took two frigates of twenty and eighteen guns, the remainder to the amount of seventeen vessels being stranded and burnt. The fuperior weight of metal on the part of the English commodore, who hoisted his broad pennant on board the Raifonnable, of 64 guns, and whose whole squadron confifted of fix ships only, far more than counterbalanced the fuperiority of numbers on the part of the enemy. On the other hand, the Americans were not without their successes. After the capture of Stoney Point and Verplanks by the English, no pains were spared to make them impregnable to the attacks of the enemy; notwithstanding which, a plan was formed by the American general Wayne, for the surprisal of this post, which was carried into execution with great resolution on the night of the 15th of July. Neither the deep morass in front of the lines, the double rows of abattis, or the inceffant and tremendous fire from the batteries, could damp the ardor of the troops, who, attacking with fixed bayonets, carried the works with resistless intrepidity. The clemency of the conquerors was no less confpicuous than their bravery; for though they had repeatedly been refused quarter in similar situations, the lives of more than 500 men, who threw down their arms, were generoufly granted. In a few days, another British post at Paulus Hook was surprised in a fimilar manner; but a better defence being made, the Americans, after storming two redoubts, were repulfed, and obliged to retire, not however without carrying off with them near 200 prisoners.. In the West Indies, soon after the defeat of D'Estaing, at St. Lucie, admiral Barrington was joined by Admiral Byron; and the English fleet being now fuperior to that of the French, endeavors were used to force the enemy to a general engagement; but they chose, rather than encounter this risque to remain inactive in the harbor of Fort Royal. Admiral Byron, however, deeming it expedient to convoy the trade ships collected at St. Christopher's pher's in June, part of their voyage; count d'Estaing took the opportunity of detaching a considerable force to the island of St. Vincent, which furrendered, though garrifoned by seven companies of regular troops, without firing a shot. This is ascribed to the dread entertained of an infurrection of the Caribbs, who still entertained a deep resentment of the injuries they had sustained. The French commander, being now joined by a large reinforcement of ships and troops, failed with twenty-fix fhips of the line from Fort Royal, in the beginning of July, and steered his course to the Island of Grenada, which, though bravely defended by the governor lord Macartney, was compelled in a short time to furrender at discretion. Admiral Byron on his return, receiving intelligence of the capture of StVincent's, immediately determined to make an effort for its recovery; but, on his passage thither, heard the still more unwelcome tidings of the attack of Grenada, of which he now resolved to attempt the relief. On the 6th of July the two fleets came in sight; but the French, having already effected their purpose, were little inclined, notwithstanding their present superiority, to rifque a close engagement. A warm but indecisive action ensued between the van divisions of the two fleets, in the course of which the English discovered to their aftonishment the French colors flying on the fortrefs of St. George. In the result, the English fleet bore away for Antigua, and the French returned to Grenada. Count d'Estaing being fully informed of the critical fitu ation of the fouthern provinces of America, now, unexpectedly directing his course to Georgia, made an easy capture of the Experiment of 50 guns with supplies of various kinds on board for Savannah, and three other frigates, which he fell in with on his way. On the 9th of September, he anchored off the mouth of the Savannah, to which general Prevost had again retired, and fent a haughty summons to that officer to furren der der to the arms of his most christian majesty; to which a spirited answer was returned. The succeeding day, count d'Estaing being joined by general Lincoln, a regular fiege commenced, which was sustained with great vigor by general Prevost, assisted by the masterly exertions of colonel Moncrieff, the chief engineer. At length the French commander, being impatient at the flow progress made in the fiege, determined upon a general affault; and after a heavy cannonade, the allies advanced to the attack of the British lines on the morning of the 9th of October. They were every where repulfed with heroic valor. Count d'Estaing himself being wounded in the action, and the troops having sustained great loss, the fiege was converted into a blockade, and in a few days entirely raised. A precipitate retreat was made by the Americans, and the count retired to the West Indies; whence he quickly returned to France, much chagrined at the final disappointment of the vast hopes and