The royal gazette — [Charleston] S.C., 1781-11-21 00:00:00, page 2

{✓■lN Friday his Majesty's brig Childers, CaptrLyndo,,
} arrived from Rattan. Letters by the Childers afford
us more particular information fefpeding the expedi
tion fiom Rattan. By these letters ft appears, thata few re
gulars, with Major Lowrie's corps of Baymen, and some
other irregulars, the whole under the command of Captain
George Brown, of the 6oth, had failed from that Island early
in the month of June, on an expedition against Sr. Pedro Snelo,
A village in the gulph of Dulce, a considerable distance behind
Omoa, where they had undoubted information that a vast
quantity oftieafure, military stores, arms and ammunition, was
deposited. They landed without being observed, and under
the direction of an experienced guide, who was unfortunately
killed on their march to St. Pedro, advanced a great way into
the country, when by the efqape of a prisoner, who gave no
tice of their approach, the Spaniards found means to convey
away their treasure, before they could reach the village ; they
however burnt every house in it, and destroyed 400 barrels of
gun-powder, 500 b stand 'of new arms, and as many fit for fer
tice, furniture for 560 horse, fiveral stores filled with the
richest merchandize, others with bread and flour, and one
store in particular containing 800 feroons of indigo. The
troops then returned to Rattan, having accomplished this bu
siness with the lofsof only two men. It has however given
the Spaniards the feVereß stroke in that quarter which they
have received this war; St. Pedro being their principal Depot
of military stores, for supplying Omoa, and their other fettle
sments in the gulph of Honduras. 48 chests of royal treasure
are said to have been carried off by the Spaniards.
The unfortunate Baymen who were made prisoners at the
commencement of holtilities, are, it appears, flill detained at
Merida.
From a Spaniard taken in the Bay, information has been
received, that his countrymen in their turn, are fitting out an
expedition at Bacca|ar against Rattan; it is to consist of Twelve
of their larger pettiaugars, and two row gallies, built for the
purpose, to mount co swivels, 'and row 25 oars each; with an
armed schooner, carrying fix and four pounders ; but from the
refpedabie Bate of defense in which that island now is, little
is to be dreaded from any attempt they may make on it with so
despicable a force.
Wednesday the ship Camden, Captain King, from the Gold
'Coafr, with a cargo of 530 choice Slaves, anchored in this
harbour.
September 8. On Tuesday arrived a schooner flag of truce
from the Cape. Information is received by her that the fleet
which failed from thence some time ago, took under their pro
tection rd the merchant fliips bound to America, leaving in the
barbour of Port-au-Prince the trade bound to Europe, to wait
their return form convoy thither. 4
Thursday arrived a schooner flag of truce from the Ha
vana. By her we hear that the flota failed some time ago
from that harbour, under convoy of four Blips of the line;
but we cannot learn from that quarter any thing receding
the junction said to have taken place between the Spaniel
squadron from thence, and that of the French from St. Do
mingo. Seven fail of the line, however, remain there, and
those not in very good condition. It is said that this veiTel
has brought 40,000 dollars for some merchants of this place.
Some prisoners belonging to the 86th regiment, are also ar
rived in her.
September 15. His Majesty's sloop of war Du Guay Trouin,
- Fish, Esq; has captured and carried into the harbour of
Lucca a Spamfh row-galley, upon a new conftru&ion, chiefly
built of cedar, mounting two long three-pounders, 2 cohorns,
ya swivels, rowing 26 oars; and carrying 55 men: The was
launched at Trinidad in Cuba, and left two other galleys upon
the ftotks, of a similar make, and huger scale, both defined
for predatory visits to the coasts of this island.
St. Jago de la Vega, ('Jamaica) October 18. Tuesday the
General Adembly met here pursuant to proclamation, when
his Excellency the Governour was pleased to command the
attendance of the House in the Council Chamber, and made
the followipg SPEECH : '
Gentlemen of the Council,
Me. Speaker, dad Gentlemen of the AfembD,
WHILE I reflect on the wifdom'that marked your pro
ccedings in the late feflion, I cannot help expreliing
'the extreme fatisfadion with which I meet you again.
