A M E 
ftroyed one of the fincft founderios for cannon in America, 
and a large quantity of (tores and ammunition. General 
Arnold, on his arrival at Richmond, found large quanti¬ 
ties of fait, rum, fail-cloth, tobacco, and other merchan- 
tlife ; and that part which was public properly he dellroy- 
ed. The Britilh troops afterwards attacked and difperfed 
fome (mall parties of the Americans, took fome (tores, and 
a few pieces of cannon; and, on the 20th of the fame 
month, marched into Portfinouth. On the 25th, captain 
Barclay, with feveral drips of war, and a body of troops 
tinder the command of major Craig, arrived in Cape Fear- 
river. The troops landed about nine miles from Wilming¬ 
ton, and, on the 28th, entered that town. It was under- 
Hood, that their having pofleffion of that town, and being 
maders of Cape Fear river, would be productive of very 
beneficial effects to lord Cornwallis’s army. 
General Greene, having effected a junction, about the 
joth of March, with a continental regiment, and two large 
bodies of militia, refolved to attack the Britifh troops un¬ 
der lord Cornwallis. The American army marched from 
the High Rock Ford on the 12th of the month, and on the 
14th arrived at Guildford. Lord Cornwallis, from the 
information he had received of the motions of the Ameri¬ 
can general, concluded what were his defigns. As they 
approached more nearly to each other, a few (kirmifhes 
enfued between fome advanced parties, in which the king’s 
troops had the advantage. On the morning of the 1,5th, 
lord Cornwallis marched at day-break to meet the Ame¬ 
ricans, or to attack them in their camp. About four miles 
from Guildford, the advanced guard of the Britilh army, 
commanded by lieutenant-colonel Tarlefon, fell in with a 
corps of the Americans, confiding of lieutenant-colonel 
Lee’s legion, which he defeated. 
The greater part of the country in which the a£lion 
happened is a wildernefs, with a few cleared fields inter- 
iperfed. The American army, which was fuperior to the 
Britilh in point of numbers, was ported on a riling ground. 
It was drawn up in three lines : the front line was com- 
pofed of the North Carolina militia, under the command 
,of generals,Butler and Eaton ; the fecond line was of Vir¬ 
ginian militia, commanded by generals Stephens and Law- 
ton, forming two brigades ; the third line, confiding of 
two brigades, one of Virginia and one of Maryland conti¬ 
nental troops, was commanded by general Huger and co¬ 
lonel Williams. Lieutenant-colonel Wartiington, with the 
dragoons of the firft and third regiments, a detachment of 
light infantry, compofed of continental troops, and a re¬ 
giment of riflemen, under colonel Lynch, formed a corps 
of obfervation for the fecurity of their right flank. Lieu¬ 
tenant-colonel Lee, with his legion, a detachment of light 
infantry, and a corps of riflemen under colonel Campbell, 
formed a corps of obfervation for the fecurity of their left 
flank. The attack was made by lord Cornwallis, in the 
following order : on the right, the regiment of Bofe and 
the 71ft regiment, led by major-general Leflie, and fup- 
ported by the firft battalion of guards ; on the left, the 
23d and 33d regiments, led by lieutenant-colonel Webfter, 
and fuppoi ted by the grenadiers and fecond battalion of 
guards, commanded by general 0 ‘Hara ; the Yagers and 
light infantry of the guards remained in a wood, an the 
left of the guns, and the cavalry in the road, ready to>a£f 
as circtimftances might require. 
About half an hour after one in the afternoon, the ac¬ 
tion commenced by a cannonade, which laited about twenty 
minutes; when the Britifh troops advanced in three co¬ 
lumns and attacked the North Carolina brigade with great 
vigour, and foon obliged part of thefe troops, who be¬ 
haved very ill, to quit the field r but the Virginia militia 
kept up a heavy fire for a long time, till, being beaten 
back, the a£lion became general every where The Ame¬ 
rican corps, under colonels Wafhington and Lee, did coiv 
liderable execution. Lieutenant-colonel Tarleton had di¬ 
rections to keep his cavalry compact, and not to charge 
without pofitive orders, excepting to protect any of the 
ebrps from, the moft evident danger of being defeated. 
