8.

late." On the 7th, lord Cornwallis's corps marched to 1776. Princeton, which the Americans quitted the fame day. The next day the corps marched in two divifions; the Dec. first advanced to Trenton, and reached the Delaware juft as the rear guard of gen. Washington's army, under col. Henley, gained the oppofite shore about twelve o'clock at night.

Lord Cornwallis, who halted with the rear divifion within fix miles of Trenton, intended croffing a body very early the next morning, near two miles below Corriel's ferry; and got the troops in readiness, and the artillery prepared to cover the landing; for at that place it was only eight and twenty rod to a fpit of fand on the Pennsylvania fide, on which a fufficient number were to have landed, and then to have marched up to Corriel's ferry, and to have taken the boats that had been collected there by the Americans, and left under a guard of only about ten men with them it was meant to carry over the main body. In the vicinity of this place, a large funken Durham boat (which came down three days before, laden with flour, and which could carry 100 men) lay concealed under a bank. This had been discovered and taken away by Mr. Merfereau, fo that the British were disappointed in their expectation of finding it. They hailed one Thomson, a quaker, who lived on the other fide of the Delaware, and inquired what was become of the boat, and were anfwered it was carried off. They continued reconnoitring up and down the river till ten o'clock, but finding no boats, returned to Pennytown. Men had been employed in time for taking off all the boats from the Jersey fide of the Dela ware; but Mr. Merfereau's attention would not admit

1776. of his confiding wholly in their care and prudence. He therefore went up the river to examine whether all the boats were really carried off or deftroyed; upon difcovering the above funken one, which had efcaped the obfervation of the men, and inquiring of a person in the neighbourhood concerning her, he was told that the was an old one and good for nothing; but not relying upon the information, he found her to be new, had the water baled out, and fent her off*. The importance of this affair to the Americans, prevents the relation of it from being trifling. Had lord Cornwallis croffed into Pennsylvania as he propofed, the confequence would probably have been fatal to the Americans. Gen. Washington, when he croffed, had about 2200 men: but the time of their fervice expiring, they left him in such a manner, that the fecond day after croffing he had but Seventeen hundred.

The militia of Jerfey had timely notice given them; and had they stept forth in season, might have enabled gen. Washington to have prevented lord Cornwallis croffing the Hackinfack: but either difaffection, or the want of exertion in the principal gentlemen of the country (through depreffion of fpirit at the threatening appearances that exifted) or a fatal fupinenefs and infenfibility of danger, increased the actual evil, and made It abfolutely neceffary for gen. Wafhington to quit the Jerfeys, and feek fecurity on the other fide of the Delaware. To whatever caufe it was owing, the inhabitants almoft to a man refufed to turn out, fo that he could not at any time bring more of them together than 1000

Mr. Merfereau, afterward an American, deputy commiffary of prifoners, was my informer.

men, and even on thefe very little dependence was to be 1776. put. The proclamation iffued the 30th of November by lord Howe and gen. Howe, as the king's commiffioners, added to gen. Washington's difficulties. Inthat, they commanded all perfons affembled in arms against his majesty's government, to difband and return to their dwelling; and all general or provincial congreffes, &c. to defift from all their treasonable actings, and to relinquish all their ufurped power. They declared that every person, who, within 60 days, fhould appear before the governor, lieut. governor, or com mander in chief of any of his majesty's colonies, or before the general or commanding officer of his majesty's forces, &c. and claim the benefit of the proclamation, and teftify his obedience to the laws by subscribing a certain declaration, fhould obtain a full and free pardon of all treafons, &c, by him committed, and of all forfeitures and penalties for the fame. Numbers, who had been provincial congrefs-men, committee-men, juftices and the like, though out of the way of immediate danger, ran to take the advantage of the proclamation. Many of the whigs fhifted about. Only a few of fortune stood firm to the caufe. It was the middle rank of people in general that remained stedfast in this day of trial. The fuccefs of the royal army extended its influence alfo to Pennsylvania. Mr. Galloway, the family of the Allens, with fome others, repaired to the commiflioners to claim the benefits of the general pardon.

General Lee, with more than 3000 men, though re peated expreffes were fent to him, continued in the rear of the royal forces, marching fo flowly that Washington. could not account for it. It at length proved fatal to

*776 his perfonal liberty. While he lay carelessly and with out a guard at Bafkingridge, fome way diftant from the main body, he was made prifoner, The circumstances of his fituation were communicated to col, Harcourt, com, manding the light horfe, and who had then made a defultory excurfion at the head of a small detachment, to obferve the motions of that body. The colonel conDec. ducted with fuch address and activity, as to captivate 13. and carry off the general. The capture was confidered by the British officers as a matter of the greateft confequence. Their words were, "We have taken the American palladium;" fuch was the opinion they had of the general deficiency of military skill among the Americans, and the inexperience of their officers. The command of the troops, after Lee's capture, fell to gen. Sullivan, who foon after croffed the Delaware, and joined gen. Washington. The general needed this reinforcement, notwithstanding his having been joined by the Philadelphia militia. He had fent gen. Mifflin to Philadelphia, while retreating before lord Cornwallis : and on the 27th of November, there was a large and general town meeting, when the intelligence of the probability of gen. Howe's invading the ftate was communicated, as alfo the request of congrefs, that the militia of the cities and counties might march to the Jerfeys. Gen. Mifflin, who was detained by congrefs for the purpose, enforced it by a spirited, animating, and affectionate address to his fellow citizens; who expressed their approbation of the measure propofed, and foon marched forward fome hundreds of militia to join the commander in chief. After that, gen. Mifflin left Philadelphia by the direction of congrefs, who knew of

what importance his influence was, and repaired to the 1776. back counties, where his exertions were equally fuccessful, fo that they poured in their yeomanry in fupport of the common cause..

The royal forces lay much scattered in the Jerfeys, 14. and to all appearance in a state of fecurity. Gen. Washington wished to ftrike them; fenfible that a lucky blow in that quarter, would be fatal to them, and most certainly raise the fpirits of the people, which were quite funk by the late misfortunes; but prudence would not admit of it. The Pennsylvania militia were ordered to Bristol; and the remainder of the troops were cantoned along the Delaware, fo as to oppose any attempts of the royalifts to cross it,

Should it be true, as reported, that the American general once wept, while he fled through the Jerfeys, that will not prove the want of perfonal fortitude. He is neither lefs, nor more than man. Agitation of mind, occafioned by the threatening ftate of public liberty, and a reflection on the horrid calamities that would follow the lofs of it to the prefent and future generations, might produce that event, without any mixture of private concern for his own fafety,

During the royal fucceffes in the Jerfeys, gen. Clinton, with two brigades of British, and two of Heffian troops, with a squadron of men of war under Sir Peter Parker, was fent to attempt Rhode Island. The American forces, being incapable of making effectual refiftance, abandoned it on his approach; fo that, on the day when gen, Washington croffed the Delaware, the British took poffeffion of it without any lofs, and at the fame time

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