40 A M E R I C A. 
that the chief objeCt of the enemy was the baggage, com¬ 
mitted it to the care of general Knyphaufen, whom he or¬ 
dered to fet out early in the morning, while lie followed 
with the reft of the army. The attack was accordingly 
made; but the Britifh general had taken fuch care to ar¬ 
range his troops properly, and fo effectually fupported his 
forces when engaged with the Americans, that the latter 
not only-made no impreflion, but were with difficulty pre¬ 
ferred from a total defeat, by the arrival of general Well¬ 
ington with the whole army. The Britifli troops effected 
their retreat with the lofs of 300 men, of whom many died 
through fatigue. In this action general Lee was charged 
by general Wafhington with difobedicnce and mifconduCt 
in retreating before the Britifh army. He was tried by a 
court-martial, and fentenced to a temporary fufpeqfion from 
his command. After they had arrived at Sandy Hook, a 
bridge of boats was by lord Howe’s directions thrown over 
the channel which feparated the ifland from the main land, 
and the troops Were conveyed on-board the fleet; after 
w hich they failed to New York. After fending fome light 
-detachments to watch the enemy’s motions, general Wafh¬ 
ington marched towards the Nortli River, where a great 
force had been collected to join him, and where it was now 
expected tliat fome capital operations would take place. 
In the mean time, France had fet about her preparations 
for the alliftanee of the Americans. On the 14th of April 
count D’Eftaing failed from Toulon with a ftrong fquadron 
of (hips of the line and frigates, and arrived on the coaft 
of Virginia in the beginning of July, while the Britifh 
heet was employed in conveying the forces from Sandy 
Hook to New York. It confided of one (hip of 90 giins, 
one of 80, fix of 74, and four of 64, befides feveral large 
frigates; and, exclufive of its complement of failors, had 
6000 marines and foldiers on-board. To oppofe this the 
Britifli had only fix fliips of 64 guns, three of 50, and two 
of 40, with fome frigates and (loops. Notwithftanding 
this inferiority, however, the Britifli admiral polled him- 
felf fo advantageoufly, and fhewed fuch fuperior courage 
and (kill, that D’Eftaing did not think proper to attack 
him. He therefore remained at anchor four miles off 
Sandy Hook till the 22b of July, without effecting any 
thing more than the capture of fome veffels, which, thro’ 
-ignorance of his arrival, fell into his hands. 
The next attempt of the French admiral was, in con¬ 
junction witli tlie Americans, on Rhode Ifland. It was 
propofed that D’Eftaing, with the 6000 troops he brought 
with him, fliould make a defeent on the fouthern part,of 
the ifland, while a body of the Americans fliould take 
poffellion of the north; at the fame time the French fqua¬ 
dron was to enter the harbour of Newport, and take or 
deftroy all the Britifh (hipping. On the 8 th of Augitft the 
French admiral entered the harbour as was propofed, but 
•found himfelf unable to effect any thing material. Lord 
■Howe inftantly let fail for Rhode Ifland; and D’Eftaing, 
confiding in his fuperiority, came out of the harbour to 
meet him. A violent ftorm parted the two fleets, and did 
fo much damage that they were both rendered unfit for 
aCtion. The French fuftered moll; and feveral of their 
fhips, being afterwards attacked tingly by the Britifli, very 
narrowly efcaped being taken. On the 20th of Auguft 
D’Eftaing returned to Newport in a very fhattered condi¬ 
tion ; and, not thinking himfelf fafe there, failed two days 
after for Bofton. General Sullivan had landed in the mean 
time on the northern part of Rhode Ifland with 10,000 
men. Or the 17th of Auguft they began their operations 
by ereCting batteries, and making their approaches to the 
Britifh lines. But general Pigot, who commanded in New¬ 
port, had taken fuch effectual care to fecure himfelf on 
the land-fide, that without the affiftance of a marine force 
it was altogether iinpoftible to attack him with any proba- 
'bility of fuccefs. The conduct of D’Eftaing, therefore, 
who had abandoned them when matter of the harbour, 
gave the greateft ditgutt to the people of New England, 
and Sullivan began to .thank of a retreat. On perceiving 
his intentions, the g a triton tallied out upon him with fo 
much vigour, that it was not without difficulty that he 
effected his retreat. He had not been long gone when Sip 
Henry Clinton arrived with a body of 4000 men; which, 
had it arrived fooner, would have enabled the Britifli com¬ 
mander to have gained a decilive advantage over him, as 
well as to have deftroyed the town of Providence, which, 
by its vicinity to Rhode Ifland, and the enterprifes which 
were continually projected and carried on in that place, 
kept the inhabitants of Rhode Ifland in continual alarm. 
