It is to be observed, that in the battle of the Brandywine, the rebel forces were met in the open field, and with no very great advantage of fituation. A victory was clearly obtained over them but it was not of that final and decifive kind which the public had expected as the certain confequence of fuch a meeting. People rarely confider how much trivial and accidental circumftances render all things of this kind extremely uncertain, even with any fuperiority of troops, or goodnefs of generalfhip.

Notwithstanding the victory of the King's troops, and the precipitate flight of the enemy, the royal army proceeded with caution and circumfpection; and it did not feem unneceffary; for the rebels were not difheartened; and Mr, Washington exerted himfelf with ability and diligence to repair his defeat. The army was pofted in the neighbourhood of Concord and Afhetown, whilft a detachment was fent to feize on Wilmington, which was made a receptacle for the fick and wounded. Upon a movement towards Gofhen, the General received intelligence upon his march, that the enemy had quitted Philadelphia, and were advanced upon the Lancaster road, a few miles above that place. Upon this ad

movements on both fides, which took place for fome days after, and in which every measure was inef fectually ufed, to involve the enemy in fimilar circumftances to those which they had fo lately and with fuch lofs efcaped, intell gence having been received, that General Wayne, with 1500 men, was lying in the woods upon fome fcheme of enterprize, in the rear, and at no great diftance from the left wing of the army, Major-General Grey was detached at zoth. night, with two regiments, and a body of light infantry, to furprize that corps. That General conducted the enterprize with equal ability and fuccefs; and, perhaps, in emulation of a remarkable action of the late war in Germany, took effectual measures that a fingle fhot fhould not be fired in the courfe of the expedition, and that the execution fhould only be done by the point of the bayonet. In the profecution of this defign, the enemy's out-posts and pickets were completely furprized and forced without noife, about one in the morning, and the troops being guided by the light of their fires, rufhed in upon the encampment, where a fevere and filent execution took place, about 300 being killed or wounded upon the fpot, and a number of prifoners taken; the remainder elcaping by the darknefs of the night, and fome prudent difpofitions made by the of ficer who commanded the Americans, with the lofs of the greater part of their baggage, arms, and

ble of action.

In the courfe of a number of

The victors, in this brifk action, loft only a captain of light infantry and three private men, with about the fame number wounded. [1] 2

The

The General finding that the enemy could not by any means be brought to action, and that they were evidently abandoning even the protection of the capital, rather than hazard that final decifion, made fuch movements, and took fuch pofitions as gave him the command of the Schuylkill, and enabled him, at length, to pass the army over that river without oppofition. There being nothing now to impede his progrefs, the army advanced to GermanSept. 26th. Town, and Lord Cornwallis, on the next morning, took poffeffion of Philadelphia. Thus was the rich and flourishing city of Philadelphia, the capital late of the moft rifing colony, and attended with the moft fingular circumftances, that history can give any example of, and the feat of that general congrefs of delegates, who difpenfed laws and government to the continent of North America, reduced without oppofition, and confequently without damage.

This circumstance was more fortunate than had been expected. For it was generally apprehended, and had been even fpoken of by themselves as a fettled and fixed determination, to destroy the city, whenever it was found that it could be no longer protected, rather than fuffer it to become a place of arms, and the centre of operation to the British fleets and armies. A number of the Quakers, and fome other of the principal inhabitants of Philadelphia, to the amount of more than twenty, who had been justly confidered as ftrongly attached to the royal caufe, and violently inimical to the prefent ruling powers, had been taken into cuftody upon the immediate danger

of an invafion. These gentlemen pofitively refused to give any fecurity in writing, or even verbal atteftation, of attachment, fubmiffion, or allegiance, to the prefent government, or of not holding a correfpondence with those whom they reprefented as enemies. They even refused to confine themselves to their respective dwellinghouses, and boldly appealing to the laws for redrefs and fecurity to their perfons, ftrongly reproached thofe, who under the pretence of afferting and protecting the liberties of the fubject, had involved the whole continent in civil war and contention, and who thus, at the fame time, in the most arbitrary and tyrannical manner, deprived them of their perfonal liberty, and of every fecurity which they de-, rived from the laws. They were anfwered, that the laws themselves, and all other confiderations, must give way to the public fafety, in cafes of great and imminent danger; that there was no new nor particular hardship in the present measure, which was juftified by the practice of all states in fimilar circumftances; that in England, in its higheft ftate of freedom, and under its happiest governments, the Habeas Corpus law was fufpended in cafes of internal commotion, or the apprehenfion of foreign invafion; that there, fufpicion only was a fufficient ground for fecuring the perfon of the fubject, without regard to rank, quality, or to any fecurity he might propose to give for his peaceable demeanour; but that their fituation was much more favourable to themfelves, if their incorrigible obftinacy, their dangerous defigns against the ftate, and their mortal

