a large quantity of ftores and cannon. General Arnold, on his arrival at Richmond, found there large quantities of falt, rum, failcloth, tobacco, and other merchandize, and that part of thefe commodities which was public property he deftroyed. The British troops afterwards attacked and difperfed fome fmall parties of the Americans, took fome ftores, and a few pieces of cannon, and on the 20th of the fame month marched into Portsmouth. On the 25th, captain Barclay, with feveral fhips of war, and a body of troops under the command of major Craig, arrived in cape Fear river. The troops landed about nine miles from Wilmington, and on the 28th entered that town. It was underftood that their having poffeflion of that town, and being matters of cape Fear river, would be productive of very beneficial effects to lord Cornwallis's army.

General Greene, having effected a junction, about the 10th of March, with a continental regiment of what were called eighteen months men, and two large bodies of militia, belonging to Virginia and North Carolina, formed a refolution to attack the British troops under the command of Lord Cornwallis. The American army marched from the High Rock Ford on the 12th of the month, and on the 14th arrived at Guildford. Lord Cornwallis, from the information he had received of the motions of the American general, concluded what were his defigus. As they approached more nearly to each other, a few fkirmishes enfued between fome advanced parties, in which the king's troops had the advantage. On the morning of the 15th, lord Cornwallis marched with his troops at day-break, in order to meet the

Americans, or to attack them in their encampment. About four miles from Guldford, the advanced guard of the British army, commanded by lieutenant-colonel Tarleton, fell in with a corps of the Americans, confifting of lieutenant-colonel Lee's legion, fome Back Mountain men, and Virginian militia, with whom he had a fevere fkirmish, but whom he at length obliged to retreat.

The greater part of the country, in which the action happened, is a wildernefs, with a few cleared fields interfperfed. The American army, which was fuperior to the royal in point of numbers, was posted on a rifing ground, about a mile and a half from Guildford court-house. It was drawn up in three lines: the front line was compofed of the North Carolinian militia, under the command of the generals Butler and Eaton; the fecond line of Virginian militia, commanded by the generals Stephens and Lawfon, forming two brigades; the third line, confifting of two brigades, one of Virginia and one of Maryland, continental troops, commanded by general Huger and colonel Williams. Licutenant-colonel Washington, with the dragoons of the first and third regiments, a detachment of light infantry, compoted of continental troops, and a regiment of riflemen under colonel Lynch, formed a corps of obfervation for the fecurity of their right flank. Lieutenantcolonel Lee, with his legion, a detachment of light infantry, and a corps of riflemen, under colonel Campbell, formed a corps of ob fervation for the fecurity of their left flank. The attack of the Ame rican army was directed to be made by Lord Cornwallis in the following order: on the right, the regiment of Bofe, and the 71st regiment, led

by

by major general Leflie, and fupported by the first battalion of guards; on their left, the 23d and 33d regiments, led by lieutenantcolonel Webster, and fupported by the grenadiers, and fecond battalion of guards, commanded by brigadiergeneral O'Hara; the, Yagers, and light infantry of the guards remained in a wood on the left of the guns; and the cavalry in the road, ready to act as circumstances might require.

About half an hour after one in the afternoon the action commenced by a cannonade, which lafted about twenty minutes, when the British troops advanced in three columns, and attacked the North Carolinian brigades with great vigour, and foon obliged part of thefe troops, who behaved very ill, to quit the field; but the Virginia militia gave the British troops a warm reception, and kept up a heavy fire for a long time, till being beaten back, the action became general almost every where. The American corps under the lieutenant-colonels Washington and Lee were alfo warmly engaged, and did confiderable execution. Lieutenant-colonel Tarleton had directions to keep his cavalry compact, and not to charge without politive orders, excepting to protect any of the corps from the most evident danger of being defeated. The exceffive thickness of the woods rendered the British bayonets of little ufe, and enabled the broken corps of Americans to make frequent ftands, with an irregular fire. The fecond bat talion of the guards first gained the clear ground near Guildford courthoufe, and found a corps of continental infantry, fuperior in number, formed in an open field on the leit of the road. Defirous of fignalizing themfelves, they immediately

