The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1781-01-24 00:00:00, page 1

[Vol.lV.] THE [Numb.^t.]
^NEW-JERSEY GAZETTE.
RICHMOND, December 30.
Extract of a letter from Colonel' Campbell to the
Governor, dated Washington county, Novem
ber 27, 1780.
' W lIE extracts taken out of originals in my
I possession,! fend to elucidate Col. Clarke's
M letter, and may shew the world what fort
of beings we are contending with.
Sir, Wax-Saws, Sept. 23, 1780.
I HAVE just received your's of the 19th,
and last night had the Satisfaction to hear from lieu
tenant Colonel Cruger, that he had arrived in time
to save Brown, had retaken the guns, and totally
routed the enemy, who had retired with great pre
cipitation; that the Indians had pursued and scal
ped many of them. I have no objections to your
making any allowance to the militia you may think
they deserve, but had rather it was called gratuity
than pay, even if it amounts to the fame sum.
Tarliton is better, and was moved to-day in a lit
ter, his illnefs* I Shall
f I heard a report that a Major Davie, who com
mands a corps of about 80 horse, militia, had mar
ched against you. You will know whether this is
true before this can possibly reach you.
I am, &c. CORNWALLIS.
Major Ferguson.
P. S. As soon as I have consumed the provisions
in this settlement, I (hall march with as much ex
pedition as possible to Cross creek. lam told the
climate will be healthy there by the middle of next
month.
* The remainder of this fenter.ee in cyphers.
± This also.
f This report is not true, Davie being gone to
wards Salisbury.
Extract of a letter from Major Ferguson, to Lord
Cornwallis.
My Lord,
"A DOUBT does not remain with regard to
the intilligence I have sent your lordship; they are
Since joined by Clarke and Sumpter, of couife are
become an object of some consequence. Happily
their leaders are obliged to feed their followers with
such hopes, and so to flatter them with accounts of
our weakness and fear, that if necessary, I Should
hope for success against them myfelf; but numbers
compared, that mutt be but doubtful. lam on my
march towards you, by a road leading from Chero
kee ford, north 'of King's mountain. Three or four
hundred good soldiers, part dragoons, would finish
the business. Something mull be done soon. This
is their last push in this quarter, &c.
PATRICK FERGUSON."
Extras of a letter from Lieutenant William Steven
son, to Lieutenant-Colonel Barton at Staten-
Island, dated Gilbert-town, North-Carolina, Sep
tember 25, 178 c.
Dear Colonel,
" THE rebels rose in Georgia, and the 12th in
ffiant attacked Col. Brown in Augusta; he being
wery weak, was obliged to leave the town, and take
Shelter in a fort where lie had his stores for the In
dians, but on the approach of Colonel Cruger from
Ninety-fix, and a body of Indians accidentally com
ing down, the rebels fled, and Colonel Brown fal-
Aying out, they killed and took several hundred of
ehem. Major Ferguson has just received a letter
from Colonel Cruger, who informs him, that he has
fell in with the rebels and taken mod of their plun
der, killed a great number of them, hanged federal
of the inhabitants, and has a great many more to
^ang ; he likewise retook several brass field-pieces."
Extract of a letter from Lieutenant William Ste
venfon to Mrs. Susannah Kennedy, in New-
York, dated Gilbert-town, North-Carolina, Sep
tember 25, 1780.
Dear Aunt,
"THE people in Georgia finding the army
inarched towards North-Carolina, took up arms and
attacked Col. Brown in Augusta, who being weak,
was obliged to give way, and retreat into a fort,
WEDNESDAY, January 24, 1781.
where he had his stores for the Indians; about the
fame time a party of Indians coming down, found
means alio to get into the fort, which enabled Col.
Brown to faliy out: He then drove them out of the
town, and in their retreat took between two and
three hundred of them ; by this time, being joined
by Colonels Cruger and Allen of our brigade, they
pursued them and took a great many more, several
of whom they immediately hanged, and has a great
many more yet to hang. We have now got a me
thod that will put an end to the rebellion in a short
time, by hanging every man that has taken protec
tion, and is found aCting against us."
Camp, (Fair Forest in S. C.) Nov. 5.
Dear Sir,
I embrace this opportunity of writing to you,
which will inform you that we are on our way back
to our own country, but finding the Strength defin
ed for Georgia not to be so large as was reported to
me before I eroded from your fide the mountains,
we beg leave once more to ask your assistance in op
posing the enemy in these Southern parts of the
states, and I make no doubt but you, and all the
true friends of America in your county, will feel le
fentment for the singular cruelties that have been
exercised in Georgia Since we left that place. Se
veral men of credit lately from that date, who have
escaped the general maflacre, relate the matter in
words to the following purport: That after the un
expected blow I gave the enemy under Brown in
Augusta, about the middle of September last, and
my necessary retreat from that country to your fide
the mountains, a Colonel Cruger from Ninety-fix,
with Brown and a body of tories and Indians fol
lowed us into the upper settlements of Georgia, and
finding us out of their reach, fell upon our sick and
wounded, together with old men, women and chil
dren of the families of those that adhered to, or re
treated with me; allo leveral tory families, I sup
pose through mistake of the Indians, were all mur
deied in the molt cruel manner, women and chil
dren Dripped, Icalped, and buffered to welter in their
gore unallifted, until they expired with hunger and
pain; lads obliged to dance naked between two large
fires until they were fcoiched to death ; men Grip
ped, dismembered, and scalped, aftei wards hung up.
