XXXIX. already been taken from the English by a French expe- CHAPTER dition from Martinique. The English squadron, which sailed from New York the same day that D'Estaing left 1779. Boston, arrived first at its destination, and, joining some other ships already there, had proceeded against St. Lucie. The attempt of D'Estaing to relieve that island was not successful; but its climate proved very fatal to the English garrison. Upon the arrival of Byron's fleet from Newport, D'Estaing took refuge at Martinique. After exhausting every attempt to provoke him to an action, Byron sailed to convoy the homeward-bound West Indiamen on the first part of their passage. During his absence, a detachment from Martinique captured the English island of St. Vincent's. D'Estaing, largely re-enforced from France, sailed also with his whole fleet, and made a conquest of the neighboring island of Grenada; but, before this conquest was quite completed, Byron returned, and an indecisive engagement took place. The English fleet, greatly damaged, put into St. Christopher's for repairs. D'Estaing then sailed to escort the home- Aug. ward-bound fleet of French West Indiamen; and, having set them on their way, he stood for the coast of Georgia with twenty-two ships of the line. A frigate was dispatched to Charleston with news of his arrival, and a plan was presently concerted with Lincoln for an attack on Savannah. Re-enforced by several North Carolina regiments, detached by Washington for service in the southern department, and by the militia, which turned out, on this occasion, in considerable numbers, Lincoln marched with all speed for Savannah, which D'Estaing had already summoned to surrender, having Sept. 16. landed a body of French troops before it. Prevost, at the first alarm, had recalled the greater part of the garrison of Beaufort. His troops had worked incessantly in CHAPTER throwing up new intrenchments, and already they had a XXXIX. hundred guns mounted. The besiegers commenced with 1779. regular approaches; but D'Estaing soon grew impatient of delay. His fleet, which lay off shore, might be driven to sea in one of those violent storms common on that coast at that season of the year; or it might be attacked by the British fleet, while the troops and part of the guns were employed in the siege; or during his absence from the West Indies, already too long, some dangerous enterprise might be attempted there. The siege must be abandoned, so it seemed to the impatient and anxious D'Estaing, or else the place must be carried by assault. An Oct. 9. assault was resolved upon, and made by two columns, one French, the other American. Some of the outworks were carried; but Pulaski, at the head of his legion, having been mortally wounded, the American column retired. The French also were repulsed with great slaughter. D'Estaing, a military as well as a naval officer, received two slight wounds while superintending the attack. The loss of the British was only fifty-five; that of the allies, exceeding a thousand, fell chiefly on the French, who had gallantly assumed the post of danger. As soon as D'Estaing could re-embark his troops, he sailed for the West Indies. Lincoln returned to Charleston, and the militia called out for the occasion were disbanded. This second failure in the attempt at co-operation with the French occasioned no less dissatisfaction than the first. Resolved to make the South the principal theater of military operations, Clinton had been busy during the summer in strengthening the fortifications of New York. When he heard of the arrival of D'Estaing's fleet off the coast, fearing that New York might be attacked, he strengthened himself still further by ordering the evacuation of Newport, which the British had now held for XXXIX. about three years. The posts on the Hudson, at Ver- CHAPTER planck's Point and Stony Point, were also evacuated, and an expedition just about to sail for the West Indies was 1779. detained for the defense of the city. Washington, too, expected the co-operation of D'Estaing in an attack on New York; and, to strengthen himself for it, had called out militia from New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. These militia were now disbanded, and Washington went into winter quarters near Morristown. West Point, and the other posts on the Hudson, were guarded by strong detachments. The cavalry. were sent into Connecticut. As Lincoln complained that the Southern militia could not be depended on, Washington's army was still further reduced by detaching the remaining North Carolina regiments, and the whole of the Virginia line, for service in the South. When assured of D'Estaing's departure, as soon as he Oct. 25. could make the necessary preparations, Clinton embarked Dec. 26. for Savannah with seven thousand troops. The Loyalist corps in the British service numbered at this time about five thousand men. Of these, one thousand were already at Savannah; two thousand more sailed with Clinton; the remainder were left at New York with Kniphausen, who held that city with a powerful garrison. The Treasury Board, lately reorganized much after July 30. the model of the new Board of War, consisted now of three members of Congress, to be changed every six months, and of two permanent commissioners, not members of Congress, under whom were an auditor general, six auditors, a treasurer, and three chambers of accounts. In consequence of this new arrangement, Gerry retired from the Treasury Board, of which he had been the most active member, and generally the president. To assist XXXIX. CHAPTER in settling the forms of business in this and the other executive departments-a source of no little embarrassment 1779. to Congress their envoys abroad had been instructed to obtain and transmit information as to the methods adopted in these matters in France, Britain, and other countries of Europe. But no organization of the treasury department could prevent the rapidly increasing depreciation of the bills of credit. Though passing at the rate of twenty for one, the bills were still a lawful tender for the payment of debts; and dishonest debtors availed themselves of the opportunity to discharge their liabilities at a very cheap rate. Washington himself was a sufferer by this species of legalized robbery. Laws limiting prices were still in force in several of the states. The rapid depreciation threw all contracts into confusion. The honest and conscientious, the ignorant and the helpless, were the sufferers, while the shrewd, the artful, and the unscrupulous were enabled to make great gains. To stop the public clamor which this state of things occasioned, Congress reSept. 1. solved that the issue should not exceed two hundred millions in the whole. According to an exposition drawn up Sept. 13. by Jay, and put forth on this occasion, the bills already out and circulating amounted to a hundred and sixty millions. The loans prior to the 1st of August, 1778, the interest of which was payable in bills on France, were seven millions and a half. The loans contracted since, the rate of interest upon which was to increase in proportion to the increase of the issue, were upward of twenty-six millions. The debt abroad was estimated at four millions. Out of sixty millions of paper dollars already called for from the states, only three millions had been paid into the public treasury. About a quarter part of the existing depreciation was ascribed to excess of issue; XXXIX. the rest was accounted for by "want of confidence." CHAPTER This confidence Congress vainly attempted to restore by lauding the paper as the only kind of money "which can 1779. not make to itself wings and fly away! It remains with us, it will not forsake us, it is always ready at hand for the purposes of commerce, and every industrious man can find it !" Such were the miserable sophistries to which Congress was reduced, and to which even such men as Jay consented to give currency. In spite of these laudations, the paper continued to depreciate, and prices to rise. This rise, which many chose to ascribe to monopoly and extortion, occasioned a serious riot under the very eyes of Congress. Party spirit in Pennsylvania was still very violent. The constitutional party, in whose hands the administration was, were in favor of regulating trade by law, and of strong measures against engrossers. The leaders of the opposite party took the other side. A committee of the citizens of Philadelphia, after the example of Boston and other towns, had undertaken to regulate the prices of rum, salt, sugar, coffee, flour, and other leading articles, to which regulation Robert Morris, and some other leading merchants, refused to conform. Wilson, whose late defense of the accused Quakers was not forgotten, and who took an active part on this occasion, became peculiarly obnoxious. He was denounced as a defender of Tories, and it was proposed to banish him and others to New York. The threatened persons, with their friends, among whom were Clymer and Mifflin, assembled, armed, at Wil- Oct. 4. son's house. The mob approached, with drums beating, and dragging two pieces of cannon, and they opened a fire of musketry on the house, which the defenders returned. One of the garrison was killed, and two wounded, and the mob was just about to force the doors, when President |