good cheer and comfortable quarters. In three or four days the militia were comfortably housed as if we had come to spend the summer with our English neighbors, when every body knew, that knew any thing, that an express had been sent to Halifax, and that they would be prompt in sending a reinforcement which might be expected in a very short time. Councils of war were held every day on board the Commodore's ship; the result commonly was, the Commodore and General could not agree, probably they had agreed in one point, and engaged not to agree in any other. Thus, day after day passed away without any thing being done. Some of the captains of the fleet frequently landed on the Bagaduce shore, either to amuse themselves by rambling in the woods, or to reconnoiter the enemy. In one of these excursions, the Commodore being with them, they spent the most of an afternoon; towards evening they were discovered from one of the English ships, and immediately a boat with a company of soldiers was sent on shore. On seeing the boat put off from the ship, they each made the best of their way for their boat which they had left waiting for them. They all reached the boat nearly at the same time, but the Commodore was missing. They waited, but he came not; it began to grow dark, the British boat had returned to the ship; finally, at 9 o'clock, they concluded to leave him to his fate and take care of themselves. The next morning at sunrise, he was seen on the beach, and a boat immediately sent to take him off. He said he was closely pursued, and in making his escape he had got so far into the woods, that he could not find the way out in the dark, but it was generally believed that he found a very good berth on board one of the British ships. Tumults now ran high, the General was hissed and hooted at wherever he made his appearance, and the Commodore cursed and execrated by all hands. Capt. Hacker offered, with the Providence and the six brigs that if the General would attack the fort, all the men from the ships would gladly join him; he, (Capt. Hacker) would enter the river with the small vessels and engage to bring out the English ships. But no, it

was not feasible;-according to the best accounts we could get, the British had only five hundred effective men in their garrison. Their naval force we knew was only two small ships. We had between three and four thousand militia, with sixteen ships and brigs well armed and manned. It is strange that these spirited fellows were kept peaceable so long; the sailors indeed, talked hard of leaving their ships, and under a commander of their own choice, pushing forward and storming the fort. A single word of A single word of encouragement from any of the captains in the fleet, would have set them in rapid motion, and I have no doubt but they would have succeeded, but we had dallied away our time too long: more than thirty days had been spent in idleness since our first anchoring, and not a single movement made to annoy the enemy. On a fine summer's morning, five lofty ships were discovered in the offing. All knew who they were, for all had expected them for some time; it was now all hilter skilter. The men from the shore were ordered to embark as soon as possible, and the fleet to weigh anchor or slip their cables and proceed up the river. We were soon under sail with a fair wind. The English ships were not more than three miles from us, but the wind so favored us, that we kept clear from their shot. As we came towards the head of navigation, the Warren frigate grounded, was immediately cleared of her men and blown up. The other ships soon followed her example, and as fast as they could land their men and some stores, set fire to their vessels and left them. Our retreat was as badly managed as the whole expedition had been. Here we were, landed in a wilderness, under no command; those belonging to the ships, unacquainted with the woods, and only knew that a west course would carry us across to Kennebec; whereas, there were hundreds of the militia that were old hunters, and knew the country. Some of these ought to have been detained as pilots, and we might all have got through in three days; but we had no one to direct, so every one shifted for himself. Some got to their homes in two days, while the most of us were six or seven days before we came to an inhabited coun

try. I got through on the seventh day, after keeping a fast of three days. From Portland, I took passage in the frigate Boston, Capt. Tucker, was treated with much politeness by him and his officers."

NOTE D.

MURDER OF YOUNG TAGGART.