attacked, and foon defeated them, taking two fix-pounders: but as they purfued the Americans into the wood with too much ardour, they were thrown into confufion by a heavy fire, and inftantly charged and driven back into the field by lieutenant-colonel Washington's dragoons, with the lofs of the fixpounders they had taken. But the American cavalry were afterwards repulfed, and the two fix-pounders again fell into the hands of the Britian troops. The fpirited exertions of brigadier-general O'Hara, and of lieutenant-colonel Tarleton, greatly contributed to bring the action to a termination. The British troops having at length broken the fecond Maryland regiment, and turned the left flank of the Americans, got into the rear of the Virginian brigade, and appeared to be gaining their right, which would have encircled the whole of the continental troops, when general Greene thought it prudent to order a retreat. Many of the American militia difperfed in the woods; but the continental troops retreated in good order to the Reedy Fork river, and crofled at the ford, about three miles from the field of action, and there halted. When they had collected their ftragglers, they retreated to the iron-works, ten miles diftant from Guildford, where they encamped. They loft their artil lery, and two waggons laden with ammunition. It was a hard-fought action, and lafted an hour and a half. Of the British troops, the lofs, as ftated by lord Cornwallis, was 532, killed, wounded, and miffing. General Greene, in his account of the action tranfmitted to the congrefs, ftated the lofs of the continental troops to amount to 320, killed, wounded, and miffing:

but

but he made no estimate of the lofs of the militia. Lieutenant-colonel Stuart was killed in the action, and lieutenant-colonel Webster, and the captains Schutz, Maynard, and Goodriche, died of the wounds that they received in it. Brigadiergeneral O'Hara, brigadier-general Howard, and lieutenant-colonel Tarleton, were alfo wounded. Of the Americans the principal officer killed was major Anderfon, of the Mary. land line, and the generals Stephens and Huger were wounded. In this engagement, the victory was indeed obtained by lord Cornwallis; but it was one of thofe dear-bought victories from which no rational expectation could be formed, that the attempt to fubjugate the Americans would be finally fuccefsful. The lofs of the royal army feems to have been nearly equal to that of the Americans; and reinforcements were much more easily obtained by the latter than by the former. Whatever honour might be gained in this action by the king's troops, the great object of the war, the reduction of the revolted colonies to fubmiffion and obedience, appeared to be as diftant as before.

The British troops underwent great hardships in the courfe of this campaign; and in a letter of lord Cornwallis's to lord George Germain, dated March 17th, he obferved, that "the foldiers had been two days without bread." His lordfhip quitted Guildford three days after the battle which was fought in that place; and on the 7th of April arrived in the neighbourhood of Wilmington. Soon after general Greene, notwithstanding his late defeat endeavoured to make fome vigorous attempts against the king's forces in South Carolina. Lord

Rawdon had been appointed to de fend the poft of Camden, with about 80 British and Provincials; and on the 19th of April general Greene appeared before that place, with a large body of Continentals and militia. He found it, however, impoffible to attempt to ftorm the town with any profpect of fuccefs; and therefore endeavoured to take such a pofition as fhould induce the Britifh troops to fally from their works. He pofted the Americans about, a mile from the town, on an eminence which was covered with woods, and flanked on the left by an impaffable fwamp. But on the morning of the 25th, lord Rawdon marched out of Camden, and with great gallantry attacked general Greene in his camp. The Americans made a vigorous refiftance, but were at last compelled to give way, and the purfuit is faid to have been continued three miles. For fome time after the action commenced, general Gates entertained great hopes of defeating the British troops, in which, as the Americans were fuperior in point of numbers, he would probably have fucceeded had not fome capital military errors been committed, by one or two of the officers who ferved under him. On the American fide colonel Wafhington had behaved extremely well in this action, having made upwards of two hundred of the English prifoners, with ten or twelve officers, before he perceived that the Americans were abandoning the field of battle. The lofs of the English was about one hundred killed and wounded. Upwards of one hundred of the Americans were taken prifoners; and, according to the account published by general Greene, they had 126 killed and wounded. After this action, Greene retreated to Rugely's

mills, twelve miles from Camden, in order to collect his troops, and wait for reinforcements.

