate the American people, ever tamely 
 to submit to such a degrading S3^stem of government ; not, 
 however, from a want of loyalty to our king, nor from an 
 undue impatience of subordination or legal restraint; for 
 in a quiet submission and demeanor to constitutional au- 
 thority, and in zeal and attachment to our king, we dare 
 to vie with any of our fellow-subjects of Great Britain; 
 but it is an innate love of liberty, and our just rights, that 
 impels us to the arduous struggle. In r^o country, it is 
 asserted, is the love of liberty more deeply rooted, or the 
 knowledge of the rights inherent to freemen more gener- 
 ally diffused, or better understood, than among the British 
 American Colonies. Our religious and political privileges 
 are derived from our virtuous fathers; they were inhaled 
 with our earliest breath; and are, and will I trust ever 
 be, implanted and cherished in the bosom of the present 
 and future generations. These are the prevalent senti- 
 ments in New England at this eventful crisis, and all the 
 other provinces, Georgia excepted, are known to be in 
 unison with us in the resolution, to oppose with all our 
 jpower every violation of our just rights and privileges. 
 vVe are not, however, authorized, even in the most glorious 
 of causes, to expect a perfect unanimity among a people. 
 Numerous are the springs of men's actions ; and diversity 
 of sentiment and views are characteristic of human nature. 
 Accordingly we find a small minority in our country who 
 are inimical to the common cause, and who are continually 
 
MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1775. 9 
 
 opposing every proceeding of the majority. These people 
 are doubtless actuated by various motives; a few, com- 
 paratively, influenced by principle; some by a spirit of 
 timidity, or the absurd doctrine of passive obedience and 
 non-resistance ; others, from the strength of their passions, 
 and weakness of judgment, are biassed and led astray by 
 designing demagogues. There are, however, those who 
 are vile enough to prostrate all honor and principle with 
 the sordid view of office and preferment: 
 
 " For 'tis their duty, all the learned think, 
 T' espouse that cause by which they eat and drink." 
 
 Those disaffected individuals, who still adhere to the 
 royal cause, have received the epithet of Tories; the very 
 name is extremely abhorrent to the people in general, and 
 they are subjected to such rigorous discipline as to prevent 
 them from doing injury to the great cause of our country. 
 The great majority of the people are happily united in 
 the resolution to oppose, to the uttermost, the wicked 
 attempts of the English cabinet. This class of people have 
 assumed the appellation of Whigs; but by our enemies 
 are stigmatized by the name of Rebels. If, as we affirm, 
 the British government have ceased to rule agreeably to 
 the principles of our constitution, and our royal charter, 
 and have assumed to themselves the high prerogative of 
 despotic sway, then are we absolved from our allegiance 
 and duties as British subjects. A contract abrogated by 
 one party, can no longer be binding on the other. If we 
 are menaced with royal power and authority, we justify 
 ourselves in defending our indefeasible rights against des- 
 potism and tyrannical oppression. Cowards alone will 
 bend to unjust power, and slaves and sycophants only 
 will yield both soul and body to the disposal of tyrannical 
 masters. Should our effiarts, under God, be crowned with 
 the desired success, we shall obtain the honor of rescuing 
 ourselves and posterity from vassalage; but if compelled 
 to succumb under royal power, then will ours be the 
 rebel's fate, the scaffiDld and the gibbet will be glutted with 
 their devoted victims. We cannot justly be accused of a 
 rash precipitance of proceeding ; for petitions and memo- 
 rials, couched in the most loyal and humble language, have 
 been at various periods presented to our royal sovereign, 
 
10 MILITARY JOURNAL, 1775. 
 
 and his parliament, praying for a redress of grievances ; 
 but they are deaf to all our complaints and supplications, 
 and the coercive arm of power is suspended over us, 
 threatening implacable vengeance. 
 
 Among the odious acts of the British Parliament they 
 passed one which imposed a duty on the article of tea, and 
 several cargoes of this commodity were shipped to America 
 to obtain the duty and a market. On the arrival of the 
 tea ships at Boston great indignation was excited among 
 the people; town meetings were called to devise some 
 legal measures to prohibit the landing of the odious article. 
 It was universally understood that if the tea was once 
 landed, and stored, it would by some means come to a 
 market, and the duty to the government be secured. In 
 order to defeat this object a number of persons in disguise 
 entered the ships at the wharves, broke open three hun- 
 dred and forty-two chests of tea, and discharged their con- 
 tents into the water at the dock. This was on the 16th 
 December, 1773. When intelligence of this summary 
 proceeding reached England, it was condemned by the 
 government as enormously criminal. They menaced our 
 province with the most exemplary vengeance, and Parlia- 
 ment soon passed the Boston Vindictive Port Bill as a part 
 of their coercive system, so that merely the name of tea 
 is now associated with ministerial grievances, and tea 
 drinking is almost tantamount to an open avowal of tory- 
 ism. Those who are anxious to avoid the odious epithet 
 of enemies to their country, strictly prohibit the use of tea 
 in their families, and the most squeamish ladies are com- 
 pelled to have recourse to substitutes, or secretly steal 
 indulgence in their favorite East India beverage. 
 
 March.- — For the purpose of enforcing submission to the 
 cruel mandates of the royal government, a reinforcement 
 of the British army has arrived at Boston; and Greneral 
 Gage is appointed Governor and Commander in Chief. 
 An armed fleet also occupies the harbor; and the whole 
 port is closed against all but British vessels. In short, 
 the horrors of civil war seem stalking, with rapid strides, 
 towards our devoted country. The people have resorted 
 to the expedient of abolishing all the courts of justice 
 under the new regulations. In our shire towns the popu- 
 lace have collected in sufficient numbers to bar the doors 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1775. H 
 
 of tlie court houses, and prohibit the entrance of judges 
 and officers; the jurors are so intimidated, or zealous in 
 the good cause, that in general they refuse to take the oath, 
 or to act in any manner under the new modification of 
 government; and the clerks of courts, who have issued 
 warrants by which the jurors are summoned, have in many 
 instances been compelled to acknowledge their contrition, 
 and to publish in the newspapers, a full recantation. At 
 the regular term of the Court of Common Pleas at Barn- 
 stable in September last, I witnessed the following prompt 
 procedure. A body of about twelve hundred men assem- 
 bled and obstructed the passage to the court-Jiouse door. 
 The leader of this assemblage was Dr. Nathaniel Freeman, 
 a bold son of liberty, of Sandwich. Colonel James Otis, 
 the chief justice of the court, preceded by the sheriff, 
 approached; and the venerable chief justice demanded 
 admission. Dr. Freeman replied that it was the intention 
 of the people to prevent the court's being opened to exer- 
 cise those unconstitutional powers with which they are 
 invested by Parliament. The chief justice, in his majes- 
 ty's name, commanded them to disperse, and permit the 
 court to enter and proceed to business. But his majesty's 
 name had lost its power; it can have no charms with the 
 sons of liberty. The venerable judge then said he had 
 acquitted himself of his duty, and retired. This proceed- 
 ing had been discussed and concerted prior to the court 
 term; and Colonel Otis himself, a stanch whig, wste, it is 
 believed, not only apprized of, but actually acquiesced in, 
 this bold measure. This excellent man is now advanced 
 to about seventy-four years in life; he is considered as 
 possessing sound sense and good judgment; and as being 
 of the purest integrity. He has been, for many years, the 
 leading law character in the Old Colony, and a member 
 of his majesty's council of the province; but his patriotism 
 and zeal in the cause of our country have rendered him 
 and his family exceedingly odious to Governor Hutchinson 
 and other adherents of the crown. Colonel Otis is the 
 parent of that great champion, and able advocate for liberty 
 and the rights of man, James Otis, jun. Esq. This gen- 
 tleman is now in a melancholy state of mental derange- 
 ment; and all New England is deploring the irreparable 
 loss of the talents, eloquence, and patriotic services of this 
 
■^2 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1775, 
 
 justly celebrated character. Colonel Otis has two other 
 sons, Joseph and Samuel Allen Otis, who are active whigs; 
 and a daughter, married to James Warren, Esq. of Ply- 
 mouth, who is now President of our provincial Congress. 
 Though no judicial courts are in existence, few crimes are 
 committed ; all is peace, order and regularity. The peo- 
 ple are their own rulers, and never was there less need 
 of penal laws. Trivial disputes are mutually adjusted or 
 decided by reference; pecuniary demands are suspended, 
 and the simple recommendations of Congress, and of our 
 committees of safety, receive that cheerful acquiescence 
 which is scornfully denied to the coercive edicts emanating 
 from despotic power. For 
 
 "Freedom has a thousand charms, to show 
 That slaves, howe'er contented, never know." 
 
 We have a provincial Congress in session at Concord, 
 
 consisting of delegates elected by the people, and also a 
 
 . grand Continental Congress at Philadelphia, composed of 
 
 characters highly distinguished for political wisdom, rigid 
 
 patriotism and public virtue. 
 
 The public indignation is now greatly excited by the 
 following shameful transaction. The people from the 
 country, whose business called them into Boston, were 
 suspected by the ofl&cers of purchasing guns from their 
 soldiers. In order to furnish an opportunity to inflict 
 punishment and to raise occasion for a serious quarrel. 
 Lieutenant Colonel Nesbit of the forty-seventh regiment 
 ordered a soldier to offer a countryman an old rusty mus- 
 ket. A man from Billerica was caught by this bait, and 
 purchased the gun for three dollars. The unfortunate 
 man was immediately seized by Nesbit, and confined in 
 the guard-house all night. Early next morning they 
 stripped him entirely naked, covered him over with warm 
 tar, and then with feathers, placed him on a cart, and con- 
 ducted him through the streets as far as liberty-tree, where 
 the people began to collect in vast numbers; and the mil- 
 itary, fearing for their own safety, dismissed the man, and 
 retreated to their barracks. The party consisted of about 
 thirty grenadiers with fixed bayonets, twenty drums and 
 fifes playing the Rogues' March, headed by the redoubta- 
 ble Nesbit with a drawn sword ! What an honorable deed 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1775. 13 
 
 for a British field officer and grenadiers ! The selectmen 
 of Billerica remonstrated with General Gage respecting 
 this outrage, but obtained no satisfaction. 
 
 April list. — Intelligence is now received that the British 
 regulars have marched out of Boston, and actually com- 
 menced hostilities against our people at Lexington. For 
 the purpose of ascertaining the particular facts, I have 
 been desired to wait on Colonel Otis, at his mansion in 
 this town. It was in the evening, when I found this dig- 
 nified patriot in his easy-chair, with several of his neigh- 
 bors listening with agitated spirits to some account of this 
 first most awful tragedy. The good old gentleman had 
 received a letter containing a statement of some particu- 
 lars, and with manifest trepidation he said to this eftect: 
 "The British troops marched to Lexington and Concord 
 last Wednesday, the 19th instant, for the purpose of de- 
 stroying some of our military stores; our militia collected 
 and met them at Lexington ; the regulars soon commenced 
 firing on them; our people returned the fire; a smart 
 skirmish ensued, and several men were killed on both 
 sides. The British were compelled to retreat, in some 
 confusion, to Boston ; and our people pursued and harassed 
 them. The fearful day has arrived! a civil war has act- 
 ually commenced in our land. We must be prepared for 
 the worst, and may God preserve and protect our country." 
 This tragical event seems to have electrified all classes of 
 people; the brave are fired with manly resentment, the 
 timid overwhelmed in despair; the patriotic whigs sor- 
 rowing over public calamities, while the tories indulge 
 the secret hope, that the friends of liberty are about to 
 receive their chastisement. The sword is now unsheathed, 
 and our friends are slaughtered by our cruel enemies; 
 expresses are hastening from town to town, in all directions 
 through the country, spreading the melancholy tidmgs 
 and inspiriting and rousing the people To Arms! To Arms! 
 The people of New England have taken the alarm, and 
 their hearts are animated even to enthusiasm. There is \ 
 an enthusiasm in religion, in politics, in military achieve- '- 
 ments, and in gallantry and love, and why not an enthu- 
 siasm in the love of country? ISio species of enthusiasm 
 surely can be more laudable, or more honorable. Never 
 was a cause more just, more sacred than ours; we are 
 
 B 
 
14. MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1775. 
 
 commanded to defend the rich inheritance bequeathed to 
 us by our virtuous ancestors; and it is our bounden duty 
 to transmit it uncontaminated to posterity; we must tight 
 valiantly therefore, for our lives and property, for our 
 holy religion^ for our honor, and for our dearest friends. 
 We are not born to be slaves, and are resolved to live and 
 die free; appealing to the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe 
 for the justice of our cause, and relying on his Almighty 
 arm for protection and support. A certain number of active 
 men, in every town, have formed themselves into military 
 companies, under the name oi minute-men ; they are daily 
 practising the manual exercise, and are held in constant 
 readiness to march against the enemy at a moment's warn- 
 ing. We await with trembling expectation the issue of 
 every hour. 
 
 Authenticated accounts are now received of the battle 
 at Lexington. On Tuesday evening, 18th instant. Gen- 
 eral Gage despatched, with as much secrecy as possible, a 
 detachment consisting of eight or nine hundred regulars, 
 under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Smith, for the 
 purpose of destroying some military stores which our 
 people had deposited at Concord, about eighteen miles 
 from Boston. Having arrived at Lexington, six miles 
 short of Concord, they were met by a company of militia, 
 of about one hundred men, who, having taken the alarm, 
 began to assemble from different towns before daylight. 
 They were assembled near the church, about sunrise; 
 when the British advanced in quick march to within a few 
 rods. Major Pitcairn called out, ^^ Disperse, you Rebels! throiv 
 down your arms and disjxrse.^^ Their small number would 
 not admit of opposition, and while they were dispersing, 
 the regulars huzzaed, and immediately one or two pistols 
 were hred by the officers, and four or five muskets by the 
 soldiers; when a pretty general discharge from the whole 
 party followed, by which eight of our people were killed 
 and seven wounded. The British now renewed their 
 march to Concord, where they destroyed a few articles of 
 stores and sixty barrels of flour. Here they were met by 
 about one hundred and fifty militia-men, on whom they 
 fired, and killed two and wounded others. Our militia 
 and minute-men were now collecting in considerable num- 
 bers, and being justly enraged they made a bold and furi- 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1775. 15 
 
 ous attack on the enemy, and drove them in quick march 
 to Lexington. General Gage having received intelligence 
 of the critical situation of his troops, immediately ordered 
 out Lord Percy, with a large reinforcement, with two field 
 pieces. He marched over the neck through Roxbury, his 
 music playing by way of contempt and derision the tune 
 of " Yankee doodle.'''' This timely reinforcement joined the 
 party under command of Colonel Smith at Lexington, 
 which formed a force of about eighteen hundred men. 
 They soon deemed it prudent to commence their march 
 to Boston, the provincial militia and minute-men, contin- 
 ually increasing in numbers, pursued and flanked them 
 with the hope of cutting off their retreat, A constant 
 skirmishing ensued; the provincials concealed themselves 
 behind stone walls, and with a sure aim thinned their 
 enemies' ranks, and occasioned among them great confu- 
 sion. On their side, they could only keep up a scattering 
 fire, without effect, frequently firing over the stone walls, 
 when tliere was not a man to be seen behind them. The 
 great object of the British, was to effect a safe retreat to 
 Boston; but, to avenge themselves, they burnt and plun- 
 dered houses, destroyed property, and actually murdered 
 several innocent unarmed persons. The situation of the 
 king's forces was, during the day, extremely hazardous; 
 and it is considered wonderful that any of them escaped. 
 Worn down and almost exhausted with fatigue, and their 
 ammunition nearly expended, they had become nearly 
 delenceless when they reached Charlestown, in the even- 
 ing, after a loss of two hundred and seventy-three men, 
 killed, wounded and prisoners. The loss on the side of 
 the Provincials is eighty-eight in the whole. The British 
 officers have received a specimen of Yankee courage, which 
 they have hitherto affected to hold in the most sovereign 
 contempt; they have ascertained, by fatal experience, that 
 the people of New England will bid defiance to their vet- 
 eran regulars, and fight courageously in defence of their 
 rights. It is truly said to be matter of astonishment and 
 chagrin, that after all their glorying, their veteran troops 
 have been compelled to flee before a comparatively small 
 number of undisciplined Yankees. The origin of this term, 
 so frecLuently employed by way of reproach to the New 
 England people, is said to be as follows: A farmer, by 
 
IQ MILITARY JOUENAL, 1775. 
 
 name Jonathan Hastings, of Cambridge, about the year 
 1713, used it as a cant, favorite word, to express excellency 
 when applied to any thing; as a Yankee good horse, 
 Yankee cider, &c., meaning an excellent horse and excel- 
 lent cider. The students at college, having frequent inter- 
 course with Mr. Hastings, and hearing him employ the 
 term on all occasions, adopted it themselves, and gave him 
 the name of Yankee Jonathan; this soon became a cant 
 word among the collegians to express a weak, simple, 
 awkward person, and from college it was carried and cir- 
 culated through the country, till, from its currency in 
 New England, it was at length taken up and unjustly 
 applied to the New Englanders in common, as a term of 
 reproach. It was in consequence of this that a particular 
 song, called " Yankee doodle,^^ was composed in derision of 
 those scornfully called Yankees.* 
 
 3Iay. — Since the catastrophe at Lexington, our Provin- 
 cial Congress have addressed the several towns of the 
 colony in a circular letter, in the following impressive 
 language: "We conjure you by all that is dear, by all 
 that is sacred, that you give all assistance possible in 
 forming the army. Our all is at stake. Death and de- 
 vastation are the certain consequences of delay. Every 
 moment is infinitely precious. An hour lost may deluge 
 your country in blood, and entail perpetual slavery on 
 the few of your posterity who may survive the carnage. 
 We beg and entreat, as you will answer it to your country, 
 to your consciences, and, above all, as you will answer it 
 to God himself, that you will hasten and encourage, by 
 all possible means, the enlistment of men to form the army, 
 and send them forward to head-quarters at Cambridge, 
 with that expedition which the vast importance and instant 
 urgency of the affair demands." 
 
 It is scarcely possible to describe the zeal and military 
 ardor which pervades New England since the battle at 
 Lexington. It is supposed that nearly forty thousand 
 men have been in arms with the design of investing the 
 town of Boston, and avenging themselves on the enemy 
 
 * There appears some incongruity in the above definition of the word 
 Yankee. The following is supposed by some to be the origin from 
 which it is derived: "Yankee is the Indian corruption of English. 
 Yenglees, Yangles, Yankles, and finally Yankee.'" 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1775. 17 
 
 for their late slaughter of our brethren. The universal 
 voice is '^starve them out" Drive them from the town, and 
 let his majesty's, ships be their only place of refage. Our 
 Provincial Congress have resolved that an army of thirty 
 thousand men be immediately raised and established. A 
 considerable number have already enlisted, and being 
 formed into regiments, have taken their station at Cam- 
 bridge and Roxbury. The country militia, in great num- 
 bers, have arrived from various parts of New England; 
 and the town of Boston is now invested on all sides, and 
 thus is the whole royal army reduced to the humble con- 
 dition of a besieged garrison. The situation of the inhab- 
 itants is deplorable; a considerable proportion of the most 
 affluent have removed into the country; but others, from 
 various circumstances, are compelled to remain and suffer 
 all the calamities of a besieged town and precarious sub- 
 sistence. Instances indeed are not wanting of members 
 of families being torn from each other, women and chil- 
 dren flying from their husbands and parents, under the 
 most afflictive and destitute circumstances. 
 
 We are now experiencing a singular kind of interreg- 
 num in our province ; more than a year has elapsed with- 
 out any legal government, or any regular administration 
 of law and justice. — No crimes, however, of an atrocious 
 nature have, we believe, been perpetrated; all classes of 
 people appear to be submissive, under the influence of 
 the principles of moral rectitude and common justice; and 
 ■ the resolutions and recommendations of Congress have all 
 the weight and efficacy of laws. Our domestic tranquillity 
 is in some measure interrupted by a restless spirit among 
 the tories; but the great body, of the community are actu- 
 ated by the glorious cause of our country's freedom. The 
 maxim adopted by our enemies is, ^'Divide and conquei'.^' 
 We enjoin the command, " Unite and be invincibley It is 
 considered infinitely important to encourage and promote 
 a more perfect union among the colonies, and harmony and 
 unanimity among the people. '■'■Liberty or deaih^'' " Unite 
 or die^'' are the mottoes which blazon the chronicles of the 
 day, and embellish the military standards of almost every 
 militia company. The man who does not acquiesce in the 
 theme of liberty is marked by the vigilant eye of suspicion, 
 or stigmatized as an enemy to his country. Liberty-poles 
 
13 MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1775. 
 
 are erected in almost every town and village ; and when 
 a disaffected torj renders himself odious, by any active 
 conduct, with the view of counteracting the public meas- 
 ures, he is seized by a company of armed men, and con- 
 ducted to the liberty-pole, under which he is compelled 
 to sign a recantation, and give bonds for his future good 
 conduct. In some instances, of particular stubbornness 
 and obstinacy, individuals have been imprisoned or their 
 names have been published in the newspapers as enemies 
 to their country. It has indeed unfortunately happened, 
 that a few individuals, in consequence of their own indis- 
 cretion, have been the subjects of a more rigorous proce- 
 dure. Having fallen into the hands of those whose zeal 
 has transported them beyond the bounds of moderation, 
 they have received from the rabble a coat of tar and 
 feathers, and in this predicament have been exposed to 
 the scoffs and ridicule of the populace. Such examples 
 have the effect of striking terror into the hearts of all the 
 disaffected, and of restraining the whole party from acting 
 against the general sense of the people. The tories make 
 bitter complaints against the discipline which they receive 
 from the hands of the whigs; their language is, "You make 
 the air resound with the cry of liberty, but subject those 
 who differ from you to the humble condition of slaves, not 
 permitting us to act, or even think, according to the dictates 
 of conscience." The reply is, "It is one of the first princi- 
 ples of a free government, that the majority shall bear rule; 
 our majority is immensely large; we have undertaken the 
 hazardous task of defending the liberties of our country 
 against the mighty power of Great Britian ; and hold our- 
 selves responsible for our conduct. If you possess not pa- 
 triotism and courage enough.to unite your efforts with ours, 
 it is our duty to put it out of your power to injure the com- 
 mon cause. If we are successful, your party and posterity 
 will participate in the important advantages to be derived 
 from our efforts. If our party should be crushed, then will 
 yours in turn become triumphant." A small number of 
 our tories have abandoned their homes, their families and 
 property, and resorted to the standard of their royal master 
 in Boston; consoling themselves in the confident expecta- 
 tion of an ample reward, and a triumphant restoration. 
 The clergymen of New England are, almost without excep- 
 
SAMUEL ADAMS. P. 19. 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1775. 19 
 
 tion, advocates of whig principles; there are a few instances 
 only of the separation of a minister from his people, in 
 consequence of a disagreement in poHtical sentiment. The 
 tories censure, in a very illiberal manner, the preacher 
 who speaks boldly for the liberties of the people, while 
 they lavish their praises on him who dares to teach the 
 absurd doctrine, that magistrates have a divine right to 
 do wrong, and are to be implicitly obeyed. It is recom- 
 mended by our Provincial Congress, that on other occa- 
 sions than the Sabbath, ministers of parishes adapt their 
 discourses to the times, and explain the nature of civil and 
 religious liberty, and the duties of magistrates and rulers. 
 Accordingly, we have from our pulpits the most fervent 
 and pious effusions to the throne of Divine Grace in behalf 
 of our bleeding, afflicted country. A zealous divine, who 
 has been compelled to abandon the people of his charge 
 in Boston, on one occasion used, in the pulpit at P***, the 
 following emphatical language : " Oh ! Lord, if our enemies 
 will fight us, let them have lighting enough. If more sol 
 diers are on their way hither, sink them, Lord, to the 
 bottom of the sea." Every heart seemed ready to respond, 
 "Amen, yea, let them have fighting enough." 
 
 June 14:th. — General Gage has issued a proclamation 
 declaring the province of Massachusetts Bay to be in a 
 state of rebellion, offering a pardon to all who will resort 
 to his standard, and denouncing the penalty of martial law 
 on all those who refuse to submit to his authority, or who 
 shall be found aiding or corresponding with such as he 
 has designated as unpardonable rebels and traitors. He 
 has been pleased to proscribe by name, Mr. John Hancock 
 and Mr. Samuel Adams, as objects of his exemplary ven- 
 geance. Yet, singular at it may appear, this same author- 
 ized governor, and general-in-chief of the royal army, 
 is now cooped up in the town of Boston, panting for a 
 country airing, of which he is debarred by his denounced 
 rebels. 
 
 We are again shocked by intelligence that a terrible 
 battle has been fought between the British regulars and 
 the American soldiers, on Bunker, or rather Breed's hill, 
 in Charlestown, near Boston, on the 17th instant. The 
 report states that the whole town of Charlestown is burnt 
 to ashes by the enemy, and that Dr. Joseph Warren, lately 
 
20 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1775. 
 
 appointed major-general in our army, is killed ; and that 
 several hundreds of our soldiers are killed and wounded. 
 The battle, it is said, was extremely severe and destructive; 
 but the provincial troops displayed the greatest courage 
 and bravery, in the face of the regulars, and have obtained 
 immortal honor. The British were several times defeated 
 before they took possession of our works, and have suf- 
 fered a loss of more than a thousand of their best troops; 
 among whom are a large proportion of their most valua- 
 ble officers. They are now taught that Americans can bid 
 defiance to royal regulars, when called to defend their 
 freedom. The situation of our country is truly deplora- 
 ble, a civil war at our doors; our neighbors, our fithers 
 and brothers, called from their families to encounter an 
 inexorable enemy, consisting indeed of brethren and kin- 
 dred; our domestic peace and welfiire cruelly interrupted, 
 and the aspect of our public affairs gloomy in the extreme. 
 All New England has become a theatre of military array; 
 and every member of the communit}^ manifests the deepest 
 concern for the great calamities with which the country is 
 afflicted, by the tyrannical measures of a corrupt admin- 
 istration. In the favor of Heaven and the wisdom of our 
 Congress we repose all our hope and confidence. Par- 
 ticipating, I trust, in the glorious spirit of the times, and 
 contemplating improvement in my professional pursuits, 
 motives of patriotism and private interest prompt me to 
 hazard my fortune in this noble conflict with my brethren 
 in the provincial army. From the critical and embarrassed 
 situation of our country, numerous and almost insurmount- 
 able difficulties are opposed to my view; and I am too 
 young to possess a maturity of judgment, but yet unable 
 to resist the impulse of enthusiasm which characterizes 
 the times. My friends afibrd me no encouragement, alleg- 
 ing that, as this is a civil war, if I should fall into the 
 hands of the British, the gallows will be my flite. The 
 terrors of the gallows are not to be conquered, but I must 
 indulge the hope that I may escape it. Hundreds of my 
 superiors may take their turn before mine shall come. The 
 tories assail me with the following powerful arguments: 
 "Young man, are you sensible you are about to violate 
 your duty to the best of kings, and run headlong into de- 
 struction ? Be assured that this rebellion will be of short 
 
MILITARY JOUENAL, inS. 21 
 
 duration. The royal army is all-powerful, and will, in a 
 few months, march through the country and bring all to 
 subjection; for they are experienced in war and expert in 
 discipline. Their fleet is able to destroy every seaport 
 town and beat down all our cities. There remains no 
 rational alternative but a reconciliation and renewed obe- 
 dience to our lawful government; or we shall soon expe- 
 rience their just vengeance. What is your army but an 
 undisciplined rabble ? Can they stand against an army of 
 regulars? Where are your cannon, your fire-arms, your 
 bayonets, and all your implements of war? Above all, 
 where is your treasure, and where can you look for a bar- 
 rel of gunpowder? The whole country can scarcely afford 
 a sufiiciency for a battle of an hour." Not a small portion 
 of their reasoning I feel to be just and true. I am not 
 certain, however, but much of it may prove erroneous. 
 The result of the late battle at Charlestown should con- 
 vince the most incredulous tory that our soldiers will face 
 the regular troops, and we are blessed with the smiles of 
 Heaven on our exertions. It would be presumption in 
 me to determine as to possibilities and prospect's ; but the 
 voice of liberty cannot be stifled, while the welfare and 
 happiness of more than three millions of people now in 
 America, and of nnborn millions, are involved in the issue. 
 Our rulers are the most competent judges, and under their 
 banners I shall venture, I hope not rashly, to enlist, and 
 trust my destiny in the hands of a kind and overruling 
 Providence. My contemplated enterprise, it is true, re- 
 quires the experience and resolution of riper years than 
 twenty-one, and qualifications, which I do not possess, to 
 ingratiate myself with strangers and those in authority. 
 Having consulted Joseph Otis, Esq. of Barnstable, on this 
 occasion, he immediately applauded my enterprise, and 
 politely furnished me with a letter to his brother-in-law, 
 James Warren, Esq. of Plymouth, who is President of 
 our provincial Congress at Watertown. Imagination 
 could not fail to paint my prospects in bright colors, and 
 I proceeded, July the 3d, with alacrity to the seat of Con- 
 gress. I was not disappointed in my interview with Mr. 
 Warren ; my letter procured for me a favorable and polite 
 reception. He honored me with his friendship and kind 
 assistance, and introduced me to his lady, whose father's 
 
22 MILITARY JOURNAL, 1775. 
 
 family and rny own, have for many years been on terms 
 of friendly intercourse. The office which I solicit is one 
 in the medical department, in the provincial hospital at 
 Cambridge. A medical board, consisting of Drs. Holton 
 and Taylor, are appointed to examine the candidates; and 
 they added my name to the list for examination, on the 
 10th instant. This state of suspense continuing several 
 days, excites in my mind much anxiety and solicitude, 
 apprehending that my stock of medical knowledge, when 
 scanned by a learned committee, may be deemed inade- 
 quate, and all my hopes be blasted. While on my journey, 
 a visit of a few days to my friends at Plymouth gave me 
 an o|)portunity to pay my respects to the rock which re- 
 ceived the first footsteps of our venerated forefiithers. 
 The inhabitants of this ancient town, from a reverence 
 for the memory of the virtuous band of brothers from 
 whom we derive our origin, have lately, with commend- 
 able zeal and much labor, split off the upper portion of 
 the rock, and removed it to a public square near the church 
 and court-house. This rock, with its associations, would 
 seem almost capable of imparting that love of country, 
 and that moral virtue, which our times so much require. 
 We seem holding converse with the celestial spirits, and 
 receiving monition from those who are at rest in their 
 graves. Have these ancient sages bequeathed their mantle 
 to posterity? Can we set our feet on their rock without 
 swearing, by the spirit of our fathers, to defend it and 
 our country? If we reflect on their matchless enterprise, 
 their fortitude, and their sufferings, we must be inspired 
 with the spirit of patriotism, and the most invincible hero- 
 ism. Unappalled by the dangers of unknown seas, and 
 the perils and the hardships of a savage wilderness, they 
 left their native country, and undertook a settlement which 
 promises, through ages, to remain the rich abode of knowl- 
 edge, religion, virtue and freedom. Let us, then, cherish 
 a becoming sense of the exalted privileges inherited from 
 our ancestors, and resolve to defend them against all at- 
 tempts ^of a corrupt administration. 
 
 July. — I improve the interim of my suspense to record 
 an authentic narrative of the battle on Breed's hill, on the 
 17th of June. Intelligence had been received that it was 
 the intention of General Gage to post a part of his troops, 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1775. 23 
 
 ■\vithin a few days, on a promontory just at the entrance 
 of the peninsula at Charlestown, called Bunker's hill. It 
 was deemed important that our troops should possess them- 
 selves of this eminence, before the enemy could occupy it. 
 Accordingly orders were given to Colonel Prescott, a vet- 
 eran of the last war, with one thousand *nen, to march 
 silently in the evening of 16th of June, and throw up 
 some intrenchments on the height of Bunker's hill. By 
 some mistake they took possession of Breed's hill, which, 
 being about one-fourth of a mile nearer Boston, was less 
 capable of being defended. From some cause, the detach- 
 ment was always delayed in their labor, till twelve o'clock; 
 but such was their alacrity, that before day-light they had 
 formed a small redoubt and some imperfect line of defence. 
 About four o'clock in the morning the British were aston- 
 ished to behold the works which had been thrown up in 
 a single night, within a short distance of their vessels, 
 without giving the least alarm. They immediately com- 
 menced a tremendous cannonade from their shipping, their 
 floating batteries, and from all their fortifications, which 
 could have a bearing on the American works. Bombs 
 and shot were incessantly rolling among the provincials 
 during the forenoon, till the royal grenadiers and light in- 
 fantry could be prepared to make their formidable attack; 
 yet one man only was killed; and the Americans cour- 
 ageously persevered in strengthening their works. They 
 received in the course of the forenoon a small reinforce- 
 ment, which augmented their number to about fifteen hun- 
 dred, and this was not much exceeded during the day of 
 battle. It was by an unaccountable error that those people, 
 who had been laboring all the night, were not relieved by 
 others, nor even furnished with provisions before the battle. 
 Generals Putnam, Warren and Pomeroy, animated and 
 encouraged the troops with their presence. At about one 
 o'clock, 17th of June, the royal forces were observed to 
 cross the river from Boston, and land on the shore at 
 Charlestown; at the head of these veterans were Major- 
 General Howe and Brigadier-General Pigot; their force 
 consisted of about three thousand men, well provided with 
 field-artillery. They formed m two lines, their oflicers ha- 
 ranguing them probably in such language as this: "Those 
 cowardly rebels must and shall be put to flight. See the 
 
24 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1775. 
 
 dastardly Yankees with rusty guns and scarcely a bayonet 
 among them. March on, my lads, march on ! show them 
 that you are Britons; show them these dazzling arms and 
 bayonets bright and sharp, and you shall soon see them 
 take to their heels and run." Hear the voice of Putnam, 
 of Prescott and Warren: "See, my brave soldiers, that 
 phalanx approaching; these lines must and shall be de- 
 fended ; these are the cruel enemies to your freedom ; they 
 have come to enslave you ; remember their barbarous mur- 
 ders of our friends at Lexington; fight manfully, and 
 they shall be vanquished ; reserve your fire till their near 
 approach; then with a sure aim cut them down, and the 
 victory shall be ours." The regulars deliberately advance 
 to the attack, the grenadiers in front. The Americans 
 reserve their fire till the enemy are within eight or ten 
 rods, that they may do effectual execution; when, by a 
 general discharge of musketry and field-artillery, several 
 of&cers and men are seen to fall, "their ranks are thinned; 
 see the ground covered with the slain; see those wounded 
 officers borne off* the field." The conflict becomes close, 
 and such are the fatal effects of the incessant and furious 
 discharge of our musketry, that the regulars retreat in 
 disorder, and many of them flee even to their boats. The 
 officers, greatly agitated, pursue their men, and threaten 
 them with their swords; with great difficulty they are 
 rallied, and commanded to advance again to the attack. 
 The provincials are prepared, and when sufficiently near, 
 a deadly fire from i their ranks puts the enemy a second 
 time to flight, leaving such numbers of dead and wounded 
 that several of their officers exclaim, "It is downright 
 butchery to lead the men on afresh against the lines." At 
 this critical moment Major-General Clinton, who till now 
 had been a spectator with General Burgoyne on Copp's hill 
 in Boston, passed over and entered the field, just in time 
 to unite his efforts with those of the other officers for the 
 purpose of forcing the regulars to renew the attack. The 
 Americans still remain firm and courageous at their posts ; 
 but unfortunately it was now discovered that their powder 
 was iiearly expended, and another supply could not be 
 procured. The enemy now change the position of their 
 cannon, and place them in a situation to rake the inside 
 of our breastwork in its whole course, which at length 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1775. 25 
 
 obliges the provincials to retire within their little redoubt. 
 The firing from the British ships, and other armed vessels 
 and batteries, is now pushed to the utmost extremity; the 
 regulars are impelled forward by their officers, and our 
 redoubt is attacked on three sides at the same time. Our 
 brave men continue their resistance, and actually confront 
 the enemy with the butt-end of their muskets after they 
 had entered the fort. A party of our men under command 
 of Captain Knowlton had taken up a post and rail fence, 
 and placing it against another, filled the vacancy with 
 newly mowed hay, which served as a slight defence. The 
 British light infantry attempted to force this little party 
 from their stand, and by this means to cut off the retreat 
 of our troops. In this they (displayed the greatest bravery, 
 but their opposers poured forth their reserved and formi- 
 dable fire in such a manner as to produce astonishing 
 execution, and to arrest their progress, till the whole of 
 the Americans could effect a retreat. The narrow neck 
 of land over which alone the provincials could retire, was 
 so securely guarded by a man of war and two floating 
 batteries, as to render it extremely hazardous to pass over ; 
 but notwithstanding their incessant firing, our loss there 
 was quite inconsiderable. The provincials were obliged 
 to leave five pieces of field-artillery in the hands of the 
 enemy, finding it impossible to remove them. But a loss 
 ^infinitely to be lamented, and which occasions universal 
 grief and sorrow, is that of Major-General Joseph War- 
 ren. This distinguished patriot and hero was, but a few 
 days before, appointed by Congress to the rank of major- 
 general in our army. Such was his zeal and ardor, that 
 he rushed into the battle foremost in danger with his 
 musket, and encouraged the soldiers by his example, till 
 near the close of the battle, when he received a fatal shot, 
 and immediately expired. The loss at this crisis of a 
 man possessing so much public virtue and military ardor 
 is almost irreparable. But the valor with which he is 
 signalized reflects glory on his memory. It yet remains 
 to mention that on this ever-memorable day, just at the 
 commencement of the battle, General Howe ordered the 
 handsome town of Charlestown to be set on fire, that the 
 smoke might conceal their manoeuvres. The town con- 
 sisted of upwards of three hundred dwelling-houses, some 
 
2Q MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1775. 
 
 of them elegant, and about two hundred buildings of other 
 descriptions, which contained property and goods to a 
 large amount, belonging to the distressed inhabitants of 
 Boston. Fire was communicated to a number of houses, 
 which, being wafted by the wind, soon reached the sacred 
 temple, when the flames issued from its lofty spire; while 
 from the conflagration and the embattled field, smoke 
 mingled with smoke in majestic columns, and ascended 
 to the clouds. This, with -the roaring of cannon, sheets 
 of fire from the musketry, and the awful slaughter, formed 
 a spectacle which for sublimity and grandeur has never 
 perhaps been exceeded. This most dreadful scene, with 
 all its concomitant horrors, was within view of a vast con- 
 course of agonized spectators, posted on the tops of houses 
 and steeples in Boston, and on numerous surrounding hills, 
 hundreds of whom were trembling for the fate of a parent, 
 a husband or a brother. Well might a devout person 
 exclaim, " Good Heavens ! what a scene do I behold! what 
 carnage of the human race! what sacrifice of precious life. 
 My God! stay thy hand, restrain a further effusion of 
 human blood, spare the innocent, let punishment fall on 
 the heads of the guilty. Is there not some hidden carse 
 in reserve for our country's foes!" At the head of the 
 British army General Howe advanced with undaunted 
 bravery, continually pressing into the most exposed situa- 
 tion. It is truly wonderful that he escaped with only a 
 wound in his foot. The valiant Major Piteairn, who was 
 so conspicuously active at Lexington, was among the first 
 who mounted our breastworks, and at the moment when 
 he was heard to exclaim, "the day is ours," the fatal ball 
 pierced his body and he fell. His son, a captain, received 
 him in his arms, with all the ardor of filial love and tender 
 sympath}^, and bore him to the boat, where he expired. 
 On the American side, Generals Putnam, Warren, Pom- 
 eroy, and Colonel Prescott were emphaticall}^ the heroes 
 of the day, and their unexampled efforts were crowned 
 with glory. The incomparable Colonel Prescott marched 
 at the head of the detachment, and though several general 
 officers were present, he retained the command during the 
 action. He displayed a native daring bravery altogether 
 unrivalled, and infused the conquering spirit of a soldier 
 into the hearts of all who were under his command, and 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1775. 27 
 
 crowned himself with immortal honor. Colonel John 
 Stark commanded a regiment from New Hampshire, and 
 siscnalized himself by his active bravery. His very valiant 
 Major McClary was killed by a cannon-ball while recross- 
 ing Charlestown neck, which is lamented as a public loss. 
 On this never-to-be-forgotten occasion a fair opportunity 
 was presented for the trial of the courage and prowess of 
 the people of New England, when contending for their 
 constitutional freedom. They marched to the field as an 
 undisciplined, inexperienced body of yeomanry, rather 
 than as professed warriors; a large majority of them carry- 
 ing ordinary fire-arms, unprovided with bayonets, and 
 habited in the style of country laborers. It was their lot 
 to contend with an army of disciplined veterans, profess- 
 edly experienced in the art of warfare, uniformly clothed 
 and armed, and commanded by generals whose names, 
 even in Europe, are little less than a host. 
 
 The comparative force of the two armies was about two 
 to one against the provincials, besides the royal artillery, 
 ships, and other armed vessels. What in fact is the result 
 of this most unequal combat? Certain it is, that on the 
 first and the second onset, the veterans were fairly repulsed, 
 and whatever advantage was ultimately obtained, was at 
 the expense of some of their most valuable officers and 
 the flower of the British grenadiers and light infantry. 
 These two corps, at the moment of their first onset, lost 
 three-fourths of their number; of one company five, and 
 of another, fourteen only escaped. The remarkable dis- 
 parity of loss is a clear demonstration of the superior 
 advantage on our side. It is an ascertained fact, that of 
 the enemy nineteen commissioned officers were killed and 
 seventy wounded; and their total loss, according to Gen- 
 eral Gage, was one thousand and fifty-four. Of the pro- 
 vincials, the killed and dead of their wounds, are one 
 hundred and thirty-nine. Other wounded, two hundred 
 and seventy-eight. Prisoners by the enemy, thirty-six. 
 Total, four hundred and fifty-three. The provincials have 
 much reason to triumph on the successful issue of this 
 first general conflict with veteran troops; it must tend 
 greatly to increase their confidence in their own powers, 
 and give them a serious impression that we are favored 
 with the smiles of Heaven. Had our troops been furnished 
 
28 MILITARY JOURNAL, 1775. 
 
 with a sufficient quantity of ammunition, the enemy must 
 have suffered a total defeat. After our troops retreated, 
 the regulars took possession of their dear-bought Bunker's 
 hill, and immediately fortified themselves there. It is 
 said that some of the veteran British officers, who have 
 been in some hard-fought battles in Europe, observed, that 
 they had never witnessed any one equal in severity to that 
 on Breed's hill. It is presumed they will no longer apply 
 the term poltroons to American soldiers. A considerable 
 number of tories, whose zeal for the royal cause led them 
 into battle, were killed or wounded. Our army has taken 
 post at Cambridge and Roxbury, in such a manner as to 
 invest the town of Boston. Our general officers are Gen- 
 erals Ward, Pomeroy, Thomas and Heath, of Massachu- 
 setts colony, and General Putnam from Connecticut. 
 
 On the day appointed, the medical candidates, sixteen 
 in number, were summoned before the board for examin- 
 ation. This business occupied about four hours; the sub- 
 jects were anatomy, physiology, surgery and medicine. 
 It was not long after, that I was happily relieved from 
 suspense, by receiving the sanction and acceptance of the 
 board, with some acceptable instructions relative to the 
 faithful discharge of duty, and the humane treatment of 
 those soldiers who may have the misfortune to require 
 my assistance. Six of our number were privately rejected 
 as being found unqualified. The examination was in a 
 considerable degree close and severe, which occasioned 
 not a little agitation in our ranks. But it was on another 
 occasion, as I am told, that a candidate under examination 
 was agitated into a state of perspiration, and being required 
 to describe the mode of treatment in rheumatism, among 
 other remedies he would promote a sweat, and being asked 
 how he would effect this with his patient, after some hes- 
 itation he replied, "I would have him examined by a 
 medical committee." I was so fortunate as to obtain the 
 office of surgeon's mate in the provincial hospital at Cam- 
 bridge, Dr. John Warren being the senior surgeon. He 
 was the brother and pupil of the gallant General Joseph 
 Warren, who was slain in the memorable battle on Breed's 
 hill. This gentleman has acquired great reputation in his 
 profession, and is distinguished for his humanity and at- 
 tention to the sick and wounded soldiers, and for his 
 
MILITARY JOUENAL, 1775. 29 
 
 amiable disposition. Having received my appointment 
 *by the Provincial Congress, I commenced my duty in the 
 hospital, July 15th. y Several private, but commodious, 
 houses in Cambridge are occupied for hospitals, and a 
 considerable number of soldiers' who were wounded at 
 Breed's hill, and a greater number of sick of various dis- 
 eases, require all our attention./ Dr. Isaac Foster, late of 
 Chariestown, is also appointed a senior hospital surgeon ; 
 and his student, Mr. Josiah Bartlet, officiates as his mate; 
 Dr. Benjamin Church is director-general of the hospital. 
 
 I am informed that General George Washington arrived 
 at our provincial camp, in this town, on the 2d July; 
 having been appointed, by the unanimous voice of the 
 Continental Congress at Philadelphia, general and com- 
 mander-in-chief of all the troops raised, and to be raised, 
 for the defence of the United Colonies, as they are now 
 termed. They are, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Ehode 
 Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, 
 Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South 
 Carolina, and Georgia. General Washington is a native 
 of Virginia; he was in General Braddock's defeat in 1755, 
 and having had considerable experience in the wars with 
 the French and Indians on the frontiers of that colony, in 
 former 37ears, he is supposed to possess ample qualifica- 
 tions for the command of our army, and the appointment 
 gives universal satisfaction. Such is his disinterested pa- 
 triotism, that he assured Congress, on his appointment, 
 that he should receive from the public, for his military 
 services, no other compensation than the amount of his 
 necessary expenses. He has been received here with every 
 mark of respect, and addressed by our Provincial Congress 
 in the most affectionate and respectful manner. All ranks 
 appear to repose full confidence in him as commander-in- 
 chief; it is the fervent prayer of the religiously disposed, 
 that he may be instrumental in bringing this unhappy 
 controversy to an honorable and speedy termination. He 
 is accompanied by General Lee and General Gates; two 
 gentlemen who have held commissions in the royal army. 
 The former is now appointed major-general, and the latter 
 adjutant-general, by our Continental Congress. General 
 Washington has established his head-quarters in a conve- 
 nient house, about half a mile from Harvard College, and 
 
30 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1775. 
 
 in the vicinity of our hospital. The provincial army is 
 encamped in various parts of this town and Eoxbnry, and 
 some works have been erected on Prospect hill, and on 
 an eminence near Eoxbury church, within cannon-shot 
 of Boston. The amount of our forces I have not ascer- 
 tained; but we are daily increasing in numbers, both of 
 militia and enlisted soldiers. |The operations of the war 
 have interrupted the progress of education at college; the 
 students have returned to their homes, and the college 
 buildings are occupied by our soldiery. 
 
 July 20th. — This day is devoted to a Public Fast 
 throughout the United Colonies, by the recommendation of 
 Congress, to implore the Divine benediction on our coun- 
 try; that any further shedding of blood may be averted; 
 and that the calamities with which we are afflicted may 
 be removed. This is the first general or Continental Fast 
 ever observed since the settlement of the colonies. I have 
 been much gratified this day with a view of General 
 Washington. His excellency was on horseback, in com- 
 pany with several military gentlemen. It was not difficult 
 to distinguish him from all others; his personal appearance 
 is truly noble and majestic; being tall and well propor- 
 tioned. His dress is a blue coat with buff"-colored facings, 
 a rich epaulette on each shoulder, buff under dress, and 
 an elegant small sword; a black cockade in his hat. 
 
 August — The firing of cannon is now frequently prac- 
 tised from our works at Prospect hill and Winter hill, 
 advantageous eminences in full view and within cannon- 
 shot of the enemy's camp on Bunker's hill; and some shot 
 are returned from the enemy; but without any considera- 
 ble loss. At Eoxbury also our people have foi'tified sev- 
 eral hills, and breastworks are thrown up acrot^s the main 
 street, within half a mile of the British lines; from which 
 cannon-shot and some bomb-shells are every day thrown 
 into Boston. The enemy fire their cannon-shot into Eox- 
 bury, and several have passed through the church ; but 
 little damage has yet been sustained, and our soldiers be- 
 come so familiarized to the sight of cannon-shot rolling 
 among them, that they manifest little or no fear of the 
 consequences. The right wing of our army at Eoxbury 
 is commanded by Major-General Ward ; and the lelt at 
 Prospect hill, by Major-General Lee. 
 
MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1775. 31 
 
 The Continental Congress having voted, "That a sum 
 not exceeding two milHons of Spanish milled dollars be 
 emitted by them in bills of credit for the defence of Amer- 
 ica," gold and silver soon disappeared, and paper bills now 
 circulate instead of specie. 
 
 Several companies of riflemen, amounting, it is said, to 
 more than fourteen hundred men, have arrived here from 
 Pennsylvania and Maryland; a distance of from five hun- 
 dred to seven hundred miles. They are remarkably stout 
 and hardy men; many of them exceeding six feet in 
 height. They are dressed in white frocks, or rifle-shirts, 
 and round hats. These men are remarkable for the accu- 
 racy of their aim ; striking a mark with great certainty at 
 two hundred 3rards distance. At a review, a company of 
 them, while on a quick advance, fired their balls into 
 objects of seven inches diameter, at the distance of two 
 hundred and fifty yards. They are now stationed on our 
 lines, and their shot have frequently proved fatal to British 
 officers and soldiers who expose themselves to view, even 
 at more than double the distance of common musket-shot. 
 
 October. — An event of considerable importance has oc- 
 curred, which occasions much surprise and speculation. 
 Dr. Benjamin Church has long sustained high reputation 
 as a patriot and son of liberty. He has, for some time, 
 been a member of our House of Representatives; and has 
 been appointed surgeon-general and director of our hos- 
 pitals. This gentleman has just been detected in a trait- 
 orous correspondence with the enemy in Boston. A letter 
 in cipher, written by him, was intrusted to the care of a 
 female, with whom he was well acquainted, to be conveyed 
 to Boston. On examination, the woman absolutely refiised 
 to reveal the name of the writer, till she was terrified by 
 the threats of severe punishment; when she named Dr. 
 Church, he was greatly agitated and confounded, manifested 
 marks of guilt, and. made no attempt to vindicate himself. 
 But after the letter was deciphered, and he had taken time 
 to reflect, he used all his powers of persuasion to make it 
 appear that the letter contained no information that would 
 injure the American cause; and made a solemn appeal to 
 Heaven that it was written for the purpose of procuring 
 some important intelligence from the enemy. He was 
 tried, convicted, and expelled from the House of Repre- 
 
32 MILITAET JOrE"NAL, 1775. 
 
 sentatives; and Congress afterwards resolved, "that lie 
 be closely confined in some secure jail in Connecticut, 
 without the use of pen, ink, or paper; and that no person 
 be allowed to converse with him, except in the presence 
 and hearing of a magistrate, or the sheriff of the county."* 
 
 I have just returned from a ramble to Roxbury, with a 
 view of examining the camp and works in that quarter. 
 Not meeting with any person with whom I am acquainted, 
 I returned after a slight view of the lines and the church 
 in that town, which is pierced through in many places by 
 cannon-shot from the enemy, 
 
 10th. — General Gage has sailed for England; and the 
 command of the army, has devolved on General William 
 Howe. He has issued a proclamation, prohibiting all 
 persons attempting to quit the town, without a written 
 license, on penalty of military execution, if taken, and if 
 they escape they are to be proceeded against as traitors, 
 and their effects to be forfeited; and also declaring, that 
 if any, who are licensed to depart, attempt carrying away 
 more than five pounds in specie, they shall forfeit the 
 whole sum discovered, beside suffering fine and imprison- 
 ment. Such is the wretched condition of the Bostonians 
 since their native town has been converted into a royal 
 garrison. It is recollected that in April last, it was agreed 
 between General Gage and a committee of the town, that 
 on the inhabitants in general surrendering up their fire- 
 arms to the care of the selectmen, all such inhabitants as 
 were desirous of removing out of town, should have this 
 liberty, with their families and effects. The town voted 
 to comply with this proposal, and General Gage on his 
 part confirmed the same. It was also stipulated, that those 
 persons in the country who should incline to' remove into 
 Boston should be permitted to change their residence with- 
 out molestation. The fire-arms were accordingly surren- 
 dered, and some of the inhabitants were allowed to depart; 
 but it was not long before General Gage found various 
 pretences to violate his stipulation, and prohibited any 
 further removals; in consequence of which, many families 
 were compelled to a cruel separation ; husbands and wives, 
 
 * Dr. Church was finally permitted to depart from the country. He 
 and his family embarked for the West Indies; the vessel foundered at 
 sea, and all were lost. 
 
MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1775. 33 
 
 parents and children, were separated, and the aged and 
 infirm left without protection. 
 
 The terra for which the continental soldiers enlisted will 
 expire in a few weeks, and it is understood that the re- 
 cruits for a future army will be enlisted to serve to the 1st 
 of December next, unless sooner discharged, as hopes are 
 yet entertained that a settlement of our difficulties with 
 Great Britain may be effected. Reports are in circulation 
 that an attack on the town of Boston is contemplated ; or, 
 that the plan has been agitated and is relinquished, till our 
 people can pass over on the ice. The public appear to 
 be impatient to have our inveterate enemies expelled from 
 our territories. 
 
 November. — Our hospitals are considerably crowded with 
 sick soldiers from camp; the prevailing diseases are au- 
 tunmal fevers and dysenteric complaints, which have 
 proved fatal in a considerable number of instances. It is 
 highly gratifying to observe, that these brave men, while 
 in the service of their country, receive in sickness all the 
 kind attention from physicians and nurses, which their 
 circumstances require; they have the prayers and conso- 
 lations of pious clergymen, and are destitute of nothing 
 but the presence of their dearest friends to alleviate their 
 sufferings. 
 
 I am sorr}^ to have occasion to notice in my journal the 
 following occurrence. The body of a soldier has been 
 taken from- the grave, for the purpose, probably of dis- 
 section, and the empty coffin left exposed. This affair 
 occasions considerable excitement among our people ; both 
 resentment and grief are manifested; as it seems to impress 
 the ideia that a soldier's body is held in no estimation after 
 death. Such a practice, if countenanced, might be attended 
 with serious consequences as it respects our soldiers. 
 Much inquiry has been made, but without success, for the 
 discovery of the persons concerned; and the practice in 
 future is strictly prohibited by the commander-in-chief. 
 
 The joyful intelligence is now announced in the public 
 papers, that Captain Manly, of Marblehead, commander 
 of one of our privateers, has captured an English ship, 
 bound to Boston, loaded with ordnance stores, of immense 
 value at the present time. Among the ordnance is a 
 large brass mortar on a new construction, and a number 
 
34 MILITARY JOURNAL, 1775. 
 
 of pieces of fine brass cannon. There are small arms, 
 amniunition, utensils, &c. &c. in great abundance. An 
 invoice, it is said, could scarcely be formed of articles better 
 suited to our wants and circumstances. Several other 
 store vessels have been taken by our privateers, with car- 
 goes of provision and various kinds of stores, to a very 
 considerable amount, which greatly augments the dis- 
 tresses of the troops and people in Boston, and affords us 
 a very opportune and essential supply. It is now repre- 
 sented that the distresses of the inhabitants and troops in 
 Boston exceed the possibility of description. They are 
 almost in a state of starvation, for the want of food and 
 fuel. The inhabitants, totally destitute of vegetables, 
 flour and fresh provisions, have actually been obliged to 
 feed on horse flesh; and the trooj)s confined to salt pro- 
 visions; by means of which they have become very sickly. 
 They have taken down a number of houses, removed the 
 pews from the church, and are digging up the timber at 
 the wharves for fuel. 
 
 Decei-nher 2d. — I visited the park of artillery, and was 
 much gratified to find a collection of ordnance far exceed- 
 ing my expectations, and such as is suj^posed by some to 
 be adequate to our present exigence. I had a view of the 
 large brass mortar taken by Captain Manly; it is now 
 called the Congress^ and will soon be prepared to speak in 
 strong terms to its former masters. 
 
 4:th. — A considerable number of Connecticut troops have 
 left our service and returned home; no persuasion could 
 induce them to continue in service after their time of en- 
 listment had expired. Enlisting officers are distributed 
 in various parts of New England ; but it is reported that 
 voluntary enlistments go on slowly. The people seem to 
 be unwilling to engage in the public service, and require 
 higher wages. The spirit of patriotism appears in 'some 
 degree to have subsided, and the miHtia are to be employed. 
 
 11th. — A party of militia, said to be about two thousand, 
 have arrived in camp; and information is received that 
 .three thousand more are on their march. A few enlisted 
 soldiers have arrived; but so destitute are they of fire- 
 arms, that it has been found necessary to take the arms 
 by force from the soldiers who retire, paying for them, in 
 order to supply the recruits. 
 
OE^TERAL RICHARD MOJfTOOMERT. P. 36. 
 
MILITAKY JOUKNAL, 1776. 35 
 
 18th. — The Americans have advanced and hroJcen ground 
 at Lechmere's Point, within half a mile of Boston ; which 
 occasioned a severe cannonade from the enemy; but they 
 persevered in their work, and suffered but an inconsidera- 
 ble loss. It is stated, from the minutes of some person, 
 that from Breed's hill battle to the 25th instant, the British 
 have thrown upwards of two thousand shot and shells. 
 By the whole firing, on Cambridge side, they killed only 
 seven, and on Eoxbury side five, just a dozen in the whole. 
 At this rate, how many shot and bombs will it require 
 to subdue the whole of his majesty's rebellious subjects? 
 
 January^ 1776. — At the close of the last year, as is now 
 reported, our army was reduced to a very critical situation, 
 being obliged to substitute new-raised troops and militia 
 in the place of those who had been in service five or six 
 months ; and this exchange was made within musket-shot 
 of the enemy's lines. During part of this period, our 
 numbers were not sufl&cient to man the lines, nor was 
 there powder enough in camp to furnish four rounds a 
 man. Before our privateers had fortunately captured 
 some prizes with cannon and other ordnance, our army 
 before Boston had, I believe, only four small brass cannon 
 and a few old honey-comb iron pieces with their trunnions 
 broken off; and these were ingeniously bedded in timbers 
 in the same manner as that of stocking a musket. These 
 machines were extremely unwieldy and inconvenient, 
 requiring much skill and labor to elevate and depress 
 them. Had the enemy been made acquainted with our 
 situation, the consequences might have been exceedingly 
 distressing. 
 
 2bth. — The newspapers announce the most painful in- 
 telligence from our army in Canada. General Montgom- 
 ery, the commander, made a desperate, but unsuccessful, 
 assault on the city of Quebec, on the 31st ultimo. The 
 event has proved most fatal and disastrous. General 
 Montgomery and his aid-de-camp, with several other 
 officers, were slain. Colonel Arnold, the second in com- 
 mand, heroically passed the first barrier with his small 
 party, and received a wound in his leg. About three 
 hundred of the continental troops were made prisoners, 
 and about sixty killed and wounded. We remain unac- 
 quainted with further particulars. The death of General 
 
3(3 xMILITARY JOURNAL, 1776. 
 
 Montgomery is universally deplored. In the public papers 
 we have the following account of this brave officer. "He 
 was a captain of grenadiers in the 17th regiment of British 
 troops, of which General Monckton was colonel. He served 
 the last war in the expeditions in the West Indies and 
 America, and returned with his regiment to England. In 
 1772 he quitted his regiment, though in a fair way of 
 preferment. Whilst in America he imbibed an affection 
 for this country — he had, while in the king's service, de- 
 clared his disapprobation of the sentiments of the ministry, 
 and viewed America as the rising seat of arts and freedom." 
 
 Fthruary 9ih. — A very considerable firing was heard 
 last evening from Boston ; it was occasioned by a detach- 
 ment of one hundred men, under the command of Major 
 Knowlton, who made an incursion into Charlestown, for 
 the purpose 'of burning a number of houses, to deprive 
 the enemy of their use. He effected the object of his 
 expedition by burning about ten houses in the possession 
 of the eneni}^, and returned in less than two hours, bringing 
 oiY some muskets, without the loss of a single man either 
 killed or wounded. 
 
 14ith. — The following anecdote is worth notice; it ap- 
 pears by extracts from letters written by the officers who 
 are the subjects of it. Some British officers, soon after 
 General Gage arrived at Boston, while walking on Beacon 
 hill in the evening, were frightened by noises in the air, 
 which they took to be the whizzing of bullets. They left 
 the hill with great precipitation, and reported that they 
 were shot at with air-guns, and wrote frightful accounts of 
 the affiiir to their friends in En2:land. The whizzing noise 
 which so alarmed these valiant officers, could be no other 
 than the buzzing of bugs and beetles while flying in the air. 
 
 IQth. — It might be supposed that the melancholy aspect 
 of the times, and the dreadful disappointments and priva- 
 tions of the British officers and tories in Boston, would 
 affi)rd matter for the most serious consideration, and effect- 
 ually check every emotion bordering on levity and amuse- 
 ment. We find, however, that they do not deny them- 
 selves balls and theatrical amusements, for they say in the 
 language of the poet, 
 
 "What need of piping for the songs and sherry, 
 When our own miseries can make us merry." 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1776. 37 
 
 It is asserted from Boston, that on the evening when 
 Major Knowlton set fire to the iiouses in Charlestown, 8th 
 instant, the farce of "^/le Bloclw.de of Boston^'''' of wliich 
 Greneral Bnrgoyne is the reputed autlior, was to be per- 
 formed. The figure designed to burlesque General Wash- 
 ington was dressed in an uncouth style, with a large wig 
 and long rusty sword, attended by his orderly-sergeant 
 in his country dress, having on his shoulder an old rusty 
 gun, seven or eight feet long. At the moment this figure 
 appeared on the stage, one of the regular sergeants came 
 running on the stage, threw down his bayonet, and 
 exclaimed, "The Yankees are attacking our works on 
 Bunker's hill." Those of the audience who were unac- 
 quainted with tlie different parts, supposed that this be- 
 longed to the farce; but when General Howe called out, 
 Officers to your alarm posfe,.' they were undeceived ; all was 
 confusion and dismay; and among the ladies, shrieking 
 and fainting ensued. How pure the satisfaction to a great 
 mind employed in burlesquing those Yankees by whom 
 they are besieged! 
 
 18^A. — Dr. John Morgan of Philadelphia is appointed 
 by Congress director-general of our hospitals, instead of 
 Dr. Church, removed. Since his arrival here, a new and 
 systematic arrangement in the medical department has 
 taken place; the number of surgeon's mates in the hospital 
 is to be reduced, and vacancies in regiments are to be sup- 
 plied. I have been subjected to another examination by 
 Dr. Morgan, and received from him the appointment of 
 surgeon's mate to Dr. David Townsend, in the regiment 
 commanded by Colonel Asa Whitcomb, stationed in the 
 barracks on Prospect hill. 
 
 22d — Our regiment, according to orders, marched to 
 Eoxbury, and took quarters in the large and elegant 
 house formerly belonging to Governor Shirley. Great 
 preparations are making in our army for some important 
 event. Several regiments of militia "have arrived from the 
 country ; and orders have been received for surgeons and • 
 mates to prepare lint and bandages, to the amount of two 
 thousand, for fractured limbs and other gun-shot wounds. 
 It is, however, to be hop.ed that not one-quarter of the 
 number will be required, whatever may be the nature of 
 the occasion. Great activity and animation are observed 
 
38 MILITARY JOURNAL, 1776, 
 
 among our officers and soldiers, who manifest an anxious 
 desire to have a conflict with the enemy. Either a gen- 
 eral assault on the town of Boston, or the erection of 
 works on the heights of Dorchester, or both, is generally- 
 supposed to be in contemplation. 
 
 March 2d. — A very heavy discharge of cannon and 
 mortars commenced from all our works at Cambridge and 
 Roxbury. 
 
 8d — The firing from our works continues, but the great 
 brass mortar, the Congress^ and two others, have unfortu- 
 nately burst; which is exceedingly regretted. 
 
 Ml. — The object in view is now generally understood 
 to be the occupying and fortifying of the advantageous 
 heights of Dorchester. A detachment of our troops is 
 ordered to march for this purpose this evening; and our 
 regiment, with several others, has received orders to march 
 at four o'clock in the morning, to relieve them. We are 
 favored with a full bright moon, and the night is remark- 
 ably mild and pleasant; the preparations are immense; 
 more than three hundred loaded carts are in motion. By 
 the great exertions of General Mifflin, our quarter-master- 
 general, the requisite number of teams has been procured. 
 The covering party of eight hundred men advance in front. 
 Then follow the carts with the intrenching tools; after 
 which, the working party of twelve hundred, commanded 
 by General Thomas, of Kingston. Next in the martial 
 procession are a train of carts, loaded with fascines and 
 nay, screwed into large bundles of seven or eight hundred 
 weight. The whole procession moved on in solemn silence, 
 and with perfect order and regularity ; while the continued 
 roar of cannon serves to engage the attention and divert 
 the enemy from the main object. 
 
 bih. — At about four o'clock our regiment followed to 
 the heights of Dorchester, as a relief party. On passing 
 Dorchester neck I qbserved a vast number of large bun- 
 dles of screwed hay, arranged in a line next the enemy, 
 to protect our troops from a raking fire, to which we should 
 have been greatly exposed, while passing and repassing. 
 The carts were still in motion with materials; some of 
 them have made three or four trips. On the heights we 
 found two forts in considerable forwardness, and sufficient 
 for a defence against small arms and grape-shot. The 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1776. 39 
 
 amount of labor performed during the night, considering 
 the earth is frozen eighteen inches deep, is almost incred- 
 ible. The enemy having discovered our works in the 
 morning, commenced a tremendous cannonade from the 
 forts in Boston, and from their shipping in the harbor. 
 Cannon-shot are continually rolling and rebounding over 
 the hill ; and it is astonishing to observe how little our 
 soldiers are terrified by them. During the forenoon we 
 were in momentary expectation of witnessing an awful 
 scene; nothing less than the carnage of Breed's hill battle 
 was expected. The royal troops are perceived to be in 
 motion, as if embarking to pass the harbor, and land on 
 Dorchester shore, to attack our works. The hills and 
 elevations in this vicinity are covered with spectators to 
 witness deeds of horror in the expected conflict. His 
 Excellency General Washington is present, animating and 
 encouraging the soldiers, and they in return manifest their 
 joy, and express a warm desire for the approach of the 
 enemy ; each man knows his place, and is resolute to ex- 
 ecute his duty. Our breastworks are strengthened, and 
 among the means of defence are a great number of bar- 
 rels, filled with stones and sand, arranged in front of our 
 works; which are to be put in motion and made to roll 
 down the hill, to break the ranks and legs of the assailants 
 as they advance. These are the preparations for blood and 
 slaughter. Gracious God ! if it be determined in thy Provi- 
 dence that thousands of our fellow-creatures shall this day 
 be slain, let thy wrath be appeased, and in mercy grant that 
 victory be on the side of our suffering, bleeding country ! 
 The anxious day has closed, and the enemy has failed 
 to molest us. From appearances, however, there are strong 
 reasons to suppose that they have only postponed their 
 meditated work till another day. It is presumed that the 
 martial fire, which has been enkindled in the breasts of 
 our soldiery, will not be extinguished during the night, 
 and that they will not rest quietly under their disappoint- 
 ment. . Early in the morning of the 6th, our regiment was 
 relieved from its tour of duty, and I bade adieu to Dor- 
 chester heights, without being called to dress a single 
 wound. Not more than two or three men were killed or 
 wounded during the twenty-four hours. Some of the 
 British troops were seen to embark, and pass down towards 
 
40 M.IUTAEY JOURNAL, 1776. 
 
 the castle last evening, to be in readiness, it was supposed, 
 in conjunction with others, to attack our works this morn- 
 ing; but a most violent storm came on in the night, and 
 still continuing, obliges General Howe to abandon his 
 enterprise, and thus has a kind Providence seen fit to 
 frustrate a design, which must have been attended with 
 immense slaughter and bloodshed. General Howe must 
 now be sensible of his exposed situation, and be convinced 
 of the immediate necessity of evacuating the town of Bos- 
 ton, if he would prevent the sacrifice of his fleet and army. 
 
 ^th. — There are strong indications in Boston that the 
 king's troops are preparing to evacuate the town ; and that 
 no attempt will be made to dispossess our people of the 
 works which we have constructed on Dorchester heights. 
 
 8^^. — A flag of truce has come out of Boston with a 
 message from the selectmen; acquainting General Wash- 
 ington that General Howe has come to the determination 
 to evacuate the town; and that he would leave it standing, 
 provided his army should be permitted to retire without 
 being molested. At the same time intimating, as is re- 
 ported, that in case he should be attacked by our army, 
 the town should be set on fire in different places, in order 
 to secure his retreat. We are unacquainted with the de- 
 termination of his excellency respecting this proposition ; 
 but it is well known that he has been in favor of making 
 an attack on the town; and that the necessary preparations 
 were made, and the plan arranged, to be put in execution 
 in the event of the enemy's meditated attack on our works 
 at Dorchester heights. Four thousand troops, the first 
 division commanded by General Sullivan, the second by 
 General Greene, were ordered to be in readiness, and in 
 case the enemy had advanced and been defeated on the 
 heights of Dorchester, this force, at a given signal, was 
 to have rushed into the town and taken possession. 
 
 It is credibly reported from Boston, that on the morning 
 when the British officers discovered our newly-erected 
 works, which, on account of a fog, loomed to great advan- 
 tage, and appeared larger than the reality. General Howe, 
 on viewing them, was heard to say in astonishment, "I 
 know not what I shall do: the rebels have done more in 
 one night than my whole army would have done in weeks." 
 His admiral soon assured him that if the rebels were per- 
 
MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1776. 4;[ 
 
 mitted to hold possession, he should not be able to keep 
 a single ship in the harbor in safety. 
 
 Nothing of consequence occurred to observation till 
 Sunday morning, March 17th, when at an early hour it 
 was perceived that the royal army commenced their em- 
 barkation on board of transports. In the course of the 
 forenoon we enjoyed the unspeakable satisfaction of be- 
 holding their whole. fleet under sail, wafting from our 
 shores the dreadful scourge of war. It was in the power 
 of the provincials by a cannonade to have annoyed the 
 enemy's shipping and transports as they passed Dorchester 
 heights, and to have occasioned great embarrassment and 
 destruction among them; but no orders were given for this 
 purpose, and they were suffered to pass unmolested. By 
 this event we are happily relieved of a force consisting of 
 seven thousand five hundred and seventy-five regulars, 
 exclusive of the staff, which, with the marines and sailors, 
 may be estimated at about ten thousand in the whole. 
 This force greatly exceeds the five regiments with which 
 General Grant vauntingly boasted in England that he could 
 march successfully from one end of the American conti- 
 nent to the othei'. A considerable number of tories, who 
 had joined the royal standard, took passage with their 
 families on board of the transports with the army, and 
 bade adieu to their native country, without knowing what 
 part of the world is to be their destiny. 
 
 Immediately after the enemy sailed from Boston harbor. 
 General Washington ordered the major part of his army 
 to march to New York, to secure that city against the 
 apprehended invasion of General Howe. It was not till 
 Wednesday, the 20th, that our troops were permitted to 
 enter the town, when our regiment, with two or three 
 others, were ordered to march in, and take up our quarters, 
 which were provided for us in comfortable houses. While 
 marching through the streets, the inhabitants appeared 
 at their doors and windows; though they manifested a 
 lively joy on being liberated from a long imprisonment, 
 they were not altogether free from a melancholy gloom 
 which ten tedious months' siege has spread over their 
 countenances. The streets and buildings present a scene 
 which reflects disgrace on their late occupants, exhibiting 
 a deplorable desolation and wretchedness. 
 
42 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1776. 
 
 22c?. — A concourse of people from the country are 
 crowding into town, full of friendly solicitude , and it is 
 truly interesting to witness the tender interviews and fond 
 embraces of those who have been long separated, under 
 circumstances so peculiarly distressing. But it is particu- 
 larly unfortunate on this occasion, that the small-pox is 
 lurking in various parts of the town ; which deters many 
 from enjoying an interview with their friends. The pa- 
 rents and sister of my friend Dr. Townsend have continued 
 in town during the siege; being introduced to the family 
 by the Doctor, I received a kind and polite invitation to 
 take up my abode with them, where I am enjoying the 
 kindest attentions and civilities. I accompanied several 
 gentlemen to view the British fortifications on Roxbury 
 neck, where I observed a prodigious number of little mil- 
 itary engines called caltrops, or crow-feet, scattered over 
 the ground in the vicinity of the works to impede the 
 march of our troops in case of an attack. The implement 
 consists of an iron ball armed with four sharp points about 
 one inch in length, so formed that which way soever it 
 may fall one point still lies upwards to pierce the feet of 
 horses or men, and are admirably well calculated to obstruct 
 the march of an enemy. 
 
 28d. — I went to view the Old South Church, a spacious 
 brick building near the centre of the town. It has been 
 for more than a century consecrated to the service of 
 religion, and many eminent divines have in its pulpit 
 labored in teaching the ways of righteousness and truth. 
 But during the late siege the inside of it was entirely 
 destroyed by the British, and the sacred building occupied 
 as a riding-school for Burgoyne's regiment of dragoons. 
 The pulpit and pews were removed, the floor covered with 
 earth, and used for the purpose of training and exercising 
 their horses. A beautiful pew, ornamented with carved 
 work and silk furniture, was demolished; and by order 
 of an officer, the carved work, it is said, was used as a 
 fence for a hog-sty. The North Church, a very valuable 
 building, was entirely demolished, and consumed for fuel. 
 Thus are our houses, devoted to religious worship, pro- 
 faned and destroyed by the subjects of his royal majesty. 
 His excellency the commander-in-chief has been received 
 by the inhabitants with every mark of respect and grati- 
 

 w'"'iii,:,i, ,'i 'ii " v\ 
 
OEJ^ERAL JOSEPH WARREK. P. 43. 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1776, 43 
 
 tude; and a public dinner has been provided for him. He 
 requested the Eev. Dr. Eliot, at the renewal of his custom- 
 ary Thursday Lecture, to preach a thanksgiving sermon, 
 adapted to the joyful occasion. Accordingly on the 28th, 
 this pious divine preached an appropriate discourse from 
 Isaiah xxxiii. 20, in presence of his excellency and a re- 
 spectable audience. 
 
 29^A. — The Massachusetts House of Representatives and 
 Council presented his excellency a respectful and affec- 
 tionate address; and received from him a reply no less 
 respectful and satisfactory. 
 
 One of our soldiers found a human skeleton in complete 
 preparation, left by a British surgeon, which I have re- 
 ceived as an acceptable present. 
 
 April 8th. — I attended at the Stone Chapel, where were 
 performed the funeral solemnities over the remains of that 
 patriot and hero Major-General Joseph Warren. The re- 
 mains were taken from the earth at Breed's hill, placed 
 in an elegant coffin, and brought into the chapel, where, 
 in the presence of a numerous assembly, a 'eulogy was 
 pronounced by Perez Morton, Esq., a young lawyer of 
 abilities. The ceremony was conducted by the society of 
 Free Masons, of which the deceased was grand master. 
 A grand procession was formed, and the remains having 
 received the customary masonic honors, were deposited 
 in the vault under the chapel. This proceeding was to 
 me a pleasing novelty, and in the view of the public, a 
 grateful tribute to the memory of a beloved fellow -citizen. 
 
 "Let laurels, dreneh'd in pure Parnassian dews, 
 Reward his niem'ry, dear to every muse, 
 Who, with a courage of unshaken root. 
 In honor's field advancing his firm foot. 
 Plants it upon the line that justice draws. 
 And will prevail or perish in her cause. 
 'Tis to the virtues of such men man owes 
 His portion in the good that Heaven bestows. 
 And when recording History displays 
 Feats of renown, though wrought in ancient days; 
 Tells of a few stout hearts, that fought and died 
 Where duty placed them, at their country's side; 
 The man that is not moved with what he reads, 
 That takes not fire at their heroic deeds. 
 Unworthy of the blessings of the brave. 
 Is base in kind, and born to be a slave." — Cowpek. 
 
44 MILITARY JOUENAL, 1776. 
 
 May. — As the small-pox is in many parts of the town 
 amonff both the inhabitants and soldiers, I was advised 
 by my friends to have recourse to inoculation for my own 
 safety, though contrary to general orders. I was accord- 
 ingly inoculated by my friend Dr. John Homans, and have 
 passed through the disease in the most favorable manner, 
 not suffering one day's confinement. 
 
 June ISth. — The harbor of Boston has not been entirely 
 cleared of British shipping since the town was evacuated. 
 A fifty-gun ship and several other vessels still occupy the 
 the lower harbor, near Nantasket. A number of provin- 
 cial troops and volunteers are now ordered on an expedi- 
 tion, under command of General Benjamin Lincoln, with 
 heavy cannon, for the purpose of driving them from the 
 harbor. A part -of our regiment being ordered on the 
 expedition, we embarked at^ the Long Wharf, and landed 
 on Long Island, and immediately made arrangements for 
 a cannonade. A few shot soon convinced the commodore 
 of his danger; he returned the fire with some spirit; but 
 having received a shot through his upper works, he soon 
 got under sail and hastily departed. Thus is the port of 
 Boston again opened by our own authority, after being 
 closed during two years by virtue of an act of the British 
 Parliament. 
 
 20th. — The removal of the British armed vessels from 
 Nantasket has been productive of very favorable conse- 
 quences. Three days after their departure two transports 
 from Scotland bound to Boston, unapprised of the event, 
 entered Nantasket road, and were accosted by a discharge 
 of cannon from an American battery before they were 
 undeceived. In this situation it was impossible for them 
 to escape, and several of our privateers made their appear- 
 ance, and commanded them to strike their flag. This be- 
 ing refused, a smart action ensued, and continued about an 
 hour and a half, when they were obliged to yield and strike 
 to the privateers. On board the transports Major Menzies 
 and eight others were killed, and seventeen wounded. 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald Campbell, two hundred and 
 sixty-seven Highlanders, and forty-eight others, were made 
 prisoners. Major Menzies has been buried here with the 
 honors of war. 
 
 July 3d — Orders are given to inoculate for the small- 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1776. 45 
 
 pox, all the soldiers and inhabitants in town, as a general 
 infection of this terrible disease is apprehended. Dr. 
 Townsend and myself are now constantly engaged in this 
 business. 
 
 Vlth. — Melancholy accounts have been received respect- 
 ing the situation of our army in Canada; they are sub- 
 jected to very great hardships, sufferings, and privations. 
 Destitute of the necessary supplies of provisions and stores, 
 exhausted by fatigue, and reduced by sickness, with the 
 small-pox attended by unexampled mortality, they are in 
 a state but little short of desperation. In addition to all 
 their sufferings, they now have to deplore the loss of their 
 valuable commander, Major -General John Thomas. This 
 gentleman was a native of Kingston, Massachusetts. He 
 was in military service in former wars against the French 
 and Indians, where he acquired a high degree of reputa- 
 tion. He was among the first to espouse the cause of his 
 country in a military character in 1775, and during the 
 siege of Boston, and on the heights of Dorchester, he was 
 distinguished as an active, vigilant and brave officer. In 
 March, 1776, he was promoted by Congress from a brig- 
 adier to the rank of major-general, and by them appointed 
 to command our forces in Canada. On his arrival there 
 he found innumerable difficulties to encounter; the small- 
 pox frequently breaking out among the troops, and the 
 soldiers being in the practice of inoculating themselves, to 
 the great injury of the public service. The general deemed 
 it necessary, for the safety of the army, to prohibit the 
 practice of inoculating, and not excepting himself from 
 the injunction, he unfortunately received the infection, 
 which proved fatal to him, and deprived the public of a 
 valuable general officer. He was held in universal respect 
 and confidence as a military character, and his death is 
 deeply deplored throughout the army. 
 
 The very important intelligence from Philadelphia is 
 now proclaimed, that on the 4th instant, the American 
 Congress declared the thirteen United Colonies, '■'■ Free, 
 Sovereign, Independent States.'" The subject has for some 
 time agitated the public mind, and various opinions have 
 been entertained relative to this momentous transaction. 
 Opinions of much weight and authority have been and 
 still are in collision, and it has been considered very 
 
46 MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1776. 
 
 doubtful wlietlier the grand object would be accomplished 
 at the present time. Objections, however, have yielded 
 to imperious necessity, and a new epoch for United 
 America has now commenced. We are now, in the 16th 
 year of the reign of his Majesty King George the Third, 
 absolved from all allegiance to the British crown; and all 
 political connexion between us, as subjects, and his gov- 
 ernment is totally and for ever dissolved, unless indeed 
 Providence shall so order, that we shall be again reduced 
 to a state of dependence and vassalage. 
 
 18^A. — This day the declaration of American Independ- 
 ence has been proclaimed in form from the balcony of the 
 state-house in this town. On this most joyful occasion 
 Colonels Whitcomb and Sargeant's regiments were pa- 
 raded under arms in King street; and also a detachment 
 from the Massachusetts regiment of artillery with two field- 
 pieces. A number of the members of our council and 
 house of representatives, the magistrates, clergymen, se- 
 lectmen, and a large number of other gentlemen of Boston, 
 and of the neighboring towns, assembled in the council- 
 chamber. At one o'clock the declaration was proclaimed 
 by Colonel Thomas Crafts, and was received with great 
 joy. Three huzzas from the concourse of people were 
 given, after which thirteen pieces of cannon were fired 
 from Fort hill and from Dorchester neck, the Castle, Nan- 
 tasket, &c. The detachment of artillery in King street, 
 discharged their cannon thirteen times; which was fol- 
 lowed by the two regiments in thirteen separate divisions; 
 all corresponding to the number of the American United 
 States ; alter which, the gentlemen in the council chamber 
 partook of a collation, and a number of appropriate toasts 
 were proclaimed by the president of the council. 
 
 This highly important transaction of our Congress is the 
 theme of every circle and topic of universal discussion, 
 and it receives the sanction and approbation of a lairge 
 majority of the community. When we reflect on the de- 
 ranged condition of our army, the great deficiency of our 
 resources, and the little prospect of foreign assistance, and 
 at the same time contemplate the prodigious powers and 
 resources of our enemy, we may view this measure of 
 Congress as a prodigy. The history of the world cannot 
 fui-uish an instance of fortitude and heroic magnanimity 
 
MILITARY JOUEXAL, 1776. 47 
 
 parallel to that displayed by the members, whose signa- 
 tures are affixed to the declaration of American Independ- 
 ence. Their venerated names will ornament the brightest 
 pages of American history, and be transmitted to the latest 
 generations. The instrument was signed by John Han- 
 cock, Esq. as President, and by fifty-four others, delegates 
 from the thirteen United States. The Congress have in 
 their declaration recited the grievances and oppressions, 
 for which we could not obtain redress; and proclaimed 
 to the world the causes which impelled them to a separa- 
 tion from the crown of Great Britain. A sensible and 
 popular writer, in a production entitled " Common Hense^ 
 argues the necessity of the measure from the following 
 considerations. "We had no credit abroad because of 
 our rehellious dejiendency. Our ships could obtain no pro- 
 tection in foreign ports, because we afforded them no j ust- 
 ifiable reason for granting it to us. The calling of ourselves 
 subjects, and at the same time fighting against the prince 
 we acknowledge, was a dangerous precedent to all Europe. 
 If the grievances justified our taking up arms, they justi- 
 fied our separation; if they did not justify our separation, 
 neither could they justify our taking arms. All Europe 
 was interested in reducing us as rebels, and all Europe, or 
 the greater part at least, is interested in supporting us in 
 our independent state. At home our condition was still 
 worse ; our currency had no foundation ; and the state of 
 it would have ruined whig and tory alike. We had no 
 other laws than a kind of moderated passion; no other 
 civil power than an honest mob ; and no other protection 
 than the temporary attachment of one man to another. 
 Had independency been delayed a few months longer, 
 this continent would have been plunged into irretrieva- 
 ble confusion; some violent for it, some against it — all in 
 the greatest cabal; the rich would have been ruined, and 
 the poor destroyed. The necessity of being independent 
 would have brought it on in a little time, had there been 
 no rupture between Britain and America. The increasing 
 importance of commerce — the weight and perplexity of 
 legislation — and the enlarged state of European politics, 
 would clearly have shown to the continent the impropri- 
 ety of continuing subordinate ; for after the coolest reflec- 
 tion on the matter, this must be allowed, 'that Britain 
 
48 MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1776. 
 
 was too jealous of America to govern it justly; too igno- 
 rant of it to govern it well; and too distant from it to 
 govern it at all.'" The author of Common Sense is Mr. 
 Thomas Paine, lately from England. I am credibly in- 
 formed that the following anecdote occurred on the day 
 of signing the declaration. Mr. Harrison, a delegate from 
 Virginia, is a large portly man — Mr, Grerry of Massachu- 
 setts is slender and spare. A little time after the solemn 
 transaction of signing the instrument, Mr. Harrison said 
 smilingly to Mr. Grerry, "When the hanging scene comes 
 to be exhibited, I shall have the advantage over you, on 
 account of my size. All will be over with me in a mo- 
 ment, but you will be kicking in the air half an hour after 
 I am gone." 
 
 20th. — It appears, by the public papers, that a detach- 
 ment from the British army of two thousand eight hun- 
 dred men, under the command of Major-General Clinton, 
 Lord Cornwallis, and a fleet consisting of two line of battle 
 ships, frigates, and other armed vessels, amounting to 
 forty or fifty, have lately made a furious attack on the town 
 of Charleston, South Carolina. Major-General Lee, who 
 commands our army in that quarter, has written to Con- 
 gress a particular statement of the engagement, which, he 
 says, continued for twelve hours without intermission. 
 The enemy was twice repulsed with great loss; and the 
 Carolina tro ^ps and militia have gained the highest honor 
 by their brave and intrepid conduct. Colonel Moultrie, 
 in a particular manner, is deserving of the highest praise. 
 But the British fleet has suffered a loss almost beyond 
 example. Their ships shattered almost to total ruin, and 
 one frigate of twenty-eight guns was blown up by her own 
 crew. A number of ofiicers were killed and wounded, 
 and the number of men is said to be one hundred and 
 seventy-nine killed, and two hundred and sixty wounded. 
 Not one man, who was quartered at the beginning of the 
 action on the Bristol's quarter-deck, escaped being killed 
 or wounded. Lord Campbell, the late governor of that 
 colony, being a volunteer on board, received a mortal 
 wound; and the Commodore, Sir Peter Parker, had a 
 material part of his breeches torn away, and was otherwise 
 wounded. The whole of the British forces displayed the 
 greatest courage and bravery. In a southern newspaper 
 are inserted the following lines on Sir Peter's disaster: 
 
MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1776. 49 
 
 "If honor in the breech is lodged, 
 As Hudibras hath shown, 
 It may from hence be fairly judged 
 Sir Peter's honor's gone." 
 
 The English Parliament, doubting the competency of 
 tlieir own -powers to subjugate the United Colonies, have 
 resorted to the assistance of foreign troops to prosecute 
 their sanguinary purposes. They have actually entered 
 into treaty with several German princes to furnish seven- 
 teen thousand men, to aid in the great work of reducing 
 the Americans to the same degraded state of vassalage 
 with these hirelings themselves. The terms stipulated in 
 the treaties are, that besides the wagee to be paid these 
 foreigners, Parliament engages to pay for every soldier 
 who shall not return, thirty pounds sterling; and for every 
 disabled soldier fifteen pounds sterling ! These mercenary 
 troops, it is said in England, are to " assist iri forcing the 
 rebels to ask mercy." It has been asserted in the House 
 of Lords, that the expense to England for these foreign 
 troops cannot be less than one million five hundred thou- 
 sand pounds for one year! There is now the clearest 
 evidence, that the British ministry are wofully disappointed 
 in their expectations respecting the spirit and temper of _ 
 the American people. They had entertained no idea that ' 
 the colonists would proceed to such daring enormity as to 
 spurn their mighty power and authority. They appear 
 now determined by their augmented forces to crush at a 
 blow all opposition to their mandates, and to coerce the 
 rebels into a sense of duty to their king. It is estimated 
 that a force exceeding forty thousand men is to be em- 
 ployed in America the present year. His majesty has 
 appointed the two brothers, Lord Howe and General 
 Howe, commissioners for restoring peace to the colonies, 
 and for granting pardon to such of his majesty's subjects, 
 now in rebellion, as shall deserve the royal clemency. 
 Besides the two commissioners, they are about to send on 
 the same service a combination of Hessians, Br^nswickers, 
 Waldeckers, English, Scotch, and Irish. The Scots may 
 perhaps come prepared with the following advice : 
 
 "O learn from our example and our fate, 
 Learn wisdom and repentance ere too late." 
 
 The following transaction is now a subject of newspaper 
 
50 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 17T6. 
 
 discussion and of general conversation. Admiral Lord 
 Howe arrived off the city of New York, not long since, 
 to take the command of the British fleet; on his arrival 
 he proclaimed to the public that he and his brother Gen- 
 eral Howe were appointed his majesty's commissioners, 
 with full powers to grant pardons to all or to any town, 
 county, or district, who may have departed from their 
 allegiance and duty to his majesty, &c., and who are willing 
 by a speedy return to reap the benefit of the royal favor. 
 These royal commissioners despatched Colonel Patterson, 
 adjutant-general of the British army, to General Wash- 
 ington, at New York, with letters respecting their mission ; 
 but as the letters were not directed in a manner expressive 
 of his official station, his excellency refused to receive 
 them ; but treated Colonel Patterson with much politeness, 
 and dismissed him. The conduct of General Washington 
 in this interview received the approbation of Congress, 
 and they resolved, "that lie had acted with a dignity be- 
 coming his character." They further resolved, "that no 
 letters or messages be received on any occasion whatever 
 from the enemy, by the commander-in-chief or others, the 
 commanders of the American army, but such as shall be 
 directed to them in the characters they respectively sus- 
 tain." It was not many days after this that Colonel Pat- 
 terson again waited on General Washington, and on this 
 occasion he addressed him by the title of excellency ; and 
 in the name of the commissioners apologized for any de- 
 ficiency in point of respect or punctilio, and assured him 
 that they had the highest personal respect for General 
 Washington, and did not mean to derogate from his rank; 
 that the letter, of which he was now the bearer from the 
 commissioners, was directed to George Washington, Esq., 
 &c. &c. &c., which they hoped would remove all difficulties; 
 as the three et ceteras might be understood to imply every 
 thing that ought to follow. To this the general replied, 
 that though it was true the three et ceteras might mean 
 every thing, it was also true they might mean any thing, 
 and as Congress had approved of his conduct in the first 
 interview, he could not enter into any new treaty without 
 fresh authority, and declined receiving the letter; adding 
 that he should absolutely decline any letter directed to 
 him as a private person, when it related to his public sta- 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 177G. 51 
 
 tion. Colonel Patterson said, Lord and General Howe 
 were invested with exceedingly great powers, and were 
 very desirous of being the medium of an accommodation 
 of difficulties. The general replied, he had read the act 
 of Parliament, and found they were merely empowered 
 to grant pardons. The Americans had committed no 
 wrong, and therefore wanted no pardons; we were only 
 defending what we deemed our indisputable rights. Colo- 
 nel Patterson seemed confused, and replied that this would 
 open a wide field for argument. The adjutant-general 
 conducted with the greatest attention and politeness; and 
 manifested great solicitude that the letter might be re- 
 ceived, and that the interview might be productive of 
 favoralDle results. He expressed strong acknowledgments 
 for the favor done him, in omitting the usual ceremony of 
 blinding his eyes, when passing our works. General 
 Washington invited him to partake of a collation provided 
 for him, and he was introduced to our general officers. 
 After many compliments and polite expressions, he de- 
 parted with saying, "Has your excellency no commands 
 to my Lord or General Howe?" "None, sir," replied the 
 general, "but my particular compliments to both of them." 
 
 This event furnishes an irrefragable testimony of the 
 manly firmness of mind and dignity of conduct of our 
 commander-in-chief; and is calculated to impress the Eng- 
 lish commanders with a just sense of his exalted merit 
 and character. 
 
 August 1st. — The continental army, under the immediate 
 command of General Washington, is stationed at New 
 York; and it is expected that the British army, under 
 command of General Howe, will endeavor to take posses- 
 sion of that city the present season, 
 
 bth. — Colonel Whitcomb's regiment, consisting of five 
 hundred men, has now gone through the small-pox in this 
 town by inoculation, and all, except one negro, have 
 recovered. 
 
 1th. — This regiment, with Colonel Sargeant's, are pre- 
 paring to march to Ticonderoga. A number of teams are 
 procured to transport the baggage and stores, and this 
 morning, at seven o'clock, they marched out of town Avith 
 colors displayed and drums beating. Being myself indis- 
 posed, I am permitted to tarry in town till my health is 
 
52 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1776. 
 
 restored, and in the mean time I am directed to take 
 charge of the sick soldiers that remain here. 
 
 20th. — Having recovered my health, and being prepared 
 to follow our regiment, T am this day to bid adieu to the 
 town of Boston, where I have resided very pleasantly for 
 the last five months. I am destined to a distant part of 
 our country, and know not what suffering and hazards I 
 shall be called to encounter, while in the discharge of my 
 military duty. I shall commence my journey in company 
 with Lieutenant Whiting and fourteen men who were left 
 here as invalids. 
 
 September. — We took our route through Worcester, 
 Springfield, Charlestown, in New Hampshire, and over 
 the Green Mountains to Skeensboro'; which is the place 
 of rendezvous for the continental troops and militia des- 
 tined to Ticonderoga. Here boats are provided at the 
 entrance of Lake Champlain, which are continually passing 
 to and from this place. We embarked on the 6th instant, 
 and with good oarsmen and sails we arrived the same day, 
 and joined our regiment here, a distance of thirty miles. 
 While on our march, we received alarming reports re- 
 specting some military operations between our army, 
 commanded by General Washington, and the British, 
 under command of General Howe, on Long Island, near 
 New York. The report states that our army has suffered 
 a complete defeat with great loss, and that two of our 
 general officers are taken prisoners. The inhabitants 
 through the country are in great alarm; but have not ob- 
 tained the particulars ; as the account at present is vague, 
 and somewhat contradictor}^, we hope and trust that a 
 particular detail will prove the event to be more favorable 
 to our cause. 
 
 Soon after my arrival here, a soldier had the impru- 
 dence to seize a rattlesnake by its tail; the reptile threw 
 its head back and struck its fangs into the man's hand. 
 In a few moments a swelling commenced, attended with 
 severe pain. It was not more than half an hour, when 
 his whole arm to his shoulder was swollen to twice its 
 natural size, and the skin became of a deep orange color. 
 His bod}', on one side, soon became affected in a similar 
 manner, and a nausea at his stomach ensued. The poor 
 man was greatly and justly alarmed; his situation was very 
 
MlLITAPvY JODENAL, 1776. 53 
 
 critical. Two medical men, beside mj'self, were in close 
 attendance for several hours. Having procured a quantity 
 of olive oil, we directed the patient to swallow it in large 
 and repeated doses, till he had taken one quart; and at 
 the same time we rubbed into the affected liml) a very large 
 quantity of mercurial ointment. In about two hours we 
 had the satisfaction to perceive the favorable effects of the 
 remedies. The alarming symptoms abated, the swelling 
 and pain gradually subsided, and in about forty-eight hours 
 he was happily restored to health. 
 
 IQth. — I have omitted to record the following incidents, 
 till I could ascertain the particulars of the reports. 
 
 We learn by accounts from New York that, some time 
 since, a plot of a most atrocious nature was detected in that 
 city. A gang of tories had associated for the purpose of 
 joining the British army; and had concerted a plan, it is 
 said, to assassinate his Excellency General Washington 
 and some other officers ; and while our army were engaged 
 with the enemy, to blow up our magazines, &;c. The 
 mayor of the city, and an armorer who was employed in 
 making rifles for the tories, and several others, were taken 
 into custody, and committed to close prison. The mayor, 
 on examination, confessed that he received money from 
 Governor Tr3^on to pay the armorer for the rifles. Two 
 of his excellency's guards were confederate; and a third, 
 to wliom the secret was confided, honestly disclosed the 
 information. Several of these miscreants were tried and 
 convicted, and two or three were executed. Another vile 
 plot has been discovered in the city of Albany. By the 
 confession of two tories, the plan was to set the city on 
 fire, and to blow up the magazine. Some of the incendia- 
 ries were apprehended, and the meditated plot frustrated. 
 We have now ample evidence, that the tories are the most 
 virulent and implacable of our enemies ; and it is to be 
 considered as a remarkable interposition of Providence, 
 that their vile machinations are so frequently defeated. 
 Internal secret enemies are always more dangerous than 
 avowed foes in the field; and so numerous and active are 
 the tories in the vicinity of our main army, that it has been 
 found necessary to adopt coercive measures, and to compel 
 them to take the oath of allegiance, as prescribed by our 
 Coiigress, or to depart from our territories. 
 
54- MILITAEY JODKNAL, 1776. 
 
 12th. — I must not omit to notice another instance of 
 villany in a German by the name of Ledwitz. By his 
 solicitation he was appointed lieutenant-colonel in our army, 
 and he has been detected in a traitorous correspondence 
 with Governor Tryon of New York. He entrusted his 
 letter to one Steen, an honest German, to be conveyed to 
 New York; but he considered it his duty to expose the 
 perfidy, and delivered it to General Washington. In his 
 letter he first presents his compliments in a formal manner 
 to Lord Howe, and then proceeds to profess a conscious- 
 ness that the world will censure him for his treacherj^, in 
 corresponding with the enemy of those in whose service 
 he is employed, but apologizes b}'' asserting that he had 
 been forced to accept his commission, for fear of ruin to 
 himself and family; and as he had engaged, through com- 
 pulsion, by a rebellious mob, he can be under no obligation 
 to be faithful in their service. Besides this, he adds, he 
 had previously taken Governor Tryon's advice, and had 
 promised to do all he could in his new capacity for his 
 majesty's service. He then asserts that a person who is a 
 friend to the king, though an interested one, had offered 
 to furnish him with weekly returns of the strength and 
 detail of the continental army, for the sum of four thou- 
 sand pounds sterling, to be paid in advance in gold; but 
 that he had agreed with him to render that service for two 
 thousand pounds, which sum, he requested, might be im- 
 mediatel}^ conveyed to him. By this criminal act the per- 
 fidious wretch had forfeited his life, according to the articles 
 of war; but on his trial by a court martial, his life Avas 
 saved by the casting vote of a militia officer, who pretended 
 some scruples of conscience; he was, however, cashiered, 
 and declared incapable of holding any military office in 
 the service of the United States. 
 
 15/A. — I have now ascertained, by accounts published, 
 that the battle on Long Island took place on the 27th of 
 August. The British and Hessian army, supposed to 
 amount to twenty-four thousand, landed on the island 
 under cover of their shipping. The continental army con- 
 sisted of ten thousand five hundred and fourteen effectives 
 only; and these were so situated, that but a small part 
 could be brought into action; the conflict therefore was 
 extremely unequal. In point of numbers, of discipline, 
 
MILITAKY JOUENAL, 1776. 55 
 
 experience in war, and of artillery, the enemy possessed 
 the most decided advantage; besides the important assist- 
 ance afforded by a powerful fleet. The very judicious 
 plan of attack by the British generals was carried into 
 execution with irresistible ardor and impetuosity. The 
 Americans defended themselves with great bravery, till a 
 considerable number of them were completely surrounded 
 and the remainder dispersed. The palm of victory Avas on 
 the side of the enemy; and our loss is very considerable. 
 Major-General Sullivan and Lord Stirling were obliged to 
 surrender as prisoners; and our total loss is supposed to be 
 not less than one thousand or twelve hundred in killed, 
 wounded, and missing. The enemy suffered'very severely. 
 
 After this unfortunate skirmishing, our army retreated 
 within their lines at Brooklyn, and were exposed to the 
 greatest hazard ; our troops, fatigued and discouraged by 
 defeat, a superior enemy in their front, and a powerful 
 fleet about to enter the East River with a view of effectu- 
 ally cutting off their retreat; but an interposition of 
 Providence, and the wisdom and vigilance of the com- 
 mander-in-chief, preserved our army from destruction. 
 Having resolved to withdraw his army from its hazardous 
 position. General Washington crossed over to the island 
 in the night of the 29th of August, and personally con- 
 ducted the retreat in so successful a manner, under the 
 most embarrassing circumstances, that it is considered as 
 a remarkable example of good generalship. A circum- 
 stance which is remarked as manifestly providential, is, 
 that a thick fog enveloped the whole of Long Island in 
 obscurity about two o'clock in the morning, while on the 
 side of the enemy at New York, the atmosphere was per- 
 fectly clear. Thus by a providential interposition of an 
 unusual fog, our army, consisting of nine thousand men, 
 in one night embarked under great disadvantages, and 
 with their baggage, provisions, stores, horses, and the mu- 
 nitions of war, crossed a river, a mile or more wide, and 
 landed at New York undiscovered and without material 
 loss. The enemy were so near, that they were heard at 
 work with their pick-axes, and in about half an hour after, 
 the fog cleared off and the enemy were seen taking pos- 
 session of the American lines. 
 
 20th. — General Washington, finding the city of New 
 
5g MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1776. 
 
 York untenable, lias removed bis wbole army about nine 
 miles up the country; which he effected in safety, though 
 uuder a heavy cannonade from the British shipping. — 
 General Howe with his army took immediate possession 
 of the city. Major-General Sullivan, who was captured 
 on Long Island, has been permitted to return on his parole ; 
 and is charged with a message to Congress from Lord 
 Howe. The purport of tlie message is, that his lordship, 
 as commissioner, could not treat with Congress, as such ; 
 but is desirous of a conference with some of the members, 
 as private gentlemen. Congress could not consider them- 
 selves justified in sending any of their members in their 
 private character; but ever desirous of establishing peace 
 on reasonable terms, offered to send a committee to in- 
 quire whether his lordship had any authority to treat with 
 persons authorized by Congress for this purpose, and what 
 that authority was, and to hear such propositions as he 
 should think proper to make respecting the same. They 
 accordingly made choice of Dr. Benjamin Franklin, John 
 Adams, Esq. and Edward Rutledge, Esq., who had an inter- 
 view with Lord flowe on Staten Island. The first propo- 
 sition from his lordship was, that the colonies should return 
 to their allegiance and obedience to the government of 
 Great Britain. The committee expressed their opinion, 
 that a return to the domination of Great Britian was not 
 to be expected. They mentioned the repeated humble 
 petitions of the colonies to the king and parliament, which 
 had been treated with contempt, and answered with addi- 
 tional injuries; the unexampled patience we had shown un- 
 der their tyrannical government, and that it was not till the 
 last act of Parliament, which denounced war against us, and 
 put us out of the king's protection, that we declared our 
 independence ; and that it is not now in the poiuer of Con- 
 gress to agree that the people should return to their former de- 
 pendent state. The committee reported to Congress that 
 it did not appear that his lordship's commission contained 
 any other authority of importance than what is expressed . 
 in the act of Parliament, namely, that of granting par- 
 dons, with such exceptions as the commissoners shall think 
 proper to make, and of declaring America, or any part of 
 it, to be in the king's peace on submission. The commit- 
 tee conducted the business with great j udgment, and in a 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1770. 57 
 
 manner becoming the dignity of tlieir character. The 
 Congress adopted no other measures on this occasion ; and 
 the British commissioners, finding that the United States 
 Could not relinquish their independency, published their 
 declaration to the people at large, recommending to them 
 "to reflect seriously on their present conduct and expect- 
 ations, and to judge for themselves, whether it is more 
 consistent with their honor and happiness to offer up their 
 lives as a sacrifice to the unjust and precarious cause in 
 which they are engaged, or to return to their allegiance, 
 accept the blessings of peace, and be secured in the free 
 enjoyment of their liberties and property." Had the de- 
 claration of independence been deferred but a few weeks 
 longer, this proceeding of the commissioners might have 
 been productive of consequences exceedingly disastrous 
 to our country. It would probably have increased the 
 number of opposers to the measure, and occasioned the 
 greatest confusion and embarrassment. It was undoubted- 
 ly their object, by a specious prospect of reconciliation, to 
 create a division among the colonies and people, and there- 
 by paralyze their exertions and preparations for war. But 
 at the present time, the declaration of the king's commis- 
 sioners is not calculated to effect the great purpose which 
 they have in view; the people at large have become too 
 wise to be duped and cajoled out of their freedom. They 
 repose unbounded confidence in the wisdom of the Con- 
 gress of their choice ; and have no disposition to counter- 
 act their views or embarrass their counsels. The number 
 of individuals, who have accepted of the proffered condi- 
 tions, is supposed to be very inconsiderable; and by far 
 the largest portion of them are in the city of New York 
 and its immediate vicinity. By a flag from New York 
 we learn that, about five days after the British army took 
 possession of that city, a destructive fire broke out, and 
 raged with such violence, that about one thousand houses, 
 some of the most superb buildings, being about one-quar- 
 ter of the whole city, were consumed. Some suspicions 
 were entertained that this disaster was occasioned by 
 American emissaries, and several persons had been treated 
 with great cruelty, though no proof was produced against 
 them. There is on the contrary much reason to conclude 
 that the conflagration was merely accidental. 
 
58 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1776. 
 
 We have the information that, before our army evacu- 
 ated the city of New York, General Howe's army landed, 
 under cover of five ships of war, the British and Hessians 
 m two separate divisions. So soon as this was announced 
 to our commander-in-chief, by a heavy cannonade from 
 the men of war, he instantly rode toward our lines; but 
 he was astonished and mortified to find that the troops 
 which had been posted there, and also two brigades which 
 had been ordered to support them, were retreating in great 
 confusion and disorder. He made every effort to rally 
 them, but without success; they were so panic-struck that 
 even the shadow of an enemy seemed to increase their 
 precipitate flight. His excellency, distressed and enraged, 
 drew his sword and snap]3ed his pistols, to check them; 
 but they continued their flight without firing a gun ; and 
 the general, regardless of his own safety, was in so much 
 hazard, that one of his attendants seized the reins, and 
 gave his horse a different direction. The following fact 
 is of considerable interest: 
 
 When retreating from New York, Major-General Put- 
 nam, at the head of three thousand five hundred conti- 
 nental troops, was in the rear, and the last that left the city. 
 In order to avoid any of the enemy that might be advan- 
 cing in the direct road to the city, he made choice of a 
 road parallel with and contiguous to the North River, till 
 he could arrive at a certain angle, whence another road 
 would conduct him in such a direction as that he might 
 form a junction with our army. It so happened that a 
 body of about eight thousand British and Hessians were 
 at the same moment advancing on the road, which would 
 have brought them in immediate contact with General 
 Putnam, before he could have reached the turn into the 
 other road. Most fortunately, the British generals, seeing 
 no prospect of engaging our troops, halted their own, and 
 repaired to the house of a Mr. Robert Murray, a Quaker 
 and friend of our caijse; Mrs. Murray treated them with 
 cake and wine, and they were induced to tarry two hours 
 or more, Governor Tryon frequently joking her about her 
 American friends. By this happy'incident General Put- 
 nam, by continuing his march, escaped a rencounter with 
 a greatly superior force, which must have proved fatal to 
 his whole .party. One half-hour, it is said, would have 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 17T6. 59 
 
 been sufficient for the enemy to have secured the road at 
 the turn, and entirely cut off General Putnam's retreat. 
 It has since become almost a common saying among our 
 officers, that Mrs. Murray saved this part of the Ameri- 
 can army. 
 
 I have collected from the preceding pages of my Journal 
 some observations relative to the formation and character 
 of our army. After the battl^^at Lexington, such was the 
 enthusiasm for the cause Oi liberty, and so general and 
 extensive the alarm, that thousands of our citizens, who 
 were engaged in the cultivation of their farms, spontane- 
 ously rushed to the scene of action; and an army was 
 assembled almost without the efforts of public authority. 
 At this most eventful period, it was the fond hope of a 
 large proportion of our patriotic leaders, that the contro- 
 versy with our parent-country would yet be compromised 
 on honorable and equitable terms. Though the haughty 
 Britons had unsheathed the sword, and shed the blood of 
 their brethren, it was impossible to endure the idea that 
 our loyal and humble supplications to the king could any 
 longer be contemptuously rejected; more especially after 
 a complete union of all the colonies in a determined oppo- 
 sition to their tyrannical measures was clearly dernon- 
 strated. Calculating therefore that the services of an army 
 would be required for a short period only, and the troops 
 in the field consisting chiefly of minute-men, volunteers 
 and militia, it was a considerable time before they were 
 regularly organized into regiments and brigades. In many 
 instances the soldiers were indulged the privilege of choos- 
 ing their own officers; the consequence was, as might be 
 expected, that the choice did not fall on the most respect- 
 able and meritorious, but on those who were the most 
 popular among the lower class; and these too frequently 
 proved unqualified to discharge their military duties in a 
 manner creditable to themselves or advantageous to the 
 public service. Nor was it to be expected that this de- 
 scription of people could appreciate the importance of the 
 great desiderata in all armies, discipline and subordination. 
 It has been found, by sad experience, that but little depend- 
 ence can be placed on an army of militia, and those whose 
 term of service is so short that they are almost continually 
 fluctuating from camp to their farms, and in whom the 
 
50 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1776. 
 
 noble spirit of patriotism is in a considerable degree ex- 
 tinguished. There is another evil of a very serious com- 
 plexion which has manifested itself in our camp. Since 
 the troops from the Southern states have been incorporated 
 and associated in military duty with those from New Eng- 
 land, a strong prejudice has assumed its unhappy influence, 
 and drawn a line of distinction between them. Many of 
 the officers from the South are gentlemen of education, 
 and unaccustomed to that equality which prevails in New 
 England; and, however desirable, it could scarcely be 
 expected that people from distant colonies, differing in 
 manners and prejudices, could at once harmonize in friendly 
 intercourse. Hence we too frequently hear the burlesque 
 epithet of Yankee from one party, and that of Buck-skin, 
 by way of retort, from the other. . The troops which com- 
 pose the continental army being enlisted for a few months 
 only, their time of service will soon expire. Congress, 
 being apprised of the absolute necessity of a permanent 
 army, have lately resolved, "to raise a standing army to 
 consist of about seventy-five thousand men, to serve for 
 the term of three years, or during the war." These troops, 
 when raised, are to be systematically arranged on the con- 
 tinental establishment, and according to their apportion- 
 ment, the quota of Massachusetts is fifteen battalions, or 
 about twelve thousand men. To encourage enlistments, 
 each soldier is to receive a bounty of twenty dollars, besides 
 his wages and allowance of rations, and one hundred acres 
 of land, if he serve during the war. The officers are to 
 receive land in proportion to their respective ranks, from 
 two hundred to five hundred acres. Their monthly pay 
 is to be as follows: 
 
 Colonel, a month, $75 00 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel, 60 00 
 
 Mtijor, 50 00 
 
 Chaplain, 33 33 
 
 Surgeon, 33 33 
 
 Surgeon's-Mate, 18 00 
 
 Adjutant, 40 00 
 
 Quaiter-Masler, 27 50 
 
 Regimental Pay-Master, 26 67 
 
 Captain, 40 00 
 
 Lieutenant, 1 $27 00 
 
 Ensign, 20 00 
 
 Sergeant-Major, 9 00 
 
 Quarter-Master Sergeant, 9 00 
 
 Drum-Major, 8 00 
 
 Fife-Major, 8 33 
 
 Seigeant, 8 00 
 
 Corporal, 7 33 
 
 Drummer and Fifer, 7 33 
 
 Privates, 6 07 
 
 Each commissioned officer is allowed the privilege of 
 taking a soldier from the ranks for a waiter, and he is ex- 
 empted from camp and other duty, except in time of action. 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1776. 61 
 
 The officers are also allowed a number of rations in pro- 
 portion to their rank. A surgeon draws three, and a mate 
 two rations. One pound of beef or pork; one pound of 
 bread or flour a day ; a small quantity of vegetables, when 
 to be had; one gill of rum or whiskey a day; a small 
 quantity of vinegar, salt, soap and candles, a week, con- 
 stitute a ration. 
 
 Ticonderoga is situated on an angle of land forming the 
 western shore of Lake Cham plain ; or rather what is called 
 South Bay; being the inlet into the lake. It is about 
 twelve miles south of the old fortress at Crown Point; and 
 about one hundred and ten miles north of Albany. This 
 point of land is surrounded on three sides by water, and 
 on the north-west side it is well defended by the old French 
 lines and several block-houses. The works at this place 
 were originally erected by the French, in 1756, and the 
 post was considered of high importance by both the French 
 and English, as commanding the pass direct from Canada 
 to the provinces of New York and New England. In the 
 war between the English and French, in the year 1759, it 
 was surrendered to General Amherst, which was a prelude 
 to the conquest of Canada by the English and Provincial 
 army. In 1775, after the commencement of hostilities at 
 Lexington, this post was taken from the English, by a 
 small party of militia volunteers under command of Colo- 
 nel Allen and Colonel Arnold, which put the Provincials 
 in possession of a large number of cannon, mortars and 
 other ordnance; a part of which was transported to Cam- 
 bridge during the siege of Boston. On the east side of 
 South Bay, directly opposite to Ticonderoga, is a high 
 circular hill, on the summit of which our army has erected 
 a strong fort, within which is a square of barracks. This 
 is called Mount Independence. A communication is main- 
 tained between the two places by a floating bridge thrown 
 across the lake, which is about four hundred yards wide. 
 The army stationed at this post at present is supposed to 
 consist of about eight or ten thousand men, and Major- 
 General Gates is commander-in-chief We have a naval 
 armament on Lake Champlain, below this garrison, which 
 is commanded by the intrepid General Arnold; General 
 Waterbury is second in command. The British have also 
 a naval armament, of superior force, at the head of which 
 
g2 MTLTTAEY JOUENAL, 1776. 
 
 is the celebrated Sir Guy Carleton. Preparations are 
 making on both sides for a vigorous combat to decide 
 which power shall have dominion on the lake Should 
 Sir Guy Carleton be able to defeat our fleet, it is supposed 
 that he will pursue his victorious career by an attempt to 
 possess himself of this garrison ; and our troops are making 
 the utmost exertion to put our works in the best possible 
 state of defence. Each regiment has its alarm-post assign- 
 ed, and they are ordered to repair to it, and to man the 
 lines at day-light every morning. Among our defensive 
 weapons are poles, about twelve feet long, armed with 
 sharp iron points, which each soldier is to employ against 
 the assailants when mounting the breastworks. We are 
 happy to learn from head-quarters that the two continental 
 generals, taken in the action on Long Island, Lord Stirling 
 and Major-General Sullivan, have returned to our camp; 
 being exchanged for General Prescott, captured in Canada, 
 and Governor Brown, who was brought off from New 
 Providence by one of our armed vessels. 
 
 October. — By some gentlemen from head-quarters, near 
 New York, we are amused with an account of a singular 
 machine, invented by a Mr. D. Bushnell of Connecticut, 
 for the purpose of destroying the British shipping by 
 explosion. This novel machine was so ingeniously con- 
 structed, that, on examination, Major-General Putnam 
 was decidedly of opinion that its operation^ might be 
 attended with the desired success ; accordingly he encour- 
 aged the inventor, and resolved to be himself a spectator 
 of the experiment on the British shipping in New York 
 harbor. Mr. Bushnell gave to his machine the name of 
 American Turtle or Torpedo. It was constructed on the 
 principles of submarine navigation, and on trial it has been 
 ascertained that it might be rowed horizontally, at any 
 given depth under water, and the adventurer, concealed 
 within, might rise or sink, as occasion requires. A mag- 
 azine o'i 'poioder was attached to it in such a manner as to 
 be screwed into the bottom of the ship ; and being now 
 disengaged from the machine, the operator retires in safety, 
 leaving the internal clock-work in motion; and at the 
 distance of half an hour, or an hour, the striking of a gun 
 lock communicates fire to the powder, and the explosion 
 takes place. It was determined to make the experiment 
 
MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1776. 63 
 
 with this machine in tlie night, on the ship Eagle, of sixty- 
 four guns, on board of which admiral Lord Howe com- 
 manded. General Putnam placed himself on the wharf to 
 witness the result. Mr. Bushnell had instructed his brother 
 in the management of the Torpedo with perfect dexterity; 
 but being taken sick, a sergeant of a Connecticut regiment 
 was selected for the business, who, for want of time, could 
 not be properly instructed. He, however, succeeded so 
 far as to arrive in safety with his apparatus under the 
 bottom of the ship, when the screw, designed to perforate 
 the copper sheathing, unfortunately struck against an iron 
 plate, near the rudder, which, with the strong current and 
 want of skill in the operator, frustrated the enter^^rise; 
 and, as day-light had begun to appear, the sergeant aban- 
 doned his magazine, and returned in the Torpedo to the 
 shore. In less than half an hour a terrible explosion from 
 the magazine took place, and threw into the air a prodi- 
 gious column of water, resembling a great water-spout, 
 attended with a report like thunder. General Putnam 
 and others, who waited with great anxiety for the result, 
 were exceedingly amused with the astonishment and 
 alarm which this secret explosion occasioned on board of 
 the ship. This ftiilure, it is confidently asserted, is not to 
 be attributed to any defect in the principles of this won- 
 derful machine; as it is allowed to be admirably calculated 
 to execute destruction among the shipping. 
 
 lO^A. — By intelligence from our fleet, on the lake, we 
 are in daily expectation of a decisive naval action, as the 
 British are known to have a superior force; our officers, 
 here, I understand, are full of anxiety respecting the im- 
 portant event.' Great confidence is reposed in the judg- 
 ment and bravery of General Arnold, whom General Gates 
 has appointed to command our fleet. 
 
 loth. — I have now to record an account of a naval en- 
 gngement between the two fleets on Lake Champlain, 
 The British, under command of Sir Guy Carleton, advanced 
 on the 11th instant, and found our fleet in a line of battle 
 prepared for the attack. A waim action soon ensued, and 
 became extremely close and severe, with round and grape 
 shot, which continued about four hours, Brigadier-Gen- 
 eral Waterbury, in the Washington galley, fought with 
 undaunted bravery, till nearly all his ofiicers were killed 
 
64 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1776, 
 
 and wounded, and liis vessel greatly injured ; when Gen- 
 eral Arnold ordered the remaining shattered vessels to 
 retire up the lake, towards Crown Point, in order to refit. 
 On the 13th, they were overtaken by the enemy, and the 
 action was renewed, in which was displayed the greatest 
 intrepidity on both sides. The Washington galle}^, being 
 crippled in the first action, was soon obliged to strike and 
 surrender. General Arnold conducted during the action 
 with great judgment, firmness and gallantry, obstinately 
 defending himself against a superior force, both in num- 
 bers and weight of metal. At length, however, he was so 
 closely pressed that his situation became desperate, and he 
 run his own vessel, the Congress galley, on shore, which 
 with five gondolas were abandoned and blown up. Out 
 of sixteen of our vessels, eleven were taken or destroyed, 
 five only arrived safe at this place. Two of the enemy's 
 gondolas were sunk by our fleet, and one blown up with 
 sixty men. Their loss in men is supposed to be equal to 
 our own, which is estimated at about one hundred. A 
 large number of troops were on board the British fleet, 
 consisting of regulars, Canadians and savages, which have 
 been landed on each side of the lake, and it is now expected 
 that Sir Guy Carleton, at the head of his army, reported 
 to be about ten thousand strong, will soon invest this post. 
 By order of General Gates, our commander, the greatest 
 exertions are constantly making, by strengthening our 
 works, to enable us to give them a warm reception ; and 
 our soldiery express a strong desire to have an opportunity 
 of displaying their courage and prowess; both officers and 
 men are full of activity and vigilance. 
 
 18th. — It is now ascertained that the British army and 
 fleet have established themselves at Crown Point, and are 
 strengthening the old fortifications at that place. Some 
 of their vessels have approached within a few miles of our 
 garrison, and one boat came within cannon-shot distance 
 of our lower battery, in order to reconnoitre and sound 
 the channel ; but a few sh^f having killed two men, and 
 wounded another, soon obliged her to retire. All our 
 troops are ordered to repair to their alarm posts, and man 
 the lines and works ; every morning, our continental colors 
 are advantageously displayed on the ramparts, and our 
 cannon and spears are in readiness for action. 
 
MILITARY JOUKXAL, 1776. 65 
 
 20lh. — Ever since the defeat of our fleet we have been 
 
 Eroviclentially favored with a strong southerly wind, which 
 as prevented the enemy's advancing to attack our hues, 
 and afforded us time to receive some reinforcements of 
 mihtia, and to prepare for a more vigorous defence. It 
 seems now to be the opinion of many of our most judicious 
 officers, that had Sir Guy Carleton approached with his 
 army, immediately after his victory on the lake, the strug- 
 gle must have been most desperate, and the result precari- 
 ous; but we now. feel more confidence in our strength. 
 
 Several letters, lately received from Canada, acknowl- 
 edge that no man ever manoeuvred with more dexterity, 
 fought with more bravery, or retreated with more firmness, 
 than did General Arnold on the 11th and 12th instant. 
 After making every effort to compensate, by the advantage 
 of situation, for the inferiority of force, and seeing his own 
 vessel, and the rest, torn to pieces by the superior weight 
 of metal, and the execution of the enemy's howitzers, he 
 set fire to his vessel, and would not quit her till she was 
 so completely in flames that it was impossible for the enemy 
 to strike her colors on their arrival, and they were left 
 flying among the flames to the last. This, says one of the 
 letters, was supporting a point of honor in a manner al- 
 most romantic; yet so it was. 
 
 November 1st. — The enemy remain at Crown Point, and 
 evince no disposition to molest our garrison, having prob- 
 ably discovered that our means of defence are too formi- 
 dable for them to encounter. General Gates has now 
 ordered a detachment of troops to march towards Crown 
 Point, to reconnoitre their position, or to attack them. 
 A report was soon returned that the whole fleet and army 
 have abandoned Crown Point, and retired into Canada, 
 where they will probably occupy their winter-quarters in 
 peace, and it is not probable that Sir Guy Carleton intends 
 10 invest our garrison, at this advanced season, unless, 
 however, he should attempt it by marching his army over 
 the ice, when the lake is frozen, which will probably be 
 very practicable. 
 
 16th. — Ticonderoga is situated in about latitude forty- 
 four degrees. I have no means in possession of ascertain- 
 ing the precise degree of cold ; but we all agree that it is 
 colder here than in Massachusetts at the same season. The 
 
(35 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1776, 
 
 earth lins not yet been covered with snow, but the frost is 
 so considerable that the water of the lake is congealed, 
 and the earth is frozen. We are comfortably situated in ' 
 our barracks; our provisions are now good, and having 
 no enemjr near enough to alarm or disturb vis, we have 
 nothing of importance to engage our attention. Our 
 troops are quite healthy, a few cases of rheumatism and 
 pleurisy comprise our sickdist, and it is seldom that any 
 fatal cases occur. 
 
 Decejiiber 10th. — Intelligence has lately arrived at head- 
 quarters here, that a British fleet, and a detachment of 
 five or six thousand of the royal army have taken posses- 
 sion of Newport, in Rhode Island, without any opposition; 
 many of the inhabitants being friendly to the royal "cause, 
 they were received as friends. By letters from officers, 
 and by other information from our main army, we learn 
 with sorrow that our affairs in that quarter are in a most 
 deplorable and almost desperate situation. Since the 
 evacuation of New York, several battles and skirmishes * 
 have taken place between the two armies, with consider- 
 able loss on both sides; but his excellency the commander- 
 in-chief has constantly avoided a general action. Fort 
 Washington and Fort Lee have fallen into the hands of 
 the enemy, with a considerable number of prisoners; and 
 our army being reduced to the lowest ebb, discouraged 
 and dispirited, are retreating through the Jerseys, and the 
 enemy in close pursuit. The continental army has even 
 crossed the Delaware, and left the whole state of Jersey in 
 the possession of the roj^al army. 
 
 20th. — Another disaster of much importance is the cap- 
 ture of Major-General Lee; on the 13th instant, marching 
 at the head of his division to join the main army, he very 
 incautiously took up his lodgings at a house three or four 
 miles from his troops. Information of this was, by some 
 tories, communicated to Colonel Harcourt of the British 
 light-horse, who resolved to attempt his capture. Accord- 
 ingly, with a detachment of dragoons, he speedily sur- 
 rounded the house; made General Lee his prisoner, and 
 not permitting him time to take his cloak and hat, mounted 
 him on a horse, and in triumph conveyed him to New 
 York. The loss of this favorite general officer, it is feared, 
 will be attended with very serious consequences, as respects 
 
MILITAEY JOUKNAL, 1776. 67 
 
 the American cause. He was from his youth an officer in 
 the British service, where he sustained a reputation of the 
 highest grade, as a brave and skilful warrior. Having 
 adopted our country, and become a zealous advocate for 
 its liberties, he had acquired the confidence and highest 
 regard of the public, and was exalted to the rank of second 
 in command in our army. 
 
 Such is now the gloomy aspect of our affairs that the 
 whole country has taken the alarm ; strong apprehensions 
 are entertained that the British will soon have it in their 
 power to vanquish the whole of the remains of the con- 
 tinental army. The term of service of a considerable 
 part of our troops has nearly expired, and new recruits 
 do not arrive in sufficient numbers to supply their places. 
 His Excellency General Washington is continually making 
 every possible effort to produce a change of circumstan- 
 ces more auspicious to our country. The critical and dis- 
 tressing situation in which he is placed is sufficient to 
 overwhelm the powers of any man of less wisdom and 
 magnanimity than our commander-in-chief He has the 
 confidence and the affection of the officers and soldiers of 
 the whole army; and there is not perhaps another man to 
 be found so well calculated to discharge the duties of his 
 important and responsible station. It is generally agreed 
 by our officers that, in his retreat through the Jerseys and 
 over the Delaware, under the most pressing difficulties, he 
 displayed the talents and wisdom characteristic of a great 
 military commander, possessing unfailing resources of 
 miad. While retreating through the Jerseys with an 
 army not exceeding three thousand five hundred men, 
 and deeming our cause as almost desperate, he said to 
 Colonel Reed, passing his hand over his throat, "My neck 
 does not feel as though it was made for a halter: we must 
 retire to Augusta county in Virginia, and if overpowerd 
 we must pass the Alleghany mountains." General Wash- 
 ington at this time was suffering the most agonizing dis- 
 tress for the fate of his army and his country. 
 
 The king's commissioners, flushed with the success of the 
 royal army, have availed themselves of the occasion, and put 
 forth another proclamation, granting pardons to all those 
 who shall within sixty days subscribe a declaration to re- 
 main peaceable, not to take up arms, nor encourage others 
 
58 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1776. 
 
 to act against the king's authority; and at the same time, 
 they charge and command all who are assembled in arms 
 against his ma,jesty to disband, and all under the names 
 of general and Provincial Congress committees, &c. to de- 
 sist from their treasonable practices, and relinquish their 
 usurped power within sixty days from the date of the 
 proclamation. 
 
 This production, couched in the haughty style of royal 
 authority, demands submission of those who have long 
 since been compelled to abjure all allegiance to the British 
 crown. How far the people of this continent may be 
 disposed to retrace their steps, to abandon the government 
 of their choice, relinquish their independence and succumb 
 to arbitrary power, is a point to be decided within sixty 
 days. IHowever apparently forlorn is our situation, we 
 presume to hope that his majesty's commissioners will not 
 realize their sanguine expectations, though British clem- 
 ency on the one hand, and the gallows on the other, may 
 be the alternative. The Congress resolved, on the 12th 
 instant, that it be recommended to all the United States as 
 soon as possible to appoint a day of fasting and humiliation. 
 This is according to the custom of our pious ancestors in 
 times of imminent dangers and difficulties. Considering 
 the rapid movements of the enemy, and knowing it to be 
 their intention to possess themselves of the city of Phila- 
 delphia, the Congress have resolved to retire to Baltimore 
 in Maryland. They have also ordered, that hand-bills be 
 circulated through the states with the view of rousing the 
 whole people to a sense of the impending danger, and^he 
 calamities that will ensue should the enemy succeeded in 
 the attempt to get possession of the capital. 
 
 2Qth. — A singular kind of riot took place in our barracks 
 last evening, attended by some unpleasant consequences. 
 Colonel A. W. of Massachusetts, made choice of his two 
 sons, who were soldiers in his regiment, to discharge the 
 menial duties of waiters, and one of them having been 
 brought up a shoe-maker, the colonel was so inconsiderate 
 as to allow him to work on his bench in the same room with 
 himself. The ridiculous conduct has for some time drawn 
 on the good old man the contemptuous sneers of the 
 gentlemen officers, especially those from Pennsylvania. 
 Lieutenant-Colonel C. of Wayne's regiment, being warmed 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1777. 69 
 
 witli wine, took on himself the task of reprehending the 
 "Yankee" colonel for thus degrading his rank. With this 
 view he rushed into the room in the evening, and soon 
 despatched the shoe-maker's bench ; after which, he made 
 an assault on the colonel's person, and bruised him severely. 
 The noise and confusion soon collected a number of offi- 
 cers and soldiers, and it was a considerable time before 
 the rioters could be quelled. Some of the soldiers of 
 Colonel Wayne's regiment actually took to their arms and 
 dared the Yankees^ and then proceeded to the extremity 
 of firing their guns. About thirty or forty rounds were 
 aimed at the soldiers of our regiment, who were driven 
 from their huts and barracks, and several of them were 
 severely wounded. Colonel C, in making an assault on 
 a superior officer, and encouraging a riot, is guilty of one 
 of the hi2:hest crimes in our articles of war. It was in 
 the power of Colonel W., and in fact it was his duty, to 
 bring the audacious offenders to exemplary punishment; 
 but, as if to complete the disgrace of the transaction. Colo- 
 nel C. sent some soldiers into the woods to shoot a ftit bear, 
 with which he made an entertainment, and invited Colonel 
 W. and his officers to partake of it; this effected a recon- 
 ciliation; and Colonel W. was induced to overlook the 
 high-handed assault on his own person and on the lives 
 of his soldiers. Our colonel is a serious, good man, but 
 is more conversant with the economy of domestic life than 
 the etiquette practised in camp. 
 
 January bth. — At the close of the last year, the situation 
 of our main army was gloomy and discouraging: a large 
 proportion of the troops had retired from service, as their 
 term of enlistment expired, and the small remains of our 
 army was retreating before the enemy, and passed the 
 Delaware for safety. It is now announced in our general 
 orders, to our inexpressible joy and satisfaction, that the 
 scene is in some degree changed, the fortune of war is re- 
 versed, and Providence has been pleased to crown the 
 efforts of our commander-in-chief with a splendid victory. 
 His excellency, having obtained information that the ad- 
 vanced party of the enemy, consisting of about fifteen 
 hundred Hessians and British light-horse, under command 
 of Colonel Rahl, was stationed at the village of Trenton, 
 concerted a plan for taking them by surprise. For this 
 
70 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1777. 
 
 purpose he made choice of Christmas night, under the 
 idea that in consequence of the festivity, they might be 
 less vigilantly guarded. At this time the whole force 
 under his immediate command did not exceed three thou- 
 sand men. At the head of about two thousand four hun- 
 dred men, one division being commanded by General 
 Greene and the other by General Sullivan, he crossed the 
 river Delaware in boats, in the night of the 25th of De- 
 cember, during a severe storm of snow and rain. The 
 passage of the boats was rendered extremely difficult and 
 hazardous by the ice, and part of the troops and cannon 
 actually failed in the attempt. Having landed on the 
 Jersey shore, he had nine miles to march, and he reached 
 the village about seven o'clock in the morning with such 
 promptitude and secrecy, as to attack the enemy almost 
 as soon as his approach was discovered. A smart firing 
 ensued, which continued but a few minutes, when the 
 enemy, finding themselves surrounded, threw down their 
 arms and surrendered a.s prisoners. Colonel Eahl, the 
 commanding ofiicer, was mortally wounded, and seven 
 other officers were wounded and left at Trenton on their 
 parole. About thirty-five soldiers were killed, sixty 
 wounded, and nine hundred and forty-eight, including 
 thirty officers, were taken prisoners, amounting in all to 
 one thousand and forty-eight. Of the Continentals not 
 more than ten, it is supposed, were killed and wounded. 
 General Washington recrossed the Delaware the same day 
 in triumph, bringing off six excellent brass cannon, about 
 one thousand two hundred small arms, and three standards, 
 with a quantity of baggage, &c. This very brilliant 
 achievement is highly honorable to the commander-in- 
 chief, and to all that were engaged in the enterprise. We 
 are sanguine in the hope that this most auspicious event 
 will be productive of the happiest effects, by inspiriting 
 our dejected army, and dispelling that panic of despair 
 into which the people have been plunged. General 
 Washington allowed the Hessian prisoners to retain their 
 baggage, and sent them into the interior of Pennsylvania, 
 ordering that they be treated with favor and humanity. 
 This conduct, so contrary to their expectations, excited 
 their gratitude and veneration for their amiable conqueror, 
 whom they styled, "a very good rebel." 
 
MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1777. 71 
 
 15th. — By some friends from the main army, and from 
 current report, it appears that the British, having overrun 
 the Jerseys, considered the Continental army as on the 
 point of annihilation, and flattered themselves that what 
 they term the rebellion, is effectually crushed. In their 
 march through the Jerseys they have committed such 
 licentious ravages and desolation, as must be deemed dis- 
 graceful by all civilized people ; an indiscriminate robbery 
 and plundering mark every step of their progress; rapine 
 and. murder, without distinction of friend or foe, age or 
 sex, has been juit in practice with an inexorable spirit, 
 and countenanced by officers of rank and distinction. 
 Even those unfortunate inhabitants who have been deluded 
 by their promises, and received printed protections, are 
 equally sufferers l3y these cruel and atrocious wretches. 
 Hundreds of inhabitants, both male and female, have been 
 deprived of their dwellings and sustenance, stripped of 
 their clothing, and exposed to the inclemency of the winter, 
 and to personal insult and abuse of almost every descrip- 
 tion. But their wicked career is about to be checked. 
 Providence will not suffer such enormities to be perpetrated 
 with impunity. Those miserable inhabitants, whose lives 
 have been spared, are driven to desperation, and feel that 
 they have no hope but in the extirpation of their cruel 
 enemies. The people who have been subdued have, with 
 a noble spirit, risen on their conquerors, and are resolved 
 to revenge the injuries which they have suffered. 
 
