accosted him with rather more vehemence than the hot temper of Lee could brook-he refused to explain his conduct, and a warm altercation ensued.

Washington now himself at the head of the army, moved on to battle, and a general action was soon brought on, which lasted through the whole of one of the hottest days of the summer.

Lee who had been ordered again to lead the van, met the whole shock of the British advance, which he sustained with his usual gallantry, until so closely pressed by the British horse, that his troops gave way, and he was again compelled to retreat; which he did with the most perfect order and coolness. Before the retreat of Lee, General Greene moved up with his division, and in conjunction with General Wayne, took such a position that the British gave way, and retired behind a defile; where before any disposition could be made to attack them, night came on, and both armies drew off from the contest.

No advantage was gained to either party by this hard-fought battle; nor was the loss very great on either side. The British left on the field two hundred and forty-nine, who were afterwards buried by our men, besides those that were buried by their own men during the night and forty-four wounded. Among their killed was Lieutenant Colonel Monckton, an officer of considerable distinction.

The Americans lost 69 killed, and 160 wounded. Among the killed, were Lieutenant Colonel Bonner, and Major Dickman. Many of the soldiers of both armies fell dead upon the field, from excess of fatigue and heat.

Washington lay upon his arms all night, expecting to renew the attack in the morning; but Sir Henry Clinton disappointed him by moving off at midnight with his whole army; and as Washington, though he might very justly claim the victory, was not in a situation to pursue him over the deep sands of Jersey, he continued his route without further molestation to New-York. Washington after refreshing his wearied troops, and providing as far as possible for the comfort of the wounded, moved on at his leisure towards the Hudson."*

General Lee's conduct, at several times before this, had been very suspicious. In December, 1776, he lay at Chatham, about eleven miles from Elizabeth Town, with a brigade of troops, when a great quantity of baggage was stored at Elizabeth Town, under a guard of only five hundred Hessians. General Lee was apprised of this, and might have surprised the guard and taken the baggage. But he neglected the opportunity, and, after several marches and countermarches between Troy, Chatham and Morris Town, he took up his quarters at or near White's tavern, where he was surprised and taken prisoner by a party of the British horse. He was heard to say, repeatedly, that General Washington would ruin a fine army. It was suspected that he had designs to supplant the general, and his friends attempted to place him at the head of the army. General Wash

* Allen's Revolution, vol. ii. p. 280-4.

ington's prudent delays and cautious movements afforded General Lee's friends many opportunities to spread reports unfavourable to his character. It was insinuated, with some success, that General Washington wanted courage and abilities. Reports of this kind, at one time, rendered General Lee very popular, and it is supposed he wished to frustrate General Washington's plans, in order to increase the suspicions already entertained of his generalship, and turn the public clamour in his own favour. His conduct at Monmouth was, by some, supposed to have proceeded from such a design; for he commanded the flower of the American army, and was not destitute of courage.

In August, General Sullivan, with a large body of troops, landed on Rhode-Island, and successfully fought the enemy; but not being supported by the French fleet, as was expected, he was obliged to leave the island.

"The militia, thus deserted by their allies, on whose co-operation much dependance had been placed, went home in great numbers; and General Sullivan soon found it expedient to raise the siege. Having, on the twenty-sixth, sent off his heavy artillery and baggage, he on the night of the twenty-eighth retreated from his lines. Very early the next morning, the enemy, discovering his retreat, followed in two columns; and the whole day was spent in skirmishes between them and covering parties of the Americans, which successively fell back on the main body of the army. This was now -encamped in a commanding situation at the north end of the island, and, on the approach of the enemy, it drew up in order of battle. The British formed on Quaker Hill, about a mile in front of the American line. Sullivan's rear was covered by strong works, and in his front, somewhat to the right, was a redoubt. A cannonade and skirmishes having mutually been kept up until about two o'clock, the enemy, then advancing in force, attempted to turn the right flank, and made demonstrations of an intention to dislodge General Greene, who commanded the right wing, from the redoubt in its front. Four regular regiments were moved forward to meet them, and General Greene advanced with two other regiments of continental troops, and Lovell's brigade of militia. Colonel Livingston's regiment was ordered to re-enforce the right. After a very sharp and obstinate engagement of half an hour, the enemy gave way, and retreated to Quaker Hill. The loss of the Americans, in killed, wounded, and missing, was two hundred and eleven. The loss of the enemy as stated to have been two hundred and sixty.*

The day after the action, a cannonade was kept up by both ar mies. A letter was now received by General Sullivan from General

*Nearly 1200 Americans were engaged in the action; and they are said to have shown great firmness. Particular praise was bestowed on Col. Henry B. Livingston, and John Lawrence (aid-de-camp to General Washington), who had the command of light troops, and led them on against the two columns of the advancing enemy. Lawrence (who, for his good conduct on this occasion, received from congress a con

Mr.