You will fee by the papers which will be laid before you,
that so much of the Parliamentary donation to this island as
was not sent from England in the Adlseon frigate, has since
arrived in his Majesty's ship the Torbay. The flep I have ta
ken for its security since, together with the necessity inducing
the measure, those papers will also ihew.
The general distress of the country, aggravated by the ca
lamity of theist of August last, seems to be worthy your ear
ly attention. It has been my care to lose no time in represent
ing our filiation to the Governour of Georgia, and the officer
commanding in South-Carolina, and in such manner as I
thought most likely to obtain whatever abidance it might be
in their power to fur niih.
Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the .4femblv,
I must beg leave to recommend to your consideration the
expediency of some inßruclion to the Receiver-General, rela
tive to the island pay bills: none of which, notwithstanding
the preference it has been thought proper to give them, have
yet been taken' up by that office—to the diferedit of the bills
themselves, and the great disadvantage of government.
I trust I shall not be disappointed, isl rely on your making
vrovifim for the real exigencies of government, with as much
Eberahty as they shall be found to deserve, and the means in
your power enable you to afford.
Gentlemen of the Council,
Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the Affembh,
I have only to renew the assurance, that I fllall be extremely
happy to concur with you in every thing that can promote the
security of the island, and the peace and happiness of its inha
bitants.
This day the honourable the Council presented the follow
ing Addreis to his Excellency:
Jamaica, ff.
% his Excellency John Dalling, Efa; Captain-General, Go
yernour, and Commander in Chief) in and over this his Ma
jffo's Island of Jamaica, and the territories thereon depending
in America, Chancellor, and Cice-Admiral of the fame.
The Humble ADDRESS of the Council.
May tt pleafeyour Excellency.
WE his Majesty's most dutiful and loyal fubjeds, the
Council of Jamaica,j return your Excellency our sincere
thanks for yout speech at the opening of the session.
Ever anxious properly to difeharge the duty we owe to our
King and country, we receive with real pleasure every diltin
guiihing testimony of your Excellency's approbation.
The fate arrival of the remaining part of the parliamentary
bounty gives us great fatisfadion, and we ardently hope that
the distribution thereof, as well as of the former part, may
be attended with such falutaty effeds as have been expected.
We beg leave to assure your Excellency of our hearty desire to
promote, err join in any measures which may relieve the accu
mulated diftrefles of this country; and we think the warmest
thanks of a grateful people are particularly due to your Excel
lency, for the solicitude you feel, and the prudent means you
American Intelligence.
KINGSTON, (Jamaica) September 1.
so early adopted, to contribute, as much as possible, to that
benevolent purpose.
We repeat to your Excellency, that we will chearfully con
cur in every thing that can promote the security of the island,
and the peace fend happiness of its inhabitants.
Tb which his Excellency was pleased to return the following
ANSWER :
Gentlemen of the Council,
MVfncere thanks are due to you for your very flattering Ad
dress. (
The anxiety you have always Jbewn in the difeharge of your
duty toyour King and your country, commands my applause.
The exprefliv^ approbation you have given of the measures that
have been pursued towards the relief of the dijrefed, not only is,
in this inflance, particularly acceptable to me, but denotes a difpo-
Jition that does equal honour to your Rations, and to yo/irfelves.
The Honourable House of Arfembly also presented their
Addict's this day.
Jamaica, ff.
To his Excellency John Dalling, Captain-General, Governour,
and Commander in Chief, in and over this his Majefly's Island
of Jamaica, and the Territories thereon depending in Ame
rica, Cbancellour and Tice-Admiral 'of the fame ;
The Humble ADDRESS of the Assembly.
May it fieafe your Excellency,
H^ bis Majesty's dutiful and loyal fubjefts, the Assembly
, V of Jamaica, beg leave to return your Excellency our
sincere thanks for your fpecchat the opening of this feflion.
The lenfe your Excellency has been pleased to express of our
conduct in the late session, is particularly grateful to us ; and
we beg you, Sir, to believe, that on our part we feel an equal
fatisfadion in being again convened under your Excellency's
adminifiration.