Notwithstanding the advantage which lord Rawdon had obtained over general Greene at Camden, that nobleman foon after found it neceffary to quit that poft; and the Americans made themselves masters of feveral other pofts that were occupied by the king's troops, and the garrifons of which were obliged to furrender themselves prifoners of war. These troops were afterwards exchanged, under a cartel which took place between lord Cornwallis and general Greene, for the releafe of all prifoners of war in the fouthern diftrict. After thefe events, general Greene laid close fiege to Ninety-fix, which was confidered as the moft commanding and important of all he posts in the back country; and on the 19th of June he attempted to ftorm the garrifon, but was repulfed by the gallantry of the British troops, with the lofs, as it is faid, of 75 killed, and 150 wounded. General Greene then raised the fiege, and retired with his army behind the Saluda, to a ftrong fituation, within fixteen miles of Ninety-fix.

On the 18th of April a large body of British troops, under the command of major-general Philips, and brigadier-general Arnold, embarked at Portfmouth in Virginia, in order to proceed on an expedition for the purpose of destroying fome of the

American ftores. A party of lightinfantry were fent ten or twelve miles up the Chickahomany, where they deftroyed feveral armed fhips, fundry warehouses, and the American ftate fhip-yards. At Petersburgh, the English deftroyed four thousand hogfheads of tobacco, one ship, and, a number of fmall veffels on the ftocks, and in the river. At Chefterfield court-houfe, they burnt a range of barracks for two thousand men, and three hundred barrels of flour. At a place called Ofborn's, they made themfelves mafters of feveral veffels loaded with cordage and flour, and deftroyed about two thoufand hogfheads of tobacco, and fundry veffels were funk and burnt. At Warwick, they burnt a magazine of five hundred barrels of flour, fome fine mills belonging to colonel Carey, a large range of public ropewalks and ftore-houses, tan and bark houfes full of hides and bark, and great quantities of tobacco. A like deftruction of ftores and goods was made in other parts of Virginia. This devaftation had certainly a tendency to weaken the Americans, but in no other view was beneficial to the royal caufe: on the contrary, it greatly contributed to exafperate them against the parent ftate, and naturally rendered Arnold, who had abandoned the fervice of the congrefs, in the manner that has been before related, and who was now a prime inftrument in these ravages, extremely odious to the Americans.

178r.

D

CHAP.

the month of 1780,

Neveral of the Weft India itlands,

1781.

and particularly Jamaica and Barbadoes, received great damage from fome very dreadful hurricanes, which involved many of the inhabitants in fuch extreme diftrefs, that it was thought neceffary to make application to the British parliament for affiftance and relief. Accordingly on the first day on which the house Jan. 23, of commons aflembled, after the Christmas recefs, a petition was prefented by lord North from the planters, merchants, and other perfons, interested in the ifland of Jamaica; in which it was ftated, that the parishes of Weftmoreland and Hanover in that ifland had been laid waste by the late hurricanes, earthquakes, and inundations, where by most of the buildings in thofe parithes, together with the produce of the earth, were in a great meafure deftroyed, and that other diftricts of the ifland had received very confiderable damage. It was added, that the loffes of the feveral fufferers amounted to fuch an enormous fum, as to require the immediate aid and affiitance of parliament; and the petitioners therefore folicited the houfe to take the cafe of the fufferers into confideration, and to grant them fuch relief as to the houfe fould feem meet.

Mr. Eftwick, agent for Barbadoes,

A petition was alfo prefented by

from the planters, merchants, and others refident in England, and interefted in the ifland of Barbadoes; in which it was ftated, that the violence of the late hurricanes had extended over the whole island, affecting almost every individual, and reducing to diftrefs the greatest part of the inhabitants. Of nearly four hundred plantations, fcarcely one had efcaped the general calamity: most had fuftained very confiderable, and many almoft irreparable damages. Almoft all the buildings, nearly one half of the cattle, and many flaves had been deftroyed. Several towns had fuffered, and the principle one in a flocking degree. From thefe caufes the inhabitants, to the number of above twenty thousand whites, had been left almost deftitute of habita tions, food, and raiment. The petitioners, therefore, folicited the houfe, that they would afford the fufferers fuch fpeedy and effectual relief, as would not only fecure them from impending want, but alfo affift them to erect anew their buildings, and to procure other neceffaries, and thereby enable them again to cultivate their eftates. A petition was also prefented from the lord-mayor, aldermen, and common-council of the city of London, recommending the

diftreffed