which had marched to take possession of the city, remained upon their arms inactive; which gave general Putnam the opportunity of escaping with about 3500 men, including the guards, who had been left to shift for themselves, when colonel Glover had been ordered away from New York. Putnam, in order to avoid meeting any troops that might be advancing upon the direct road to the city, went by the road which lies along side the North River, and marched to the end, where it turns off short to the right, and leads on to another and narrower, towards Bloomingdale. By this last road he secured his retreat; although nothing could have been easier than to have prevented his getting into it. A good body of troops, with a couple of field pieces, could have taken such a position, in about twenty minutes or less, as would have certainly cut off Putnam's retreat. On this occasion it was said, humourously, that "Mrs. Murray saved the American army." On the day that general Howe's forces landed and the following one, they took 354 privates and 17 officers prisoners.

The British and provincial armies were not now above two miles distant from each other. The former lay encamped from shore to shore for an extent of two miles, being the breadth of the island. The provincials, who lay directly opposite, being masters of all the passes and defiles betwixt the two camps, were enabled to defend themselves against an army much more numer ous than their own, and their passage to the continent was secured by the possession of King's Bridge, which was strongly fortified.

On the day after the shameful flight of part of the American army, a skirmish took place between two battalions of light infantry and highlanders, commanded by brigadier Leslie, and some detachments from the American army, under the command of lieutenant colonel Knowlton of Connecticut, and major Leitch of Virginia. The colonel was killed and the major badly wounded. Their men behaved with great bravery, and being supplied with fresh troops, fairly beat the enemy from the field. Most of these were the same men who had disgraced themselves the day before, by running away. Struck with a sense of shame, they had offered themselves as volunteers, and requested the commander in chief to give them an opportunity to retrieve their honour. In this manner the general employed his troops in continual skirmishes, in order to inure them to actual service, and at the same time to annoy the enemy as much as possible; by which means they soon recovered their spirits, and behaved with their usual boldness.

As the situation of the two armies was now highly inconvenient for the British generals, it was resolved to make such movements as might oblige general Washington to relinquish his strong situation. The possession of New York had been less beneficial than was expected. A few days after it was evacuatSept. 21. ed by the Americans, a dreadful fire broke out, which consumed about a thousand hou. ses; and had it not been for the active exertions of the sailors and soldiery, the whole town might have been consumed, the wind being high, and the weather remarkably dry. Some British writers attribute this calamity to the Americans, who, say they, having been forced to abandon the city, formed the attrocious design of setting it on fire, to render it of as little use to the captors as possible: That the fire broke out in several places at once, and some of the incendiaries being detected in the act, were thrown headlong into the flames, or killed on the spot by the soldiers; but no mention is made of these circumstances, in the account of this conflagration, by Dr. Gordon or Dr. Ramsay. The former relates that "the fire broke out at a dram shop, close in with the water side, on Whitehall slip, about one o'clock in the morning. The reports spread of its breaking out in several places at the same time, were erroneous."' And the latter observes, that this fire was "most probably occasioned by the disorderly conduct of some British sailors, who had been permitted to re. gale themselves on shore."

Oct. 12.

General Howe, in order to cut off general Washington's communication with the eastern states, left lord Piercy, with a sufficient force to garrison New York, and embarking his army in flat-bottomed boats,passed through Hell Gate,and landed on Frog's Neck, in West Chester county. The provincial army, fit for duty, present and on command, at different posts, militia included, now amounted to about 19,000 inen. Two days after the movement of the royal army, general Lee arrived from Charleston, and at a council of war, pressed the necessity of evacuating Fort Washington, and the whole island of New York. General Green opposed the evacuation of Fort Washington, and Fort Lee opposite to it, on the Jersey shore, as they would divert a large body of the enemy from joining their main force, and would likewise cover the transportation of provisions and stores up the North River, for the service of the American troops. His opinion prevailed. New York island was evacuated but garrisons were left in Fort Washington and Fort VOL. I.

21

Lee: three thousand men being assigned for the defence of the former.

General Howe having received a supply of men and provisions, after a halt of six days, advanced Oct. 18. near to New Rochelle, situated on the sound which separates Long Island from the conti. ment. The troops on their march sustained considerable loss by a party of Americans, whom general Lee posted behind a wall. After this, receiving still fresh reinforcements, they made such movements as threatened to distress the provincials very much by cutting off their convoys of provisions from Connecticut, and thus force them to an engagement. This, however, general Washington determined at all events to avoid; well knowing that delay was, in the end, victory to him. He therefore extended his forces into a long line, opposite to the way in which the enemy marched, keeping the river Brunx between the two armies, with the North River in his Rear. Here again the provincials were employed in small skirmishes with the royal army ; until at last the latter moved in two colunins and took a position with the Brunx in front, upon which the Americans assembled their main force at White Plains behind intrenchments. On the 28th the British crossed the Brunx and carried two posts, and a broken and scattered engagement ensued, in which some hundreds fell; but nothing decisive took place. The British army remained upon their arms during the night, with an apparent design of attacking the provincials' camp next morning.