It gives us pleasure to find that the remainder of the Par
liamentary donation is fafely arrived ; nor calk wp doubt but
that when the papers to which your Excellency refers ihall be
laid before us, we shall, have every reason to be fatisfied of the
necessity, and of the prudence of the measures you have been
pleased to take for its security.
We feel, with much concern, the complicated distresses of
the country, and your Excellency may rest allured they will
meet with our earliefl attention ; and we are particularly
thankful for the representations you have been pleased to make
of our filiation to the Governour of Georgia, and the com
manding officer of South-Carolina ; —your Excellency's know
ledge of the nature of our didreffes and of the most efficacious
mode of relieving them, leaves usina full assurance that the
manner adopted, is. the most likely to obtain whatever assis
tance it may be in their power to furnifh.
We regret extremely that the means already devised to ad
vance the credit of the Island pay bills, have been inadequate
to those purposes: Wefnall not, however, fail to benefit by
your Excellency's recommendation of that important object,
or to adopt whatever measure may be judged the best calcula
ted to promote and attain it.
Eurthhied as we are with accumulated taxes, and labouring
under the effeds of our late dreadful visitations, we will, by
every means in our power, endeavour to provide for the real
exigencies of government.
Wt assure your Excellency, that nothing shall be wanting
on our part, to promote the security of the island, and the
peace and happiness of its inhabitants, relying on the assurance
your Excellency has been pleased to give, of concurring in
every measure for that laudable purpose.
To which his Excellency was pleased to return the following
ANSWER:
Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the Assembly,
T THaNKjou most heartily for your very bind Address.
The fatisfaftion you. express at our meeting again, is parti
cularly plpafmg to me.—l need hardly fay how pr o f lam to re
ceive, towards the close of my adminfration, and in so flatter
ing a manner, so honourable a testimony of the real sense of the
people. *
The confidence you have in the propriety of measures which I
have already adopted, and the reliance you so generously place on
the assurance I have given of my future conduct, impress me, at
once, with a thorough conviction of the advantage which I mus
derive' from your good opinion ; and the publick, from the harmony
which that opinion cannot fail to prtfrvs.
October 20 His Excellency the commander in chief has
been pleased to appoint the Hon. Thomas Wallen, Efe; to
the office of Commissary General of musters for his Majesty's
forces Rationed in this island, vice George Campbell, Efqy de
ceased.
Monday his Majesty's ships Ramilies, John Cowling Esq;
and Jamaica, Robertson, Esq; arrived from a cruize.
They left the homeward bound fleet at the fame time with the
Resource ' and Hydra, who arrived last week.
October 27. On Saturday lall wak sent into Port-Royal, a
sloop and schooner, prizes to the Admifal Rowley and Gene
ral Campbell letters of marque; and on Wednesday arrived
his Majesty's ship Vaughan from a cruize.
Capt. Rancan, of the sloop Endeavour, bound from King
ston to Manchioncal, on her passage touched at Rocky Poilit,
where Capt. Rapcan took in four featpen, who pretended
they wanted a patfage to Manchioneal, on their way to the
north fide, who, on the paffqge, after forcing him into his
boat, flood away for the iflanilof Cuba. The pirates from
their own confusion were natives of America, which Capt.
Rancan was a flranger to, till they took the command 'of his
veffel.\..., %
Last week died at Green-Iflapd, the feat of John Ellis, Esq;
Lieut. Col. Prevost, Major in his Majesty's 60th, or Royal
American Regiment of foot; an officer of diffinguifhed abi
lities.%.
Philadelphia, Oflober 17. Yesterday morning arrived here,
Captain Pierce, aid-de-camp to General Greene, with the
following dispatches for his Excellency the President of Con
gress.".
Head-Quarters, Martin's Tavern, near Ferguson's Swamp,
South-Carolina, September 11, 1781.
