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THE

RISE, PROGRESS, AND CONCLUSION

OF THE

NORTH AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

LETTER Í.

MY DEAR SIR,

T

Roxbury, Jan. 29, 1778.

HE military operations in Pennsylvania, are to be 1777. the fubjects of our immediate attention. About a fortnight after the German-town battle on the 19th of October, the royal army under the command of Sir William Howe removed to Philadelphia.

Measures being concerted between the general and admiral for clearing the Delaware of its obftructions, the former ordered batteries to be erected on the weftern or Pennsylvania shore, to affift in dislodging the Americans from Mud-ifland. He alfo detached a strong! body of Heffians across the river, who were to march down and reduce the fort at Red-bank, while the fhips and batteries on the other fide were to attack Mud-island. Count Donop commanded the detachment, consisting of three battalions of grenadiers and the regiment of Mirback, befide light infantry and chaffeurs. The Ame

1777. ricans were about 400 under col. Chriftopher Greene of Oct. Rhode Island. When near enough, the count fent a

22.

flag and demanded a furrender of the fort in the most
peremptory terms. The colonel concealed the greatest
part
of his men, fo that the officer with the flag thought
the garrifon very fmall. Greene anfwered-" I fhall
defend the fort to the laft extremity." Donop attacked
the intrenchments, and after a fharp action carried an
extensive outwork, not half completed; but in the body
of the redoubt, which afforded a better covering, the
defence was equally vigorous and far more fuccessful.
Here indeed the Americans meant to risk the fate of the
fort, as they would have the greatest advantage of the
affailants. The Count was mortally wounded and taken
prifoner. Several of his best officers were killed or dif-
abled; and the Heffians, after a defperate engagement,
were repulfed. The fecond in command being alfo
dangerously wounded, the detachment was brought off
by lieut. col. Linfing. It fuffered not only in the affault *
but in the approach to and retreat from the fort, by the
fire of the American gallies and floating batteries. The
whole lofs was probably not lefs than 4 or 500 men.
Congress have fince refolved to prefent col. Greene with
an elegant fword. The men of war and frigates def-
tined for the attack of Mud-ifland alias Fort Mifflin,
were equally unfortunate. The fhips could not bring
their fire to bear with any great effect upon the works.
The extraordinary defences with which the free course of
the river had been intercepted, had affected its bed, and
altered its known and natural channel. By this mean-
the Augufta man of war and Merlin floop were ground-
ed so fast, that there was no poffibility of getting them -

off. The Augufta while engaged took fire, and the 1777 Merlin was hastily evacuated. The greater part of the officers and crew of the Augufta were faved; but the fecond lieutenant, chaplain, gunner, and no inconfiderable number of the common men perifhed. Notwithftanding this ill fuccefs, the British commanders profecuted with vigor the bufinefs of opening the navigation. Nor were the Americans idle; for they left nothing undone to ftrengthen their defences.

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General Washington gave the following ftate of his 29 army," Our whole force by the laft returns is 8313 continental troops; and 2717 militia, rank and file, fit for duty: befide the garrifon of Mud-inland amounting to 300 continentals, of Red-bank 350, and a detachment of militia (on the 26th to reinforce it) 300; and the troops on the other fide of Schuylkill 500, making together 1450." Thus it appears, that his whole ftrength was 12,480 men. Sir W. Howe's probably amounted to more than 10,000 rank and file, present and fit for duty. It had received no increafe worth mentioning from among the inhabitants of Pennfylvania or the neighbouring ftates, though large promifes had been made (by fome fanguine gentlemen who had joined him) that thousands of loyal fubjects would repair to the royal ftandard as foon as it should make its appearance in Pennfylvania. The American commander in chief certainly fuppofed, that general Howe's force exceeded his own in number, for, on the 13th of November, he wrote,- The army which I have had under my immediate command has not, at any one time fince gen. Howe's landing at the head of Elk, been equal in point of numbers to his. In aftertaining this, I do not confine myfelf to conti

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1777 nental troops, but comprehend militia. I was left to fight two battles, in order if poffible to fave Philadelphia, with lefs numbers than compofed the army of my antagonist, whilst the world has given us at least double. This, though mortifying in fome points of view, I have been obliged to encourage; because next to being strong, it is beft to be thought fo by the enemy, and to this cause principally, I think, is to be attributed the flow movements of Howe." The cafe was different in the northern department. There the ftates of New York and New England refolving to crush Burgoyne, continued pouring in their troops till the furrender of his army. Had the fame fpirit pervaded the people of Pennsylvania and the neighbouring ftates, Washington might, before the date of his letter, had Howe nearly in the fame fituation with Burgoyne. The Pennfylvania militia were faid to be 30,000, but about 3000 was the higheft number brought into the field. In the eftimation of fome New England gentlemen, "the peasants of `that country are extremely ignorant and brutish. They are a mixture of high and low Dutch, and fo exceeding illiterate, that few of them can read, and fcarce any can write. They have no other ideas of liberty or flavery, than as it affects their property; and it is immaterial to them, whether Great Britain or America prevails, fo that they may be exempted from paying their proportion of the expences of the war. Ignorance is the high

road to flavery."

While the British were entirely occupied in poffeffing the city of Philadelphia, gen. Washington sent off lieut. col. Samuel Smith of the Maryland line, with 200 men, who were to proceed and poffefs themselves of Mud-ifland.

By quick marches he arrived with his party at the lower 1777. ferry, and with difficulty threw himself into the fort, which he found in a wretched condition, without ammunition, provifion or ftores, garrifoned by about thirty militia. He had with him two excellent officers of ar tillery, to whom he affigned fifty of his best men, who were trained to the guns.. The colonel, with commodore Hazlewood and capt. Robinson, a brave naval officer, vifited Province-ifland, principally under water, the banks having been cut by order. The colone! pointed out two dry places, where the enemy might erect works, the nearest about 4 or 500 yards from that fide of the American works where the defences were only palisades, one gun and two weak block-houses, With great labor he undertook to erect a two gun battery without the fort, fo as to make a crofs fire on the fpot. He had not finished, before the enemy took poffeffion of the ground he most dreaded; but by a well directed fire from the block-house batteries and gallies, ere they had a gun ready, the Americans wounded the commander, and the party delivered themfelves up prifoners. While these were removing, another party came down from the heights, and deceiving major Ballard with offers of fubmiffion, till too near to be prevented, repoffeffed themselves of the battery, from whence they annoyed the garrifon very much. Many of the men and officers having fickened through the unhealthiness of the place, the colonel was reinforced by the firft Virginia regiment of about 120 men. The enemy having got up part of the chevaux de Frize, brought in their fhipping, and made an attack as above related. One American fquadron of four gallies behaved well, the others kept aloof, the

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