Sterling, and who hoped to have co-operated with general Howe by fecuring the paffes in the rear, was compelled reluctantly to retire. The whole plan of attack being thus fruftrated, general Howe came to a second and final resolution of evacuating the Jerseys; and in both his retreats fuch havoc, fpoil, and ruin, were made by the forces under his perfonal inspection and command, as were well calculated to obviate the fufpicion that any secret partiality to America yet remained in the breast of the English general. A great part of the summer had now elapfed, and the primary object of the campaign had proved wholly abortive. In vindication of the conduct of Sir William Howe it was alleged, that to bring the enemy to action was impoffible; and to advance to the Delawar, through a country entirely hoftile, and with fuch a force in his rear, would be no better than madness. But if fo, the war itself was evidently no better than madness, as thefe difficulties were precisely fuch as they had every reason previously to expect. Another project, however, was now to be tried, and preparations were made for a grand naval expedition. On the 23d of July the whole army, leaving only a fufficient force for the defence of New York, embarked on board the fleet, and after a long and tedious voyage the troops were landed at Elk Ferry, at the head of Chesapeak Bay. General Washington, who had for many weeks been kept in anxious fufpenfe as to the deftination of the British army, upon this intelligence took poffeffion of the heights on the eastern fide of the river Brandywine, which falls into the Delawar below Philadelphia, with an intention to dispute the paffage. By day-break on the 11th of September the British army advanced in two columns: the right, commanded by general Knyphaufen, marching directly to Chadsford; and the other column, under lord Cornwallis, taking a circuit to the left, in order to cross the forks of the Brandywine, and attack the enemy on the right flank. Both were were in a confiderable degree fuccessful; the firft after a fevere conflict forcing the paffage of the ford, and the latter furprising and totally difcomfiting the brigades commanded by Sullivan, which composed the right wing of the American army. The approach of night prevented the royal army from pursuing its advantages, and the lofs of the Americans did not exceed thirteen hundred men in killed, wounded, and prisoners; to which that of the British bore a very large proportion. The Marquis de la Fayette, a young French nobleman, who had recently entered as a volunteer into the American service, and count Pulawski, a native of Poland, diftinguished themselves by their gallantry on this occafion. General Washington, on the difafter of Brandywine, retreated towards Philadelphia; but on the advance of general Howe, not deeming it expedient fo foon to risk a second engagement, he withdrew, and the English army paffed the Schuylkil without opposition and on the 26th of September general Howe entered Philadelphia in triumph, the congrefs having previously removed their fittings to York-town in Virginia. About the fame time a detached corps of Americans, commanded by general Wayne, was surprised and totally routed by major general Grey, at the head of two regiments and a body of light infantry. The attack being made with fixed bayonets, the execution was terrible. No fooner was it known to lord Howe that the English army was in poffeffion of Philadelphia, than he moved round with the fleet from the Chefapeak to the Delawar, the navigation of which the Americans had endeavored to render impracticable by works and batteries conftructed on a low marfhy ifland, formed near the junction of the Delawar and the Schuylkil; and on the oppofite fhore, by a ftrong fort erected at a place called Red Bank. Across the mid-channel they had in various parts funk vast machines, composed of transverse beams firmly united and pointing in various directions, ftrongly headed with iron, to which, from the `resemblance refemblance of form, the appellation was given of chevauxde-frize. The head-quarters of the army at this time were at a place called German-town, fix miles from Philadelphia -the encampment croffing the village at right angles about the centre. General Washington, who was posted in a ftrong pofition at the diftance of about fixteen miles on the banks of the Schuylkil, and who had kept a watchful eye on the movements of the enemy, thinking this a favorable opportunity of attack, decamped in the evening of the 3d of October, and, marching all night, arrived at three in the morning at German-town. The fortieth regiment, commanded by colonel Mufgrave, who were firft attacked, made so gallant a refistance that the whole army had time to form; and major general Grey bringing up the left wing by a rapid and seasonable movement, the Americans were reduced to act on the defenfive, and, after a conflict maintained for feveral hours in darknefs and confufion, were compelled to retreat, but with fo little loss that they carried off with them