upon the coast of Georgia so unexpectedly, that the Experiment, a man of war of fifty guns, and three frigates, fell into his hands. As soon as his arrival was known, Gen. Lincoln marched with the army under his command, and some militia of South Carolina and Georgia, to co-operate with him in the reduction of Savannah. Before Lincoln arrived, D'Estaing demanded the surrender of the town. This demand, General Prevost, the English commander, requested a day to consider, which was incautiously granted. Before the day expired, a reinforcement of eight hundred men joined the standard of Prevost from Beaufort, whereupon he bid defiance to D'Estaing. On the arrival of Lincoln, it was determined to lay siege to the place. Much time was spent in preparation, but in an assault under D'Estaing and Lincoln, the Americans suffered so severely, both as to their number, and in their works, that it was deemed expedient to abandon the project. Count D'Estaing re-embarked his troops, and left the continent.

While the siege of Savannah was pending, one of the most extraordinary enterprises ever related in history, one, indeed, which nothing, but the respectability of the testimony, could have prevented our considering as marvellous, occurred. It was an enterprise conceived and executed by Colonel John White, of the Georgia line. A Captain French, of Delancey's first battalion, was posted with one hundred men, British regulars, on the Ogeechee river, about twenty-five miles from Savannah. There lay also at the same place five armed vessels, the largest mounting fourteen guns, and having on board altogether forty-one men, Col. White, with Captain Etholm, three soldiers, and his own servant, approached this post, on the evening of the 30th of September, kindled a number of fires, arranging them in the manner of a large camp, and summoned French to surrender, he and his comrades in the mean time riding about in various directions, and giving orders in a loud voice, as if performing the duties of the staff, to a large army. French, not doubting the reality of what he saw, and anxious to spare the effusion of blood, which a contest with a force so superior would produce, surren dered the whole detachment, together with the crews of the five vessels, amounting in all to one hundred and forty-one men, and one hundred and thirty stands of arms!

Col. White had still, however, a very difficult game to play; it was necessary to keep up the delusion of Captain French, until the prisoners should be secured; and with

this view, he pretended that the animosity of his troops was so ungovernable, that a little stratagem would be necessary to save the prisoners from their fury, and that he should therefore commit them to the care of three guides, with orders to conduct them to a place of safety. With many thanks for the colonel's humanity, French accepted the proposition, and marched off at a quick pace, under the direction of three guides, fearful, at every step, that the rage of White's troops would burst upon them, in defiance of his humane attempts to restrain them. White, as soon as they were out of sight, employed himself in collecting the militia of the neighbourhood, with whom he overtook his prisoners, and they were conducted in safety for twentyfive miles, to an American fort.*

Sec. 68. The campaign of 1779 was distinguished for nothing splendid, or decisive, on the part either of America or England.

The British seemed to have aimed at little more than to distress, plunder, and consume, it having been, early in the year, adopted as a principle upon which to proceed, "to render the co- lonies of as little avail as possible to their new connections."

Actuated by these motives, an expedition was fitted out from New-York for Virginia, which, in a predatory incursion, took possession of large naval stores, magazines of provisions, and great quantities of tobacco. After enriching themselves with various kinds of booty, and burning several places, they returned to New-York.

Soon after this expedition to Virginia, a similar one, under the command of the infamous Gov. Tryon, was projected against the maritime parts of Connecticut. During this expedition, New-Haven was plundered; East-Haven, Fairfield, Norwalk, and Green's Farms, were wantonly burnt.

In an account of the devastations made by the English

* Allen's Revolution.

in this expedition, which was transmitted to congress, it appeared that at Fairfield there were burnt two houses of public worship, fifteen dwelling houses, eleven barns, and several stores. At Norwalk, two houses of public worship, eighty dwelling houses, sixty-seven barns, twenty-two stores, seventeen shops, four mills, and five vessels. In addition to this wanton destruction of property, various were the acts of brutality, rapine, and cruelty, committed on aged persons, women, and prisoners. At New-Haven, an aged citizen, who labored under a natural inability of speech, had his tongue cut out by one of the royal army. At Fairfield, the deserted houses of the inhabitants were entered; desks, trunks, closets, and chests, were broken open, and robbed of every thing valuable. Women were insulted, abused, and threatened, while their apparel was taken from them. Even an infant was robbed of its clothes, while a bayonet was pointed at the breast of its mother.