 We are now informed of another very important advan- 
 tage which General Washington has gained over the royal 
 army by means of a well-concerted stratagem. After his 
 success at Trenton, General Washington received consid- 
 erable reinforcements of troops from Virginia and ]\Iary- 
 land, and some regiments of militia, which enabled him 
 again to cross the Delaware into the Jerseys and face the 
 enemy. While at Trenton, Lord Cornwallis advanced to 
 attack him, and a severe cannonade commenced. In the 
 evening. General Washington ordered a great number 
 of fires to be lighted up, and leaving a sufficient number 
 of men to keep them burning during the night, to deceive 
 the enemy, stole a march with his main army, taking a 
 circuitous route, and, at nine o'clock the next morning, 
 attacked three regiments of the British who were posted 
 
72 MILITARY JOUENAL, 1777. 
 
 at Princeton, routed tliem, and drove them from their re- 
 doubts. By this masterly manoeuvre, the enemy lost about 
 five hundred in killed, wounded and prisoners. The loss 
 on our side is very inconsiderable in point of numbers, 
 but we have to lament the death of Brigadier-General 
 Mercer, a brave officer, who commanded the Virginia mil- 
 itia. The fact is published, that after General Mercer sur- 
 rendered himself, the enemy, deaf to the voice of humanity, 
 stabbed him with their bayonets, and \vith the butt end 
 of a musket battered and disfigured his face in a savage 
 manner. It is to be remarked, that on this memorable 
 occasion Lord Cornwallis was completely out-generaled ; 
 while he was expecting to find the Continental army at 
 their lighted fires at Trenton, he was astonished and con- 
 founded to hear the firing occasioned by this same army, 
 beating up their quarters twelve miles in his rear. His 
 lordship immediately repaired by a forced march to Prince- 
 ton, but arrived too late to retaliate on his vigilant 
 antagonist, who had taken up his route to Morristown. 
 Finding that the Continentals were out of his reach, his 
 lordship proceeded without halting to Brunswick. Strat- 
 agems in war, when wisely concerted, and judiciously ex- 
 ecuted, are considered as characterizing a military genius 
 of superior order, and is a qualit>^ of inestimable value in 
 every commander. It is often exultingl}^ remarked in our 
 camp, that Washington was born for the salvation of his 
 country, and that he is endowed with all the talents and 
 abilities necessary to qualify him for the great imdertaking. 
 The militia of Jersey, immediately on their being liberated 
 from the control of the British, flew to arms, exasperated 
 and stimulated by a recollection of their sufferings, and 
 have become their most bitter and determined enemies ; 
 and are very active and vigilant in harassing them on all 
 occasions, keeping a continual watch, and cutting off'*small 
 parties whenever opportunities offer. It is gratitying to 
 the army that Congress have conferred on their General- 
 issimo more ample powers, and appointed him Dictator for 
 the limited term of six months; to reform and new-model 
 the military arrangements, in such manner as he may 
 judge most advantageous for the public service. Much 
 good is expected to result from this measure. 
 
 ^Oth. — It is with infinite satisfaction we learn that the 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1777. 73 
 
 royal army has been compelled to quit almost every part 
 of the Jerseys, and that our army is pursuing them from 
 post to post, and they find no security but in the vicinity 
 of their ship])ing. 
 
 General Washington has issued a proclamation, com- 
 manding all persons having taken the oath of allegiance 
 to Great Britain, and accepted protections and certificates, 
 to deliver up the same, and take the oath of allegiance to 
 the United States — granting at the same time full liberty 
 to all those who prefer the protection of Great Britain to 
 the freedom and happiness of their country, forthwith to 
 withdraw themselves and families to the enemy's lines. 
 
 The winter hitherto has been mild and temperate ; Lake 
 Champlain is now frozen over, and the ice is about one 
 foot thick; the earth is covered with 'snow, but the storms 
 have not been very violent, and the cold not so intense as 
 might be expected in a northern climate. There have 
 been frequent instances of persons being detected lurking 
 about the country who are employed by the enemy in en- 
 listing soldiers for the tory regiments in New York. In 
 order eftectually to prevent this nefarious conduct, every 
 person of this description who may fall into our hands is 
 to be tried by a court martial, and if found guilty, will be 
 executed as a spy. ' A few days since one Daniel Strong 
 was found lurking about our army at Peekskill, and on 
 examination enlistino- orders were found sewed in his 
 clothes; he was immediately tried as a spy from the ene- 
 my, sentenced to suffer death, and was executed accordingly. 
 
 February. — The present unfortunate situation of General 
 Lee, who is in close confinement in the provost prison, in 
 New York, affords a topic for general conversation both 
 in and out of the army. A correspondence between Gen- 
 eral Washington and General Howe has taken place rela- 
 tive to the subject, from which it appears that General Lee 
 receives the most rigid and ungenerous treatment, under 
 the absurd pretence thrtt he is a deserter from the British 
 service, when it is well known that he resigned his com- 
 mission long before he received an appointment in our 
 army. As we have not in our possession any British 
 officers of equal rank. General Washington has proposed 
 to make an exchange of six Hessian field-officers for Gen- 
 eral Lee, that being considered as the usual proportion for 
 
74 MILITARY JOUENAL, 1777. 
 
 the disparity of rank. This proposal being rejected, his 
 excellency next required of General Howe, that General 
 Lee should receive from his hands treatment suitable to 
 his rank, and such as the custom of all armies has pre- 
 scribed for prisoners of war. If this should be refused, 
 General Howe was assured, that the unpleasant expedient 
 of retaliation should be immediately adopted. This un- 
 happy affair soon arrested the attention of Congress, and 
 they resolved "that General Washington inform General 
 Howe, that should the proffered exchange of General Lee 
 not be accepted, and the ill treatment of -him be continued, 
 the principle of retaliation shall occasion five of the Hes- 
 sian field-officers, together with Lieutenant-Colonel A. 
 Campbell, or any other officers that are or may be in our 
 possession, equivalent in number or quality, to be detained 
 in order that the same treatment which General Lee shall 
 receive may be exactly inflicted on their persons," The 
 result of this unfortunate business is, that the threatened 
 retaliation has been resorted to on our part, and that 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell and five Hessian field-officers 
 are committed to prison, and subjected to the same rigor- 
 ous treatment which it has been ascertained is inflicted 
 on the person of General Lee, Lieutenant-Colonel Camp- 
 bell, being on parole near Boston, is confined in the jail at 
 Concord, In a letter to General Howe, which has been 
 published, after acknowledging the liberal and generous 
 attention which he had previously received, he describes 
 his present condition as being most horrid, and in his view 
 altogether unjustifiable. It remains therefore with General 
 Howe to afford to Colonel Campbell all the relief which 
 he desires, and extend to him all the comforts and privi- 
 leges which his rank demands, by first relaxing his sever- 
 ity, and complying with the rules of war, as respects 
 General Lee; it being the determination of our govern- 
 ment to place the British prisoners in precisely the same 
 circumstances with our prisoners^ in their custody. My 
 leisure hours permit me to advert to another subject which 
 excites the interest and the inexpressible indignation of 
 every American. I allude to the abominable conduct of 
 the British commanders towards our unfortunate officers 
 and soldiers, who, by the fortune of war, have fallen into 
 their hands. In all countries and armies, prisoners of war 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1777. 75 
 
 have a just claim on the duties of humanity; from the 
 moment of their captivity hostilities should cease, the sword 
 should be sheathed; being themselves disarmed, no arm 
 can of right be lifted against them, and while they conduct 
 in a manner becoming their condition, they are entitled to 
 the customary immunities and to be treated with lenity. 
 Among the savage tribes we know their captives are tor- 
 tured by fire, by the seal ping-knife, and the tomahawk, but 
 we are yet, and, for the honor of human nature, hope we 
 ever shall remain, unacquainted with any civilized nation, 
 except the English, who devote their captives to various 
 forms of destruction. It would seem that the application 
 of the term rebel to our prisoners, is sufficient to reconcile 
 the consciences of their victors to inflict on them the most 
 unprecedented cruelties. The following is a brief sum- 
 mary of the systematic method adopted and practised for 
 their destruction, as taken from the New London Gazette, 
 from General Washington's letter of complaint to General 
 Howe, and from the verbal statement of the officers and 
 soldiers who have returned from New York by exchange. 
 They were crowded into the holds of prison-ships, where 
 they were almost suffocated for want of air, and into 
 churches, and open sugar-houses, &c., without covering or 
 a spark of fire. Their allowance of provisions and water 
 for three days, was insufficient for one, and in some instan- 
 ces, they were for four days entirely destitute of food. 
 The pork and bread, for they had no other sustenance, 
 and even the water allowed them, were of the worst pos- 
 sible quality, and totally unfit for human beings. A 
 minute detail of their dreadful sufferings would only serve 
 to harrow up the feelings of surviving friends ; as a gross 
 outrage against the principles of humnnity, suffice it to 
 say, that in consequence of the most barbarous treatment, 
 died within a few weeks, not less than fifteen hundred 
 American soldiers, brave young men, the pride and shield 
 of our country. After death had released the sufferers, 
 their bodies were dragged out of the prisons, and piled up 
 without doors, till enough were collected for a cart-load, 
 when they were carted out and tumbled into a ditch, and 
 slightly covered with earth. Besides the above diabolical 
 treatment, the prisoners were continually insulted and tan- 
 talized by the British officers and malicious tories, cursing 
 
76 MILITARY JOURNAL, 1777. 
 
 an'l swearing at them as rebels, saying, "this is the just 
 punishment of your rebellion; nay, you are treated too 
 well for rebels, you have not received half you deserve, 
 and half you shall receive; but if you will enlist in his 
 majesty's service, you shall have victuals and clothing 
 enough." Thus these callous-hearted Englishmen meanly 
 endeavored to augment the royal army by the enlistment 
 of American prisoners, or to diminish the number of their 
 opposers; but such was the integrity and patriotism of 
 these men, that hundreds submitted to death rather than 
 become rebels to their native country. In one instance, 
 four of our wounded officers, of respectable rank, were 
 put into a common dirt-cart, and conveyed through the 
 streets of New York as objects of derision, reviled as 
 rebels, and treated with the utmost contempt.* But, it 
 may be inquired, if I mean to describe the British com- 
 manders as transformed into demons? 
 
 I only record notorious facts, and it is not my journal, 
 but the faithful and impartial pages of history that will 
 transmit to posterity this stigma on the English character. 
 Gracious Heavens ! are these the peoj^le from whom we de- 
 rive our origin, and Avho are inviting the Americans to a 
 reconciliation? A more dreadful curse can scarcely be de- 
 nounced ! It is worthy of observation, that the British and 
 Hessian prisoners in our hands were treated in a manner 
 directly the reverse of that just described, and they never 
 found cause to complain. It is some satisfaction to find, 
 that since the brilliant success of our army in the Jerseys, 
 and a considerable number of British and Hessians having 
 fallen into our hands, the cruel severities inflicted on our 
 
 * A friend who was unfortunately a prisoner in New York, has 
 recently favored me with the following facts: In 1776, a number of 
 prisoners were made by the British in our retreat from Long Island. 
 Among others, a Lieutenant Dunscomb, of New York. He and his 
 fellow-officers were ordered before the commanding-general, who, in 
 harsh language, reproached them for their crime of rebellion and its 
 necessary consequences. A gentleman present, began to plead their 
 youth as an apology. It won't do, said General Howe, you sh;ill all be 
 hanged! "Hang, and be d — d," said Dunscomb. Tiiey hanged no one 
 that I know of, but they played the fool by going througii the farce of 
 milking them ride with a rope round their necks seated on coffins to 
 the gallows. Otho Williams, subsequently adjutant-general to the 
 southern army, and a most worthy and amiable gentleman, I particu- 
 larly know was treated in this manner. 
 
OEJ^ERAI^ DAVID WOOSTER. P. 78. 
 
OEJ^ERjlL ARTHUR ST. CLAIR. P. 79. 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1777. 77 
 
 prisoners have been in some degree mitigated. To the 
 foregoing unparalleled catalogue of criminal proceedings, 
 I have to add, from another writer, that the enemy wan- 
 tonly destroyed the New York water-works, an elegant 
 public library at Trenton, and the grand orrery made 
 bv the celebrated Kittenhouse, which was placed in the 
 college at Princeton, a piece of mechanism which the most 
 imtutored savage, staying the hand of violence, would 
 have beheld with wonder and delight. Thus are our cruel 
 enemies warring against liberty, virtue and the arts and 
 sciences. To make war against literature and learning is 
 the part of barbarians. I cannot resist the temptation to 
 transcribe a few paragraphs from an elegant speech of 
 Governor Livingston to the general assembly of the state 
 of New Jersey, March the 5th. "They have plundered 
 friends and foes; effects, capable of division, they have 
 divided ; such as were not, they have destroyed : they have 
 warred on clecrepid old age, warred on defenceless youth; 
 they have committed hostilities against the professors of 
 literature and the ministers of religion, against public re- 
 cords and private monuments; books of improvement, and 
 papers of curiosity ; and against the arts and sciences. 
 They have butchered the wounded, asking for quarter; 
 mangled the dead, weltering in their blood; refused to the 
 dead the rites of sepulture; suffered prisoners to perish 
 for want of sustenance; insulted the persons of females; 
 disfigured private dwellings of taste and elegance, and, in 
 the rage of impiety and barbarism, profaned edifices dedi- 
 cated to Almighty God." 
 
 Lake Champlain is now open, and free from ice in its 
 whole extent, and the hostile Indians begin to lurk about 
 our lines, laying wait for their prey. A party of these 
 savages in the British interest, a few days since, discovered 
 about thirty of our unarmed recruits on their way to join 
 their corps at Fort George; they immediately made their 
 attack, killed and tomahawked some, made several pris- 
 oners, and escaped towards Canada; a few of these men 
 fortunately escaped, and several that were wounded were 
 brought into our lines. Colonel Whitcomb with a party 
 of continentals was ordered to pursue the Indians; he over- 
 took part of them, and killed several, but the prisoners 
 were carried off beyond his reach. 
 
78 MILITARY JOURNAL, 1777. 
 
 An enterprise of little importance has lately been put 
 in execution by a detachment of royalists from New York. 
 Their object was to destroy some stores which were de- 
 posited at Peekskill. General JVIcDougal, who had the 
 command of the post, with a small number of men, found 
 it prudent to retire, and the enemy accomplished in part 
 the object of the expedition. Lieutenant-Colonel Willet, 
 however, with only sixty men, came on them by surprise, 
 when a skirmish ensued, which obliged them to retire with 
 great precipitation on board their vessels in the North 
 River, after having suffered a considerable loss. 
 
 April 1st. — The term of service of Colonel Whitcomb's 
 regiment having expired, they have now left the service, 
 and returned to New England. Having received an in- 
 vitation from Dr. Jonathan Potts, the surgeon-general in 
 this department, to accept the office of surgeon's-mate in 
 the general hospital, I have received the said appointment, 
 and commenced my official duties accordingly at this place; 
 Dr. D. Townsend being at the same ti«me apjiointed senior 
 surgeon. We find here about eighty soldiers laboring 
 under various diseases, and eight or ten that have been 
 cruelly wounded by the savages who have been skulking 
 in the woods in the vicinity. In our retired situation here, 
 we are unacquainted with any military transactions in 
 other quarters till they transpire in the public papers. 
 
 May. — It is just announced that the eneni}^ have under- 
 taken an expedition to Danbury, in Connecticut, for the 
 purpose of destroying a magazine of stores at that place. 
 Governor Tryon, a major-general of the Provincial troops 
 in New York, was the commander of the detachment, con- 
 sisting of one thousand eight hundred men, and Brigadier- 
 General Agnew and Sir W. Erskine were commanders 
 under him. When the enemy had landed and commenced 
 their operations in their usual manner, by burning and 
 destroying houses and other buildings, the country was 
 alarmed, the militia collected, and were commanded by 
 Major-General Wooster, Brigadier-Generals Arnold and 
 Silliman. A smart action soon ensued, and continued 
 about one hour, in which our militia and a small number 
 of continentals conducted with distinguished bravery, but 
 being overpowered by a superior force, they were obliged 
 to retreat. The amount of stores destroyed by the enemy 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1777. 79 
 
 was very considerable, but the loss of valuable officers and 
 men is infinitely more important. General Wooster was 
 mortally wounded, and died soon after. Lieutenant-Colo- 
 nel Gould and four or five other officers were killed, and 
 about sixty men were killed and wounded. Among the 
 slain is Dr. Atwater, a respectable character, whose death 
 is greatly lamented. General Arnold had his horse shot 
 under him when within ten yards of the enemy, and a 
 soldier was advancing with fixed bayonet towards him, 
 when, with great presence of mind, he drew his pistol from 
 his holsters, and instantly shot him through the body. On 
 the side of the royalists the loss, as stated by General 
 Howe, is one hundred and seventy-two in killed, wounded 
 and missing, but by other accounts it is much more con- 
 siderable. Among their wounded is Brigadier-General 
 Agnevv and two other field-officers. 
 
 A Captain Roofa and his lieutenant, two noted tories, 
 lately taken in arras as they were marching towards the 
 enemy, were condemned by a court martial, and hanged 
 at Esopus, in the state of New York, as a suitable reward, 
 says a writer in the newspaper, for their treasonable prac- 
 tices, they having induced a number of others to enlist in 
 the service of the enemy. 
 
 June. — Congress have appointed Major-General Schuyler 
 to command in the northern department, including Albany, 
 Ticonderoga, Fort Stanwix and their dependencies, and 
 Major-General St. Clair has the immediate command of 
 the posts of Ticonderoga and Mount Independence. It is 
 also understood that the British government have appoint- 
 ed Lieutenant-General Burgoyne commandqr-in-chief of 
 their army in Canada, consisting, it is said, of eight or ten 
 thousand men. According to authentic reports, the plan 
 of the British government for the present campaign is that 
 General Burgoyne's army shall take possession of Ticon- 
 deroga, and force his way through the country to Albany; 
 to facilitate this event, Colonel St. Leger is to march with 
 a party of British, Gei'mans, Canadians and Indians to the 
 Mohawk river, and make a diversion in that quarter. The 
 royal army at New York, under command of General 
 Howe, is to pass up the Hudson river, and, calculating on 
 success in all quarters, the three armies are to form a junc- 
 tion at Albany. Here, probably, the three commanders 
 
go MILITARY JOUENAL, 1777. 
 
 are to congratulate each other on their mighty achieve- 
 ments, and the flattering prospect of crushing the rebellion. 
 This being accomplished, the communication between the 
 southern and eastern states will be interrupted, and New 
 England, as they suppose, may become an easy prey. 
 Judging from the foregoing detail, a very active campaign 
 is to be expected, and events of the greatest magnitude are 
 undoubtedly to he unfolded. The utmost exertions are 
 now making to strengthen our works at Ticonderoga, and, 
 if possible, to render the post invulnerable. Mount Inde- 
 pendence, directly opposite to Ticonderoga, is strongly 
 fortified and well supplied with artillery. On the summit 
 of the mount, which is table-land, is erected a strong fort, 
 in the centre of which is a convenient square of barracks, 
 a part of which are occupied for our hospital. The com- 
 munication between these two places is maintained by a 
 floating bridge ; it is supported on twenty-two sunken piers 
 of very large timber, the spaces between these are filled 
 with separate floats, each about fifty feet long and twelve 
 wide, strongly fastened together with iron chains and rivets. 
 A boom composed of large pieces of timber, well secured 
 together by riveted bolts, is placed on the north side of 
 the bridge, and by the side of this is placed a double iron 
 chain, the links of which are one and a half inch square. 
 The construction of this bridge, boom and chain, of four 
 hundred yards in length, has proved a most laborious 
 undertaking, and the expense must have been immense. 
 It is, however, supposed to be admirably adapted to the 
 double purpose of a communication, and an impenetrable 
 barrier to any vessels that might attempt to pass our works. 
 By way of amusement I went with three gentlemen of our 
 hospital to endeavor to explore a high mountain in this 
 vicinity. With much difficulty we clambered up and 
 reached the summit. From this commanding eminence 
 we had one of the most singularly romantic views which 
 imagination can paint. Northward we behold Lake 
 Champlain, a prodigious expanse of unruffled water, widen- 
 ing and straitening as the banks and clifts project into its 
 channel. This lake extends about one hundred miles 
 towards Quebec, and is from one to five miles wide. On 
 each side is a thick uninhabited wilderness, variegated by 
 hills and dales; here the majestic oak, chestnut and pine, 
 
MILITARY JOUKNAL, 1777. 31 
 
 rear their lofty heads; there the diminutive shrub forms 
 a thicket for the retreat of wild beasts. Looking south- 
 west from our stand, we have a view of part of Lake 
 George, emptying its waters into Lake Champlain, near 
 Ticonderoga. Turning to the east, the prodigious heights 
 called Green Mountains, ascending almost to the clouds, 
 are 'exhibited to view, with the settlements in that tract ot 
 territory called New Hampshire grant. The ancient for- 
 tress at Crown Point is about twelve miles north of this 
 place; it is by nature a very strong position, but it has 
 been abandoned by both armies. 
 
 July 1st. — We are now assailed by a proclamation of a 
 very extraordinary nature from General Burgoyne, enu- 
 merating a string of titles, which he has doubtless received 
 from his royal master as a reward for his merit. From 
 the pompous manner in which he has arrayed his titles, 
 we are led to suppose that he considers them as more than 
 a match for all the military force which we can bring 
 against him. They stand thus: "'By John Burgoyne^ 
 Esquire, Lieutenant- General of his Majesty'^ s forces in America, 
 Colonel of the Queen^s regiment of Light Dragoons, Governor 
 of Fort William., in North Britain, one of the Commons of 
 Great Britain in Parliament, and commanding an army and 
 fleet employed on an expedition from Canada, &c. t&c." 
 
 This sanguinary proclamation is to be viewed as the 
 forerunner of his formidable army, and all the opposers 
 of his authority are menaced with his avenging power. 
 "I have," says the proclamation, "but to give stretch to 
 the Indian forces under my direction, and they amount to 
 thousands, to overtake the hardened enemies of Great 
 Britain and America. I consider them the same wherever 
 they may lurk." The British ministry, not satisfied with 
 the disgraceful expedient of hiring foreign mercenaries, 
 resort also to the savages of the wilderness for aid in the 
 glorious cause of tyranny and of spreading the horrors of 
 war by fire and sword throughout our country. The mili- 
 tia of New England are daily coming in to increase our 
 strength; the number of our troops, and our ability to de- 
 fend the works against the approaching enemy, are con- 
 siderations which belong to our commanding officers; in 
 their breasts let the important secret remain, and in their 
 superior judgment our confidence must be reposed. One 
 
32 MILITAKY JOUENAL, 1777. 
 
 fact, however, is notorious, that when the troops are directed 
 to man the hnes, there is not a sufficient number to occupy 
 their whole extent. It appears, nevertheless, so far as I 
 can learn, to be the prevalent opinion, that we shall be 
 able to repel the meditated attack, and defeat the views of 
 the royal commander; both officers and men are in high 
 spirits and prepared for the contest. 
 
 July 2d. — The British army is now approaching; some 
 of their savage allies have been seen in the vicinity of our 
 Gilt works, which, with the block-house beyond the old 
 French lines, has this day been abandoned. On the 3d 
 and -ith, the enemy are making their approaches and gain- 
 ing as is supposed some advantages. They have taken 
 possession of Mount Hope, our batteries are now opened, 
 and a cannonading has commenced. General St. Clair 
 endeavors to animate the troops, and Orders every man to 
 repair to the alarm-posts at morning and evening roll-call, 
 and to be particularly alert and vigilant. There seems to 
 be a diversity of opinion whether General Burgoyne in- 
 tends to besiege our garrison, or to attempt to possess 
 himself of it by an assault on our lines. 
 
 5th. — It is with astonishment that we find the enemy 
 have taken possession of an eminence called Sugar-loaf 
 Hill, or Mount Defiance^ which, from its height and prox- 
 imity, completely overlooks and commands all our works 
 at Ticonderoga and Mount Independence. This mount it 
 is said ought long since to have been fortified hy our army, 
 but its extreme difficulty of access, and the want of a suf- 
 ficient number of men, are the reasons assigned for its 
 being neglected. The situation of our garrison is viewed 
 as critical and alarming; a few days, it is expected, will 
 decide our fate. We have reason to apprehend the most 
 fatal ettects from their battery on Sugar-loaf Hill. 
 
 l-kth. — By reason of an extraordinary and unexpected 
 event, the course of my Journal has been interrupted for 
 several days. At about twelve o'clock, in the night of the 
 5th instant, I was urgently called from sleep, and informed 
 that our army was in motion, and was instantly to abandon 
 Ticonderoga and Mount Independence. I could scarcely 
 believe that my informant was in earnest, but the confusion 
 and bustle soon convinced me that it was really true, and 
 that the short time allowed demanded my utmost industry. 
 
if: 
 
MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1777. 83 
 
 It was enjoined on me immediately to collect the sick and 
 wounded, and as much of the hospital stores as possible, 
 and assist in embarking them on board the batteaux and 
 boats at the shore. Having with all possible despatch 
 completed our embarkation, at three o'clock in the morn- 
 ing of the 6th, we commenced our voyage up the South 
 bay to Skeensboro', about thirty miles. Our fleet con- 
 sisted of five armed gallies and two hundred batteaux and 
 boats deeply laden with cannon, tents, provisions, invalids 
 and women. We were accompanied by a guard of six 
 hundred men, commanded by Colonel Long, of New 
 Hampshire. The night was moon-light and pleasant, the 
 sun burst forth in the morning with uncommon lustre, the 
 day was fine, the water's surface serene and unruffled. 
 The shore on each side exhibited a variegated view of 
 huge rocks, caverns and clefts, and the whole was bounded 
 by a thick impenetrable wilderness. My pen would fail 
 in the attempt to describe a scene so enchantingly sublime. 
 The occasion was peculiarly interesting, and we could but 
 look back with regret, and forward with apprehension. 
 We availed ourselves, however, of the means of enlivening 
 our spirits. The drum and fife afforded us a favorite 
 music; among the hospital stores we found many dozen 
 bottles of choice wine, and, breaking off" their necks, we 
 cheered our hearts with the nectareous contents. At three 
 o'clock in the afternoon we reached our destined port at 
 Skeensboro', being the head of navigation for our gal- 
 lies. Here we were unsuspicious of danger; but, behold! 
 Burgoyne himself was at our heels. In less than two 
 hours we were struck with surprise and consternation by 
 a discharge of cannon from the enemy's fleet, on our gal- 
 lies and batteaux lying at the wharf By uncommon 
 efforts and industry they had broken through the bridge, 
 boom and chain, which cost our people such immense labor, 
 and hud almost overtaken us on the lake, and horridly 
 disastrous indeed would have been our fate. It was not 
 long before it was perceived that a number of their troops 
 and savages had landed, and were rapidly advancing 
 towards our little party. The officers of our guard now 
 attempted to rally the men and form them in battle array; 
 but this was found impossible; every effort proved una- 
 vailing, and in the utmost panic they were seen to fly in 
 
34 ■ MILITARY JOURNAL, 1777. 
 
 every direction for personal safety. In this desperate 
 condition, I perceived our officers scampering for their 
 baggage; I ran to the batteau, seized my chest, carried it 
 a short distance, took from it a few articles, and instantly 
 followed in the train of our retreating party. We took 
 the route to Fort Anne, through a narrow defile in the 
 woods, and were so closely pressed by the pursuing enemy, 
 that we frequently heard calls from the rear to "march on, 
 the Indians are at our heels." Having marched all night 
 we reached Fort Anne at five o'clock in the morning, where 
 we found provisions for our refreshment. A small rivulet 
 called Wood Creek is navigable for boats from Skeensboro' 
 to Fort Anne, by which means some of our invalids and 
 baggage made their escape; but all our cannon, provisions, 
 and the bulk of our baggage, with several invalids, fell 
 into the enemy's hands. 
 
 On the 7th instant, we received a small reinforcement 
 from Fort Edward, by order of Major-General Schuyler, 
 and on discovering that a detachment of the enemy under 
 command of Colonel Hill had arrived in our vicinity, a 
 party from our fort was ordered to attack them in their 
 covert in the woods. The two parties were soon engaged 
 in a smart skirmish, which continued for several hours, 
 and resulted greatly to our honor and advantage; the 
 enemy, being almost surrounded, were on the point of 
 surrendering, when our ammunition being expended, and 
 a party of Indians arriving and setting up the war-whoop, 
 this being followed by three cheers from their friends the 
 English, the Americans were induced to give way and 
 retreat. One surgeon with a wounded captain and twelve 
 or fifteen privates, were taken and brought into our fort. 
 The surgeon informed me that he was in possession of 
 books, &c. taken from my chest at Skeensboro', and, sin- 
 gular to relate, some of the British prisoners obtained in 
 the same manner, and had in their pockets, a number, of 
 private letters which I had received from a friend in Mas- 
 sachusetts, and which were now returned to me. Fort 
 Anne being a small picket fort of no importance, orders 
 were given to set it on fire, and on the 8th we departed 
 for Fort Edward situated about thirty miles southward, 
 on the banks of Hudson river. General St. Clair, with 
 his main army from Ticonderoga, took a circuitous route 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1777. • §5 
 
 tlirougli the woods to Hubbardtown and Charlestown, in 
 the New Hampshire grants, and being pursued by a strong 
 detachment from Burgoyne's army, his rear guard, com- 
 manded by Colonel Francis, was overtaken, and on the 
 7th instant, a very close and severe engagement took place, 
 in vvliich bloody conflict, the brave Colonel Francis fell 
 with other valuable officers, while fighting with distin- 
 guished giillantry. The Americans made an honorable 
 defence, and finally a secure retreat. We lost in this action 
 about three hundred, in killed, wounded and prisoners. 
 Tiie enemy, according to estimation, about two hundred. 
 On the 12th, General St. Clair arrived here with the re- 
 mains of his army, greatly distressed and worn down by 
 fatigue. General Schuyler is commander at this post, he 
 has a small army of continentals and militia, and is making 
 every possible exertion, by taking up bridges, throwing 
 obstructions in the roads and passes, by fallen trees, &c. to 
 impede the march of Burgoyne's army towards Albany. 
 
 The abandonment of Ticonderoga and Mount Independ- 
 ence has occasioned the greatest surprise and alarm. No 
 event could be more unexpected nor more severely felt 
 throughout our army and country. This disaster has 
 given to our cause a dark and gloomy aspect, but our 
 affairs are not desperate, and our exertions ought to be in 
 proportion to our misfortunes and our exigencies. The 
 conduct of General St. Clair on this occasion has rendered 
 him very unpopular, and subjected him to general censure 
 and reproach; there are some, indeed, who even accuse 
 him of treachery ; but time and calm investigation must 
 decide whether he can vindicate himself as a judicious and 
 prudent commander. There is much reason to suppose 
 that neither the strength of Burgoyne's army, nor the 
 weakness of our garrison were properly considered or 
 generally understcjod. It must be universally conceded, 
 that when the enemy had effected their great object by 
 hoisting cannon from tree to tree, till they reached the 
 summit of Swjar-loaf Hill, the situation of our garrison 
 had become perilous in the extreme. General Schuyler 
 is not altogether free from public reprehension, alleging 
 that he ought in duty to have been present at Ticonderoga 
 during the critical period. It is predicted by some of our 
 well-intbrmed and respectable characters, that this event, 
 
86 
 
 MILITARY JOUENAL, 1777. 
 
 apparently so calamitous, will ultimately prove advantage- 
 ous, by drawing the British army into the heart of our 
 country, and thereby place them more immediately within 
 our power. 
 
 It may be deemed ludicrous that I should record a 
 rumor so extravagantly ridiculous as the following, but it 
 has received too much credence to be altogether omitted. 
 It has been industriously reported, that Generals Schuyler 
 and St. Clair acted the part of traitors to their country, 
 and that they were paid for their treason by the enemy in 
 silver balls, shot from Burgoyne's guns into our camp, and 
 that they were collected by order of General St. Clair, and 
 divided between him and General Schuyler. 
 
 2oth. — The sick soldiers under my care at this place have 
 been accommodated in barracks and tents. I have now 
 received orders to accompany them to the hospital at Al- 
 bany, about fifty -five miles; boats being provided, we 
 embarked about forty sick and invalids, and proceeded 
 down the North river, and arrived on the third day at the 
 place of our destination. 
 
 August 3d. — The pleasing information is received here 
 that Lieutenant-Colonel Barton, of the Rhode Island mili- 
 tia, planned a bold exploit for the purpose of surprising 
 and taking Major-General Prescott, the commanding ofiicer 
 of the royal army at Newport. Taking with him, in the 
 night, about forty men in two boats with oars mufiled, he 
 had the address to elude the vigilance of the ships of war 
 and guard boats, and having arrived undiscovered at the 
 quarters of General Prescott, they were taken for the sen- 
 tinels, and the general was not alarmed till his captors 
 were at the door of his lodging chamber, which was fast 
 closed. A negro man, named Prince, instantly thrust his 
 beetle head through the pannel-door, and seized his victim 
 while in bed. The general's aid-de-camp leaped from a 
 window undressed, and attempted to escape, but was taken, 
 and with the general brought off in safety. In repassing 
 the water guards. General Prescott said to Colonel IBaitun, 
 "Sir, I did not think it possible you could escape the vigil- 
 ance of the water guards." This is the second time that 
 General Prescott has been a prisoner in our hands within 
 two years. This adventure is extremely honorable to the 
 enterprising spirit of Colonel Barton, and is considered as 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1V77. 
 
 87 
 
 ample retaliation for the capture of General Lee by Colo- 
 nel Harcourt. The event occasions great joy and exulta- 
 tion, as it puts in our possession an officer of equal rank 
 with General Lee, by which means an exchange may be 
 obtained. Congress resolved that an elegant sword should 
 be presented to Colonel Barton for his brave exploit. It 
 has been ascertained that General Howe has relaxed in 
 his rigid treatment of General Lee, and conducted towards 
 him in a manner suitable to his rank. The Hessian officers, 
 on whom retaliation had been inflicted, are also restored 
 to their former condition as prisoners of war. 
 
 It appears by the papers, that Congress resolved, on the 
 14th of June last, that the flag of the thirteen United 
 States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white ; that the 
 union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing 
 a new constellation. 
 
 His Excellency General Washington, at his quarters in 
 the Jerseys, has published a manifesto in answer to General 
 Burgoyne's proclamation, from which I extract a few par- 
 agraphs. He observes, " The associated armies in America 
 act from the noblest motives, and for the purest purposes: 
 their common object is liberty. The same principles act- 
 uated the arms of Eome in the days of her glory, and the 
 same object was the reward of Roman valor. When these 
 sacred ideas are profaned, when the abominable mixture 
 of mercenary, foreign and savage forces dare to mention 
 the love of country^ and the general 'privileges of nianlund^'' 
 referring to Burgoyne's proclamation, "the freemen of 
 America protest against such abuse of language and pros- 
 titution of sentiment," In another paragraph, "We beg 
 leave to observe, if the power of his Britannic Majesty's 
 fleets and armies have been driven from Boston, repulsed 
 from Charleston, cut off at Trenton, expelled the Jerseys, 
 and be now, after almost three campaigns, commencing its 
 operation, that this is a power we do not dread." In the 
 close, "Harassed as we are by unrelenting persecution, 
 obUged by every tie to repel violence by force, urged by 
 self-preservation to exert the strength which Providence 
 has given us to defend our natural rights against the ag- 
 gressor; we appeal to the hearts of all mankind for the 
 justice of our cause; its event we submit to Him who 
 speaks the fate of nations, in humble confidence that as 
 
S3 MILITARY JOURNAL, 1777. 
 
 bis omniscient eye taketli note even of the sparrow that 
 falleth to the ground, so He will not withdraw his counte- 
 nance from a people who humbly array themselves under 
 his banner in defence of the noblest principles with which 
 he hath adorned humanity." It is a matter of pride to 
 our coivntry that our commander-in-chief has exhibited a 
 production so far surpassing in dignity of sentiment and 
 justness of observation the pompous proclamation to which 
 this is a rejoinder. It is no less satisfactory to reflect, that 
 the measure referred to has not been productive of those 
 glorious advantages to the royal cause, or the dire conse- 
 quences as respects our own^ which the sanguine spirit of 
 its author had contemplated. Though he threatened us 
 with all the outrages of war, arrayed in terrific forms, aided 
 by savages eager to be let loose on their prey, yet the 
 proclamation has been viewed rather as a curious model of 
 an ostentatious display of self-importance than a formida- 
 ble weapon calculated to awe a free people into submission. 
 8;!/^. — We have just been apprised, by express from the 
 Mohawk country, that Colonel St. Leger and Sir John 
 Johnson, with a body of Britons, Canadians, tories and 
 Indians, had invested Fort Schuyler, one hundred and ten 
 miles from Albany; that General Herkimer, with about 
 eight hundred militia, was advancing to disperse this 
 motley cc^llection, and to relieve the garrison; but unfor- 
 tunately he fell into an ambuscade and suffered a consid- 
 erable loss. Being himself wounded in both legs, he was 
 seen sitting on a stump, and courageously encouraging his 
 men, by which they maintained their ground and did great 
 execution among the enemy. Several of the Indian chiefs 
 were slain by the first fire, which so disheartened the re- 
 mainder, that they were thrown into the greatest confusion, 
 and turning on the tories and other white people, a warm 
 contention ensued between them, and many of the whites 
 were killed. Colonel Gansevort, the commander of the 
 fort, sent out Lieutenant-Colonel Willet with two hundred 
 and fifty men, who bravely routed the Indians and tories, 
 destroyed their provisions and took their kettles, blankets, 
 muskets, tomahawks, deer-skins, &c. with five colors, and 
 returned to the fort. The brave General Herkimer soon 
 died of his wounds, and one hundred and sixty of his 
 militia-men, having fought like lions, were killed, besides 
 
COLOMEL JOBJV BROOKS. P. 89. 
 
MILITARY JOUENAL, IV 77. 89 
 
 a great number wounded. St. Leger's victory over our 
 militia was purchased at a dear price, more than seventy 
 of his Indians were shiin, and among them a large pro- 
 portion of their most distinguished and fovorite warriors, 
 and the survivors were exceedingly dissatisfied. The 
 object of the expedition was far from being accomplished; 
 the commander did not, however, despair of getting pos- 
 session of the fort; for this purpose he sent in a flag de- 
 manding a surrender. He greatly magnified his own 
 strength, asserted that Burgoyne was at Albany; and 
 threatened that on refusal his Indians would destroy all 
 the inhabitants in the vicinity, and so soon as they could 
 enter the fort every man would be sacrificed. Colonel 
 Gansevort nobly replied in the negative, being determined 
 to defend the fort at every hazard. Aware, however, of 
 his perilous situation, he found means of sending to Gen- 
 eral Schuyler at Stillwater for assistance. General Arnold 
 was now despatched with a brigade of troops to attack the 
 besiegers; but finding their force greatly superior to his 
 own, he sent back for a reinforcement of one thousand 
 light troops. 
 
 An object which cannot be accomplished by force is 
 often obtained by means of stratagem. Lieutenant-Colo- 
 nel John Brooks, an intelligent ofiicer from Massachusetts, 
 being in advance with a small detachment, fortunately 
 found one Major Butler, a noted officer among the Indians, 
 endeavoring to influence the inhabitants in their favor, 
 and he was immediately secured. A man also by the 
 name of Cuyler, who was proprietor of a handsome estate 
 in the vicinity, was taken up as a spy. Colonel Brooks 
 proposed that he should be employed as a deceptive mes- 
 senger to spread the alarm and induce the enemy to retreat. 
 General Arnold soon after arrived, and approved the 
 scheme of Colonel Brooks ; it was accordingly agreed that 
 Cuyler should be liberated and his estate secured to him 
 on the condition that he would return to the enemy and 
 make such exaggerated report of General Arnold's force 
 as to alarm and put them to flight. Several friendly In- 
 dians being present, one of their head men advised that 
 Cuyler's coat should be shot through in two or three places 
 to add credibility to his story. Matters being thus adjusted, 
 the impostor proceeded directly to the Indian camp, where 
 
gy MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1777. 
 
 he was well known, and informed their warriors that 
 Major Butler was taken, and that himself narrowly escaped, 
 several shot having passed through his coat, and that 
 General Arnold with a vast force was advancing rapidly 
 toward them. In aid of the project, a friendly Indian fol- 
 lowed, and arrived about an hour after with a confirmation 
 of Cuyler's report. This stratagem was successful: the 
 Indians instantly determined to quit their ground, and 
 make their escape, nor was it in the power of St. Leger 
 and Sir John, with all their art of persuasion, to prevent 
 it. When St. Leger remonstrated with them, the reply 
 of the chiefs was, "When we marched down, you told us 
 there would be no fighting for us Indians; we might go 
 down and smoke our pipes; but now a number of our 
 warriors have been killed, and you mean to sacrifice us." 
 The consequence was, that St. Leger, finding himself de- 
 serted by his Indians, to the number of seven or eight 
 hundred, deemed his situation so hazardous that he de- 
 camped in the greatest hurry and confusion, leaving his 
 tents with most of his artillery and stores in the tield. 
 General Arnold with his detachment was now at liberty 
 to return to the main army at Stillwater; and thus have 
 we clipped the right wing of General Burgoyne. In the 
 evening, while on their retreat, St. Leger and Sir John 
 got into a warm altercation, criminating each other for 
 the ill success of the expedition. Two sachems, observing 
 this, resolved to have a laugh at their expense. In their 
 front was a bog of clay and mud ; they directed a young 
 warrior to loiter in the rear, and then, of a sudden, run as 
 if alarmed, calling out, They are coming, they are coming ! 
 On hearing this, the two commanders in a fright took to 
 their heels, rushing into the bog, frequently falling and 
 sticking in the mud, and the men threw away their packs 
 and hurried off. This and other jokes were several times 
 repeated during the night for many miles. 
 
 '6()th. — The city of Albany is situated on the west bank 
 of the Hudson, or North river, one hundred and sixty 
 miles north from New York, and the river admits of sloop 
 navigation between these two cities. It consists of about 
 three hundred houses, chiefly in the gothic style, the gable 
 ends to the street. There is an ancient Dutch church of 
 stone, a Congregational church, and a decent edifice called 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1777. 9^ 
 
 City ITall, which accommodates occasionally their general 
 assembly and courts of justice. The hospital was erected 
 daring the last French war; it is situated on an eminence 
 overlooking the city. It is two stories high, having a 
 wing at each end and a piazza in front above and below. 
 It contains forty wards, capable of accommodating five 
 hundred patients, besides the rooms appropriated to the 
 use of surgeons and other officers, stores, &c. 
 
 Our army under General Schuyler have left their unim- 
 portant station at Fort Edward, and having made a stand 
 for a few days at Saratoga, they fell back to Stillwater, 
 twenty-five miles above Albany, where they have taken 
 their station, and are daily receiving reinforcements of 
 militia and some continental troops. On the retreat of 
 our army from Fort Edward, Major Hull commanded the 
 rear guard, and being two miles in the rear, was attacked 
 by a large body of the enemy, and after a severe contest, 
 in which he lost thirty or forty of his men, he was com- 
 pelled to retreat. He received the thanks of General 
 Schuyler for his brave and judicious conduct. General 
 Burgoyne, we learn, is extremely embarrassed, and his 
 march greatly impeded by the obstructions in the roads 
 efi'ected by order of Gen. Schuyler; he has at length, how- 
 ever, surmounted numerous difficulties, and reached the 
 vicinity of Saratoga. Finding himself in want of provi- 
 sions, horses to mount his cavalry, and teams to transport 
 his stores and baggage, he resorted to one of the most chi- 
 merical and romantic projects that could enter the imagi- 
 nation of man. Being informed that a large quantity of 
 stores, corn, cattle, &c,, were deposited at Bennington, in the 
 New Hampshire grants, he planned an expedition for the 
 purpose of possessing himself of this treasure. Presuming, 
 probably, that his late success and his manifesto had pro- 
 duced such wonderful effects, that no more opposition would 
 be made to his progress in the country, he despatched Col, 
 Baum, a German officer, with five hundred Hessians and 
 tories and one hundred Indians, with two field-pieces. 
 The colonel was furnished with the following curious 
 instructions, which fell into the hands of General Stark: . 
 
 " To proceed through the New Hampshire grants, cross the mountains, 
 scour the country, with Peier''s corps (tories) and the Indians, from Rock- 
 ingham to Otter creek, to get horses, carriages, and cattle, and mount 
 
92 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1777. 
 
 Reidesefs regiment of dragoons, to go down Connecficvt river as far as 
 Bratllehorough, and return by the great road to Albany, there to meet Gen- 
 eral Bnrij^oyne, to endeavor to make the country believe it was the advanced 
 bodif of the GeneraTs army who was to cross Connectic^it river and proceed 
 to Boston; and that at Springfield they were to he joined bij the troops from 
 Rhode Island. All officers, civil and military, acting under the Congress, 
 icere to be made prisoners. To tax the towns where they halted, with such 
 articles as they wanted, and take hostages for the performance, <^c. You 
 are to bring all horses Jit to mount the dragoons or to serve as battalion horses 
 for the troops, with as many saddles and bridles as can be found. The 
 number of horses requisite besides those for the dragoons ought to be thirteen 
 hundred, if you can bring more, so much the better. The horses muxt be 
 tied in strings of ten each, in order that one man may lead ten horses.''^ 
 
 This redoubtable commander surely must be one of the 
 happiest men of the age, to imagine that such prodigious 
 achievements were at his command; that such invaluable 
 resources were within his grasp. But, alas! the wisest of 
 men are liable to disappointment in their sanguine calcu- 
 lations, and to have their favorite projects frustrated by 
 the casualties of war. This is remarkably verified in the 
 present instance. Preceded by the manifesto, and having 
 his commission in bis pocket. Colonel Baura marched, on 
 the 14th of August, at the head of his command, to execute 
 the orders of his general; he proceeded about twelve or 
 thirteen miles, where he halted, and secured himself by 
 intrenchments. It was a providental circumstance that 
 General Stark was at or near Bennington, with about eight 
 hundred New England militia, part of whom being from the 
 New Hampshire grants, are called Green Mountain Boys. 
 He advanced towards the enemy to reconnoitre their posi- 
 tion, and some skirmishing ensued, in which thirty of them 
 with two Indian chiefs were killed and wounded, with little 
 loss on our side. Colonel Baum, alarmed at his situation, 
 despatched a messenger to Burgoyne for a reinforcement. 
 The 15th being a very rainy day, there was only some 
 skirmishing in small parties. On the 16th, General Stark, 
 assisted by Colonel Warner, matured his arrangements 
 for battle; he divided his troops into three divisions, and 
 ordered Colonel Nichols, with two hundred and fifty men, 
 to gain the rear of the left wing, of the enemy, and Colo- 
 nel Hendrick the rear of their right wing, with three 
 hundred men, while he attacked their front. The Indians, 
 alarmed, at the appearance of being surrounded, en- 
 deavored to make their escape in a single file between the 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1777. 93 
 
 two parties, with their horrid yells and jingling of cow- 
 bells. The flanking parties approaching each other in their 
 rear, and General Stark making a bold and furious onset 
 in front, a general and close conflict ensued, and continued 
 with more or less severity for about two hours. Though 
 Colonel Baum had nearly twice their numbers, and was 
 defended by breastworks, the force opposed to them proved 
 irresistible, forcing their breastworks at the muzzles of 
 their guns, and obliging them to ground their arms and 
 surrender at discretion, so that the victory on our part 
 was complete. We took two pieces of brass cannon, and 
 a number of prisoners, with baggage, &c. This was hardly 
 accomplished, when Colonel Breyman, with one thousand 
 German troops, arrived with two field-pieces, to reinforce 
 Colonel Baum, who had just been defeated. General 
 Stark's troops were now scattered, some attending the 
 wounded, some guarding the prisoners, and still more in 
 pursuit of plunder; and all exhausted by extreme hunger 
 and fatigue. At this critical moment. Colonel Warner's 
 regiment arrived, and the other troops being rallied, the 
 whole were ordered to advance. A field-piece had been 
 taken from Baum in the forenoon, and Stark ordered it 
 to be drawn to the scene of action, but his men having 
 never seen a cannon, knew not how to load it; the general 
 dismounted, and taught them by loading it himself An 
 action soon commenced, and proved warm and desperate, 
 in which both sides displayed the most daring bravery, 
 till night approached, when the enemy yielded a second 
 time iu one day to their Yankee conquerors. The Ger- 
 man troops being totally routed, availed themselves of the 
 darkness of night to effect their retreat. The whole num- 
 ber of killed, wounded and prisoners, was nine hundred 
 and thirty-four, including one hundred and fifty-seven 
 tories; of this number, six hundred and fifty-four are 
 prisoners. Colonel Baum received a mortal wound, of 
 which he soon after died. Besides the above, one thous- 
 and stand of arras, four brass field-pieces, two hundred 
 and fifty dragoon swords, eight loads of baggage, and 
 twenty horses, fell into our hands. The loss on our side 
 is not more than one hundred in the whole. The officers 
 and men engaged in this splendid enterprise merit all the 
 praise which a grateful country can bestow ; they fought 
 
94 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1777. 
 
 disciplined troops completely accoutred, while tliev wielded 
 their ordinary firelocks with scarce a bayonet, and at first 
 without cannon. The consequences must be most auspi- 
 cious as respects our affairs in the northern department. 
 Burgoyne must feel the clipping of another wing, and it 
 must diminish his confidence in his successful career. The 
 event will also be productive of the happiest effects on the 
 spirits of our militia, by increasing their confidence in their 
 own prowess. The following anecdote deserves to be 
 noticed for the honor of the person who is the subject of 
 it, though his name has not been ascertained. A venerable 
 old man had five sons in the field of battle near Benning- 
 ton, and being told that he had been unfortunate in one 
 of liis sons, replied, "What! has he misbehaved? did he 
 desert his post, or shrink from the charge?" "No, sir," 
 says the informant, "worse than that: he is among the 
 slain; he fell contending mightily in the cause." "Then 
 I am satisfied," replied the good old man; "bring him in, 
 and lay him before me, that I may behold and survey the 
 darling of my soul." On which the corpse was brought 
 in and laid before him. He then called for a bowl of 
 water and a napkin, and with his own hands washed the 
 gore and dirt from his son's corpse, and wiped his gaping 
 wounds, with a complacency, as he himself expressed it, 
 which before he had never felt or experienced. 
 
 M:ijor-General Horatio Gates has superseded General 
 Schuyler as commander-in-chief of the northern depart- 
 ment, and has passed through this city on his way to 
 Stillwater. This appointment will be very satisfactory to 
 our army, as General Gates has the respect and confidence 
 of the New England troops. 
 
 September 2d. — General Gates has issued a proclamation 
 to counteract any influence which Burgoyne's sanguinary 
 manifesto might have produced, interdicting all communi- 
 cation with the royal army, and endeavoring to calm the 
 fears of the inhabitants, by promising them all the pro- 
 tection in his power. Burgoyne's manifesto, however, 
 denouncing fire and sword, instead of alarming into sub- 
 mission, excites universal indignation and contempt; in- 
 stead of conciliating, and increasing the number of his 
 friends, serves only to exasperate and augment our means 
 of resistance and opposition to his views. It was not long 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1777. 95 
 
 indeed before some innocent persons were made victims 
 of savage barbarity, by means of the tomahawk and 
 scalping-knife, in the hands of the barbarians under his 
 command. Among the first of these victims, was Miss 
 Jenny McCrea, who was murdered in a manner extremely 
 shocking to the feelings of humanity. The father of Miss 
 McCrea was friendly towards the royalists, and the young 
 lady was engaged to marry a refugee officer in Burgoyne's 
 army, by the name of Jones, and waited his arrival in 
 order to have the marriage consummated. When our army 
 retreated from Fort Edward, Miss McCrea had the indis- 
 cretion to remain behind, probably with the expectation 
 of meeting her lover. The Indians, however, soon made 
 her their prisoner, and on their return towards Burgoyne's 
 camp, a quarrel arose to decide who should hold possession 
 of the fair prize. During the controversy, one of the 
 monsters struck his tomahawk into her skull, and imme- 
 diately stripped off her scalp. 
 
 General Gates complains to General Burgoyne of this 
 and other outrages in the following words: "A young 
 lady. Miss McCrea, lovely to the sight, of virtuous char- 
 acter and amiable disposition, engaged to be married to 
 an officer in your army, was, with other women and chil- 
 dren, taken out of a house near Fort Edward, carried into 
 the woods, and there scalped and mangled in a most 
 shocking manner. Two parents with their six children, 
 were all treated with the same inhumanity, while quietly 
 residiii2; in their own happy and peaceful dwellings. The 
 miseriible fate of Miss McCrea was peculiarly aggravated 
 by her being dressed to receive her promised husband — 
 but met her murderer, employed by you. Upwards of 
 one hundred men, women and children, have perished by 
 the hands of ruffians, to whom it is asserted you have paid 
 the price of blood." This appears since to be rather an 
 exaggerated charge. In General Burgoyne's reply, he 
 says, "The fact was no premeditated barbarity: on the 
 contrary, two chiefs who had brought Miss McCrea off, 
 for the purpose of security, not of violence to her person, 
 disputed which should be her guard, and in a fit of savage 
 passion, in the one from whose hands she was snatched, 
 the unhappy woman became the victim." He expressed 
 sorrow and regret for the tragic scenes, and further stated 
 
9g MILITARY JOURNAL, 1777. 
 
 that he obliged the Indians to give up the murderer into 
 his hands, and he certainly should have suffered an igno- 
 minious death, had he not been convinced that a pardon 
 on his terms would be more efficacious than an execution, 
 to prevent further mischief That he paid for scalps, he 
 denies; but the Indians were to receive compensation for 
 prisoners. This cruel conduct of the royalists is contem- 
 plated with horror and detestation by all ranks of people, 
 except their friends and adherents. It is impossible not to 
 detest that cause and that army which accepts the aid of sav- 
 age auxiliaries, and encourages them in inhuman slaughter 
 and bloodshed. This measure was certainly countenanced 
 and recommended by his majesty and his ministers, and 
 General Burgoyne acknowledges that he allowed the In- 
 dians to take the scalps of the dead. It must be most 
 painful for the impartial historian to record, and it will 
 require the strongest faith of the reader in future ages to 
 credit, the disgraceful story that Britons, who pride them- 
 selves on their civility and humanity, employed the wild 
 savages of the wilderness in a war against a people united 
 to them by the ties of consanguinity. That age, and the 
 helpless invalid, women, and children at the breast, are all 
 alike subjected to the merciless fury of barbarians. That 
 British generals should be so regardless of the dignity of 
 their station, and the voice of humanity, as to receive from 
 the hands of these ferocious wretches the scalps torn from 
 the skulls of innocent persons! 
 
 ISth. — There is a constant intercourse kept up between 
 this city and our army near Stillwater, by which we are 
 regularly apprised of daily occurrences. It is now ascer- 
 tained that Burgoyne has crossed the Hudson, and en- 
 camped at Saratoga, about thirty-six miles above Albany. 
 
 17th.' — General Gates, reposing full confidence in the 
 courage and strength of his army, seems to have deter- 
 mined to march and confront his formidable enemy, and 
 endeavor to force him and his troops back to Canada, 
 which, in his orders, issued to inspire his troops with ardor, 
 he says, "has been successfully begun by General Stark 
 and Colonel Warner at the eastward; and by General 
 Herkimer and Colonel Gansevort at the westward; and 
 cannot, with the blessing of Heaven, fail to be equally 
 prosperous in the hands of the generals and soldiers ap- 
 
MILITARY JOUENAL, 1777. 97 
 
 pointed to face the enemy's main army at the northward. 
 If the murder of aged parents, with their irmocent chil- 
 dren; if manghng the blooming virgin, and inoffensive 
 youth, are inducements to revenge — if the righteous cause 
 of freedom, and the happiness of posterity, are motives to 
 stimulate to conquer their mercenary and merciless foes, 
 the time is now come, when they are called on by their 
 country, by their general, and by every thing divine and 
 human, to vanquish the foe." 
 
 lS//i and 19th. — Our army is advancing towards the 
 enemy in three columns, under Generals Lincoln and 
 Arnold, General Gates in the centre. A terrible conflict 
 is daily expected ; both parties appear to be determined to 
 commence the work of destruction. 
 
 20th. — By express arrived in this city last night, it is 
 announced that the two armies fought in the field, yester- 
 day, a very sanguinary battle, the particulars of which 
 are not fully understood; but it is reported that from the 
 closeness and obstinacy of the combat, the carnage on both 
 sides was prodigious. It is with inexpressible satisfaction 
 that we learn our troops behaved with that undaunted 
 bravery which has secured to them the victory, and were 
 it not for the darkness of the evening when the battle 
 closed, it would have been more complete. 
 
 21st and 22d. — A considerable number of officers and 
 soldiers who were wounded in the late battle, have been 
 brought here to be accommodated in our hospital, or in 
 private houses in this city. Several of these unfortunate 
 but brave men have received wounds of a very formidable 
 and dangerous nature, and many of them must be sub- 
 jected to. capital operations. 
 
 2'6d. — From the officers who were engaged in the battle, 
 I have obtained the following particulars. Our army, 
 under the command of General Gates, was stationed in 
 the vicinity of Stillwater, when they advanced towards 
 the enemy and offered them battle. Colonel Morgan's 
 regiment of riflemen, and Major Dearborn's light infantry, 
 being in front, received the first fire about noon, on the 
 19th instant. General Burgoyne was at the head of his 
 army, and Generals Phillips, Eeidesel and Frazer, with 
 their respective commands, were actively engaged. At 
 about three o'clock, both armies being formed in a line of 
 
9g MILITARY JODENAL, 1777. 
 
 battle, the action became general, and the combatants on 
 both sides evinced that ardor and gallantry which shows 
 a determination to conquer or die. The firing for about 
 three hours was incessant, with continued tremendous roar 
 and blaze, filling the field with carnage and death. Few 
 battles have been more obstinate and unyielding — at one 
 point the British are overpowered ; but being reinforced, 
 the Americans are baffled; these, being supported and re- 
 newing their efforts, regain their advantages; the same 
 ground is occupied alternately, the dead and wounded of 
 both parties are mingled together. The British resort re- 
 peatedly to their bayonets without effect — the Americans 
 resist and foil their attempts. Captain Jones, of the Brit- 
 ish artillery, had the command of four pieces of cannon, 
 which he conducted with great skill and valor till he fell, 
 and thirty-six out of forty-eight of his artillery men were 
 killed or wounded; his cannon were repeatedly taken and 
 retaken, but finally remained with the enemy for the want 
 of horses to bring them off. During the engagement, a 
 number of our soldiers placed themselves in the boughs 
 of high trees, in the rear and flanks, and took every op- 
 portunity of destroying the British officers by single shot; 
 in one instance, General Burgoyne was the object, but the 
 aid-de-camp of General Phillips received the ball through 
 his arm, while delivering a message to Burgoyne; the 
 mistake, it is said, was occasioned by having his saddle 
 furnished with rich lace, and was supposed by the marks- 
 man to be the British cominamler. In the dusk of even- 
 ing the battle terminated, the British in one quarter silently 
 retreating, the Americans in another give way, and quit 
 the long-contested field. Lieutenant-Colonel Brooks, with 
 the eighth Massachusetts regiment, remained in the field 
 till about eleven o'clock, and was the last who retired. 
 Major IIull commanded a detachment of three hundred 
 men, who fought with such signal ardor, that more than 
 half of them were killed or wounded. The whole number 
 of Americans engaged in this action, was about two thou- 
 sand five hundred; the remainder of the army, from its 
 unfavorable situation, took little or no part in the action. 
 The British have sufl'ered a loss, as is supposed, of more 
 than five hundred in killed, wounded and prisoners. On 
 the side of the Americans, sixty-four were killed, two 
 
MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1777. 99 
 
 hundred and seventeen wounded, and tbirty-eiglit missing. 
 Among the killed, are Colonels Adams and Colburn, two 
 valuable officers, much regretted. 'Jlie victory on this 
 important occasion is claimed by the enemy, but the ad- 
 vantages are most decidedly on the side of the Americans; 
 they were the assailants — they held their ground during 
 the day, and at the close retired to their encampment with- 
 out being pursued. The royal army lay all the ensuing 
 night on their arms at some distance from the field of battle. 
 
 24/A. — General Lincoln having the command of a body 
 of New England militia, detached Colonel Brown with 
 five hundred men to the landing at Lake George, about 
 three miles from Ticonderoga, and more than forty miles 
 in the rear of the British army. Two other detachments 
 were also sent towards Mount Independence, Fort Anne 
 and Fort Edward. These expeditions being faithfully 
 executed, were attended with complete success. Colonel 
 Brown had the address to surprise all the out-posts in the 
 vicinity of Ticonderoga, and took immediate possession 
 of Mount Defiance, Mount Hope, and a block-house, with 
 two hundred batteaux, an armed sloop, and several gun- 
 boats, about three hundred prisoners, with their small 
 arms, and released one hundred American prisoners from 
 their confinement. 
 
 October 1st. — The situation of the royal army vmder 
 Burgoyne, is now considered extremely precarious; his 
 march to Albany is deemed absolutely impracticable, and 
 a retreat to Canada must be attended with insurmountable 
 difficulties and dangers. It is well understood, that he 
 calculates on the cooperation of Sir Henry Clinton, by 
 sending from New York a force up the North river to 
 endeavor to effect a passage to Albany, or at least to oc- 
 casion such alarm, as to draw off a part of General Gates' 
 army from before him. Messengers or persons in the 
 character of spies, are frequently suspected of passing from 
 one British commander to the other. A man, by name 
 Nathan Palmer, was, a few days since, seized in General 
 Putnam's camp, at Peekskill, under suspicious circum- 
 stances, and on trial was found to be a lieutenant in the 
 tory new levies, and he was executed as a spy.* 
 
 '^ For General Putnam's letter to Governor Try on, respecting Palmer, 
 see life of Putnam in the Appendix. 
 
100 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1777. 
 
 ^th. — By intelligence from camp, it appears that Bur- 
 goyne has thrown up a line of intrenchments in front of 
 his camp, and is making every possible eifort to strengthen 
 his position and prepare for another conflict. The Cana- 
 dians and his savage allies being greatly dissatisfied and 
 discouraged, have deserted his standard since the last battle. 
 The advantages obtained over the enemy on this occasion, 
 excites the greatest exultation and rejoicing throughout 
 our army and country. It is indeed a remarkable fact, 
 which must animate the heart of every friend to the cause 
 of America, that our troops, so little accustomed to en- 
 counter the prowess of European veterans, and the pecu- 
 liar warfare of the savages, should face these enemies with 
 such undaunted courage and intrepidity. Sanguine hopes 
 are now entertained that we shall, by the help of Provi- 
 dence, be finally enabled to destroy or capture the whole 
 British army. Our troops are panting for another oppor- 
 tunity of displaying their valor, and another dreadful 
 conflict is daily expected; alternate hopes and fears con- 
 tinually agitate our minds, and create the greatest anxiety 
 and sohcitude. What can excite idea^ more noble and 
 sublime, than impending military events, on which depend 
 the destiny of a nation? 
 
 Qth. — An express passed through this city, on his way 
 to General Gates' head-quarters, with the information that 
 a detachment of troops from New York, supposed to be 
 about four thousand, under command of Sir Henry Clinton 
 and General Vaughan, have undertaken an expedition up 
 the North river. Their object undoubtedly^ is, to possess 
 themselves of Fort Montgomery and Fort Clinton, in the 
 highlands, and to make a diversion in favor of Burgoyne. 
 General Putnam was stationed at Peekskill with a small 
 force, but being totally unable to cope with the enemy, 
 has retired to some distance. Should this expedition be 
 crowned with success, it will be in the power of Sir Henry 
 Clinton to convey his army to this city, and even to our 
 camp at Stillwater, which will place our army between 
 two fires. Should General Gates detach a part of his 
 troops to oppose the march of General Clinton, it will lib- 
 erate Burgoyne, and he would probably force his way to 
 this city. In either event, the consequences must be ex- 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1777. 101 
 
 ceedingly disastrous to our country. We tremble with 
 apprehensions. 
 
 8th. — The anticipated important intelligence has just 
 reached us, that a most severe engagement took place 
 yesterday, between the two armies, at a place between 
 Stillwater and Saratoga, called Bemis' Heights. It is 
 supposed to be the hardest fought battle, and the most 
 honorable to our army, of any since the commencement 
 of hostilities. The enemy was completely repulsed in 
 every quarter, and his defeat was attended with irrepara- 
 ble loss of officers, men, artillery, tents and baggage. Our 
 officers and men acquired the highest honor; they fought 
 like heroes, and their loss is very inconsiderable. General 
 Arnold has received a wound in his leg. I am impatient 
 to receive the particular details of this capital event. 
 
 9lh ayid 10th.- — I am fortunate enough to obtain from our 
 officers, a particular account of the glorious event of the 
 7th instant. The advanced parties of the two armies 
 came into contact, about three o'clock on Tuesday after- 
 noon, and immediately displaj'ed their hostile attitude. 
 The Americans soon approached the royal army, and each 
 party in defiance awaited the deadly blow. The gallant 
 Colonel Morgan, at the head of his famous rifle corps, and 
 Major Dearborn, leading a detachment of infantry, com- 
 menced the action, and rushed courageously on the British 
 grenadiers, commanded by Major Ackland; and the furi- 
 ous attack was most firmly resisted. In all parts of the 
 field, the conflict became extremely arduous and obstinate; 
 an unconquerable spirit on each side disdaining to yield 
 tlie palm of victory. Death appeared to have lost his ter- 
 rors; breaches in the ranks were no sooner made than 
 supplied by fresh combatants awaiting a similar fate. At 
 length the Americans press forward with renewed strength 
 and ardor, and compel the whole British line, commanded 
 by Burgoyne himself, to yield to their deadly fire, and 
 they retreat in disorder. The German troops remain 
 firmly posted at their lines; these were now boldly assault- 
 ed by Brigadier-General Learned and Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Brooks, at the head of their respective commands, with 
 Buch intrepidity, that the works were carried, and their 
 brave commauider, Lieutenant-Colonel Breyman, was slain. 
 The Germans were pursued to their encampment, which, 
 
1Q2 MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1777. 
 
 with all the equipage of the brigade, fell into our hands. 
 Ct)lonel Cilley, of General Poor's brigade, having acquitted 
 himself honorably, was seen astride on a brass field-piece, 
 exulting in the capture. Major Hull, of the Massachusetts 
 line, was among those who so bravely stormed the enemy's 
 intrenchment and acted a conspicuous part. General Ar- 
 nold, in consequence of a serious misunderstanding with 
 General Gates, was not vested with any command, by 
 which he was exceedingly chagrined and irritated. He 
 entered the field, however, and his conduct was marked 
 with intemperate rashness; flourishing his sword and 
 animating the troops, he struck an officer on the head 
 without cause, and gave him a considerable wound. He 
 exposed himself to ever}'- danger, and with a small party 
 of riflemen, rushed into the rear of the enemy, where he 
 received a ball which fractured his leg, and his horse was 
 killed under him. Nighthdl put a stop to our brilliant 
 career, though the victory was most decisive, and it is with 
 pride and exultation that we recount the triumph of 
 American bravery. Besides Lieutenant-Colonel Breyman 
 slain. General Frazer, one of the most valuable officers in 
 the British service, w^s mortally wounded, and survived 
 but a lew hours.* Sir Francis Clark, aid-de-camp to Gen- 
 eral Burgoyne, was brought into our camp with a mortal 
 wound, and Major Ackland, who commanded the British 
 grenadiers, was wounded through both legs, and is our 
 jirisoner. Several other officers and about tvro hundred 
 privates are prisoners in our hands, with nine pieces of 
 cannon and a considerable supply of ammunition, which 
 was much wanted for, our troops. The loss on our side 
 is supposed not to exceed thirty killed and one hundred 
 Avounded, in obtaining this signal victory. 
 
 11^//. — The night after the battle, Burgojme silently 
 
 * The death of General Frazer, from Professor Silliman's Travels. 
 "In the action oi' 7th October, 1777, Frazer was the soul of the British 
 army, and was just ehanging the disposition of a part of the troops to 
 repel a strong impression which the Americans had made, and were still 
 making, on the British right, wlien Morgan called together two or three 
 of his best marksmen, and pointing to Frazer, said, 'Do you see that 
 gallant otHcer? — that is General Frazer — I respect and honor him; but it 
 is necessary he should die.' This was enough. Frazer immediately 
 received his mortal wound, and was carried off the field." See the 
 Appendix. 
 
\ 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1777. 103 
 
 moved from his position, and on the 8th there was con- 
 siderable skirmishing through the day, with some loss on 
 both sides. We have to lament the misfortune of Major- 
 General Lincoln, who, while reconnoitring the enemy, 
 advanced so near, that a whole volley of musketry was 
 discharged at him, and he received a dangerous wound in 
 his leg. It is reported that, the day after the battle, up- 
 wards of one hundred of the enemy's dead were found 
 unburied in the field. General Gates having detached a 
 body of troops to get into the rear of the British army, 
 Burgoyne took the alarm, and resolved to retreat imme- 
 diately to Saratoga; accordingly in the night of the 9th 
 instant, he silently moved off, leaving in our possession 
 his hospital, containing three hundred sick and wounded, 
 with medicinal stores, and two hundred barrels of flour, 
 &c. It is a fact, both unaccountable and disgraceful, that 
 on their retreat they committed the most wanton devasta- 
 tions, burning and destroying almost every house within 
 their reach; the elegant and valuable country seat of 
 General Schuyler, near Saratoga, did not escape their fury. 
 The situation of the royal army is now extremely deplora- 
 ble, and there is scarcely a possibility of their final escape. 
 General Gates has so arranged his forces as to cut off their 
 retreat, and is endeavoring to surround them on every 
 quarter. May the Almighty Ruler grant that our efforts 
 may be crowned with still more glorious success! 
 
 12th. — The wounded officers and soldiers of our army, 
 and those of the enemy who have fallen into our hands, 
 are crowding into our hospital, and require our constant 
 attention. The last night I watched with the celebrated 
 General Arnold, whose leg was badly fractured by a mus- 
 ket-ball while in the engagement with the enemy on the 
 7th instant. He is very peevish, and impatient under his 
 misfortunes, and required all my attention during the 
 night, but I devoted an hour in writing a letter to a friend 
 in Boston, detailing the particulars of the late battle. 
 
 In the severe battle of the 7th, General Burgoyne him- 
 self, it is now ascertained, had a hair breadth escape, hav- 
 ing one bullet pass through his hat and another tore his 
 waistcoat.* 
 
 * The following anecdote shows the imminent danger to which a part 
 General Gates' army was at one time exposed. General Gates had 
 I 
 
IQ^ MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1777. 
 
 "We have the most flattering accounts from camp. Our 
 array is now posted within musket-shot of the enemy at 
 Saratoga, and are forming a circle round them. Some 
 skirmishing takes place every day, in which we have taken 
 one hundred and twenty prisoners, and have received one 
 hundred and sixty deserters. A party of our men have 
 taken fifty batteaux loaded with provisions, stores, and 
 medicines, among which are one thousand barrels of pork 
 and beef. This must be to the enemy an irreparable loss, 
 and a blow which must hasten the destruction or surren- 
 der of their whole army. 
 
 14:th. — We have now a confirmation of the intelligence 
 that Sir Henry Clinton and General Vaughan have pushed 
 up the North river, and made a successful attack on our 
 forts at the highlands. Fort Montgomery and Fort Clin- 
 ton are near to each other, on the western bank of the 
 Hudson. They have been considered of great importance 
 as defensive posts, against the passage of the enemy up 
 the river. In addition to these forts, a strong boom and 
 an iron chain of immense size were stretched across the 
 river, and a frigate and two gallies were stationed above 
 
 received what he supposed to be certain intelligence that the main body 
 of Burgoyne's army had marched otF for Fort Edward, and that a rear 
 guard only was left in the camp, who after a while were to push off as 
 fast as possible, leaving the heavy baggage behind. On this it was 
 concluded to advance and attack the camp in half an hour. General 
 Nixon's being the eldest brigade, crossed the Saratoga Creek first: un- 
 known to the Americans, Burgoyne had a line formed behind a parcel 
 of brushwood to support the post of artillery where the attai-k was to 
 be made. General Glover with his brigade was on the point of following 
 Nixon. .Tust as he entered the water, he saw a British soldier crossing, 
 whom he called and examined. This soldier was a deserter, and com- 
 municated the very important fiict, that the whole British army were in 
 their encampment. Nixon was imraediitely stopped, and the intelligence 
 conveyed to Gates, who countermanded his orders for the assault, and 
 called back his troops, not without sustaining some loss from the British 
 artillery. — Gordon and Marshal. 
 
 N. B. General Wilkinson, who acted as General Gates' adjutant-gen- 
 eral, asserts in his memoirs, that he first discovered the British at their 
 post, through a thick fog while his horse halted to drink in fording the 
 creek, and that he instantly arrested the march of our troops, and thereby 
 saved them from destruction. He makes no mention of the deserter. 
 It is known that Burgoyne has frequently expressed his extreme disap- 
 pointment that he was baffled in this stratagem; and Americans ought 
 never to forget the remarkable Providential escape. 
 
MILITAKY JOUENAL, ]777. 105 
 
 them. By these means it was always supposed that the 
 position was invulnerable, provided a proper number of 
 troops were posted in the forts ; but it unfortunately hap- 
 pened that most of the continenial troops were necessarily 
 called off to join General Gates' army. The forts were 
 defended by Governor George Clinton and his brother, 
 General James Clinton, of New York, having about six 
 hundred militia-men — a force greatly inadequate to the 
 defence of the works. The enemy came up the river, 
 landed, and appeared unexpectedly, and demanded a sur- 
 render of the forts, which being resolutely refused, were 
 taken by assault, though not without a firm and brave re- 
 sistance. General James Clinton received a baj'^onet wound 
 in his thigh, but he and the governor with a part of the 
 garrison made their escape, leaving about two hundred 
 and fifty men killed, wounded and prisoners. The enemy 
 suffered a severe loss of three field-officers killed, and their 
 dead and wounded is estimated at about three hundred. 
 General Putnam, who commanded at Peekskill in the 
 vicinity, having a small force only to guard the deposit 
 of stores, was obliged to retire, and the barracks, stores 
 and provisions, to a very considerable amount, fell into 
 the hands of the enemy and were destroyed. With wan- 
 ton cruelty they set fire to the houses and buildings of 
 every description, and spread ruin and devastation to the 
 extent of their power. To consummate their destructive 
 scheme. General Vaughan destroyed by conflagration the 
 beautiful town of Esopus, with the church, and every 
 other building it contained. Thus we experience the hor- 
 rid effects of malice and revenge ; where they cannot con- 
 quer, they wantonly exterminate and destroy. They are 
 well apprised of the disastrous and desperate situation of 
 their boastful General Burgoyne, and if they dare not 
 march to his relief, they can cowardly retaliate by confla- 
 gration with impunity. It is the prevalent opinion here, 
 that by taking advantage of wind and tide, it is in the 
 power of Sir Henry Clinton to convey his forces to this 
 city within the space of five or six hours, and having 
 arrived here, a march of about twenty miles will carry 
 him without opposition to Stillwater, which must involve 
 General Gates in inexpressible embarrassment and diffi- 
 culty, by placing him between two armies, and thereby 
 
206 MILITAEY JOUKNAL, 1777. 
 
 extricating Burgoyne from his perilous situation. "We 
 have been trembhngly alive to this menacing prospect, 
 but our fears are in a measure allayed by the following 
 singular incident. After the capture of Fort Montgomery, 
 Sir Henry Clinton despatched a messenger, by the name 
 of Daniel Taylor, to Burgoyne with the intelligence; for- 
 tunately he was taken on his way as a spy, and finding 
 himself in danger, he was seen to turn aside and take 
 something from his pocket and swallow it. General 
 George Clinton, into whose hands he had fallen, ordered 
 a severe dose of emetic tartar to be administered; this 
 produced the happiest efiect as respects the prescriber; 
 but it proved fatal to the patient. He discharged a small 
 silver bullet, which, being unscrewed, was found to inclose 
 a letter from Sir Henry Clinton to Burgojme. " Out of 
 thine own mouth thou shalt be condemned." The spy 
 was tried, convicted and executed. The following is an 
 exact copy of the letter inclosed : 
 
 Fort Montgomery, October 8th, 1777. 
 
 Nous void — and nothing between us but Gates. I sincerely hope 
 this little success of ours may facilitate your operations. In answer to 
 your letter of the 28th of September by C. C. I shall only say, I cannot 
 presume to order, or even advise, for reasons obvious. I heartily wish 
 you success. Faithfully yours, H. CLINTON. 
 
 To General Burgoyne. 
 
 lith. — An express from camp. Burgoyne has this day 
 made proposals to General Gates to enter into a treaty for 
 the surrrender of his army. He desires a cessation of 
 arms till the preliminary terms can be settled, to which 
 General Gates has assented. The glorious event is about 
 to be consummated. 
 
 loth cmd IQth. — Burgoyne's message to General Gates 
 by the hands of Major Kingston is as follows: 
 
 "October Uth, 1777. 
 
 "After having fought you twice, Lieutenant-General Burgoyne has 
 waited some days, in his present position, determined to try a third con- 
 flict against any force you could bring to attack him. 
 
 "He is apprised of the superiority of your numbers, and the disposi- 
 tion of your troops to impede his supplies and render his retreat a scene 
 of carnage on both sides. In this situation he is impelled by humanity, 
 and thinks himself justified by established principles and precedents of 
 state and of war, to spare the lives of brave men on honorable terms: 
 should Major-General Gates be inclined to treat on this idea, General 
 
MILITARY JOUENAL, 1777. 107 
 
 Burgoyne would propose a cessation of arms during the time necessary 
 to communicate the preliminary terms, by which, in any extremity, he 
 and his army mean to abide." 
 
 A convention was in consequence opened, and two days 
 were spent in a discussion and interchange of articles 
 between the two commanders. It was agreed that the 
 articles should be mutually signed and exchanged to-mor- 
 row morning the 17th instant, at nine o'clock; and the 
 troops under Lieutenant-General Burgoyne are to march 
 out of their intrenchments at three o'clock in the afternoon. 
 
 The substance of the treaty is, that the troops under the 
 command of General Burgoyne shall march out of their 
 camp with the honors of war and their field-artillery, to 
 the place assigned, where their arms and artillery shall be 
 piled at the command of their own officers. 
 
 That the troops be allowed to return to England, on 
 condition that they shall not serve again in America during 
 the present war. That the ofiicers be allowed to wear 
 their side-arms, and be treated according to their rank. 
 That the European troops march immediately for Boston, 
 %o be in readiness to embark when transports shall be sent 
 for them, and that the Canadians be permitted to return 
 home immediately, on the sole condition of their not arm- 
 ing again against the United States, 
 
 18th. — At the appointed hour yesterday morning the 
 Americans marched into the lines of the British to the 
 tune of Yankee Doodle, where they continued till the 
 royal army had marched to the place appointed and de- 
 posited their arms according to the treaty. 
 
 It is a circumstance characteristic of the amiable and 
 benevolent disposition of General Gates, that, unwilling 
 to aggravate the painful feelings of the royal troops, he 
 would not permit the American soldiery to witness the 
 degrading act of piling their arms. This instance of del- 
 icacy and politeness, at the moment of triumph, towards 
 an enemy who had committed the most unprecedented 
 outrages, is a mark of true magnanimity, and deserves the 
 highest praise, though it deprives our army of ^he satis- 
 faction to vyhich they are justly entitled.* 
 
 The preliminaries having been acceded to by the two 
 
 * For the first interview between the royal general officers and their 
 conqueror, see Lite of General Gates, in the Appendix. 
 
IQQ MILITARY JOUENAL, 1777. 
 
 coram ariders, Lieutenant-Colonel Wilkinson, deputy ad- 
 jutant-general, and Brigadier-General Whipple, of the 
 militia, on our part, and Lieutenant-Colonel Sutherland, 
 Major Kingston, and Captain Craig, on the part of the 
 British, were appointed to stipulate and arrange the par- 
 ticular articles of capitulation. So very tenacious were the 
 British of the trivial points of military honor, that, after 
 they had signed the "treaty of capitulation,''^ as it was 
 termed, they required that the term should be altered to 
 "treaty of convention,'''' in which they were indulged by 
 Greneral Gates, as being of little consequence on our part. 
 During the pending negotiatioh, several hundred of the 
 New York militia, whose term of service had expired, 
 marched off the ground without permission from General 
 Gates; and the same night Burgoyne received intelligence 
 by a spy that Sir H. Clinton, having taken Fort Montgom- 
 ery, would attempt to force his way to Albany. Though 
 the articles of convention were fully adjusted, signed and 
 exchanged, by those appointed for the purpose, and the 
 hour stipulated by the parties for Burgoyne to affix his 
 signature, he addressed a note to General Gates, purporting 
 that he should recede from the treaty, on the ground that 
 a part of the American force had been detached from the 
 army during the negotiation; and with a bold effrontery, 
 required that he might be permitted to send two ojjicers to 
 oicr cam-p to ascertain the fact. This dishonorable conduct, 
 as may be supposed, raised the ire of our spirited com- 
 mander, who sent Lieutenant-Colonel Wilkinson to have 
 a personal interview with Burgoyne, and to insist that 
 hostilities should recommence, if the treaty was not imme- 
 diately ratified. This, after much hesitation on the part 
 of Burgoyne and his officers, produced the desired effect. 
 His contemplated alternative was, to abandon his camp, 
 artillery, heavy baggage and sick, and, by a desperate 
 effort in the night, to force his way through our army, and 
 make a rapid march to Albany with the hope of meeting 
 General Sir H. Clinton. It is considered singular that it 
 was not (demanded of the captured general to deliver up 
 his military chest, colors, and soldiers' accoutrements; but 
 the success of General Clinton in reducing Fort Montgom- 
 ery, and the serious apprehensions of General Gates that 
 he would force his way to Albany, and the desire of the 
 
MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1777. 109 
 
 latter to spare the effusion of blood, are the substantial 
 causes which procured for Burgoyne the favorable terms 
 which he enjoys. It is satisfactory to learn that the British 
 officers, in general, candidly acknowledged that the Amer- 
 ican troops conducted on all occasions with the greatest 
 bravery, and when, after their surrender, they visited and 
 took a view of our camp, expressed much surprise at the 
 military order and economy which were conspicuous in 
 every part, and said that they never had seen, even in 
 Germany, an encampment more systematically and prop- 
 erly disposed. The trophies which we have achieved by 
 this great event, are, officers and soldiers, five thousand 
 seven hundred and ninety-one. It has been estimated 
 that Burgoyne's army, at the commencement of the cam- 
 paign, was full ten thousand strong; the deficiency now, 
 must be accounted for by the killed, loss by sickness, pris- 
 oners and deserters. Among the officers taken, are six 
 members of the British Parliament. The train of brass 
 artillery and other ordnance are immensely valuable, con- 
 sisting of forty-two pieces of brass ordnance, besides seven 
 thousand muskets, with six thousand dozen cartridges and 
 an ample supply of shot, shells, &c. To these are added, 
 clothing for seven thousand men, a large number of tents 
 and other military stores. Thus we witness the incalcu- 
 lable reverse of fortune, and the extraordinary vicissitudes 
 of military events, as ordained by Divine Providence. The 
 same haughty commander, who but a few weeks since, 
 flushed with victory, was harassing our retreating army 
 in every direction ; that proud, assuming foe, who so often 
 threatened to lay waste our cities and country, and who said 
 in his orders, early in the campaign, "this army must not 
 retreat," is now reduced to the mortifying alternative of 
 suing for terms of surrender, to those powers whom he 
 affected to treat with sovereign contempt. It must be 
 doubly mortifying to contrast his present humble condition 
 with that when he published his pompous and bombastic 
 proclamation, calling on towns and people to send dele- 
 gates to supplicate his favor and clemency, and threatening 
 vengeance against all those who should dare to disobey 
 his commands, or oppose his authority. There are per- 
 haps few examples in the annals of warfare, of a whole 
 army under a celebrated general, and officers of the first 
 
IIQ MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1777. 
 
 character; gentlemen of noble families, and military merit, 
 being reduced to the mortifying condition of captives, led 
 through a country which it was designed should have been 
 devoted to their all-conquering power. The intelligence 
 of these events to the British government, must affect 
 them like the shock of a thunderbolt, and demonstrate to 
 them the invincibility of a people united in the noble 
 cause of liberty and the rights of man. This event will 
 make one of the most brilliant pages of American history. 
 General Gates has crowned himself with unfading laurels 
 and immortal honor; he has vanquished a commander 
 of established military fame, at the head of a veteran army. 
 lie has displayed the qualities of a general, the magna- 
 nimity of a philanthropist, and the amiable and polite 
 civilities of a gentleman. No less dignified and brave 
 as a commander, than beneficent and generous as a con- 
 queror, he is remarkable for his humanity to prisoners, 
 and a desire to mitigate the sufferings of the unfortunate. 
 Among the objects in distress, which claimed his attention, 
 was the lady of Major Ackland, commander of the British 
 grenadiers, who was dangerously wounded and captured 
 during the battle of the 7th of October. This heroic lady, 
 from conjugal affection, was induced to follow the fortune 
 of her husband during the whole campaign through the 
 wilderness. Having been habituated to a mode of life 
 with which those of rank and fortune are peculiarly 
 favored, her delicate frame is ill-calculated to sustain the 
 indescribable privations and hardships to which she was 
 unavoidably exposed during an active campaign. Pier 
 vehicle of conveyance was, part of the time, a small two- 
 wheeled tumbril, drawn by a single horse, over roads 
 almost impassable. Soon after she received the affecting 
 intelligence that her husband had received a wound, and 
 was a prisoner, she manifested the greatest tenderness and 
 affection, and resolved to visit him in our camp to console 
 and alleviate his sufferings. With this view she obtained 
 a letter from Burgoyne to General Gates, and not permit- 
 ting the prospect of being out in the night, and drenched 
 in rain, to repress her zeal, she proceeded in an open boat, 
 with a few attendants, and arrived at our out-post in the 
 night, in a suffering condition, from extreme wet and cold. 
 The sentinel, faithful to his duty, detained them in the 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1777. HI 
 
 boat till Major Dearborn, the officer of the guard, could 
 arrive. He permitted them to land, and afforded Lady Ack- 
 land the best accommodations in his power, and treated 
 her with a cup of tea in his guard-house. AYhen General 
 Gates, in the morning, was informed of the unhapp}'' 
 situation of Lady Ackland, he immediately ordered her 
 a safe escort, and treated her himself with the tenderness 
 of a parent, directing that every attention should be be- 
 stowed which her rank, or sex, character and circumstances 
 required. She was soon conveyed to Albany, where she 
 found her wounded husband. For further particulars 
 respecting this highly respectable and interesting lady, the 
 reader is referred to the Appendix. 
 
 In the military transactions in the northern department, 
 the labors and efforts of Ma,jor-General Schuyler are ac- 
 knowledged to be eminently important and useful. He 
 is undoubtedly entitled to the character of an intelligent 
 and meritorious officer. As a private gentleman he is 
 dignified, but courteous, his manners are urbane, and his 
 hospitality is unbounded. He is justly considered as one 
 of our most distinguished champions of liberty, and his 
 noble mind has soared above despair, even at a period 
 when he experienced injustice from the public, and when 
 darkness and gloom overspread our land. Though he 
 was not invested with any active command, he was present 
 at the surrender of the British army, which was near the 
 spot where his elegant country-seat had been demolished. 
 Here he sought an interview with the Baroness Keidesel, 
 who with her three children, for she was entrusted with 
 this charge during the campaign, he politely accommodated 
 in his own tent, and invited her to become his guest at 
 his residence at Albany, On the day of the surrender, 
 all the captive generals dined with General Gates, and 
 received from him the kindest civilities and attention. 
 
 We have now brought to a glorious termination a mili- 
 tary campaign, pregnant with remarkable vicissitudes and 
 momentous events; the result of which, seemed for a time 
 to poise on a pinnacle of sanguine hopes and expectations 
 on the one side, and the most appalling apprehensions on 
 the other. All gratitude and praise be ascribed to Him 
 who alone limits the extent of human power, and decrees 
 the destiny of nations ! 
 
/ 
 
 112 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1777. 
 
 21sf. — The captive Generals Burgoyne, Phillips, Reide- 
 sel, &c. with a number of ladies of high rank, arrived last 
 evening at the hospitable mansion of General Schuyler in 
 this city. His seat is about one mile out of town, and I 
 have frequently made it a walk for amusement. It is a 
 house of two stories, in elegant ancient style, and fancifully 
 ornamented. I am informed that it has for several gen- 
 erations been celebrated for the great respectability and 
 generous hospitality of its inhabitants. During the last 
 French war, it was almost a general resort for British of- 
 ficers, as well as strangers and travellers of note. 
 
 22d. — The magnanimous General Schuyler, with his 
 lady and daughters, have given their unfortunate guests 
 a friendly and polite reception, characteristic of this noble 
 spirited family. Notwithstanding General Burgoyne 
 destroyed their beautiful villa at Saratoga, they appear 
 disposed to console them in their misfortune by all the 
 civilities and attention in their power. 
 
 23f/. — General Burgoyne gratefully acknowledged the 
 generous treatment received from General Schuyler, and 
 observed to him, " You show me great kindness, sir, though 
 I have done you much injury." To which he magnani- 
 mously replied, '■'■ That toas the fate of war ! let us say no 
 more about it." 
 
 24</i. — This hospital is now crowded with officers and 
 soldiers from the field of battle; those belonging to the 
 British and Hessian troops, are accommodated in the same 
 hospital with our own men, and receive equal care and 
 attention. The foreigners are under the care and man- 
 agement of their own surgeons. I have been present at 
 some of their capital operations, and remarked that the 
 English surgeons perform with skill and dexterity, but 
 the Germans, with a few exceptions, do no credit to their 
 profession; some of them are the most uncouth and clumsy 
 operators I ever witnessed, and appear to be destitute of 
 all sympathy and tenderness towards the suffering patient. 
 Not less than one thousand wounded and sick are now in 
 this city; the Dutch church, and several private houses 
 are occupied as hospitals. We have about thirt}^ surgeons, 
 and mates; and all are constantly employed. I am obliged 
 to devote the whole of my time, from eight o'clock in the 
 morning to a late hour in the evening, to the care of our 
 
MILITAKY JOUENAL, 1777. 113 
 
 patients. Here is a fine field for professional improvement. 
 Amputating limbs, trepanning fractured skulls, and dress- 
 ing the most formidable wounds, have familiarized my 
 mind to scenes of woe. A military hospital is peculiarly 
 calculated to afford examples for profitable contemplation, 
 and to interest our sympathy and commiseration. If I 
 turn from beholding mutilated bodies, mangled limbs and 
 bleeding, incurable wounds, a spectacle no less revolting 
 is presented, of miserable objects, languishing under af- 
 flicting diseases of every description — here, are those in a 
 mournful state of despair, exhibiting the awful harbingers 
 of approaching dissolution — there, are those with emaciated 
 bodies and ghastly visage, who begin to triumph over 
 grim disease and just lift their feeble heads from the pillow 
 of sorrow. No parent, wife or sister, to wipe the tear of 
 anguish from their eyes, or to soothe the pillow of death, 
 they look up to the physician as their only earthly friend 
 and comforter, and trust the hands of a stranger to perform 
 the last mournful duties. Frequently have I remarked 
 their confidence in my friendship, as though I was endeared 
 to them by brotherly ties. Viewing these unfortunate men 
 as the faithful defenders of the liberties of our country, far 
 separated from their dearest friends, who would be so lost 
 to the duties of humanity, patriotism, and benevolence, 
 as not to minister to their comfort, and pour into their 
 wounds the healing balm of consolation? It is my lot 
 to have twenty wounded men committed to my care, by 
 Dr. Potts, our surgeon-general; one of whom, a young 
 man, received a musket-ball through his cheeks, cutting 
 its way through the teeth on each side, and the substance 
 of the tongue; his sufferings have been great, but he now 
 begins to articulate tolerably well. Another had the 
 whole side of his face torn off by a cannon-ball, laying 
 his mouth and throat open to view. A brave soldier re- 
 ceived a musket-ball in his forehead, observing that it did 
 not penetrate deep, it was imagined that the ball rebovinded 
 and fell out; but after several days, on examination, I 
 detected the ball laying flat on the bone, and spread under 
 the skin, which I removed. No one can doubt but he 
 received his wound while facing the enemy, and it is for- 
 tunate for the brave fellow that his skull proved too thick 
 for the ball to penetrate. But in another instance, a sol- 
 
11^ MILITARY JOUENAL, 1777. 
 
 dier's wound was not so honorable; he received a ball in 
 the bottom of his foot, which could not have happened 
 unless when in the act of running from the enemy. This 
 poor fellow is held in derision by his comrades, and is 
 made a subject of their wit for having the mark of a coio- 
 ard. Among the most remarkable occurrences which 
 came under my observation, the following is deserving of 
 particular notice. Captain Greg, of one of the New York 
 regiments, while stationed at Fort Stanwix, on the Mohawk 
 river, went with two of his soldiers into the woods a short 
 distance to shoot pigeons; a party of Indians started sud- 
 denly from concealment in the bushes, shot them all down, 
 tomahawked and scalped them, and left them for dead. 
 The captain, after some time, revived, and perceiving his 
 men were killed, himself robbed of his scalp, and suffering 
 extreme agony from his numerous wounds, made an effort 
 to move, and lay his bleeding head on one of the dead 
 bodies, expecting soon to expire. A faithful dog who 
 accompanied him, manifested great agitation, and in the 
 tenderest manner licked his wounds, which afforded him 
 great relief from exquisite distress. He then directed the 
 dog, as if a human being, to go in search of some person 
 to come to his relief. The animal, with every appearance 
 of anxiety, ran about a mile, when he met with two men 
 fishing in the river, and endeavored in the most moving 
 manner, by whining and piteous cries, to prevail on them 
 to follow him into the woods; struck with the singular 
 conduct of the dog, they were induced to follow him part 
 of the way, but fearing some decoy or danger, they were 
 about to return, when the dog, fixing his eyes on them, 
 renewed his entreaties by his cries, and taking hold of 
 their clothes with his teeth, prevailed on them to follow 
 him to the fatal spot. Such was the remarkable fidelity 
 and sagacity of this animal. Captain Greg was immedi- 
 ately carried to the fort, where his wounds were dressed; 
 he was afterwards removed to our hospital, and put under 
 my care. He was a rnost frightful spectacle, the whole 
 of his scalp was removed; in two places on the fore part 
 of his head, the tomahawk had penetrated through the 
 skull ; there was a wound on his back with the same in- 
 strument, besides a wound in his side and another through 
 his arm by a musket-ball. This unfortunate man, after 
 
MILITAKY JOUKNAL, 1777. 115 
 
 suffering extremely for a long time, finally recovered, and 
 appeared to be well satisfied in having his scalp restored 
 to him, though uncovered with hair. The Indian mode 
 of scalping their victims is this — with a knife they make 
 a circular cut from the forehead, quite round, just above 
 the ears, then taking hold of the skin with their teeth, 
 they tear off the whole hairy scalp in an instan,t, with 
 wonderful dexterity. This they carefully dry and pre- 
 serve as a trophy, showing the number of their victims, 
 and they have a method of painting on the dried scalp, 
 different figures and colors, to designate the sex and age 
 of the victim, and also the manner and circumstances of 
 the murder. 
 
 November 10th. — I witnessed yesterday the singular 
 ceremony performed at a treaty with the Six Nations of 
 Indians. Greneral Schuyler, and two other gentlemen, 
 were the commissioners on our part. Of the Indians, 
 about two hundred men and women attended. In the 
 morning, I walked into the woods near this city, and was 
 am-used to see them occupied in dressing and ornamenting 
 themselves for the ceremony; painting their faces, adjust- 
 ing the'ir hair, putting jewels into their ears, noses, &c. 
 The face was painted of various colors; in general red, 
 spotted with black and white in a fanciful manner. The 
 men had their hair cut close to the skin, except a lock on 
 the top of the head. The women wore long hair, orna- 
 mented with beads and other trinkets. The bodies and 
 limbs of both sexes were decently covered in the Indian 
 style, and some displayed large silver rings round the arm, 
 and a profusion of party-colored beads, fancifully arranged 
 about the legs and feet. Several of the young men and 
 girls were furnished with little bells about their feet, to 
 make a jingling when dancing. About eleven o'clock, 
 the ceremony commenced on the common; the Indians 
 arranged themselves, by sitting on the ground in a circle, 
 the men on one side, the women on the other, leaving a 
 vacancy for our commissioners, who were seated in chairs. 
 In the centre of the circle was a fire, over which a large 
 pot containing meat broth, or soup, was placed. The 
 speakers were three elderly chiefs; their speeches or talks 
 were short, and at the close of each, the speaker delivered 
 to the commissioners a belt or string of wampum, curiously 
 
IIQ MILITARY JOURNAL, 1777. 
 
 worked with porcupine quills, and handsomely painted, 
 as a pledge of sincerity. The interpreter explained in 
 English. In the intervals between the talks, the whole 
 of the Indians and squaws threw their bodies into odd 
 motions, and at the same time a noise came from their 
 throats very similar to the grunting of swine, which, I 
 suppose, was a token of approbation. They next com- 
 menced dancing, by uniting hands two or three at a time, 
 and jumping merrily round the pot over the fire, animated 
 by the music of a small drum resembling a keg covered 
 with a skin, and the jingling of the bells attached to their 
 legs and feet. The interpreter, by desire of the chiefs, 
 requested that our commissioners would not be offended 
 at the liberty which they were about to take. One of the 
 chiefs then took the commissioners, one at a time, by the 
 hand, and danced them round the circle; then rubbing his 
 hand about the grease and blacking of the pot, he black- 
 ened the face, first of General Schuyler, and then the other 
 gentlemen, which excited much laughter. Whether this 
 was a trick to excite a laugh, or a part of their national 
 ceremony, I was unable to ascertain. The Indians con- 
 tinued dancing round the fire, drinking the soup fit)m the 
 pof, and regaling themselves with rum all night, and many 
 of them were found drunk in the morning. 
 
 My professional duties have been so pressing as to pre- 
 clude the possibility of journalizing to the full extent of 
 my wishes. The numerous important events which have 
 occurred to our main army under General Washington, 
 in the Jerseys and Pennsylvania, have been from time to 
 time announced in the public papers, and in our general 
 orders. A very brief retrospect of the most interesting 
 occurrences during the campaign in that quarter must 
 suffice me. 
 
 General Washington, having ascertained that it was the 
 great object of Sir William Howe to possess himself of the 
 city of Philadelphia, put in requisition every efi^brt in his 
 power to counteract his measures for this purpose. His 
 force during the whole campaign was considerably inferior 
 to that of the enemy. Battles and skirmishing of more 
 or less importance were frequent, but not decisive, though 
 attended by no inconsiderable loss of human lives. On 
 the 11th of September the two armies approached each 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1777. 117 
 
 otlier in the order of battle, and a general' action took 
 place at Brandy wine, in which the officers and soldiers of 
 both armies displayed a spirit of intrepidity and heroism, 
 scarcely ever exceeded. The British claim the victory; 
 bat it was only a partial one, and, besides a prodigious 
 sacrifice of lives, they failed in their main object, that of 
 forcing their way to Philadelphia. It is stated, that from 
 particular circumstances, little more than one-half of Gen- 
 eral Washington's force was opposed to nearly the whole 
 strength of the enemy. Our loss is mentioned in round 
 numbers at one thousand. The Marquis de la Fayette 
 and General Woodford were slightly wounded. The loss 
 of the royalists, according to accounts published, greatly 
 exceeds that of the Americans. 
 
 On the 16th of September, Monsieur de Condry, an 
 officer of rank and distinction in the French service, and 
 acting as a volunteer in our army, having occasion to cross 
 the Schuylkill ferry, rode a high-spirited horse into the 
 boat, which, taking fright, leaped into the river, and the 
 rider was unfortunately drowned. Congress resolved that 
 the corpse of Monsieur de Condry be interred at the ex- 
 pense of the United States, and with the honors of war. 
 
 Sir William Howe, on the 26th of September, after 
 much manoeuvring and skirmishing, accomplished his 
 great enterprise, and made his triumphal entry into the 
 city of Philadelphia, where he met with a cordial welcome 
 from the Quakers, and a considerable number of the in- 
 habitants, who have long been known to be in favor of 
 the royalists. 
 
 On the 4th of October, General Washington planned an 
 attack on the main body of the enemy stationed at Ger- 
 mantown, near Philadelphia. The enterprise was planned 
 with such judgment and skill, as to afford promise of a 
 complete victory. The execution of it was conducted by 
 his excellency, who attacks like a hero and retreats like 
 a general, and whose presence infuses into the ranks the 
 spirit of heroism and enthusiasm. Were it not for some 
 unfortunate incidents, and the faulty conduct of a few in- 
 dividuals^ his most sanguine hopes would have been real- 
 ized. The enemy was actually taken by surprise, and in 
 one point a party was routed, and one hundred and ten 
 made prisoners, but were afterwards retaken. Almost the 
 
;j^;|^3 MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1777. 
 
 whole force of both armies was involved in the tremendous 
 contest, in which British and American braver}^ were 
 equally conspicuous, and sealed the fate of many valiant 
 officers and men. "The morning," says General Wash- 
 ington's letter to Congress, "was extremely foggy, which 
 prevented our improving the advantage we had gained, 
 so well as we otherwise should have done. This circum- 
 stance, by concealing from us the true situation of the 
 enemy, obliged us to act with more caution and less ex- 
 pedition than we could have wished, and gave the enemy 
 time to recover from the effects of our first impression; 
 and what was still more unfortunate, it served to keep our 
 different parties in ignorance of each other's movements, 
 and hindered their acting in concert ; it also occasioned 
 them to mistake one another for the enemy, which I be- 
 lieve more than any thing else, contributed to the misfor- 
 tunes which ensued. In the midst of the most promising 
 appearances, when every thing gave the most flattering 
 hopes of victory, the troops began suddenly to retreat, and 
 entirely left the field, in spite of every effort that could be 
 made to rally them. On the whole, it may be said, this 
 day was rather unfortunate than injurious. The principal 
 impediment to our success was, that at the moment of vic- 
 tory, the enemy threw a party into Mr. Chew's stone house, 
 who were in a situation not easily to be forced ; and had 
 it in their power, from the windows, to give us considera- 
 ble annoyance, arid in a measure to obstruct our advance." 
 A general officer who was engaged in the battle says: 
 "Fortune smiled on our arms for hours. The enemy were 
 broken, dispersed and flying on all quarters: we were in 
 possession of their whole encampment, together with their 
 artillery park, &c. But confusion at last ensued, and we 
 ran away from the arms of victory ready to receive us." 
 It is not to be concealed, however, that our army suffered 
 a very considerable loss, the whole number is not ascer- 
 tained. General Nash, of North Carolina, received a 
 mortal wound, and General Sullivan's two aids were killed. 
 On the side of the royalists. General Agnew, General de 
 Heister's son, and several other officers were killed. Gen- 
 eral Kniphausen was wounded, and a great number of 
 rank and file were wounded and slain. 
 « The Americans have erected several forts and redoubts 
 
MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1777. 119 
 
 on the banks of the Delaware river, and on Mud Island, 
 to guard against the passage of the British fleet up this 
 river to Philadelphia, In one of these forts at Red Bank, 
 Colonel Greene, of Rhode Island, was posted with about 
 four hundred men. General Howe, perceiving the great 
 importance of reducing these works, detached Count Donop, 
 an officer held in high estimation in the royal army, with 
 twelve or fifteen hundred Hessian troops, well supplied 
 with artillery, to take possession of it. Having arrived 
 near the redoubts, he summoned the commander to sur- 
 render, to which he resolutely replied, he would defend 
 the place to the last extremity. This fort being originally 
 constructed on a large scale, it was found necessary to run 
 a line across the middle, and divide it into two, so that 
 the external part was left without defence. The Hessian 
 commander ordered his troops to advance under cover of 
 the smoke of his cannon and storm the redoubt; they 
 soon gained the unoccupied part with loud huzzas on their 
 supposed victory ; but on approaching the new lines within, 
 where our troops were stationed, the brave garrison poured 
 on them such hot and well-directed fire for about forty 
 minutes, that they were completely overpowered, and fled 
 in every direction. Colonel Donop, their commander, 
 was mortally wounded and taken, and more than one 
 hundred were killed on the spot, and a greater number 
 wounded and prisoners. The enemy retreated with great 
 precipitation, leaving many of their wounded on the road, 
 and returned to Philadelphia with the loss of one-half their 
 party. Colonel Greene, and his brave troops, acquired 
 great honor for their gallant defence of the fort, which is 
 a key to other posts on the river. Congress have rewarded 
 the colonel with an elegant sword. The British army 
 found it difficult to procure the necessary supplies in 
 Philadelphia, and the continental galleys and strong che- 
 vaux defrize in the Delaware, rendered a passage of their 
 ships up to the city almost impossible. Admiral Lord 
 Howe determined to attempt the removal of these for- 
 midable obstructions, and he ordered six of his ships to 
 engage in this service. They were so unmercifully han- 
 dled by our galleys, and from Fort Mifflin, at Mud Island, 
 that two of them, one of sixty-four guns, run aground and 
 
120 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1777, 
 
 were set on fire by the crews, who deserted them, and soon 
 after they blew up. 
 
 December. — Fort Mifflin, on Mud Island, has been evacu- 
 ated by the continental garrison, after having been bravely 
 defended against the prodigious force of the enemy's ship- 
 ping. Our troops secured all their stores, destroyed the 
 block-houses, and demolished the bank, to let in the water, 
 b}'' which the island is entirely inundated. The fort at 
 Red Bank is also abandoned, and the continental fleet has 
 been burned, to prevent its falling into the hands of the 
 enemy. The British are now in full possession of the city 
 of Philadelphia, and their fleet has obtained access to it 
 by way of the Delaware river. The continental army, 
 since the close of the campaign, has retired for winter- 
 quarters to a place called Valley Forge, about twenty miles 
 from Philadelphia. Here they are subjected to the fatigue 
 and labor of clearing the woods and constructing log huts 
 for their accommodation during the winter. 
 
 _An occurrence of a very singular complexion has lately 
 been published in a Pennsylvania newspaper, which occa- 
 sions much indignant speculation. The Reverend Jacob 
 Duche, a popular Episcopal minister in Philadelphia, was 
 the first chaplain appointed by Congress. He performed 
 his official duties to general acceptance, frequently and 
 fervently imploring Heaven to succeed the American cause. 
 Whether from alarm at the success of the royalists, or from 
 any change in his sentiments respecting the justice of our 
 cause, is uncertain, but after having officiated about three 
 months, he gave in his resignation. He left Philadelphia, 
 and "took shelter under the arm of that power which from 
 the sacred pulpit he had exhorted his hearers to oppose." 
 But it is no less extraordinary, that this apostate addressed 
 a letter to his Excellency General Washington, with whom 
 he was on terms of friendship, in which, to use the au- 
 thor's own words, "Ae has spoken freely of Congress, and of 
 the army.''' He enjoins it on his excellency to abandon 
 the American cause, and resign his command of the army ; 
 or at the head of it, to force Congress immediately to de- 
 sist from hostilities and to rescind their declaration of 
 Independence. If this is not done, he says, "You have 
 an infallible resource still left, negotiate for America at the 
 head of your armyT He represents the Congress in the 
 
MILITAKY JOUENAL, 1777. 
 
 121 
 
 most despicable point of view, as consising of weak, ob- 
 scure persons, not fit associates for his excellency, and the 
 very dregs of the first Congress, The New England del- 
 egates he treats with the greatest indelicacy. The officers 
 and men which compose our army, he describes as desti- 
 tute of principle and courage; undisciplined, taken from 
 the lowest of the people, unfit for a seat at his excellency's 
 table, &c., &c. Thus has this vile calumniator disgraced 
 his profession, and involved his own character in that 
 ignominy which he designed for his superiors. His ex- 
 cellency in noticing this transaction in a letter of October 
 the 16th, observes, "To Mr, Duche's ridiculous, illiberal 
 performance, I made a very short reply, by desiring the 
 bearer, Mrs, Ferguson, if she should hereafter, by any 
 accident meet with Mr, Duche, to tell him I should have 
 returned his letter unopened if I had had any idea of its 
 contents,* 
 
 2Qth. — The wounded soldiers committed to my care in 
 
 * The following is the form of prayer made use of by the Reverend 
 Mr. Duche in the Congress after Independence was declared: 
 
 "O Lord! our heavenly Father, high and mighty, King of kings, and 
 Lord of lords, who dost from thy tlirone behold all the dwellers on 
 earth, and reignest with power supreme and uncontroled over all king- 
 doms, empires and governments. Look down in mercy, we beseech 
 thee, on these our American states, who have fled to thee from the rod 
 (if the oppressor, and thrown themselves on thy gracious protection, 
 desiring to be henceforth dependent only on thee; to thee have they 
 a[»pealed for the righteousness of their cause; to thee do they now look 
 up for that countenance and support, which thou alone canst give; take 
 them, therefore, heavenly Father, under thy nurturing care; give them 
 wisdom in council, and valor in the field; defeat the malicious designs 
 of our cruel adversaries; convince them of the unrighteousness of their 
 cause, and if they still persist in their sanguinary purposes, O! let the 
 voice of thine own unerring justice, sounding in their hearts, constrain 
 them to drop the weapons of war from their unnerved hands in the day 
 of battle. Be thou present, O God of wisdom, and direct the councils 
 of this honorable assembly; enable them to settle things on the best 
 and surest foundation, that the scene of blood may be speedily closed, 
 that order, harmony and peace may be effectually restored, and truth 
 and justice, religion and piety, prevail and flourish amongst thy people; 
 preserve the health of their bodies and the vigor of their minds ; shower 
 down on them, and the millions they here represent, such temporal bless- 
 ings, as thou seest expedient for them in this world, and crown them 
 with everlasting glory in the world to come. • All this we ask in the 
 name, and through the merits of Jesus Christ thy Son and our Saviour, 
 Amen," 
 
1^2 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1778. 
 
 October last, have all recovered, and as a compliment for 
 my assiduity, and attention to my patients, I have received 
 from Dr. Potts, our surgeon-general, a generous and hand- 
 some present. The duties ot^ our hospital being now greatly 
 diminished, I have obtained a furlough for forty days, and 
 shall to-morrow commence my journey to visit my friends 
 in New England, 
 
 February 4:th, 1778. — Plaving performed a journey on 
 horseback to Boston and Barnstable, in Massachusetts, I 
 returned here two days before the expiration of my fur- 
 lough, and resumed my duties in the hospital. Several 
 gentlemen belonging to the hospital being desirous of im- 
 proving in the accomplishment of dancing, Mr. John Trot- 
 ter has agreed to open a special school for our accommoda- 
 tion.and we are to attend every afternoon. Master Trotter 
 has for many years been in the practice of teaching the art 
 in the city of New York, and has acquired great fame as 
 a man of knowledge and experience in his profession. He 
 is about fifty-eight years of age, a small, genteel, well-pro- 
 portioned man, every limb and joint proclaiming that he 
 IS formed for his profession; and the ease and grace with 
 which he moves on the floor, evince that he is an accom- 
 plished master, and that he has lost none of his agility by 
 age. Under the tuition of such a master, we flatter our- 
 selves that in due time, if we improve our advantages, 
 we shall be able to figure in a ball-room, 
 
 10th. — I have now obtained a particular description of 
 the American Torpedo, and other ingenious submariue 
 machinery, invented by Mr. David Bushnell, for the pur- 
 pose of destroying shipping while at anchor, some acct)unt 
 of which may be found in this Journal, page 62. The 
 external appearance of the torpedo bears some resem- 
 blance to two upper tortoise shells, of equal size, placed 
 in contact, leaving, at that part which represents the head 
 of the animal, a flue or opening, sufficiently capacious to 
 contain the operator, and air to support him thirty minutes. 
 At the bottom, opposite to the entrance, is placed a quantity 
 of lead for ballast. The operator sits upright, and holds 
 an oar lor rowing forward or backward, and is I'urnished 
 with a rudder for steering. An aperture at the bottom, 
 with its valve, admits water for the purpose of descending, 
 and two brass forcing pumps serve to eject the water with- 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1778. 123 
 
 in, when necessary for ascending. The vessel is made 
 completely water-tight, furnished with glass windows for 
 the admission of light, with ventilators and air-pipes, 
 and is so ballasted, with lead fixed at the bottom, as to 
 render it solid, and obviate all danger of oversetting. 
 Behind the submarine vessel, is a place above the rudder 
 for carrying a large powder magazine; this is made of 
 two pieces of oak timber, large enough, when hollowed 
 out, to contain one hundred and fifty pounds of powder, 
 with the apparatus used for firing it, and is secured in its 
 place by a screw turned by the operator. It is lighter 
 than water, that it may rise against the object to which it 
 is intended to be fastened. Within the magazine, is an 
 apparatus constructed to run any proposed length of time 
 under twelve hours; when it has run out its time, it un- 
 pinions a strong lock, resembling a gun-lock, which gives 
 fire to the powder. This apparatus is so pinioned, that it 
 cannot possibly move, 'till, by casting otf the magazine 
 from the vessel, it is set in motion. The skilful operator 
 can swim so low on the surface of the water, as to ap- 
 proach very near a ship in the.night, without fear of being 
 discovered ; and may, if he choose, approach the stern or 
 stem, above water, with very little danger. He can sink 
 very quickly, keep at any necessary depth, and row a great 
 distance in any direction he desires without coming to the 
 surface. When he rises to the surface, he can soon obtain 
 a fresh supply of air, and, if necessary, he may then de- 
 scend again and pursue his course. Mr, Bushnell found 
 that it required many trials and considerable instruction 
 to make a man of common ingenuity a skilful operator. 
 The first person, his brother, whom he employed, was very 
 ingenious, and made himself master of the business, but 
 was taken sick before he had an opportunity to make use 
 of his skill. Having procured a substitute, and given him 
 such instruction as time would allow, he was directed to 
 try an experiment on the Eagle, a sixty-four-gun ship, on 
 board of which Lord Howe commanded, lying in the har- 
 bor of New York. He went under the ship, and at- 
 tempted to fix the wooden screw into her bottom, but 
 struck, as he supposes, a bar of iron which passes from 
 the rudder hinge, and is spiked under the ship's quarter. 
 Had he moved a few inches, which he might have done 
 
124: MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1778. 
 
 without rowing, there is no doubt he would have found 
 wood where he might have fixed the screw ; or if the ship 
 had been sheathed with copper, he might easily have 
 pierced it. But not being well skilled in the management 
 of the vessel, in attempting to move to another place, he 
 lost the ship. After seeking her in vain, for some time, 
 he rowed some distance, and rose to the surface of the 
 water, but found day-light had advanced so far, that he 
 durst not renew the attempt. He says that he could easily 
 have fastened the magazine under the stern of the ship, 
 above water, as he rowed up to the stern and touched it 
 before he descended. Had he fastened it there, the explo- 
 sion of one hundred and fifty pounds of powder, the 
 quantity contained in the magazine, must have been fatal 
 to the ship. In his return from the ship to New York, 
 he passed near Governor's Island, and thought he was 
 discovered by the enemy on the island. Being in haste, 
 to avoid the danger he feared, he cast off the magazine, 
 as he imagined it retarded, him in the swell, which was 
 very considerable. After the magazine had been cast off 
 one hour, the time the internal apparatus was set to run, 
 it blew up with great violence, throwing a vast column of 
 water to an amazing height in the air, and leaving the 
 enemy to conjecture whether the stupendous noise was 
 produced by a bomb, a meteor, a water-spout, or an earth- 
 quake. Some other attempts were made in Hudson's 
 river, in one of w^hich the operator, in going towards the 
 ship, lost sight of her and went a great distance beyond 
 her, and the tide ran so strong as to baffle all his efforts. 
 Mr. Bushnell being in ill health, and destitute of resources, 
 was obliged to abandon his pursuit at that time, and wait 
 for a more favorable opportunity, which never occurred. 
 In the year 1777, Mr. Bushnell made an attempt from a 
 whale-boat, against the Cerberus frigate lying at anchor, 
 by drawing a machine against her side, by means of a line. 
 The machine was loaded with powder, to be exploded by 
 a gun-lock, which was to be unpinioned by an apparatus 
 to be turned by being brought alongside of the frigate. 
 This machine fell in with a schooner at anchor astern of 
 the frigate, and concealed from his sight. By some means 
 it became fixed, and exploding, demolished the schooner. 
 Commodore Simmons, being on boarql the Cerberus, ad- 
 
MILITARY JOUENAL, 1778. 125 
 
 dressed an official letter to Sir Peter Parker, describing 
 this singular disaster. Being at anchor to the westward 
 of New London, with a schooner which he had taken, 
 discovered about eleven o'clock in the evening a line tow- 
 ing astern from the bows. He believed that some person 
 had veered away by it, and immediately began to haul in. 
 A sailor, belonging to the schooner, taking it for a fishing- 
 line, laid hold of it, and drew in about fifteen fathoms. 
 It was buoyed up by small pieces of wood tied to it at 
 stated distances. At the end of the rope a machine was 
 fastened, too heavy for one man to pull up, for it exceeded 
 one huudred pounds in weight. The other people of the 
 schooner coming to his assistance, they drew it on deck. 
 While the men were examining the machine,, about five 
 minutes from the time the wheel had been put in motion, 
 it exploded, blew the vessul into pieces, and set her on 
 fire. Three men were killed, and the fourth blown into 
 the water, much injured. On examining round the ship, 
 after this accident, the other part of the line was discovered, 
 buoyed up in the same manner. This the commodore 
 ordered to be instantly cut away, for fear of hauling up 
 another of the infernals^ as he termed it. These machines 
 were constructed with wheels, furnished with irons sharp- 
 ened at the end, and projecting about an inch, in order to 
 strike the sides of the vessel when hauling them up, there- 
 by setting the wheels in motion, which in. the space of five 
 minutes causes the explosion. Had the whole apparatus 
 been brought to operate on a ship at the same time, it 
 must have occasioned prodigious destruction. Mr. Bush- 
 nell contrived another ingenious expedient to effect his 
 favorite object. He fixed a large number of kegs under 
 water, charged with powder, to explode on coming in con- 
 tact with any thing while floating along with the tide. He 
 set his squadron of kegs afloat in the Delaware, above the 
 English shipping, in December, 1777. The kegs were in 
 the night set adrift, to fall with the ebb, on the shipping; 
 but the proper distance could not be well ascertained, and 
 they were set adrift at too great a distance from the vessels, 
 by which means they were obstructed and dispersed by 
 the ice. They approached, however, in the day time, and 
 one of them blew up a boat, and others exploded, which 
 occasioned among the British seamen the greatest alarm 
 11* 
 
126 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1773. 
 
 and consternation. They actually manned tlie wharves 
 and shipping at Philadelphia, and discharged their small 
 arms and cannon at every thing they could see floating 
 in the river, during the ebb tide. This incident has re- 
 ceived the name of the Battle of the ICegs, and furnished 
 a subject for an excellent and humorous song by the 
 Honorable Francis Hopkinson, which is inserted in the 
 Appendix. 
 
 April — Major-General Lee, captured by the enemy in 
 December, 1776, has been exchanged for Major-General 
 Prescott, who was taken at Rhode Island, by Colonel 
 Barton. 
 
 The glorious intelligence being announced, that Con- 
 gress have negotiated a treat)/ of alliance luith the Court of 
 France^ General Washington has issued the following 
 orders for the army to celebrate the momentous event: 
 
 ^^ Head Quarters, Camp, Valley Forfre, May bih, 1778. 
 
 "It having pleased the Almighty Ruler of the Universe propitiously 
 to defend tiie cause of the United American St.ites, and finally, by rais- 
 ing us up a powerful friend among the princes of the earth, to establish 
 our liberty and independence on a lasting found;ition; it becomes us to 
 set apart a day for gratefully acknowledging the Divine goodness, and 
 celebrating the important event which we owe to His benign interposition. 
 
 "The several brigades are to be assembled for this purpose at nine 
 o'clock to-morrow morning, when their chaplains will communicate tiie 
 intelligence contained in the Postscript to the Pennsylvania Gazette of 
 the second instant, and offer up a Thanksgiving, and deliver a discourse 
 suitable to the occasion. 
 
 " At half-past ten o'clock a cannon will be fired, which is to be a sig- 
 nal for the men to be under arms. The britjade inspectors will then 
 inspect their dress and arms, form the battalions according to the instruc- 
 tions given them, and announce to the commanding officers of brigades 
 that the battalions are formed. The brigadiers and commandants will 
 then appoint the field-officers to command the battalions; after which, 
 each battalion will be ordered to load and ground their arms. — .•\t half- 
 . past eleven, another cannon will be tired as a signal i\)r the m:;rch; on 
 which the several brigades will begin their march by wheeling to the 
 right by platoons, and proceed by the nearest way to the left of their 
 ground, in the new position that will be pointed out by the brigade 
 inspectors. — A third signal will be given, on which there will be a dis- 
 charge of thirteen cannon: when the thirteenth has fired, a running fire 
 of the infantry will begin on the right of Woodford's, and continue 
 throughout the whole front line; it will then be taken up on the left of 
 the second line, and continue to the right — on a signal given, the whole 
 army will huzza — Lmg live the King of France! 
 
 " The artillery will then begin again, and fire thirteen rounds. This 
 will be succeeded by a second general discharge of the musketry in a 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1778. 12/ 
 
 running fire — Huzza ! long live the Friendly European Powers ! Then 
 the last discharge of thirteen pieces of artillery will be given, followed 
 by a general running fire — Huzza for the American States!" 
 
 Agreebly to the above orders, his Excellency General 
 Washington, his lady and suite. Lord Stirling, the Coun- 
 tess of Stirling, with other general officers and ladies, at- 
 tended at nine o'clock at the Jersey brigade, when the 
 Postscript mentioned above, was read, and after prayer a 
 suitable discourse delivered to Lord Stirling's division by 
 the Eev. Mr. Hunter, 
 
 On the signal at half-after eleven, the whole army re- 
 paired to their alarm-posts; on which General Washing- 
 ton, accompanied by the general officers, reviewed the 
 whole army at their respective posts; and after the firing 
 of the cannon and musketry, and the huzzas were given 
 agreeably to the orders, the army returned to their re- 
 spective brigade parades, and were dismissed. 
 
 All the officers of the army then assembled, and partook 
 of a collation provided by the general, at which several 
 patriotic toasts were given, accompanied with three cheers. 
 His excellency took leave of the officers at five o'clock, 
 on which there was universal huzzaing — Long live General 
 Washington / — and clapping of hands till the general rode 
 some distance. The non-commissioned officers and pri- 
 vates followed the example of their officers as the general 
 passed their brigades. Approbation indeed was conspicu- 
 ous in every countenance, and universal joy reigned 
 throughout the camp. 
 
 My friend. Major Minnis, from head-quarters at Yalley 
 Forge, has detailed to me the particular circumstances of 
 the distress and privations which our army suffered, while 
 in winter-quarters at that place, the last winter. In the 
 month of December, the troops were employed in erecting 
 log huts for winter-quarters, when about one-half of the 
 men were destitute of small-clothes, shoes, and stockings; 
 some thousands were without blankets, and were obliged 
 to warm themselves over fires all night, after the fatigues 
 of the day, instead of reposing in comfortable lodgings. 
 At one time nearly three thousand men were returned 
 unfit for duty, from the want of clothing, and it was not 
 uncommon to track the march of the men over ice and 
 frozen ground, by the blood from their naked feet. Sev- 
 
■]^28 MILITARY JOURNAL. 1778. 
 
 eral times during the winter, tliey experienced little less 
 than a famine in camp; and more than once our general 
 officers were alarmed by the fear of a total dissolution of 
 the army from the want of provisions. For two or three 
 weeks in succession, the men were on half-allowance, and 
 for four or five days without bread, and again as many 
 without beef or pork. It was with great difficulty that 
 men enough could be found in a condition fit to discharge 
 the military camp duties from day to day, and for this 
 purpose those who were naked, borrowed from those who 
 had clothes. It cannot be deemed strange that sickness 
 and mortality were the consequence of such privations, in 
 the midst of an inclement season. Under these unexam- 
 pled sufferings, the soldiers exercised a degree of patience 
 and fortitude, which reflects on them the highest honor, 
 and which ought ever to entitle them to the gratitude of 
 their country. The army indeed was not without conso- 
 lation, for his excellency the commander-in-chief, whom 
 every soldier venerates and loves, manifested a fatherly 
 concern and fellow-feeling for their sutferings, and made 
 every exertion in his power to remedy the evil, and to 
 administer the much-desired relief Being authorized by 
 Congress, he reluctantly resorted to the unpopular expe- 
 dient of taking provisions from the inhabitants by force, 
 and thus procured a small sup])ly for immediate necessity.'^ 
 This was the unhappy condition of that army, on whom 
 General Washington had to rely for the defence of every 
 thing held most dear by Americans, and this, too, while 
 situated within sixteen miles of a powerful adversary, with 
 a greatly superior army of veterans, watching with a vigil- 
 ant eye for an opportunity to elfect its destruction. But 
 a fact which excites the greatest indignation and astonish- 
 
 * It was on this occasion tlmt a foreign officer of distinction said to 
 a friend of mine, tlint lie despaired of our Independence, for while walk- 
 ing with General Washington, along the soldiers' huts, he heard from 
 many voices echoing through the open crevices between the logs, ^^ No 
 pay, no clothes, no prncisions, no mm," and when a miserable being was 
 seen flitting from one hut to another, his nakednesss was only covered 
 by a dirty bl mket. It will be ditlicult to form a just conception of the 
 emotions of grief and sorrow which must have harrowed up the soul 
 of our illustrious patriot and philanthropist. In this darkening hour of 
 adversity, any man who possesses less firmness than Washington, would 
 despair of our Independence. 
 
MILITARY JOUENAL, 1778. 129 
 
 ment is, that, at the critical period above mentioned, a 
 party in Congress, in concert with General Conway, was 
 endeavoring to remove General Washington from the 
 supreme command. If the American army is to be anni- 
 hilated, and the cause of our country sacrificed to gratify 
 individual ambition, then is there a faction ripe for the 
 execution of the object. No man, perhaps, ever had a 
 greater combination of vexatious evils and uncontrollable 
 obstacles to encounter, than this incomparable patriot and 
 warrior; and no one surely ever posspssed in a more emi- 
 nent degree tlie peculiar talents and qualities requisite 
 for the discharge of the important duties assigned him in 
 his elevated station. He has acquired the full confidence 
 of every faithful dfRcer and soldier under his command, 
 and his wisdom and judgment arc considered adequate to 
 the most trying exigencies. He rises in the midst of dis- 
 tress, and gains strength by misfortunes. The Assembly 
 of Pennsylvania, and a certain party in our Congress, en- 
 tertain an idea thnt the royal army was permitted to take 
 possession of Piiihidelphia by the timidity, or by the ex- 
 cessive caution, of our commander-in-chief. It is well 
 known, that from necessity he has evinced himself more 
 the di.-ci|)le of Fabius ]\[aximus, than of Marcellus. He 
 temporizes, and acts on the defensive, when a superior 
 f )rce and the pecu'iar ciicnmstances of his army compel 
 him to adopt such conduct. But no one will deny that 
 he has displayed the greatest courage in opposing danger, 
 and the greatest presence of mind in retreating from it. 
 He has perplexed the enemy by his judicious mancenvres, 
 and braved liim frequently in his camp; and it is by his 
 sujierior generalship, and the unfailing resources of his 
 mind, that the enemv was not sooner in possession of 
 Pliiladelphia, and that our feeble, half starved, naked army, 
 lias not been entirely destroyed. The candidates who 
 have been named to supersede his excellency in the su- 
 jjreme command, are Generals Lee, Mifflin, Gates and 
 Conway. Lee has many advocates in his favor. Mifflin 
 has no claim, and it is believed no desire, to be elevated 
 to this highly responsible station. The splendid achieve- 
 ment of General Gates at Saratoga is auspicious to his 
 preferment, but even the officers and soldiers who served 
 under him in the northern army, would not willingly 
 
130 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1778. 
 
 yield their attacbment to their beloved Washington, in 
 whose wisdom and judgment they repose such unbounded 
 confidence. It is most unfortunate that Congress appears 
 to be split into factions at this eventful period, when the 
 salvation of our country depends on the harmony and 
 unanimity in our councils. A strong party exists in this 
 body, who are exerting every nerve to effect their favorite 
 scheme of elevating General Gates to the supreme com- 
 mand. This gentleman is made the object of their applause 
 and caresses, though he has been deficient in duty and 
 respect in his oflicial station, in not communicating to the 
 commander-in-chief the important intelligence of the cap- 
 ture of General Burgoyne and his army. General Conway, 
 a French gentleman, has been appointed by Congress in- 
 spector-general, with the rank of major-general, over a 
 number of brigadiers of regular standing, and this, even 
 when it was notorious that he was inimical to the com- 
 mander-in-chief, and the author of letters in which his 
 excellency's character is basely aspersed and calumniated. 
 These unhappy dissensions and jealousies occcasion the 
 greatest solicitude in our army, and consequences of a fatal 
 tendency are seriously apprehended. The brigadiers and 
 a number of colonels have remonstrated in strong terms 
 to Congress respecting the preferment of General Conway. 
 The machinations of this insolent foreigner have at length 
 recoiled on his own head. Having, by his vile intrigue 
 and insufterable effrontery, rendered himself an object of 
 disgust in his station, he has been induced to resign his 
 commission, and has withdrawn himself from the army.* 
 On this serious occasion, the character of Washington was 
 found unassailable, and it shines with redoubled lustre. 
 His excellency displays a noble magnanimity in overlook- 
 ing a want of confidence in his skill and judgment in his 
 profession. Envy and malice are ever attendant on exalted 
 station and superior merit. 
 
 * General Conway, after his resignation, was challenged by General 
 Cadwallader, for his conduct, and in the combat he received a wound 
 which he supposed to be a mortal one; and conceiving death to be near 
 at hand, he conducted honorably in addressing to General Washington 
 a letter of apology. Further particulars relative to this unpleasant busi- 
 ness may be found in the characters of Lee, Gates and Conway, in the 
 Appendix. 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1778. 131 
 
 May IQth. — In various parts of this state the inhabitants 
 are constantly infested with a banditti of tories and other 
 villains, following the practice of robbing and plundering, 
 stealing horses and cattle, and often committing murder 
 on those who oppose them ; and even on innocent persons. 
 A number of these vile wretches have been apprehended 
 and condemned; two of them were executed yesterday. 
 They had been convicted of robbing the house of Mr. 
 Van Ness, whose son, being a captain in our militia, was 
 taken by them and cruelly murdered. The criminals were 
 conducted to the gallows b}^ a guard of soldiers, and were 
 attended by a prodigious number of spectators. They 
 manifested, at the gallows, the most agonizing horrors. 
 One of them held in his hand a Bible till the halter de- 
 prived him of the power of holding it. Had this sacred 
 volume been his companion in early life, it might have 
 been the means of averting this awful and untimely death. 
 
 20th. — I attended the judicial court at the City Hall for 
 the trial of a number of criminals accused of house rob- 
 bery, horse stealing, and murder, among the defenceless 
 inhabitants on our frontiers. No less than ten of these 
 miscreants were arraigned at the bar. The jury brought 
 in a verdict of guilty against the whole number. Judge 
 John Jay, who officiated on the bench, pronounced the 
 awful sentence of death, and addressed them in a very 
 solemn and affecting manner, calculated to rouse them to 
 a sense of their dreadful condition, and in a moving and 
 pathetic strain, enjoined it on them to prepare to meet 
 their God. This scene was rendered the more melancholy, 
 by observing among the criminals a grey-headed man of 
 seventy years, and his son about twenty. The criminality 
 of the son admits of some extenuation from his ignorance 
 and the example of his father. The youth was afterwards 
 pardoned; but the old man, with several others, expiated 
 their crimes by a public execution on the gallows. 
 
 In the town of Schoharie, about thirty miles from this 
 city, a company of our troops, under the command of Cap- 
 tain Patrick, has been for some time stationed for the pur- 
 pose of guarding the inhabitants against the incursions 
 and cruel ravages of the Indians and tories. We have 
 just received the melancholy intelligence, that about two 
 hundred Indians and their tory allies, fell on our party by 
 
■j^32 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1778. 
 
 surprise, killed the captain and all but fifteen men, and 
 most of the inhabitants shared the same miserable fate. 
 The bodies were cut and mangled in a savage manner, 
 and some of them were scalped. 
 
 June 1st. — Orders have been received for the removal 
 of our hospital from this city to the highlands, on the 
 Hudson river, where our whole army, it is said, is about 
 to assemble. During my residence in this city, I have 
 contracted but a limited acquaintance with the inhabitants. 
 They are chiefly Low Dutch, and not much inclined to 
 associate with strangers. There are, however, several 
 families of respectability and fasliion, who have taken 
 refuge here from New York, among whom are some ami- 
 able and accomplished ladies, in whose society I have been 
 permitted to enjoy a social intercourse. The charming 
 Miss M. H. has captivated the heart, and is destined to 
 receive the hand of my excellent friend Dr. W. P. S., an 
 auspicious union of congenial souls. But in military life 
 our associates must be chiefly those of a military character. 
 In a society of about thirty professional gentlemen, har- 
 monizing in similar pursuits and incUnations, our sympa- 
 thies and mutual pleasures are mingled, and raised to a 
 state of the purest enjoyment. We are now to be sepa- 
 rated, and subjected to vicitsitudes and incidents beyond 
 our calculation. Three of our number are to continue 
 with the sick in this place, and the remainder are destined 
 to a new situation. 
 
 bill. — We embarked with our hospital stores and bag- 
 gage on board of a sloop, and proceeded with a fair wind 
 down the Hudson. In the evening we landed at Kinder- 
 hook, a small town on the bank of the river. 
 
 Itli. — Arrived at Fishkill, where we replenished our 
 stock of provisions. 
 
 10^/i. — Proceeded on our voyage, took in a pilot at New 
 Windsor, lodged on board, and on the 11th reached the 
 place of our destination, landed our stores and baggage, 
 and took possession of the house which we are to occupy 
 for a hospital. This house was erected by Colonel Beverly 
 Robinson, a respectable gentleman from Scotland, for his 
 summer residence, but being induced to adhere to the 
 British interest, he has, with his excellent family, removed 
 to New York, and thereby forfeited his large estate. This 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1778. 133 
 
 is a spacious and very convenient building, situated on the 
 eastern bank of the Hudson, about two miles from West 
 Point, which is on the opposite shore. Robinson's house, 
 with the out-buildings, is found very convenient for a 
 hospital ; the farm and gardens are very extensive, afford- 
 ing excellent pasturing for horses and cows, and contain- 
 ing three or four large orchards, abounding in fruit of 
 various descriptions. In the location of a country-seat, 
 the judgment of Colonel Robinson is not much to be ad- 
 mired, unless he was guided altogether by a taste for 
 romantic singidarity and novelty. It is surrounded on 
 two sides by hideous mountains and dreary forests, not a 
 house in view, and but one within a mile. The Hudson, 
 which washes the borders of this farm, affords a facility 
 of communication with New York and with Albany ; and 
 the excursion up or down the river is truly romantic; 
 nature exhibits a diversified scenery of wild mountains, 
 craggy precipices, and noble lofty cliffs, on each side the 
 river, which at this place is about one mile wide. The 
 bank on the west side is formed by a large mountain 
 called Butterhill, and that on the east by another named 
 Brecknock. At a small distance south of Robinson's is 
 a remarkable bluff, whose rocky cliffs ascend almost per- 
 pendicularly from the water's edge to the height of about 
 twelve or fifteen hundred feet. This, from its singular 
 form and appearance, is known by the name oi Anthony's 
 Nose. Not far from Robinson's house is Sugar-loaf moun- 
 tain, covered with various kinds of forest trees. 
 
