AMERICAN TROOPS DRIVEN OUT OF CANADA. 359 XXIX. eral Wooster had joined Arnold, and taken the command CHAP. at Quebec. But it was not easy for Arnold to act in concert with a superior officer; as usual, he had difficulty 1776. with Wooster, and retired to Montreal. Soon after Wooster was recalled, and Thomas, now a major-general, was appointed to the northern army. General Carleton was strongly reinforced, and Thomas was compelled to make a hasty retreat from before Quebec-so hasty, that the baggage, the artillery, and even the sick were left behind. The noble humanity of Carleton deserves to be recorded. He sought out the sick, many of whom had hid from him in terror, conveyed them to the general hospitals, and promised that on their recovery they should be permitted to return home. Thomas hastened to the Sorel, where, on June. the second of June, he died of the small-pox, which prevailed greatly in the army. Though the army once more changed its commander, there was no change in its prospects; they continued to be of the gloomiest character. Carleton came pressing on with a force of thirteen thousand men. General Thompson, with a portion of the American troops, was defeated at Three Rivers; and he, with his officers and many of his men, were taken prisonThose who escaped joined Sullivan on the Sorel. ers. Arnold had been equally unfortunate at Montreal. He stationed a detachment of four hundred men at a point called The Cedars, about forty miles above that place, in order to intercept the stores sent to the enemy. As this post was threatened with an attack, it was shamefully surrendered by Colonel Butterworth, without a blow. A reinforcement sent to their aid was also taken prisoners. Arnold now joined Sullivan. A council of war decided upon a retreat, and the wreck of the army passed out of Canada, followed by a strong British force. The army was in a deplorable condition when it reached Crown Point. To use the words of John Adams, it was defeated, discontented, dispirited, diseased, no clothes, 66 XXIX. CHAP. beds, blankets, nor medicines; no victuals but salt pork and flour." Thus ended this invasion, famous for its 1776. daring exploits and numerous disasters. Congress approved of Sullivan's prudent retreat; they did not, however, confirm him in the authority that had devolved upon him on the death of General Thomas. They appointed Major-general Gates to the command, and awarded Sullivan a vote of thanks-an honor as unsatisfactory to him as it was empty in itself. Sullivan was deeply wounded, as was General Schuyler, for Gates claimed the command, not only of the forces on Lake Champlain, but of the whole northern army. Horatio Gates, like Lee, was of foreign birth; like him, he was a disappointed man. Of his very early life little is known. He served in America under Braddock, in the West Indies under Monckton; but as he did not receive from his native England the honors which he thought his due, he sold his commission in the British army, and retired to Virginia, where he renewed his acquaintance with Washington, and with his former associate, General Lee. Gates was ambitious, and the revolution opened a path to distinction. As an office-seeker he had, it is said, learned to "flatter and accommodate himself to the humors of others." He could be "the boon companion of gentlemen, and hail fellow well met' with the vulgar." He ingratiated himself with the New Englanders, with whom, for some reason, Schuyler was unpopular. Through their influence, it is thought, Gates obtained what he aimed at-promotion. The enemies of Schuyler advanced serious charges against him; attributed to him the failure of the Canada expedition, and even hinted at treason. There is an instinct common to noble minds by which they discern truth in others. Washington never doubted the integrity of Schuyler, nor did Congress sustain Gates in his claim to supersede him. The appoint BRITISH FLEET BEFORE FORT MOULTRIE. XXIX 361 ment of the latter, they said, referred only to the forces CHAP while in Canada; elsewhere he was subordinate to Schuyler. The difficulty was passed over, as the result of a mistake, and the rival commanders assumed the appearance of satisfaction. We now return to Charleston, where we left both parties preparing for a contest. On the fate of Sullivan's Island, the key to the harbor, the result seemed to depend. One party was making ready to attack, the other to defend it. On the south-west point of this island was a fort commanded by Colonel William Moultrie. Fort Moultrie was constructed of logs of palmetto, a wood soft and spongy; cannon-balls could not splinter it. Lee, not familiar with the palmetto, thought it madness to attempt to defend so fragile a fort; he contemptuously styled it the "Slaughter-pen." This important post was threatened by sea and land. Before it lay the British fleet under Sir Peter Parker. Sir Henry Clinton, with two thousand men, had taken possession of Long Island, which lay to the east of Sullivan's Island, and was separated from it only by a narrow creek. Here he was erecting batteries to cover his passage across the creek, to assault the fort when the fire of the ships should make a breach. To oppose him the Americans stationed a force under Colonel Thompson on the opposite side of the creek. Lee took his position on a point of the mainland north of the island, where he stood ready, at any moment, to aid either Thompson or Moultrie. On 1776. 28. The strength of the fort was now to be tested. the twenty-eighth of June the formidable fleet of Parker June advanced and commenced a "most furious fire," which was returned with great spirit. The firing had but little effect upon the low wooden fort, while the ships of the enemy were almost torn in pieces. In the midst of the terrific roar of artillery the Americans stood bravely to XXIX. CHAP. their guns; some of them remained at their posts ever after they had lost a limb. For ten hours the battle 1776. raged without intermission. Then Sir Peter drew off his ships. Among the slain was Lord Campbell, ex-governor of the province, who fought as a volunteer on board the admiral's ship. June 28. Sir Henry Clinton made repeated attempts to reach Sullivan's Island, but was as often foiled by the batteries of Thompson. Several of the ships ran aground; one, the Acteon, was set on fire with her guns loaded and colors flying, and then abandoned. The Americans, determined to secure a trophy, boarded the burning vessel, fired her guns at the retreating enemy, took possession of her colors, loaded three boats with stores, and departed in safety, before she blew up. Among the many heroic incidents connected with this battle, one is related of Sergeant Jasper. The flag-staff was cut by a ball, and the flag fell outside the fort. Jasper immediately leaped down, and, amid the "iron hail," picked up the flag, tied it to a pole, deliberately placed it on the parapet, and then returned to his companions at the guns. Governor Rutledge appreciated the heroic deed; a few days after he presented his own sword to Jasper, and offered him a lieutenant's commission. He accepted the sword, but modestly declined promotion, on the ground that he could neither read nor write. On the very day that this battle took place at the South, a British fleet of forty vessels entered the harbor of New York. On board was General Howe, and with him the late garrison of Boston. Since the evacuation of that place he had been at Halifax awaiting the arrival of his brother, Admiral Howe. He landed his forces on Staten Island, where he was received with demonstrations of joy by the Tories. Clouds of deeper darkness were gathering around New York. The Admiral with more forces might be expected at any moment; the crisis so long dreaded was at hand. The American soldiers were ordered A CRISIS AT HAND. 363 XXIX. to be each day at their alarm posts, and to be in readiness CHAP for instant action. Orders to the same effect were sent up the river. Rumors of disaffection in that quarter 1776. added the fear of treachery to the general alarm. Such was the state of things ;-the northern army defeated and broken, the fleet of Sir Henry Clinton on its way from the South, Admiral Howe on his way from England, the harbor of New York filled with the enemy's ships,-when an event took place, most important in American history. The colonies declared themselves independent of all foreign authority, and took their place among the nations of the earth. |