Dunlap's Pennsylvania packet , The general advertiser — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-12-27 00:00:00, page 1

PIM^
O R
GENERAL
The AMERICAN CRISIS. No. I.
ri' l H ESE are the times that try mens fouls: The fum
raer soldier and the fuaihine patriot will, in this
Golis Shrink from the service of his country ; but he that
fiands it N 0 IV. deserves the Jove and thanks of man
and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered ;
yet We have this consolation with us, that the harder the
corbie, the more glorious the triumph. What ws ob
tain too cheap, we edeen too lightly :=Tis dearness only
that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to set
a proper price upon its goods ; and it wo#!d be strange in
deed, if so celestial an article as Freedom should not be
highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her ty
rrnny, has declared that she has aright (not only to TAX
ba:') "to BIND us in a s l cases whatfaver," ^ n 'Jif being
b^xnd in that manner is not slavery, then is there not such
a thing as slavery open earth. Even the expression is
impious, for so unlimited a power can belong only to
Goo.
Whether the Independence of the Continent was de
clared too toon, or delayed too long, 1 will not new en
terinto as an argument; my own Simple opinion is that
had it been eight months earlier it would have been much
better. We did not make a proper use cf last winter,
nidrer could w=, while we were in a dependent state.—
However, the faul*, if it were one, was all our own ; we
have none to blame hut ourselves *. But no great deal
is 10l yet; all that Howe has been doing for this month
put ; s ruber a ravage than a conquest, which the spirit
cf the Jerseys a year ago would have quickly repulsed,
an t which tune and a little refoliation will soon recover.
I have as tittle superstition in me as ny man living, but
my secret opinion has ever been, and still is, that God
Almighty will not give up a people to military deßruc
tien, or leave them nnfupportedly to perish, who had so
repeatedly and earnefti, fought to avoid the calamities of
war by every decent method which wisdom could invent.
Neither have I so much of the infidel in me as to fuppafe,
that ' e has relinquished the government of the world, and
given us up to the care of Devils ; and as 1 do not, I can
not fee on what grounds the King of Britain can look
up to Heaven for help against us & A common ^orderer,
a highwayman, or a housebreaker, has as good a pretence
as he.
Tis surprising to fee how rapidly a panic will Some
times run through a country. All nations and ages have
ben fubje& to *hem: Britain h^s trembled like an ague
at the report of a French fleet of flat bottomed boats ; and
in the fourteenth century the whole English arm,, after
ravaging the kingdom of France, was driven back like
men petrifi d with fear; and thia brave exploit was per
formed by a few broken forces cclle&el and headed by
a woman, Joan of AT. Would that Heaven might in
form some Jersey Maid to spirit up her countrymen, and
save her fair fellow fofferers from ravage and ravishment !
Yet panics, in fume cases, have their ufcs ; they produce
as much good as hurt. Their duration is always Short;
the mind soon grows thru' them, and acquires a firmer
habit than before. But their peculiar advantage is, that
they are the touchstones of finceriy and Irpocricy, and
bring things and men to light, which might otherwise
have lain forever undiscovered. In fa&, they have the
fame effea on secret traitors, which an imaginary appari
tion would upon a private murderer. They fift out the
hidden thoughts of tna% and hold them up in public to
the world. Many a difenifed Tory has lately shewn his
head, that shall penit/ntially solemnize with curses the
day on which Howe arrived upon the Delaware.
As I was with the troops at fort Lee, and marched with
them to the edge of Pennsylvania, I am well acquainted
with many circumstance, which those, who lived at a
distance, know but little or nothing of. Our fruition
there was exceedingly cramped, the place being on a
narrow neck of land between the North river and the
Hickenfack. Our force was inconsiderable, being not
cne fourth so great &> Howe could bring again* us. We
had no army at hand to have relieved the qarrifon, bed
we shut ourselves upand stood on the defective. Our am
munition, light artillery, and the best part of our stores,
had been removed upon the apprehension that Howewould
endeavor to penetrate the Jerseys, in which case Fort Lee
could be of no use to us ; for it muff occur to every think
ing man, whether in the army or not, that these kind of
field forts are only for temporary purposes, and last in
ue no longer than the enemy dire^s his force agairff the
particular o' je&, which such forts are railed to defend.
Such was our fination and condition at Fort Jee on the
morning o' the zo*h cf November, when an officer arri
ved with information, th T the enemy with zoo boats had
landed about seven or eight miles above : M< jor General
Green, who commanded the garrison, immediately or
d^red them under arms, and sent express to his Excellency
General Wallington at the town of Ha^kenfick, distant
by the way of the ferry fix miles. Oar firft object was
to secure the bridge over the Hackenfack, which laid up
* “ The present quieter" (meaning the last) " is worth
an age, if rightly emp toyed, but if loft, or neglefled, the whole
.Continent wif partake of the evil; and there is no punifb
ment that man does not deserve, be be who, or wbat, or
tubers be will, tbit may be the means of sacrificing a season
ft previous and affoi;^ Common Sense.
VOL. VI.
