quainting him at the fame time, that he was marching directly to his fupport, and that for the greater expedition he should cause his men to difencumber themselves of that part of their baggage, which (it appears from hence) they carried upon their backs. To his great furprize and mortification, however, when he had marched above five miles, he met the whole advanced corps retreating, which they informed him was by General Lee's orders, without their making the smallest oppofition, excepting the fingle fire of one detachment, to repulfe the British light horfe.

The General found the rear of the retreating corps hard preffed by the enemy; but, by forming them anew, under the brave and fpirited exertions of their officers, (as he fays) he foon checked the advance of the British forces; and, having by this means gained time to plant fome batteries of cannon, and to bring up fresh forces, the engagement hung in an equal poize. In this fituation, (he continues) the enemy, finding themfelves warmly oppofed in front, made an attempt to turn his le flank; but were bravely repulfed and driven back by fome detached parties of infantry. A fimilar attempt on the right was repelled by General Green; who afterwards, in conjunction with General Wayne, took fuch pofitions, and kept up fo fevere and well-directed a fire, as compelled the British forces to retire behind that defile where the first stand had been made in the beginning of the action.

In that fituation, in which their flanks were fecured by thick woods and moraffes, and their front only affailable through a narrow defile, VOL. XXI.

he notwithstanding made difpofitions (he fays) for attacking them; but the darkness came on fo faft, as not to afford time for their fur mounting the impediments in their way. The main body, however, lay all night upon their arms on the place of action, as the detached parties did in the feveral pofitions which they had been ordered to take, under a full determination of attacking the British army when the day appeared; but they retreated in fuch profound filence in the night, that the most advanced pofts, and thofe very near them, knew nothing of their departure until morning.

Washington represents the number of British buried by the Americans, to be about four times greater than the lofs acknowledged by our Gazette; and his own as much under that ftate. He fays, they carried off their wounded, excepting four officers, and about forty foldiers. He gives high and unufual praife, and expreffes himfelf under the greatest obligation to the zeal, bravery, and conduct of his officers; and fays, the behaviour of the troops in general, after they had recovered from the furprize, occafioned by the retreat of the advanced corps, was fuch as could not be furpaffed. The public acknowledgments of the Congrefs were very flattering to the army, but particularly fo to the General and to his officers; in which they affected to confider this action as a battle, and the re fult as a great and important victory, obtained over the grand Britifh army, under the immediate command of their General.

Washington took care to inform the Congrefs, that the nature of [*P]

the

the country rendered any further purfuit of the British army fruitlefs, and all attempts to disturb their embarkation at Sandy Hook equally impracticable and dangerous. He accordingly detached only fome light troops to obferve and attend their motions, and draw off the main body of the army to the borders of the North River. The Americans loft fome officers of name in this action; particularly a Colonel Bonner of Pennsylvania, and a Major Dickenfon of Virginia, both of whom were much regretted.

It appears that General Wafhington ufed fome very harsh and fevere expreffions, in the face of the army, to General Lee, upon meeting him, on the retreat of his corps, from the place of action; amounting to a direct charge of a difobedience of orders, want of conduct, or want of courage. This produced two paflionate letters from Lee, (who was likewife put under arreft) with an anfwer from Washington, all written on the day or night of the action. A court-martial was inftantly demanded, and as inftantly ordered; and fo fpeedily carried into execution, as to be opened at Brunfwick on the 4th of July. The charges laid againft Lee were, firft, difobedience of orders, in not attacking the enemy on the 28th of June, agreeable to repeated inftructions. For misbehaviour before the enemy on the fame day, by making an unneceffary, diforderly, and fhameful retreat. And, laftly, for difrefpect to the Commander in Chief, by the two letters we have mentioned. The refult of the Court, after a trial which lafted to the 12th of Auguft, was the

finding General Lee guilty of the first charge. The finding him in part guilty of the fecond, "Of mifbehaviour before the enemy, by making an unneceffary, and, in fome few inftances, a diforderly retreat." They alfo found him guilty of difrefpect to the Commander in Chief; and fentericed him to be fufpended from any command in the armies of the United States, for the term of 'twelve months. It is impoffible for us to enter into the merits of this fentence, in which party might have had a great share. When a difpute had been carried to so great an height, between an officer on whom the Americans repofed their chief confequence, and one fubordinate and lefs popular, it is not difficult to divine where the blame will be laid.

In the mean time, the British army arrived at the high lands of Navefink, in the neighbourhood of Sandy Hook, on the laft of June; at which latter place, the fleet from the Delaware, under Lord Howe, after being detained in that river by calms, had moft fortunately arrived on the preceding day. It had happened in the preceding winter, that the perinfula of Sandy Hook had been cut off from the continent, and converted to an abfolute island, by a violent breach of the fea; a circumftance then of little moment, but which might now have been attended with the most fatal confequences. By the happy arrival of the fleet, at the inftant when its affiftance was fo critically neceffary, the ability of the noble conimander, and the extraordinary ef forts of the feamen, this impediment was fpeedily removed,

a

bridge of boats being completed with fuch expedition, that the whole army was paffed over this new channel on the 5th of July, and were afterwards conveyed with eafe to New York; neither army nor navy yet knowing the circumftances of danger and ruin in which they had been fo nearly involved.