Oct. 25.

It was observed in the morning that general Washington had drawn back his encampment in the night and greatly strengthened the lines by additional works. The British general, therefore, deferred all farther attack till the arrival of more troops, which he expected from New York. Upon the arrival of these troops, the British made dispositions in the evening for attacking the provincials early on the last of October; but an extreme wet night and morning prevented this design from being carried into execution. General Washington having gained intelligence of this design from a deserter, quitted his camp on the night of the 1st of November, and took higher ground towards the North Casthe district. One of the provincial colonels, being drunk, set fire to the town of White Plains, as well as to the houses and forage near the lines, unnecessarily and without orders.

General Howe seeing that the Americans could not be enticed to an engagement, and that the nature of the country did not admit of their being forced to it, determined not to lose

Nov. 5

time in a fruitless pursuit, and to take this opportunity of driving them out of the strong holds in York Island and in the vicinity; an operation which their army could not now possibly prevent. In this, the British general met with complete success. The Americans, on the approach of the king's forces, retreated from King's Bridge into Fort Washington, which, being attacked in four different places at once, was quickly reduced. The number of prisoners in the fort, and taken in lines, amounted to about 3000. They were considered by the articles of capitulation as prisoners of war, and the officers were allowed to keep their baggage and side arms. The loss of the British, inclusive of killed and wounded, was about 1200. Shortly after this, Lord Cornwallis, with a considerable force, passed over to attack Fort Lee, situated on the Jersey side of North River. The garrison, which consisted of 2000 men, was saved by an immediate evacuation, but with the loss of their artillery and stores.

It

General Washington retreated to Newark, where his whole force consisted of no more than 3500 men. appears he now considered the cause in the greatest danger; and said to colonel Reed, "Should we retreat to the back parts of Pennsylvania, will the Pennsylvanians support us?" The colonel answered, "If the lower counties are subdued, and give up, the back counties will do the same." Upon which the general said, passing his hand over his throat, "My neck does not feel as though it was made for a halter. We must retire to Augusta county in Virginia. Numbers will be obliged to repair to us for safety; and we must try what we can do in carrying on a predatory war: and if overpowered, we must cross the Alleghany mountains." The general, after tarrying near a week without

being molested,obtained information that lord Nov. 23. Cornwallis was in pursuit of him; he therefore marched to Brunswick, leaving Newark the very morning that his lordship entered it. As his lordship's van advanced to Brunswick,by a forced march on the 1st of December, general Washington retreated to Princeton, having first taken care to break down a part of Brunswick bridge, and so secured his troops from being harrassed. Lord Cornwallis having orders not to advance beyond Brunswick, discontinued his pursuit: however, he sent an express to general Howe at New York, acquainting him, that, by continuing it briskly, he could disperse the army under general Washington, and seize his heavy baggage and artillery, before he could pass the Delaware. Gen. Howe returned for answer, that he would be with him in person immediately;

but did not join him till the 6th. General Washington hoped to have made a stand at Brunswick; but on the day he quitted it, the service of the Jersey and Maryland brigades expired, and neither of them would serve an hour longer; he therefore wrote to general Lee," Hasten your march as much as possible, or your arrival may be too late." On the 7th of December, lord Cornwallis's corps marched to Princeton, which the Americans quitted the same day. The pursuit was followed so close, that the British reached Dec. 8. the Delaware, just as the rear guard of gen. eral Washington's army, under colonel Henley, gained the opposite shore, about twelve o'clock at night. The Americans having taken care to secure all the boats, lord Cornwallis, whose rear division halted within six miles of Trenton, was prevented from crossing into Pennsylvania next day as he intended. Had lord Cornwallis crossed into Pennsylvania, as he proposed, the consequence would probably have been fatal to the Americans. General Washington, when he crossed, had but 2,200 men: but the time of their service expiring, they left him in such a manner, that the second day after, he had but 1700.

Thus the Jersies were laid entirely open to the incursions of the British troops, and so fully were these provinces taken possession of by the royal army, that its winter quarters extended from New Brunswick to the river Delaware: and nothing could have prevented Philadelphia falling into their hands, had they had boats to have transported their army. Though they missed the boats, yet Trenton and the neighbourhood could have supplied materials, which industry might have soon constructed into sufficient conveniences for the transportation of troops over a smooth river, and of no great extent in some places. So critical was this period, that general Washington trembled for the fate of America, which nothing "but the infatuation of the enemy could have saved."*

As the retreating Americans marched through the Jersies, scarcely one of the inhabitants joined them, whilst numbers were daily flocking to the royal army, to make peace and obtain protection. Not only the common people changed sides in this gloomy state of public affairs, but some of the leading men in New Jersey and Pennsylvania adopted the same expedient. Among these, Mr. Galloway, and the family of the Allens, of Philadelphia, were most distinguished; the former, and one of the latter, had been members of

*The General's words in his own letter.