The fleet anchored in Hampton Road, a large basin of water formed by the confluence of the rivers James, Nansemond, and Elizabeth. On the morning of the 10th it entered Elizabeth river; and the weak American detachment in that quarter, wholly unable to resist such a formidable force, saved itself by flight. The British troops landed without opposition. General Matthews cstablished his headquarters at Portsmouth, whence he sent small parties to Norfolk, Gosport, Kemp's landing, and Suffolk; where they took and carried off or destroyed a large quantity of naval and military stores, and a number of ships, some of them richly laden. The loss to the public and to individuals was great. Having accomplished the object of the expedition, General Matthews returned to New York before the end of the month.

At the opening of the campaign of 1779, the British army at New York and Rhode Island, including the detachment under General Matthews, amounted to upward of sixteen thousand men, assisted by a powerful fleet. The complete command of the ocean and of the navigable rivers enabled the royal army to make sudden attacks on distant parts of the country, and to keep the Americans in perpetual alarm, as they knew not at what point they were to be assailed. In numerical force the northern army of congress was nearly equal to that under Sir Henry Clinton. Upward of seven thousand men were stationed at Middlebrook, under the immediate command of General Washington; the rest of the army was posted in the highlands on the Hudson, under General M'Dougall, and on the east side of the river, under General Putnam.

On the part of the Americans the plan of the campaign was necessarily defensive; for they had no probability of making any successful attack on the British army at New York or Rhode Island. That army interrupted the communication by sea, and by the lower parts of the Hudson, between the middle and northern states. To preserve that communication as far down the Hudson as possible, was a matter of much importance to the Americans; and to guard the passes of the highlands, and command the communication between New York and Albany, was always an object of anxious attention to General Washington. With a view to secure those points, the Americans began to construct fortifications on Stony point, a rocky and commanding eminence on the west bank of the river, about sixty miles above New York, and on Verplanck's point, a flat peninsula projecting a good way into the river on the opposite side. The fort at the last place, named La Fayette, was in a state of greater forwardness than the works on Stony point.

Before the return of General Matthews from his incursion into Virginia, Sir Henry Clinton had planned an attack upon those places, and the troops were embarked for that purpose. On the return of Matthews, his detachment, without being permitted to land, was joined to the expedition; and on the 30th of May the whole armament, convoyed by Sir George Collier and accompanied by the commander-in-chief, sailed up the North river. Next morning the largest division of the troops, under General Vaughan, landed on the east bank, seven miles below Fort La Fayette; the remainder, accompanied by Sir Henry Clinton, continued their course up the river, and landed on the west side, three miles below Stony point.

The position of the Americans at Stony point was strong, but the works were unfinished; and the feeble garrison, after setting fire to a blockhouse on the top of the eminence, abandoned the place. The British took possession of it in the afternoon, and, in the course of the night, with great labor, dragged some heavy cannon and mortars to the top of the hill. At five next morning a battery was ready to open on Fort La Fayette. The distance across the river was about a thousand yards; and during the day the fire from the commanding summit of Stony point, and from the armed vessels and gun-boats in the river, made a sen

sible impression on the works of Fort La Fayette. During the following night two galleys passed up the river, and anchored above the fort, so as to prevent the escape of the garrison by water. General Vaughan, having made a long circuit, completely invested the place by land. Therefore the garrison, unable to maintain the post against such a superior force, and finding themselves enclosed on every side, surrendered the place, and became prisoners of war. Sir Henry Clinton gave immediate directions for completing the fortifications of both posts, and putting them in a strong state of defence.

General Washington obtained early notice of preparations at New York for this expedition; and, suspecting that it was intended either against his own army at Middlebrook or the passes in the highlands, he put his troops in motion, and ordered General Putnam to be ready to make a rapid movement up the river. He strengthened the garrison of West Point, an important post on the Hudson, some miles above Verplanck's; and took a strong position, with his army, in Smith's close, so as to secure West Point on that side. But Sir Henry Clinton, perceiving that no further progress could be made up the river, and being informed that Staten Island was threatened in his absence, after garrisoning the posts which he had taken, returned with his fleet and army to New York.

The states of New England were the most populous in the Union. With them the quarrel originated; and they had given congress an active and zealous support. The activity and courage which they had displayed at the commencement of the struggle had hitherto, in a great measure, saved that part of the country from being made the theatre of war. But now Sir Henry Clinton determined to ravage the coast of Connecticut; partly with the view of drawing General Washington from his strong position in the highlands to protect the towns near the shore, and partly in order to punish the inhabitants for their active hostility to the British government. For those purposes 2,600 men, under the command of Tryon, formerly governor of the province of New York, but now a major-general in the British army, convoyed by Sir George Collier with several vessels of war, sailed from Throg's Neck in the sound, on the 4th of July, and next morning reached the vicinity of New Haven, the capital of Connecticut.

On the appearance of the armament, the militia assembled with alacrity and in considerable numbers. But the troops effected a landing several miles below the town; and, notwithstanding a continued opposition, made themselves masters of it, and took or destroyed all the artillery, ammunition, public stores, and the vessels in the harbor, but, in a great measure, spared private property.

Next day they reimbarked, and sailed along the coast to the village of Fairfield. The alarm was now widely spread; the militia assembled in greater numbers; and the opposition to the troops was more obstinate than at New Haven. But they forced their way into Fairfield; and General Tryon, determined if possible to ruin those whom he was unable to subdue, not only destroyed all the public property, but laid the flourishing village in ashes, and treated many unarmed persons with severity. Such conduct disgraced the British arms, and injured the cause which it was intended to serve. At all times war is a fearful scourge, and ought to be carried on with as much humanity as is consistent with the attainment of the main object in view. To intrust a military force to the orders of an infuriated zealot can seldom serve any good purpose.