Washington, giving him information, that a large body of troops had sailed from New-York, most probably for the relief of Newport; and a resolution was immediately formed to evacuate the island. This movement was effected with great judgment, and entire success. General Sullivan, while making every show of an intention to resist the enemy and maintain his ground, passed his army over, by the way of Bristol and Howland ferries, on the night of the thirtieth, to the continent. It was a remakable escape. The delay of a single day would probably have been fatal to the Americans; for Sir Henry Clinton, who had been delayed by adverse winds, arrived with a re-enforcement of four thousand men the very next day, when a retreat, it is presumed, would have been impracticable."*

"The American war, and many of its consequences, so late as 1778," says the Annual Register, "were now scarcely objects of curiosity, much less of surprize; and being in the habit of deriving no benefit from our colonies, and of considering them only in a state of enmity and hostility, it seemed as if their total loss would be no longer a matter of much wonder or concern; but that rather, on the contrary, that event would be felt as a cessation from war, expense and trouble usually is felt, in other cases.

The loss and ruin, brought upon numbers of individuals, by this fatal quarrel between the mother country and her colonies, was little thought of, excepting by the sufferers, and had, as yet, produced no apparent change in the face of public affairs. For although our foreign commerce was by this time considerably embarrassed, and loaded with extraordinary charges; although it was already reduced, in some of its parts, and in others, such as the African branch, nearly annihilated; it had not yet received those strokes, or at least they were not so sensibly felt, which have since shaken the mercantile interest of this country to a degree which it had not often before experienced.

Indeed that commerce, which had so long equally excited the envy of other nations, and the admiration of mankind, was so immense im extent, and involved such a multitude of great and material objects in its embrace, that it was not to be shaken by any usual convulsion of nature, nor to be endangered by any common accident of fortune. It accordingly bore many severe shocks, and sustained losses of a prodigious magnitude, before they were capable of appearently affecting its general system.

We have formerly shown that the American war, from its peculiar nature, and the greatness of the expense, with which it was conducted and supplied, had produced a new species of commerce,. which, however ruinous in its ultimate effects, had, for the present, a

tinental commission of lieutenant colonel) was declared by General Greene to have displayed, in an eminent degree, the talents of a partizan and a general. Colonel Jack300, Lieutenant-Colonel Livingston, Lieutenant-Colonel Fleury, and Major Talbot, were also particularly mentioned.

+ Holmes' American Annals, vol. ii. p. 403-5.

flattering appearance. For this substitute, including all the traffic appertaining to, or consequent of, the war, as well as the commercial speculations which arose by licensed exception or evasion of the several restraining acts of parliament, afforded employment, like a great and legitimate commerce, to an infinite number of persons, and quantity of shipping, yielding at least equal benefits to the gross of those who were concerned; and far greater emoluments, devoid of risque, or even of the employment of much capital, to the principals, than the profits of any real or open trade could possibly admit.

Thus, however frail its establishment, and necessarily short its duration, a new, powerful, and numerous connection was formed, totally distinct from the great, ancient, mercantile interest; and thus, although our Gazettes teemed with bankruptcies, generally doubling and trebling in number, what ever had been usually known, in the same time, in this country, yet the gainers, or the candidates for gain in the new adventures, were so numerous, and presented such an appearance of ease, affluence, and content, that the plaintive but feeble voice of the unfortunate, was little attended to; and the cheerfulness which the splendour and happiness of the former spread all around, prevented any gloomy reflections from arising in the minds of those who had as yet no sensible feeling of the public calamity.

It is true, that the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland were insulted by American privateers, in a manner which our hardiest enemies had never ventured in our most arduous contentions with foreigners. Thus were the inmost and most domestic recesses of our trade rendered insecure; and a convoy for the protection of the linen ships from Dublin and Newry, was now for the first time seen.*

The

*The writer here alludes to the singular exploits of the celebrated PAUL JONES, who ranks high among the early heroes of the revolution.

