that fantastic apprehenfion that the provincials were all cowards, and made even the private foldiers become lefs fanguine in their ideas of victory.

General Howe was now from neceffity, as well as from bis human difpofition, fparing of his men. He knew that recruits were to be brought from a great distance, and procured with difficulty even at the fource. Every man killed wounded, or taken, was

to him an irretrievable lofs, and fo far as it went, an incurable weakening of the army, for the prefent year at least.On the other hand, the enemy were at home. Every lofs they fuftained was not only immediately repaired, but the military abilities of the furvivors were encreased by every deftruction of their fellows. This caution could not prevent fome fkirmishes, in which the royal forces were faid to be always victorious. It must be obferved that in thefe fkirmishes the colonists generally fled. but it was from one poft to another; when, after they had killed a number of our men advancing, they retired to another poft without any lofs.

This was an effectual method to thin our army infenfibly without much lofs to themfelves, and was in effect a flow but fure victory. It was thought at this time, that the Americans did not make all the use of the advantages of the country that might have been expected, by harraffing and interrupting the progrefs of the King's troops; but it is plain thofe that affirm this are not acquainted with the defigns of General Washington, nor the fcheme he now had in view.He wanted to try his men by a more general action, with as much fafety to his army and the main cause as poffible; for this reafon he retired beyond Brandy Wine, and took poffeffion of the heights, that cover

ed the fords, with an intention of difputing the paffage of that river. In this fituation upon the 11th of of September the British forces advanced in two columns towards the enemy. The right, under the command of General Knyphaufen, marched directly to Chad's Ford, which lay in the centre of the enemy's line, where they expected and waited for the principal attack their right and left covered lefs practicable fords and paffages for fome miles on either hand. An heavy canonade began on both fides about ten o'clock, which was continued and well fupported during the day, whilst General Howe, to amufe and deceive the enemy, made repeated attempts for forcing the fords, as if the paffage of the river had been the principal object he had in view. The Americans, to fruftrate this intention, had paffed feveral detachments to the other fide, who continued a course of skirmishes, fometimes advancing and fometimes retreating, till at last they were driven over the river. General Howe finding that he met with a more vigorous refiitance than he at first expected, endeavoured to compleat by stratagem what he could not perform by force, continued the appearance of an attack to keep up the attention of the colonifts in the neighbourhood of Chad's Ford, where they fuppofed the whole of thé King's forces were in front, but in the mean time detached Lord Cornwallis at the head of the fecond column to the left, to march in a long circle until he gained the forks of the Brandy Wine, where the divifion of the river rendered it more practicable. By this judicious movement his Lordship paffed both branches of the river at Trimbles and Jeffery's Ford, without oppofition or difficulty, about two o'clock in the afternoon, and then turning down the river took the

road

road to Dilworth to fall upon the right of the provin cials. General Washington received fooner notice of this manoeuvre than General Howe expected, and had provided against its confequences as well as he could. He detached General Sullivan with all the force he could fpare from the main body to oppofe Lord Cornwallis. Sullivan performed this commiffion with great judgment and ability. He took a strong poft on the commanding grounds above Birmingham church with his left extending towards Brandy Wine, his artillery was advantageoufly difpofed, and both flanks covered with thick woods.

Lord Cornwallis, who did not at all imagine that his march was known by the enemy, was a little furprized to find Sullivan fo well pofted and ready to oppofe him. He was obliged to halt, and to form the line of battle, fo it was four o'clock before he could begin the action. The British troops began the attack, and met with a warm refiftance; the artillery and finall arms played upon them furiously, and they left many on the field as they advanced. They however rushed on through all obftacles, and diflodged their enemies with much difficulty. The grenadiers and guards, and the best of our troops were engaged in this action.Having driven the Americans from their poft they pur. fued them into the woods on their rear; but in the mean time a part of the provincials right wing which had not fuffered much, took a fecond poft in a wood on the fame fide, where they made a ftout refiftance, and were driven from it with much difficulty.Some of the British troops in the eagernefs of purfuit were fo deeply entangled in the woods that it was night before they could join the main body. When now the British forces imagined that they had gained

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a complete victory, and were advancing, they came upon a party of the enemy that had not yet gaged, and which had taken a ftrong poft to cover the retreat of the defeated wing of their army. A very warm engagement now enfued, and this poft was fo vigorously defended that it was fome time after it was dark before it could be forced. Nor does it appear by comparing accounts that it was forced at all; because the provincials kept it as long as it was of any fervice, and they could fee to fight, and then retreated in good order. The reafon given why our troops did not purfue the enemy were, that the General did not know the ground, and was unacquainted with Gen. Knyphaufen's fituation, and were not able to proceed any further; all which were matters of fact.. Knyphaufen, after fuccefsfully amufing the colonists all the day with the apprehenfion of an attack which he did not intend, made good his paffage in the evening, when he found that his enemy was deeply engaged on the right. He carried the entrenchment, and took the battery and cannon which defended Chad's Ford. At this time the approach of the British troops which had been engaged in the woods, threw the provincials into confufion, and a retreat was ordered and made in the face of the King's forces. It was faid that the latenefs of the night, and the darkness of the evening prevented the King's troops from purfuing, as it had done, thofe on the right wing, but the truth of the matter was, that both fides were fufficiently wearied of that day's exercife.

Such as follow the reports of government at that time have affirmed that a few hours more would have produced a total defeat to the Americans; but they knew but little of the operations of that tedious and

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hoftile day's work that make this conclufion. The provincials had not fuffered more than the King's troops, and though they gave way to the mad impetuofity of defperate men for a little, yet they recovered their pofts, and raised redoubts which our troops were obliged to attack a-new, with a great expence of blood, as well as much fatigue.

A great part of the American troops, among whom fome of the Virginian regiments, and the whole body of their artillery behaved exceedingly well in feveral actions of this day, and fhewed fuch a degree of or der, fteadinefs, and valour, as would have done honour to the most veteran forces. Some of their more raw troops did not behave fo well. The lofs on both fides, when we compare the different accounts, was nearly about equal. In our Gazette the lofs of the colonists was computed at about 300 killed 600 wounded, and 400 taken prifoners. They alfo loft ten fmall field pieces, and a howitzer, of which, all except one, was brafs. The lofs on the fide of the King's troops was estimated in the Gazette near to 500, of which the flain did not make one third. No officers of great note were killed on either fide. The Americans did not deny that their lofs was nearly to the amount that has been mentioned, but they fay, and give some reasons for what they affirm, that the lofs on our fide was equal, if not fuperior, to theirs. That there were fome of the attacks of our men defperate, which expofed them to danger when they could do no execution upon their opponents; that the colonists kept up a well directed fire upon them as they advanced, and when they were out of breath and ready to fall on with the bayonets, they retreated fafter than they were able to purfue them; that they

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