The opposition increased as the troops advanced; and the towns of Norwalk and Greenfield, at which they successively landed, shared the same unhappy fate with Fairfield. An attack on New London, a noted place of resort for the privateers which preyed on the British trade, was the ultimate object of the expedition; but, as the resistance still increased, a formidable opposition was there anticipated, and it was therefore thought advisable to procure a reinforce

ment of men and a supply of provisions, before attempting that place. For this purpose the fleet returned to Huntingdon bay, in Long Island; and Sir George Collier repaired to Throg's Neck, to consult with the commander-in-chief of the army concerning their subsequent operations.

The ravages committed on the towns of the coast of Connecticut excited complaints and murmurings among the people, because they were left unprotected, and exposed to the ruthless depredations of the enemy. But General Washington's army was too feeble at once to defend the passes in the highlands and afford protection to the coast. In order, therefore, to quiet the murmuring of the people, and to withdraw the British troops from Connecticut, he was! powerfully induced to undertake some enterprise on the Hudson; and the posts at King's ferry seemed the most eligible point for striking an effective blow.

General Washington procured good information concerning the state of those posts; and in person took a view of Stony point, the main object of attack. From all the information which he obtained, as well as from his own observation, he was convinced that there was little probability of success against that fort but by surprise. The attempt was hazardous; for Stony point is a commanding hill, projecting far into the Hudson, which washes three fourths of its base. The remaining fourth is in a great measure covered by a deep marsh, commencing near the river on the upper side, and continuing till it joins it below the fort. The marsh was passable only at one place; but at its junction with the river there is a sandy beach, which may be passed at ebb tide. The fort stood on the summit of the hill, and was well provided with artillery. Several breastworks and strong batteries were raised in front of the principal fortification, and there were two rows of abatis about half-way down the hill. The fort was garrisoned by about 600 men, under Lieutenant-Colonel Johnson; and several vessels of war were stationed in the river, so as to command the ground at the foot of the hill.

A midday, on the 15th of July, the detachment appointed to surprise the fort marched from Sandy beach, fourteen miles distance from Stony point, under the command of General Wayne. The road was mountainous, rugged, and difficult; the heat was intense; and it was eight in the evening before the van of the party reached Spring Heels, a mile and a half from the fort. There the detachment halted and formed, while General Wayne and some of his officers proceeded to take a view of the works. At half-past eleven the party, in two columns, advanced toward the garrison. One hundred and fifty volunteers, un

der Colonel Fleury and Major Povey, formed the van of the right; 100 ve teers, led by Major Stewart, composed the van of the left. Both advanced wha unloaded muskets and fixed bayonets, and each was preceded by a forlorn hope of twenty men, conducted by Lieutenants Gibbon and Knox, to remove the abattis and other obstructions, and to open a passage for the columns which followed close in their rear. Having taken care to secure every person on the route who could give information of their approach, the columns reached the marsh undiscovered. In crossing it, unexpected difficulties occurred; and it was twenty minutes past twelve when the attack commenced. A tremendous discharge of musketry and grapeshot immediately opened on the assailants; but both columns impetuously rushed forward with fixed bayonets, and without firing a shot soon got complete possession of the fort.

This was a brilliant exploit; and the assailants gained nobler and more per manent laurels by their humanity than their bravery; for although the place was taken by storm, and the American troops were greatly exasperated by the merciless ravages and wanton devastations committed on the coast of Connecticut yet not one individual of the garrison suffered after resistance ceased. Of the garrison twenty men were killed in the conflict, including one captain; and seventy-four wounded, among whom were six officers. The Americans had sixtythree men killed, including two officers; but their wounded did not exceed forty. Of the twenty men in Lieutenant Gibbon's forlorn hope, seventeen were either killed or wounded. The prisoners amounted to 543, and among them were one lieutenant-colonel, four captains, and twenty subaltern officers. The military stores in the fort were considerable.

An attack on Fort La Fayette also was a part of the plan; and two brigades, under General M'Dougall, were ordered to proceed toward it, and to be in readiness to attack it as soon as they should be informed of General Wayne's success against Stony point. But M'Dougall was not forward in time; and the garrison of Fort La Fayette, where Colonel Webster commanded, had time to prepare for resistance. Wayne turned the artillery of Stony point against the British ships, and compelled them to drop down the river beyond the reach of his guns. He also fired on Verplanck's point; but so great was the distance that his shot made little impression on the works. The critical moment for assaulting Fort La Fayette having been lost, the plan of operation against it was changed. M'Dougall's detachment was intrusted to General Howe, and he was provided with some battering cannon, to make a breach in the fortifications; but, before he was ready to act against the place, he found it expedient to re

treat.

Immediately after the conference with Sir George Collier, Sir Henry Clinton was informed of the surprise of Stony point, and of the danger of Fort La Fayette. He instantly abandoned his design against New London and the coast of Connecticut; recalled his transports and troops from the sound; moved his army to Dobb's ferry; despatched General Stirling up the river with a body of troops in transports to the assistance of Colonel Webster; and soon followed in person with a larger force, in the expectation that General Washington would be induced to leave his strong position, and hazard a battle for the possession of Stony point. But the failure of the design against Fort La Fayette rendered the possession of Stony point a matter of no great importance; because the works on Verplanck's point effectually prevented the communication by King's ferry between the states on the east and west of the Hudson; and the command of that ferry constituted the chief value of the forts on Stony point and Verplanck's Neck, as, when it was closed, the intercourse with the eastern states could be kept up only by a very circuitous route. Stony point, it was thought, could not be retained without a garrison of 1,500 men; a force General Wash