It is too painful for me to dwell on this gloomy fub
jedl, my own family being 101 l in the general cala
mity. What assistance you can possibly fend the
sooner the better, and you may assure those that vo
luntarily turn out to join us, if we prove fuccefsful,
will have no reason to complain of not being amply
rewarded for their time and trouble, as the enemy's
property and stores in that country are very consi
derable, and it will be but juflice to serve them as
they have done us.
It is improper for me to fix a place where to meet
your men, but on their arrival in the south, a friend
of mine will leek for them, and give necessary in
formation. I am, dear Sir, with refpeCt,
Your very humble Servant.
ELIJAH CLARKE.
To Colonel Campbell of )
Washington, Virginia.J
PHILADELPHIA, January 16.
In CONGRESS, January sth, 1781.
THE committee to whom were referred the letter
of Abraham Skinner, commissary general of prison
ers, and other papers relative to the treatment of
prisoners in the hands of the enemy, delivered in a
report; as follows,
" 1 HAT, notwithstanding every effort of Con
gress to obtain for our people, prisoners in the hands
of the enemy, that treatment which humanity atone
fiould have dictated, the British commander, un
mindful of the tenderness exercised towards their men,
prisoners in our hands, and regardless of the practice
of civilized nations,thave persisted in treating our peo
ple, prisoners to them, with every species of insult,
outrage and cruelty. Officers and men are indiscri
minately thrown into the holds 'of prison-ships and
into loathsome dungeons, and there deprived of fuel
and the common necessaries of life, by which means
many of the citizens of these states have been com
pelled to enter into their Service, to avoid those dis
tresses which a conduCt so contrary to the law of na
tions had brought upon them. ,Our teamen taken
upon the American coak have been sent to Great-
Britain, or other parts beyond seas, to prevent their
being exchanged, or to force them to take arms a
gainst their country: that, in the opinion of the com
mittee, an exercise of the law of retaliation has be
come necessary, as a justice due to those citizens of
America, whom the fortune of war has thrown into
the power of our enemy:" whereupon,
Revived, That copies of the letter of Mr. A. Skin
ner, and the other papers referred, be transmitted to
the commander in chief, and that he be directed to
enquire into the manner in which our people who
are prisoners, are treated by the enemy, and that he
give immediate orders to the commanding officers at
the different posts to take particular care that the
British prisoners receive the fame allowance and
treatment, in every refpe&, as our people, who are
prisoners, receive from the enemy..
Resolved, That it be recommended to the reflec
tive executives to take effectual measures for carrying
into execution the aft of Congress of January 13th,
1780, rcfpe&ing prisoners taken by the citizens,
troops or Ships of particular states:
That the board of admiralty issue orders not to ex
change any British sea officers or seamen, until the
enemy have returned to some of their garrisons in
America, such seamen as they have taken upon the
American coast, and sent to Great-Britain, or other
parts beyond sea; and that the board of admiralty
give orders for continuing the treatment of prisoners
as herein directed, until they receive orders to the
contrary from Congress or the commander in chief.
Published by order of Congress,
CHARLES THOMSON, secretary.
THE deposition of George Batterman, passenger
on board the brig Providence, from Turks-Island
bound to Rhode Island, of lawful age, teftifies and
declares, " That he was captuied the fifteenth day
of September last, by the Intrepid, a sixty-sour gun
Ship, belonging to the British King, commanded by
James Anthony Pic Mewloy, who with his own
hands took every flitch of cloaths the prisoners
brought on board and hove them over board, oil
purpose to ditrefs them, as they were of no Service
to him; and 011 the twenty-eighth of said month put
us on board of the prison-ship at New-York, where
we were served about eight ounces of condemned
bread per day, and about eight ounces of meat per
week; from thence transported on board the Jerley,
a sixty-sour gun Ship, where there were supposed to be
eleven hundred Americans on board, and we were
told that we were now in a King's Ship, and that
if we ran away we Should be brought to the gang
way and flogged, according to their articles of war:
where we were Supplied with the fame quantity of
bread and meat, though neither of them fit to eat;
and after we were on board a few days there came
on board recruiting officers, and finding that our
officers persuaded our people not to enlist, or enter
into their service, they came on board, and told all
the officers to give in their names to be exchanged;
the day following there came on board several boats
and took them ashore, where, were informed they
were sent to the proyoft, then telling the people
that they never would be exchanged, they enticed
them to enlist; after they found that this Scheme
would not take, they took another method, made
another draught of officers and sent them on board
of the Yarmouth, a sixty-sour gun Ship, and they
informed us that they were sent to England, also
that all officers of commissioned vessels Should be
sent to England. The tenth day of December
they made another draught, to fend in the fleet,
and they called their names over before we came
away. On the fifth day of December we were serv
ed one pint of water, when there was feventy-five
puncheons in the hold. They have taken this me
thod of Starving us for the want of water, to kill us,
or make us enter into their service. They never
allow a man that is lick to go to the hospital-Ship,
till they are so weak and low that they often expire
before they get out of the Ship. They never allow
the sick to be mustered, only when there is a wet
or damp air. The commanding officer on board
told us, that his orders^were, that if the Ship took
fire, we Should all be turned below, and perish in
the flames, which we experienced one day; by acci
dent the Ship took fire in the Steward's room ; the com
manding officer ordered the Hessian guards to turn
us below, and if we offered to resist, that they Should
fire among us, and if any of us Should get into the
water, they Should fire on us, and kill us if possible.
GEORGE BATTERMAN."