the American coasts, should be the signal for commencing the siege. Clinton so dreaded the blow, that solely on this account he had determined, as we have seen, to recall a part of the troops of Cornwallis, prior to the arrival of the German corps. Washington cherished good hope of success in the expedition of New York; he felt assured that the states of the Union, particularly those of the north, would promptly satisfy the requisitions which had been made them, to furnish each a determinate number of soldiers. But they had accomplished only in part the desires of the commander-in-chief. Instead of twelve or fifteen thousand continental troops that he had hoped to assemble for an operation of this importance, he found himself at the head of only four or five thousand regulars, and about an equal number of militia. It was however to be considered, that the conquest of New York would require great efforts, since general Clinton had a garrison there of more than ten thousand men. The enterprise could not reasonably be undertaken with so inadequate a force. Moreover, the count de Grasse had declared that in consequence of the orders of his sovereign, and of the convention he had made with the Spaniards in the West Indies, it would not be possible for him to remain upon the coasts of America later than the middle of October; and assuredly so short a space of time would not have sufficed for the reduction of New York. Finally, it was known that sea officers in general, and especially the French, had no little repugnance to crossing the bar which lies at the entrance of the harbor of that city. All these considerations diverted Washington from his purpose of besieging New York. He reflected, that although his army was too weak for that enterprise, it was nevertheless sufficient to act with great probability of success against Cornwallis in Virginia; and he accordingly decided for the more attainable object. But the movements he had already made, having given jealousy to Clinton for New York, he resolved, notwithstanding that he had changed his plan, to nourish the suspicions of his adversary by a series of the most spirited demonstrations; to the end that he might not penetrate his real design, and throw obstacles in its way. order to lead him more speciously into the snare, he wrote letters to the southern commanders and to members of the government, informing them of his determination to attack New York. He sent these despatches by such ways as he knew would expose them to be intercepted by the enemy. The stratagem succeeded perfectly. Clinton, full of apprehension for a city which had become his place of arms, was indefatigable in multiplying its defences. In the meantime, the count de Rochambeau, had set out from Rhode Island, at the head of five thousand French, and was already advanced near the borders of the Hudson. Washington broke up his camp at New Windsor, and went to meet him upon the eastern bank. After their junction, the combined armies encamped at Philipsburgh, in a

situation to overawe Kingsbridge and the adjoining posts, and even to alarm the island of New York. They afterwards actually took post at Kingsbridge, and continued to insult the British outposts on all sides. Not content with these demonstrations, the principal officers of both armies attended by the engineers, reconnoitred the island of New York closely on both sides from the opposite shores; and to render appearances the more serious, took plans of all the works under the fire of their batteries. At the same time, a report of the expected daily arrival of the count de Grasse was sedulously propagated; and to give it full confirmation, when they had received advices from that commander of the time at which he hoped to arrive at the Chesapeake, the French troops advanced towards Sandy Hook, and the coasts opposite Staten Island, with an apparent view of seconding the operations of the fleet, in forcing the one and seizing upon the other. This deception was carried so far, as to the establishment of a bakery near the mouth of the Rariton, and just within the Hook.

According to these different movements of the combined army, general Clinton no longer doubted but that New York was menaced with an immediate attack. But the time was now at hand, when this bandage, which had been drawn with so much address over the eyes of the British commander, was ready to fall, and admit him to a clear view of the truth. When Washington had authentic intelligence that the count de Grasse was no longer far from the Chesapeake, he suddenly passed the Croton, then the Hudson; and proceeded by forced marches through New Jersey to Trenton upon the Delaware. He gave out, howeyer, and even persuaded the British general by his demonstrations, that his only object was to draw him out of New York, in order to fight him in the open field with superior forces. Clinton, thinking to defeat one shrewd turn by another, remained behind his walls; but the American generalissimo having at length received advice that the French fleet was in sight of the coasts, no longer delayed to cross the Delaware. He marched with extreme celerity across Pennsylvania, and appeared all of a sudden at the head of Elk, upon the northern extremity of the Chesapeake bay. An hour after, so admirably had the operations been concerted, or rather by the most fortunate accident, the count de Grasse entered into the bay the twenty-eighth of August, with twenty-five sail of the line; and no sooner was he arrived than he set himself to execute the plan' agreed upon. He blocked up the mouths of the two rivers of York and James. By making himself master of the first, he cut off all maritime correspondence between Cornwallis and New York; by the occupation of the second, he opened a communication with the marquis de la Fayette, who had already descended as far as Williamsburgh. His position had occasioned at first some disquietude. It was feared lest Cornwallis,

perceiving at length the circle that was traced around him, might profit of the superiority that he still had over the marquis, to fall upon him, overwhelm him, and thus escape into the Carolinas. Not a moment was lost in preventing so fatal a stroke; three thousand French troops embarked in light boats, and commanded by the marquis de St. Simon, ascended the James river, and made their junction with the marquis de la Fayette; he had established his head-quarters at Williamsburgh. The English had already much increased the fortifications of Yorktown, and were still at work on them with indefatigable industry. The allies had therefore to expect a siege in form; and a powerful train of heavy artillery was indispensably necessary. Three days before the arrival of M. de Grasse in the Chesapeake, the count de Barras had made sail from Rhode Island with four ships of the line and some frigates or cor