enmity to the government, had not precluded them from its benefit; they were not retained in prifon merely upon fufpicion, however ftrong and well founded that was, and however juftifiable the measure would be upon that ground only; it was immediately in their power to return in the most unrestrained liberty to their habitations, only by complying with that very moderate teft of their principles and conduct which was required, and fhewing that obedience to govern. ment, and good difpofition to the ftate, which every member of fociety owed to the community to which he belonged, as a return for the protection which he received. But that as they denied all allegi, ance to the ftate, they of course difclaimed its protection, and forfeited all the privileges of citizenhip; whilft by refufing every fecurity for their peaceable demeanour, they could only be confidered as its most dangerous and determined enemies. As thefe gentlemen were unconquerable in their refolution not to fubmit to the propofed teft, they were all fent off to Staunton, in Virginia, as a place of fecurity, upon the approach of the royal army.

As foon as Lord Howe had received intelligence of the fuccefs at the Brandywine, and the determined progrefs of the army to Philadelphia, he took the moft fpeedy and effectual measures for conducting the fleet and tranfports round to the Delaware, not only to be at hand to concur in the active operations of the campaign, but to fupply the army with thofe provifions, ftores, and neceffaries, which he knew, muft by that time have been indifpenfably neceffary. The voyage was intricate, tedious,

and dangerous; and nothing less than the fuperior skill, and ability which was exerted, in the conduct and management of fo great a number of fhips, could have prevented the lofs from being confiderable. As the paffage to Philadelphia was yet impracticable, the fleet drew up and anchored along the western or Penfylvania fhore, from Reedy Iland to Newcastle.

When the British troops had taken poffeffion of Philadelphia, their firft object was the erecting of batteries to command the river, as well to prevent the intercourfe of the American veffels between their upper and lower pots, as to protect the city from any infult by water. The neceffity of this measure became obvious, almost as foon as it was determined upon. The very day after the arrival of the forces, the American frigate Delaware, of 32 guns, anchored within 500 yards of the unfinished batteries, and being seconded by another frigate, with fome fmaller veffels, they commenced, and fupported for fome hours, a very heavy cannonade, both upon the batteries and the town. They did not, however, difplay the judg ment, which their knowledge of the river might be fuppofed to afford. Upon the falling of the tide, the Delaware grounded fo effectually that fhe could not be got off, which being foon perceived by the grenadiers, they brought their battalion field pieces to play upon her with fo true a direction and excellent effect, that the Delaware being obliged to ftrike her colours, was boarded and taken by an officer and detachment of that corps. Brigadier General Cleveland immediately profited of the effect of the battalion guns, by directing the whole fire of the batteries to the other veffels, which

were compelled to retire with the lofs of a schooner which was driven afhore.

The Americans had at vaft expence, and with wonderful labour and industry, constructed great and numerous works, to render the paffage of the Delaware up to Philadelphia impracticable. In the profecution of this defign, they had erected works and batteries upon a flat, low, marfhy ifland, or rather a bank of mud and fand, which had been accumulated in the Delaware, near the junction of the Schuylkill, and which from its nature was called Mud, but from thefe defences, Fort-Inland. On the oppofite shore of New Jersey, at a place called Red Bank, they had alfo conftructed a fort or redoubt, well covered with heavy artillery. In the deep navigable channel, between, or under the cover of these batteries, they had funk feveral ranges of frames or machines, to which, from a femblance in the conftruction, they had given the appellation of chevaux-de-frize, being compofed of tranfverfe beams, firmly united, pointing in various directions, and Itrongly headed with iron. Thefe were of fuch a weight and strength, and funk in fuch a depth of water, as rendered them equally difficult to be weighed or cut through, and deftructive to any fhip which had the misfortune of striking against them. No attempt for railingthem, or for opening the channel in any manner, could, however, be made, until the command of the fhores on both fides was fully obtained.

