The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1781-08-01 00:00:00, page 2

The following is a copy of a letter, found in the
packet from England bound to New-York, but
taken on her passage and carried into France.
(No. si) Whitehall, 7th March, 1781.
SINCE my letters to you of the 7th February, I
have received your defpatches, numbered from
113 to 117, inclusive and laid them before the King.
The revolt of the Pennsylvania line, and Jersey
brigade, tho' not attended with all the good qonfe-.
quences that might have been expected, are certainly
events of very great inportance, and must have very
extensive effe&s, both in reducing Walkington's pre
sent force, and preventing its being recruited by new
levies; and as 1 doubt not you will avail yourfelf of
his weakness and your own great superiority, to
fend a conliderable force to the head of the Chefa
peak, as soon as the Lafon will permit operations to
be carried on in that quarter, I flatter myfelf the
southern provinces will be recovered to his Majesty's
obedience before the long promised fuccours, none
of which are yet failed, can arrive from France, and
Mr. Washington, unable to draw subsistence for his
troops from the weft fide of Hudson's river, be com
pelled to cross it, and take refuge in the eastern pro
vinces. lam very anxious to hear of Lord Corn
wallis's progress since General Leslie joined him;
I have no doubt his movements will be rapid and de
cisive, for his Lordship appears to be fully impress
ed with the absolute necessity of vigorous exertions
in the service of this country, in its present circam
ftances; the success of General . Arnold's enterprize
up James river which the rebel news-papers confirm,
must greatly facilitate his Lordship's operations, by
cutting off Greene's supplies, and obliging the militia
to return to take care of their own property. In
deed, so very contemptible is the rebel foice now
in all parts, and so vast isour superiority every where,
that no refinance on their part is to be apprehended,
that can materially obftru& the progress of the
King's arms in the speedy suppression of the rebelli
on, and it is a pleasing, tho' at the fame time a
mortifying reflection, when the duration of the re
bellion is confidcred, which arises from the view of
the return of the provincial forces you have transmit
ted, that the American levies in the King's service
are more in number than the whole of the enlisted
troops in the service of the Congress.
lam very glad to find you have commissioned a
board of directors of the refugees, and I hope the
Admiral will have been able to spare them flipping
to carry bn their operations on the sea coasts of the
New-England provinces. Many of those within the
lines, who are unfit for military service, are desirous
of being fettled in the country about Penobfcot, and
require only to be supplied with provisions for the
firft year, some tools for husbandry, and iron work
for their buildings; and as it is proposed to fettle
that country, and this appears a cheap method of
disposing of these loyalists, it is wished you would
encourage them to go there, under the protection of
the affiliated refugees, and assure them that a civil
.government will follow them in due time ; for I hope
in the course of the summer the Admiral and you
will be able to spare a force fufficient to effect an
establishment at Cafco-bay, and reduce that country
to the King's obedience.
I am very glad to find by the lift of the officers
reteafed, that the exchanges have been carried so far ;
but as it appears from Mr Washington's lad letter
to you, that they will not be carried on further, the
measure of enlisting their prisoners for service in the
Weft-Indies fhonld be adopted immediately, and
indeed, such has been the mortality from sickness a
mong the troops there, that I do not fee any other
means of recruiting them.
I am sorry to acquaint you, that the general pre
valence of westerly winds for these last two months,
has prevented the Warwick and Solebay, with then
convoy, from getting further than Plymouth, where
they are still detained.
I am, Sir,
your moll obedient humble servant,
(Signed) GEO. GERMAIN.
Sir Henry Clinton, K. B.
[The revolt of the Pennsylvania line and Jersey
brigade, although Sir Henry Clinton was too cauti
ous to be led into the snare, and expose himfelf to
the consequences of an attack in the State of New-
Jersey, has terminated beneficially for the United
States. This event has involved the court of London
in the most fatal errors, and directed their operations
to objeds, absurd, ridiculous and impossible. Lord
Cornwallis can inform this Minister how far his con
jectures were right, refpe<fting the Pennsylvania line ;
a detachment of which, under the command of Gen.
Wayne, lately attacked his Lordship's whole force
in the State of Virginia, and almost convinced him
of the inutility of superior numbers, when contend
ing ag^inft men inspired with a virtuous zeal for their
country's fafety. How vain and delufary are the
faireft profpe&s when founded only in a bewildered
imagination. It is true the number of the regular
forces of the United States was greatly reduced at
the close of the last campaign, owing to the expirati
on of the terms for which many of the soldiers had
entered into the' service. How could his Lordship
conclude from hence that General Washington would
be Confined to the eastward of the Hudson river?