their whole train of artillery. Though the disappointment of the enemy was great, the English commander had little reason to boast of his victory; the killed and wounded in this engagement confiderably exceeded the lofs at Brandywine, and it was perceived with fenfible chagrin that the Americans had become no mean proficients in the art of war. A neceffary work of very great importance and no fmall difficulty was now to be attempted in the attack of the works at Red Bank, and the oppofite ifland, which commanded the paffage of the Delawar, without the free navigation of which neither fleet nor army could winter at Philadelphia. On the 22d of October an effort was made, by a numerous body of Heffians commanded by colonel Donop, to ftorm the fortrefs of Red Bank; but, after difplaying much bravery, they were repulfed with prodigious flaughter. An unusually fierce attack was at the fame time made by the shipping on the works of Fort Island, on which they made and made little impreffion; and the Augufta man of war; Merlin floop, in avoiding the chevaux-de-frize, were stranded, and the Augufta by accident blown up. On the 15th of November the attack was renewed with a more formidable force; and the works being now nearly demolished, the garrifon retired in the night across the river in boats to Red Bank, which was alfo foon afterwards evacuated, for reasons which do not fufficiently appear. The chevaux-de-frize were now weighed with great difficulty, and the free navigation of the river restored; but winter was by this time approaching, the season for action had elapfed, and no farther military or naval enterprises of moment were attempted during the short remainder of the campaign. While fuch was the disappointment resulting from a fucceffion of victories in the fouth, it will now be necessary to advert to the terrible consequences of defeat and disaster in the north. After the evacuation of Canada by the Americans, in the fummer of 1776, incredible exertions were made on the part of the English to acquire a naval fuperiority on Lake Champlain, fo neceffary to the fuccefs of their future projects. A fleet of above thirty veffels, all carrying cannon, was in about three months little less than created, though a few of the largest were re-conftructions, having been first framed and fent over from Great Britain. The American fleet, though not inconfiderable, was by no means equal to cope with this great force. It is remarkable that the two fleets were commanded by land officers, general Carleton and general Arnold being equally ambitious to support on a new element the reputation they had acquired by their military skill and conduct. Early on the 11th of October 1776, the British armament, proceeding up the lake, discovered the enemy's fleet drawn up with great judgment, in a line extending from the island of Valicourt to the western main. A warm action enfued, in which the Americans, notwithstanding the extraordinary courage and intrepid efforts of their commander, were entirely entirely defeated. General Arnold was under the neceffity of fetting fire to his own fhip, the congrefs galley, to prevent her falling into the hands of the English, not quitting her however till fhe was actually in flames; and with nice and dangerous attention to the point of honor keeping his flag flying to the last moment. Thus was Lake Champlain recovered, the enemy's force being nearly deftroyed-a few fmall veffels only making their escape to Ticonderoga. Crown Point, on this difaftrous event, was immediately abandoned, and the American force concentrated at Ticonderoga; which being adjudged too ftrongly defended to be attacked with fuccefs at this advanced feafon, general Carleton now put his troops into winter cantonments in Canada. In all the complex and hazardous operations of the Canadian war, general Carleton had conducted himself with equal judgment, vigor, and success; and his generous and humane treatment of the prifoners which had fallen into his hands, formed a striking contraft to the barbarity which pervaded the military prifons of New York. Of the Indians in his fervice general Carleton had made a very fparing ufe, and at the end of the campaign they were difiniffed on a general promife of returning when called for. But it was believed that he had, in his dispatches to England, ftrongly remonftrated against the employment of favages in any shape whatever in the farther profecution of this war. Whether on this or on other accounts offence was taken at his conduct, cannot certainly be known; but, to the furprise, and no doubt to the chagrin of the governor, general Burgoyne, who had passed the winter in England, arrived early in the fpring of 1777 in America, with a commiffion appointing him general of the northern army beyond the limits of the province of Canada. The plan of the intended expedition fouthward of the lakes had been entirely concerted between the American secretary and general Burgoyne, who, to use his own courtly language, "had thrown himself at his majefty's FEET, to be employed |