Part 50

January the 3d, gen. Lincoln established his head-quarters at Purysburgh, about thirty miles from the mouth of the Savannah. He met with a sore disappointment. He had been encouraged to expect a force consisting of 7000 men, beside the militia of South-Carolina and Georgia, whereas he had only 1400 in the whole. He was also lead to believe, that he should meet with great plenty of supples and military stores, instead of which there were no field-pieces, arms, tents, camp utensils or lead, and but very little powder; in short hardly any article in the arsenel or quarter-master’s store, all occasioned by the want of a military chest. A large proportion of the South-Carolina militia was draughted, and marched under gen. Richardson for head-quarters. But they behaved very badly, refused to submit to the articles of war for the government, of the continentals, and left the camp and even their posts at pleasure with impunity: as general Lincoln had no hold of them, their own state law only imposing a fine, instead of putting them upon the same footing congress had ordered for all the militia when in pay of the continent, and acting with the regular troops. When ordered on command, and implicit obedience was expected, they would at times ask—“Whether are we going? And how long are we to stay?” By the 24th of January most of them had left the camp. There defection, however was in some measure repaired by the arrival at length of generel Ashe, near head-quarters, on the 31st, with about 1100 men, which addition made the number of rank and file under Lincoln 2428, beside 367 on command.

While the greatest part of the American force consisted of such ungovernable militia, gen. Prevost joined col. Campbell with about 700 regular troops from St. Augustine. With this increase of numbers he wished to establish a post in South-Carolina, and detached 200 men to take possession of Port-Royal island. Soon after they landed, gen. Moultrie, at the head of an equal number, in which there were only nine regular soldiers, attacked and drove them off. [Feb. 3.] This advantage was principally gained by two field-pieces, well served by a party of the Charleston militia artillery. The British lost almost all their officers; and several prisoners were taken. The Americans had a lieutenant and seven privates killed, and 22 wounded. This success cheeked the British and for the present prevented an enterprise against South-Carolina; but they extended themselves over a great part of Georgia and established two pests, one at Ebenezer, and the other at Augusta. The last place being high up in the country, was a good position for awing the western inhabitants, and a convenient rendezvous for the royalists. Here the British endeavored to strengthen themselves by the addition of South-Carolina tories. They employed emissaries to encourage them to a general insurrection, and assured them, that if they would cross the Savannah, and add their force to that of the king’s army at Augusta, they would have such a decided superiority, as would effectually crush their enemies, and make a speedy return to their homes practicable on their own terms. The army consisted of about 2000 regulars and royalists under col. Campbell. Several hundreds of the Carolina tories collected, embodied under the denomination of loyalists, and marched along the westen frontiers of South-Carolina. They had such numbers of the most infamous characters among them, that their general complexion was that of a plundering banditti, more solicitous for booty than the honor and interest of their royal master. As they marched, they appropriated to their own use every kind of property they could carry off. Col. Pickens, upon intelligence of their progress and rapine, collected the whig militia of the district of Ninety-six. He left a guard at the Cherokee ford to impede their crossing the Savannah, while he went upon some other service; during his absence they made good their passage. He immediately followed them with about 300 men [Feb. 14.] came up with and engaged them about three-quarters of an hour, when they gave way and were totally routed. They had 40 killed, including their leader, colonel Boyd, who had been secretly employed by the British to collect and head them.—Pickins had nine killed, and several wounded. By this action the tories were dispersed all over the country. Some ran to North-Carolina. Many returned home, and cast themselves upon the mercy of their state government. Being the subjects of South-Carolina, they were tried in a regular manner, and 70 were condemned to die; but sentence was executed only on five principals, and the rest were pardoned.