projects which he had originally formed. Sir Henry Clinton, alarmed at the intelligence of the arrival of the French fleet on the coast, and expecting an attack on New York, had fent orders to general Pigott for the evacuation of Rhode Island, of which the English had now been in poffeffion three years. But on being fully certified that the French fleet had departed for the West Indies, he resumed the project which he had formed of a grand expedition against South Carolina. On the 26th of December 1779, Sir Henry Clinton failed with the greater part of the army from New York, under convoy of a fleet commanded by admiral Arbuthnot; and after a tedious and unprofperous voyage, in which much mifchief was done, through the tempestuousness of the weather, to the transports and victuallers, the armament arrived off Charlestown bar, which the men of war paffed with some difficulty on the 20th of March (1780), the water rifing only nineteen feet in high spring tides. On the the ist of April the British troops broke ground at the distance of about eleven hundred yards in front of the American lines; which, though no more than field works, the English general, willing to spare the effusion of blood, treated with the respectful homage of three parallels-and made his advances with great circumspection. It does not appear that any confiderable exertions were made by the Americans for the relief of this important place, though defended by general Lincoln in person with a sufficiently numerous garrison, which, if the inhabitants had not shewn an infuperable reluctance to abandon the town, might probably with more advantage have taken the field in conjunction with the expected reinforcements. The fecond parallel being completed on the 20th of April, it was thought expedient to propose terms of capitulation, on condition of the garrifon being allowed to withdraw; but this condition was rejected by the English general without hesitation. In a few days the third parallel being carried within one hundred and fifty yards of the American lines, and preparations being made for a general affault; general Lincoln, on being informed by the engineers that the lines were no longer defenfible, feeing no profpect of relief, and the flesh provisions remaining in store not being fufficient to furnish rations for a week, consented to deliver up the city on the terms originally proposed by Sir Henry Clinton; in consequence of which about fix thousand men, confifting of continental troops, militia, and failors, became prifoners of war. This event took place on May 4th 1780. During the siege colonel Tarleton, who commanded a legion of cavalry, particularly diftinguished himself by the activity and success of his enterprises. The capital having furrendered, the next object was to fecure the general fubmiffion of the inhabitants: to this end, a large body of troops under lord Cornwallis marched over the Santee, towards that frontier which borders upon the the most populous parts of North Carolina. This movement caused an immediate retreat of fuch corps as had been there collected for the relief of Charlestown. One of these was unexpectedly attacked and furrounded by Tarleton's legion, which had marched one hundred and five miles in fifty-four hours. A very feeble resistance was made, and by far the greater part immediately threw down their arms, and begged for quarter: but a few continuing to fire, the British cavalry were ordered to charge and a terrible flaughter was made amongst the unarmed and unresisting Americans; and from this time Tarleton's quarter became proverbial. Soon after this Sir Henry Clinton returned to New York, leaving the command in Carolina to lord Cornwallis. During these transactions in America much alarm had been created in England by the junction of the fleets of France and Spain, which took place very foon after the delivery of the Spanish manifesto. In August 1779, they entered the channel to the amount of fixty-five ships of the line, accompanied by a cloud of frigates, floops, and fireships. The English fleet, commanded by Sir Charles Hardy, who had received no instructions to prevent this formidable junction, being utterly unable to encounter fo prodigious a force, was compelled to retire to the narrow part of the channel, whilst the flags of France and Spain menaced the English coasts without molestation or control. Plymouth was, by the unaccountable negligence of the minifters, left so entirely destitute of the means of defence, that the docks and shipping in the harbor might have been destroyed without difficulty. Fortunately this was not known to the confederate commanders; and on the ap proach of the equinox count d'Orvilliers steered his course back to Brest, without effecting any thing farther than the capture of the Ardent man of war, which had accidentally fallen in with the combined fleets. But the most remarkable consequence resulting from the appearance of this 1 1 |