The firft Britifli expedition was to Buzzard’s Bay, in 
the neighbourhood of Rhode Iflatid. Here they deftroyed 
a great number of privateers and merchantmen, magazines, 
with ftorehoufes, &c. whence proceeding to a fertile and 
populous ifland called Martha’s Vineyard, they carried off 
10,000 flieep and 300 black cattle. Another expedition 
took place up the North River, under lord Cornwallis and 
general Knyphaufen; the principal event of which was the 
dcftruCtion of a regiment of American cavalry, known by 
the name of Wafliington’s light-horfe. A third expedi¬ 
tion was directed to Little Egg Harbour, in New Jerfey, a 
place noted for privateers, the dcftruCtion of which was 
its principal intention. It was conducted by captains Fer- 
gufon and Collins, and ended in the dcftruCtion of the 
enemy’s veffels, as well as of the place itfelf. At the 
fame time part of another body of American troops, called 
Pulafki’s legion, was furprifed, and a great number ot 
them put to the fvvord. 
The Americans had in the beginning of the year pro¬ 
jected the conqueft of Weft Florida; and captain Willing, 
with a party of refolute men, had made a fuccefsftil in- 
curfion into the country. This awakened the attention of 
the Britifli to the fouthern colonies, and an expedition 
againft them was refolved on. Georgia was the place of 
deftination; and the more effectually to enfure fuccefs, co¬ 
lonel Campbell, witli a fufficient force, under convoy of 
fome fliips of war, commanded by commodore Hyde Par¬ 
ker, embarked at New York, while general Prevoft, who 
commanded in Eaft Florida, was directed to fet out withal! 
the forces he could collect. The armament from New 
York arrived off the coaft of Georgia in December; and, 
though the enemy were ftrongly pofted in an advan¬ 
tageous fituation near the fhore, the Britilh troops made 
good their landing, and advanced towards Savannah the 
capital of the province. That fame day they defeated the 
provincials who oppofed them; and took poffeflion of the 
town with fuch celerity, that the Americans had not time 
to execute a refolution they had taken of fetting it on fire. 
In ten days the whole province of Georgia was reduced, 
Sunbury alone excepted ; and this was alio brought under 
fubjeCtion by general Prevoft in his inarch northward. 
Every proper method was taken to fecure the tranquillity 
of the country ; and rewards were offered for apprehend¬ 
ing committee and affembly men, or fuch as they judged 
moft inimical to the Britifli interell. On the arrival of ge¬ 
neral Prevoft, the command of the troops devolved on him 
as the fenior officer ; and the conqueft of Carolina was next 
projected. That country contained a great number of 
friends to government, who new eagerly embraced the op¬ 
portunity of declaring themfelves; many of the inhabi¬ 
tants of Georgia had joined the royal ftandard ; and there 
was not in the province any provincial forces capable of 
oppofing the efforts of the regular and well-difciplined 
troops. On the news of general Prevoft’s approach, the 
loyalifts aflembled, imagining themfelves able to ftand their 
ground until their allies fliould arrive; but in this they 
were difappointed. The Americans attacked and defeated 
them, with the lofs of half their number. The remain¬ 
der retreated into Georgia; and, after undergoing many 
hardfhips, at laft effected a junClion with the Britifh forces. 
In the meantime, general Lincoln, with a confiderable 
reinforcement of American troops, had encamped within 
twenty miles of the town of Savannah ; and another ftrong 
party had pofted themfelves at a place called Briar’s Creek, 
farther up the river of the fame name. Thus the extent 
of the Britifh government was likely to be eircunilcribed 
within 
