detached a strong corps to occupy the bridge over the Croton river, which leads to the upper parts of the Hudson. On the following morning the English took possession of the American camp.

General Howe, perceiving that his enemy declined an engagement, and that from the situation of the country, and his knowledge of every advantageous position, it would be impossible to compel him to fight but upon the most unequal and hazardous terms, took the determination to discontinue the pursuit, and to turn his attention to the reduction of the forts and fastnesses still occupied by the Americans in the neighborhood of New York. His views were particularly directed upon fort Washington, which was its principal bulwark. But, though the ground where this fortress had been erected was very rough and difficult, its fortifications were not sufficiently strong to resist heavy artillery. It was incapable, from its little extent, of containing more than a thousand defenders; the outworks that surrounded it, especially to the south, towards New York, might lodge, it is true, a much stronger garrison.

The commander-in-chief, as if he had foreseen the event, had written to general Greene, who commanded in this part, enjoining him to reflect maturely upon his position, and in case he should find that fort Washington was not in a situation to sustain an assault, to cause it to be forthwith evacuated; and to transport the garrison to the right bank of the Hudson. But this general, either believing that the strength of the place and the valor of the troops would assure him a long defence, or from the apprehension that his retreat would increase the already too general discouragement of the Americans, took the resolution to hold out to the last. He was herein the more easily determined, as he believed that the garrison would always be able to retreat into fort Lee, situated upon the other bank of the river. But Washington judged less favorably of the future; he was persuaded that the English would not remain satisfied with the reduction of the first fort; but that crossing the river, and making themselves masters of the second, which was not tenable, they would spread themselves in the province of New Jersey. He left therefore general Lee, with the militia of the eastern provinces, upon the left bank of the Hudson, and having secured the strong positions towards the Croton river, and especially that of Peeks Kill, near the Hudson itself, he crossed that river with the main body of his army, and went to rejoin general Greene in his camp under fort Lee. General Lee himself had orders to come with all speed and join him, in case the enemy, after having taken the forts, should show himself upon the right bank of the Hudson. He afterwards wrote to the governor of New Jersey, requesting him to remove the magazines of provisions into the most remote parts, and to call out all the militia. All these dispositions being made to his wish, Washington watched with an attentive eye the movements of the enemy.

Meanwhile, general Howe had ordered general Knyphausen to march from New Rochelle, and to occupy Kingsbridge. This he executed without obstacles, the Americans, who guarded this position, having fallen back upon fort Washington. The corps of general Knyphausen consequently penetrated into the island of New York, and proceeded to invest the fort, on the part of the north.

A short time after, the English general himself abandoned the White Plains, and descending along the banks of the Hudson, conducted the rest of the army to Kingsbridge. He pitched his camp upon the heights of Fordham, his right wing being covered by the Hudson, and his left by the Brunx.

The royalists then prepared to attack fort Washington; its interior and appertenances were defended by full three thousand men, under the command of colonel Magaw, a brave and experienced officer. He was summoned in vain to surrender. The besiegers proceeded to the assault in four divisions, the first from the north, commanded by general Knyphausen, and consisting of Hessians and the troops of Waldeck; the second from the east, composed of English light infantry and two battalions of guards, conducted by general Matthews. This corps was to attack the intrenchments which extended from fort Washington almost to the East river; the third, commanded by colonel Sterling, was destined to pass this river lower down than the second, in order to assail the fort more to the south; but this was only a feint. The fourth, which obeyed the orders of lord Percy, a very strong corps, was directed to aim its assault against the western flank of the fortress. These different divisions were provided with a numerous and excellent artillery. The Hessians, under general Knyphausen, were to pass through a very thick forest, where colonel Rawlings was already posted with his regiment of riflemen. An extremely warm affair was engaged, in which the Germans sustained a severe loss. The Americans ambushed behind the trees and rocks, fired in security; but at last, the Hessians redoubling their efforts, gained a very steep ascent, whence they came down upon the enemy with an irresistible impetuosity; the divisions. which followed them were thus enabled to land without molestation. Colonel Rawlings retreated under the cannon of the fort. Lord Percy, on his part, had carried an advanced work, which facilitated the debarkation of the party under colonel Sterling, who, the moment he had landed, forced his way up a difficult height, which was very resolutely defended; he gained the summit, where he took a considerable number of prisoners, notwithstanding their gallant resistance. Colonel Cadwallader, who was charged with the defence of this part, retired also into the fort.

Colonel Ralle, who led the right column of general Knyphausen's attack, surmounted all obstacles with admirable valor, and lodged his column within one hundred yards of the fort. Soon after general

Knyphausen joined him with the left column; having at length extricated himself from the difficulties encountered in the forest. The garrison having thus lost, though not without glory, all their advanced works, found themselves closely invested within the body of the fortress. The besiegers then summoned colonel Magaw to surrender. He had already consumed nearly all his ammunition. The very multitude of defenders pressed into so narrow a space, was prejudicial to defence, and every thing demonstrated that he could not sustain an assault. Accordingly he decided to capitulate. The garrison, amounting to two thousand six hundred men, inclusive of the country militia, surrendered prisoners of war. The Americans had few killed; the royalists lost about eight hundred, the greater part Germans.

The reduction of fort Washington thus gave the royal army entire possession of the island of New York.