This would have been the event undoubtedly for a
time had the British forces compleatly subjugated all
the Stales westward and southward of that river;
but what appears to tyrants an inexplicable paradox,
is perfectly understood by the citizens of a Repub
lick, that in times of greatest apparent weakness,
the mod vigorous exertions are made. America
knows and Europe will know, that the forces of the
United States in this period, which appear so con
temptible to his Lordship, have reduced nearly all
the posts established by the British in the Carolinas
and Georgia, and made prisoners of their garrisons,
with a rapidity equal to the uninterrupted march of
mod armies through an equal extent of country.
What do the British now possess in those states ?—
mere defense positions, and totally incompatible
with the idea of civil jurisdiction ? If the deftrudion
of a few hogfhcgds of tobacco, the feduftion of a
number of negroes, the dealing of horses and house
hold furniture, which made up Arnold's expedition,
are objects of triumph to the British Ministry, we
are far from envying them the glory of a success,
which all civilized nations will ascribe to the preda
tory excursions of parties-bleu. The army under
Lord Cornwallis in the State of Virginia, instead of
gaining laurels from victory or conquest, has taken
tne precaution of anting upon the defenfive, being
covered by the (hipping in James river. The army
of the United States, which has compelled them to
adopt this humiliating measure, is composed of a
part of the Pennsylvania line, a small detachment
from the army under the immediate command ofhis
Excellency General Washington, and the virtuous
yeomanry of that country. It is acknowledged that
General Washington is on the call fide of the Hud
son river, but he there commands an army of veterans
in the regular service ot the United States, in con
junction with the troops of our magnanimous ally;
and, at this moment, confines Sir Henry Clinton
and the troops under his command to the duties of
a garrison only. The objects of his operations are
such as will soon convince the British Miniltry them
selves of the futility of their claims to the United
States, or any of them, as they mult be silent upon
all the arguments deduced from the " ultima lex
regum ; '' and will expose the absurdity of his Lord
ship's visionary scheme of forming eftabliihments for
the tories at Penobfcot, whole situation ought to
claim the greatest attention from the court of Lon
don, as their treasons have long since merited the
halter from the United States.
The “ enlisting, " or rather compelling the Ameri
can prisoners into the service for the Weft-Indies,
need not have been urged from the principles of
necessity, as the experience of the whole war, of the
inhuman and barbarous treatment of our citizens
in British gaols and prison ships has convinced us
that deliberate murder is consonant to the idea of
British policy.
In ihort, the delusion of the British Ministry is an
inconteflible proof of the interposition of Heaven in
our favour. A continuation of vigorous exertions,
and a tew more virtuous and fuccefsful struggles,
will amply reward us for all our toils, and confirm
to us the unconquerable poffeflTon of those blessings,
of which only the virtuous and the brave are wor
thy!)
PROVIDENCE, July 14.
By the western pod we learn, that on Tuesday
fe'nnight a party from our army, commanded by
Colonels Scammel and Huntington, fell in with a body
of the enemy between Williams's and Mile-Square,
when a smart Ikumiih ensued, which terminated in
the repulse of the enemy. Cur party had about 73
men killed and wounded. The enemy's loss is said
to have been more conliderable.
A vessel from New-York, said to be bound as a
flag to Nantucket, is taken and sent into New-Lon
don. The people on board fay, that a General Offi
cer was killed in the late ikirmilh,and that three wag
gons, with wounded officers, were sent to New- York:
They also inform that the garrison of Pensacola (late
ly captured by the Spaniards) had arrived at New-
York.
We learn that Admiral Arbuthnot lately failed for
England in a frigate, and that the command of the
British fleet in America has devolved on Admiral
Graves.
CHARLES-TOW N, July 3.
Last Thursday his Majesty's packet boat Prince
Wiliiam Henry, with the mail from Falmouth, ar
rived here after a passage of seven weeks and three
days.
The St. Euftatia fleet, consisting of 30 fail, all of
them very valuably freighted, under convoy of the
Vengeance of 74, Mars a Dutch flag ship 0664 guns,
and the Mars (Dutch) Alcmena, and Venus frigates
were all fafely arrived before the Packet left Eng
land.
It is said that a powerful squadron, under the com
mand of Admiral Digby, on board of whose ship his
Royal Highnels Prince William Henry n@w serves as
Lieutenant, will soon make its appearance in the
Weft-Indies, or on the coast of North-America.
At the time the packet failed, it was currently re
ported that the trial of Henry Laurens, Esq; now
prisoner in the Tower for High Treason, would cer
tainly come on some time in May last.
July 10. Last week a small party of mounted re
bels surrounded in the night the house of Colonel
Wilhamfon, formerly of the militia of this province,
and carried him off prisoner: Next day, upon intel
PHI LADELPHI A, July , 5 .
Last Friday another flag arrived here from Chai lef
town, in winch came passengers Brigadier General
Moultrie, and many other ofthe virtuous but unfor
tunate citizens of South-Carolina.