One of the most brutal outrages which the British perpetrated during the invasion, was the murder of one of Judge William Taggart's sons at the "Secunnet farm," in Little Compton, in 1779. Judge Taggart was the owner of a very valuable farm in Middletown, five or six miles only from Newport. He was a whole-souled patriot, and he would never refrain from using all his best efforts to promote the cause of freedom, however dangerous or difficult. He disregarded personal safety as well as all selfish views, in his conduct, and was like all other true patriots of that day, for his country, and nothing but his country. In 1776, a few days only after the invasion, a Colonel of one of the Hessian regiments took possession of his comfortable mansion for quarters for himself and retinue, without the least ceremony. The Judge submitted to the invasion of his private rights with all the grace he could, but his wife and daughters did not think the head-quarters of a Hessian Colonel a suitable abode for them, and moved across the bay to Little Compton. The female part of the family being thus out of the reach of Hessian courtesy, the Judge and two of his sons remained on his farm, and enjoyed such privileges as the Hessian was pleased to grant him. Under such circumstances it could not be supposed that he had a very quiet life, yet he made the best of it. In 1777, while Spencer's expedition was progressing, he

could not help communicating all the intelligence within his power to the American army. This he did through his son William Taggart, Jr., who was with Col. Stanton at Howland's ferry. He even obtained permission to have a flag sent to Col. Stanton for his son to come over to the island, for a very different purpose, however, from the real one. Stanton permitted him to go. Young Taggart went over to see his father ostensibly, but in point of fact, to obtain all the information he could with regard to the British army; its strength, its position, &c. This he did at the risk of his own

and his father's life.

Colonel

After the plan of the attack had been arranged, and the night appointed by General Spencer, the boats all prepared, and the order in which the troops were to embark, arranged, young Taggart with about thirty others, by previous agreement, preceded them in a number of boats. This they accomplished without much trouble, and this was the only party that attempted to cross the bay.

Taggart and his party landed at Black point, captured the sentinels, and waited patiently for hours, for the flotillas to arrive. But no troops came. In the mean time the British had obtained knowledge of his movements, as well as those of his father, and they all had to flee the island instanter, or be taken and hung as spies. Their flight was successful, and they arrived in safety at the American head-quarters.

But the British, as soon as they found that they had escaped, immediately burnt his mansion, and his barns, and every building on the farm, cut down his orchards of fruit trees, in fact, destroyed every thing they could, which belonged to him. They did not dig up the roots of the trees as the Turks did at Athens in 1823, but they exhibited an equally savage spirit; and like them, wreaked their vengeance on the works of nature and art.

But it so happened that some time previous to this, the "Secunnet farm," so called, in Little Compton, had been sold by Col. Thomas Church its owner, to one Sisson, a tory, but Sisson had never taken possession, it having been confiscated.

In consequence of the severe losses Taggart had sustained, the General Assembly granted him the privilege of occupying it rent free, as will appear by the following vote, so highly complimentary to Judge Taggart as well as exhibiting the just light in which his meritorious services were regarded by gov

ernment.

December, 1777.

"Whereas, this Assembly is informed that the farm and appurtenances, in Little Compton, sold by Colonel Thomas Church to Gideon Sisson, is still in possession of the said Colonel Church, who proposes to give up possession thereof soon, and it does not appear that Mr. Sisson has empowered any person to take possession of said farm, it is therefore voted and resolved, That Colonel William Richmond be, and he is hereby empowered to receive the possession of said farm, and deliver the same to Capt. William Taggart, on the 25th of March next, to improve the same to his own advantage, to support himself and family, rent free. That he hold possession thereof, one year or longer, at the pleasure of the General Assembly. And that the said William Taggart be, and he is hereby empowered to draw £300 lawful money out of the General Treasury, for the support of himself and family, the ensuing winter, as a gratuity for his suffering and damages sustained by his extraordinary exertions in behalf of, and for the advantage of this state in the late intended expedition against the enemy on Rhode Island."

In May 1778, General Sullivan appointed William Taggart, Sen., commander of the flotilla of boats, with the rank, pay and rations of Major. He continued in this command until the spring of 1779, when the boat service was terminated. William Taggart, Jr. was at the same time appointed a captain in the same service, with a captain's pay and rations.

After the termination of the boat service, the Taggarts retired to the farm at Secunnet Point, where they resided in supposed security, but it was of short duration. The British never forgot the father's exertions, his counsel and aid in the