4-o A M ERIC A, 
north of the ifl'and, '.'here their principal force Was col- 
leftfed. In their railage thirher they rtcirmifiled with the 
Bri-tifti, but 'carefully avoided a general engagement ; and 
it was obferved that they did not behave with that ardour 
and impetuous valour which had hitherto mar lied their 
character. 
1 he Britt fit and provincial armies were not no.w above 
two mile .5 diirant from each other : the former lay en¬ 
camped from Chore to Chore for an extent of two miles, 
being the bread tit of the bland, which though, fifteen miles 
long, exceeds not two in any part in breadth. 'Tim pro¬ 
vincials who lay directly oppolite, had ftrengthened their 
camp w ith many fortifications ; at the fafne time, being 
matters of all.the paifes and denies, betwixt the two camps, 
they were enabled to defend themfelves againft an army 
much more numerous than their own; and they had alfo 
ih ongly fortified a pais called King’s Bridge, whence they 
could fccu re a p adage to the continent in- cafe of any mis¬ 
fortune. Here general Wafiiington, in order to inure the 
provincials to a£tu<tl few ice, and at the fame time to an¬ 
noy the enemy as much as pod! hie, employed his troops 
in continual ikirmilher.; by which it was. obferved that 
ti ey Coen recovered their fpirits, and behaved with their 
illuai bolunefs. 
As the (ituatioli of the two armies was now highly in¬ 
convenient for t he Briti111 generals, it was refolved to make 
fiich movements as might oblige general Wafiiington to. 
ireiinquifh his firong fituation. 'I he pofleflion of New York 
had been lefs beneficial than was expected. It hud been 
concerted among the provincials, that the city fhould be 
burnt at the time of evacuation ; but, as. they Were forced 
to depart with precipitation, they were prevented from 
putting the fcheme in execution. In a few days, however, 
it was attempted by fome who had been left behind for 
that purpofe. Taking advantage of a high wind and dry 
weather, the town was'Let on fire in feveral places at once, 
by means of combuflibles placed for that purpofe ; and, no.t- 
vvithftanding the moft active exertions of the foldiery and 
failers, a fourth part of the city w as combined. 
On this occaficn th.e Britiih were irritated to the higheft 
degree; and many perfons, faid to be incendiaries, were 
without mercy thrown into the flames. It w as determined 
to force the provincial army to, a. greater difiance, that 
they might have it lefs in their power, by any emiflavies, 
to engage others in a limilar attempt. For this purpofe, 
general Howe having left lord Percy with fuffiejent force 
to garrifon New York, he embarked his army in fiat-bot¬ 
tom boats, by which they were conveyed through the 
dangerous railage called Il't-ll Cate, and landed.near the 
town of Weft Chefter, lying on the continent towards 
Connecticut. Here having received a fupply of men and 
provifions, they moved to New Rochelle, tituated on the 
found which feparates Long Ifiand from the continent. 
After this, receiving frill frefii reinforcements, they made 
ftich movements as threatened to difirefs th.e provincials 
very fetich, by cutting elf them convoys of provifions from 
Conneflteut, and thus force them to an engagement. 
This,, general Wafiiington determined at all events to 
avoid. He therefore extended his forces into a long line 
oppolite to. the way- in which the enemy marched, keeping 
the Enina, a river of conliderable magnitude, between the 
two armies, with- the North River on his rear. Here again 
the provincial® continued for fome time to annoy and fkir- 
mifii with the Royal army, until at la ft, by fome other 
manoeuvres, the Eritifli general found means to attack them 
advantageouil y at a place called the White Plains, and drove 
them from fome of their poifs^ 1 he victory on this ocra- 
flbnwas much lefs complete than the former; however, it 
obliged the provincials once more, to drift their ground, 
and to retreat farther- up the country. General Howe 
purfued for foine time ; but, at laft, finding all his endea¬ 
vours vain to. bring the Americans to a pitched battle, lie 
determined to give over fuch an u.'ele-fs chacc, and employ 
hirnfeif in- reducing the forts -which the provincials ftill 
retained in- the neighbourhood o£ New York. In this he 
met with the moft'complete foebefs. The Americans-, on 
the approach of the king’s forces, retreated from King's. 