 12//i. — A little party, consisting of three gentlemen of 
 the hospital and myself, resolved on the attempt to ascend 
 to the summit of Sugar-loaf mountain, which from its rude 
 acclivity is deemed almost inaccessible. It was with great 
 ditticulty and fatigue that we effected our purpose, holding 
 by the limbs and bushes, while the decayed wood and 
 loose stones, sliding from under our feet, kept us in con- 
 tinual fear of a fatal fall. Having reached the summit, 
 we contemplated with amazement the sublime scene which 
 opened to our view. Looking down as from a cloud, we 
 beheld the Hudson, resembling a vast canal cut through 
 mountains of stupendous magnitude; a few boats playing 
 on its surface were scarcely visible. But to the pen of 
 the poet, and the pencil of the painter, be consigned the 
 
Jg^ MILITARY JOURNAL, 177S. 
 
 task of describing the Avonders of nature there exhibited 
 in the form of huge mountains, rocky cliffs, and venerable 
 forests, in one confused mass. From this summit, too, we 
 have a most interesting view of the fortress and garrison 
 of West Point. Fort Putnam, on its most elevated part, 
 the several redoubts beneath, and the barracks on the 
 plain below, with numerous armed soldiers in active mo- 
 tion, all defended by the most formidable machinery of 
 war, combine to form a picturesque scenery of peculiar 
 interest, which can be heightened only when from the 
 cannon's mouth issue fire and smoke, and the earth trem- 
 bles with its roar and thunder. While musing on the 
 rich scenery, we observed a number of large rocks, which 
 seemed to have but a slender hold at their basis, we con- 
 ceived that it would not be difficult to undermine and 
 precipitate them down the steep precipice. Having a 
 consultation to decide on the most eligible mode of effect- 
 ing our purpose, we resolutely commenced the laborious 
 enterprise; destitute of every kind of utensil, we pro- 
 cured each one a limb of a sapling, with which we bur- 
 rowed away the earth, and soon perceived the happy 
 effects of our industry ; the rock began to totter. Among 
 other curiosities, we viewed the path made by the descent 
 of Putnam's rock. Colonel Rufus Putnam ascended this 
 mountain with forty men, who were, for amusement, em- 
 ployed about two days in precipitating from its summit a 
 rock of many tons weight into the river. Such was the 
 force of this ponderous body, that in its passage it cut 
 down trees of a large size, and nothing could impede its 
 course till it fell with a tremendous crash into the river. 
 The rock was of such size, that a part of it remained 
 above water, and Colonel Putnam, standing on its top, 
 holding in his hand a bottle of spirits, gave to it the name 
 of Putnain's Rock. 
 
 July 2d. — By Dr. Brown, surgeon-general, just arrived 
 from Philadelphia, we are favored with the intelligence 
 that commissioners have arrived from the British govern- 
 ment with new proposals for the purpose of a reconcil- 
 iation between the two countries. It appears that in 
 consequence of the capture of General Burgoyne and his 
 army, the Parliament had manifested great mortification 
 and alarm, and have been induced to pass some acts, with 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1778. 135 
 
 a view of reconciliation, more consistent with the just 
 claims of America than those formerly declared. The 
 royal commissioners have presented to our Congress their 
 proposals for a mutual adjustment of existing difficulties, 
 couched in such plausible, and apparently conciliatory 
 language, as to excite serious apprehensions that it may 
 occasion considerable disaffection among the people, if 
 not division in our public councils. Fears are entertained 
 by many, in and out of Congress, that the expedient now 
 adopted by Parliament may be productive of the conse- 
 quences v/hich the authors probably intended, that of 
 relaxation and delay in our military preparations. There 
 is, however, a very important and radical defect in the 
 terms proposed by the commissioners: they are not author- 
 ized to treat with Congress on the principles of independ- 
 ency, but still adhere to the idea of a reunion of the states, 
 as colonies, under the government of Great Britain. Firm 
 in their determination never to relinquish this fundamental 
 principle, the Congress unanimously rejected the proffered 
 conditions, and it is morally certain that no terms short 
 of an explicit acknowledgment of our Independence, will 
 ever be accepted. A very animated address has been 
 published by Congress to their constituents, respecting the 
 terms proposed by the commissioners, in which they ob- 
 serve, that "the haughty prince who spurned us from his 
 feet with contumely and disdain, and the Parliament who 
 proscribed us, now descend to offer terms of accommoda- 
 tion. While in the full career of victory, they pulled off 
 the mask, and avowed despotism. But having lavished 
 in vain the blood and treasure of their subjects, in pursuit 
 of this execrable purpose, they now endeavor to ensnare 
 us with the insidious offers of peace. They would seduce 
 us into a dependence which necessarily and inevitably leads 
 to the most humiliating slavery. And do they believe 
 you will accept these fatal terms because you have suffered 
 the distresses of war? Do they suppose that you will 
 basely lick the dust before the feet of your destroyers'? 
 Can there be a man so lost to the feelings that adorn 
 human nature, to the generous pride, the elevation, the 
 dignity of freedom? Is there a man who would not abhor 
 a dependence on those who have deluged his country in 
 the blood of its inhabitants? We cannot suppose this, 
 
236 MILITARY JOUENAL, 1778. 
 
 neither can we suppose that they themselves expect to 
 make many converts. What then is their intention? Is 
 it not to lull you with the fallacious hopes of peace, till 
 they can assemble new armies to prosecute their nefarious 
 designs? If this is not the case, why do they meanly 
 court each little tyrant of Europe to sell them his unluippy 
 slaves? Why do they continue to embitter the minds of 
 the savages against you? Suiely, this is not the way to 
 conciliate the affections of America. Be not deceived.'" 
 1 he address then proceeds to encourage the peo[)le with 
 the fairest prospect of success in the full establishment of 
 their liberty and independence. The most powerlul incen- 
 tives to perseverance and exertion are held forth as the 
 means of vanquishing the foes of our country. "Above 
 all, bring forward your armies into the field.. Trust not 
 to appearances of peace or safety. Be assured that, unless 
 )'ou persevere, you will be exposed to every species of 
 barbarity; but if you exert the means of defence which 
 God and nature have given you, the time will soon arrive 
 when every man shall sit under his own vine and under his 
 own fig-tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid." 
 '6d. — A great degree of dissatisfaction has prevailed lor 
 some time among the officers of our aimy. At the com- 
 mencement of the war, a considerable proportion of our 
 officers, it is presumed, engaged in the service from the 
 purest motives of patriotism ; some doubtless were actuated 
 by pecuniaiy views, or influenced by the novelty of the 
 employment, and with the expectation that the contest 
 would be of short continuance. These incentives appear 
 in a great measure to have vanished. The active spirit 
 of patriotism is not to be consideied as inexhaustible; 
 when it has made the most liberal personal sacritice, it is 
 disposed to languish, and to resign iis duties to others who 
 hold an equal stake in the public weal. The mditary 
 commission, which in other armies is eagerly sought for, 
 and prized, as entitling the bearer to the post of honor 
 and profit, is in ours held in little estimation, and in some 
 instances it is scarcely considered as reputable. The paper 
 money in which our army is paid, has greatly depreciated, 
 and an officer can with difficulty realize an adequate sup- 
 port while in camp, and those who have families depend- 
 ent on them, are reduced to the greatest embarrassments. 
 
OEJVER^L KOSCIUSKO. p. 137.> 
 
COLOJ^'EL UEJfRT JACKSOJf. P. 202. 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1776. 137 
 
 Many officers, when commissioned, relinquished lucrative 
 professions or employments, and are devoting the most 
 precious portion of life to the service of their country. 
 When we contemplate the destitute condition which may 
 be his lot at the close of the war, or the wretched circum- 
 stances in which he may be called to leave his family in 
 case he should not survive this period, no one can be 
 surprised that he is dissatisfied in his present situation, 
 and that he claims from the public a more ample remu- 
 neration. These considerations will account for the nu- 
 merous resignations which have taken place, and which 
 has occasioned the commander-in-chief much anxiety and 
 concern. Apprehending that he should be deprived of 
 the services of many meritorious officers, his Excellency 
 General Washington made a feeling representation to 
 Congress relative to the subject. A committee of that 
 honorablei body has been appointed to confer with the 
 general, and in concert with him to make and recommend 
 such new arrangements as should appear eligible. His 
 excellency strongly recommended a half-pay establish- 
 ment, which he conceived was indispensably necessary, to 
 induce the officers to continue in the service, and cheer- 
 fully discharge their respective duties; as many have 
 already resigned, and application for it is frequently made 
 by others. Besides adopting some method to make the 
 provision to officers equal to their present exigencies, a 
 due regard should be paid to futurity. "Nothing, in my 
 opinion," says his excellency, "would serve more power- 
 fully to reanimate their languishing zeal, and interest them 
 thoroughly in the service, than a half-pay establishment." 
 This conference and representation produced the desired 
 effect. Congress, being convinced of the propriety and 
 necessity of making further provision for the encourage- 
 ment of their army, resolved, unanimously, that all mili- 
 tary officers, commissioned by Congress, who now are, 
 or hereafter may be, in the service of the United States, 
 and shall continue therein during the war, shall, after the 
 conclusion of it, be entitled to receive annually for the 
 term of seven years, if they live so long, one-half of the 
 present pay of such officers. They further resolved, unan- 
 imously, that every non-commissioned military officer or 
 soldier who has enlisted or shall enlist in the service of 
 
^3g MILITARY JOUENAL, 1778. 
 
 these states during the war, and shall continue therein to 
 the end thereof, shall be entitled to receive a further re- 
 ward of eighty dollars at the expiration of the war. 
 
 4//j._«.Intelligence has reached us that the royal army, 
 under the command of General Sir Henry Clinton, has 
 evacuated Philadelphia, and while marching through Jer- 
 sey to New York, General Washington attacked them 
 near Monmouth court-house, on the 28th of June, and a 
 warm engagement ensued. This contest was conducted 
 with military ardor and spirit on the side of both armies; 
 but was not on so broad a scale as to prove very decisive 
 in its consequences. Each side, it is said, claims the vic- 
 tory; but allowing the honor to be equally divided, the 
 enemy is incomparably the greatest sufferer. If reports 
 are accurate, the loss- of the royalists consists of fort}^ offi- 
 cers, and two hundred and forty-five rank and file killed, 
 and left in the field buried by our people ; one thousand 
 two hundred and fifty-five wounded; one hundred and 
 seventeen prisoners; and one thousand five hundred and 
 seventy-two deserted during the march ; total of their loss, 
 after they left Philadelphia, according to accounts cir- 
 culated, three thousand one hundred and eighty-nine. 
 Of the continentals, according to returns, sixty-nine were 
 killed, one hundred and forty-two wounded, and about 
 one hundred missing. The intense heat of the weather, 
 great fatigue, and drinking cold water, proved fatal to 
 about sixty or eighty men of each party. General Wash- 
 ington commanded in person on this memorable day. He 
 was exposed to every danger while encouraging and ani- 
 mating his troops, and his presence and example were of 
 the utmost importance during the day. After the action, 
 at night, he laid down in his cloak under a tree, with the 
 expectation of recommencing the battle in the morning, 
 but the royal army silently retreated during the night 
 without being pursued. 
 
 One unfortunate circumstance occurred on this occasion, 
 which created considerable embarrassment, and deranged 
 the plan of operations. Major-General Lee^was ordered, 
 by the commander-in-chief, to advance and attack the 
 enemy's rear, so soon as a proper opportunity should offer. 
 Having approached very near, instead of engaging, he 
 suffered his troops to retreat in some confusion. On learn- 
 
MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1778. 139 
 
 ing this, his excellency was exceedingly mortified and 
 astonished. Coming up to General Lee, and meeting part 
 of his corps in their flight, he with some warmth inquired 
 the cause of his retreat, and addressed General Lee in 
 language which implied censure. The high-spirited Lee 
 could not brook the slightest appearance of dis.tpprobation, 
 and replied with an air of disrespect. He, however, re- 
 quested of his excellency fresh orders for the conduct of 
 his corps, and these he promptly obeyed, and discovered 
 no want of bravery in the field. Bat, unable to quell the 
 rankling of a turbulent temper, he addressed, after the 
 battle, two letters to the commander-in-chief, containing 
 improper and disrespectful expressions. As if in defiance 
 of superior authority, he demanded a trial by a court- 
 martial, that he might have an opportunity of vindicating 
 his conduct, in consequence of which his excellency has 
 put hirn under arrest to await his trial, 
 
 bth. — Congress have passed a vote of thanks to General 
 Washington and his army for their brave conduct at the 
 battle of Monmouth. 
 
 ^tli. — I accompanied Dr. Woodruff to Fishkill village, 
 about fourteen miles. Dined at the hospital with our old 
 friends Drs. Adams and Eustis. They are pleasantly sit- 
 uated in a secure retreat for the accommodation of our 
 sick and wounded soldiers. 
 
 It is expected the French government will lend us their 
 assistance and cooperation against our English adversa- 
 ries. It is asserted that a powerful French fleet will soon 
 arrive on our coast. 
 
 l^tJi. — His excellency the commander-in-chief visited 
 West Point, to take a view of the works which are con- 
 structing there. His arrival was announced by the dis- 
 charge of thirteen cannon, the number of the United States. 
 
 20th. — Having a number of sheep running at large in 
 the woods belonging to our hospital, and being in want 
 of mutton, I was induced to assist the slaughterers with 
 my gun against these harmless animals. In pursuit of 
 this game, I devoted most of the day, and a single sheep 
 only was the reward of my labor and fatigue. On my 
 return, I was accused of want of skill as a marksman, and 
 Dr. Prescott challenged me to decide our superiority by 
 firing at a mark; the challenge accepted, we placed an 
 
-j^^Q MILITAET JOUENAL, 1778. 
 
 object at the end of our garden. After the third fire, we 
 were checked by an unpleasant incident. Several horses 
 were grazing in a field directly in our range, and one of 
 them, a valuable animal, received a ball through his body. 
 The wound on examination was found to be fatal, the skill 
 of the surgeon could avail nothing, and, to add to our 
 chagrin, we were informed that the animal was the prop- 
 erty of Brigadier-General Glover, and was by him highly 
 prized. We soon received a billet from the general, and 
 on waiting on him at West Point, to adjust the terms of 
 settlement, he demanded the cost of the horse, which was 
 one hundred and fifty dollars. Justice and honor required 
 that we should promptly comply with his demand. A 
 soldier who had the charge of the horses informed us that 
 one of the balls struck the ground within a yard of his 
 feet; had the poor fellow been the victim, the catastrophe 
 would have been much more melancholy ; but the event 
 is suf&ciently unfortunate to deter us from again sporting 
 with our guns at random shot. 
 
 21th. — Colonel Malcome, from West Point, with his 
 much-admired lady, and several other officers, favored us 
 with their company to dine; we treated our polite guests 
 with all the civilities and all the comforts in our power, 
 and the cheering glass was not removed till evening, 
 when we accompanied them to the river side, and finished 
 two bottles of port on board their barge. 
 
 I^th. — Agreeably to invitation, the gentlemen of our 
 hospital returned the visit to Colonel Malcome, at West 
 Point, and were entertained in the most genteel manner. 
 
 The public mind is now in a state of excitement, occa- 
 sioned by the improper proceedings of the royal commis- 
 sioners for restoring peace. They have made a second 
 communication to Congress, but still without any intima- 
 tion of a recognition of the Independence of the United 
 States; but address them on the supposition that the 
 people of America are still the subjects of the crown of 
 Britain. This last communication is drafted with much 
 art and address, calculated to excite jealousies and division 
 among the people. Not content with their public declara- 
 tions, and proposals addressed to Congress, they have 
 actually descended to the dishonorable act of insidious 
 offers to corrupt some distinguished individuals. Governor 
 
OEJ^ERAL. CHARLES LEE. P. 140. 
 
 COLOJfEL JOSEPH REED. P. 141. 
 
MILITAKY JOUENAIv, 1778. 141 
 
 Johnstone, one of the commissioners, with inexcusable 
 effrontery, offered a bribe to Mr. Reed, a member of Con- 
 gress. In an interview with Mrs. Ferguson at Philadel- 
 phia, whose husband is a royalist, he desired she would 
 mention to Mr. Eeed that if he would engage his interest 
 to promote the object of their commission, he might have 
 any office in the colonies, in the gift of his Britannic tmijesty, 
 and ten thousand pounds in hand. Having solicited an 
 interview with Mr. Reed, Mrs. Ferguson made her com- 
 munication. Spurning the idea of being purchased, he 
 replied, "that he was not worth purchasing, but such as he 
 was, the king of Great Britain was not rich enough to do 
 it." Congress declined all further intercourse with the 
 commissioners, and terminated their attempts at negotia- 
 tion, unless their royal master would first withdraw his 
 fleets and armies, or expressly acknowledge the independ- 
 ence of the United States. In order to demonstrate their 
 most pointed indignation against such daring attempts to 
 corrupt their integrity, they resolved that it was incom- 
 patible with their honor to hold any further intercourse 
 with George Johnstone, Esquire, more especially to nego- 
 tiate with him on affairs in which the cause of liberty and 
 virtue are interested. 
 
 We are just informed of a new order of fanatics, who 
 have recently introduced themselves into our country, 
 pretending to be a religious sect; but, if reports be true, 
 they are a disgrace both to religion and to human nature. 
 They are called Shaking Quakers, or dancing qnakers, 
 though they have no affinity either in principle or char- 
 acter to the established order of Quakers. 1'heir leader 
 is a female by the name of Ann Lee, niece of General 
 Lee, of our army. She is lately from England, and lias 
 brought over with her a few followers, and has had the 
 address to seduce several individuals of our country to 
 her party. She is known by the appellation of Mother 
 Ann, and pretends to have received a revelation from 
 heaven. The method which they practice under the idea 
 of religious worship, is so obviously impious, as to e.xceed 
 the bounds of credibility ; but we have the particulars 
 from eye-witnesses, who have been admitted to their mid- 
 night orgies. They spend whole nights in their revels, 
 and exhibit the most unbecoming scenes, violating all 
 
242 MILITARY JOURNAL, 1778. 
 
 rules of propriety and decency. Both sexes, nearly di- 
 vested of clothing, fall to dancing in extravagant postures, 
 and frequently whirl themselves round on one leg with 
 inconceivable rapidity, till they fall apparently lifeless on 
 the floor, A spectator asserts that the fantastic contor- 
 tions of body in which their pretended religious exercises 
 consist, bear the semblance of supernatural impulse, and 
 that no imagination can form an adequate idea of the 
 extravagant conduct of these infatuated people' — a bur- 
 lesque on all moral and religious principle.* 
 
 August Bd. — I am now to notice one of the most dread- 
 ful instances of perfidious savage cruelty that can perhaps 
 be found on the records of history. However incredible 
 the particulars may appear, they are found in various 
 publications, and received as indubitable facts. Nor 
 would I tarnish a page with the diabolical transaction, 
 till the detailed account has been incontrovertibly estab- 
 lished. At a place on the eastern branch of the Susque- 
 hannah river, was a flourishing settlement called Wyoming. 
 It consisted of eight townships, containing one thousand 
 families ; and such was the zeal with which they espoused 
 the cause of America, that they voluntarily raised about 
 one thousand soldiers for the continental army. The 
 climate and soil of this territory are admirably adapted to 
 the production of grain, hemp, fruit and stock of all kinds. 
 The inhabitants of this secluded spot might have lived in 
 the enjoyment of all the happiness which results from 
 harmony and the purest natural affection. But unfortu- 
 nately they suffered themselves to be divided by the 
 turbulent spirit of party, distinguished by the epithet of 
 whig and tory. When this rancorous spirit was permit- 
 ted to disclose itself, animosities arose to such an aston- 
 ishing height, as to sever the tenderest ties of family 
 friendship and the dearest connexions. Many of the 
 active inhabitants, influenced by malice and revenge, 
 abandoned their plantations, forsook tlieir neighbors and 
 friends, and allied themselves with the savages, whom 
 tliey instigated and assisted in the barbarous work of 
 
 * The sect now denominated Shaking Quakers, are an orderly and 
 civil people; they have rendered themselves remarkable for industry 
 and ingenuity, and for their particular attention to agriculture and the 
 mechanic arts. 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1778. 143 
 
 slaughter and death among their friends. The inhabitants, 
 on receiving intelligence that an enterprise was preparing 
 against them, and sensible of their perilous situation, threw 
 up intienchments and redoubts, to defend themselves 
 against the gathering storm. About the 1st of July last, 
 the ferocious enemy, consisting of one thousand six hun- 
 dred tories, Indians and half-blooded Englishmen, ap- 
 proached the settlement, and were perceived lurking about 
 their borders. This motley combination was commanded 
 by a Colonel John Butler, a tory refugee, and others no 
 less inhuman and cruel than their savage allies. In order 
 to lull the inhabitants into security, the enemy several 
 times sent messages to the settlers that they had no hos- 
 tile designs against them, and the treacherous Butler him- 
 self declared that he should not molest them the present 
 season. The inhabitants, however, had reason to distrust 
 their professions, and those capable of bearing arms were 
 immediately embodied under the command of' Colonel 
 Zeb. Butler, cousin to the commander of the savages. 
 The women and children were directed to take refuge in 
 the forts. The enemy approached; and, pretending they 
 were desirous of a parley, proposed that Colonel Zeb. But- 
 ler should meet them at some distance from the fort for 
 that purpose. He complied, but ibr safety took with him 
 four hundred armed men. This proved to be a fatal 
 stratagem; he soon found himself surrounded and attacked 
 on every side; he and his little party defended them- 
 selves with great firmness and bravery ; and the commander, 
 with about twenty of his men, finally made their escape. 
 The enemy now rushed on and invested the fort, which 
 they cannonaded most of the day ; and, horrid to relate, 
 when they sent in a demand for the surrender, it was 
 accompanied by one hundred and ninetj^-six bloody scalps 
 taken from those who had just been slain. Colonel Den- 
 nison, on whom the command of the fort had devolved, 
 defended himself till most of his men had fallen by his 
 side, when he went out with a flag, to inquire what terms 
 would be granted him on surrendering the garrison ? He 
 received from the ferocious Butler a reply in two words, 
 "^/;e hatchet.''^ Colonel Dennison was finally obliged to 
 surrender at discretion, still retaining a hope of mercy. 
 But he was wofuUy mistaken; the threat of Butler was 
 
 M 
 
144 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1778. 
 
 rigorously executed ; after selecting a few prisoners, the 
 remainder of the people, including women and children, 
 were inclosed in the houses and barracks, which were 
 immediately set on fire, and the whole consumed together. 
 Another fort was near at hand, in which were seventy 
 continental soldiers; on surrendering without conditions, 
 these were, to a man, butchered in a barbarous manner; 
 when the remainder of the men, women and children were 
 shut up in the houses, and the demons of hell glutted their 
 vengeance in beholding their destruction in one general 
 conflagration!! This tragical scene being finished, the 
 merciless authors of it spread fire and sword throughout 
 the settlement, sparing, however, the houses and farms of 
 the tories; they extended their cruel hands to the cattle 
 in the field, shooting some, and cutting out the tongues 
 of others, leaving them alive. The additional particulars, 
 from their unparalleled enormity, would not be recited 
 here, were it not that they have been already promul- 
 gated from authentic sources. One of the prisoners, a 
 Captain Badlock, was committed to torture, by having his 
 body stuck full of splinters of pine knots, and a fire of dry 
 wood made round him, when his two companions, Captains 
 Ranson and Durkee, were thrown into the same fire, and 
 held down with pitch-forks till consumed. One Partial 
 Terry, the son of a man of respectable character, having 
 joined the Indian party, several times sent his father word 
 that he hoped to wash his hands in his hearth blood; the 
 monster with his own hands murdered his father^ inother, 
 brothers and sisters, stripped off their scalps, and cut off' his 
 father's head! I Thomas Terry with his own hands butch- 
 ered his oiun mother, his father-in-law, his sisters and their 
 infant children, and exterminated the ivhok family ! A few 
 individuals, mostly women and children, made their escape 
 during the carnage of the day, and dispersed themselves, 
 wandering in the woods destitute of provision or covering, 
 shuddering with terror and distress ; their sufferings must 
 be extreme, and their fate uncertain. It is only in the 
 infernal regions that we can look for a parallel instance of 
 unnatural wickedness. The cries of widows and orphans 
 call for the avenging hand of Heaven. The name of 
 Colonel John Butler ought to be consigned to eternal in- 
 famy, for the base treachery and cruelty with which he 
 
MTLITAKY JOUENAL, 1778. 145 
 
 betrayed liis kinsman, Colonel Zeb. Butler, a respectable 
 American officer, while under the sanction of a flag, 
 
 4th. — In company with Mr. Governeur Morris and Dr. 
 Brown, our surgeon-general, I rode to camp near White 
 Plains; waited on Colonel Scammel, adjutant-general, to 
 inquire whether any regiment is destitute of a surgeon, 
 as I am desirous of exchanging my present station for the 
 office of regimental surgeon. This object I might have 
 effected, but Dr. Brown j)revailed on me not to dissolve 
 my connexion with the General Hospital at present. From 
 camp I performed a journey to Branford, and from thence 
 to Danbury, in Connecticut. Dined with Drs. Elistis and 
 Adams, at their quarters at Branford, and reached Dan- 
 bury in the evening. On my return, the 5th, dined at a 
 tavern at Crompond, and in the afternoon I missed my 
 road, and my horse tired. I was directed into an obscure 
 path through a thick forest, and arrived at the hospital 
 late in the evening. Hiding through a thick wood, my 
 attention was arrested by a novel spectacle: On a branch 
 of a large oak, about thirty feet high, I observed a mon- 
 strous black-snake, suspended by a coil of its tail, his head 
 and about half his length inclining downwards, basking 
 in the sun. it appeared about two yards in length, and 
 the size of a man's arm. Its skin was of a jet black, and 
 its prominent sparkling black eyes were very beautiful. 
 He viewed me as I passed with the fierceness of a tiger; 
 but discovering none of those fascinating charms by which 
 our credulous mother Eve was so wofully beguiled, and 
 disdaining the whole progeny of deceivers, I passed on 
 without viewing him as an object of my civilities. 
 
 7th. — An unusual number of patients have been brought 
 into our hospital within a few days. Their diseases are 
 putrid fever and dysentery; many of the cases appear so 
 malignant, that it is feared they will baffle all the skill of 
 the physician. 
 
 10th. — A friend from Albany informs me that three 
 men and two girls have lately been sentenced to suffer 
 death for murder and robbery. The two girls are sisters, 
 and one of the men is their brother. Another brother 
 was executed last autumn, and their mother is now in pri- 
 son, awaiting her trial for the same crime. The women 
 had disguised themselves in men's apparel, and united with 
 
l^Q MILITAKY JOUKNAL, 1778. 
 
 the tories and Indians in perpetrating the most inhuman 
 cruelties and savage barbarities among the defenceless and 
 innocent inhabitants. It is time this notorious family 
 should be exterminated from the earth, as an awful exam- 
 ple to those wretches who are still in the practice of simi- 
 lar crimes. One of the British ships in the harbor of 
 New York took fire by lightning, and blew up; the ex- 
 plosion shook the whole city like an earthquake, and 
 excited great consternation among the inhabitants. 
 
 Scptemher 4:th. — A large French fleet has arrived on our 
 coast, under the command of Count D'Estaign, and has 
 blocked up the harbor of Newport, An army, chiefly of 
 militia and volunteers, from the New England states, with 
 two brigades of continental troops, under command of 
 Major-General Sullivan, laid siege to the royal army on 
 the island. From this land force, with the cooperation 
 of the French fleet, very sanguine expectations were 
 formed that the enterprise would have been crowned 
 with success. But the English fleet appeared, and Count 
 D'Estaign was induced to pursue them and to offer battle, 
 when unfortunately a violent storm arose, by which his 
 fleet suffered so considerably that the count was obliged 
 to quit the expedition, and proceed to Boston to repair 
 his ships. General Sullivan's army continued several days 
 on the island, besieging the enem3^, and finally a smart 
 engagement ensued, in which both our regular troops and 
 the militia, emulous of fame and glory, combatted the 
 enemy during the day. The result of the contest was a 
 repulse of the royal forces; they retired from the field 
 with considerable loss, and employed themselves in forti- 
 fying their camp. In the absence of the French fleet, 
 Sir Henry Clinton sent from New York large reinforce- 
 ments, in consequence of which it was unanimously agreed 
 in a council of war to retire from the island. The retreat 
 was conducted by General Sullivan with great judgment 
 and discretion, without loss of men or baggage, though in 
 the face of an enem}'' of superior force. This exploit 
 reflects "great honor both on the general and the brave 
 troops under his command. In the honors of this expe- 
 dition, and retreat. Major General Greene, and the Marquis 
 de la Fayette participated conspicuously, but were greatly 
 disappointed in the final result. 
 
COLOXEL ZEBVLOJf BUTLER. P. 143. 
 
 COUNT D^ESTAIOJ^. P. 146, 
 
OEJfERAL ISRAEL PUTJfAM. P. 147 
 
MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1778. 147 
 
 6th. — Major-General Lee has gone through his trial 
 before a court martial appointed for the purpose. The 
 charges exhibited against him were — 1st, Disobedience of 
 orders, in not attacking the enemy on the 28th of June, 
 agreeably to repeated instructions. 2, For misbehavior 
 before the enemy on the same day, in making an unneces- 
 sary, disorderly and shameful retreat. 3d, For disrespect 
 to the commander-in-chief, in two letters, dated June 28tli 
 and July 1st. To these several charges the general made 
 a very able and excellent defence, particularizing all the 
 circumstances attending the unhappy affair, and to the ut- 
 most of his ability extenuating and vindicating his conduct. 
 The court, nevertheless, pronounced him guilty, and their 
 sentence was, "that Major-General Lee be suspended from 
 his conmiand in the armies of the United States for the 
 space of one year." This sentence is like a mortal wound 
 to the lofty, aspiring spirit of General Lee ; few men are 
 less calculated to sustain such a rebuff to pride and 
 ambiti(-)us views.* 
 
 6th. — A duel was fought a few days since between Gen- 
 eral G. and Colonel W. Two shots were exchanged with- 
 out bloodshed, and a reconciliation was effected. The 
 gentlemen, it is said, displayed a firmness and bravery 
 bec(Hning their rank and character, and have established 
 their claim to the title of gentlemen of honor. As their 
 courage has never been called in question, the present 
 rencontre was unnecessary, unless it be to evince that 
 they possess malice enough in their hearts to commit a 
 murderous deed. The example of superior officers will 
 have great influence with those of inferior rank, whether 
 contending with the dogs of war, or in adjusting the minor 
 points of honor. 
 
 8th. — Major-General Putnam has arrived in this vicinity, 
 with the division of Virginia and Maryland troops under 
 his command, and they have encamped on the borders 
 of the river. Brigadiers Woodford and Muhlenburg have 
 taken up quarters in apartments in our hospital. This is 
 my first interview with this celebrated hero. In his per- 
 son he is corpulent and clumsy, but carries a bold, un- 
 daunted front. He exhibits little of the refinements of 
 
 * See Appendix, for General Lee's character and abuse of General 
 Washington. 
 
l^Q MILITAEY JOQENAL, 1773. 
 
 the \vell-e(iucated gentleman, but mucTi of the character 
 of tlie veteran soldier. He appears to be advanced to 
 the age of about sixty years, and it is filmed of him that 
 he has, in many instances, proved himself as brave as 
 Cfesar. He visited our hospital, and inquired with much 
 solicitude into the condition of our patients; observing 
 a considerable number of men who were infected with 
 the (jround itch, generated by lying on the ground, he 
 inquired why they were not cured. I answered, " Because 
 we have no hog's-lard to make ointment." "Did you 
 never," says tlie general, "cure the itch with tar and 
 brimstone?" "No, sir." "Then," replied he, good-hu- 
 morcdlv, "you are not fit for a doctor."* 
 
 Di'. Ferguson, secretary to the British commissioners, 
 forwarded to Congress a declaration signed George John- 
 st(~>ne, respecting the resolve of Congress relative to his 
 attempt on the fidelity of one of their members, which re- 
 solve he thinks to be calculated by Congress to delude the 
 people of America, and to defeat the design of the com- 
 missioners in effecting an accommodation, which he says 
 he would not prevent, and therefore declines acting any- 
 more as a commissioner. Another declaration, signed by 
 the three commissioners, (Carlisle, Clinton, and Eden,) in 
 which they disclaim all knowledge of the conduct of Gov- 
 ernor Johnstone, in tampering with a member of Congress, 
 till they read it in the newspapers. This paper contains 
 ungenerous reflections on France, and intimates their as- 
 tonishment that the Americans should prefer an alliance 
 with France to a submission to the government of England. 
 This, their last manifesto, has been published, and by per- 
 mission of Congress circulated through the United States. 
 It was addressed to the members of Congress, the members 
 of tlie general assemblies or conventions of the several 
 colonics, plantations, and provinces, and was to be in force 
 foity days from the date. It offers a general or separate 
 peace to the colonies, with the revival of their ancient 
 government, secured against future infringements, and 
 protected for ever from taxation by Great Britain, if they 
 will relinquish their independence, hreah their faith iviih 
 France, Congress having formed a treaty of alliance toith that 
 nation, and submit to the British yoke. These, if not the 
 
 * See Appendix for his character. 
 
MILITARY JOUKNAL, 1773. I4.9 
 
 positive, are the implied terms on which they offer peace. 
 But if their terms are not comphed with, then are we to 
 expect more severe expressions of British vengeance than 
 we have hitherto experienced. Hostilities are, they say, 
 to be conducted in a more ri2;orous and terrific form, that 
 the United States may be rendered of less importarice to 
 the French king, their inveterate enemy, and our new ally. 
 We are, therefore, if we persevere in our obstinacy, threat- 
 ened with the cruel extremes of war, and a desolation of 
 our country. This last manifesto contains a recital of wh;it 
 the commissioners term the blessings they are empowered 
 to confer, and a warning of the coniinued train of evils to 
 which the colonies are at present blindly and obstinately 
 exposing themselves, &c., &c. The conmiissioners expli- 
 citly declared that thev had neither autl tor itij nor inclination 
 to acknowledge the colonies to be independent — and Con- 
 gress having informed them "that they would treat with 
 Great Britain on no other terms," it put an end to the 
 nogotiation, and the commissioners, it is understood, are 
 preparing to depart from the continent. The British 
 government manifests extreme chagrin and disappointment 
 on account of the prosperous career of the United States, 
 and are very indignant that their conceited omnipotent 
 authority should be so presumptuously called in question 
 by those whom they still affect to consider in the light of 
 dependent colonies. 
 
 In their reply to the declarations of the commissioners, 
 our Congress mention the causes which induced the people 
 of America to array themselves in arms, that it was the 
 oppressive and tyrannical measures of the British ministry; 
 and after briefly reciting the cruelties that had hitherto 
 been exercised by their troops and navy, acting against 
 us, they add, "that since their incorrigible dispositions 
 cannot be touched by kindness and compassion, it becomes 
 the duty of Congress, by other means, to vindicate the 
 rights of humanity," and they conclude by saying, "that 
 if our enemies presume to execute their threats, and per- 
 sist in their present mode of barbarity, we will take such 
 exemplary vengeance as shall deter others from a like 
 conduct." They appeal to that God who searches the 
 hearts of all men for the rectitude of their intentions, and 
 in his holy presence declare, "that as they are not moved 
 
150 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1778. 
 
 by any light or hasty suggestions of anger or revenge, so 
 through every possible change of fortune they shall ad- 
 here to this their determination." 
 
 October. — The regiment of cavalry, commanded by Colo- 
 nel Baylor, being posted on our lines near Tappan, their 
 situation was betrayed by some tories, and a party of the 
 enemy surprised them while in a barn, in the night, and 
 massacred a part of them with circumstances of savage 
 cruelty. The commander of the party who disgraced 
 themselves by this foul deed, was the English General 
 Grey. Colonel Baylor's detachment consisted of one hun- 
 dred and four horsemen; the attack was so sudden, that 
 they were entirely defenceless, and the enemy immediately 
 commenced the horrid work of slaughter; their entreaties 
 and cries for mercy were totally disregarded by their sav- 
 age foes. It has been well ascertained that the British 
 soldiers were ordered by their inhuman officers to bayonet 
 every man they could lind, and to give no quarter. Major- 
 General Lord Stirling, having by request ascertained the 
 particulars respecting this execrable transaction, makes 
 the following statement: "On its being intimated to me," 
 says his lordship, "that Congress were desirous to know 
 the particulars of the massacre of Colonel Baylor's regi- 
 ment, I desired Dr. Griffith, surgeon and chaplain to Gen- 
 eral Woodford's brigade, and who attended Colonel Baylor 
 and the other wounded persons, to collect all the evidence 
 he could of this barbarous affair. I have just now received 
 collections on this subject." The collection contains the 
 affidavits and depositions of a number of soldiers belonging 
 to that unfortunate regiment, who solemnly declare that 
 after they had surrendered and asked for quarter, it was 
 refused. Thomas Hutcliinson, sergeant of the thiid troop, 
 escaped unhurt; but heard the British soldiers cry out, 
 "Sliver him!" repeatedly. Cullency, of the first troop, 
 who received twelve wounds, sa^^s, "that when the enemy 
 entered the barn where his troops lay, he and the men 
 asked for quarter, and were refused ; that the British cap- 
 tain, Bull, after inquiring how many of the rebels were 
 dead, on being told the number, ordered all the rest to be 
 knocked on the head, and that his orders were executed 
 on five or six of the wounded." Benson, of the second 
 troop, received also twelve wounds; he declared he heard 
 
MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1778. 151 
 
 the men in the barn with him ask for quarter, which was 
 returned with wounds and abusive language; he thought 
 it in vain to ask for quarter himself, as he heard the sol- 
 diers reply to others that begged it, "that their captain 
 had ordered them to stab all, and make no prisoners." 
 Thomas Talley, of the sixth troop, received six wounds; 
 he declared, "that after the enemy had taken him and 
 partly stripped him, the soldiers inquiring of their captain 
 what should be done with him, he ordered him to be killed, 
 and after that he received six wounds in his breast with 
 their bayonets at different times." Soutlnvard^ of the fifth 
 troop, says, that five men out of thirteen of their regiment, 
 in the barn with him, were killed outright, and the rest, 
 excepting himself, bayoneted; that he heard the British 
 officer order his men to put all to death, and afterwards 
 ask if they had finished all; that they offered quarters to 
 some, who on surrendering themselves, they bayoneted." 
 The depositions of seven others, attested by Governor 
 Livingston of New Jersey, confirm the above declarations. 
 Mr. Morris^ lieutenant and adjutant in Baylor's regiment, 
 received seven wounds; he declared that, on begging his 
 life after he had surrendered, they replied, "Yes, d — n 
 you, we will give you quarters!" and then rushed on and 
 stabbed him with their bayonets, and stripped him of all 
 his clothes. It is a melancholy and awfal consideration, 
 that any unnecessary severity should be put in practice 
 to aggravate the common horrors of war. Britain, who 
 boasts of her bravery, her progress in the polite arts, and 
 generosity of temper, has, in her manner of conducting 
 the war in America, most infamously outraged all the laws 
 of htimanity, and set an example of savage brutality, de- 
 testable to every civilized people, and to every friend of 
 human kind. They are destroying the character of their 
 nation in the eyes of all the world. Witness their fatal 
 prison-ships, their murders in cold blood, their wanton 
 burning and devastations, their licentious abuses, which 
 exhibit a picture of barbarity scarcely to be credited among 
 civilized nations. What then must be our situation, should 
 our country ever be reduced to an absolute subjection to 
 such a mean-spirited people? These considerations should 
 awaken every motive that can animate a manly bosom, to 
 despise every danger in repelling from our shores such 
 
11^52 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1778. 
 
 barbarous invaders, and in humbling sucli unprincipled 
 foes to our freedom. 
 
 His excellency the commander-in-chief made a visit to 
 our hospital; his arrival was scarcely announced, before 
 he presented himself at our doors. Dr. Williams and 
 myself had the honor to wait on this great and truly good 
 man through the different wards, and to replj' to his 
 inquiries relative to the condition of our patients. He 
 appeared to take a deep interest in the situation of the sick 
 and wounded soldiers, and inquired particularly as to their 
 treatment and comfortable accommodations. Not being 
 apprised of his intended visit in time to make preparation 
 for his reception, we were not entirely free from embar- 
 rassment, but we had the inexpressible satisfaction of re- 
 ceiving his excellency's approbation oCour conduct, as 
 
 "^ respects the duties of our department. ; The personal aji- 
 pearance of our commander-in-chief, is That of the perfect 
 gentleman and accomplished warrior. He is remarkably 
 tall, full six feet, erect and well proportioned. The strength 
 and proportion of his joints and muscles appear to be 
 commensurate with the preeminent powers of his mind. 
 The serenity of his countenance, and majestic gracefulness 
 of his deportment, impart a strong impression of that dig- 
 nity and grandeur which are his peculiar characteristics, 
 and no one can stand in his presence without feeling the 
 ascendancy of his mind, and associating with his counte- 
 nance the idea of wisdom, philanthropy, magnanimity, 
 and patriotism. There is a fine symmetry in the features 
 of his face, indicative of a benign and dignified spirit. 
 His nose is strait, and his eyes inclined to blue. He 
 wears his hair in a becoming cue, and from his forehead 
 it is turned back and powdered in a manner which adds 
 to the military air of his appearance. He displaj^s a native 
 gravity, but devoid of all appearance of ostentation. His 
 uniform dress is a blue coat, with two brilliant epaulettes, 
 buff-colored under-clothes, and a three-cornered hat, with 
 a black cockade. He is constantly equipped with an ele- 
 gant small-sword, boots and spurs, in readiness to mount 
 
 - his noble charge^ There is not in the present age, per- 
 haps, another man so eminently qualified to discharge the 
 arduous duties of the exalted station he is called to sustain, 
 amidst difficulties which to others would appear insur- 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1778. 153 
 
 mountable, nor could any man have more at command 
 the veneration and regard of the officers and soldiers of 
 our army, even after defeat and misfortune. This is the 
 illustrious chief whom a kind Providence has decreed as 
 the instrument to conduct our country to peace and to 
 independence. 
 
 Major-General Schuyler, having for more than a year 
 been suspended from military command, in consequence 
 of his concurrent responsibility respecting the evacuation 
 of Ticonderoga, in tfuly, 1777, has at length undergone 
 his trial by a court-martial, of which Major-General Lin- 
 coln was president, and is' acquitted, with the highest 
 honor, of the charge exhibited against him. This excel- 
 lent officer has finally obtained that justice which, from 
 undue prejudice, has so long been denied him. 
 
 Major-General Arthur St. Clair has also by the same 
 court been acquitted with the highest honor of the charge 
 exhibited against him, of evacuating the post at Ticonder- 
 oga. His masterly defence before the court is admired for 
 the display of superior intellect, sound principle, pure in- 
 tegrity, and correctness of judgment. General St. Clair, 
 it is presumed, will never receive an adequate compensa- 
 tion for the unmerited contumely which he has experi- 
 enced fnjm Congress and the public. It is the height of 
 injustice to subject a man of established character to suifer 
 in reputation and in sensibility, mei'ely from surmise and 
 suspicion; and the injury is greatly aggravated when the 
 accused is long held up to public odium, and not permit- 
 ted to adduce evidence in his own vindication. General 
 St. Chiir lias frequently been heard to express a conscious- 
 ness of the upi'ightness and propriety of his conduct, and 
 to despise the vague censure of an uninformed populace; 
 and when Burgoyne was advancing into the country, he 
 said he had the most sanguine hope that the progress of 
 the enemy would be checked, and that he should have 
 the satisfaction to experience that, though he had lost a j^ost^ 
 he had eventually saved the state. This hope he has realized 
 in its fullest extent, by the event that the British com- 
 mander and army, to whom he surrendered a post, has 
 since been compelled to submit as captives to our army. 
 General St. Clair was an officer in the army of General 
 Wolfe, and was in the battle in which that celebrated com- 
 
254 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1778. 
 
 mander was slain on the Plains of Abraham. He was 
 estimated as a young officer of merit, capable of obtaining 
 a hio"h grade of military reputation. Soon after the com- 
 mencement of hostilities, in 1775, he was, without his 
 solicitation, appointed to the office of colonel, and he 
 marched with his regiment into Canada, where he ren- 
 dered very important services. He was subsequently pro- 
 moted to the rank of major-general, and on all occasions 
 supported an honorable distinction, and shared largely in 
 the confidence and friendship of the commander-in-chief. 
 
 Novamher 3d — Having made a visit to Fishkill, I re- 
 turned in company with Dr. Treat, our physician-general, 
 and found a large number of gentlemen collecting to par- 
 take of an entertainment, by invitation of Brigadier-Gen- 
 eral Muhlenburg, who occupies a room in our hospital. 
 The guests consisted of forty-one respectable officers, and 
 our tables were furnished with fourteen different dishes, 
 arranged in fashionable style. After dinner, Major-Gen- 
 eral Putnam was requested to preside, and he displayed 
 no less urbanity at the head of the table than bravery at 
 the head of his division. A number of toasts were pro- 
 nounced, accompanied with humorous and merry songs. 
 In the evening we were cheered with militar}^ music and 
 dancing, which continued till a late hour in the night. 
 General Muhlenburg was a minister of a parish in Vir- 
 ginia, but participating in the spirit of the times, exchanged 
 his clerical profession for that of a soldier. Having in his 
 pulpit inculcated the principles of liberty and the cause 
 of his country, he found no difficulty in enlisting a regi- 
 ment of soldiers, and he was appointed their commander. 
 He entered his pulpit with his sword and cockade, preach- 
 ed his farewell sermon, and the next day marched at the 
 head of his regiment to join the army, and he does honor 
 to the military profession. 
 
 10/A. — Having for a long time served in the hospital 
 department, and having no claim to promotion there, I 
 resolved to relinquish that station, and accept the appoint- 
 ment of surgeon to the first Virginia state regiment, com- 
 manded by Colonel George Gibson. Being introduced to 
 the officers of the regiment, I received a polite invitation 
 to take my quarters in the marquee with Colonel Gibson 
 
MILITAEY JOUKNAL, 1778. 155 
 
 and his lieutenant-colonel, William Brent. Thomas Mer- 
 iweather is his major. 
 
 18th. — Kode to the village of Fishkill, breakfasted with 
 Dr. Treat and Colonel Hayes, and waited on Dr. John 
 Cochran, who is now in close attendance on the Marqnis 
 de la Fayette, who is dangerously sick with a fever. 
 
 2Sd. — We have now had a long respite from battles and 
 skirmishes, the season for the campaign is about expiring, 
 and no one can boast of .having achieved deeds of much 
 fame and glory. As we are stationed at a considerable 
 distance from the enemy at New Yoik, we feel secure 
 from the annoyance of the dogs of war ; and military duty 
 not being very urgent, our officers appear disposed to 
 relax in their discipline, and contract a Ijabit approaching 
 to dissipation. They have adopted the |ir:tclice of giving 
 suppers alternately, with music and daueing through half 
 the nia^ht. These are the favorite amusements of the Vir- 
 ginia and Maryland officers, but they do not accord pre- 
 cisely with my own views of time well spent, though I 
 am frequently enticed to a participation in their banquet- 
 ing revels. 
 
 24:th. — I accepted an invitation to dine with Captain 
 Carter, at AVest Point. He is a gentleman of independent 
 fortune, and lives in splendid style. His guests were 
 numerous and highly respectable, and the entertainment 
 rich and arranged with taste. 
 
 25ih. — Dined with General Mulilenburg, in company 
 with several Virginia officers, and, as usual, closed the 
 day with music and dancing. 
 
 27th. — Visited my friends at Fishkill, and by the re- 
 quest of Colonel Gibson I waited on the Marquis de la 
 Fayette. The colonel furnished me with a letter of in- 
 troduction and his compliments, with inquiries respecting 
 the marquis's health, I was received by this nobleman 
 in a polite and affable manner. He is just recovering 
 from a fever, and was in his chair of convalescence. He 
 is nearly six feet high, large, but not corpulent, being not 
 more than twenty-one years of age. He is not very ele- 
 gant in his fjrm, his shoulders being broad and high, nor 
 is there a perfect symmetry in his features; his forehead 
 is remarkably high, his nose large and long, eyebrows 
 prominent, and projecting over a fine animated hazel eye. 
 
j, g0 MILITARY JOURNAL, 1778. 
 
 His countenance is interesting and impressive. He con- 
 ver.^es in broken English, and displays the manners and 
 address of an accomplished gentleman. Considering him 
 a French nobleman of distinguished character, and a great 
 favorite of General Washington, I felt myself highly hon- 
 ored by this interview.* 
 
 DeceiDhei- loih. — At a settlement called Cherry Valley, 
 about sixty miles above Albany, Colonel Alden, of Dux- 
 bury, Massachusetts, "was stationed with about two hun- 
 dred and fifty continental troojis, to protect the inhabitants 
 from the incursions of the frontier enemy. It is now an- 
 nounced that a bod}^ consisting of about seven hundred 
 Indians, tories and soldiers assaulted our party, massacred 
 Colonel Alden, several of the inhabitants, men, women 
 and children, and made prisoners of the lieutenant-colonel 
 and many of the inhabitants. The account states that one 
 hundred and eiglity of the surviving inhabitants had 
 neither house nor provisions, were almost naked, and 
 destitute of money to provide necessaries. 
 
 Our division, commanded by General Putnam, marched 
 according to general orders from our encampment near 
 Robinson's house, 28th November; arrived at King's 
 ferry, twelve miles, and encamped; 29th, crossed the 
 North river in batteaux, and pitched our camp on the 
 Jersey shore; 30th, marched twelve miles only, in a 
 severe storm of snow and sleet, encamped near the small 
 town of Kakiat. December 1st and 2d, passed through 
 Paramus and Aquackanock, twenty-six miles. These 
 towns are inhabited chiefly by Dutch people; their 
 churches and dwelling-houses are built mostly of rough 
 stone, one story high. There is a peculiar neatness in the 
 appearance of their dwellings, having an airy piazza sup- 
 ported by pillars in front, and their kitchens connected at 
 tlie ends in the form of wings. The land is remarkably 
 level, and the soil fertile; and being generally advan- 
 tageously cultivated, the people appear to enjoy ease and 
 happy competency. The furniture in their houses is of 
 the most ordinary kind, and such as might be supposed 
 to accord with the fashion of the days of Queen Anne. 
 They despise the superfluities of life, and are ambitious to 
 
 * For the character of the marquis, see Appendix. 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1778 157 
 
 appear always neat and cleanly, and never to complain of 
 an empty purse. 
 
 Pursued our route on the 8d, passed through Westfield, 
 and part of Newark, a handsome village situated on a 
 river of that name, which is navigable to New York, dis- 
 tance eight miles. In this village there is a public acad- 
 emy and several handsome churches. This is the garden 
 of New Jersey, it is a most delightful country, uniformly 
 level, and every acre abundantly productive. 4th, marched 
 through Springfield, a small but handsome English town. 
 Encamped near the village of Scotch Plains. Here we 
 received orders by express from head-quarters to halt, in 
 consequence of some movement of the enemy in New 
 York. 9th, ordered to resume our march ; passed through 
 Quibbletown and the village of Middle-brook. In this 
 vicinity we are erecting log huts for our winter-quarters. 
 
 I called at a house with Colonel Gibson and other offi- 
 cers to view a phenomenon in the human form — a child 
 that has grown to an enormous size at the age of seven 
 years; he measures three feet six inches round his breast, 
 and three feet nine inches round his belly, his limbs and 
 joints are proportionably large, and he weighs one hun- 
 dred and thirty pounds. I was informed by the boy's 
 mother that she discovered in him an extraordinary growth 
 when two years old, since which he has increased very 
 rapidly. He enjoys good health, and is not deficient in 
 capacity. 
 
 30th. — Our officers have not permitted the Christmas 
 days to pass unnoticed, not a day without receiving invita- 
 tions to dine, nor a night without amusement and dancing. 
 I dine to-day with General Muhlenburg. Our soldiers are 
 constantly employed in cutting down trees and building 
 log huts for our winter's accommodation, and we are 
 obliged to live in our uncomfortable tents till they can be 
 completed. This is appropriated as a day of Thanksgiv- 
 ing throughout the state. Our brigade was paraded in 
 the field to attend divine service. Dr. Belmain, our 
 chaplain, delivered a judicious sermon, well adapted to 
 the occasion, adverting to the great cause in which we are 
 engaged, and enjoining a grateful reverence to the Al- 
 mighty Kuler of the universe, and a faithful discharge of 
 the duties incumbent on us in our several stations. 
 
158 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1779. 
 
 January Ist^ 1779. — Colonel Gibson made an entertain- 
 ment, and invited all the officers of his regiment to dine 
 at his quarters in the country a short distance from camp. 
 The table was amply furnished, and the guests did not 
 separate till evening, when we were requested to resort 
 to General Muhlenburg's quarters. Here we were intro- 
 duced to a number of ladies assembled to unite with the 
 gentlemen in the ball-room; a very elegant supper was 
 provided, and not one of the company was permitted to 
 retire till three o'clock in the morning. Thus have the 
 gallant Virginians commenced the new year, 
 
 February. — Having continued to live under cover of 
 canvas- tents most of the winter, we have suffered extremely 
 from exposure to cold and storms. Our soldiers have 
 been employed six or eight weeks in constructing log huts, 
 which at length are completed, and both officers and sol- 
 diers are now under comfortable covering for the remain- 
 der of the winter. Log houses are constructed with the 
 trunks of trees cut into various lengths, according to the 
 size intended, and are firmly connected by notches cut at 
 their extremities in the manner of dovetailing. The va- 
 cancies between the logs are filled in with plastering con- 
 sisting of mud and clay. The roof is formed of similar 
 pieces of timber, and covered with hewn slabs. The 
 chimney, situated at one end of the house, is made of 
 similar but smaller timber, and both the inner and the 
 outer side are covered with clay plaster, to defend the 
 wood against the fire. The door and windows are formed 
 by sawing away a part of the logs of a proper size, and 
 move on wooden hinges. In this manner have our sol- 
 diers, without nails, and almost without tools, except the 
 axe and saw, provided for their officers and for themselves 
 comfortable and convenient quarters, with little or no ex- 
 pense to the public. The huts are arranged in strait lines, 
 forming a regular, uniform, compact village. The officers' 
 huts are situated in front of the line, according to their 
 rank, the kitchens in the rear, and the whole is similar in 
 form to a tent encampment. The ground for a consider- 
 able distance in front of the soldiers' line of huts is cleared 
 of wood, stumps and rubbish, and is every morning swept 
 clean for the purpose of a parade-ground and roll-call for 
 the respective regiments. The officers' huts are in general 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1779 159 
 
 divided into two apartments, and are occupied by three 
 or tour officers, who compose one mess. Those for the 
 soldiers have but one room, and contain ten or twelve 
 men, with their cabins placed one above another against 
 the walls, and filled with straw, and one blanket for each 
 man. I now occupy a hut with our field-officers. Colonel 
 Gibson, Lieutenant-Colonel Brent, and Major Meriweather. 
 
 'ith. — A duel has lately been fought between a surgeon 
 and an adjutant in General Scott's brigade; the former 
 received a bad wound, and the latter escaped with honor. 
 "Who will hesitate," says one, "to exchange a few shots 
 with a friend to obtain the appellation of a gentleman of 
 honor? If I kill my antagonist I have the satisiaction of 
 settling a point of honor! If I receive a ball through my 
 own heart, I die in the glorious cause of honor! 'You 
 have offended me in a delicate point,' says an officer to his 
 friend, 'and I now demriud of you the satisfaction of a 
 gentleman: I have settled my affairs, and prepared myself 
 to die, if that shall be my fate.' — 'Then,' replied the 
 other, 'we cannot fight on equal terms, for I have not 
 had time to do either.' " 
 
 The anniversary of our alliance with France was cele- 
 brated in proper style a few daj^s since near head-quarters, 
 at Pluckemin. A splendid entertainment was given by 
 General Knox and the officers of artillery. General 
 Washington and his lady, with the principal officers of 
 the army and their ladies, and a considerable number of 
 respectable ladies and gentlemen of the state of New Jer- 
 sey, formed the brilliant assembly. About four o'clock 
 sixteen cannon were discharged, and the company col- 
 lected in a large public building to partake of an elegant 
 dinner. In the evening a very beautiful set of fire-works 
 was exhibited, and the celebration was concluded by a 
 splendid ball, opened by his Excellency General Wash- 
 ington, having for his partner the lady of General Knox. 
 
 ^'oih. — A party of the enemy made an attempt yester- ' 
 day to surprise our troops stationed at Elizabethtown, 
 under the command of General Maxwell, but the vigilance 
 of the general prevented their success. They sent a party 
 to capture Governor Livingston, of New Jersey, but in this 
 attempt they were also frustrated. After burning and 
 plundering a few houses, they returned to Staten Island, 
 
IQQ MILITAEY JOUKNAL, 1779. 
 
 but were pursued by General Maxwell's brigade, wbicb 
 occasioned the loss of a few men on each side. 
 
 His excellency the commander-in-chief has long been 
 in the practice of inviting a certain number of officers to 
 dine at his table every day. It is not to be supposed that 
 his excellency can be made acquainted with every officer 
 by name, but the invitations are given through the medium 
 of general orders, in which is mentioned the brigade from 
 which the officer is expected. Yesterday I accompanied 
 Major Cavil to head-quarters, and had the honor of being 
 numbered among the guests at the table of liis excellency, 
 with his lady, two young ladies from Virginia, the gen- 
 tlemen who compose his famil}^, and several other officers. 
 
 It is natural to view with keen attention the counte- 
 nance of an illustrious man, with a secret hope of discover- 
 ing in his features some peculiar traces of excellence, which 
 distinguishes him from and elevates him above his fellow- 
 mortals. These expectations are realized in a peculiar 
 manner in viewing the person of General Washington. 
 His tall and noble stature and just proportions — his fine, 
 cheerful, open countenance — simple and modest deport- 
 ment — are all calculated to interest every beholder in his 
 favor, and to command veneration and respect. He is 
 feared even when silent, and beloved even while we are 
 unconscious of the motive. The table was elegantly fur- 
 nished, and the provisions ample, but not abounding in 
 superfluities. The civilities of the table were performed 
 by Colonel Hamilton and the other gentlemen of the fam- 
 ily, the general and lady being seated at the side of the 
 table. In conversation, his excellency's expressive coun- 
 tenance is peculiarly interesting and pleasing; a placid 
 smile is frequently observed on his lips, but a loud laugh, 
 it is said, seldom, if ever, escapes him. He is polite and 
 attentive to each individual at table, and retires after the 
 compliments of a few glasses. Mrs. Washington combines 
 in an uncommon degree great dignity of manner with the 
 most pleasing affability, but possesses no striking marks 
 of beauty. I learn from the Virginia officers that Mrs. 
 Washington has ever been honored as a lady of distin- 
 guished goodness, possessing all the virtues which adorn 
 her sex, amiable in her temper and deportment, full of 
 benignity, benevolence and charity, seeking for objects of 
 
MILITAKY JOUENAL, 1779. 161 
 
 affliction and poverty, that she may extend to the suffer- 
 ers the hand of kindness and rehef. These surely are 
 the attributes which reveal a heart replete with those 
 virtues which are so appropriate and estimable in the 
 female character. 
 
 Afril ISth. — We have passed a winter remarkably mild 
 and moderate ; since the 10th of January, we have scarcely 
 had a fall of snow, or a frost, and no severe weather. At 
 the beginning of this month the weather was so mild that 
 vegetation began to appear; the fruit-trees were budded 
 on the 1st, and in full blossom on the 10th. In Virginia 
 the peach-trees were in blossom on the 14th of February, 
 but a small frost since has, it is feared, proved fatal to 
 the fruit. 
 
 14:ih. — I accompanied several gentlemen to the village 
 of Middle-brook, where a number of horses were offered 
 for sale; I purchased a handsome young bay for six hun- 
 dred dollars. This shows the depreciated value of the 
 paper money, which we receive for pay; the horse could 
 not be valued at more than eighty dollars in silver. 
 
 16th. — The oflEicers of our regiment provided a genteel 
 entertainment, and invited Generals Woodford, Small- 
 wood, and Muhlenburg, with all the officers of the Virginia 
 line, as our guests. Our table was furnished with an 
 ample variety of dishes, aud the choicest liquors that could 
 be procured. 
 
 20th. — Five soldiers were conducted to the gallows, ac- 
 cording to their sentence, for the crimes of desertion and 
 robbing the inhabitants. A detachment of troops and a 
 concourse of people formed a circle round the gallows, 
 and the criminals were brought in a cart, sitting on their 
 coffins, and halters about their necks. While in this 
 awful situation, trembling on the verge of eternity, three 
 of them received a pardon from the commander-in-chief, 
 who is always tenderly disposed to spare the lives of his 
 soldiers. They acknowledged the j ustice of their sentence, 
 and expressed the warmest thankfulness and gratitude for 
 their merciful pardon. The two others were obliged to 
 submit to their fate; one of them was accompanied to the 
 fatal spot by an affectionate and sympathizing brother, 
 which rendered the scene uncommonly distressing, and 
 forced tears of compassion from the eyes of numerous 
 
]^g2 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1779. 
 
 spectators. They repeatedly embraced and kissed eacli 
 other, with all the fervor of brotherly love, and would 
 not be separated till the executioner was obliged to per- 
 form his duty, when, with a flood of tears, and mournful 
 lamentations, they bade each other an eternal adieu — the 
 criminal, trembling under the horrors of an untimely and 
 disgraceful death — and the brother, overwhelmed with 
 sorrow and anguish for one whom he held most dear. 
 
 May \st. — Thirteen cannon have just announced the 
 arrival of M. Gerard, the French minister, and a gentleman 
 of distinction from Spain, by the name of Don Juan de 
 Mirrilliars; and preparations are making to affoi'd these 
 foreign gentlemen an opportunity of reviewing our army. 
 
 2c/. — The whole of our army in this quarter was paraded 
 in martial array in aspaci'ms field, and a stage was erected 
 for the accommodation of the ladies and gentlemen spec- 
 tators. At the signal of thirteen cannon, the great and 
 splendid cavalcade approached in martial pomp and style. 
 A very beautiful troop of light-horse, commanded by 
 Major Lee, a Virginian, marched in front, then followed 
 his excellency the commander-in-chief and his aids-de- 
 camp, next the foreign ministers and their retinue, and 
 the general officers of our army and their aids, closed the 
 procession. Having arrived on the field of pai'ade, the 
 commander-in-chief, with the foreign ministers and general 
 officers, passed in front of the line of the army, from right 
 to left, in review, and received the military honors due to 
 their rank; after which, the gentlemen dismounted and 
 retired to the stage, and took seats with Mrs. Washington, 
 Mrs. Greene, Mrs. Knox, and a number of other ladies, 
 who had arrived in their carriages. The army then per- 
 formed the field manoeuvres and evolutions, with firing of 
 cannon and musketry. The business of the day was 
 closed by the troops deploying, and marching in fiont of 
 the stage, and paying the marching salute to their excel- 
 lencies. The whole performance was conducted with such 
 marked regularity and precision, as to reflect great honor 
 on the character of our army, and aftbrd the commander- 
 in-chief and the spectators the highest degree of satisfac- 
 tion. On this occasion we cannot but pride ourselves on 
 the conspicuous figure exhibited by our commander-in- 
 chief. While mounted on his noble bay charger, his 
 
BJIROJ^ STEUBEJV. P. 163. 
 
MILITARY JOUENAL, 1779. Ig3 
 
 stature appears remarkable; and being a good horseman, 
 be displays a lofty carriage, and benign dignity of de- 
 meanor, and I hope not to incur the charge of undue 
 partiality, when I sa}^, his appearance was incomparably 
 more majestic and dignified than either of his illustrious 
 visitors, 
 
 l-ith. — Our brigade was paraded for the purpose of being 
 reviewed by General Washington and a number of Indian 
 chiefs. His excellency, with his usual dignity, followed 
 by his mulatto servant Bill, riding a beautiful gray steed, 
 passed in front of the line, and received the salute. He 
 was accompanied by a singular group of savages, whose 
 appearance wae beyond description ludicrous. Their 
 horses were of the meanest kind, some of them destitute 
 of saddles, and old lines were used for bridles. Their 
 personal decorations were equally farcical, having their 
 laces painted of various colors, jewels suspended from 
 their ears and nose, their heads without covering, except 
 tufts of hair on the crown, and some of them wore dirty 
 blankets over their shoulders waving in the wind. In 
 short, they exhibited a novel and truly disgusting specta- 
 cle. But his excellency deems it good policy to pay some 
 attention to this tribe of the wilderness, and to convince 
 them of the strength and discipline of our army, that they 
 may be encouraged, if disposed to be friendly, or deterred 
 from aggression, if they should become hostile to our 
 country. 
 
 2Sth. — The Baron Steuben reviewed and inspected our 
 brigade. The troops were paraded in a single line with 
 shouldered arms, every oflEicer in his particular station. 
 The baron first reviewed the line in this position, passing 
 in front with a scrutinizing eye; after which, he took into 
 his hand the muskets and accoutrements of every soldier, 
 examining them with particular accuracy and precision, 
 applauding or condemning, according to the condition in 
 which he found them. He required that the musket and 
 bayonet should exhibit the brightest polish; not a spot of 
 rust or defect in any part could elude his vigilance. He 
 inquired also into the conduct of the officers towards their 
 men, censuring every fault and applauding every merito- 
 rious action. Next he required of me, as surgeon, a li§t 
 of the sick, with a particular statement of their accommo- 
 
154 MILITARY JOUENAL, 1779. 
 
 dations and mode of treatment, and even visited some of 
 the sick in their cabins. The baron has sustained the 
 office of aid-de-camp to his Majesty the King of Prussia, 
 and is now inspector-general with the rank of major-gen- 
 eral in our army. He appears to be about fift}^ years of 
 age, and is venerable and dignified in his deportment, rich 
 and elegant in dress, having a splendid medal of gold and 
 diamonds, designating the order oi fidelity^ suspended at 
 his breast. He is held in universal respect, and consid- 
 ered as a valuable acquisition to our country. He is dis- 
 tinguished for his profound knowledge of tactics, his 
 ability to reform and discipline an army — for his affection- 
 ate attachment to a good and faithful soMier, and liis utter 
 aversion to every appearance of insubordination and neg- 
 lect of duty. The continental army has improved with 
 great rapidity under his inspection and review. 
 
 30/A. — Dined with Major Storer, at his quarters in the 
 country. Spent a few hours at General St. Clair's quar- 
 ters, with Dr. McKenzie and Major Dunn, and called on 
 Colonel Scammel at the adjutant-general's office. 
 
 June 10th. — Smith's Clove is a fine level plain of rich 
 land, situated at the foot of the high mountains on the 
 west side of Hudson river. It is about fourteen miles in 
 the rear of the garrison at West Point, and surrounded on 
 all sides by the highlands. The few families who reside 
 here find a profitable employment in cultivating the fertile 
 soil. Oar brigade marched from quarters at Middle-brook 
 on the 2d instant, and arrived at Morristown, where we 
 received orders to leave all our heavy baggage, and pro- 
 ceed with all possible expedition, as the enemy was ad- 
 vancing towards West Point. Marched rapidly through 
 Tro}^, Pompton ffnd Eingwood, and on the 7th instant, 
 encamped in the Clove. By a number of deserters from 
 the enemy, information has been received that the greater 
 part of the British army is advancing, and is now near 
 King's ferry, only thirteen miles below West Point; and 
 that part of their fleet is proceeding up the river: their 
 object is supposed to be the garrison at West Point. For 
 the security of this very important post, General Wash- 
 ington has arranged his army as follows: Three divisions, 
 consisting of the Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania 
 troops, commanded by Major-Generals Lord Stirling, 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1779. . lt}5 
 
 Baron de Kalb, and Major-General St. Clair, form the 
 right wing, and is commanded by General Putnam as the 
 senior major-general, and posted at Smith's Clove. All 
 the New England troops, including the militia, compose 
 the left wing, and are so distributed at West Point and 
 its vicinity, on the east side of the river, as to guard all 
 the passes leading to the garrison. Our army thus posted 
 is supposed to be adequate to the defence of the garrison 
 against all the force which the enemy can bring in array 
 against it; and such is the confidence among our officers, 
 that many of them express a strong desire that the royal 
 troops would afford an opportunity to try our strength 
 and courage. Should this be the event, the struggle must 
 indeed be violent, and the slaughter immense. The Brit- 
 ish commander, however, not deeming it prudent to haz- 
 ard a battle, after a few days retired to New York. 
 
 12//^ — Two officers of our regiment have just had 
 occasion to adjust an affair of honor. Captain E. had, 
 given offence to Captain H., and a challenge ensued. 
 Captain E. was well apprised that if the ball from the 
 pistol of his antagonist should pass through his heart, it 
 would produce immediate death : of course it was most 
 prudent to decline the hazardous combat. But the con- 
 sequence is, he subjected himself to a contest of a less hon- 
 orable nature. His antagonist inflicted the chastisement 
 of the horse-whip. This he supported with wonderful 
 fortitude and magnanimity; apprehending, probably, that 
 powder and ball might prove more disastrous than the 
 chastisement which he had received. But his brother- 
 officers treated him with contempt, and threatened to hoot 
 him out of camp. There is a kind of mechanical courage 
 excited by the necessit}^ of the occasion, which may push 
 a coward to venture on an act of heroism. This fact was 
 nov exemplified ; for Captain E., reduced to the alterna- 
 tive of retrieving his character in a spirited manner, or 
 of quitting the army in disgrace, came to the desperate 
 resolution of deciding his fate by facing his bold antago- 
 nist in single combat. The usual arrangements being 
 made, my services as surgeon were held in requisition. 
 The parlies took their stand at ten paces, and each dis- 
 charged his pistol. But behold, a harmless explosion! no 
 blood shed, not even a hair of their heads injured. But 
 
163 MILITAKY JOUKNAL, 1779. 
 
 tlie combatants conducted like gentlemen of honor: of 
 course, harmony and mutual friendship were restored. 
 Captain E. has the best cause of triumph, for he has res- 
 cued his character from the stigma of poltroon, to an hon- 
 orable standing among the gentlemen officers. 
 
 14^/1. — I rode with Major Meriweather to West Point; 
 took our route through the woods, over abrupt and rocky 
 mountains, almost impassable for our horses. Spent an 
 hour at General Parsons's head-quarters, then crossed the 
 North river to Fishkill. The next day we recrossed at 
 Fishkill-landing, and rode to New AVindsor, thence we 
 visited my friend Colonel Malcolm at his seat fourteen 
 miles in the country. This gentleman, having resigned 
 his office in the army, is beautifully situated on a farm 
 wesfof the Hudson, retired from the bustle of war, and 
 devoted to domestic affairs and rural enjoyments. We 
 spent the night with this agreeable family, and Mrs. Mal- 
 colm received in the evening the visits of a number of 
 ladies and gentlemen. We returned to our camp the next 
 morning, and found the brigade under marching orders. 
 
 16/A. — We marched from Smith's Clove through a thick 
 wilderness, and over the prodigious highland mountains. 
 My curiosity was excited by. a vast number of huge rocks, 
 marked with fissures and cavities, occasioned by some 
 stupendous power beyond our comprehension. These, 
 with various brooks, winding in every direction, among 
 rude clefts and precipices, afford a singular and romantic 
 landscape. Our path was narrow and rugged, and proba- 
 bly will not again be traversed but by savages and wild 
 beasts. We arrived here in the evening, without our 
 baggage, and were obliged to seek lodgings among our 
 friends. The next day dined with Dr. I, Thomas, and 
 accompanied him to General Patterson's quarters, where 
 we spent the evening, and I was introduced to Major Has- 
 kill, aid-de-camp to General Patterson. He is a native of 
 Rochester, and Dr. Thomas of Plymouth, Massachusetts. 
 
 20lh. — I have lately been favored with a letter from my 
 friend Dr. D. Townsend, who is a surgeon in the military 
 hospital at Providence, state of Rhode Island. He invites 
 me to accept of the office of surgeon to the Massachusetts 
 regiment, commanded by Colonel Henry Jackson, which 
 is now stationed at that place. My principal inducement 
 
MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1779. 167 
 
 to exchange my present station for the proposed new ap- 
 pointment is, that Colonel Jackson and all his officers are 
 from my native state, and there is a prospect of receiving 
 some compensation in clothing and other articles to which 
 I could have no claim while serving in the Virginia line. 
 It is proper, and on many accounts convenient, that offi- 
 cers should serve in the line of their own state; and 
 though I have enjoyed the most friendly intercourse, and 
 numerous kind favors from the Virginians, yet I cannot 
 but prefer the manners and habits of the New Engianders. 
 
 21si!.— The officers of our regiment invited a select num- 
 ber of officers of the Pennsylvania line to dine on sturgeon, 
 a large fish which Major Meriweather caught in the North 
 river. This fish is a favorite with the Dutch, at Albany, 
 and is on that account by some called Albany beef; but 
 in my view it is worse than horse beef, and it was merely 
 an auxiliary to our table. 
 
 24:th.—l have just had the satisfaction, with a number 
 of gentlemen, of viewing a remarkably large fat ox, which 
 has been presented by some gentlemen in Connecticut to 
 his Excellency General Washington. He is six feet seven 
 inches high, and weighs on the hoof three thousand five 
 hundred pounds, the largest animal I ever beheld. 
 
 Having resolved to resign my commission in Colonel 
 Gibson's regiment, I shall in a few days commence my 
 journey to Providence, and join the regiment commanded 
 by, Colonel H. Jackson. Colonel Gibson has favored me 
 with a complimentary certificate of my services. It is 
 with sincere regret that I bid adieu to those associates, for 
 whom I have a strong attachment. 
 
 July Ist. — Engaged to spend this evening with General 
 Patterson and Dr. Crowell, and to breakfast with the Rev. 
 Mr. Avery and Mr. Hitchcock, and shall immediately set 
 olf for Providence, in company with Dr. Skinner. 
 
 I left West Point, in company with Dr. Skinner, on the 
 2d instant, and on the 3d arrived at CVompond, where my 
 favorite young horse was seized with the horse distemper, 
 and I was put to the cruel necessity of disposing of him 
 for not one-half his real value. Pursued our journey 
 through Litchfield and Farmington, in Connecticut, and 
 the next day reached Hartford, a well-built, handsome 
 town on Connecticut river, and the capital of that state. 
 
-^QQ MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1779. 
 
 Having crossed over to East Hartford, we found the wliole 
 country in a state of alarm in consequence of the enemy's 
 having landed at New Haven, and there committing dep- 
 redations among the inhabitants. A spirit of revenge 
 seemed to pervade the whole country, and the militia 
 were marching from all quarters to encounter and arrest 
 the progress of the invading foe. We passed through 
 Windham, and arrived at this place on the 8th instant. 
 Here I had an interview with my old friends Drs. Brown 
 and Townsend, surgeons of the hospital. I was by Dr. 
 Townsend introduced to Colonel Jaclrson and his officers, 
 and I commenced my duty by visiting the sick soldiers of 
 the regiment. The field-officers of this regiment are Col- 
 onel Henry Jackson, Lieutenant-Colonel David Cobb, and 
 Major Lemuel Trescott. It is now learned that the party 
 of the enemy that landed at New Haven was commanded 
 by Governor Tryon, and consisted of three thousand men. 
 They met with a powerful resistance from the militia, 
 which occasioned skirmishing, and a considerable loss on 
 each side. After plundering the inhabitants of Fairfield 
 and Norwalk, they maliciously destroyed both these flour- 
 ishing towns, with their houses of religious worship, by a 
 general conflagration. 
 
 ISth. — Dined with Colonel Jackson, and in the afternoon 
 rode with Major Trescott to Pawtuxet, a very pleasant 
 ride of about five miles, 
 
 21-s^. — By express from General Washington to General 
 Gat^s, we are informed of a glorious victory, which a 
 detachment of our arm}^, commanded by the intrepid 
 General AVayne, obtained over the enemy at Stony Point, 
 situated on the banks of the North river. In consequence 
 of this intelligence, thirteen cannon have been fired at the 
 several posts in this department. ' Extract from General 
 Gates' orders: 
 
 "Providence, July 2ls(, 1779. 
 "The general congratulates the army on the glorious success of 
 Brigadier-General Wayne, and the gallant troops under his command, 
 in taking by assault the enemy's fortified post at Stony Point, and, 
 witli tlie point of tiie bayonet alone, forcing the garrisun to surrender 
 at discretion, not one man escaping. This signal and brilliant victory 
 was gained with the loss of but fifteen men killed, and the general and 
 eiglity-three wounded, while, on the part of the enemy, five hundred 
 soldiers and twenty oflScers were killed, wounded and taken prisoners, 
 with all their cannon, arms, military-stores and provisions." 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1779. 169 
 
 SOth. — Dined at head-quarters with a number of gentle- 
 men; was introduced to General Gates by Dr. Brown. 
 General Gates is the commander-in-chief in this de{)art- 
 ment; his capture of General Burgoyne at Saratoga, in 
 1777, has given him eclat and popularity as a brave and 
 skillful warrior. He displays the complaisant manners 
 of a gentleman ; in conversation he is aft'able and interest- 
 ing, but appears better versed in military tactics than in 
 subjects appertaining to general science. He adopted the 
 profession of arms in his early days, and his prowess and 
 valor, as well as his zeal and partiality for our country, 
 are incontestably established. 
 
 Congress have recently passed the following resolve in 
 favor of an American heroine: "That Margaret Corbin, 
 who was wounded and disabled at the attack of Fort 
 Wiishington, while she heroically filled the post of her 
 husbaud, who was killed by her side, serving a piece of 
 ai tillery, do receive duiing her natural life, or the con- 
 tinuance of the said di^'abilitv, the one-half of the monthly 
 pay drawn by a soldier in the service of these states; and 
 that she now receive, out of the public stores, one com- 
 plete suit of clothes, or the value theretjf in money." 
 
 Mr. T., an ensign in our regiment, has for some time 
 discovered symptoms of mental derangement. He is fre- 
 quently strolling abroad, and amusing jieople with his wit 
 and humor, or arresting attention by his solemn appeals 
 to the Deity. Yesterday he intruded himself at Genei-al 
 Gates' head-quarters, and after some amusing conversation, 
 he put himself in the attitude of devotion, and prayed that 
 God would pardon General Gates for endeavoring to super- 
 sede that god-like man Washington. The generiil appeared 
 to be much disturbed, and directed Mr. Pierce, his aid-de- 
 camp, to take him away. Whether this address provoked 
 in the general a consciousness of the fact is unceitain, but 
 the subject is of such a delicate nature that no man in his 
 sober senses would have broached it to him. 
 
 August. — The British a few weeks since detached a 
 force ,from Halifax, and established a post on Penobscot 
 river, in the Province of Maine. Their force is supposed 
 to consist of about one thousand men, under command of 
 Brigadier-General Maclean, with several armed vessels, 
 which occupy the river. This invasion of our territory 
 
l^Q MILITAKY JOUENAL, 1779. 
 
 has excited the greatest indignation, and all classes of 
 people are burning with an ardent desire of revenge. The 
 General Court of Massachusetts have planned an expedi- 
 tion, lor the purpose of driving the invading foe from our 
 shores. Such was their zeal and confidence of success, 
 that it is said the General Court neither consulted any 
 experienced military character, nor desired the assistance 
 of any continental troops on this important enterprise — 
 thus taking on themselves the undivided responsibilit}!', 
 and reserving for their own heads all the laurels to be 
 derived from the anticipated conquest. They drafted one 
 thousand five hundred militia, and appointed General 
 Lovell, who acquired some reputation in Rhode Island, 
 under General Sullivan, the last year, to command the 
 expedition. They obtained of Congress the loan of the 
 United States frigate Warren, of thirty-two guns, and with 
 an unprecedented spirit of enterprise and industry, no less 
 than nineteen continental, state, and private ships, and 
 more than twenty transports, were specially equipped, and 
 prepared to cooperate with the land forces destined for 
 this service, With a laudable spirit of patriotism, and 
 animated by the flattering prospect of success, thirty 
 masters of merchant vessels in Newburyport honorably 
 volunteered their services as common seamen. Captain 
 Saltonstall was appointed commodore of the fleet, and took 
 his station on board the Warren frigate. This combined 
 force sailed about the 20th of July on their destined ser- 
 vice, but having some reason to apprehend a failure of 
 their enterprise, the Genera! Court have applied to General 
 Gates for permission for Colonel Jackson's regiment to re- 
 inforce General Lovell, to which he has assented, and we 
 are accordingly under marching orders. 
 
 Colonel Henry Jackson, who commands our regiment, 
 is a native of Boston; he is very respectable as a com- 
 mander, is gentlemanly in liis manners, strongly attached 
 to military affairs, and takes a peculiar pride in the dis- 
 cipline and martial appearance of his regiment. Many of 
 his officers are from Boston and its vicinity ; they appear 
 in handsome style, and are ambitious to display their taste 
 for military life and their zeal to contend with the enemies 
 of their country. Colonel Jackson, with his regiment, 
 acquired reputation by their gallantry in the battle on 
 
MILITARY JOUENAL, 1779. 171 
 
 Rhode Island, under Genernl Sullivan. Our regiment 
 consists of about four hundred men, in complete uniform, 
 well disciplined, and uot inferior to any in the continental 
 army. We commenced a forced march from Providence 
 on the 10th, and completed the forty miles in twenty-four 
 hours. A severe rain all night did not much impede our 
 march, But the troops were broken down with fatigue. 
 We reached Boston-neck at sun-rising, and near the en- 
 trance of the neck is a tavern having for its sign a repre- 
 sentation of a globe, with a man in the act of struggling 
 to get through it; his bead and shouldei's were out, his 
 arms extended, and the rest of his body inclosed in the 
 globe. On a label from bis mouth was written, "Oh! 
 how shall I get through this world?" This was read by 
 the soldiers, and one of them exclaimed, "List, d — n you, 
 list, and you will soon get through this world! Our regi- 
 ment will all be through it in an hour or two, if we don't 
 halt by the way." 
 
 We are treated by the gentlemen of this town with great 
 attention and respect. They have generously presented 
 to Colonel Jackson and the officers of his regiment a hogs- 
 head of Jamaica spirits and a cask of wine. For the 
 soldiers they have collected a liberal sum of money, which 
 is distributed among them. A public dinner is to be pro- 
 vided at the Bunch of Grapes tavern for the officers, before 
 our departure. The transports are in preparation to re- 
 ceive our troops on board. 
 
 On the 1-ith, our regiment marched through the town 
 to the Long wharf, and embarked on board the transports, 
 receiving as we passed thiough King-street the cheers of 
 the inhabitants. After the regiment had embarked, the 
 officers, according to previous arrangement, returned to 
 the Bunch of Grapes tavern, where a liberal and elegant 
 entertainment had been provided, and where we v/ere 
 politely received by a number of respectable gentlemen 
 of the town. Having dined and enjoyed a number of 
 songs over the cheering glass, wishing success to the 
 Penobscot expedition, we repaired on board our respective 
 transports, awaiting a fair wind for our voj'age. Our 
 transports are the Rising Empire, a brig carrying eight 
 guns, two sloops, and one schooner. Our convoy is the 
 ship Renown, of fourteen guns, and a brig of sixteen 
 
]_72 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1779. 
 
 guns. About four o'clock on the 15tli instant, the Ke- 
 nown, our convoy, fired her signal-guns for sailing, on 
 which our little fleet weighed anchor, and after giving 
 three cheers, which were returned by a concourse of 
 people on the wharves, and by a French ship in the har- 
 bor, we sailed after our convoy, but dropped anchor near 
 Castle William, by reason of contrary winds. 
 
 VJth. — In the evening we obeyed the signal-guns, and 
 were beating against contrary wind oft' Cape Anne till the 
 19th, when we fell in with a small boat ofl" the Isle of 
 Shoals, which had been despatched with the unwelcome 
 intelligence that our fleet at Penobscot had been attacked 
 by the British, and was totally defeated and destroyed, 
 and that our land forces, under General Lovell, were also 
 entirely defeated and dispersed. Orders were received for 
 our fleet to put into Portsmouth harbor for safety, as sev- 
 eral British ships were supposed to be in pursuit of us. 
 
 2ilst. — Our regiment disembarked and encamped at Kit- 
 tery ; being Sunday, I accompanied several of our officers 
 to the Reverend Mr. Hemmenway's church; he is a 
 sensible and animating preacher, displaying considerable 
 eloquence and much orthodoxy. In his fervent prayers, 
 he was not forgetful of the calamities of war, and the 
 righteous cause in which we are engaged. Here we have 
 a confirmation of the unfortunate failure of the Penobscot 
 expedition, which is a source not only of universal regret, 
 but of infinite chagrin and mortification among all who 
 had been concerned in the plan, 
 
 August. — Having received orders to march to Fal- 
 mouth, (now Portland,) left Kittery on the 28d instant, 
 and on the 27th entered this town in martial order, and 
 were received with marks of the greatest joy and satisfac- 
 tion, as the inhabitants were under serious apprehensions 
 of a visit from the British, We behold here only the 
 relics of a town, which a few years since was very respect- 
 able and flourishing. It was the capital of the province 
 of Maine, and enjoyed the happy prospect of becoming 
 one of the most important seaports in New England, But 
 in October, 1775, the inhabitants opposed the lading of a 
 British vessel with ship timber, which so enraged Admiral 
 Graves, that he sent Captain Mowed with several ships of 
 war, demanding of the inhabitants to deliver up all their 
 
oejveh^l ^jvtnujvy wjiYj\rE. p. jrp 
 
JIILITARY JOURNAL, 1779. 173 
 
 artillery and small arms. On refusal to comply with this 
 dt'mand, the enemy opened a severe cannonade, which 
 soon set fire to the town, and no less than four hundred 
 and eight houses, stores and other buildings, were con- 
 sumed to ashes. A large number of seamen and mariners 
 were landed, but the people having collected in consider- 
 able force, compelled the enemy to retreat to their boats, 
 with the loss of several men. 
 
 B}^ several gentlemen j,ust returned from Penobscot, I 
 have obtained the following particulars respecting the 
 failure of the expedition. On the arrival of General 
 Lovell, instead of one thousand five hundred militia, nine 
 hundred only could be collected; it was resolved, how- 
 ever, in a council of war, to make an attempt to achieve 
 the ol)ject of the expedition; accoiclingly, on the 28th of 
 July, the militia, with about three humli'ed marines, were 
 disembarked, and soon effected a landing under a height 
 which rc^se almost perpendicularly from the banks of tlie 
 river, on the summit of which the enemy's advanced guard 
 was po.sted under cover of a wood. Our militia were op- 
 posed by about an equal number of the enemy, whom tliey 
 bravely encountered and drove within their works; but 
 we suffered a loss of several officers of merit, and about 
 one hundred of the militia and marines were killed and 
 wounded. It now became a subject of consideration 
 whether it was expedient to storm the enemy's principal 
 works, but in a council it was decided that our force was 
 inadequate to the object. It was at this juncture supposed 
 that by a vigorous cooperation of our navy, a complete 
 victory might have been obtained, and the most ui'gent 
 and pressing entreaties were made to Commodoie Salion- 
 stall lor the purpose, but he declined, and continued in a 
 state of pusillanimous inactivity, thereby proclaiming him- 
 self lotally incompetent to the important trust with which, 
 most uni'ortunately, he had been invested. 
 
 On the l-ilh instant. Sir George Collier, with a sixty- 
 four-guu ship and five frigates, arrived ironi New York. 
 General Lovell, on receiving this intelligence, ordered all 
 his troops, with the artillery and baggage, to be embarked 
 on board the transports, which, with our whole fleet, 
 moved up the Penobscot river, pursued by the British. 
 Ou the near approach of the enemy, our vessels were 
 
I'J^ MILITAEY JOURNAL, 17V9. 
 
 abandoned; two of them fell into the hands of the enemy, 
 the remainder were burned and blown up. General Lov- 
 ell and General Peleg Wadsworth, the second in command, 
 both of whom have the reputation of brave men, now dis- 
 pensed with all command of the troops, as did Salton stall 
 of the seamen. The soldiers separated from their officers, 
 and every individual was seeking his own safety, wander- 
 ing in the wilderness, suffering fatigue, hunger, and vex- 
 ation, till after much difficulty tbey reached the settlements ' 
 on the Kennebec; a few of their number indeed actually 
 perished in the wilderness. Thus disgracefully has ended 
 the famous Penobscot expedition, which, had a competent 
 force been provided, might have terminated to the glory 
 of Massachusetts. Those concerned in the plan or its 
 execution, a few individuals excepted, were publicly exe- 
 crated. The expense attending the expedition is immense. 
 The fleet was invaluable, and its loss is altogether irrepar- 
 able. It was extremely fortunate for our regiment that 
 we were detained two or three days on our passage by 
 contrary winds; had there been no impediment to onr 
 voyage, we must inevitably have fallen into the hands of 
 the enemy. 
 
 September Bd. — Two armed vessels, accompanied by two 
 others, being perceived approaching this harbor, excited 
 a great degree of consternation among the inhabitants, but 
 it was soon ascertained to be our two continental frigates, 
 the Boston and the Dean, returning from a cruise with 
 two prizes of very considerable value, and having on 
 board two hundred soldiers for the British army, and 
 stores and goods to a large amount. 
 
 The inhabitants of this town have shown us numerous 
 marks of respect and generous hospitality. A respectable 
 committee of the town have invited our officers to a tavern 
 to partake of a treat of punch and wine, in company with 
 a number of respectable inhabitants, and we experience 
 many other polite civilities, indicating a disposition to 
 contribute to the comfort and happiness of those who are 
 serving the great cause of our common country. Orders 
 are now received from General Gates for our regiment to 
 return immediately to Boston. 
 
 Commenced our march from Falmouth on the 7th in- 
 stant; passed through Scarborough, Kennebunk and York, 
 
MILITAEY JOUKNAL, 1V79. 175 
 
 to Portsmouth, in New Hampsliire. At York, all the 
 officers of our regiment were politely invited to an elegant 
 breakfast, with the genteel and hospitable family of Mr. 
 Sewall. Having crossed the ferry at Portsmouth on the 
 10th, we encamped on the common. A number of gen- 
 tlemen of this town treated us with buckets of punch at 
 the ferry-wa}', and as we passed through the streets. This 
 attention was extremely grateful during the heat and fa- 
 tigue of the day. We had the satisfaction of visiting the 
 seventy-four-gun ship on the stocks near this town; she 
 will be ready for sea in June next. This is the first sev- 
 enty-four ever built in America. On the 12th, crossed 
 the ferry at Newbury, and marched to Ipswich Hamlet, 
 passing through Salem; we reached Cambridge on the 
 14th, and encamped on the common. Accompanied a 
 number of ladies and gentlemen to view the colleges, and 
 were admitted to the library-room and museum. From 
 Cambridge we marched to Dorchester Point, where we 
 embarked in boats, crossed over to the castle, and en- 
 camped. On the 18th, went with Colonel Jackson to 
 Boston to attend the funeral of a Mr. Deshon, a brother- 
 mason. A procession of one hundred and twenty of the 
 brethren preceded the corpse, and added greatly to the 
 solemnity of the occasion. 
 
 Walking in the street, I met with James Otis, Esq. 
 He has for some time labored under an unhappy mental 
 derangement. I had no expectation that I should be re- 
 cognized by him, but he accosted me in a very familiar 
 manner by my Christian name, and inquired about my 
 connexions. He was inquisitive respecting the affairs of 
 the army, and wished to be informed whether I had on 
 any occasion been exposed to personal danger, and whether 
 my courage had liailed me. A friend related to me the 
 following anecdote, which he received from 0. W. Esq., 
 who was present on the occasion: Mr. Otis invited several 
 respectable gentlemen to dinner; in carving at table, he 
 observed a tish not sufficiently boiled, which drew from 
 him some expressions of disapprobation. His lady re- 
 torted with an air of ill-humor. Mr. Otis, wishing to avoid 
 altercation, waived his rebuke till dinner was finished, 
 when he rendered thanks to God that, among other fa- 
 
176 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1779. 
 
 vors, the guests had escaped the danger of having their 
 noses snapped off at table. 
 
 A particular account of the brilliant achievement in the 
 capture of tlie fortress at Stony Point, by General Wayne, 
 has been obtained. Stony Point is a strongly-fortified post 
 on the west bank of the Hudson, near King's ferry. The 
 possession of this post is of vast importance to either army, 
 9,s it completely commands the great road, and the ferry- 
 way which affords communication between the middle and 
 eastern states. This fortress has lately been visited by Sir 
 Henry Clinton in person, and by his orders strengthened, 
 and rendered, as supposed, entirely defensible. General 
 Washiiigton was extremely desii'ous to dislodge the enemy 
 from this position, and to Brigadier-General Wayne he 
 intrusted the hazardous enterprise. At the head of his 
 detachment of light-infantry, consisting of one thousand 
 two hundred, he marched about fourteen miles, reached 
 the vicinity of the fort at eleven o'clock in the evening of 
 July the IGih, and instantly prepared for the assault. He 
 peremptorily ordered that every man sliould advance in 
 silence with unloaded muskets and fixed bayonets. A 
 soldier disobeyed his order, and began to load his piece; 
 the order was repeated, and he persisted in the resolution 
 to load, on which an officer instantly run him through the 
 body with his sword. On no occasion is a strict obedience 
 to orders more indispensable than at this critical moment; 
 had a single gun been fired, the victory might have been 
 lost, or the slaughter been inmiense. The plan being ad- 
 justed, one hundred and fifty volunteers under Lieuten- 
 ant-Colonel FJeury, a French gentleman, formed the van 
 of the right column, and one hundred volunteers, under 
 Major Stuart, composed the van of the left column, each 
 of which was preceded by a forlorn hope of twenty picked 
 men, connnanded by Lieutenants Gibbon and Knox, ibr 
 the express purpose of removing the abatis and other 
 obstructions. At about twenty minutes after twelve, the 
 columns advanced to the assault, and such was the impetu- 
 osity of the troops, that in the face of a most tremendous 
 and incessant fire of musketry and cannon loaded with 
 grape-shot, they forced their way at the point of the bay- 
 onet, surmounted every obstacle, and both columns met 
 in the centre of the enemy's works nearly at the same 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1779. 177 
 
 instant. Colonel Fleury first entered the fort, and struck 
 their standard with his own hand. Major Posey was the 
 first to give the watch-word, "The fort's our own." Gen- 
 eral Wayne, in his letter to the commander-in-chief, extoJts 
 highly the brave conduct of his officers and men, and jnir- 
 ticularizes Lieutenant-Colonel Fleury, Major Stuart, Col- 
 onels Butler, Hull, Meigs and Febiger, for their exemplary 
 valor and intrepidity. Lieutenant-Colonel Hay was 
 wounded in the thigh, while fighting with firmness in the 
 heat of the action. General Wayne himself received a 
 slight wound in his head, but, supported by his aids, he 
 entered the fort with the troops. The truly brave are 
 ever ambitious of distinguishing themselves by a nice ob- 
 servance of the laws of humanity and generosity towards 
 the conquered foe. It is highly creditable to our troops, 
 that they conducted towards the prisoners with a humane 
 forbearance, which is directly the reverse of the conduct of 
 the British on too many similar occasions; they disdained 
 to take the lives of those who were in their power, and 
 calling for mercy; not an individual suffered after their 
 surrender, and this will account for the few of the enemy 
 killed on this occasion; being about one hundred killed 
 and wounded. The continentals had fifteen killed and 
 eighty-three wounded. The number of prisoners was five 
 hundred and fortj'-three. Colonel Johnson, commander 
 of the fort, and several other officers, were among the 
 number. It is remarkable that out of the twenty men 
 who formed the forlorn hope, under Lieutenant Gibbon, 
 seventeen were killed or wounded. 
 
 General Washington's letter to Congress applauds the 
 conduct of all the oflicers and men; but he names partic- 
 ular officers, whose situation placed them foremost in 
 danger, which rendered their conduct more conspicuous. 
 Lieutenants Gibbon and Knox, he observes, who com- 
 manded the advanced parties, ot forlorn hope, acquitted 
 themselves, as well as it was possible. With respect to 
 General Wayne, he observes, "that his conduct throughout 
 the whole of this arduous enterprise, merits the warmest 
 approbation of Congress; he improved on the plan recom- 
 mended by me, and executed it in a manner that does 
 signal honor to his judgment and to his bravery. In a 
 critical moment of the assault, he received a flesh-wound 
 
^78 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1779. 
 
 in the head, with a musket-ball, but continued leading on 
 his men with unshaken firmness." His excellency in- 
 formed Congress that two flags and two standards were 
 taken, the former belonging to the garrison, the latter to 
 the 17th regiment. Lieutenant-Colonel Hull, at the head 
 of four hundred light-infantry, displayed a noble gallantry, 
 for which he teceived the thanks of General Wayne and 
 of Washington, 
 
 As distinguishing marks of approbation. Congress di- 
 rected that a gold medal, emblematical of the action, be 
 presented to Brigadier-General Wayne, and a silver one 
 to Lieutenant-Colonel Fleury and Major Stuart, and bre- 
 vets of captain given to Lieutenants Gibbon and Knox, 
 and that the value of the military stores taken, should be 
 divided among the gallant troops who reduced Stony 
 Point, in .such a manner as the commander-in-chief should 
 prescribe. 
 
 The fortifications at Paulus Hook, on the west side of 
 North river, opposite New York city, was taken by Major 
 Lee of the horse. The garrison made a faint resistance 
 and surrendered. Major Southerland and about fifteeri 
 of his men escaped to a small block-house. The approach 
 of day, and the vicinity of the main body of the enemy, 
 made it impossible to bring off any stores. The conti- 
 nentals had possession of all the artillery and magazine; 
 the prisoners were one hundred and thirty-four, rank and 
 file, and seven ofiicers; about forty were killed. Major 
 Lee's loss is said to be very few^ in killed and wounded; 
 four only is the number mentioned. 
 
 According to orders from General Gates, our regiment 
 left Castle William on the 26th, and arrived at Providence 
 on the 28th instant, and encamped at Fox's Point. Sun- 
 day I rode with several of&cers to Pawtuxet, to attend the 
 religious services of the celebrated Mr. Murray, whose 
 proliessed doctrine is the universal salvation of mankind. 
 Mr. Murray is not admitted into the pulpits of the ortho- 
 dox clergy; his peculiar sentiments are revolting to the 
 consciences, and repugnant to the belief of a large propor- 
 tion of the people of New England, In this village the 
 people are destitute of an ordained minister. The audience 
 was numerous, and the preacher peculiarly eloquent; 
 freely and solemnly declaring the sentiments which he 
 
MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1779. 179 
 
 has adopted, and quoting various portions of Scripture to 
 enforce a belief in the opinion which his own conscience 
 and judgment approve. 
 
 General Prescott, who was taken at Khode Island by 
 Colonel Barton, on his route through Connecticut, called 
 at a tavern to dine; the landlady brought on the table a 
 dish of succotash (boiled corn and beans). The general, 
 unaccustomed to such kind of food, with much warmth 
 exclaimed, "What! do you treat us with the food of 
 hogs?" and taking the dish from the table, emptied the 
 contents over the floor. The landlord, being informed of 
 this, soon entered with his horsewhip, and gave the gen- 
 eral a severe chastisement. After the general was ex- 
 changed, and he resumed his command on the island, the 
 inhabitants of Nantucket deputed Dr. Gilston to negotiate 
 some concerns wath General Prescott, in behalf of the 
 town. Prescott treated the doctor very cavalierly, and 
 gave as the cause, that the doctor looked so like that cl — d 
 landlord who horsewhipped him in Connecticut, that he 
 could not treat him with civility. 
 
 "When the Count D'Estaing's fleet appeared near the 
 British batteries, in the harbor of Rhode Island, a severe 
 cannonade was commenced, and several shot passed through 
 the houses in town, and occasioned great consternation 
 among the inhabitants. A shot passed through the door 
 of Mrs. Mason's house, just above the floor. The fam- 
 ily were alarmed, not knowing where to flee for safety. 
 A negro man ran and sat himself down very composedly, 
 with his back against the shot-hole in the door, and being 
 asked by 3'oung Mr. Mason why he chose that situation, he 
 replied, " Massa, you never know two bullet go in one place." 
 
 October. — Information is received that the enemy are 
 preparing to evacuate the town of Newpoit. They have 
 burned the hght-house, blown up some of their works, and 
 embarked their heavy baggage. 
 
 16^//. — It is ascertained that the British have abandoned 
 the town of Newport, and that some of our troops have 
 taken possession of the town. It is but justice to remark, 
 that the enemy left the town in good condition, and that 
 they treated the inhabitants with civility. They left a 
 large quantity of hay, wood, and military stores. Our 
 regiment is under marching orders. 
 
180 MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1779. 
 
 November. — In obedience to orders, we marclied from 
 Providence on the 8th instant, passing throngh the towns 
 of Coventry, Windham, Bolton, Hartford, Woodbury, and 
 Newtown, and arrived at Danbury, (Conn.,) on the 23d. 
 Oar regiment is united with General Stark's brigade, the 
 whole of which is now billeted in private houses. Dan- 
 bury was formerly a flourishing town, but the principal 
 part of it has been destroyed by the enemy. A soldier 
 having anointed himself for the itch, with mercurial oint- 
 ment, last night, was found dead this morning; and an- 
 other suffered the same fate, in consequence of drinking 
 six gills of rum. Our troops have suffered greatly by 
 snow and rain, and excessively bad travelling, since we 
 left Providence. 
 
 December. — Our brigade left Danbury on the 5th instant. 
 It snowed all the afternoon, and we took shelter in the 
 woods at Cortland's manor. Ilaving no other shelter than 
 bushes thrown together, we passed a very cold, uncom- 
 fortable night. Marched the next day through a deep 
 snow, and took lodgings at night in private houses at 
 Crompond; marched again early, crossed the Hudson at 
 King's ferry, and proceeded twenty miles, it being late at 
 night before our men could all find accommodations in 
 the scattering houses and barns on the road. I visited 
 my friend Doctor S. Findley, of General Glover's brigade, 
 and being invited to breakfast, the only food he could 
 furnish was coffee, without milk or sugar, and meagre 
 beef-steaks, without bread or even salt. Such has been 
 for some time the unaccountable scarcity of provisions in 
 the main army. We marched to Pompton on the 9th, 
 and on the 14th reached this wilderness, about three miles 
 from Morristown, where we are to build log-huts for win- 
 ter-quarters. Our baggage is left in the rear, for want of 
 wagons to transport it. The snow on the ground is about 
 two feet deep, and the weather extremely cold; the sol- 
 diers are destitute of both tents and blankets, and some 
 of them are actuall}'' barefooted and almost naked. Our 
 only defence against the inclemency of the weather, con- 
 sists of brush-wood thrown together. ^ Our lodging the last 
 night was on the frozen ground. Those officers who have 
 the privilege of a horse, can always have a blanket at 
 band. Having removed the snow, we wrapped ourselves 
 
MILITAKY JOUENAL, 1779. 131 
 
 in great-coats, spread our blankets on the ground, and lay 
 down by the side of each other five or six together, with 
 large fires at our feet, leaving orders with the waiters to 
 keep it well supplied with fuel during the night. We 
 could procure neither shelter nor forage for our horses, 
 and the poor animals were tied to trees in the woods for 
 twenty-four hours without food, except the bark which 
 they peeled from the trees. Lieutenant W. and myself 
 rode to Morristown, where we dined, and fed our starving 
 horses at a tavern. General Washington has taken his 
 head-quarters at Morristown, and the whole army in this 
 department are to be employed in building log huts for 
 winter-quarters. The ground is marked out, and the sol- 
 diers have commenced cutting down the timber of oak 
 and walnut, of which we have a great abundance. Ou7 
 baggage has at length arrived, the men find it very diffi- 
 cult to pitch their tents on the frozen ground, and notwitL 
 standing large fires, we can scarcely keep from freezing. 
 In addition to other sufferings, the whole army has been 
 for seven or eight days entirely destitute of the staft" of 
 life ; our only food is miserable fresh beef, without bread, 
 salt, or vegetables. 
 
 It is a circumstance greatly to be deprecated, that the 
 army, who are devoting their lives and every thing dear 
 to the defence of our country's freedom, should be sub- 
 jected to such unparalleled privations, while in the midst 
 of a countr}^ abounding in every kind of provisions. The 
 time has before occurred when the army was on the point 
 of dissolution for the want of provisions, and it is to be 
 ascribed to their patriotism, and to a sense of honor and 
 duty, that they have not long since abandoned the cause 
 of their country. The heroic fortitude with which our 
 officers and soldiers support their distresses, proclaims 
 their fidelity and intrinsic merit. Besides the evils above 
 mentioned, we experience another, in the rapid deprecia- 
 tion of the continental money, which we receive for our 
 pay ; it is now estimated at -about thirty for one. It is 
 from this cause, according to report, that our comrhissary- 
 general is unable to furnish the army with a proper supply 
 of provisions. The people in the country are unwilling 
 to sell the produce of their farms for this depreciated cur- 
 rency, and both the resources and the credit of our Con- 
 
IQ2 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1779. 
 
 gress anpear to be almost exhausted. The year is now 
 closed, and with it expires the term of enlistment of a 
 considerable number of our soldiers; new conditions are 
 offered them to encourage their reenlistment during the 
 war; but such are the numerous evils which they have 
 hitherto experienced, that it is feared but a small propor- 
 tion of them will reenlist. Should these apprehensions be 
 realized, the fate of our country, and the destiny of its 
 present rulers and friends, will soon be decided. 
 
 It has hitherto been our grievous misfortune, that the 
 several states have attempted to supply their quota of the 
 army by short enlistments. No fact is more susceptible 
 of demonstration, than that enlisting or draughting men 
 for nine months or one year never fails of being attended 
 with disappointment and a train of pernicious consequen- 
 ces. General Washington has, from the beginning of the 
 contest, most pointedly protested against it, and labored 
 with unwearied assiduity to induce the states to adopt a 
 more just and permanent system. By the present mode, 
 the strength of the army is continually precarious and 
 fluctuating; the recruits have scarcely time to learn the 
 discipline and police of a camp, before they are at liberty 
 to return to their farms, and their places are supplied by 
 others who require the same course of instruction. The 
 consequence is, that but a small proportion of our troops 
 are inured to actual service, they are continually liable to 
 camp diseases, and are undeserving of confidence in the 
 most critical moments of the campaign. Another discour- 
 aging circumstance attending this mode of recruiting the 
 army is, the great inequality of the bounties given to the 
 soldiers at diiferent times, and the disparity in the provi; 
 sion made by the several states, which occasions murmurs 
 and discontent among their respective troops. It is con- 
 sistency and stability that give character and efiiciency to 
 an army, and this has ever been the great desideratum in 
 the view of our commander-in-chief. The state of Massa- 
 chusetts, in order to fill up their regiments, have offered 
 a bounty of three hundred dollars, in addition to the con- 
 tinental bounty of two hundred dollars, to induce men to 
 enlist for three years, or during the war. 
 
 Intelligence has been received from Savannah, Georgia, 
 which city has for some time been in the possession of the 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1779. 183 
 
 enemy, under command of General Prevost. Major-Gen- 
 eral Lincoln is commander-in-chief of our army in that 
 department. The Count D'Estaing had arrived there with 
 a French fleet and a body of troops. With these forces, 
 combined with the Americans, the two commanders, after 
 having besieged the city for some time, resolved on the 
 almost desperate resolution of possessing it by assault. 
 The allied force consisted of between four and five thou- 
 sand men. General Lincoln and Count D'Estaing led their 
 respective troops to the lines of the enemy, with the most 
 signal firmness and intrepidity, and faced their fire for 
 about fifty-five minutes, when they were repulsed with 
 considerable loss. Count D'Estaing received two slight 
 wounds ; more than six hundred of his brave troops, and 
 about one hundred and seventy continentals were killed 
 or wounded. Count Pulaski, a brigadier-general in our 
 service, at the head of two hundred horsemen, was in full 
 gallop, with the intention of charging the enemy in the 
 rear, when he received a mortal wound. This gentleman 
 was a Polander, of distinguished rank and character; 
 having viewed the American cause in a favorable light, 
 he offered his services to our Congress, who appointed him 
 to the rank of brigadier-general. He has by his active and 
 enterprising spirit rendered essential service to our army, 
 and his death is universally lamented. 
 
 During the siege of Savannah, an event occured, sin- 
 gularl}^ honorable to an enterprising individual, which 
 should never be forgotten. A captain of Colonel Delany's 
 battalion of refugee troops, with about one hundred Amer- 
 ican royal regulars, was posted near a river twenty-five 
 miles from Savannah, where were four armed Britisli ves- 
 sels, manned with about forty sailors. Colonel John 
 White, of the Georgia line, was desirous of the honor of 
 capturing this party; his whole force, however, consisted 
 of no more than six volunteers, including his own servant; 
 it was only by a well-concerted stratagem, therefore, that 
 he could hope for success. In the night, he kindled a 
 number of fires, in different places, and exhibited, the 
 appearance of a large encampment, and having arranged 
 his plan, he summoned the captain to surrender, threaten- 
 ing his entire destruction, by a superior force, in case of 
 a refusal. Intimidated, and deceived by appearances, the 
 
■yQ^ MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1780. 
 
 captain immediately signified his readiness to eompl}' with 
 the demand, and made no further defence. The Amer- 
 ican captain, White, had now the satisfaction, by his pe- 
 culiar address, to see the whole of the prisoners, amounting 
 to one hundred and forty, divest themselves of their arms, 
 and submit to himself and his six volunteers. The pris- 
 oners were afterwards snfely conducted by three of the 
 captors for twenty-five miles through the country, to an 
 American post. During the present month, one Hessian 
 lieutenant and seven Hessian soldiers, and four Bi'itish, 
 deserted from the enemy at New York. The lieutenant 
 pretended to desire to enter our service as a volunteer, 
 but deserters are generally suspicious or worthless charac- 
 ters, undeserving of attention. One of the British desert- 
 ers pretended to be a prophet, but probably a disguised spy. 
 
 January 1st, 1780. — A new year commences, but brings 
 no relief to the sufferings and privations of our army. 
 Our canvas covering affords but a miserable security from 
 storms of rain and snow, and a great scarcity of provi- 
 sions still prevails, and its effects are feit even at head- 
 quarters, as appears by the following anecdote: "We 
 have nothing but the rations to cook, sir," said Mrs. Thom- 
 son, a very worthy Irish woman and house-keeper to Gen- 
 eral AVashington. — "Well, Mrs. Thomson, you must then 
 Cook the rations, for I have not a firthing to give you." — 
 "H" you please, sir, let one of the gentlemen give me an 
 order for six bushels of salt." — "Six bushels of salt! for 
 what?" — To preserve the fresh beef, sir." One oT the aids 
 gave the order, and the next day his excellency's table 
 was amply provided. Mrs. Thomson was sent for, and told 
 that she had done very wrong to expend her own money, 
 for it was not known when she could be repaid. " I owe 
 you," said his excellency, "too much already to permit 
 the debt being increased, and our situation is not at this 
 moment such as to induce very sanguine hope." — "Dear 
 sir," said the good old lady, "it is always darkest just be- 
 fore day-light, and I hope your excellency will forgive me 
 for bartering the salt for other necessaries which are now 
 on the table." Salt was eight dollars a bushel, and it might 
 always be exchanged with the country people for articles 
 of provision. 
 
 The weather for several days has been remarkably cold 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1760. 185 
 
 and stormy. On the Sd instant, we experienced one of 
 the most tremendous snow-storms ever remembered ; no 
 man coukl endure its violence many minutes without dan- 
 ger of his life. Several marquees were torn asunder and 
 blown down over the officers' heads in the night, and some 
 of the soldiers were actually covered while in their tents, 
 and buried like sheep under the snow. My comrades and 
 m3'self were roused from sleep by the calls of some officers 
 for assistance; their marquee had blown down, and they 
 were almost smothered in the storm, before they could 
 reach our marquee, only a few yards, and their blankets 
 and baggage were nearly buried in the snow. We are 
 greatly favored in having a supply of straw for bedding ; 
 over this we spread all our blankets, and with our clothes 
 and large fires at our feet, while four or five are crowded 
 together, preserve ourselves from freezing. But the suf- 
 ferings of the poor soldiers can scarcely be described, while 
 on' duty they are unavoidably exposed to all the inclem- 
 ency of storms and severe cold; at night they now have 
 a bed of straw on the ground, and a single blanket to each 
 man ; they are badly clad, and some are destitute of shoes. 
 We have contrived a kind of stone chimney outside, and 
 an opening at one end of our tents gives us the benefit of 
 the fii'e within. The snow is now from four to six feet 
 deep, which so obstructs the roads as to prevent our receiv- 
 ing a supply of provisions. For the last ten days we have 
 received but two pounds of meat a man, and we are fre- 
 quently for six or eight days entirely destitute of meat, 
 and then as long without bread. The consequence is, the 
 soldiers are so enfeebled from hunger and cold, as to be 
 almost unable to perform their military duty, or labor in 
 constructing their huts. It is well known that General 
 Washington experiences the greatest solicitude for the suf- 
 ferings of his army, and is sensible that they in general 
 conduct with heroic patience and fortitude. His excel- 
 lency, it is understood, despairing of supplies from the 
 commissary-general, has made application to the magis- 
 trates of the state of New Jersey for assistance in procuring 
 provisions. This expedient has been attended with the 
 happiest success. It is honorable to the magistrates and 
 people of Jersey, that they have cheerfully complied with 
 the requisition, and furnished for the present an ample 
 P 
 
186 MILITARY JOUENAL, 1780 
 
 supply, and have thus probably saved the army from 
 destruction. 
 
 As if to make up the full measure of grief and embar- 
 rassment to the commander-in-chief, repeated complaints 
 have been made to him that some of the soldiers are in the 
 practice of pilfering and plundering the inhabitants of their 
 poultry, sheep, pigs, and even their cattle, from their 
 farms. This marauding practice has often been prohibited 
 in general orders, under the severest penalties, and some 
 exemplary punishments have been inflicted. General 
 Washington possesses an inflexible firmness of purpose, 
 and is determined that discipline and subordination in 
 camp shall be rigidly enforced and maintained. The 
 whole army has been sufficiently warned, and cautioned 
 against robbing the inhabitants on any pretence whatever, 
 and no soldier is subjected to punishment without a fair 
 trial, and conviction by a court-martial. Death has been 
 inflicted in a few instances of an atrocious nature ; but in 
 general, the punishment consists in a public whipping, and 
 the number of stripes is proportioned to the degree of 
 offence. The law of Moses prescribes forty sti'ipes save 
 one, but this number has often been exceeded in our 
 camp. In aggravated cases, and with old offenders, the 
 culprit is sentenced to receive one hundred lashes, or more. 
 It is always the duty of the drummers and filers to inflict 
 the chastisement, and the drum-major must attend and 
 see that the duty is faithfully performed. /The, culprit 
 being securely tied to a tree, or post, receives on his naked 
 back the number of lashes assigned him, by a whip formed 
 of several small knotted cords, which sometimes cut 
 through the skin at every stroke. However strange it 
 may appear, a soldier Avill often receive the severest 
 stripes without uttering a groan, or once shrinking from 
 the lash, even while the blood flows freely from his lace- 
 rated wounds. This must be ascribed to stubbormiess or 
 pride. They have, fiowever, adopted a method which they 
 say mitigates the anguish in some measure: it is by putting 
 between the ^teeth a leaden bullet, on which they chew 
 while under the lash, till it is made quite flat and jagged. 
 In some instances of incorrigible villains, it is adjudged 
 by the court that the culprit receive his punishment at 
 several different times, a certain number of stripes repeated 
 
MILITAKY JOUKNAL, 1780. 187 
 
 at intervals of two or three days, in which case the wounds 
 are in a state of inflammation, and the skin rendered more 
 sensibly tender; and the terror of the punishment is 
 greatly aggravated. Another mode of punishment is that 
 of running the gauntlet: this is done by a company of sol- 
 diers standing in two lines, each one furnished with a 
 switch, and the criminal is made to run between them 
 and receive the scourge from their hands on his naked 
 back; but the delinquent runs so rapidly, and the soldiers 
 are so apt to favor a comrade, that it often happens in 
 this way that the punishment is very trivial; but on some 
 occasions, a soldier is ordered to hold a bayonet at his 
 breast to impede his steps. If a non-commissioned officer 
 is sentenced to corporeal punishment, he is always de- 
 graded to the soldier's rank. The practice of corporeal 
 punishment in an army has become a subject of animad- 
 version, and both the policy and propriety of the measure 
 have been called in question. It may be observed that 
 the object of punishment is to exhibit examples, to deter 
 others from committing crimes; that corporeal punishment 
 may be made suf&ciently severe as a commutation for the 
 punishment of death in ordinary cases; it is more humane, 
 and by saving the life of a soldier, we prevent the loss of 
 his services to the public. In justifi(5ation of the practice, 
 it is alleged, also, that in the British army it has long been 
 established in their military code, and it is not uncommon 
 to sentence a criminal to receive a thousand lashes, and 
 that they aggravate its horrors in the most cruel manner, 
 by repeating the stripes from day to day, before the wounds 
 are healed ; and instances are not wanting of its having 
 been attended with fatal consequences. On the other 
 hand, it is objected that corporeal punishment is disre- 
 putable to an army; it will never reclaim the unprincipled 
 villain, and it has a tendency to repress the spirit of am- 
 bition and enterprise in the young soldier; and the indi- 
 vidual thus ignominiously treated, can never, in case of 
 promotion for meritorious services, be received with com- 
 placency as a companion for other officers. These objec- 
 tions will apply to most other modes of punishment, and 
 it remains to be decided, which is the most eligible for 
 the purpose of maintaining that subordination so indis- 
 pensable in all armies. 
 
;^gg MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1780. 
 
 Notwithstanding the numerous difficulties and discour- 
 agements with which our army have been compelled to 
 struggle, we are happy to find that a consideraV)le propor- 
 tion of those soldiers whose terms of enlistment have lately 
 expired, have reenlisted during the continuance of the 
 war. It may seem extraordinary that those who have 
 experienced such accumulated distress and privations, 
 should voluntarily engage again in the same service. But 
 amid all the toils and hardships, there are charms in a 
 military life: it is here that we witness heroic actions and 
 deeds of military glory. The power of habit and the spirit 
 of ambition, pervade the soldiers' ranks, and those who 
 have been accustomed to active scenes, and formed their 
 social attachments, cannot without reluctance quit the 
 tumult and the bustle of a camp, for the calm and quiet 
 of domestic pursuits. There is to be found, however, in 
 the bosom of our soldiers the purest principles of patriot- 
 ism : they glory in the noble cause of their country, and 
 pride themselves in contributing to its successful termina- 
 tion. It is hoped they will not again be subjected to a 
 starving condition. 
 
 11th. — A detachment, consisting of about two thousand 
 five hundred men, under the command of Major-General 
 Lord Stirling, was a?-'few days since sent off in about five 
 hundred sleighs on a secret expedition. The sleighs were 
 procured, and preparations made, under the pretence of 
 going into the country after provisions. It is now ascer- 
 tained that the object of the expedition was to attack the 
 enemy in their works on Staten Island, by surprise. Our 
 party passed over on the ice from Elizabethtown in the 
 night, but the enemy having received intelligence of their 
 design, retired into their strong works for safety, and the 
 object of the enterprise was unfortunately defeated; they, 
 however, brought off a quantity of blankets and stores. 
 The snow was three or four feet deep, and the weather 
 extremely cold, and our troops continued on the island 
 twenty-four hours without covering, and about five hun- 
 dred were slightly frozen, and six were killed by a party 
 of horse, who pursued our rear-guard. A number of 
 tents, arms, and a quantity of baggage, with several casks 
 of wine and spirits, were brought off, with sevnteeu 
 prisoners. 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1780. 139 
 
 21th. — A party of the enemy made an excursion from 
 Staten Island in the night, surprised our picket-guard, and 
 succeeded in taking off a major and forty men. Our offi- 
 cers were censured for their conduct in not being sufti- 
 ciently alert to guard against a surprise. We are now 
 rejoicing in having a plentiful supply of provisions and 
 a favorable prospect of a full supply in future. Our log 
 huts are almost completed, and we promise ourselves very 
 comfortable quarters for the remainder of the winter. 
 
 A detachment of eighty men, levies and volunteers, un- 
 der command of Captains Keeler and Lockwoud, marched 
 to Morrissania in the night, and made an attack on Colonel 
 Hatfield. The colonel and his men took to the chambers, 
 and fired out of the windows and down stairs at those who 
 entered the house. Our party found it almost impossible 
 to dislodge them till they set fire to the house by putting 
 a straw bed into a closet while in blaze, which compelled 
 them to jump out at the chamber-windows to avoid the 
 flames. Colonel Hatfield, one captain, one lieutenant, and 
 one quarter-master, and eleven private soldiers were taken 
 and brought off. 
 
 We are just informed that on the first of this month 
 about two hundred soldiers of the Massachusetts line, who 
 were stationed at West Point, pretending that their term 
 of enlistment had expired, marched off with the intention 
 cff going home. A party of troops were despatched after 
 tiem, and they were brought back. Several soldiers from 
 other posts followed their example. The subject being 
 investigated by the proper officers, it was found that many 
 of them had several months to serve: some of these were 
 punished, and the remainder returned to their duty. 
 Those whose term had actually expired were discharged. 
 During the present month a considerable number of 
 deserters, both British and Hessians, have come from 
 the enemy. 
 
 February. — Lieutenant-Colonel Thompson had the com- 
 mand of about two hundred and fifty men, as an advanced 
 party, on our lines. He was instructed to be constantly 
 alert and in motion, that the enemy might not be able to 
 take advantage, and form a plan lor his destruction. It 
 happened, however, that a detachment of British, Hessians, 
 and mounted refugees, were discovered advancing towards 
 
190 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1780. 
 
 him, but on account of a very deep snow obstructing the 
 road, they marched slowl}-, and Colonel Thompson re- 
 solved to defend his ground. The enemy's horse first 
 advanced, and commenced skirmishing till their infantry 
 appvoached, when a sharp conflict ensued, which continued 
 about fifteen minutes; some of our troops manifested 
 symj^toms of cowardice, and gave way. The enemy se- 
 cured the advantage, and rushed on with a general shout, 
 which soon decided the contest. The Americans lost 
 thirteen men killed, and Captain Roberts, being mortally 
 wounded, soon expired; seventeen others were wounded. 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Thompson and six other officers, with 
 with eighty-nine rank and file, were made prisoners. Of 
 the enemy, two officers and eighteen men were wounded, 
 and five men killed. One of our men, by the name of 
 Mayhew, of Massachusetts, was pursued by two of the 
 enemy's horse, the snow being almost up to his hips: they 
 gained fast on him ; he inquired if they w^ould give him 
 quarter; they replied, "Yes, you dog! we will quarter 
 you," and this was again repeated. Maji^ew, in despair, 
 resolving to give them a shot before he submitted to his 
 fate, turned and fired at the first horseman, who cried out, 
 "The rascal has broken my leg!" when both of them 
 wheeled round and rode off, leaving Mayhew to rejoice at 
 his fortunate escape. 
 
 14^A.' — Having continued to this late season in our tents, 
 experiencing the greatest inconvenience, we have now the 
 satisfaction of taking possession of the log huts, just com- 
 pleted by our soldiers, where we shall have more com- 
 fortable accommodations. Major Trescott, Lieutenant 
 Williams, our pay-master, and m3'Self, occupy a hut with 
 one room, furnished with our lodging cabins, and crowded 
 with our baggage. 
 
 2{}th. — Two soldiers were brought to the gallows for the 
 crime of robbery. One of them was pardoned under the 
 gallows, and the other executed. The poor criminal was 
 so dreadfully tortured by the horror of an untimely death, 
 that he was scarcely able to sustain himself, and the scene 
 excited the compassion of every spectator. It is hoped 
 that this example will make such an impression as to 
 deter others from committing similar crimes. 
 
 JJurch. — The present winter is the most severe and dis- 
 
MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1780. 191 
 
 tressing which we have ever experienced. An immense 
 body of snow remains on the ground. Our soldiers are 
 in a wretched condition for the want of clothes, blankets 
 and shoes; and these calamitous circumstances are accom- 
 panied by a want of provisions. It has several times 
 happened that the troops were reduced to one-half, or to 
 one-quarter allowance, and some days have passed without 
 any meat or bread being delivered out. .The causes as- 
 signed for these extraordinary deficiencies, are the very 
 low state of the public finances, in consequence of the 
 rapid depreciation of the continental currency, and some 
 irregularity in the commissary's department. Our soldiers, 
 in general, support their sufferings with commendable 
 firmness, but it is feared that their patience will be ex- 
 hausted, and very serious consequences ensue. 
 
 April. — A party of our troops being stationed on the 
 line, under the command of Major Boyles, of the Penn- 
 sylvania line, was unfortunately surprised by the enemy 
 in the night. The major defended himself in a house till 
 he was mortally wounded, when he and his guard surren- 
 dered. The enemy set fire to several houses, and carried 
 off abotit fifty of our men, and five or six officers, among 
 whom is Ensign Thacher, of our regiment. The militia 
 pursued, and retook a number of horses and a quantity 
 of valuable goods, which they had plundered from the 
 inhabitants. 
 
 19^A.' — The Chevalier de la Luzerne, minister of France, 
 with another French gentleman, and Don Juan de Miralles, 
 a gentleman of distinction from Spain, arrived at head- 
 quarters, from Philadelphia, in company with his Excel- 
 lency General .Washington. Major Trescott was ordered 
 out with two hundred men, to meet and escort them to 
 head-quarters, where two battalions were paraded to re- 
 ceive them with the usual military honors. Several of 
 our general officers rode about five miles to meet the gen- 
 tlemen, and their arrival was announced by the discharge 
 of thirteen cannon. The foreign gentlemen and their 
 suites, having left their carriages, were mounted on ele- 
 gant horses, which, with General Washington, the general 
 officers of our army, with their aids and servants, formed 
 a most splendid cavalcade, which attracted the attention 
 of a vast concourse of spectators. General Washington 
 
^92 MILITARY JOUENAL, 1780. 
 
 accompanied his illustrious visitors to take a distant view 
 of the enemy's position and works, on York and Staten 
 Island, and of the different posts of our army, while prepar- 
 ations were making for a grand field review of our troops. 
 
 2^th. — A field of parade being prepared under the direc- 
 tion of the Baron SteubeUj four battalions of our army 
 were presented for review, by the French minister, attended 
 by his excellency and our general officers. Thirteen can- 
 non, as usual, announced their arrival in the field, and they 
 received from the officers and soldiers the military honors 
 due to their exalted rank. A large stage was erected in 
 the field, which was crowded by officers, ladies, and gen- 
 tlemen of distinction from the country, among whom were 
 Governor Livingston, of New Jersey, and his lady. Our 
 troops exhibited a truly military appearance, and per- 
 formed the manoeuvres and evolutions in a manner which 
 afforded much satisfaction to our commander-in-chief, and 
 they were honored with the approbation of the French 
 minister, and by all present. After the gentlemen had 
 received the standing salute in review, they dismounted 
 and retired to the stage with the ladies, and the troops 
 performed several evolutions, and paid the marching 
 salute as they passed the stage. The minister of France 
 was highly gratified, and expressed to General Washington 
 his admiration at the precision of their movements, and 
 the exactness of their fires, as well as the spirit and alac- 
 rity which seemed to pervade all ranks in the army. In 
 the evening. General Washington and the French minister 
 attended a ball, provided by our principal officers, at which 
 were present a numerous collection of ladies and gentlemen 
 of distinguished character. Fire-works were also exhib- 
 ited by the officers of the artillery. It is much regretted 
 that M. de Miralles is confined at head-quarters by indis- 
 position. On the 25th, the whole army was paraded under 
 arms, to afford M. de la Luzerne another opportunity of 
 reviewing the troops; after which, he was escorted part 
 of the way to Philadelphia. The, Spanish gentleman re- 
 mained dangerously sick of a pulmonic fever at head- 
 quarters, and on the 28th he expired. 
 
 2^th. — I accompanied Doctor Schuyler to head-quarters, 
 to attend the funeral of M. de Miralles. The deceased 
 was a gentleman of high rank in Spain, and had been 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1780. 193 
 
 about one year a resident with our Congress, from the 
 Spanish court. The corpse was dressed in rich state, and 
 exposed to public view, as is customary in Europe. The 
 coffin was most splendid and stately, lined throughout 
 with fine cambric, and covered on the outside Avith rich 
 black velvet, and ornamented in a superb manner. The 
 top of the coffin was removed, to display the pomp and 
 grandeur with which the body was decorated. It was in 
 a splendid full dress, consisting of a scarlet suit, embroid- 
 ered with rich gold-lace, a three-cornered gold-laced hat, 
 and a genteel cued wig, white silk stockings, large diamond 
 shoe and knee-buckles, a profusion of diamond rings dec- 
 orated the fingers, and from a superb gold watch set with 
 diamonds, several rich seals were suspended. His Excel- 
 lency General Washington, with several other general 
 officers and members of Congress, attended the funeral 
 solemnities, and walked as chief mourners. The other 
 officers of the army, and numerous respectable citizens, 
 formed a splendid procession, extending about one mile. 
 The pall-bearers were six field officers, and the coffin was 
 borne on the shoulders of four officers of the artillery in 
 full uniform. Minute-guns were fired during the proces- 
 sion, which greatly increased the solemnity of the occa- 
 sion. A Spanish priest performed service at the grave, 
 in the Roman Catholic form. The coffin was inclosed in 
 a box of plank, and all the profusion of pomp and grand- 
 eur were deposited in the silent grave, in the common 
 burying-ground, near the church at Morristown. A guard 
 is placed at the grave, lest our soldiers should be tempted 
 to dig for hidden treasure. It is understood that the 
 corpse is to be removed to Philadelphia. This gentleman 
 is said to have been in possession of an immense fortune, 
 and has left to his three daughters in Spain one hundred 
 thousand pounds sterling each. Here we behold the end 
 of all earthly riches, pomp, and dignity. The ashes of 
 Don Miralles mingle with the remains of those who are 
 clothed in humble shrouds, and whose career in life was 
 marked with sordid poverty and wretchedness. 
 
 Alay. — The officers of our army have long been dissat- 
 isfied with their situation, conceiving that we are devoting 
 our lives to the public service without an adequate remu- 
 neration. Our sacrifices are incalculably great, and far 
 
IQ^ MILITARY JOURNAL, 1780. 
 
 exceed the bounds of duty, which the public can of right 
 claim from any one class of men. Our wages are not 
 punctually paid, we are frequently five or six months in 
 arrears, and the continental money which we receive is 
 depreciated to the lowest ebb. Congress have established 
 a scale of depreciation, by which the continental bills are 
 valued at forty for one of silver, and at this rate they have 
 resolved that all their bills shall be called in and a new 
 emission shall be issued, and received at the rate of one 
 for forty of the old emission. But the public confidence 
 in paper money is greatly diminished, and it is with ex- 
 treme difficulty that proper supplies can be procured to 
 serve the pressing exigencies of our army. I have just 
 seen in the newspaper an advertisement offering for an 
 article forty dollars a pound, or three shillings in silver. 
 This IS the trash which is tendered to requite us for our 
 sacrifices, for our sufferings and privations, while in the 
 service of our country. It is but a sordid pittance even 
 for our common purposes while in camp, but those who 
 have families dependent on them at home, are reduced to 
 a deplorable condition. In consequence of this state of 
 things, a considerable number of officers have been com- 
 pelled to resign their commissions. His Excellency Gen- 
 eral Washington, is perplexed with an apprehension that 
 he shall lose many of his most experienced and valuable 
 officers; and knowing the injustice which they suffer, he 
 has taken a warm interest in their cause, and repeatedly 
 represented to Congress the absolute necessity of making 
 such provision as will encourage the officers to continue 
 in service to the end of the war. This subject he has 
 pressed with such earnestness and solicitude, as at length 
 to effect the desired purpose. Congress have resolved that 
 all officers of the line of the army who shall continue in 
 service till the close of the war, shall be entitled to half- 
 pay during Z//e, and the depreciation of their pay shall be 
 made good; and also that they shall receive a number of 
 acres of land, in proportion to their rank, at the close of 
 the war. This measure meets the approbation, and is 
 satisfactory to those who are to be entitled to the pro- 
 vision; but it includes the officers of the line of the army 
 onl}^; it is not extended to the medical staff', and they con- 
 sider themselves pointedly neglected. Why are the officers 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, ITSO. 195 
 
 of the line allowed this exclusive act of justice — a com- 
 pensation for the depreciation of the currency? If it is 
 just for the line, what reasons can be assigned why the 
 staff-officers should not be included, when the depreciation 
 is known to be common to both? Equal justice should 
 be the motto of every government. The officers on the 
 staff" have a right to think themselves treated with the 
 most flagrant injustice. 
 
 A committee have arrived in camp from Congress, for 
 the purpose of investigating the circumstances and condi- 
 tion of the army, and of redressing our grievances, if in 
 their power. The regimental surgeons and mates have 
 convened, and chosen a committee of three, to wait on the 
 committee of Congress, and to present for their consid- 
 eration our complaints and grievances, and to inquire 
 whether we are to be included in the resolve making pro- 
 vision for regimental officers, and entitled to the emolu- 
 ments granted to the line of the army? The committee 
 replied, that they could not give a decisive answer, that 
 the subject of our complaints did not come under their 
 cognizance, but that they would make the proper repre- 
 sentation to Congress. 
 
 Our brigade was paraded for inspection and review by 
 Baron Steuben, in the presence of his Excellency General 
 Washington. The troops appeared to much advantage, 
 and the officers received the thanks of the baron for the 
 military and soldierly appearance of the men. 
 
 lO^A. — Dined with Colonel Jackson, who entertained a 
 party of gentlemen. Our table was not ornamented with 
 numerous covers, our fare was frugal, but decent. Colonel 
 Jackson possesses a liberal and generous spirit, and enter- 
 tains his friends in the kindest manner. We sat at table 
 till evening, enjoying the conversation of the learned 
 ^»^ Doctor Shippin, director-general of the hospital depart- 
 ment, accompanied by Colonel Proctor and Major Eustis. 
 The Marquis de la Fayette has just arrived at head-quar- 
 ters, lately from France. The safe return of this respect- 
 able personage is matter of joy and congratulation. 
 
 26^/i. — Eleven soldiers are condemned to suffer death 
 for various crimes, three of whom are sentenced to be 
 shot; the whole number were prepared for execution this 
 day, but pardons were granted by the commander-in-chief 
 
IQQ MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1780. 
 
 to those who were to have been shot, and the seven others, 
 while under the gallows. This was a most solemn and 
 affecting scene, capable of torturing the feelings even of 
 the most callous breast. The wretched criminals were 
 brought in carts to the place of execution. Mr. Rogers, 
 the chaplain, attended them to the gallows, addressed them 
 in a very pathetic manner, impressing on their minds the 
 heinousness of their crimes, the justice of their sentence, 
 and the high importance of a preparation for death. The 
 criminals were »placed side by side, on the scaffold, with 
 halters round their necks, their coffins before their eyes, 
 their graves open to their view, and thousands of specta- 
 tors bemoaning their awful doom. The moment ap- 
 proaches when every eye is fixed in expectation of beholding 
 the agonies of death — the eyes of the victims are already 
 closed from the light of this world. At this awful moment, 
 while their fervent prayers are ascending to Heaven, an 
 oflEicer comes forward and reads a reprieve for seven of 
 them, by the commander-in-chief The trembling crimi- 
 nals are now divested of the habiliments of death, and their 
 bleeding hearts leap for joy. How exquisitely rapturous 
 must be the transition when snatched from the agonizing 
 horrors of a cruel death, and mercifully restored to the 
 enjoyment of a life that had been forfeited! No pen can 
 describe the emotions which must have agitated their 
 souls. They were scarcely able to remove from the scaf- 
 fold without assistance. The chaplain reminded them of 
 the gratitude they owed the commander-in-chief for his 
 clemency towards them, and that the only return in their 
 power to make, was a life devoted to the faithful discharge 
 of their duty. The criminal who was executed had been 
 guilty of forging a number of discharges, by which he and 
 more than a hundred soldiers had left the army. He ap- 
 peared to be penitent, and behaved with uncommon forti- 
 tude and resolution. He addressed the soldiers, desired 
 them to be faithful to their country and obedient to their 
 officers, and advised the officers to be punctual in all their 
 engagements to the soldiers, and give them no cause to 
 desert. He examined the halter, and told the hangman 
 the knot was not made right, and that the rope was not 
 strong enough, as he was a heavy man. Having adjusted 
 the knot and fixed it round his own neck, he was swung 
 
MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1780. I97 
 
 off instantly. The rope broke, and he fell to the ground, 
 by which he was very much bruised. He calmly reas- 
 cended the ladder, and said, "I told you the rope was not 
 strong enough: do get a stronger one." Another being 
 procured, he was launched into eternity. 
 