Wishing to avail himself to the utmost of the defeat of the Americans, and to prevent them from rallying at another point, general Howe confided to lord Cornwallis the command of a corps of about six thousand men, directing him to pass the Hudson at Dobb's Ferry, and forthwith to invest fort Lee, in order, if possible, to surprise the garrison, which consisted in two thousand men. They had scarcely time to save themselves by abandoning the place, the moment they heard of the surrender of fort Washington, of the passage of the enemy, and of his force. Their artillery and military stores, their baggage, and particularly their tents, a loss the most sensible, fell into the power of the victors. The vanquished retired to the other side of the Hackensack. The British could now penetrate into the very heart of New Jersey.

These successive checks, the loss of the two forts, Washington and Lee, and especially the excessive vigor of the attack, which had constrained the first to surrender, produced a deplorable change in the fortune of the Americans. They beheld all at once what the fatal battle of Brooklyn had not been able to operate; the dissolution of their army.

The militia disbanded and precipitately retired to their habitations; even the regular troops, as if struck with despair, also filed off, and deserted in parties.

Every thing at this period of the war, threatened America with an inevitable catastrophe.

The army of Washington was so enfeebled that it scarcely amounted to three thousand men, who had lost all courage and all energy, and were exposed in an open country, without instruments to intrench themselves, without tents to shelter them from the inclemency of the season, and in the midst of a population little zealous, or rather hostile towards the republic.

The general of Congress had to face a victorious army, more than twenty thousand strong, composed entirely of disciplined and veteran troops. The excellent generals who commanded it, using the ardor inspired by victory, pursued their advantages with vivacity, and flattered themselves that a few days would suffice to crush the wrecks of the republican army, and put an end to the war. To all the difficulties against which Washington had to contend, should be added, that the English cavalry, though without being very numerous, scoured all the flat country, whereas he had nothing to oppose to it except a few diminutive and feeble hackneys from Connecticut, commanded by major Shelden. So total a deficiency of cavalry, in the immense plains of this country, appeared to extinguish for the Americans their little chance of success. They were no better provided with artillery than with horses. The greater part of their feeble army consisted in militia, almost all from New Jersey. These were either of suspicious fidelity, or desirous of returning to their habitations, to rescue their property and families from the perils that menaced them. The few regular soldiers who still remained with their colors, completed their term of service with the expiration of the year; it was therefore to be feared that this phantom of an army would vanish entirely in the space of a few days.

In so profound a distress, the American general could not hope to receive prompt or sufficient reenforcements. Consternation reigned in all the contiguous provinces; so that each, trembling for himself, refused to succour others. There still remained a few regiments of regular troops upon the frontiers of Canada; but they were necessary there to arrest the progress of the enemy; and, besides, the term of engagement was about to dissolve them shortly. Upon the heel of so many disasters was the imminent danger of seditions on the part of the disaffected, who in various places loudly invoked the name of England. An insurrection appeared ready to explode in the county of Monmouth, in this very province of New Jersey, so that Washington found himself constrained to detach a part of his ariny, already a mere skeleton, to overawe the agitators. The presence of a victorious royal army had dissipated the terror with which the patriots at first had inspired the loyalists. They began to abandon themselves without reserve to all the fury which animated them against their adversaries. The English commissioners determined to avail themselves of this disposition of the inhabitants to revolt against the authority of Congress. Accordingly the two brothers Howe drew up a proclamation, which they circulated profusely throughout the country. They commanded all those who had arms in hand to disperse and return to their habitations; and all those who exercised civil magistracies to cease their functions and divest themselves of their usurped authority. But, at the same time, they offered a full pardon to all such as within the space of sixty days

should present themselves before the civil or military officers of the crown, declaring their intention to take the benefit of the amnesty, and promising a sincere return to the obedience due to the laws and to the royal authority. This proclamation had the effect which the commissioners had promised themselves from it. A multitude of persons of every rank, availing themselves of the clemency of the victor, came daily to implore his forgiveness, and to protest their submission.

It was remarked, however, that they belonged for the greater part to the class of the very poor, or of the very rich. The inhabitants of a middle condition manifested more constancy in their opinions. Several of the newly reconciled had occupied the first stations in the popular order of things; they had been members either of the provincial government, or of the council of general safety, or of the tribunals of justice. They excused themselves by saying that they had only acted, in what they had hitherto done, with a view to promote the public welfare, and to prevent greater disorders; they alleged, finally, that they had been drawn in by their parents and friends, whom they were unable to refuse. Those who had contemplated them in all their arrogance, and who saw them then so meek, so submissive, and so humble in their words, could scarcely persuade themselves that they were indeed the same individuals. But men of this stamp dread much less to be considered inconstant and perfidious, than rebels to the laws of the strongest; they much prefer to escape danger with infamy, than to encounter it with honor. Nor was it only in New Jersey, and in the midst of the victorious royal troops, that these abrupt changes of party were observed; the inhabitants of Pennsylvania flocked in like manner to humble themselves at the feet of the English commissioners, and to promise them fealty and obedience. Among others there came the Galloways, the family of the Allens, and some others of the most wealthy and reputable. The example became pernicious, and the most prejudicial effects were to be apprehended from it. Every day ushered in some new calamity; the cause of America seemed hastening to irretrievable ruin. The most discreet no longer dissembled that the term of the war was at hand; and that the hour was coine in which the colonies were about to resume the yoke. But Washington, in the midst of so much adversity, did not despair of the public safety. constancy was an object of admiration. Far from betraying any symptoms of hesitation or of fear, he showed himself to his dejected soldiers with a serene countenance, and radiant, as it were, with a certain hope of a better future. Adverse fortune had not been able to vanquish, nay, not even to shake this invincible spirit. Firmly resolved to pursue their object through every fortune, the Congress manifested a similar constancy. It appeared as if the spirit of these great minds increased with adversity.

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