Paul Jones was a native of Scotland, bred to the sea. His true name was John Paul. Disgusted with some treatment which he received in his own country, he changed his name, as above, and embarked for the United States, in the early part of the revolution, and entered with zeal into the war, Under his assumed name he received a lieutenant's commission, and proceeded under Commodore Hopkins on the expedition to New Providence, from which he returned successful; and afterward was promoted to the command of the Ranger, a ship of war of 18 guns, and sailed from Portsmouth, New-Hampshire, early in the year 1778, for the British coast. In April of that year, towards the close of the month, he landed with about thirty men at Whitehaven, in Cumberlandshire, and succeeded in firing one of the ships in the harbor, which the inhabitants extinguished before the flames had communicated to the rigging Having effected this, he caused a descent on the coast of Scotland to be made by a party commanded by his first lieutenant, for the object as he avowed, in a letter to the Countess of Selkirk, of making the Earl a prisoner, and carrying him to France. The Earl being absent, attending Parliament, of which he was a member, frustrated the intentions of Jones. The party, nevertheless, carried off the family plate, and many other valuable articles, and made good their retreat to the vessel. For this act, Jones has been highly censured; but probably without just cause. The vessel being a priva teer, the fruits of all enterprize against the enemy were not under his control. Jones sailed for France, and landed his plunder at Brest. The property, upon representation to Dr. Franklin, the American Minister, was re-shipped on board a cartel, and returned to its original owner. He again put to sea with the Ranger, and appeared cruising

Thames also presented the unusual and melancholy spectacle, of numbers of foreign ships, particularly French, taking in cargoes of English commodities from various parts of Europe, the property of

off the Irish coast. Upon learning, that a British king's vessel, called the Drake, mounting twenty-two guns, was in the harbour of Waterford, Jones sent the captain of that ship a challenge for combat, mentioning, at the same time, his force of men and metal. The challenge was accepted-the complement of the Drake was immediately made up of volunteers--she put to sea-the ships met, fought, and Jones conquered, after an hour and a quarter's combat. The guns of the English ship, which was of superior force in men and metal, were said to have been badly worked, while those of the Ranger gave proof of the superior skill of the American commander, officers and men. In the contest, the British lost one hundred and five killed, and seventy-two wounded-Jones' loss was about twelve killed, and nine wounded.

Of the numerous other exploits of this singular inan, we mention only one.— -When cruising off Flamborough lead, about two leagues from the shore, on the 22d September, at 2 o'clock, P. M., he descried the Baltic fleet, for which he had been so long on the look-out, under convoy. The fleet was convoyed by a frigate and a sloop of war. Preparations were immediately made for action.

When the hostile ships had sufficiently neared, their respective captains hailed each other, and commenced the scene of carnage, at moon-rise, about a quarter before eight, at pistol shot distance. The English ship gave the first fire from her upper and quarter deck, which Jones returned with alacrity. Three of his lower deck guns on the starboard side, burst in the gun room, and killed the men stationed at them, in consequence of which, orders were given not to fire the other three eighteen pounders mounted on that deck, lest a similar misfortune should occur. This prevented him from the advantage he expected to have derived from them in the then existing calm. Having to contend alone with both the enemy's ships, and the Bonne Homme Richard having received several shot, between wind and water, he grappled with the larger vessel, to render her force useless, and to prevent firing from the smaller one. In effecting this object, the superior manoeuvring of the larger ship embarrassed him greatly. Ile succeeded, however, in laying his ship athwart the hawse of his opponent's. His mizzen shrouds struck the jib-boom of the enemy, and hung for some time; but they soon gave way, when both fell along side of each other, head to stern. The fluke of the enemy's spare anchor, hooked the Bonne Homme Richard's quarter, both ships being so closely grappled, fore and aft, that the muzzles of their respective guns touched each other's sides. The captain of the enemy's smaller ship judiciously ceased firing, as soon as Jones had effected his design, lest he should assist to injure his consort. In this situation, the crews of both ships continued the engagement most desperately for several hours. Many of the guns of the American ships were rendered useless, while those of the English remained manageable. Some time after, a brave fellow, posted in the Bonne Homme Richard's main top, succeeded in silencing a number of the enemy's guns. This man, with a lighted match and a basket filled with hand grenades, advanced along the main yard. until he was over the enemy's deck. Being enabled to distinguish objects by the light of the moon, wherever he discovered a number of persons together, he dropped a hand grenade among them. He succeeded in dropping several through the scuttles of the ship-these set fire to the cartridge of an eighteen pounder, which communicated successively to other cartridges, disabled all the officers and men, and rendered useless all the guns abaft the main mast. The enemy's ship was, many times, set on fire, by the great quantity of combustible matter thrown on board, and with much difficulty and toil the flames were as often extinguished. Towards the close of the action, all the guns of the Bonne Homme Richard were silenced, except four on the fore-castle, which were commanded by the purser, who was dangerously wounded. Jones immediately took their command on himself. The two guns next the enemy were well served. The seamen succeeded in removing another from the opposite side. Hence only three guns were used towards the close of the action on board of Jones' ship. The musketry and swivels, however, did great execution, as did also the incessant fire from the round tops, in consequence of which the enemy were several times driven from their quarters.

About 10 o'clock, a report was in circulation, between decks, that Jones and the chief officers were killed; that the ship had four or five feet water in her hold, and was