Soon after this, the army was reinforced by detachments of militia from Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New-York, which augmented the force to 27,000 men, one fourth of whom were sick with diseases common to raw troops, who for the want of tents, are exposed to the open air by night, and by day.

Thus balanced, the armies watched each other's motions, and awaited the issue of a battle.

Impressed with the importance of the awful crisis, General Washington issued the following orders.

"The time is now near at hand, which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen, or slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their houses, and farms are to be pillaged, and destroyed, and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness, from which no human efforts can deliver them. The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, upon the courage, and conduct of this army. Our cruel, and unrelenting enemy leave us only the choice of a brave resistance, or the most abject submission. We have therefore to resolve to conquer or to die. Our own, our country's honor, call upon us for a vigorous, a manly exertion; and if we now shamefully fail, we shall become infamous to the whole world. Let us then rely on the goodness of our cause, and the aid of the Supreme Being, in whose hands victory is, to animate, and encourage us to great, and noble actions. The eyes of all our countrymen are now upon us, and we shall have their blessing, and praises, if happily we are the instruments of saving them from the tyranny meditated against them. Let us therefore animate, and encourage each other, and shew the whole world that a freeman, contending for liberty, on his own ground, is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth."

A general recommendation of great firmness, and coolness, to both officers and soldiers, in time of action, together with assurances of particular notice, and rewards to all distinguished acts of merit, closed these memorable orders.

When the whole force of the enemy had arrived, the general in chief supported these orders, by others equally impressive and forcible, in which he attempted to inspire the army with the same spirit of patriotism and confidence that glowed in his own breast.

It had now become well understood that the point of defence for New-York must be Long-Island; and here Gen. Sullivan was stationed, in the command of Gen. Green, who had retired through extreme indisposition.

Early in the morning of the 22d of July, the enemy shewed a disposition to land on Long-Island, and consequently Gen. Sullivan was strongly reinforced; but the enemy made good his landing, under cover of his ships, at Utrecht and Gravesend, on the south-west point of the island, at the Narrows, (so called). Col. Hand, of the Pennsylvania line, retired to the high grounds, to cover the pass leading to the village of Flatbush.

Lieutenant General Clinton, who command this division of the British army, detached Lord Cornwallis to seize the pass of Flatbush, if unoccupied; but not to hazard an engagement. His lordship advanced; but finding the pass in possession of the Americans, he took up his position in the village.

When General Washington found that the enemy had effected his landing on Long-Island, he issued the following orders.

"The enemy have now landed on Long-Island, the hour is fast approaching, in which the honour and success of this army, and the safety of our bleeding country de

pend. Remember officers, and soldiers, that you are freemen, fighting for the blessings of liberty; that slavery will be your portion, and that of your posterity, if you do not quit yourselves like men. Remember how your courage has been despised, and traduced by your crue! invaders; though they have found by dear experience at Boston, Charleston, and other places, what a few brave. men, contending in their own land, and in the best of causes, can do against hirelings and mercenaries. Be cool, and determinate; do not fire at a distance; but wait for orders from your officers."

These orders closed with renewed injunctions to shoot down every man who might desert his post, to seek shelter by flight, with assurances of rewards to the brave, &c. Adding assurances, "that if they acquitted themselves like men, they had good reason to expect to save their country by a glorious victory, and acquire to themselves immortal honour."

The camp at Brooklyn was now placed under the command of Major General Putnam, and reinforced with six regiments, with orders to be in readiness for a momentary attack, and to keep open a communication, with his best troops, through the woods, with the advance guard on the heights of Flatbush.

On the 23d, Lieutenant General De Heister landed at the head of two brigades of Hessians, and on the 25th took post at Flatbush, and Lord Cornwallis drew off his division to Flatland.

On the 26th, General Washington crossed over to Brooklyn, and passed the day in making arrangements for the

action.

The British army were now formed for action with the Hessians, under General De Heister, at Flatbush, in the centre; General Grant with his division on the left, and

General Clinton, Lord Cornwallis, and Earl Piercy, with the flower of the British army, on the right, at Flatland, and extending to the coast.

Thus posted, the distance between the two armies did not exceed four miles, and their approach to each other was accessible by three direct roads, that led across the hills, which divided the armies, and which were covered with woods. The direct road over the hills, from Brooklyn to Flatbush, was possessed by the Americans, and defended by a strong redoubt, mounted with several pieces of cannon, and supported by a strong detachment of infan.. try. The other two roads were guarded by detachments of infantry, within view of the enemy. These passes being thus guarded, Gen. Clinton detached the van of the British army, on the night of the 27th, consisting of light infantry, grenadiers, and light-horse, with a reserve under Lord Cornwallis, with 14 pieces of cannon, to seize on another pass, which led from Flatbush, over the hills, to Jamaica, about three miles east of the Bedford road. This movement succeeded; the patrols of the enemy surprised one of the American parties posted on this road; and seized on the pass, without any alarm, in the dead of night, and the whole division of the British army passed the heights; and in the morning they were encamped on the plain. Gen. Grant advanced at the head of the left wing, upon the road along the coast, and gave such an alarm as drew the attention of Gen. Putnam to this expected point of attack. About 3 o'clock in the morning, Maj. Gen. Sullivan (who commanded without the lines of Brooklyn) directed Brigadier Lord Sterling to advance with two regiments, and check the enemy upon the coast road, and the general at the same time put himself at the head of a body of troops, of the New-England line, and advanced to meet the enemy on the Flatbush road; the third detachment

guarded the heights on the road leading from Brooklyn to Bedford.

At day break, Lord Sterling reached the summit of the hills, and gave some support to the troops already engaged, but the whole American detachment continued to retire

before the left wing of the enemy, who were commanded by General Grant, who moved slowly, in order to give time to General Clinton to gain the American right. During these operations, at day light General De Heister put in motion the centre of the British army, to cross over the hills on the direct road from Flatbush to Brooklyn, and commenced his attack with a heavy cannonade, and when he discovered that the British right, under General Clinton, had turned the American left, and gained the rear of General Sullivan, he ordered Colonel Donop to advance at the head of his detachment, and charge the Americans on the hill, and at the same time moved forward the whole centre column to support the attack. At this critical moment General Sullivan discovered the enemy in his rear, and he beat a retreat, if possible to secure his detachment and recover the camp at Brooklyn. The advance guard of the British right wing intercepted their retreat, and an action commenced; but the Americans, overpowered by numbers, fled with precipitation, and regained the camp at Brooklyn, with very consider able loss. At the same time the American left, made a stand against the British right, near Bedford; but General De Heister detached a part of the centre to support the right, and the Americans were routed and put to flight, on their left, and retired into the woods, where they were enclosed between the centre, and the right of the British army, and suffered great loss; yet a part of these fugitives regained the camp at Brooklyn. At this time Lord Sterling discovering on the left, that, the enemy had turned