 29^/;. — Four battalions of our troops were paraded for 
 review by the committee of Congress, in the presence of 
 General Washington; they were duly honored with the 
 military salute. 
 
 We are again visited with the calamity of which we have 
 so often complained, a great scarcity of provisions of every 
 kind. Our poor soldiers are reduced to the very verge of 
 famine; their patience is exhausted by complicated suf- 
 ferings, and their spirits are almost broken. It is with 
 extreme pain that we perceive in the ranks of the soldiers 
 a sensible diminution of that enthusiastic patriotism, and 
 that ardent attachment to our cause, by which they were 
 formerly distinguished. Much praise is due to the officers 
 of every grade, who make all possible exertions to encour- 
 age, to satisfy and to soothe the desponding spirits of the 
 soldiery. Under the most trying circumstances, however, 
 both officers and soldiers retain their full confidence in the 
 wisdom and goodness of our illustrious commander-in- 
 chief, whom they almost adore, looking up to him as 
 children to an affectionate father, participating in the 
 same sufferings. Another source of dissatisfiiction is the 
 great inequality subsisting among the soldiers respecting 
 their pecuniary compensation. Those who enlisted at an 
 early period, for a small bounty, now find in the ranks 
 with themselves others who have recently enlisted for a 
 bounty of more than ten times the nominal value. This, 
 as may be supposed, excites the most poignant chagrin 
 and disgust, and, with other causes of discontent, has pro- 
 duced a considerable degree of relaxation in discipline, 
 and an unusual number of desertions from our ranks. 
 An event still more alarming occurred on the 25th instant. 
 Two regiments of the Connecticut line took the liberty to 
 parade without their officers, and in the spirit of mutiny, 
 resolved to march into the country to relieve themselves 
 from present difiicuities, and to furnish themselves with 
 provisions at all hazards. Colonel Meigs, in attempting 
 to restore order, received a blow from one of the muti- 
 
198 MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1780. 
 
 neers. A brigade of Pennsylvanians was ordered to arrest 
 their progress. The leaders were secured, and the two 
 regiments were returned to their duty. Their complaints 
 are, that they have too long served the public without any 
 present, or prospect of future recompense; that their suf- 
 ferings are insupportable, that their pay is five months in 
 arrear, and that it is of no value when received. These 
 circumstances are known to be substantially true, and in 
 justice they ought, and undoubtedly will, be admitted in 
 extenuation of the crime which they have committed. It 
 is nevertheless indispensably important that every symp- 
 tom of insubordination should be crushed as soon as dis- 
 covered, lest the example become contagious, and involve 
 the whole army in ruin. 
 
 June. — In consequence of some movements of the en- 
 emy, our brigade was ordered to Chatham. A party of 
 the enemy, about five thousand strong, came out of New 
 York on the 7th instant, to a place called Connecticut 
 Farms, where they burned a few houses and plundered 
 the inhabitants; but being opposed by General Maxwell's 
 brigade of Jersey troops, and the militia, who turned out 
 with spirit, they soon retreated to Elizabethtown Point 
 with some loss, and were pursued by our troops. In this 
 little skirmish, the British General Stirling received a 
 wound which it is supposed will prove mortal. A num- 
 ber of other officers and soldiers, on the side of the British, 
 were killed and wounded, and twenty prisoners taken by 
 our militia. Our loss does not exceed ten or twelve 
 killed, and twenty or thirty wounded. 
 
 Among the horrid and barbarous deeds of the enemy, 
 one has just been perpetrated, which will be an everlast- 
 ing stigma on the British character. In the vicinity of 
 the Counecticut Farms, state of New Jersey, resided the 
 Rev. James Caldwell, a Presbyterian minister. This gen- 
 tleman had uniformly taken an active part with his parish- 
 ioners on the side of the Americans, in consequence of 
 which he was marked for British vengeance. On the 
 approach of the enemy, he retired into the country, leav- 
 ing his lady with the care of the family, supposing that 
 th e customary respect for the female character would be 
 a pledge for her safety. Mrs. Caldwell, soon after tlie 
 ap})ruach of the royal troops to the house, and a young 
 
MILITAKY JODENAL, 17S0. 199 
 
 woman, having Mrs. Caldwell's infant in her arms, seated 
 themselves on the bed, when a British soldier came to the 
 house, and putting his gun to the window of the room, 
 shot ber through the breast, and she instantly expired. 
 Soon after, an officer with two Hessian soldiers came and 
 ordered a hole to be dug, the body to be thrown in, and 
 the house to be set on fire. Thus was murdered an amia- 
 ble and excellent lady, and the worthy husband left with 
 nine children, destitute of even a change of clothes, or 
 any thing to render them comfortable. The house and 
 every article belonging to this respectable family were 
 consumed, together with the church and thirteen dwelling- 
 houses. The British, duiing their excursion, took the 
 opportunity of distributing a number of hand-bills, con- 
 taining a pompous account of the capture of Charleston, 
 South Carolina, b}^ Sir Henry Clinton, with the garrison, 
 commanded by Major-General Lincoln. This unfortunate 
 event is now confirmed by Generals Arnold and Wayne, 
 who have just arrived from Philadelphia. General Lin- 
 coln was posted in the town of Charleston, with a force 
 consisting of between two and three th(jusand men, includ- 
 ing nnlitia and seamen. General Clintcm, invested the 
 town with a powerful fleet and an army of thirteen thou- 
 sand strong. He proceeded with regular approaches, till 
 he advanced within twenty-five yards of the American 
 lines, and repeatedly demanded the surrender of the gar- 
 rison. Through the very judicious management of Genei'al 
 Lincoln, the siege was protracted fi'om the 18th of April 
 to the 12th of May; and during fitteen days of tliis tune 
 his troops were reduced to an allowance of six ounces of 
 pork a man, and for the last six days to one and a half- 
 pint of rice and three ounces of sugar a day. General 
 LincoUi had to consult the interest and opinions of the 
 inhabitants, which greatly increased his embarrassments. 
 At length the lines of defence being almost entirely de- 
 molished, by an incessant bombardment and cannonade, 
 the besieged were reduced to the last extremity; and being 
 in hourlv expectation of an assault, it was agreed between 
 General Lincoln and the principal inhabitants that the town 
 and garrison should be surrendered by capitulation. Gen- 
 eral Lincoln, in this most important transaction of his life, 
 n)ani Tested a cool intrepidity, a zealous perseverance, and 
 
200 MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1780. 
 
 a presence of mind wliicli proclaim him preeminently 
 qualified to encounter the extreme difficulties and dangers, 
 in which he was involved; and the terms of surrender 
 were as honorable as could have been expected. 
 
 loth. — Major Lee, from Virginia, has just arrived in 
 camp, with a beautiful corps of light-horse, the men in 
 complete uniform, and the horses very elegant and finely 
 disciplined. Major Lee is said to be a man of great spirit 
 and enterprise, and much important service is expected 
 from him. By a gentleman just from New York, we are 
 informed that General Stirling died a few da^'S ago of the 
 wounds which he received in the skirmish with our troops 
 on the 7th instant. 
 
 l^th. — A soldier of the Jersey line was hanged for at- 
 tempting to desert to the enemy. This is one of those 
 hardened villains who were pardoned under the gallows 
 about three weeks since. 
 
 ly^A. — Four emissaries from the enemy, were found 
 concealed in a barn, belonging to a tory, in the vicinity 
 of our lines ; one of them, their leader, refused to surren- 
 der, and was killed on the spot. The other three were 
 tried by court-martial, and being convicted as spies, were 
 sentenced to be hanged. These unfortunate young men 
 came to the gallows overwhelmed with the horrors of 
 death. Their whole frames were thrown into a tremor, 
 and they were tortured at the sight of the gallows and hal- 
 ters. They had flattered themselves that mercy would be 
 extended to them, and that they would either be pardoned, 
 or their lives be prolonged for a few days; but when they 
 found that the executioner was about to perlbrm his office, 
 their moarnful cries and lamentations were distressing be- 
 yond description. It has some where been noted, that a 
 girl walked seven miles, in a torrent of rain, to see a man 
 hanged, and returned in tears, because the criminal was 
 reprieved; on the present occasion, a heart so full of de- 
 pravity might have enjoyed an indulgence even to satiety. 
 
 The enemy in New York are reported to be in motion, 
 and we shall probably very soon be called to engage in 
 battle. General orders are issued for the whole army to 
 be in readiness to march at a moment's warning. At six 
 o'clock in the morning of the 23d, the alarm guns were 
 fired, and the drums throughout our camp beat to arms, 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1780. 201 
 
 announcing the approach of the enemy; the whole army 
 is instantly in motion, the scene to my contemplation is 
 awfully sublime, yet animation and composure seem to 
 pervade every countenance. The present hour is undoubt- 
 edly pregnant with death and carnage; every arm is 
 nerved for defence, and every heart, it is presumed, fortified 
 to abide its destiny. Soon after the alarm, our advanced 
 party, consisting of General Maxwell's brigade and a few 
 militia, discovered the enemy advancing towards the vil- 
 lage of Springfield. A close engagement with the enemy's 
 advance immediately ensued ; but being pressed by four 
 times our number. General Maxwell, after an obstinate 
 resistance, was obliged to retreat, till a reinforcement could 
 arrive. Our brigade, commanded by General Stark, soon 
 joined Maxwell, on the high ground near the village of 
 Springfield. Colonel Angel's regiment, of Ehode Island, 
 with several small parties, were posted at a bridge over 
 which the enemy were to pass, and their whole force, of 
 five or six thousand men, was actually held in check by 
 these brave soldiers for more than forty minutes, amidst 
 the severest firing of cannon and musketry. The enemv, 
 however, with their superior force, advanced into the vil- 
 lage, and wantonly set fire to the buildings. We had the 
 mortification of beholding the church, and twenty or thirty 
 dwelling-houses and other buildings, in a blaze, and they 
 were soon consumed to ashes. Having thus completed their 
 great enterprise, and acquired to themselves the honor of 
 burning a village, they made a precipitate retreat to Eliza- 
 beth Point, and the ensuing night crossed over to Staten 
 Island. Our brigade was ordered to pursue the retreating 
 enemy, but we could not overtake them; we discovered 
 several fresh graves, and found fifteen dead bodies, which 
 they left in the field, and which we buried. We were 
 informed by the inhabitants, that they carried off eight or 
 ten wagon-loads of dead and wounded. Our militia took 
 fifteen prisoners. General Knyphausen was the com- 
 mander, and his force consisted of five or six thousand 
 men; the particular object of the expedition is not ascer- 
 tained; if it was to force their way to Morristown, to 
 destroy our magazines and stores, they were disappointed; 
 if to burn the village of Springfield, they are welcome to 
 the honor of the exploit. Our troops were commanded 
 
202 MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1780. 
 
 by Major-General Greene; not more than one thousand 
 were brought into action at any one time ; their conduct 
 was marked with the commendable coolness and intre- 
 pidity of veteran troops. Colonel Angel's regiment, in a 
 special manner, acquired immortal honor, by its unexam- 
 pled bravery. In the heat of the action, some soldiers 
 brought to me in a blanket Captain-Lieutenant Thompson 
 of the artillery, who had received a most formidable wound, 
 a cannon-ball having passed through both his thighs near 
 the knee-joint. With painful anxiety, the poor man in- 
 quired if I would amputate both his thighs. Sparing his 
 feelings, I evaded his inquiry, and directed him to be 
 carried to the hospital tent in the rear, where he would 
 receive the attention of the surgeons. "All that a man 
 hath will he give for his life." He expired in a few hours. 
 While advancing against the enemy, my attention was 
 directed to a wounded soldier in the field. I dismounted, 
 and left my horse at a rail-fence. It was not long before 
 a cannon-ball shattered a rail within a few feet of my 
 horse, and some soldiers were sent to take charge of the 
 wounded man, and to tell me it was time to retire. I now 
 perceived that our party had retreated, and our regiment 
 had passed me. I immediately mounted, and applied 
 spurs to my horse, that I might gain the front of our 
 regiment. Colonel Jackson being in the rear, smiled as 
 I passed him; but as my duty did not require my expo- 
 sure, I felt at liberty to seek a place of safet3\ It may 
 be considered a singular circumstance, that the soldier 
 above mentioned was wounded by the wind of a cannon- 
 ball. His arm was fractured above the elbow, without 
 the smallest perceptible injury to his clothes, or contusion 
 or discoloration of the skin. He made no complaint, but 
 I observed he was feeble and a little confused in his mind. 
 He received proper attention, but expired the next day. 
 The idea of injury by the wind of a ball, I learn, is not 
 new — instances of the kind have, it is said, occurred in 
 naval battles, and are almost constantly attended with 
 fatal effects. 
 
 Our troops in camp are in general healthy, but we are 
 troubled with many perplexing instances of indisposition, 
 occasioned by absence from home, called by Dr. Cullen 
 nostalgia^ or home-sickness. This complaint is frequent 
 
OEJVER^L ^■fATHAJ\riEL GREEJ^E. P. 202. 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1780. 203 
 
 among the militia and recruits from New England. They 
 become dull and melancholy, with loss of appetite, restless 
 nights, and great weakness. In some instances they be- 
 come so hypochondriacal as to be proper subjects for the 
 hospital. This disease is in many instances cured by the 
 raillery of the old soldiers, but is generally suspended by 
 a constant and active engagement of the mind, as by the 
 drill exercise, camp discipline, and by uncommon anxiety, 
 occasioned by the prospect of a battle. 
 
 Juhj. — Our brigade marched from Short hills on the 
 2oth of June, and arrived at Prackanes, Jersey, the 1st 
 of July. I rode with Dr. Tenney and Captain Hughes 
 about five miles, to take a vievv of the Passaic falls, called 
 by some Totowa falls, which are represented as a great 
 natural curiosity. The Passaic river runs over large 
 rocky mountains covered with fir-trees. At this place an 
 immense body of rock would totally interrupt its passage, 
 had it not been by some stupendous power rent in several 
 places from top to bottom, forming huge clefts, some of 
 \\ liich are twenty or tliirty feet wide, others not more than 
 two or three, and from fifty to seventy feet deep. The 
 depth of one of them, it is said, has never been ascertained. 
 It is here that the whole torrent of the river falls perpen- 
 dicularW, with amazing violence and rapidity, down a 
 rocky precipice of seventy feet, with a tremendous roar 
 and foaming. But being interrupted in its course, by 
 craggy rocks, it turns abruptly to the right, and again to 
 the left, and falling into huge cavities below, the whole 
 torrent vanishes from our sight; but stepping to another 
 precipice a few yards distant, we behold the same torrent 
 emerging from its subterraneous course, and rushing into 
 a large basin, or cavern, formed in the rock. This basin 
 contains forty fathoms of water, and is never full, but its 
 rocky walls on all sides ascend sixty feet above the surface 
 of the water. Such is the astonishing depth of this re- 
 ceptacle, that the water neither foams nor forms whirlpools 
 by the rushing current, but is calm and undisturbed. 
 From this basin the water rushes through its outlet, reas- 
 sumes the form of a river, and in majestic silence pursues 
 its course towards the sea. 
 
 In the afternoon we were invited to visit another curi- 
 osity in the neighborhood. This is a monster in the humaii 
 
204 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1760. 
 
 form. He is twenty-seven years of age ; his face, from the 
 upper part of his forehead to the end of his chin, measures 
 twenty inches, and round the upper part of his head is 
 twenty-one inches; his eyes and nose are remarkably 
 large and prominent, chin long and pointed. His features 
 are coarse, irregular, and disgusting, andhis voice is rough 
 and sonorous. His body is only twenty-seven inches in 
 length, his limbs are small and much deformed, and he 
 has the use of one hand only. He has never been able to 
 stand or sit up, as he cannot support the enormous weight 
 of his head; but lies constantly in a large cradle, with his 
 head supported on pillows. He is visited by great num- 
 bers of people, and is peculiarly fond of the company of 
 clergymen, always inquiring for them among his visitors, 
 and taking great pleasure in receiving religious instruc- 
 tion. General Washington made him a visit, and asked, 
 "whether he was a whig or tory?" He replied, that "he 
 had never taken an active part on either side." 
 
 bth. — I took an excursion a few miles into the country, 
 to visit the surgeons of the flying hospital; took tea at 
 their quarters, with a wealthy Dutch family, and was 
 treated with great civility. They live in a style superior 
 to the Low Dutch in general; the table was amply fur- 
 nished with cherries, raspberries and other fruits, which 
 abound in this country. 
 
 IQth. — The officers of our regiment and those of Colonel 
 Webb's united in providing an entertainment, and invited 
 a respectable number of gentlemen of our brigade to dine; 
 Dr. West and myself were appointed caterers and super- 
 intendents. We erected a large arbor, with the boughs 
 of trees, under which we enjoyed an elegant dinner, and 
 spent the afternoon in social glee, with some of the wine 
 which was taken from the enemy when they retreated 
 from Elizabethtown. Our drums and fifes afforded us a 
 favorite music till evening, when we were delighted with 
 the song composed by Mr. Hopkinson, called the '■'■Battle of 
 the Kegs,^^ sung in the best style by a number of gentlemen. 
 14:th. — An express has arrived at head-quarters, from 
 Rhode Island, with the pleasing information of the arrival 
 there of a French fleet, accompanied by an army of six 
 thousand regular French troops, who are to cooperate 
 with our army as allies in our cause. They are com- 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1780. 205 
 
 manded by Count Rochambeau, a distinguished general 
 in the French service. 
 
 20^/i. — In general orders, the commander-in-chief con- 
 gratulates the army on the arrival of a large land and 
 naval armament at Rhode Island, sent by his Most Chris- 
 tian Majesty, to cooperate with us against the common 
 enemy. The lively concern which our allies manifest for 
 our safety and independence, has a claim to the affection 
 of every virtuous citizen. The general with confidence 
 assures the army, that the officers and men of the French 
 forces come to our aid animated with a zeal founded in 
 sentiment for us, as well as in duty to their prince, and 
 that they will do every thing in their power to promote 
 harmony and cultivate friendship ; he is equally persuaded, 
 on our part, that we shall vie with them in their good 
 disposition, to which we are excited by gratitude as well 
 as by common interest; and that the only contention be- 
 tween the two armies will be to excel each other in good 
 offices, and in the display of every military virtue. This 
 will be a pledge of the most solid advantage to the com- 
 mon cause, and a glorious issue to the campaign. The 
 commander-in-chief has recommended to the officers of 
 our army to wear cockades of black and white, inter- 
 mixed, as a symbol of friendship for our French allies, 
 who wear white cockades. 
 
 22c?. ^ — 'The officers of our regiment received an invitation 
 to dine with Major-General Lord Stirling. We were in- 
 troduced to his lordship by Colonel Jackson, and were 
 received with great civility and politeness. Colonel Bid- 
 die and his lady were of the guests. Our entertainment 
 was sumptuous and elegant. After the covers were re- 
 moved, the servants brought in pails filled with cherries 
 and strawberries, which were strewed over the long table; 
 with tliese, and excellent wine, accompanied by martial 
 music, we regaled ourselves till evening. This gentle- 
 man's proper name is William Alexander, and he is a 
 native of the state of New York. He visited Scotland in 
 pursuit of the tide and estate of an earldom, which he 
 claimed as the rightful heir of his ancestor, who had this 
 title, and a grant of Nova Scotia, anno. 1621. In this 
 pursuit, he expended a large proportion of his fortune, 
 but failed in obtaining an acknowledgment of his claim 
 
2Qg MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1780. 
 
 by the government; yet, by courtesy, he bears the title 
 of Lord Stirling. He is considered as a brave, intelligent 
 and judicious officer. In the battle on Long Island in 
 August, 177H, he unfortunately fell into the hands of the 
 enemy; but it occasioned no impeachment of his charac- 
 ter and conduct. He posses.>^es the genuine principles of 
 pati'iotism, and is strongly attached to General Washing- 
 ton, lie disclosed to the commander-in-chief the intrigue 
 of General Conway, when in 1777 he attempted to super- 
 sede his excellency, saying in his letter, "such wicked 
 duplicity of conduct, I shall always think it my duty to 
 delect." In his })ersonal ji})pearance, his lordship is ven- 
 emble and dignified; in hi^J deportment, gentlemanly and 
 gracel'ul ; in conversation, pleasing and interesting.* He 
 is said to be ambitious of the title of lordship. Being 
 present at the execution of a soldier for desertion, the 
 crimiiud at the gallows repetitedly cried out, "the Lord 
 have mercy on me!" his lordship with warmth exclaimed, 
 "I won't, you rascal, I won't have mercy on you." 
 
 2c)0?. — Sunday I attended a sermon preached by Mr. 
 Blair, chaplain of the artillery. The troops were paraded 
 in the open licld, the sermon was well calculated to incul- 
 cate religious principles and the moral virtues. His Ex- 
 cellency General Washington, Major-Generals Greene and 
 Knox, with a number of other ofiicers, were present. 
 
 Auyust. — Orders are given for the army to be in readi- 
 ness lor a movement. 
 
 According to orders, our brigade marched from Prac- 
 kanes on the 29th of July, and encamped at Paramus at 
 night, fifteen miles. The men were exceedingly alfected 
 with the heat and fatigue. We marched on the succeed- 
 ing day at two o'clock in the morning; at this early hour, 
 the drums beat the reveille, which summons us from our 
 hard beds and slumbers, in haste we roll up our travel- 
 ling bed iurniture, strike our tents, order them thrown 
 into the wagons, mount our horses, and with a slow pace 
 follow the march of our soldiers, bt-nding under the weight 
 of the burden on their backs. We arrived at the North 
 river and crossed the ferry, August 1st, where we found 
 the whole of our main army collecting to a point. All 
 the troops from West Point that can be spared, and de- 
 * Ilis lordship died at Albany, January 15th, nSS.aged fifty-seven years. 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1780. 207 
 
 tachments from different stations, have formed a junction 
 in this vicinity. Two brigades have been selected iVoin 
 the different regiments in the main army, to form a corps 
 of light infantry, to be commanded by the Marquis de la 
 Fayette. They have been reviewed by the commander- 
 in-chief and other general officers, on the grand parade, 
 and are pronounced to be as excellent a corps as can be 
 produced in any army. The marquis is delighted with 
 his command, and is at his own expense providing for 
 them some extra equipments. It is understood that Gen- 
 eral Clinton has despatched a part of the British fleet and 
 army on an expedition against our allies, the French fleet 
 and army at Khode Island. The whole of our army hav- 
 ing crossed to the east side of the Hudson, it is conjectured 
 that his excellency contemplates some important enterprise 
 against the enemy at New York, or at least to compel 
 General Clinton to recall his expedition from Rhode Isl- 
 and, for his own safety. Our commander-in-chief has 
 ordered that the army disencumber itself of all heavy 
 baggage, which, with the women and children, are to be 
 immediately sent to West Point, and that the troops have 
 constantly two days' provisions cooked on hand, and hold 
 themselves in readiness to march at a moment's warning. 
 Such is our condition for order and regularity, 'that the 
 whole army, which occupies an extent of several miles, 
 can be put in motion, and take up a line of march in kss 
 than one hour. The horses belonging to our baggage- 
 wagons and to the artillery are constantly in harness, and 
 those belonging to the officers are kept in readiness; every 
 man and every horse are taught to know their place and 
 their duty. Marching orders, so soon as issued, are com- 
 municated to each brigade and regiment. The whole line 
 of encampment resounds with martial music; all is bustle 
 and activity, but free from confusion. The drums and 
 fifes beating a march, the tents are instantly struck and 
 thrown into wagons, the line of march commences, every 
 subordinate officer and soldier follows his commander, and 
 whether to rush into battle and encounter the dogs of war, 
 or onl}^ to manoeuvre in the field, it is no man's business 
 to know or inquire. The secret is where it ought to be, 
 in the breast of him who directs our destiny, and whom 
 it is our pride to obey. Such is the state and condition 
 
203 MILITARY JOUKXAL, 17Sm. 
 
 of a well-regulated and disciplined army, and such only can 
 attain to military fame and glory. It is now ascertained, 
 August 4th, that the formidable manoBuvre of our army 
 has effected the object intended. The enemy's expedition 
 to Khode Island has returned to New York, in conse- 
 quence probably of the alarm excited for the safety of that 
 city. Orders are now repeived for our army to recross the 
 Hudson to the Jersey shore. Our brigade crossed the 
 ferry in the night of the 5th, and encamped in a field about 
 five miles from the ferry. The crossing of the whole 
 army, occupied three days and nights, during which a 
 vast number of large boats and floats were continually in 
 motion. On the 6th, marched to Greenbush, and on the 
 7th and 8th, the whole army arrived and encamped at 
 Orangetown. The light infantry, under the marquis, is 
 constantly advanced three miles in front of the army. 
 The fatigue and extreme heat during this march, have pro- 
 duced very unfavorable effects on our troops, and they are 
 now becoming sickly. Cholera-morbus, dysentery and 
 remittent fevers, are the prevailing complaints, which de- 
 mand all my attention. 
 
 9th. — Dined with Baron Steuben, and spent the after- 
 noon with the guests. The baron keeps a splendid table, 
 and treats his visitors with polite attention. Captain 
 William North, of our regiment, is one of the aids-de-camp 
 of the baron, and has ingratiated himself so highly in his 
 favor, that he treats him with all the affection of a son. 
 
 A committee from Congress have again arrived in our 
 camp, with the view of investigating the affairs of the 
 army, to attend to complaints, and to redress grievances, 
 so far as may be in their power; and they will find that 
 their task and duty are not to be envied. The regimental 
 surgeons and mates have deputed a committee to present 
 a list of our grievances for their honors' consideration. 
 We claim of Consiress the same emoluments and remu- 
 neration which are promised to the oflicers of the line 
 of the army. 
 
 14^^. — Visited Dr. Cochran, our surgeon-general, at his 
 quarters in the country, and thence proceeding to the light 
 infantry encampment, took tea with Major Trescott and 
 Captain Cushing. I accompanied a number of ofiicers to 
 Dobbs' ferr}'^, where our troops are engaged in erecting a 
 
MILITAKV JOURNAL, 1780. 209 
 
 block -house and batteries, to defend the passage at the 
 ferry-way. The Hudson at this place is about three miles 
 wide, so that no battery can prevent the enemy's shipping 
 from passing up the river from New York. 
 
 20th. — Sunday, attended a sermon preached by Mr. Enos 
 Hitchcock, chaplain of General Patterson's brigade; the 
 troops were assembled in the open field. Mr. Hitchcock 
 is respected as a sensible and learned divine, of pure 
 morals and correct principles. His patriotic zeal and 
 ardent attachment to his country's freedom, induced him 
 to quit his people and domestic enjoyments at Beverly, 
 Massachusetts, for the turmoil and fatigue of camp. I 
 dined with my friends Dr. Skinner and Major Winslow. 
 We are again visited with the alarming apprehension of a 
 famine; no meat has been drawn for two days past; no 
 money, no rum, and no contentment among our soldiers 
 — great dissatisfaction prevails. 
 
 2bth. — The whole army in this quarter has decamped, 
 the object and destination a secret; the conjectural object 
 is to procure a supply of provisions and forage from the 
 inhabitants between the lines, which otherwise would go 
 to supply the wants of the enemy. All the sick and dis- 
 abled are left in camp, and I am directed to take charge 
 of those belonging to our brigade; but with this charge I 
 am left entirely destitute of provisions. Feeling myself 
 authorized to take a small supply from the inhabitants foi* 
 immediate necessity, I required from a Dutchman four 
 sheep from his farm; as he was offended and made some 
 opposition, I was obliged to force them from him, giving 
 a receipt, that he might recover a compensation from 
 the public. 
 
 29)th. — Our army has returned from below, with a large 
 quantity of forage, and provisions of various kinds, taken 
 from the disaffected inhabitants on the lines. This affords 
 us an important relief, when almost in a starving condi- 
 tion. A small party of the enemy was discovered near the 
 lines, a slight skirmish ensued, and they soon disappeared. 
 
 29th.- — 1 accompanied Captain W. to the village of 
 Charlestown, met Major-General Schuyler and other gen- 
 tlemen at a tavern, with whom we dined. Here I learned 
 that a duel hi\d just been fought between Lieutenant 0. 
 and Mr. P., both of Colonel Mayland's regiment of dra- 
 
210 MILITARY JOUENAL, 17S0. 
 
 goons, and both of whom were yesterday on the most 
 intimate terms of friendship. Mr. O. killed his antagonist 
 on the spot, and received a dangerous wound in his thigh. 
 When I visited him, his wound had been dressed, and I 
 was astonished at the calmness and composure with which 
 he related all the particulars of this melanchol}^ and mur- 
 derous catastrophe, and the agonizing state of mind of his 
 late friend in his dying moments. The duel originated in 
 a trivial misunderstanding, which excited these close friends 
 to assume the character of assassins, and to hazard life for 
 life. Nor did O. discover the least sorrow or remorse of 
 conscience for having sacrificed the life of a friend and 
 valuable officer to the mistaken points of honor! 
 
 SOth. — Another dreadful appeal has this day been made 
 to the deadly combat on a point of honor. The parties 
 were Lieutenant S. and Mr. L. a volunteer in the army; 
 the latter gentleman fell, and instantly expired; bis mur- 
 derer escaped uninjured. Thus have two valuable lives 
 been sacrificed within two days, to what is termed princi- 
 ples of honor, or rather to the vindictive spirit of malice 
 and revenge. Is there no remedy for this fashionable 
 folly, this awful blindness and perversion of mind, this 
 barbarous and infernal practice, this foul stain on the his- 
 tory of man! The following anecdote is in point: The 
 practice of duelling had become alarming in the Pi'ussian 
 army, and the great Frederic was desirous of checking its 
 progress. Two officers of high rank had engaged to meet 
 in personal combat. The king commanded that they 
 should fight in his presence, and at a time and place which 
 he appointed. When the parties appeared, they were 
 astonished to find the whole army paraded to witness the 
 combat, a gallows erected, and a halter and coffins pre- 
 pared. The king now commanded that they should decide 
 their fate in his presence, and that the survivor should be 
 instantly hung on the gallows. The two champions were 
 appalled, and glad to implore his majesty's forgiveness ; 
 and this example proved an effectual remedy against duel- 
 ling in the Prussian army. 
 
 September. — Intelligence of an unpleasant and distressing 
 nature, has just reached us from South Carolina. Our 
 southern arm}', under the command of Mnjor-General 
 Gates, has been totally defeated, in a general action with 
 
 I 
 
MILITAKY JOURNAL, 17S0. 211 
 
 Lord Cornwallis, on the 19th of August. General Gates, 
 as is reported, retreated with precipitation to the distance 
 of eighty miles, to escape the pursuit of the enemy. This 
 mortifying disaster gives a severe shock to our army, as it 
 must be productive of the most important and serious con- 
 sequences as it respects the welfare of the Southern states. 
 In his letter to the President of Congress, General Gates 
 says: "In the deepest distress and anxiety of mind, I am 
 obliged to acquaint your excellency with the defeat of the 
 troops under my command," The letter states that the 
 continental troops displayed their usual courage and 
 bravery, but at the first onset of the enemy, the whole body 
 of militia became panic-struck, were completely routed, 
 and ran like a torrent, bearing all before them, and leaving 
 the continentals to oppose the whole force of the enemy. 
 This victory was not obtained without loss on the part of 
 the foe, they having upwards of five hundred men, with 
 officers in proportion, killed and wounded. The whole 
 number of continental officers killed, wounded and missing, 
 is forty-eight. Among the killed, is Baron de Kalb, a 
 major-general; while leading on the Maryland and Dela- 
 ware troops, he was pierced with eleven wounds, and soon 
 after expired. He was a German by birth, a brave and 
 meritorious officer, a knight of the order of military merit, 
 and a brigadier-general in the armies of France. He had 
 served thfee years, with high reputation, in the American 
 array. General Gates' command in this army is said to 
 consist of three thousand, of which number were only nine 
 hundred continental regulars. The royalists, under Lord 
 Cornwallis, were upwards of three thousand two hundred, 
 and a great part of them regular troops. This very unfor- 
 tunate event has given an impression universally unfavor- 
 able to the character and conduct of General Gates, as he 
 has disappointed the high expectations of the public. He 
 is indeed a painful example of the vicissitudes of the for- 
 tune of war.; but it ought not to be expected that an officer 
 should be held accountable for the strokes of fortune; nor 
 for the effects of superior force or address in the enemy. 
 Considering the former high character and meritorious 
 services of the general, we cannot justly suspect him to 
 be chargeable with any deficiency in point of integrity or 
 
212 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1780. 
 
 conduct, and time and investigation must decide how far 
 he has been guilty of any culpable error. 
 
 bth. — Our army marched from Orangetown, and en- 
 camped at Steenrapie, yesterday. It is mortifying that 
 our stock of provisions is again exhausted; the soldiers 
 have for several days drawn nothing but one pound of 
 flour a man. 
 
 8//i. — I had again the honor of dining at the table of 
 Baron Steuben, in company with a number of ofhcers. 
 Notwithstanding the scarcity of provisions in camp, the 
 baron's table continues to be well supplied; his gener- 
 osity is unbounded. 
 
 10^/?. — We are now lamenting the loss of Brigadier- 
 General Poor, who died last night of putrid fever. His 
 funeral solemnities have been attended this afternoon. 
 The corpse was brought this morning from Paramus, and 
 left at a house about a mile from the burying-yard at 
 Hackensack, whence it was attended to the place of inter- 
 ment by the following procession: a regiment of light- 
 infantry, in uniform, with arms reversed; four field-pieces; 
 Major Lee's regiment of light-horse; General Hand and 
 his brigade; the major on horseback; two chaplains; the 
 horse of the deceased, with his boots and spurs suspended 
 from the saddle, led by a servant; the corpse borne by 
 four Serjeants, and the pall supported by six general offi- 
 cers. The coffin was of mahogany, and a pair of pistols 
 and two swords, crossing each other and tied with black 
 crape, were placed on the top. The corpse was followed 
 by the officers of the New Hampshire brigade ; the officers 
 of the brigade of light-infantry, which the deceased had 
 lately commanded. Other officers fell in promiscuously, 
 and were followed by his Excellency General Washington, 
 and other general officers. Having arrived at the bury- 
 ing-yard, the troops opened to the right and left, resting 
 on their arms reversed, and the procession passed to the 
 grave, where a short eulogy was delivered by the Rev. 
 Mr. Evans. A band of music, with a number of drums 
 and fifes, played a funeral dirge, the drums were muffled 
 with black crape, and the officers in the procession wore 
 crape round the left arm. The regiment of light-infantry 
 were in handsome uniform, and wore in their caps long 
 feathers of black and red. The elegant regiment of horse, 
 
MILITARY JOUKNAL, 1780. 213 
 
 coinmanded by Major Lee, being in complete uniform and 
 well disciplined, exhibited a martial and noble appearance. 
 No scene can exceed in grandeur and solemnity a military 
 funeral. The weapons of war reversed, and embellished 
 with the badges of mourning, the slow and regular step 
 of the procession, the mournful sound of the unbraced 
 drum and deep-toned instruments, playing the melancholy 
 dirge, the majestic mien and solemn march of the war- 
 horse, all conspire to impress the mind with emotions 
 which no language can describe, and which nothing but 
 the reality can paint to the liveliest imagination. General 
 Poor was from the state of New Hampshire. He was a 
 true patriot, who took an early part in the cause of his 
 country, and during his military career was respected for 
 his talents and his bravery, and beloved for the amiable 
 qualities of his heart. But it is a sufficient eulogy to sa}^, 
 that he enjoyed the confidence and esteem of Washington. 
 ll^A. — We had a most violent shower of rain, accompa- 
 nied with tremendous peals of thunder and lightning; we 
 were obliged to quit our beds in the night, but no part of 
 our marquee could shield us from the drenching rains — ■ 
 not a blanket about us remained dry. 
 
 12i]i. — A soldier was executed for robbery; he was one 
 of live who broke into a house with their arms, and rob- 
 bed the inhabitants of a sum of money and many valuable 
 articles. He conducted with fortitude at the gallows. 
 
 18^/^ — The ami}' was paraded to be reviewed by Gen- 
 eral Washington, accompanied by a number of Indian 
 chiefs. His excellency, mounted on his noble bay charger, 
 rode in front of the line of the army, and received the 
 usual salute. Six Indian chiefs followed in his train, ap- 
 pearing as the most disgusting and contemptible of the 
 human race; their faces painted of various colors, their 
 hair twisted into bunches on the top of their heads, and 
 dressed in a miserable Indian habit, some with a dirty 
 blanket over the shoulders, and others almost naked. 
 They were mounted on horses of the poorest kind, with 
 undressed sheep skins, instead of saddles, and old ropes 
 for bridles. These bipeds could not refrain from the in- 
 dulgence of their appetites for rum on this occasion, and 
 some of them fell from their horses on their return to head- 
 quarters. This tribe of Indians is friendly to America, 
 
21 ]. ' MILITARY JOURNAL, 1780. 
 
 and it is good policy to show them some attention, and 
 give them an idea of the strength of our army. 
 
 20f//. — The army decamped from Steenrapie this morn- 
 \r\<i, and encamped at Orangetown, or Tappan. His Ex- 
 cellency General Washington, with the Marquis de la 
 Fa3'ette and General Knox, with a splendid retinue, left 
 the camp on the 17th instant, bound to Hartford in Con- 
 necticut, to have an interview with the commanding offi- 
 cers oi'the French fleet and army, which have lately arrived 
 at Rhode Island, 
 
 1 have just been introduced to three young clerg3'men, 
 from Connecticut, Mr. Lockwood, Mr. Ely, and Mr. Joel 
 Barlow; the latter is a chaplain in the Connecticut line, 
 and is said to possess a poetical genius. Being present 
 when he made a prayer in public, it was remarked that 
 his pertbrmance was very ordinary, and it was replied that 
 the gentleman had not been much accustomed to public 
 performances, and that he was more calculated to attain to 
 eminence in the art of poetry than in the clerical profession. 
 
 2l6'^. — Major-General Greene succeeds to the command 
 of our army, in the absence of his Excellency General 
 Washington. This gentleman is a native of the state of 
 Rhode Island. His father was an anchor-smith, and his 
 business in that line was very extensive. He was a mem- 
 ber of the Scxjiety of Friends, and when about to engage 
 in a military station, they remonstrated with him, as war 
 was a violation of the established principles of their sect. 
 But his patriotism and ardent zeal for the cause of liberty 
 were irresistible, and he was, at the age of thirty, ap- 
 pointed a brigadier-general by his government in the year 
 1775. After the battle of Lexington, actuated by a native 
 martial ardor, he repaired to Cambridge, and, with the 
 ti'oops under his command, joined the continental army 
 under General Washington. General Greene has con- 
 ducted in a manner to meet the expectations and full ap- 
 probation of the public, and has been promoted to the 
 rank of major-general. By his inilitary talents, skill and 
 judgment, he has acquired a character of the highest order, 
 and is held in respect and estimation throughout the army, 
 as second only to the commander-in-chief It is the pre- 
 vailing sentiment, that if in any event of Providence we 
 should be deprived of our chief commander, General 
 
MILITARY JOUENAL, 1780. 215 
 
 Greene is of all others the most suitable character to be 
 his successor, and in this sentiment there is the greatest 
 reason to believe that the illustrious Washington himself 
 would readily coincide. 
 
 26^/;. — At three o'clock this morning an alarm was 
 spread throughout our camp. Two regiments from the 
 Pennsylvania line were ordered to march immediately to 
 West Point, and the whole army to be held in readiness 
 to march at a moment's warning. It was soon ascertained 
 that this sudden movement was in consequence of the 
 discovery of one of the most extraordinary events in 
 modern history, and in which the interposition of Divine 
 Providence is remarkably conspicuous. It is the treach- 
 erous conspiracy of Major-General Arnold, and the cap- 
 ture of Major John Andre, adjutant-general to the British 
 army. The army being paraded this morning, the follow- 
 ing communication in the orders of General Greene was 
 read by the adjutants to their respective regiments: 
 
 •'Treason, of the blackest dye, was yesterday discovered. General 
 Arnold, who commanded at West Point, lost to every sentiment of 
 honor, of private and public obligation, was about to deliver up that 
 important post into the hands of the enemy. Such an event must have 
 given the American cause a dangerous, if not a fatal wound; happily 
 the treason has been timely discovered, to prevent the fatal misfortune. 
 The providential train of circumstances which led to it, affords the most 
 convincing proofs that the liberties of America are theobject of Divine 
 protection. At the same time that the treason is to be regretted, the 
 general cannot help congratulating the army on the happy discovery. 
 Our enemies, despairing of carrying their point by force, are practising 
 every base art to effect by bribery and corruption what they cannot ac- 
 complish in a manly way. Great honor is due to the American army, 
 that this is the first instance of treason of the kind, where many were to 
 be expected from the nature of our dispute; the brightest ornament in 
 the character of the American soldiers is, their having been proof against 
 all the arts and seductions of an insidious enemy. Arnold lias made his 
 escape to the enemy, but Major Andre, the adjutant-general in the 
 British army, who came out as a spy to negotiate the business, is our 
 prisoner." 
 
 West Point is situated in the midst of the highlands, 
 on the west side of the Hudson, sixty miles above ISTew 
 York, and seven below Fishkill. It is a strongly-fortified 
 castle, which, with its dependencies, is considered by Gen- 
 eral AVashington as the key which locks the communica- 
 tion between the Eastern and Southern states; and of all 
 the posts in the United States, this is the most importani. 
 
 R 
 
21Q MILITAKY JOUENAL, 1780. 
 
 The position is remarkably well calculated by nature for 
 a defensive post, being on a bend of the river, with rocky 
 ridges rising one above another, and the lofty summit is 
 covered with a range of redoubts and batteries, planned 
 by the most skillful engineers. The most elevated and 
 formidable fortress is erected on a natural platform of 
 rocks, very steep, and almost inaccessible on every side; 
 this is called "Fort Putnam," from the general who had 
 the principal share in its plan and construction. It over- 
 looks the whole plain below, and commands a landscape- 
 view thirty miles in extent, the Hudson having the 
 appearance of a vast canal, cut through huge mountains. 
 As additional security, an iron chain of immense strength 
 is thrown across at the short bend of the river, and fixed 
 to huge blocks on each shore, and under the fire of bat- 
 teries on both sides the river. The links of this chain are 
 about twelve inches wide, and eighteen long, the bars 
 about two inches square. It is buoyed up by very large 
 logs, of about sixteen feet long, pointed at the ends to 
 lessen their opposition to the force of the current at flood 
 and ebb tide. The logs are placed at short distances from 
 each other, the chain carried over them and made fast to 
 each by staples. There are also a number of anchors 
 dropped at proper distances, with cables made fast to the 
 chain to give it a greater stability. Such is the formida- 
 ble state and strength of this post, that it has received the 
 appellation of the American Gibraltar, and when properly 
 guarded, may bid defiance to an army of twenty thousand 
 men. General Arnold was well apprised of the great 
 importance of this fortress; no position in America could 
 aftbrd the British greater advantages. It commands the 
 whole extent of country on the Hudson, from New York 
 to Canada, and secures a communication- between the 
 Eastern and Southern states. 
 
 From the commencement of the American war. General 
 Arnold has been viewed in the light of a brave and heroic 
 officer, having exhibited abundant proof of his military 
 ardor and invincible temper. He has fought in various 
 battles, with an intrepid gallantry which cannot be ex- 
 ceeded, and it is from his bravery in the field, more than 
 any intrinsic merit, that his character and fame have been 
 established. His meritorious services have been amply 
 
MILITARY JOUllNAL, 17S0. 217 
 
 rewarded by his promotion to the rank of major-general, 
 but his name will now be transmitted to posterity with 
 marks of infamy, and the pages of our histor}' will be 
 tarnished by the record of crimes of the most atrocious 
 character by a native of our land. After the evacuation 
 of Philadelphia by the British, Arnold v/as appointed to 
 the command in that city, and such was his conduct, as 
 respects both his official station and individual concerns, 
 that his former standing and important services could no 
 longer shield him from public odidm and the just censure 
 of the government.* Being afterward, by his own solicit- 
 ation, intrusted with the command of the post at West 
 Point, he engaged in a secret correspondence with Sir 
 Henry Clinton, and actually agreed to put him in posses- 
 sion of this very important garrison. The British general, 
 ever ready to avail himself of treachery to accomplish an 
 object which he could not achieve by the strength of his 
 arms, selected Major John Andre, his adjutant-general 
 and aid-de-camp, to have a personal interview with the 
 traitor, to mature the plan, and make arrangements for 
 the surrender of the post. A British sloop-of-war, called 
 the Vulture, came up the North river, and anchored near 
 King's ferry, about twelve miles below West Point. On 
 board of this vessel were a Colonel Robinson, and Major 
 Andre, under the assumed name of John Anderson. A 
 communication was now maintained between Arnold and 
 the persons on board the Vulture, without exciting the 
 least suspicion of treasonable designs. But a personal 
 interview was found necessary, and the place chosen for 
 this purpose was the beach near the house of Joshua / , 
 
 Smith, Esquire, who has long been suspected of a pre- 
 dilection for the British interest. In the night of the 21st 
 instant, Smith, by the desire of Arnold, went with a boat, 
 rowed by some men employed on his farm, and brought 
 Major Andre, alias John Anderson, on shore, where he 
 was received by Arnold, and conducted to the house of 
 Smith, within our lines. Andre remained concealed at 
 Smith's house till the following night, when he became 
 extremely anxious to return on board the Vulture; but 
 the boatmen, whom Arnold and Smith had seduced to 
 bring him on shore the preceding night, could not be 
 * See Life of Arnold in the Appendix. 
 
2lQ MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1780. 
 
 prevailed on to reconduct him on board, as the Yulture 
 had been driven from her station by a cannon on shore. 
 Finding it impossible to procure a boat and men for the 
 purpose, it was resolved that Andre should return to New 
 York by land, to which he reluctantly submitted, as the 
 only alternative, to escape the danger into which he had 
 been betrayed. For this hazardous attempt Arnold and 
 Smith furnished him with a horse, and with clothee, in 
 exchange for his military uniform; and Arnold gave him 
 a passport under the fictitious name of John Anderson, as 
 being on public business. Thus prepared, and accompa- 
 nied by Smith part of the way, he proceeded on his 
 journey. The passport served his purpose till he got be- 
 yond all our out-posts and guards without suspicion. 
 They lodged together at Crompond that night, and Smith 
 having given him directions about the road, left him the 
 next morning, within about thirty miles of New York. 
 Having arrived at Tarrytown, however, near the lines of 
 the royal army, Andre was arrested by one of three men, 
 who were patrolling between the out-posts of the two 
 armies. He held his horse by the bridle, till his two 
 companions came from their concealment to his assistance. 
 This was the moment which was to decide the fate of the 
 adj utant-general of the royal army. Alarmed and discon- 
 certed, instead of producing his passport, he asked where 
 they belonged ? They replied, "To below," alluding to 
 New York. "And so do 1," said Andre; "I am a British 
 officer, on urgent business, and must not be detained." 
 He was soon, however, undeceived, and confounded on 
 being obliged to yield himself a prisoner, and finding his 
 jmssport, though having the authority of Arnold's signa- 
 ture, availed him nothing. His captors, suspecting that 
 they had taken a valuable prize, resolved to hold him in 
 durance, and realize his worth. The unfortunate prisoner 
 now produced his gold watch, and said, "This will con- 
 vince you that I am a gentleman, and if you will suffer 
 me to pass, I will send to New York, and give you miy 
 amount you shall name^ in cash, or in dry goods;"* and, 
 
 * English goods were, at that time, more valuable than gold or silver. 
 It has in general been understood, that Andre offered his captors his 
 horse, his purse, and a valuable watch, but Dr. Eustis assures me that 
 the above are the facts, as stated to him by Isaac Van Vert, who first 
 stopped Andre. 
 
MAJOR JOUJi .iJVDRB. P. 228. 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 17S0. 219 
 
 pointing to an adjacent wood, "you may keep me in that 
 wood till it shall be delivered to you." All his offers, 
 however, were rejected with disdain, and they declared 
 that ten thousand guineas, or any other sum, would be no 
 temptation. It is to their virtue, no less glorious to America, 
 than Arnold's apostacy is disgraceful, that his detestablci 
 crimes are discovered. Their names are John Paulding, 
 David Williams, and Isaac Van Vert.* Taking their 
 prisoner into the bushes, to undergo a search and exam- 
 ination, they found, concealed in his boots, the important 
 papers, containing exact returns of the state of the forces, 
 ordnance and defences at West Point and its dependencies, 
 with critical remarks on the works, with a return of the 
 number of troops at West Point, and their distribution; 
 copies of confidential letters from General Washington, 
 &c., &c., all in the hand-writing of General Arnold. Be- 
 sides which, it is ascertained that the traitor carried with 
 him to the interview a general plan of West Point and its 
 vicinity, and all the works, and also particular plans of 
 each work on a large scale, elegantly drawn by the engi- 
 neer at that post. But these were not given up to Major 
 Andre; it is supposed they were to be delivered at a 
 future time. The captors now very properly delivered 
 their prisoner, with the papers found on him, into the 
 hands of Lieutenant-Colonel Jameson, the commanding 
 officer on our lines. Andre, with the view, no doubt, of 
 giving Arnold an opportunity to escape, had the address 
 to induce Colonel Jameson to inform the traitor, by letter, 
 that John Anderson was taken on his way to New York. 
 It is probable that Colonel Jameson had not examined the 
 papers in his possession, or it may well be supposed that, 
 having such ample evidence before him, he would have 
 
 * (^Jongress resolved "That they have a high sense of the virtuous and 
 patriotic conduct of John Paulding, David Willinms, and haac Van 
 Vert, In testimony whereof, ordered, that each of tiiem receive annually, 
 two hundred dollars in specie, or an equivalent in the current money of 
 these states, during life, and that tiie Board of War be directed to pro- 
 cure each of them a silver medal, on one side of which shall be a shield 
 with this inscription, Fidelity, and on tlie other, the following motto, 
 Vincit amor Patrice, and forward them to the commander-in-chief, who 
 is requested to present the same with a copy of this resolution, and the 
 thanks of Congress for their fidelity, and the eminent service they have 
 rendered their country." 
 
220 MILITAEY JOUEXAL, 17 SO. 
 
 hesitated before compljdng with this request; but, unsus- 
 picious of treachery, and under the embarrassment of the 
 moment, as though his mind was bewildered, or devoid of 
 reason, he immediately despatched an express to Arnold, 
 at Robinson's house, with the intelligence. 
 
 After sufficient time had elapsed for Arnold to receive 
 the information and make his escape. Major Andre de- 
 clared himself to Colonel Jameson to be the adjutant-gen- 
 eral of the British army. Sensible of the Jinesse which 
 had been practised on him, Colonel Jameson now de- 
 spatched an express to meet General Washington, on his 
 return from Hartford to Arnold's quarters, with an account 
 of the capture of Major Andre, and the papers which were 
 found on him, and this was accompanied by a letter from 
 the prisoner, disclosing to his excellency his real charac- 
 ter and condition, and relating the manner of his capture, 
 &c. It unfortunately happened that the express took a 
 different road, and missed of meeting the commander-in- 
 chief, and Arnold first received the information about ten 
 o'clock on the morning of the "Xoth instant. At this mo- 
 ment Major Shaw and Dr. McHenry, two of his excel- 
 lency's aids, had arrived, and were at breakfast at Arnold's 
 table. His confusion was visible, but no one could devise 
 the cause. Struck with the pressing danger of his situa- 
 tion, expecting General Washington would soon arrive, 
 the guilty traitor called instantly tor a ^^ horse, any one, even 
 if a ivagon horse'''' — bid a hasty adieu to his wife, and en- 
 joined a positive order on the messenger not to inform 
 that he was the bearer of a letter from Colonel Jameson, 
 and having repaired to his barge, he ordered the cock- 
 swain with eight oarsmen to proceed down the river, and 
 he was soon on board the Vulture, which Andre had leit 
 two nights before, and which immediately sailed with her 
 prize for New York. General Washington arrived about 
 twelve o'clock, and was informed that Arnold had ab- 
 sented himself, saying he was going to West Point, and 
 should soon return. His excellency passed over the river 
 to view the works there; but, not finding Arnold at his 
 post, he returned, in the hope of meeting him at his quar- 
 ters. But here he was again disappointed, for no person 
 could account for his absence. Mrs. Arnold was now in 
 her chamber, in great agitation and distress, deprived of 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1780. 221 
 
 her reason, and Dr. Eustis in attendance. At a lucid in- 
 terval she inquired of the doctor if General Washington 
 was in the house, desiring to see him. Believing that she 
 intended to say something which would explain the secret 
 of Arnold's unaccountable absence, he hastened below, 
 and conducted the general to her chamber, who remained 
 no longer than to hear her deny that he was General 
 Washino;ton, and to witness the return of her distraction. 
 His excellency sat down to dine, but soon rose from table 
 with apparent agitation, called out Colonel Lamb, the 
 commander of artillery at West Point, and expressed to 
 him his suspicion that Arnold had deserted to the enemy. 
 In less than two hours it was ascertained that the conjec- 
 ture was too well founded, for the despatches arrived from 
 Colonel Jameson, with an account of the capture of Major 
 Andre, accompanied by his own letter of confession. Major 
 Andre was conducted to West Point, and thence to head- 
 quarters at,Tappan; and a board, consisting of fourteen 
 general officers, is constituted and directed to sit on the 
 29th instant, for his trial. It was to be expected that Sir 
 Henry Clinton would make every possible overture and 
 exertion, with the hope of rescuing his friend, and the 
 adjutant-general of his army, from an ignominious death. 
 Accordingly he addressed General Washington, claimed 
 the release of Major Andre, alleging that he ought not to 
 be considered in the character of a spy, as he had a pass- 
 port from, and was transacting business under the sanction 
 of General Arnold; but arguments so obviously absurd 
 and futile could have no influence, and the prisoner was 
 ordered before the military tribunal for trial, and the fol- 
 lowing are the particulars of their proceedings. 
 
 Major Andre, adjutant-general to the British army, was 
 brought before the board, and the following letter from 
 General Washington to the board, dated "Head-Quarters, 
 Tappan, September 29th, 1780," was laid before them 
 and read: 
 
 "Gentlemen: .Major Andre, adjutant-general to the British army, will 
 be brouglit before you, fur your examination. He came witliin our lines 
 in the night, on an interview with Major-General Arnold, and in an 
 assumed character; and was taken within our lines, in a disguised habit, 
 with a pass under a feigned name, and with the inclosed papers con- 
 cealed on him. After a careful examination, you will be pleased as 
 speedily as possible to report a precise state of his case, together with 
 
222 MILITARY JOURNAL, 1780. 
 
 your opinion of the light in which he ought to be considered, and the 
 punishment that ought to be inflicted. The judge-advocate will attend 
 to assist in the examination, who has sundry other papers relative to this 
 matter, which he will lay before the board. 
 
 "I have the honor to be, gentlemen, your 
 
 most obedient and humble servant, 
 
 "G. WASHINGTON. 
 
 " To the Board cf General Officers, convened at Tappan." 
 
 The names of the officers composing the board were 
 read to Major Andre, with the following letter of his to 
 General Washington — namely: 
 
 "Salem, 24th September, 1780. 
 
 "Sir: What I have as yet said, concerning myself, was in the justifi- 
 able attempt to be extricated; I am too little accustomed to duplicity to 
 have succeeded, 
 
 "I beg your excellency will be persuaded, that no alteration in the 
 temper of my mind, or appreliension fur my safety, induces me to take 
 the step of addressing you, but tliat it is to secure myself from an im- 
 putation of having assumed a mean character for treacherous purposes 
 or self-interest — a conduct incompatible with the principles that actuated 
 me, as well as with my condition in life. 
 
 "It is to vindicate my fame, that I speak, and not to solicit security. 
 
 "The person in your possession is Major Juhn Andre, adjutant-gen- 
 eral to the British army. 
 
 "The influence of one commander in the army of his adversary is an 
 advantage taken in war. I agreed to meet, on ground not within the 
 posts of either army, a person who was to give me intelligence; I came 
 up in the Vulture man-of-war, for this effect, and was fetched by a boat 
 from the shore to the beach: being there, I was told that the approach 
 of day would prevent my return, and that I must be concealed till the 
 next night. I was in my regimentals, and had fairly risked my person. 
 
 "Against my stipulation, my intention, and without my knowledge 
 beforehand, I was conducted within one of your posts. Your excel- 
 lency may conceive my sensation on this occasion, and will imagine how 
 much more I must have been aft'ected by a refusal to reconduct me back 
 the next night, as I had been brought. Thus become a prisoner, I had 
 to concert my escape. / quilted my uniform, and was passed another 
 way in the night, without the American posts to neutral ground, and 
 informed I was beyond all armed parties, and left to press for New 
 York. I was taken at Tarrytown by siime volunteers. 
 
 "Thus, as I have had the honor to relate, was I betrayed into the vile 
 condition of an enemy in disguise within your posts. 
 
 "Having avowed myself a British officer, I have nothing to reveal but 
 what relates to myself, which is true, on the honor of an officer and a 
 gentleman. 
 
 "The request I have to make your excellency, and I am conscious I 
 address myself well, is that in any rigor which policy may dictate, a 
 decency of conduct towards me may evince that, though unfortunate, 1 
 am branded with nothing dishonorable, as no motive could be mine but 
 the service of my kuig, and as I was involuntarily an impostor. 
 
MILITAEY JOUKNAL, 1780. 223 
 
 "Another request is, that I mny be permitted to write an open letter 
 to Sir Henry Clinton, and another to a friend tor clothes and linen. 
 
 "I take the liberty to mention the condition of some gentlemen at 
 Charleston, who, being either on parole or under protection, were en- 
 gaged in a conspiracy ag.iinst us. Though their situation is not similar 
 they are objects who may be set in exchange for me, or are persons 
 whom the treatment I receive might affect. 
 
 "It is no less, sir, in a confidence in the generosity of your mind, than 
 on account of your superior station, that I have chosen to importune 
 you with this letter. I have the honor to be, with great respect, sir 
 your excellency's most obedient and most humble servant, 
 
 "JOHN ANDRE, Adjutant-General. 
 
 " His Excellency General Washington, ijc, iS-c, iSc." 
 
 And on being asked whether he confessed or denied the 
 matters contained in this letter, he acknowledged the letter, 
 and in addition stated, that he came on shore from the 
 Vulture sloop-of-war in the night of the 21st of September, 
 instant, somewhere under the Haverstraw mountain. That 
 the boat he came on shore in, carried no fiag, and that he 
 had on a surtout-coat over his regimentals, and that he 
 wore his surtout-coat when he was taken. That he met 
 General Arnold on the shore, and had an interview with 
 him there. He also said, that when he left the Vulture 
 sloop-of-war, it was understood he was to return that night ; 
 but it was then doubted, and if he could not return, he was 
 promised to be concealed on shore in a place of safety till 
 the next nighty when he was to return in the same manner 
 he came on shore; and when the next day came, he was 
 solicitous to get back, and made inquiries in the course of 
 the day how he should return; he was informed he could 
 not return that way, and he must take the route he did 
 afterwards. He also said, that the first notice he had of 
 his being within any of our posts, was his being challenged 
 by the sentry, which was the first night he was on shore. 
 He also said, that in the evening of the 22d of September, 
 instant, he passed King's ferry, between our posts of Stony 
 and Verplank's Points, in the dress he is at prese7it in, and 
 which he said was not his regimentals, and which dress he 
 procured after he landed from the Vulture, and when he 
 was within our post, and that he was proceeding to New 
 York, but was arrested at Tarrytown, as he has mentioned 
 in his letter, on Saturday, the 23d of September, instant, 
 about nine o'clock in the morning. 
 
 The board having interrogated Major Andre, about his 
 
224 MILITARY JOURNAL, 1780. 
 
 conception of his coming on shore under the sanction of a 
 flag, he said, that it was inqjossihle for him to svppose he cayne 
 on shore under that sanction, and added, that if he came on 
 shore under that sanction, he certainly might have re- 
 turned under it. 
 
 Major Andre having acknowledged the preceding facts, 
 and being asked whether he had any thing to say re- 
 specting them, answered, he left them to operate with 
 the board. 
 
 The examination of Major Andre being concluded, he 
 was remanded into custod3^ 
 
 " The board having considered the letter from his Excellency General 
 Washington, respecting Major Andre, adjutant-general to the British 
 army, the confession of Major Andre, and the papers produced to them, 
 report to his excellency the commander-in-chief the following facts, 
 which appear to them relative to Major x\ndre. First, that he came on 
 shore from the Vulture sloop-of-war, in the night of the 21st of Septem- 
 ber, instant, on an interview with General Arnold, in a private and secret 
 manner. Secondly, that he changed his dress within our lines, and 
 under a feigned name, and disguised habit, passed our works at Stony 
 and VerpJank's Points, in the evening of the 'J2d of September, instant, 
 and was taken the morning of the 23d of September, at Tarrytown, in 
 a disguised habit, being then on his way to New York; and when taken 
 he had in his possession several papers which contained intelligence for 
 the enemy. The Ijoard having maturely considered these facts, do also 
 report to his Excellency General Washington, that Major Andre, adju- 
 tant-general to the British army, ought to be considered as a spy from 
 the enemy, and that agreeably to the law and usage of nations it is their 
 opinion he ought to suffer death. 
 
 [signed] "Nathaniel Greene, AlaJ or- General and President. 
 Stirling, " " 
 
 St. Clair, " " 
 
 La Fayette, " " 
 
 •R. Howe, " 
 
 Steuben, " " 
 
 Samuel H. Parsons, Brigadier-General. 
 Jaaies Clinton, " " 
 
 Henry Knox, " " Artillery. 
 
 John Glover, " " 
 
 John Patterson, " " 
 
 Edward Hand, " " 
 
 John Huntington, " " 
 
 John Stark, " " 
 
 John Lawrence, Judge Advocate General" 
 
 "Head-Quarters, September SOth, 1780. 
 "The commander-in-chief approves of the opinion of the Board of 
 General officers, respecting Major Andre, and orders that the execution 
 of Major Andre take place to-morrow, at five o'clock P. M." 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1780. 225 
 
 During the trial of this unfortunate officer, he conducted 
 with unexampled magnanimity and dignity of character. 
 He very freely and candidly confessed all the circumstances 
 relative to himself, and carefully avoided every expression 
 that might have a tendency to implicate any other person. 
 So firm and dignified was he in his manners, and so hon- 
 orable in all his proceedings on this most trying occasion, 
 that he excited universal interest in his favor. He re- 
 quested only to die the death of a soldier, and not on a 
 gibbet. The following is a copy of a very pathetic letter 
 from Major Andre to General Washington, dated 
 
 "Tappan, Octnber Isi, 1780. 
 "Sir: Buoyed above the terrors of death by the consciousness of a 
 life devoted to honorable pursuits, and stained with no action that can 
 give me remorse, I trust that the request I make to your excellency at 
 this serious period, and which is to soften my last moments, will not be 
 rejected. Sympathy towards a soldier will surely induce your excel- 
 lency and a mihtary tribunal to adapt the mode of my death to the feel- 
 ings of a man of honor. Let me hope, sir, if augiit in my character 
 impresses you with esteem towards me — if aught in my misfortunes 
 marks me as the victim of policy, and not of resentment — I shall expe- 
 rience the operation of tliese feelings in your breast by being informed 
 that I am not to die on a gibbet. 
 
 "I have the honor to be your excellency's most 
 
 obedient and most humble servant, 
 "JOHN ANDRE, 
 " Adjutant- General to the British army.^'' 
 
 This moving letter, as may be supposed, affected the 
 mind of General Washington with the tenderest sympathy, 
 and it is reported that he submitted it to a council of gen- 
 eral officers, who decided that as Major Andre was con- 
 demned as a spy, the circumstances of the case would not 
 admit of the request being granted, and his excellency, 
 from a desire to spare the feelings of the unfortunate man, 
 declined making a reply to the letter. 
 
 October \st. — I went this afternoon to witness the exe- 
 cution of Major Andre: a large concourse of people had 
 assembled, the gallows was erected, and the grave and 
 coffin prepared to receive the remains of this celebrated 
 but unfortunate officer; but a flag of truce arrived with a 
 communication from Sir Henry Clinton, making another 
 and further proposals for the release of Major Andre, in 
 consequence of which the execution is postponed till to- 
 morrow, at twelve o'clock. 
 
226 MILITAEY JOUKNAL, 1780. 
 
 The flag wliicli came out this morning brought General 
 Robertson, Andrew Eliot, and William Smith, Esquires, 
 lor the purpose of pleading for the release of Major Andre, 
 the royal army being in the greatest affliction on the occa- 
 sion. The two latter gentlemen, not being military offi- 
 cers, were not permitted to land, but General Greene was 
 appointed by his excellency to meet General Robertson at 
 i)obbs' ferry, and to receive his communications. He had 
 nothing material to urge, but that Andre had come on 
 shore under the sanction of a flag, and therefore could not 
 be considered as a spy. But this is not true; became on 
 shore in the night, and had no flag, on business totally in- 
 compatible with the nature of a flag. Besides, Andre 
 himself, candidly confessed on his trial that he did not 
 consider himself under the sanction of a flag. General 
 Robertson, having failed in his point, requested that the 
 opinion of disinterested persons might be taken, and pro- 
 posed Generals Knyphausen and Rochambeau as proper 
 persons. After this he had recourse to threats of retalia- 
 tion on some people in New York and Charleston, but he 
 was told that such conversation could neither be heard nor 
 understood. He next urged the release of Andre on mo- 
 tives of humanity, saying, he wished an intercourse of 
 such civihties as might lessen the horrors of war, and cited 
 instances of General Clinton's merciful disposition; adding 
 that Andre possessed a great share of that gentleman's 
 affection and esteem, and that he would be infinitely 
 obliged if he was spared. He offered that, if his earnest 
 wishes were complied with, to engage that any prisoner in 
 their possession, whom General Washington might name, 
 should immediately be set at liberty. But it must be 
 viewed as the height of absurdity that General Robertson 
 should, on this occasion, suffer himself to be the bearer of 
 a letter which the vile traitor had the consummate effront- 
 ery to write to General Washington. This insolent letter 
 is filled with threats of retaliation, and the accountability 
 of his excellency for the torrents of blood that might be 
 spilled if he should order the execution of Major Andre. 
 It should seem impossible that General Robertson could 
 suppose that such insolence would receive any other treat- 
 ment than utter contempt. 
 
 October Id. — Major Andre is no more among the living. 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 17S0. 227 
 
 I have just witnessed his exit. It was a tragical scene of 
 the deepest interest. During his confinement and trial, he 
 exhibited those proud and elevated sensibilities which de- 
 signate greatness and dignity of mind. Not a murmur or 
 a sigh ever escaped him, and the civilities and attentions 
 bestowed on him were politely acknowledged. Having 
 left a mother and two sisters in England, he was heard to 
 mention them in terms of the tenderest affection, and in 
 his letter to Sir Henry Clinton, he recommended tliem to 
 his particular attention. 
 
 The principal guard officer, who was constantly in the 
 room with the prisoner, relates that when the hour of his 
 execution was announced to him m the morning, he re- 
 ceived it without emotion, and while all present were 
 affected with silent gloom, he retained a firm countenance, 
 with calmness and composure of mind. Observing his 
 servant enter the room in tears, he exclaimed, "Leave me 
 till you can show yourself more manly!" His breakfast 
 being sent to him from the table of General Washington, 
 which had been done every day of his confinement, he 
 partook of it as usual, and having shaved and dressed 
 himself, he placed his hat on the table, and cheerfully said 
 to the guard officers, "I am ready at any moment, gentle- 
 men, to wait on you." The fatal hour having arrived, a 
 large detachment of troops was paraded, and an immense 
 concourse of people assembled ; almost all our general and 
 field of&cers, excepting his excellency and his staff, were 
 jiresent on horseback; melancholy and gloom pervaded 
 all ranks, and the scene was affectingly awful. I was so 
 near during the solemn march to the fatal spot, as to ob- 
 serve every movement, and participate in every emotion 
 which the melancholy scene was calculated to produce. 
 M;ijor Andre walked from the stone house, in which he 
 had been confined, between two of our subaltern officers, 
 arm in arm ; the eyes of the immense multitude were fixed 
 on him, who, rising superior to the fears of death, appeared 
 as if conscious of the dignified deportment which he dis- 
 played. He betrayed no want of fortitude, but retained a 
 complacent smile on his countenance, and politely bowed 
 lo several gentlemen whom he knew, which was respect- 
 Cully returned. It was his earnest desire to be shot, as 
 being the mode of death most conformable to the feelings 
 
228 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1780. 
 
 of a military man, and he had indulged the hope that his 
 request would be granted. At the moment, therefore, 
 when suddenly he came in view of the gallows, he invol- 
 untarily started backward, and made a pause. "Why this 
 emotion, sir?" said an officer by his side. Instantly recov- 
 ering his composure, he said, "I am reconciled to my 
 death, but I detest the mode." While waiting and stand- 
 ing near the gallows, I observed some degree of trepida- 
 tion; placing his foot on a stone, and rolling it over and 
 ^choking in his throat, as if attempting to swallow. So 
 soon, however, as he perceived that things were in readi- 
 ness, he stepped quickly into the wagon, and at this mo- 
 ment he appeared to shrink, but instantly elevating his 
 head with firmness, he said, "It will be but a momentar}'- 
 pang," and taking from his pocket two white handkerchiefs, 
 the provost-marshal, with one, loosely pinioned his arms, 
 and with the other, the victim, after taking off his hat and' 
 stock, bandaged his own eyes with perfect firmness, which 
 melted the hearts and moistened the cheeks, not only of 
 his servant, but of the throng of spectators. The rope 
 being appended to the gallows, he slipped the noose over 
 his head and adjusted it to his neck, without the assistance 
 of the awkward executioner. Colonel Scammel now in- 
 formed him that he had an opportunity to speak, if he 
 desired it; he raised the handkerchief from his eyes, and 
 said, "I pray you to bear me witness that I meet my fate 
 like a brave man." The wagon being now removed from 
 under him, he was suspended, and instantly expired; it 
 proved indeed "but a momentary pang." He was dressed 
 in his royal regimentals and boots, and his remains, in 
 the same dress, were placed in an ordinary coffin, and in- 
 terred at the foot of the gallows; and the spot was conse- 
 crated by the tears of thousands. 
 
 Thus died, in the bloom of life, the accomplished Major 
 Andre, the pride of the royal army, and the valued friend 
 of Sir Henry Clinton. He was about twenty-nine years 
 of age, in his person well proportioned, tall, genteel and 
 graceful. His mien respectable and dignified. His counte- 
 nance mild, expressive and prepossessing, indicative of an 
 intelligent and amiable mind. His talents are said to have 
 been of a superior cast, and, being cultivated in early life, 
 he had made very considerable proficiency in literary attain- 
 
MILITARY JOUENAL, 1780. 229 
 
 merits. Colonel Hamilton, aid-de-camp to General Wash- 
 ington, having had an interview with him, entertains an 
 exalted opinion of his character. In the line of his pro- 
 fession, Major Andre, was considered as a skilful, brave 
 and enterprising officer, and he is reported to have been 
 benevolent and humane to our people who have been 
 prisoners in New York. Military glory was the main- 
 spring of his actions, and the sole object of his pursuits, 
 and he was advancing rapidly in the gratification of his 
 ambitious views, till by a misguided zeal he became a de- 
 voted victim. He enjoyed the confidence and friendship 
 of Sir Henry Clinton, being consulted in his councils and 
 admitted to the secrets of his cabinet. The heart of sen- 
 sibility mourns when a life of so much worth is sacrificed 
 on a gibbet. General Washington was called to discharge 
 a duty from which his soul revolted; and it is asserted 
 that his hand could scarcely command his pen, when sign- 
 ing the warrant for the execution of Major Andre. But, 
 however abhorrent in the view of humanity, the laws and 
 usages of war must be obeyed, and in all armies it is de- 
 creed that the gallows shall be the fate of spies from the 
 enemy. It was universally desired that Major Andre 
 should experience every possible favor and indulgence, con- 
 sistent with his peculiar circumstances, but it was well consi- 
 dered that, should he be indulged in his request to be shot, 
 it would imply that his case admitted of extenuation, and 
 it might be doubted whether in justice he ought to be 
 convicted as a spy. The British general himself has not 
 hesitated to execute several persons of the same descrip- 
 tion sent from our army into New York.* Could Arnold 
 
 * It is with the highest degree of satisfaction, that I am enabled to 
 copy the following interesting narrative, vouched by Major-General Hull, 
 of Newton, from Hannah Adams' History of New England. Let the 
 reader draw the striking contrast between the conduct of the royalists 
 and the Americans, on an occasion where the duties of humanity and 
 benevolence, were equally and imperiously demanded. 
 
 " The retreat of General Washington left the British in complete pos- 
 session of Long Island. What would be their future operations, 
 remained uncertain. To obtain information of their situation, their 
 strength .and future movements, was of high importance. For this pur- 
 pose, General Washington applied to Colonel Knowlton, who commanded 
 a regiment of light infantry, which formed the van of the American 
 army, and desired him to adopt some mode of gaining the necessary 
 information. Colonel Knowlton communicated this request to Captain 
 
230 MILITARY JOUENAL, 1780. 
 
 have been suspended on the gibbet erected for Andre, not 
 a tear or a sigh would have been produced, but exultation 
 
 Hale, of Connecticut, who was then a captain in his regiment. This 
 young officer, animated by a sense of duty, and considering that an 
 opportunity presented itself by which he might be useful to his country, 
 at once offered himself a volunteer for this hazardous service. He 
 passed in disguise to Long Island, examined every part of the British 
 army, and obtained the best possible information respecting their situa- 
 tion and future operations. 
 
 "In his attempt to return, he was apprehended, carried before Sir Wil- 
 liam Howe, and the proof of his object w;is so clear, that he frankly 
 acknowledged who he was, and what were his views. 
 
 "Sir William Howe at once gave an order to the provost-marshal to 
 execute him the next morning. 
 
 "The order was accordingly executed in a most unfeeling manner, 
 and by as great a savage as ever disgraced humanity. A clergyman, 
 whose attendance he desired, was refused him; a Bible for a moment's 
 devotion was not procured, though he requested it. Letters which, on 
 the morning of his execution, he wrote to his mother and other friends, 
 were destroyed ; and this very extraordinary reason given by the provost- 
 marshal, 'that the rebels should not know that they had a man in their 
 army who could die with so much firmness.' 
 
 "Unknown to all around him, without a single friend to offer him the 
 least consolation, thus fell as amiable and as worthy a young man as 
 America could boast, with this as his dying observation, 'that he only 
 lamented he had but one life to lose for his country.' How superior 
 to the dying words of Andre! Though the manner of liis execution 
 will ever be abhorred by every friend to humanity and religion, yet there 
 cannot be a question but that the sentence was conformable to the rules 
 of war, and the practice of nations in similar cases. 
 
 "It is, however, a justice due to the character of Captain Hale, to ob- 
 serve, that his motives for engaging in this service were entirely different 
 from those which generally intluence others in similar circumstances. 
 'Neither expectation of promotion nor pecuniary reward induced him 
 to this attempt. A sense of duty, a hope that he might in this way be 
 useful to his country, and an opinion which he had adopted, that every 
 kind of service necessary to the public good became honorable by being 
 necessary, were the great motives which induced him to engage in an 
 enterprise by whiih his connexions lost a most amiable friend and his 
 country one of its most promising supporters.' 
 
 "The fate of this unfortunate young man excites the most interesting 
 reflections. To see such a character, in the flower of youth, cheerfully 
 treading in the most hazardous path.s, influenced by the purest intentions, 
 and only emulous to do good to his country, without the imputation of a 
 crime, fall a victim to policy, must have been wounding to the feelings 
 even of his enemies. 
 
 "Should a comparison be drawn between Major Andre and Captain 
 Hale, injustice would be done to the latter, should he not be placed on 
 an equal ground with the former. Whilst almost every historian of the 
 American Revolution has celebrated the virtues and lamented the fate 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1780. 231 
 
 and joy would have been visible on every countenance. 
 But General Clinton suffers the vile and infamous traitor 
 to tilude the hand of justice, and even bestows on him a 
 reward for his crime. It may perhaps be suggested, that 
 in this last act of his life Major Andre derogated from his 
 character and station. That the laurels to adorn the brow 
 of a soldier, can only be acquired in the field of battle, 
 and not by encouraging acts of treason, by bribery and 
 corruption. Surprise and stratagem, it is well known, 
 eoustitute a valuable part of the art of war, by which 
 many important objects are effected, and by some it is said 
 that when acts of treason are practised, the infamy de- 
 volves on the head of the traitors alone. In the present 
 instance, it is supposed that Arnold made the first overture. 
 It is well understood that Sir Henry Clinton enjoined it 
 on Andre to transact the business on board the Vulture, 
 and it was his own determination not to land on our shore; 
 but such was the management of Arnold and his confed- 
 erate, Smith, that he was actually compelled, contrary to 
 his own judgment and intention, to come within our lines, 
 and this circumstance alone placed him in the character 
 of a common spy. The commander-in-chief was gener- 
 ously disposed to compassionate his unhappy condition, 
 and to soothe and mitigate his sorrow, and every officer in 
 the army was actuated by feelings of sympathy and tender- 
 ness towards him. The base and perfidious Arnold is held 
 in the utmost abhorrence and detestation throughout our 
 army, and his person, with the garrison at West Point into 
 the bargain, would have been a dear purchase to Sir Henry 
 for the life of his valuable friend and adjutant-general. 
 
 West Point is now become a very celebrated and nu^m- 
 orable spot, by the attempt of the royal general to out;iia 
 possession of it through the defection and treachery of one 
 of our officers, and the defeat of the conspiracy. Arnold 
 
 of Andre, Hale has remained unnoticed, and it is scarcely knoion thai such 
 a character ever existed. 
 
 "To the memory of Andre, his country has erected the most magni- 
 ficent monuments, and bestowed on his family the highest honors and 
 most liberal rewards. To the memory of Hale not a stone has been 
 erected, nor an inscription to preserve his ashes from insult."* 
 
 * In the autumn of 1821, the remains of Major Andre were disinter- 
 red, and transported to England. 
 
232 MILITAKY JOUKNAL, ITSO. 
 
 was well apprised of its importance, and it was obviously 
 his design to strike a fatal blow to the cause of his native 
 country, and it was his intention that it should cost the 
 British nothing more than the price of his own villany 
 and treason. He had actually removed a New York re- 
 giment from the point to the plain on the east side of the 
 river, and sent off a number of soldiers from the garrison 
 to cut wood at a distance, and disposed and arranged the 
 remaining troops in such manner that little or no opposi- 
 tion could have been made, and an immediate surrender 
 would have been inevitable, or our troops must have fall- 
 en a sacrifice. Deplorable indeed would have been the 
 event, the loss of this highly important garrison with some 
 of our best officers and men, the immense quantity of 
 ordnance and military stores, together with the prodigious 
 panic and gloom which at this critical period must have 
 pervaded the whole people, could scarcely have failed of 
 being productive of consequencesoverwhelming the phys- 
 ical powers and energies of our country. But we are saved 
 by amtVac/e, and we are confounded in awful astonishment. 
 In a private letter, General Washington thus expresses 
 himself respecting this transaction : 
 
 "In no instance since the commencement of the war has the interpo- 
 sition of Providence appeared more remarkably conspicuous than in the 
 rescue of tlie post and garrison at West Point. How far Arnold meant 
 to involve me in the catastrophe of this place, does not appear by any 
 indubitable evidence, and 1 am rather inclined to think he did not wish 
 to hazard the more important object, by attempting to combine two 
 events, the lesser of which might have marred the greater. A combi- 
 nation of extraordinary circumstances, and unaccountable deprivation 
 of presence of mind in a man of the first abilities, and the virtue of 
 three militia-men, threw the adjutant-general of the British forces, with 
 full proof of Arnold's intention, into our hands, and but for the egregi- 
 ous folly or the bewildered conception of Lieutenant-Colonel Jameson, 
 who seemed lost in astonishment, and not to have known what he was 
 doing, I should undoubtedly have gotten Arnold. Andre has met his 
 fate, and with that fortitude which was to be expected from an accom- 
 plished man and a gallant.ofJicer; but I mistake if Arnold is suffering 
 at this time the torments of a mental hell. He wants feeling. From 
 some traits of his character which have lately come to my knowledge, 
 ne seems to have been so hacknied in crime, so lost to all sense of 
 nonor and shame, that while his faculties still enable him to continue his 
 sordid pursuits, there will be no time for remorse." 
 
 For the sake of human nature, it were to be wished that 
 a veil could be for ever thrown over so vile an example 
 
MILITARY JOUENAL, 1780. 283 
 
 of depravity and wickedness. Traitor! you never can 
 know the precious enjoyment of a quiet conscience ! While 
 you sleep, your heart must be awake, and the voice of 
 Andre must thrill through your very soul. Though you 
 may console yourself that you have escaped the gallows, 
 a consciousness of your crimes and the infamy and con- 
 tempt which will for ever await you, must incessantly har- 
 row and torment your spirit, rendering you of all villains 
 the most wretched and miserable. The only atonement 
 in your power to alleviate your poignant mental misery, 
 is a humble and hearty confession, and to implore in sin- 
 cerity the forgiveness of Heaven 1* 
 
 Our brigade and three others decamped from Orange- 
 town on the 7th instant. Our tents and baggage were sent 
 up the Hudson in boats, and we took our route through 
 the highlands. The road was almost impassable through 
 a thick wood and over high mountains, constantly inter- 
 sected by prodigious rocks, running brooks and deep val- 
 lies. We arrived at West Point on the evening of the 8th, 
 distance thirty-two miles ; the troops much fatigued, and 
 our tents not arrived, took our sleep for the night on the 
 ground in the woods and on the 9th, encamped on the 
 plain, near the banks of the river. General Greene is now 
 the commander of this garrison, and good order takes 
 place of the confusion occasioned by Arnold's elopement. 
 
 Joshua Smith, Esquire, the confederate of Arnold, has 
 been tried by a court-martial, of which Colonel Henry 
 Jackson was president; the evidence against him and his 
 own confession go to prove that he went on board the 
 Vulture, in the night, and brought on shore a gentleman 
 who was called John Anderson, to have an interview with 
 General Arnold ; that he secreted him in his house, fur- 
 nished him with a horse and change of clothes, and that 
 he accompanied him through our out-posts, and directed 
 him into the proper road to New York. All this, he pleads 
 in his defence, was by the express desire of General Arnold, 
 who assured him that his object was to obtain some import- 
 ant intelligence from New York, which would be highly 
 advantageous to the public interest. He considered him- 
 self, therefore, in the character of a confidental agent in 
 
 * See the character of Arnold, in the Appendix. 
 
234 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1780. 
 
 the employment of Arnold, without suspicion of treasona- 
 ble conduct in this officer. This pretence is plausible, 
 and it is his good fortune that no positive evidence could 
 be produced to countervail his assertions. Though his 
 actions appear criminal, yet it is possible his motives and 
 views may have been laudable. The want of positive 
 evidence, therefore, of his criminality, prevented his con- 
 viction; bat so strong was the circumstantial proof of his 
 guilt, that it was deemed proper that he should be kept in 
 confinement. Beirig seized with indisposition, from appre- 
 hension and anxiety of mind, I was requested to visit him 
 in his prison. I found him very conversable, and he im- 
 mediately entertained me with a relation of the particular 
 circumstances of his case, which agreed substantially with 
 the above statement. He promised to show me his writ- 
 ten defence, produced at his trial, but no future opportunity 
 occurred. He pretended that it was unjust and cruel that 
 he should be depriycd of his liberty, when no evidence 
 of guilt could be produced against him. He was soon 
 removed to some prison in the country ;* after which, his 
 lady arrived, expecting to find him here. I received a 
 j)olite billet, requesting I would wait on her at the house 
 of my friend Major Bowman, where I was introduced to 
 her and to Airs. B, and her daughter, v/ith whom I took 
 tea and spent the evening. Mrs. Smith was grievously 
 disappointed that her husband was removed; she was very 
 solicitous to be informed of the particular circumstances 
 which attended him in his illness, and whether he was 
 dejected in spirits, and politely thanked me for my atten- 
 tion to him. She appears to be an accomplished and inter- 
 esting woman, but is in much distress for the fate of her 
 husband. She could not conceal her natural partiality 
 and bias in his favor, and would willingly have left the 
 impression which Arnold wished to make, when in his 
 letter to General Washington, he says of his wife, "she is 
 as good and as innocent as an angel, and is incapable of 
 doing wrong." 
 
 16th. — I have just returned from Orangetown, in com- 
 pany with Captain Hunt, of our regiment, where I was 
 
 * Smith was for several months in confinement; but either from a 
 want of vifTJlance in his lieeper, or the indifference of the proper author- 
 ity, lie was at length allowed to escape to New York. 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1780. 235 
 
 called to visit his brother, who was left sick when we 
 marched from that place. We dined with Doctors Eustis 
 and Townsend at the hospital on our way, and with Cap- 
 tain Livingston, a respectable oflS.cer, commanding at Stony 
 Point, on our return. 
 
 20th.- — Major-General Greene has been ordered to the 
 southward, to take command of the American army in 
 the Carolinas, and Major-General Heath succeeds to the 
 command of this post. 
 
 We have the mortifying intelligence that the enemy 
 has laid waste a great part of the fertile country above 
 Saratoga, and likewise the vicinity of Schenectady. The 
 party consisted of Indians, tories, and Canadians, com- 
 manded by Sir John Johnston. General Van Rensselaer, 
 with the militia and some new levies, engaged the enemv 
 at Fox's mills, Tryon county, and after a very severe action 
 of three-quarters of an hour, forced them to give way and 
 cross the river, leaving their plunder, baggage and pris- 
 oners, which they had taken, behind them. One hour 
 of day-light would have given us the whole party. The 
 action was general and vigorous; we have to lament the 
 loss of Colonel Brown, who was killed in skirmishing with 
 tlie enemy. The devastation committed by this savage 
 party is found to be very important, as it respects the in- 
 habitants of the north. It is estimated at two hundred 
 dwellings, one hundred and fifty thousand bushels of 
 wheat, with a proportion of other grain and forage. The 
 same party destroyed also the town of Schoharie, but the 
 inhabitants fortunately secured themselves in the fort. 
 
 Official intelligence is received of a very brilliant exploit 
 of our militia in North Carolina. The famous royal par- 
 tizan, Major Ferguson, was at the head of about one thou- 
 sand four hundred British troops and tories. Colonels 
 Campbell, Cleveland, Williams, Shelby and Sevier, brave 
 and enterprising officers, had collected detached parties of 
 militia, and by agreement the whole were united, and 
 formed a body amounting to near three thousand. Colonel 
 Campbell was appointed their commander. They imme- 
 diately marched in pursuit of Major Ferguson, and came 
 up with him advantageously posted, at a place called 
 King's mountains. No time was lost in making a vigor- 
 ous attack, and giving the enemy a total defeat, in which 
 
23g MILITAKY JOURNAL, ITSO. 
 
 Alajor Ferguson and one hundred and fifty of his men 
 were killed, eight hundred made prisoners, and fifteen 
 hundred stand of arms taken, with a trifling loss on our 
 side, excepting the brave Colonel Williams, who received 
 a mortal wound after being crowned with honor. 
 
 Congress have resolved that the regular army of the 
 United States, from and after the first day of January, 
 1781, shall consist of four regiments of artillery, forty-nine 
 regiments of infantry, exclusive of Colonel Hazen's, called 
 "the Congress' own regiment," and one regiment of arti- 
 ficers. The respective states are to furnish their quotas 
 as proportioned by Congress. And as, by the foregoing 
 arrangement, many deserving officers may become super- 
 numerary. Congress resolved that, after the reform of the 
 army takes place, the officers shall be entitled to half-pay 
 for seven years, in specie or other current money equiva- 
 lent, and to have grants of land at the close of the war, 
 agreeably to the resolution of the 16th September, 1776. 
 
 A scarcity of provisions is again complained of in camp. 
 
 It has long been the desire of General Washington to 
 make some arrangement with General Clinton for an ex- 
 change of prisoners; but many difficulties have attended 
 to prevent the accomplishment of the object. A partial 
 exchange has now been effected; Major- General Lincoln, 
 who was taken at Charleston, has been exchanged for 
 Major-General Phillips, captured at Saratoga. General 
 Thompson and a number of other Ameiican officers, who 
 have long been prisoners, are also liberated by exchange. 
 
 Noveiiiher 1st. — A most tremendous storm of wind, snow 
 and hail has continued almost incessantly for two days. 
 Many of our tents were levelled with the ground, and 
 officers and men exposed without a shelter. 
 
 2d — This is a day of public Thanksgiving throughout 
 the state of New York, on occasion of the discovery of 
 Arnold's conspiracy. 
 
 3d — A soldier has been executed to-day for desertion 
 and persuading others to follow his example. 
 
 A large detachment of troops has been ordered by 
 General Heath to be in readiness, with two days' provi- 
 sions cooked, to march on a foraging expedition, under 
 command of Brigadier-General Stark. The detachment 
 crossed the Hudson on the 21st instant, and paraded on 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1780. 237 
 
 Nelson's point, where they were reviewed by the Marquis 
 de Chastellux, one of the generals of the French army at 
 Newport. It is understood that the object of the expedi- 
 tion is to procure a quantity of forage from the farms on 
 the neutral ground, between the two armies, towards 
 King's-bridge. After the review, the marquis crossed 
 over to West Point, where his arrival was announced by 
 the discharge of thirteen cannon. The detachment marched 
 about ten miles, and took lodgings on the ground in the 
 woods, beside large fires. In the night a severe storm of 
 rain came on, that drenched our troops, and becoming 
 more violent the next day, rendered the roads extremely 
 bad, and our march very uncomfortable; ;^e reached 
 North Castle, seventeen miles, and lodged in the woods, 
 where our fires did not secure us from suffering much by 
 wet and cold, 
 
 23c/. — Marched to "West Farms, near West Chester, 
 within eight miles of the enemy's works at King's-bridge. 
 Here we kindled numerous fires in open view of the en- 
 emy, and in the evening the troops were ordered to leave 
 the fires and retire back about two miles, and remain 
 under arms prepared for battle; but the enemy made 
 no advances. 
 
 24/A. — Another severe storm of rain, which continued 
 through the day ; we, however, began to march at sun-rise, 
 on our return, but soon halted, and took shelter under the 
 bushes near White Plains. In this comfortless situation, 
 we continued through the day and night. The next day, 
 the storm continuing, X was so fortunate as to crowd into 
 a house with some officers for shelter. 26th and 27th, 
 marched twenty miles each day, and reached our former 
 station at this place before night. 
 
 The country which we lately traversed, about fifty miles 
 in extent, is called neutral ground, but the miserable in- 
 habitants who remain, are not much favored with the 
 privileges which their neutrality ought to secure to them. 
 They are continually exposed to the ravages and insults 
 of infamous banditti, composed of royal refugees and 
 tories. The country is rich and fertile, and the farms 
 appear to have been advantageously cultivated, but it now 
 has the marks of a country in ruins. A large proportion 
 of the proprietors having abandoned their farms, the few 
 
238 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1780. 
 
 that remain find it impossible to harvest the produce. 
 The meadows and pastures are covered with grass of a 
 summer's growth, and thousands of bushels of apples and 
 other fruit are rotting in the orchards. We brought off 
 about two hundred loads of hay and grain, and ten times 
 the amount might have been procured, had teams enough 
 been provided. Those of the inhabitants of the neutral 
 ground who were tories, have joined their friends in New 
 York, and the whigs have retired into the interior of 
 our country. Some of each side have taken up arms, and 
 become the most cruel and deadly foes. There are within 
 the British lines banditti consisting" of lawless villains, who 
 devote them.selves to the most cruel pillage and robbery 
 among the defenceless inhabitants between the lines, many 
 of whom they carry off to New York, after plundering 
 their houses and farms. These shameless marauders have 
 received the names of Cow-hoys and Simmers. By their 
 atrocious deeds they have become a scourge and terror to 
 the people. Numerous instances have been related of 
 these miscreants subjecting defenceless persons to crueJ 
 torture, to compel them to deliver up their money, or to 
 disclose the places where it has been secreted. It is not 
 uncommon for them to hang a man by his neck till ap- 
 parently dead, then restore him, and repeat the experiment, 
 and leave him for dead. One of these unhappy persons 
 informed me that when suffering this cruel treatment, the 
 last sensation which he recollects, when suspended by his 
 neck, was a flashing heat over him, like that which would 
 be occasioned by boiling water poured over his body; he 
 was, however, cut down, and how long he remained on 
 the ground insensible, he knows not. A peaceable, unre- 
 sisting Quaker, of considerable respectability, by the name 
 of Quimby, was visited by several of these vile rufiians; 
 they first demanded his money, and after it was delivered, 
 they suspected he had more concealed, and inflicted on 
 him the most savage cruelties, in order to. extort it from 
 him. They began with what they call scorching^ covering 
 his naked body with hot ashes, and repeating the applica- 
 tion till the skin was covered with blisters; after this, they 
 resorted to the halter, and hung the poor man on a tree by 
 his neck ; then took him down, and repeated it a second, 
 and even a third time, and finally left him almost lifeless. 
 
JOUJf UAJ^COCK. P, 239. 
 
 COLOJ^EL WILLIAM WASHIJfQTOJ^, P. 254. 
 
GEJVERAL VjIJVIEL MORGAN. P. 254. 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1780. 239 
 
 SOth. — It is now well understood that our detachment, 
 under the pretext of a foraging expedition, was intended 
 by the commander-in-chief to cooperate with the main 
 army in an attempt against the enemy's post on York isl- 
 and. Boats, mounted on travelling carriages, have been 
 kept with the army all the campaign. The Marquis de la 
 Fayette, at the head of his beautiful corps of lighi-infantry, 
 constantly advancing in front, was to have commenced the 
 attack in the night, and the whole army was prepared to 
 make a general attack on the enemy's works. By some 
 movement of the British vessels, or other cause, known 
 only to the commander-in-chief and his confidential officers, 
 this noble enterprise was unfortunately defeated. The 
 campaign is now brought to a close, without effecting any 
 very important object. We have several times offered 
 the enemy battle, but they refuse to accept the challenge. 
 The marquis suffers on this occasion the most painful dis- 
 appointment. He had spared no pains or expense to 
 render his corps of infiintry as fine a body of troops as 
 can be produced in any country; every officer under his 
 command received from him a present of an elegant sword, 
 and the soldiers were put in uniform mostly at his ex- 
 pense. The officers cheerfully seconded his endeavors to 
 perfect the men in discipline, and a noble spirit of emula- 
 tion universally prevailed among them. The marquis 
 viewed this corps as one formed and modelled according to 
 his own wishes, and as meriting his highest confidence. 
 They were the pride of his heart, and he was the idol of 
 their regard, who were constantly panting for an opportu- 
 nity of accomplishing some signal achievement, worthy of 
 his and their character. This brilliant corps is now dis- 
 solved, and the men have rejoined their respective regi- 
 ments, and we are soon to retire into the wilderness to 
 prepare for winter-quarters. 
 
 Intelligence is received from Boston that his Excellency 
 John Hancock has been elected by the people of the state 
 of Massachusetts the first governor under their new con- 
 stitution. This event affords universal satisfaction, and 
 has been announced in Boston by public rejoicing, firing 
 of thirteen cannon, military parade, feu dejoie, and elegant 
 entertainments. 
 
 It is with inexpressible satisfaction that we learn, the 
 
240 MILITARY JOURNAL, 1780. 
 
 patriotic' ladies of Philadelphia and its vicinity liave dis- 
 tinguished themselves by a generous and liberal regard to 
 the sufferings of our soldiery, and have engaged in the 
 benevolent work of raising contributions among them- 
 selves, and stimulating others, for the purpose of affording 
 a temporary relief for the soldiers on service in that 
 vicinity. I extract from the newspapers the sentiments 
 of an ^^ American Woman,'''' addressed to American ladies 
 relative to the subject, which should be recorded for the 
 honor of the sex : 
 
 "On the commencement of actual war, the women of America mani- 
 fested a firm resolution to contribute as much as could depend on them 
 to the deliverance of tlieir country. Animated by tiie purest patriotism, 
 they are full of sorrow at this day in not offering tnore than barren 
 wishes for the success of so glorious a revolution. They aspire to 
 render themselves more really useful; and this .sentiment is universal, 
 from the north to the south of the Thirteen United States. Our ambi- 
 tion is kindled by the fame of those heroines of antiquity, who have 
 rendered their sex illustrious, and have proved to the world that, if 
 the weakness of our constitution, if opinion and manners did not forbid 
 us to march to glory by the same path as the men, we should at least 
 equal, and sometimes surpass them in our love for the public good. 
 I glory in all that my sex iiave done that is great and commendable. I 
 call to mind with enthusiasm and with admiration all those acts of 
 courage, of constancy and patriotism, which history has transmitted to 
 us: the people favored by Heaven, preserved from destruction by the 
 virtues, the zeal and the resulution of Deborah, of Judith, of Esther — 
 the fortitude of the mother of the Maccabees, in giving up her sons to 
 die before her eyes — Rome saved from the fury of a victorious enemy 
 by the efforts of Volumnia and other Roman Indies — so many famous 
 sieges where the women have been seen forgetting the weakness of 
 their sex, building new walls, digging trenches with their feeble hands, 
 furnishing arms to their defenders, they themselves darting the missile- 
 weapons on the enemy, resigning the ornaments of their apparel, and 
 their fortune, to fill the public treasury, and to iiasten the deliverance of 
 their country; burying themselves under its ruins; throwing themselves 
 into the flames, rather than submit to the disgrace of humiliation before 
 a proud enemy. 
 
 " We are certain that he cannot be a good citizen, who will not ap- 
 plaud our efforts for the relief of the armies, which defend our lives, our 
 possessions, our liberty. The situation of our soldiery has been repre- 
 sented to me; the evils inseparable from war, and the firm and generous 
 spirit which has enabled them to support these. But it has been said 
 that they may apprehend that, in the course of a long war, the view of 
 their distresses may be lost, and their services be forgotten. Forgotten ! 
 never; I can answer in the name of all my sex. Brave Americans, your 
 disinterestedness, your courage, and your constancy, will always be dear 
 to America, so long as she shall preserve her virtue. 
 
MILITARY JOUENAL, 1780. 241 
 
 " We know that at a distancp from the theatre of war, if we enjoy 
 any tranquillity, it is the i'ruit of your watchings, your labors, your dan- 
 gers. If I live happy in the mid.st of my family; if my husband culti- 
 vates his field, and reaps his harvest in peace; it', surrounded with my 
 children, I myself nourish the youngest, and press it to my bosom, with- 
 out being afraid of seeing myself st parated from it by a ferocious en- 
 emy; if the house in which we dwell, if our barns, our orchards, are safe 
 at the present time from the hands of the incendiary; it is to you that 
 we owe it. And shall we hesitate to evidence to you our gratitude? 
 shall we hesitate to wear a clothing more simple; hair dressed less ele- 
 gantly, while, at the price of this small privation, we shall deserve your 
 benedictions] Who among us will not renounce with the highest 
 pleasure those vain ornaments, when she shall consider that the valiant 
 defenders of America will be able to draw some advantage from the 
 nuiney wliich she may have laid out in these? — that they will be better 
 defended from the rigors of the seasons; that after their painful toils 
 they will receive some extraordinary and unexpected relief; that these 
 presents will perhaps be valued by them at a greater price, m hen they 
 will have it in their power to say. This is the oljering < if the ladies! The 
 time is arrived to display the same sentiments which animated us at the 
 beginning of the revolution, when we renounced the use of te; s, how- 
 ever agreeable to our taste, rather than receive them from our persecu- 
 tors; when we made it appear to them that we placed former necessaries 
 in the raidi of superfluities, when our liberty was interested; when our 
 republican and laborious hands spun the flax and prepared the linen in- 
 tended for the use of our soldiers; when, exiles and fugitives, we sup- 
 poited with courage all the evils which are the concomitants of war. 
 Let us not lose a moment: let us be engaged to oiler the homage of 
 our gratitude at the altar of military valor; and you, our brave deliver- 
 ers, while mercenary slaves combat to cause you to share with them the 
 irons with which they are loaded, receive with a free hand our ofi'ering, 
 the purest which can be presented to your virtue." 
 
 After this publication, the ladies divided the citv of 
 Philadelphia into districts, and a select number visited 
 every house, and received the contribution. The method 
 proposed of distributing their bounty to the troops, was 
 through the medium of Mrs. Washington, but in her ab- 
 sence, through that of her husband, the father and friend 
 of the soldiery. From the kind and generous exertions 
 of these ladies, the soldiers received at one time two thoti- 
 sand one hundred and seven shirts, made by their own 
 hands; and in another pxaper it is mentioned that the sum 
 total of the donations received by the ladies of Philadel- 
 phia, in their several districts, for the American army, 
 amounts to three hundred thousand seven hundred and 
 sixty-six dollars in paper currency. Such free-will offer- 
 ings are examples truly icorthy of imitation^ and are to be con- 
 
242 MILITARY JOUKXAL, 1780. 
 
 sidered as expressionsof kindness and benevolence, which 
 ouglit to be recorded to the honor of American ladies. 
 
 JJecemher 1st. — Our brigade is now ordered into the 
 woods, in the highlands, in the rear of West Point, where 
 we are to build log-huts for winter cantonments. We are 
 again subjected to numerous privations and difficulties, to 
 support which requires all our patience and fortitude. The 
 soldiers, though very miserably clad, have been for some 
 time obliged to bring all the wood for themselves and 
 of&cers on their backs, from a. place a mile distant, and 
 almost half the time are kept on half-allowance of bread, 
 and entirely without rum. Twelve or fourteen months' 
 pay are now due to us, and we are destitute of clothing 
 and the necessaries of life. The weathe»*is remarkably 
 cold, and our tents are comfortless. 
 
 lO^A. — For three days I have not been able to procure 
 food enough to appease my appetite; we are threatened 
 with starvation. That a part of our army, charged with 
 the defence of a post so highly important to America, 
 should be left in such an unprovided and destitute condi- 
 tion, is truly a matter of astonishment; and unless a rem- 
 edy can be found, our soldiers will abandon the cause of 
 their country, and we must submit to the yoke of Great 
 Britain, which we so much abhor. 
 
 20//i. — During the last ten days we have experienced 
 almost continued storms of rain, high wiftds, and disagree- 
 able fogs. Our canvas dwellings afford us but little 
 protection against such powerful assailants; they are fre- 
 quently rent asunder, and we are almost overwhelmed 
 with inundation. 
 
 A very spirited and honorable enterprise has lately been 
 planned and executed by Major Talmadge, of Colonel 
 Sheldon's regiment of dragoons. The enemy having large 
 magazines of forage and stores in the vicinity of fort St. 
 George, on Long Island, he resolved to hazard the attempt 
 to seize them by surprise. Fort St. George was stockaded, 
 and covered a large spot of ground, having a square re- 
 doubt, with a ditch and abatis. With about eighty dis- 
 mounted dragoons, under Captain Edgar, and eight or ten 
 on horseback, Major Talmadge passed the Sound, where it 
 was about twenty miles from shore to shore, marched 
 across the island in the night with such facility and ad- 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1780. 243 
 
 dress, that his enterprise was crowned with complete suc- 
 cess. The enemy were not alarmed till too late to make 
 much resistance ; seven, however, were killed and wounded, 
 and the remainder, amounting to fifty-four, among whom 
 were one lieutenant-colonel, one captain and a subaltern, 
 were made prisoners. The fort was demolished, two armed 
 vessels were burned, and a large magazine of hay, said to 
 be three hundred tons, with stores to a large amount, 
 shared the same fate. Major Talmadge recrossed the Sound 
 with his brave party without the loss of a man. The 
 commander-in-chief was so well pleased with this exploit, 
 that he recommended Major Talmadge to the notice of 
 Congress, and they voted him their thanks for his brave 
 and spirited conduct. 
 
 The extraordinary patience and fortitude which have 
 hitherto been so honorably displa3^ed by our officers and 
 soldiers under their complicated distresses, appear now to 
 be exhausted. From repeated disappointments of our 
 hopes and expectations, the confidence of the army in 
 public justice and public promises is greatly diminished, 
 and we are reduced almost to despair. 
 
 The present crisis is alarming. Regimental officers are 
 continually resigning their commissions, and a large pro- 
 portion of those who remain have pledged themselves to 
 follow their example, unless a redress of grievances can 
 soon be obtained. Nothing short of what we conceive to 
 be justly our due, a comfortable and permanent support, 
 will retain our officers, however ardent their desire to 
 serve their country. They exclaim, "Let others come and 
 take their turn ! we have served years longer than we ex- 
 pected, and have acquitted ourselves of duty." All the 
 '.general officers belonging to New England have united in 
 a memorial to their respective state governments, com- 
 plaining of our grievances, and requesting immediate re- 
 lief and security for the future. This memorial, being put 
 into the mail, was taken from the Fishkill post-rider by 
 some emissary from the enem}^, and has been published 
 in the New York papers, by which our forlorn situation 
 has been exposed, and much exultation occasioned among 
 those who are watching for our destruction. 
 
 The resolution of Congress for a new arrangement of 
 the army was not conformable to the expectations of the 
 
244 MILITARY JOURNAL, 1780. 
 
 officers, and caused uneasiness among them. The com- 
 mander-in-chief saw that a storm was gathering, and 
 thought it prudent on this occasion to communicate his 
 opinion to Congress on the best means to avert it. On 
 the 11th of October, he informed Congress, "that the gen- 
 eral topic of declamation in the army is, that it is as hard 
 as dishonorable for men who had made every sacrifice to 
 the service, to be turned out of it, at the pleasure of those 
 in power, without an adequate compensation. Too many 
 of the officers wish to get rid of their commissions, but 
 they are not willing to be forced to it." 
 
 The commander-in-chief, in his communication to Con- 
 gress, suggests the policy of making ample provision, both 
 for the officers who stay and for those who are reduced. 
 He recommended what he thought would be the most 
 economical, the most politic, and the most effectual pro- 
 vision, half-pay for life, "Supported," the general says, 
 "by a prospect of a permanent dependence, the officers 
 would be tied to the service, and would submit to many 
 momentary privations, and to the inconveniences which 
 the situation of the public service make unavoidable. If 
 the objection drawn from the principle that this measure 
 is incompatible with the genius of our government, be 
 thought insurmountable, I would propose a substitute, 
 less eligible in my opinion, but which may answer the 
 purpose: it is to make the present half-pay^ for seven 
 years, wJiole pay for the same period, to be advanced at 
 two different payments, one half in a year after the con- 
 clusion of peace, the other half in two years after." 
 
 His excellency also takes notice of the injuries and in- 
 conveniences which attend a continual change of officers, 
 and consequent promotions in the army. 
 
 Soon after Congress were possessed of the sentiments 
 of General Washington, they resolved, "that the com- 
 mander-in-chief and commanding officer in the northern 
 department, direct the officers of each state to meet and 
 agree on the officers for the regiments to be raised by 
 their respective states, from those who incline to continue 
 in service, and where it cannot be done by agreement, to 
 be determined by seniority; and make return of those 
 who are to remain, which is to be transmitted to Congress, 
 together with the names of the officers reduced, who are 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1781. 245 
 
 to be allowed half-pay for life. That the officers v/ho shall 
 continue in service to the end of the war, shall also be 
 entitled to half-pay during life, to commence from the time 
 of their reduction," 
 
 Januarg Ist^ 1781. — On this, the first day of the new 
 year, an arrangement of our army takes place, according 
 to a late resolve of Congress, The supernumerary regi- 
 ments are to be incorporated with those Avhich continue 
 on the new establishment, and the supernumerary ofiicers 
 are to retire from service on the establishment fixed by 
 Congress, and are to be entitled to the same privileges and 
 emoluments which are to be allowed to those who con- 
 tinue to the end of the war. It being optional with me 
 either to retire or to continue in service, I shall retain my 
 commission as surgeon to Colonel H. Jackson's regiment. 
 We are encouraged to anticipate more favorable circum- 
 stances and more liberal compensation — Congress having 
 at length passed several resolves, entitling all officers who 
 shall continue in service till the end of the war, or shall 
 be reduced before that time, as supernumeraries, to receive 
 half-pay during life, and a certain number of acres of land, 
 in proportion to their rank. Besides these pecuniary con- 
 siderations, we are actuated by the purest principles of 
 patriotism; having engaged in the mighty struggle, we 
 are ambitious to persevere to the end. To be instrumental 
 in the achievement of a glorious independence for our 
 country and posterity, will be a source of infinite satisfac- 
 tion, and of most grateful recollection, during the remainder 
 of our days. Notwithstanding the unparalleled suflerings 
 and hardships which have hitherto attended our military 
 career, scarcely an officer retires without the deepest regret 
 and reluctance. So strong is the attachment, and so fas- 
 cinating the idea of participating with our illustrious 
 commander in military glory, that a separation is like a 
 relinquishment of principle, and abandonment of the great 
 interest of our native country. 
 
 2>d. — Oar brigade took possession of our huts for the 
 winter, in the woods about two miles in the rear of the 
 works at West Point. Our situation is singularly roman- 
 tic, on a highly-elevated spot, surrounded b}^ mountains 
 and craggy rocks of a prodigious size, lofty broken clefis, 
 and the banks of the beautifully meandering Hudson, 
 
246 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 17S1. 
 
 affording a view of the country for many miles in all 
 directions. We have now no longer reason to complain 
 of our accommodations; the huts are warm and comforta- 
 ble, wood in abundance at our doors, and a tolerable sup- 
 ply of provisions. Our only complaint is want of money. 
 4//;. — Eeports of a very serious and alarming nature 
 have this day reached us from the Jerseys. The Penn- 
 sylvania line of troops, consisting of about two thousand 
 men, in winter-quarters in the vicinity of Morristown, 
 have come to the desperate resolution of revolting from 
 tlieir officers. Though the Pennsylvania troops have been 
 subjected to all the discouragements and difficulties felt 
 by the rest of the army, some particular circumstances 
 peculiar to themselves have contributed to produce the 
 revolt. When the soldiers first enlisted, the recruiting 
 officers were provided with enlisting-rolls for the term of 
 three years, er during the continuance of the war, and as 
 the officers indulged the opinion that the war would not 
 continue more than three years, they were perhaps indif- 
 ferent in which column the soldier's name was inserted, 
 leaving it liable to an ambiguity of construction. It is 
 clear, however, that a part enlisted for three years, and 
 others for the more indefinite term "during the war." 
 The soldiers now contend that they enlisted for three 
 years at furthest, and were to have been discharged sooner, 
 iu case the war terminated before the expiration of this 
 term. The war being protracted beyond the time ex- 
 pected, and the officers, knowing the value of soldiers who 
 nave been trained by three years' service, are accused of 
 putting a different construction on the original agreement, 
 and claiming their services during the war. The soldiers, 
 even those who actually enlisted for the war, having re- 
 ceived very small bounties, complain of imposition and 
 deception, and their case is extremely aggravated by the 
 fact, that three half-joes have now been offered as a bounty 
 to others who will enlist for the remainder of the war, 
 when these veteran soldiers have served three years for a 
 mere shadow of compensation ! It was scarcely necessary 
 to add to their trjdng circumstances a total want of pay 
 for twelve months, and a state of nakedness and famine, to 
 excite in a soldier the spirit of insurrection. The officers 
 themselves, also feeling aggrieved, and in a destitute con- 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1781. 247 
 
 dition, relaxed in their system of camp-discipline, and tlie 
 soldiers occasionally overheard their murmurs and com- 
 plaints. Having appointed a sergeant-major for their 
 commander, styling him major-general, and having con- 
 certed their arrangements, on the first day of the new year 
 they put their mutinous scheme into execution. On a 
 preconcerted signal, the whole line, except a part of three 
 regiments, paraded under arms without their officers, 
 marched to the magazines, and supplied themselves with 
 provisions and ammunition, and, seizing six field-pieces, 
 took horses from General Wayne's stable to transport 
 them. The officers of the line collected those who had 
 not yet joined the insurgents, and endeavored to restore 
 order; but the revolters fired, and killed a Captain Billing, 
 and wounded several other officers, and a few men were 
 killed on each side. The mutineers commanded the party 
 who opposed them to come over to them instantly, or 
 they should be bayoneted, and the order was obe3'ed. 
 General Wayne, who commanded the Pennsylvania troops, 
 endeavored to interpose his influence and authority, urging 
 them to return to their duty till their grievances could be 
 inquired into and redressed. But all was to no purpose, 
 and on cocking his pistol, they instantly presented their 
 bayonets to his breast, saying, "We respect and love you; 
 often have you led us into the field of battle, but we are 
 no longer under your command; we warn you to be on 
 your guard; if you fire your pistols, or attempt to enforce 
 your commands, we shall put you instantly to death." 
 General Wayne next expostulated with them, expressing 
 his apprehension that they were about to sacrifice the 
 glorious cause of their country, and that the enemy would 
 avail themselves of the opportunity to advance and im- 
 prove so favorable an occasion. They assured him that 
 they still retained an attachment and respect for the cause 
 which they had embraced, and that, so far from a disposi- 
 tion to abandon it, if the enemy should dare to come out 
 of New York, they would, under his and his officers' orders, 
 face them in the field, and oppose them to the utmost in 
 their power. They complained that they had been im- 
 posed on and deceived respecting the term of their enlist- 
 ment; that they had received no wages for more than a 
 year; and that they were destitute of clothing, and had 
 
24:8 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1781, 
 
 often been deprived of their rations. These were their 
 grievances, and they were determined to march to Piiila- 
 delphia, and demand of Congress that justice which had 
 so long been denied them. The}' commenced their march 
 in regular military order, and when encamped at night, 
 they posted out piquets, guards, and sentinels. General 
 Wayne, to prevent their depredations on private property, 
 supplied them with provisions, and he, with Colonels 
 Stewart and Butler, officers whom the soldiers respected 
 and loved, followed and mixed with them, to watch their 
 motions and views, and they received from them respectful 
 and civil treatment. On the third day, the insurgent 
 troops reached Princeton, and, by request of General 
 Wayne, they deputed a committee of sergeants, who stated 
 to him formally in writing their claims, as follows: 1st, 
 A discharge for all those, without exception, Avho had 
 served three years under their original engagements, and 
 had not received the increased bounty and reenlisted for 
 the war. 2d, An immediate payment of all their arrears 
 of pay and clothing, both to those who should be dis- 
 charged and those who should be retained. 8d, Tlie 
 residue of their bounty, to put them on an equal footing 
 with those recently enlisted, and future substantial pay to 
 those who should remain in the service. — To these de- 
 mands, in their full extent, General Wayne could not feel 
 himself authorized to answer in the affirmative, and a 
 further negotiation was referred to the civil authority of 
 the state of Pennsylvania. General Washington, whose 
 head-quarters' are at New Windsor, on the west side of 
 the Hudson, received the intelligence on the 3d instant, 
 and summoned a council of war, consisting of the general 
 and field officers, to devise the most proper measures to be 
 pursued on this alarming occasion. Great apprehension 
 was entertained that other troops, who have equal cause 
 of discontent, would be excited to adopt a similar course. 
 It is ordered that five battalions be formed by detachments 
 fiom the several lines, to be held in perfect readiness to 
 march on the shortest notice, with four days' provision 
 cooked ; and measures, it is understood, are taken to 
 bring the militia into immediate service, if required. In- 
 telligence of the revolt having reached Sir Henry Clinton, 
 he cherished the hope that, by encouraging a rebellion, 
 
MILITAKY JOUENAL, 1781. 249 
 
 and turning the swords of our own soldiers against their 
 country and brethren, he should have it in his power to 
 effect an object, which by his own arms he could not ac- 
 complish. He immediately despatched two emissaries — 
 a British sergeant, and one Ogden, of New Jersey — to the 
 dissatisfied troops, with written instructions that, by lay- 
 ing down their arms and marching to New York, they 
 should receive their arrearages and depreciation in hard 
 cash, and should be well clothed, have a free pardon for 
 all past offences, and be taken under the protection of the 
 British government, and no military service should be 
 required of them, unless voluntarily offered. They were 
 requested to send persons to meet agents, who would be 
 appointed by Sir Henry, to adjust the terms of a treaty, 
 and the British general himself passed over to Staten Isl- 
 and, having a large body of troops in readiness to act as 
 circumstances might require. The proposals from the 
 enemy were rejected with disdain, and the mutineers de- 
 livered the papers to General Wayne, but refused to give 
 up the emissaries, preferring to keep them in durance till 
 their difficulties could be discussed and settled. A com- 
 mittee of Congress was appointed, who conferred with the 
 executive council of the state of Pennsylvania, and by 
 the latter authority an accommodation of the affairs with 
 the revolters has been effected, by giving an interpretation 
 favorable to the soldiers of the enlistments which were 
 for three years or during the war, declaring them to expire 
 at the end of three years. The insurgents now surrendered 
 the two emissaries into the hands of General Wayne, on 
 the stipulated condition that they should not be executed 
 till their affairs should be compromised; or, in case of 
 failure, the prisoners should be redelivered when demanded. 
 They were eventually, however, tried as spies, convicted, 
 and immediately executed. A board of commissioners 
 was now appointed, of whom three were deputed from the 
 revolters, authorized to determine what description of 
 soldiers should be discharged. The result is, that the 
 soldiers have accomplished their views, the committee, 
 from prudential motives, without waiting for the enlisting 
 papers, complied with their demands, and discharged from 
 service a majority of the line, on their making oath, that 
 they enlisted for three years only. The enlisting rolls 
 
250 MILITARY JOURNAL, 1781. 
 
 liaving since been produced, it is found that by far the 
 largest number of those hberated, had actually enlisted lor 
 the whole war. Thus has terminated a most unfortunate 
 transaction, which might have been prevented, had the 
 just complaints of the army received proper attention in 
 due season. General Wayne is a native of Pennsylvania, 
 and has acquired the affection of the soldiery of that state. 
 He possesses a commanding presence, genteel and pleasing 
 address, a daring bravery, is excellent in discipline, aspir- 
 ing and unrivalled in enterprise, and is held in high respect 
 by his compatriots in arms. 
 
 A detachment, vinder the command of Lieutenant- Col- 
 onel Hull, has returned from a successful expedition, having 
 attacked by surprise the royal refugee corps, under the 
 command of the noted Colonel Delancy, posted at Mor- 
 risania. Colonel Hull has for several months past sustained 
 the command of a detachment of our troops posted in ad- 
 vance of our army, a situation requiring the most active 
 vigilance and precaution, to guard Against surprise and 
 stratagem. In this station, as in many others, this officer 
 has evinced his militai-y skill and judgment. He has exe- 
 cuted an enterprise with such address and gallantry, as to 
 merit for himself and his detachment the highest honor. 
 He bravely forced a narrow passage to the enemy, and 
 besides a number being killed, he took upwards of fifty 
 prisoners, cut away the bridge, burned their huts and a 
 considerable quantity of forage, and brought off a number 
 of hotses and cattle. Colonel Hull possesses in a high 
 degree the confidence of the commander-in-chief, and for 
 his judicious arrangements in the plan, and intrepidity 
 and valor in the execution of the enterprise, he received 
 the thanks of his excellency, and afterwards of Congress. 
 The enemy pursued our troops, and fell in with a covering- 
 party, under command of Colonel Hazen, and in a skirmish 
 which ensued, they suffered an additional loss of about 
 thirty-five men. Of Colonel Hull's detachment, one en- 
 sign and twenty -five rank and file were killed and wounded. 
 This successful exploit is calculated to raise the spirits of 
 our troops, and to divert their minds from the unhappy 
 occurrence which has recently taken place in camp, and at 
 the same time it may convince the enemy that the affairs 
 of our army are not altogether desperate. 
 
MILITAKY JOUKNAL, 1781. • 251 
 
 We are again affiicted with alarming intelligence. That 
 part of the Jersey line of troops, which are cantoned at 
 Pompton, in the state of New Jersey, have followed the 
 example of the Pennsylvanians, having revolted, and aban- 
 doned their officers. General Washington is resolutely de- 
 termined that this instance of mutiny shall not pass with 
 impunity. Instead of temporizing, he has ordered a de- 
 tachment of live hundred men, properly officered, to march 
 for the purpose of reducing them to a proper sense of duty. 
 It falls to my lot to accompany the detachment. Major- 
 General Robert Howe commands on this expedition, and 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Sprout is second in command, and the 
 other lield-offlcers are Lieutenant-Colonel Mellen and Major 
 Oliver. We marched on the 2od as far as the forest of 
 Dean, and at night crowded into houses and barns. A 
 body of snow, about two feet deep, without any track, 
 rendered the march extremely difficult. Having no horse, 
 I experienced inexpressible fatigue, and was obliged sev- 
 eral times to sit down on the snow. 2'Ith, Marched over 
 the mountains, and reached Carle's tavern, in Smith's 
 Clove; halted for two hours, then proceeded thirteen miles, 
 and quartered our men in the scattering houses and barns. 
 2oth, Marched nine miles, and reached Ringwood. Gen- 
 eral Howe and all the field-officers took lodgings at the 
 house of Mrs. Erskine, the amiable widow of the late re- 
 spectable geographer of our army. We were entertained 
 with an elegant supper and excellent wine. Mrs. Erskine 
 is a sensible and accomplished woman, lives in a style of 
 affluence and fashion; every thing indicates wealth, taste 
 and splendor; and she takes pleasure in entertaining the 
 friends of her lat6 husband with generous hospitality. 
 
 Marched on the 27th, at one o'clock A. M. eight miles, 
 which brought us in view of the huts of the insurgent sol- 
 diers by dawn of da.j. Here we halted for an hour, to 
 make the necessary preparations. Some of our officers 
 suffered much anxiety, lest the soldiers would not prove 
 faithful on this trying occasion. Orders were given to 
 load their arms: it was obeyed with alacrity, and indica- 
 tions were given that they were to be relied on. Being 
 paraded in a line. General Howe harangued them, repre- 
 senting the heinousness of the crime of mutiny, and the 
 absolute necessity of military subordination; adding that 
 
252 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1781. 
 
 the mutineers must be brought to an unconditional sub- 
 mission: no temporizing, no listening to terms of compro- 
 mise, while in a state of resistance. Two field-pieces were 
 now ordered to be placed in view of the insurgents, and 
 the troops were directed to surround the huts on all sides. 
 Greneral Howe next ordered his aid-de-camp to command 
 the mutineers to appear on parade in front of their huts 
 unarmed, within five minutes; observing them to hesitate, 
 a second messenger was sent, and they instantly obe3'ed 
 the command, and paraded in a line without arms, being 
 in number between two and three hundred. Finding 
 themselves closely encircled and unable to resist, they 
 quietly submitted to the fate which awaited them. Gen- 
 eral Howe ordered that three of the ringleaders should be 
 selected as victims for condign punishment. These un- 
 fortunate culprits were tried on the spot. Colonel Sprout 
 being president of the court-martial, standing on the snow, 
 and they were sentenced to be immediately shot. Twelve 
 of the most guilty mutineers were next selected to be 
 their executioners. This was a most painful task; being 
 themselves guilty, they were greatly distressed with the 
 duty imposed on them, and when ordered to load, some 
 of them shed tears. The wretched victims, overwhelmed 
 by the terrors of death, had neither time nor power to 
 implore the mercy and forgiveness of their God, and such 
 was their agonizing condition, that no heart could refi'ain 
 from emotions of sympathy and compassion. The first 
 that suflered was a sergeant, and an old offender; he was 
 led a few j-ards' distance, and placed on his knees; six of 
 the executioners, at the signal given by an officer, fired, 
 three aiming at the head and three at the breast, the other 
 six reserving their fire in order to despatch the victim, 
 should the first fire fail; it so happened in this instance; 
 the remaining six then fired, and life was instantly extin- 
 guished. The second criminal was, by the first fire, sent 
 into eternity in an instant. The third being less criminal, 
 by the recommendation of his of&cers, to his unspeakable 
 joy, received a pardon. This tragical scene produced a 
 dreadful shock, and a salutary effect on the minds of the 
 guilty soldiers. Never were men more completely hum- 
 bled and penitent; tears of sorrow and of joy rushed irom 
 their eyes, and each one appeared to congratulate himself 
 
MILITAKY JOUKNAL, 1781. 253 
 
 that his forfeited life had been spared. The executions 
 being finished, General Howe ordered the former officers 
 to take their stations, and resume their respective com- 
 mands; he then, in a very pathetic and affecting manner, 
 addressed the whole line by platoons, endeavoring to im- 
 press their minds with a sense of the enormity of their 
 crime, and the dreadful consequences that might have 
 resulted. He then commanded them to ask pardon of 
 their officers, and promise to devote themselves to the 
 faithful discharge of their duty as soldiers in future. It 
 is most painful to reflect that circumstances should impe- 
 riously demand the infliction of capital punishment on 
 soldiers who have more than a shadow of plea to extenuate 
 their crime. These unfortunate men have long suffered 
 many serious grievances, which they have sustained with 
 commendable patience; but have at length lost their con- 
 fidence in public justice. The success of the Pennsylvania 
 insurgents undoubtedly encouraged them to hope for ex- 
 emption from punishment. But the very existence of an 
 army depends on proper discipline and subordination. 
 The arm of authority must be exerted, and public exam- 
 ples be exhibited, to deter from the commission of crimes. 
 The spirit of revolt must be effectually repressed, or a total 
 annihilation of the army is inevitable. Sir Henry Clinton 
 on this occasion had his hopes again excited; ever ready 
 to profit by treachery or revolt, he despatched an emissary 
 to encourage the insurrection, and to make the most 
 tempting offers to induce the mutineers to desert, and join 
 the British standard; but the messenger himself frustrated 
 his hopes by delivering the papers to our own officers. 
 
 Having completed the object of our expedition, we re- 
 turned to our cantonments on the 31st instant. 
 
 February. — Major-General Greene has transmitted to 
 Congress an account of a brilliant action of General Sump- 
 ter, of the southern army, a few weeks since. General 
 Sumpter engaged with a body of three hundred cavalry, 
 of Tarleton's legion, and about two hundred and fifty 
 British infantry. The conflict was warm and close, in 
 which the enemy were repulsed. They rallied, and on 
 the second charge were repulsed again. They made a 
 third effort, but a fire from an eminence, occupied by the 
 continentals, gave them an effectual check; they quitted 
 
254 MILITARY JOUENAL, 1781. 
 
 tlie field and retired, leaving ninety dead and one hundred 
 wounded. Only three were killed and four wounded on 
 the part of the Americans; among the latter is General 
 Sumpter. A party of tories from the outposts of the 
 British, advanced to intercept the wagons, and avail them- 
 selves of the supplies. General Smallwood despatched 
 Brigadier-General Morgan and Lieutenant-Colonel Wash- 
 ington to attack them. Lieutenant-Colonel Washington, 
 being destitute of artillery, made use of the following strat- 
 agem: He mounted on a carriage a pine log, cut into the 
 form of a cannon, and holding out the appearance of an 
 attack with field-pieces, gained his point by sending a flag, 
 and demanding the immediate surrender of Colonel Kugely 
 and his party, consisting of one hundred and twelve men, 
 who, on the approach of Lieutenant-Colonel Washington, 
 had retired to a log barn on Kugely's plantation. They 
 surrendered without firing a gun. 
 
 10^/i. — Accounts have been received that an action has 
 been fought at a place called the Cowpens, in Carolina, 
 between a body of the enemy, under the celebrated Colo- 
 nel Tarleton, with one thousand one hundred men, and a 
 party of about eight hundred Americans, under the com- 
 mand of the equally celebrated General Morgan; the 
 enemy were totally routed, and pursued upwards of twenty 
 miles. Of Tarleton's party, ten officers and one hundred 
 rank and file were killed, and two hundred wounded, 
 twenty-nine oflicers and five hundred rank and file were 
 taken prisoners, with two field-pieces, two standards, eight 
 hundred muskets, thirty-five wagons, seventy negroes, one 
 hundred dragoon horses, one travelling forge, and all their 
 music. The loss on Morgan's side was not more than 
 twelve killed and sixty wounded. Morgan and his party 
 have acquired immortal honor, and in this action Lieu- 
 tenant-Colonel Washington and Lieutenant-Colonel How- 
 ard were most highly distinguished for their brave and 
 gallant conduct. 
 
 lith. — General Warner and Colonel Ashley, of Massa- 
 chusetts, have arrived at West Point, to distribute to the 
 soldiers of the Massachusetts line, engaged for a small 
 bounty to serve during the war, twenty-four dollars in 
 specie each, as a gratuity from the state. This very gener- 
 ous act serves to dissipate the gloom on the countenances 
 
MILITARY JOUKNAL, 1781. 2uo 
 
 of our brave soldiers; it enlivens their dejected spirits, 
 and convinces them that they are yet the objects of a 
 friendly recollection. 
 
 The advance-guard of our army, consisting of about 
 two hundred men, is posted at Crompond, about twenty 
 miles below West Point, and is relieved every two or three 
 weeks. A surgeon constantly attends, and I am now 
 ordered to repair to that post to relieve Dr. Thomas. 
 
 March. — I have taken my quarters at Crompond, in a 
 house with Major Trescott, who commands at this post. 
 This vicinity is constantly harassed by small parties of 
 volunteers on our side, and parties of royalists and tories 
 on the other, who are making every effort to effect mutual 
 destruction; seeking every opportunity to beat up each 
 others' quarters, and to kill or capture all who are found 
 in arms. This is to be considered as a very hazardous 
 situation; it requires the utmost vigilance to guard against 
 a surprise. Major Trescott is an excellent disciplinarian, 
 an active, vigilant officer, and well acquainted with his 
 duty. A party of volunteers collected here on horseback, 
 for a secret expedition, and by their earnest request Major 
 Trescott marched in the night with a party to cover their 
 retreat, and to take any advantage which might offer. 
 The party returned the next day with six tory prisoners, 
 three of whom were wounded by the broad-sword. One 
 of our volunteers, named Hunt, received a dangerous 
 wound through his shoulder and lungs, the air escaped 
 from the wound at every breath. Dr. Eustis came to the 
 lines, and dilated the wound in the breast, and as the 
 patient is athletic and has not sustained a very copious loss 
 of blood, he recommended repeated and liberal blood let- 
 ting, observing that, in order to cure a wound through the 
 lungs, you must bleed your patient to death. He event- 
 ually recovered, which is to be ascribed principally to the 
 free use of the lancet and such abstemious living as to 
 reduce him to the greatest extremity. A considerable 
 number of wounded prisoners receive my daily attention. 
 
 A gentleman volunteer, by name Eequaw, received a 
 dangerous wound, and was carried into the British lines ; 
 I was requested by his brother to visit him, under the 
 sanction of a flag of truce, in company with Dr. White, 
 who resides in this vicinity. This invitation I cheerfully 
 
256 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1781. 
 
 accepted, and Mr. Requaw having obtained a flag from 
 the proper authority, and procured horses, we set off in 
 the morning, arrived at West Chester before evening, and 
 dressed the wounded man. We passed the night at Mrs. 
 Barstow's, mother-in-law of Dr. W. She has remained 
 at her farm between the lines during the war, and being 
 friendly to our interest, has received much abusive treat- 
 ment from the royalists. We are treated in the most 
 friendly manner, and her daughter, a sensible, well-edu- 
 cated girl, entertained us in conversation till one o'clock 
 in the morning, relating numerous occurrences and inci- 
 dents of an interesting nature respecting the royal party. 
 The next day we visited our patient again, paid the neces- 
 sary attention, and repaired to a tavern, where I was gra- 
 tified with an interview with the much-famed Colonel 
 Delancy, who commands the refugee corps. He conducted 
 with much civility, and having a public dinner prepared 
 at the tavern, he invited us to dine with him and his 
 officers. After dinner, Colonel Delancy furnished us with 
 a permit to return with our flag; we rode ten miles, and 
 took lodgings in a private house. Here we were informed 
 that six of our men, having taken from the refugees thirty 
 head of cattle, were overtaken by forty of Delancy's corps, 
 and were all killed but one, and the cattle retaken. In 
 the morning, breakfasted with a friendly Quaker family, 
 in whose house was one of our men, who had been wound- 
 ed when four others were killed; we dressed his wounds, 
 which were numerous and dangerous. In another house, 
 we saw four dead bodies, mangled in a most inhuman 
 manner by the refugees, and among them one groaning 
 under five wounds on his head, two of them quite through 
 his skull-bone with a broad sword. This man was capable 
 of giving us an account of the murderer of his four com- 
 panions. They surrendered, and begged for life; but their 
 entreaties were disregarded, and the swords of their cruel 
 foes were plunged into their bodies so long as signs of life 
 remained. We found many friends to our cause, who 
 reside on their farms between the lines of the two armies, 
 whose situation is truly deplorable, being continually ex- 
 posed to the ravages of the tories, horse-thieves, and Cow- 
 boys, who rob and plunder them without mercy, and the 
 personal abuse and punishments which they inflict, is 
 
OEJ^EIiAL WADSWORTH AJ^D SOJ\r. P. 238. 
 
 COUJ\rT DE. ORASSE. P. 274. 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1781. 257 
 
 almost incredible — the particulars of which have been 
 already noticed, page 238. 
 
 On the 4th of this month, the grand confederation and 
 perpetual union of the Thirteen American States, from 
 New Hampshire to Georgia, inclusive, was signed and 
 ratified by all the delegates in Congress. This instrument 
 has long been a subject of discussion and consideration 
 by the several states, and. by some, considerable opposi- 
 tion has been maintained against it, which has impeded 
 its ratification. It consists of thirteen articles, entitled 
 '"^Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union between the 
 Thirteen American States.'''' By this instrument, each state 
 retains its sovereignty, freedom and independence, and the 
 states severally enter into a firm league of friendship with 
 each other for their common defence, the security of their 
 liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, &c., &c. 
 
 April. — I received orders to return to the highlands 
 near West Point, to inoculate the troops with the small- 
 pox. Dined with Colonel Scammel, on my route, with a 
 number of gentlemen. 
 
 lltJi. — Crossed the Hudson, to the hospital at Robinson's 
 house, and passed the night with Dr. Eustis; the next 
 day accompanied him to Peekskill to visit the family of 
 Colonel Laurence, who are under inoculation with the 
 small-pox, thence to the quarters of Colonel Scammel and 
 Dr. Findlay, returned to the hospital at night, and the 
 next day crossed with Dr. Eustis to West Point, and dined 
 at General Heath's quarters. 
 
 20th. — A soldier was hanged to-day for desertion, and 
 another was pardoned under the gallows with a rope 
 round his neck. 
 
 All the soldiers, with the women and children, who 
 have not had the smal!-pox, are now under inoculation. 
 Of our regiment, one hundred and eighty-seven were sub- 
 jects of the disease. The old practice of previous prepa- 
 ration by a course of mercury and low diet, has not been 
 adopted on this occasion; a single dose of jalap and calo- 
 mel, or of the extract of butternut, juglans cinerea^ is in 
 general administered previous to the appearance of the 
 symptoms. As to diet, we are so unfortunate as to be 
 destitute of the necessar}' comfortable articles of food, and 
 tliey subsist ])rincipanj" on ihsir common rations of bcci". 
 