The British having extended their posts up the river, general Lincoln fixed encampments at Black Swamp, and nearly opposite to Augusta, on the north side. With a view of strengthening the last, and improving any advantages which might offer for crossing the river, and limiting the British to the sea-coast of Georgia, gen. Ashe was ordered to the upper parts of the country. He began his march on the 10th, with 1500 North-Carolina militia and the remains of the Georgia continentals; and on the 13th in the evening, reached general Williamson’s camp, opposite Augusta. That same night col. Campbell made so hasty a retreat from Augusta, that by eight the next morning he had marched 14 miles lower down. This precipitate movement was owing to some false intelligence respecting either Ashe’s force, or the arrival of a large body of continentals at Charleston; which Campbell credited, and from whence he inferred the necessity of an immediate retreat, to prevent his being cut off. Lincoln finding that he had quitted Augusta, wrote to Ashe [Feb. 16.] that it was of the greatest importance, that it the enemy was out of the upper part of the country, he should follow them down as fast as possible, lest by a forced march they should join their own troops below, attempt his post, and drive him from it, before he (Ashe) could come up with their rear. Lincoln on the 22d sent him the following intimation—“I think that Briar Creek will be a good stand for you until some plan of co-operation be digested, for which purpose, as soon as you arrive there, I will meet you at the two sisters, you appointing the time.” Ashe crossed the Savannah with about 1200 troops, beside 200 light-horse. On Saturday morning the 27th, the army arrived at the lower bridge on Briar Creek. The next day generals Brian and Elbert took possession of a proper spot of ground at twelve o’clock, and encamped, Ashe being gone to meet Lincoln. On March the 2d, the officer of the day reported, that reconnoitring parties of the enemy’s horse and foot had been seen within their pickets the night preceding. Ashe returned the evening of the 2d to camp. On Wednesday the 3d, nothing was in forwardness for repairing the bridge which Campbell had destroyed in his return downward, though it had been reported five days before, that the repair would take but six hours. About two in the afternoon information was given, that one of their soldiers had six balls shot through his body; little or no notice was taken of it. Within an hour after an account was brought that 500 British regulars were at the ferry. At half past four, a few of the American horse returned from skirmishing with the enemy, when orders were issued for the troops to be formed into platoons from the right, and composed into a column: it was not long before the British light-infantry appeard. Lieut. col. Prevost, after a circuitous march of about 50 miles, in which he crossed Briar-Creek 15 miles above Ashe’s encampment came unexpectedly on his rear with a detachment of about 900 men, including some horse. Upon the appearance of the British light-infantry, Ashe said to Elbert who commanded the continentals—“Sir you had better advance and engage them.” They did not exceed 100 rank and file but upon Elberts ordering them they formed, advanced thirty yards in front of the enemy, and commenced a very sharp fire upon them, which continued about fifteen minutes. Ashe and the North-Carolina militia remained about 100 yards in the rear entirely inactive. Instead of advancing to support the continentals, they were struck with such a panic at being so completely surprised, that they went to the right about, and fled in confusion without discharging a single muskets. The few Georgia regulars, finding themselves thus deserted, and being surrounded by a great part of the enemy, broke and endeavored also to escape. Elbert did every thing to rally them but in vain. He and the survivors of his brave corps were made prisoners. About 150 Americans were killed, and 162 were captured. None had any chance of escaping but by crossing the river, in attempting which many were drowned; of those who got over safe, a great part returned home and never more rejoined the American camp; the number that joined it, did not exceed 450 men. This event deprived gen. Lincoln of one fourth of his number, secured to the British the possession of Georgia, and opened a communication between them, the Indians, and the tories of South and North-Carolina.

Toward the end of the last year, an American camp was formed at Danbury, the sufferings it underwent you may collect from the following passage in a letter of a field officer of Jan. 23.—We were not under cover till the beginning of the present year. It was distressing to see our officers and men in tents in such severe cold weather. Added to which, and the former list of grievances, was the want of provisions. From six to nine days were our men frequently without bread. A revolt took place in general Huntington’s brigade; four hundred men got under arms, and marched off the ground to an advantageous post, where they expected to have been joined by the men of the other two brigades; but by the alacrity of the officers and general Putnam’s influence, they were dispersed.

An expedition has been agreed on against the inimical Indians of the six nations. The command of it is to be entrusted with gen. Sullivan. The plan is to divide the force into three parts. The principal, consisting of about 3000, is to go by the way of Susquehannah. Another, of about one thousand, is to enter the Indian country by the Mohawk river; and the other, of about 500, is to attack by the Ohio and Alleghany rivers.—General Washington is endeavoring, by appearances of an expedition to Canada, to induce the British governor to keep his force at home; and with a view to it, beside jealousies which have been excited on the side of lake Champlain, he is trying to create others by the way of Coos. A considerable number of Americans was employed the last year in cutting a road from thence toward Canada. Colonel Hazen is now gone with his regiment to extend the road toward the Sorel, and give the appearance of an intention to invade the province by that passage. The American army are better clad and more healthy than they have ever been since the formation of the army.

