Split Rock *, about 35 miles from Ty, fo as to have 1776. brought the guns of every one of his veffels to have borne upon the British, as they should have paffed through fingly, which they must have done, from the narrowness of the channel at that place. On Monday morning the wind came about, and blew 14. fresh, after the remainder of the fleet got in, and fo continued for eight days, and prevented the enemy's coming up the lake to Ty. Within that period, the Americans made carriages for forty-feven or more pieces of cannon, and mounted them; finished and ftrengthened their works; furrounded their redoubts with abbatis; received a confiderable reinforcement, and acquired a preparedness for defence in every quarter. Could the enemy have proceeded immediately on the Monday to Tyconderoga, they must have fucceeded. You will be entertained with fome sprightly letters written by an officer, at the moment, and upon the fpot, to the daughter of a next door neighbour; take the copies of them, and judge who it is that faves the Americans from impending ruin. "Tyconderoga the twentieth of October, 20. fix o'clock-The returns of the fhattered remains of our fleet foon let us know the worst.-A fine ftory! after all the pompous accounts of your naval fuperiority. Fine as it is, Jenny, it is true.-However we did all that men could do, in the time and with the advantages we had.-Can our country expect more?-I would not have you think we are defeated however. The fleet was ftrong, but our pofts are much stronger.-The enemy may give us another defeat-but it will coft It is known in the neighbourhood by the name of Split Rock only, though generally put down in the maps Cloven Rock, 1776. them dear.We expect an attack every moment.-I have been up these two hours, and through the guards and posts to see them alert and vigilant. We will endeavour not to be furprised. The attack whenever it comes will be furious, and the defence obftinate, cruelly obftinate. We are bufy in making every preparation for the most effectual fecurity of our pofts-and fhall in two or three days more, have little to fear from an af fault." "Ty-Oct. 21, 1776. The fear is now past, Jenny, but not the hurry.-Heaven has been pleased to give us a foutherly wind for almoft the whole week past -this has allowed us time for a very confiderable preparation. We would now gladly be attacked-in two or three more days: The enemy are at Crown Point, and we expect that they may fancy this ground in a day - or two; they must pay a great price for it however, as Oc. we value it highly." Ty-Oct. 27. If we are not 27. attacked within fix days, gen. Carleton deserves to be hanged. We expect him indeed every morning.-We have been favored with a' ftrong foutherly wind, almost conftantly fince the defeat of the fleet-and are now ready. The enemy have forfaken us-I am not forry indeed, Jenny.-We should have been much at a loss had they invested us.-An attack we were prepared for, but they must have been madmen, to rifque their all on the event of a day, when a few weeks perfeverance would have given them all they could wifh.-How much is gained by chance, or as the doctor will call it, Providence. They did not happen to know our fituation, but fuppofed we must be internally, what our external appearance (formidable enough) pronounced us, and what they, with our advantages, would have been.-Pro- 1775. vidence indeed, has once more faved us !" General Gates was about 12,000 ftrong, when the enemy was at Crown Point. Moft of the men were effective, many of the troops having recovered. For fome days after gen. Arnold's defeat, Gates had only two ton of powder, and when he had received a fupply, no more than eight. It has been thought, from information gained fince, that the enemy fent one of their engineers, difguifed like a countryman, into the American camp, as a fpy; and that after two or three hours he returned; and by his reports might occafion their going off the next day. The day they went off, Mr. Yancey, the commiffary general, had no flour in ftore for the army. Gen. Gates fent him out of the way, that as he had no flour to deliver out, the men might be kept eafy, under the notion of there being enough in the ftore; and upon the plea that they fhould be fupplied on his fpeedy return, but that it would not do to break open the doors. The commiffary had not even a barrel under his care. The Yorkers, chiefly of Dutch extraction, inhabiting the neighbourhood of Lake George, declined croffing it with the fupplies defigned for the army, through fear of the Indians. This fear however was needlefs; for gen. Carleton, while he allowed them to take prifoners, laid them under ftrict restraints not to kill and fcalp. When he found he could not keep them from fcalping, he acted with dignity, and difiniffed every one of them, faying, he would rather forego all the advantage of their assistance, than make war in fo cruel a manner. This conduct reflects great honor upon his character, as the gentleman and the foldier. The day 1776. Sir Guy withdrew from Crown Point, Gates, upon being. affured of the fact, inftantly difmiffed the militia, with thanks for their fervice, which he wifhed not to prolong -for he had no provifion for them. For near a week after, the army had but a daily supply of between 20 and 30 barrels by land from Bennington. General Carleton, before he commenced his operations on the lake, had prudently shipped off the American officers (made prifoners in Canada) for New England, fupplying them at the fame time with every thing requifite to render their voyage comfortable. The other prifoners, amounting to about 800, were returned alfo by a flag, after being obliged to take an oath not to ferve during the war, unless exchanged: many of thefe, being almost naked, Sir Guy clothed, out of compaffion. By his tenderness and humanity, he has gained the affections of those Americans, who had fallen into his hands; and has done more toward fubduing the rest than ever could have been effected by the greatest cruelties. The only danger to be guarded against by the Americans at Ty and the neighbouring pofts, is, gen. Carleton's attempting to poffefs himself of them, when Lake Champlain shall be frozen over, fo as to be capable of bearing horfes, which probably will not be till the middle of January. The troops occupying thefe pofts will not tarry longer than to the end of the year: before that there is time enough to procure a fufficient force from the Maffachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire, to defend them. And if the weeks, between Sir Guy's returning to Canada and the froft's setting in fo as to fufpend all operations, are duly improved, fomething confider able may be wrought toward fecuring the entrance into 1776. the northern states. During the summer season, a road has been cut through the woods, for fome miles, leading to Mount Independence, and communicating with the one leading to Hubbardton, fo that the intercourse between that poft and the northern ftates can be carried on by land, without coming either through Lake George, or by water from Skeensborough. That the road is horribly bad for carriages and horfes in many places, but not impaffable, my own experience convinces me. Teams have travelled them with heavy loads, though not without ropes fastened to each fide, and men attending to keep them from falling over, through the unevenness of the ground. But it is aftonishing, that loads of tentpoles fhould be sent scores of miles to pafs through thefe woods to the American camp, inftead of being ordered to be cut in the neighbourhood, where there was little other than woodland. By fome ftrange fatality, or folly, the Americans conduct their bufinefs in a most expensive way, whereas they ought to exercise the greatest œconomy practicable without injuring the common caufe. If the fate of war depends upon the expenditure of money, and the ability of the parties to continue the expences, the United States must be a-ground much fooner than Great Britain, unless the latter practises and continues an equal degree of extravagance and profufion. Mr. James Lovell, who has at length recovered his liberty by an exchange, was chosen, ten days ago, by the Massachusetts general court, one of their delegates to congrefs. |