.

HISTORY

OF THE

AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

CHAPTER I.

Recapitulation-Events of 1777-Low state of the American Army at Morristown-Dismission of Dr. Stringer, and resolution of Congress, censuring General Schuyler's want of respect-State of the British Army-Expedition of Cornwallis against Boundbrook Narrow escape of General Lincoln-Governour Tryon's expedition against Danbury-Gallant conduct of Generals Wooster and Arnold-Arnold makes a stand at Radfield-Is obliged to retreat-Follows the enemy to Sagatuck bridgeAction there-Expedition of Colonel Meigs to Saggharbour --Sir William Howe takes the field—his sudden retreat to Amboy-Washington moves his army to Quibbletown-Howe evacuates the Jerseys-General Schuyler appointed to the command of the Northern Army-General St. Clair ordered to the command of Ticonderoga-The weak state of that garrison-Burgoyne makes his appearance before it-St. Clair evacuates it and joins General Schuyler.

THE army under General Washington had never been more active, nor the cautious skill of the Commander more conspicuously displayed, than dur

VOL. II.

ing the winter campaign of 1776. Beaten, and driven from his strong positions on the North River, with the loss of a large portion of his army, we have seen that General Washington found himself reluctantly compelled to make a precipitate retreat across the Jerseys into Pennsylvania, with a shattered force of Arrived at little more than three thousand men. Newark, Washington felt as if the struggle must soon be terminated; but he felt too, that the western world contained too many secure and safe retreats for the sons of liberty, to admit even the momentary idea of being compelled to relinquish their independence. There was a world beyond the mountains, to which he looked as a dernier asylum. My neck, said he, to his friend Colonel Reed, does not feel as though it were made for a halter-if driven from every other place, we must cross the Allegany mountains. At no period of our trying contest, were the hopes of the American army at so low an ebb. The royal forces had been every where successful; the term of service of the greater part of our soldiers, was about expiring; many of our most meritorious and useful officers were in the hands of the enemy; and Cornwallis, flushed with recent victory, was then in hot pursuit of the flying band that stuck to the fortunes of Washington. If Cornwallis had been Commander in Chief of the British army at this time, instead of General Howe, who seems at all times to have laboured under some strange infatuation in his conduct of the war, the revolution would in all probability have closed here, and we might have been at this day under the guardianship of the Mother Country. We have seen that Lord Cornwallis entered Newark only a few hours after Washington had evacuated it;