The procuring of early and good intelligence, is of the highest importance to the American commander in chief. He has therefore directed one of his confidential correspondents to reside at New-York, to mix with and put on the airs of a tory, thereby to cover his real character and avoid suspicion. He has hinted to him an intimacy with some well informed refugees. Members of congress are not trusted with the names of such correspondents, concerning whom the strictest honor and the profoundest secrecy is observed, and every precaution taken to prevent a discovery by unforeseen accidents. They are furnished with two chymical liquids, or sympathetic inks, the one for writing, and the other for rendering what is written visible; the former of that nature as not to become visible by any mean whatever, but by having the latter rubbed over it.

The king’s speech on opening the session of parliament, has been circulated through the United States more than a month ago. The popular leaders have been diverting themselves with it. They triumph at observing, that it is replete with complaints of the unexampled and unprovoked hostility of the court of France——and while the professions of neutral powers are represented as friendly, their armaments are mentioned as suspicious——and that there is a total silence with regard to the American war.

A number of royal refugees had petitioned, and been permitted by Sir Henry Clinton to embody under proper officers, and to retaliate and make reprisals upon the Americans declared to be in actual rebellion against their sovereign. A party of them, who had formerly belonged to the Massachusetts, made an attempt upon Falmouth, in Barnstable county, but were repulsed by the militia. They renewed it, but not succeeding, went off to Nantucket [April 5.] and landed 200 men, entered the town, broke open ware-houses, and carried off large quantities of oil, whalebone, molasses, sugar, coffee, and every thing that fell in their way. They also carried off two brigs, loaded for the West-Indies, two or three schooners, and a large number of boats. In a proclamation they left behind, they took notice of their having been imprisoned, compelled to abandon their dwellings, friends and connections, had their estates sequestered, and been themselves formally banished, never to return on pain of death. Thus circumstanced, they conceived themselves warranted, by the laws of God and man, to wage war against their persecutors, and to use every mean in their power to obtain compensation for their sufferings.

The news of the French king’s declaration of war, published at Martinico in the middle of last August, but signed at Versailles the 28th of June, and the capture of Dominica by the French, reached the continent as early as could be expected. By the accounts that are given, the British government had been at an unusual expence in fortifying that island, and the works had been lately covered with a numerous artillery, sent from Britain for the purpose. But though there were 160 pieces of cannon and twenty mortars, the regular troops who composed the garrison, amounted only to about a hundred. Neither the importance nor the weakness of Dominica, escaped the attention of the marquis de Bouille, governor-general of the French windward islands, whose residence was at Martinico. He therefore landed on the isand with about 2000 men, under cover of some frigates and privateers, about day-break of last September the 7th, and proceeded to attack the different batteries and forts by land, as his marine force did by sea. The handful of regulars, with the militia and inhabitants in general, did all that could be expected, but defence was fruitless, so that the lieut. gov. Stuart, to save the inhabitants from plunder and ruin, entered into a capitulation, which was soon concluded. The terms were the most moderate that could be conceived; the marquis, out of his great humanity, having nearly agreed, without discussion or reserve, to every condition proposed in favor of the people, whose only change was that of sovereignty. The smallest disorder or pillage was not permitted; and the marquis, in lieu of plunder, rewarded the soldiers and volunteers with a considerable gratuity in ready money. His stay was short: he left a garrison of 1500 men behind him, who with the strength of the works, and the powerful artillery in their hands, will be able to defend Dominica effectually. We are in expectation of hearing soon of count d’Estaing’s operations.

An embargo having been laid in the southern states on the exportation of grain and flour to these eastern ones, occasioned a scarcity of bread at Boston. What from drought the last summer, a blight on the rye, the neglect of tillage by the husbandman’s being called off to the army, and divers other causes, the inhabitants of the farming towns could not afford a sufficient supply to the sea-ports, these have fitted out a number of cruisers, which in some instances have procured a temporary relief: but “the trade and harbours upon the Massachusetts coast have been left in such an unguarded and defenceless situation, that where the Bay-men have taken one vessel from the enemy, their small privateers out of New-York have taken ten from them.”[95] The last month the Bostonians were in great distress for want of flour; but the other day [April 12.] a cargo of it happily arrived from Baltimore. The Massachusetts house of assembly, judging it absolutely necessary that so the army might be kept together, have engaged to make good the wages of the officers and soldiers raised in this state, at the close of the contest, provided it is not done by congress.

LETTER XV.

_Rotterdam, May 14, 1779._

FRIEND G.