258 MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1781. 
 
 bread and salt pork, A small quantity of rice, sugar, or 
 molasses, and tea are procured for those who are danger- 
 ously sick. Some instances have occurred of putrid fever 
 supervening, either at the first onset or at the approach 
 of the secondary stage, and a few cases have terminated 
 fatally. Many of our patients were improper subjects for 
 the disease, but we were under the necessity of inoculating 
 all, without exception, whatever might be their condition 
 as to health. Of five hundred who have been inoculated, 
 four only have died, but in other instances the proportion 
 of deaths is much more considerable. The extract of 
 butternut is made by boihng down the inner bark of the 
 tree ; the discovery of this article is highly important, and 
 it may be considered as a valuable acquisition to our ma- 
 teria medica. The country people have for some time been 
 in the practice of using it, and Dr. Rush, who was for a 
 short period at the head of our hospital department, has 
 recommended the employment of it among our patients, 
 as a mild yet sufficiently active cathartic, and a valuable 
 and economical substitute for jalap. It operates without 
 creating heat or irritation, and is found to be efficacious 
 in cases of dysentery and bilious complaints. As the but- 
 ternut-tree abounds in our country, we may obtain at a 
 very little expense a valuable domestic article of medicine. 
 Though there is much reason to suppose that our own soil 
 is prolific in remedies adapted to the diseases of our 
 country, the butternut is the only cathartic deserving of 
 confidence which we have yet discovered. 
 
 SOth. — Dined at West Point with Dr. Thomas, and 
 accompanied him to General Patterson's quarters: the 
 general humorously apologized, that he could afford us 
 nothing better than a miserable glass of whiskey grog. 
 Passed the river to the hospital. Dr. Eustis being indis- 
 posed, he requested me to bleed him, and I passed the 
 night at the Point. 
 
 Intelligence has reached us that Brigadier-General Peleg 
 Wadsworth, who commanded a detachment of militia at 
 a place called Camden, in the province of Maine, has been 
 surprised and taken prisoner, in the night, by a party of 
 British soldiers, sent for this purpose fi-om their post at 
 Penobscot. It is added, that the general defended him- 
 self in the most daring and spirited manner till he received 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1781. 259 
 
 a wound, and was entirely overpowered. See particulars 
 of this extraordinary affair in the Appendix. 
 
 I accompanied Dr. John Hart to New Windsor, to pay 
 our respects to Dr. John Cochran, who is lately promoted 
 to the office of director-general of tne hospitals of the 
 United States, as successor to Dr. Shippen, resigned. We 
 dined with Dr. Cochran, in company with Drs. Eustis and 
 S. Adams. Dr. Cochran, is a native of Pennsylvania. 
 He served in the office of surgeon's-mate in the hospital 
 department during the war between the English and 
 French, which commenced in America in 1775, and left 
 the service with the reputation of an able and experienced 
 practitioner. From that time to this, he has devoted him- 
 self to his professional pursuits in New Jersey, and has 
 been eminently distinguished as a practitioner in medicine 
 and surgery. Finding his native country involved in a 
 war with Great Britain, his zeal and attachment to her 
 interest impelled him to the theatre of action, and he prof- 
 fered his services as a volunteer in the hospital department. 
 General Washington, justly appreciating his merit and 
 character, recommended him to Congress, by whom he 
 was in April, 1777, appointed physician and surgeon-gen- 
 eral in the middle department He is now promoted to the 
 ofi&ce of director-general of the hospitals of the United 
 States.* Dr James Craig, who now succeeds Dr. Cochran, 
 as surgeon and physician-general, was also employed in 
 the P'rench war of 1759, with General Washington, who 
 
 * Not long after the close of the war, Dr. Cochran removed with his 
 family to New York, where he attended to the duties of his profession, 
 till the adoption of the new constitution, when his friend, President 
 Washington, retaining, to use his own words, "a cheerful recollection of 
 his past services," nominated him to the office of commissioner of loans 
 for the state of New York. This office he held till a paralytic stroke 
 disabled him in some measure from the discharge of its duties, on 
 which he gave in his resignation, and retired to Palatine, in the county 
 of Montgomery, where he terminated a long and useful life, on the 6th 
 of April, 1807, in the 77th year of his age. 
 
 "He united a vigorous mind and correct judgment with information 
 derived and improved from long experience, and faithful habits of atten- 
 tion to the duties of his profession." He possessed the pure and in- 
 flexible principles of patriotism, and his integrity was unimpeachable. 
 It is gratifying to have this opportunity of expressing a respectful recol- 
 lection of his urbanity and civilities, and of affording this small tribute 
 to his cherished memory. 
 
200 MfLITAEY JOURNAL, 1781. 
 
 held the office of major, and when a mutual attachment 
 was formed between them. 
 
 By intelligence from our army of the south, under 
 command of Major-General Greene, affairs in that quarter 
 are exceedingly unpropitious and discouraging. The 
 troops are so destitute of clothing, that their footsteps are 
 marked with blood for want of shoes ; their food consists, 
 part of the time, of rice, with frogs from ponds and ditches, 
 and sometimes of peaches and berries. When they obtain 
 a small supply of beef, it is so miserably poor as scarcely 
 to be eatable. The army is continually harassed in march- 
 ing through the country, sometimes executing successful 
 and honorable exploits, and again compelled to retreat be- 
 fore a victorious enemy with hair-breadth escapes. Never 
 perhaps were opposing commanders more equally matched 
 than General Greene and Lord Cornwallis, though the 
 former is almost constantly laboring under the disad- 
 vantage of inferiority of numbers and of physical force. 
 General Greene communicates to Congress an account of 
 a very obstinate and bloody battle fought by the two 
 armies at Guilford court-house. North Carolina, a few weeks 
 since. Our commander was compelled to yield to his 
 adversary, but it is a victory purchased at a ruinous price. 
 Seven days after the action, General Greene writes that 
 Cornwallis' troops were too much galled to improve their 
 success, that he had been preparing for another action, 
 expecting the enemy to advance, but of a sudden they 
 took their departure, and left behind them evident, marks 
 of distress. All the wounded at Guilford who had fallen 
 into their hands, and seventy of their own, too ill to be 
 moved, were left behind. Most of their officers suffered; 
 Lord Cornwallis had his horse shot under him. Colonel 
 Stuart, of the guards, was killed. General O'Hara and 
 Colonels Tarleton and Webster wounded. Their whole 
 loss is reported to be six hundred and sixty-three, exclu- 
 sive of officers. General Greene returned three hundred 
 and twenty-nine killed, wounded and missing; many of 
 the latter went to their homes after the action. General 
 Stevens and Huger were wounded. 
 
 A large detachment of British troops and refugees em- 
 barked at New York some time since, bound on an expe- 
 dition to Virginia, under the command of the infamous 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1781. 261 
 
 traitor Arnold. He took possession of Portsmouth, on 
 James river, where they are employed in ravaging and 
 rifling the plantations, and destroying public and private 
 property. Another body of royalists has lately been sent 
 from New York, under Major-General Phillips, who, now 
 having the chief command of the British in Virginia, 
 united with Arnold in a predatory warfare. General 
 Phillips died soon after, and Arnold again resumed the 
 command. The Marquis de la Fayette, with a command 
 of about one thousand five hundred light-infantry, de- 
 tached from our main army, is on his march to Virginia, 
 where he is to join a body of continentals and militia under 
 Baron Steuben and General Muhlenburg, for the purpose 
 of protecting that country from the depredations of the 
 enemy. 
 
 The continental army in Carolina, were successful after 
 the action of Guilford, and gained the ascendency in that 
 quarter over the British. On the lOth of May, Lord Raw- 
 don evacuated Camden with precipitation, leaving behind 
 three of his officers and fifty privates, who had been dan- 
 gerously wounded, and were unable to be removed. He 
 burned the stores, baggage, &c., and left the town a heap 
 of ruins. The next day the strong post of Orangeburg 
 surrendered to General Sumpter. One colonel, several 
 other officers, and eighty rank and file were made prison- 
 ers. Next followed, on the 12th, Fort Motte, the garrison 
 consisting of nineteen officers and one hundred and sixty 
 men, who surrendered to General Marion, as did also Fort 
 Granby, on the 14th, to Lieutenant-Colonel Lee, when one 
 lieutenant-colonel, two majors, six captains, six lieutenants, 
 three ensigns, one surgeon, and three hundred and thirty- 
 three rank and file, became his prisoners. Large quantities 
 of provisions and some military stores were found in sev- 
 eral of the forts, and in the baggage belonging to the 
 nineteenth regiment were found seven hundred guineas, 
 which it is said General Greene distributed among his 
 troops, as a reward for their bravery and sufferings. 
 
 May. — The spirit of desertion appears to prevail to a 
 considerable degree among both the British and Hessians 
 at New York. Instances have been frequent for several 
 months past of two or three coming out together. Some 
 of them offer to engage in our service, but they are rejected 
 
262 MILITARY JOUENAL, 1781. 
 
 and sent into the country, where they cannot effect any 
 mischievous purpose. Deserters are always to be sus- 
 pected, as they are not unfrequently employed as spies, 
 who desert back again with intelligence for the enemy. 
 Not long since, a Captain Simmons, of Delancy's corps, 
 came over to our lines, and was sent up to West Point. 
 He asserted that, being disaffected with the enemy on some 
 pretences, he had resigned his commission and deserted 
 from them; he was delivered over to the governor of the 
 state. A few days since a groom belonging to an officer 
 in the British service deserted with a valuable horse from 
 his master, which he sold for one hundred dollars in specie. 
 
 A party of continental troops, commanded by Colonel 
 Christopher Greene, of Rhode Island, being stationed on 
 our lines, near Croton river, were surprised by a party of 
 the enemy, about sunrise on the 13th instant. They first 
 attacked Colonel Greene's and Major Flagg's quarters, and 
 killed the major while in bed. The colonel being badly 
 wounded in the house, was carried into the woods and 
 barbarously murdered. Two subalterns and twenty-seven 
 privates were also killed, and a lieutenant and surgeon, 
 with about twenty men, taken prisoners. This melancholy 
 event is most deeply regretted ; Colonel Greene bravely 
 distinguished himself in defence of Fort Mercer, at Red 
 Bank, in October, 1777, and has ever been considered as 
 a valiant and vigilant officer. He had taken post in a 
 situation to guard a certain fording-place at Croton river, 
 and had practised the greatest vigilance in the night time, 
 calling off his guards at sunrise, on the idea that the enemy 
 would not presume to cross in the day-time ; but the enemy 
 having learned his mode of performing duty, effected their 
 purpose by crossing the ford immediately after the guard 
 had been withdrawn, and the surprise was so complete 
 that no practicable defence could avail them. It will not 
 be denied that an enemy may be justified in availing him- 
 self of every opportunity of gaining an advantage over his 
 antagonist, or that in some instances slaughter is unavoid- 
 able ; but a wanton and unnecessary sacrifice of life is on 
 all occasions to be deprecated as a disgraceful violation of 
 the dictates of humanity. 
 
 General Washington has performed a journey to Con- 
 necticut, for the purpose of an interview with the Count 
 
MILITARY JOUENAL, 1781. 263 
 
 de Rochambeau, chief commander of the French troops, 
 now at Rhode Island. The object of this interview is 
 supposed to be the concerting of a system of measures to 
 be pursued by the alhed army in the ensuing campaign. 
 
 Private intelligence from a confidential source we un- 
 derstand has been received at head-quarters, that a plan 
 has been concerted in New York, to send out four parties 
 — one to assassinate or take General "Washington; another, 
 Governor Livingston, of New Jersey; a third. Governor 
 Chnton, of the state of New York; and the object of the 
 fourth is unknown. Measures will undoubtedly be adopted 
 to guard against and defeat this singular enterprise. 
 
 It has several times happened that an artful and enter- 
 prising fellow, by the name of Moody, employed by the 
 British in New York, has succeeded in taking our mail 
 from the post-rider on the road, though he has had some 
 very remarkable escapes. After the interview of General 
 Washington and Count Rochambeau, the British were 
 particularly desirous of obtaining intelligence relative to 
 the result. Accordingly Moody was again despatched to 
 eftect the object. Being perfectly well acquainted with 
 the roads and passes, he waylaid the mail for some days 
 in the Jerseys, till at length it was his good fortune to 
 possess himself of that very mail which contained General 
 Washington's despatches to Congress, communicating the 
 information which was the object of their desires. This 
 valuable prize he had the address to bear off to New 
 York in safety. 
 
 June 20th. — It is directed in general orders that the 
 whole army at this place march and encamp at Peekskill, 
 leaving the invalids and a small party to garrison West 
 Point. One of the three divisions of the army is to pass 
 the Hudson each day, till all have crossed. 
 
 2'2d — Our division of the army crossed the Hudson at 
 West Point-landing yesterday, and reached Peekskill at 
 night. We have left our cantonments in a woody mount- 
 ain, affording a romantic and picturesque scenery of nature 
 clothed in her wild and winter attire, having scarcely the 
 appearance of vegetation. A splendid world is now open 
 to our view, all nature is in animation — the fields and 
 meadows display the beauties of spring, a pleasing variety 
 of vegetables and flowers perfume the air, and the charm- 
 
2(34 MILITAEY JODKNAL, 1781, 
 
 ing music of the feathered tribe delights our ears. But 
 there is a contrast in music. What can compare with that 
 martial band, the drum and fife, bugle-horn and shrill 
 trumpet, which set the war-horse in motion, thrill through 
 every fibre of the human frame, still the groans of the 
 dying soldier, and stimulate the living to the noblest deeds 
 of glory? The full roll of the drum, which salutes the 
 commander-in-chief, the animating beat, which calls to 
 arms for the battle, the reveille, which breaks our slum- 
 bers at dawn of day, with " come, strike your tents, and 
 march away," and the evening tattoo, which commands to 
 retirement and repose ; these form incomparably the most 
 enchanting music that has ever vibrated on my ear. 
 
 2Sd. — The army is now concentrated to a point in this 
 place, and encamped in two lines, and in the same regular 
 order that the troops usually form in a line of battle, oc- 
 cupying a very large extent of ground, and covering fields 
 of corn, grain and meadows. Our brigade is stationed on' 
 the left of the second line. The campaign is now about 
 to be opened, and we expect in a few days that the 
 French army will form a junction with us to cooperate 
 with our troops. 
 
 July 1st. — A division of our French allies are on their 
 march from Ehode Island, to unite with us in the service 
 of the campaign. Great preparations are continually 
 making for some important operation, and it is in general 
 conjectured that the object of the campaign is to besiege 
 New York. We are ordered to have four days' provisions 
 cooked, and to march at three o'clock in the morning, 
 leaving all our baggage behind, except a single blanket to 
 each man. It is remarkable that we have so much as four 
 days' provisions on hand. 
 
 5th. — The reveille beat at three o'clock on the 2d instant, 
 when we marched, and reached Tarrytown in the evening; 
 the weather being extremely hot, the troops were much 
 fatigued. Halted at Tarrytown about two hours, and then 
 proceeded; marched all night, and at sunrise arrived 
 within two miles of the enemy's works at King's-bridge. 
 Having halted about two hours, a firing of cannon and 
 musketry was heard in front, and we were informed that 
 a party of our troops had engaged the enemy, and we were 
 ordered to advance rapidly to their assistance ; but before 
 
, MILITARY JOUENAL, 17S1. 265 
 
 we could reach the scene of action, the enemy had retired 
 within their strong works. A detachment of continental 
 troopsj under command of Major-General Lincoln, went 
 down the North river in boats in the night, to attack the 
 enemy by surprise, or to draw them out to a distance from 
 their works, to afford an opportunity to the commander- 
 in-chief to engage them in the field; but this object could 
 not be accomplished, and a skirmish only ensued, in which 
 both parties suffered some loss, and General Lincoln 
 brought off ten prisoners. We took our repose for the 
 night in the open field, and our tents and baggage having 
 arrived the next day, we pitched our encampment in two 
 lines, on the most advantageous ground, within a few 
 miles of the outposts of the enemy. The French army, 
 under General Rochambeau, have arrived and encamped 
 at a small distance on the left of the Americans. 
 
 The French legion of dragoons and infantry, under 
 command of the Duke de Luzerne, arrived, and took their 
 station near our encampment, and appear in true military 
 style; they are a fine looking corps, full of military ardor, 
 and, in conjunction with Colonel Sheldon's dragoons, 
 much important service is expected. 
 
 1th. — Our army was drawn up in a line, and reviewed 
 by General Rochambeau, commander-in-chief of the French 
 army, with his Excellency General Washington and other 
 general officers. 
 
 IQth. — Another review took place in presence of the 
 French ambassador, from Philadelphia; after which, the 
 French army passed a review in presence of the general 
 officers of both armies. 
 
 13^/i. — Notwithstanding the active bustle which attends 
 our present situation, I received an invitation, with a 
 number of officers of our regiment, to dine with a party 
 of French officers in their camp. We were politely re- 
 ceived under an elegant marquee: our entertainment con- 
 sisted of excellent soup, roast-beef, &c., served in French 
 style. The gentlemen appear desirous of cultivating an 
 acquaintance with our officers, but being ignorant of each 
 others' language, we can enjoy but little conversation. 
 The French army exhibit their martial array to the great- 
 est advantage. In the officers we recognize the accom- 
 plished gentlemen, free and affable in their manners. Their 
 
2gg MILITARY JOURNAL, 1781. 
 
 military dress and side-arms are elegant; the troops are 
 under the strictest discipline, and are amply provided with 
 arms and accoutrements, which are kept in the neatest 
 order; they are in complete uniform, coats of white broad- 
 cloth, trimmed with green, and white under-dress, and on 
 their heads they wear a singular kind of hat or chapeau. 
 It is unlike our cocked hats in having but two corners 
 instead of three, which gives them a very novel appear- 
 ance. It has been remarked, to their honor, that during 
 their march from Newport to join our army, their course 
 has been marked with the most exemplary order and 
 regularity, committing no depredations, but conducting 
 towards the inhabitants on their route with great civility 
 and propriety. We now greet them as friends and allies, 
 and they manifest a zealous determination to act in unison 
 with us against the common enemy. This conduct must 
 have a happy tendency to eradicate from the minds of the 
 Americans their ancient prejudices against the French 
 people. They punctually paid their expenses in hard 
 money, which made them acceptable guests wherever they 
 passed ; and, in fact, the large quantity of solid coin which 
 they brought into the United States, is to be considered as 
 of infinite importance at the present period of our affairs. 
 
 16th. — Two of the British frigates and several smaller 
 vessels passed up the North river as far as Tarrytown, in 
 defiance of our cannon, which were continually playing 
 on them. Their object appears to be, to seize some of our 
 small vessels which are passing down the river with sup- 
 plies for our army. One small sloop, loaded with bread 
 for the French army, has fallen into their hands. 
 
 17th. — A fine corps of light-infantry, selected from the 
 several New England regiments, is now formed, and put 
 under the immediate command of Colonel Alexander 
 Scammel, formerly our adjutant-general. This select corps, 
 consisting of the most active and soldierly young men and 
 officers, is intended to march in advance of the main army, 
 constantly prepared for active and hazardous service. 
 Colonel Scammel was indulged the liberty of choosing 
 his own officers, rejecting those whom he deemed untit 
 for his enterprising purpose. According to regular detail, 
 it fell to the lot of Dr. C. to act as surgeon to this corps ; 
 but it was the doctor's misfortune to have one blink eye, 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1781. 267 
 
 and not being perfectly active, Colonel Scammel objected 
 to him, and desired that he might be exchanged for one 
 more competent to the duties of the service. In conse- 
 quence of this, I received a billet from Dr. James Craig, 
 chief physician and surgeon to the army, requesting me to 
 repair to the detachment immediately, and take the place 
 of Dr. C. Colonel Jackson, unwilling to have his regiment 
 left destitute of a surgeon, strongly protested against it; 
 but Colonel Scammel was strenuous, and finally prevailed, 
 and I now enjoy the honor of officiating as surgeon to a 
 fine corps of infantry, commanded by an officer of the first 
 military reputation. Dr. Munson, of the Connecticut line, 
 is my mate; and the medical duties of Colonel Jackson's 
 regiment devolve on Dr. Francis le Baron Goodwin, sur- 
 geon's mate, during my absence. 
 
 19ik. — The British frigates that passed up the North 
 river a few days since, took the advantage of wind and 
 tide to return to New York. A severe cannonade com- 
 menced from our battery at Dobbs' ferry, where the river 
 is about three miles wide, and they were compelled to run 
 the gauntlet. They returned the fire as they passed, but 
 without effect. On board the Savage ship-of-vvar a box 
 of powder took fire, and such was their consternation, that 
 twenty people jumped into the river; among whom was 
 a prisoner on board, who informs us that he was the only- 
 man who got on shore, all the others being drowned. He 
 reports also that the Savage was several times hulled by 
 our shot, and was very near sinking. In the evening of 
 the 21st, our army and the French were put in motion, 
 marching with great rapidity through a thick, unfrequented 
 wood and swamps, and through fields of corn and wheat. 
 Passing through a swamp in the night, our rear-guard, 
 with myself and Dr. Munson, lost sight of the main body 
 of the army for more than an hour, and I got a severe fall 
 from my horse. In the morning, we arrived near the 
 enemy's post at Morrissania, but they had taken the alarm, 
 and escaped to New York. Having continued there during 
 the day, we retired in the evening about five or six miles, 
 and lay on the hills near King's-bridge, where we remained 
 unmolested till the night of the 23d, when we returned to 
 our encampment. While near the enemy's lines, the army 
 was drawn up in a line of battle, and General Washington, 
 
268 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1781. 
 
 General Eochambeau, and all the general officers and en- 
 gineers, were employed in reconnoitering the different 
 positions of the enemy's works in all directions. The 
 position which we now occupy is the neutral ground be- 
 tween the lines, a beautiful fertile country, and the roads 
 and commons as well as the inclosures are loaded with 
 grass, while the deserted houses in ruins, and the prostrate 
 fences, exhibit the melancholy devastation of war. 
 
 Blst. — Our detachment, under Colonel Scammel, march- 
 ed last evening down to Phillips' house, near the enemy's 
 works, on a foraging expedition. After our wagons were 
 loaded, we retired into the woods, and lay in ambush, with 
 the hope that the enemy would give us an opportunity 
 to engage them, but they did not make their a])pearance. 
 
 August VSth. — A most tremendous storm of rain came 
 on last night, and continued almost incessantly ; about two 
 o'clock in the morning, a sudden gust rent our tents asun- 
 der, and whirled them about our ears, leaving us destitute 
 of shelter, and most thoroughly drenched. 
 
 15th. — A French soldier, who deserted, and was taken 
 on his way to the enemy, was shot in the French camp. 
 
 General orders are now issued for the army to ])re])are 
 for a movement at a moment's notice. The real object of 
 the allied armies the present campaign has become a sub- 
 Inject of much speculation. Ostensibly an investment of 
 the city of New York is in contemplation' — preparations 
 in all quarters for some months past indicate this to be the 
 object of our combined operations. The capture of this 
 place would be a decisive stroke, and from the moment 
 such event takes place, the English must renounce all 
 hopes of subjugating the United States. But New York 
 is well fortified both by land and water, and garrisoned 
 by the best troops of Great Britain. The success of a 
 siege must depend entirely on the arrival and cooperation 
 of a superior French fleet. The enemy have a garrison 
 on Staten Island, which is separated from Long Island 
 only by a strait of two miles wide. The capture of this 
 garrison would be a brilliant affair, and would essentially 
 facilitate our operations against New York. General 
 Washington and Count Eochambeau have crossed the 
 North river, and it is supposed for the purpose of recon- 
 noitering the enemy's posts from the Jersey shore. A 
 
MILITAKY JOUENAL, 1781. 269 
 
 field for an extensive encampment has been marked out 
 on the Jersey side, and a number of ovens have been 
 erected and fuel provided for the purpose of baking bread 
 for the army. From these combined circumstances we 
 are led to conclude that a part of our besieging force is 
 to occupy that ground. But General Washington pos- 
 sesses a capacious mind, full of resources, and he resolves 
 and matures his great plans and designs under an impen- 
 etrable veil of secrecy, and while we repose the fullest 
 confidence in our chief, our own opinions must be founded 
 only on doubtful conjectures. The royal army at New 
 York, have received a reinforcement of three thousand 
 Germans from Europe. 
 
 2Qth. — According to orders, we commenced our line of 
 march yesterday, a party of pioneers being sent forward 
 to clear the road towards King's-bridge, and we expected 
 immediately to follow in that direction ; but an army is 
 a machine, whose motions are directed by its chief When 
 the troops were paraded for the march, they were ordered 
 to the right about, and, making a retrograde movement 
 up the side of the North river, we have reached King's- 
 ferry, and are preparing to cross the Hudson at this ferry. 
 Our allies are in our rear, and it is probable we are des- 
 tined to occupy the ground on the Jersey side. 
 
 '61st. — Colonel Laurens has arrived at head-quarters on 
 his way from Boston to Philadelphia. This gentleman is 
 the son of Mr. Henry Laurens, our ambassador to Holland, 
 who is now confined in the tower of London. We have 
 the pleasing information that he has brought with him 
 from France a large sum of specie for the United States. 
 He reports that the different powers of continental Europe 
 are friendly to the cause in which we are engaged. 
 
 Our situation reminds me of some theatrical exhibition, 
 where the interest and expectations of the spectators are 
 continually increasing, and where curiosity is wrought to 
 the highest point. Our destination has been for some 
 time matter of perplexing doubt and uncertainty; bets 
 have run high on one side that we were to occupy the 
 ground marked out on the Jersey shore, to aid in the siege 
 of New York, and on the other, that we are stealing a 
 march on the enemy, and are actually destined to Virginia, 
 in pursuit of the army under Lord Cornwallis. We crossed 
 
270 MILITAEY JOUKNAL, 1781. 
 
 at King's-ferry, 21st instant, and encamped at Haverstraw. 
 A number of batteaux, mounted on carriages, have fol- 
 lowed in our train, supposed for the purpose of convey- 
 ing the troops over to Staten Island. 22d, Eesumed our 
 line of march, passing rapidly through Paramus, Acquack- 
 anack, Springdeld and Princeton. We have now passed 
 all the enemy's posts, and are pursuing our route with in- 
 creased rapidity towards Philadelphia; wagons have been 
 prepared to carry the soldiers' packs, that they may press 
 forward with greater facility. Our destination can no 
 longer be a secret. The British army, under Lord Corn- 
 wallis, is unquestionably the object of our present expe- 
 dition. It is now rumored that a French fleet may soon 
 be expected to arrive in Chesapeake bay, to cooperate 
 with the allied army in that quarter. The great secret 
 respecting our late preparations and movements can now 
 be explained. It was a judiciously concerted stratagem, 
 calculated to menace and alarm Sir Henry Clinton for the 
 safety of the garrison of New York, and induce him to 
 recall a part of his troops from Virginia, for his own de- 
 fence; or, perhaps, keeping an eye on the city, to attempt 
 its capture, provided that by the arrival of a French fleet, 
 favorable circumstances should present. The deception 
 has proved completely successful; a part of Cornwallis' 
 troops are reported to have returned to New York. His 
 Excellency General Washington, having succeeded in a 
 masterly piece of generalship^ has now the satisfaction of 
 leaving his adversary to ruminate on his own mortifying 
 situation, and to anticipate the perilous fate which awaits 
 his friend, Lord Cornwallis, in a different quarter. Major 
 General Heath is left commander-in-chief of our arm}' in 
 the vicinity of New York and the highlands, and the 
 menacing aspect of an attack on New York will be con- 
 tinued till time and circumstances shall remove the delu- 
 sive veil from the eyes of Sir Henry Clinton, when it will 
 probably be too late to afford succour to Lord Cornwallis. 
 To our officers, the inactivity of the royal army in New 
 York is truly unaccountable: they might, without risk- 
 ing a great deal, harass our army on its march, and sub- 
 ject us to irreparable injury; but the royalists are more 
 dexterous in availing themselves of treachery and insur- 
 rection, than in effecting valorous achievements. In pass- 
 
MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1781. 271 
 
 ing through Princeton, but little time was allowed me to 
 visit the college. This once celebrated seminary is now 
 destitute of students, and the business of education is 
 entirely suspended in consequence of the constant bustle 
 and vicissitudes of war. The little village of Princeton 
 is beautifully situated, and the college edifice is of stone, 
 four stories high, and lighted by twenty-five windows in 
 front in each story. It has suffered considerable injury 
 in being occupied alternately by the soldiers of the two 
 contending armies. Trenton, where we are now encamped 
 for the night, is a much more considerable village, and 
 more advantageously situated, on the north-eastern bank 
 of the Delaware, twenty-seven miles above Philadelphia. 
 This is the town which General Washington has rendered 
 famous to the latest times, by a victory in which he so 
 happily displayed the resources of his genius, in the se- 
 vere winter of 1776. Great indeed must be the resources 
 of that man who can render himself the most formidable 
 to an enemy, when apparently he is the most destitute 
 of power. General Washington and Count Rochambeau 
 having proceeded to Virginia by land, Major-General Lin- 
 coln takes the command of our troops, and the Baron de 
 Viomenil those of the French. 
 
 September 8th. — We crossed the Delaware river at Tren- 
 ton ferry on the 1st instant, and in the afternoon crossed 
 a small river at Shammany's rope ferry. Our boats were 
 pulled across with facility by a rope made fast at each 
 shore. W^e marched nineteen miles, and encamped at a 
 place called Lower Dublin. 2d, In the afternoon, marched 
 through the city of Philadelphia. The streets being ex- 
 tremely dirty, and the weather warm and dry, we raised 
 a dust like a smothering snow-storm, blinding our eyes 
 and covering our bodies with it; this was not a little mor- 
 tifying, as the ladies were viewing us from the open win- 
 dows of every house as we passed through this splendid 
 city. The scene must have been exceedingly interesting 
 to the inhabitants; and, contemplating the noble cause in 
 which we are engaged, they must have experienced in 
 their hearts a glow of patriotism, if not emotions of mili- 
 tary ardor. Our line of march, including appendages and 
 attendants, extended nearly two miles. The general offi- 
 cers and their aids, in rich military uniform, mounted on 
 
272 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1781. 
 
 noble steeds elegantly caparisoned, were followed by their 
 servants and baggage. In the rear of every brigade were 
 several field-pieces, accompanied by ammunition carriages. 
 The soldiers marched in slow and solemn step, regulated 
 by the drum and tife. In the rear followed a great num- 
 ber of wagons, loaded with tents, provisions and other 
 baggage, such as a few soldiers' wives and children ; though 
 a very small number of these are allowed to encumber us 
 on this occasion. The day following, the French troops 
 marched through the city, dressed in complete uniform 
 of white broadcloth, faced with green, and besides the 
 drum and fife, they were furnished with a complete band 
 of music, which operates like enchantment.'^ 
 
 * The following is extracted from letters published by a French cler- 
 gyman, in Count Rochambeau's army: 
 
 "The arrival of the French army at Philadelphia was more like a 
 triumph, than simply passing through the place; the troops made a halt 
 about a quarter of a league from the city, and in an instant were dressed 
 as elegantly as ever the soldiers of a garrison were on a day of review; 
 they then marched through the town, with the military music playing 
 before them, which is always particularly pleasing to the Americans; the 
 streets were crowded with people, and the ladies appeared at the win- 
 dows in their most brilliant attire. All Philadelphia was astonished to 
 see people who had endured the fatigues of a long journey, so ruddy and 
 handsome, and even wondered that there could possibly be Frenchmen 
 of so genteel an appearance. 
 
 "The troops next marched in single file before the Congress and M. le 
 Chevalier de la Luzerne, minister from the court of France, and after- 
 wards encamped in a large plain contiguous to the river Schuylkill. The 
 next day after our arrival, the regiment of Soissonnais went through the 
 exercise of fire-arms; at least twenty thousand persons, and avast num- 
 ber of carriages, remarkable for their lightness and elegance, added to 
 the lustre of this exhibition, which was still heightened by the pleasant- 
 ness of the situation and the remarkable serenity of the day. The ra- 
 pidity of the military evolutions, the soldierly appearance oi" the troops 
 in general, and the exactness of their motions, surprised and enraptured 
 Ihe beholders. 
 
 " We were a good deal amused with a mistake of some of the common 
 people, who took for a general one of those alert fellows whom our 
 commanding officers commonly have in their retinue to run up and down 
 to carry their written orders. His short, tiglit-bodied coat, his rich waist- 
 coat, with a silver fringe, his rose-colored shoes, his cap, adorned with a 
 coat-of-arnis, and his cane, with an enormous head — all appeared to them 
 so many tokens of extraordinary dignity. Though he approached his 
 master, the coh)nel-commandant, merely to receive and publish his 
 orders, they imagined that he gave them of his own accord, and directed 
 the movements of the troops, ijidependently of any superior. 
 
MILITARY JOUENAL, 1781. 273 
 
 Sd. — We crossed the river Schuylkill, over a floating 
 bridge, and encamped four miles from Philadelphia, where 
 we continued through the day, to give the men time to 
 rest and wash their clothes. 4th, Marched through Wil- 
 mington, eighteen miles. This is a handsome, flourishing 
 
 " The President of Congress, the Honorable Thomas McKean, Esquire, 
 in a suit of black velvet, honored this review with his presence. These 
 honest Pennsylvanians differ very considerably from us in the ceremonies 
 of dress, as we differ from them again in our modes of legislation. 
 
 "The manoeuvres of our troops raised the most flattering expectations 
 in the minds of the spectators; and they did not hesitate to declare that 
 such soldiers were invincible. 
 
 "This day was destined for fiivorable omens. M. le Chevalier de la 
 Luzerne, who on this occasion received his countrymen with the dignity 
 and generosity of the representative of a great monarch, and the frank- 
 ness and cordiality of an individual, after the review, invited all the 
 officers to dine with him. Hardly were we seated at the table, when 
 an express arrived; a disquieting silence immediately seized every guest 
 — our eyes were fixed on the Chevalier de la Luzerne, every one endeav- 
 oring to guess what the message would turn out to be — 'Thirty-six 
 ships of the line,' said he, ' commanded by Monsieur le Comte de Grasse, 
 are arrived in Chesapeake bay, and three thousand men have landed, 
 and opened a communication with the Marquis de la Fayette.' Joy and 
 good-humor immediately resumed their place on every countenance. 
 Our impatient leaders began to count the days, and reckon how long it 
 would be before they could have it in their power to face the enemy, 
 and their heated imaginations made the time much shorter than it after- 
 wards proved to be. Healths were next drank ; and that of the minister 
 of the marine of France was not forgotten, whose activity and great 
 abilities have paved the way to the most brilliant successes of our fleet; 
 the presence of his son, M. le Comte de Chartre, second colonel of the 
 regiment of Saintonge, added still more to our pleasure and satisfaction. 
 
 "Among others, Charles Thomson, the Secretary of Congress, the 
 soul of that political body, came also to receive and present his compli- 
 ments. His meagre figure, furrowed countenance, his hollow, sparkling 
 eyes, his white strait hair, that did not hang quite so low as his ears, 
 fixed our thorough attention, and filled us with surprise and admiration. 
 
 "The important news of the arrival of Count de Grasse was soon 
 spread throughout the city, and echoes of joy were heard from every 
 quarter; some merry fellows, mounted on scaffolds and stages, pro- 
 nounced funeral orations for Cornwallis, and uttered lamentations on 
 the grief and distress of the tories. The people ran in crowds to the 
 residence of the minister of France; and ' Lung live Louis the Sixteenth /' 
 was the general cry. 
 
 "Thus you see the people are universally persuaded of the success of 
 this expedition. Could these flattering hopes be realized, they would 
 hasten a peace, which in our situation, and under the wise and "benevo- 
 lent prince that governs us, would place France in a point of view that 
 has been wholly unknown since the existence of her monarchy." 
 
274 MILITARY JOUENAL, 1781. 
 
 village^ situated on the Delaware river, on a small branch 
 of which is erected eight very large and valuable stone 
 mills, where an immense quantity of wheat is ground and 
 bolted. The wheat is brought in vessels to the very door, 
 and the flour taken off in return. The Eev. Mr. Smith, 
 minister of this place, and Dr. Smith, his brother, politely 
 introduced themselves to me, and I took tea and spent the 
 evening at Dr. Smith's, in social friendship. Marched 
 again on the 5th, and on the 6th arrived at the head of 
 Elk river, Maryland, in the morning, having completed a 
 march of two hundred miles in fifteen days. 
 
 An express has now arrived from Virginia, with the 
 pleasing intelligence that Count de Grasse has actually 
 arrived at the mouth of the Chesapeake bay, with a fleet 
 of thirty-six ships of the line, and three thousand land 
 forces, which are landed, and have joined our troops under 
 the Marquis de la Faj^ette, in Virginia. 
 
 The royal army, under Lord Cornwallis, has taken post 
 in Yorktown, situated on York river, in Virginia, where 
 he has constructed strong fortifications for his defence; 
 but his communication by water is now entirely cut off by 
 several French ships stationed at the mouth of the river. 
 Preparation is constantly making for our troops and our 
 allies who have arrived here, to embark at the head of Elk 
 river, whence we shall proceed down the Chesapeake bay 
 to Yorktown, in pursuit of the object of our expedition. 
 About eighty vessels are in readiness, great activity pre- 
 vails, embarkation has commenced, and our horses are 
 sent round to Virginia by land. It falls to my lot to take 
 passage on board a small schooner, with four other officers 
 and sixty men. She is so deeply laden with cannon, 
 mortars and other ordnance, that our situation will be 
 attended with considerable danger, if rough weather 
 should overtake us. 
 
 11th. — Sailed at four o'clock P. M. on board the schooner 
 Glasco, beat against contrary wind down the Elk river, 
 and at sun-rise next morning entered the head of the great 
 Chesapeake ba}'', eighteen miles from the place of embark- 
 ation. The bay at its entrance is six or seven miles wide, 
 and has two rivers which empty into it on the west side — 
 the North-east river and the great Susquehanna, which 
 takes its origin at Lake Otsego, six hundred miles from 
 
MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1781. 275 
 
 this bay. Another river, called Sassafras, which empties 
 into the bay on the east side, is navigable to Georgetown, 
 twelve miles. Pool's Island affords a romantic prospect, 
 being about two miles long, and three-quarters of a mile 
 wide, supporting two families. About twelve miles further 
 down, the bay. widens to about ten miles, and on the west 
 side iis the river Patapsco; at the head of which, twelve 
 miles from its mouth, stands the town of Baltimore, which 
 admits large ships into its capacious and convenient liarbor. 
 Nearly opposite to this, Chester river empties into the bay 
 on the eastern shore, and is navigable fifty miles. 
 
 The town of Annapolis, the metropolis of Maryland, is 
 situated on the western shore at the mouth of the river 
 Severn, where it falls into the bay. We came to anchor 
 in the harbor at sun-setting, and I accompanied several 
 officers to the coffee-house, and partook of a handsome 
 supper. A very severe shower of rain, with high winds 
 and extreme darkness, obliged us to spend the night on 
 shore. On the 13th, we returned on board at seven o'clock, 
 and proceeded on our voyage before a fresh gale, but had 
 not sailed more than four miles, when we were recalled 
 by express to the harbor of Annapolis. This is in conse- 
 quence of intelligence of a naval action between the British 
 and French fleets near the mouth of the Chesapeake bay. 
 Our safety requires that we should remain in port till the 
 event of the battle is known. Should the British have 
 obtained the victory, and should they get possession of 
 the Chesapeake bay, we shall be unable to proceed on our 
 voyage, and our expedition will be entirely defeated. 
 Annapolis is a very inconsiderable city, but the buildings 
 are chiefly of brick, and many of them are in a style of 
 elegance and grandeur. The state-house, in the centre of 
 the city, is a most splendid and magnificent piece of arch- 
 itecture; it is topped with a handsome dome; the several 
 apartments are finished in a style surpassing every thing 
 which I have before witnessed. The archives for the se- 
 curity of the public records are fire-proof. It is remarkable 
 that there is not a church in the city, though they have an 
 ordinary building which they occupy for a theatre. We 
 were treated with much politeness and hospitality, and 
 received an invitation to dine at the house of a respectable 
 gentleman. In the evening we attended the theatre, and 
 
276 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1781. 
 
 were entertained by a Mr. Wall, who exhibited Stepbeus' 
 Lecture on Heads, greatly to the amusement of the audi- 
 ence ; after which, Mrs. Wall exhibited a variety of amus- 
 ing scenes, and her little daughter, c^'' seven years of age, 
 spoke an epilogue, and sung several songs to the admira- 
 tion of all present. 
 
 Information has just reached us that after General Arnold 
 had returned from his depredating expedition to^Virginia, 
 he was despatched on a new incursion to Connecticut, his 
 native state. His force consisted of two thousand infantry 
 and three hundred cavalry, accompanied by forty sail of 
 ships and transports. He landed his troops at the mouth 
 of New London harbor, and proceeded to the town. Fort 
 Trumbull not being tenable, was soctfi evacuated by our 
 people, but Fort Griswold on the other side of the river 
 was courageously defended by Colonel Ledyard and a few 
 mihtia-men hastily collected. The assault on this fort was 
 made b}" Colonel Eyre, who was three or four times re- 
 pulsed, and finally received himself a mortal wound; and 
 Major Montgomery being killed, the command devolved 
 on Major Bromfield, who, by a superior force and much 
 resolution, carried the place at the point of the bayonet. 
 On entering the fort, the British officer inquiring who 
 commanded, Colonel Ledyard answered, "I did, sir, but 
 you do now," and presented him his sword as a prisoner, 
 when the British officer plunged his sword into the body 
 of Colonel Ledyard, and several soldiers assisted with, 
 their baj-onets in despatching him. An indiscriminate 
 slaughter by the bayonet of those who had surrendered 
 immediately ensued, and seventy-three men were left dead 
 in the fort, about forty wounded, and the same number 
 taken prisoners. Arnold continued on the New London 
 side, suffering the town to be plundered; and by a con- 
 flagration, sixty dwelling-houses and eighty-four stores 
 were entirely destroyed. The loss which we sustained 
 was very considerable, consisting of vessels, naval -stores, 
 European goods, provisions, &c., and not less than one 
 hundred inhabitants were deprived of their habitations 
 and all their property. The militia collected, and con- 
 ducted with great spirit and alacrity in avenging the mur- 
 der of their friends, and they hastened the retreat of the 
 enemy, after the loss of two officers and forty-six rank and 
 
MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1781. 277 
 
 file killed, and eiglit officers and one hundred and thirty- 
 five rank and file wounded. It is reported that a wagon, 
 loaded with their wounded soldiers, was put in motion 
 from the top of a long and steep hill, which in its rapid 
 course struck an apple-tree with such force that the faint 
 and bleeding men received a shock which killed a part of 
 them instantly. It is highly probable that Sir Henry 
 Clinton projected this expedition to Connecticut, in the 
 hope of diverting General Washington from his enterprise 
 against Earl Cornwallis; but this manoeuvre will not 
 effect his object. 
 
 15th. — The gratifying intelligence is announced that the 
 naval engagement between the two fleets has resulted in 
 the defeat of the British with considerable loss, and the 
 French have now the sole command of the Chesapeake 
 bay. This event is of infinite importance, and fills our 
 hearts with joy, as we can now proceed on our expedition. 
 
 16th. — We. obeyed the signal for sailing, and passed 
 Sharp's island, which is situated in the middle of the bay, 
 two miles long and one wide; it supports four families. 
 Sent one boat on shore, and procured some poultry and 
 fruit. 18th, Passed the great Potomac, which divides the 
 states of Maryland and Virginia. At its mouth it is about 
 fifteen miles wide; it is navigable for large ships, up to 
 Georgetown, which is one hundred and seventy miles dis- 
 tant, on the Maryland shore, while the city of Alexandria 
 is situated a few miles below it on the Virginia shore. 
 The bay at this place is about thirty miles wide. The 
 wind this afternoon has blown with all the violence of a 
 gale; the bow of our vessel, in ploughing through the 
 billows, is frequently brought under water, which keeps 
 us in perpetual alarm. We passed York river on the 
 western or Virginia shore, fifteen miles from the mouth of 
 which stands Yorktown, where the royal army under Lord 
 Cornwallis is posted, and which it is the object of our ex- 
 pedition to capture. He is completely blockaded by three 
 iVench ships of the line and several smaller armed vessels 
 lying at the mouth of York river, 20th, Passed Hampton 
 road, and entered James river, which is at its entrance 
 about five miles wide. We enjoyed a distant view of the 
 grand French fleet, riding at anchor at the mouth of the 
 Chesapeake, consisting of thirty -six ships of w ar, besides 
 
278 MILITARY JOUENAL, 17S1. 
 
 frigates and other armed vessels. This was the most noble 
 and majestic spectacle I ever witnessed, and we viewed it 
 with inexpressible pleasure, and the warmest gratitude was 
 excited in every breast towards our great ally. 
 
 22(/. — Reached the harbor between Jamestown and 
 Williamsburg, where the greater part of our transports 
 arrived in the course of the day, and the troops disem- 
 barked and encamped on the banks of the river, within 
 twelve miles of Yorktown. We now congratulated our- 
 selves on having completed our voyage of three hundred 
 and fifty miles, which, on account of contrary winds and 
 detention at Annapolis, has occupied twelve days; vessels 
 with troops are arriving every day. Jamestown is the 
 place where the English first established themselves in 
 Virginia, in 1607. Though the most ancient settlement in 
 America, it cannot now be called a town, there being but 
 two houses standing on the banks of the river. 25th, 
 Marched from the landing-place through the city of AVil- 
 liamsburg. This is the capital of Virginia, but in other 
 respects is of little importance. It is situated on a level 
 piece of land, at an equal distance between two small 
 rivers, one of which falls into York, the other into James 
 river. Tlie city is one mile and a quarter in length, and 
 contains about two hundred and fifty houses. The main 
 street is more than one hundred feet in width, and exactly 
 one mile in length: at one of the extremities, and fronting 
 the street, is the capitol, or state-house, a handsome edifice, 
 and at_ the other end is the college, capable of accommo- 
 dating three hundred students, but the tumult of war has 
 broken up the institution. The college is about one hun- 
 dred and thirty feet in length and forty in breadth, with 
 two handsome wings, fifty by thirty. Their library is 
 said to consist of about three thousand volumes. Near 
 the centre of the city is a large church, and not far from 
 it the palace, the usual residence of the governor, which 
 is a splendid building. The water in this vicinity is ex- 
 tremely brackish and disagreeable. This part of the state 
 of Virginia is celebrated for the excellent tobacco which it 
 produces, and this is their principal staple commodity, 
 though the culture of cotton receives some attention. In- 
 dian corn, hemp and flax, are also among the productions 
 of this state. The population of Virginia is computed at 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1781. £79 
 
 one hundred and fifty thousand whites, and five hundred 
 thousand negro slaves. The labor, therefore, on the Vir- 
 ginia plantations, is performed altogther by a species of 
 the human race who have been cruelly wrested from their 
 native country, and doomed to perpetual bondage, while 
 their masters are manfully contending for freedom and 
 the natural rights of man. Such is the inconsistency of 
 human nature. Should Providence ordain that the Amer- 
 icans shall be emancipated from thraldom, it should in 
 gratitude be our praj'er that the African slavemay be per- 
 mitted to participate in the blessings of freedom. 
 
 21th. — We arrived at Yorktown yesterday from James- 
 town, and have encamped within one mile of the enemy's 
 line of redoubts. 
 
 28/!A. — The French troops have arrived and encamped 
 on our left. Yorktown is situated on the south bank of 
 the river, about fifteen miles from its entrance into Ches- 
 apeake bay. In this little village. Lord Cornwallis, with 
 about seven thousand troops, has taken his station, and is 
 endeavoring to fortify himself against the impending dan- 
 ger of our combined operations. His communication by 
 water is entirely cut oft" by the French ships of war sta- 
 tioned at the mouth of the river, preventing both his escape 
 and receiving succor from Sir Henry Clinton at New York. 
 The allied army is about twelve thousand strong, exclusive 
 of the militia, under Governor Nelson. The Americans 
 form the right and the French the left wing of the com- 
 bined forces, each extending to the borders of the river, 
 by which the besiegers form a half-circle round the town. 
 His Excellency General Washington commands in person, 
 and is assisted by Major-General Lincoln, Baron Steuben, 
 the Marquis de la Fayette, General Knox, &c. The French 
 troops are commanded by General the Count Rochambeau, 
 a brave and experienced oflicer, having under him a num- 
 ber of ofiicers of distinguished character. Unbounded 
 confidence is reposed in our illustrious commanders, the 
 spirit of emulation and military ardor universally prevail, 
 and we are sanguine in our expectations that a surrender 
 of the royal army must be his lordship's fate. 
 
 A cannonade commenced yesterday from the town, by 
 which one man was wounded, and I assisted in amputating 
 his leg. 30th, We are agreeably surprised this morning. 
 
280 MILITARY JOURNAL, 1781. 
 
 to find that the enemy had, during the preceding night, 
 abandoned three or four of their redoubts, and retired 
 within the town, leaving a considerable extent of com- 
 manding ground, which might have cost us much labor 
 and many lives to obtain by force. Our light infantry 
 and a party of French were ordered to advance and take 
 possession of the abandoned ground, and to serve as a 
 covering party to our troops who are employed in throw- 
 ing up breastworks. Considerable cannonading from the 
 besieged in the course of the day, and four militia-men 
 were wounded by a single shot, one of whom died soon 
 after. An occurrence has just been announced which fills 
 our hearts with grief and sorrow. Colonel Alexander 
 Scammel being officer of the day, while reconnoitering 
 the ground which the enemy had abandoned, was surprised 
 by a party of their horse, and after having surrendered, 
 they had the baseness to inflict a wound which we fear 
 will prove mortal ; they have carried him into Yorktown. 
 
 October 1st and 2c?. — Our troops have been engaged in 
 throwing up two redoubts in the night time; on discovery, 
 the enemy commenced a furious cannonade, but it does 
 not deter our men from going on vigorously with their 
 work. Heavy cannon and mortars are continually arriving, 
 and the greatest preparations are made to prosecute the 
 siege in the most effectual manner. 
 
 ^d and 4:th.' — A considerable cannonading from the en- 
 emy; one shot killed three men, and mortally wounded 
 another. While the Rev. Mr. Evans, our chaplain, was 
 standing near the commander-in-chief, a shot struck the 
 ground so near as to cover his hat with sand. Being much 
 agitated, he took off his hat, and said, "See here, general." 
 "Mr. Evans," replied his excellency, with his usual com- 
 posure, "you had better carry that home, and show it to 
 your wife and children," Two soldiers from the French, 
 and one from us, deserted to the enemy, and two British 
 soldiers deserted to our camp the same night. The enemy 
 from the want of forage are killing oft' their horses in 
 great numbers; six or seven hundred of these valuable 
 animals have been killed, and their carcases are almost 
 continually floating down the river. The British are in 
 possession of a place called Gloucester, on the north side 
 of the river, nearly opposite Yorktown; their force con- 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1781. . 281 
 
 sists of one British regiment, and Colonel Tarleton's legion 
 of horse and infantry. In opposition to this force the 
 French legion, under the command of the Duke de Lu- 
 zerne, and a detachment of French infantry and militia, 
 are posted in that vicinity. Tarleton is a bold and impetu- 
 ous leader, and has spread terror through the Carolinas 
 and Virginia for some time past. In making a sally from 
 Gloucester yesterday, they were attacked by the French, 
 and defeated with the loss of the commanding officer of 
 their infjmtry, and about fifty men killed and wounded ; 
 among the latter is Tarleton himself. The duke lost three 
 men killed, and two officers and eleven men wounded. It 
 is with much concern we learn that Colonel Scammel died 
 at Williamsburg, of the wound which he received a few 
 days since, when he was taken prisoner; the wound was 
 inflicted after he had surrendered. At the request of Gen- 
 eral Washington, Lord Cornwallis allowed him to be car- 
 ried to Williamsburg, where he died this day, universally 
 lamented, as he was while living universally respected and 
 esteemed. The commander-in-chief was well apprised of 
 his merit, and bestowed on him marks of his friendly re- 
 gard and confidence. For some time he sustained the 
 office of adjutant-general to our army, but preferring a 
 more active command and the post of danger, he was put 
 at the head of a regiment of light-infantry for this enter- 
 prising campaign. The British have sent from Yorktowh a 
 large number of negroes, sick with the small-pox, probably 
 for the purpose of communicating the infection to our 
 army. Thus our inhuman enemies resort to every method 
 in their power, however, barbarous or cruel, to injure and 
 distress, and thus to gain an advantage over their opposers. 
 Ttli. — A large detachment of the allied army, under 
 command of Major-General Lincoln, were ordered out last 
 evening for the purpose of opening intrenchments near 
 the enemy's lines. This business was conducted with great 
 silence and secrecy, and we were favored by Providence 
 with a night of extreme darkness, and were not discovered 
 before day-light. The working party carried on their 
 shoulders fascines and intrenching tools, while a large part 
 of the detachment was armed with the implements of death. 
 Horses, drawing cannon and ordnance, and wagons loaded 
 with bags filled with sand for constructing breastworks, 
 
282 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1781. 
 
 followed in the rear. Thus arranged, every officer and 
 •soldier knowing his particular station, orders were given 
 to advance in perfect silence, the distance about one mile. 
 My station on this occasion was with Dr. Munson, my 
 mate, in the rear of the troops; and as the music was not 
 to be employed, about twenty drummers and fifers were 
 put under my charge to assist me in case of having 
 wounded men to attend. I put into the hands of a drum- 
 mer, a mulatto fellow, my instruments, bandages, &c., with 
 a positive order to keep at my elbow, and not lose sight 
 of me a moment; it was not long, however, before I found 
 to my astonishment that he had left me, and gone in pur- 
 suit of some rum, carrying off the articles which are in- 
 dispensable in time of action. In this very unpleasant 
 predicament, unwilling to trust another, I hastened with 
 all speed to the hospital, about one mile, to procure another 
 supply from Dr. Craik; and he desired that if the Marquis 
 de la Fayette should be wounded, I would devote to him 
 my first attention. On my return I found Dr. Munson 
 and my party waiting, but the troops had marched on and 
 we knew not their route. We were obliged to follow at 
 random, and in the darkness of night, hazarding our ap- 
 proach to the enemy. Having advanced about half a mile, 
 of a sudden a party of armed men in white uniform rose 
 from the ground, and ordered us to stop ; they proved to 
 be the rear-guard of the French. The officer demanded 
 the countersign, which I was unable to give, and as we 
 could not understand each others' language, I was detained 
 under considerable embarrassment till an officer who could 
 speak English was called, when producing my instruments 
 and bandages, and assuring the French officer that I was 
 surgeon to the infantry, he politely conducted me to my 
 station. Our troops were indefatigable in their labors 
 during the night, and before day-light they had nearly 
 completed the first parallel line of nearly two miles in 
 extent, besides laying a foundation for two redoubts, within 
 about six hundred yards of the enemy's lines. At day-light 
 the enemy, having discovered our works, commenced a se- 
 vere cannonade, but our men being under cover, received 
 no injury. A French soldier deserted to the enemy ; after 
 which, there was a constant firing against the French lines, 
 and one officer was killed, and fifteen men were killed or 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1781. 283 
 
 wounded. In the latter part of the night it rained severely, 
 and being in the open field, cold and uncomfortable, I 
 entered a small hut made of brush, which the enemy had 
 abandoned. Soon after, a man came to the door, and, see- 
 ing me standing in the centre, instantly drew his sword, 
 and put himself in an attitude to plunge it into me. I 
 called out friend, friend, and he as speedily, to my great 
 joy, responded, "Ah, Monsieur, /he?K/," and returning his 
 sword to its place, he departed. I think he was a French 
 soldier, and it is doubtful whether he or myself was the 
 most frightened. 
 
 d>th and 9th. — The duty of our troops has been for sev- 
 eral days extremely severe; our regiment labors in the 
 trenches every other day and night, where I find it difiicult 
 to avoid suffering by the cold, having no other covering 
 than a single blanket in the open field. We erected a 
 battery last night in front of our first parallel, without 
 any annoyance from the enemy. Two or three of our 
 batteries being now prepared to open on the town, his 
 Excellency General Washington put the match to the 
 first gun, and a furious discharge of cannon and mortars 
 immediately followed, and Earl Cornwallis has received 
 his first salutation. 
 
 From the 10th to the 15th, a tremendous and incessant 
 firing from the American and French batteries is kept up, 
 and the enemy return the fire, but with little effect. A 
 red-hot shell from the French battery set fire to the Charon, 
 a British 44-gun ship, and .two or three smaller vessels at 
 anchor. in the river, which were consumed in the night. 
 From the bank of the river, I had a fine view of this 
 splendid conflagration. The ships were enwrapped in a 
 torrent of fire, which spreading with vivid brightness 
 among the combustible rigging, and running with amazing 
 rapidity to the tops of the several masts, while all around 
 was thunder and lightning from our numerous cannon 
 and mortars, and in the darkness of night, presented one 
 of the most sublime and magnificent spectacles which can 
 be imagined. Some of our shells, overreaching the town, 
 are seen to fall into the river, and bursting, throw up 
 columns of water like the spouting of the monsters of the 
 deep. We have now made further approaches to the town, 
 by throwing up a second parallel line, and batteries within 
 
284 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1781. 
 
 about three hundred yards; this was effected in the night, 
 and at day-light the enemy were roused to the greatest 
 exertions; the engines of war have raged with redoubled 
 fury and destruction on both sides, no cessation day or 
 night. The French had two officers wounded, and fifteen 
 men killed or wounded, and among the Americans, two 
 or three were wounded, I assisted in amputating a man's 
 thigh. The siege is daily becoming more and more formi- 
 dable and alarming, and bis lordship must view his situa- 
 tion as extremely critical, if not desperate. Being in the 
 trenches every other night and day, I have a fine opportu- 
 nity of witnessing the sublime and stupendous scene which 
 is continually exhibiting. The bomb-shells from the be- 
 siegers and the besieged are incessantly crossing each 
 others' path in the air. They are clearly visible in the 
 form of a black ball in the day, but in the night, they ap- 
 pear like a fiery meteor with a blazing tail, most beauti- 
 fully brilliant, ascending majestically from the mortar to 
 a certain altitude, and gradually descending to the spot 
 where they are destined to execute their work of destruc- 
 tion. It is astonishing with what accuracy an experi- 
 enced gunner will make his calculations, that a shell shall 
 fall within a few feet of a given point, and burst at the 
 precise time, though at a great distance. When a shell 
 falls, it whirls round, burrows, and excavates the earth to 
 a considerable extent, and bursting, makes dreadful havoc 
 around. I have more than once witnessed fragments of 
 the mangled bodies and limbs of the British soldiers 
 thrown into the air by the bursting of our shells; and by 
 one from the enemy, Captain White, of the seventh Mas- 
 sachusetts regiment, and one soldier were killed, and an- 
 other wounded near where I was standing. About twelve 
 or fourteen men have been killed or wounded within 
 twenty-four hours ; I attended at the hospital, amputated 
 a man's arm, and assisted in dressing a number of wounds. 
 The enemy having two redoubts, about three hundred 
 yards in front of their principal works, which enfiladed our 
 intrenchment and impeded our approaches, it was resolved 
 to take possession of them both by assault. The one on 
 the left of the British garrison, bordering on the banks of 
 the river, was assigned to our brigade of light-infantry, 
 under the command of the Marquis de la Fayette. The 
 
MILITARY JOUENAL, 1781. 285 
 
 advanced corps was led on by the intrepid Colonel Ham- 
 ilton, who had commanded a regiment of light-infantry 
 during the campaign, and assisted by Colonel Gimat. The 
 assault commenced at eight o'clock in the evening, and 
 the assailants bravely entered the fort with the point of 
 the bnyonet without firing a single gun. We suffered the 
 loss of eight men killed, and about thirty wounded, among 
 whom Colonel Gimat received a slight wound in his foot, 
 and Major Gibbs, of his excellency's guard, and two other 
 officers, were slightly wounded. Major Campbell, who 
 commanded in the fort, was wounded and taken prisoner, 
 with about thirty soldiers, the remainder made their escape 
 I was desired to visit the wounded in the fort, even before 
 the balls had ceased whistling about my ears, and saw a 
 sergeant and eight men dead in the dit(;h, A captain of 
 our infintry, belonging to New Ilamjtshire, threatened to 
 take the life of Major Campbell, to avenge the death of 
 his favorite. Colonel Scammel; but Colonel Hamilton in- 
 terposed, and not a man was killed after he ceased to 
 resist. During the assault, the British kept np an inces- 
 sant firing of cannon and musketry from their whole line. 
 His Excellency General Washington, Generals Lincoln 
 and Knox, with their aids, having dismounted, were 
 standing in an exposed situation waiting the result. Col- 
 onel Cobb, one of General Washington's aids, solicitous 
 for his safety, said to his excellency, "Sir, you are too 
 much exposed here. Had you not better step a little back ?" 
 "Colonel Cobb," replied his excellency, "if you are afraid, 
 you have liberty to step back." The other redoubt on the 
 right of the British lines was assaulted at the same time 
 by a detachment of the French, commanded by the gallant 
 Baron de Viomenil. Such was the ardor displayed by the 
 assailants, that all resistance was soon overcome, though 
 at the expense of nearly one hundred men killed and 
 wounded.* Of the defenders of the redoubt, eighteen 
 
 * The cause of the great loss sustained by the French troops in com- 
 parison witli that of the Americans, in storming their respective redoubts, 
 was that the American troops when they came to the abatis, removed a 
 part of it with their hands and leaped over the remainder. The French 
 troops on coming up to theirs, waited till their pioneers had cut away 
 the abatis secundum artem, which exposed them longer to the galling fire 
 of tiie enemy. To this cause also is to be ascribed the circumstance, 
 that the redoubt assailed by the Americans, was carried before that at- 
 
286 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1781. 
 
 were killed, and one captain and two subaltern officers, 
 and forty-two rank and file captured. Our second parallel 
 line was immediately connected with the two redoubts 
 now taken from the enemy, and some new batteries were 
 thrown up in front of our second parallel Une, with a 
 covert way, and angling work approaching to less than 
 three hundred yards of their principal forts. These will 
 soon be mantled with cannon and mortars, and when their 
 horrid thundering commences, it must convince his lord- 
 ship that his post is not invincible, and that submission 
 must soon be his only alternative. Our artillery-men, by 
 the exactness of their aim, make every discharge take 
 effect, so that many of the enemy's guns are entirely si- 
 lenced, and their works are almost in ruins. 
 
 16^;/?. — A party of the enemy, consisting of about four 
 hundred men, commanded by Colonel Abercrombie, about 
 four in the morning, made a vigorous sortie against two 
 unfinished redoubts occupied by the French ; they spiked 
 up seven or eight pieces of cannon and killed several sol- 
 diers, but the French advanced and drove them from the 
 redoubts, leaving several killed and wounded. Our New 
 England troops have now become very sickly; the preva- 
 lent diseases are intermittent and remittent fevers, which are 
 very prevalent in this climate during the autumnal months. 
 
 11th. — The whole of our works are now mounted with 
 cannon and mortars; not less than one hundred pieces of 
 heavy ordnance have been in continual operation during 
 the last twenty-four hours. The whole peninsula trembles 
 under the incessant thunderings of our infernal machines; 
 we have leveled some of their works in ruins, and silenced 
 their guns; they have almost ceased firing. We are so 
 near as to have a distinct view of the dreadful havoc and 
 destruction of their works, and even see the men in their 
 lines tore to pieces by the bursting of our shells. But the 
 scene is drawing to a close. Lord Cornwallis, at length 
 realizing the extreme hazard of his deplorable situation, 
 
 tacked by the French troops. The Marquis de la Fayette sent his aid, 
 Major Barbour, through the tremendous tire of the whole line of the 
 British, to inform the Baron Viomenil, that "he was in his redoubt, and 
 to ask the baron where he was." The major found the baron waiting 
 the clearing away the abatis, but sent this answer: "Tell the marquis 1 
 am not in mine, but will be in five minutes." He instantly advanced, 
 and was, or nearly so, within his time. 
 
MILITARY JOUENAL,: im, 2S7o 
 
 and jfiudmg; it in Y3i\x}.,?ir\y^gvg^r.^vf r^si5t,,,haS; fttus fpT$rr> 
 nGp^ ,cQrae .tortile. humil^villing expedient} Qfi;s^nd;ing;pwt a? 
 fl ag, req uesti n g ^,, .cegsajtipn ,o.f , jipstiliti^s. >fqj: , .tw,en,t j-fpup , 
 bourSj )tl^i9,tf GQipiipi^sjpne'TS in9^, l:;)e .^pp,9inltej3; ;.tp_ ^ri^,j)«|re 
 and ' adj ^^t , t^i^ t&fvas ; of ;Qapitulation,, . , jlj'wo , pr, Xhrep. flagsi 
 passediin the, OQui^se,;of-jth.e daj^-, and '(jen^ra,], W,ashiiig,to.n, 
 CQ.nsQjitecl to a cessatifonipf hpstilitjtis for t\!v^p,|ipi]irs,pnl}^^', 
 that his lordship, may, sujgges}; his-pxppps,a]g;a,§^;bas|is,fQr, 
 a, ; treaty,] which :being in part :apQ^pted,,^j s,uspejasip%!Pf:;^^ 
 hostilities will be continued till tormp^rp.w, ,,; i ;!■.,■, !>- <,il 
 . l^th.-—It . is now, , ascertained thajt^ j X^pr-di pprn iw^allisi, iq \ 
 avoid the necessity ' of. a surrender,, jhad ,4etermined^pni tBe-. 
 bold: attemptto make hiis escape inithe i^iight of [the 1,6th,' 
 with a part of his army into the cpun-try^t liis-planj was- 
 te leave sick : apd baggf^ge biQ^^indj , aqd,, ftp, ,CT9as! with . his , 
 effective- force oyer to Glo ucester,,E'pijqt,,th,^j:e! to .destroy - 
 the, French legion and other trdiPp^v^P.clil^PffloijiAt.hi? Jn-t' 
 fantry, on theip horses : andj ^\xc\\ others . ,^, jpigiljit [ }^e. prp-, 
 cured, , and thus pusih, their, wa.y itp l^cyvf YjOrk.,|)y Ivin^, 
 A more: preposterous and ; desperate^ lattenipt cfPi.^carpeJy^ 
 be imagined, Bo^ts were .secretly prepared {.{irrangeniepts,, 
 made,., and a large, propprtip,n pf his trqops ..aictually .eni-; 
 barked and lan4ed;pn Qlpucester Ppint, w,h,en, jfi^om. a.mPid-f ' 
 erate andcalm ;eye(ning, ain?pst yiolent, ,^|,or,n} . pjf wiiid,an4' 
 rain;pnsiied, _T hie. boats, :^itlv thq .reni]aini,ng^trp9ps,\y'!ere. 
 all driven dpwn the ri,veir, ;axid it was, not till the, next f^ayr 
 that his, troppSj could; be -returned „tp, the ga^rispn a^,,yprKi, 
 At ;an, early hour this ; forenoon ,0enerajl' Xjyja^hingtpn.cdmi-! 
 municated , tp, :tiPr,d CJprnwa^HiS; the jgeneral, bjisis of Jha 
 terms of. capitulati,o,n,i .w^ich he deenfed' A<^n)issibl,e, , and. 
 aillowed- two j hours , for . hi,s, ■ reply. : ; (Jpninii^.ioners- werP; 
 soon after appointed to prepare the, pa^ticula,r terms, pf 
 agreeraentt , The..gentiemeni apppint'ed,% (jeneral "W^ash.-, 
 ington -are. Colonel Laurens, one.;of kis aid^e^camps,; andj 
 Viscount No£iille of the French ■ armyi- > fThey have- this; 
 day held an intei'yiew with the tWP British Pffieers on the' 
 part of Lord Cornwallis, the term's of capitulation' are set-^ 
 tied, and being confirmed by .the commanders of. both, 
 armies, the royal troops are to march lOut torraonrow and.- 
 surrender their arms. It is a circumstance deserving 'of^ 
 remark, that Colonel Laurens, who 'is /stipulating for thie"' 
 surrender of a ,B];-itish ,n,olplemah,;^t tiHe Jie^di.P^f ",?i^,'^^^ 
 
288 MILITARY JOURNAL, ITSl. 
 
 army, is the son of Mr. Henry Laurens, our ambassador 
 to Holland, who, being captured on his voyage, is now in 
 close confinement in the tower of London.* 
 
 19;!/?. — This is to us a most glorious day; but to the 
 English, one of bitter chagrin and disappointment. Pre- 
 parations are now making to receive as captives that vin- 
 dictive, haughty commander, and that victorious army, 
 who, by their robberies and murders, have so long been a 
 scourge to our brethren of the Southern states. Being on 
 horseback, I anticipate a full share of satisfaction in view- 
 ing the various movements in the interesting scene. The 
 stipulated terms of capitulation are similar to those granted 
 to General Lincoln at Charleston the last year. The cap- 
 tive troops are to march out with shouldered arms, colors 
 cased, and drums beating a British or German march, and 
 to ground their arms at -a place assigned for the purpose. 
 The ofl&cers are allowed their side-arms and private prop- 
 erty, and the generals and such officers as desire it are to 
 go on parole to England or New York. The marines and 
 seamen of the king's ships are prisoners of war to the navy 
 of France; and the land forces to the United States. All 
 military and artillery stores to be delivered up unimpaired. 
 The royal prisoners to be sent into the interior of Virginia, 
 Maryland and Pennsj^lvania in regiments, to have rations 
 allowed them equal to the American soldiers, and to have 
 their officers near them. Lord Cornwallis to man and 
 despatch the Bonetta sloop-of-war with despatches to Sir 
 Henry Clinton at New York without being searched, the 
 vessel to be returned and the hands accounted for. At 
 about twelve o'clock, the combined army was arranged 
 and drawn up in two lines extending more than a mile in 
 
 * Connected with this transaction there is a concurrence of circum- 
 stances so peculiarly remarkable, that I cannot omit to notice them in 
 this place. Mr. Henry Laurens, who was deputed by Congress as our 
 ambassador to Holland, was captured and carried into England, and 
 closely and most figorously confined in the tower of London. Lord 
 Cornwallis sustains the office of constable to the tower; of course Mr. 
 Laurens is his prisoner. The son, Colonel John Laurens, stipulates the 
 conditions of the surrender of the constable, who becomes our prisoner, 
 while Mr. Laurens, the father, remains confined in the tower as a pri- 
 soner to the captured constable. Congress had proposed that Mr. Laurens 
 should be received in exchange for General Burgoyne, but the proposal 
 was rejected by the British government. After Cornwallis was cap- 
 tured, however, he was readily received in exchange for Mr. Laurens. 
 
V 
 
 MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1781. 289 
 
 length. The Americans were drawn np in a line on the 
 right side of the road, and the French occupied the left. 
 At the head of the former, the great American commander,j 
 mounted on his noble courser, took his station, attended 
 by his aids. At the head of the latter was posted the ex- 
 cellent Count Kochambeau and his suite. The French 
 troops, in complete uniform, displayed a martial and noble 
 appearance, their band of music, of which the timbrel 
 formed a part, is a delightful novelty, and produced while 
 marching to the ground a most enchanting effect. The 
 Americans, though not all in uniform, nor their dress so 
 neat, yet exhibited an erect, soldierly air, and every coun- 
 tenance beamed with satisfaction and joy. The concourse 
 of spectators from the country was prodigious, in point 
 of numbers was probably equal to the military, but uni- 
 versal silence and order prevailed. It was about two 
 o'clock when the captive army advanced through the 
 line formed for their reception. Every eye was prepared 
 to gaze on Lord Cornwallis, the object of peculiar interest 
 and solicitude; but he disappointed our anxious expecta- 
 tions; pretending indisposition, he made General O'Hara 
 his substitute as the leader of his army. This officer was" 
 followed by the conquered troops in a slow and solemn 
 step, with shouldered arms, colors cased, and drums beat- 
 ing a British march. Having arrived at the head of the 
 line, General O'Hara, elegantly mounted, advanced to 
 his excellency the commander-in-chief, taking off his hat, 
 and apologized for the non-appearance of Earl Cornwallis. 
 With his usual dignity and politeness, his excellency 
 pointed to Major-General Lincoln for directions, by whom 
 the British army was conducted into a spacious field, where 
 it was intended they should ground their arms. The 
 royal troops, while marching through the line formed by 
 the allied army, exhibited a decent and neat appearance, 
 as respects arms and clothing, for their commander opened 
 his store, and directed every soldier to be furnished with 
 a new suit complete, prior to the capitulation. But in 
 their line of march we remarked a disorderly and unsol- 
 dierly conduct, their step was irregular, and their ranks 
 frequently broken. But it was in the field, when they 
 came to the last act of the drama, that the spirit and pride 
 of the British soldier was but to the severest test: here 
 
2:^ MiIiIT,4RY' .JOUEN AL, 17S1-.: 
 
 their:, morlificaj^iopr wiakiinQtibe eonoealed/ 'S(>¥ne.(0if jtW 
 platoon: officers appeared W he: exceedingly, loh'agrjried; 
 when, giving thci w-Qf'd. ^jgrnund \aTm^^J ancj' I aixi; a Xvitness 
 that they perforna^^ this dvtty in a-very; [unoffioen-like 
 manner; and ;tbq,t.n)any of the sbldiersimanilesteda-tSM^/c?* 
 temp&rj throwing' their arpis on the pile wjith violence, aa 
 if determined to render therti useless.: This irregularity^ 
 however, was, checked by the ; authority of OeneraJL ; Liu-, 
 coin. After having grounded their arrns and divested 
 themselves of their accoutrements, the captive troops were 
 ,conducted back to Yorktownj and guarded by. our troops 
 till they could be renioved to the place of their destina' 
 tion. The British troops that were stationed ^t Gloucester,- 
 surrendered at the same time and in tb.Q sq.|Tie inanner, to 
 the command of the Duke de Ijuzerne.i : This must be a 
 very interesting and gratifying transactipiitoGenera:! Lin.' 
 coin, who, baying ihirnself been obliged to surrender an 
 army to a. haughty foe the ]ast'year,'hasnpw assigned him 
 the pleasing. duty of giving laws tP:^' conquered arniy in 
 return, and of reflecting that. the terms: which were ini-, 
 posed on him ^re, adopted as a basis of the surrender in 
 the present instance. It is a very gratifyiog circnmstanee 
 that every degxe^ of harmony, , confidence ;and friendly 
 intercpurse subsisted between the American, and ■ French 
 trpop^dujingthe.caijnpaign— -no eontest, except an ernulo^u^ 
 ^spirit to excel in exploits and enterprise] against. ;tha coni- 
 mon ei^erny, and a desire to .b,e celebrated an the.sinnalspf; 
 history for an ardent love of. greats; and; heroic ' actions,; 
 We are ,not to be surprised- that, tl^e ,prid(?.pf|the;, British 
 pfl&cers is humbled on this occasipn, ,as,;tbeyi;l^«iVi^ ^^Iwfiys 
 entertained an ; exAlte.ci, .opii;^ipn,.pf, ih,eir, ,ox}^i|;.mi,li|tary 
 prowess, and. affected .to, vie W; the Amei}i,cans.ta':S a con- 
 temptible, undiscipli^ied rabble, Bht there is no, display 
 of m agnanimity wlien. a. great cpnupiTiande;-^ ,^hripks ; from* 
 the inevitable misfortunes of war; and when it. is; ponsid-. 
 ered that. Lord Cornwallis has. frequently appeared in 
 splendid triumph at the head of his arniy,,by ^Yh;ich he is 
 almost adored, we cpnceive it incumbent! op h,ini eheerfully 
 to participate in their ihisfortun^s..q..nd.degra4<i''tipns, how-, 
 ever humiliatmg; but , it js ^said i lie givp^ h,i,niself up .en-i 
 tirely to vexation and despa)ir.^ ., n i , i.,,, ;,.,[ .>;j; ,,r ■,' , ■, 
 2()th.—ln the generarprdersf o|,thi^,dpy Q^^'^eo.m'F^PI^^T": 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, iTgl 291 
 
 in-c'hief expresses his entire approbation, and his warmest 
 tbaTiks'to the-Firettch and Araericah' offiters' aiid soldiers 
 ■of all descriptions, ifor; the brave and honorable part whicli 
 they hate • acted' during ■ the ' siege. He; c(5ngrattilates'the 
 icombi'ned army on the mdniento us event which closed the 
 ickmpaign, and which erovv^ns their heads 'with unfMing 
 -laurels, and entitles- them^ to the applause and gratitude of 
 their country. Among the general officers whohi his ex 
 cellency- ■particularly noticed, for the ihiportaht services 
 which ■ they rendered during- the siege, are Generals Lin- 
 coln', De la Fayette, Steuben, 'Knox, and Dii Portail, his 
 lExcellency Count Rochambeau, and several other distin- 
 guished French Officers. To Governor NelsOn, of Virginia, 
 ■lie returned his' grateful slhd sincere acknowledgnie'rits for 
 the essential succors afforded by him artd the militia iknder 
 his ! 'Command. ' The ' cOrrimander-in-ehief, wishing that 
 every heart should participate in the joy of this.rriemora- 
 ■ble day^ ordered that 'all those who are under arrest or 
 confinement should be im mediately pardoned knd set at 
 liberty, a oircumkan'ce which I believe has never befoi'e 
 occurred in our army. - He closed by ordering that divine 
 ■service shall be performed in the several brigades to-mor- 
 row,- and recommerids that the troops attend with a serious 
 deportment, and with that sensibility of heart which the 
 recollection of the surprising and particular interposition 
 of Providence in our favor claims. ' 
 
 22d— Yesterday being Sunday, dur* brigade of infantry 
 and the York brigade were drawn up in the field to attend 
 divine service, performed by Mr. Evans. After ofi:ering to 
 the Lord of hosts, the God of battles, our grateful homage 
 for the preservation of our lives through the dangers of 
 thc'siege,' and for theimportant event with which Divine 
 Providence has seen fit to crown our efforts, he preached 
 an excellent and appropriate sermon. Generals Lincoln 
 and Clinton wfere preseiit. In the design and execution 
 of this: successful expedition, our commander-in-chief fairly 
 out-genttaled Sir'Henry Clinton, and the whole thOvemfent 
 w^s- marked by cdnsunimate niilitary address, which re- 
 duced the royal 'general to a' mortifying dileiiiiha, that rio 
 skill or enterprise could retrieve. A siege of thirteisn days, 
 prosecuted with unexariipled rapidity^ has tetfliinated in 
 the- capture of one of'the 'gr^iatest' geniei'als of' which the 
 
292 MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1781. 
 
 English can boast, and a veteran and victorious arrny which 
 has for several months past spread terror and desolation 
 throughout the Southern states. The joy on this moment- 
 ous occasion is universally diffused, and the hope enter- 
 tained that it will arrest the career of a cruel warfare, and 
 advance the establishment of American Independence. In 
 the progress of the royal army through the state of Virgi- 
 nia the preceding summer, they practised the most abom- 
 inable enormities, plundering negroes and horses from 
 almost every plantation, and reducing the country to ruin. 
 Among the prodigious assemblage of spectators at the 
 time of surrender, were a number of planters, searching 
 for the property which had been thus purloined from their 
 estates. The famous Colonel Tarleton, mounted on a horse 
 remarkable for elegance and noble appearance, while riding 
 in company with several French ofl&cers with whom he 
 was to dine, was met by a gentleman, who instantly re- 
 cognized the animal as his own propert3\ Tarleton was 
 stopped, and the horse peremptorily demanded; observing 
 a little hesitation, the British General O'Harra, who was 
 present, said, "You had better give him his horse, Tarle- 
 ton;" on which the colonel dismounted, and delivered the 
 horse to the original proprietor; after which, being re- 
 mounted on a very miserable animal, he rejoined his com- 
 pany, and the French officers were greatly surprised that 
 he should be so humbly mounted. The British prisoners 
 were all sent off yesterday, conducted by a party of militia 
 on their way to the interior of Virginia and Maryland. 
 I have this day visited the town of York, to witness the 
 destructive effects of the siege. It contains about sixty 
 houses; some of them are elegant, many of them are 
 greatly damaged and some totally ruined, being shot 
 through in a thousand places and honey-combed ready to 
 crumble to pieces. Eich furniture and books were scat- 
 tered over the ground, and the carcases of men and horses 
 half-covered with earth, exhibited a scene of ruin and 
 horror beyond description. The earth in many places is 
 thrown up into mounds by the force of our shells, and it 
 is difficult to point to a spot where a man could have 
 resorted for safety. 
 
 The loss on the part of the French during the siege was 
 fifty killed and one hundred and twenty-seven wounded. 
 
MILITARY JOUENAL, 1781. £93 
 
 Americans twenty-seven killed and seventy-three wounded, 
 officers included. Cornwallis' account of his loss during 
 the siege is one hundred and fifty-six, three hundred 
 and twenty-six wounded, and seventy missing, probably 
 deserted, total five hundred and fifty-two. The whole 
 number surrendered by capitulation, seven thousand two 
 hundred and forty-seven.* The amount of artillery and 
 military stores, provisions, &c., is very considerable, sev- 
 enty-five brass and one hundred and sixty-nine iron can- 
 non, seven thousand seven hundred ninet^^-four muskets; 
 regimental standards, German eighteen, British ten. From 
 the military chest we received two thousand one hundred 
 and thirteen pounds six shillings sterling. 
 
 Lord Cornwallis is a very distinguished warrior; he 
 possesses an exalted spirit, is brave and intrepid, and 
 never was there a more zealous champion of his tyrannical 
 master; austere and rigorous in his temper, nothing could 
 be more foreign from his heart than the sympathies of 
 benevolence or generous compassion. Had all the rebels 
 in the states but one neck, his lordship would glory in 
 nothing more than an opportunity of severing the jugular 
 vein. But Cornwallis has fallen! and our country is not 
 subjugated. f 
 
 It is proper I should take a retrospect of some events 
 which have marked the conduct of the war of extermina- 
 tion in the Southern states. A singular kind of ferocious 
 animosity has subsisted between the two contending par- 
 ties, as may be seen by letters from General Greene on 
 
 * Another list, which has been published, makes their total loss by 
 death and capture to be eleven thousand eight hundred, including two 
 tiiousand sailors, one tiiousand eight imndred negroes, one thousand five 
 hundred tories, eighty vessels, large and small. 
 
 f It is asserted in Gvrdon^s History of the War, that wherever the army 
 of Lord Cornwallis marched, the dwelling-houses were plundered of 
 every thing that could be carried off. Hundreds of eye-witnesses can 
 prove that his lordship's table was served with plate thus pillaged from 
 private families. By an estimate made at the time, on the best informa- 
 tion that could be collected, the state of Virginia lost during Cornwallis' 
 attempts to reduce it, thirty thousand slaves. And it has been com- 
 puted that one thousand four hundred widows were made by the ravaging 
 hand of war in the single district of Ninety-Six. The whole devasta- 
 tions occasioned by the British army, during the six months previous to 
 tlieir surrender at Yorktown, are supposed to amount to about three 
 millions .sterling. 
 
the subject: "The rinimosif}^/" sajfs 'this amiElble rftan, 
 -"between the whigs' arid' tones 6'f; this stiite 'fe riders their 
 'Siluastidntr'idy deploiiabk:'' Ngt a' 'dkj jjass'es "btit; t|iere 
 ■•are ftioiie qi' less Hvb'd fdll • a' Sacrifice td this- saivage disposi- 
 ■ tioti. The whi'gs 6ecb 'dfeterhlined to extirpate tK'e tof ie^, 
 a-ndthfe tori^s-the ^vhigi/ ,',Sdme thousands 'have, Mleh ih 
 this way 'in thi&'quartei*,'' and the evil l-ages \v5th rnore 
 violence than-even. ' If ai stop cannot be soon put to these 
 massacres-,' the fctoi'iiMr^r' Will be; depopulated in a few months 
 , more, as heither'wbig nor tOfy' Can live/' Speaking of a 
 Certain- party i>n'€)ui- side,' he says: ' "This party plunders 
 without merd}^,' and murders the defenceless people just 
 as private pique, prejudice or pei^sohal resentments dic- 
 tate.' Principles of humanity, as well as policy, require 
 ^tkat proper ■ measures should 'be iniiA^diat^ly taken to re- 
 igtrain' these abuses;- h'^ar difterences, ahd' unite the people 
 fas 'mueh^^as'possiblel •]^o'\'i6lSnce'should be; offered to 
 any of the TnhabitantB' Unless fomid in arniS.' - The' idea of 
 ^eitermlhatirig' 'tihe -tOfi^eS is'- no 'less barbat-dus tWan ' im- 
 ^politic;'' ■ Such is th'e'itiferiial -spirit of revenge and bitter- 
 'neSSWliicii has caused mutual defetruetion and wretchedness 
 'among' the ' people/ But, however atrocious may have 
 been the conduct of some unauthorized partizans on the 
 -part of the A'niericans, the following instance of inhuman- 
 -ity, in the sacrifice of one of the victims of their malicious 
 resentment, i is sufficient 'ta stigmatize the British character 
 ■with eternal infamy. Lord liawdoh and Lieiitenant-Col- 
 oner Balfour have perpetrated an act which, in all its 
 distressing circumstancet?, surpasses in enormity and wick- 
 .'eliiiess aij pthe|i;-s vv|4^^^ |lia.y,e;cO):ne to our knowledge, and 
 iwihiclj- has rouseditlieJndignant spirit of every true Amer- 
 ican to a pitch of desperation, "Colonel Isaac 'Hayne, 
 duTing the siege of Cliarleston, served' his country as. an 
 bffieer of 'miUtia,' After the capitulation, no alternative 
 was 'left b\;t jto.aTiandw .His iami property, or to 
 
 surrender totlie conquerors, n; The small-pox was near, his 
 plantation, and he ;had a/wifej six^ small children, and more 
 -than one hundred negroe^, all liable to the disease. He 
 'concluded that, instead of -(ivaitihgtb be captured, it Avbuld 
 ^e'bo^jti'njpreiaiH aind,^,^^^^ within .the 
 
 Britis;h lines, j and , surrender himselfa' voldntairy prisoner; 
 He therefore repaired to Charleston, and offered to bind 
 
. MIHTAEX JOURNAL,; 17S1 . (2'95 
 
 -h i'itisfel'f hj itfe-e ■ honor of, an American officer to do^ mothiinig 
 
 -prejudicial to the iBritish interest till be should be e>i- 
 
 ;ckangedi Reports made of;hissiiperioi abilities and influ- 
 
 j enciej (uniformity .exerted > in the A'meriean ■ eause, operated 
 
 jwith t'h6 conquerors ' to resfuSe^hitn- a parole,' though thdy 
 
 ;.were ; d ally accustomed: to grant this ; i nditlgence to other 
 
 .inhabitants^ Be wasi.told i that h©:. must eithei* become a 
 
 [British; subject,, or submit; :to close oonfinement.' ;To be 
 
 lari^ested arid detainted.in the capital, was not to himself &n 
 
 I intolerable/ evil;; but ,tO' abandon' his^family, both to the 
 
 fjavlagefe ofithe small-pox then raging in^ their neighbor- 
 
 iJiJiood,; arid to the itisults and depredations of the royalists, 
 
 -;was too much for th©!tender husband arid fond parent. 
 
 ,'TQi;a.clcriowledge himself, the ■iubject of' a governmerlt 
 
 .which he had from principle renounced, was: repugnant to 
 
 ,ihis)ifaelihgs; but, -tvithout thife, he was cut -off- from ' everV 
 
 pioBpect of aircturn i6 his family.. In this' embarrassing 
 
 ;'SJtuatiohv ho waited om Dr. ' Ramsay, with a declaration to 
 
 (.thre ftilllowing bift'ecti-^^'Ifthe British wfould grant me the 
 
 jind'tilgenceiwliichjweirithe day of our power gave to thdr 
 
 ■ladherents, ofl removing my flimily and property, I would 
 
 iseek' an; asjdum in the remotest corner of the United 
 
 .States, rather ithan submit to their government; but, as 
 
 .they; allow no: other alternative than submission or con- 
 
 ■ finement in; tlie: ' capital, at a distance from my; wife and 
 
 family,! at;a' time when they- are in the most pressing need 
 
 ,of my presence; and; support, I must f<i)r the ^ present yield 
 
 ■to: the d.ema:hd3 df the conquerors'. I- request you to bear 
 
 -iri mindi, that previous to iny taking tins step, Ideclare 
 
 jthait:it is. contrary to;my inclinationj and forced' on - me by 
 
 ';hard neoessi ty. i ; I' never will bear arms agai rist my' couil- 
 
 ttry. .Miy new;masters can require no Se^rvic6 of n'le but 
 
 ( whatsis enjoined' by the old militia law of the province, 
 
 f. which substitutes a; finb in: lieu of personal servicie. This 
 
 tl will pay as:the: jirioe' of my protection. If my conduct 
 
 ,shoiuild_. be ■c'ensuired'by;my 'countrymen,' !■ beg that you 
 
 1 would .renaehribelr :this conversation, ;and; bear Witness for 
 
 me, that I; do'not-niean to dfese^rt the cause of America.' - 
 
 1: . : ;Ia this statd ofpferpleixityi,' Golofiel Hayne subscribed a 
 
 .declaratio-iiiof his allegiance' toi the King of Great •Britain'; 
 
 .but; ,nbt without ,; expressly , bbjectirig to th.e> 'okias^; wh-ibli 
 
 required him with his arms to support the royal government. 
 
296 MILITARY JOURNAL, 1781. 
 
 The commandant of the garrison, Brigadier-General Pat- 
 terson, and James Simpson, Esquire, intendant of the Brit- 
 ish police, assured him that^this would never be required; 
 and added, further, that when the regular forces could not 
 defend the country without the aid of its inhabitants, it 
 would be high time for the royal army to quit it. Having 
 submitted to the royal government, he was permitted to 
 return to his family. Notwithstanding what had passed 
 at the time of his submission, he was repeatedly called on 
 to take arms against his countrymen, and finally threatened 
 with close confinement in case of a further refusal. This 
 he considered as a breach of contract, and it being no 
 longer in the power of the British to give him that pro- 
 tection which was to be the compensation of his allegiance, 
 he viewed himself as released from all engagements to 
 their commanders. The inhabitants of his neighborhood, 
 who had also revolted, petitioned General Pickens to ap- 
 point him to the command of their regiment, which was 
 done, and the appointment accepted. Hayne fell into 
 their hands. He was carried to the capital, and confined 
 in the provost prison, for having resumed his arms after 
 accepting British protection. At first he was promised a 
 trial, and had counsel prepared to justify his conduct by 
 the laws of nations and usages of war; but this was finally 
 refused, and he was ordered for execution by Lord Raw- 
 don and Lieutenant-Colonel Balfour. The royal Lieuten- 
 ant-Governor Bull, and a great number of inhabitants, 
 both royalists and Americans, interceded for his life. The 
 ladies of Charleston generally signed a petition in his be- 
 half, in which was introduced every delicate sentiment 
 that was likely to operate on the gallantry of officers or 
 the humanity of men. His children, accompanied by some 
 near relations, (the mother had died of the small-pox,) 
 were presented on their bended knees as humble suitors 
 for their father's life. Such powerful intercessions were 
 made in his favor, as touched many an unfeeling heart, 
 and drew tears from many a hard eye; but Lord Rawdon 
 and Balfour continued firm in their determination. 
 
 The colonel was repeatedly visited by his friends, and 
 conversed on various subjects with a becoming fortitude. 
 He particularly lamented that, on principles of retaliation, 
 
MILITAEY JOUENAL, 1781. ^ 297 
 
 his execution would probably be an introduction to the 
 shedding of much innocent blood. He requested those 
 in whom the supreme power was vested, to accommodate 
 the mode of his death to his feelings as an officer; but 
 this was refused. On the last evening of his life he told 
 a friend that he was no more alarmed at the thoughts of 
 death, than at any other occurrence which was necessary 
 and unavoidable. 
 
 On receiving his summons, on the morning of August 
 the 4th, to proceed to the place of execution, he delivered 
 to his eldest son, a youth of about thirteen years of age, 
 several papers relative to his case, and said: "Present 
 these papers to Mrs. Edwards, with my request that she 
 should forward them to her brother in Congress. You 
 will next repair to the place of execution, receive my 
 bod}^, and see it decently interred among my forefathers." 
 They took a final leave. The colonel's arms were pin- 
 ioned, and a guard placed round his person. The proces- 
 sion began from the Exchange in the forenoon. The streets 
 were crowded with thousands of anxious spectators. He 
 walked to the place of execution with such decent firm- 
 ness, composure and dignity, as to awaken the compassion 
 of man}', and command respect from all. When the city- 
 barrier was passed, and the instrument of his catastrophe 
 appeared in full view, a faithful friend by his side ob- 
 served to him, that he hoped he would exhibit an example 
 of the manner in which* an American can die. He an- 
 swered, with the utmost tranquillity, "I will endeavor to 
 do so." He ascended the cart with a firm step and serene 
 aspect. He inquired of the executioner, who was making 
 an attempt to get up to pull the cap over his eyes, what 
 he wanted. On being informed, the colonel replied, "I 
 will save 3'ou the trouble," and pulled the cap over him- 
 self. He was afterwards asked whether he wished to say 
 any thing, to which he answered, "I will only take leave 
 of my friends, and be ready." He then affectionately shook 
 hands with three gentlemen, recommending his children 
 to their care, and gave the signal for the cart to move. 
 
 Thus fell Colonel Isaac Hayne in the bloom of life, fur- 
 nishing that example in death, which extorted a confession 
 from his enemies, that though he did not die in a good 
 
293: MILITARY' J OUKNAL, 1781. 
 
 cause,' he must at' least have acted; frotti' a persiiaston of 
 
 lis biding' so. ■;■■'' •;■■' .i'"'-i.' I.. ■•■II. I ■.!. .^ -,i> ■ 1 
 
 ' li'he lexecmtioh bf'the W6tihy'''0(i\0ne\'Whym'\&ynmiep 
 Sally ;repr<5bal!0d as aa ttct of bdrb'arity, justitieei'neith^r b}^ 
 divil nt)rmiHtary law, aai'd as'ail'tin'examplfed -ohtrage oii 
 the prijiciptes'of rtiofalitsy and ChrMtiaii' behfevblence; but 
 m;the viiiw^ of the' Bfitish e6mmahdei'S, the application of 
 their hackneyed term, rebel, sanctions a departure from all 
 litws^ both human' aiid divirie'. Iri August,- 1780, L6rcl 
 Cornwallis, In addt-essing one of his officers, 'say^i *'I have 
 given orders.that'ali th^ inhabitants of this' pro Virice \vh6 
 
 j ■ ; , : ■■ '..<'.■■ ■■:'.'. .'•■'■'> ' ■' ■ ' i ■■"/:.: ; - I ■■ i ;. : ■ :■ i ■ ■ 
 
 * Tlie tragical, stof-y ,,of:CoIjOn(jl I^ayiie., is [not ;Cohifili'te! witliQut {iddi 
 ing, from ii recent publication, by Alexiinder Garden, Esq., tlie following 
 piirticuiars: "Irrifgulai'ities ill tne mode of", conducting- the war, iii' the 
 highest degree disgraecfuPtd' the Ameri^-aii ciAuse, luud frequeiUjy ocr 
 curred. No man lamented tlienl witlv <j;re"atel-' siliu^rity than Colonel 
 Hay no, foe none .inpre' anxiously wiisiFied . the American clKinieter to be 
 free Vrom reproach. S.opo, tli^n;,, an, .solicited by his :n<iig))biqrs,;a\id th^ 
 iniiabitants generally of tl'ie dWrti-t, to rcsjuniei.'i hostile position, to be- 
 ebmti their leader, iihd' direoi their'i ()j)'i.M-a{iohs against the enemy, he 
 made an iionirablo and' opi-ii dc'clai'alluii;' »'th;it lie' cbivi'd oiify be in- 
 dnc*{^l to comply with: thcirwiKhe^^, byjobtaihing a.Kolemlv prdniise'from 
 all who were t" serve under hini,.that an .Inimciliate stiop sliould 'be ^lut 
 to every unneces-snry severity: a desideratum the more, to be insisted 
 on, as he was resolved' that exemplary puui-shinent should be inflicted on 
 every individiiar wh<» feliould iiidnlgb iii pilllige,' or in coin'm'itt'ing any 
 act of inhumanity agafiikstitlie f<)e.' A c('ti)y of 'the ad'dres.s mfide to his 
 soldiers on this O(,'ca§ioii AVJW found on him at the period of his captivity; 
 but though it forcibly ,expr.es.se^l his abjiorreocM of Virinie, and was replete 
 with sentiments that aUiJionprr;t<) his humanity, , it, availed not to soften 
 the rigui' of liersOcYition, ■nor in the sl!i"htesl degree to mitigate the 
 severiiy of theipunisiiiJK^nl detu/ut'icl'd iigliinst liiui. When the paper 
 which contained liiis' lion(ir;ii>'l<i testimony bf getierOus feelilig was pre- 
 sented to .Majoj- ilql\eiv.ie,,\yh(|>,|!iati as president of Iholribiiiaul bet'ore 
 which Colonel iiayne, \\as' :^iu-a^i^ed, l)e,, vith'.gre)it e^pressfipn of sensir 
 bilily; requested the, prisoUier 'Ho retain it till he should be, brought 
 bel'oie the court-liK-li-llar 'lhat'\tais'l'o; determine his fate,' assuring jiim 
 'that the presehl/codrt'NVei-e orVly direct-ed-to iriqiiire whether ov not he 
 acliuolvledged himself to licthe 'individual uilur had taken protection.' 
 It is, unnecessary to add, that thjAitrial wat* HjCver granted. Lord Ravv- 
 don rca'-hed the city from , the interior coiintj-y,,aii4 afhis c<nnmand an 
 dhler'for imiiiediate exmilioii'was issued.. Ijitfle did the sympathy that 
 niel^^d'eVevy heart to tendei-nes<>^itl(e dicl't'ji(j-paili.etic addj-ess of: the 
 lovelydaug.hters of the soil, thdeiiMed tO'mWL^ e^Veii th'e busonr of' ob- 
 (|^racy-r-avail. : ;lli>edl).;.ss.of the prayers imd Koiliqitations of the afflicted 
 friends andj relatiycjj, deaf; |t(> the crjep ,of j his ^ti^ldrenv whp, ctveu. with 
 bended linees interc'eded lor mercy, hisensible to the dictates of human- 
 ity, his resolution was ti.ved us adamant, and a hero was sacriticed." 
 
MILITiiRY : JOFEUAL.r mi; 299' 
 
 had suibmitte^', aftd who have taken .pattrin lits reTolt; shall 
 bespHnished with ^th 6 :' greatest rigor^ that they: shall/ be 
 imprisoned,; and their whole property -taken fromithem-or 
 destroyedi ^ I have ordered, ifl the rnost positive; ralanner, 
 that e very rniilitia-;man who had borne ;arms with us; and 
 afterwaixlsjoiped the: enemyi, shall 'be immediately han^d; 
 and have now,; siry only to desire that- you will take the 
 most vigorous <na!easures to; extinguish; the rebellion, and 
 that you will obejf^ in the strictest manner,; the directions 
 given in' this fletter." It ison the authority of the order 
 just quoted; thiit Lord Eawdon; and Oolonel Balfour justify 
 their, cruel execution of Colonel Hay he, and it will be 
 difficult to calculate : the number of miserable wretches 
 whoiitiaveMfaHe^i'saorifioesi.to the sariie Relentless spiritj; 
 nor/arethe hmndates :of Loird EaWdon ksSiis^miguinary^-as 
 wiiriappeiarit)y;the;'foIlowihg: specimen:;!: i; ,1: -p: i / -! ''- 
 
 ' .,.,., ^1:7/ -M .■;;';;;■> ;;:•/■■■•■ 1;: h ::'• 1; -'i -.MMVi^i I .'f-h ! i:^ :?::'• •■) 
 , Esrtrflct, of^ ft, ^it^r^ f(f, CiJtl^el.R{i/geJy, covHym^dyng^ t}\e .^riiish milUicu,^ 
 
 , :'■'■. I ■ <' near' Camden, ;.,, ; , 1 1 
 
 ; 'I If att:iph!ii;Q|it, Jo, th(|ir gpyereign wijl not mosye thp, coujitj-y pooplp ,19 
 cIk'c;1v 'k crinie so disnstrop to tfie s'ervjce,' HpsertipVi, it ,niust be, my. care 
 to ih-j^e Wein tA'tlieIr diity, a^ guWd'suliJect^Vty uyiWfr'invaria'bie severity 
 agiiirwt^ cVOi^' tjile^ wtio 'sliilll shtiw s^'i'Htaii'i'iara'rilL'j^le'ct'bf 'the -public' ih- 
 t;cr»ist; ; . J:f any poriioh :nieet hi soldiery istiuig^ii^ kvifhoUf. ■•<& writteti :pasS 
 beyicind tljfl^piqvtets, aud sliall ;i>Qt| dp .hia^utmoslt to. iS^cvirei Mm, or f*hn:y 
 iiotsprei^d an alaj;ni: Ix?!-, tliis p^irppstij or.ii'j!»py,.per^p,ip,slj|i,l!l|giy|e slifiUcf 
 to. soldiers strhg^liii^ as above hientipned, or shall serve: them as a 
 guidd;; 'or shall tWni.sii''l:h(?ni \\'il:fr pAssse'sVo^ ati^ dtlh'c'i' ':is^iistalk4y 'tlT^ 
 porisoiii^^feo ofleiidiiig ^m'ay'ass«r6' them'seK'-e^ of ri^fll-iiu.S; pihiislimcfntj it's 
 t>y irJiifpityi-.,ii'n)]ms()mn(n/,.or. by-bein^ sent: totseiiveiin/the Wfint-: Iitdies, 
 aeeordiiig, as ]/, sj^altthiivk . .fhp . dcgreciot! i^nminjdity/^mt^y retiqiro ; for . ll 
 have ordVred that,C|Very soidier \vhp;pas:?p.S|tl]^, piqwetjjshall.^iUimit hiffl. 
 self to be exarpihed, by any miiitia-iiian \v,lio has a'|SWsi)ic;i<)n. pf hliii. If 
 a <^oldici', th<?rettM-e', attehipts to esicaJKS A^HeiV oirdl'i-l-'d by' a' Vnilili;l-'rii:.lh 
 to stop^ hkj 'isiininiediatt^yi to ibic':tired 'Pn ias.,a: deser-ter. I- will' give'teii 
 gu\niL.%iii/i)r fjlejief^l of ^ijiy .de^ertcirbelongiilg tioj ihs\v(ilimle'ei^S'f>f-I>'4- 
 ^«j^/,:u|id,/j,p f^jidnefiiS joiily .if ,l>ie b^ ;bvough;t ^jivjjf"/ •; , ; , , ,■•, ■,■ ; 1 . , ; , 1 
 
 ■ But -the' ''^ti-cyng' 'in'easures which ihey 'pursued' 16' ci^iisti 
 tliG H'Mf?>)?i4ias prbdltced a Contrary' eifedt, and; lighted; a 
 fl a'niie ; w hi^h' - r^'ges' \VilH ' ttfhfold 'vibleriee', and ' ivhich' \viTl 
 eventually • afi'^rd' dn '/esseiiitral'- aid in ' the - e^^ 
 out^:Ind<3petiden<!^J '■'"' .|iv-^l>-^'' /''I!-'"';'' •_';'^-"', ';•'' ■'■': 
 Fdr '^bhie' rriorith^ 'pr^viote fc); the cap'^iiii-e bf* CbViiivalliS, 
 and while hi^'ai-lliy'-vv'^s tra't^rsilV^ the statesjof the' Carb- 
 litias '' and Virginia^' he' \Vas- opposed' by the Mar'qtiis- de la 
 
gOQ MILITARY JOURNAL, 17S1 
 
 Fayette with an inferior force. His lordship having re- 
 ceived a reinforcement, was so confident of success against 
 his opponent, that he unguardedly wrote, in a letter which 
 was afterwards intercepted, " the hoy cannot escape me,'" 
 but he was disappointed in his sanguine expectations. 
 Cornwallis at one time formed a plan to surprise the mar- 
 quis while on the same side of James river with himself, 
 but the attempt was prevented by the following incident: 
 The marquis, unapprised of the particular situation of his 
 opponent, contrived to send into his camp a spy to obtain 
 intelligence. A soldier belonging to New Jersey, by the 
 name of Charles Morgan, generally called Charley, agreed 
 to undertake this hazardous service; but insisted that, in 
 case he should be discovered and hanged, the marquis, to 
 secure his reputation, should have it inserted in the New 
 Jersey paper, that he was employed in the service of his 
 commander. Having reached the royal camp, he was soon 
 introduced into his lordship's presence, who inquired the 
 reason of his deserting. Charley replied, "that he had 
 been in the continental service from the beginning, and 
 while under Washington he was well satisfied; but being 
 now commanded by a Frenchman, he was displeased with 
 it, and had quitted the service." His lordship commended 
 and rewarded him for his conduct, and Charle}' soon com- 
 menced the double duty of soldier under the English 
 commander, and a spy in the employment of the marquis, 
 without suspicion. Lord Cornwallis, while in conversa- 
 tion with several of his officers, inquired of Charley how 
 long a time it would take for the marquis to cross James 
 river? Pausing a moment, he replied, "Three hours, my 
 lord." His lordship exclaimed, "Three hours! it will take 
 three days." "No, my lord," said Charley; "the marquis 
 has such a number of boats, and each boat will carry so 
 many men; if you will please to calculate, you will find 
 he can pass in three hours." His lordship, turning to the 
 officers, said, "The scheme will not do." After having 
 obtained the information required, Morgan began to pre- 
 pare for a return to the marquis, and he prevailed with 
 several British soldiers to desert with him. When chal- 
 lenged by the sentinels, he artfully tampered with them 
 by giving them rum; and, while drinking, he seized their 
 arms, and then compelled them to go; and this brave 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 17S1. 301 
 
 fellow actually brought oflf seven deserters to our camp. 
 On his return to head-quarters, the marquis accosted him 
 with, "Well, Charley, have you got back?" " Yes, please 
 your excellency, and have brought seven men with me." 
 Having communicated his information, the marquis offered 
 to reward him, but he declined receiving money ; and when 
 ^t was proposed to promote him to a corporal or sergeant, 
 he replied, "I have ability to discharge the duties of a 
 common soldier, and my character stands fair; but should 
 I be promoted, I may fail, and lose my reputation." He, 
 however, requested that his destitute comrades, who came 
 with him, might be furnished with shoes and clothing, 
 which was readily granted. 
 
 A warm nction took place early in September, between 
 General Greene and the main body of the royal army, 
 under Colonel Stuart, at Eutaw springs. Though inferior 
 in force, General Greene sought the enemy, and made a 
 furious attack; the battle became general, and continued 
 four hours; it was the hottest and the most bloody, for 
 the numbers engaged, that General Greene ever witnessed; 
 many of the officers combated sword to sword, and the 
 soldiers, rushing together, with the point of the bayonet 
 contended wath increased rage and effort for life, for blood, 
 and carnage. A party of the enemy possessed themselves 
 of a three-story brick house and a picketed garden, which 
 gave them considerable advantage, and saved their army 
 from a total rout. In a charge, which decided the fate of 
 the day in our favor, Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell, of the 
 Virginia line, who with undaunted firmness was leading on 
 his brigade, received a mortal wound; and, on being in- 
 formed that the enemy were flying in all quarters, said, 
 ''I die contented." Lieutenant-Colonel Washington had 
 his horse killed under him, was wounded and taken pris- 
 oner. The American loss is not less than sixty commis- 
 sioned officers killed and wounded, one hundred and thirty 
 rank and file killed, and three hundred and forty wounded 
 and missing. The loss on the side of the British is sup- 
 posed to be fully equal in point of numbers, excepting in 
 officers, and five hundred men, including seventy wounded, 
 which were left, were the next day made prisoners by our 
 army. Victory is claimed by both commanders, but the 
 consequences have proved most disastrous to the enemy; 
 
g02' MILITARY JOUKNALjiirsl.; 
 
 for Xhe next day Golon:^! i$H\arf fdes^royedi ii large- quantityt 
 of sitores, abandone,Gl-bis,;pp8;ition^:jand leaving, one thou-* 
 sand rstand of arm:Sl:and.seiv■elJty/w(i)^■ndedliffleh'i:ipetitedli^ 
 haate ;to^v.*ards:!Charlest■on..:,;!' ■:.'.,:! I-mj-. .vyirA' / > -\j"-.\ 
 I . ,31s/.r^0,ur,tii0Qps :areinow-eiirvplb;^ed.in embarking /tlie 
 artil]efy.and stores oriboaird bf itra'n$po;ttSy dnd iwe^are'sooil 
 to proceed by wjjiter to. the h^ad of Elk^ river,- on our .way 
 to the North niver, . Pined \yith General Hazen, iniCom+ 
 pany with :a number of officers,; both American and 
 French, Here we enjoyed a. profusion of mutual cdn- 
 gratulations on. our late glorious success, and this was the 
 chief ; topic of conversation. : Lord Cornwallis: ; and. his 
 officers, since their capitulation, have received 'ali- the 
 civilities and hospitality which it is in the power;of their 
 copqi^etprs ,to.,bestowi" General Washington, i Co ikwt'iBo- 
 cha;mb:Cap,,,afld' other ; general ; ;officers,i; have; fre'^useii'tly 
 invitcdi them tO; en-tertainments, and they have i fexpry^ed 
 ^heirigratei^iil aciknowlfdgments in return. : ;T.hey oaninot 
 avoid feeling-the strikirig; contrast between ;the- treatment 
 \vhich I th.ey now expedience : and , that : which • they ' hav^ 
 be§tQwcd/G;n our prisonersiwho have unfortundtely fallen 
 into their, hands. It is a dictate of humanity -and behev* 
 olence, after gheathjng.the sword, to relieve andi meliorate 
 the condition of the vanquished prisoner. ■■ •;''!■ ' ' ■ 
 / On onC: occasion, whileili thepresenlceof GetteraliWashj 
 ington, LorcJCornwalJis, was standing, with Ms heiad tm* 
 covered, his .excellency said <to. him, .politely,! '')'■ My lord, 
 you had better (be., covered from the. Goldi;''i;his-l0(rdshipj 
 applying. his hand to'shis! head,i ir6piied,';^'/It.maitteris:n€)t!, 
 sir, what:bcGO{nes <^f, thisi Mad meav.V i i/rrr/i .•'wi-;.;iiu' -■■'.■i 
 .^^ue»i5^r;r3,df(— While biit soldi era twere Ib&ding a qiU'an- 
 tity, of bonibs^^nd- shotionr.board of trhneporte,' a ifch^ll 
 burst,, by :Which; oniC' iman uwas •■ unfortuniatel|yi killed^ iand 
 two .dangerojisly Woundedj It is I much to 'be ilamented 
 that these ibrav^, rtieuv whose lives i hkive ■ been |!)reServed 
 through, the- dangers. of the siege,- should meet their ad' 
 verse fate in such a manner. . Order-s are now received for 
 our regiment of infantry to embark on board 'the Dili-; 
 gence^ a Krenoh . frigate of thirty-two : gUns, commanded 
 by CaptainCleoughnaughj bound ' up ' the Chesapeake, to 
 the head, of Elk , , ri vjsr. ; Major Nathan i Eice command* 
 ourrggiment*; >,iw!;'i;.-.L j^win j'vvwi.. •• i.u < ,:,ii ...;■■■ ii ■■^ 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1781. 3Q3 
 
 December. — We sailed from York river on the 4th of 
 November, and in consequence of severe storms and con- 
 trary winds, our voyage was very unpleasant, and pro- 
 tracted to sixteen days, which has often been performed 
 in three. Captain Cleoughnaugh and his officers were 
 very polite and accommodating; -we dined constantly at 
 the table of the captain, and shared with him in his store 
 of wine, &c. It happened unfortunately that a few days 
 after we left York, four of our soldiers were seized with 
 the small-pox, and having on board about eighty men 
 who were liable to receive the infection, they were 'with 
 several officers put on the Virginia shore, to march round 
 by land. We disembarked at the head of Elk, on the 
 20th of November, where we met with our horses, and 
 on the 24th we commenced our march to the highlands, 
 near West Point. Passed through Philadelphia, Trenton, 
 Princeton, Bonbrook and Morristown, and on the 7th in- 
 stant crossed the Hudson at King's ferry. On account 
 of the inclemency of the season we have suffered exceed- 
 ingly from cold, wet and fatigue, during our long march. 
 But we return in triumph to rejoin our respective regi- 
 ments, and enjoy a constant interchange of congratulations 
 with our friends, on the glorious and brilliant success of 
 our expedition, which closes the campaign. This event 
 reflects the highest honor on our combined arms; it will 
 adorn the pages of our history, and we fondly hope it will 
 be attended with the most favorable consequences, in 
 bringing this long-protracted and distressing war to a 
 happy termination. It will be to me a source of inex- 
 pressible satisfaction that I have had an opportunity of 
 participating in the siege and capture of a British army. 
 It is among the blessed privileges and richest incidents of 
 my life. I have for several days been afflicted with in- 
 flammatory rheumatism, attended with excruciating pains. 
 Having no other covering than canvas tents, and the 
 weather being extremely cold, my sufferings have been 
 almost insupportable; but I have much less reason to 
 complain than to be grateful to a kind Providence, that I 
 have enjoyed uninterrupted health during my seven years 
 of military service. 
 
 Since my return, I am happy to learn that my frienl 
 Major Trescott, of our regiment, with a detachment of owe 
 
 Y 
 
304 MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1781. 
 
 hundred men, crossed the Sound to Long Island on the 
 3d of October, and completely surprised the enemy's fort 
 Slonge, making two captains, one lieutenant, and eighteen 
 rank and file prisoners ; of the enemy two were killed and 
 two wounded; of the Americans one only was wounded. 
 Two double fortified four-pounders were damaged, one 
 brass three-pounder, with a number of small-arms, ammu- 
 nition, clothing, English goods, &c., were brought off. 
 This enterprise was conducted with much address and gal- 
 lantry, reflecting great honor on the commander and his 
 little party. 
 
 By report from the northern department, the British 
 having projected an attack on the frontiers of New York 
 state, were advancing towards Albany through the settle- 
 ments on the Mohawk river, and committing great depre- 
 dations among the inhabitants. The party was commanded 
 by Major Ross, and consisted of six hundred regular ran- 
 gers and Indians. Having, on the 25th of October, ad- 
 vanced as far as Johnstown, they were met by Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Willet, at the head of a regiment of New York 
 levies, and some militia, with about sixty Oneida Indians. 
 This officer has frequently given evidence of his valor 
 and gallantry, and on this occasion he was no less fortu- 
 nate in his enterprise. Having directed Major Rowly, 
 with a body of militia, by a circuitous movement, to get 
 into the rear of the enemy, he made a vigorous attack in 
 front, and they were soon totally defeated and driven into 
 the wilderness. The next day a party of our people and 
 Indians followed in pursuit till they were worn down by 
 fatigue. It was impossible to ascertain the number of the 
 enemy's slain, but their loss must have been very con- 
 siderable. Fifty-two prisoners were taken and brought in, 
 and Major Ross, with the remainder of his party, escaped 
 into the barren wilderness, where they must have suffered 
 extremely for want of provisions. The loss on the side 
 of Colonel AYillet is one lieutenant and twelve rank and 
 file killed; one captain, two lieutenants, and twenty rank 
 and file wounded. Colonel Willet's victory is rendered 
 more important by the fall of the notorious Major Butler, 
 who has long, as a partizan officer with the savages, been 
 a scourge to the frontier inhabitants. He was wounded 
 by one of our Indians, and on asking for quarters, " Yes, 
 
MlLlTxVRY JOURNAL, 1781. 305 
 
 Cherry- Valley quarter^'''' said the Indian, and immediately 
 despatched him. He alluded to Butler's having refused 
 quarter to our people at Cherry-Valley, in November, 1778. 
 When Congress received General Washington's letter, 
 announcing the surrender of the British army, they re- 
 solved, that they would at two o'clock go in procession to 
 the Dutch Lutheran Church, and return thanks to Al- 
 mighty God, for crowning the allied arms with success, 
 by the surrender of the whole British army, under the 
 command of Earl Cornwallis. They also issued a pro- 
 clamation for religiously observing throughout the United 
 States the 13th of December, as a day of thanksgiving 
 and prayer. They resolved, that thanks should be given 
 to General Washington, Count Rocham.beau, Count de 
 Grasse, and the officers of the different corps, and the men 
 under their command, for their services in the reduction 
 of Lord Cornwallis. Also, resolved, to erect in Yorktown 
 a marble column, adorned with emblems of the alliance 
 between the United States and his Most Christian Majesty, 
 and inscribed with a succinct narrative of the surrender 
 of the British army. Two stands of colors, taken from 
 the royal troops under the capitulation, were presented to 
 General Washington in the name of the United States in 
 Congress assembled; and two pieces of field ordnance, so 
 tnken, were by a resolve of Congress to be presented by 
 General Washington to Count Rochambeau, with a short 
 memorandum engraved thereon, that "Congress were in- 
 duced to present them from considerations of the illustrious 
 part which he bore in effecting the surrender." 
 
 The Congress of the United States, the assembly and 
 council of the state of Pennsylvania, and a number of 
 principal gentlemen of various orders, having been invited 
 by the minister of France to be present at the praises 
 offered to Heaven in the Catholic Church, on occasion of 
 the late glorious success of the allied arms, the Abbe Ban- 
 dole, Almoner to the Embassy of His Most Christian 
 Majesty, ascended the pulpit, and addressed this august 
 assembly in the following discourse; after which a Te Deura 
 was sung. 
 
 The occasion was in this hemisphere singular and affect- 
 ing; and the discourse itself is so elegant and animated 
 in the French, so warm with those sentiments of piety and 
 
306 MILITAKY JOUENAL, 1781. 
 
 gratitude to our Divine Benefactor, in which good men 
 of all countries accord, and so evidently dictated by the 
 spirit of that new friendship and alliance from which such 
 important advantages have been derived to the rights of 
 America, as must give pleasure to every serious and can- 
 did friend to our glorious cause. 
 
 "Gentlemen: A numerous people assembled to render thanks to the 
 Almighty for his mercies, is one of the most affecting objects, and wor- 
 thy. the attention of the Supreme Being. While camps resound with 
 triumphal acclamations, while nations rejoice in victory and glory, the 
 most honorable office a minister of the altar can fill, is to be the organ 
 by which public gratitude is conveyed to the Omnipotent. 
 
 "Those miracles which he once wrought for his chosen people are 
 renewed in our favor; and it would be equally ungrateful and impious 
 not to acknowledge, that the event which lately confounded our enemies, 
 and frustrated their designs, was the wonderful work of that God who 
 guards your liberties. 
 
 "And who but he could so combine the circumstances which led to 
 success'? We have seen our enemies push forward amid perils almost 
 innumerable — amid obstacles almost insurmountable — to the spot which 
 was designed to witness their disgrace; yet they eagerly sought it, as 
 their theatre of triumph! Blind as they were, they bore hunger, thirst, 
 and inclement skies, poured their blood in battle against brave republi- 
 cans, and crossed immense regions to confine themselves in another 
 Jericho, whose walls were fated to fall before another Joshua. It is he, 
 whose voice commands the winds, the seas, and the seasons, who formed 
 a junction on the same day, in the same hour, between a formidable fleet 
 from the south, and an army rushing from the north, like an impetuous 
 torrent. Who but he, in whose hands are the hearts of men, could in- 
 spire the allied troops w:ith the friendship, the confidence, the tenderness 
 of brothers? How is it that two nations, once divided, jealous, inimical, 
 and nursed in reciprocal prejudices, are now become so closely united 
 as to form but one ? Worldlings would say, it is the wisdom, the virtue, 
 and moderation of their chiefs — it is a great national interest which has 
 performed this prodigy. They will say, that to'the skill of the generals, 
 to the courage of the troops, to the activity of the whole army, we must 
 attribute this splendid success. Ah! they are ignorant that the com- 
 bining of so many fortunate circumstances is an emanation from the 
 All-perfect Mind ; that courage, that skill, that activity bear the sacred 
 impression of him who is divine. 
 
 " For how many fevors have we not to thank him during the course 
 of the present year? Your union, which was at first supported by jus- 
 tice alone, has been consolidated by your courage, and the knot which 
 ties you together is become indissoluble by the accession of all the 
 states, and the unanimous voice of all the confederates. You present 
 to the universe the noble sight of a society which, founded in equality 
 and justice, secure to the individuals who compose it the utmost happi- 
 ness which can be derived from human institutions. This advantage, 
 which so many other nations have been unable to procure, even alter 
 
MILITAKY JOURNAL, 1782. 
 
 807 
 
 ages of efforts and misery, is granted by Divine Providence to the United 
 States; and his adorable decrees have marl<ed tlie present moment for 
 the completion of that memorable, happy revolution which has taken 
 place in this extensive continent. While your councils were thus ac- 
 quiring new energy, rapid and multiplied successes have crowned your 
 arms in the Southern states. 
 
 " We have seen the unfortunate citizens of these states forced from 
 their peaceful abodes; after a long and cruel captivity, old men, women 
 and cliildren thrown, without mercy, into a foreign country. Master of 
 their lands and their slaves, amid his temporary atliuence, a superb victor 
 rejoiced in their distresses. But Philadelphia has witnessed their patience 
 and fortitude; they have found here anotiier home, and, though driven 
 from their native soil, they, have blessed God that he has delivered them 
 fiom the presence of their enemy, and conducted them to a country 
 where evtry just and feeling man has stretched out the helping hand of 
 benevolence. Heaven rewards their virtues. These large states are at 
 once wrested from the foe. The rapacious soldier has been compelled 
 to take refuge behind his ramparts, and oppression has vanished like 
 those phantoms which are dissipated by the morning ray. 
 
 "On this solemn occasion, we might renew our thanks to the God of 
 buttles for the success he has granted to the arms of your allies and 
 your friends, by land and by sea, through the other parts of the globe. 
 But let us not recall those events, which too clearly prove how much 
 the hearts of our enemies have been hardened. • Let us prostrate our- 
 selves at the altar, and implore the God of mercy to suspend his ven- 
 geance, to spare them in his wrath, to inspire them with sentiments of 
 justice and moderation, to terminate their obstinacy and error, and to 
 ordain that your victories be followed by peace and tranquillity. Let us 
 beseech him to continue to shed on the councils of the king, your ally, 
 that spirit of wisdom, of justice, and of courage, which has rendered his 
 reign so glorious. — Let us entreat him to maintain in each of the states 
 that intelligence by which the United States are inspired. Let us return 
 him thanks that a faction, whose rebellion he has corrected, now de- 
 prived of support, is annihilated. Let us offer him pure hearts, unsoiled 
 by private hatred or public dissension; and let us, with one will and one 
 voice, pour forth to the Lord that hymn of praise, by which Christians 
 celebrate their gratitude and his glory." 
 
 January, 1782. — The huts which we now occupy were 
 erected the last winter by some of the Massachusetts 
 troops, a short distance from the banks of the Hudson, 
 and called New Boston ; they aftbrd us a very convenient 
 and comfortable accommodation. Orders having been 
 received for all the troops that have not gone through the 
 small-pox to be inoculated, I commenced this business a 
 liew weeks since, and inoculated about two hundred, in- 
 cluding women and children. Their accommodations were 
 not such as their circumstances required ; we were unpro- 
 vided with proper articles of diet, and a considerable 
 
303 - MILITARY JOURNAL, 1782. 
 
 number were seized with putrid fever, which proved fatal 
 in several instances. 
 
 March 10th. — A singular incident occurred in the sixth 
 regiment to-day. Two soldiers were eating soup together, 
 and one forbid the other eating any more; as he did not 
 desist, his comrade gave him a blow with his fist on the 
 side of his head, on which he fell to the ground and in- 
 stantly expired. On close examination, I could discover 
 no bruise or injury which could enable me to account sat- 
 isfactorily for his death. 
 
 An unhappy controversy has subsisted for some time 
 between Captain H. and Lieutenant S., both of the first 
 Massachusetts regiment. Captain H. was esteemed a man 
 of modest merit and unexceptionable character; he has 
 long commanded a company, and proved himself brave in 
 the field and a good disciplinarian. Lieutenant S., though 
 a good, active officer, is assuming, high-spirited, and values 
 himself on what he deems the principles of honor and the 
 gentleman. Having imbibed a strong prejudice against 
 his captain, and probably calculating on promotion, he 
 took unjustifiable liberties, and, in violation of honor and 
 decency, aspersed his character with unfounded calumnies. 
 The friends of the parties interposed, and endeavored to 
 effect a reconciliation. S. affected an acquiescence; in 
 consequence of which, the contention apparently subsided. 
 But still retaining in his breast the old grudge, he renewed 
 his calumnies, and was determined to provoke his captain 
 to a personal combat; and though contrary to his nature 
 and to his principles, he was compelled to the alternative. 
 Captain H. obtained a furlough, visited his friends in Mas- 
 sachusetts, made his will, and arranged his worldly affairs. 
 Having returned to camp, it was agreed to meet in the 
 field according to the rules of duelling. The tragical result 
 is, that Captain H. received a mortal wound, and died in 
 three hours after, and S. escaped with a wound in his arm. 
 Thus has this imperious young man, to gratify a sordid 
 passion, sent into eternity a man whom he ought to have 
 respected as his superior in every point of view — deprived 
 the public of a valuable officer, and a wife and three chil- 
 dren of a husband and father. Barbarous and cruel mur- 
 derer! you have violated the laws of God and man. Should 
 you escape punishment in this life, what must be your 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1782. 309 
 
 doom in the awful day of retribution? The friends of 
 Captain H. in Massachusetts manifested their abhorrence 
 of this murderous deed, and endeavored by a legal pro- 
 cess to bring S. to condign punishment. They procured 
 a sheriff" in the state of New York, where the crime was 
 committed, who repaired to camp with assistance, took the 
 opportunity when the regiment was on parade, and de- 
 manded of the colonel that S. should be delivered up to 
 the civil authority. The colonel reluctantly pointed out 
 the man, the sheriff" advanced towards him, and S., soldier 
 like, unsheathed his sword and stood in defiance. The 
 sheriff', unaccustomed to the sword, was intimidated, and 
 finally retired from the field without the prisoner.* 
 
 April 6th. — Having completed the inoculation of the 
 soldiers, and attended them through the small-pox, and 
 my professional duty being considerably diminished, I 
 have obtained a furlough for forty-five days to visit my 
 friends in Massachusetts, and shall to-morrow commence 
 my journey to Boston, in company with my friend Doc- 
 tor Eustis. 
 
 Hay 80th. — I returned to New Boston last evening from 
 Boston, having been absent forty-four days, which is one 
 day short of my furlough; our journey to Boston occupied 
 nine days, being impeded by foul weather and bad roads. 
 We were on horseback, attended by a servant, and took 
 our route through Connecticut and Providence. Here we 
 spent a pleasant evening with Lieutenant-Governor Bowen ; 
 he and Doctor Eustis engaged in conversation respecting 
 the properties of coffee; Governor Bowen asserted that it 
 is a sedative, while the doctor contended for its stimulant 
 eff'ects, and he certainly had the best of the argument. 
 Having arrived at Boston, Doctor Eustis kindly introduced 
 me to his father's family, where I received hospitable and 
 polite civilities. I proceeded to Plymouth and Barnstable, 
 where I had the satisfaction of a family interview, after an 
 absence of four years. Great preparations are making at 
 West Point, to celebrate the birth of the young Dauphin 
 
 * In the year 1786, a regiment was raised in the state of Massachu- 
 setts for the purpose of an Indian expedition. Lieutenant S. presented 
 his pretensions as a candidate for a commission, but notwithstanding a 
 respectable recommendation from several general officers, the governor 
 and council rejected the application with disdain. 
 
^IQ MILITAEY JOURNAL. 1782. 
 
 of France; being in alliance witli his Most Christian Ma- 
 jesty, propriety requires that we should celebrate the joy- 
 ous event of the birth of his first son. His Excellency 
 General Washington has, in general orders, given an in- 
 vitation to all officers of the army, and they are requested 
 to invite any friends or acquaintance they may have in 
 the country to participate in the grand festival. 
 
 On the 6th instant a dangerous mutiny was discovered 
 among the soldiers of the Connecticut line. It had been 
 conducted with so much address and secrecy, that it was 
 on the point of execution before it was divulged. The 
 defection was general in the line: the soldiers had deter- 
 mined at reveille the next morning to have marched from 
 their cantonments with arms, &c., complete, for Fishkill, 
 where they intended to take a number of field-pieces with 
 ammunition and provisions, and proceed to Hartford, and 
 there demand of the Assembly that justice which they 
 consider their due. At the moment the officers were re- 
 tiring to bed, a faithful soldier, who was a waiter, informed 
 his officer that he could not retire to rest without divulg- 
 ing an event which would assuredly take place the next 
 morning at day-light. The most guilty soldiers were im- 
 mediately seized and confined, and the ringleader was sen- 
 tenced to sufi:er death, which happily frustrated the whole 
 design. It is but just to observe, that the Connecticut line 
 of troops have during the war, except in this instance, 
 conducted in a very exemplary and meritorious manner. 
 
 June 1st. — Yesterday was celebrated the birth of the 
 Dauphin of France, by a magnificent festival. The edifice 
 under which the company assembled and partook of the 
 entertainment was erected on the plain at West Point. 
 The situation was romantic, and the occasion novel and 
 interesting. Major Yillefranche, an ingenious French 
 engineer, has been employed with one thousand men 
 about ten days in constructing the curious edifice. It is 
 composed of the simple materials which the common trees 
 in this vicinity afford. It is about six hundred feet in 
 length and thirty feet wide, supported by a grand colon- 
 nade of one hundred and eighteen pillars, made of the 
 trunks of trees. The covering of the roof consists of 
 boughs, or branches of trees curiously interwoven, and the 
 same materials form the walls, leaving the ends entiiely 
 
MILITARY JOUENAL, 1782. 31 1 
 
 open. On the inside, every pillar was encircled with 
 muskets and ba3'onets, bound round in a fanciful and 
 handsome manner, and the whole interior was decorated 
 with evergreens, with American and French military 
 colors, and a variety of emblems and devices, all adjusted 
 in such style as to beautify the whole interior of the fabric. 
 This superb structure, in symmetry of proportion, neat- 
 ness of workmanship, and elegance of arrangement, has 
 seldom perhaps been surpassed on any temporary occasion ; 
 it affected the spectators with admiration and pleasure, and 
 reflects much credit on the taste and ability of Major Yil- 
 lefranche. Several appropriate mottos decorated the grand 
 edifice, pronouncing benedictions on the dauphin and hap- 
 piness to the two allied nations. The whole army was 
 paraded on the contiguous hills on both sides of the river, 
 forming a circle of several miles in open view of tln^ ]iublic 
 edifice, and at the given signal of firing three eauuun, the 
 regimental ofiicers all left their commands, and repaired 
 to the building to partake of the entertainment which had 
 been prepared by order of the commander-in-chief. At 
 five o'clock, dinner being on the table, his Excellency 
 General Washington and lady and suite, the principal 
 officers of the army and their ladies, Governor Clinton 
 and his lady, and a number of respectable characters from 
 the states of New York and New Jersey, moved from 
 Major-General McDougall's quarters through the line 
 formed by Colonel Crane's regiment of artillery to the 
 arbor, where more than five hundred gentlemen and ladies 
 partook of a magnificent^ festival. A martial band 
 charmed our senses with music, while we feasted our ap- 
 petites and gazed with admiration on the illustrious guests 
 and the novel spectacle exhibited to our view. The cloth 
 being removed, thirteen appropriate toasts were drank, 
 each one being announced by the discharge of thirteen 
 cannon and accompanied b}' music. The guests retired 
 from the table at seven o'clock, and the regimental officers 
 repaired to their respective commands. The arbor was, 
 in the evening, illuminated by a vast number of lights, 
 which being arranged in regular and tasteful order, ex- 
 hibited a scene vieing in brilliancy with the starry firm- 
 ament. The officers having rejoined their regiments, 
 thirteen cannon were again fired as a prelude to a general 
 
312 MILITARY JOURNAL, 1782. 
 
 feu de joie, which immediately succeeded throughout the 
 whole line of the army on the surrounding hills; and be- 
 ing three times repeated, the mountains resounded and 
 echoed like tremendous peals of thunder, and the flashing 
 from thousands of fire-arms in the darkness of evening, 
 could be compared only to the most vivid flashes of light- 
 ning from the clouds. The feu de joie was immediately 
 followed by three shouts of acclamation and benediction 
 for the dai(2:>hm, by the united voices of the whole army 
 on all sides. At half-past eleven o'clock, the celebration 
 was concluded by the exhibition of fire-works, very in- 
 geniously constructed of various figures. His Excellency 
 General Washington was unusually cheerful. He attended 
 the ball in the evening, and with a dignified and graceful 
 air, having Mrs. Knox for his partner, carried down a 
 dance of twenty couple in the arbor on the green grass. 
 
 June 20ih. — Dined by invitation with Major-General 
 Howe, at his quarters at Eobinson's house, with several 
 respectable guests. 
 
 23c/. — The officers of our regiment prepared an enter- 
 tainment and invited a respectable party. At three o'clock 
 we repaired to an arbor erected for the occasion, under 
 which a long table was spread and a variety of dishes ar- 
 ranged in proper style; we prided ourselves on our camp 
 dinner, as being almost on a par with that of a country 
 gentleman. A band of military music attended, and we 
 finished with toasts and songs in social glee. 
 
 July. — Our brigade moved out of huts on the first in- 
 stant, and encamped at Nelson's point, on the bank of the 
 Hudson, opposite West Point. 
 
 On the 4th, the anniversary of the declaration of our 
 Independence was celebrated in camp. The whole army 
 was formed on the banks of the Hudson on each side of 
 the river. The signal of thirteen cannon being given at 
 West Point, the troops displayed and formed in a line, 
 when a general feu de joie took place throughout the 
 whole army. 
 