About this time General Putnam, who had been stationed with a respectable force at Reading, in Connecticut, then on a visit to his out-post, at Horse Neck, was attacked by Governor Tryon, with one thousand five hundred men. Putnam had only a picket of one hundred and fifty men, and two field pieces, without horses or drag-ropes. He however placed his cannon on the high ground, near the meeting house, and continued to pour in upon the advancing foe, until the enemy's horse appeared upon a charge. The general now hastily ordered his men to retreat to a neighboring swa p, inaccessible to horse, while he himself put spurs to his steed, and plunged down the precipice at the church.

This is so steep, as to have artificial stairs, composed of nearly one hundred stone steps, for the accommodation of worshippers ascending to the sanctuary. On the arrival of the dragoons at the brow of the hill, they paused, thinking it too dangerous to follow the steps of the adventurous hero. Before any could go round the hill and descend, Putnam had escaped, uninjured by the many balls which were fired at him in his descent; but one touched him, and that only passed through his hat. He proceeded to Stamford, where, having strengthened his picket with some militia, he boldly faced about and pursued Gov. Tryon on his return.*

While the British were proceeding in these desolating operations, Gen. Washington was loudly called upon, by the suffering inhabitants, for continental troops to resist

* Ramsay.

them; but his circumstances permitted him to spare but few. Had he listened to their calls, and divided his army conformably to the wishes of the invaded citizens, he would have exposed his whole force to ruin. Choosing rather to bear the reproaches which were by some heaped upon him, than to hazard the loss of every thing, he kept his army concentrated on both sides of the North River, at some distance from New-York, to prevent, if possible, the British from possessing themselves of West Point, sixty miles north of New-York, a post which they eagerly coveted, and the possession of which would have given them incalculable advantage over that part of the country.

Sec. 69. The exertions of the Americans, during this campaign, were still more feeble than those of the enemy. Scarcely an expedition was planned which merits any notice, and, with the exception of the reduction of Stoney Point, forty miles north of New-York, on the Hudson, scarcely any thing was accomplished of importance. The reduction of this place, July 15th, was one of the boldest enterprises which occurred in the history of the war.

At this time, Stoney Point was in the condition of a real fortress; it was furnished with a select garrison of more than six hundred men, and had stores in abundance, and defensive preparations which were formidable.

Fortified as it was, Gen. Washington ventured an attempt to reduce it. The enterprise was committed to Gen. Wayne, who, with a strong detachment of active infantry, set out towards the place, at noon. His march of fourteen miles, over high mountains, through deep morasses, and difficult defiles, was accomplished by eight o'clock in the evening.

At the distance of a mile from the Point, Gen. Wayne Lalted, and formed his men into two columns, putting himself at the head of the right. Both columns were directed to march in order and silence, with unloaded muskets and fixed bayonets. At midnight they arrived under the walls of the fort. "An unexpected obstacle now presented itself: he deep morass, which covered the works, was at this time, overflowed by the tide. The English opened a tremendous fire of musketry and of cannon loaded with grape shot:

but neither the inundated morass, nor a double palisade, nor the storm of fire that was poured upon them, could arrest the impetuosity of the Americans; they opened their way with the bayonet, prostrated whatever opposed them, scaled the fort, and the two columns met in the centre of the works. The English lost upwards of six hundred men in killed and prisoners. The conquerors abstained from pillage, and from all disorder; a conduct the more worthy, as they had still present in mind, the ravages and butcheries which their enemies had so recently committed in Virginia and Connecticut. Humanity imparted new effulgence to the victory which valor had obtained."*

Sec. 70. Another expedition, planned and executed this year, entitled to some notice, was one under Gen. Sullivan, against the Six Nations, which, with the exception of the Oneidas, had been induced, by the English, to take up arms against America.

At the head of between four and five thousand men, Gen. Sullivan marched into the country, up the Susquehannah, and attacked the Indians, in well constructed fortifications. The resistance of the savages was warlike. Being overpowered, however, they were obliged to flee. Gen. Sullivan, according to his instructions, proceeded to lay waste their country. Forty villages were consumed, and one hundred and sixty thousand bushels of corn were destroyed.

Sec. 71. It has already been stated, that the campaign of 1779 was remarkable for the feeble exertions of the Americans. Among the causes which contributed to lessen their activity, the failure of the French fleet, in every scheme undertaken for their benefit, was no inconsiderable one. America had expected much from an alliance with France, and looked to the French fleet under D'Estaing, to hasten the downfall

* Botta.