" s 1 R>
" IN my difpafch of the twenty-fifth of August, I informed
your Excellency,- that we were on our march for Friday's
Ferry, to form ajunction with the State troops and a body 'of
militia collecting at that place, with an intention to make an
attack upon the Britilh army laying at Col. Thomson's, near
M'Cord's Ferry. On the 27th, on our arrival near Friday's
Ferry, I got intelligence that the enemy were retiring.
“ We crossed the river at Howell's Ferry, and took post
at Motte's plantation. Here I got intelligence that the ene
my had halted at the Eutaw Springs, about 40 miles below
us ; and that they had a reinforcement, and were making pre
parations to establish a permanent post there. To prevent this
I determined rather to hazard an action, notwithstanding our
numbers were greatly inferior to theirs. On the sth we began
our march, our baggage and stores having been ordered to
Howell's Ferry under a proper guard. We moved by flow
and cafy marches, as well to disguise our real intention, as to
give General Marion an opportunity to join us, who had been
detached for the support of Col. Harding, a report of which
I transmitted in my letter of the sth, dated at Maybrick's
Creek. General Marion joined us on the evening of the 7th,
at Hurdelßs plantation, 7 miles from the enemy's camp.
“ We made the following disposition, and marched at 4
o'clock the next morning to attack the enemy. Qur front line
wa^ competed of sent small battalions of militia, two of North
and two of South-Carolinians; one of the litter was under
the immediate command cf Gen. Marion, and was poked on
the right, who also commanded the front line ; the two North
Carolina battalions, upder the command of Col. Malmadv"
were polled in the centre, and the other South-Carolina bat!
talion, under the command of Gen. Pickens, was polled on
the left. Our second lin° comifted of three small brigades of
continental troops, one from North-Garolina, oite from Vir
ginia, and one from Maryland. The North-Carolinians were
formed into three battalions, under the command of Lieut
Col. Ash, Majors Armstrong and Blount, the whole command'
ed by General Sumner, and polled upon the right. The Vir"
ginians confided of two battalions commanded by Major Snead
and Captain Edmonds, and the whole by Lieut. Cel. Campbell
and polled in the center. The Marylanders also confided of
two battalions, commanded by Lieut. Col. Howard and Ma
jor Hardman, and the brigade by Col. Williams, Deputy-Ad
jutant-General to the army, and were ppftefr upon the left"
Lieut. Col. Lee with his Legion covered our right flank, and
Lieut. Col. Henderson with the State troops, commanded by
Lieut. Cols. Hampton, Middleton and Polk, olir left. Lieut
Col. Wafliington with his horse, and the Delaware troops
under Capt. Kirkwood, former a corps de reserve. Two three
pounder under Capt. Lieut. Gaines, advanced with the front
line, and two fixes under Capt. Browne with the second.
“ The Legion and State troops formed our advance, and
were to retire upon the flanks upon the enemy's forming'. h
this order we moved on to the attack. The Legion and State
troops fell in with a party of the enemy's horse and foot about
four miles irom their camp, who mistaking our people for a
party of their militia, charged them briskly, but were soon
convinced of their millake by the reception they met with; the
infantry of the Bate troops kept up a heavy lire, and the Le
gion in front under Capt. Rudolph charged them with fixed
bayonets ; they fled on all sides, leaving four or five dead on the
ground, and federal more wounded. As this was supposed
to be the advance of the British army, our front line was or
dered to form and move on briskly in line, the Legion and
State troops to take their position upon the flanks. All the
country is covered with timber from the place the adion began
to the Eutaw Springs. The firing began again between two
and three milts from the British camp. The militia were or
dered to lu ep advan eg as they fired.' The enemy's advanced
parties were soon duvenin, and a most tremendous fire began,
01? both sides from right to left, and the'legion and Fate troops
were elofely engaged. General Marion, Col.' Malmady and
Gen. Pickens conduced the troops with great gallantry and
good conduct, arid the militia fought with a degree of spirit
^rd firmnet? that rejects the highest honour on this vlafs of
folders. # But thee: emy's fire being greatly fupericr to ours,
and continuing to advance, 'the militia began to give ground.'
