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are scarcely to be found, until the period of the American revolution, when the nation against whom the revolted colonies had to contend, seem to have lost all sense of national honour, to have forgotten the glory of their ancestors, and to have assumed the nature of those savages with whom they had entered into leagues of amity.

Towards the latter end of April, Congress resolved to grant half pay for life to the officers in their army, reserving to themselves the privilege of redeeming, at any time they might think proper, this annual stipend by the payment of a sum equivalent to the half pay for six years. General Washington had repeatedly urged the necessity of adopting some measure of this sort, that men might find it their interest to enter into the service. No man was better acquainted with human nature than Washington. He knew that "with far the greatest part of mankind, interest is the governing principle," and motives of publick virtue were not of themselves sufficient to keep the American army together for any extended period. His letters to Congress on this subject are master sokes of policy, and evince a profoundness of wisdom, which shows how well he knew how to profit by the lessons of experience. The letter which seems to have been the immediate cause of the resolution of Congress, was that of the 21st April, in which he thus writes: "Men may speculate as they will; they may talk of patriotism; they may draw a few examples from ancient story of great achievements performed by its influence; but whoever builds upon it as a sufficient basis for conducting a long and bloody war, will find himself deceived in the end. We must take the passions of men as na

ture has given them, and those principles as a guide which are generally the rule of action. I do not mean to exclude altogether the idea of patriotism. I know it exists, and I know it has done much in the present contest; but I will venture to assert, that a great and lasting war can never be supported on this principle alone. It must be aided by a prospect of interest or some reward. For a time it may of itself push men to action, to bear much, to encounter difficulties, but it will not endure unassisted by interest. Without arrogance, or the smallest deviation from truth, it may be said, that no history now extant, can furnish an instance of an army's suffering such uncommon hardships as ours has done, and bearing them with the same patience and fortitude. To see men without clothes to cover their nakedness, without blankets to lie on, without shoes, so that their marches might be traced by the blood of their feet, and almost as often without as with provisions, marching through frost and snow, and at Christmas taking up their winter quarters, within a day's march of the enemy, without a house or hut to cover them till they could be built, and submitting to all without a murmur, is a mark of patience and obedience, which in my opinion can scarcely be parallelled."

Down to the date of this letter, no cartel had been settled for the exchange of prisoners. A few instances of exchange only had taken place, among which were those of Lee for General Prescott, and Major Otho Williams for Major Ackland; but Congress seemed unwilling to agree to any terms, until their former resolution on the subject should be complied with, throwing the blame, however, upon Sir William Howe and his commissioners. Washington, on

the contrary, thought the publick faith and his own honour pledged, as will be seen by his letter which follows. "It may be thought, (says he) contrary to our interest to go into an exchange, as the enemy would derive more immediate advantage from it than we should but on principles of genuine extensive policy, independent of the consideration of compassion and justice, we are under an obligation not to elude it. An event of this kind is the general wish of the country. I know it to be the wish of the army, and it must be the ardent wish of the unhappy sufferers themselves. Should the exchange be deferred, till the terms of the last resolve of Congress on the subject are fulfilled, it will be difficult to prevent our being generally accused with a breach of good faith. Speculative minds may consider all our professions as mere professions, or at least, that interest and policy are to be the only arbiters of their validity. I cannot doubt that Congress, in preservation of the publick faith and my personal honour, will remove all impediments, that now oppose themselves to my engagements, and will authorise me, through commissioners, to settle as extensive and competent a cartel as may appear advantageous and necessary, any resolutions heretofore to the contrary, notwithstanding."

This letter produced the effect of relieving Washington in some measure from his unpleasant embarrassment, as Congress soon after resolved that he might proceed in his arrangements for an exchange without excluding those prisoners whose accounts remained unsettled. Commissioners were consequently appointed on both sides; but mutual objections

arose to every thing like a general proposal, and the affair was left in its former state.

Let us now turn our attention for a few moments to the South, which for a period of more than eighteen months had enjoyed a state of almost uninterrupted tranquillity. In the spring of the present year, a small expedition was sent from Georgia under Captain Willing, against the British settlements in West Florida. They were wholly without protection, and surrendered to Captain Willing without resistance. Another expedition was soon after undertaken by General Robert Howe, against East Florida, at the head of about 2,000 men, chiefly militia of South Carolina and Georgia, which proved greatly unfortunate to the Americans. They proceeded to Fort Tonyn, in the St. Mary's River, which upon their approach was destroyed by the British, who retired to St. Augustine. They met with little or no opposition from the enemy; but the season being uncommonly sickly, and the men unaccustomed to the climate, they were unable to pursue their advantages, disease broke out among them to an alarming degree, and after losing nearly one fourth of their number, they returned without having effected any thing.

Sir Henry Clinton, in the mean time, finding that he was not likely to effect any thing of importance in the north, determined upon making an attempt for the conquest of Georgia. The views of Sir Henry in this expedition, extended even further than the mere conquest of a province; he calculated upon opposing such an effectual barrier to the commerce of South Carolina, as should ensure to his government all the advantages of the southtern trade, and finally, by exposing South Carolina to constant inroads from

the force which he should be able to maintain there, force that colony to recede from the union, and return to her obedience to his king. These were comprehensive projects, better calculated to make a noise in Europe, than to produce any lasting advantage either to Sir Henry or his government.

The command of the land forces destined for this expedition, was entrusted to Colonel Campbell: they consisted of two battalions of Hessians, four battalions of provincials, the 71st Regiment of foot, and a detachment of royal artillery, in all about 2,000 men. Transports were provided for them at Sandy Hook, and they embarked on the 27th November, with an escort of several ships of war under the command of Commodore Hyde Parker. General Prevost who commanded the troops in East Florida, had received orders to cooperate with this expedition, by invading Georgia with all the troops that could be collected, and spared from the defence of St. Augustine. The fleet arrived at the island of Tybee, near the mouth of the river Savannah, on the 23d December, and after several day's delay, during which they received exact information of the American defences of the river, they proceeded on the 28th up the river to the landing place, which from the swampy nature of the ground, was a narrow causeway of several hundred yards in length, and of course well calculated for defence. But the whole force destined for the protection of Georgia, amounted to no more than about 800 men, under General Howe. About 50 only of these under Captain Smith, were posted on a piece of rising ground at the head of the causeway to oppose the landing of the enemy; while General Howe himself took a position about half a mile from the

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