 A most barbarous and horrid transaction of the royal 
 refugees, a few weeks since, has excited universal indig- 
 nation throughout the army. It is the cruel murder of Cap- 
 tain Joshua Huddy, of New Jersey, who, being command- 
 ing officer of a detachment stationed at the block-house in 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1782. 818 
 
 Monmouth county, was attacked by a party of refugees 
 from New York on Sunday, the 24th March, and after 
 bravely defending himself till he had expended his am- 
 munition, was taken prisoner and carried into New York. 
 He was closely confined till April 8th, when, without even 
 the form of a trial, he was told that he was ordered to be 
 hanged; accordingly, on the 12th, he was carried over to 
 the Jersey shore, by a party of refugees under the direc- 
 tion of one Captain Lippincot, and there hung on a tree, 
 and left with the following label affixed on his breast: 
 " We the refugees, having with grief long beheld the cruel 
 murders of our brethern, and finding nothing but such 
 measures daily carrying into execution — we, therefore, 
 determine not to suffer without taking vengeance for 
 the numerous cruelties; and thus begin, and, I say, may 
 those lose their liberty who do not follow on, and have 
 made use of Captain Huddy as the first object to present 
 to your view; and further determine to hang man for man 
 while there is a refugee existing. Up goes Huddy for 
 Philip White:' 
 
 The refugees pretend to justify this violent act by assert- 
 ing that Captain Huddy, some time before, made prisoner 
 of a certain Philip White, of their party, and after having 
 maimed him, broke both his legs, and tauntingly bid him 
 run. But this is a vile falsehood ; it has been fully proved 
 that Captain Huddy was closely confined a prisoner at New 
 York at the time and for viany days before White was taken. 
 A letter dated at Freehold, MonTnouth county, 15th April 
 last, and published in the Trenton paper, relates that White 
 was taken the last of March, and after tokens of surren- 
 dering as a prisoner, he took up a musket, and killed a 
 son of Colonel Hendrickson; but being taken by some 
 light-horse, and while they were conducting him to Free- 
 hold, he again attempted to make his escape; and being 
 called on several times to surrender, and continuing to run, 
 when leaping into a bog impassable by the horse, he re- 
 ceived a stroke on his head with a sword which killed him 
 instantly. The above facts were proved by affidavits of the 
 persons who were present, and by the voluntary testimony 
 of one Aaron, who was taken prisoner with the said White. 
 The wanton execution of Captain Huddy so exasperated the 
 inhabitants of that part of New Jersey, that they presented 
 
3-14 MILITAKY JOUKNAL, 1782. 
 
 a respectful memorial to General Washington, claiming 
 justice for the murder of one of their fellow-citizen^, or 
 retaliation in case justice should be refused. General 
 Washington immediately addressed Sir Henry Clinton on 
 the subject, and assured him that unless the perpetrators 
 of the murder were delivered up, he should be under the 
 painful necessity of retaliating. In the meantime, all the 
 general officers, and those commanding brigades or regi- 
 ments, were ordered to assemble at General Heath's quar- 
 ters, to deliberate and decide on the following questions: 
 1st, Shall resort be had to retaliation for the murder of 
 Captain Huddy ? 2d, On whom shall it be inflicted ? 3d, 
 How shall the victim be designated? In order that each 
 officer should be free from all bias and uninfluenced by 
 each other, General Washington ordered that, without 
 conversing on the questions, each one should write his 
 own opinion, and address the same sealed up to the com- 
 mander-in-chief By this method his excellency obtained 
 the spontaneous expression of the feelings of each indi- 
 vidual officer, and they were unanimously of opinion that 
 retaliation ought to be resorted to; that it should be in- 
 flicted on an officer of equal rank with Captain Huddy, 
 and that the victim be designated by lot. Accordingly 
 the painful alternative was adopted: the names of the 
 British captains, our prisoners, were collected, a fair and 
 impartial lot was drawn, and it fell on Captain Asgill, of 
 the British guards, a gentleman of a noble English family, 
 an only son of his parents, and only nineteen years of 
 age, to be the unhappy victim. Next to the execution 
 of Major Andre, this event occasioned the most painful 
 sensations to the mind of the benevolent and humane 
 Washington; his anxiety and poignant distress it is said 
 were very visible. But still, firm and inflexible in his 
 determination to obtain satisfaction, or pursue a course 
 that will tend to deter others from a repetition of crimes so 
 derogatory to the laws of humanity, of war, and of justice, 
 he addressed Congress on the subject, and communicated 
 to that body the New Jersey memorial. They unan- 
 imously approved of the firm and judicious conduct of the 
 commander-in-chief, and assured him of their firmest sup- 
 port in his purpose of exemplary retaliation. 
 
 General Washington was anxious to alleviate the mel- 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1782. 315- 
 
 ancholy condition of Captain Asgill as mucli as possible, 
 and -directed the officer of his guard to treat him with 
 every tender attention and politeness which his rank, for- 
 tune, and connexions, together with his unfortunate state, 
 demanded, that is not inconsistent with his perfect security. 
 He ordered also that Captain Ludlow, Asgill's friend, 
 should be permitted to go into New York with such repre- 
 sentations as they may please to make to Sir Guy Carleton, 
 who has now succeeded Sir Henry Clinton as commander- 
 in-chief of the British army. Captain Asgill, in addressing 
 General Washington, thus expresses himself: "I cannot 
 conclude this letter without expressing my gratitude to 
 your excellency for ordering Colonel Dayton to favor me 
 as much as my situation will admit of, and in justice to 
 him I must acknowledge the feeling and attentive man- 
 ner in which these commands have been executed." How 
 awful is the condition of this innocent young gentleman, 
 doomed to suffer an ignominious death for the crime of an 
 infamous miscreant who so justly deserves the halter! 
 Dreadful indeed must be that suspense when one's life is 
 made to poise on a point so acute and delicate that an 
 uncertain contingency shall decide the issue. General 
 Washington having received information by letter, that 
 a court-martial was appointed by Sir Henry Clinton, even 
 before he received the letter of complaint, for the trial of 
 Captain Lippincot and his abettors in the death of Captain 
 Huddy, waited to be apprised of the issue, as Sir Guy 
 Carleton had assured him of the fullest satisfaction. At 
 length, however, the proceedings of the court-martial were 
 communicated, and it was finished by the following declar- 
 ation: "The court having considered the evidence for 
 and against the captain, and it appearing, that, though 
 Joshua Huddy was executed without proper authority, 
 what the prisoner did, was not the effect of malice or ill- 
 will, but proceeded from a conviction that it was his duty 
 J.O obey the orders of the board of directors of associated 
 loyalists, and his not doubting their having full authority 
 to give such orders, the court is of opinion that he is not 
 guilty of the murder laid to his charge, and therefore acquit 
 him." Never perhaps was there a more complete bur- 
 lesque on all courts of justice! never a more disgraceful pro- 
 ceeding to exculpate a criminal from merited punishment. 
 
316 MILITARY JOURNAL, 1782. 
 
 It appeared in the course of the trial that Governor Frank- 
 lin, president of the board of associated loyalists, gave 
 Lippincot a verbal order to hang Captain Huddy without 
 a trial, and without a crime alleged against him! The 
 order is obeyed in the most unfeeling manner, yet the per- 
 petrator is foimd notgidlty^ and therefore acquitted. Sir Guy 
 Carleton requested of General Washington a passport for 
 Chief-Justice Smith to repair to the American head-quar- 
 ters in order to lay before the commander-in-chief the 
 proceedings of the court-martial, with other documents and 
 explanations which he had no doubt would be satisfactory. 
 His excellency declined an interview with Mr. Smith, "as 
 the question is purely of a military nature, and reducible 
 to tlie single point whether the perpetrator of the wanton 
 and cruel murder of Huddy is to be given up, or a British 
 officer to suffer in his place." But he proposed to send 
 Major-General Heath to meet a British officer of equal 
 rank, if agreeable to the English commander. This was 
 also declined, and it appears that both Sir Henry Clinton 
 and Sir Guy Carleton disapproved of the acquittal of Lip- 
 pincot. Sir Guy, in a letter which accompanied the pro- 
 ceedings of the court, expressed in unequivocal terms to 
 General Washington that, notwithstanding the acquittal, 
 he reprobated the act, and gave assurances of prosecuting 
 a further inquiry. Thus stands at present this very unfor- 
 tunate affair, and Captain Asgill remains in custody to 
 await the final issue. 
 
 In order to avoid breaking the chain of this interesting 
 narrative, I proceed, in anticipation in point of time, to the 
 final conclusion of the melancholy catastrophe. General 
 Washington on the 19th of August made a representation 
 to Congress respecting the whole business for their consid- 
 eration, and soon after directed that Captain Asgill be put 
 on his parole at Morristown, till further orders; and he 
 was allowed the indulgence of riding for his liealth and 
 recreation several miles into the country in any direction, 
 even within a few miles of the British lines, accompanied 
 by his' friend Major Gordon. 
 
 On the 7th of October, General Washington, in a letter 
 to the secretary of war, expressed his private opinion that 
 Captain Asgill ought to be liberated from his duresse, and 
 be permitted to return to his friends in England. SutH- 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL. 1782. 31 7 
 
 cient time had now elapsed since the arrest of Captain 
 Asgill for the distressing intelligence to reach his parents, 
 and to interest the attention and solicitude of almost all 
 Europe. The father of young Asgill was languishing with 
 mortal sickness. Lady Asgill, in the agony of her soul, 
 with her family in the deepest distress and sorrow, pros- 
 trated themselves at the feet of their king and queen, to 
 implore their compassion and assistance. She next had 
 recourse to the beneficence of the illustrious sovereigns of 
 France, through the medium of the celebrated Count de 
 Vergennes, though the two nations were at war. Her 
 incomparably pathetic and eloquent letter could not fail 
 of producing the desired effect: it reached the hearts, and 
 interested the sympathies of those exalted philanthropists 
 to whom it was addressed. A letter was immediately 
 despatched from Count de Vergennes to General Wash- 
 ington, dated July 27th, and this was accompanied by that 
 which the count had received from Lady Asgill. "Your 
 excellency," says the count, "will not read this letter (Lady 
 Asgill's) without being extremely affected. It thus affected 
 the king and queen, to whom I communicated it. The 
 goodness of their majesties' hearts induces them to desire 
 that the inquietudes of an unfortunate mother may be 
 calmed- and her tenderness reassured. — There is one con- 
 sideration, sir, which, though not decisive, may have an 
 influence on your resolution. Captain Asgill is doubtless 
 your prisoner, but he is "among those whom the arms of 
 the king contributed to put into your hands at York- 
 town. — Though this circumstance does not operate as a 
 safeguard, it, however, justilies the interest I permit myself 
 to take in this affair. — In seeking to deliver Mr. Asgill from 
 the fate which threatens him, I am far from engaging you 
 to seek another victim; the pardon, to be periectly satis- 
 factory, must be entire." — Copies of these letters being 
 transmitted with one from his excellency to Congress, they 
 resolved, November 7th, that the commander-in-chief be 
 directed to set Captain Asgill at libert3^ A more grateful 
 duty could scarcely be assigned ; it relieved his mind from 
 a weight which had long oppressed and preyed on his 
 spirits. He immediately transmitted to Captain Asgill a 
 copy of the resolve of Congress, accompanied with a pass- 
 port for him to go into New York, and also a letter which 
 
318 MILITAKY JOUKNAL, 1782. 
 
 closes as follows: "I cannot take leave of 3-011, sir, without 
 assuring you that, in whatever light my agency in this 
 unpleasant affiiir may be viewed, 1 was never influenced 
 through the whole of it by sanguinary motives, but by 
 what I conceived to be a sense of my duty, which loudly 
 called on me to take measures, however disagreeable, to 
 prevent a repetition of those enormities which have been 
 the subject of discussion. And that this important end 
 is likely to be answered without the effusion of the blood 
 of an innocent person is not a greater relief to you than 
 it is, sir, to 
 
 "Your most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 "George Washington."* 
 
 * From the " Historical and Literary Memoirs and Anecdotes, selected from 
 the Corresjjondence (f Baron de Griinm and Diderot:''^ 
 
 "You c;in well remember the general interest Sir Asgill inspired, 
 
 a young olHtrer in the English guards, who was made prisoner and con- 
 demned to death by the Americans in reprisal for the death of Captain 
 Huddy, who was hanged by the order of Captain Lippincot. The public 
 prints all over Europe resounded with the unhappy catastrophe, wliich 
 for eight months impended over the life of this young otKcer. The ex- 
 treme grief of his mother, the sort of delirium which clouded the mind 
 of his sister at hearing of the dreadful fate which menaced the life of her 
 brother, interested every feeling mind in the fate of this unfortunate 
 family. The general curiosity, with regard to the events of the war, 
 yielded, if I may so say, to the. interest wiiich young Asgill inspired, and 
 the first question asked of all vessels that arrived from any port in North 
 America, was always an inquiry into the fate of this young, man. It is 
 known that Asgill was thrice conducted to the foot of the gibbet, and 
 that thrice General Washington, who could not bring himself to commit 
 this crime of policy without a great struggle, suspended his punishment; 
 his humanity and justice made him hope tliat the English general would 
 deliver over to him the author of the crime which Asgill was condemned 
 to expiate. Clinton, either ill obeyed, or insensible to the fate of young 
 Asgill, persisted in refusing to deliver up the barbarous Lippincot. In 
 vain the king of England, at whose feet this unfortunate family fell 
 down, had given orders to surrender up to the Americans th4 author of 
 a crime which dishonored the English nation ; George 111. was not 
 obeyed. In vain the United States of Holland entreated of the United 
 States of America the pardon of the unhappy Asgill; the gibbet, erected 
 in front of his prison, did not cease to otl'er to his eyes those dreadful 
 preparatives more awful than death itself In these circumstances, and 
 almost reduced to despair, the mother of the unfortunate victim bethought 
 herself that the minister of a king armed against her own nation might 
 succeed in obtaining that which was refused to her king. Lady Asgill 
 wrote to the Count de Vergennes a letter, the eloquence of which, independ- 
 ently of oratorical forms, is that of all people and all languages, because 
 it derives its power from the first and noblest sentiments of our nature. 
 
MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1782. 319 
 
 The tour of duty at Dobbs' ferry having fallen to our 
 regiment, we marched from Nelson's Point on the 24th, 
 
 "The two memorials which are subjoined, merit being preserved as 
 historical monuments. 
 
 Letter from Lady Asgill to the Comte de Vergennes. 
 
 " Sir : If the politeness of the French court will permit a stranger to 
 address it, it cunnot be doubted but that she who utiites in herself all 
 the more delicate sensations with which an individual can be penetrated, 
 will be received favorably by a nobleman who reflects honor not only on 
 his nation, but on human nature. The subject on which I implore your 
 assistance, is too heart-rending to be dwelt on; most probably, the 
 public report of it has already reached you; this relieves me from the 
 burthen of so mournful a duty. My son, my only son, dear to me as he 
 is brave, amiable as he is beloved, only nineteen years of age, a prisoner 
 of war, in consequence of the capitulation of Yorktown, is at present 
 confined in America as an object of reprisal. — Shall the innocent share 
 the fate of the guilty : Figure to yourself, sir, the situation of a family 
 in these circumstances. Surrounded as I am with objects of distress, 
 bowed down by fear and grief, words are wanting to e.xpress what I feel, 
 and to paint such a scene of misery: my husband, given over by his 
 physicians some hours before the arrival of this news, not in a condition 
 to be' informed of it; my daughter attacked by a fever, accompanied wiih 
 delirium; speaiung of her brother in tones of wildness, and without an 
 interval of reason, unless it be to listen to some circumstances which 
 may console her heart. Let your sensibility, sir, paint to you my pro- 
 found, my inexpressible misery, and plead in my favor; a word, a word 
 from you, like a voice from Heaven, would liberate us from desolation, 
 from the last degree of misfortune. I know how far General Washing- 
 ton reveres your character. Tell him only that you wish my son re- 
 stored to liberty, and he will restore him to his desponding family; he 
 will restore him to happiness. The virtue and courage of my son will 
 justify this act of clemency. His honor, sir, led him to America; he 
 was born to abundance, to independence, and to the happiest prospects. 
 Permit me, once more, to entreat the interference of your high influence 
 in favor of innocence, and in the cause of justice and humanity. De- 
 spatch, sir, a letter from France to General Washington, and favor me 
 with a copy of it, that it may be transmitted from hence. I feel the 
 whole weight of the liberty taken in presenting this request; but I 
 feel confident, whether granted or not, that you will pity the distress 
 by which it was suggested; your humanity will drop a tear on my fault, 
 and blot it out for ever. 
 
 "May that Heaven which I implore grant that you may never need 
 the consolation which you have it in your power to bestow on 
 
 " Theresa Asgill." 
 
 Second Letter of Lady Asgill to the Comte de Vergennes. 
 
 "Sir: Exhausted by long suffering, overpowered by an excess of un- 
 expected happiness, confirad to my bed by weakness and languor, bent 
 z 
 
320 
 
 HILITAKY JOURNAL, 17S2. 
 
 crossed the river at King's ferry, and on the 25th en- 
 camped near the block-house at this place. This after- 
 
 to the earth by what I have undergone, my sensibility alone could sup- 
 ply me with strength sufficient to address you. 
 
 "Condescend, sir, to accept this feeble effort of my gratitude. It has 
 been laid at the feet of the Almighty ; and believe me, it has been pre- 
 sented with the same sincerity to you, sir, and to your illustrious sover- 
 eigns ; by their august and salutary intervention, as by your own, a son 
 is restored to me, to whom my own life was attached. I have the 
 sweet assurance that my vows for jny protectors are heard by Heaven, 
 to whom they are ardently offered; yes, sir, they will produce their effect 
 before the dreadful and last tribunal, where I indulge in the hope that 
 we shall both appear together; you to receive the recompense of your 
 virtues; myself, that of my sufferings. I will raise my voice before that 
 imposing tribunal, I will call for those sacred registers in which your 
 humanity will be found recorded. I will pray that blessings m;iy be 
 showered on your head, on him who, availing himself of tlie noblest 
 privilege received from God — a privilege no otiier than divine — lias 
 changed misery into happiness, has witiidrawn the sword from the in- 
 nocent head, and restored the worthiest of sons to the most tender and 
 unfortunate of mothers. 
 
 "Condescend, sir, to accept this last tribute of gratitude due to your 
 virtuous sentiments. Preserve this tribute, and may it go down to your 
 posterity as a testimony of your sublime and exemplary beneficence to 
 a stranger, whose nation was at war with your own; but these tender 
 affections have not been destroyed by war. May this tribute bear tes- 
 timony to my gratitude long after the hand that expresses it, with the 
 heart which at this moment only vibrates with the vivacity of grateful 
 sentiments, shall be reduced to dust; even to the last day of my exist- 
 ence, it shall beat but to offer all the respect and all the gratitude witli 
 which it is penetrated. " Theresa Asgill." 
 
 Remarks. — The Baron de Grimm has unfortunately been led to make 
 an erroneous statement respecting the treatment of Captain Asgill, 
 which ought in justice to be corrected. It is difficult to account fur his 
 assertion that, "It is known that Asgill was thrice conducted to the foot 
 of the gibbet, and thrice General Washington, who could not bring him- 
 self to commit this crime of policy without a great struggle, suspended 
 bis punishment;" and again, "the gibbet, erected in front of his prison, 
 did not cease to offer to his eyes those dreadful preparatives more awful 
 than death itself." I can with the fullest confidence affirm, that a gibbet 
 never was erected for Captain Asgill at any period of his confinement, and 
 that no preparations whatever were made for his execul ion, except a seem e 
 confinement for a short period, during which the utmost tenderness and 
 polite civilities were bestowed on him, and for these he expressed his 
 grateful acknowledgments in his letter to General Washington. It would 
 be preposterous to suppose that the commander-in-chief could act a 
 farcical part by exhibiting the machines of death, wiien it was altogether 
 problematical whether an execution would be the final resort, and surely 
 nothing could be less characteristic of Washington, than wantonly to 
 torture the feelings of a prisoner with the horrors of death. 
 
MILITARY JOURNAL, 1782. 321 
 
 noon a flag of truce arrived here from New York with 
 despatches for General Washington, which were immedi- 
 ately forwarded to him. 
 
 August 6th. — Flags are passing and repassing from this 
 post to New York and back every day, and several gen- 
 tlemen have been permitted to come out of that city. By 
 the intelligence which they bring, corroborating those 
 which we receive from other sources, commissioners are 
 sent from the court of London to Paris, where they are to 
 meet French and American commissioners for the import- 
 ant purpose of negotiating a general peace. May God 
 gram them success in bringing to America an honorable 
 peace and national independence! A very considerable 
 number of deserters have come out from New York within 
 these few days past. 
 
 31s^. — The army marched from their different quarters 
 this morning and encamped at Verplank's point in the 
 evening. Part of the troops came down the river in boats, 
 which, being in motion and in regular order on the water, 
 made a most beautiful appearance. I shall to-morrow 
 commence a journey to Philadelphia, for the purpose of 
 receiving a sum of money at the American Bank, for the 
 payment of our regiment. 
 
 /September 10th. — I returned last evening from Philadel- 
 phia, where I met my very respectable friends Dr. Treat 
 and Dr. Benney of the hospital, with whom I dined. 
 Drank tea and spent the evening with Dr. Andrew Craige, 
 our apothecary-general. The next day dined with Mr. 
 James Lovell, lieutenant and adjutant of our regiment. 
 Here I had the pleasure of being introduced to two cele- 
 brated characters. Dr. John Jones, of Philadelphia, and 
 the honorable Eobert Morris, the great American financier. 
 Dr. Jones formerly resided in the city of New York, where 
 he was "distinguished for his professional merit, urbanity 
 of manners, and moral excellence." As a surgeon. Dr. 
 Jones is considered at the head of the profession in the 
 United States, and his reputation has been considerably 
 extended by a valuable work, entitled, '■^ Plain Remarlcs 
 on "Wounds and Fractures^'' which he published in the year 
 1775 for the particular benefit of the surgeons of our 
 army, and which has been received with universal appro- 
 bation. Mr. Morris stands preeminent as a citizen, mer- 
 
322 MILITAEY JOURNAL, 1782. 
 
 cliant and patriot, and the public are greatly indebted to 
 him for his unrivaled efforts as superintendent of the 
 finances of the United States, by which the public interest 
 has been greatly promoted. I waited on Major-General 
 Lincoln, secretary at war, to obtain an order on the bank 
 for the money which was the object of my visit, but was 
 disappointed, as the state of the bank would not admit of 
 any discount. General Lincoln introduced me to Mr. 
 Osgood, a member of Congress from Massachusetts. 
 
 September lAth. — The whole army was paraded under 
 arms this morning in order to honor his Excellency Count 
 Eochambeau on his arrival from the southward. The 
 troops were all formed in two lines, extending from the 
 ferry, where the count crossed, to head-quarters. A troop 
 of horse met and received him at King's ferry, and con- 
 ducted him through the line to General Washington's 
 quarters, where, sitting on his horse by the side of his 
 excellency, the whole army marched before him, and paid 
 the usual salute and honors. Our troops were now in 
 complete uniform, and exhibited every mark of soldierly 
 discipline. Count Eochambeau was most highly gratified 
 to perceive the very great improvement which our army 
 had made in appearance since he last reviewed them, and 
 expressed his astonishment at their rapid progress in mil- 
 itary skill and discipline. He said to General Washington, 
 "You have formed an alliance with the King of Prussia. 
 These troops are Prussians." Several of the principal 
 officers of the French army, who have seen troops of dif- 
 ferent European nations, have bestowed the highest enco- 
 miums and applause on our army, and declared that they 
 had seen none superior to the Americans. 
 
 16th. — Dined with M!)jor-General Howe, with a number 
 of officers of our line, and on the 17th dined with Baron 
 Steuben in company with Generals Howe, Patterson, and 
 a number of French officers. The baron is never more 
 happy than when he is manifesting his generous friend- 
 ship and benevolence. 
 
 October. — Eight battalions have been selected from the 
 army to perform some grand manoeuvres and a review. 
 The evolutions and firings were performed this day with 
 that regularity and precision which does them honor, and 
 which received the full approbation of the numerous 
 
MILITARY JOUENAL, 1782, 323 
 
 spectators, and of the American and French officers who 
 were present. 
 
 30th. — At reveille on the 26th instant, the left wing of 
 our army, under the command of General Heath, decamped 
 from Verplank's point and marched to the highlands; 
 took our lodging in the woods, without covering, and were 
 exposed to heavy rain during a night and day. Thence 
 we crossed the Hudson to West Point, and marched over 
 the mountain called Butter hill; passed the night in the 
 open field, and the next day reached the ground where 
 we are to erect log huts for our winter-quarters, near 
 New Windsor. 
 
 November 10th. — I attended the funeral of my late 
 worthy friend. Ensign Trant. This young gentleman at 
 the age of eighteen came over from Ireland about two 
 years since, and on his arrival in Boston was appointed 
 an ensign in our regiment. Having a taste for military 
 life, he had acquired considerable reputation as an officer, 
 and was esteemed for his amiable temper and disposition, 
 his liberal and generous sentiments, and his polite and 
 gentlemanly manners. He suffered a lingering illness of 
 eight months. Renouncing all hope of recovery, he con- 
 quered the terrors of death, and acquired a remarkable 
 degree of patience and resignation during the last weeks 
 of his extreme suffering. His remains were decently in- 
 terred in the garrison at West Point, and were followed 
 to the grave by his Excellency General Washington and 
 a very respectable procession. 
 
 A melancholy event has. recently been announced from 
 South Carolina — Colonel John Laurens, a man of estimable 
 value, has been slain in a rencounter with the enemy near 
 Charleston, He was the son of Henry Laurens, Esq., late 
 president of Congress, and our ambassador to Holland. 
 He had been employed on a special mission to France, to 
 obtain a loan for the United States, in which he was suc- 
 cessful. The enemy having detached a party into the 
 country to procure provisions, Colonel Laurens, ever fore- 
 most in danger, joined the party of continentals as a vol- 
 unteer, to counteract their object, and while advancing on . 
 the enemy with great intrepidity, he received a mortal 
 wound. His death is universally lamented, more espe- 
 cially at this late period, when the contest is supposed to 
 
324: MILITARY JOURNAL, 1782, 
 
 be near a termination. No enlogy can exceed the merit 
 of this noble and very useful officer. 
 
 A very extraordinary and melancholy event has re- 
 cently been announced from England. The ship called 
 the Eoyal George, of one hundred and eight guns, com- 
 manded by Admiral Kempenfelt, being careened on one 
 side to receive some necessary repairs, was by a sudden 
 gust of wind forced over, and her gun-ports being open, 
 she instantly filled with water, and went to the bottom. 
 The admiral himself was writing at his table in the cabin, 
 and with about one thousand souls was lost; among them 
 "U'ere about three hundred women and children. Admiral 
 Kempenfelt was about seventy years of age, and wns con- 
 sidered, in point of professional knowledge and judgment, 
 one of the first naval officers in Europe. A victualler 
 alongside was swallowed up in the whirlpool occasioned 
 by the sinking of the ship. 
 
 The campaign is now brought to a close, and no glori- 
 ous deeds have been achieved ; not a gun has been fired 
 between the two armies during the campaign, and the 
 prospect of peace is so favorable and encouraging, that our 
 Congress have passed a resolve to discharge a considerable 
 part of tbe army on the 1st day of January next. The 
 supernumerary officers are to retire on the establishment 
 provided by Congress, and are to be entitled to all the 
 emoluments with those who continue in service till peace 
 shall be proclaimed. 
 
 December loth. — Dined with my friends Drs. Townsend, 
 Eustis and Adams, at the hosj)ital, in company with Gen- 
 erals Gates and Howe, and their aids, Dr. Cochran, our 
 surgeon -general, and several other officers. Our enter- 
 tainment was ample and elegant. 
 
 19/A. — I partook of another entertainment at Dr. Eustis' 
 quarters. New Boston. Our guests were General Mc- 
 Dougall and his aids, Colonels Jackson, Crane, &c. Gen- 
 eral Alexander McDougall is the son of a Scotchman, 
 whose employment was that of a milk-man in the city of 
 New York, and the son was sometimes his assistant. The 
 general at an early period was distinguished among those 
 who had adopted the whig principles, and known to be a 
 zealous advocate for freedom. Principle and a sense of 
 duty led him to the field of contest, and in August, 1776, 
 
MILlTAIvY JOURNAL, 1782. §25 
 
 he was by Congress appointed a brigadier-general, and by 
 his intelligence and active spirit he has acquired a reput..- 
 ble standing as a general officer. He displays much of 
 the Scotch character, is afiable and facetious, often in- 
 dulging in pleasantry, and adverting to his national pecu- 
 liarities and family origin; at the close of which he adds, 
 "Now, gentlemon, you have got the history of Sawney 
 McDougall, the milk-mon's son." 
 
 2bth. — The time is now approaching when, according to 
 a resolve of Congress, a reduction of the army is to take 
 place, and it is optional with me to continue till peace is 
 actually proclaimed and our army entirely disbanded, or 
 to retire from service on the new establishment, by which 
 I shall be entitled to the same emoluments with those who 
 remain. Having duly deliberated on the subject, I have 
 come to the resolution of bidding a final adieu to the 
 scenes of military life, and have resigned my commission 
 in favor of Dr. Shute. It is with inexpressible reluctance 
 that I contemplate a separation from numerous friends 
 with whom I have so long associated in the most harmc 
 nious and pleasing intercourse. Engaged in the same 
 glorious and honorable cause, encountering together the 
 same perils, suffering unparalleled hardships and priva- 
 tions, and participating in the most interesting scenes and 
 events, our mutual and cherished attachments are no less 
 ardent than the ties of brotherly affection. Friendship 
 formed under such circumstances, and cemented by purity 
 of sentiment, must prove as lasting as our days on earth, 
 and we shall ever cherish a sincere interest in the welfare 
 of the companions of our military career. It will be to 
 me a source of infinite satisfaction during the remainder 
 of my days, that I have shared in the toils and perils of 
 war during seven years and a half, in defence of my country 
 and its freedom, and that the mighty struggle terminates 
 in peace and the establishment of our national Independ- 
 ence. This momentous event should be considered as a 
 rich blessing which Providence bestows on us for the 
 benefit of the present and many future generations. It is 
 incumbent on me to express my unfeigned gratitude to 
 the All-wise Author and Preserver of men, that he has 
 been pleased to confer on me innumerable blessings, and 
 
32g MILITARY JOURNAL, 1788. 
 
 preserved my life and health during a long period while 
 exposed to the greatest hardships and imminent perils. 
 
 January 1st, 1783. — This day I close my military career, 
 and quit for ever the toils and vicissitudes incident to the 
 storms of war. To my military companions I bid a final 
 adieu, and hope to enjoy in future the blessings which 
 attend a virtuous course of domestic life. I retire with 
 honorable testimonials from very respectable authority of 
 my punctuality and faithful performance of duty in the 
 various situations which I have been called to occupy, 
 and with a heart fraught with grateful recollections of the 
 kindness and affectionate intercourse which I have expe- 
 rienced from my superiors, and from my numerous com- 
 panions and associates. While I congratulate my country 
 on the momentous event by which we are about to be 
 elevated to the rank of an Independent Nation, most cor- 
 dially do I proffer my sympathy for the many lives of 
 inestimable value which have been sacrificed during this 
 ever-memorable contest. 
 
 Note. — As the materials for the remainder of this work were col- 
 lected and arranged after I returned from the army, I have thought it 
 proper to change my running title from "Military Journal" to "Revo- 
 tionary Annals." 
 
REVOLUTIONARY ANNALS. 
 
 SOCIETY OF CINCINNATI. 
 
 "While contemplating a final separation of the officers 
 of the army, the tenderest feelings of the heart had their 
 afflicting operations. It was at the suggestion of General 
 Knox, and with the acquiescence of the commander-in- 
 chief, that an expedient was devised by which a hope is 
 entertained that their long-cherished friendship and social 
 intercourse may be perpetuated, and that at future periods 
 they may annually communicate, and revive a recollection 
 of the bonds by which they were connected. It was on 
 the 10th day of May, 1783, when the officers held their 
 first meeting, at which the Baron Steuben, the senior offi- 
 cer, presided, that Major-General Knox, Brigadier-Gen- 
 eral Hand, Brigadier-General Huntington and Captain 
 Shaw, were chosen to revise the proposals for the institu- 
 tion, and prepare a copy to be laid before the next meeting, 
 at Baron Steuben's quarters, on the 13th, when the plan 
 for establishing a society was accepted, and is as follows: 
 
 "It having pleased the Supreme Governor of the Universe, in the dis- 
 position of human affairs, to cause the separation of the Colonies of 
 North America from the dominion of Great Britain, and, after a bloody 
 conflict of eight years, to establish them Free, Independent, and Sover- 
 eign States, connected by alliances, founded on reciprocal advantages, 
 with some of the greatest princes and powers of the earth: 
 
 "To perpetuate, therefore, as well the remembrance of this vast event, 
 as the mutual friendships which have been formed, under the pressure 
 of common danger, and in many instances cemented by the blood of the 
 parties, the officers of the American army do iiereby, in the most solemn 
 manner, associate, constitute and combine themselves into one Society 
 of Friends, to endure so long as they shall endure, or any of their eldest 
 male posterity, and in failure thereof, the collateral branches, who may 
 be judged worthy of becoming its supporters and members. 
 
 "The officers of the American army having generally been taken from 
 the citizens of America, possess higli veneration for the character of that 
 
328 KEVOLUTIONAEY ANNALS, 1788. 
 
 illustrious Roman, Lucius Qutntius Cincinnatus, and being resolved to 
 follow his example, by returning to their citizenship, they think tiiey may 
 with propriety denominate themselves the Society of ike Cincinnati. 
 
 "The following principles shall be immutable, and form the basis of 
 the Society of the Cincinnati: 
 
 "An incessant attention to preserve inviolate those exalted rights and 
 liberties of human nature, for which they have fought and bled, and 
 without which the high rank of a rational being is a curse instead of a 
 blessing. 
 
 "An unalterable determination to promote and cherish, between the 
 respective states, that union and national honor, so essentially necessary 
 to their happiness, and the future dignity of the American empire. 
 
 "To render permanent the cordial affection subsisting among the offi- 
 cers, this spirit will dictate brotherly kindness in all things, and particu- 
 larly extend to the most substantial acts of beneficence, accurding to the 
 ability of the society, towards those officers and their families who un- 
 fortunately may be under the necessity of receiving it. 
 
 "The general society will, for the sake of frequent communications, 
 be divided into state societies, and these again into such districts as shall 
 be directed by the state society. 
 
 "The societies of the districts to meet as often as shall be agreed on 
 by the state society; those of the state on the 4th day of July, annually, 
 or oftener if they shall find it expedient; and the general society on the 
 first Mond:iy in May, annually, so long as they shall deem it necessary, 
 and afterwards, at least once in every three years. 
 
 "At each meeting, the principles of the institution will be fully con- 
 sidered, and the best measures to promote them adopted. 
 
 "The state societies to have a president, vice-president, secretary, 
 treasurer, and assistant-treasurer, to be chosen annually by a majority 
 of votes, at the state meeting. 
 
 "In order to form funds which may be respectable, and assist the un- 
 fortunate, each officer shall deliver to the treasurer of the state society 
 one month's pay, which shall remain for ever, to the use of the state 
 society; the interest only of which, if necessary, to be appropriated to 
 the relief of the unfortunate. 
 
 "The society shall have an order, by which its members shall be 
 known and distinguished, which shall be a medal of gold, of a proper 
 size to receive the emblems, and be suspended by a deep-blue ribband, 
 two inches wide, edged with white, descriptive of the union of America 
 and France." 
 
 His Excellency General Washington officiated as presi- 
 dent of the general society from its institution, in 1783, 
 till his death, as did Major-General B. Lincoln of the 
 society of Massachusetts. Since his demise, in 1810, Gov- 
 ernor Brooks has been annually elected president. Some 
 attempts were made at the first general meeting, in 1784, 
 to alter the constitution of the society, in order that the 
 hereditary succession of the members should be done 
 away, without substituting any means of perpetuating the 
 
KEVOLUTIONAEY ANNALS, 1783. 329 
 
 existence of the society. But a majority of the state so- 
 cieties did not approve this change, and the institution 
 remains as it was originally adopted in 1783. The society 
 of Massachusetts was incorporated by the legislature in 
 the year 1806, and their by-laws provide that persons who 
 claim admission as members in right of succession to a 
 deceased member shall be the oldest male heirs, or collat- 
 eral branches not under twenty-one years of age. He must 
 make his application to the standing committee in writing, 
 and will be voted in by ballot. 
 
 In December, 1782, the ofiicers of the army being ap- 
 prehensive that they should be disbanded before their 
 accounts should be liquidated and the engagements of 
 government complied with, resolved to memorialize Con- 
 gress on the subject, and Major-General McDougall, Col- 
 onel Ogden and Colonel Brooks were deputed as a 
 committee to wait on that honorable body, requesting their 
 attention to the distresses under which the army labored, 
 and to solicit payment of the money actually due to the 
 army, and security for the commutation of half-pay, stipu- 
 lated by the resolve of October, 1780, for a sum in gross, 
 which they conceive would be less objectionable than the 
 half-pay establishment. Subsequent to this proceeding, a 
 report was circulated in camp that Congress did not mean 
 to comply with their resolves respecting halfpay, &o. 
 This operated very powerfully on the minds of the officers 
 of the army, and occasioned them to forward an address 
 to Congress, in behalf of themselves and their brethren, 
 the soldiers. They asked for a supply of money, to be 
 forwarded immediately to the army, for a settlement of 
 the accounts of arrearages of pay, and security for what is 
 due; for a commutation of half for full pay for a certain 
 number of ^^ears, or for a sum in gross, as should be agreed 
 on; for a settlement of accounts, for deficiencies of rations 
 and compensations, and of the deficiencies of clothing and 
 compensations. They conclude their address in these 
 words: "The pressure of evils and injuries in the course 
 of seven long years have made their condition, in many 
 instances, wretched; they therefore entreat that Congress, 
 to convince the army and the world that the Independence 
 of America shall not be placed on the ruin of any partic- 
 
330 EEVOLUTIONAEY ANNALS, 1783. 
 
 ular class of citizens, will point out a mode for immediate 
 redress; and that the disabled officers and soldiers, with 
 the widows and orphans of those who have lost or may 
 lose their lives in the service of their country, may be in- 
 cluded, and that some mode be pointed out for the event- 
 ual payment of those soldiers who are the subjects of the 
 resolution of Congress of the 15th of May, 1778." In 
 consequence of this address, Congress passed the following 
 resolves, namely: 
 
 "That the superintendent of finance be directed, conformably to the 
 measures ah*eady taken for that purpose, so soon as the state of tlie 
 public finances will permit, to make sucli payment, and in such manjicr 
 as he shall think proper, till the further order of Congress. 
 
 "With respect to the second article of the address, the settlement of 
 accounts of the arrearages of pay, that the several slates be called on to 
 complete, without delay, the settlements with their resjiective lines of 
 the army, up to the first day of August, 1780; and that tlie superintend- 
 ent of finance take such measures as shall appear to him most proper 
 for effecting the settlement frcjm this period. That the troops of tiie 
 United States, in common with all creditors of the same, have an un- 
 doubted right to expect security for what shall be found due, and Con- 
 gress will make every effort in their power to obtain from the respective 
 states substantial funds, adequate to the object of funding the whole 
 debt of the United States, and will enter on an immediate and full con- 
 sideration of the nature of such funds, and the most likely mode of ob- 
 taining them." 
 
 The remainder of the report of the committee, on the 
 subject of the address, was referred to a committee of five. 
 
 General McDougall and Colonel Ogden, in a letter to 
 General Knox, made known to the army their success ; 
 and Colonel Brooks returned to camp to inform them, 
 verbally, of the prospect of commutation, or of obtaining 
 an equivalent for half-pay, which they had proposed in 
 their address. General McDougall continued at Congress 
 on the army business, while the impression of the report 
 which occasioned the address to Congress|W^)owever false, 
 remained on the minds of some officers; notwithstanding 
 Congress were doing all that the circumstances of the states 
 would admit to relieve and satisfy the army. 
 
 March 10th. — In the midst of this perturbed state of 
 affairs in camp, and while the daj^ of final separation was 
 supposed to be near at hand, the following anonymous 
 letter, calculated to exasperate the passions of the moment, 
 was privately circulated: 
 
KEVOLUTIONAEY ANNALS, 1783. 331 
 
 "TO THE OFFICERS OF THE ARMY. 
 
 "Gentlemen: A fellow-soldier, whose interest and affections bind 
 hitn strongly to you — whose past sufferings have been as great, and 
 V'hose future fortune may be as desperate, as yours — would beg leave 
 to address you. 
 
 "Age has its claims, and rank is not without its pretensions to advise; 
 but, though unsupported by both, he flatters himself th.it the plain Ian- •• 
 guage of sincerity and experience will neither be unheard nor unregarded. 
 
 "Like many of you he loved private life, and left it with regret. He 
 left it, determined to retire from the field, with the necessity that called 
 him to it, and not till then — not till the enemies of his country, the 
 slaves of power, and the hirelings of injustice, were compelled to aban- 
 don their schemes, and acknowledge America as terrible in arms as she 
 had been humble in remonstrance. With this object in view, he has 
 long shared in your toils and mingled in your dangers. — He has felt the 
 cola hand of poverty without a murmur, and has seen the insolence of 
 wealth without a sigh. — But, too much under the direotion of his wishes, 
 and sometimes weak enough to mistake desire for opinion, he has till 
 lately — very lately — believed in the justice of his country. He hoped 
 that, as the clouds of adversity scattered, and as the sunshine of peace 
 and better fortune broke in on us, the coldness and severity of govern- 
 ment would relax, and that more than justice, that gratitude would blaze 
 forth on those hands which had upheld her, in the darkest stages of her 
 passage from impending servitude to acknowledged independence. But 
 faith has its limits, as well as temper, and there are points beyond which 
 neither can be stretched, without sinking into cowardice or plunging 
 into credulity. — This, my friends, I conceive to be your situation : hur- 
 ried to the very edge of both, another step would ruin you for ever. — 
 To be tame and unprovoked when injuries press hard on you, is more 
 than weakness; but too look up for kinder usage, without one manly 
 effort of your own, would fix your character, and show the world how 
 richly you deserve those chains you broke. To guard ag.iinst this evil, 
 let us take a review of the ground on which we now stand, and thence 
 carry our thoughts forward for a moment, into the unexplored field of 
 experiment. 
 
 "After a pursuit of seven long years, the object for which we set out 
 is at length brought within our reach — yes, my friends, that suffering 
 courage of yours was active once: it has conducted the United States 
 of America through a doubtful and bloody war. It has placed her in 
 the chair of independency, and peace returns again to bless — who? A 
 country willing to redress your wrongs, cherish your worth, and reward 
 your services? A country courting your return to private life, with tears 
 of gratitude and smiles of admiration, longing to divide with you that 
 independency which your gallantry has given, and those riches which 
 your wounds have preserved? Is this the case? or is it rather a country 
 that tramples on your rights, disdains your cries, and insults your dis- 
 tresses? Have you not more than once suggested your wishes, and 
 made known your wants to Congress? — wants and wishes which grati- 
 tude and policy should have anticip.ited rather than evaded; and have 
 you not lately, in the meek language of entreating memorials, begged 
 from their justice what you could no longer expect from their favor? 
 
832 
 
 EEVOLUTIONAKY ANNALS, 1783. 
 
 How have voii been answered? Let the letter which you are called to 
 consider to-morrow reply. 
 
 "If this, tlien, be your treatment, while the swords you wear are ne- 
 cessary for the defence of America, what have you to expect from peace, 
 when your voice shall sink, and your strength dissipate by division? — 
 when those very swords, the instruments and companions of your glory, 
 shall be taken from your sides, and no remaining mark of military dis- 
 tinction be left but your wants, infirmities, and scars? Can you, then, 
 consent to be the only suiferers by this revolution, and, retiring from the 
 field, grow old in poverty, wretchedness, and contempt? Can you con- 
 sent to wade through the vile mire of dependency, and owe the misera- 
 ble remnant of that life to charity which has hitherto been spent in 
 honor? If you can, go — and carry with you the jest of tories and the 
 scorn of whigs; the ridicule, and, what is worse, the pity of the world. 
 Go — starve, and be forgotten! But if your spirit should revolt at this; 
 if you have sense enough to discover, and spirit enough to oppose 
 tyranny under whatever garb it may assume; whether it be the plain 
 coat of republicanism, or the splendid robe of royalty; if you have not 
 yet learned to discriminate between a people and a cause, between men 
 and principles — awake; attend to your situation, and redress yourselves. 
 If tile present moment be lost, every future eflTort is in vain; and your 
 threats then, will be as empty as your entreaties now. 
 
 "I would advise you, therefore, to come to some final opinion on what 
 you can bear, and what you will suffer. If your determination be in any 
 proportion to your wrongs, carry your appeal from the justice, to the 
 fears of government. Change the milk-and-water style of your last 
 memorial; assume a bolder tone — decent, but lively, spirited and deter- 
 mined, and suspect the man who would advise to more moderation and 
 longer forbearance. Let two or three men who can feel as well as write, 
 be appointed to draw up your last remonstrance; for I would no longer 
 give it the suing, soft, unsuccessful epithet of memorial. Let it be rep- 
 resented in language that will neither dishonor you by its rudeness, nor 
 betray you by its fears, what has been promised by Congress, and what 
 has been performed — how long and how patiently you have suffered — 
 how little you have asked, and how much of that little has been denied. 
 Tell them that, though you were the first, and would wish to be the last 
 to encounter danger, though despair itself can never drive you into dis- 
 honor, it may drive you from the field; that the wound often irritated, 
 and never healed, may at length become incurable; and that the slight- 
 est mark of indignity from Congress now must oper.ate like the grave, 
 and part you for ever; that in any political event, the army has its alter- 
 native, if peace, that nothing shall separate you from your arms but 
 death; if war, that, courting the auspices and inviting the directions of 
 your illustrious leader, you will retire to some unsettled country, smile 
 in your turn, and 'mock when their fear cometh.' But let it represent, 
 also, that should they comply with the request of your late memorial, 
 it would make you more happy, and them more respectable; that while 
 war should continue, you w;ould follow their standard into the field, and 
 when it came to an end, you would withdraw into the shade of private 
 life, and give the world another subject of wonder and applause; an 
 army victorious over its enemies — victorious over itself." 
 
EEVOLUTIONAEY ANNALS, 1783. 333 
 
 Alarmed and distressed with this vile attempt to stimu- 
 iaie the army to rash and dangerous proceedings, the 
 commander-in-chief noticed in general orders the anony- 
 mous address with his pointed disapprobation, and, with 
 the view of counteracting its effects, requested that the 
 general and field officers, and one from each company, atul 
 a proper representation from the staff of the army, would 
 assemble on the 15th instant, to hear the report of the 
 committee deputed by the army to Congress. The next 
 day a second anonymous paper from the same pen appeared 
 as follows: 
 
 "Till now, the commander-in-chief has regarded the steps yon have 
 taken for redress with good wishes alone; his ostensible silence has 
 authorized your meetings, and his private opinion sanctified your claims. 
 Had he disliked the object in view, would not the same sense of duty 
 which forbade you from meeting on the third day of tlie week, liave 
 forbidden you from meeting on the seventh? Is not the same subject 
 held up for your discussion? and has it not passed the seal of office, and 
 taken all the solemnity of an order? This will give system to your 
 proceedings, and stability to your resolves. It will ripen speculation into 
 fact, and while it adds to the unanimity, it cannot possibly lessen the 
 independency of your sentiments. It may be necessary to add, on tliis 
 subject, that, from the injunction with which the general orders close, 
 every man is at liberty to conclude that the report to be made to head- 
 quarters is intended for Congress. Hence will arise another motive for 
 that energy which has been recommended; for, can you give the lie to tiie 
 pathetic descriptions and the more alarming predictions of our friends?'* 
 
 * With respect to the author of the Newburgh anonymous letters, 
 suspicion has ever rested on John Armstrong, who at the time of their 
 appearance was a major in the army, and for some time aid-de-camp to 
 Major-General Gates. Though many circumstances conspired to i\x this 
 suspicion on Major Armstrong and a few confederates, the real fact has 
 never been established till recently. In the last number of the United 
 Stales Magazine, published in New York, General Armstrong has an- 
 nounced himself to be the author of these notorious letters. In justi- 
 fication of his motives, he maintains "that they were written by himself 
 at the solicitation of his friends, as the chosen organ to express the sen- 
 timents of the officers of the army, and were only an honest and mnriU/, 
 though perhaps an indiscreet endeavor to support jniblic credit and do 
 justice to a long-suffering, patient, and gallant soldiery." In the snme 
 publication, General Armstrong has thought proper to risk his reputation 
 on the bold and unqualified assertion, that the slander propagated and 
 believed for half a century, that two distinguished officers of the revo- 
 lution had conspired to put down the commander-in-chief, is an impudent 
 and vile falsehood from beginning to end. The young reader, who may 
 not be apprised of the circumstances on which the evidence of this con- 
 spiracy rests, is referred to the biography of Generals Lee, Gates and 
 Conway, in the Appendix. 
 
334 EEVOLUTIONAKY ANNALS, 1783. 
 
 On the 15th instant, the convention of officers assembled, 
 and General Gates presided. The commander-in-chief 
 delivered to them the following very interesting and feel- 
 ing address: 
 
 "Gentlemen : By an anonymous summons, an attempt has been made 
 to convene you together. How inconsistent with the rules of propriety, 
 how unmilitary, and how subversive of all order aud discipline, let tne 
 good sense of the army decide. 
 
 "In the moment of this summons, another anonymous production 
 was sent into circulation, addressed more to the feelings and p:issioris 
 than to the judgment of the army. The author of the piece is entitled 
 to much credit for the goodness of his pen; and I could wish he had as 
 much credit for the rectitude of his heart; for, as men see through dif- 
 ferent optics, and are induced by the reflecting faculties of the mind to 
 use different means to attain the same end, the author of tlie address 
 should have had more charity than to 'mark for suspicion the man who 
 should recommend moderation and longer forbearance;' or, in other 
 words, w'ho should not think as he thinks, and act as he advises. But 
 he had another plan in view, in which candor and liberality of sentiment, 
 regard to justice and love of country, have no part; and he was right to 
 insinuate the darkest suspicion to effect the blackest design. That the 
 address was drawn with great art, and is designed to answer the most 
 insidious purposes; that it is calculated to impress the mind with an idea 
 of premeditated injustice in the sovereign power of tlie United States, 
 and rouse all those resentments which must unavoidably flow from such 
 a belief; that the secret mover of this scheme, whoever he may be, in- 
 tended to take advantage of the passions, while they were warmed by 
 the recollection of past distresses, without giving time for cool, deliber- 
 ative thinking, and that composure of mind which is so necessary to give 
 dignity and stability to measures, is rendered too obvious, by the mode 
 of conducting the business, to need other proof than a reference to the 
 proceedings. 
 
 "Thus much, gentlemen, I have thought it incumbent on me to observe 
 to you, to show on what principles I opposed the irregular and hasty 
 meeting which was proposed to have been held on Tuesday last, and 
 not because I wanted a disposition to give you every opportunity, con- 
 sistently with your own honor and the dignity of the army, to make 
 known your grievances. If my conduct heretofore has not evinced to 
 you that I have been a faithful friend to the army, my declaration of it 
 at this time would be equally unavailing and improper. But as I was 
 among the first who embarked in the cause of our common country; as 
 I have never left your side one moment, but when called from you on 
 public duty; as I have been the constant companion and witness of your 
 distresses, and not among the last to feel and acknowledge your merits; 
 as I have ever considered my own military reputation as inseparably 
 connected with that of the army; as my heart has ever expanded with 
 joy when I have heard its praises, and my indignation has arisen when 
 the mouth of detraction has been opened against it; it can scarcely be 
 supposed at this last stage of the war that 1 am indifferent to its inter- 
 
KEVOLUTIONAEY ANNALS, 1783. 335 
 
 csts. But how are they to be promoted? The way is plain, says the 
 anonymous addresser: 'If war continues, remove into the unsettled 
 country; there establish yourselves, and leave an ungrateful country to 
 defend itself!' But who are they to defend ] — our wives, our children, 
 our farms and other property which we leave behind us? or in this state 
 of hostile separation, are we to take the two first — the latter cannot be 
 removed — to perish in a wilderness, with hunger, cold and nakedness? 
 
 "'If peace takes place, never shenth your swords,' says he. 'till you 
 have obtained full and ample justice.' This dreadful alternative of 
 either deserting our country in the extremest hour of her distress, or 
 turning our arms against it, which is the apparent object, unless Congress 
 can be compelled Liito instant compliance, has something so shocking in 
 it, that humanity revolts at the idea. My God! what can this writer 
 have in view, by recommending such measures? Can he be a friend to 
 the army? Can he be a friend to this country? Rather, is he not an 
 insidious foe — some emissary, perhaps, from New York — plotting the 
 ruin of both, by sowing the seeds of discord and separation between the 
 civil and military powers of the continent? And what a compliment 
 does he pay our understandings,* when he recommends measures, in 
 either alternative, impracticable in their nature? But here, gentlemen, I 
 will drop the curtain, because it would be as imprudent in me to assign 
 my reasons for this opinion, as it would be insulting to your conception 
 to suppose you stood in need of them. A moment's reflection will con- 
 vince every dispassionate mind of the physical impossibility of carrying 
 either proposal into execution. There might, gentlemen, be an impro- 
 priety in my taking notice, in this address to you, of an anonymous pro- 
 duction; but the manner in which this performance has been introduced 
 to the army ; the effect it was intended to have, together with some 
 other circumstances, will amply justify my observations on the tendency 
 of this writing. , 
 
 " With respect to the advice given by the author, to suspect the man 
 who shall recommend moderate measures and longer forbearance, I 
 spurn it, as every man who regards that liberty and reveres that justice 
 for which we contend, undoubtedly must; for if men are to be precluded 
 from offering their sentiments on a matter which may involve the most 
 serious and alarming consequences that can invite the consideration of 
 mankind, reason is of no use to us. The freedom of speech may be 
 taken away, and, dumb and silent, we may be led, like sheep to the 
 slaughter. I cannot in justice to my own belief, and what I have great 
 reason to conceive is the intention of Congress, conclude this address 
 without giving it as my decided opinion, that that honorable body enter- 
 tain exalted sentiments of the services of the army, and, from a full con- 
 viction of its merits and sufferings, will do it complete justice. That 
 their endeavors to discover and establish funds for this purpose have 
 been unwearied, and will not cease till they have succeeded, I have 
 not a doubt. 
 
 " But, like all other large bodies, where there is a variety of different 
 interests to reconcile, their determinations are slow. Why then should 
 we distrust them? and in consequence of this distrust, adopt measures 
 which may cast a shade over that glory which has been so justly ac- 
 quired, and tarnish the reputation of an army which is celebrated through 
 Aa 
 
ggg EEVOLUTIONAEY ANNALS, 1788. 
 
 all Errope for its fortitude and patriotism? And for what is thisdone^ 
 — to bring the object we seek nearer? No ; most certainly, in my opin 
 ion, it will east it at a greater distance. For myself, (and I take no 
 merit in giving the assurance, being induced to it from principles ot 
 gratitude, veracity, and justice, and a grateful sense of the confidence 
 you have ever placed in me,) a recollection of the cheerful assistance 
 and prompt obedience I have experienced from you, under every vicissi- 
 tude of fortune, and the sincere affection I feel for an army I have so 
 long had the honor to command, will oblige me to declare, in this pub- 
 lic and solemn manner, that in the attainment of comjjlcte justice for all 
 your toils and dangers, and in the gratification of every wish, so far as 
 may be done consistently with the great duty I owe my country, and 
 those powers we are bound to respect, you may freely command my 
 services to the utmost extent of my abilities. 
 
 "While I give you these assurances, and pledge myself, in the most 
 unequivocal manner, to exert whatever abilities I am possessed of in 
 your favor, let me entreat you, gentlemen, on your part, not to take any 
 measures which, viewed in the calm light of reason, will lessen the dig- 
 nity and sully the glory you have hitherto maintained. Let me request 
 you to rely on the plighted faith of your country, and place a full confi- 
 dence in the purity (if the intentions of Congress; that, previous to your 
 dissolution as an army, they will cause all your accoujits to be fairly 
 liquidated, as directed in the resolutions which were publislicd to you 
 two days ago; and that they will adopt the most effectual measurciiin 
 their power to render ample justice to you for your faithful and merito- 
 rious services. And let me conjure you in the name of our common 
 country, as you value your own sacred honor; as you respect the rights 
 of humanity ; and as you regard the military and national character of 
 America; to express your utmost horror and detestation of the mim who 
 wishes, under any specious pretences, to overturn the liberties of our 
 country; and who wickedly attempts to open the flood-gates of civil 
 discord, and deluge our rising empire in blood. 
 
 "By thus determining, and thus acting, you will pursue the plain and 
 direct road to the attainment of your wishes; you will defeat the insid- 
 ious designs of our enemies, who are compelled to resort from open 
 force to secret artifice. You will give one more distinguished pioof of 
 unexampled patriotism and patient virtue, rising superior to the pressure 
 of the most complicated sufferings; and you will, by the dignity of your 
 conduct, afford occasion for posterity to say, when speaking of the glo- 
 rious example you have exhibited to mankind, 'Had this day been 
 wanting, the world had never seen the last stage of perfection to w^iich 
 human nature is capable of attaining." " 
 
 Having finished his incomparable and very efficacious 
 address, his excellency withdrew, and the convention 
 unanimously resolved to present him their thanks, and 
 that he be assured "that the officers reciprocate his affec- 
 tionate expressions with the greatest sincerity of which 
 the human hSart is capable." After which, General Knox, 
 Colonel Brooks, and Captain Howard were appointed a 
 
REVOLUTIONAKY ANNALS, 1783. 337 
 
 committee to prepare resolutions expressive of the business 
 of the convention, and to report in half an hour. They 
 reported, and the convention — 
 
 ^ Resolved, unanimously, That, at the commencement of the present 
 war, the officers of the American army engaged in the service of their 
 country from the purest love and attachment to the rights and liberties 
 of human nature; which motives still exist in the highest degree; and 
 that no circumstances of distress or danger shall induce a conduct that 
 may tend to sully the reputation and glory which they have acquired, at 
 the price of their blood and eight years' faithful services. 
 
 '^Resolved, unanimously. That the army continue to have an unshaken 
 confidence in the justice of Congress and their country, and are fully 
 convinced that the representatives of America will not disband or dis- 
 perse the army till their accounts are liquidated, the balances accurately 
 ascertained, and adequate funds established for payment; and in this ar- 
 rangement the officers expect that the half-pay, or a commutation for it, 
 should be efficaciously comprehended. 
 
 " Resolved, unanimously, That his excellency the commander-in-chief 
 be requested to write to his excellency the president of Congress, earn- 
 estly entreating the most speedy decision of that honorable body on the 
 subject of our late address, which was forwarded by a committee of the 
 army, some of whom are waiting on Congress for the result. In tiie 
 alternative of peace or war, this event would be highly satisfactory, and 
 would produce immediate tranquillity in the minds of the army, and 
 prevent any further machinations of designing men, to sow discord be- 
 tween the civil and military powers of the United States. 
 
 "On motion. Resolved, unanimously. That the officers of the American 
 army view with abhorrence, and reject with disdain, the infamous propo- 
 sitions contained in a late anonymous address to the officers of the army, 
 and resent with indignation the secret attempts of some unknown per- 
 sons to collect the officers together, in a manner totally subversive of 
 all discipline and good order. 
 
 ^'■Resolved, unanimously. That the thanks of the officers of the army 
 be given to the committee who presented to Congress the late address 
 of the army, for the wisdom and prudence with which they have con- 
 ducted that business; and that a copy of the proceedings of this day be 
 transmitted by the president to Major-General McDougall ; and that he 
 be requested to continue his solicitations at Congress, till the objects of 
 his mission are accomplished." 
 
 The result of the foregoing proceedings was, "by the 
 commander-in-chief, transmitted to Congress, accompa- 
 nied by an impressive letter, of which the following is an 
 extract : 
 
 "That in the critical and perilous moment when the last-mentioned 
 communication was made, there was the utmost danger th:it a dissolu- 
 tion of the army would have taken place, unless measures similar to 
 those recommended had been adopted, will not admit of a doubt. That 
 the adoption of the resolution granting half-pay for life has been attended 
 
338 EEVOLUTIONAEY ANNALS, 1783. 
 
 with all the happy consequences I had foretold, so far as respected the 
 good of the service, let the astonishing contrast between the state of the 
 army at this instant and at the former period determine. 
 
 "And that the establishment of funds, and security of the payment of 
 all the just demands of the army will be the most certain means of pre 
 serving the national faith and future tranquillity of this extensive conti 
 nent, is my decided opinion. By the preceding remarks, it will readily 
 be imagined that, instead of retracting and reprehending, from further 
 experience and reflection, the mode of compensation so strenuously 
 urged in the inclosures, I am more and more confirmed in the sentiment, 
 and if in the wrong, suflier me to please myself with the grateful delu- 
 sion. For if, besides the simple payment of their wages, a further com- 
 pensation is not due to the sufferings and sacrifices of the officers, then 
 have I been mistaken indeed. If the whole army have not merited 
 whatever a grateful people can bestow, then have I been beguiled by 
 prejudice, and built opinion on the basis of error. If this country should 
 not in the event perform every thing which has been requested in the 
 late memorials to Congress, then will my belief become vain, and the 
 hope that has been excited void of foundation. And if. as has been sug- 
 gested for the purpose of inflaming their passions, the oflScers of the 
 army are to be the only sufferers by this revolution; if, retiring from the 
 field, they are to grow old in poverty, wretchedness, and contempt; if 
 they are to wade through the vile mire of dependency, and owe the mis- 
 erable remnant of that life to charity which has hitherto been spent in 
 honor, then shall I have learned what ingratitude is — then shall I have 
 realized a tale which will embitter every moment of my future life. But 
 I am under no such apprehensions; a country rescued by their arms 
 from impending ruin, will never leave unpaid the debt of gratitude. 
 
 "G. WASHINGTON." 
 
 March 22c?. — Congress at length came to the following 
 resolutions: 
 
 "Whereas the officers of the several lines, under the immediate com- 
 mand of his E.xcellency General Washington, did by their late memorial 
 transmitted, represent to Congress that the half-pay granted by sundry 
 resolutions was regarded in an unfavorable light by the citizens of some 
 of the states, who would prefer a compensation for a limited term of 
 years, or by a sum in gross, to an establishment for life; and did, on 
 this account, solicit a commutation of their half-pay for an equivalent, in 
 one of the modes above mentioned, in order to remove all subjects of 
 dissatisfaction from the minds of their fellow-citizens: And whereas 
 Congress are desirous, as well of gratifying the reasonable expectations 
 of the officers of the army, as of removing all objections which may 
 exist in any part of the United States to the principles of the half-pay 
 establishment, for which the faith of the United States has been pledged; 
 persuaded that these objections can only arise from the nature of the 
 compensation, not from any indisposition to compensate those whose 
 services, sacrifices, and sufferings, have so justly a title to the approba- 
 tion and rewards of their country: Therefore — 
 
 "Resolved, That such officers as are now in service, and shall continue 
 
EEVOLUTIONARY ANNALS, 1783. 339 
 
 therein to the end of the war, shall be entitled to receive the amount of 
 five years' full pay in money, or securities on interest at six per cent. 
 per annum, as Congress shall find most convenient, instead of the half- 
 pay promised for life, by the resolution of the 21st day of October, 1780, 
 the said securities to be such as shall be given to the creditors of the 
 United States. Provided, that it be at the option of the lines of the 
 respective states to accept or refuse the same. And provided, also, that 
 their election shall be signified to Congress, through the commander-in- 
 chief, from the lines under his immediate command within two months; 
 and through the commanding officer of the Southern army, from those 
 under his command, within six months, from the date of tliis resolution. 
 
 "That the same computation shall extend to the corps not belonging 
 to the lines of particular states, and who are entitled to half-pay for life 
 as aforesaid; the acceptance or refusal to be determined by corps, and 
 to be signified in the same manner, and within the same time as above 
 mentioned. 
 
 "That all officers belonging to the hospital department, who are en- 
 titled to half-pay by the resolution of the nth day of January, 1781, 
 may collectively agree to accept or refuse the aforesaid commutation, 
 signifying the same through the commander-in-chief, within six months 
 from this time. 
 
 "Tliat such officers as have retired at ditferent periods, entitled to 
 half-pay for life, may, collectively in each state in which they are inhab- 
 itants, accept or refuse the same; their acceptation or refusal to be sig- 
 nified by agents, authorized for this purpose, within six months from 
 this period. That with respect to such retiring officers, the commuta- 
 tion, if accepted, shall be in lieu of whatever may be now due to them, 
 since the time of their retiring from service, as well as of what might 
 hereafter become due, and that as soon as their acceptance shall be sig- 
 nified, the superintendent of finance be, and he is hereby, directed to 
 take measures for the settlement of their accounts accordingly, and to 
 issue to them certificates bearing interest at six percent. 
 
 "That all officers entitled to half-pay for life, not included in the pre- 
 ceding resolution, may also collectively agree to accept or refuse the 
 aforesaid commutation, signifying the same within six months from 
 this time." 
 
 April 18th. — The commander-in-chief thus addressed 
 the army on the cessation of hostilities: 
 
 "The commander-in-chief orders the cessation of hostilities, between 
 the United States of America and the King of Great Britain, to be pub- 
 licly proclaimed to-morrow at twelve o'clock, at the New Building; and 
 that the proclamation which will be communicated herewith, be read to- 
 morrow evening, at the head of every regiment and corps of the army; 
 after which, the chaplains, with the several brigades, will render thanks 
 to Almighty God for all his mercies, particularly for his overruling the 
 wrath of man to his own glory, and causing the rage of war to cease 
 among the nations." 
 
 Though the proclamation before alluded to extends only 
 to the prohibitioD of hostilities, and not to the annuncia- 
 
340 KEVOLUTIONAEY ANNALS, 1783. 
 
 tion of a general peace, yet it must afford the most rational 
 and sincere satisfaction to every benevolent mind, as it 
 puts a period to a long and doubtful contest — stops the 
 effusion of human blood — opens the prospect to a more 
 splendid scene — and, like another morning-star, promises 
 the approach of a brighter day than has hitherto illumin- 
 ated this western hemisphere! On such a happy day — 
 a day which is the harbinger of peace — a day which com- 
 pletes the eighth year of the war, it would be ingratitude 
 not to rejoice; it would be insensibility not to participate 
 in the general felicity. 
 
 "The commander-in-chief, far from endeavoring to stifle the feelings 
 of joy in his own bosom, offers his most cordial congratulations on the 
 occasion, to all the officers of every denomination, to all the troops of 
 the United States in general, and in particular to those gallant and per- 
 severing men who had resolved to defend the rights of their invaded 
 country so long as the war should continue ; for these are the men who 
 ought to be considered as the pride and boast of the American army, 
 and who, crowned with well-earned laurels, may soon withdraw from 
 the field of glory to the more tranquil walks of civil life. 
 
 "While the general recollects the almost infinite variety of scenes 
 through which we have passed with a mixture of pleasure, astonishment, 
 and gratitude — while he contemplates the prospects befure us with rap- 
 ture — he cannot help wishing that all the brave men, of whatever con- 
 dition they may be, who have shared in the toils and dangers of etl'ecting 
 this glorious revolution, of rescuing millions from the hand of oppression, 
 and of laying the foundation of a great empire, might be impressed with 
 a proper idea of the dignified part they have been called to ait, under 
 the smiles of Providence, on the stage of human affairs; for happy, thrice 
 happy, shall they be pronounced hereafter, who have contributed any 
 thing, who have performed the meanest office in erecting this stupendous 
 fabric of Freedom and Empire, on tiie broad basis of independency; who 
 have assisted in protecting the rights of human nature, and establishing 
 an asylum for the poor and oppressi'd of all nations and religions. 
 
 "The glorious task for which we first flew to arms being thus accom- 
 plished — the liberties of our country being fully acknowledged and 
 firmly secured by the smiles of Heaven on the purity of our cause, and 
 the honest exertions of a feeble people, determined to be free, against 
 a powerful nation disposed to oppress them — and the character of those 
 who have persevered through every extremity of hardsiiip, snflering, 
 and danger, being immortalized by the illustrious appellation of the 
 Patriot Army — nothing now remains but for the actors of this mighty 
 scene to preserve a perfect, unvarying consistency of character through 
 the very last act; to close the drama with applause; and to retire from 
 the military theatre with the same approbation of angels and men, which 
 have crowned all their former virtuuus actions, 
 
 "For this purpose, no disorder or licentiousness must be tolerated; 
 every considerate and well-disposed soldier must remember it will be 
 
EEVOLUTIONAKY ANNALS, 1783. £41 
 
 absolutely necessary to wait with patience till peace shall be declared, 
 or Congress shall be enabled to take proper measnres for the security 
 of tile public stores, &c. So soon as these arrangements shall be made, 
 the general is confident there will be no delay in discharging, with every 
 mark of distinction and honor, all the men enlisted for the war, who 
 will then have faithfully performed their engagements with the public. 
 The general has already interested himself in their behalf; and he thinks 
 he need not repeat the assurances of his disposition to be useful to them 
 on the present, and every other proper occasion. In the mean time, he 
 is determined that no military neglects or excesses shall go unpunished 
 while he retains the command of the army. 
 
 "The adjutant-general will have such working parties detailed to as- 
 sist in making the preparation for a general rejoicing as the chief en- 
 gineer, with the army, shall call for; and the quarter-master-general will 
 also furnish such materials as he may want. The quarter-master-general 
 will, without delay, procure such a number of discharges to be printed 
 as will be sufficient for all the men enlisted for the war;- he will please 
 to apply to head-quarters for the furm. 
 
 " An extra ration of liquor to be issued to every vian lo-morrnn\ to 
 drink perpelual peace, independence and happiness to the United States of y 
 America^ • 
 
 The ofl&cers of the army, by their committee, prepared 
 the following address to the commander-in-chief: 
 
 "Sir: It is difficult for us to express the regret we feel at being 
 obliged again to solicit your excellency's attention and patronage. Next 
 to the anguish which the prospect of our own wretchedness excites in 
 our breasts, is the pain which arises from the knowledge of your anxiety 
 on account of those men who have been the sharers of your fortunes, 
 and have had the honor of being your companions through the various 
 vicissitudes of the war. Nothing, therefore, but necessity could induce 
 us to a representation which we know must give you concern. 
 
 "Your excellency has so intimate a knowledge of the condition of the 
 army, as to render a particular delineation unnecessary. As you have 
 been a witness of our sufferings during a war uncommon in its nature, 
 and unparalleled in many circumstances attending it; so you are now, sir, 
 no less a witness of the unequal burden which has fallen on us, from 
 the want of that provision to which, from our assiduous and unremitting 
 services, we conceive we are entitled. Having recently expressed our 
 sense of what was due to our distress; having repeated to your excel- 
 lency the confidence we had that our accounts would be liquidated, the 
 balances ascertained, and adequate funds provided for payment, previous 
 to our being dispersed or disbanded; having seen with pleasure the 
 approbation which Congress gave our reliance, it is with a mixture of 
 astonishment and chagrin that we view the late resolve of Congress, by 
 which the soldiers for the war, and a proportionate number of officers, 
 are to be furloughed without any one of those important objects being 
 accomplished; and, to complete the scene of woe, are to be compelled 
 to leave the army without the means of defraying the debts we have 
 necessarily incurred in the course of service, or even of gratifying those 
 menials in the pittance which is their due ; much less to carry with us 
 
342 EEVOLUTIONAKY ANNALS, 17S3. 
 
 that support and comfort to our families, of which, from our long mili- 
 tary services, they have been deprived. No less exposed to the insults 
 of the meanest followers of the army, than to the arrests of the sheritl — 
 deprived of the ability to assist our families, and without an evidence 
 that any thing is due to us for our services, and consequently without 
 the least prospect of obtaining credit for even a temporary subsistence, 
 till we can get into business — to what quarter can we look? We take 
 the liberty to say this, sir, only to your excellency: and, from the sin- 
 cerity of our hearts, we do it no less from a persuasion of the etticacy 
 of your furtiier efforts in our favor, tiian from the kind assurances you 
 have been pleased to give us of your support. 
 
 "To your excellency, then, we make one appeal, and in the most 
 solemn manner, from that abhorrence of oppression and injustice which 
 first unsheathed our swords; from the remembrance of the common 
 dangers through which we have passed; and from the recollectiim of 
 those astonisiiing events which have been effected by our united efforts 
 — permit us to solicit your further aid, and to entreat that the order of 
 the 2d instant, founded on the act of Congress of the 26th of May last, 
 may be suspended or varied in its operation, so far as that no officer or 
 soldier be obliged to receive a, furlough till that honorable body can be 
 apprised of the wretched situation into which the army must be plunged 
 by a conformity to it; that your excellency will endeavor to prevail on 
 Congress — nay, that on the principles of common justice, you will insist 
 that neither officer nor soldier be comjielled to leave the field till a liqui- 
 dation of accounts can be effected, till the balances are ascertained, cer- 
 tificates for the sums due given, including the commutation of half-pay 
 to the officers and gratuity of eighty dollars to the soldiers; and till a 
 supply of money can be furnished, sufficient to carry us from the field 
 of glory, with honor to ourselves and credit to our country. We still 
 wish to believe that that country, to which we have been so long devoted, 
 will never look with indifference on the distresses of tiiose of her sons 
 who have so essentially contributed to the establishment of freedom, 
 the security of property, and the rearing of an empire. 
 
 "In the name and behalf of the generals and officers commanding 
 regiments and corps, in the cantonment on Hudson's river, 
 "I have the honor to be, with the highest respect, 
 
 "Your Excellency's most obedient servant, 
 "" July 5th, 1783." "W. HEATH, Major-General, President. 
 
 To the foregoing address General Washington was 
 pleased to make an affectionate reply, in which, among 
 other things, he observes, that as furloughs in all services 
 are considered as a matter of indulgence and not of com- 
 pulsion — as Congress, he is persuaded, entertain the best 
 disposition towards the army — and as he apprehends in a 
 short time the two principal articles of complaint will be 
 removed — he will not hesitate to comply with the wishes 
 of the army with respect to furloughs, &c. He cannot 
 but hope, he observes, that the notes will soon arrive, and 
 
EEVOLUTIONARY ANNALS, 1783. 343 
 
 that the settlement of accounts may be completed in a very 
 few days. In the mean time, he shall have the honor of 
 laying the sentiments of the generals and officers before 
 Congress; they are expressed in so decent, candid and 
 affecting a manner, that he is certain every mark of atten- 
 tion will be paid to them. In his letter to the president 
 of Congress, inclosing the address of the officers, and his 
 answer, his excellency observes: 
 
 " These inclosures will explain the distresses which resulted from the 
 measures now carrying into execution, in consequence of the resolution 
 of the 26th of May; but the sensibility, occasioned by a parting scene, 
 under such peculiar circumstances, will not admit of description! While 
 I consider it a tribute of justice on this occasion to mention the temper- 
 ate and orderly behavior of the whole army, and particularly the accom- 
 modating spirit of the officers, in arranging themselves to the command 
 of the battalions, which will be composed of the three years' men; per- 
 mit me to recall to mind all their former sufferings and merits, and to 
 recommend their reasonable request to the early and favorable notice 
 of Congress." 
 
 19th. — On the completion of eight years from the memor- 
 able battle of Lexington, the proclamation of the Congress 
 for a cessation of hostilities was published at the door of 
 the public building, followed by three huzzas; after which, 
 a prayer was offered to the Almighty Ruler of the world, 
 by the Rev. Mr. Ganno, and an anthem was performed 
 by voices and instruments. 
 
 On the 29th of June, about eighty new-levy soldiers of 
 the Pennsylvania line, who had been stationed at Lancas- 
 ter, in defiance of their officers, marched to Philadelphia 
 to seek a redress of their supposed grievances from the 
 executive council of the state. They proceeded to the 
 barracks in the city, where were quartered some other 
 soldiers, who joined them, amounting to about three hun- 
 dred in the whole. The day following, these insurgent 
 troops, with fixed bayonets and drums beating, marched 
 to the State-house, the seat of Congress and of the supreme 
 executive council of Pennsylvania. They placed sentinels 
 at every door, sent in a written message to the president 
 and council, and threatened to let loose an enraged 
 soldiery on them, if they were not gratified as to their 
 demands within twenty minutes. Though no other in- 
 sult was offered to Congress, this duresse continued about 
 three hours. 
 
344 KEVOLUTIONAEY ANNALS, 1783. 
 
 Congress resolved that the authority of the United 
 States had been grossly insulted by the armed soldiers; 
 that their committee confer with the executive council; 
 and that in case it should appear to the committee that 
 there is no satisfactory ground for expecting adequate 
 exertions by the state of Pennsylvania for supporting the 
 dignity of the federal government, the president, on the 
 advice of the committee, should summon the members of 
 Congress to meet on Thursday, the 26th, at Trenton or 
 Princeton, and that the secretary at war should communi- 
 cate to the commander-in-chief the state and disposition of 
 the mutineers, that he might take immediate measures for 
 suppressing them. Congress now found it expedient to 
 separate, and reassemble at Princeton. The commander- 
 in-chief, on receiving information of this shameful outrage, 
 instantly detached lifteen hundred men, under command 
 of Major-General Howe, to quell the mutiny and punish 
 the most guilty. Before his arrival, however, they had 
 dispersed without bloodshed, A number were brought 
 to trial, and two sentenced to suffer death, and four others 
 to receive corporeal punishment. The com'hiander-in- 
 chief, on this occasion, addressed the president of Con- 
 gress in the feeling language which follows:^ 
 
 "While I suffer the most poignant distress in observing that a handful 
 of men, contemptible in numbers, and equally so in point of service, if 
 the veteran troops from the southward iiave not been seduced by their 
 example, and who are not worthy to be called soldiers, should disgrace 
 themselves and their country, as the Pennsylvania mutineers have done, 
 by insulting the sovereign authority of the United States, and that of 
 their own; I feel an inexpressible satisfaction, that even this behavior 
 cannot stain the name of the American soldiery. It cannot be imputable 
 to, or reflect dishonor on the army at laige; but, on the contrary, it will, 
 by the striking contrast it exhibits, hold up to public view the other 
 troops in the most advantageous point of light. On taking all the cir- 
 cumstances into consideration, I cannot sufficiently express my surprise 
 and indignation at the arrogance, the folly, and the wickedness of the 
 mutineers; nor can I sufficiently admire the fidelity, the bravery and 
 patriotism, which must for ever signalize the unsullied character of the 
 other corps of our army. For when we consider that these Pennsylva- 
 nia levies, who have now mutinied, are recruits, and soldiers of a day, 
 who have not borne the heat and burden of the war, and who can have 
 in reality very few hardships to complain of; and when we at the same 
 time recollect that those soldiers who have lately been furloughed from 
 this army are the veterans who have patiently endured hunger, naked- 
 ness, and cold; who have suffered and bled without a murmur, and who, 
 
EEVOLUTIONAEY ANNALS, 1783. 345 
 
 with perfect good order, have retired to their homes, without a settle- 
 ment of their accounts, or a farthing of money in their pockets; we shall 
 be as much astonished at the virtues of the latter, as we are struck with 
 horror and detestation at the proceedings of the former; and every can- 
 did mind, without indulging ill-grounded prejudices, will undoubtedly 
 make the proper discrimination." 
 
 On the 2d of November, 1783, General Washington 
 issued his farewell orders to the armies of the United 
 States. Having taken notice of the proclamation of Con- 
 gress of October 18th, he said : 
 
 "It only remains for the commander-in-chief to address himself once 
 more, and that for the last time, to the armies of the United States, 
 however widely dispersed the individuals who composed them may be, 
 and to bid them an affectionate, a long fiircwell. But before the com- 
 mander-in-chief takes his final leave of those he holds most denr, he 
 wishes to indulge himself a few moments in calling to mind a slight 
 review of the past. He will then take the liberty of exploring with his 
 military friends their future prospects — of advising the general line of 
 conduct which, in his opinion, ought to be pursued, and he will conclude 
 the address by expressing the obligations he feels himself under for the 
 spirited and able assistance he has experienced from them in the per- 
 formance of an arduous office. 
 
 "A contemplation of the complete attainment, at a period earlier than 
 could have been expected, of the object for which we contended, against 
 so formidable a power, cannot but inspire us with astonishment and 
 gratitude. The disadvantageous circumstartees, on our part, under which 
 the war was undertaken, can never be forgotten. The signal interposi- 
 tions of Providence, in our feeble condition, were such as could scarcely 
 escape the attention of the most unobserving; while the unparalleled 
 perseverance of the armies of the United States, through almost every 
 possible suffering and discouragement, for the space of eight long years, 
 was little short of a standing miracle." 
 
 His closing words are: "And being now to conclude 
 these his last public orders, to take his ultimate leave in 
 a short time of the military character, and to bid adieu to 
 the armies he has so long had the honor to command, he 
 can only again offer in their behalf his recommendations 
 to their grateful country, and his prayers to the God of 
 armies. May ample justice be done them here, and may 
 the choicest of Heaven's favors, both here and hereafter, 
 attend those who, under the divine auspices, have secured 
 innumerable blessings for others! With these wishes, and 
 this benediction, the commander-in-chief is about to retire 
 from service. The curtain of separation will soon be 
 drawn, and the military scene to him will be closed for 
 ever." — The definitive treaty of peace was signed on the 
 
34-6 EEVOLUTIONAEY ANNALS, 1783. 
 
 23d of September, and Congress, having ratified it, tbey 
 issued a proclamation to disband tlieir army. This pro- 
 clamation purports, "that part of the army which stood 
 engaged to serve during the war, and by several acts of 
 Congress had been furloughed, should be absolutely dis- 
 charged after the 8d of November from said service, and _ 
 that the further service in the field of the ofl&cers deranged, 
 and on furlough, are now dispensed with, and they have 
 permission to retire from service, no more to be called to 
 command," &c. In their proclamation, Congress give 
 their thanks to the army for their exertions in the cause 
 of America and the common rights of mankind. The 
 mode of disbanding the army was well calculated to pre- 
 vent any disorders, which might have been the conse- 
 quence of dismissing a large number of men in a body. 
 The advice of their beloved commander-in-chief, and the 
 resolves of Congress to pay and compensate them in such 
 manner as the ability of the United States would permit, 
 operated to keep them quiet and prevent tumult. Painful 
 indeed was the parting scene; no description can be ade- 
 quate to the tragic exhibition. Both officers and soldiers, 
 long unaccustomed to the affairs of private life, turned 
 loose on the world to starve and to become a prey to vul- 
 ture speculators. Never can that melancholy day be for- 
 gotten when friends, companions for seven long years in 
 joy and in sorrow, were torn asunder, without the hope 
 of ever meeting again, and with prospects of a miserable 
 subsistence in future. Among other incidents, peculiarly 
 affecting on this occasion, were the lamentations of women 
 and children, earnestly entreating that those with whom 
 they had been connected in the character of husband and 
 lather, would not withdraw from them the hand of kind- 
 ness and protection, and leave them in despair; but in 
 several instances the reply was. No; "we took you as 
 companions during the ivar, and now we are destitute of the 
 means of support, and you must provide for yourselves." 
 November 2dth. — The British army evacuated New York, 
 and the American troops, under General Knox, took pos- 
 session of the city. Soon after, General Washington and 
 Governor Clinton, with their suite, made their public en- 
 try into the city on horseback, followed by the lieutenant- 
 governor and the members of council, for the temporary 
 
EEVOLUTIONAEY ANNALS, 1783. 347 
 
 government of the Southern district, four abreast. Gen- 
 eral Knox and the officers of the army, eight abreast; 
 citizens on horseback, eight abreast; the speaker of the 
 assembly and citizens on foot, eight abreast. The gov- 
 ernor gave a public dinner, at which the commander-in- 
 chief, and other general officers were present. The ar- 
 rangements for the whole business were so well made 
 and executed, that the most admirable tranquillity suc- 
 ceeded through the day and night. On Monday the 
 governor gave an elegant entertainment to the French 
 ambassador, the Chevalier de la Luzerne; General Wash- 
 ington, the principal officers of New York state and of 
 the arm}^, and upwards of a hundred gentlemen, were 
 present. Magnificent fire-works, infinitely exceeding every 
 thing of the kind before seen in the United States, were 
 exhibited at the Bowling Green in Broadway, on the 
 evening of Tuesday, in celebration of the definitive treaty 
 of peace. They commenced by a dove descending with 
 the olive branchy and setting fire to a marron battery. On 
 Tuesday noon, December 4th, the principal officers of the 
 array assembled at Francis' tavern, to take a final leave 
 of their much-loved commander-in-chief Soon after, his 
 excellency entered the room. His emotions were too 
 strong to be concealed. Filling a glass, he turned to them, 
 and said, "With a heart full of love and gratitude, I now 
 take leave of you. I most devoutly wish that your latter 
 days may be as prosperous and happy as your former 
 ones have been glorious and honorable." Plaving drank, 
 he added, "I cannot come to each of you to take my leave, 
 but shall be obliged to you, if each of you will come and 
 take me by the hand." General Knox, being nearest, 
 turned to him. Incapable of utterance, Washington, in 
 tears^ grasped his hand, embraced and kissed him. In the 
 same affectionate manner he took leave of each succeeding 
 officer. In every eye was the tear of dignified sensibility ; 
 and not a word was articulated, to interrupt the eloquent 
 silence and tenderness of the scene. Leaving the room, 
 he passed through the corps of light-infantry, and walked 
 to White Hall, where a barge waited to convey him to 
 Paulus' Hook. The whole company followed in mute and 
 solemn procession, with dejected countenances, testifying 
 feelings of delicious melancholy which no language can 
 
348 REVOLUTIONARY ANNALS, 1783. 
 
 describe. Having entered the barge, he turned to the 
 company, and, waving his hat, bid them a silent adieu. 
 They paid him the same affectionate compliment, and after 
 the barge had left them, returned in the same solemn 
 manner to the place where they had assembled. The 
 passions of human nature were never more tenderly agi- 
 tated than in this interesting and distressful scene. 
 
 General Washington now repaired to Annapolis, where 
 Congress were in session, to whom he resigned his com- 
 mission, which eight years before he had received from 
 this honorable body. On the 28d of December, the day 
 appointed for the very interesting transaction, a vast con- 
 course of spectators attended. The gallery was filled with 
 a group of ladies, and some graced the floor of Congress. 
 The governor, council and legislature of Maryland, several 
 general officers, the consul general of France, and numer- 
 ous citizens of Annapolis were present. Congress were 
 seated and covered, as representatives of the sovereignty 
 of the union; the spectators were uncovered and standing. 
 The general was introduced to a chair by the secretary, 
 who, after a decent interval, ordered silence. A short 
 pause ensued, when the honorable Thomas Mifflin, the 
 president, informed the general that "the United Slates 
 in Congress assembled were prepared to receive his com- 
 munications." On which, he rose with dignity, and deliv- 
 ered this address: 
 
 "Mr. President: The great events on which my resignation de- 
 pended, having at length taken place, I now h;ive the honor of offering 
 my sincere congratulations to Congress, and of presenting myself before 
 them, to surrender into their hands the trust committed to me, and to 
 claim the indulgence of retiring from the service of my country. 
 
 "Happy in the confirmation of our independence and sovereignty, and 
 pleased with the opportunity aff'orded the United States of becoming a 
 respectable nation, 1 resign with sjtisf iction the appointment I accepted 
 with diffidence — a diffidence in my abilities, to accumplish so arduous a 
 task, which, however, was superseded by a confidence in the rectitude 
 of our cause, the support of the supreme power of the union, and the 
 patronage of Heaven. 
 
 "The successful termination of the war has verified the most sanguine 
 expectations: my gratitude for the interpositions of Providence, and the 
 assistance I have receiyed from my countrymen, increase with every re- 
 view of the momentous contest. 
 
 " While I respect my obligations to the army in general, I should do 
 injustice to my own feelings not to acknowledge in this place the pecu- 
 liar services and distinguished merits of the persons who have been 
 
OEJVERAL PHILIP SCHUYLER. P. 370. 
 
KEVOLUTIONAEY ANNALS, 1788. 349 
 
 attached to my person during the war. It was impossible the choice of 
 confidential officers to compose my family should have been more for- 
 tunate. Permit me, sir, to recommend in particular those who have 
 continued in the service to the present moment, as worthy of the ftivor- 
 able notice and patronage of Congress. 
 
 "I consider it as an indispensable duty to close this last solemn net of 
 my official life by commending the interests of our dearest country to 
 the protection of Almighty God, and those who have the superintend- 
 ence of them to his holy keeping. 
 
 "Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great 
 theatre of action ; and bidding an affectionate farewell to this august 
 body, under whose orders I have long acted, I here offer my commis- 
 sion, and take my leave of all the employments of public life." 
 
 This address being ended, General Washington ad- 
 vanced, and delivered his commission into the hands of 
 the President of Congress, who replied as follows: 
 
 "The United States, in Congress assembled, receive with emotions 
 too affecting for utterance the solemn resignation of the authorities un- 
 der which you have led their troops with success through a perilous and 
 doubtful war. 
 
 "Called on by your country to defend its invaded rights, you accepted 
 the sacred charge before it had formed alliances, and while it was without 
 friends or a government to support you. 
 
 "You have conducted the great militnry contest with wisdom and 
 fortitude, invariably regarding the rights of the civil power, through all 
 disasters and changes. You have, by the love and confidence of your 
 fellow-citizens, enabled them to display their martial genius, and trans- 
 mit their fame to posterity; you have persevered till these United States, 
 aided by a magnanimous king and nation, have been enabled, under a 
 just Providence, to close the war in safety, freedom, and independency; 
 on which happy event we sincerely join you in congratulations. 
 
 " Having defended the standard of liberty in this new world ; having 
 taught a lesson useful to those who inflict, and to those who feel oppres- 
 sion, you retire from the great theatre of action with the blessings of 
 your fellow-citizens; but the glory of your virtues will not terminate 
 with your military command : it will continue to animate remotest ages. 
 We feel, with you, our obligations to the army in general, and will par- 
 ticularly charge ourselves with the interest of those confidential officers 
 who have attended your person to this affecting moment. 
 
 "We join you in commending the interests of our dearest country to 
 the protection of Almighty God, beseeching him to dispose the hearts 
 and minds of its citizens to improve the opportunity afforded them of 
 becoming a happy and respectable nation ; and for you we address to 
 Him our earnest prayers, that a life so beloved may be fostered with all 
 his care; that your days may be happy, as they have been illustrious, and 
 that he will finally give you that reward which this world cannot give." 
 
 It is impossible to conceive that greater honor can be 
 conferred on any man, than to receive the united acknowl- 
 Bb 
 
350 KEVOLUTIONARY ANNALS, 1783. 
 
 edgments of three millions of people, assembled by their 
 representatives, declaring to all the world that he has been 
 the temporal saviour of his country ! His mind was power- 
 ful and enlightened, his devotion to his country fervent, his 
 sacrifices great and important, and his triumphs noble and 
 splendid ; and his memory will be blessed and immortal ! 
 
 It has been estimated that the loss of lives in the various 
 armies of the United States, during the war, is not less 
 than seventy thousand. The numbers who died on board 
 of the horrid prison-ships of the enemy cannot be calcu- 
 lated. It is, however, confidently asserted, that no less 
 than eleven thousand of our brave soldiers died on board 
 the one called the Jersey prison-shij), oi^lj ! This dreadful 
 mortality is universally attributed to the cruel treatment 
 which they received while crowded together in close con- 
 finement. 
 
 The loss to Great Britain is two large armies captured 
 by the United States, exclusively of many thousands killed 
 and taken in various actions during the war; thirteen 
 colonies dismembered from her, and an increase of her 
 national debt, in seven years, one hundred and twenty 
 millions. 
 
 The United States have gained that independence and 
 liberty for which they contended, and find their debt to 
 be less than forty-five millions of dollars, which is short of 
 ten millions of pounds sterling ! This long-protracted war- 
 fare, waged in behalf of American freedom, is now tri- 
 umphantly terminated, and a sanctuary sacred to civil and 
 religious liberty will be opened in this western hemisphere. 
 
 Extract of a Circular Letter from his Excellency George Waxhington, 
 Commander-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States of America, 
 to the Governors of the several States. 
 
 "Head-Quarters, Newburgh, June, 18, 1783. 
 
 "For my own part, conscious of having acted, while a servant of the 
 public, in the manner I conceived best suited tu promote the real inter- 
 ests of my country; having, in consequence of my fixed belief, in some 
 measure pledged myself to the army that their country would finally do 
 them complete and ample justice, and not willing to conceal any instance 
 of my official conduct from the eyes of the world, I have thought proper 
 to transmit to your excellency the inclosed collection of papers, relative 
 to the half-pay and commutation granted by Congress to the otiicers of 
 the army. 
 
 " From these communications, my decided sentiment will be clearly 
 
EEVOLUTIONARY ANNALS, 1783. 351 
 
 comprehended, together with the conclusive reasons which induced me at 
 an early period to recommend the adoption of this measure in the most 
 earnest and serious manner. As the proceedings of Congress, the army, 
 and myself are open to all, and contain, in my opinion, sufficient infor- 
 mation to remove the prejudice and errors which may have been enter- 
 tained by any, I think it unnecessary to say any thing more than just to 
 observe, that the resolutions of Congress, now alluded to, are as undoubt- 
 edly and absolutely binding on the United States, as the most solemn 
 acts of confederation or legislation. 
 
 "As to the idea, which I am informed has in some instances prevailed, 
 that the half-pay and commutation are to be regarded merely in the 
 odious light of a pension, it ought to be exploded for ever: That pro- 
 vision should be viewed as it really was, a reasonable compensation 
 ofl'ered by Congress, at a time when they had nothing else to give, to 
 officers of the army for services then to be performed: It was the only 
 means to prevent a total dereliction of the service ; it was a part of their 
 hire — I may be allowed to say, it was the price of their blood and of 
 3'our independency; it is therefore more than a common debt; it is a 
 debt of honor; it can never be considered i\s a pension or gratuity, nor 
 canceled till it is fairly discharged." 
 
 For the following sketch I am indebted to the Hon. Wil- 
 liam Eustis, a highly respectable surgeon in the hospital 
 department during the revolutionary war: 
 
 COLONEL JOHN CRANE, AND OTHERS. 
 
 The mechanics of Boston and its vicinity may take a 
 just pride in having furnished from their ranks some of 
 the bravest and most useful officers of the revolutionary 
 army, and, among them, no one more brave or more use- 
 ful than John Crane. 
 
 In adverting to the sources whence they derived their 
 knowledge of discipline and of service, our first object is to 
 show, from facts and experience, the utility and importance 
 of a well-organized militia, and to defend this invaluable in- 
 stitution from the reproaches of the ignorant and assuming, 
 who would sap the foundation of the national defence ; and 
 secondly, to inspire the young mechanics with zeal in the 
 military profession, that like their predecessors they may 
 become the able and substantial defenders of their country. 
 
 Previous to the war of the revolution, there was in 
 Boston a company of artillery, commanded by Captain 
 Adino Paddock, by profession a chaise-maker. It was 
 composed principally, if not altogether, of the mechanics 
 of Boston, and was distinguished by its superior disci- 
 pline, by the exactness of its manoeuvres and the accuracy 
 
352 EEVOLUTIONARY ANNALS, 1783 
 
 of its firings. Paddock had tory connexions, adhered to 
 the British, went to England, was consulted repeatedly by 
 the British ministry, and was invested with the militai'y 
 command of the island of Guernsey. In this company 
 were raised Colonel John Crane, Colonel (now General) 
 Ebenezer Stevens, with others, all of whose names are not 
 recollected. Crane and Stevens were house-carpenters, 
 Perkins was a shoe-maker, Seward a hatter, Popkins a 
 tailor, Allen a sail-maker, Carnes a rope-maker, Lillie a 
 
 cooper, Johnson a painter. Treat a cooper, Burbeck a , 
 
 Hall a mason, D. Bryant a chair-maker. Cook a butcher, 
 Thomas a cooper, and Allen a sail-maker. 
 
 The greater part of these with others formed a regiment 
 of artillery, not exceeded in discipline, valor, and useful- 
 ness by any regiment in service. Crane was made a major 
 in 1775. An uneducated man, he had all the pride and 
 ambition of a soldier. He was constitutionally bold and 
 daring, courting danger wdierever it was to be found. 
 
 In 1775, when Boston was besieged, his station was in 
 Eoxbury. On Boston neck a breastwork was constructed, 
 and so soon as cannon could be procured they were 
 mounted. Crane had the command, spent a great part of 
 his time there, and was never more delighted than when 
 he was permitted to fire on the British intrenchment. Our 
 stock of powder was then small. It was on this theatre 
 that he first displayed an undaunted courage, and a knowl- 
 edge of the art of gunnery, not often displayed by old 
 artillery officers. He repeatedly dismounted the cannon 
 in the embrasures of the British works, killing and wound- 
 ing their men. After the evacuation of Boston, he marched 
 to New York. Whenever a British ship-of-war appeared 
 in the East or North rivers, or any firing was heard, Crane 
 was on horseback, and galloped to the scene of action. 
 Being reproached on an occasion when he exposed himself 
 alone, riding through Greenwich-street, under the constant 
 broadsides of a passing ship, he replied, "The shot is not 
 cast which is to kill me." 
 
 Not long after, a frigate run up the East river, and an- 
 chored on the Long Island side, near Corlaer's hook. Four 
 field-pieces were ordered to annoy her. They were only 
 six-pounders. Crane, as usual, was present, and pointed 
 the pieces. His sight was remarkably true — his aim was 
 
EEVOLUTIONAKY ANNALS, 1783. 1553 
 
 sure. He had from Labit and the acuteness of his vision 
 the faculty of seeing a cannon-ball on its passage through 
 the air. A falling shot from the ship he kenned in a 
 direction to strike, as he thought, the lower part of his 
 body. Not having time to change his position in any other 
 way, he whirled himself round on one foot; the ball struck 
 the other foot while raised in the air, carrying away the 
 great toe and ball of the foot. Thus ended his usefulness 
 for the campaign. He was afterwards removed to New 
 Jersey, and, surviving the perils of a partial jaw-lock, so 
 far recovered as to go home on furlough. He returned 
 the ftext spring, and continued in service till the peace. 
 • The nature of this work will not allow us to follow him 
 through the remainder of his career; but we cannot refrain 
 from stating a closing anecdote, illustrative of his inde- 
 pendent spirit. He had been among the number of those 
 who thought the army had been neglected by the country, 
 and spake as he felt, indignantly, at the treatment they 
 had received. A board of general and field officers, with 
 two hospital surgeons, were appointed to examine the 
 wounded officers and soldiers in camp at the close of the 
 war, and to report the rate of compensation to which they 
 were severally entitled. A friend and brother-officer, who 
 well knew the nature of his wound, waited on Colonel 
 Crane, represented to him that, on his return to private 
 life, his activity of mind and body would lead him to some 
 kind of labor, and that having lost the ball of his foot, the 
 bones would come through the cicatrix, and his wound open 
 again, asking the favor of him to walk over, and suffer his 
 foot to be inspected. Stamping the wounded foot on the 
 floor, he replied, indignantly, "No, sir; they never shall 
 say that I eat their bread when I have done serving them." 
 
 He entered afterwards on active and laborious business, 
 and prospered for a number of years, met with adverse 
 circumstances, his wound broke out again, he could no 
 longer labor. After many years he came to the friend 
 who had admonished him of the consequences of his wound, 
 and said to him, with tears in his eyes, "My friend, I am 
 now a humbled man, you may do with me as you please." 
 He was immediately placed on the pension-list, but did 
 not live a year to enjoy his pension. 
 
 The important services of Major Stevens, who com- 
 
354 EEVOLUTIONAEY ANNALS, 1783. 
 
 manded the artillery under General Gates, in the campaign 
 of 1777, are well known. 
 
 There are anecdotes relative to many others of them, 
 illustrative of their bravery in the field, and of their 
 magnanimity and general usefulness during the war which 
 we have not room to particularize. One, however, we 
 cannot in justice omit. David Bryant, bred a chair-maker 
 in Boston, and afterwards a lieutenant in the artillery, was 
 a man of small stature, but remarkable for the strictness 
 of discipline which he observed from the earliest period 
 of the war. At the close of the battle of Brandy wine, he 
 was hard pressed by the enemy, and was mortally wound- 
 ed. His men hovered round him to take care of him. He 
 addressed them in the following words: "My lads, it is 
 over with me; leave me, but don't leave the pieces." His 
 words were electric; they saved their pieces, and brought 
 him oft' on the trail. He died in the American camp. 
 
 To the above catalogue of worthies may be added Col- 
 onel Paul Kevere ; his occupation was that of a gold-smith. 
 He was a very active and influential patriot at the com- 
 mencement of the revolution, associated with a number of 
 mechanics, who watched with a vigilant eye every move- 
 ment of the British, and promptly conmiunicated intelli- 
 gence to the proper authority. In the evening preceding 
 the 19th of April, 1775, Colonel Kevere was one of the 
 first who discovered that a British detachment was ordered 
 on an expedition into the country, and with the utmost 
 despatch repaired to Lexington, spreading the alarm among 
 the n^ilitia, and giving notice to Messrs. Hancock and 
 Adams, who were then at the house of the clergyman in 
 that town, that they might escape the impending danger. 
 Colonel Revere was afterwards appointed to command a 
 regiment of artillery in the militia, and was on the unfor- 
 tunate Penobscot expedition in the summer of 1779. He 
 was through life esteemed for unimpeachable integrity, 
 attachment to correct political principles, and as a useful 
 citizen. He died, in Boston, in 1818, in his eighty- 
 fourth year. 
 
 Dr. John Thomas is a respectable regimental surgeon. 
 He possesses a remarkable laculty of mimicry, and no 
 person in New England can tell a Yankee story with more 
 genuine humor. An occurrence at head-quarters is thus 
 
EEVOLUTIONAKY ANNALS, 1783. 355 
 
 related by a gentleman who was present. General Wash- 
 ington seldom smiles ; I never saw him laugh but once ; 
 it was after the preliminaries of peace were signed, and at 
 a Yankee story told by Dr. Thomas. The doctor being 
 invited to dine at head-quarters, one of the aids requested 
 the general's permission for him to repeat the dialogue 
 between two New England men who had visited the 
 French camp. In doing this, he repeated quaint speeches 
 and remarks in a manner so inimitably ludicrous, that no 
 one but his excellency could contain his gravity. At 
 length he added, "What, said Jonathan, do you think 
 Chambeau's soldiers call a hat? the tarnation fools, they 
 (iall it a chappeau! Why, and be darn'd to them, can't 
 they call it a hat and adone with it?" The general could 
 no longer refrain; he burst into a fit of laughter. There 
 is not perhaps another man who can boast of exciting 
 laughter in General Washington. 
 
 Captain Houdin, commonly pronounced Udang, is a 
 Frenchman of singular manners and character, and ludi- 
 crous in his personal appearance, being rather tall, but 
 slender ; his features are sharp and irregular, complexion 
 dark, with small jet-black eyes. His long hair is brought 
 in a braid to the top of his head, which is constantly cov- 
 ered with powder; he is never seen without his small- 
 sword, nor in conversation without a display of vanity and 
 affectation. He converses in broken English, with rapid 
 articulation, often perverting words from their legitimate 
 meaning. Dr. Thomas and Udang have at command an 
 inexhaustible fund of merriment and humor, and Udang 
 once said to the doctor, "You can take me off better than 
 I can myself" On a return from Boston, in 1780, he re- 
 lated some incidents that occurred to him, which have 
 frequently been repeated to aid in festive mirth. Some 
 wag, knowing his vanity and affectation of consequence, 
 had employed g, negro wench to make a familiar address 
 to him in some public place. This was a severe mortifi- 
 cation, and destroyed all the comforts of his visit. In 
 answer to an inquiry how he hked Boston, this vexation 
 was uppermost in his mind. "I like Boston very well, all 
 but one d — d madam nig." On being pressed further, he 
 related the particulars with all the action and irritation 
 that the reality occasioned. One gentleman said to me, 
 
g5g EEVOLOTIONAEY ANNALS, 178S. 
 
 Will you take a walk to the market — twas one very fine 
 market — de poult, de geese, ebery ting — one very fine 
 assortimeyit — dere it was I hear somebody say behind, ' IIow 
 do you do, Captain UdanyT I looked round; one black 
 bish say again, making reverence, '/ hope you he luell, 
 Captain Udang.^ Who be you speak to me in de market? 
 'You forget,' she say, ' I was your sweetheart in 77.' Hoi 
 you tongue, you d — d rascal bish. You speak to me in 
 de market, when I am wid gentlemen, I cut off your head, 
 I will, you rascal wench. I was so asham, I put de hat 
 over my eyes and run right home tro five tousand people. 
 Next day some gentlemen tell me who own the black bish 
 dat spoke to me in de market, and advise me to tell de 
 mistress. I go to the house, and knock, knock — by by 
 door open, ^ How do you do, Captain Udang'' — de same 
 black bish rascal dat spoke to me in de market. Who 
 own you? Tell you mistress one gentleman oflicer wish to 
 see her. Madam, say I, do you own dat d — d madam nig, 
 dat spoke to me in de market. She say, if you had not 
 been too familiar with my negro wench, she would not 
 spoke to you in de market. I say, 'You be one d — d 
 rascal yourself, madam.' " 
 
 There is, among many good anecdotes related of Mon- 
 sieur, one that shows the simplicity of the man, and is 
 characteristic of the times. Before and at the period of 
 the adoption of the federal constitution, great excitement 
 existed in many parts of the country against many of its 
 leading provisions, much mischief was predicted, and the 
 irritated spirit of party could discern nothing but the most 
 odious features and destructive tendencies. Houdin, on 
 whom principles and opinions set rather loosely, was a 
 zealous anti-federalist. After the new government was 
 adopted, he was among the first to apply to the war de- 
 partment for an ofiice. With no very favorable indication 
 in his manner, General Knox inquired, "Do you expect 
 patronage under that system of government that you have 
 every where assailed?" "Ah, general," says Monsieur, 
 "I tot it was popular; I meant noting." This honest 
 simplicity availed him with the frank and generous mind 
 of Knox, more than a hypocritical, canting afiectation of 
 patriotism. He received the appointment of conductor of 
 military stores, which he held till his death. 
 
 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 NOTE I— See Page 102. 
 
 General Burgoyne, in his defence, after his arrival 
 in England, as commander of the Northern expedition, 
 has paid a just tribute of praise to American bravery. 
 Adverting to the action of the 19th of September, he 
 says: "Few actions have been characterized by more ob- 
 stinacy in attack or defence. The British bayonet was 
 repeatedly tried ineffectually. Eleven hundred British 
 soldiers, foiled in these trials, bore incessant fire from a 
 succession of fresh troops, in superior numbers, for above 
 four hours; and after a loss of above a third of their num- 
 ber, and in one of the regiments above two-thirds, forced 
 the enemy at last. Of a detachment of a captain and forty- 
 eight artillery-men, the captain and thirty-six men were 
 killed or wounded. The tribute of praise due to such 
 troops, will not be wanting in this generous nation," His 
 observations respecting the action of the 7th of October, 
 are expressed in the following energetic and feeling lan- 
 guage: "The losses in the action were uncommonly se- 
 vere. Sir Francis Clark, my aid-de-camp, had originally 
 recommended himself to my attention by his talents and 
 diligence. As service and intimacy opened his character 
 more, he became endeared to me by every quality that 
 can create esteem, I lost in him a useful assistant, an 
 amiable companion, an attached friend; the state was de- 
 prived by his death of one of the fairest promises of an 
 able general. 
 
 "The fate of Colonel Ackland, taken prisoner, and then 
 supposed to be mortally wounded, was a second source of 
 anxiety. . General Frazer was expiring. 
 
 "In the course of the action, a shot had passed through 
 
358 APPENDIX. 
 
 my hat, and another had torn my waistcoat. I should be 
 sorry to be thought at any time insensible to the protecting 
 hand of Providence; but I ever more particularly consid 
 ered a soldier's hair-breadth escapes as incentives to duty, 
 a marked renewal of the trust of being, for the due pur- 
 poses of a public station; and under this reflection, to lose 
 our fortitude, by giving way to our affections, to be di- 
 verted by any possible self-emotion from meeting a present 
 exigency with our best faculties, were at once dishonor 
 and impiety." 
 
 General Frazer died of his wounds on the 8th instant. 
 Before his death, he requested that his body might be car- 
 ried, without parade, by the officers of his own corps to 
 the great redoubt, and there buried. About sun-set the 
 corpse was carried up the hill, and necessarily passed in 
 view of both armies. Generals Burgoyne, Phillips, and 
 lleidesel placed themselves in the humble procession. As 
 General Gates was not made acquainted with the intended 
 solemnity, a constant cannonade was kept up by our peo- 
 ple, directed to the hill, where the ceremony was per- 
 formed. From the pen of General Burgoyne, we have 
 the following eloquent delineation of the melancholy 
 scene: "The incessant cannonade during the solemnity, 
 the steady attitude and unaltered voice with which the 
 clergyman officiated, though frequently covered with dust, 
 which the shot threw up on all sides of him ; the mute, 
 but expressive mixture of sensibility and indignation on 
 every countenance; these objects will remain to the last 
 of life on the mind of every man who was present. The 
 growing duskiness added to the scenery, and the whole 
 marked a character of this juncture, that would make one 
 of the finest subjects for the pencil of a master that the 
 field ever exhibited. To the canvas and to the page of a 
 more important historian, gallant friend! I consign thy 
 memory. There may thy talents, thy manly virtues, their 
 progress and their period, find due distinction; and long 
 may they survive, long after the frail record of my pen 
 shall be forgotten!" 
 
 The following appropriate lines are from the elegant 
 pen of Mrs. Morton: 
 
 To gallant Gates, in war serenely brave, 
 The tide of fortune turns its refluent wave; 
 
APPENDIX. 359 
 
 Forced by his arm, the bold invaders yield 
 The prize and glory of the well-fought field ; 
 Bleeding and lost the captured Ackland lies, 
 While leaden slumbers seal his Frazers eyes; 
 Frazer! whose deeds unfoding glories claim, 
 Endear'd by virtue, and adorn'd by fome. 
 
 LADY ACKLAND.— See Page 110. 
 
 FuETHER particulars respecting the affecting story of 
 this distinguished lady have since appeared ; and from the 
 writings of General Burgoyne and other sources I extract 
 the following. She accompanied Major Ackland to Can- 
 ada in 1776, and was called to attend on him while sick 
 in a miserable hut at Chamblee. In the expedition to 
 Ticonden^ga, in 1777, she was positively enjoined not to 
 expose herself to the risk and hazards which might occur 
 on that occasion; but Major Ackland, having received a 
 wound in the battle of Hubberton, she crossed Lake 
 Champlain to pay her attention to him. After this, she 
 followed his fortune, and shared his fatigue, while tra- 
 versing the dreary, woody country to Fort Edward. Here 
 the tent in which they lodged took fire by night, from 
 which they escaped with the utmost difficulty. During 
 the action of the 19th of September, she was exposed to 
 great fatigue, and inexpressible anxiety for the fate of her 
 husband, being advanced in the front of the battle. On 
 the 7th of October, during the heat of the conflict. Lady 
 Ackland took refuge among the wounded and dying; her 
 husband, commanding the grenadiers, was in the most 
 exposed part of the action, and she in awful suspense 
 awaiting his fate. The Baroness Eeidesel, and the wives 
 of two other field-officers, were her companions in painful 
 apprehension. One of these officers was soon brought in 
 dangerously wounded, and the death of the other was 
 announced. It was not long before intelligence was re- 
 ceived that the British army was defeated, and that Major 
 Ackland was desperately wounded and taken. The next 
 day she proposed to visit her husband in the American 
 camp. General Burgoyne observes, " Though I was ready 
 to believe, for I had experienced, that patience and forti- 
 tude in a supreme degree were to be found, as well as 
 
360 APPENDIX. f 
 
 every other virtue, under the most tender form, I was 
 astonished at this proposal. After so long an agitation of 
 the spirits, exhausted not only for want of rest, but abso 
 lutely want of food, drenched in rain for twelve hours 
 together, that a woman should be capable of delivering 
 herself to the enemy, probably in the night, and uncertain 
 into what hands she might fall, appeared an effort above 
 human nature. The assistance I was enabled to give was 
 small indeed; I had not even a cup of wine to offer her; 
 but I was told she had found from some kind and fortunate 
 hand a little rum and dirty water. All I could furnish to 
 her was an open boat and a few lines written on dirty and 
 wet paper to General Gates, recommending her to his pro- 
 tection. — It is due to justice, at the close of this adventure, 
 to say, that she was received and accommodated by Gen- 
 eral Gates, with all the humanity and respect that her 
 rank, her merits, and her fortunes deserved. 
 
 "Let such as are affected by these circmmstances of 
 alarm, hardship and danger, recollect that the subject of 
 them was a woman of the most tender and delicate frame; 
 of the gentlest manners; habituated to all the soft ele- 
 gancies and refined enjoyments that attend high birth and 
 fortune; and far advanced in a state in which the tender 
 cares, always due to the sex, become indispensably neces- 
 sary. Her mind alone was formed for such trials." 
 
 The adventures of Lady Ackland have been a theme 
 for the display of the poetic talents of the accomplished 
 lady of Perez Morton, Esq. It is regretted that the limits 
 of this production will not admit of more than the follow- 
 ing lines, and those on the preceding page, from that ex- 
 cellent poem : 
 
 "'Twas now the time, when twilight's misty ray 
 Drops the brown curtain of retiring day ; 
 The clouds of heaven, like midnight mountnins, lower, 
 Waft the wild blast, and dash the drizzly shower: 
 Through the wet path her restless footsteps roam, 
 To where (he leader spread his spacious dome; 
 Low at his feet she pours the desperate prayer — 
 •Give my lost husband to my soothing care: 
 Give me, in yonder solitary cave, 
 With duteous love, his burning wounds to lave, 
 On the warm pillow, which this breast supplies, 
 Catch his faint breath, and close his languid eyes, 
 Or in his cause my proffer'd life resign, 
 Mine were his blessings, and his pains are mine.'" 
 
APPENDIX. 361 
 
 NOTE II.— See Page 112. 
 
 The following sketch, borrowed from the Memoirs of 
 General Wilkinson, is too highly interesting to be omitted; 
 every reader of taste will be gratified with the perusal, 
 and, for myself, I owe to General Wilkinson only an 
 apology for the liberty I have taken. 
 
 Extract from the Baroness ReideseVs Narrative. 
 
 "As we had to march still farther, I ordered a large 
 calash to be built, capable of holding my three children, 
 myself, and two female servants; in this manner we moved 
 with the army in the midst of the soldiery, who were very 
 merry, singing songs, and panting for action. We had to 
 travel through almost impassable woods and a most pic- 
 turesque and beautiful country, which was abandoned by 
 its inhabitants, who had repaired to the standard of Gen- 
 eral Gates; they added much to his strength, as they were 
 all good marksmen, and fitted by habit for the species of 
 warfare the contending parties were then engaged in — and 
 the love of their country inspired them with more than 
 ordinary courage. The army had shortly to encamp; I 
 generally remained about an hour's march in the rear, 
 where I received daily visits from my husband; the army 
 was frequently engaged in small affairs, but nothing of 
 importance took place; and as the season was getting cold, 
 Major Williams of the artillery proposed to have a house 
 built for me with a chimney, observing that it would not 
 cost more than five or six guineas, and that the frequent 
 change of quarters was very inconvenient to me ; it was 
 accordingly built, and was called the Block-house from its 
 square form and the resemblance it bore to those buildings. 
 
 "On the 19th of September, an affair happened which, 
 though it turned out to our advantage, yet obliged us to 
 halt at a place called Freeman's firm ; I was an eye-wit- 
 ness to the whole affair, and as my husband was engaged 
 in it, I was full of anxiety, and trembled at every shot I 
 heard; I saw a great number of the wounded, and, what 
 added to the distress of the scene, three of them were 
 brought into the house in which I took shelter; one was 
 a Major Harnage of the sixty-second British regiment, the 
 
362 APPENDIX, 
 
 husband of a lady of my acquaintance; another was a 
 lieutenant, married to a lady with whom I had the honor 
 to be on terms of intimacy, and the third was an officer 
 of the name of Young. 
 
 "In a short time afterwards I heard groans proceeding 
 from a room near mine, and knew they must have been, 
 occasioned by the sufferings of the last-mentioned officer, 
 who lay writhing with his wounds. 
 
 "His mournful situation interested me much, and the 
 more so, because the recollection of many polite attentions, 
 received from a family of that name during my visit to 
 England, was still forcibly impressed on my mind. I sent 
 to him, and begged him to accept my best services, and 
 afterwards furnished him with food and refreshments; he 
 expressed a great desire to see me, politely calling me his 
 benefactress. I accordingly visited him, and found -him 
 lying on a little straw, as he had lost his equipage. He 
 was a young man, eighteen or nineteen years of age, and 
 really the beloved nephew of the Mr. Young, the head of 
 the family I have mentioned, and the only son of his 
 parents. This last circumstance was what he lamented 
 most; as to his pain, he thought lightly of it. He had lost 
 much blood, and it was thought necessary to amputate the 
 leg; but this he would not consent to, and of course a 
 mortification took place. I sent him cushions and cover- 
 ings, and my female friends sent him a mattress. I re- 
 doubled my attention to him, and visited him every day, 
 for which I received a thousand wishes for my happiness. 
 At last his limb was amputated, but it was too late, and 
 he died the following day. As he lay in the next room 
 to me, and the partition was very thin, I distinctly heard 
 his last sigh, when his immortal part quitted its frail 
 tenement, and, I trust, winged its way to the mansions of 
 eternal bliss. 
 
 "But severer trials awaited us, and on the 7th of Octo- 
 ber our misfortunes began ; I was at breakfast with my 
 husband, and heard that something was intended. On 
 the same day I expected Generals Burgoyne, Phillips and 
 Frazer to dine with us. I saw a great movement among 
 the troops ; my husband told me it was merely a recon- 
 noisance, which gave me no concern, as it often happened. 
 I walked out of the house, and met several Indians in 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 863 
 
 their Avar dresses, with guns in their hands. When I 
 asked them where they were going, they cried out, 'War! 
 war!' meaning that they were going to battle. This filled 
 me with apprehension, and I had scarcely got home before 
 I heard reports of cannon and musketry, which grew 
 louder by degress, till at last the noise became excessive. 
 About four o'clock in the afternoon, instead of the guests 
 whom I expected, General Frazer was brought on a litter, 
 mortally wounded. The table, which was already set, 
 was instantly removed, and a bed placed in its stead for 
 the wounded general. I sat trembling in a corner; the 
 noise grew louder, and the alarm increased ; the thought 
 that my husband might perhaps be brought in, wounded 
 in the same manner, was terrible to me, and distressed me 
 exceedingly. General Frazer said to the surgeon, 'Tell 
 me if my wound is mortal; do not flatter me.' The ball 
 had passed through his body, and, unhappil}^ for the gen- 
 eral, he had eaten a very hearty breakfast, by which the 
 stomach was distended, and the ball, as the surgeon said, 
 had passed through it. I heard him often exclaim, with 
 a sigh, 'Oh, fatal ambition! Poor General Burgoyne! 
 Oh, my poor wife!' He was asked if he had any request 
 to make, to which he replied, that, 'If General Burgoyne 
 would permit it, he should like to be buried at six o'clock 
 in the evening, on the top of a mountain, in a redoubt 
 which had been built there.' I did not know which way 
 to turn: all the other rooms were full of sick. Towards 
 evening I saw my husband coming. Then I forgot all 
 my sorrows, and thanked God that he was spared to me. 
 lie ate in great haste with me and his aid-de-camp, behind 
 the house. We had been told that we had the advantage 
 over the enemy, but the sorrowful faces I beheld told a 
 different tale, and before my husband went away he took 
 me aside, and said every thing was going very badly; that 
 I must keep myself in readiness to leave the place, but 
 not to mention it to any one. I made the pretence that 
 I would move the next morning into my new house, and 
 had every thing packed up ready. 
 
 •'Lady Ackland had a tent not far from our house; in 
 this she slept, and the rest of the day she was in the camp. 
 All of a sudden a man came to tell her that her husband 
 was mortally wounded and taken prisoner; on hearing 
 
3(54 APPENDIX. 
 
 this she became very miserable; we comforted her by tell 
 ing her that the wound was only slight, and at the same 
 time advised her to go over to her husband, to do which, 
 she would certainly obtain permission, and then she would 
 attend him herself; she was a charming woman, and very 
 fond of him. I spent much of the night in comforting 
 her, and then went again to my children, whom I had put 
 to bed. I could not go to sleep, as I had General Frazer 
 and all the other wounded gentlemen in my room, and I 
 was sadly afraid my children would wake, and by their 
 crying disturb the dying man in his last moments, who 
 often addressed me, and apologized \for the trouble he gave 
 we.' About three o'clock in the morning I was told that 
 he could, not hold out much longer; I had desired to be 
 informed of the near approach of this sad crisis, and I then 
 wrapped up my children in their clothes, and went with 
 them into the room below. About eight o'clock in the 
 morning he died. After he was laid out, and his corpse 
 wrapped up in a sheet, we came again into the room, and 
 had this sorrowful sight before us the whole day, and, to 
 add to the melancholy scene, almost every moment some 
 officer of ray acquaintance was brought in wounded. The 
 cannonade commenced again ; a retreat was spoken of, but 
 not the smallest motion was made towards it. About four 
 o'clock in the afternoon, I saw the house which had just 
 been built for me in flames, and the enemy was now not 
 far off. We knew that General Burgoyne would not re- 
 fuse the last request of General Frazer, though, by his 
 acceding to it, an unnecessary delay was occasioned, by 
 which the inconvenience of the army was much increased. 
 At six o'clock the corpse was brought out, and we saw 
 all the generals attend it to the mountain ; the chaplain, 
 Mr. Brudenell, performed the funeral service, rendered 
 unusually solemn and awful from its being accompanied 
 by constant peals from the enemy's artillery. Many can- 
 non-balls flew close by me, but I had my eyes directed 
 towards the mountain,* where my husband was standing, 
 amidst the fire of the enemy, and of course I could not 
 think of my own danger. 
 
 "General Gates afterwards said that, if he had known 
 
 * The height occupied by Burgoyne on the ]8th, which ran parallel 
 with the river till it approached General Gates' camp. 
 
APPENDIX. 3t)5 
 
 it had been a funeral, lie would not have permitted it to 
 be fired on. 
 
 "So soon as the funeral-service was finished, and the 
 grave of General Frazer was closed, an order was issued 
 that the army should retreat. My calash was prepared, 
 but I would not consent to go before the troops. Major 
 Harnage, though suffering from his wounds, crept from 
 his bjed, as he did not wish to remain in the hospital, which 
 was left with a flag of truce. When General Eeidesel saw 
 me in the midst of danger, he ordered my women and 
 children to be brought into the calash, and intimated to 
 me to depart without delay. I still prayed to remain, but 
 my hvisband, knowing my weak side, said, 'Well, then, 
 your children must go, that at least they may be safe from 
 danger.' I then agreed to enter the calash with them, and 
 we set off at eight o'clock. 
 
 "The retreat was ordered to be conducted with the 
 greatest silence; many fires were lighted, and several tents 
 left standing ; we travelled continually during the night. 
 At six o'clock in the morning we halted, which excited 
 the surprise of all; General Burgoyne had the cannon 
 ranged and counted; this delay seemed to displease every 
 body, for if we could only have made another good march, 
 we should have been in safety. My husband, quite ex- 
 hausted with fatigue, came into my calash, and slept for 
 three hours. During that time, Captain Willoe brought 
 me a bag full of bank notes, and Captain Grismar his 
 elegant watch, a ring, and a purse full of money, which 
 they requested me to take care of, and which I promised 
 to do to the utmost of my power. We again marched, but 
 had scarcely proceeded an hour before we halted, as the 
 enemy was in sight; it proved to be only a reconnoitering 
 party of two hundred men, who might easily have been 
 made prisoners, if General Burgoyne had given proper 
 orders on the occasion. 
 
 "The Indians had now lost their courage, and were 
 departing for their homes ; these people appeared to droop 
 much under adversity, and especially when they had no 
 prospect of plunder. One of my waiting-women was in 
 a state of despair, which approached to madness; she 
 cursed and tore her hair, and when I attempted to reason 
 with her, and to pacify her, she asked me if I was not 
 Cc 
 
366 APPENDIX. 
 
 grieved at our situation, and on my saying I was, she tore 
 her cap off her head and let her hair drop over her face, 
 saying to me, *It is very easy for you to be composed and 
 talk : you have your husband with you ; I have none ; and 
 what remains to me but the prospect of perishing or losing 
 all I have!' I again bade her take comfort, and assured 
 her I would make good whatever she might happen to 
 lose; and I made the same promise to Ellen, my other wait- 
 ing-woman, who, though filled with apprehensions, made 
 no complaints. 
 
 "About evening we arrived at Saratoga; my dress was 
 wet through and through with rain, and in this state I had 
 to remain the whole night, having no place to change it; 
 I, however, got close to a large fire, and at last lay down 
 on some straw. At this moment General Phillips came 
 up to me, and I asked him why he had not continued our 
 retreat, as my husband had promised to cover it and bring 
 the army through? 'Poor, dear woman,' said he, 'I won- 
 der how, drenched as you are, you have the courage still 
 to persevere and venture further in this kind of weather! 
 I wish,' continued he, 'you was our commanding-general; 
 General Burgoyne is tired, and, means to halt here to-night 
 and give us our supper.' 
 
 "On the morning of the 7th, at ten o'clock. General 
 Burgoyne ordered the retreat to be continued, and caused 
 the handsome houses and mills of General Schuyler to be 
 burned; we marched, however, but a short distance, and 
 then halted. The greatest misery at this time prevailed 
 in the army, and more than thirty officers came to me, for 
 whom tea and coffee was prepared, and with whom I shared 
 all my provisions, with which my calash was in general 
 well supplied; for I had a cook who was an excellent 
 caterer, and who often in the night crossed small rivers 
 and foraged on the inhabitants, bringing in with him sheep, 
 small pigs, and poultry, for which he very often forgot to 
 pay, though he received good pay from me so long as I 
 had any, and was ultimately handsomely rewarded. Our 
 provisions now failed v;s for want of proper conduct in the 
 commissary's department, and I began to despair. About 
 two o'clock in the afternoon we again heard a firing of 
 cannon and small-arms ; instantly all was alarm, and every 
 thing in motion. My husband told me to go to a house 
 
APPENDIX. 367 
 
 not far off; I immediately seated myself in my calash, 
 with my children, and drove off; but scarcely had we 
 reached it before I discovered five or six armed men on 
 the other side of the Hudson; instinctively I threw my 
 children down in the calash, and then concealed myself 
 with them ; at this moment the fellows fired and wounded 
 an already wounded English soldier, who was behind me. 
 Poor fellow ! I pitied him exceedingly, but at this moment 
 had no means or power to relieve him. A terrible can- 
 nonade was commenced by the enemy, which was directed 
 against the house in which I sought to obtain shelter for my- 
 self and children, under the mistaken idea that all the gener- 
 als were in it. Alas! it contained none but wounded and 
 women; we were at last obliged to resort to the cellar for 
 refuge, and in one corner of this I remained the whole 
 day, my children sleeping on the earth with their heads 
 in my lap; and in the same situation I passed a sleepless 
 night. — Eleven cannon-balls passed through the house, 
 and we could distinctly hear them roll away. One poor 
 soldier, who was lying on a table for the purpose of having 
 his leg amputated, was struck by a shot, which carried 
 away his other; his comrades had left him, and when we 
 went to his assistance we found him in a corner of the 
 room, into which he had crept, more dead than alive, 
 scarcely breathing. My reflections on the danger to 
 which my husband was exposed now agonized me ex- 
 ceedingly, and the thoughts of my children and the 
 necessity of struggling for their preservation alone sus- 
 tained me. 
 
 "The ladies of the army who were with me were Mrs. 
 Harnage, a Mrs. Kennels, the widow of a lieutenant who 
 was killed, and the lady of the commissary. Major Har- 
 nage, his wife, and Mrs. Kennels, made a little room in a 
 corner with curtains to it, and wished to do the same for 
 me, but I preferred being near the door, in case of fire. 
 Not far off, my women slept, and opposite to us three Eng- 
 lish officers, who, though wounded, were determined not to 
 be left behind : one of them was Captain Green, an aid-de- 
 camp to Major-General Phillips, a very valuable officer 
 and most agreeable man. They each made me a most 
 sacred promise not to leave me behind, and in case of sud- 
 den retreat, that they would each of them take one of my 
 
368 APPENDIX. 
 
 children on his horse, and for myself, one of my husband's 
 was in constant readiness. 
 
 "Our cook, whom I have before mentioned, procured 
 us our meals, but we were in want of water, and I was 
 often obliged to drink wine and to give it to my children. 
 It was the only thing my husband took, which made our 
 faithful Hunter, Eockel, express one day his apprehensions 
 that 'the general was weary of his life, or fearful of being 
 taken, as he drank so much wine.' The constant danger 
 which my husband was in, kept me in a state of wretched- 
 ness, and I asked myself if it was possible I should be the 
 only happy one, and have my husband spared to me unhurt, 
 exposed as he was to so many perils. He never entered 
 his tent, but laid down whole nights by the watch-fires; 
 this alone was enough to have killed him, the cold was 
 so intense. 
 
 "The want of water distressed us much. At length, 
 we found a soldier's wife who had courage enough to 
 fetch us some from the river, an office nobody else would 
 undertake, as the Americans shot at every person who 
 approached it; but out of respect for her sex they never 
 molested her. 
 
 "I now occupied myself through the day in attending 
 the wounded ; I made them tea and coffee, and often shared 
 my dinner with them, for which they offered me a thou- 
 sand expressions of gratitude. One day a Canadian officer 
 came to our cellar, who had scarcely the power of holding 
 himself upright, and we concluded he was dying for want s 
 of nourishment; I was happy in offering him my dinner, 
 which strengthened him and procured me his friendship. 
 I now undertook the care of Major Bloomfield, another 
 aid-de-camp of General Phillips; he had received a mus- 
 ket-ball through both cheeks, which in its course had 
 knocked out several of his teeth, and cut his tongue; he 
 could hold nothing in his mouth; the matter which ran 
 from his wound almost choked him, and he was not able 
 to take any nourishment except a little soup, or something 
 liquid; we had some Rhenish wine, and in the hope that 
 the acidity of it would cleanse his wound, I gave him a 
 bottle of it; he took a little now and then, and with such 
 effect that his cure soon followed. Thus I added another 
 to my stock of friends, and derived a satisfaction which, 
 
APPENDIX. 369 
 
 in the midst of sufferings, served to tranquillize me and 
 diminish their acuteness. 
 
 "One day General Phillips accompanied my husband, 
 at the risk of their lives, on a visit to us, who, after having 
 Avitnessed our situation, said to him, 'I would not for ten 
 thousand guineas come again to this place; my heart is 
 almost broken.' 
 
 "In this horrid situation we remained six days; a cessa- 
 tion of hostilities was now spoken of, and eventually took 
 place; a convention was afterwards agreed on; but one 
 day a message was sent to my husband, who had visited 
 me and was reposing in my bed, to attend a council of 
 war, where it was proposed to break the convention: but, 
 to my great joy, the majority were for adhering to it. On 
 the i6th, however, my husband had to repair to his post, 
 and I to my cellar; this day fresh beef was served out to 
 the officers, who till now had only had salt provisions, 
 which was very bad for their wounds. The good woman 
 who brought us water, made us an excellent soup of the 
 meat, but I had lost my appetite, and took nothing but 
 crusts of bread dipped in wine. The wounded officers, my 
 unfortunate companions, cut off the best bit and presented 
 it to me on a plate. I declined eating any thing, but they 
 contended that it was necessary for me to take nourishment, 
 and declared they would not touch a morsel till I afforded 
 tbem the pleasure of seeing me partake. I could no longer 
 withstand their pressing invitations, accompanied as they 
 were by assurances of the happiness they had in offering 
 me the first good thing they had in their power, and I 
 partook of a repast rendered palatable by the kindness 
 and good-will of my fellow-sufferers, forgetting for the 
 moment the misery of our apartment, and the absence of 
 almost every comfort. 
 
 "On the 17th of October, the convention was completed. 
 General Burgoyne and the other generals waited on the 
 American General Gates; the troops laid down their arms, 
 and gave themselves up prisoners of war! And now the 
 good woman who had supplied us with water at the hazard 
 of her life, received the reward of her services; each of 
 us threw a handful of money into her apron, and she got 
 altogether about twenty guineas. At such a moment as 
 this, how susceptible is the heart of feelings of gratitude! 
 
370 APPENDIX. 
 
 " My husband sent a message to me to come over to him 
 with my children. I seated myself once more in my dear 
 calash, and then rode through the American camp. As 
 I passed on, I observed (and this was a great consolation 
 to me) that no one eyed me with looks of resentment, but 
 that they all greeted us, and even showed compassion in 
 their countenances at the sight of a woman with small 
 children. 1 was, I confess, afraid to go over to the enemy, 
 as it was quite a new situation to me. When I drew near 
 the tents, a handsome man approached and met me, took 
 my children from thecalash, and } nigged and kissed the m^ ichich 
 affected me almost to tears. 'You tremble,' said he, address- 
 ing himself to me ; ' be not afraid.' ' No,' I answered ; ' you 
 seem so kind and tender to my children, it inspires me 
 with courage.' He now led me to the tent of General 
 Gates, where I found Generals Burgoyne and Phillips, 
 who were on a friendly footing with the former. Bur- 
 goyne said to me, 'Never mind; your sorrows have now 
 an end.' I answered him, 'that I should be reprehensible 
 to have any cares, as he had none;' and I was pleased to 
 see him on such a friendly footing with General Gates. 
 All the generals remained to dine with General Gates. 
 
 "The same gentleman who received me so kindly, no>" 
 came and said to me, 'You will be very much embarrassed 
 to eat with all these gentlemen; come with your children 
 to my tent, where I will prepare for you a frugal dinner, 
 and give it with a free will.' I said, 'You are certainly a 
 husband and a father, you have shown me so much kmd- 
 ness.' I now found that he was General Schuyler. He 
 treated me with excellent smoked tongue, beef-steaks, 
 potatoes, and good bread and butter ! Never could I have 
 wished to eat a better dinner; I was content: I saw all 
 around me were so likewise; and, what was better than 
 all, my husband was out of danger. When we had dined, 
 he told me his residence was at Albany, and that General 
 Burgoyne intended to honor him as his guest, and invited 
 myself and children to do so likewise. I asked my hus- 
 band how I should act; he told me to accept the invitation. 
 As it was two days' journey there, he advised me to go to 
 a place which was about three hours' ride distant. Gen- 
 eral Schuyler had the politeness to send with me a French 
 officer, a very agreeable man, who commanded the recon- 
 
APPENDIX. 371 
 
 noitering party, of whicli I have bcJore spoken ; and when 
 he had escorted me to the house where I was to remain, 
 he turned back again. In the house, I found a French 
 surgeon, who had under his care a Brunswick officer, who 
 was mortally wounded, and died some few days after- 
 wards. The Frenchman boasted much of the care he took 
 of his patient, and perhaps was skillful enough as a sur- 
 geon, but otherwise was a mere simpleton ; he was rejoiced 
 when he found out I could speak his language, and began 
 to address many empty and impertinent speeches to me. 
 He said, among other things, he could not believe that I 
 was a general's wife, as he was certain a woman of such 
 rank would not follow her husband ; he wished me to re- 
 main with him, as he said it was laetter to be with the 
 conquerors than the conquered. I was shocked at his 
 impudence, but dared not show the contempt and disdain 
 I felt for him, because it would deprive me of a place of 
 safety. Towards evening he begged me to take a part of 
 his chamber. I told him I was determined to remain in 
 the room with the wounded officer; whereon he attempted 
 to pay me some stupid compliments. At this moment the 
 door opened, and my husband ivith his aid-de-camp entered. 
 I then said, 'Here, sir, is my husband,' and at the same 
 time eyed him with scorn, whereon he retired abashed; 
 nevertheless he was so polite as to offer his chamber to us. 
 
 "Some days after this we arrived at Albany, where we 
 so often wished ourselves; but we did not enter it as we 
 expected we should — victors ! We were received by the 
 good General Schuyler, his wife, and daughters, not as ene- 
 mies, but kind friends, and they treated us with the most 
 marked attention and politeness, as they did Greneral Bur- 
 goyne, who had caused General Schuyler's beautifully 
 finished house to be burned. In fact, they behaved like 
 persons of exalted minds, who determined to bury all re- 
 collection of their oiun injuries in the contemplation of our 
 misfortunes. General Burgoyne was struck with General 
 Schuyler's generosity, and said to him, 'You show me 
 great kindness, though I have done you much injury.' 
 'That was the fate of war,' replied the brave man; 'let us 
 say no more about it.' " 
 
372 APPENDIX. 
 
 NOTE III.— See Page 126. 
 