We learn that the Honourable Corgrefs have ap
pointed five gentlemen to receive loans Throughout the
United States for benefit of the virtuous citizens ot
South-Carolina, who have nobly pre fe: red t.mpoia-v
poverty and exile with liberty, to te/nporar, adv
ance and security with British slavery. The lune
lent are to be guarantied by Congress, and refunded
by the state o± South-Carolina. It is to he hoped
that good whigs and other good chriftians every
where will seize this opportunity of Shewing our ene
mies that the inhabitants of the United States are in
tact as well as in name,—a band of brothers
We learn that Lord Cornwallis has at last effected
a retreat to aplace where it will be impossible for the
la Fay c et ^ to come "P with hi ^, without
the assistance of ships. The rapidity of the British
General s movements, and the trackless void he leaves
behind him every where, has given occasion to some
wags in Virgmia to call him the Ship General.
By authentic advices from Virginia, as late as the
we learn, that after Lord Cornwallis
bad crossed James River, he detached a body of ca
and mounted infantry into Amelia county.
What his Lordship's object was, in this movement'
does not appear; but they effected nothing, as th^
returne d with the greatest precipitation ;
a body of American forces having been sent to watch
^'I 10 ?^ We alf ° learn ' that the enemy have
all colluded in and near Portsmouth, where several
empty transports were laying; and that the Marquis
de la Fayette was in such a position as effectually to
refrefh his brave army, and protect the country from
the ravages of a cruel and inveterate foe.
Advices from Virginia fay, that the enemy, after
burning the town and destroying the works at Ninety
fix, had retired to Charleftown; and that General
Greene being reinforced by Marian, and some troops
from North-Carolina was in pursuit of them.
The last acounts from South-Carolina inform m,
that after Lord Rawdon had returned to Ninety-Six,
he reinforced that garrison with one hundred' men',
and then retired towards Charleftown, at which ^ace
he was arrived at the date of our accounts; and his
troops were at Orangeburg, about 80 miles from
ligence being given to Major Frazer, of the South-
Carolina Royanfts, ne with 90 men of his corns
I^ me , a % Parfait of them, and after two
r MarCh ’ " hlch he .conducted with all imagin
able secrecy, came up with their main body, cor
fifting of about 100 men, at the Horse-Shoe, whom
he immediately charged, killed 14 on the spot, wofo
ed several, and took their commander, Colonel
Isaac Hainesprifoner. The second in command,
Lieut. Col. M Lachan, and two other officers, were
r m ° n f the killed. At the fame time they released
Col. Wilhamfon, who was prisoner at a house near
at hand, and brought off a number of horses, with
their accoutrements. This service was performed
without loss on our fide.
Haines was brought to town last Sunday afternoon
and is now fafely lodged in the Provost Guard. ’
BALTIMORE, July 1,.
Extract of a letter from a Gentleman in the Mar
quis de la Fayette's Army, dated July 4, mi.
" Lord Cornwallis is now in Williamfourg. His
lingle Tour to Virginia has CoR his King mofc'Mo
pey, by the Loss of Forts, Men, Cannon, Stores,
Magazines, and supposed Carolina /Ferritorv, than
it would have cost the whole Nobilirv of England to
have made the Tour of the World.' His LorJihip
had a most fatiguing March to the Point of Fork
and back again. The Marquis was to him what Fa
bius was to Hannibal. Before Wayne made his Junc
tion, he never loft Sight of his Lordship, and when
the Junction was formed, by the single Manoeuvre
of opening a March through the Wood, which in
terlcGed his Lordship, preferred the Stoics ai old
Albemarle Court-House, which the Enemy had prim
cipally in View.
_ "^ s . ye l' '^ War between the Marquis and his
Lordship, las been a War of Posts and Marches. The
King of Prussia and the Emperor carried on a Vh
much in the fame Manner. It is a Question 1 nwev'J,
whether this will have a like Conclusion, as theYs w^s
elofed without a Battle. The Vanguard of this Ar
my is within Twelve Miles of Willian^u^. His
Lordship does not seem quite fatisfied with it^Ntirh
bourhood. There is in it, also, men who have ^v
en him Reason to fear them—General Campbell, who
took a little Army from him at King's Mountain,
and General Morgan, who took another at the Cow
pens."
Extract of a letter from Salem, (Maffachufots-Bay )
June 25, 1781. '
“ The carriage guns on board our privateers, now
out, amount to 50c, and the men to upwards of 2,7.
One arrived this morning, who took seven prizes off
Cape Clear; (he was on the ground but two days
being ihort of water, and obliged to return. They
took a vessel from Gibraltar, full of inhabitants, who
have all quitted it; some have gone to Peit-Mahcu,
the Spaniards having carried on their woiks so
near, that the town is nearly demohflied."