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regiment to the aid of the fourth, which was employed in supporting the troops engaged with Greene's column. The embarrassments among the American troops, occasioned by the darkness, had given the enemy time to recover from their first consternation. While the front of Sullivan's division, having penetrated far into Germantown, was very warmly engaged, the main body of the American army began to retreat; and all efforts to rally it were ineffectual. In this battle, about two hundred Americans were killed, nearly six hundred wounded, and about four hundred made prisoners. Among the slain were General Nash, of North Carolina, who fell at the head of his brigade, and his aid de camp, Major Witherspoon. The loss of the enemy, in killed and wounded, was six hundred, of whom less than one hundred were killed.

The American army encamped again on Shippack Creek, but soon after advanced to White Marsh; the royal army removed from Germantown to Philadelphia. The object, which now principally engaged their attention, was, on the one part to retain, and on the other to acquire, possession of the forts on the Delaware, Without obtaining them, General Howe could have no communication with his fleet; and he would be compelled to evacuate Philadelphia. For the security of that city on the water side, the Americans, beside preparing gallies, floating batteries, armed vessels and boats, fire-ships and rafts, had built a fort on Mud Island, which they called Fort Mifflin; and another at Red Bank, which they called Fort Mercer.* A detachment from the British army having dislodged the Americans from Billingsport; batteries were erected on the Pennsylvania shore, to assist in dislodging them also from Mud Island. A detachment was sent at the same time to attack Fort Mercer. This enterprise was entrusted to Colonel Count Donop, a brave and high spirited German officer, who with three battalions of Hessian grenadiers, the regiment of Mirback, and the infantry chasseurs, having crossed the Delaware from Philadelphia on the twenty-first of October, marched down on the eastern side of the river, and on the afternoon of the next day reached Red Bank. The place was defended by about four hundred men under the command of Colonel Christopher Greene, of Rhode Island. Count Donop with undaunted firmness led on his troops to an assault, through a tremendous fire; and, forcing an extensive outwork, compelled the garrison to retire to the redoubt; but, while fighting bravely at the head of his battalions, he received a mortal wound. The assailants were soon forced to a precipitate retreat, under a well directed fire from the garrison, which again proved destructive to them, as it had previously been in their approach to the assault. In this expedition,

* Mud Island lies near the middle of the Delaware River, about seven miles below Philadelphia. Red Bank lies opposite to it, on the Jersey shore. Billingsport is a high bank on the same shore, about twelve miles below Philadelphia, on which a fortification had been erected by the Americans.

the enemy are supposed to have lost about four hundred men. The garrison lost thirty-two only, killed and wounded.

Preparations in the mean time were going forward for reducing the fort on Mud Island. The British ships having at length been got up the river, a heavy cannonade commenced from them and from the batteries on the shore, which dismounted several of the guns of the fort, and otherwise so damaged its defences, that the garrison, apprehensive of an assault, quitted it the ensuing night, and were carried off by their shipping. Within three days afterward, the gar rison at Red Bank, on the approach of Lord Cornwallis with large force, was withdrawn. The water force of the Americans, now no longer protected by the works on the shore, quitted its sta tion, and retired up the river. A few of the smaller gallies, by keeping close on the Jersey shore, passed Philadelphia in the night, and escaped; the rest were abandoned and burnt. A communica tion was thus opened at last between the British army and navy."*†

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General Burgoyne, who commanded the northern British army, took possession of Ticonderoga, which had been abandoned by the Americans. He pushed his successes, crossed Lake George, and encamped upon the banks of the Hudson, near Saratoga. "Finding himself in want of provisions, horses to mount his cavalry, and teams to transport his stores and baggage, he resorted to one of the most chimerical and romantic projects that could enter the imagination 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 produced such wonderful effects, that no more opposition would be made to his progress in the country. He des patched Colonel Baum, a German officer, with a party of 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 Peter's corps (tories) and the Indians, from Rocking ham to Otter Creek, to get horses, carriages, and cattle, and mount Reidesel's regiment of dragoms, to go down Connecticut River as far as Brattleborough, and return by the great road to Albany, there to meet General Burgoyne, to endeavour to make the country believe it was the advanced body of the General's army who was to cross Connecticut River and proceed to Boston; and that at Springfield they were to be joined by the troops from Rhode-Island. All officers, civil and military, acting under the Congress, were to be made prisoners. To tax the

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*By order of congress, an elegant sword was presented to each of the following off cers; Colonel Greene, who commanded in Fort Mercer; Lieutenant Colonel Smith, of Maryland, who commaded in Fort Mifflin; and Commodore Hazlewood, who com manded the gallies.

+ Holmes' American Annals, vol. ii. p. 377-83.

= towns where they halted, with such articles as they wanted, and take hostages for the performance, &c. You are to bring all horses fit 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 must be tied in strings of ten each, in order that one man may lead ten horses."

Preceded by the manifesto, and having his commission in his pocket, Colonel Baum 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 entrenchments. It was a providential circumstance, that General Stark was at or near Bennington, with about eight hundred NewEngland militia, part of whom being from the New-Hampshire Grants, were called Green Mountain Boys. He advanced towards the enemy to reconnoitre their position, 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 Colonel 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, endeavoured to make their escape in a single file between the two parties, with their horrid yells and the gingling 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 breast-works, the force of his opposers proved irresistible, forcing their breast-works 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 no sooner accomplished, than Colonel Breyman, with one thousand German troops, arrived with two field pieces, to re-enforce 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 in one day, to their Yankee conquerors. The German troops being totally routed, availed themselves of the darkness of night to effect their retreat. The whole number 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 were prisoners. Colonel Baum received a mortal wound, of which he soon after died. Besides the above, one thousand stand of arms, 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 was not more than one hundred in the whole. The consequences were most auspicious for the northern department. Burgoyne felt the clipping of another wing, and a diminution of his confidence in his successful career. The event also produced 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 honour 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 Bennington, and being told that he had been unfortunate in one of his sons, replied, What, has he misbehaved, did he desert his post, or shrink from the charge? No sir, says the informant, worse than 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.

September 2d, General Gates issued a proclamation to counteract any influence which Burgoyne's sanguinary manifesto might have produced, interdicting all communication with the royal army, and endeavouring to calm the fears of the inhabitants, by promising them all the protection in his power. Burgoyne's manifesto, however, denouncing fire and sword, instead of alarming into submission, excited universal indignation and contempt; instead of conciliating, and increasing the number of his friends, it served only to exasperate and augment our means of resistance and opposition to his views. It was not long, 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

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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 indiscretion 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 immediately stripped off her scalp.

General Gates complained to General Burgoyne of this and other outrages in the following words. "A young lady, Miss McCrea, lovely to the sight, of virtuous character and amiable disposition, engaged to be married to an officer in your army, was, with other women and children, 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 residing in their own happy and peaceful dwellings. The miserable 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 that he obliged the Indians to give up the murderer into his hands, and he certainly should have suffered an ignominious 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 denied; but the Indians were to receive compensation for prisoners."

The following remarks of Dr. Thacher are pertinent and just :-"This cruel conduct of the royalists is contemplated with horror and detestation by all ranks of people, except their friends and adher ents. It is impossible not to detest that cause and that army which accepts the aid of savage 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 Indians 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 themselves on their civility, and humanity, employed the wild savages of the wilderness in a war against a people united to them by

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