D U N L A P's
FRI DA Y, DECEMB E R 27, 1776
the river between the enemy and u„ ebout fix miles
from us and three front them. General Washington
arrived in about three qu liters of an hour, and marched
at the head of the troops towards the bridge, which
place I expe&Al we fhouhf have a bririh for ; however
they did not chufe to dilute it with us, and the greatdt
part of our troops went over the bridge, the rest over
the ferry, except some which puffed at a mill on a Imad
creek, between the bridge and the ferry, apd made their
wav through some marthy grounds up to the town of
Hackenftck, and there palLd the river. We brought
off as much baggage as the waggons could contain, the
rest was ioi. The simple object was to bring 0* the
garrison, and to march them on till they could be
/Lengthened by the Jersey or Pennsylvania militia, to as
to be enabled to make a hand. We haul four days at
Newark, colle&ed in our cot-pods with some cf the
Jersey militia, and marched out twice to meet the ene
my on iulwrination of their being advancing, though
our numbers were greatly inferior to theirs. Howe, in
my little opinion, committed a great error in general
lhip, in not throwing a body of forces ft from Staten-
Iflind through Amboy, by which means he might have
seized ail our stores at Brunf^ick, and intercepted our
march into Pennftlvania : But, if we believe the power
of hell to be limited, we mult likewise believe that their
agents are enter some providential centroid.
[ (hall not now attempt so give all the particulars of
our retreat to the D liware ; fuffire it for the present to
fiy, that both officers and men, though great'y harraffed
and fa igued, frequently without rest, covering, or pro
vision, the inevitable confeqaences cf a long retreat,
bore it with a irfanly and a martial spirit. All their
whites were one, which was, that the country would
turn out and help them to drivethe enemy back. Vol
taire has remarked, that kiog William never appeared
to full advantage but in difficulties and in action ; the
fame remark may be made on General Warrington, for
the chara^tr Sts him. There is a natural firmnefs in
some minds which cannot be unlocked by rrifllcs. but
which, when unlocked, difeovers a cabinet of fortitude ;
and I reckon it among those kind of public bf ffiugs,
which w# Jo not immediately fee, that Gob hath birft
him with uninterrupted health, and given him a mind
th it can even flourish upon care.
I fli ill conclude this paper with feme mifrellahedna re
marks on the Itate of our affairs; and fhhll begin with
afleng the following quelti on, why is it that the enemy
hath left the New-England provinces, and mdethele
middle ones the feat of war ? The answer is ealy : Nrw-
Eagland is not infefted with Tories, and we are. I have
been tender in railing the cry againftthefe men, and used
nu nberlefs arguments to (hew them thrir danger, hut it
will not do to facrifice a world to either th^ir folly or
their baseness. The period is now arrived, in which
either they or we must change our featiments, or one or
both murt fall. And what is a Tory ? Good God !
what is he ? I should not be afraid to go with an hundred
Whigs against a thousand Tories, were they Co attempt
to get inta arms. Every Tory is a coward, for a fervd%
flivifh, felf-interefted fear is the foundation of Toryifm ;
and a man under such influence, though he may be
cruel, never can be brave.
Bit before the line of irrecoverable reparation be
drawn between us, let us reafem the matter together :
Your conduct is an invitation to the enemy, yet not one
in a thousand of you bat heart enough to join him.
Howe is ms much deceive d by you as th# American cause
is injured by you. He experts you will all take up ai ms,
and dock to his standard with rnufk^ts on your Ihoulders,
Your opinions are of no use to him, unless you support
him personally, for 'tis soldiers, and net Tories, that he
wants,
I once felt all that kind of anger, which a man ought
to feel, against the mean principles that are held by the
Tories : A noted one, who kept a tavern at Amboy, w,s
Landing at his door with as pretty a child in his hand,
about eight or nine years old, as m-tt I ever saw, and
after fpeakigg his mind as freely as be thought was oru
dent, finished with this unfathe-ly expnffian, “Well!
give me peace in my day." Not a man lives m the con
tinent but fully believes that a feperation murtfeme time
or other fira'ly take place, and a generous parent would
have'f id '' If there mast be trouble, let it be in my day, that
my child may have peace;" and this finale ri fl^bon, well
applied, is fufficient to awaken every man to duty. Not
a place upon earth might be so happy as America. Her
fruatian is remote from all the wrangling world, and
(lie has nothing to do but to tiadewith them. A man
may easily diftinguifli in himfelf between temper and prin
ciple, and I am as confident, as I am that Gob governs
the world, that America will never be happy till flic ge :
clear of foreign dominion. Wars, without ceasing, will
break out till that period arrives, and the Conti: • at must
in the end be conqueror; for, though the flameot liberty
may sometimes cease to thine, the coal can never expire.
[To be continued]
X^ •*:*:*:.*: ^^^ ^v^*:^^.?.^^
TO BE SO L D,
THE TIM E ofa Dutch fervent boy, who has
nine years to ferve.—Enquire of the Printer.
• ^^^^l^^ ^^
THE
ADVERTISER.