The North-Carolina brigade under General oumner was
orcyrec up to their support. These were all new levies, and
hao been under discipline little more than a month, notwith-
Raiding which they fought with a degree of obstinacy that
would do honour to the best of veterans; and I could hardly
tell which to admire most, tire gallantry of the officers, or the
bravery ofthe troops. They kept up a heavy and well direct
ed fire, and the enemy returned it with equal spirit, for they
< really fought worthy of a better cause, and great execution
was done on both sides. In this stage of the adion, the Vir
ginians under Lieut. Col. Campbell, and the Maryland troops
under Col. William s, were led on to a brisk charge with trailed
arms through a heavy cannonade and a shower of musket
balls. Nothing could exeed the gallantry and firmnefs of both
officers and soldiers upon this occasion; they preferred their
order, and pushed on u ith such unshaken resolution, that they
bore down all before them. The enemy were routed in all
quarters. Lieut. Col. Li;e had.with great address, gallantry
and good conduft, turned the enemy's left Hark, and was
charging them in rear at the fame time the Virginia and Mary
land troops were charging them in front. A most valuable
officer Lieut. Col. Henderson got wounded early in the adion,
and Lieut. Col. Hampton, who commanded the Rate cavalry,
and who fortunately succeeded Lieut. Col. Henderson in com
mand, charged a party of the enemy, and took upwards of
100 prisoners.
“ Lieut. Col. Wafliington brought up the corps de reserve
upon the left, where theenemy seemed disposed to make fur
ther refinance, and charged them so briskly with the cavalry
and Cwt. Kirkwood's infantry, as gave them no time to rally
or form.
“ Lieutenant-Colonels Polk and Middleton, who com
manded the State infantry, were no less conspicuous for their
good conduct than their intrepidity; and the troops under
their command gave specimens of what may be expected from
men naturally brave, when improved by proper discipline.
“ Captain-Lieutenant Gaines, who commanded the three
pounders with the front line, did great execution, until his
pieces were clifmoiinted....
“ We kept close at the enemy's heels after they broke,
until we got in their camp, and' a great number/ of prisoners
were continually falling into our hands, and some hundreds
of the fugitives ran off towards 'Charleftown. But a party
threw 'hmdelves into a three-flory brick house which stands
near th during; others took post in a picquetted garden, and
in the Unpenetrable Shrubs; and the rear also being secured by
the fpriugs and deep hollow ways, the enemy renewed the
action.
" We collected all our wounded, except such as were un
der the command of the fire of the house, and retired to the
ground from which we marched in the morning, there being
no water nearer, and the troops ready to faint with the heat
and want of refrefliment, the action having continued near
four hours. I left on the field of action a strong picquet, and
early in the morning detached Gen. Marion, and Lieut. Col.
Lee with the legion horse, between Eutaw and Charlefto^
to prevent any reinforcement from coming to the relief of
enemy, and also to retard their march, should they attend
to retire, and give time for the army to fall upon their re^,
and put a finishing stroke to our successes. We left
pieces of cur artillery in the hands of the enemy, and bro^c
off one of theirs.
" Every exertion was made to dislodge them: Lieut. Col.
Wafliington made most aflonifhing efforts to get through the
thicket to charge the enemy in the rear, but found it imprac
ticable, had his horse (hot under him, ,and was wounded and
taken prisoner.
" Four fix-pounders were ordered up before the house,
two of our own, and two of the enemy's which they had aban
doned; and they were pushed on so much under the command
of the fire from the house and the party in the thickets, as ren
dered it impracticable to bring them off again when the troops
were ordered to retire. Never were pieces better served,
most of the men and officers were either killed or wounded.
" Wafliington failing in his charge upon the left, and the
legion baffled in an attempt upon the right, and findings
infantry galled by tlie fire of the enemy, and our ammunition
moilly consumed, though officers and men continued to ex
hibit uncommon ads of hcroifm, I thought proper to retire
out of the fire of the house, and draw up the troops at a little
distance from the woods, not thinking it advifeable to pulh
our advantages further, being persuaded the enemy could not
hold the post many hours, and that our chance to attack them
on the retreat was better than a second attempt to dislodge
them, in which, if we succeeded, it must be attended with
considerable loss.