For an unexpected enemy had now arrived on the coaft of North America, who was to give a new, and a strange turn to the circumftances of the war. On the second day after the conveyance of the army from Sandy Hook, Lord Howe received intelligence by his Cruizers, that D'Eftaing's fleet had been seen on the coaft of Virginia, on the very day that the army had paffed the bridge at Sandy Hook. If D'Estaing had met the tranfports, either in the Delaware, or on the paffage from thence, loaded and encumbered as they were, and convoyed only by two hips of the line, with a number of frigates, the confequence with refpect to the fleet is obvious. But it may not fo immediately appear, that the fate of the army was fo intimately combined with that of the fleet, that the deftruction of the one would have been the inevitable lofs of the other. For as the army could not then, by any poffible means, have profecuted its way to New York, and would have been enclosed on one fide by the American army, and on the other by the French fleet, cut off from all fupply of provifion, and deftitute of every refource, a repetition of the Saratoga catastrophe muft have been the certain confequence.

Although this fatal event was prevented by the bad weather, and

unexpected impediments which D'Eftaing met with on his voyage, yet, if he had directed his courfe directly to New York, inftead of the Chefapeak or Delaware, things could fcarcely have been better; as he would then have come upon the fleet and army, when they were entangled, either with the laying or paffing the bridge at Sandy Hook. In either circumftance, deftruction would have been inevitable; and would have been of an amount and magnitude, with refpect both to the marine and land fervice, and the confequences hanging upon it, which, perhaps, has not been equalled of late ages. But D'Eftaing's great object was the furprize of the fleet in the Delaware, and the confequent enclofare of the army at Philadelphia; fortunately the winds and weather frustrated his defign. Upon the whole, it may not be easy to point out a more fignal or providential de liverance.

The danger, though leffened, was not, however, immediately removed; and it ftill required the most confummate ability and fortitude to render the kindness of forteme effective. On the 4th day after the account was received of his arrival on the coaft, and fubfequent advice of his having anchored at the Delaware being alfo received, D'Estaing ap- July 11. peared fuddenly, and rather unexpectedly, in fight of the British fleet at Sandy Hook. His force was great, and in good condition, confifting of twelve fhipsof the line, and three frigates of fuperior fize. Among the former, were feveral fhips of great force and weight of metal; one carrying go, another 80, and fix carrying [*P] 2 74 guns

74 guns each; and the fquadron was faid to have no less than eleven thousand men on board. On the other fide, the British fleet under Lord Howe confifted of fix fixtyfour gun fhips, three of fifty, and two of forty guns, with fome frigates and floops. Most of the former had been long on fervice, were accordingly in bad condition, and were alfo wretchedly manned. If any thing, however, could remedy fuch effential defects, it might have been hoped for from the fuperior abilities of their commander, and the excellency of his officers.

They had, however, the advantage of being in poffeffion of that port or harbour which is formed by Sandy Hook; the entrance of which is covered by a bar, and from whence the inlet paffes to New York. The expected and avowed object of D'Eftaing was to force that paffage, and to attack the English fquadron in the harbour. Notwithstanding the utmost exertions of preparation made by Lord Howe, that the time could poffibly admit; yet, from contrary winds, and other unavoidable incidents, the fhips were not completely arrived in their refpective fituations of defence, nor had there been time to choose thofe fituations with the judgment which was afterwards exercifed, when D'Estaing appeared without the Hook. Under thefe circumstances, which, with respect to the effect, might be confidered, in fome degree, as affording the advantages of a furprife, if he had pufhed ondirectly to pass the bar and force the paffage, it would feem, that neither the advantage of fituation, or any eminence of ability or vir

tue on the other fide, could be capable of counteracting the vast fuperiority of his force. The conflict would have been undoubtedly dreadful; and, perhaps, in that refpect, might have exceeded any thing known in naval hiftory; but the greateft portion of human fpirit muft require fome adequate degree of ftrength to render its exertions effective.

A diverfity-of opinion feems to prevail, on the practicability of the great fhips of the French fleet pafling in force through the ftrait, and over the bar. Some are of opinion, that it might have been attempted with prudence. If fo, it may be confidered as a happinefs on all fides, that D'Estaing was not poffeffed of that spirit of enterprize which would have been equal to fo arduous an attempt; that the terror of the British flag was yet in no degree weakened; and that the name of the noble commander who oppofed him added fome weight to that effect. D'Estaing accordingly caft anchor on the Jerfey fide, about four miles without the Hook, and in the vicinity of the fmall town of Shrewfbury.

The fpirit that was difplayed on this occafion, not only in the fleet and army, but through every order and denomination of feamen, was never exceeded, and will not often be equalled. A thousand volunteers were immediately dif patched from the tranfports to the fleet. The remainder of the crews could not reftrain their indignation at being left behind, and fought every poflible means, by hiding in the boats, or otherwife, to escape on board the men of war ; fo that the agents could fcarcely keep by

force