he had embarked whatever implements of siege he had been able to collect. But he was not ignorant that a numerous British squadron lay in the port of New York, and he was sensible that the succour with which he was charged could not be intercepted without destroying all hope of success. He had therefore stood far out to sea, and after reaching the waters of the Bahama islands, had shaped his course for the Chesapeake. Admiral Hood had appeared at the entrance of that bay, with fourteen sail of the line, the very day on which the count de Grasse had arrived there; disappointed at not finding admiral Graves, whom he had counted upon meeting in those waters, he immediately despatched a swift sailing frigate to apprise him of his arrival, and proceeded, without loss of time, to join him with all bis fleet at Sandy Hook. Admiral Graves, as we have already seen, had received no previous notice whatever of the intended approach of Hood. His ships also had suffered extremely by violent gales of wind during his cruise in the waters of Boston, and were entirely out of condition to put to sea. The chief command having devolved on him, as senior officer, the moment he was informed that the count de Barras had set sail from Rhode Island, he had pushed the reparation of his fleet with so much activity, that by the last day of August it was again fitted for sea. At the head of nineteen sail of the line, he set sail for the Chesapeake, which he hoped to gain before the count de Barras. It appears, that he was still in total ignorance of the arrival of the count de Grasse in that bay. As soon as the British admiral had made Cape Henry, he discovered the French fleet, which consisted at that moment of twenty-four sail of the line. It extended from the Cape to the bank called the Middle Ground. Notwithstanding he had five ships less than his adversary, Graves prepared himself instantly for action. On the other hand, the count de Grasse, at sight of the British fleet, slipped his cables with admirable promptitude, and, full of confidence in victory, advanced with press of sail to encounter the enemy.

The intention of the English was to engage as close an action as possible. They perceived how fatal an influence the loss of so important an occasion might have upon the success of the British arms, and even upon the issue of the war. A total defeat would scarcely have been more prejudicial to the interests of England than a loose and indecisive battle. It left the French masters of the Chesapeake, and lord Cornwallis still exposed to the same perils. But the count de Grasse, sensible of his advantages, would not commit to the caprices of fortune the decision of events, which he considered himself as already certain of controlling. This prudent course seemed also to be prescribed him by the absence of fifteen hundred of his seamen, who were then employed in conveying M. de St. Simon's troops up the river James; and the British fleet made its appearance so suddenly, that there was no time for recalling them. The count de Grasse wished only to arrest the enemy by partial and distant collisions, long enough to cover the arrival of the count de Barras.

With these opposite intentions the two admirals advanced the one against the other. The engagement soon became extremely warm between their vans; some ships of the centre also took part in it. The French, who were not willing that the action should become too general, drew off their vanguard, which had already suffered severely. The approach of night, and the nearness of hostile shores, dissuaded the British admiral from the resolution of renewing the engagement. His own van had likewise been very roughly treated. The ships most damaged were the Shrewsbury, the Montague, the Ajax, the Intrepid, and the Terrible. The latter was so shattered and torn, that the water gaining upon all the efforts of her pumps, she was burnt by order of admiral Graves. The English lost in this action in killed and wounded, three hundred and thirty-six sailors and marines; the French little more than two hundred.

The hostile fleets continued for four successive days, partly repairing their damages, and partly manoeuvring in sight of each other; but the French having generally maintained the wind, and their motives for not engaging a general affair remaining always the same, the battle was not renewed. When at length the count de Grasse had advice that the count de Barras was entered sound and safe into the Chesapeake, with his squadron and convoy, he retired from the open sea and came to anchor in the interior of the bay. Fortune showed herself in every thing adverse to the English. They had endeavored to profit of the absence of the count de Grasse to transmit despatches to lord Cornwallis, by the frigates Isis and Richmond; they could not accomplish their mission, and both fell into the power of the French.

Admiral Graves, seeing the disastrous condition of his fleet, the sea becoming daily more tempestuous, and his hopes of intercepting the

convoy of M. de Barras entirely foiled, had, a few days after, returned to New York. The French, becoming thus entirely masters of the bay, disembarked, in the first place, the artillery and munitions of war which they had brought from Rhode Island, and then employed the transports with the frigates and light vessels of the fleet, in conveying the army of Washington from Annapolis to the mouth of James river, and thence to Williamsburgh. At the head of Elk, the combined army had not been able to collect shipping enough for this passage.

Thus Cornwallis found himself restricted to the place he occupied. By an admirable concurrence of well concerted operations, and of circumstances the most auspicious to his adversaries, his troops, still seven thousand strong, were surrounded on every side. An army of twenty thousand combatants, of which only a fifth part were militia, invested Yorktown upon every point on the side of the land, while a fleet of near thirty sail of the line, and a multitude of light vessels, stationed at the mouths of the rivers James and York, rendered the blockade of the place as complete as possible. The head-quarters of the combined army had been established at first in Williamsburgh, a city which is only a few miles distant from Yorktown. Care had been taken, however, to detach a considerable corps, consisting mostly of cavalry, under the conduct of M. de Choisy and general Wieden, to encamp on the left bank of the York, before the village of Gloucester, in order to prevent the English from issuing thence to forage. The French had taken post before Yorktown, on the left of the camp, extending from the river above the town to the morass in the centre, where they were met by the Americans, who occupied the right from the river to that spot.

General Clinton had it very much at heart to extricate Cornwallis ; and in consequence, while admiral Graves was under sail for the Chesapeake, had meditated a diversion in Connecticut. He hoped by insulting that province, to draw thither a part of the American forces; knowing but too well that if they were left at liberty to push the siege of Yorktown, the blockaded army must inevitably surrender. The principal object of this expedition was to seize New London, a rich and flourishing town, situated upon the New Thames. The command of it was given to Arnold, who had just returned to New York from his inroad into Virginia.

The access of the port of New London was rendered difficult by two forts erected upon the opposite banks; one called Fort Trumbull, the other Griswold. The royalists having disembarked unexpectedly, at daybreak, carried the first without much effort; but the second made a vigorous resistance. Colonel Ladyard had promptly thrown himself into it with a body of militia, and the work itself was very strong, consisting in a walled square with flanks. The royal troops nevertheless attacked with extreme vigor and gallantry; they