re

About three miles lower down the river, they had funk other ranges of thefe machines, and were conftructing for their protection fome confiderable and extenfive

works, which, though not yet fnifhed, were in fuch forwardness as to be provided with artillery, and to command their object, at a place on the Jerfey fide called Billing's Point. Thefe works and machines were further fupported by feveral gallies mounting heavy cannon, together with two floating batteries, a number of armed veffels and fmall craft of various kinds, and fome fire-fhips. In a word, the Delaware feemed to teem with every defenfive preparation, which could render the hoftile operations and movements of a fleet, in the confined and uncertain navigation of a river, extremely dangerous.

Upon the reprefentation of Captain Hammond, of the Roebuck, who with fome other fhips of war had arrived in the Delaware before Lord Howe, the General detached two regiments, confifting of three battalions, under Colonel Stirling, to diflodge the enemy from Billing's Fort. The detachment having croffed the river from Chefter, where the fhips lay, performed the fervice effectually without lofs or appofition. O&. ft. The enemy, without waiting to be attacked, as foon as they heard of their approach, im, mediately fpiked their artillery, fet fire to the barracks, and aban◄ doned the place with the greatest precipitation. The detachment waited to deftroy, or to render unferviceable, thofe parts of the works which fronted the river. This fuccefs, with the fpirit and perfeverance exhibited by the officers and crews of the fhips under his command, enabled Captain Hammond, through great difficulties, and a vigorous oppofition from the marine force of the enemy, to carry the principal object of the expedition

expedition into effect, by cutting away and weighing up fo much of the chevaux-de-frize, as opened a narrow and difficult paffage for hips through this lower barrier. Upon the return of the detachment from Jerfey, another regiment was fent to meet them at Chester, in order that they might all together form a fufficient efcort for a large convoy of provifions to the camp. The army ftill lay at German Town, a very long and confiderable village, about half a dozen miles from Philadelphia, and which, ftretching on both fides of the great road to the northward, forms a continued street of two niles in length. The line of encampment croffed German-Town at right angles about the center, the left wing extending on the west from the town to the Schuylkill. That wing was covered in front, by the mounted and difmounted German chaffeurs; a battalion of light infantry. and the Queen's American rangers, were in the front of the right; and the 40th regiment, with another battalion of light infantry, were pofted at the head of the village, Lord Cornwallis lay at Philadelphia, with four battalions of grenadiers; and we have already feen, that three regiments had been detached on the fide of Chefter.

The enemy were encamped at Skippach Creek, about 16 miles from German-Town. They had received fome reinforcements, and they were not ignorant that the royal army was weakened by the detachments it had made to Philadelphia and Chefter. Thefe circumftances induced an enterprize, little expected, and feemingly as little fuited, to the general caution,

and to the fuppofed genius and dif position of Washington. Infte, d of thuaning, as ufual, every thing that might lead to an action, the American army quitted its strong poft at Skippach Creek at fix in the evening, and marched all night to furprize and attack the royal army in its camp at GermanTown.

At three o'clock in the 4th. morning, their approach was difcovered by the patroles, and the army was immediately called to arms. They began their attack upon the 40th regiment, and the battalion of light infantry by which it was accompanied. These corps, after a vigorous refiftance, being at length overpowered by numbers, were preffed and purfued into the village. In this exigence, a meafure upon which much of the future fortune of the day depended, was inftantly and happily adopted, by Lieutenant Colonel Mulgrave, who threw himself with fix companies of the 40th regiment into a large and strong ftone houfe, which lay full in the front of the enemy.

By this measure they were checked in their forward hope and defign of gaining complete and immediate poffeffion of that long town; which, among other great and obvious advantages, would have enabled them effectually to feparate the right and left wings of the royal army. The Colonel and his brave party, furrounded by a whole brigade, and attacked on every fide with great refolution, defended the houle with the most undaunted courage; and though the enemy at length brought cannon up to the affault, he still maintained his poft with equal intrepidity, pouring a dreadful and un

ceafing