thefe places, which it was indifpenfibly neceffary to hold as important pofts. General Howe had once intended to have taken a greater force with him upon this occafion, but upon the reprefentation of Sir Henry Clinton, who was to command in his abfence, of the danger which the iflands would be expofed to from the extenfivenefs of their coafts, and the great number of pofts that were neceffarily to be maintained; he acknowledged the force of thefe arguments by disembarking feveral regiments.

Many conjectures were formed by the provincials concerning this expedition, though they were as yet uncertain concerning its real deftination. It however alarmed them greatly, though it did not difpirit them. There was another thing that feemed to threaten them at this time with dreadful confequences. General Burgoyne was making a rapid progrefs in the North, and fome of their own officers but had behaved indifferently. Ticonderago had been given up in a manner that was not expected, and fome of the offi cers were greatly blamed for giving it up fo easily. They on this occafion behaved with a firmness that would have done honour to a Roman fenate, and did not fhew the fmalleft defpondency under thefe misfortunes. They immediately iffued orders to recal all the troops to the head quarters, and an enquiry to be made into the conduct of the general officers who had abandoned Ticonderago ;--they directed General Washington to appoint other commanders, and to fummon fuch numbers of the militia from the Eaftern and central provinces for the Northern fervice, as he fhould judge fufficient for reftraining the progrefs of the enemy. The measures taken on this occafion to check the progrefs of General Burgoyne, in the con

clufion

clufion fulfilled their most fanguine expectations, as we fhall fee in its proper place.

This new expedition was at firft not attended with favourable circumftances; the winds were contrary, and its progrefs to the place of deftination was flow.It cost them a week before they could gain the Capes of the Delaware. When they arrived there the commanders received information that the enemy had taken meafures for rendering the navigation of that river impracticable, which damped the fpirits of the commanders in pursuing their defign by that way. They at laft it up, gave it and adopted another plan. The paffage by Chesapeak Bay to that part of Maryland, which lies towards the east of that vaft inlet, which is not far from Philadelphia, was now fixed upon as more open, and being attended with fewer obftacles to hinder their operations. But here again the winds were contrary in this part of the voyage, fo that it was paft the middle of Auguft before they entered Chesapeak Bay; this was a circumftance very unfavourable at this feafon of the year, when the weather was hot, and when the fhips were crowded with men and horfes cooped up together in the fame veffels. And which must have been attended with the most fatal confequences, provided the commander in chief had not taken care to guard against every event, by the unbounded provifion he had made for the voyage, as a failure of any one article, even that of water, would have been irremediable in thofe parts at that feafon.

As foon as they entered the Bay the winds turned favourable, fo that the fleet reached the mouth of the Elk, near its extremity, in fafety, through a most ntricate and dangerous navigation, for fuch a multi

tude

tude of veffels, in which the Admiral performed the different parts of a commander, inferior officer, and pilot, with great ability and perfeverance. Having proceeded up the Elk as far as it was capable of admitting their paffage, the army was at length relieved from its long and tedious confinement on board the tranfports, being landed without oppofition at Elk Ferry on the 25th of Auguft, in a degree of health and fpirits fcarcely to have been expected. One part of the army advanced at the head of the Elk, and the other continued at the landing place, to protect and forward the artillery ftores and neceffary provi fions; for the General did not permit the troops to be encumbered with any baggage, and the fcarcity of carriage rendered a great abridgement in the article of tents neceffary.

General Washington, who had for fome time been in fufpenfe concerning the destination of this armament was at la trely informed of the place of its appointment; this had generally been well conjectured from the firit of its preparation, though none pretended to be particularly certain of the very point where it would operate. The General as foon as he was fufficiently informed of the landing of the enemy, marched his army from the Jer.cys to the defence of Philadelphia. and upon hearing that the en my was landed at the Elk. advanced to the Brandy Wine Creek or River which runs cross the country about half way to that city, and falls into the Delaware. The force of the colonids, including the militia, amounted to near 15000 men, making allowance for pofts, and parties placed to keep a proper communication with thofe parts that were of the most effen-, țial fervice to them to maintain. The King's forces

were

were near about the fame number or fomewhat more numerous.

In order to quiet the minds of the people in Penfylvania, Delaware counties, and the adjacent parts of Maryland, and to prevent the total defertion, and defotion of the country in the front of the army, the General published a declaration, promifing that the fricteft regularity should be observed, and good order) and discipline kept up by the army; that the most effectual fecurity and protection fhould be given to all his Majesty's peaceable and well difpofed fubjects ;extending at the fame time this fecurity and protection. to fuch perfons, who not ha ing been guilty of affuming legislative power, might otherwife have acted legally in fubordinate stations, upon the provision of their immediate returning to their habitation, and behaving peaceably for the future. This declaration alfo offered pardon to all officers and foldiers in arms, who should furrender themfelves to the royal army. This was like many other declarations of the fame kind very little regarded, and produced no effect.It proceeded upon a fuppofition which has been the univerfal infatuation of the royal party from the beginning of this ruinous war, namely, that there were great numbers of perfons well affected to the King through all their colonies, when in truth, except in a very few places, there were none but fuch as were thoroughly enemies to the royal caufe, and were ready to take up arms againt it. Had General Wafhington publifhed a fimilar declaration to the King's army, he would have found as many deferters as Sir William Howe did, and his declaration would have produced much the fame effect. There has been nothing which has rendered our General officers and commiffioners

V

commiffioners more ridiculous than their proclamations and official declarations. Thefe have been so defective in point of compofition, and fo enigmatical in their ftile, that they have had generally the appearance of being the compofitions of fome blundering lawyers, who always write not to be underftood. All the papers in general which have been published fince the beginning of this war, whether the accounts of battles, the victory and other tranfactions have been written more in the ftile of the Sibyline oracles than in the expeffion of narrations intended to inform the public concerning matters of fact.

The royal army did not leave the head of the Elk until the third of September, when they began their march towards Philadelphia. In the mean time the provincials had advanced from Brandy Wine, and taken poft at Red Clay Creek, from whence they pushed forward detachments to feize the difficult posts in the woods, and to interrupt the march of the royal forces by continual fkirmishes. As the country was woody and difficult, and not well known by the royalifts, and the colonists understood how to improve fuch circumstances, the General was obliged to march flowly, and obferve great caution; and confidering his fituation, and the character of the commander in oppofition, there was much neceffity for caution and circumfpection in every step of his march. The Britifh troops were indeed brave, well commanded, and under good difcipline; they were ready and willing to fight at command, but then they could not perform impoffibilities. They had lately felt that the colonists could fight, and make a more formidable impreffion upon their ranks than they had beed taught to believe that they ever could. This had removed

that