" Since lavrofe you this wording, I have badass op
portunity of hearing a number of the particulars cf the
horrid depredations committed by that part of the British
army, rvbich mas Rationed at and near Pennyto-.cn, un
der the command of Lord Cornwallis. Befdes the fifteen
young women who bad fed to the woddi to avoidtheir bru
rfity, and were there Jeized and carried off, one man bad
the cruel mortification to have his wife and only daughter
(- /child of ten years of age) ravished; this he himff, al
nsfl choaked with grief, uttered in lamentations to bit
fr end, who to d me of it, and afo informed me cf ano
ther girl if thirteen years of age viis taken from her fa
ther's boufe, carried to a barn about a mile, there ravifo
el, an i afterwards made use of by fras more of these brute/.
Numbers of instances of the fame kind of behaviour I ani
afared of have happened: here their brutifo lifts were
their fimulas ; but winton mpehief was seen in every
part of the country ; every thing portable they plunder and
carry of, neither age nor fa, ifbig or Tory, itfared;an
indiferimtnate ruin attends every perfsn they meet withy
infants, children, old men and women, are left in their
foirts without a blanket to cover them in this inclement
season ; furniture of every kill defrosed or burnt, win
dows and doors breke to pieces ; in floort, the boufes left
unhabitable, and the people left without prow/fus, for
every borfe, cow, ox, hogs and poultry, carried off; a blind
old gentleman near Penny town plundered of ever? thing,
andon his door wrote, 6 Capt. IVifs of the Loyal Iri/b fid
' this.' fs a notabe proof oftheir regard and favour to
their friends and weldwifers, they yefarday burnt the
e ' e %^?f. bopfeof Daniel Cox, Est at Trenton ferry, who
has been the r confant advocate, and Ju,porter of tonifni
in tbit part of the country: tCs behaviour of theirs has
f exasperated the people of the country, that they arefin,
to arms, and forming themselves into parties to way la,
them and cut them off wherever they cars meet with them•
this, and other efforts which are making, d hope willJh
freighters t :em that they wflfan find their ftuation ve-y
difagree^ble in New-']erfan Another infince of tk e ir
brutality happened near IWoodbridge: One cf the mos re
feedab'e gentlemen in that part of the country was alarm
ed by +he cries and forieks of a mod love) daughter ; he
found an officer, a Britifk officer, in the aC of ravifing
her, he infantly put him to death ; two ofhe ? officers rufo
ed in in with fufees, and fired two balls into the father,
who is now languishing under his wounds. lam tired
of this horrid fecne; Almighty fuflice cannot Jaffer it to
go un^unijhed: be will inspirit bis people ^who on'y c aim
tbit liberty which he has ent it ed them to) to do themselves
juflice, to rife univerfalky in arms, and drive these inva
^ff& tyrants out of our country.
Published by order of the Council of Safety.
GE O. BICKH AM, Secretary, pro. tem.
cf HIS day is puklifoed, (price two coppers each, or one
1 filling and threepence per d xen) The AMERICAN
CRISIS, No. I. By the author of Common Sense.
Printed and fold by STYNER and Ctst, in Second Jireet,
fix doors aboase Arch fircct, Philadelphia.
Princeton, A. Jerfry, Dec. 5, >776.
STOP THE ROBBERS!
One Hundred DOLLARS Reward.
TdST Tuesday three villains came to the boule of Mr.
Nowel turman, near Princeton, and, after abujing the
family in a barbarous manner, took with them goods to the
amount of between one and two hundred pounds, confining
cr efly oj Germantown waller flockings milked, of fever a!
colours, large pocket handkerchiefs of federal kinds of red
and blueflripes, kentirg ditto, pins of the small kind, four
dozen razors, one pair flour thread fine black wolfed boje,
black leather pocket books, pocket almanacks, a few pieces
of childrens garters, and many other goods unknown.
Oneoftke above rogues is an Irijbman, a middle Jized man,
well set, has bufoy sandy hair, and fappofed to be ma-ked
with the small pox ; had on a blue coat, his name is paid to
be WAISON, and have been informed be belongs to Capt.
Brown's company of Pennsylvania Riflemen, under Col.
Brodhead. Ibe second person I cannot describe. The third
is a tadflim man, with light colored clothes. It isfaid they
have already changed their clothes. They put the goods into
bags or kaa,jacks. They were fern near the Baptifl met tirg
boufe at Hopewell on Wednesday evening, but could not be
taken for want of men of reflation, and its supposed they a<e
bound for Delaware, and so on to Shamokin. Whoever se
cures laid goods and the men, so that they be conviNed, Jball
have the above reward, or Fifty Dollars for the men, or in
proportion for any of the men or part of the g'ods, by app'y
ing to Mr. Stacy Potts, at Trenton, or Mr. William
Woodhouse, ip Philadelphia, or the fubferiber in Prince-
Hn. f 'JOHN DENTON.
PHILADELPHI A, December 27.
Extract of a letter from an officer of chttmetioa in the
American A r m,.
NUMB. 261