 Mr. Bushnell's squadron of kegs, committea to the 
 Delaware in 1777, produced an unprecedented alarm 
 among the British fleet at Philadelphia, and the singular 
 catastrophe was, by the Hon. Francis Hopkinson, made a 
 subject of the following song, which has been, and ever will 
 be, celebrated for the brilliancy of its wit and humor: 
 
 THE BATTLE OF THE KEGS, A SONG. . 
 
 Tune — Moggy Laivder. 
 
 Gallants, attend, and hear a friend 
 
 Trill forth harmonious ditty ; 
 Strange things I'll tell, which late befell 
 
 In Philadelphia city. 
 
 'Twas early day, as poets say, 
 
 Just when tlie sun was vising, 
 A soldier stood on log of wood, 
 
 And saw a sight surprising. 
 
 As in a maze he stood to gaze — 
 
 The truth can't be denied, sir — 
 He spied a score of kegs or more 
 
 Come floating down the tide, sir. 
 
 A sailor, too, in jerkin blue, 
 r The strange appearance viewing, 
 
 First damii'd his eyes, in great surprise, 
 Then said, "Some mischief's brewing: 
 
 "These kegs now hold the rebels bold, 
 
 Pack'd up like pickled herring; 
 And tliey're come down t' attack the town 
 
 In this new way of ferrying." 
 
 The soldier flew; the sailor too; 
 
 And scared almost to death, sir, 
 Wore out their shoes to spread the news, 
 
 And ran till out of breath, sir. 
 
 Now up and down, throughout the town, 
 
 Most frantic scenes were acted ; 
 And some ran here, and some ran there, 
 
 Like men almost distracted. 
 
 Some fire cried, which some denied, 
 
 But said the earth had quaked: 
 And girls and boys, with hideous noise, 
 
 Ran through tiie town half-naked. 
 
APPENDIX. 373 
 
 Sir William* he, snug as a flea, 
 
 Lay all this time a snoring; 
 Nor dreamt of harm, as he lay warm 
 
 In bed with Mrs. L ng.f 
 
 Now in a fright he starts upright, 
 
 Awaked by such a clatter ; 
 He rubs both eyes, and boldly cries, 
 
 "For God's sake, what's the matter?" 
 
 At his bed-side he then espied 
 
 Sir ErskineJ at command, sir; 
 Upon one foot he had one boot, 
 
 And t'other in his hand, sir. 
 
 "Arise! arise!" Sir Erskine cries; 
 
 "The rebels — more's the pity — 
 Without a boat, are all on float. 
 
 And ranged before the city. 
 
 The motley crew, in vessels new. 
 
 With Satan for their guide, sir, 
 Pack'd up in bags, or wooden kegs, 
 
 Come driving down the tide, sir: 
 
 Therefore prepare for bloody war; 
 
 These kegs must all be routed. 
 Or surely we despised shall be. 
 
 And British courage doubted." 
 
 The royal band now ready stand. 
 
 All arranged in dread array, sir. 
 With stomachs stout, to see it out, 
 
 And make a bloody day, sir. 
 
 The cannons roar from shore to shore, 
 
 The small arms make a rattle : 
 Since wars began, I'm sure no man 
 
 E'er saw so strange a battle. 
 
 The rebel vales, the rebel dales, 
 
 With rebel trees surrounded. 
 The distant woods, the hills and floods, 
 
 With rebel echoes sounded. 
 
 * Sir William Howe. 
 
 f The wife of Joshua Loring, a refugee from Boston, made commis- 
 sary of prisoners by General Howe. "The consummate cruelties prac- 
 tised on the American prisoners under his administration, almost exceed 
 the ordinary powers of human invention. The conduct of the Turks 
 in putting all prisoners to death, is certainly much more rational and 
 humane, than that of the British army for the first three years of the 
 American war, or till after the capture of Burgoyne." 
 
 I Sir William Erskine. 
 
374 APPENDIX. 
 
 The fish below 3wam to and fro, 
 
 Attack'd from every quarter; 
 "Why sure," thought they, "the devil's to pay 
 
 "'Mongst folks above the water." 
 
 The kegs, 'tis said, though strongly made 
 Of rebel staves and hoops, sir. 
 
 Could not oppose their pow'rful foes. 
 The conqu'ring British troops, sir. 
 
 From morn to night these men of might 
 
 Display'd amazing courage: 
 And when the sun was fairly down, 
 
 Retired to sup their porridge. 
 
 A hundred men, with each a pen. 
 Or more, upon my word, sir, 
 
 It is most true, would be too few 
 Their valor to record, sir. 
 
 Such feats did they perform that day, 
 Upon these wicked kegs, sir. 
 
 That years to come, if they get home, 
 They'll make their boasts and brags, sir. 
 
 NOTE IV.— -See Page 259. 
 
 The following is an abstract of an interesting narrative 
 taken from the travels of the late Dr. Dwight: 
 
 After the fiilure of the expedition against the British 
 garrison at Penobscot, General Peleg Wadsworth was ap- 
 pointed in the spring of 1780 to the command of a party 
 of state troops in Camden, in the District of Maine. At 
 the expiration of the period for which the troops were 
 engaged, in February following, General Wadsworth dis- 
 missed his troops, retaining six soldiers only as his guard, 
 and he was making preparations to depart from the place. 
 A neighboring inhabitant communicated his situation to 
 the British commander at Penobscot, and a party of twenty- 
 five soldiers, commanded by Lieutenant Stockton, was sent 
 to make him a prisoner. They embarked in a small 
 schooner, and landing within four miles of the general's 
 quarters, they were concealed at the house of one Snow, 
 a methodist preacher, professedly a friend to him, but 
 really a traitor, till eleven o'clock in the evening, where 
 they made their arrangements for the attack on the gen- 
 
APPENDIX. g75 
 
 eral's quarters. The party rushed suddenly on the senti- 
 nel, who gave the alarm, and one of his comrades instantly 
 opened the door of the kitchen, and the enemy were so near 
 as to enter with the sentinel. The lady of the general, and 
 her friend Miss Fenno, of Boston, were in the house at the 
 time, and Mrs. Wadsworth escaped from the room' of her 
 husband into that of Miss Fenno. The assailants soon 
 became masters of the whole house, except the room where 
 the general was, and which was strongly barred, and they 
 kept up a constant firing of musketry into the windows 
 and doors, except into those of the ladies' room. General 
 Wadsworth was provided with a pair of pistols, a blunder- 
 buss and a fusee, which he employed with great dexterity, 
 being determined to defend himself to the last moment. 
 With his pistols, which he discharged several times, he 
 defended the windows of his room and a door which opened 
 into the kitchen. His blunderbuss he snapped several 
 times, but unfortunately it missed fire. He then seized 
 his fusee, which he discharged on some who were breaking 
 through one of the windows, and obliged them to flee. 
 He next defended himself with his bayonet, till he received 
 a ball through his left arm, when he surrendered, which 
 terminated the contest. The firing, however, did not cease 
 from the kitchen till the general unbarred the door, when 
 the soldiers rushed into the room, and one of them who 
 had been badly wounded, pointing a musket at his breast, 
 exclaime'd, with an oath, " You have taken my life, and I 
 will take yours." But Lieutenant Stockton turned the 
 musket, and saved his life. The commanding officer now 
 applauded the general for his admirable defence, and assist- 
 ed in putting on his clothes, saying, "You see we are in a 
 critical situation : you must excuse haste." Mrs. Wadsworth 
 threw a blanket over him, and Miss Fenno applied a hand- 
 kerchief closely round his wounded arm. In this condition, 
 though much exhausted, he, with a wounded American 
 soldier, was directed to march on foot, while two British 
 wounded soldiers were mounted on a horse taken from the 
 general's barn. They departed in great haste. When they 
 had proceeded about a mile, they met, at a small house, a 
 number of people who had collected, and who inquired 
 if they had taken General Wadsworth. They said no, 
 and added, that they must leave a wounded man in their 
 
376 APPENDIX. 
 
 care, and if they paid proper attention to him they should 
 be compensated, but if not, they would burn down theii 
 house ; but the man appeared to be dying. General Wads 
 worth was now mounted on the horse behind the othei 
 wounded soldier, and was warned that his safety depended 
 on his silence. Having crossed over a frozen mill-pond, 
 about a mile in length, they were met by some of their 
 party who had been left behind. At this place they found 
 the British privateer which brought the party from the 
 fort. The captain, on being told that he must return there 
 with the prisoner and the party, and seeing some of his 
 men wounded, became outrageous, and damned the general 
 for a rebel, demanded how he dared to fire on the king's 
 troops, and ordered him to help launch the boat, or he 
 would put his hanger through his body. The general re- 
 plied that he was a prisoner, and badly wounded, and 
 could not assist in launching the boat. Lieutenant Stock- 
 ton, on learning of this abusive treatment, in a manner 
 honorable to himself, told the captain that the prisoner was 
 a gentleman, had made a brave defence, and was to be 
 treated accordingly; and added, that his conduct should 
 be represented to General Campbell. After this, the cap- 
 tain treated the prisoner with great civility, and afforded 
 him every comfort in his power. General Wadsworth 
 had left the ladies in the house, not a window of which 
 escaped destruction. The doors were broken down, and 
 two of the rooms were set on fire; the floors covered with 
 blood, and on one of them lay a brave old soldier, dan- 
 gerously wounded, begging for death, that he might be 
 released from misery. The anxiety and distress of Mrs. 
 Wadsworth was inexpressible, and that of the general was 
 greatly increased by the uncertainty in his mind respect- 
 ing the fate of his little son, only five years old, who had 
 been exposed to every danger by the firing into the house, 
 but he had the happiness afterwards to hear of his safety. 
 Having arrived at the British post, the capture of General 
 Wadsworth was soon announced, and the shore thronged 
 with spectators, to see the man who, through the preceding 
 year, had disappointed all the designs of the British in that 
 quarter; and loud shouts were heard from the rabble 
 which covered the shore; but when he arrived at the fort, 
 and was conducted into the officers' guard-room, he was 
 
APPENDIX. 377 
 
 treated with politeness. General Campbell, the command- 
 ant of the British garrison, sent his compliments to him 
 and a surgeon to dress his wounds, assuring him that his 
 situation should be made comfortable. The next morning, 
 General Campbell invited him to breakfast, and at table 
 paid him many compliments on the defence he had made, 
 observing, however, that he had exposed himself in a de- 
 gree not perfectly justifiable. General Wadsworth replied 
 that, from the manner of the attack, he had no reason to 
 suspect any design of taking him alive, and that he in- 
 tended therefore to sell his life as dearly as possible. 
 "But, sir," said General Campbell, "I understand that the 
 captain of the privateer treated you very ill; I shall see 
 that matter set right." He then informed the prisoner 
 that' a room in the officers' barracks within the fort was 
 prepared for him, and that he should send his orderlj^-ser- 
 geant daily to attend him to breakfast and dinner at his 
 table. Having retired to his solitary apartment, and while 
 his spirits were extremely depressed by a recollection of 
 the past, and by his present situation, he received from 
 General Campbell several books of amusement, and soon 
 after a visit from him, kindly endeavoring to cheer the 
 spirits •of his prisoner by conversation. Not long after, 
 the officers of the party calkd, and among others the re- 
 doubtable captain of the privateer, who called to ask pardon 
 for what had fallen fr-om him when in a passion; adding, 
 that it was not in his nature to treat a gentleman prisoner 
 ill ; that the unexpected disappointment of his ciuise had 
 thrown him off his guard, and he hoped that this would 
 be deemed a sufficient apology. This General Wadsworth 
 accepted. At the hour of dining he was invited to the 
 table of the commandant, where he met with all the prin- 
 cipal officers of the garrison, and from whom he received 
 particular attention and politeness. General Wadsworth 
 soon made application to the commandant for a flag of 
 truce, by which means he could transmit a letter to the 
 governor of Massachusetts, and another to Airs. Wads- 
 worth. This was granted, on the condition that the letter 
 to the governor should be inspected. The flag was in- 
 trusted to Lieutenant Stockton, and on his return, the 
 general was relieved from all anxiety respecting his wife 
 and family. General Campbell and the officers of thp 
 
378 APPENDIX. 
 
 garrison continued their civilities for some time, and en- 
 deavored by books and personal visits to render his situa- 
 tion as pleasant as circumstances would admit of. At the 
 end of five weeks, his wound being nearly healed, he re- 
 quested of General Campbell the customary privilege of 
 a parole, and received, in repl}^ that his case had been 
 reported to the commanding officer at New York, and 
 that no alteration could be made till orders were received 
 from that quarter. In about two months, Mrs. Wadsworth 
 and Miss Fenno arrived, and General Campbell and some 
 of the officers contributed to render their visit agreeable 
 to all concerned. About the same time, orders were re- 
 ceived from the commanding general at New York, which 
 were concealed from General Wadsworth, but Re finally 
 learned that he was not to be paroled nor exchanged, but 
 was to be sent to England as a rebel of too much conse- 
 quence to be at liberty. Not long afterwards Major 
 Benjamin Burton, a brave and worthy man, who had 
 served under General Wadsworth the preceding summer, 
 was taken and brought into the fort, and lodged in the 
 same room with General Wadsworth. He had been in- 
 formed that both himself and the General were to be sent, 
 immediately after the return of a privateer now out on a 
 cruise, either to New York or Halifax, and thence to 
 England. The prisoners immediately resolved to make a 
 desperate attempt to effect their escape. They were con- 
 fined in a grated room in the officers' barracks within the 
 fort. The walls of this fortress, exclusively of the depth 
 of the ditch surrounding it, were twenty feet high, with 
 fraising on the top, and chevaux de frise at the bottom. 
 Two sentinels were always in the entry, and their door, 
 the upper part of which was of glass, might be opened by 
 these watchmen whenever they thought proper, and was 
 actually opened at seasons of peculiar darkness and silence. 
 At the exterior doors of the entries, sentinels were also 
 stationed, as were others in the body of the fort, and at 
 the quarters of General Campbell. At the guard-house, a 
 strong guard was daily mounted. Several sentinels were 
 stationed on the walls of the fort, and a complete line 
 occupied them by night. Without the ditch, glacis and 
 abatis, another complete set of soldiers patroled through 
 the night also. The gate of the fort was shut at sun-set, 
 
APPENDIX. 379 
 
 and a piquet-guard was placed on or near the isthmus 
 leading from the fort to the main land. 
 
 The room in which they were confined was railed with 
 boards. One of these they determined to cut off, so as to 
 make a hole large enough to pass through, and then to 
 creep along till they should come to the next or middle 
 entry; and then lower themselves down into this entry 
 by a blanket. If they should not be discovered, the pass- 
 age to the walls of the fort was easy. In the evening, 
 after the sentinels had seen the prisoners retire to bed. 
 General Wadsworth got up, and, standing in a chair, at- 
 tempted to cut with his knife the intended opening, but 
 soon found it impracticable. The next day, by giving a 
 soldier a dollar, they procured a gimblet. With this in- 
 strument they proceeded cautiously and as silently as 
 possible to perforate the board, and in order to conceal 
 every appearance from their servants and from the officers 
 their visitors, they carefully covered the gimblet-holes with 
 chewed bread. At the end of three weeks their labors 
 were so far completed that it only remained to cut with a 
 knife the parts which were left to hold the piece in its 
 place. When their preparations were finished, they learned 
 that the privateer in which they were to embark was daily 
 expected. In the evening of the 18th of June, a very 
 severe storm of rain, with great darkness and almost in- 
 cessant lightning came on. This the prisoners considered 
 as the propitious moment. Having extinguished their 
 lights, they began to cut the corners of the board, and in 
 less than an hour the intended opening was completed. 
 The noise which the operation occasioned was drowned by 
 the rain falling on the roof Major Burton first ascended 
 to the ceiling, and pressed himself through the opening. 
 General Wadsworth next, having put the corner of his 
 blanket through the hole, and made it fast by a strong 
 wooden skewer, attempted to make his way through, 
 standing on a chair below, but it was with extreme difficulty 
 that he at length effected it, and reached the middle entry. 
 From this he passed through the door, which he found 
 open, and made his way to the wall of the fort, and had 
 to encounter the greatest difficulty before he could ascend 
 to the top. He had now to creep along the top of the fort 
 between the sentry boxes at the very moment when, the 
 Dd 
 
380 APPENDIX. 
 
 relief was shifting sentinels, but the falling of heavy rain 
 kept the sentinels within their boxes, and favored his 
 escape. Having now fastened his blanket round a picket 
 at the top, he let himself down through the chevaux de 
 frise to the ground, and in a manner astonishing to him- 
 self made his way into the open field. Here he was obliged 
 to grope his way among rocks, stumps and brush in the 
 darkness of night, till he reached the cove; happily the 
 tide had ebbed, and enabled him to cross the water, about 
 a mile in breadth and not more than three feet deep. 
 About two o'clock in the morning General Wadsworth 
 found himself a mile and a half from the fort, and he pro- 
 ceeded through a thick wood and brush to the Penobscot 
 river, and after passing some distance along the shore, 
 being seven miles from the fort, to his unspeakable joy he 
 saw his friend Burton advancing towards him. Major 
 Burton had been obliged to encounter in his course equal 
 difiiculties with his companion, and such were the incredi- 
 ble perils, dangers and obstructions which they surmounted, 
 that their escape may be considered almost miraculous. 
 It was now necessary they should cross the Penobscot 
 river, and very fortunately they discovered a canoe with 
 oars on the shore suited to their purpose. While on the 
 river they discovered a barge with a party of British "fi-om 
 the fort in pursuit of them, but by taking an oblique 
 course, and plying their oars to the utmost, they happily 
 eluded the eyes of their pursuers, and arrived safe on the 
 western shore. After having wandered in the wilderness 
 for several days and nights, exposed to -extreme fatigue 
 and cold, and with no other food than a little dry bread 
 and meat, which they brought in their pockets from the 
 fort, they reached the settlements on the river St. George, 
 and no further difiiculties attended their return to their 
 respective families. 
 
 NOTE V. 
 
 There is a particular transaction in the history of our 
 revolutionary war, which was known only to General 
 Washington and a single confidential officer, the gallant 
 Major Lee, commander of a corps of cavalry. As the 
 
APPENDIX. 381 
 
 Story is particularly interesting, and as it has never been 
 disclosed to the public b}' any historian, except by Major 
 Lee in his valuable memoirs, I cannot resist the tempta- 
 tion of enriching this work with the narration, in the 
 words of the respectable author. 
 
 " Lately, John Champe, sergeant-major of the legion of 
 cavalry, who had been for several months considered by 
 the corps a deserter, returned. This high-minded soldier 
 had been selected to undertake a very difficult and peril- 
 ous project, the narration of which is due to his merit, as 
 well as to the singularity of his progress. 
 
 "The treason of General Arnold, the capture of Andre, 
 with intelligence received by Washington, through his 
 confidential agents in New York; communicating that 
 many of his officers, and especially a major-general named 
 to him, were connected with Arnold, could not fail to 
 seize the attention of a commander even less diligent and 
 zealous. It engaged his mind entirely, exciting sensations 
 the most anxious, as well as unpleasant. The moment he 
 reached the army, then under the orders of Major-General 
 Greene, encamped in the vicinity of Tappan, he sent for 
 Major Lee, posted with the light troops some distance in 
 front. This officer repaired to head-quarters with celerity, 
 and found the general in his marquee alone, busily en- 
 gaged in writing. So soon as Lee entered, he was requested 
 to take a seat, and a bundle of papers, lying on the table, 
 was given him for perusal. In these much information 
 was detailed, tending to prove that Arnold was not alone 
 in the base conspiracy just detected, but that the poison 
 had spread; and that a major-general, whose name was not 
 concealed, was certainly as guilty as Arnold himself. 
 This officer had enjoyed, without interruption, the confi- 
 dence of the commander-in-chief throughout the war; nor 
 did there exist a single reason in support of the accusation. 
 It altogether rested on the intelligence derived from the 
 papers before him. Major Lee, personally acquainted with 
 the accused, could not refrain from suggesting the proba- 
 bility, that the whole was a contrivance of Sir Henry 
 Clinton, in order to destroy that confidence between the 
 commander and his officers, on which the success of mili- 
 tary operations depend. This suggestion, Washington 
 replied, was plausible, and deserved due consideration. 
 
382 APPENDIX. 
 
 It had early occurred to his own mind, and had not been 
 slightly regarded; but his reflections settled in a conclu- 
 sion not to be shaken, as the same suggestion applied to 
 no officer more forcibly than a few days ago it would have 
 done to General Arnold, known now to be a traitor. 
 
 "Announcing this result of his meditations with the 
 tone and countenance of a mind deeply agitated, and re- 
 solved on its course, Lee continued silent, when the general 
 proceeded: 'I have sent for you, in the expectation that 
 you have in your corps individuals capable and willing to 
 undertake an indispensable, delicate, and hazardous pro- 
 ject. Whoever comes forward on this occasion, will lay 
 me under great obligations personally; and in behalf of 
 the United States, I will reward him amply. No time is 
 to be lost; he must proceed, if possible, this night. My 
 object is to probe to the bottom the afflicting intelligence 
 contained in the papers you have just read, to seize Arnold, 
 and by getting him, to save Andre. They are all con- 
 nected. While my emissary is engaged in preparing means 
 for the seizure of Arnold, the guilt of others can be traced ; 
 and the timely delivery of Arnold to me, will possibly put 
 it into my power to restore the amiable and unfortunate 
 Andre to his friends. My instructions are ready, in which 
 you will find my express orders that Arnold is not to be 
 hurt; but that he be permitted to escape, if to be pre- 
 vented only by killing him, as his public punishment is 
 the only object in view. This you cannot too forcibly 
 press on whoever may engage in the enterprise; and this 
 fail not to do. With my instructions are two letters, to 
 be delivered as ordered, and here are some guineas for 
 expenses.' 
 
 •'Major Lee, replying, said, that he had little or no 
 doubt but that his legion contained many individuals 
 daring enough for any operation, however perilous; but 
 that the one in view required a combination of qualities 
 not easily to be found, unless in a commissioned officer, to 
 whom he could not venture to propose an enterprise, the 
 first step to which was desertion; that though the sergeant- 
 major of the cavalry was in all respects qualified for the 
 delicate and adventurous project, and to him it might be 
 proposed without indelicacy, as his station did not inter- 
 pose the obstacle before stated ; yet it was very probable 
 
APPENDIX. 883 
 
 that the same difficulty would occur in his breast, to re- 
 move which would not be easy, if practicable. 
 
 "Washington was highly pleased with finding that a 
 non-commissioned officer was deemed capable of executing 
 his views; as he had felt exk-eme difficulty in authorizing 
 an invitation to officers, who generally are, and always 
 ought to be, scrupulous and nice in adhering to the course 
 of honor. He asked the name, the country, the age, the 
 size, length of service, and character of the sergeant. 
 
 "Being told his name — that he was a native of Loudon 
 county in Virginia; about twenty-four years of age — that 
 he had enlisted in 1776 — rather above the common size, 
 full of bone and muscle, with a saturnine countenance, 
 grave, thoughtful and taciturn — of tried courage and inflex- 
 ible perseverance, and as likely to reject an overture coup- 
 led with ignominy as any officer in the corps; a commission 
 being the goal of his long and anxious exertions, and cer- 
 tain on the first vacancy. 
 
 "The general exclaimed that he was the very man for 
 the business; that he must undertake it; and that going 
 to the enemy by the instigation and at the request of his 
 officer was not desertion, though it appeared to be so; and 
 he enjoined that this explanation, as coming from him, 
 should be pressed on Champe; and that the vast good in 
 prospect should be contrasted with the mere semblance of 
 doing wrong, which he presumed could not fail to conquer 
 every scruple. Major Lee assured the general that every 
 exertion would be assayed on his part to execute his 
 wishes; and, taking leave, returned to the camp of the 
 light corps, which he reached about eight o'clock at night. 
 Sending instantly for the sergeant-major, he introduced 
 the business in the way best calculated, as he thought, to 
 produce his concurrence; and dilated largely on the very 
 great obligations he would confer on the commander-in- 
 chief, whose unchanging and active beneficence to the 
 troops had justly drawn to him their aftectiou, which 
 would be merely nominal, if, when an opportunity should 
 offer to any individual of contributing to the promotion 
 of his views, that opportunity was not zealously embraced. 
 That the one now presented to him had never before oc- 
 curred, and in all probability would never occur again, 
 even should the war continue for ages; it being most rare 
 
384 APPENDIX. 
 
 for these distinct consequences, all of primary weight, 
 to be comprised within a single operation, and that opera- 
 tion necessarily to be intrusted to one man, who would 
 want but one or two associates in the active parts of its 
 execution. That the chance of detection became extremely 
 narrow, and consequently that of success enlarged. That 
 by succeeding in the safe delivery of Arnold, he not only 
 gratified his general in the most acceptable manner, but 
 he would be hailed as the avenger of the reputation of 
 the army, stained by foul and wicked perfidy; and, what 
 could not but be highly pleasing, he would be the instru- 
 ment of saving the life of Major Andre, soon to be brought 
 before a court of inquiry, the decision of which could not be 
 doubted, from the universally known circumstances of the 
 case, and had been anticipated in the general's instructions. 
 That by investigating with diligence and accurac}' the 
 intelligence communicated to him, he would bring to light 
 new guilt, or he would relieve innocence, as was most 
 probable, from distrust; quieting the torturing suspicions 
 which now harrowed the mind of Washington, and restor- 
 ing again to his confidence a once-honored general, pos- 
 sessing it at present only ostensibly, as well as hush doubts 
 affecting many of his brother-soldiers. 
 
 "In short, the accomplishment of so much good was in 
 itself too attractive to be renounced by a generous mind; 
 and when connected with the recollection of the high 
 honor which the selection shed on him as a soldier, he 
 ought not — he must not pause. The discourse was fol- 
 lowed by a detail of the plan, with a wish that he would 
 enter on its execution instantly. Champe listened with 
 deep attention, and with a highly-excited countenance; 
 the perturbations of his breast not being hid even by his 
 dark visage. He briefly and modestly replied, that no 
 soldier exceeded him in respect and affection for the com- 
 mander-in-chief, to serve whom he would willingly lay 
 down his life; and that he was sensible of the honor con- 
 ferred by the choice of him for the execution of a project 
 all over arduous; nor could he be at a loss to know to 
 whom was to be ascribed the preference bestowed, which 
 he took pleasure in acknowledging, though increasing 
 obligations before great and many. That he was charmed 
 with the plan. Even its partial success would lead to great 
 
APPENDIX. 385 
 
 good; as it would give peace to the general's mind, and 
 do justice, as lie hoped, to innocence. Full success, added 
 powerful and delicious personal incitements, as well as the 
 gratification of the general and army. He was not, he 
 said, deterred bj the danger'and difficulty which was evi- 
 dently to be encountered, but he was deterred by the ig- 
 nominy of desertion, to be followed by the hypocrisy of 
 enlisting with the enemy; neither of which comported 
 Avith his feelings, and either placed an insuperable bar in 
 his way to promotion. He concluded by observing, if any 
 mode could be contrived free from disgrace, he 'would 
 coidially embark in the enterprise. As it was, he prayed 
 to be excused; and hoped that services, always the best 
 in his power to perform, faithfully executed, did entitle 
 his prayer to success. 
 
 "The objections at first apprehended, now to be com- 
 bated, were extended to a consequence which had not 
 suggested itself. Lee candidly admitted that he had ex- 
 pected the first objection made, and that only; which had 
 been imparted to the general, who gave to it full considera- 
 tion, and concluded by declaring that the crime of desertion 
 was not incurred; as no act done by the soldier at the 
 request of the commander-in-chief could be considered as 
 desertion, and that an action so manifestly praiseworthy 
 as that to be performed, when known, would dissipate by 
 its own force the reflections excited by appearances, which 
 no doubt would be acrimonious, leaving the actor in full 
 enjoyment of the future rich rewards of his virtue. That 
 the reflecting mind ought not to balance between the 
 achievement of so much good, and the doing wrong in 
 semblance only ; to which Major Lee subjoined, that when 
 in consequence of the general's call on him for a soldier 
 capable and willing to execute a project so tempting to 
 the brave, he considered himself and corps highly honored ; 
 and that he should consider himself reduced to a mortifying 
 condition, if the resistance to the undertaking compelled 
 him to inform the general that he must recur to some other 
 corps to provide an agent to execute this necessary and 
 bold enterprise. He entreated the sergeant to ask himself 
 what must be the sensations of his comrades, if a soldier 
 from some other corps should execute the enterprise, when 
 they should be told that the glory transferred to the regi- 
 
386 APPENDIX. 
 
 ment of which he was one, might have been enjoyed by 
 the legion, had not Sergeant Champe shrunk from the 
 overture made to him by his general, rather than reject 
 scruples too narrow and confined to be permitted to inter- 
 fere with grand and virtuous deeds. 
 
 "The esprit du corps could not be resisted, and, united 
 to his inclination, it subdued his prejudices, and he declared 
 his willingness to conform to the wishes of the general; 
 relying, as he confidently did, that his reputation would 
 be protected by those who had induced him to undertake 
 the enterprise, should he be unfortunate in the attempt. 
 
 "The instructions were read to him, and every distinct 
 object presented plainly to his view, of which he took 
 notes so disguised as to be understood only by himself 
 He was particularly cautioned to use the utmost circum- 
 spection in deliveriug his letters, and to take care to with- 
 hold from the two individuals, addressed under feigned 
 names, knowledge of each other; for though both had 
 long been in the confidence of the general, yet it was not 
 known by one that the other was so engaged. He was 
 further urged to bear in constant recollection the solemn 
 injunction so pointedly expressed in the instructions to 
 Major Lee, of forbearing to kill Arnold in any condition 
 of things. 
 
 "This part of the business being finished, the major's 
 and sergeant's deliberations were turned to the manner 
 of the latter's desertion; for it was well known to both 
 that to pass the numerous patroles of horse and foot cross- 
 ing from the stationar}'' guards, was itself difficult, which 
 was now rendered more so by parties thrown occasionally 
 beyond the place called Liberty-pole, as well as by swarms 
 of irregulars, induced sometimes to venture down to the 
 very point of Paulus' Hook with the hope of picking up 
 booty. Evidently discernible as were the difficulties in 
 the way, no relief could be administered by Major Lee, 
 lest it might induce a belief that he was privy to the 
 desertion, which opinion getting to the enemy would in- 
 volve the life of Champe. The sergeant was left to his 
 own resources and to his own management, with the de- 
 clared determination that in case his departure should be 
 discovered, before morning, Lee would take care to delay 
 pursuit as long as was practicable. 
 
APPENDIX. 337 
 
 "Giving to the sergeant three guineas, and presenting 
 his best wishes, he recommended him to start without de- 
 lay, and enjoined him to communicate his arrival in New 
 York as soon thereafter as might be practicable. Champe, 
 pulling out his watch, compared it with the major's, remind- 
 ing the latter of the importance of holding back pursuit, 
 which he was convinced would take place in the course 
 of the night, and which might be fatal, as he knew that he 
 should be obliged to zigzag in order to avoid the patroles, 
 which would consume time. It was now nearly eleven. 
 The sergeant returned to camp, and taking his cloak, valise 
 and orderly-book, lie drew his horse from the picket, and, 
 mounting him, put himself on fortune. Lee, charmed with 
 his expeditious consummation of the first part of the enter- 
 prise, retired to rest. Useless attempt ! the past scene could 
 not be obliterated; and, indeed, had that been practicable, 
 the interruj)tion which ensued would have stopped repose. 
 
 " Within half an hour Captain Games, officer of the day, 
 waited on the major, and with considerable emotion told 
 him that one of the patrole had fallen in with a dragoon, 
 who, being challenged, put spur to his horse, and escaped, 
 though instantly pursued. Lee, complaining of the inter- 
 ruption, and pretending to be extremely fatigued bv his 
 ride to and from head-quarters, answered as if he did not 
 understand what had been said, which compelled the cap- 
 tain to repeat it. 'Who can the fellow that was pursued 
 be?' inquired the major; adding, 'acountryman, probably.' 
 'No,' replied the captain; 'the patrole sufliciently distin- 
 guished him to know that he was a dragoon; probably 
 one from the army, if not certainly one of our own.' This 
 idea was ridiculed from its improbability, as, during the 
 whole war, but a single dragoon had deserted from the 
 legion. This did not convince Carnes, so much stress was 
 it now the fashion to lay on the desertion of Arnold, and 
 the probable effect of his example. The captain withdrew 
 to examine the squadron of horse, whom' he had ordered 
 to assemble in pursuance of established usage on similar 
 occasions. Very quickly he returned, stating that the 
 scoundrel was known, and was no less a person than the 
 sergeant-major, who was gone off with his horse, baggage, 
 arms and orderly-book — so presumed, as neither the one 
 nor the other could be found. Sensibly affected at the 
 
3g3 APPENDIX. 
 
 supposed paseness of a soldier extremely respected, the 
 captain added that he had ordered a party to make ready 
 for pursuit, and begged the major's written orders. 
 
 "Occasionally this discourse was interrupted, and every 
 idea suggested which the excellent character of the ser- 
 geant warranted, to induce the suspicion that he had not 
 deserted, but had taken the liberty to leave camp with a 
 view to personal pleasure; an example, said Lee, too often 
 set by the officers themselves, destructive as it was of dis- 
 cipline, opposed as it was to orders, and disastrous as it 
 might prove to the corps in the course of service. 
 
 "Some little delay was thus interposed; but it being now 
 announced that the pursuing party was ready, Major Lee 
 directed a change in the officer, saying that he had a par- 
 ticular service in view, which he had determined to intrust 
 to the lieutenant ready for duty, and which probably must 
 be performed in the morning. He therefore directed him 
 to summon Cornet Middleton for the present command. 
 Lee was induced thus to act, first to add to the delay, and 
 next from his knowledge of the tenderness of Middleton's 
 disposition, which he hoped would lead to the protection 
 of Champe, should he be taken. Within ten minutes 
 Middleton appeared to receive his orders, which were 
 delivered to him, made out in the customary form, and 
 sio-ned by the major. ' Pursue so far as you can with safety 
 Sergeant Champe, who is suspected of deserting to the 
 enemy, and has taken the road leading to Paulus' Hook. 
 Bring him alive, that he may sufter in the presence of the 
 army ; but kill him if he resists, or escapes after being taken.' 
 "Detaining the cornet a few minutes longer in advising 
 him what course to pursue — urging him to take care of 
 the horse and accoutrements, if recovered — and enjoining 
 him to be on his guard, lest he might, by his eager pur- 
 suit, improvidently fall into the hands of the enemy — the 
 major dismissed Middleton, wishing him success. A shower 
 of rain fell soon after Champe's departure, which enabled 
 the pursuing dragoons to take the trail of his horse; know- 
 inof, as officer and trooper did, the make of their shoes, 
 whose impression was an unerring guide.* 
 
 * The horses being all shod by our own fiirriers, the shoes were made 
 in the samefoim; which, with a private mark annexed to the fore shoes, 
 and known to the troopers, pointed out the trail of our dragoons to 
 each other, whicii was often very useful. 
 
APPENDIX. 389 
 
 "When Middleton departed, it was a few minutes past 
 twelve, so that Champe had only the start of rather more 
 than an hour — by no means so long as was desired. Lee 
 became very unhappy, not only because the estimable and 
 gallant Champe might be injured, but lest the enterprise 
 might be delayed; and he spent a sleepless night. The 
 pursuing party during the night was, on their part, delayed 
 by the necessary halts to examine occasionally the road, as 
 the impression of the horse's shoes directed their course; 
 this was unfortunately too evident, no other horse having 
 pnssed along the road since the shower. When the day 
 broke, Middleton was no longer forced to halt, and he 
 passed on with rapidity. Ascending an eminence before he 
 reached the Three Pigeons, some miles on the north of the 
 village of Bergen, as the pursuing party reached its sum- 
 mit, Champe was descried not more than half a mile in 
 front. Kesembling an Indian in his vigilance, the sergeant 
 at the same moment discovered the party, to whose object 
 he was no stranger, and, giving spur to his horse, he deter- 
 mined to outstrip his pursuers. Middleton at the same 
 instnnt put his horses to the top of their speed; and being, 
 as the legion all were, well acquainted with the country, 
 he recollected a short route through the woods to the 
 bridge below Bergen, which diverged from the great road 
 just after you gain the Three Pigeons. Reaching the point 
 of separation, he halted, and dividing his party, directed 
 a sergeant with a few dragoons to take the near cut, and 
 possess with all possible despatch the bridge, while he^with 
 the residue, followed Champe; not doubting but that 
 Champe must deliver himself up, as he would be inclosed 
 between himself and his sergeant. Champe did not forget 
 the short cut, and would have taken it himself, but he 
 knew it was the usual route of our parties when returning 
 in the day from the neighborhood of the enemy, properly 
 preferring the woods to the road. He consequently 
 avoided it; and, persuaded that Middleton would avail 
 himself of it, wisely resolved to relinquish his intention 
 of getting to Paulus' Hook, and to seek refuge from two 
 British galleys, lying a few miles to the west of Bergen. 
 "This was a station always occupied by one or two gal- 
 leys, and which it was known now lay there. Entering 
 the village or Bergen, Champe turned to his right, and 
 
890 
 
 APrEXDlX. 
 
 disguising Lis change of course as much as he could by 
 taking the beaten streets, turning as they turned, he passed 
 through the vilhage, and took the road towards Elizabeth 
 town Point. Middleton's sergeant gained the bridge, where 
 he concealed himself, ready to pounce on Champe, when 
 he came up; and Middleton, pursuing his course through 
 Bergen, soon got also to the bridge, when, to his extreme 
 mortification, he found that the sergeant had slipped 
 through his fingers. Returning up the road, he inquired 
 of the villagers of Bergen whether a dragoon had been 
 seen that morning preceding his party. lie was answered 
 in the affirmative, but could learn nothing satisfactory as 
 to the route he had taken. While engaged in inquiries 
 himself, he spread his party through the village to strike 
 the trail of Charnpe's horse, a resort always recurred to. 
 Some of his dragoons hit it, just as the sergeant, leaving 
 the village, got in the road to the point. Pursuit was re- 
 newed with vigor, and again Champe was descried. He, 
 apprehending the event, had prepared himself for it, by 
 lashing his valise, containing his clothes and orderly-book, 
 on his shoulders, and holding his drawn sword in his hand, 
 having thrown away its scabbard. This he did to save 
 what was indispensable to him, and to prevent any inter- 
 ruption to his swimming from the scabbard, should Mid- 
 dleton, as he presumed, when disappointed at the bridge, 
 take the measures adopted by him. The pursuit was rapid 
 and close, as the stop occasioned by the sergeant's prepar- 
 ations for swimming had brought Middleton within two 
 or three hundred yards. As soon as Champe got abreast 
 of the galleys, he dismounted, and running through the 
 marsh to the river, plunged into it, calling on the galleys 
 for help. This was readily given ; they fired on our horse, 
 and sent a boat to meet Champe, who was taken in and 
 carried on board, and conveyed to New York with a letter 
 from the captain of the galley, stating the past scene, all 
 of which he had seen. 
 
 "The horse with his equipments, the sergeant's cloak 
 and sword scabbard, were recovered ; the sword itself, 
 being held by Champe till he plunged into the river, was 
 lost, as Middleton found it necessary to retire without 
 searching for it. 
 
 "About three o'clock in thQ,evening our party returned; 
 
APPE^'Dlx 391 
 
 and the soldiers, seeing the horse, well known to them, in 
 our possession, made the air resound with exclamations 
 that the scoundrel was killed. 
 
 • "Major Lee, called by this heart-rending annunciation 
 from his tent, saw the sergeant's horse led by one of Mid- 
 dleton's dragoons, and began to reproach himself with the 
 blood of the highly-prized, faithful, and intrepid Champe. 
 Stifling his agony, he advanced to meet Middleton, and 
 became somewhat relieved as soon as he got near enough 
 to discern the countenance of his officer and party. There 
 was evidence in their looks of disappointment, and he was 
 quickly relieved by Middleton's information that the ser- 
 geant had effected his escape with the loss of his horse, 
 and narrated the particulars just recited. 
 
 "Lee's joy was now as full as, the moment before, his 
 torture had been excruciating. Never was a happier con- 
 clusion. The sergeant escaped unhurt, carrying with him 
 to the enemy undeniable testimony of the sincerity of his 
 desertion — cancelling every apprehension before enter- 
 tained, lest the enemy might suspect him of being what 
 he really was. 
 
 "Major Lee imparted to the commander-in-chief the oc- 
 currence, who was sensibly affected by the hair-breadth 
 escape of Champe, and anticipated with pleasure the good 
 effect sure to follow the enemy's knowledge of its manner. 
 
 "On the fourth day after Champe's departure, Lee re- 
 ceived a letter from him, written the day before in a dis- 
 guised hand, without any signature, and stating what had 
 jiassed, after he got on board the galley, where he was 
 kindly received. 
 
 "He was carried to the commandant of Noy York as 
 soon as he arrived, and presented the letter addressed to 
 this ofl&cer from the captain of the galley. Being asked to 
 what corps he belonged, and a few other common ques- 
 tions, he was sent under care of an orderly-sergeant, to 
 the adjutant-general, who, finding that he was sergeant- 
 mnjor of the legion of horse, heretofore remarkable for 
 their fidelity, he began to interrogate him. He was told 
 by Champe that such was the spirit of defection which 
 prevailed among the American troops, in consequence of 
 Arnold's example, that, he had no doubt, if the temper 
 was properly cherished, Washington's ranks would not 
 
392 APPENDIX. 
 
 only be greatly thinned, but that some of his best corps 
 would leave him. To this conclusion, the sergeant said, 
 he was led by his own observations, and especially by his 
 knowledge of the discontents which agitated the corps to 
 which he had belonged. His size, place of birth, his form, 
 countenance, color of his hair, the corps in which he had 
 served, with other remarks in conformity to the British 
 usage, was noted in a large folio book. After this was 
 finished, he was sent to the commander-in-chief, in charge 
 of one of the staff, with a letter from the adjutant-general. 
 Sir Henry Clinton treated him very kindly, and detained 
 him more than an hour, asking him many questions, all 
 leading — first to know to what extent this spirit of defec- 
 tion might be pushed by proper incitements — what were 
 the most operating incitements — whether any general offi- 
 cers were suspected by Washington as concerned in Ar- 
 nold's conspiracy, or any other officers of note- — who they 
 were, and whether the troops approved or censured Wash- 
 ington's suspicions — whether his popularity in the army 
 was sinking, or continued stationary. What w^as Major 
 Andre's situation — whether any change had taken place 
 in the manner of his confinement — what was the current 
 opinion of his probable fate — and whether it was thought 
 Washington would treat him as a spy. To these various 
 interrogations, some of which were perplexing, Champe 
 answered warily ; exciting, nevertheless, hopes that the 
 adoption of proper measures to encourage desertion, of 
 which he could not pretend to form an opinion, would cer- 
 tainly bring off hundreds of the American soldiers,including 
 some of the best troops, horse as well as foot. Respecting 
 the fate c^ Andre, he said he was ignorant, though there 
 appeared to be a general wish in the army that his life 
 should not be taken; and that he believed it would depend 
 more on the disposition of Congress, than on the will of 
 Washington. 
 
 "After this long conversation ended, Sir Henry pre- 
 sented Champe with a couple of guineas, and recommended 
 him to wait on General Arnold, who was engaged in rais- 
 ing an American legion in the service of his majesty. He 
 directed one of his aids to write to Arnold by Champe, 
 stating who he was, and what he had said about the dis- 
 position in the army to follow his example, which was 
 
APPENDIX. g93 
 
 very soon done; it was given to the orderly attending on 
 Chanipe, to be presented with the deserter to GeneraV 
 Arnold. Arnold expressed much satisfaction on hearing 
 from Champe the manner of his escape, and the effect of 
 Arnold's example; and concluded his numerous inquiries 
 by assigning quarters to the sergeant — the same as were 
 occupied by his recruiting-sergeants. 
 
 "He also proposed to Champe to join his legion, telling 
 him he could give to him the same station he had held in 
 the rebel service, and promising further advancement when 
 merited. Expressing his wish to retire from war, and his 
 conviction of the certainty of his being hung if ever taken 
 by the rebels, he begged to be excused from enlistment; 
 assuring the general that, should he change his mind, he 
 would certainly accept his offer. Retiring to the assigned 
 quarters, Champe now turned his attention to the delivery 
 of his letters, which he could not effect till the next night, 
 and then only to one of the two incogniti to whom he was 
 recommended. This man received the sergeant with ex- 
 treme attention, and, having read the letter, assured Champe 
 that he might rely on his faithful cooperation in doing 
 every thing in his power consistently with his safety, to 
 guard which required the utmost prudence and circum- 
 spection. The sole object in which the aid of this indi- 
 vidual was required, regarded the general and others of 
 our army, implicated inthe information sent to Washing- 
 ton by him. To this object Champe urged his attention, 
 assuring him of the solicitude it had excited, and telling 
 him that its speedy investigation had induced the general 
 to send him into New York. Promising to enter on it 
 with zeal, and engaging to send out Champe's letters to 
 Major Lee, he fixed the time and place for their next 
 meeting, when they separated. 
 
 "Lee made known to the general what had been trans- 
 mitted to him by Champe, and received in answer direc- 
 tions to press Champe to the expeditious conclusion of his 
 mission, as the fate of Andre would be soon decided, when 
 little or no delay could be admitted in executing whatever 
 sentence the court might decree. The same messenger 
 who brought Champe's letter, returned with the ordered 
 communication. Five days had nearly elapsed after reach- 
 ing New York, before Champe saw the confidant to whom 
 
894 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 only the attempt against Arnold was to be intrusted. This 
 person entered with promptitude into the design, promis- 
 ing his cordial assistance. To procure a proper associate 
 to Chainpe was the first object, and this he promised to do 
 with all possible despatch. Furnishing a conveyance to 
 Lee he again heard from Charnpe, who stated what I have 
 related, with the additional intelligence that he had that 
 morning, the last of September, been appointed one of 
 •Arnold's recruiting-sergeants, having enlisted the day be- 
 fore with Arnold; and that he was induced to take this 
 afflicting step, for the purpose of securing uninterrupted 
 ingress and egress to the house which the general occu- 
 pied, it being indispensable to a speedy conclusion of the 
 difficult enterprise which the information he had just re- 
 ceived had so forcibly urged. He added, that the diffi- 
 culties in his way were numerous and stubborn, and that 
 his prospect of success was by no means cheering. With 
 respect to the additional treason, he asserted that he had 
 every reason to believe that it was groundless; that the 
 report took its rise in the enemy's camp, and that he 
 hoped soon to clear up this matter satisfactorily. The 
 pleasure which the first part of this communication af- 
 forded was damped by the tidings it imparted respecting 
 Arnold, as on his speedy delivery depended Andre's relief. 
 The interposition of Sir Henry Clinton, who was extremely 
 anxious to save his much-loved aid-de-camp, still contin- 
 ued; and it was expected the examination of witnesses 
 and the defence of the prisoner would protract the decision 
 of the court of inquiry, now assembled, and give sufficient 
 time for the consummation of the project committed to 
 Champe. A complete disappointment took place from a 
 quarter unforeseen and unexpected. The honorable and 
 accomplished Andre, knowing his guilt, disdained defence, 
 and prevented the examination of witnesses, by confessing 
 the character in which he stood. On the next day, the 
 2d of October, the court again assembled, when every 
 doubt that could possiblj^ arise in the case having been 
 removed by the previous confession, Andre was declared 
 to be a spy, and condemned to suffer accordingly. 
 
 " The sentence was executed on the subsequent day in 
 the usual form, the commander-in-chief deeming it im- 
 
APPENDIX. 395 
 
 proper to interpose any delay. In tliis decision he was 
 warranted by the very unpromising intelligence received 
 from Champe — by the still existing implication of other 
 officers in Arnold's conspiracy — by a due regard to public 
 opinion — and bj^ real tenderness to the condemned. 
 
 " Neither Congress nor the nation could have been with 
 propriety informed of the cause of the delay, and without 
 such information it must have excited in both alarm and 
 suspicion. Andre himself could not have been intrusted 
 with the secret,' and would consequently have attributed 
 the unlooked-for event to the expostulation and exertion 
 of Sir Henry Clinton, which would not fail to produce in 
 his breast expectations of ultimate relief; to excite which 
 would have been cruel, as the realization of such expecta- 
 tion depended only on a possible but improbable contin- 
 gency. The fate of Andre, hastened by himself, deprived 
 the enterprise committed to Champe of a feature which 
 had been highly prized by its projector, and which had 
 very much engaged the heart of the individual chosen to 
 execute it. 
 
 "Washington ordered Major Lee to communicate what 
 had passed to the sergeant, with directions to encourage 
 him to prosecute with unrelaxed vigor the remaining ob- 
 jects of his instructions, but to intermit haste in the exe- 
 cution only so far as was compatible with final success. 
 
 "This was accordingly done, by the first opportunity, 
 in the manner directed. Champe deplored the sad neces- 
 sity which occurred, and candidly confessed that the hope 
 of enabling Washington to save the life of Andre, who 
 had been the subject of universal commiseration in the 
 American camp, greatly contributed to remove the serious 
 difiiculties which opposed his acceding to the proposition 
 when first propounded. Some documents accompanied 
 this communication, tending to prove the innocence of the 
 accused general; they were completely satisfactory, and did 
 credit to the discrimination, zeal and diligence of the ser- 
 geant. Lee inclosed them immediately to the commander- 
 in-chief, who was pleased to express the satisfaction he 
 derived from the information, and to order the major to 
 wait on him the next day; when the whole subject was 
 reexamined, and the distrust heretofor-e entertained of the 
 
 Ee 
 
396 APPENDIX. 
 
 accused was for ever dismissed.* Nothing now remained 
 to be done but the seizure and safe delivery of Arnold. 
 To this object Champe gave his undivided attention; and 
 on the 19th of October, Major Lee received from him a 
 very particular account of the progress he had made, with 
 the outlines of his plan. This was without delay submit- 
 ted to Washington; with a request for a few additional 
 guineas. The general's letter, f written on the same day, 
 
 * Copy of a Letter from General Washington to Major Lee, in his own 
 hand-writing, dated 
 
 "October 23d, 1780. 
 "Dear Sir: I am very glad your letter of this date has given strength 
 to my conviction of the innocence of the gentleman who was the subject 
 of your inquiry. I want to see you on a particular piece of business. 
 If the day is fair, and nothing of consequence intervenes, I will bo at 
 the marquis' quarters at ten o'clock to-morrow. If this should not hap- 
 pen, I shall be glad to see you at head-qu;irters. 
 
 "I am, dear sir, your most obedient servant, 
 
 "G. WASHINGTON." 
 
 f Copy of a Letter from General Washington to Major Lee in his own 
 hand-writing. 
 "Head-Quarters, October 20th, 1780. 
 
 "Dear Sir: The plan proposed for taking A d, the outlines of 
 
 which are communicated in your letter, which was this moment put into 
 my hands without date, has every mark of a good one. I therefore agree 
 to the promised rewards; and have such entire confidence in your man- 
 agement of the business, as to give it my fullest approbation; and leave 
 the whole to the guidance of your own judgment, with this express stip- 
 ulation and pointed injunction, that he, A d, is brought to me alive. 
 
 " No circumstance whatever shall obtain my consent to his being put 
 to death. The idea which would accompany such an event, would be 
 that ruffians had been hired to assassinate him. My aim is to make a 
 public example of him; and this should be strongly impressed on those 
 who are employed to bring him off. The sergeant must be very circum- 
 spect; — too much zeal may create suspicion, and too mucii precipitancy 
 may defeat the project. The most inviolable secrecy must be observed 
 on all hands. I send you five guineas; but I am not satisfied of the pro- 
 priety of the sergeant's appearing with much specie. This circumstance 
 may also lead to suspicion, as it is but too well known to the enemy 
 that we do not abound in this article. 
 
 "The interviews between the party, in and out of the city, should be 
 managed with much caution and seeming indifierence; or else the fre- 
 quency of their meetings, &c., may betray the design, and involve bad 
 consequences; but I am persuaded you will place every matter in a 
 proper point of view to the conductors of this interesting business, and 
 therefore I shall only add, that 
 
 "I am, dear sir, &c., &.c. 
 
 "G. WASHINGTON." 
 
APPENDIX. 397 
 
 20th October, evinces his attention to the minutias of busi- 
 ness, as well as his immutable determination to possess 
 Arnold alive, or not at all. This was his original in- 
 junction, which he never omitted to enforce on every 
 proper occasion. 
 
 "Major Lee had an opportunity, in the course of the 
 week, of writing to Champe, when he told him that the 
 rewards which he had promised to his associates would 
 be certainly paid on the delivery of Arnold; and in the 
 mean time, small sums of money would be furnished for 
 casual expenses, it being deemed improper that he should 
 appear with much, lest- it might lead to suspicion and 
 detection. That five guineas were now sent, and that 
 more would follow when absolutely necessary. 
 
 " Ten days elapsed before Champe brought his measures 
 to conclusion, when Lee received from him his final com- 
 munication, appointing the third subsequent night for a 
 party of dragoons to meet him at Hoboken, when he hoped 
 to deliver Arnold to the ofiicer. Champe had, from his 
 enlistment into the American legion, (Arnold's corps,) 
 every opportunity he could wish to attend to the habits 
 of the general. He discovered that it was his custom to 
 return home about twelve every night, and that previous 
 to going to bed he always visited the garden. During 
 this visit the conspirators were to seize him, and, being 
 prepared with a gag, intended to have applied the same 
 instantly. 
 
 "Adjoining the house in which Arnold resided, and in 
 which it was designed to seize and gag him, Champe had 
 taken off several of the palings and replaced them so that 
 with care and without noise he could readily open his way 
 to the adjoining alley. Into this alley he meant to have 
 conveyed his prisoner, aided by his companion, one of two 
 associates who had been introduced by the friend to whom 
 Champe had been originally made known by letter from 
 the commander-in-chief, and with whose aid and counsel 
 he had so far conducted the enterprise. His other associate 
 was with the boat prepared at one of the wharves on the 
 Hudson river to receive the party. 
 
 "Champe and his friend intended to have placed them- 
 selves each under Arnold's shoulder, and to have thus 
 borne him through the most unfrequented alleys and 
 
398 APPENDIX. 
 
 streets to the boat; representing Arnold, in case of being 
 questioned, as a drunken soldier whom they were convey- 
 ing to the guard-house. 
 
 "When arrived at the boat, the difficulties would be all 
 surmounted, there being no danger nor obstacle in passing 
 to the Jersey shore. These particulars, so soon as known 
 to Lee, were communicated to the commander-in-chief, 
 who was highly gratified with the much-desired intelli- 
 gence. He directed Major Lee to meet Champe, and to 
 take care that Arnold should not be hurt. The day ar- 
 rived, and Lee with a party of dragoons left camp late in 
 the evening, with three led accoutred horses; one for 
 Arnold, one for the sergeant, and the third for his asso- 
 ciate, never doubting the success of the enterprise, from 
 the tenor of the last-received communication. The party 
 reached Hoboken about midnight, where they w^ere con- 
 cealed in the adjoining wood — Lee with three dragoons 
 stationing himself near the river-shore. Hour after hour 
 passed — no boat approached. At length the day broke, 
 and the major retired to his party, and with his led horses 
 returned to camp, when he proceeded to head-quarters to 
 inform the general of the much-lamented disappointment, 
 as mortifying as inexplicable. Washington having pe- 
 rused Champe's plan and communication, had indulged 
 the presumption that at length the object of his keen and 
 constant pursuit was sure of execution, and did not dis- 
 semble the joy such conviction produced. He was cha- 
 grined at the issue, and apprehended that his faithful 
 sergeant must have been detected in the last scene of his 
 tedious and difficult enterprise. 
 
 "In a few days Lee received an anonymous letter from 
 Champe's patron and friend, informing him that on the 
 day preceding the night fixed for the execution of the plot, 
 Arnold had removed his quarters to another part of the 
 town, to superintend the embarkation of troops, preparing, 
 as was rumored, for an expedition to be directed by him- 
 self; and that the American legion, consisting chiefly of 
 American deserters, had been transferred from their bar- 
 racks to one of the transports; it being apprehended that 
 if left on shore till the expedition was ready, many of 
 them might desert. Thus it. happened that John Champe, 
 instead of crossing the Hudson that night, was safely de- 
 
APPENDIX. 399 
 
 posited on board one of the fleet of transports, whence he 
 never departed till the troops under Arnold landed in 
 Virginia! nor was he able to escape from the British army 
 till after the junction of Lord Cornwallis at Petersburg, 
 when he deserted, and proceeding high up into Virginia, 
 he passed into North Carolina, near the Sama towns, and, 
 keeping in the friendlj^ districts of that state, safely joined 
 the army soon after it had passed the Congaree in pursuit 
 of Lord Rawdon. 
 
 "His appearance excited extreme surprise among his 
 former comrades, which was not a little increased when 
 they saw the cordial reception he met with from the late 
 major, now Lieutenant-Colonel Lee. His whole story soon 
 became known to the corps, which reproduced the love 
 and respect of of&cer and soldier, heretofore invariably 
 entertained for the sergeant, heightened by universal ad- 
 miration of his late daring and arduous attempt 
 
 "Champe was introduced to General Greene, who very 
 cheerfully complied with the promises made by the com- 
 mander-in-chief, so far as in his power; and having pro- 
 vided the sergeant with a good horse and money for his 
 journey, sent him to General Washington, who munifi- 
 cently anticipated every desire of the sergeant, and pre- 
 sented him with his discharge from further service,* lest| 
 he might in the vicissitudes of war fall into the enemy's 
 hands; when, if recognized, he was sure to die on the 
 gibbet." 
 
 * When General Washington was called by President Adams to the 
 command of the army, prepared to defend the country from French 
 hostility, he sent to Lieutenant-Colonel Lee, to inquire for Champe; 
 being determined to bring him into the field at the head of a company 
 of infantry. Lee sent to Loudon county, where Champe settled after 
 his discharge from the army ; when lie learned that the gallant sold''*" 
 had removed to Kentucky, where he soon after died. 
 
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 
 
 MAJOR-GENERAL ISRAEL PUTNAM. 
 
 The life of this patriot and hero has been portrayed by 
 the able and impartial hand of the late General David 
 Humphreys, and a brief sketch, chiefly from that work, 
 must suffice for the present purpose. General Putnam 
 was born at Salem, Massachusetts, on the 7th day of Jan- 
 uary, 1718. He was mdebted to nature, more than edu- 
 cation, for a vigorous constitution, for mental endowments, 
 and for that undaunted courage and active enterprise which 
 were his prominent characteristics. Much conhdence was 
 reposed in his military prowess and judgment, and he was 
 remarkable for a faithful perseverance in all the duties of 
 his station, and for the most undeviating princij^les of 
 honor, humanity and benevolence. In the year 1739, he 
 removed to Pomfret, in Connecticut, where he applied 
 himself to the art of agriculture. His biographer, as a 
 display of character in early life, has recorded an instance 
 of his bold attack of a wolf while in her den; but as the 
 story has been frequently promulgated, it need not be re- 
 peated in this place. When, in the year 1755, the war 
 between England and France broke out in America, Put- 
 nam was appointed to the command of a company of 
 rangers, and was distinguished for his active services as a 
 partizan officer. In 1757, he \\^s promoted to a majority, 
 and being in a warm and close engagement with a party 
 of French and savages, he had discharged his fuzee several 
 times, when at length it missed fire while the muzzle was 
 pressed against the breast of a large and well-proportioned 
 Indian. This adversary, with a tremendous war-whoop, 
 sprang forward with his lifted hatchet, and compelled him 
 to surrender; and having bound him fast to a tree returned 
 
APPENDIX. 401 
 
 to the battle. For a considerable time the tree to which 
 Major Putnam was tied was directly between the fires of 
 the two parties, than which no conceivable situation could 
 be more deplorable. The balls flew incessantly from each 
 side, many struck the tree, while some passed through the 
 sleeves and skirts of his coat. In this state of jeopardy, 
 unable to move his body, to stir his limbs, or even to in- 
 cline his head, he remained more than an hour — so equally 
 balanced and so obstinate was the fight! At one moment, 
 while the battle swerved in favor of the enemy, a young 
 savage chose an odd way of discovering his humor. He 
 found Putnam bound. He might have despatched him at 
 a blow. But he loved better to excite the terrors of the 
 prisoner by hurling a tomahawk at his head, or rather it 
 should seem his object was to see how near he could throw 
 it without touching him.' — The weapon struck in the tree 
 a number of times at a hair's-breadth from the mark. 
 AVhen the Indian had finished his amusement, a French 
 bas-ofhcer, a much more inveterate savage by nature, 
 though descended from so humane and polished a nation, 
 perceiving Putnam, came to him, and, levelling a fuzee 
 within a foot of his breast, attempted to discharge it — it 
 missed fire. Ineffectually did the intended victim solicit 
 the treatment due to his situation, by repeating that he 
 was a prisoner of war. The degenerate Frenchman did 
 not understand the language of honor or of nature; deaf 
 to their voice, and dead to sensibility, he violently and 
 repeatedly pushed the muzzle of his gun against Putnam's 
 rib's, and finally gave him a cruel blow on the jaw with 
 the butt-end of his piece. After this dastardly deed he 
 left him. 
 
 At length the enemy was driven from the field of battle, 
 and, as they were retiring, Putnam was untied by the 
 Indian who had made him prisoner, and whom he after- 
 wards called master. Having been conducted to some 
 distance from the place of action, he was stripped of his 
 coat, vest, stockings and shoes; loaded with as many of 
 the packs of the wounded as could be piled on him, 
 strongly pinioned, and his wrists tied as closely together 
 as they could be pulled with a cord. After he had 
 marched through no pleasant paths, in this painful man- 
 ner, for many a tedious mile, the party, who were exces- 
 
^Q2 APPENDIX. 
 
 sively fatigued, halted to breathe. His hands were now 
 immoderately swelled from the tightness of the ligature, 
 and the pain had become intolerable. Ilis feet were so 
 much scratched, that the blood dropped fast from them. 
 Exhausted with bearing a burden above his strength, and 
 frantic with torments exquisite beyond endurance, he in- 
 treated the Irish interpreter to implore, as the last and 
 only grace he desired of the savages, that they would 
 knock him on the head, and take his scalp at once, or 
 loose his hands. A French officer, instantly interposing, 
 ordered his hands to be unbound, and some of the packs 
 to be taken off. By this time the Indian who captured 
 him and had been absent with the wounded, coming up, 
 gave him a pair of moccasins, and expressed great indigna- 
 tion at the unworthy treatment his prisoner had suffered. 
 That savage chief again returned to the care of the 
 wounded, and the Indians, about two hundred in number, 
 went before the rest of the party to the place where the 
 whole Avere that night to encamp. They took with thetn 
 Major Putnam, on whom, besides innumerable other out- 
 rages, they had the barbarity to inflict a deep wound with 
 the tomahawk in the left cheek. His sufferings were in 
 this place to be consummated. A scene of horror, infi- 
 nitely greater than had ever met his eyes before, was now 
 preparing. It was determined to roast him alive. For 
 this purpose the}^ led him into a dark forest, stripped him 
 naked, bound him to a tree, and piled dry brush, with 
 other fuel, at a small distance, in a circle round him. 
 They accompanied their labors, as if for his funeral dirge, 
 with screams and sounds, inimitable but by savage voices. 
 Then they set the piles on fire, A sudden shower damped 
 the rising flame. Still they strove to kindle it; at last the 
 blaze ran fiercely round the circle. Major Putnam soon 
 began to feel the scorching heat. His hands were so tied 
 that he could move his body. He often shifted sides as 
 the fire approached. This sight, at the very idea of which, 
 all but savages must shudder, afforded the highest diversion 
 to his inhuman tormentors, who demonstrated the delirium 
 of their joy by corresponding yells, dances and gesticula- 
 tions. He saw clearly tliat his final hour was inevitably 
 come. He summoned all his resolution, and composed 
 his mind, so far as the circumstances could admit, to bid 
 
APPENDIX. 403 
 
 an eternal farewell to all he held most dear. To quit the 
 world would scarcely have cost a single pang; but for the 
 idea of home, but for the remembrance of domestic endear- 
 ments, of the affectionate partner of his soul, and of their 
 beloved offspring. His thought was ultimately fixed on 
 a happier state of existence, beyond the tortures he was 
 beginning to endure. The bitterness of death, even of 
 that death which is accompanied with the keenest agonies, 
 was, in a manner, past — nature, with a feeble struggle, was 
 quitting its last hold on sublunary things — when a French 
 officer rushed through the crowd, opened a way by scat- 
 tering the burning brands, and unbound the victim. It 
 was Molang himself — to whom a savage, unwilling to see 
 another human victim immolated, had run and communi- 
 cated the tidings. That commandant spurned and severely 
 reprimanded the barbarians, whose nocturnal powwas and 
 hellish orgies he suddenly ended. Putnam did not want 
 for feeling or gratitude. The French commander, fearing 
 to trust him alone with them, remained till he could safely 
 deliver him into the hands of his master. 
 
 The savage approached his prisoner kindly, and seemed 
 to treat him with particular affection. He offered him 
 some hard biscuit; but finding that he could not chew 
 them, on account of the blow he had received from the 
 Frenchman, this more humane savage soaked some of the 
 biscuit in water, and made him suck the pulp-like part. 
 Determined, however, not to lose his captive, the refresh- 
 ment being finished, he took the moccasins from his feet, 
 and tied them to one of his wrists; then directing him to 
 lie down on his back on the bare ground, he stretched one 
 arm to its full length, and bound it fast to a young tree; 
 the other arm was extended and bound in the same man- 
 ner — his legs were stretched apart, and fastened to two 
 saplings. Then a number of tall, but slender poles were 
 cut down, which, with some long bushes, were laid across 
 his body from head to foot: on each side lay as many In- 
 dians as could conveniently find lodging, in order to pre- 
 vent the possibility of his escape. In this disagreeable 
 and painful posture he remained till morning. During 
 the night, (the longest and most dreary conceivable,) our 
 hero used to relate that he felt a ray of cheerfulness come 
 casually across his mind, and could not even refrain from 
 
404 APPENDIX. 
 
 smiling when he reflected on this ludicrous group for a 
 painter, of which he himself was the principal figure. 
 
 The next day he was allowed his blanket and moccasins, 
 and permitted to march without carrying any pack or re- 
 ceiving any insult. To allay his extreme hunger, a little 
 bear's-meat was given, which he sucked through his teeth. 
 At night the party arrived at Ticonderoga, and the pris- 
 oner was placed under the care of a French guard. The 
 savages, who had been prevented from glutting their dia- 
 bolical thirst for blood, took this opportunity of manifesting 
 their malevolence for the disappointment by horrid grim- 
 aces and' angry gestures; but they were suffered no more 
 to offer violence or personal indignity to him. 
 
 After having been examined by the Marquis de Mont- 
 calm, Major Putnam v/as conducted to Montreal by a 
 French officer, who treated him with the greatest indulg- 
 ence and humanity. 
 
 At this place were several prisoners. Colonel Peter 
 Schu3der, remarkable for his philanthropy, generosity and 
 friendship, was of the number. No sooner had he heard 
 of Major Putnam's arrival, than he went to the interpret- 
 er's quarters, and inquired whether he had a Provincial 
 major in his custody? He found Major Putnam in a com- 
 fortless condition — without coat, waistcoat, or hose — the 
 remnant of his clothing" miserably dirty and ragged — his 
 beard long and squalid — his legs torn b}^ thorns and briers 
 • — his face gashed with wounds and swollen with bruises. 
 Colonel Schuyler, irritated bej'ond all sufferance at such a 
 sight, could scarcely restrain his speech within limits con- 
 sistent with the prudence of a prisoner and the meekness 
 of a Christian. Major Putnam was immediately treated 
 according to his rank, clothed in a decent manner, and 
 supplied with money by this liberal and sympathetic 
 patron of the distressed, and by his assistance he was soon 
 after exchanged. 
 
 In the year 1760, Major Putnam was promoted to the 
 rank of lieutenant-colonel, and served under General Am- 
 herst in the conquest of Canada. He embraced numerous 
 opportunities of achieving feats of valor, and was partic- 
 ularly honored by his general for the promptitude and 
 ability with which he acquitted himself of his arduous 
 duty. " Colonel Putnam, at the expiration of ten years 
 
APPENDIX. 405 
 
 from his first receiving a commission, after having seen as 
 much service, endured as many hardships, encountered as 
 many dangers, and acquired as many laurels, as any officer 
 of his rank, with great satisfaction laid aside his uniform 
 and returned to his plough." No character stood fairer 
 in the public eye for integrity, bravery and patriotism. 
 It was proverbially said, as well b}^ British as Provincial 
 officers, that, in a service of great peril and hardship, from 
 1755 to 1763, "Ae dared to lead where avy dared to folloxoP 
 At the commencement of hostilities between the colonies 
 and the mother-country, Colonel Putnam, on hearing of the 
 battle at Lexington, l#t his plough in the middle of the 
 field, and, without changing his clothes, repaired to Cam- 
 bridge, riding in a single day one hundred miles. He was 
 soon appointed a major-general in the provincial army, and, 
 returning to Connecticut, he made no delay in bringing 
 on a body of troops. Not long after his appointment, the 
 commander of the British army, unwilling that so valua- 
 ble an officer should act in opposition, privately conveyed 
 to him a proposal that if he would quit the rebel party, he 
 might rely on being made a major-general in the British 
 establishment, and receiving a great pecuniary compensa- 
 tion for his services; but he spurned the offer. "On the 
 16th of June, 1775, it was determined in a council of war, 
 at which General Putnam assisted, that a fortified post 
 should be established at or near Bunker-hill. General 
 Putnam marched with the first detachment and commenced 
 the work; he was the principal agent or engineer who 
 traced the lines of the redoubt, and he continued most, if 
 not all the night with the workmen : at any rate, he was 
 on the spot before sun-rising in the morning, and had taken 
 his station on the top of Bunker-hill, and participated in 
 the danger as well as the glory of that day."* 
 
 A Letter from the Hon. Judge Grosvevor, of Powfret, Connecticut. 
 
 " Being under the command of General Putnam, part of our regiment, 
 and a much hirger number of Massachusetts troops, under Colonel Pres- 
 
 * In the spring of the year 1818 an account of the battle of Bunker- 
 hill was publishdd in the Port Folio by Henry Dearborn, Esq., major- 
 general in the army of the United States, in which he animadverts on 
 the conduct of General Putnam with great severity. To this production 
 Daniel Putnam, Esq., son of the late general, has published a rejoinder, 
 from which I have taken the testimonials which follow. 
 
; 
 
 406 APPENDIX. 
 
 cott, were ordered to march on the evening of the 16th of June, 1775, 
 to Breed"s-hill, where, under the. immediate superintendence of Geneml 
 Putnam, ground was broken and a redoubt formed. On the following 
 day, the 17th, dispositions were made to deter the advance of the enemy, 
 as there was reason to believe an immediate attack was intended. Gen- 
 eral Putnam during the period was extremely active, and directed prin- 
 cipally the operations. All were animated, and their general inspired 
 confidence by his example. The British army, having made dispositions 
 for landing at Morton's Point, were covered by the fire of shot and shells 
 from Copp's-hill in Boston, which it had opened on our redoubt early in 
 the morning, and continued the greater part of the day. At this moment 
 a detachment of four lieutenants, of which 1 was one, and one hundred 
 and twelve men, selected the preceding day from General Putnam's 
 regiment, under Captain Knowlton, were b^ the general ordered to take 
 post at a rail-fence on the left of the breastwork tiiat ran north from 
 the redoubt to the bottom of Breed's-hill. This order was promptly 
 executed, and our detachment, in advancing to the post, took one rail- 
 fence and placed it against another, as a partial cover, nearly parallel 
 with the line of the breastwork, and extended our left nearly to IMystie 
 river. Each man was furnished with one pound oi gun-pou-cler ixudforty- 
 eiglit balls. This ammunition was received, however, prior to marching 
 to Breed's-hill. In this position our detachment remained till a second 
 divi-sion of British troops lauded, when they commenced a fire of their 
 Jield artillery of several rounds, and particularly against the rail-fence; 
 then formed in columns, advanced to the attack, displayed in line at about 
 the distance of musket-shot, and commenced firing. At this instant our 
 whole line opened on the enemy, and so precise and fatal was our fire, 
 that in the course of a short time they gave way, and retired in disorder 
 out of musket-shot, leaving before us many killed and wounded. There 
 was but a short respite on the part of the British, as their lines were 
 soon filled up and led against us, when they were met as before, and 
 forced back with great loss. On reinforcements joining the enemy, they 
 made a direct advance on the redoubt, and being successful, which our 
 brave Captain Knowlton perceiving, ordered a retreat of his men, in 
 which he loas sustained by two companies under the command of Captains 
 Clark and Chester. The loss in our detachment I presume was nearly 
 equal. Of my own immediate conmiand of thirty men and one subal- 
 tern, there were eleven killed and wounded; among the latter was myself, 
 though not so severely as to prevent my retiring. At the rail-fence there 
 was not posted any corps save our own, under Knowlton, at the time the 
 firing commenced; nor did I hear of any other being there, till long after 
 the action. Other troops, it is said, were ordered to join us, but refused 
 doing so. Of the officers on the ground, the most active within my 
 observation were General Putnam, Colonel Presscott, and Captain Knowl- 
 ton; but no doubt there were many more, equally brave and meritorious, 
 who must naturally have escaped the eye of one attending to his own 
 immediate command. 
 
 "Thus you have a brief statement of my knowledge of the action, 
 without descending to particulars. To conclude, it is matter of surprise, 
 even of astonishment to me, my dear sir, that I am called on to state 
 my opinion of the character of your honored father, General Putnam, 
 
APPENDIX. 407 
 
 who was ever the first in public life at the post of honor and danger, 
 and who, in his private conduct, was excelled by none. Look but at hia 
 services in the French and Indian wars from 1755 to 1763, and finally 
 at those of the revolution, and you will need no proof to refute the 
 calumny of common defamers. 
 
 "With respect, I am, yours, truly, "THOMAS GROSVENOR. 
 "Colonel Daniel Putnam." 
 
 The following is a letter from Colonel John Trumbull, 
 of New York, an officer of distinction in the revolutionary 
 war, and now a celebrated historical painter, employed in 
 his profession by the government of the United States, 
 dated. New York, 30th of March, 1818: 
 
 "In the summer of 1786, I became acquainted in London with Colo- 
 nel John Small, of the British army, who had served in America many 
 years, and had known General Putnam intimately during the war of Can- 
 ada, from 1756 to 1763. From him I had the two folhjwing anecdotes 
 respecting the battle of Bunker-iiill. I shall nearly repeat his words: 
 Looking at the picture which I had then almost completed, he said: 'I 
 don't like the situation in which you have placed my old friend Putnnm; 
 you have not done him justice. I wish you would alter that part of 
 your picture, and introduce a circumstance which actually happened, and 
 which I can never forget. When the British troops advanced the second 
 time to the attack of the redoubt, I with other officers was in front of 
 the line to encourage the men; we had advanced very near the works 
 undisturbed, when an irregular fire like a feu dejoie was poured in on 
 us; it was cruelly fatal. The troops fell back, and when I looked to the 
 right and left, I saw not one officer standing. I glanced my eye to the 
 enemy, and saw several young men levelling their pieces at me; I knew 
 their excellence as marksmen, and considered myself gone. At this 
 moment my old friend Putnam rushed forward, and striking up the 
 muzzles of their pieces with his sword, cried out, 'For God's sake, my 
 lads, don't fire at that man! — I love him as I do my brother.' We were 
 so near each other that I heard his words distinctly. He was obeyed; I 
 bowed, thanked him, and walked away unmolested.' 
 
 "The other anecdote relates to the death of General Warren. At 
 the moment when the troops succeeded in carrying the redoubt and the 
 Americans were in full retreat, General Howe, who had been hurt by a 
 spent ball, which bruised his ankle, was leaning on my arm. He called 
 suddenly to me: 'Do you see that elegant young man who has just 
 fallen? — do you know him?' I looked to the spot to which he pointed: 
 'Good God, sir, I believe it is my friend Warren.' 'Leave me then in- 
 stantly — run — keep off the troops — save him if possible.' — I flew to the 
 spot. 'My dear friend,' I said to him, 'I hope you are not badly hurt.' 
 He looked up, seemed to recollect me, smiled, and died! A musket-ball 
 had passed through the upper part of his head. Colonel Small had the 
 character of an honorable, upright man, and could have no conceivable 
 motive for deviating from truth in relating these circumstances to me; 
 I therefore believe them to be true. You remember, my dear sir, the 
 viper Ijiting the file. The character of your father for courage, humanity, 
 
408 APPENDIX. 
 
 generosity and integrity is too firmly established, by the testimony of 
 those who did hrioiv him, to be tarnished by the breath of one who con- 
 fesses that he did nnt. Accept, my dear sir, this feeble tribute to your 
 father's memory, from one who knew him, respected him, loved him — and 
 who wishes health and prosperity to vou and all the good man's pos- 
 terity. ' "JOHN TRUMBULL. 
 "Daniel Putnam, Esquire." 
 
 "I shall make no comment," saj^s Colonel Putnam, "on 
 the first anecdote by Colonel Small, except that the cir- 
 cumstances were related by General Putnam, without any 
 essential alteration, soon after the battle; and that there 
 was an interview of the parties on the lines between Pros- 
 pect and Bunker-hill, at the request of Colonel Small, not 
 long afterwards." 
 
 It is very apparent that General Washington reposed 
 great confidence in the skill and judgment of General 
 Putnam, or he would not have intrusted him with the 
 command of the city of New York at the moment when 
 it was expected that the whole of the British land and 
 naval forces would attempt to take possession of that city. 
 On the 29th of March, 1776, the commander-in-chief gave 
 to General Putnam the following orders and instructions: 
 "You will, no doubt, make the best despatch in getting 
 to New York; on your arrival there, you will assume the 
 command, and immediately proceed in continuing to exe- 
 cute the plan proposed by Major-General Lee, for fortify- 
 ing that city, and securing the passes of the East and North 
 rivers. If, on consultation with the brigadier-generals and 
 engineers, any alteration in that plan is thought necessary, 
 you are at liberty to make it, cautiously avoiding to break 
 in too much on his main design, unless where it may be 
 apparently necessary so to do, and that by the general 
 voice and opinion of the gentlemen above mentioned. 
 You will meet the quarter-master-general. Colonel Mifflin, 
 and commissary-general. Colonel Trumbull, at New York. 
 As these are both men of excellent talents in their differ- 
 ent departments, you will do well to give them all the 
 authority and assistance they require; and should a council 
 of war be necessary, it is my direction that they assist at 
 it. Your lo7}g service mid experience will, better than my 
 particular directions at this distance, point out to you the 
 works most proper to be first raised, and your perseverance, 
 
APPENDIX. 409 
 
 actwityand zeal will lead you, without my recommending it, 
 to exert every nerve to disappoint the enemy's designs." 
 
 "The faithful execution of the duties here enjoined were 
 acknowledged by the commander-in-chief after his arrival 
 in New York, and his thanks were publicly expressed in 
 general orders. Two days before the battle of Flatbush, 
 in consequence of the sickness of that excellent officer, 
 Major-General Greene, who had commanded on Long Isl- 
 and, General Putnam was ordered to the command of that 
 post, and assisted in the arduous and complicated difficul- 
 ties of that masterly retreat. In the memorable and dis- 
 tressing ^/(/Ai of the American army through New Jersey, 
 in 1776, General Putnam was always near — always the 
 friend, the supporter, and confidant of his beloved chief; 
 and the moment after reaching the western bank of the 
 Delaware with the rear of the army, he was ordered to 
 Philadelphia, to fortify and defend that city against a 
 meditated attack. When, in the summer of 1777, Fort 
 Montgomery was captured by the enemy, and it was de- 
 termined to erect another fortification on the banks of the 
 Hudson for the defence of that river, the cominander-in- 
 chief left it wholly to the judgment of General Putnam to 
 fix on the spot, who decided in favor of West Point; and, 
 as his biographer has remarked, 'it is no vulgar praise to 
 say, that to him belongs the glory of having chosen this 
 rock of our military salvation.'" 
 
 As an instance of the decision of his temper, the follow- 
 ing is deserving of notice. A man by the name of Nathan 
 Palmer was detected in General Putnam's camp, who, on 
 trial, was found to be a lieutenant in the tory new levies. 
 Governor Tryon, their commander, addressed General Put- 
 nam, and reclaimed Palmer as a British officer, and threat- 
 ened vengeance in case he should be executed. This drew 
 from him a reply in the following laconic style: 
 
 "Sir: Nathan Palmer, a lieutenant in your king's service, was taken 
 in my camp as a spij, — he was tried as a spy, — he was condemned as a 
 spy, — and you may rest assured, sir, that he sliall be hanged as a spy. 
 '•I have the honor to be, &,c. "ISRAEL PUTNAM. 
 
 "His Excellency Governor Tryon. 
 
 "P. S. Afternoon. He is hanged." 
 
 In December, 1779, while on his return from Connecti- 
 cut to head-quarters, this venerable man was attacked by 
 
410 APPENDIX. 
 
 a paralytic affection, under whicli lie languislied till the 
 19tli of May, 1790, when his honorable and useful life 
 was brought to a final close. The qualities of his mind 
 were sincerity, generosity and an invincible sense of duty. 
 The moral virtues, and duties of piety and pure religion, 
 were objects of his serious reflection, and the late Rev. 
 Dr. Dwight, in his Travels, has eulogized these as eminent 
 traits in his character. 
 
 Extract of a Letter from Gen. Washington to Gen. Putnam, dated 
 
 "Head-Quarters, 2d June, 1783. 
 
 "Dear Sir: Your fovor of the 20tli of May I received with much 
 pleasure. For I can assure you that, among the many wortliy ;ind mer- 
 itorious officers with whom I have had tlie liappiness to be connected in 
 service through the course of this war, and from whose cheerful assist- 
 ance in the various and trying vicissitudes of a complicated contest, the 
 name of Putnam is not forgotten; nor will it be, but with that stroke of 
 time which shall obliterate from my mind the remembrance of all those 
 toils and fatigues through which we have struggled for the preservation 
 and establishment of the rights, liberties, and independence of our coun- 
 try. Your congratulations on the happy prospect of {)eace and inde- 
 pendent security, with their attendant blessings to the United States, I 
 receive witli great satisfaction; and beg you will accept a return of my 
 gratulations to you, on this auspicious event — an event in which, great 
 as it is in itself, and glorious as it will probably be in its consequences, 
 you ha\'e a right to participate largely, from the distinguished part you 
 have conlrihvted toicards its attainment. I anticipate with pleasure the 
 day, and I trust not far off, when I shall quit the busy scenes of military 
 employment, and retire to the more tranquil walks of domestic life. In 
 that, or whatever other situation Providence may dispose of my future 
 days, the remembrance of the many friendships and connexions I have had 
 the happiness to contract with the gentlemen of the army, will be one of 
 my most grateful reflections. 
 
 "Under this contemplation, and impressed with the sentiments of 
 benevolence and regard, I commend you, my dear sir, my other friends, 
 and, with them, the interests and happiness of our dear country, to the 
 keeping and protection of Almighty God. 
 
 "I have the honor to be, &c., &c. 
 
 "GEORGE WASHINGTON. 
 '• To the Hon. Major-General Putnam." 
 
 The following eulogium was pronounced at the grave 
 of General Putnam by Dr. A. Waldo : 
 
 "Those venerable relics! once delighted in the endearing domestic 
 virtues which constitute the excellent neighbor — husband — parent — and 
 worthy brother! liberal and substantial in his friendship; — unsuspicious 
 — open — and generous; just and sincere in dealing; a benevolent citi- 
 zen of the world — he concentrated in his bosom the noble qualities of an 
 Honest Man. 
 
APPENDIX. 411 
 
 "Born a Hero — whom nature taught and cherished in the lap of innu- 
 merable toils and dangers, he was terrible in battle! But, from the 
 amiableness of his heart — when carnage ceased, his humanity spread 
 over the Jidd, like the refreshing zephyrs of a summer's evening! The 
 prisoner — the wounded — the sick — the forlorn — experienced the delicate 
 sympathy of this Soldier's Pillar. The poor and tiie needy of every de- 
 scription, received the charitable bounties of this Christian Soldier, 
 
 "He pitied littleness — loved goodness — admired greatness, and ever 
 aspired to its glorious summit! The friend, the servant, and almost un- 
 paralleled lover of his country; — worn with honorable age, and the 
 former toils of icar — Putnam rests from his labors! 
 
 ""Till moulderiiifT worlds and tremblihg systems burst! 
 When the last trump shall renovate his dust — 
 ytill by the mandate of eternal truth, 
 His soul will flourish in immortal youth !' 
 
 " ' This all who knew him, know ; this all who loved him tell.' " 
 
 Dr. Dwight penned a very excellent inscription, which 
 is engraved on his tomb, but our narrow limits must 
 apologize for its omission in this place. 
 
 MAJOR-GENERAL WIllIAM HEATH. 
 
 Major-General William Heath was a native of 
 Roxbury, Massachusetts, and was from his youth a culti- 
 vator of the soil, which was his favorite pursuit. He was 
 not conversant with general literature; but, being partic- 
 ularly attached to the study of military tactics, he acquired 
 a knowledge of modern warfare in its various branches 
 and duties. 
 
 At an early period of the opposition of the colonies to 
 the unjust and oppressive measures of the British ministry, 
 he was an active militia officer, and assiduously engaged 
 in organizing and disciplining the companies of militia 
 and minute- men. In the year 1775, being ranked among 
 the patriots and advocates for liberty, he was by the Pro- 
 vincial Congress commissioned as a brigadier-general. 
 
 During the siege of Boston, he was in commission as a 
 general officer, but on no occasion distinguished for enter- 
 prise or important services. When General Washington 
 contemplated an attack on Boston, General Heath was 
 offered the command of a division, but he declined the 
 hazardous service. In August, 1776, he was by Congress 
 promoted to the rank of major-general in the continental 
 
 Ff 
 
412 au'l.xdix. 
 
 army, and in the campaign of that year he conmianded a 
 division near the enemy's lines at King's-bridge and Mor- 
 risania. During the year 1777, and till November, 1778, 
 he was the commanding officer of the Eastern department, 
 and his head-quarters were at Boston. Here devolved 
 on him the very arduous duties of superintendent of the 
 convention troops, captured with General Burgoyne at 
 Saratoga, which were quartered at Cambridge. This 
 station required a character of uncommon firmness and 
 decision, and had General Heath been destitute of these 
 qualities, he would have been subjected to the grossest 
 impositions and indignities, from the haughty Generals 
 Burgoyne and Phillips, and the perverse temper of their 
 soldiery. These officers, lofty in spirit, and of high rank 
 and character, now chagrined by a state of captivity, oc- 
 casioned to General Heath a series of difficulties and vex- 
 ations. He soon, however, convinced them that he was 
 neither deficient in spirit nor ignorant of his duty, as a 
 military commander. In all his proceedings with these 
 turbulent captives, he supported the authority of Congress 
 and the honor and dignity of the command reposed in him; 
 and he received the entire approbation of that honorable 
 body, to whom he was amenable for his conduct. In the 
 most interesting and critical circumstances in which a gen- 
 eral could possibly be placed, he uniformly exhibited a 
 prudence, animation, decision, and firmness which have 
 done him honor, and fully justified the confidence re- 
 posed in him. 
 
 The cordial and most explicit approbation of the army, 
 the inhabitants of this town, the army and navy of our 
 illustrious ally, the government of this state, his excellency 
 the commander-in-chief, and of Congress, added to the 
 consciousness of his having discharged his trust with 
 fidelity, must in a great measure have alleviated the fa- 
 tigues incident to his arduous station, and compensated the 
 loss of his health, so much impaired by an incessant atten- 
 tion to business.* In June, 1779, General Heath was 
 elected by Congress a commissioner of the Board of War, 
 with a salary of four thousand dollars per annum, and al- 
 lowed to retain his rank in the army, which he declined, 
 preferring to participate in active operations in the field. 
 * Coniinental Journal, printed at Boston, November 12th, 1778. 
 
APPENDIX. 413 
 
 In the summer of 1780, he was directed by the com- 
 mander-in-chief to repair to Rhode Island, to make arrange- 
 ments for the reception of the French fleet and army, which 
 were expected soon to arrive. In his interview with the 
 Count Rochambeau and other officers of the French army 
 and navy, he proffered his friendly civilities, and contri- 
 buted all in his power to their comfortable accommodation, 
 which was productive of a mutual and lasting friendship 
 between them. Indefatigable attention to duty, in the 
 various stations assigned him, was a prominent trait in his 
 character. In May, 1781, General Heath was directed by 
 the commander-in-chief to repair to the New England 
 states, to represent to their respective executives the dis- 
 tressing condition of our army, and to solicit a speedy 
 supply of provisions and clothing, in which he was suc- 
 cessful. As senior major-general, he was more than once 
 commander of the right wing of our army, and during the 
 absence of the commander-in-chief, at the siege of York- 
 town, he was intrusted with the command of the main 
 army, posted at the highlands and vicinity, to guard the 
 important works on the Hudson, On the 24th of June, 
 1784, hostilities having ceased between the two armies. 
 General Washington addressed a letter to General Heath, 
 expressing his thanks for his meritorious services, and his 
 real affection and esteem, and on the same day the}' took 
 their final leave. 
 
 General Heath was corpulent and bald-headed, which 
 occasioned some of the French officers to observe that he 
 resembled the Marquis of Granby, and he appeared always 
 pleased with the comparison. As an officer of parade and 
 discipline, he was respectable; but for valorous achieve- 
 ments, we look in vain for his laurels. Had it been his 
 destiny, however, to encounter the perils of a conflict in 
 the field of blood, no one can say with what adroitness he 
 would have played the hero. 
 
 Immediately after the close of the war, General Heath 
 was called again into public service in civil life, and con- 
 tinued to hold a seat, either in the legislature or in the 
 council of Massachusetts, till the county of Norfolk was 
 established, in 1798, when he was appointed by Governor 
 Hancock judge of probate and a justice of the court of 
 common pleas; the latter office he did not accept; in the 
 
41-}. APPENDIX. 
 
 former he continued till his death. He was also a mem- 
 ber of the state convention which ratified the federal con- 
 stitution. All these offices he discharged with assiduity, 
 affixbility and impartiality, and to the general satisfaction 
 of his fellow-citizens. 
 
 He had formed his opinion of human nature on the most 
 favorable examples, and to the close of life had a strong 
 regard to popular opinion. He repeatedly allowed himself 
 to be held up and voted for, for the office of governor and 
 lieutenant-governor of the commonwealth, and at one 
 period had, no doubt, a willingness and desire to hold one 
 of these offices. In 1806 he was elected lieutenant-gov- 
 ernor. His refusal of the office was matter of surprise to 
 many, and was by some imputed to an unwillingness to 
 serve with Governor Strong; while it was well known to 
 those most intimate with him to be owing to his disappro- 
 bation of the conduct of the legislature of that year, in 
 their memorable attempt to defeat the voice of the people, 
 by setting aside Governor Strong's election. 
 
 He was more than once an elector of president and vice- 
 president of the United States, and gave his vote to those 
 who undertook to appropriate to themselves the name 
 republican, till the election preceding his death, when he 
 withheld his vote from Mr. Madison, on account of his 
 recommending the declaration of war in 1812, and sanc- 
 tioning the measures which preceded and followed this 
 event, and which caused the general wholly to withdraw 
 his confidence from that administration. 
 
 Such was General Heath's public life. His private one 
 was retired and domestic, amiable, orderly, and industri- 
 ous, but not remarkable for hospitality, or a liberal appro- 
 priation of property to public purposes. He died at 
 Eoxbury, January 24th, 1814, aged seventy-seven years. 
 
 MAJOR-GENERAL BENJAMIN LINCOLN. 
 
 General Lincoln deserves a high rank in the fraternity 
 of American heroes. He was born in Hingham, Massa- 
 chusetts, January 23d, (0. S.) 1733. His early education 
 was not auspicious to his future eminence, and his vocation 
 was that of a farmer, till he was more than forty years of 
 
APPENDIX. 415 
 
 age, though he was commissioned as a magistrate, and 
 elected a representative in the state legislature. In the 
 year 1775, he sustained the office of lieutenant-colonel of 
 militia, and having espoused the cause of his country as 
 a firm and determined whig, he was elected a member of 
 the Provincial Congress, and one of" the secretaries of that 
 body, and also a member of the committee of correspond- 
 ence. In 1776 he was appointed by the council of Mas- 
 chusetts a brigadier, and soon after a major-general, and 
 he applied himself assiduously to training and preparing 
 -the militia for actual service in the field, in which he dis- 
 played the military talent which he possessed. In October, 
 he marched with a body of militia, and joined the main 
 army at New York. The commander-in-chief, from a 
 knowledge of his character and merit, recommended him 
 to Congress as an excellent officer, and in February, 1777, 
 he was by that honorable body created a major-general on 
 the continental establishment. For several months he 
 commanded a division, or detachments in the main army, 
 under Washington, and was in situations which required 
 the exercise of the utmost vigilance and caution, as well 
 as firmness and courage. Having the command of about 
 five hundred men in an exposed situation near Bound 
 Brook, through the neglect of his patroles, a large body 
 of the enemy approached within two hundred yards of his 
 quarters undiscovered; the general had scarcely time to 
 mount and leave the house before it was surrounded. He 
 led off his troops, however, in the face of the enemy, and 
 made good his retreat, though with the loss of about sixty 
 men, killed and wounded. One of his aids with the gen- 
 eral's baggage and papers fell into the hands of the enemy, 
 as did also three small pieces of artillery. In July, 1777, 
 General Washington selected him to join the northern 
 army, under the command of General Gates, to oppose 
 the advance of General Burgoyne He took his statipn 
 at Manchester, in Vermont, to receive and form the New 
 England militia, as they arrived, and to order their march 
 to the rear of the British army. He detached Colonel 
 Brown with five hundred men on the 13th of September 
 to the landing at Lake George, where he succeeded in sur- 
 prising the enemy, and took possession of two hundred 
 batteaux, liberated one hundred American prisoners, and 
 
410 APPENDIX. 
 
 captured two hundred and ninety-three of the enemy, with 
 the loss of only three killed and five wounded. This en- 
 terprise was of the highest importance, and contributed 
 essentially to the glorious event which followed. Having 
 detached two other parties to the enemy's posts at Mount 
 Independence and Skenesborough, General Lincoln united 
 his remaining force with the army under General Gates, 
 and was the second in command. During the sanguinary 
 conflict on the 7th of October, General Lincoln commanded 
 within our lines, and at one o'clock the next morning he 
 marched with his division to relieve the troops that had 
 been engaged, and to occupy the battle-ground, the enemy 
 having retreated. While on this duty he had occasion to 
 ride forward some distance, to reconnoitre, and to order 
 some disposition of his own troops, when a party of the 
 enemy made an unexpected movement, and he approached 
 within musket-shot before he was aware of his mistake. 
 A whole volley of musketry was instantly discharged at 
 him and his aids, and he received a wound by which the 
 bones of his leg were badly fractured, and he was obliged 
 to be carried oif the field. The wound was a formidable 
 one, and the loss of his limb was for some time apprehended. 
 He was for several months confined at Albany, and it be- 
 came necessary to remove a considerable portion of the 
 main bone before he was conveyed to his house at Hing- 
 ham; and under this painful surgical operation, the writer 
 of this being present, witnessed in him a degree of firm- 
 ness and patience not to be exceeded. I have known him, 
 says Colonel Kice, who was a member of his military 
 family, during the most painful operation by the surgeon, 
 while bystanders were frequently obliged to leave the room, 
 entertain us with some pleasant anecdote, or story, and 
 draw forth a smile from his friends. His wound continued 
 several years in an ulcerated state, and by the loss of the 
 bone the limb was shortened, which occasioned lameness 
 during the remainder of his life. General Lincoln cer- 
 tainly afforded very important assistance in the capture 
 of Burgoyne, though it was his unfortunate lot, while in 
 active duty, to be disabled before he could participate in 
 the capitulation. Though his recovery was not complete, 
 he repaired to head-quarters in the following August, and 
 was joyfully received by the commander-in-chief, who well 
 
APPENDIX. 417 
 
 knew how to appreciate his merit. It was from a devel- 
 opment of his estimable character as a man, and his talent 
 as a military commander, that he was designated by Con- 
 gress for the arduous duties of the chief command in the 
 southern department, under innumerable embarrassments. 
 On his arrival at Charleston, December, 1778, he found 
 that he had to form an army, to provide supplies, and to 
 arrange the various departments, that he might be able to 
 cope with an enemy consisting of experienced of&cers 
 and veteran troops. This, it is obvious, required a man 
 of superior powers, indefatigable perseverance, and uncon- 
 querable energy. Had not these been his inherent quali- 
 ties, Lincoln must have yielded to the formidable obstacles 
 which opposed his progress. About the 28th of Decem- 
 ber, General Prevost arrived with a fleet and about three 
 thousand British troops, and took possession of Savannah, 
 after routing a small party of Americans, under General 
 Robert Howe. General Lincoln immediately put his troops 
 in motion, and took post on the eastern side of the river, 
 about twenty miles from the city ; but he was not in force 
 to commence offensive operations till the last of February. 
 In April, with the view of covering the upper part of 
 Georgia, he marched to Augusta; after which Prevost, the 
 British commander, crossed the river into Carolina, and 
 marched for Charleston. General Lincoln, therefore, re- 
 crossed the Savannah, and followed his route, and on his 
 arrival near the city, the enemy had retired from before 
 it during the previous night. A detachment of the enemy, 
 supposed to be about six hundred men, under Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Maitland, being posted at Stone-Ferry, where they 
 had erected works for their defence, General Lincoln re- 
 solved to attack them, which he did on the 19th of June. 
 The contest lasted one hour and twenty minutes, in which 
 he lost one hundred and sixty men killed and wounded, 
 and the enemy suffered about an equal loss. Their works 
 were found to be much stronger than had been represented, 
 and our artillery proving too light to annoy them, and the 
 enemy receiving a reinforcement, our troops were obliged 
 to retire. 
 
 The next event of importance which occurred with our 
 general, was the bold assault on Savannah, in conjunction 
 with the Count D'Estaing. General Prevost had again 
 
418 APPENDIX. 
 
 possessed liimself of that city, and Count D'Estaing ar- 
 rived with his fleet and armament in the beginning of 
 September, 1779. Having landed nearly three thousand 
 French troops, General Lincoln immediately united about 
 one thousand men to his force. The prospect of success 
 was highly flattering, but the enemy exerted all their ef- 
 forts in strengthening their lines, and after the count had 
 summoned the garrison, and while Prevost was about to 
 arrange articles of capitulation, he received a reinforce- 
 ment. It was now resolved to attempt the place by a 
 regular siege, but various causes occasioned a delay of 
 several days, and when it commenced, the cannonade and 
 bombardment failed of producing the desired effect, and 
 the short time allowed the count on our coast, was quite 
 insufficient for reducing the garrison by regular approaches. 
 The commanders concluded, therefore, to make an effort 
 on the works by assault. On the 9th of October, in the 
 morning, the troops were led on by D'Estaing and Lin- 
 coln, united, while a column led by Count Dillon missed 
 their route in the darkness, and failed of the intended co- 
 operation. Amidst a most appalling fire of the covered 
 enemy, the alUed troops forced the abatis, and planted two 
 standards on the parapets. But being overpowered at the 
 point of attack, they were compelled to retire; the French 
 having seven hundred, the Americans two hundred and 
 forty killed and wounded. The Count Pulaski, at the 
 head of a body of our horse, was mortally wounded. 
 General Lincoln next repaired to Charleston, and endeav- 
 ored to put that city in a posture of defence, urgently re- 
 questing of Congress a reinforcement of regular troops, and 
 additional supplies, which were but partially complied 
 with. In February, 1780, General Sir Henry Clinton ar- 
 rived, and landed a formidable force in the vicinity ; and 
 on the 10th of March encamped in front of the American 
 lines at Charleston. Considering the vast superiority of 
 the enemy, both in sea and land forces, it might be ques- 
 tioned whether prudence and correct judgment would 
 dictate an attempt to defend the city; it will not be sup- 
 posed, however, that the determination was formed without 
 the most mature deliberation, and for reasons perfectly 
 justifiable. It is well known that the general was in con- 
 tinual expectation of an augmentation of strength by rein- 
 
APPENDIX. 419 
 
 forcements. On the 10th of April, the enemy having 
 made some advances, summoned the garrison to an uncon- 
 ditional surrender, which was promptly refused. A heavy 
 and incessant cannonade was sustained on each side, till 
 the 11th of May, when the besiegers had completed their 
 third parallel line, and having made a second demand of 
 surrender, a capitulation was agreed on. 
 
 "Having received," says the general, "an address from 
 the principal inhabitants, and from a number of the coun- 
 try militia, desiring that I would accept the terms; and a 
 request from the lieutenant-governor and council, that the 
 negotiation might be renewed; the militia of the town 
 having thrown down their arms; our provisions, saving a 
 little rice, being exhausted; the troops on the line being 
 worn down by fatigue, having for a number of da^'s been 
 obliged to lay on the banquette ; our harbor closely blocked 
 up; completely invested by land by nine thousand men 
 at least, the flower of the British army, besides the large 
 force they could at all times draw from the marine, and 
 aided by a great number of blacks in their laborious em- 
 ployments; the garrison at this time, exclusive of sailors, 
 but little exceeding two thousand five hundred men, part 
 of whom had thrown down their arms; the citizens in 
 general discontented, the enemy being within twenty yards 
 of our lines, and preparing to make a general assault by 
 sea and land; many of our cannon dismounted, and others 
 silenced for want of shot; a retreat being judged impracti- 
 cable, and every hope of timely succor cut off, we were 
 induced to offer and accede to the terms executed on the 
 12th of May." It is to be lamented that, with all the 
 judicious and vigorous efforts in his power, General Lin- 
 coln was requited only by the frowns of fortune, whereas 
 had he been successful in his bold enterprise and views, 
 he would have been crowned with unfading laurels. But 
 notwithstanding a series of disappointments and unfortu- 
 nate occurrences, he was censured by no one, nor was his 
 judgment or merit called in question. He retained his 
 popularity and the confidence of the army, and was con- 
 sidered as a most zealous patriot, and the bravest of sol- 
 diers. "The motives and feelings that prompted General 
 Lincoln rather to risk a siege than to evacuate Charleston 
 were most honorable to him as a man and a soldier. There 
 
420 APPENDIX. 
 
 was such a balance of reasons on the question, as under the 
 existing circumstances should exempt his decision from 
 blame or distrust. He could not calculate on the despond- 
 ence and inactivity of the people who should come to his 
 succor. The suspense and anxiety, the toil and hazard 
 attending the siege, gave the fullest scope to his wisdom, 
 patience and valor. His exertions were incessant. He 
 was on the lines night and day, and for the last fortnight 
 never undressed to sleep."* Notwithstanding this unfor- 
 tunate termination of his command, so established was the 
 spotless reputation of the vanquished general, that he con- 
 tinued to enjoy the undiminished respect and confidence 
 of the Congress, the army, and the commander-in-chieff 
 " Great praise is due to General Lincoln," says Dr. Ramsay, 
 "for his judicious and spirited conduct in baffling for three 
 months the greatly superior force of Sir Henry Clinton and 
 Admiral Arburthnot. Though Charleston and the South- 
 ern army were lost, yet, by their long-protracted defence, 
 the British plans were not only retarded but deranged, 
 and North Carolina was saved for the remainder of the 
 year 1780." 
 
 General Lincoln was admitted to his parole, and in 
 November following he was exchanged for Major-General 
 Phillips, a prisoner of the convention of Saratoga. In 
 the campaign of 1781, General Lincoln commanded a di- 
 vision under Washington, and at the siege of Yorktown 
 he had his full share of the honor of that brilliant and 
 . auspicious event. The articles of capitulation stipulated 
 for the same honor in favor of the surrendering army, as 
 had been granted to the garrison of Charleston. General 
 Lincoln was appointed to conduct them to the field where 
 their arms were deposited, and received the customary 
 submission. In the general order of the commander-in- 
 chief the day after the capitulation, General Lincoln was 
 among the general officers whose services were particularly 
 mentioned. In October, 1781, he was chosen by Congress 
 secretar}' at war, retaining his rank in the army. In this 
 office he continued till October, 1783, when his proffered 
 resignation was accepted by Congress as follows: 
 
 * Notice of General Lincoln in the Collection of the Historical Society, 
 vol. 3d, second series, from which I have made other extracts, 
 f Lee's Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department. 
 
APPENDIX. 421 
 
 ^Resolved, That the resignation of Major-General Lincoln, as secre- 
 tary of wiir for the United States, be accepted in consideration of the 
 earnest desire which he expresses, the objects of the war being so hap- 
 pily accomplished, to retire to private life, and that he be informed that 
 the United States in Congress assembled entertain a high sense of his 
 perseverance, fortitude, activity and meritorious services in the field, as 
 well as of his diligence, fidelity and capacity in the execution of tlie office 
 of secretary at war, which important trust he has discharged to their 
 entire approbation." 
 
 Having Telinquished the duties and cares of a public 
 employment, be retired, and devoted his attention to his 
 farm; but in 1784, he was chosen one of the commission- 
 ers and agents on the part of the state to make and execute 
 a treaty with the Penobscot Indians. When in the year 
 1786-7, the authority of our state government was in a 
 manner prostrated, and the country alarmed by a most 
 audacious spirit of insurrection, under the guidance of 
 Shays and Day, General Lincoln was appointed by the 
 governor and council to command a detachment of militia, 
 consisting of four or five thousand men, to oppose their 
 progress, and compel them to a submission to the laws. 
 He marched from Boston on the 20th of January, into the 
 counties of Worcester, Hampshire, and Berkshire, where 
 the insurgents had erected their standard. They were 
 embodied in considerable force, and manifested a deter- 
 mined resistance, and a slight skirmish ensued between 
 them and a party of militia under General Shepherd. 
 Lincoln, however, conducted with such address and energy, 
 that the insurgents were routed from one town to another, 
 till they were completely dispersed in all directions; and 
 by his wise and prudent measures the insurrection was 
 happily suppressed without bloodshed, excepting a few 
 individuals wdio were slain under General Shepherd's 
 command. At the May election, 1787, General Lincoln 
 was elected lieutenant-governor by the legislature, having 
 had a plurality of votes by the people. He was a mem- 
 ber of the convention for ratifying the federal constitution, 
 and in the summer of 1789, he received from President 
 Washington the appointment of collector of the port of 
 Boston, which ofl&ce he sustained till, being admonished 
 by the increasing infirmities of age, he requested permis- 
 sion to resign, about two years before his death. In 1789, 
 he was appointed one of the commissioners to treat with 
 
422 ArPENDix. 
 
 the Creek Indians on tlie frontiers of the Southern states, 
 and in 1793 he was one of the commissioners to effect a 
 peace with the AVestern Indians. The subject of this 
 memoir received from the University of Cambridge the 
 honorary degree of Master of Arts. He was one of the 
 first members of the American Academy of Arts and 
 Sciences, and a member of the Massachusetts Historical 
 Society, and he contributed by his pen to the stock of 
 useful materials for their respective publications. Having, 
 after his resignation of the office of collector, passed about 
 two years in retirement and in tranquillity of mind, but 
 experiencing the feebleness of age, he received a short 
 attack of disease, by which his honorable life was termin- 
 ated on the 9th of May, 1810, aged 77 years. The follow- 
 ing tribute is on the records of the society of Cincinnati : 
 
 "At the annual meeting in July, 1810, Major-General John Brooks 
 was chosen president of the society, to supply the place of our venerable 
 and much-lamented president, General Benjamin Lincoln, who had pre- 
 sided over the society from the organization thereof, in 1783, to the 9th 
 of May, 1810, the day of his decease, with the entire approbation of 
 every member, and the grateful tribute of his surviving comrades, for his 
 happy guidance and alfectionate attentions during so long a period." 
 
 General Lincoln in his very nature was unsusceptible 
 of the spirit of envy. Whoever achieved a noble action 
 to the honor and advantage of his country, whether as a 
 patriot or soldier, was with him the man of merit and the 
 theme of eulogy, though it might eclipse his own fame. 
 He was universally respected as one of the best of men, 
 of ardent patriotism, and of heroic courage. Major-Gen- 
 eral Knox, whose candor and discriminating judgment no 
 one will deny, was known to estimate next to Washington 
 in military talents. Generals Greene and Lincoln. Colonel 
 Nathan Rice, a respectable officer, who was a member of 
 his military family, observes, that the sacrifice of as much 
 domestic happiness as falls to the lot of men, to serve his 
 country, would seem to place his patriotism beyond sus- 
 picion. The firmness and zeal with which he rendered 
 this service during her struggle, the coolness with which 
 he met danger, his fortitude under bodily pain, privation 
 and disappointments, and the confidence reposed in him by 
 the commander-in-chief, all strongly evince that his coun- 
 try had not misjudged in elevating him to the distinguished 
 
APPENDIX. 423 
 
 rank he held in the army. While at Purysburgh, on the 
 Savannah river, a soldier named Fickling, having been 
 detected in frequent attempts to desert, was tried and sen- 
 tenced to be hanged. The general ordered the execution. 
 The rope broke; a second was procured, which broke 
 also; the case was reported to the general for directions. 
 "Let him run," said the general, "I thought he looked 
 like a scape-gallows."* Regularity both in business and 
 his mode of living were peculiar traits in his character; 
 habitually temperate, and accustomed to sleep unconfined 
 to time or place. In conversation he was always correct 
 and chaste; on no occasion uttering any thing like pro- 
 fanity or levity on serious subjects, and when others have 
 indulged in these respects in his presence, it was ever re- 
 
 * Mnjor Garden, in his Anecdotes of the American Rerolutinn, relates 
 this story with some addition. It h-'ippt-i.t-d that as FickHng- was led to 
 execution, the surgeon-general of the army passed accidentally on his 
 way to his quarters, which were at some distance. When the second 
 rope was procured, the adjutant of the regiment, a stout and heavy man, 
 assayed by every means to break it, but without effect. Fickling was 
 then haltered and again turned off, when, to the astonishment of the by- 
 standers, the rope untwisted, and he fell a second time uninjured to the 
 ground. A cry for mercy was now general throughout the ranks, wliich 
 occasioned Major Ladson, aid-de-camp to General Lincoln, to gallop to 
 head-quarters to make a representation of facts, which were no sooner 
 stated than an immediate pardon was granted, accompanied with an or- 
 der that he should instantaneously be drummed, with every mark of 
 infiimy, out of camp, and threatened with instant death if he ever should 
 be found attempting to approach it. In the interim, the surgeon-general 
 had established himself at his quarters in a distant barn, little doubting 
 but that the catastrophe was at an end, and Fickling quietly resting in 
 his grave. Midnight was at hand, and he was busily engaged in writing, 
 when, hearing the approach of a footstep, he raised his eyes, and saw 
 with astonishment the figure of the man who had in his opinion been 
 executed, slowly and with haggard countenance approaching towards 
 him. "How! how is this?"' exclaimed the doctor; "whence come you? 
 what do you want with me? were you not hanged this morning?"' 
 "Yes, sir," replied the resuscitated man; "I am the wretch you saw 
 going to the gallows, and who was hanged." "Keep your distance," 
 said the doctor; "approach me not till you say why you come here." 
 " Simply, sir," said the supposed spectre, " to solicit food. I am no 
 ghost, doctor. The rope broke twice while the executioner was doing 
 his office, and the general thought proper to pardon me." "If that 
 be the case," rejoined the doctor, "eat and be welcome; but I beg of 
 you in future to have a little more consideration, and not intrude so 
 unceremoniously into the apartment of one who had every right to sup- 
 pose you an inhabitant of the tomb." 
 
424 APPENDIX. 
 
 ceived by him with such marked disapprobation of coun- 
 tenance, as to draw from them an instantaneous apology, 
 and regret for the offence. Having, while collector, ap- 
 pointed a violent party-man to a place of profit merely 
 from motives of benevolence, he had frequently, with 
 many others, abused the general, calling him "a damned 
 old rascal." On the first opportunity, the general said to 
 
 him, "So Mr, , you say I am a damned old rascal; 
 
 you might have spared the damned," without adding a 
 word more; but it was expressed in a manner that pre- 
 vented a reply; nor did he remove him from office. In 
 the various characters of parent, husband and master, I 
 ever held him up, says Colonel Rice, as a model of per- 
 fection. The law of kindness ever dwelt on his tongue. 
 
 This memoir will be concluded by some brief extracts 
 from the Historical Collections: 
 
 "In General Lincoln's eiiaraeter, strength and softness, the estimable 
 and amiable qualities, were happily blended. His mind was quick and 
 active, yet discriminating and sound. He displayed a fund of thought 
 and information, derived from select though limited reading, from careful 
 observation of men and things, from habits of thinking, and from con- 
 versation. A degree of enthusiasm or exultation of feeling on the ob- 
 jects of his pursuit belonged to his temperament, but it was under the 
 control of good sense and sober views. He was patient and cool in 
 deliberation ; in execution, prompt and vigorous. He was conspicuous 
 for plain, strict, inflexible integrity, united, however, with prudence, can- 
 dor, and a compassionate disposition. As a military commander, he was 
 judicious, brave, determined, indefatigable. His distinguished merit in 
 this character was never denied, while all have not agreed in opinion on 
 some of his plans in the southern command. Being a soldier of the 
 revolution, he had to anticipate the effect of experience, and might com- 
 mit mistakes. He was surrounded by difficulties; he met extraordinary 
 disappointments in his calculations of supplies and succors. In the 
 piincipal instances which issued unfortunately, the storming of Savannah 
 and the siege of Charleston, he had but a choice of evils; and whichever 
 way he decided, the course rejected would have seemed to many persons 
 more eligible. General Lincoln was a federalist of the Washington 
 school. He experienced the benefit of his weight of character and the 
 sense entertained by the community of his public services, in being suf- 
 fered to retain his office of collector. 
 
 "Religion exerted its full influence over the mind and conduct of 
 General Lincoln. He was a Christian of the Anti-sectarian, Catholic, 
 or liberal sect. He was firm in his faith, serious and affectionate in his 
 piety, without superstition, fanaticism or austerity. He was from early 
 manhood a communicant, and for a great part of his life a deacon of the 
 church. He never shunned an avowal of his belief, nor feared to appear 
 what he was, nor permitted the reality of his convictions to remain in 
 
APPENDIX. 425 
 
 doubt. The person and air of General Lincoln betokened his military 
 vocation. He was of middle lieight and erect, broad-chested and mus- 
 cular, in his latter years corpulent, with open intelligent features, a ven- 
 erable and benign aspect. His manners were easy and unaffected, but 
 courteous and polite." 
 
 In all his transactions, both public and private, his mind 
 Avas elevated above all sordid or sinister views, and our 
 history will not perhaps record many names more estima- 
 ble than was that of General Lincoln. 
 
 FREDERICK WILLIAM AUGUSTUS BARON DE STEUBEN, 
 
 Knight of the Order of Fidelity in Germany, and Major-General in the 
 ^rmy of the United States. 
 
 This highly distinguished personage was a Prussian 
 officer, aid-de-camp to the great Frederick, and held the 
 rank of lieutenant-general in the army of that consummate 
 commander. He arrived in America December, 1777, 
 and presented himself with his credentials to Congress, 
 proffering his services in our army without any claim to 
 rank, and requested permission only to render such assist- 
 ance as might be in his power, in the character of a vol- 
 unteer. In thus devoting himself to our cause, he made 
 an immense sacrifice, by relinquishing his honorable sta- 
 tion and emoluments in Europe. Congress voted him 
 their thanks for his zeal and the disinterested tender of his 
 services, and he joined the main army under General 
 Washington at Valley Forge. His qualifications for a 
 teacher of the system of military tactics were soon mani- 
 fested; having for many years practised on the system 
 which the king of Prussia had introduced into his own 
 army. In May, 1778, by the strong recommendation of 
 the commander-in-chief, Congress appointed him inspector- 
 general with the rank of major-general. He commenced 
 his duties as inspector, beginning with the officers, who 
 were formed into separate bodies, frequently exercised and 
 instructed in the various movements and evolutions, when 
 manoeuvring battalions, brigades, or divisions of the army. 
 He exerted all his powers for the establishment of a regu- 
 lar system of discipline, economy, and uniformity among 
 our heterogeneous bodies of soldiers. In the discharge of 
 this duty, and to effect his favorite object, he encountered 
 
426 APPENDIX. 
 
 obstacles to which a less zealous spirit would have yielded 
 as insurmountable. By his superior talents, indefatigable 
 industr}^, and perseverance, he rendered a service to our 
 army, without which it could not have attained to a con- 
 dition capable of achieving honor and glory in the face of 
 European veteran troops. Charmed with the neat and 
 soldierly appearance of those who had profited by his 
 instructions and duly improved in the art of discipline, 
 and equally detesting the soldier whose awkward and un- 
 military conduct betrayed his negligence, there never was 
 a review but the baron rewarded the one with more than 
 praise, and censured the other, whether officer or soldier, 
 with a severity equal to his deserts. While reviewing our 
 regiment, he noticed in the ranks a very spruce young 
 lad, handsomely formed, standing erect, with the air of a 
 genteel soldier, his gun and equipments in perfect order. 
 The baron, struck with his military apj)earance, patted him 
 under his chin to elevate his head still more erect, viewed 
 him with a smile, and said, "How long have you been a 
 soldier? You are one pretty soldier in miniature. How 
 old are you ?" " Seventeen, sir." " Have you got a wife ?" 
 Then calling to the colonel, said, "Colonel Jackson, this 
 is one fine soldier in miniature." 
 
 The baron composed a complete system of exercise and 
 discipline, which was approved by the commander-in- 
 chief, and ordered by Congress to be published and adopted 
 in our army. Colonel William North and Colonel Walker 
 were aids-de-camp and members of his family, between 
 whom there existed a mutual attachment and affection, 
 pure as parent and sons.* The baron was distinguished 
 
 * Colonel North at an early age volunteered his services in the bold 
 and perilous enterprise undertaken by General Arnold in the autumn 
 of 1775, to penetrate to Canada through the unexplored wilderness from 
 Kennebec, and was among the miserable sufferers who appreliended the 
 horrors of death in the wilderness. When Colonel Henry Jackson 
 raised his regiment in the state of Massachusetts, this gentleman was 
 commissioned as commander of a company in this regiment, in which 
 he served with honor till he was appointed aid-de-camp to Baron Steu- 
 ben. By the amiable qualities of his heart, his ingratiating and gentle- 
 manly manners, he won the affection of the baron, by whom he was 
 treated with the favor of an adopted son. After the close of the war 
 he was appointed major-general of militia in the state of New York, 
 and he has recently transferred his residence to New London, in Con- 
 necticut. It is chiefly by the aid of his pen that I am enabled to furnish 
 this tribute to the memory of his j ustly-celebrated patron. 
 
AITENDIX. 427 
 
 for his adherence to the principles of political integrity 
 and moral virtue. His heart was replete with generous 
 sentiments and the purest benevolence. 
 
 After General Arnold treacherously deserted his post 
 at West Point, the baron never failed to manifest his in- 
 dignation and abhorrence of his name and character, and 
 while inspecting Colonel Sheldon's regiment of light-horse, 
 the name of Arnold struck his ear. The soldier was or- 
 dered to the front: he was a fine looking fellow; his horse 
 and equipments in excellent order. "Change your name, 
 brother-soldier ; you are too respectable to bear the name 
 of a traitor." " What name shall I take, general ?" " Take 
 any other name ; mine is at your service." Most cheer- 
 fully was the offer accepted, and his name was entered on 
 the roll as Steuben. He or his children now enjoy land 
 given to him in the town of Steuben by the baron. This 
 brave soldier met him after the war. "I am well settled, 
 general," said he, "and have a wife and son ; I have called 
 my son after you, sir." "I thank you, my friend. What 
 name have you given the boy?" "I called him Baron — 
 what else could I call him?" 
 
 The baron's office as inspector did not preclude him the 
 privilege of command in the line according to his rank, 
 and at one period he was commander of a separate detach- 
 ment in Virginia, to oppose the ravages of the enemy in 
 that quarter. It was with great difficulty that men could 
 be procured for the service ; every man was considered as 
 an acquisition. The baron was too honest to suffer an 
 imposition to be practised on the public. A regiment had 
 been collected, and was paraded on the point of marching, 
 when a well-looking man on horseback, and as it appeared 
 his servant on another, rode up and informed the baron 
 that he had brought him a recruit. "I thank you, sir," 
 said the baron, "with all my heart; you have arrived in 
 a happy moment. Where is your man, colonel?" — for he 
 was colonel in the militia. "Here, sir," ordering his boy 
 to dismount. The baron's countenance changed ; his aids 
 saw and feared the approaching storm. A sergeant was 
 ordered to measure the lad, whose shoes when off discov- 
 ered something by which his stature had been increased. 
 The baron, patting the child's head with his hand, trem- 
 bling with rage, asked him how old he was? He was 
 Gg 
 
428 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 very young — quite a child. "Sir," said he to the militia 
 colonel, "3^ou must have supposed me to be a rascal." 
 "Oh! no, baron, I did not." "Then, sir, I suppose you 
 to be a rascal, an infamous rascal, thus to attempt to cheat 
 your country. Sergeant, take off this fellow's spurs, and 
 place him in the ranks, that we may have a man able to 
 serve, instead of an infant whom he would basely have 
 made his substitute! Go, my boy; take the colonel's 
 spurs and horse to. his wife; make my compliments, and 
 say, her husband has gone to fight for the freedom of his 
 country, as an honest man should do!" And instantly 
 ordered, "Platoons! to the right, wheel ! forward march!" 
 Colonel Gaskins, who commanded the regiment, fearing 
 the consequences, after marching some distance, allowed 
 the man to escape, who immediately made application to 
 the civil authority for redress; but Governor Jefferson, 
 Mr. Madison, and others, not doubting the purity of the 
 baron's motive, and fully appreciating his honest zeal, 
 prevented any disagreeable results attending this high- 
 handed exertion of military power. At the siege of 
 Yorktown the baron was in the trenches at the head of 
 his division, and received the first overture of Lord Corn- 
 wallis to capitulate. At the relieving hour next morning, 
 the Marquis de la Fayette approached at the head of his 
 division, to relieve him. The baron refused to quit the 
 trenches, assigning as a reason the etiquette in Europe, 
 that the offer to capitulate had been made during his tour 
 of duty, and that it was a point of honor of which he would 
 not deprive his troops to remain in the trenches till the 
 capitulation was signed or hostilities recommenced. The 
 dispute was referred to the commander-in-chief, and the 
 baron was permitted to remain till the British flag was 
 struck. While on this duty the baron, perceiving himself 
 in danger from a shell thrown from the enemy, threw 
 himself suddenly into the trench ; General Wayne, in the 
 jeopardy and hurry of the moment, fell on him ; the baron, 
 turning his eyes, saw it was his brigadier. "I always 
 knew you were brave, general," said he; "but I did not 
 know you were so perfect in every point of duty: you 
 cover your general's retreat in the best manner possible." 
 "I have great delight," says Major Garden, "in relating 
 an anecdote which I received from General Walter Stew- 
 
APPENDIX. iC- 429 
 
 ? ■" 
 art; the truth of which may be relied on." After the 
 capture of Yorktown, the superior officers of the allied 
 army vied with each other in acts of civility and attention 
 to the captive Britons. Lord Cornwallis and his family 
 were particularly distinguished. Entertainments were 
 given in succession by all the major-generals, with the 
 exception of Baron Steuben. He alone withheld an in- 
 vitation, not from a wish to be particular, nor that his 
 heart was closed to the attentions due to misfortunes. His 
 soul was superior to prejudice; and, as a soldier, he ten- 
 derly sympathized in their fate, while poverty denied the 
 means of displaying that liberality towards them which 
 had been shown by others. Such was his situation, when, 
 calling on Colonel Stewart, and informing him of his in- 
 tention to entertain the British commander-in-chief, he 
 requested that he would advance him a sum of money as 
 the price of his favorite charger. '"Tis a good beast," 
 said the baron, "and has proved a faithful servant through 
 all the dangers of the war; but, though painful to my 
 heart, we must part." Colonel Stewart, to prevent a step 
 that he knew must be attended with great loss, and still 
 greater inconvenience, immediately tendered his purse, 
 recommending, should the sum it contained prove insuffi- 
 cient, the sale or pledge of his watch. "My dear friend," 
 said the baron, "'tis already sold. Poor North was sick, 
 and wanted necessaries. He is a brave fellow, and pos- 
 sesses the best of hearts. The trifle it brought is set apart 
 for his use. My horse must go; so no more, I beseech 
 you, to turn me from my purpose. I am a major-general 
 in the service of the United States, and my private con- 
 venience must not be put in the scale with the duty which 
 my rank calls on me imperiously to perform." A very 
 friendly intercourse subsisted between the officers of the 
 French army and those of our own, and dining invitations 
 could not always be reciprocated on our part for want of 
 the means. "I can stand it no longer," said the baron; 
 "we are continually dining with these gentlemen, and such 
 is our penur}'^ that, except at head-quarters, they receive 
 no invitations in return. "Take," said he to one of his 
 people, "take the silver spoons and forks, and sell them; 
 it is not republican to eat with silver forks, and it is the 
 part of a gentleman to pay his debts. They shall have 
 
430 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 one good dinner, if I eat my soup witli a wooden spoon 
 for ever after." 
 
 The baron returned to the northward, and remained 
 with the army, continually employed till the peace in per- 
 fecting his discipline. The adroitness, and, above all, the 
 silence with which his manoeuvres were performed, was 
 remarked with astonishment by the officers of the French 
 army. The Marquis de la Val de Montmorency, a briga- 
 dier-general, said to the baron, "I admire the celerity and 
 exactitude with which your men perform, but what I can- 
 not conceive is the profound silence with which they 
 manoeuvre." " I don't know, Monsieur le Marquis, whence 
 noise should proceed, when even my brigadiers dare not 
 open their mouths but to repeat the orders." 
 
 The French troops were exceedingly loud in their evo- 
 lutions and marches, and Mons. la Val at all times louder 
 than the rest. On a subsequent occasion, designed to 
 show the high degree of expertness at which our officers 
 and soldiers had arrived, the baron was asked by one of 
 the French generals what manoeuvres he intended to per- 
 form. On being informed, "Yes," replied the French 
 chief, "I have seen particularly the last you mention per- 
 formed by the Prussians in Silesia, but with a very complex 
 addition," which heexplained. "But you will recollect, 
 general, that we are not quite Prussians." After his guests 
 had retired, the baron said, "I will let these Frenchmen 
 know that we can do what the Prussians can, and what 
 their army cannot do. I will save those gentlemen who 
 have not been in Silesia the trouble of going there; they 
 may come to Verplank's Point next week for instruction." 
 They came, chiefs and subalterns, and every thing was 
 done in the finest style, to their real or pretended admira- 
 tion. Here General North indulges his honorable feelings 
 in the following apostrophe : " Alas ! when I think of time 
 past, of that day, and look to that eminence on which 
 General Washington's marquee was pitched, in front of 
 which stood that great man, firm in the consciousness of 
 virtue, surrounded by French nobles and the chiefs of his 
 own army; when I cast my eyes, then lighted up with 
 soldierly ambition, hope and joy, along that lengthened 
 line, my brothers all! endeared by ties made strong by 
 full communion in many a miserable, many a joyous hour, 
 
APPENDIX. 43X 
 
 my heart sinks at the view ! Who, how few of all that 
 brilliant host, is left; these few are tottering on the con- 
 fines of the grave ! The baron's tent that day was filled, 
 and more than filled, with F'renchmen. 'I am glad,' said 
 he, 'to pay some part of the dinner debt we owe our 
 allies.' " " On the eve of returning to the northward from 
 Virginia," continues General North, "I was sick, and un- 
 able to accompany the baron: he divided his purse with 
 me, the whole contents of which were two half-joes; his 
 watch and silver spoons and forks, brought from Germany, 
 were already disposed of 'I must go,' said the baron; 'I 
 must leave you, my son; but I leave you among a people 
 where we have found the door of every house wide open ; 
 where the heart of every female is full of tenderness and 
 virtue. Quit this deleterious spot, the instant you are 
 able; there is my sulkey, and here is half of what I have. 
 God bless you! I can no more.' Nor could he: the feel- 
 ings of friends in such a moment, and under such circum- 
 stances, may possibly be conceived, but not expressed. A 
 journey of three hundred miles was before him; a single 
 piece of gold in his purse. Are other instances necessary 
 to unfold the texture of his heart? — how many have I 
 written on my own ! There is, I trust, a book in which 
 they, every one of them, are entered, to the credit of his 
 account with Heaven." 
 
 General Washington had a high esteem for the baron, 
 and was fully sensible of his worth and merits. On all 
 proper occasions Congress were urged in his behalf, and 
 from time to time he received of money, good and bad, 
 sums which some narrow-minded men thought much too 
 large, though he proved satisfactorily that he had given 
 up a salary of five hundred and eighty guineas a year in 
 Europe. But what sums — how much — could have been 
 enough for one who searched around for worthy objects, 
 whose wants might be relieved? "Never did a review or 
 an inspection pass without rewards in money to soldiers 
 whose arms were in the highest order. Never was his 
 table unfilled with guests if furnished with provisions. 
 Officers of rank, men most prominent for knowledge and 
 attention to their duty, were marked for invitation ; but the 
 gentlemen of his family were desired to complete the list 
 
432 APPENDIX. 
 
 with others of inferior grade. ' Poor fellows,' said he, ' they 
 have field officers' stomachs, without their rations.'" 
 
 The baron was rough as the ocean in a storm when great 
 faults were committed; but if, in a sudden gust of passion, 
 he had injured, the redress was ample. I recollect that at 
 a review near Morristown, a Lieutenant Gibbons, a brave 
 and good officer, was arrested on the spot, and ordered 
 into the rear, for a fault which it afterwards appeared an- 
 other had committed. At a proper moment, the com- 
 mander of the regiment came forward, and informed the 
 baron of Mr. Gibbons' innocence, of his worth, and of 
 his acute feelings under this unmerited disgrace. "Desire 
 Lieutenant Gibbons to come to the front, colonel." "Sir," 
 said the baron, to the young gentleman, "the fault which 
 was made, by throwing the line into confusion, might, in 
 the presence of an enemy, have been fatal. I arrested 
 you as its supposed author, but I have reason to believe 
 that I was mistaken, and that in this instance you were 
 blameless; I ask your pardon: return to your command; 
 I would not deal unjustly by any, much less by one whose 
 character as an officer is so respectable." All this passed 
 with the baron's hat off, the rain pouring on his venerable 
 head! — Do you think there was an officer, a soldier who 
 saw it, unmoved by affection and respect? Not one. 
 
 In the company of ladies, the baron always appeared 
 to peculiar advantage. At the house of the respectable 
 Mrs. Livingston, mother of the late Chancellor, where 
 virtue, talent, and modest worth of every kind met a wel- 
 come reception, the baron was introduced to a Miss Sheaf, 
 an amiable and interesting young lady. "I am very hap- 
 py," said he, "in the honor of being presented to you, 
 mademoiselle, though I see it is at an infinite risk; I have 
 from my youth been cautioned to guard myself against 
 mischiefs but I had no idea that her attractions were so 
 powerful," 
 
 Dining at head-quarters with Eobert Morris, Esq., and 
 other gentlemen, Mr. Morris complained bitterly of the 
 miserable state of the treasury. "Why," said the baron, 
 "are you not financier? — why do you not continue to 
 create funds?" "I have done all I can; it is not possible 
 for me to do more." "But you remain financier, though 
 without finances?" "Yes." "Well, then, I do not think 
 
APPENDIX. 433 
 
 you are so honest a man as my cook. He came to me 
 one day at Valley Forge, and said, 'Baron, I am your 
 cook, and you have nothing to cook but a piece of lean 
 beef, which is hung up by a string before the fire. Your 
 negro wagoner can turn the string and do as well as I can. 
 You have promised me ten dollars a month ; but as you 
 have nothing to cook, I wish to be discharged, and not 
 longer be chargeable to you,' That is an honest fellow, 
 Morris." 
 
 Though never perfectly master of our language, the 
 baron understood and spoke it with sufficient correctness. 
 He would sometimes on purpose miscall names, and blend 
 or adopt words similar in sound, dissimilar in meaning. 
 Dining at head-quarters, which he did frequently, Mrs. 
 Washington asked what amusement he had recourse to 
 now that the certainty of peace had relaxed his labors? 
 "I read, my lady, and write, and chess, and yesterday for 
 the first time I went a fishing. My gentlemen told me it 
 was a very fine business to catch fish, and I did not know 
 but that this new trade might, by and by, be useful to me 
 — but I fear I never can succeed — I sat in the boat three 
 hours, it was exceedingly warm, and I caught only two 
 fish ; they told me it was fine sport." " What kind of fish 
 did you take, baron?" "I am not sure, my lady, but I 
 believe one of them was a whale." " A whale, baron, in 
 the North river!" "Yes, I assure you, a very fine whale, 
 my lady; — it was a whale, was it not?" appealing to one 
 of his aids. "An eel, baron." "I beg your pardon, my 
 lady, but that gentleman certainly told me it was a whale." 
 General Washington, now that his mind was comparatively 
 at ease, enjoyed a pleasantry of this kind highly. 
 
 For the proper understanding of the following bon mot 
 of General Washington, it must be mentioned that at 
 Tatawa falls there was a miserable, deformed object, who 
 had lain in his cradle for twenty-seven years. His head 
 was eighteen inches in length, and the rest of his body 
 twenty-seven inches. He received numerous visitors, 
 among whom was his excellency, who asked him whether 
 he was a whig or tory? He answered, as he had been 
 taught, that he had never taken an active part on either side* 
 "A worthy gentleman and lady came out of New York 
 * See page 204 of this volume. 
 
434 APPENDIX. 
 
 after the preliminaries of peace were signed, to visit their 
 friends, and resided in the neighborhood of Baron Steuben, 
 by whom the whole party, together with his excellency 
 and lady, were invited to dine. 'It is proper,' said the 
 baron, ' that your excelkncy should be apprised that Mr. 
 
 and his lady from New York are to dine with me, 
 
 and perhaps, sir, you may not choose to meet Mr. .' 
 
 ' Oh, baron,' said the general, laughing, ' there is no difficulty 
 
 on that point. Mr. is very like the big-headed boy at 
 
 Tatawa, he never has taken an active part.'' This was allowed 
 to be a most adroit coup de sabre by those who knew the 
 gentleman, though it is doubted whether, if he had heard 
 it, he would have felt the stroke." 
 
