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the Bridge and other paffages which were well covered and defended by artillery. After a few fkirmishes, a canonade enfued, which continued until night; the British forces on this occafion were obliged to proceed with considerable caution, and the remembrance of the fate of the Heffians made our of ficers more cautious than on fome former occafions. A brigade of the British troops lay that night at · Maidenhead, fix miles from Trenton, and another upon its march from Brunswick, consisting of the 17th, the 40th, and 55th regiments under the command of Lieutenant-colonel Mawhood, were at Princetown about the fame diftance fron Maidenhead. This being the fituation of both fides, General Washington, who was far from intending to hazard a battle, having used the necessary precautions of keeping up the patroles and every other appearance of remaining in his camp, and leaving small parties to go the rounds and guard the bridge and the fords, he withdrew the reit of his forces in the dead of the night, with the most profound filence. They marched with fuch expedition to Princetown, that fuppofe they took a large compafs by Allentown partly to avoid Trenton, or Affumpink Creek, and partly to avoid the brigade which lay at Maidenhead, their van fell in at furprise next morning, with Colonel Mawhood, who had just begun his march.. Mawhood, not having the fmall1eft idea of their force, being prevented by the fogginefs of the morning and other circumstances from feeing its extent, confidered it only as an attempt of fome flying party to interrupt his march, and having difperfed thofe by whom he was first attacked, pushed forwards without further apprehenfions. But in a short time he found that not only the 17th

regiment

regiment which he led was attacked on all fides by a fuperior force, but that it was also separated and cut off from the reft of the brigade, while he difcovered by the continual diftant firing, that the 55th, which followed, was not in better circumftances.

In this dangerous fituation Colonel Mawhood' fhewed much bravery, and his regiment behaved with great firmnefs. After a violent engagement, and the greateft exertions of courage and difcipline, they at length forced their way through the enemy with their bayonets, and purfued their march to Maidenhead. The 55th was feverely preffed, and finding it impoffible to pursue their march, retreated, and returned by Hillsborough to Brunfwick. The 40th regiment, which was ftill at Princetown when the action began,

fuffered lefs than the others, and retreated by ano

ther road to the fame place. The colonists confeffed the bravery of Colonel Mawhood, and the 17th regi ment, and declared that nothing could exceed their valour and intrepidity, The accounts of the killed and wounded on this occafion are fo differently reprefented, that it is not eafy to extract the truth with certainty from fo many various reprefentations. Our accounts fay that the number of killed, confidering the warmth of the engagement, was not fo confidera-. ble as might have been expected; it is however allowed that 200 of thefe three regiments were taken prifoners, and the killed were fomewhat fewer. The lofs of the Americans was faid to be much greater, efpecially in killed, though from their accounts we we are informed that even in flain the number of their men was inferior to ours. They löst Major-General Mercer, belonging to Virginia, who was much efteemed and lamented. Some have endeavoured to account

for

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2

for a phenomenon in this last war, which has always at home been represented as a fact, that there were always more of the colonists killed in every action than there were of the King's troops. The manner of accounting for this difparity in the flain is, that the arms of the colonists were not fo good, nor did they know how to use them fo well, as the King's forces; that in loading their pieces in the hurry of action they did not take time to charge properly.— This is a defect common to both fides, and if a piece is not properly charged, the goodness of it will produce little effect; all the effects proceeding from a good firelock depends upon the charging of it. The foldiers in our regiments were not all veterans more than the Americans; and a young recruit new come to a regiment, though he knows fomething of the exercife, will be just as raw in the day of battle as a militiaman or a colonist, and be in as great a hurry in loading his piece,

This phenomenon is refolved by the Americans by denying the fact, and afferting on the other hand that in all engagements upon equal ground and equal advantages, the difference of killed and wounded on each fide was very nearly equal. Whatever there may be in this difpute, one thing is certain, that the colonists had the better in this engagement.

This fpirited and unexpected movement of Washington, with its animated confequences, recalled Lord Cornwallis from the Delaware, who was not without apprehenfion for the fafety of the troops and the magazines at Brunswick, The Americans ftill avoiding a general action, and fatisfied with the prefent advantages, croffed the Milestone river, without any further attempt. In a few weeks, however, they

Overrun

overrun Eaft Jersey as well as the West, spreading themselves over the Rariton, even unto Effex county, whereby feizing Newark, Elizabeth-town and Woodbridge, they became mafters of the coaft oppofite to Staten Island. They took their principal pofts with fo much judgment, that it was not practicable to diflodge them. The King's army retained only the two posts of Brunswick and Amboy, the one fituated a few miles up the Rariton, the other on a point of land at its mouth, and both holding an open communication with New York by fea. Thus by a few well-concerted and spirited actions was Philadelphia faved, Pennfylvania freed from danger, the Jerseys clearly recover ed, and a victorious and far fuperior army reduced to act upon the defenfive, and for several months restrained within very narrow and inconvenient limits. Thefe actions, and the raising himself from the feemingly lowest state of diftrefs in which he appeared to be in, exalted the character of General Washington, as a commander, very high, both in Europe and America; and with his proceedings and fubfequent condu& ferved all together to give fanction to that appellation which is now generally applied to him, of the Ameri. ean Fabius. Thefe events cannot be attributed to any mifconduct in the British officers and the men whom they commanded, but depended entirely upon the happy application of a number of powerful and con curring circumftances, which were far beyond their reach to controul. Many of these things which now happened had been foreseen and foretold from the beginning, both by thofe who oppofed publicly or regretted in private this war, and as others are obvious to all men, it may not be improper to mention fome of thofe caufes that clogged it with particular difficulties.

The

The principal of these were, the vast extent of that continent, with its unufual diftribution into great tracts of cultivated and wild territory, the long extent of fea coaft in its front, and the boundlefs waftes at the back of the inhabited countries, afforded refource or fhelter in all circumstances; the numberlefs inacceffable posts and strong natural barriers formed by the various combinations of woods, mountains, rivers, lakes, and marshes. All these properties and circumftances, with others appertaining to the climate and feafons, may be faid to fight the battles of the inhabitants in a defenfive war. To thefe may be added, others lefs local --The unexpected union and unknown ftrength of the colonies, the judicious appli. cation of that ftrength by fuiting the defence to the nature, genius, and abilities of the inhabitants, as well as to the natural advantages of the country, thereby rendering it a war of posts, furprizes, and fkirmishes, inftead of a war of battles. To all thefe may be added, the people were not bridled by strong cities, nor fettered by luxury in thofe that were otherwife, fo that the reduction of a capital had no effects upon the rest of the provinces, and the army could retain no more territory than what it occupied, which was again loft as foon as it departed to another quar.

ter.

The army under Lord Cornwallis was now fadly ftraitened; during the remaining part of the winter, and the whole spring, while they continued at Brunfwick and Amboy, they underwent a fevere and unremitted, duty, whilft their ranks were continually thinned by a continued feries of fkirmishes, which were productive of no rival advantages on either fide, except that they inured the colonists to military

fervice.