464 A M ERIC A. 
wards exchanged undera cartel which-took place between 
lord Cornwallis and general-Greene, for the releafe of all 
prifoners in tire fouthern clillriel. After this, general 
•Greene laid fiege to Ninety-fix, which was the molt com¬ 
manding and important of all the pods in the baek-fettle- 
rnents; and, on the igtli of June, he attempted to (form 
rite garrifon, but was repulled by the Britilh troops,-with 
the lofsiof 75 killed and 150 wounded. General Greene 
tlien raifed the fiege, and retired behind the Saluda, to a 
flrong fituation within fix teen miles of Ninety-fix. 
On the 18th of April, a large body of Britilh troops, 
tinder the command of general Philips and general Ar¬ 
nold, embarked at Portfmouth, in Virginia, on an expe¬ 
dition for the purpofe of deftrcying fome of the Ameri¬ 
can (fores. A party cf light-infantry were lent ten miles 
up the Chicka'nomany; where they dellroyed feveral armed 
fhips, fundry warehotifes, and the American (hip-yards. 
At Peterlbtirgh, they deftroyed 4000 hogffieads of tobac¬ 
co, one fhip, and a number of fmall veflels on the (locks 
-and in the river. At Ghefierfield, they burnt a range of 
barracks for 2000 men, and 300 barrels of flour. At a 
place called Ofborn’s, they made themfelves mailers of 
feveral veflels loaded with cordage and flour, and destroy¬ 
ed 2000 hogfheads of tobacco, and fundry veflels were 
funk and burnt. At Warwick, they burnt 500 barrels of 
flour, fome mills belonging to colonel Carey, a large range 
of public rope-walks and llore-houfes, tan and bark 
houfes full of hides and bark, and great quantities of to¬ 
bacco. A like deftruClion of (lores and goods was made 
in other parts of Virginia. 
Lord Cornwallis, after his viflory over general Greene, 
at Guildford, proceeded, as we have feen, to Wilming¬ 
ton ; and, on the 20th of May, his lordfhip arrived at Pe¬ 
tersburg, in Virginia, where he joined the Britifh troops 
that had been under the command of general Philips and 
general Arnold. Before this junClion, he had encoun¬ 
tered conliderable inconveniences from the difficulty of 
procuring provilions and forage ; fo that, in a letter to Sir 
Henry Clinton, he informed him, that his cavalry wanted 
every thing; and his infantry every tiling but (hoes. He 
added, that he had experienced the diftrefles of marching 
hundreds of miles in a country chiefly hoftile, without one 
atfive or ufeful friend, without intelligence, and without 
communication with any part of the country. 
On the 26th of June, about fix miles from Williamf- 
burgh, lieutenant-colonel Simcoe, and 350 of the queen’s 
rangers, with eighty mounted yagers, were attacked by a 
much fuperior body of the Americans; but whom they 
repulfed with great gallantry and with equal fuccefs, ma¬ 
king four officers and twenty private men prifoners. The 
lofs of the Americans in this aflion is (aid to have been 
upwards of 120, and that of the Britilh troops not more 
than forty. On the 6th of July, another adlion happened 
near the Green Springs, in Virginia, between a recon¬ 
noitring party of the Americans, under general Wayne, 
amounting to about 800, and a large part of the Britilh 
army, under lord Cornwallis ; in which, the Americans 
had 127 killed and wounded; and the lofs of the royal 
troops is fuppofed to have been confiderably greater. It 
was an aflion in which no fmall degree of military (kill 
and courage was exhibited by the Americans. In a va¬ 
riety of (kirmifhes, the marquis la Fayette very much dif- 
tinguillied himfelf, and difplayed the utmoft ardour in the 
American caufe. 
Notwithlranding the fignal advantages lord Cornwallis 
had obtained, his fituation in Virginia began to be very 
critical ; and the rather, becaufe he did not receive thofe 
reinforcements from Sir Henry Clinton which he con- 
.ceived to be neceflary for the fuccefs of his operations. 
Indeed, the commander in chief was prevented from fend¬ 
ing thofe reinforcements, by his fears refpedting New 
York, againft which he entertained apprehenfions that ge¬ 
neral Walhington intended to make a formidable attack. 