 "At the disbandment of the revolutionary army, when 
 inmates of the same tent, or hut, for seven long years, 
 were separating, and probably for ever; grasping each 
 other's hand, in silent agon_y, I saw the baron's strong — 
 endeavors to throw some ray of sunshine on the gloom 
 to mix some drop of cordial with the painful draught. To 
 go, they knew not whither; all recollection of the art to 
 thrive by civil occupations lost, or to the youthful never 
 known. Their hard-earned military knowledge worse 
 than useless, and with their badge of brotherhood, a mark 
 at which to point the finger of suspicion — ignoble, vile 
 suspicion ! — to be cast out on a world, long since by them 
 forgotten. Severed from friends, and all the joys and 
 griefs which soldiers feel! Griefs while hope remained — 
 when shared by numbers, almost joys! To go in silence 
 and alone, and poor and hopeless; it was too hard! On 
 that sad day, how many hearts were wrung! I saw it 
 all, nor will the scene be ever blurred or blotted from my 
 view. To a stern old officer, a Lieutenant-Colonel Coch- 
 ran, from the Green Mountains, who had met danger and 
 difficulty almost in every step from his youth, and from 
 whose furrowed visage a tear till that moment had never 
 fallen ; the good baron said — what could be said to lessen 
 deep distress. 'For myself,' said Cochran, 'I care not — I 
 can stand it; but my wife and daughters are in the garret 
 of that wretched tavern. I know not where to remove, 
 nor have I means for their removal!' 'Come, my friend,' 
 said the baron, 'let us go — I will pay my respects to Mrs. 
 Cochran and your daughters, if you please.' I followed 
 
APPENDIX. 435 
 
 to the loft, the lower rooms being all filled with soldiers, 
 with drunkenness, despair and blasphemy. And when the 
 baron left the poor unhappy cast-away s, he left hope with 
 them, and all he had to give." "A black man, with 
 wounds unhealed, wept on the wharf (for it was at New- 
 burgh where this tragedy was acting) : there was a vessel in 
 the stream, bound to the place where he once had friends. 
 He had not a dollar to pay his passage, and he could not 
 walk. Unused to tears, I saw them trickle down this good 
 man's cheeks as he put into the hands of the black man 
 the last dollar he possessed. The negro hailed the sloop, 
 and cried, 'God Almighty bless you, master baron!' 
 
 "What good and honorable man, civil or military, be- 
 fore the accursed party-spirit murdered friendships, did 
 not respect and love the baron? Who most? Those who 
 knew him best. After the peace, the baron retired to a 
 farm in the vicinity of New York, where, with forming a 
 system for the organization and discipline of the militia, 
 books, chess, and the frequent visits of his numerous 
 friends, he passed his time as agreeably as a frequent want 
 of funds would permit. The state of New Jersey had 
 given him a small improved farm, and the state of New 
 York gave him a tract of sixteen thousand acres of land 
 in the county of Oneida. After the general government 
 was in full operation, by the exertions of Colonel Hamil- 
 ton, patronized and enforced by President Washington, a 
 grant df two thousand five hundred dollars per annum 
 was made to him for life. The summers were now chiefly 
 spent on his land, and his winters in the city. His sixteen 
 thousand acres of land were in the uncultivated wilder- 
 ness; he built a convenient log house, cleared sixty acres, 
 parceled out his land on easy terms to twenty or thirty 
 tenants, distributed nearly a tenth of the tract in gifts to 
 his aids-de-camp and servants, and sat himself down to a 
 certain degree contented without society, except that of a 
 young gentleman, who read to and with him. He ate 
 only at dinner, but he ate with strong appetite. In drink- 
 ing, he was always temperate; indeed, he was free from 
 every vicious habit. His powers of mind and body were 
 strong, and he received to a certain extent a liberal edu- 
 cation. His days were undoubtedly shortened by his 
 sedentary mode of life. He was seized with an apoplexy, 
 
436 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 which in a few hours was fatal. Agreeably to his desire, 
 often expressed, he was wrapped in his cloak, placed in a 
 plain coffin, and hid in the earth, without a stone to tell 
 where he lies. A few neighbors, his servants, the young 
 gentleman his late companion, and one on whom for fifteen 
 years his countenance never ceased to beam with kindness, 
 followed to the grave. It was in a thick, a lonely wood; 
 but, in a few years after, a public highway was opened 
 near or over the hallowed sod ! Colonel Walker snatched 
 the poor remains of his dear friend from sacrilegious vio- 
 lation, and gave a bounty to protect the grave in which 
 he laid them from rude and impious intrusion. He died 
 in 1795, in the sixty-fifth year of his age. 
 
 "Some few years previous to the baron's death, a pious 
 gentleman of the city of New York, who had a great af- 
 fection for him, told me, with strong marks of joy, that 
 they had passed the evening and a part of the last night 
 together; that the baron confessed his full belief in Jesus 
 Christ, with sure and certain hope, through him, of a 
 blessed immortality. 'From the life our dear friend has 
 led, in camps and in the gay world,' said the good man, 
 'I feared; and you do not know what joy I feel, in the 
 belief that he will be well to all eternity !' The baron was 
 a member of the Eeformed German Church, in New York." 
 
 General North, from the impulse of his own affectionate 
 and grateful feelings, erected a handsome monument with 
 an appropriate inscription in the Reformed German Church 
 in New York to the memory of his illustrious patron and 
 friend, and these pages accord with the views of that me- 
 morial in transmitting to posterity a renowned hero, whose 
 name and invaluable labors should never be forgotten. 
 
 What remained of the baron's estate, excepting one 
 thousand dollars and his library, which he willed to a 
 youth whose father had rendered essential service in the 
 war, and whose education he generously charged him- 
 self with, was bequeathed to his two affectionate aids- 
 de-camp. 
 
APPENDIX. 4.37 
 
 MARaUIS DE lA FAYETTE, MAJOR-GENERAL. 
 
 The name and character of this illustrious French no- 
 bleman, will occupy a conspicuous place in our revolu- 
 tionary annals, and be honored by posterity, no less for 
 his enthusiastic love of liberty, than for his heroism and 
 military renown. There is something truly romantic in 
 the history of this celebrated personage. In the year 
 1776, at the immature age of nineteen, he espoused the 
 cause of the Americans, and nobly resolved to aflbrd our 
 country all possible assistance by his personal services and 
 influence. At this era the aftairs of America were bor- 
 dering on despair, and were represented in France as so 
 deplorable that it might be supposed sufficient to repress 
 the most determined zeal. Reports were propagated in 
 that country that our army, reduced to a mere rabble, was 
 flying before an army of thirty thousand regulars, nor was 
 this very wide from the reality. In consequence of this, 
 our commissioners found it impossible to procure a ves- 
 sel to convey the marquis and their own despatches to 
 Congress; they could not therefore feel justified in en- 
 couraging his bold contemplated enterprise. This embar- 
 rassment, however, had the effect of increasing rather than 
 of restraining his youthful ardor and heroism. He im- 
 parted to the commissioners his determination to purchase 
 and fit out a vessel to convey himself and their despatches 
 to America. This project was deemed so extraordinary 
 and important, that it did not fail to engage universal at- 
 tention. The French court had not then declared even a 
 friendly intention towards America, but, on the contrary, 
 was extremely cautious of giving offence to the British 
 government. Orders were therefore given prohibiting the 
 departure of this nobleman, and vessels were even de- 
 spatched to the West Indies to intercept him, in case he 
 should take that route. The marquis was well apprised 
 that he exposed himself to the loss of his fortune by the 
 laws of France; and that, should he fall into the hands of 
 the English on his passage, he would be liable to a con- 
 finement of uncertain duration, and without a prospect of 
 being exchanged. These considerations however, did not 
 deter him from the attempt; and, bidding adieu to his 
 
438 APPENDIX. 
 
 amiable consort and numerous endearecr connexions, and 
 trusting to good fortune to favor his elopement, he em- 
 barked, and in due time arrived safe in Charleston, in the 
 summer of 1776. He landed soon after the noble defence 
 made by General Moultrie at the fort on Sullivan's island. 
 Charmed with the gallantry displayed by that general and 
 his brave troops, the marquis presented him with clothing, 
 arms and accoutrements for one hundred men. He met 
 with a cordial reception from our Congress, and they im- 
 mediately accepted his proftered services. He insisted that 
 he would receive no compensation, and that he would 
 commence his services as a volunteer. This noble phil- 
 anthropist was received into the family of the commander- 
 in-chief, where a strong mutual attachment was contracted, 
 and he has often been called the adopted son of Washing- 
 ton. July 81st, 1777, Congress resolved, that, "Whereas 
 the Marquis de la Fayette, out of his great zeal to the cause 
 of liberty in which the United States are engaged, has left 
 his family and connexions, and at his own expense come 
 over to offer his services to the United States without 
 pension or particular allowance, and is anxious to risk his 
 life in our cause — Resolved^ That his service be accepted, 
 and that, in consideration of his zeal, illustrious family 
 and connexions, he have the rank and commission of 
 major-general in the army of the United States." 
 
 At the battle of Brandy wine, September, 1777, the mar- 
 quis exhibited full proof of his undaunted bravery and 
 military character, and received a wound in his leg. In 
 May, 1777, with a select corps of two thousand five hun- 
 dred men, he crossed the Schuylkill, and took post about 
 twelve miles in front of our army at Valley Forge. A 
 Quaker, in whose house he was to lodge, sent information 
 to the enemy, who formed an instantaneous design of 
 surprising him. General Gray, on the night of the 19th 
 of May, marched with seven thousand men, and by a 
 skillful movement got into the marquis' rear, while another 
 detachment was advancing to his front. The marquis 
 fortunately gained intelligence of their approach, and by 
 a prompt decision effected his retreat, and recrossed the 
 river in season to defeat the design of the enemy. Plad 
 they succeeded, it must not only have proved fatal to the 
 marquis and his detachment, but placed the remainder of 
 
APPENDIX. 439 
 
 our army in a situation of extreme hazard. In August, 
 1778, the marquis repaired to Khode Island, to assist in 
 the expedition under Major-General Sullivan, in conjunc- 
 tion with the French fleet, and he received the particular 
 approbation and applause of Congress for his judicious and 
 highly important services. In January, 1779, the marquis 
 embarked at Boston, on a voyage to France, and was sub- 
 jected to imminent danger from a conspiracy among the 
 sailors, a great part of whom were British. He returned 
 in May, 1780, bringing the joyful intelligence that a French 
 fleet and army would soon arrive on our coast. Through 
 his great zeal for the cause of the United States, he exerted 
 his influence with his government, no longer fearful of 
 giving offence to the English, to afford money and troops 
 and other important succors. He was soon put at the 
 head of a select corps of light-infantry for the service of 
 the campaign. This afforded him a new opportunity for 
 the display of his munificence. He presented to every 
 officer under his command an elegant sword, and his sol- 
 diers were clothed in uniform, principally at his expense. 
 He infused into this corps a spirit of pride and emulation, 
 viewing it as one formed and modeled according to his 
 own wishes, and as deserving his highest confidence. They 
 "were the pride of his heart and he the idol of their regard ; 
 constantly panting for an opportunity of accomplishing 
 some signal achievement worthy of his and their character. 
 This corps was pronounced equal to any that could be pro- 
 duced in any country. In December, 1780, he marched 
 with one thousand two hundred light-infantry for Virginia, 
 to counteract the devastations of Arnold and Phillips. He 
 made a forced march of two hundred miles, and prevented 
 General Phillips' possessing himself of Richmond, and se- 
 cured the stores of that place. At one period there was 
 not a single pair of shoes in his whole command, and such 
 was his zeal and generous spirit, and such the confidence 
 and respect of the people, that he was enabled to borrow 
 of the merchants of Baltimore two thousand guineas on 
 his own credit, with which he purchased shoes and other 
 necessary articles for his troops. The marquis was em- 
 ployed in watching the motions of Lord Cornwallis in 
 Virginia, with an inferior force; in this arduous duty he 
 displayed the judgment, skill, and prudence of a veteran, 
 
440 APPENDIX. 
 
 with the ardor of youth. In a skirmish near Jamestown, 
 not a man in the whole detachment was more exposed, 
 and one of his horses was killed. 
 
 Lord Cornwallis having encamped near Jamestown, the 
 Marquis La Fa3^ette sent General Wayne with the Penn- 
 sylvania troops to take their station within a small distance 
 of the British army, and watch their motions. The two 
 advanced parties were soon engaged, and General Wayne 
 drove that of the enemy back to their lines; and, without 
 stopping there, attacked the whole British army, drawn 
 up in Older of battle, and charged them with bayonets. 
 The action was extremely severe for the little time it 
 lasted, but the disproportion of numbers was so great, that 
 the enemy was on the point of surrounding our troops, 
 when the marquis arrived in person, just time enough to 
 order a retreat, by which they were rescued from their 
 hazardous situation, after suftering considerable loss. 
 
 General Henry Lee, in his Memoirs of the War in the 
 Southern States, eulogizes the character and conduct of La 
 Fayette, when compelled to fly before the British com- 
 mander, in the following language: 
 
 "In this period of gloom, of disorder and of peril, La Fayette was col- 
 lected and undismayed. With zeal, with courage, and with sagacity, lie 
 discharged his arduous duties; and, thronghont his difficult retreat, was 
 never brougiit even to array but once in order for battle. — Invigorating 
 our councils by his precepts; dispelling our despondency by his exam- 
 ple; and encouraging his troops to submit to their many privations, by 
 the cheerfulness with which he participated in their wants ; he imparted 
 the energy of his own mind to the country, and infused his high-toned 
 spirit into the army." 
 
 Great encomiums were passed on the marquis for his 
 humanity and goodness in visiting and administering to 
 the relief of the wounded soldiers. Lord Cornwallis hav- 
 ing received a reinforcement, was so confident of success 
 against his young antagonist, that he imprudently said in 
 a letter which was intercepted, "<Ae boy cannot escape me." 
 He planned the surprise of the marquis while on the same 
 side of James river with himself; but in this he was baffled 
 by means of a spy, whom the marquis sent into the enemy's 
 camp to obtain some necessary intelligence.* A combina- 
 tion of talents and skill defeated all the energies of physical 
 power. During the siege of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, 
 * See page 300 of this volume, for further particulars. 
 
OEJVERJlL JOHJ^ STARK. P. 451, 
 
OEJ^ERAL HORATIO GATES. P. 443. 
 
APPENDIX. 4.4.1 
 
 the marquis was among the most active and intrepid of 
 the general officers, and he commanded a detachment of 
 our light-infantry, which successfully assaulted the British 
 redoubt on the right of our lines. Previous to his de- 
 parture from Yorktown, he issued his last orders to his 
 favorite corps of infantry, in which are contained the fol- 
 lowing expressions: 
 
 "In the moment the major-general leaves this place, he wishes once 
 more to express his gratitude to the brave corps of light-infantry, who 
 for nine months past have been the companions of his fortunes. He 
 will never forget that, with them alone, of regular troops, he had the 
 good fortune to manoeuvre before an army which after all its reductions 
 is still six times superior to the regular force he had at that time." 
 
 The marquis now perceiving that the mighty contest 
 for American independence, in which he had been so 
 nobly engaged, was near its completion, was about to re- 
 turn with the well-earned laurels on his brow to his king 
 and country. Congress resolved, November 23d, 1781, 
 " that major-general the Marquis de la Fayette be informed 
 that on a review of his conduct throughout the past cam- 
 paign, and particularly during the period in which he had 
 the chief command in Virginia, the many new proofs which 
 present themselves of his zealous attachment to the cause 
 he has espoused, and of his judgment, vigilance, gallantry 
 and address in its defence, have greatly added to the high 
 opinion entertained by Congress of his merit and military 
 talents." During his military career in America, the mar- 
 quis displayed that patriotism, integrity, humanity, and 
 every other virtue which characterize real greatness of 
 soul. His manners being easy, affable and engaging, he 
 was particularly endeared to the officers and soldiers under 
 his command ; they admired, loved, and revered him as 
 their guide and support when in peril, and their warmest 
 friend when in perplexity and trouble. The most affection- 
 ate attachment subsisted between him and the illustrious 
 chief under whose banners it was his delight to serve, and 
 whose language was, "This nobleman unites to all the mil- 
 itary fire of youth, an uncommon maturity of judgment." 
 
 His very soul burned with the spirit of enterprise, and he 
 
 manifested a disinterestedness and devotion to the cause of 
 
 freedom, ever to be admired and applauded by a grateful 
 
 people. He ever discovered, both in design and execution, 
 
 Hh 
 
442 APPENDIX. 
 
 those traits of genius, and that intuitive knowledge of 
 tactics, which designate the great man and the successful 
 warrior. The people of the United States are fully ap- 
 prised of their high obligations to him, and their history 
 will transmit the name of La Fayette with grateful ac- 
 knowledgments to the latest posterity. It is gratifying to 
 learn that Congress granted him a valuable tract of land, 
 as a compensation in part for his disinterested patriotism 
 and important services. 
 
 When in December, 1784, the marquis was about to 
 take his final departure from America, Congress appointed 
 a committee, consisting of one member from each state, 
 to receive him, and in the name of Congress to take leave 
 of him in such manner as might strongly manifest their 
 esteem and regard for him. That they be instructed to 
 assure him that Congress continue to entertain the same 
 high sense of his abilities and zeal to promote the welfare 
 of America, both here and in Europe, which they have 
 frequently expressed and manifested on former occasions. 
 That the United States regard him with particular affec- 
 tion, and will not cease to feel an interest in whatever may 
 concern his honor and prosperity, and that their best and 
 kindest wishes will always attend him. Congress resolved 
 also that a letter be written to his Most Christian Majesty, 
 expressive of the high sense which the United States, in 
 Congress assembled, entertain of the zeal, talents, and 
 meritorious services of the Marquis de la Fayette, and 
 recommending him to the favor and patronage of his 
 majesty. The marquis made a very respectful and affec- 
 tionate reply, in which he expressed the lively feelings of 
 a heart devoted to the welfare of our rising empire, and 
 gratefully acknowledged that, at a time when an inexpe- 
 rienced youth, he was favored with his respected friend's 
 paternal adoption. He thus concludes his address: 
 
 " May this immense temple of freedom ever stand as a lesson to op- 
 pressors, an example to the oppressed, a sanctuary for the rights of 
 mankind ; and may these happy United States attain that complete 
 splendor and prosperity which will illustrate the blessings of their gov- 
 ernraent, and for ages to come rejoice the departed souls of its founders. 
 Never can Congress oblige me so much as when they put it in my power 
 in every part of the world to the latest day of my life to gratity the 
 attachment which will ever rank me among the most zealous and re- 
 spectful servants of the United States." 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 443 
 
 MAJOR-GENERAL HORATIO GATES. 
 
 General Gates was a native of England, and was 
 educated to the military profession. He was an officer 
 under the unfortunate Braddock, in the expedition against 
 Fort du Quesne, in the year 1755, and who, after receiving 
 a dangerous wound, was, with the illustrious Washington, 
 among the few officers who escaped with life on that mem- 
 orable occasion. When the American colonies were forced 
 to assume a hostile attitude. Gates had been for some time 
 a resident in Virginia, and having evinced his zeal and 
 attachment to the violated rights of his adopted country, 
 and sustaining a high military reputation, he was by Con- 
 gress appointed adjutant-general, with the rank of brig- 
 adier, and he accompanied General Washington to our 
 camp at Cambridge, in July,1775. On the retreat of our 
 forces from Canada, the chief command in that department 
 was conferred on him in June, 1776. He continued the 
 retreat of our army from Crown Point to Ticonderoga, 
 which did not fully accord with the views of Congress 
 and the commander-in-chief The British forces having 
 retired to winter-quarters in Canada, Gates marched with 
 a detachment of his command, and joined the main army 
 in Jersey, in the autumn of that year. His sphere of 
 action was not brilliant or splendid, till his mighty achieve- 
 ment in the capture of Burgoyne at Saratoga; nor is he 
 justly and exclusively entitled to the full measure of ap- 
 plause acquired by that most glorious victory ; the mag- 
 nanimous General Schuyler,* whom he superseded in 
 command, had, by his indefatigable industry, and almost 
 unprecedented labors, raised the most formidable impedi- 
 ments to the march of Burgoyne, which tended more than 
 is generally imagined to facilitate the conquest made by 
 the northern army. 
 
 * Major-General Philip Schuyler. — It has been observed that 
 neither history'nor biograpliy has rendered justice to this highly-nieritori- 
 ous character. He possessed a clear understanding, a strong mind, a 
 humane and generous disposition. No individual could have contrittuted 
 more largely, by his vigilance and efficiency, to augment the obstacles to 
 the march of the British army to Fort Edward. His name sliould be 
 enrolled with the renowned band of military patriots and heroes, that 
 posterity may know the eminent services which his splendid talents con- 
 ferred on his country. 
 
444 APPENDIX. 
 
 When General Gates succeeded to the command of the 
 northern army, August, 1777, Generals Schuyler and St. 
 Clair were suffering, though most unjustly, the public 
 odium by the evacuation of Ticonderoga, and their suc- 
 cessor in command was in high repute and confidence with 
 his ofiicers and soldiers. Burgoyne's right wing, under 
 St. Leger, had been cut off at Fort Stanwix, and his left 
 at Bennington, by General Stark. Our army was daily 
 increasing in numbers, and considerably exceeded the 
 strength of the enemy, and our troops were greatly invig- 
 orated with courage, and determined on victory. Every 
 circumstance, in fact, was auspicious to a successful issue. 
 Burgoyne still perceived that, in proportion as he advanced, 
 obstacles multiplied on every side. Havmg at length 
 surmounted almost insuperable difficulties, he passed the 
 Hudson, and advanced to Saratoga. Gates also advanced 
 to Stillwater, and boldly faced his formidable foe; and on 
 the 19th of September a sanguinary conflict ensued. Both 
 parties firm and unyielding, both attained the high honors 
 of the brave, but neither bore the palm of a complete 
 victory from the field. While Burgoyne's loss was irre- 
 trievable, the force and the ardor of his antagonist were 
 continually augmenting. Every day's delay now increased 
 the heavy embarrassments of Burgoyne, while time threw 
 additional advantages into the hands of his spirited oppo- 
 nent; till at length it became obvious that retreat or vic- 
 tory was his unavoidable alternative; but, on trial, it was 
 proved, to his utter dismay, that neither resource was at 
 his command. On the 7th of October, the two opposing 
 armies rushed again to the field of slaughter, and both 
 were satiated with blood and carnage. The British army 
 were repulsed in every direction, and its commander was 
 led to the painful conviction that a more disastrous fate 
 awaited him. Burgoyne, now driven to the brink of des- 
 pair — his forces disabled, his provisions exhausted, and a 
 victorious adversary opposing him in front — resolved on 
 a rapid retreat, but on exploring the route, behold, his 
 adversary was there! 
 
 The dreaded crisis had now arrived, when a capitulation 
 was alone practicable. Articles not very dishonorable to 
 the vanquished enemy were acceded to, and General Gates 
 enjoyed the ineffable satisfaction of receiving in submission 
 
APPENDIX. Mo 
 
 the once-victorious chief. To the honor of General Gates, 
 it is mentioned that the captured troops were directed to a 
 sequestered spot to ground their arms, that their feelings 
 might not be wounded in the presence of our army, though 
 it deprived the latter of a satisfaction in which they were 
 justly entitled to participate. An interesting narrative 
 of the first interview between the victor and the captured 
 officers is thus given by Adjutant-General Wilkinson: 
 
 "General Burgoyne proposed to be introdueed to General Gates, and 
 we crossed the Fishkill, and proceeded to he:id-quarters on horseback, 
 General Burgoyne in front with his Adjutant-Genera! Kingston, and his 
 aids-de-camp, Captain Lord Petersham and Lieutenant Wilford, behind 
 liim; then t'oliowed Major-General Phillips, the Baron Reidesel, and the 
 other general officers and their suites according to rank. General Gates, 
 advised of Burgoyne's approach, met him at the head of his camp — Bur- 
 goyne in a ricii royal uniform, and Gates in a plain blue frock. When 
 tiiey approached nearly within sword's length, they reined up and halted. 
 I then named the gentlemen, and General Burgoyne, raising his hat most 
 gracefully, s;iid, 'The fortune of war. General Gates, has made me your 
 prisoner;' to which the conqueror, returning a courtly salute, promptly 
 replied, 'I sh;ill always be ready to bear testimony that it h;is not been 
 through any fault of your excellency.' Major-General Phillips then ad- 
 vanced, and he and General Gales saluted, and shook hands with the 
 familiarity of old acquaintances. The Baron Reidesel and other officers 
 were introduced in th.eir turn." 
 
 General Gates was remarkable for his humanity to pris- 
 oners, and a desire to mitigate the sufferings of the unfor- 
 tunate. Among the objects in distress who claimed his 
 attention was Lady Ackland, whose husband was wounded 
 and captured during the battle of the 7th of October. 
 General Gates bestowed on her the care and tenderness of 
 a parent. In reply to a letter from General Burgoyne in 
 her behalf, he says: "The respect due to her ladyship's 
 rank, the tenderness due to her person and sex, were 
 sufficient recommendations to entitle her to my protection. 
 I am surprised that your excellency should think that I 
 could consider the greatest attention to Lady Ackland in 
 the light of an obligation."* 
 
 General Gates received the thanks of Congress, and a 
 gold medal, as a memorial of their gratitude. Great was 
 the credit which he acquired by this momentous event, 
 universal joy pervaded the country, and all ranks were 
 ready to vie with each other in their homage to the for- 
 
 * For a history of this lady, see pages 1 10 and 359. 
 
446 APPEINDIX. 
 
 tunate conqueror. It was not long after, that the wonder- 
 ful discovery was supposed to be made, that the illustrious 
 Washington was incompetent to the task of conducting 
 the operations of the American army, and that General 
 Gates, if elevated to the important station of commander- 
 in-chief, would speedily meliorate the condition of our 
 affairs. A discontented party in Congress, with a few 
 interested individuals in our army, constituted the faction 
 hostile to the saviour of his country. General Gates him- 
 self was strongly suspected of more than a passive acqui- 
 escence, and there were those who imputed to him a 
 principal agency in the affair, which, however, he promptly 
 disavowed. Had the project succeeded, it would in all 
 probability have sealed the ruin of our army and sacrificed 
 the glorious cause of our country. But all the echt which 
 General Gates had acquired, and all the sj)lendor of his 
 name, were insufficient to proselyte a single officer to his 
 interest. He was not endowed with that dignity and with 
 those illustrious qualities which were requisite to command 
 the confidence and reverence of the army as the successor 
 of the much-beloved Washington. I am assured by Gov- 
 ernor Brooks that, being in company with a number of 
 respectable officers at Valley Forge when the subject was 
 canvassed. General Weedon, of Virginia, with great vehe- 
 mence declared, that should General Gates be preferred to 
 the chief command, he never would serve under him, but 
 would absolutely resign his commission and quit the ser- 
 vice, and all present were in unison with him in opinion. 
 A private correspondence was maintained between the 
 intriguing General Conway and General Gates, criticising 
 and reprobating the measures pursued by General Wash- 
 ington, and in one of Conway's letters he ascribes our 
 want of success to a weak general and bad counsellors. 
 General Gates, on finding that General Washington had 
 been apprised of this correspondence, addressed his excel- 
 lency, requesting that he would disclose the name of his 
 informant; and, extraordinary as it may appear, in viola- 
 tion of the rules of decorum, he addressed the commander- 
 in-chief on a subject of extreme delicacy in an open letter, 
 transnaitted to the President of Congress. His pretence 
 was, that some of the members of that body might aid in 
 detecting the person who made the communication. Gen- 
 
APPENDIX. 447 
 
 eral Washington, however, made no hesitancy in disclosing 
 the name and the circumstances which brought the affair 
 to light. General Gates then, with inexcusable disingen- 
 uousness, attempted to vindicate the conduct of Conway, 
 and to deny that his letter contained the reprehensible 
 expressions in question, but utterly refused to produce the 
 original letter. This subject, however, was so ably and 
 candidly discussed by General Washington, as to cover 
 his adversary with shame and humiliation, and he was glad 
 to discontinue the investigation. It was thought to be 
 inexcusable in General Gates that he neglected to com- 
 municate to the commander-in-chief an account of so 
 important an event as the capture of the British army at 
 Saratoga, but left his excellency to obtain information by 
 common report. In November, 1777, Congress having 
 new-modeled the board of war, appointed General Gates 
 the president, and he entered on the duties of the office, 
 but retained his rank in the army. The subject of this 
 sketch was destined to experience, in a remarkable man- 
 ner, the humiliating vicissitudes of fortune. He had the 
 conducting of the most prosperous and the most disastrous 
 of the military enterprises in the war. In June, 1780, 
 General Gates was by Congress vested with the chief com- 
 mand of our army in the Southern States. In a general 
 battle at Camden,* August 15th, being the first and only 
 encounter which he had with Lord Cornwallis, he suffered 
 a total defeat, and was obliged to fly from the enemy for 
 personal safety; and thus was the prediction of General 
 Lee, when Gates was vested with the command, that his 
 Northern laurels would be exchanged for Southern ivilloivs^ 
 verified. It would, however, be great injustice to attribute 
 the misfortune altogether to the commander, under his 
 peculiar circumstances; a large proportion of his force 
 consisted of raw militia, who were panic-struck, and fled 
 at the first fire; their rout was absolute and irretrievable. 
 It may be observed, nevertheless, that his conduct in some 
 
 * In the disastrous battle at Camden, the Baron de Kalb, a brave and 
 experienced Prussian officer, and major-general in our service, was unfor- 
 tunately slain. It was said that this heroic officer cautioned General 
 Gates against a general action, under present circumstances. His exit 
 was marked with unfading glory, and his distinguished merit was gratefully 
 acknowledged by Congress, in erecting a monument to his memory. 
 
^^g APPENDIX. 
 
 respects on this occasion did not meet the approbation of 
 those who must be admitted as competent judges of the 
 military operations of that fatal day. Proudly calculating 
 on the weight of his name, and too confident in his own 
 superiority, he slighted the counsel which he ought to 
 have respected; and hurrying impetuously into the field 
 of battle, his tide of prosperity ebbed as fast at Camden as 
 it had flowed at Saratoga. 
 
 The plot to supplant General Washington is established 
 beyond question, and it will be only sufficient to quote 
 the following extracts from the letters of the two purest 
 patriots and men that have ever lived, to satisfy of its 
 truth those who are not familiar with the events of that 
 period. Patrick Henry, writing on the subject to General 
 Washington, says: 
 
 "While you face the armed enemies of onr liberty in the field, and, by 
 the favor of God, have been kept unhurt, I trust your country will never 
 harbor in her bosom the miscreant who would ruin her best supporter. 
 I wish not to Hatter; but when arts unwortiiy lionest men are used to 
 defame and traduce you, I think it not amiss, but a duty, to assure you 
 of that estimation in which the public hold you. Not that I think any 
 testimony I can bear is necessary for your support or private satisfaction, 
 for a bare recollection of what is past must give you sufficient pleasure 
 in every circumstance of life. But I cannot help assurhig you, on tiiis 
 occasion, of the high sense of gratitude which all ranks of men, in this 
 your native county, bear to you. It will give me sincere pleasure to 
 manifest my regards, and render my best services to you or yours. I 
 do not like to make a parade t>f these things, and I know you are not 
 fond of it; however, I hope the occasion will plead my excuse." 
 
 To which General Washington replies: 
 
 "The anonymous letter with which you were pleased to favor me 
 was written by ************, so tar as I can judge from a 
 similitude of hands. ******* 
 
 "My caution to avoid any thing that could injure the service pre- 
 vented me from communicating, except to a very few of my friends, the 
 intrigues of a faction which I know was formed against me, since it 
 might serve to publish our internal dissensions; but their own restless 
 zeal to advance their views has too clearly betrayed them, and made 
 concealment on my part fruitless. I cannot precisely mark the extent 
 of their views, but it appeared in general that General Gates was to be 
 exalted on the ruin of my reputation and influence. This I am author- 
 ized to say from undeniable facts in my possession, from publications, 
 the evident scope of which could not be mistaken, and from private de- 
 tractions industriously circulated. *************, it is 
 generally supposed, bore the second part in the cabal; and General 
 
APPENDIX. 449 
 
 Conway, I know, was a very active and mnlignnnt partizan; but I have 
 good reason to believe that their machinations have recoiled most sensi- 
 bly on themselves." 
 
 Yet, in the face of the evidence of the fact, General 
 Armstrong recently avow.s that "the slander propagated 
 and believed for half a century, that two distinguished 
 officers of the army of the revolution had conspired to put 
 down the commander-in-chief, is an impudent and vile 
 falsehood from beginning to end^ 
 
 General Gates was displaced from his command by 
 order of Congress, and his conduct subjected to the in- 
 quiry of a special court, which resulted in his acquittal, 
 but his Saratoga laurels had faded, and he was unable to 
 retrieve his suffering fame. 
 
 "It was the general opinion that General Gates was 
 not treated by Congress with that delicacy, or indeed 
 gratitude, that was due to an officer of his acknowledged 
 merit. He, however, received the order of his super- 
 sedure and suspension, and resigned the command to 
 General Greene with becoming dignity." General Greene 
 asserted that if there was any mistake in the conduct of 
 Gates, it was in hazarding an action at all against such 
 superior force. 
 
 He was reinstated in his military command in the main 
 army in 1782, but the great scenes of war were now passed, 
 and he could only participate in the painful scene of a 
 final separation. 
 
 In the midst of his misfortune General Gates was called 
 to mourn the afilictive dispensation of Providence in the 
 death of his only son. Major Garden, in his excellent 
 publication, has recorded the following affecting anecdote, 
 which he received from Dr. William Reed: 
 
 "Having occasion to call on General Gates, relative to the business of 
 the department under my immediate charge, I found him traversing the 
 apartment which he occupied, under the influence of high excitement; 
 his agitation was excessive — every feature of his countenance, every 
 gesture betrayed it. Official despatches, informing him that he was 
 superseded, and that the command of the Southern army had been trans- 
 ferred to General Greene, had just been received and perused by him. 
 His countenance, however, betrayed no expression of irritation or re- 
 sentment; it was sensibility alone that caused his emotion. An open 
 letter, which he held in his hand, was often raised to his lips, and kissed 
 with devotion, while the exclamation repeatedly escaped them, 'Great 
 man! Noble, generous procedure !' When the tumult of his mind had 
 
'150 APPENDIX. 
 
 subsided, and his thouffVits found utterance, he, with stron": expvossinn 
 of feeling, exclaimed, '1 have received this day a communication from 
 the commander-in-chief, which has conveyed more consolation to my 
 bosom, more ineffable delight to my heart, than I had believed it po.ssi, 
 ble for it ever to have felt again. With affectionate tenderness he sym- 
 patliizes with me in my domestic misfortunes, and condoles with me on 
 the loss I have sustained by the recent denth of an only son; and then 
 with peculiar delicacy, lamenting my misfortune in battle, assures me 
 that his confidence in my zeal and capacity is so little impaired, that the 
 command of the right wing of the army will be bestowed on me so 
 soon as I can make it convenient to join him.'" 
 
 When the revolution was completed, General Gates re- 
 tired to his plantation in Virginia, where he continued 
 about seven years, when he with his wife took up his final 
 residence in the neighborhood of New York, In civil life 
 General Gates was a zealous partizan, but he was always 
 disappointed in his aniVniious views. In 1800, he was 
 elected to the New York legislature to answer the purpose 
 of a party, and withdrew again to private life as soon as 
 that pur]~)Ose was answered. During the federal adminis- 
 tration of the general government, he was found in the 
 ranks of the opposite or minor party, which excluded him 
 altogether from a share of the honors 'and emoluments 
 which it was in the power of his former illustrious military 
 leader to bestow. "A few years before his death he gen- 
 erously gave freedom to his slaves, making provision for 
 the old and infirm, while several testified their attachment 
 to him by remaining in his flimily. In the characteristic 
 virtue of planters' hospitality, Gates had no competitor, 
 and his reputation may well he supposed to put this virtue 
 to a hard test." "He had a handsome person, and was 
 gentlemanly in his manners, remarkably courteous to all, 
 and carrying good-humor sometimes beyond the nice limit 
 of dignity. To science, literature or erudition, however, 
 he made no pretensions, but gave indisputable marks of a 
 social, amiable, benevolent disposition. He died without 
 posterity at his abode near New York, on the 10th day 
 of April, 1806, aged seventy-eight years." 
 
APPENDIX. 451 
 
 BRIGADIER-GENERAL JOHN STARK. 
 
 General Stark was a native of Londonderry, in New 
 Hampshire, and was born August 17th, 1728. When at 
 the age of twenty-one years, he was, while on a hunting 
 excursion, surprised and captured by the Indians, and 
 remained four months a prisoner in their hands. He was 
 captain of a company of rangers in the provincial service 
 during the French war of 1755, and was with the British 
 general. Lord Howe, when he was killed in the storming 
 the French lines at Ticonderoga, in July, 1758. At the 
 close of that war he retired, with the reputation of a brave 
 and vigilant officer. When the report of Lexington battle 
 reached him, he was engaged at work in his saw-mill. 
 Fired with indignation and a martial spirit, he immediately 
 seized his musket, and with a band of heroes proceeded 
 to Cambridge. The morning after his arrival, he received 
 a colonel's commission; and availing himself of his own 
 popularity, and the enthusiasm of the day, in two hours 
 he enlisted eight hundred men! On the memorable 17th 
 of June, at Breed's-hill, Colonel Stark, at the head of his 
 back-woodsmen of New Hampshire, poured on the enemy 
 that deadly fire, from a sure aim, which effected such re- 
 markable destruction in their ranks, and compelled them 
 twice to retreat. During the whole of this dreadful con- 
 flict. Colonel Stark evinced that consummate bravery and 
 intrepid zeal which entitle his name to honor and perpe- 
 tual remembrance in the pages of our history. After the 
 British evacuated Boston, Colonel Stark joined our north- 
 ern army while retreating from Canada, and he had the 
 command of a party of troops who were employed in for- 
 tifying the post of Mount Independence. We next find 
 him at Trenton, in December, 1776, where he shared largely 
 in the honors of that ever-memoruble battle under Wash- 
 ington, when the Hessians were captured. But Stark 
 reached the climax of his fame when, in one of the darkest 
 and most desponding periods of the American war, he 
 achieved a glorious victory over the enemy at Bennington. 
 General Burgoyne, after possessing himself of Ticonderoga 
 in July, 1776, and while advancing at the head of his 
 victorious army towards Albany, conceived the design of 
 
452 APPENDIX. 
 
 taking by surprise a quantity of stores whicli our people 
 had deposited at Bennington. For this enterprise he des- 
 patched a German officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Baum, with 
 one thousand five hundred soldiers and one hundred 
 Indians, with two field-pieces. Stark was at that time 
 brigadier-general of militia, and was in the vicinity with 
 about one thousand four hundred brave men from New 
 Hampshire, He advanced towards the enemy, and drew 
 up his men in a line of battle. Colonel Baum, deeming 
 it imprudent to engage with his present force, halted his 
 troops, and sent an express to Burgoyne for a reinforce- 
 ment, and in the mean time entrenched and rendered him- 
 self as defensible as possible. 
 
 General Burgoyne immediately despatched Colonel Brey- 
 man, with about one thousand troops, to reinforce Colonel 
 Baum ; but a heavy rain and bad roads prevented his arrival 
 in season. General Stark, on the 16tli of August, planned 
 his mode of attack, and a most severe action ensued, which 
 continued about two hours, with an incessant firing of 
 musketry and the enemy's field-artillery. Colonel Baum 
 defended himself with great bravery till he received a mor- 
 tal wound, and his whole party was defeated. It was not 
 long after, that Colonel Breyman appeared with his rein- 
 forcement, and another battle ensued, which continued 
 obstinate on both sides till sunset, when the Germans 
 yielded, and the victory on our side was complete, the 
 trophies of which were four brass field-pieces and more than 
 seven hundred prisoners. For a more particular detail of 
 this enterprise, see page 93 of this volume. Congress, on 
 the -ith of October following, passed a resolve of thanks 
 to General Stark, and the officers and troops under his 
 command, for their brave and successful attack and signal 
 victory, and that Brigadier Stark be appointed a brigadier- 
 general in the army of the United States. General Stark 
 volunteered his services under General Gates at Saratoga, 
 and assisted in the council which stipulated the surrender 
 of General Burgoyne, nor did he relinquish his valuable 
 services till he could greet his native country as an Inde- 
 pendent Empire. General Stark was of the middle stature, 
 not formed by nature to exhibit an erect, soldierly mien. 
 His manners were frank and unassuming, but he manifested 
 a peculiar sort of eccentricity and negligence, which pre- 
 
APPENDIX. 453 
 
 eluded all display of personal dignity, and seemed to place 
 him among those of ordinary rank in life. But, as a cour- 
 ageous and heroic soldier, he is entitled to high rank among 
 those who have been crowned with unfading laurels, and 
 to whom a large share of glory is justly due. His char- 
 acter as a private citizen was unblemished, and he was 
 ever held in respect. For the last few years of his life, 
 he enjoyed a pecuniary bounty from the government. He 
 lived to the advanced age of ninety-three years, eight 
 months and twenty-four days, and died May 8th, 1822. 
 
 MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN SULLIVAN. 
 
 General Sullivan has a claim to honorable distinc- 
 tion among the general officers of the American army. 
 Before the revolution, he had attained to eminence in the 
 profession of the law in New Hampshire. But indulging 
 a laudable ambition for military glory, he relinquished the 
 fairest prospects of fortune and fame, and, on the com- 
 mencement of hostilities, appeared among the most ardent 
 patriots and intrepid warriors. He was a member of the 
 first Congress, in 1774; but, preferring a military commis- 
 sion, he was in 1775 appointed a brigadier-general of the 
 American army, then at Cambridge, and soon obtained the 
 command on Winter-hill. The next year he was ordered 
 to Canada, and, on the death of General Thomas, the com- 
 mand of the army devolved on him. The situation of 
 our army in that quarter was inexpressibly distressing, 
 destitute of clothing, dispirited by defeat and constant 
 fatigue, and a large proportion of the troops sick with the 
 small-pox, which was attended by an unprecedented mor- 
 tality. By his great exertions and judicious management 
 he meliorated the condition of the army, and obtained 
 general applause. On his retiring from that command, 
 July 12, 1776, the field-officers thus addressed him: "It is 
 to you, sir, the public are indebted for the preservation 
 of their property in Canada; it is to you we owe our safety 
 thus far. Your humanity will call forth the silent tear 
 and the grateful ejaculation of the sick. Your universal 
 impartiality will force the applause of the wearied soldier." 
 In August, 1776, he was promoted to the rank of major- 
 
454 APPENDIX. 
 
 general, and soon after was, with Major-General Lord Stir- 
 ling, captured by the British in the battle on Long Island. 
 General Sullivan being paroled, was sent by General Howe 
 with a message to Congress; after which, he returned to 
 New York. In September he was exchanged for Major- 
 General Prescott. We next find him in command of the 
 right division of our troops, in the famous battle at Tren- 
 ton, and he acquitted himself honorably on that ever- 
 memorable day 
 
 In August, 1777, without the authority of Congress 
 or the commander-in-chief, he planned and executed an 
 expedition against the enemy on Staten Island. Though 
 the enterprise was conducted with prudence and success 
 in part, it was said by some to be less brilliant than might 
 have been expected, under his favorable circumstances; 
 and as that act was deemed a bold assumption of respon- 
 sibility, and reports to his prejudice being in circulation, a 
 court of inquiry was ordered to investigate his conduct. 
 The result was an honorable acquittal. Congress resolved 
 that the result so honorable to General Sullivan is highly 
 pleasing to Congress, and that the opinion of the court be 
 published, in justification of that injured officer. In the 
 battles at Brandywine and at Germantown, in the autumn 
 of 1777, General Sullivan commanded a division, and in 
 the latter conflict his two aids were killed, and his own 
 conduct was so conspicuously brave, that General Wash- 
 ington in his letter to Congress concludes with encomiums 
 on the gallantry of General Sullivan, and the whole right 
 wing of the army who acted immediately under the eye 
 of his excellency. In August, 1778, General Sullivan 
 was sole commander of an expedition to the island of New- 
 port, in cooperation with the French fleet under the Count 
 D'Estaing. The Marquis de la Fayette and General Greene 
 volunteered their services on the occasion. The object of 
 the expedition was defeated, in consequence of the French 
 fleet being driven off by a violent storm. By this unfor- 
 tunate event the enemy were encouraged to engage our 
 army in battle, in which they suffered a repulse, and Gen- 
 eral Sullivan finally effected a safe retreat to the main. This 
 retreat, so ably executed, without confusion, the loss of bag- 
 gage or stores, increased the military reputation of General 
 Sullivan, and redounds to his honor as a skilful commander. 
 
APPENDIX. 455 
 
 The bloody tragedy acted at "Wyoming, in 1778, had 
 determined the commander-in-chief" in 1779, to employ a 
 large detachment from the continental army to penetrate 
 into the heart of the Indian country, to chastise the hostile 
 tribes and their white associates and adherents, for their 
 cruel aggressions on the defenceless inhabitants. The 
 command of this expedition was committed to Major-Gen- 
 eral Sullivan, with express orders to destroy their set- 
 tlements, to ruin their crops, and make such thorough 
 devastations as to render the country entirely uninhabit- 
 able for the present, and thus to cora})el the savages to 
 remove to a greater distance from our frontiers. General 
 Sullivan had under his command several brisfadiers and 
 a well-chosen army, to which were attached a number of 
 friendly Indian warriors. With this force he penetrated 
 about ninety miles through a horrid, swampy wilderness 
 and barren mountainous deserts, to Wyoming, on the 
 Susquehannah river, thence by water to Tioga, and pos- 
 sessed himself of numerous towns and villages of the 
 savages. During this hazardous expedition, General Sul- 
 livan and his army encountered the most complicated 
 obstacles, requiring the greatest fortitude and persever- 
 ance to surmount. He explored an extensive tract of 
 country, and strictly executed the severe but necessary 
 orders he had received. A considerable number of Indians 
 were slain, some were captured, their habitations were 
 burned, and their plantations of corn and vegetables laid 
 waste in the most effectual manner. "Eighteen villages, 
 a number of detached buildings, one hundred and sixty 
 thousand bushels of corn, and those fruits and vegetables 
 which conduce to the comfort and subsistence of man, 
 were utterly destro3^ed. Five weeks were unremittingly 
 employed in this work of devastation." On his return 
 from the expedition, he and his army received the appro- 
 bation of Congress. It is remarked on this expedition by 
 the translator of M. Chastelleux's Travels, an Englishman 
 then resident in the United States, that the instructions 
 given by General Sullivan to his officers, the order of 
 march he prescribed to his troops, and the discipline he 
 had the abihty to maintain, would have done honor to the 
 most experienced ancient or modern generals. At the 
 close of the campaign of 1779, General Sullivan, in conse- 
 
456 APPENDIX. 
 
 quence of impaired health, resigned his commission in the 
 army. Congress, in accepting of his resignation, passed a 
 resolve, thanking him for his past services. His military 
 talents and bold spirit of enterprise, were univei'sally ac- 
 knowledged. He was fond of dis})lay, and his personal 
 appearance and dignified deportment commanded respect. 
 After his resignation, he resumed his professional pursuits 
 at the bar, and was much distinguished as a statesman, 
 politician, and patiiot. He acquired very considerable 
 proficiency in general literature, and an extensive knowl- 
 edge of men and the world. He received from Harvard 
 University a degree of Master of Arts, and from the 
 University of Dartmouth a degree of Doctor of Laws. 
 He was one of the convention that formed the state con- 
 stitution for New Hampshire, was chosen into the first 
 council, and was afterwards elected chief magistrate in that 
 state, and held the office for three years. In September, 
 1789, he was appointed judge of the District court for the 
 District of New Hampshire, and continued in the office 
 till his death, in 1795. 
 
 MAJOR-GENERAL TnOMAS CONWAY, 
 
 Knight of the Order of St, L,ouis. 
 
 This gentleman was born in Ireland, and went with his 
 parents to France, at the age of six years, and was from 
 his youth educated to the profession of arms. He had 
 obtained considerable reputation as a military officer and 
 as a man of sound understanding and judgment. He ar- 
 rived from France with ample recommendations, and Con- 
 gress appointed him a brigadier-general in May, 1777. 
 He soon became conspicuously inimical to General Wash- 
 ington, and sought occasions to traduce his character. In 
 this he found support from a faction in Congress, who 
 were desirous that the commander-in-chief should be super- 
 seded. The Congress not long after elected General Con- 
 wav to the office of inspector-general to our army, with 
 the rank of major-general, though he had insulted the 
 commander-in-chief, and justified himself in doing so. 
 This gave umbrage to the brigadiers over whom he was 
 
APPENDIX. 457 
 
 promoted, and they remonstrated to Congress against the 
 proceeding, as implicating their honor and character. 
 Conway, now smarting under the imputation of having 
 instigated a hostile faction against the illustrious Wash- 
 ington, and being extremely unpopular among the officers 
 in general, and finding his situation did not accord with 
 his feelings and views, resigned his commission, without 
 having commenced the duties of inspector. He was be- 
 lieved to be an unprincipled intriguer, and after his 
 resignation, his calumny and detraction of the commander- 
 in-chief, and the army generally, was exercised with unre- 
 strained virulence and outrage. 
 
 No man was more zealously engaged in the scheme of 
 elevating General Gates to the station of commander-in- 
 chief. His vile insinuations and direct assertions in the 
 public newspapers and in private conversation, relative to 
 the incapacity of Washington to conduct the operations 
 of the army, received countenance from several members 
 of Congress, who were induced to declare their want of 
 confidence in him, and the affair assumed an aspect threat- 
 ening the most disastrous consequences. Conway main- 
 tained a correspondence with General Gates on the subject, 
 and in one of his leiters he thus expresses himself: " Heaven 
 has been determined to save your country, or a weak gen- 
 eral and bad counsellors would have ruined it." He was 
 himself at that time one of the counsellors, against whom 
 he so basely inveighs. Envy and malice ever are attend- 
 ant on exalted genius and merit. But the delusion was 
 of short continuance; the name of Washington proved 
 unassailable, and the base intrigue of Conway recoiled 
 with bitterness on his own head. General Cadvvallader, of 
 Pennsylvania, indignant at the attempt to vilify the char- 
 acter of Washington, resolved to avenge himself on the 
 aggressor, in personal combat. In Major Garden's Anec- 
 dotes of the Revolutionary War, &c., we have the following 
 detailed particulars of the duel: 
 
 "The parties having declared themselves ready, the word was given 
 to proceed. General Conway immediately raised his pistol, and tired 
 with great composure, but without effect. General Cadwallader was 
 about to do so, when a sudden gust of wind occurring, he Jiept his pis- 
 tol down, and remained tranquil. 'Why do you not fire, General Cad- 
 wallader?' exclaimed Conway. 'Because,' replied General Cadwallader, 
 'we came not here to trifle. Let the gale pass, and I shall act my part.' 
 li 
 
458 APPENDIX. 
 
 'You shall have a fair chance of performing it well,' rejoined Conway, and 
 immediately presented a full front. General Cadwallader tired, and his 
 ball entered the mouth of his antagonist; he fell directly forward on his 
 face. Colonel Morgan, running to his assistance, found the blood spout- 
 ing from behind his neck, and, lifting up the club of his hair, saw the ball 
 drop from it. It had passed through his head, greatly to the derange- 
 ment of his tongue and teeth, but did not inflict a mortal wound. As 
 soon as the blood was sufficiently washed away to allow him to speak, 
 General Conway, turning to his opponent, said, good-humoredly, 'You 
 fire, general, with much deliberation, and certainly with a great deal of 
 effect,' The calls of honor being satisfied, all animosity subsided, and 
 they parted, free from all resentment." 
 
 General Conway, conceiving his wound to be mortal, 
 and believing death to be near, acted honorably, in ad- 
 dressing to General Washington, whom he had perfidi- 
 ously slandered, the following letter of apology : 
 
 "Philadelphia, February 23J, 1778. 
 "Sir: I find myself just able to hold my pen during a few minutes, 
 and take this opportunity of expressing my.sincere grief for having done, 
 written, or said any thing disagreeable to your excellency. My career 
 will soon be over; therefore justice and truth prompt me to declare my 
 last sentiments. You are in my eyes the great and good man. May 
 you long enjoy the love, esteem and veneration of these states, whose 
 liberties you have asserted, by your virtues! 
 "I am, with the greatest respect, 
 
 "Your Excellency's most obedient and humble servant, 
 
 "THS. CONWAY." 
 
 MAJOR-GENERAL CHARLES LEE. 
 
 General Lee was an original genius, and one of the 
 most eccentric and extraordinary characters of the age. 
 His brilliant talents, military prowess, and extensive intel- 
 ligence, would have entitled him to preeminence in the 
 days of chivalry. He could dignify with honor an ele- 
 vated station, and it was not difficult for him to degrade 
 his rank by indulging in a malignant, sordid passion for 
 personal satire and invective. From the qualities and 
 manners of a gentleman, he could descend to the level of 
 a querulous clown. The profession of arms was his de- 
 light from infancy, and he was commissioned at the early 
 age of eleven years. In the year 1762, he bore a colonel's 
 commission, and served under General Burgoyne in Por- 
 tugal, where he signalized himself by his martial skill and 
 
OEJCERAL JOHJV SULLIVAM. P. 458. 
 
BEJVEDICT AR^rOLD. P. 465. 
 
APPENDIX. 459 
 
 active enterprises. He afterwards served as an aid-de- 
 camp to his Polish majesty, with the rank of major-gen- 
 eral. He exhausted every valuable treatise, both ancient 
 and modern, on the military art, and his capacious mind 
 was stored with knowledge on every subject which he 
 could collect from reading, conversation and extensive 
 travelling in Europe. He was honored with the acquaint- 
 ance of princes and noblemen, yet his manners were rude 
 and singular, partly from nature and partly from affecta- 
 tion. To his strong powers of intellect, he added literary 
 accomplishments, and the knowledge of six languages 
 beside his own. As a statesman, he appeared to be influ- 
 enced by an innate principle of republicanism; an attach- 
 ment to these principles was implanted in the constitution 
 of his mind, and he espoused the cause of America as a 
 champion of her emancipation from oppression. He perti- 
 naciously opposed every oppressive measure of the British 
 cabinet towards the American colonies, even while he was 
 in their service. On his arrival in this country, he became 
 daily more enthusiastic in the cause of liberty, and he 
 travelled rapidly through the colonies, animating, both by 
 conversation and his eloquent pen, to a determined and 
 persevering resistance to British tyranny. Thus he ac- 
 quired a large share of popularity, and his presence among 
 the people at this crisis was considered as a most fortunate 
 and propitious omen. He probably expected to have be- 
 come the first in military rank in America, but in 1775, 
 he accepted a commission of second major-general from 
 our Congress, having previously resigned that which he 
 held in the British service, and relinquished his half-pay. 
 He accompanied General Washington to join the troops 
 assembled near Boston, in July, 1775, and he was consid- 
 ered as a real acquisition to our cause. In the spring of 
 1776 he was ordered to New York, to take the command 
 and to fortify that city for defence. Not long after, he 
 was appointed to the command of the southern depart- 
 ment, and in his travels through the country, he received 
 every testimony of high respect from the people. General 
 Sir Henry Clinton and Sir Peter Parker, with a powerful 
 fleet and army, attempted the reduction of Charleston 
 while he was in command. The fleet anchored within 
 half-musket-shot of the fort on Sullivan's island, where 
 
460 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Colonel Moultrie, one of tlie bravest and most intrepid of 
 men, commanded. A tremendous engagement ensued on 
 the 28tli of June, 1776, which lasted twelve hours without 
 intermission. The whole British force was completely 
 repulsed, after suffering an irreparable loss. General Lee 
 and Colonel Moultrie received the thanks of Congress for 
 their signal bravery and gallantry. Our hero had now 
 reached the pinnacle of his military glory, the eclat of his 
 name alone appeared to enchant and animate the most 
 desponding heart. 
 
 But here we pause to contemplate the humiliating re- 
 verse of human events. He returned to the main army 
 in October, and in marching at the head of a large detach- 
 ment through the Jerseys, having, from a desire of retain- 
 ing a separate command, delayed his march several days 
 in disobedience of express orders from the commander-in- 
 chief, he w^as guilty of most culpable negligence in regard 
 to his personal security. He took up his quarters two or 
 three miles from the main body, and lay for the night, 
 December 13th, 1776, in a careless, exposed situation. 
 Information of this being communicated to Colonel Har- 
 court, who commanded the British light-horse, he pro- 
 ceeded immediately to the house, fired into it, and obliged 
 the general to surrender himself a prisoner. They mount- 
 ed him on a horse in haste, without his cloak or hat, and 
 conveyed him in triumph to New York. A splendid 
 triumph indeed it was, for next to Washington he was 
 the most highly prized as a captive by the British, who 
 considered him as the soul of the American army, and 
 at that juncture of our affairs a more grievous loss, Wash- 
 ington thought, could not have been sustained. The 
 commander-in-chief greatly lamented his capture, as he 
 entertained a high opinion of his martial skill, and he was 
 apprehensive that the British general would treat him with 
 indignity and rigor. Not having any prisoner of his rank, 
 his excellency immediately proposed to exchange for him 
 five Hessian field-officers, captured at Trenton, which is 
 equivalent to the rank of major-general. The British 
 commander affected to consider Lee as a deserter from his 
 majesty's service, and refused to listen to proposals for an 
 exchange, but treated him with all the rigor of a state 
 criminal of the first magnitude. This compelled the 
 
APPENDIX. 461 
 
 American commander, by order of Congress, to retaliate 
 on the persons of five Hessian officers, and also on Colonel 
 Campbell, who was now committed to a dungeon. After 
 the capture of General Burg03'ne and his army, the enemy 
 relaxed in their rigorous treatment, and General Lee was 
 soon exchanged for Major-General Prescott. It is next to 
 be seen in what manner General Lee terminated his career 
 in the continental service. In the battle at Monmouth on 
 the 28th of June, 1778, he commanded the van of the 
 American troops, with orders from the commander-in-chief 
 to attack the retreating enemy. Instead of obeying this 
 order, he conducted in an unworthy manner, and greatly 
 disconcerted the arrangements of the day. His excellency, 
 advancing to the field of battle, met him in his disorderly 
 retreat, and accosted him with strong expressions of dis- 
 approbation. Lee, incapable of brooking even an implied 
 indignity, and unable to restrain the warmth of his resent- 
 ment, used improper language in return, and some irrita- 
 tion was excited on both sides for the moment. Lee on 
 the same day addressed two letters to the commander-in- 
 chief, couched in disrespectful language, and with an air 
 of defiance solicited a trial for his conduct, in consequence 
 of which he was immediately put under arrest. A court- 
 martial, of which Lord Stirling was president, was ordered 
 for his trial on the following charges: 1st, For disobedi- 
 ence of orders in not attacking the enemy on the 28th of 
 June, agreeably to repeated instructions. 2d, For misbe- 
 haviour before the enemy on the same day, by making 
 an unnecessary, disorderly and shameful retreat. 3d, For 
 disrespect to the commander-in-chief, in two letters, dated 
 July 1st and June 28th. The letter dated July 1st was 
 so dated my mistake; it was written June 28th. The 
 court found him guilty on all the charges, and sentenced 
 him to be suspended from any command in the armies of 
 the United States of America for the term of twelve 
 months. He made a masterly defence, and endeavored 
 to prove that any other course than that pursued would 
 have given the enemy great advantage, and hazarded the 
 destruction of our army. In his adversity General Lee 
 was not altogether destitute of advocates as respects the 
 affair of Monmouth; they allege that, were it not/ for the 
 disrespectful letters to his excellency, Lee would have 
 
462 APPENDIX. 
 
 been acquitted, and the degree of punishment seems in 
 some measure to justify this opinion. If he had been 
 proved fully guilty of all the charges, a suspension for 
 one year would be inadequate to the magnitude of the 
 crime. It appears also that Congress did not without some 
 demur sanction the sentence of the court-martial. When 
 at length their confirmation of the sentence was promul- 
 gated, it was like a mortal wound to the lofty, aspiring 
 spirit of General Lee. Pointing to his dog, he exclaimed, 
 "Oh, that I was that animal! that I might not call man 
 my brother." He became outrageous, and from that mo- 
 ment he was more open and virulent in his attack on the 
 character of the commander-in-chief, and did not cease in 
 his unwearied endeavors, both in his conversation and 
 writings, to lessen his reputation in the estimation of the 
 army and the public. He was an active abettor of Gen- 
 eral Conway in his calumny and abuse of General Wash- 
 ington, and they were believed to be in concert in their 
 vile attempts to supersede his excellency in the supreme 
 command. With the hope of effecting his nefarious pur- 
 pose, he published a pamphlet, replete with scurrilous 
 imputations unfavorable to the military talents of the 
 commander-in-chief; but this with his other malignant 
 allegations were consigned to contempt. At length Col- 
 onel Laurens, one of General Washington's aids, unable 
 longer to suffer this gross abuse of his illustrious friend, 
 demanded of Lee that satisfaction which custom has sanc- 
 tioned as honorable. A rencounter accordingly ensued, 
 and Lee received a wound in his side. Lee, now finding 
 himself abandoned by his friends, degraded in the eye of 
 the public, and despised by the wise and virtuous, retired 
 to his sequestered plantation in Virginia. In this spot, 
 secluded from all society, he lived in a sort of hovel, with- 
 out glass windows or plastering, or even a decent article 
 of house furniture; here he amused himself with books 
 and dogs. On January 10th, 1780, Congress resolved that 
 Major-General Lee be informed that they have no further 
 occasion for his services in the army of the United States. 
 In the autumn of 1782, wearied with his forlorn situation 
 and broken spirit, he resorted to Philadelphia, and took 
 lodgings in an ordinary tavern. He was soon seized with 
 a disease of the lungs, and, after a few days' confinement. 
 
ArPENDix. 463 
 
 he terminated his mortal course, a martyr to chagrin and 
 disappointment, October 2d, 1782. The last words which 
 he was heard to utter, were, "Stand by me, my brave 
 grenadiers!" The citizens of Philadelphia were much 
 affected with his unexpected death, and his funeral was 
 attended by a large concourse of people, the clergy of dif- 
 ferent denominations, the president and members of Con- 
 gress, and of the assembly of Pennsylvania, the minister 
 of France and his secretary. General Baron de Viomenil, 
 the minister of War, and several other officers of distinc- 
 tion, both of the French and of the American army. 
 
 General Lee was rather above the middle size, "plain 
 in his person, even to ugliness, and careless in his manners, 
 even to a degree of rudeness; his nose was so remarkably 
 aquiline, that it appeared as a real deformity. His voice 
 was rough, his garb ordinary, his deportment morose. He 
 was ambitious of fame, without the dignity to support it. 
 In private life, he sunk into the vulgarity of the clown." 
 His remarkable partiality for dogs was such, that a num- 
 ber of these animals constantly followed in his train, and 
 the ladies complained that he allowed his canine adherents 
 to follow him into the parlor, and not unfrequently a 
 favorite one might be seen on a chair next his elbow at table. 
 
 In the year 1776, when our army lay at White Plains, 
 Lee resided near the road which General Washington fre- 
 quently passed, and he one day with his aids called and 
 took dinner ; after they had departed, Lee said to his aids, 
 " You must look me out other quarters, or I shall have 
 Washington and his puppies calling till they eat me up." 
 The next day he ordered his servant to write with chalk on 
 the door, " No victuals cooked here to-day." The company, 
 seeing the hint on the door, passed with a smile at the 
 oddity of the man. "The character of this person," says 
 one who knew him well, " is full of absurdities and qual- 
 ities of a most extraordinary nature. His understanding 
 was great, his memory capacious, and his fancy brilhant. 
 He was a correct and elegant classical scholar, and both 
 wrote and spoke his native language with perspicuity, force 
 and beauty. From these circumstances he was at times 
 a most agreeable and instructive companion. His temper 
 was naturally sour and severe. He was seldom seen to 
 laugh, and scarcely to smile. The history of his life is 
 
464: APPENDIX. 
 
 little less than the history of disputes, quarrels and duels 
 in every part of the world. He was vindictive to his 
 enemies. His avarice had no bounds. He never went 
 into a public and seldom into a private house where he 
 did not discover some marks of ineffable and contemptible 
 meanness. He grudged the expense of a nurse in his last 
 illness, and died in a small dirty room in the Philadelphia 
 tavern, called the Canastoga Wagon^ attended by no one 
 but a French servant, and Mr. Oswald the printer, who 
 once served as an officer under him. He was both impious 
 and profane. In his principles, he was not only an intidel, 
 but he was very hostile to every attribute of the Diety. 
 His morals were exceedingly debauched. His appetite 
 was so whimsical, as to what he ate and drank, that he 
 was at all times and in all places a most troublesome and 
 disagreeable guest. His judgment in war was generally 
 sound. He was extremely useful to the Americans in the 
 beginning of the revolution, by inspiring them with mil- 
 itary ideas and a contempt for British discipline and valor. 
 It is difficult to say whether the active and useful part he 
 took in the contest arose from personal resentment against 
 the king of Great Britain, or from a regard to the liberties 
 of America. It is certain he reprobated the French alli- 
 ance and republican forms of government after he retired 
 from the American service. He was in the field brave in 
 the highest degree, and, with all his faults and oddities, 
 was beloved by his officers and soldiers. He was devoid 
 of prudence, and used to call it a rascally virtue. Two 
 virtues he possessed in an eminent degree, sincerity and 
 veracity. He was never known to deceive or desert a 
 friend, and he was a stranger to equivocation, even where 
 his safety or character was at stake. It was notorious that 
 General Lee was a man of unbounded personal ambition; 
 and, conscious of his European education, and preeminent 
 military talents and prowess, be affijcted a superiority over 
 General Washington, and constantly aimed at the supreme 
 command, little scrupulous as to the means employed to 
 accomplish his own advancement. In reference to his base 
 detraction, General Washington, in a letter to a friend, said : 
 
 "What cause is there for such a profusion of venom as he is emitting 
 on all occasions? — a simple narration of facts would defeiit all his asser- 
 tions, notwithstanding they are made with an effrontery which few men 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 465 
 
 do, and, for the honor of human nature, ought to possess." — " If this 
 gentleman is envious of my station, and conceives that I stand in his 
 way to preferment, lean assure him, in most solemn terms, that the first 
 wish of my soul is to return to that peaceful retirement, and domestic 
 ease and happiness, whence I came. To this end all my labors have been 
 directed, and for this purpose have I been more than four years a perfect 
 slave, endeavoring, under as many embarrassing circumstances as ever 
 fell to any man's lot to encounter, and as pure motives as any man was 
 ever inHuenced by, to promote the cause and service I had embarked in." 
 — Garden^ s Anecdotes. 
 
 The following is an extract from General Lee's will: 
 
 "I desire most earnestly that I may not be bu'ried in any church or 
 church- yard, or within a mile of any Presbyterian or Anabaptist Meeting 
 House, for since I have resided in this country, I have kept so much bad 
 company while living, that I do not choose to continue it when dead." 
 
 Thomas Paine once said of Lee, that "he was above all 
 monarchs, and below all scum." 
 
 MAJOR-GENERAL BENEDICT ARNOLD. 
 
 This extraordinary man is already recorded in our 
 revolutionary history, in the character of a valiant and 
 intrepid officer, and in the next page as a sordid and in- 
 famous traitor to his country. He was a native of Con- 
 necticut, where he was known as a half-bred apothecary, 
 a retailer, a skipper, and a jockey. Under pretence of 
 bankruptcy, he committed perjury with the view of de- 
 frauding his creditors. But his mind was formed for bold 
 and desperate enterprise, and he was chosen captain of a 
 militia company of volunteers. On hearing of the battle 
 at Lexington, he marched with his company, and arrived 
 at head-quarters, at Cambridge, about the last of April, 
 1775, where he was promoted to a colonel. He immedi- 
 ately repaired to the vicinity of Lake Champlain, and 
 united with Colonel Allen and his party, who were prepar- 
 ing to execute their plan for taking possession of the Britsh 
 garrison at Ticonderoga. This enterprise was crowned 
 with success, without bloodshed, and an immense quantity 
 of valuable ordnance and munitions of war was taken for 
 the use of our army. After which, he proceeded down 
 the lake to St. John's in a small schooner, and seized by 
 surprise an armed sloop of superior force, which he 
 
46g APPENDIX. 
 
 brought off with several prisoners. In September follow- 
 ing, Colonel Arnold was invested with the command of 
 eleven hundred men, destined on a very extraordinary 
 and arduous expedition — no less than penetrating through 
 the unexplored wilderness to Quebec, by the route of 
 Kennebec river. Colonel Burr, late vice-president of the 
 United States, was with his party. The expedition was 
 attended by the most distressing circumstances which can 
 be imagined, during which Arnold conducted with unex- 
 ampled resolution, and the soldiers exercised the greatest 
 fortitude and patience, and accomplished an undertaking 
 almost incredible. The men were obliged to drag their 
 batteaux over falls, up rapid streams, over carrying places, 
 and to march through morasses, thick woods, and over 
 mountains for about three hundred and twenty miles. A 
 part of the detachment, consisting of about three hundred 
 men, under Colonel Enos, returned to Cambridge to avoid 
 absolute starvation in the wilderness. Some of those who 
 persevered were compelled to feed on dogs, which they 
 devoured without sparing legs or skin, and also their cart- 
 ridge boxes, leather breeches and shoes. Colonel Arnold 
 appears to have defeated his own object by an imprudent 
 act. He intrusted to a transient Indian a letter to a friend 
 in Quebec; the Indian betrayed his trust, and delivered 
 the letter to the British commandant, who immediately 
 adopted measures for defence and to oppose their march. 
 In December, 1775, Colonel Arnold having reached the 
 vicinity of Quebec, was second in command under General 
 Montgomery, and led a party in the boldest and most spirit- 
 ed manner to the attack of the city of Quebec, by escalade, 
 where he received a wound by a musket-ball in his leg, 
 and the brave Montgomery was slain. In January, 1776, 
 Arnold was promoted to the rank of brigadier, and had * 
 the command of the miserable remains of our army, and 
 retreated to Crown Point. He took from merchants at 
 Montreal goods to a very considerable amount, under cir- 
 cumstances which implicated his honor and character. He 
 ordered Colonel Ilazen to take charge of the goods; 
 but, conceiving that they were taken unjustly from the 
 proprietors, he refused to comply. On the retreat of the 
 army, part of the goods were pillaged, in consequence of 
 which Colonel Hazen was subjected to a trial, but was 
 
APPENDIX. 467 
 
 honorably acquitted. This affair excited much indignation 
 among several respectable officers, who, having received 
 abusive treatment from Arnold, demanded of General 
 Gates, who now commanded in chief, that he should be 
 arrested and brought to trial ; but Gates, viewing him as 
 a brave and valuable officer, was determined that he should 
 command our fleet on Lake Champlain, and therefore 
 waived all complaints exhibited against him. After Arnold 
 was invested with the command of our fleet, Sir Guy Carle- 
 ton proceeded up Lake Champlain with a superior force, 
 and a furious contest ensued. No man could have con- 
 ducted with more intrepid bravery than did General Ar- 
 nold. By his valorous conduct he acquired the highest 
 applause; but being overpowered, he was obliged to retreat 
 with the Congress galley, which he commanded, and four 
 gondolas, which he ran on shore and blew up in despite 
 of every effort of the enemy to prevent it. He even dis- 
 played a nice point of honor in keeping his flag flying, 
 and not quitting his galley till she was in flames, that the 
 enemy should not board and strike the American flag. In 
 April, 1777, General Tryon commanded an expedition from 
 New York, consisting of about two thousand men, to des- 
 troy a deposit of stores at Danbury, in Connecticut. General 
 Arnold by a forced march reached the scene of action, 
 and with his usual impetuosity engaged the enemy; and, 
 when within a few yards, a whole platoon was leveled at 
 him, by which his horse was killed. A soldier was ad- 
 vancing to thrust his bayonet through him, when with 
 great presence of mind he took his pistols from his hol- 
 sters, and shot him down. Having mounted another horse, 
 that also was shot through his neck. Congress resolved, 
 that a horse properly caparisoned be presented to General 
 Arnold, as a token of their approbation of his gallant 
 conduct, in which he had one horse killed and another 
 wounded. In May following, he was created a major- 
 general. When, in August, 1777, General St. Leger in- 
 vested Fort Stanwix, General Arnold marched, at the head 
 of a detachment from Fort Edward, to raise the siege ; but 
 the enemy, alarmed at his approach, abandoned the enter- 
 prise before his arrival. In September a serious difference 
 took place between him and General Gates, who com- 
 manded our army at Saratoga. A conscious superiority 
 
468 APPENDIX. 
 
 on one side, and an arrogant temper on the other, sufficed 
 to render the contention almost irreconcilable. The con- 
 sequence was, that Arnold in a rage requested to be dis- 
 charged from under the command of General Gates, and 
 the latter immediately gave him a passport to repair to 
 General Washington's head-quarters, though a battle with 
 Burgoyne was daily expected. He postponed his, depart- 
 ure, however, till the sanguinary conflict atBemis's heights 
 commenced, October 7th, when he betrayed great agitation 
 and wrath. Rushing into the field of battle, and acting 
 the part of a desperado, he exposed himself in the most 
 rash and intemperate manner. In the heat of the action, 
 when our troops were gaining advantage. General Arnold 
 ordered Lieutenant-Colonel Brooks, at the head of his re- 
 giment, to force the German lines, which was instantly 
 obeyed, and they boldly entered at the sallyport together, 
 where Arnold received a wound in his leg, and his horse 
 was killed under him. He had so little control of his mind, 
 that while brandishing his sword in animating the officers 
 and soldiers, he struck Captain Pettingill and Captain 
 Brown, and wounded one of them on his head, without 
 assigning any cause These ge'ntlemen the next day re- 
 quested Colonel Brooks to accompany them to Arnold's 
 quarters, to demand an explanation. He disavowed all 
 recollection of the fact, and denied that he had struck an 
 officer; but when convinced of it, readily offered the re- 
 quired apology. It is but justice to confess, that by his 
 military phrenzy, or romantic heroism, Arnold contributed 
 to the honor and success of the day. General Washing- 
 ton had a high sense of his gallantry, and presented him 
 a pair of elegant pistols. After the evacuation of Phila- 
 delphia by the British army. General Arnold was intrusted 
 with the command in that city. Here his display of con- 
 nubial gallantry, as in the field his martial spirit, was 
 crowned with honor and success. His addresses were 
 auspiciously received, and he was honored with the hand 
 of the then celebrated Miss Shippen, one of the most ele- 
 gant and accomplished ladies in the city, but of a tory 
 family. His whole soul now appeared to be engaged in 
 the promotion of his own interest and aggrandizement. 
 He occupied the house of Governor Penn, the best in the 
 city, and this he furnished in a rich and splendid style. 
 
APPENDIX. 4g9 
 
 His carriage and equipage were equally splendid, and he 
 rioted in the luxury and pageantry of a nobleman " Proud 
 of the trappings of office, and ambitious of an ostentatious 
 display of wealth and greatness, the certain mark of a nar- 
 row mind, he had wasted the plunder acquired at Montreal, 
 where his conduct had been remarkably reprehensible, and 
 had dissipated the rich harvest of peculation he had reaped 
 at Philadelphia, where his rapacity had no bounds. He 
 deliberately seized every thing he could lay his hands on 
 in the city, to which he could affix an idea that it had been 
 the property of the disaffected party, and converted it to 
 his own use."* 
 
 Unmindful of his military station, he engaged in various 
 speculations and in privateering, in both of which he was 
 unfortunate. He made exorbitant demands on govern- 
 ment, in compensation for public services, and made bitter 
 complaints against Congress, pretending that he suffered 
 injustice from their hands. The commissioners appointed 
 to liquidate his accounts, rejected a large proportion of his 
 demands, as being unjust and unfounded, and for which 
 he deserved severe reprehension. He was charged by the 
 citizens of Philadelphia with gross acts of extortion, and 
 of peculating on the public funds; and he was at length 
 so notorious for his follies and vices, and so audacious in 
 his reproaches against what he termed the ingratitude of 
 his country, that the general voice demanded an investi- 
 gation of his conduct. The government of Pennsylvania, 
 as well as many respectable citizens, exhibited formal 
 charges against him, and Congress directed that he should 
 be arrested, and tried by a court-martial. He was sen- 
 tenced to be reprimanded by the commander-in-chief, 
 which being approved by Congress, was carried into ex- 
 ecution accordingly. The emoluments of his office, with 
 all his embezzlements, proved inadequate to his exigencies, 
 and his funds being exhausted, he was unable to meet 
 the demands of his creditors. Thus he evinced a mind 
 destitute of both moral principle and political integrity. 
 Rebuffed and mortified in his vicious pursuits, he became 
 soured and disaffected to our government and cause, and 
 the most malevolent and rancorous spirit agitated his un- 
 principled bosom, restrained by a want of opportunity to 
 * History of the American Revolution by Mrs. M. Warren. 
 
470 APPENDIX. 
 
 iiidulge his revenge. At the opening of the campaign in 
 June, 1780, the commander-in-chief offered him the com- 
 mand of the left wing of our army, to which his rank 
 entitled him; but this he declined, under the pretext that 
 the wound which he received at Saratoga, rendered him 
 incapable of active service in the field. He solicited the 
 station of commander of the garrison at West Point, and 
 in this request he was indulged by the commander-in-chief, 
 who still had confidence in him as a military officer. He 
 was now invested with a situation which furnished him 
 with the meditated opportunity of executing his treason- 
 able purpose, and avenging himself on his country and 
 the glorious cause of freedom. He engaged in a secret 
 correspondence with Sir Henry Clinton, and actually 
 agreed to put him in possession of the important garrison 
 at West Point. 
 
 The British general, appreciating the importance of the 
 acquisition, immediately closed with him for the stipulated 
 sum of ten thousand pounds sterling, and sent Major John 
 Andre, his adjutant-general and aid-de-camp, to negotiate 
 the arrangement for the surrender of the post, A British 
 sloop-of-vvar, called the Vulture, conveyed him up the 
 North river within twelve miles of West Point, and in the 
 night of the 21st of September, 1780, by direction of Gen- 
 eral Arnold, this gentleman was brought on shore, under 
 the fictitious name of John Anderson. Arnold received 
 him on the beach, and conducted him to the house of 
 Joshua Smith, within our lines, and the night was spent 
 in ripening the infamous plot for execution. The follow- 
 ing night it was attempted to reconduct him on board the 
 Vulture; but the boatmen who had been seduced to bring 
 him on shore, utterly refused to perform the service, and 
 a return to New York by land was the only alternative. 
 Arnold furnished him with numerous papers, containing 
 all the necessary information respecting the garrison, and 
 a passport, naming him John Anderson, on public business, 
 with which he proceeded on his journey. 
 
 Having reached Tarrytown, on his route, Andre was 
 suddenly arrested by three militia-men, who, finding the 
 above-mentioned papers concealed in his boots, immedi- 
 ately delivered them into the hands of Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Jameson, the commanding officer on our lines. With the 
 
APPENDIX. 47 X 
 
 view of giving Arnold an opportunity to escape, Andre 
 had the address to induce Colonel Jameson to inform him 
 by letter that John Anderson was taken on his way to 
 New York. On this being received by express, the guilty 
 traitor, struck with the pressing danger of his situation, 
 instantly informed his wife that he had received some let- 
 ters which obliged him to flee his country for ever, and 
 desired her to retire and remain in her chamber. He now 
 called earnestly for a horse, and mounted the first that 
 presented ; and, instead of the usual path, he took a shorter 
 route, riding down a very steep and dangerous precipice 
 to the landing. This has since been called " Traitor's-hill." 
 The barge being in readiness, he sprang -into it, and ordered 
 the boatmen to proceed down the river, and he was soon 
 on board the Vulture, which Andre two nights before had 
 left, and which immediately sailed with her prize for New 
 York. Arnold was apprised that General Washington, 
 being on his return from a journey to Hartford, intended 
 to visit him that day, and he was momentarily expected. 
 Accordingly his excellency arrived soon after Arnold had 
 absconded; and not finding him at his quarters, he passed 
 over the river to West Point, to view the works, and with 
 the expectation of finding him at his post; but being dis- 
 appointed, he returned to Arnold's quarters, where he still 
 found that no one could account for his absence. But in 
 a few hours despatches arrived from Colonel Jameson, 
 announcing the capture of Major Andre, and this was 
 accompanied by his own letter of confession. The mys- 
 terious affair was now developed. Arnold's treason and 
 elopement admitted at once of explanation. An officer 
 was immediately sent to our fort at Verplank's Point, with 
 orders to fire at Arnold's barge; but it was too late; she 
 had already reached the Vulture. In about an hour and 
 a half after Arnold had absconded, Dr. Eustis, who had 
 charge of the hospital in the vicinity, was called to the 
 assistance of Mrs. Arnold, whose situation was alarming. 
 He found her at the head of the stair-case, in great disha- 
 bille, her hair disheveled, knowing no one, and frantic 
 in the arms of her maid and Arnold's two aids, struggling 
 to liberate herself from them. She was carried back to 
 her chamber, and fell into convulsions, which lasted sev- 
 eral hours. In a lucid interval, she inquired of the doctor 
 Kk 
 
472 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 if General "Washington was in the house, expressing a 
 wish to see him. Believing that she intended to say some- 
 thing which would explain the secret of Arnold's unac- 
 countable absence, he hastened below, gave notice of her 
 request, and conducted the general to her chamber, who 
 remained no longer than to hear her deny that he was 
 General Washington, and to witness the return of her dis- 
 traction. When Arnold deserted his post, a corporal, by 
 name James Lurvey, was the coxswain of his barge. 
 After their arrival on board the Vulture, and Arnold had 
 held an interview with the officers in the cabin, he came 
 on deck, and said to his bargemen, "My lads, I have quit- 
 ted the rebel army, and joined the standard of his Britan- 
 nic Majesty. If you will join me, I will make sergeants and 
 corporals of you all; and for you, James, I will do some- 
 thing more," Indignant at the offer, Lurvey promptly 
 replied, "No, sir; one coat is enough for me to wear at a 
 time!" — a worthy example of fidelity in the corporal, and 
 a cutting sarcasm on the guilty traitor. Two only of the 
 crew remained, and they were British deserters. The 
 brave corporal, with the remainder of the men, returned ; 
 not, however, in the barge; Arnold had the meanness to 
 retain that for his own use, and gave them a miserable 
 boat in exchange. 
 
 After his arrival on board the Vulture, he addressed to 
 General Washington the following letter: 
 
 " On hoard the Vulture, September 25th, 1780. 
 
 "Sir: Tlie heart which is conscious of its own rectitude, cannot at- 
 tempt to palliate a step which the world may censure as wrong. I have 
 ever acted from a principle of love to my country, since the commence- 
 ment of the present unhappy contest between Great Britain and the 
 colonies; the same principle of love to my country actuates my present 
 conduct, however it may appear inconsistent to the world, who very sel- 
 dom judge right of any man's actions. 
 
 "I have no favor to ask for myself; I have too often experienced the 
 ingratitude of my country to attempt it; but from the known humanity 
 of your excellency, I am induced to ask your protection for Mrs. Arnold, 
 from every insult and injury that the mistaken vengeance of my country 
 may expose her to. It ought to fall only on me: she is as good and as 
 innocent as an angel, and is incapable of doing wrong. I beg she may 
 be permitted to return to her friends in Philadelphia, or to come to me, 
 as she may choose; from your excellency I have no fears on her account, 
 but she may surt'er from the mistaken fury of the country. 
 
 "I have to request that the inclosed letter may be delivered to Mrs. 
 Arnold, and she permitted to write to me. 
 
APPENDIX. 473 
 
 "I have also to ask th.nt my clothes and baggage, which are of little 
 consequence, may be sent to me. If required, their value shall be paid 
 in money. 
 
 " I have the honor to be, with great regard and esteem, 
 
 "Your Excellency's most obedient, humble servant. 
 
 "B. ARNOLD. 
 "His Excellency General Washington. 
 
 "N. B. Injustice to the gentlemen of my family. Colonel Varrick, 
 and Major Frank, I think myself in honor bound to declare, that they, 
 as well as Joshua Smith, Esquire, who I know is suspected, are totally 
 ignorant of any transactions of mine that they had reason to believe 
 were injurious to the public." 
 
 Mrs. Arnold was permitted to go unmolested to her 
 husband at New York, and to take her chariot with her. 
 Arnold had the audacity to remonstrate to General Wash- 
 ington against the execution of Major Andre, and to at- 
 tempt to intimidate him by threats of retaliation, should 
 the unfortunate prisoner suffer; but his excellency treated 
 both the traitor and his affrontive letters with sovereign 
 contempt. He next published an address to the people 
 of the United States, in which he pretended to ascribe his 
 defection from the American cause to principle, of which 
 it is well known that he ever has been destitute. He 
 attempts to vindicate his conduct by the ridiculous pretence 
 that he was actuated by motives favorable to the interests 
 of his country by bringing the war to a speedy termina- 
 tion, as though the destiny of America was doomed to be 
 at his disposal, and that he was authorized to decide the 
 fate of millions. In his artful address he labored to palli- 
 ate his own guilt and to influence others to follow his vile 
 example. He execrated with peculiar bitterness our alli- 
 ance with France, and accused Congress of tyranny and 
 usurpation, and a total disregard of the interest and wel- 
 fare of the people. Not satisfied with this insidious appeal 
 to the people, he addressed by proclamation "the officers 
 and soldiers of the continental army, who had the real 
 interest of their country at heart, and who were deter- 
 mined to be no longer the tools and dupes of Congress or 
 of France." As inducement to the American officers and 
 soldiers to desert the cause which they had embraced, he 
 represented that the corps of cavalry and infantry which 
 he was authorized to raise, would be on the same footing 
 with the other troops in the British service ; that he would 
 
474 APPENDIX. 
 
 with pleasure advance those whose valor he had witnessed, 
 and tliat the private men who might join him should re- 
 ceive a bounty of three guineas each, besides payment at 
 their full value for horses, arms, and accoutrements. He 
 endeavored to paint in lively colors the deplorable condi- 
 tion of our country, and to reprobate our Congress as 
 oppressors, and their authority as tyrannical, "You are 
 promised liberty," he exclaims, "but is there an individual 
 in the enjoyment of it, saving your oppressors? Who 
 among you dare speak or write what he thinks against the 
 tyranny which has robbed you of your property, imprisons 
 your persons, drags you to the field of battle, and is daily 
 deluging your country with your blood?" Again, " what 
 is America now but a land of widows, orphans, and beg- 
 gars? As to you who have been soldiers in the continent- 
 al army, can you at this day want evidence that the funds 
 of your country are exhausted, or that the managers have 
 applied them to their own private uses? In either case, 
 you surely can no longer continue in their service with 
 honor and advantage. Yet you have hitherto been their 
 supporters in that cruelty which, with an equal indifference 
 to yours, as well as to the labor and blood of others, is 
 devouring a country that from the moment you quit their 
 colors will be redeemed from their tyranny." These pro- 
 clamations failed of the effect which they were designed 
 to produce; and notwithstanding all the hardships, suffer- 
 ings and irritations which the Americans were called to 
 encounter, "Arnold remains the solitary instance of an 
 American ofiicer who abandoned the side first embraced 
 in the contest, and turned his sword on his former com- 
 panions in arms." "I am mistaken," says Washington in 
 a letter to a friend, "if at this time Arnold is undergoing 
 the torments of a mental hell. From some traits of his 
 character which have lately come to my knowledge, he 
 seems to have been so hacknied in crime — so lost to all 
 sense of honor and shame — -that while his faculties still 
 enable him to continue his sordid pursuits, there will be 
 no time for remorse." "This man," says Hamilton, "is 
 in every sense despicable. In addition to the scene of 
 knavery and prostitution during his command at Phila- 
 delphia, which the late seizure of his papers has unfolded, 
 the history of his command at West Point is a history of 
 
APPENDIX. 475 
 
 little as well as of great villanies. He practised every 
 dirty act of peculation, and even stooped to connexions 
 with the sutlers of the garrison to defraud the public." A 
 respectable officer, in a letter to a friend, speaks of Arnold 
 in the following language: "It is not possible for human 
 nature to receive a greater quantity of guilt than he pos- 
 sesses. Perhaps there is not a single obligation, moral or 
 divine, but what he has broken through. It is discovered 
 now that, in his most early infancy, hell marked him for 
 her own, and infused into him a full proportion of her 
 own malice. His late apostacy is the summit of his char- 
 acter. He began his negotiations with the enemy, to de- 
 liver up West Point to them, long before he was invested 
 with the command of it, and whilst he was still in Phila- 
 delphia; after which, he solicited the command of that 
 post from the ostensible cause that the wound in his leg 
 incapacitated him for an active command in the field." 
 His papers contain the most authentic and incontestable 
 proofs of his crime, and that he regarded his important 
 employments only as affording him opportunities to pillage 
 the public with impunity. The crimes of this unprinci- 
 pled conspirator are thus summed up: Treason, avarice, 
 hypocrisy, ingratitude, barbarity, falsehood, deception, 
 peculation and robbery. He aimed to plunge a dagger 
 into the bosom of his country, which had raised him from 
 the obscurity in which he was born, to honors which never 
 could have been the object even of his hopes. He robbed 
 his country at the time of her deepest distress, having 
 directed his wife to draw all she could from the commis- 
 saries' store, and sell or store it, though at a time when 
 the army was destitute of provisions. He robbed the sol- 
 diers when they were in want of necessaries, and defrauded 
 his own best friends who trusted and had rendered him 
 the most essential services. He spoke contemptuously of 
 our allies, the French, and his illiberal abuse of every char- 
 acter opposed to his fraudulent and wicked transactions 
 exceeds all description. For the sake of human nature 
 it were to be wished that a veil could for ever be thrown 
 over such a vile example of depravity and wickedness. 
 An effigy of Arnold, large as life, was constructed by an 
 artist at Philadelphia, and seated in a cart, with the figure 
 of the devil at his elbow, holding a lantern up to the face 
 
476 APPENDIX. 
 
 of the traitor to show him to the people, having his name 
 and crime in capital letters. The cart was paraded the 
 whole evening through the streets of the city, with drums 
 and fifes playing the Rogue's March, with other marks of 
 infamy, and was attended by a vast concourse of people. 
 The effigy was finally hanged, for the want of the original, 
 and then committed to the flames. Yet this is the man 
 on whom the British have bestowed ten thousand pounds 
 sterling as the price of his treason, and appointed to the 
 rank of brigadier-general in their service. It could scarce- 
 ly be imagined that there was an officer of honor left in 
 that army, who would debase himself and his commission 
 by serving under or ranking with Benedict Arnold! 
 
 In January, 1781, Arnold was by Sir Henry Clinton 
 invested with the command of one thousand seven hun- 
 dred men, supported by a naval force, on an expedition 
 to Virginia, where he committed extensive ravages on the 
 rivers and along the unprotected coast, plundering the 
 plantations to the extent of his power. According to 
 report, he shipped off a cargo of negroes, which he had 
 stolen, to Jamaica, and sold them for his own emolument. 
 Having taken an American captain prisoner, he inquired 
 of him what the Americans would do with him if he 
 should fall into their hands; the officer replied, they would 
 cut off the leg that was wounded at Saratoga, and bury it 
 with the honors of war, and hang the remainder of his 
 body on a gibbet. In September, 1781, Arnold was again 
 ^vested with a command, and sent on a predatory expedi- 
 tion against New London, in Connecticut, his native state. 
 After taking possession of the fort, they made a merciless 
 slaughter of the men who defended it, and destroyed an 
 immense quantity of provisions, stores and shipping; sixty 
 dwelling-houses and eighty-four stores were destroyed, and 
 about one hundred inhabitants were deprived of their 
 habitations, and most of them of their all. This termi- 
 nated the career of this monster of wickedness in America. 
 At the close of the war, he accompanied the royal army 
 to England. "The contempt that followed him through 
 life," says a late elegant writer,* "is further illustrated by 
 the speech of the present Lord Lauderdale, who, perceiv- 
 ing Arnold on the right hand of the king, and near his 
 * Alexander Garden, Esquire. — Anecdotes of the Rewliitionary War. 
 
APPENDIX. 477 
 
 person, as he addressed his parliament, declared, on his 
 return to the Commons, thai, however gracious the lan- 
 guage he had heard from the throne, his indignation could 
 not but be highly excited at beholding, as he had done, 
 his majesty supported bj a traitor." "And on another 
 occasion, Lord Surrey, since duke of Norfolk, rising to 
 speak in the House of Commons, and perceiving Arnold 
 in the gallery, sat down with precipitation, exclaiming, 'I 
 will not speak while that man' (pointing to him) 'is in 
 the house.'" 
 
 He purchased in England a quantity of goods which 
 he brought over to New Brunswick; the store and goods 
 took fire, and the whole were consumed; but according 
 to report they were insured to a much greater amount 
 than their real value. After this event, no further laurels 
 remained for him to achieve; he recrossed the Atlantic, 
 and died in London, June 14th, 1801. 
 
 SKETCH OP THE LIFE OF GENERAL KNOX. 
 
 Among those of our countrymen, who most zealously 
 engaged in the cause of liberty, few sustained a rank more 
 deservedly conspicuous than General Knox. He was one 
 of those heroes, of whom it may be truly said, that he lived 
 for his country. 
 
 The ardor of his 3^outh and the vigor of his manhood 
 were devoted to acquiring its liberty and establishing its 
 prosperity. Born in Boston, July, 1750, his childhood and 
 youth were employed in obtaining the best education that 
 the justly-celebrated schools of his native town afibrded. 
 In very early life he opened a book-store, for the enlarge- 
 ment of which he soon formed an extensive correspondence 
 in Europe; but little time elapsed before, at the call of 
 his country, he relinquished this lucrative and increasing 
 business. Indebted to no adventitious aid, his character 
 was formed by himself; the native and vigorous principles 
 of his own mind made him what he was. Distinguished 
 among his associates, from the first dawn of manhood, for 
 a decided predilection to martial exercises, he was at the 
 age of eighteen selected by the young men of Boston as 
 one of the officers of a company of grenadiers — a company 
 
478 APPENDIX. 
 
 SO distinguished for its martial appearance, and the pre- 
 cision of its evolutions, that it received the most flattering 
 encomium from a British officer of high distinction. 
 
 This early scene of his militar}^ labors served but as a 
 school for that distinguished talent which afterward shone 
 with lustre, in the most brilliant campaigns of an eight- 
 3'ears' war: through the whole of which, he directed the 
 artillery with consummate skill and bravery. 
 
 His heart was deeply engaged in the cause of freedom; 
 he felt it to be a righteous cause, and to its accomplishment 
 yielded every other consideration. When Britain declared 
 hostilities, he hesitated not a moment what course he 
 should pursue. No sordid calculation of interest retarded 
 his decision. The quiet of domestic life, the fair prospect 
 of increasing wealth, and even the endearing claims of 
 family and friends, though urged with the most persuasive 
 eloquence, had no power to divert the determined purpose 
 of his mind. 
 
 In the early stages of British hostility, though not in 
 commission, he was not an inactive spectator. At the 
 battle of Bunker-hill, as a volunteer, he was constantly 
 exposed to danger, in reconnoitering the movements of 
 the enemy, and his ardent mind was engaged with others 
 in preparing those measures that were ultimately to dis- 
 lodge the British troops from their boasted possession of 
 the capital of New England, 
 
 Scarcely had we began to feel the aggressions of the 
 British arms, before it was perceived that, without artillery, 
 of which we were then destitute, the most important objects 
 of the war could not be accomplished. No resource pre- 
 sented itself, but the desperate expedient of procuring 
 it from the Canadian frontier. To attempt this, in the 
 agitated state of the country, through a wide extent of 
 wilderness, was an enterprise so replete with toil and 
 danger, that it was hardly expected any one would be 
 found hardy enough to encounter its perils. Knox, how- 
 ever, saw the importance of the object; he saw his country 
 bleeding at every pore, without the power of repelling her 
 invaders; he saw the flourishing capital of the North in 
 the possession of an exulting enemy, that we were destitute 
 of the means essential to their annoyance, and formed the 
 daring and generous resolution of supplying the army with 
 
APPENDIX. 479 
 
 ordnance, however formidable the obstacles that might 
 oppose him. Young, robust and vigorous, supported by 
 an undaunted spirit, and a mind ever fruitful in resources, 
 he commenced his mighty undertaking, almost unattended, 
 in the winter of 1775, relying solely for the execution of 
 his object on such aid as lie might procure from the thinly- 
 scattered inhabitants of the dreary region through which 
 he had to pass. Every obstacle of season, roads, and cli- 
 mate were surmounted by determined perseverance; and 
 a few weeks, scarcely sufficient for a journey so remote, 
 saw him return laden with ordnance and the stores of war 
 — drawn in defiance of every obstacle over the frozen lakes 
 and mountains of the north. Most acceptable was this 
 offering to our defenceless troops, and most welcome to 
 the commander-in-chief, who well knew how to appreciate 
 a service so important. This expedition stamped the 
 character of him who performed it for deeds of enterprise 
 and daring. He received the most flattering testimony of 
 approbation from the commander-in-chief and from Con- 
 gress, and was in consequence of this important service 
 appointed to the command of the artillery, of which he 
 had thus laid the foundation, in which command he con- 
 tinued with increasing reputation through the Revolu- 
 tionary War. 
 
 Among the incidents that occurred during the expe- 
 dition to Canada, was his accidental meeting with the 
 unfortunate Andre, whose subsequent fate was so deeply 
 deplored by every man of feeling in both nations. His 
 deportment as a soldier and gentleman so iar interested 
 General Knox in his favor, that he often afterward 
 expressed the most sincere regret that he was called by 
 duty to act on the tribunal that pronounced his con- 
 demnation. 
 
 During the continuance of the w^ar, the corps of artillery 
 was principally employed with the main body of the army, 
 and near the person of the commander-in-chief, and was 
 relied on as an essential auxiliary in the most important 
 battles. 
 
 There was perhaps no period of the war when the 
 American cause assumed an aspect so precarious as in 
 the autumn of 1777. Philadelphia, then the centre and 
 capital of our country — preeminent for its wealth, its 
 
480 APPENDIX. 
 
 population, and its trade — a place most distinguished for 
 the progress of the arts, was destined to fall within the 
 grasp of our haughty foe. In the campaign that preceded 
 its occupation by the British, General Knox was a con- 
 spicuous actor, eager for the contest, yet compelled with 
 his brave companions to lament that the equipments of 
 our army were unequal to the heroic spirits of its soldiers. 
 Trenton and Princeton witnessed his enterprise and valor. 
 At that critical period of our affairs, when hope had almost 
 yielded to despair, and the great soul of Washington 
 trembled for his country's freedom, Knox was one of 
 those that strengthened his hand and encouraged his 
 heart. At that awful moment, when the tempest raged 
 with its greatest fury, he, with Greene and other heroes, 
 stood as Pillars of the Temple of Liberty, till the fury of 
 the storm was past. 
 
 The letters of General Knox, still extant, written in 
 the darkest periods of the revolution, breathe a spirit of 
 devotedness to the cause in which he had embarked, and 
 a firm reliance on the favor of Divine Providence; from 
 a perusal of those letters it is evident that he never yielded 
 to despondency, but, in the most critical moments of the 
 war, confidently anticipated its triumphant issue. 
 
 In the bloody fields of Germantown and Monmouth, 
 without derogating from the merits of others, it may be 
 said that during the whole of these hard-fought battles, 
 no officer was more distinguished for the discharge of the 
 arduous duties of his command. In the front of the battle 
 he was seen animating his soldiers, and pointing the 
 thunder of their cannon. His skill and bravery were so 
 conspicuous on the latter occasion, that he received the 
 particular approbation of the commander-in-chief, in gen- 
 eral orders issued by him the day succeeding that of the 
 battle, in which he says, that "the enemy have done them 
 the justice to acknowledge that no artillery could be better 
 served than ours." But his great exertions on that occa- 
 sion, together with the extreme heat of the day, produced 
 the most alarming consequences to his health. To these 
 more important scenes, his services were not confined; 
 with a zeal devoted to our cause, he was ever at the post 
 of danger; and the immortal hero, who stands first on the 
 list of heroes and of men, has often expressed his sense of 
 
APPENDIX. 481 
 
 their services. In every field of battle where Washington 
 fought, Knox was by his side. The confidence of the 
 commander-in-chief, inspired by early services, was thus 
 matured by succeeding events. There can be no higher 
 testimony to his merits than that, during a war of so long 
 continuance, passed almost constantly in the presence of 
 Washington, he uniformly retained his confidence and 
 esteem, which at their separation had ripened into friend- 
 ship and affection. The parting interview between Gen- 
 eral Knox and his illustrious and beloved chief, after the 
 evacuation of New York, by the British, and Knox had 
 taken possession of it at the head of a detachment of our 
 army, was inexpressibly affecting. The hour of their 
 separation having arrived, Washington, incapble of utter- 
 ance, grasped his hand, and embraced him in silence and 
 in tears. His letters, to the last moment of his life, con- 
 tain the most flattering expressions of his unabated friend- 
 ship. Honorable to himself as had been the career of his 
 revolutionary services, new laurels were reserved for him 
 at the siege of Yorktown. — To the successful result of this 
 memorable siege, the last brilliant act of our revolutionary 
 contest, no officer contributed more essentially than the 
 commander of the artillery. His animated exertions, his 
 military skill, his cool and determined bravery in this tri- 
 umphant struggle, received the unanimous approbation of 
 his brethren in arms, and he was immediately created major- 
 general by Congress, at the recommendation of the com- 
 mander-in-chief, with the concurrence of the whole army. 
 
 The capture of Lord Cornwallis closed the contest, and 
 with it his military life. Having contributed so essentially 
 to the successful termination of the war, he was selected 
 as one of the commissioners to adjust the terms of peace, 
 which service he performed, in conjunction with his col- 
 leagues, much to the satisfaction of his country. He was 
 deputed to receive the surrender of the city of New York, 
 and soon after appointed to the command of West Point. 
 It was here that he was employed in the delicate and 
 arduous duty of disbanding the army, and inducing a 
 soldiery, disposed to turbulence by their privations and 
 sufferings, to retire to domestic life, and resume the peaceful 
 character of citizens. 
 
 It is a fact most honorable to his character that, by his 
 
482 APPENDIX. 
 
 countenance and support, he rendered the most essential 
 aid to Washington, in suppressing that spirit of usurpation 
 which had been industriously fomented by a few unprin- 
 cipled and aspiring men, whose aim was the subjugation 
 of the country to a military government. No hope of 
 political elevation — no flattering assurances of aggrandize- 
 ment — could tempt him to build his greatness on the ruin 
 of his country. 
 
 The great objects of the war being accomplished, and 
 peace restored to our country. Gen. Knox was early, under 
 the confederation, appointed secretary of war by Congress, 
 in which office he was confirmed by President Washington, 
 after the establishment of the federal government. The 
 duties of this office were ultimately increased, by having 
 those of the navy attached to them — to the establishment 
 of which his counsel and exertions eminentl}' contributed. 
 He diffijred in opinion from some other members of the 
 cabinet on this most interesting subject. — One of the 
 greatest men* whom our country has produced, has uni- 
 formly declared that he considered America much indebted 
 to his efforts for the creation of a power which has already 
 so essentially advanced her respectability and fame. 
 
 Having filled the office of the war department for eleven 
 years, he obtained the reluctant consent of President 
 Washington to retire, that he might give his attention to 
 the claims of a numerous and increasing family. This 
 retirement was in concurrence with the wishes of Mrs. 
 Knox, who had accompanied him through the trying 
 vicissitudes of war, shared with him its toils and perils, 
 and who was now desirous of enjoying the less busy scenes 
 of domestic life. A portion of the large estates of her 
 ancestor. General Waldo, had descended to her, which he 
 by subsequent purchase increased till it comprised the 
 whole Waldo Patent, an extent of thirty miles square, and 
 embracing a considerable part of that section of Maine 
 which now constitutes the counties of Lincoln, Hancock, 
 and Penobscot. To these estates he retired from all con- 
 cern in public life, honored as a soldier and beloved as a 
 man, devoting much of his time to their settlement and 
 improvement. He was induced repeatedly to take a share 
 in the government of the state, both in the house of rep- 
 * President Adams. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 483 
 
 resentatives and in the council — in the discharge of whose 
 several duties, he employed his wisdom and experience 
 with the greatest assiduity. At that time Maine and 
 Massachusetts composed one great and powerful state. 
 His enlarged and liberal policy, as a legislator, was mani- 
 fested on every question on which he acted, and in every 
 debate in which he took a part. While at the council 
 board of Massachusetts, on all public political questions, 
 his opinions had great weight with Governor Strong, at 
 that period the worthy chief magistrate of the common- 
 wealth. Though independent and firm in his political 
 sentiments, like Strong, he was disposed to conciliate those 
 who differed from him in opinion, and was wholly free 
 from the spirit of intolerance. 
 
 In 1798, when the French insults and injuries towards 
 this country called for resistance, he was one of those se- 
 lected to command our armies, and to j)rotect our liberty 
 and honor from the expected hostilities of the French 
 Directory: happily for our country, their services were 
 not required. 
 
 Retired from the theatre of active life, he still felt a deep 
 interest in the prosperity of his country. To that portion 
 of it which he had chosen for his residence, his exertions 
 were more immediately directed. His views, like his soul, 
 were bold and magnificent; his ardent mind could not 
 wait the ordinary course of time and events ; it outstripped 
 the progress of natural improvement. Had he possessed 
 a cold, calculating mind, he might have left behind him 
 the most ample wealth; but he would not have been more 
 highly valued by his country, or more beloved by his 
 friends. — He died at Montpelier, his seat in Thomaston, 
 25th of October, 1806, from sudden internal inflammation, 
 at the age of fifty-six, from the full vigor of health. 
 
 The great qualities of General Knox were not merely 
 those of the hero and the statesman; with these wei'e 
 combined those of the elegant scholar and the accomplislied 
 gentleman. There have been those as brave and as learned, 
 but rarely a union of such valor with so much urbanity 
 — a mind so great, yet so free from ostentation. 
 
 In sketching the life of such a man, it is not the least 
 interesting part to recall his private virtues. Long will 
 he be remembered as the ornament of every circle in 
 
484 • APPEIsDIX. 
 
 which he moved — as the amiable and enlightened com- 
 panion, the generous friend, the man of feeling and benev- 
 olence. His conversation was animated and cheerful, and 
 he imparted an interest to every subject that he touched. 
 In his gayest moments he never lost sight of dignity; he 
 invited confidence, but repelled familiarity. His imagin- 
 ation was brilliant, his conceptions lofty; and no man ever 
 possessed the power of embodying his thoughts in more 
 vigorous language; when ardently engaged, they were 
 peculiarly bold and original, and you irresistibly felt in 
 his society that his intellect was not of the ordinary class. 
 Yet no man was more unassuming — none more delicately 
 alive to the feelings of others. He had the peculiar talent 
 of rendering all who were with him happy in themselves; 
 and no one ever more feelingly enjoyed the happiness of 
 those around him. Philanthropy filled his heart; in his 
 benevolence there was no reserve — it was as diffusive as 
 the globe, and extensive as the family of man. His feel- 
 ings were strong and exquisitely tender. In the domestic 
 circle they shone with peculiar lustre: here, the husband, 
 the father and the friend, beamed in every smile — and if 
 at any time a cloud overshadowed his own spirit, he strove 
 to prevent its influence from extending to those that were 
 dear to him. He was frank, generous, and sincere; and 
 in his intercourse with the world, uniformly just. His 
 house was the seat of elegant hospitality, and his estimate 
 of wealth, was its power of diffusing happiness. To the 
 testimony of private friendship, may be added that of less 
 partial strangers, who have borne witness both to his public 
 and private virtues. Lord Moira, who is now perhaps the 
 greatest general that England can boast of, has in a late 
 publication spoken in high terms of his military talents. 
 Nor should the opinion of the Marquis Chattelleux be 
 omitted: "As for General Knox," he says, "to praise him 
 for his military talents alone, would be to deprive him of 
 half the eulogium he merits; a man of understanding, 
 well informed, gay, sincere and honest — it is impossible 
 to know without esteeming him, or to see without loving 
 him — thus have the English, without intention, added to 
 the ornaments of the human species, by awakening talents 
 where they least wished or expected." Judge Marshall 
 also, in his Life of Washington, thus speaks of him- 
 
APPENDIX. 485 
 
 "Throughout the contest of the revolution, this officer had 
 continued at the head of the American artillery, and, from 
 being colonel of a regiment, had been promoted to the 
 rank of major-general. In this important station he had 
 preserved a high military character, and on the resignation 
 of General Lincoln, had been appointed secretary of war. 
 To his great services, and to unquestionable integrity, he 
 was admitted to unite a sound understanding; and the 
 public judgment as well as that of the chief magistrate, 
 pronounced him in all respects competent to the station 
 he filled. The president was highly gratified in believing 
 that his public duty comported with his private inclination, 
 in nominating General Knox to the office which had been 
 conferred on him under the former government." — As a 
 proof of their estimation of his literary attainments, the 
 president and trustees of Dartmouth College conferred on 
 him the degree of Doctor of Laws. 
 
 Perhaps in no instance of his life was his warmth of 
 heart and strength of attachment more fully exemplified 
 than at the closing interview of the principal leaders of 
 the war, when tbey were about to take a final leave of 
 each other, never probably to meet again. It was most 
 natural that the recollection of the past scenes should 
 awaken the liveliest emotions: the bosom of the soldier 
 is the residence of honor and of feeling, and no man cher- 
 ished them more fondly than Knox. He proposed to his 
 brethern in arms that some course should be adopted to 
 keep alive the generous attachment which was the fruit of 
 their long intercourse and mutual toils and dangers; the 
 proposal accorded with the feelings of the principal officers 
 of the army, who united in forming the Cincinnati^ a so- 
 ciety whose object was to cement and perpetuate the friend- 
 ship of its founders, and transmit the same sentiment to 
 their descendants. Pure as are believed to have been 
 the motives of those who associated in forming this society, 
 there were not wanting some who, from ignorance or illib- 
 erality, professed to doubt the purity of its character and 
 the correctness of its objects. But it is a fact, derived from 
 the highest authority,* that it had, from its commencement, 
 the unqualified approbation of the commander-in-chief, 
 expressed in the most decided language. Such sanction 
 * Governor Brooks. 
 
486 APPENDIX. 
 
 as that of Washington could not fail to do away every 
 suspicion of its unfjiirness, and to establish the rectitude 
 of its motives and principles. 
 
 General Knox was a supporter of Christian institutions, 
 and contributed much, by his liberality and his example, 
 to promote the preaching of the gospel. It always appear- 
 ed to afford him the highest pleasure to bear testimony to 
 the excellence of Christianity, and he often expressed his 
 firm belief that its exalted principles were intended to cor- 
 rect the heart and to purify the life; to make man what he 
 ought to be in this world, and to prepare him for the more 
 elevated enjoyments of the future. He most firmly believed 
 in the immortality and the immateriality of the soul. 
 
 From his reflections on religion, committed by him to 
 paper, it is evident that his thoughts were often and in- 
 tensely employed on the all-important concerns of a future 
 state of existence; that he firmly believed in an overruling 
 Providence, and that he was created and sustained by its 
 power and goodness. He considered the order, harmony 
 and beauty of creation, as affording the most convincing 
 proof of wisdom and design. He thought the universal 
 distribution of blessings among mankind, furnished con- 
 clusive evidence of the goodness of the Being from whose 
 bounty they flow. But it was a subject on which he rea- 
 soned for himself, unfettered by the arrogant dogmas of 
 the churchmen, or the metaphysical subtleties of the 
 schools. He expressed exalted pleasure in the full con- 
 viction that the arm of Almighty Power was extended 
 for the protection of the whole family of man, without 
 respect to Jew or Gentile. The exclusive pretensions of 
 the various sects and denominations in the church, he con- 
 sidered the fruits of human invention, and altogether un- 
 worthy the wisdom of the Almighty Mind. 
 
 Elevated by the aspirations of his own exalted mind, 
 he believed our residence on this globe, which he consi- 
 dered but an atom in creation, as only the commencement 
 of a progressive state of existence, still rising toward per- 
 fection from sphere to sphere, till, hj successive gradations 
 of intellectual and moral improvement, we are prepared 
 for the presence and enjoyment of the All-perfect Being 
 who created us. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAOB 
 
 Dbdication, 3 
 
 Introduction, 5 
 
 Causes which led to the War, 7 
 
 Whig and Tory, 9 
 
 Parliament impose a Duty on Tea— a Cargo destroyed in Boston, 10 
 
 British Troops arrive in Boston — Gen. Gage appoiuted governor and commander,. ... 10 
 
 Courts of Justice interrupted by the People, 11 
 
 The Otis Family, 11 
 
 Colonel Nesbit Tars and Feathers a Countryman, 12 
 
 Intelligence received of the Battle at Lexington, 13 
 
 Companies of Minute-men formed, 14 
 
 Lexington Battle described, 14 
 
 Origin of the term Yankee, 15 
 
 Provincial Congress address the People, .''. 16 
 
 Zeal and Military Ardor pervade New England, IG 
 
 Town of Boston invested, 17 
 
 The British practice the Maxim, "Divide and Conquer" — we enjoin, "Unite and be 
 
 Invincible," 17 
 
 Liberty-poles, erected and Tories disciplined, 18 
 
 New England Clergy advocate Whig Principles, 19 
 
 General Gage's Proclamation, declaring the Province of Massachusetts to be in a state 
 
 of Rebellion, 19 
 
 Attempts to Dissuade the Author from engaging in the Army, 20 
 
 The Author repairs to the Provincial Congress — offers himself a Candidate for OflSce,. . 21 
 
 Visits the Forefathers' Rock at Plymouth, 22' 
 
 Battle on Breed's hill — General Warren slain, 22 
 
 Result of the Battle, 27 
 
 The Author passes a Medical Examination — is appointed to the Hospital Department, 28 
 
 General Washington appointed Commander-in-Chief— arrives at Cambridge, 29 
 
 Generals Lee and Gates arrive at Cambridge, 29 
 
 A View of General Washington, 30 
 
 ^ Cannonade from our Works and from the Enemy, 30 
 
 Congress issue Paper Money, 31 
 
 (/Riflemen arrive at Camp — their Expert Shooting, , 31 
 
 Dr. Benjamin Church detected in a Ti-eacherous Correspondence with the Enemy,. . . . 31 
 
 General Gage sails for England, 32 
 
 General Howe prohibits the Inhabitants of Boston leaving the town, 32 
 
 Their Distressed Situation, 32 
 
 State of our Military Hospitals, 33 
 
 Captain Manley takes a Valuable Prize, 33 
 
 Destitute Condi tion of the Troops and Inhabitants in Boston, 34 
 
 Connecticut Troops quit Camp, and the Militia arrive, 34 
 
 Americans occupy Lechraere's Point— Cannonade on both sides, 35 
 
 Critical Situation of our Army, 35 
 
 Death of General Montgomery, 35 
 
 Major Knowlton burns several Houses in Charlestown, 36 
 
 LI 
 
488 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Anecdote of British Officers, ^fi 
 
 British Officers aliirmed while at the Theatre, 37 
 
 The Author joins Colonel W.'s Regiment, 37 
 
 Pieparations for a Battle, 37 
 
 Our Army talie possession of Dorchester Heights, 38 
 
 General Howe sends out a Flag, proposing to evacuate the town of Boston, 40 
 
 Boston evacuated, 41 
 
 Our Troops march into Boston, 41 
 
 View of the Old South Church, 42 
 
 Dr. Elliot preaches a Thanksgiving Sermon, 43 
 
 Funeral Solemnities of the late General Warren, 43 
 
 British Ships driven from Nantasket, 44 
 
 Prizes taken with Colonel Campbell, &c 44 
 
 Deplorable Situation of our Army in Canada, 45 
 
 Death of General Thomas— his Character, 45 
 
 Independence declared by Congress, 45 
 
 Anecdote of Mr. H. and Mr. G 48 
 
 British attack Charleston, South Carolina, 48 
 
 Parliament hire Foreign Troops, 49 
 
 Tlie two Howes appointed Commissioners, 49 
 
 Letter from the Ciunmissioners to General Washington not properly directed — refused, 50 
 
 Colonel Patterson has an Interview with Washington, 50 
 
 Colonel Whitcomb's Regiment march to Ticonderoga, 51 
 
 Bite of a Rattle-snake, 52 
 
 Horrid Plot discovered at New York, 53 
 
 Tieachery of Lieutenant-Colonel Zedwitz, 54 
 
 Battle on Long Island, 54 
 
 Our Retreat from New York, 55 
 
 Lord Howe desires an Interview with some Members of Congress, 56 
 
 Result of the Interview, 57 
 
 Destructive Fire in New York, 57 
 
 General Washington in Danger, 58 
 
 Remarkable Escape of Part of our Army, 58 
 
 Formation of our Army, 59 
 
 Pay and Rations, '. 60 
 
 Ticonderoga described, 61 
 
 American Torpedo, 62 
 
 >^ Naval Action on Lake Champlain, 63 
 
 The Enemy retire into Canada, 65 
 
 The British take possession of Newport, 66 
 
 Forts Washington and Lee taken by the Enemy, 66 
 
 General Lee taken — Gloomy Aspect of Affairs, 66 
 
 Proclamation of Commissioners, 67 
 
 Riot in Camp, 63 
 
 Capture of Hessians at Trenton, 0! 
 
 Ravages of the British in Jersey, 71 
 
 Washington's Victory at Princeton, 71 
 
 The Enemy driven from Jersey, 72 
 
 Washington's Proclamation, 73 
 
 Spy executed, 73 
 
 Rigorous Treatment of General Lee, 73 
 
 Retaliation resorted to, 74 
 
 Cruel Treatment of our Prisoners, 75 
 
 Outrageous Conduct of the Enemy, 77 
 
 Stores at Peekskill destroyed, 78 
 
 Stores at Danbury destroyed, 78 
 
 British Plan for the Campaign, 79 
 
coNT]■^'Ts. 489 
 
 Pa OK 
 
 Romantic View, 80 
 
 Burgoyne's Bombastic Proclamiilioii, 81 
 
 British Army approaciies Ticonderoga, 8SJ 
 
 Ticonderosfa evacuated, 82 
 
 Retreat ol' General St. Clair, and Battle at Hubbertown and at Fort Anne, 84 
 
 General Prescott talsen at Newport, PC 
 
 General Washington's iVlanifesto, 87 
 
 Fort Stan wix invested, 88 
 
 City of Albany described, 90 
 
 General- Schuyler retreats from Fort Edward to Stillwater, 91 
 
 Brave Conduct of Major Hull, 91 
 
 Burgoyne despatches Colonel Baum on au Expedition to Bennington, 91 
 
 His Curious Instructions, 91 
 
 He is attacked and defeated by General Stark, 92 
 
 Afiecting Anecdote, 94; 
 
 Miijor-General Gates supersedes General Schuyler, and issues a Proclamation, 94 
 
 M Urder of Miss Jenny McCrea, 95 
 
 General Gates complains to General Burgoyne of Cruel Murders — Burgoyne's Reply, 95 
 
 General Gates advances to offer Battle, 96 
 
 Battle of the 19th of September, 97 
 
 General Lincoln detaches Colonel Brown to Fort George, 99 
 
 Nathan Palmer, a Spy, executed, 99 
 
 Expedition of the Enemy up the North river, 100 
 
 Battle of the 7th of October, 101 
 
 British General Frazer slain — General Arnold wounded, 102 
 
 General Lincoln wounded, 103 
 
 Remarkable Escape of part of Gates' Army, 103 
 
 Forts Montgomery and Clinton taken, 104 
 
 F.sopus Burned, 105 
 
 Burgoyne in a Deplorable Situation and General Gates under Embarrassment, 105 
 
 Daniel Taylor, a Spy, taken and executed — He swallows a Silver Bullet, and is made 
 
 to discharge it, 106 
 
 Burgoyne proposes to Capitulate, 106 
 
 Articles of Capitulation agreed on, 107 
 
 Britisli Army surrender, 107 
 
 Burgoyne attempts to evade the Treaty, 108 
 
 Trophies of the Victory, and Observations respecting it, 109 
 
 Misfortunes of Lady Ackland, ; 110 
 
 Meritorious Services of General Schuyler, Ill 
 
 Captured Officers and Ladies arrive at General Schuyler's, 112 
 
 Our Hospital crowded with Wounded Men, 112 
 
 Remarkable Preservation of Captain Gregg, 114 
 
 Indian Mode of Scalping, 115 
 
 Ceremonies at an Indian Treaty, 115 
 
 Battle of Brandywine, 1 17' 
 
 Royal Army enter Philadelphia, 117 
 
 Battle of Germantown, 117 
 
 Battle of Red Bank, 119 
 
 Fort Mifflin evacuated, 120 
 
 Singular Conduct of Rev. Mr. Duche— his Prayer, 121 
 
 Master Trotter's Dancing-school, 122 
 
 American Torpedo, 122 
 
 Celebration of our Alliance with France, 126 
 
 Sufferings of our Army at Valley Forge, 127 
 
 Attempt to supersede General Washington, 129 
 
 Trial and Execution of Culprits, KU 
 
 Catastrophe at Schoharie, 13] 
 
490 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAOE 
 
 Removal from Albany, l:<- 
 
 Robinson's house occupied as a Hosjiital — desciiption of it and its vicinity, 132 
 
 Sugar-loaf Mountain and Putnam's Rock, ". 133 
 
 Royal Commissioners make Proposals for an adjustment of Difficulties, 134 
 
 Congress address the People, 13j 
 
 Dissatisfaction among our Officers, 136 
 
 Congress grant Half-pay for seven years, 137 
 
 Royal Army evacuate Philadelphia, 13d 
 
 Battle of Monmouth, Ak 1:^9 
 
 Affair of General Lee, 138 
 
 An Unlucky Shot, 14'l 
 
 Royid Commissioners' Improper Conduct, HO 
 
 Shaking Quakers, HI 
 
 Tragical Event and Barbarous Conduct at Wyoming, 142 
 
 A Black-snake, 145 
 
 French Fleet arrive at Rhode Island, and an Expedition there, 14fi 
 
 General Lee tried and condemned, 147 
 
 A Duel, 147 
 
 General Putnam visits the Hospital, 143 
 
 Declaration of British Commissioners, 148 
 
 Congress reply to the Commissioners, 110 
 
 Colonel Baylor's Regiment massacred, lo(( 
 
 General Washington visits the Hospital : his person described 152 
 
 Generals Schuyler and St. Clair tried and acquitted — Character of the latter, 153 
 
 Brigadier-General Muhlenburg gives an Entertainment, 154 
 
 The Author appointed Regimental Surgeon, 154 
 
 A Visit to the Marquis de la Fayette, 155 
 
 Colonel Alden slain, 15fi 
 
 March through the Jei-seys, ISti 
 
 A remarkably large Child, 157 
 
 An Entertainment, 158 
 
 Log Huts, 158 
 
 A Duel, 15'J 
 
 A Celebration, 159 
 
 Dinner at Head-Quarters ; General Washington and Mrs. W 160 
 
 ' Public Execution, 161 
 
 Grand Review by the French Minister and Don Mirrilliars, 162 
 
 General Washington on horseback, 162 
 
 Indian Chiefs review our Army, 163 
 
 Review by Baron Steuben ; some Account of the Baron, 1(Q 
 
 A Duel, 105 
 
 The Author invited to join Colonel H. Jackson's Regiment, ICG 
 
 A remarkably large Ox presented to General Washington, 167 
 
 A Journey to Providence, v 167 
 
 Incursion of Governor Tryon into Connecticut, 1C8 
 
 Capture of Stony Point, 108 
 
 Diimer at General Gates' Head-Quarters, KiO 
 
 P'emale Heroism, 16'.t 
 
 Anecdote of Lieut. T. and General Gates, lOi) 
 
 Penobscot Expedition, » ,. 169 
 
 A Forced March to Boston, 171 
 
 Anecdote of a Soldier, 171 
 
 Civilities of the Gentlemen in Boston, 171 
 
 Embark for Penobscot ; Disembark at Kittery ; March to Falnioiilh, 172 
 
 Defeat of our Army and Navy at Penobscot, 1 74 
 
 Some Account of Falmouth and Civilities received there, 174 
 
 Anecdote of J. Otis, Esq V l"-^ 
 
CONTENTS. 491 
 
 Page 
 
 Stony Point taken, and Officers rewarded for their bravery, ITG 
 
 Paiilus Hook taken by Major Lee, 178 
 
 Return to Providence, 178 
 
 Wr. Murray's Preachment, 178 
 
 Anecdote of General Prescott and of a Negro, 179 
 
 Newport evacuated by the British, 179 
 
 March through Connecticut to Head-Quarters, 180 
 
 Suflferings of our Army by Cold and Famine, 180 
 
 Disadvantage of Short Enlistments, .s 182 
 
 General Lincoln and Count D'Estaing make an Unsuccessful Attack on Savannah,. . 183 
 
 Extraordinary Exploit of Colonel While, 183 
 
 Anecdote at Head-Quarters, 184 
 
 Privations and Sufferings of our Army, 185 
 
 Military Punishments, 186 
 
 RSenlistment of Soldiers, 188 
 
 Expedition to Staten Island, 188 
 
 A Party of Massachusetts Soldiers attempt to return Home, 189 
 
 ^Vinter-Quarters ; Sufferings of our Soldiers ; Severe Winter, 190 
 
 Major Boyles and Party surprised, 191 
 
 A Grand Review by the French Minister, 192 
 
 Pompous Funeral at Head-Quarters, 192 
 
 Dissatisfaction in Camp, 193 
 
 Great Depreciation of Continental Money, 194 
 
 Congress grants Half-pay to the Officers for Life, 194 
 
 Committee of Congress visit Camp, 195 
 
 Public Execution, 195 
 
 Difficulties in Camp, 107 
 
 Mutiny of two Regiments, 197 
 
 Skirmish at Connecticut Farms, 198 
 
 Murder of the Lady of tlie Rev. Mr. Caldwell, 199 
 
 General Lincoln surrenders Charleston, 199 
 
 Three Spies executed, 200 
 
 Battle at Springfield, New Jersey, 201 
 
 Description of Passaic Falls, 203 
 
 Remarkably Big-headed Boy at Talawa 203 
 
 French Fleet and Army arrive, 204 
 
 A Dinner at Lord Stirling's, 205 
 
 Corps of Light-Infantry formed nnder the Marquis de la Fayette, 207 
 
 Our Army prepared for Active Service, 207 
 
 A Committee from Congress, 207 
 
 A Sermon by Rev. Mr. E. Hitchcock, 209 
 
 A Famine apprehended; our Army march in quest of Provisions, 209 
 
 Two Fatal Duels, 210 
 
 Defeat of our Southern Army under General Gates ; Baren de Kalb slain, 210 
 
 Funeral of General Poor, 212 
 
 Review of our Army by Indian Chiefs, 213 
 
 General Wasliington journeys to Hartford, 214 
 
 Major-General Greene succeeds to the command, 214 
 
 Treason of General Arnold ; Capture of Major Andre ; West Point described, 215 
 
 Character of Ge.Beral Arnold ; Circumstances o Major Andre's Captui'e, 216 
 
 The Captors of Major Andre rewarded, 219 
 
 Trial and Condemnation of Major Andre, 224 
 
 Letter from Major Andre to General Washington, 225 
 
 Flag from New York respecting Major Andre, 225 
 
 Execution of Major Andre ; his Character, 228 
 
 Tragical Death of Captain Hale, 230 
 
 Trial of Joshua Smith, Esq., Arnold's Confederate, 233 
 
4-92 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Incursion of the Enemy on Northern Frontiers, i.'35 
 
 Successful Engagement at the Southward, i!35 
 
 A Foraging Expedition ; the Neutral Ground, 237 
 
 Ladies contribute to the relief of our Army ; Address from an American Lady, 2K) 
 
 Scarcity of Provisions in Camp ; Enterprise of Major Talraage, 242 
 
 Great Dissatisfaction among the Officers, 243 
 
 General Washington recommends to Congress an Half-pay Establishment, 244 
 
 New Arrangement of the Army, 245 
 
 Mutiny of the Pennsylvania Line, 246 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Hull's Successful Expedition, 250 
 
 Mutiny of the Jersey Line, 25] 
 
 Brilliant Action of General Sumpter, 253 
 
 Battle of the Cowpens, 254 
 
 Devastation on tho Neutral Ground, 255 
 
 A Visit to the British Lines by a Flag, 255 
 
 Confederation ratified, 257 
 
 Inoculation of the Troops with Small-pox, 257 
 
 Virtues of Butternut, 258 
 
 Capture of General Wadsworth, 258 
 
 Character of Dr. Cochran, 259 
 
 Battle of Guilford ; Distress of our Southern Array, 260 
 
 Arnold's Expedition to Virginia, 260 
 
 Success of General Greene's Army in Carolina ; Desertions from tho Enemy, 261 
 
 Colonel Greene and his Parly slain, 262 
 
 Singular Project contemplated, and Important Despatches taken by the Enemy, 263 
 
 Charms of Martial Music, 264 
 
 Our Army advance towards the Enemy, 264 
 
 French Army unite with ours, 265 
 
 Corps of Light-Infantry formed by Colonel Scammel ; the Author joins it, 266 
 
 Disaster of a British Ship ; Expedition to the Enemy's Lines, 267 
 
 Our Army in motion ; Conjecture respecting the Object of the Campaign, 2C8 
 
 The Secret explained; we march for the South — a masterly piece of generalship,.... 270 
 
 Lord Cornwallis the Object of our Expedition, 270 
 
 March through the city of Philadelphia, 271 
 
 French Fleet arrive at the Chesapeake, 274 
 
 Embark at the head of Elk ; Voyage down the Chesapeake, 274 
 
 Put in at the Harbor of Anapolis, 275 
 
 Arnold's Expedition to Connecticut, 276 
 
 Naval Engagement; the British defeated; Voyage down the Chesapeake, 277 
 
 Reach the Harbor of Jamestown, 278 
 
 Arrive at Yorktown, and begin the Siege, 279 
 
 Colonel Scammel wounded and taken, 280 
 
 Anecdote of General Washington and Mr. Evans, 280 
 
 The British obliged to kill their Horses, 280 
 
 Colonel Tarletou wounded in a Skirmish ; Death of Colonel Scammel, ; 281 
 
 A Detachment from the Allied Army open Entrenchments against the Enemy, 281 
 
 Tremondous Cannonade from our Lines, 283 
 
 A Splendid Conflagration of British Vessels, 283 
 
 Second Parallel Line thrown np, 283 
 
 Two Redoubts taken by the Allied Army, 284 
 
 Anecdote of General Washington and Colonel Cobb, 285 
 
 Anecdote of the Marquis de la Fayette and Baron Viomenil (note), 285 
 
 Cornwallis proposes to Capitulate ; Bold Attempt to effect his Escape, 287 
 
 Articles of Capitulation ratified, 287 
 
 Surrender of the British Army, 288 
 
 Singular Circumstance respecting Cornwallis ami Mr. Laurens (note), 283 
 
 Commander-in-Chief expresses his Thanks to the Army, &c 291 
 
CONTENTS. 493 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Enormities practised by the Enemy in Virginia, 292 
 
 Colonel Turleton's Horse taken from him, 292 
 
 View of Yorklown after the Siege ; Loss on both sides, 2fi2 
 
 Lord Cornwallis and his Enormities, 293 
 
 Ferocious Animosity between the two Parties, 293 
 
 Cruel Death of Colonel Hayne, 297 
 
 Sanguinary Character of Lord Rawdon, 298 
 
 Anecdote of the Marquis de la Fayette and Lord Cornwallis, 300 
 
 Battle at Eutaw Springs, 301 
 
 Anecdote of Lord Cornwallis ; Voyage up the Chesapeake, &c 302 
 
 Exploit of Major Trescott, 303 
 
 Incursion of the Enemy on our Frontiers, 304 
 
 Proceedings of Congress on our Victory, 305 
 
 Abb6 Bandole's Address, 306 
 
 Fatal Duel, 308 
 
 Splendid Celebration of the Birth of the Dauphin, 309 
 
 Mutiny in the Connecticut Line, 310 
 
 Cruel Murder of Captain Huddy, 312 
 
 General Washington resolves on Retaliation : the lot falls on Captain Asgill, 314 
 
 Lady Asgill i-eceives intelligence of the situation of her son, implores the compassion 
 of the English king and queen, and solicits the interposition of the king and queen 
 
 of France, 317 
 
 Count de Vergennes addresses General Washington in favor of Asgill, who is finally 
 
 liberated, 317 
 
 Baron Grimm's Erroneous Statement respecting Captain Asgill, 318 
 
 Lady Asgill's two Letters to the Count de Vergennes, 319 
 
 Dr. Jones and Robert Morris, 321 
 
 Review of our Army by Count Rocharabeau, 322 
 
 Lamented Death of Colonel Laurens, 323 
 
 Loss of the Royal George, 324 
 
 Prospect of Peace ; General McDougall, 324 
 
 Reduction of our Army, 325 
 
 A Final Adieu to Military Life, 326 
 
 REVOLUTIONARY ANNALS. 
 
 Society of Cincinnati,.... 327 
 
 Officers of the Army memorialize Congress, 329 
 
 Proceedings of (hat body, 330 
 
 Anonymous Letters to the Army, 330 
 
 Wise Measures of Washington to counteract the effects of the Anonymous Letters,. . 333 
 
 Author of the Anonymous Letters (note), 333 
 
 Washington's admirable Address to the Officers, 334 
 
 The Officers present their Thanks to his Excellency, with affectionate expressions,... 336 
 
 General Washington addresses Congress in favor of the Army, '. 337 
 
 Congress grant a sum in gross as a Commutation for Half-pay, 338 
 
 The Commander-in-Chief orders a Truce, and congratulates the Army, 339 
 
 Officers still dissatisfied, and address the Commander-in-Chief, 341 
 
 His Reply, 342 
 
 Proclamation of Congress for a cessation of Hostilities, 343 
 
 Mutiny of a Party of Pennsylvania Soldiers, 343 
 
 General Washington issues his Farewell Orders, 345 
 
 Disbandment of the Army, 346 
 
 Congress give their Thanks to the Army ; Painful Parting Scene, 346 
 
 Royal Army evacuate New York, and A merican Troops take possession, 346 
 
 General Washington's Parting Scene, 347 
 
494 CONTENTS. 
 
 PA«E 
 
 General Washington resigns his Commission ; addresses President of Congi-ess, 343 
 
 Reply of the President of Congress, 34U 
 
 Number of Men lost during the American War, 35i) 
 
 Loss to Great Britain ; Gain to the United States, 350 
 
 Extract of a Circular Letter from General Washington, 350 
 
 Colonel John Crane and many other Boston Mechanics, 351 
 
 Colonel Paul Revere, 354 
 
 Anecdotes of Dr. Thomas and Captain Houdin, 354 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 General Burgoyne's Observations respecting the Battles at Saratoga and Death of 
 
 General Frazer, 357 
 
 Affecting Story of Lady Ackland, 359 
 
 Extract from the Baroness Reidesol's Narrative, 301 
 
 Her interesting Account of General Frazer and other Wounded Officers, 363 
 
 Of the Ladies of the Army, 367 
 
 Her Kind Reception by General Schuyler, 370 
 
 Anecdote of General Buigoyne and General Schuyler, 371 
 
 Battle of the Kegs, 372 
 
 Capture and Roraarliable Adventures of General W.idswurth, 374 
 
 Singular' Adventures of Sergeant Champe, 3S0 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 
 
 Of General Putnam, 400 
 
 « « Heath, 411 
 
 « " Lincoln, 4)4 
 
 " " Steuben, 425 
 
 « " La Fayette, 437 
 
 " " Gates, 443 
 
 « " Stark, 451 
 
 « " Sullivan, 453 
 
 « " Conway, 456 
 
 " " Lee, 458 
 
 « " Arnold, 465 
 
 « " Knox, 477 
 
 THE END. 
 
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