Bridge into Fort Wafiiington; and this, as well as Fort 
Lee, which lay in the neighbourhood, was quickly reduced, 
though the garrifon made their eftape. Thus the Jerfeys 
were laid entirely open to the incuriions of the Britiih 
troops; and fo fully were thefe provinces taken pofiTefiion 
oi by the royal army, that its winter quarters extended 
from New Brunfwick to the river Delaware. Had any 
number of boats been at hand, it is probable that Philadel¬ 
phia would now- have fallen into-their hands. All thefe,, 
however, had been carefully removed by the Americans. 
In lieu of this enterprife, Sir ll'enry Clinton undertook ait 
expedition, to. Rhode Ifiand, and became mailer of it with¬ 
out Idling a man. His expedition was alfo attended with 
this further advantage, that the American fleet under com¬ 
modore Hopkins was obliged to foil as.far as pofiible up the- 
river Providence, and tints remained entirely ufelefs. 
The fame iil fuccefs attended the Americans, in other 
parts. After their expulllon from Canada,, they had eroded, 
titer lake-Champlain, and taken, up their quarters at Crowiv 
Point, as already mentioned. Here they remained for 
fome time in fafety, as tlie Britifh had no veffels. on the 
lake, and confequently general Burgoyne could notpurfue- 
them. To remedy this deficiency, there was no poflible- 
metliod, hut either to confbuct veflelson the fpot, or take 
to pieces fome veffels already conftnicted, and drag them 
up the river into tire lake. This was effected in no longer 
a f'paee than three months; and the Britifh general, after 
incredible toil and difficulty, faw himfelf in pofiefiion of a- 
great number of veffels, by which means, he was-enabled 
to purfue his enemies, and attack them in his turn. 1 lie 
labour undergone ait this time by the fea and land forces- 
muft indeed lup/e been prodigious ; fince there were con¬ 
veyed over land, and dragged up the rapids of St. Lau¬ 
rence, no fewer than go large long-boats, 400 battei-iux, be- 
fides- a valt number of flat-bottomed beats, and a gondola- 
of thirty tons. The intent of the expedition was to pufh 
forward before w inter to Albany, where the army would 
take up its winter quarters, and next fy-ring effect" a junc¬ 
tion with that under general Howe, when it was flippofed 
that the united force and fkill of thefe two commanders- 
would fpeedily put a termination, to the war. 
By reafon of the difficulties with which the equipment c f 
this fleet had been attended, it w as the beginning of Octo¬ 
ber before the expedition could be undertaken. It was. 
now, however, by every judge, allowed to be completely 
able to anfvv-er the-purpofe for w hich it was intended. It 
confided of one large veil'd with three mafts, carrying i S 
twelve-pounders ; two fchooners, the one carrying 14,' the 
other 12, fix-pounders; a large fla-t-bottomedradean with 
6 twenty-four and 6 twelve pounders; and a gondola with 
8- nine-pounders.. Befides thefe were twenty veflels of a 
fmaller fize, called gun-boats, carrying each at piece of brafs- 
ordnance from nine.to twenty-four pounders,.or-howitzers.- 
Several long-boats were fitted out in the.fame manner;, 
and, befides all thefe, there was a vaft number of boats 
ami tenders of various fiz-es, to be ufed as tranfperts for the- 
troops mid baggage. It was manned by a number of fe- 
lerit fieamen, and the guns were to be ferved by a detach¬ 
ment from the corps of artillery ; th.e officers- and foldiers- 
for this expedition were alfo chofen out of the whole-army. 
To oppofe this formidable armament the Americans had 
only an i neon fide cable force-, commanded by general Ar¬ 
nold, w ho, after engaging part of the Britifh fleet for .a> 
whole day,, took advantage of the darknsfs of the night to. 
fet fail without being perceived,, and nex t morning was Out 
of fight ; burhe was fo clofely pur-fued by the Britiih, that' 
on the fecond day after he was overtaken, and forced to a- 
fecond engagement. In this he behaved with great gal¬ 
lantry ; but, his force being very inferior to that Of the 
enemy, he was obliged to run his fliips a-fhore and fet 
them on fire ; but a few efcaped to Lake George. The 
garrifon of Crown Point, having deftroyed or'carried oft* 
every thing of value, retired to.Ticonderoga. 
* Thus- 