In fafl, the American general appears to have taken much 
pains, and to have employed great, finefle, -to lead Sir 
Henry Clinton info this-imagination. Letters, expreflive 
of this intention, fell into the hands of Sir Henry, which 
were manifellly written to be intercepted, with a view to 
atnufe and deceive the Britilh general. The projedl was 
fuccefsful ; and, by a variety of manoeuvres, in which he 
completely out-generalled the Britilh commander, he in¬ 
creased his apprehenfions about New York, and prevented 
him from fending proper affiftance to lord Cornwallis. 
Having thus kept Sir Henry Clinton in perpetual alarm, 
.general Walhington fuddenly quitted his camp at Whire 
Plains, eroded the Delaware, and marched towards Vir¬ 
ginia, with a defign to attack lord Cornwallis. Sir Henry 
-Clinton now received information, that the count de Grade, 
with a large French fleet, was expedited every moment m 
the Chefapeak, to co-operate with general Walhington. 
He therefore endeavoured to communicate this informa¬ 
tion to lord Cornwallis; and alfo lent him aflurances, that 
he would either reinforce him by every poflible means, or 
make the bed diverfion he could in his favour. In the 
mean time, lord Cornwallis had taken pofleffion of the 
pofts of York-town and Gloucelter, in Virginia, where he 
fortified himfelf in the bed manner he could. 
On the 28th of Augud, Sir Samuel Hood, with a fqua- 
dron from the Wed Indies, joined the fleet under admiral 
Graves, before New York. It was then neceffiary, on ac¬ 
count of the fituation of lord Cornwallis, that they (hould 
immediately proceed to the Chefapeak ; but much time 
appears to have been lofl, though admiral Hood was ex¬ 
tremely anxious that no delay might be made. They ar¬ 
rived in the Chefapeak on the 5th of September, with 
nineteen ffiips of the line; where they found the count de 
Gralfe, who had come to an anchor, on the 30th of Au¬ 
gud, with twenty-four ffiips of the line. The French ad¬ 
miral had previoufly landed a large body of troops, which 
had marched to join the American army under general 
Waffiington. The Britilh and French fleets came to an 
action on the fame day in which the former arrived in the 
Chefapeak. On-board the Britilh fleet, ninety were killed 
and 246 wounded ; l'ome of the (hips were greatly dama¬ 
ged in the engagement, and the Terrible, a 74-gun (hip, 
was fo much (battered, that it was afterwards found ne- 
celfary to fet her on fire. That this aflion was not fa¬ 
vourable to the Englifb, w’as manifelt from the event: 
the fleets continued in fight of each other for five days 
fuccellively, and fometimes were very near; but at length, 
the French all anchored within the Cape, fo as to block 
up the paflage. Admiral Graves then called a council of 
war, in which it was refolved, that the fleet (hould return 
to New York, that the fliips might be put into the belt 
(late for the fervice : and thus were the French left mal- 
ters of the Chefapeak. 
Before the news of this engagement had reached New 
York, a council of war had been held, in which it was 
refolved, that 5000 men fliould be embarked on-board 
the king’s ffiips, in order to proceed to the affiflance of 
lord Cornwallis. But, when it was known that the French 
were abfolute mafters of the navigation of the Chefapeak, 
it was thought inexpedient to fend oft that reinforcement. 
In another council of war, it was refolved, that as lord 
Cornwallis had provilions to lafl him to the end of Octo¬ 
ber,, it was advifable to wait for more favourable accounts 
from admiral Graves, or for the arrival of admiral Digby, 
who was expected with three ffiips of the line. 
In the mean time, the mod effectual meafures were ta¬ 
ken by general Waffiington, for furrounding the army 
under lord Cornwallis. A large body of French troops, 
under the command of the count de Rochambeau, wj.th a 
confiderable train of artillery,- allifted in the enterprife. 
The Americans amounted to near 8000 continentals, and 
5000 militia. General Walhington was commander in chief 
of the combined forces of America and France. On the 
29th of September, the inveftment of York-town was com¬ 
plete, and the Britilh army were quite blocked up. The 
day following. Sir Henry Clinton wrote a letter to lord 
Cornwallis, containing aflurances-that he-would cfo every 
3 ~ ' ' thing 
