had at length overcome the impediments which he met with in the wood, the garrifon furrendered prifoners of war. The lofs on either fide, according to the public accounts, was not fo great as might have been expected from the length and variety of the action. The quantity of gunpowder found in the fort was utterly inadequate to the purpose of almoft the fhortest defence. A refpectable authority obferves, how fo large a body was left with fo poor a provifion, is extremely unaccountable and adds, But the narrative of all these transactions is hitherto imperfect.To make this fubject clear to the reader, it must be remembered, that the fortifying thefe places at this time with fo many men, and with fo fhort provifions, was intended to anfwer a particular defign, which it did. General Washington knew that our troops would attempt ftorming the fort, provided it did not furrender; he therefore ordered his men to hold out as long as they could with convenient fafety, and endeavour to thin the British ranks as much as poffible, and at laft furrender. Had he left only a few, they would have done but little damage to our troops, but as the garrifon was tolerably strong, and fecured within their works, they were on that account able to make a greater flaughter among our troops, and fo make any future operations more eafy to the provincials. The troops in the fort were few in comparison of the killed and wounded of our men in this unhappy attack; for Britain has not to this day, nor ever will get a true account of the killed and wounded at White Plains and Fort Washington. The people in the city of New York were as great ftrangers to the tranf actions at White Plains as the people in Britain; for notwithstanding the multitude of killed, that were 1 every day left upon the field, and the numbers that were carried to the hofpitals, the people were made believe that every little repulfe which was given to the Americans was attended with great lofs on their fide, and almost none on ours. The newspapers under the direction of the commanders in chief by fea and land, like our Gazette at home, always echoed the praises and victories of our troops, and defamed the. colonists, not only as rebels, but as cowards that would not fight, but always ran away when an enemy appeared. A gentleman, who was above fix months at New York and Long Island, and faw and knew most part of the tranfactions, from the firft landing on Staten Ifland, declared that the number of wounded ment which he faw brought in almost every day, was incredible; but how they happened to be wounded he never could learn, for he was always told that the Americans would not fight, but were perfect cowards. He alfo obferved, that he imagined the reafon why our men gave out that there were fo few killed, when there were fo many wounded, was to cover their real lofs, under the pretence of the provincial fire not doing fo much execution as their own. But according to the obfervations that he made, he found that the killed were as many in proportion to the wounded among our men as among the rebels. The British troops were undoubtedly much thinned by the engagements on White Plains and at Fort Washington, and though the best face was put upon matters that the cafe would admit of, yet it must be granted that the English forces fuffered much, and loft more than they gained by the victory. The provincial commander understood his own intereft better than to venture upon any general engagement, to expofe his raw and unexperien ced ced troops, to the fury of men who were defperate, and who confidered even death itfelf a fort of victory, as relieving them from conftant fatigue, hunger, and difappointment. He knew that conflant little skir Tithes would in process of time remove from the minds of men the horrors and dread of battle, and teach them to conquer as well as figlit. Our men were at firft flushed with faccefs, when they faw their enemies fee from one polt to another, and concluded that it was fear that made them retreat, and a fenfe of their val lour that made them defert their posts but in this they were mistaken The Americans only fled becaufe it was wife and prudent to do foy and they con.. fidered it to be a wifer method to preferve their troops than expofe them for advantages of fhall importance. Many great enemies to America, who were witneffes of thofe tranfactions, have confeffed of late, that our lofs was greater than it was faid to be at that time, and American cowardice has vanished away infenfibly, no body can tell how. The provincials, who were in our gazette and court news-papers at that time faid to have been three times the mumber of our men in every battle, have fince, by the fame channel, been proved to have been much inferior in number to General Howe's forads in every engagement, both when they loft, and when they gained the day. It is very perplexing to an hiftorian when he finds the fame au thority vary for often upon the fame fubject, and controvert matters of fact that it has already confirmed in thẻ most folemn manner. It is manifeft that the truth of facts cannot be certainly afcertained by any of the court or minifterial accounts of thefe times; for what they have at one time affirmed for truth, they have at another declared to be the groffeft falfhood. Truth is most likely to be found from the American records, who, though they may have coloured fome points ftrongly, yet have fupported confiflency in their publications of matters of fact concerning this war. When our troops had finished the conqueft of Fort Washington, they next proceeded to over-run the Jerfies, and Lord Cornwallis was fent with a ftrong body of men to attack Fort Lee. The garrifon of two thoufand men abandoned the fort, and left their stores, artillery, and tents behind them. Our troops after this over-run the greatest part of the Jerfies without oppofition; the enemy every way flying before them, and at length extended their winter cantonments from New Brunswick to the Delaware. It was thought had they had means of paffing the Dela ware, they might have taken Philadelphia, when the people were in a confternation at their progrefs; but the Americans were fo prudent as either to deftroy or carry off all the boats upon that river. While these things were carrying on in the Jerfies, General Clinton, with fome British and Heffian troops, and a squadron of fhips under Sir Peter Parker, was fent to make an attack upon Rhode Island. They fucceeded eafily in this enterprize. Upon December the 8th, the provincials abandoned the island, and the British and Heffan troops took poffeffion of it without any lofs, and at the fame time blocked up Commodore Hopkins' fquadron, which was in the harbour of Providence, on the adjoining continent.—— The English fquadron and troops continued here during the winter, where they had better quarters than any other of the King's troops. Hitherto the King's forces had fucceeded in all their attempts fince their landing in Staten Island. The provincial army was much |