The present letter shall begin with what was a chief subject in the former—our British admiral Keppel. When he returned to Plymouth, he experienced the benefit arising from temperate conduct. Unanimity prevailed among the officers, and every exertion was made in refitting the ships: so that he sailed on his second cruise the 24th of August, and kept the sea as long as the approaching winter would admit. The French fleet left Brest a week before; but steered to the southward, and amused themselves about Cape Finisterre; thus their own coasts and the bay were abandoned to the British, who were in vain endeavouring to obtain intelligence of them. The French commerce now became a prey to the British cruisers, in a degree which few former wars had equalled for the time, while the trade of Britain arrived in a state of security, scarcely exceeded by that of peace.

The reception which admiral Keppel met with on his return from sea, both at court and at the admiralty, equalled his most sanguine expectations. An attempt, however was made on his character from an unexpected quarter. Sir Hugh Palliser, on the 9th of December, preferred to the lords of the admiralty articles of accusation against him, or offences supposed to have been committed on the 27th of the preceding July, after having withheld them near five months. A few hours after the charges were laid, the admiralty, without further inquiry, sent him notice to prepare for his trial. Sir Hugh mentioning in the house of commons, his having demanded a court-martial on admiral Keppel had the notification to hear his conduct in so doing, and also in publishing, a month before, in the newspapers, a vindication of his own behaviour on the 27th of July, openly and without reserve condemned by every gentleman, of whatever side or party, who spoke on the occasion. The admiral’s trial commenced at Portsmouth on the 7th of January, 1779.—He gave notice to the admiralty, that he might find it useful to his defence to produce his instructions. The admiralty communicated to him his majesty’s pleasure, and informed him, that they could not consent that the same should be laid before his counsel, or be produced at the court-martial. Being willing to run every hazard for the benefit of the state, he neither produced them to his counsel, nor communicated their contents. His trial was not closed till the 11th of February; when the court acquitted him of every charge in the fullest, clearest and most honorable terms; further declaring that he had behaved as became a judicious, brave and experienced officer. They marked the conduct of his accuser, in the body of the sentence, by declaring—“that the charge was malicious and ill-founded.” The sentence was a matter of notoriety the next day at Westminster, when it was carried in the house of commons, with only one dissenting voice, “That the thanks of this house be given to admiral Augustus Keppel, &c. for his having gloriously upheld the honor of the British flag on the 27th and 28th of July.”—The thanks of the lords in nearly the same terms, were agreed to, four days after. Public and unusual rejoicings, in various and remote parts of the kingdom, succeeded the sentence. The illuminations in London and Westminster, were such as have scarcely been exceeded upon any occasion. Sir Hugh Palliser having become the object of general odium, resigned his seat at the admiralty board, his lieutenant-generalship of the marines, and his government of Scarborough castle: he also vacated his seat in parliament, and only retained his vice-admiralship, as a qualification for his trial by a court-martial, which was ordered to be held upon him. The same began on the twelfth of April, and closed the 5th of May, the court having, _after two days deliberation_, agreed upon their sentence. They gave it as their opinion, that his conduct and behaviour, on the 27th and 28th of July, were, in many respects, highly exemplary and meritorious; at the same time they could not help thinking it was incumbent upon him to have made known to the commander in chief the disabled state of his ship the Formidable. Notwithstanding his omission in that particular, the court were of opinion, that he was not, in any other respect, chargeable with misconduct or misbehaviour on those days, and therefore acquitted him.

Lord Shuldam and commodore Rowley sailed from Spithead, last December the 25th, with their respective squadrons and a convoy of near 300 sail. His lordship returned after seeing the West-India and New-York fleets safe to the distance of 226 leagues from the Lizard; and the commodore proceeded on his voyage to reinforce admiral Byron. On the 8th of March, admiral Hughes, with six ships of the line under his command, having the East and West-India fleets under convey, sailed from St. Helen’s for the East-Indies, accompanied by several other men of war, some in different services, and others to return after attending the merchantmen to a certain latitude.

The following accounts have been received from the West-Indies.

[1778.] While the marquis de Bouille was engaged in reducing Dominica, admiral Barrington, with two ships of the line and some frigates, lay at Barbadoes, waiting merely for instructions which he had been ordered to expect at that place, and which were not yet arrived. It was the French declaration of war, published at Martinico, that first informed him of hostilities. The loss of two of Sir Peter Parker’s frigates, taken by the French on the coast of Hispaniola, proved also the earliest mean of conveying intelligence to that admiral, as well as to the government of Jamaica, where he was stationed, that a war had actually commenced.

No sooner did admiral Barrington receive information of the invasion of Dominica, than he despensed with the violation of his orders, and proceeded to its intended relief. He was too late, as the conquest was but the work of a day; his small squadron, however, removed the panic which had spead through the neighboring islands, and effectually curbed the further enterprises of the enemy.