RICA. 463 
The exceflive thicknefs of the woods rendered the Britilh 
bayonets of little life, and enabled the broken corps of 
Americans to make frequent (lands with an irregular tire. 
The fecond battalion of the guards firlt gained the clear 
ground near Guildford court-houfe, and found a corps of 
continental infantry, fuperior in number, formed in an 
open field on the left of the road. Defirous of fignalizing 
themfelves, they immediately attacked and foon defeated 
them, taking two fix-pounders; but, as they purified the 
Americans into the wood with too much ardour, they were 
thrown into confurton, and inftantly charged and driven 
back into the field by lieutenant-colonel Wafhington’s dra¬ 
goons, with the lofs of the lix-pounders they had taken. 
But the American cavalry were in turn repulfed, and the 
two fix-pounders again fell into the hands of the Britilh 
troops. The fpirited exertions of general O'Hara and 
lieutenant-colonel Tarleton, contributed, to bring the ac¬ 
tion to a termination. The Britilli troops having at length 
broken the fecond Maryland regiment, and turned the left 
flank of the Americans, got into the rear of the Virginia 
brigade, and appeared to be gaining their right, which 
would have encircled the w hole of the continental troops-, 
when general Greene thought it prudent to retreat. Many 
of the American militia difperfed in the woods; but the 
continental troops fell back in good order to the Reedy Fork 
River, and eroded at the ford, about three miles from the 
field of action. When they had collected their ftragglers, 
they retreated to the iron-works, ten.miles diftant from 
Guildford, where they encamped. They loft their artillery, 
and two waggons laden with ammunition. It was a hard- 
fought battle, and lafted an hour and- an half. Of the Bri- 
tifti troops, the lofs, as (rated by lord Cornwallis, was 532 
killed, wounded, and milling. General Greene, in his ac^ 
count of the a£ticn tranfmitted to the congrefs, ftated the 
lofs of the continental troops to be 329 killed, wounded, 
and milling; but he made no eftiiuate of the lofs of the 
militia. Lieutenant-colonel Stuart was killed in the ac¬ 
tion; and lieutenant-colonel Webfter, and captains Schutz, 
Maynard, and Goodriche, died of their wounds. General 
O'Hara, general Howard, and lieutenant-colonel Tarie- 
ton, were alfc. wounded. Of the Americans, the principal 
officer killed was major Anderfon, of the Maryland line j 
and generals Stephens and Huger were wounded. 
The Britilh troops underwent great hardships in the 
conrfe of this campaign; and in a letter from lord Corn¬ 
wallis to lord George Germaine, dated March 17th, he. 
obferved, that “ the foldiers had been two days without 
bread.” His lordlhip quitted Guildford three days afrer 
the battle; and, on the 7th of April, arrived at Wilming¬ 
ton. General Greene, notwithilanding his late defeat, 
endeavoured to make fome frefn attempts again!! the king’s 
forces in South Carolina. Lord Rawdon had been ap¬ 
pointed to defend the port: of Camden, with about 800 
Britifh ; and, on the 19th of April, general Greene ap¬ 
peared before that place with a large body of continentals 
and militia. He found it impofiible to ftorm the town 
with any profpetl of fuccefs ; and therefore endeavoured 
to take fuch a polition as (hould induce the Britilli troops 
to fally forth- from their works. He polled the Ameri¬ 
cans about a mile from the to-wn, on an eminence which 
was covered with woods, and flanked on the left by an 
impaflable fvvam-p. On the m-orning of the 25th, lord 
Rawdon marched out of Camden, and with great gallan¬ 
try attacked general Greene in his camp. The Americans 
made a vigorous reliftance, but were at laft compelled to- 
give way, and the purfuit is laid to have been continued 
three miles. The lofs of the Englifh was about 100 killed 
and wounded. Upwards of 100 of the Americans were 
taken prifoners ; and, according to the account publiffied 
by general Greene, they had 11S killed and wounded. 
Notwithilanding the advantage which lord Rawdon had 
obtained, he foon found it necetfary to quit his port:; and 
the Americans made themfelves mailers of feveral other 
polls that were occupied by the king’s troops, and the gar- 
rifons were made prifoners of war. Thefe we*e after¬ 
wards 
