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CHAPTER IX.

REVOLUTION continueD.-SIEGE OF BOSTON CONTINUED. EVACUATION of BostoN.-CAPTURE OF NEW-YORK.

GENERAL Gage had been recalled from his command in Boston, and succeeded by General Howe in the month of October, and the army lay in an inactive state of blockade, notwithstanding all the embarrassments that attended General Washington, in the want of powder, in recruiting his army, after the times of the first levies had expired, and the numerous advantages the enemy might have derived from these embarrassments.

Congress had not been unmindful of the disposition General Washington had shewn to his officers, to commence an attack upon Boston, and destroy the first hopes of the enemy, by a general storm; nor of the disposition of the officers to delay such an attempt; but imputing this delay to the fear they might entertain for the safety of the town; Congress being desirous to remove this difficulty, resolved as follows-" that if General Washinton, and his council of war, should be of opinion that a successful attack might be made upon the troops in Boston, he should make it in any manner he might think expedient, notwithstanding the town, and property in it might thereby be destroyed.",

This resolve was duly communicated to the general; but the time had gone by, the changes both in number and spirit of the army had been great, since the first contemplated attack; which change the general communicated to Congress in reply, with the following remark—“It is not, [says he,] in the pages of history to furnish a case like ours. To maintain a post within musket shot of the enemy, for six months together, without ammunition, and at the same time to disband one army, and recruit anoth

er, within that distance of twenty odd British regiments, is more than probably was ever attempted; but if we succeed in the latter, as well as we have done in the former, I shall think it one of the most fortunate events of my whole life."

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The general in chief might have proceeded to add, the embarrassments arising from the want of arms, as well as powder, the almost total want of bayonets, as well as the difficulty of fitting the different calibers of such arms as the troops brought into camp, both with cartridges and ball. All these had been surmounted; but the difficulty of retaining the troops after their times expired, or any part of them, as well as their arms, became so serious, that a committee of inspectors was appointed to fix a valuation upon the arms generally, and a forfeiture of two months pay was declared against every soldier, who should leave camp without first submitting his arms to this inspection, and then delivering up to the service of the public all such as should be judged fit for service.

One general effort had been made to supply the troops with arms, and yet such was the deficiency, that General Washington wrote to Congress about the first of February, that more than 2000 men in his army were then without arms of any sort, and that his whole force consisted of only 8853.

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In the face of all these embarrassments, the general had been exerting himself to make preparations through the month of January, to collect a force, which might authorize him to commence an attack upon Boston, and destroy the regular force there, before they could be reinforced in the spring; and to effect this, the general had called in, at this time, thirteen regiments of militia from the vicinity, amounting to about 5000 men. The general, in his communication to Congress, explained the motives of this assembled force, and thus concludes" No man

upon earth wishes more ardently than I do, to destroy this nest in Boston; no man would be willing to go greater lengths than I should, to accomplish it, if it shall be thought advisable; but if we have no powder to bombard with, nor ice to pass on, we shall be in no better condition than we have been all the year, we shall be in a worse, as their works are stronger."

General Washington next proceeded to pourtray, in a strong and impressive manner, the lively sense he entertained of the difficulties already experienced, and which ever had been, and ever would be experienced, from forming an army out of a repeated succession of new recruits, under short enlistments; and recommended it to Congress, as an object of their most serious regard, to fill up the ranks of the army with enlistments for a year, or more, or during the war, as they might judge proper, and to effect this he took the liberty of recommending a boun ty to be paid each soldier, of twenty or thirty dollars, or more if necessary; and thus concluded-"1 will not undertake to say that the men may be had on these terms but I am satisfied it will never do to let the matter alone, as it was last year, until the time of service is near expiring. In the first place, the hazard is too great; in the next, the trouble and perplexity of disbanding one army and raising another, at the same instant, and in such a critical situation as the last was, is scarcely in the power of words to describe, and such as no man who has once done it, will ever undergo again."

Early in January, Gen. Washington received intelligence, that Gen. Clinton was about to sail upon a secret expedition, and at once concluded that New-York must be the object of his destination; he immediately detached Gen. Lee into Connecticut to raise a body of volunteers, and proceed to New-York to intercept the enemy, as well as

to suppress the tories, who were collecting in that vicinity.* Also to call on New-Jersey for support.

Congress at the same time ordered an armed force into the colony of New-York, to disarm every one who had voted against choosing members to the convention; but these orders were countermanded, and Gen. Lee proceeded according to orders, raised twelve hundred men, and marched down to New-York.

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Captain Parker, of the Asia man of war, spread a general alarm with his threats, that if Gen. Lee was permitted to enter the city, he would immediately destroy it. The committee of safety communicated this threat to Gen. Lee, and expressed their fears; but Gen. Lee entered the city. Congress also sent a committee to confer with the committee of safety, and Gen. Lee, upon the expediency of his measures; but Lee overruled both, and entered upon the work of fortifying New-York, and the adjacent posts, at Hell-gate and upon Long-Island, as well as at the Highlands. Capt. Parker recalled his threats, for the sake of the many loyal inhabitants who resided in the city.

At this critical moment Gen. Clinton arrived at NewYork, and finding Gen. Lee strongly fortified, offered his apology as being only on a visit to his old friend Tryon, and assured his friends that he was destined to North-Carolina. Gen. Clinton had no troops with him.

Pending these movements, the weather became severe, and about the middle of February, Gen. Washington considered that the ice might be sufficiently strong to admit of the contemplated attack upon Boston. The general in chief summoned a council of war upon the occasion, and endeavoured to impress their minds with the importance, as well as expediency of the measure; but the council took

Gen. Washington consulted John Adams, Esq. then a member of Congress, and at Watertown to attend the Provincial Congress there, upon the extent of his powers, as well as the expediency of the measure in detaching Gen. Lee.

into consideration, that their powder would doubtless fail them before the attempt could be carried through, and that if it should fail, the army would lie at the mercy of the enemy, and be ruined; they were therefore almost unanimous against the attack, and it failed.

The regret which the general felt upon this occasion, is thus expressed in his letter to Congress.

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"Perhaps the irksomeness of my situation may have given different ideas to me, from those which influenced the gentlemen I consulted; and might have inclined me to put more to the hazard than was consistent with prudence. it had this effect, I am not sensible of it, as I endeavoured to give the subject all the consideration a matter of such importance required. True it is, and I cannot help acknowledging, that I have many disagreeable sensations on account of my situation; for to have the eyes of all the continent fixed on me, with anxious expectations of hearing of some great event, and to be restrained in every military operation for the want of necessary means to carry it on, is not very pleasing; especially as the means used to conceal my weakness from the enemy, conceal it also from our friends, and add to their wonder."

The recruiting under the new regulations had progressed so successfully, that by the 1st of March, the army before Boston amounted to about 14,000 men, and General Washington again called into the field about 6000 militia, making in the whole, a force of about 20,000 strong; with this force General Washington resolved to bring the enemy to an action, or drive him from Boston. To effect this, he commenced his operations by ordering General Thomas, with a detachment from Roxbury, to march onto Dorchester heights, and fortify this position. Preparatory to this movement, a general bombardment of the town com

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