HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY, NEW YORK. 



13 



♦ We mention tliese particulars to show bow limited were 

 the resources of Steuben, either to comply with the urgent 

 calls of Greene for "more troops and supplies," or in case of 

 an invasion by a naval expedition, to which their situation 

 peculiarly exposed them, to be in readiness promptly to 

 defend the State. 



While the draft was pending, such a naval expedition 

 suddenly surprised the country. The traitor, Benedict 

 Arnold, with a flotilla of twenty-seven sail and sixteen 

 hundred efiective men, entered the James River, and 

 crowded rapidly up to the capital of the State. On the 4th 

 they landed at Westover, twenty miles below Richmond, 

 which now appeared to be the object of attack. No force 

 had yet been collected. Seeing that Richmond was likely 

 to fall into the hands of the enemy, great exertions were 

 made to remove the archives, arms, and military stores to 

 the south side of the river, which object was in a great 

 measure accomplished. Most of the stores were sent to 

 Westham, seven miles from Richmond, where they were 

 ferried across the river, and guarded by a small body of 

 Continentals. 



Arnold landed nine hundred of his men at Westover, 

 and commenced his march on the afternoon of the 4th on 

 Richmond, which place he reached at noon the next day. 

 Baron Steuben dispatched one or two hundred militia, all 

 that could be collected, to harass the British on the march, but 

 the service was ill-performed, and they entered the capital 

 without the loss of a man. Arnold with five hundred men re- 

 maining in the town, Col. Simcoe with the remainder pushed 

 forward to Westham, where he burned a valuable foundry, 

 boring-mill, laboratory, and some smaller buildings.* Five 

 brass four-pounders, which had been sunk in the river, were 

 discovered, raised, and carried ofl", and six tons of powder 

 were thrown into the water. But, as they had no means 

 of crossing the river, the major part of the stores were out 

 of their reach, and Simcoe returned immediately to Rich- 

 mond. Arnold sent a flag to Steuben, ofiering not to burn 

 the town if the ships should be allowed to pass up un- 

 molested and carry ofi" the tobacco which was there de- 

 posited. This proposition was rejected, and the enemy 

 concluding to leave the tobacco, after burning the public 

 buildings and plundering many private houses, commenced 

 their retreat to Westover, where they arrived on the 7th. 

 In forty-eight hours they had passed thirty miles into the 

 country, occupied the capital of the State, destroyed much 

 public property, and returned to their shipping without the 

 loss of a man. 



Deeply sensible of the insult they had received, Steuben 

 strained every nerve to collect troops and harass the British 

 on their way down the river. Rightly judging that Arn- 

 old's force would land at Hood's, the baron ordered Col. 

 Clarke to form an ambuscade, with two hundred militia, at 

 a short distance from the landing-place. On the 10th the 

 shipping anchored, as was expected, and a party of five 

 hundred men drove in the American picket. When they 

 came within forty paces, the militia poured in a general 

 fire, which killed seven men and wounded twenty-three 

 others. The British returned the fire without efiect, and 



* There was here an armory during the Revolution. 



then pushed forward with fixed bayonets, when the militia 

 immediately fled. On the 20th the fleet reached Ports- 

 mouth, which Arnold proceeded to fortify, in order to estab- 

 lish it as a permanent post. 



We need not follow the account further, the details of 

 which are familiar to the readers of Revolutionary history. 

 Gov. Jefi'erson wrote, on the 10th of January, to the Pres- 

 ident of Congress, — 



" Baron Steuben has descended from the dignity of his proper com- 

 mand to direct our smallest movements. His vigilance has in a great 

 measure supplied the want of force, in preventing the enemy from 

 crossing the river, the consequences of which might have been very 

 fatal. He has been assiduously employed in preparing equipments 

 for the militia, .as they assembled, pointing them to a proper object, 

 and in other offices of a good commander." 



The action of Steuben in the defense of Petersburg was 

 gallant and courageous. This was on the 24th of April, 

 1780. Arnold, at Portsmouth, had baffled all attempts to 

 dislodge or capture him on the part of a large force of 

 infantry under Lafayette and a French fleet sent from 

 Newport under command of Destouches, and had been 

 reinforced by Gen. Phillips, with two thousand English 

 troops. The combined forces, amounting to two thousand 

 five hundred men, under the command of Gen. Phillips, 

 sailed up the James River on the 18th, with the view 

 of attacking Petersburg and Richmond. Simcoe, with a 

 small party, entered Williamsburg, and destroyed some 

 stores. The main body, on the 24th, landed at the conflu- 

 ence of the Appomattox and James Rivers, and marched 

 up the banks of the former towards Petersburg. 



Baron Steuben was there with one thousand militia, to 

 defend the city against two thousand three hundred regular 

 troops; but his measures were so well taken that he was able 

 to dispute the ground more than two hours, during which 

 time the enemy gained but one mile. Their lines were 

 twice broken before their superiority of numbers compelled 

 the brave baron to retreat and assume a new position about 

 twelve miles up the river. The loss was equal, amounting 

 to sixty killed and wounded on each side. 



Lafayette, by forced marches, had arrived at Richmond 

 in time to prevent an attack on that city. The British 

 burned the tobacco and warehouses in Petersburg and 

 vicinity. By the 1st of May Lafayette and Steuben 

 had collected such a considerable force that Phillips dared 

 not cross to the north side of the river, and soon abandoned 

 the campaign and returned again to Portsmouth. 



When Cornwallis entered the State of Virginia Steuben 

 had charge of the State arsenal at the Point of Fork, on 

 the James River, above Richmond, and of the military 

 stores which had been collected there. The post was 

 guarded by Steuben with six hundred newly-levied troops. 

 Cornwallis, learning his situation, detached Simcoe against 

 him with five hundred regulars. Tarleton, with two hun- 

 dred and fifty horse, was also ordered to proceed to Char- 

 lotteville, and thence to join Simcoe at the Point of Fork. 

 This double movement rendered Steuben's situation very 

 perilous. It was useless to attempt to defend the place 

 against such odds, and even the utmost dispatch could 

 hardly promise a successful retreat. Still the baron set to 



