162 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



and the only one in the possession of tlie troops was despatched for that 

 purpose; he had Just time to save his men when the vessel blew up." 

 The whole of the enem/s fleet was either taken or destroyed. The ves- 

 sels safely secured consisted of one ship of 20 guns, one brig of 16 guns, 

 two smaller brigs and a sloop. The vessels destroyed consisted of one 

 20-gun ship and several smaller armed vessels. This is Simcoe's state- 

 ment, but American historians put down the number of vessels destroyed 

 at fifteen.' They also say that two thousand hogsheads of tobacco were 

 taken or destroyed, and that four hundred hogsheads were destroyed at 

 Petersburg. 



The troops remained in the same vicinity until the 29tli when they 

 marched towards Manchester, from which they had a view of Lafayette's 

 army encamped on the heights of Richmond. At Bermuda Hundreds 

 the Hangers collected a quantity of cattle for the army, and on the even- 

 ing of May 2nd the whole army embarked, the captured ships being 

 convoyed down the river by the Queen's Rangers. 



On May (itli, when the British were a little below Burwell's ferry, 

 they were met by a boat from Portsmouth, bearing a messenger with 

 intelligence for General Phillips that Cornwallis was on his way north 

 and wished to form a junction with him at Petersburg. The army im- 

 mediately returned up James River and late at night on the 0th again 

 entered Petersburg. So secret was their entrance that ten American 

 officers, who were there to prepare boats for Lafayette, were captured. 

 General Phillips who had been taken ill with bilious fever on this nuirch 

 was taken to the house of a Mrs. Balling, where ho died four days after- 

 wards. The day after the arrival of the British, I^fayette's army ap- 

 peared on the other side of the river and cannonaded the British quarters, 

 particularly the house where General Phillips lay dying. They had 

 already been informed by a flag of truce of the condition of the British 

 General, so that their conduct may fairly pass for a specimen of French 

 and American chivalry during the war. Lafayetjte after this exploit, by 

 which he succeeded in killing an old negro woman, a servant of IMrs. 

 Balling, marched oft" to Osbourne's. 



Simcoe and his Rangers marched witli all speed to Nottaway River, 

 twenty-seven miles from Petersburg. There, leaving his infantry, he 

 pushed on with the Hussars, captured Col. Gee, a militia officer, and 

 also a militia captain and 30 men. After communicat'ing with Corn- 

 wallis and capturing two or three officers with dispatches, Simcoe re- 

 turned to Peters])urg, and T^ord Comwallis's whole anny reached there 

 on the 20th May. The armv having marched to Bottom Bridge on the 

 28th, Simcoe patrolled to Xowoastle, where he captured a number of 

 American officers. Capt. Cooke's troop of Hussars at this time joined 



