The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-07-11 00:00:00, page 1

PHILADELPHI A, July ii.
r~p —1 H E brig Nancy, Capt. Montgomery, of fix three
pounders, and eleven men, from St. Croix, and
St. Thomas, for this port, with three hundred and
eighty-fix barrels of gunpowder, fifty firelocks,
one hundred and one hog/heads of rum, and sixty-two hog
sheads ofiugar, &c. on boaid, in the morning of the 29th ult.
when handing for Cape May, difeovered fix fail of men of
war, tenders, &c. making towards him, as also a row boat.
1 he boat and tenders he soon alter engaged and beat off, flood
elefe along alhore, and got assistance from Captains Weeks
and Barry ; when it was agreed to run the brig alhore, which
was de ne, and under favor of a fog they saved two hundred and
sixty-eight barrels of powder, filly aims, and feme dry goods-;
when the fog clearing away, Capt. Montgomery discovered
the enemy's drips very near him, and five boats coming to
board the brig ; on which he started a quantity of powder in
the cabin, and fifty pounds in the main fail, n the folds of
which he put fire, and then quitted her. The men of war's
boats (some lay two, feme three) boarded the brig, and took
possession of her with three cheers; soon after which the fire
to k the desired effect and blew the pirates forty or fifty yards
into the air, and much Mattered one of their boats under her
stern. Eleven dead bodies have since come on shore, with two
gold laced hats and a leg with a garter. Frcm thegrea' num
ber of limbs floating and drove alhore, it is supposed thirty or
forty of them were destroyed by the explolion. A number of
people from on board our Ships of war, and a number of the
inhabitants of Cape May, mounted a gun on shore, with
which they kept up a fire at the barges, which the men of
war, &c. returned and killed Mr. Weeks third Lieutenant of
the Continental Ship Ref rifai, and wounded a boy in the
thigh.
Extract of a letter from the campat the mouth of the Sorrel,
dated June 12, 1776.
“ Before the arrival of Col. Wayne and Irvin's regiments,
under the command of General Sullivan, Col. St. Clair, with
attachment of seven hundred men, was lent down the river
St. Laurence about nine leagues, to watch the motion of the
enemy, and to a& occasionally.—General Sullivan's arrival
here was at a critical time— Canada was loft, unless lome
notable exerti n, the credit of our arms gone, and no number
of American hoops to fuhain our polls—it was laid that the
taking Trois Rivieres, with luch troops as were in it would b^
of iervice.—A detachment under General Thompson was lent
down the river, the corps under Col. St Clair was to join
them, and if the General thought it expedient, he was order
ed by General Sullivan to attack the enemy at Trois Rivieres.
We left this on the evening of the sixth instant in several
bateaus, and joined Col. St. Clair about twelve o'clock at
night, which being too late to proceed on to Trois Rivieres, the
enterprize was postponed till the next night. In the dusk of
the evening of the leventh, we set oft from the river Nicholete
with about fifteen hundred rank and file, besides officers ; it
was intended we should make an a tack at Trois Rivieres about
day-break ; the army was divided into five divisions, Col.
Maxwell, Col. St. Clair, Col. Wayne, and Col. Irvine, each
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THURSDAY, JULY n, 1776.
343
commanded a division, and Lieut. Col. Heartly commanded
the referve —the town was to have been attacked in four se
veral places, and he was to be ready to sustain the party which
might hand in need of assistance. We landed about nine
miles Above the town from our boats, left two hundied
and fifty men to guard them, and proceeded on with the ut
most expedition to the place. We had bad guides, and were
mifinformed as to the number of the enemy as well as the
Situation of the town. Our men had loft their deep for two
nights, yet were in pretty good spirits. Daylight appeared
and shewed us to the enemy. Our guides (perhaps traitors)
had lead us through several windings, and were rather carry
ing us off from tne post, the General was enraged at this
conduct
“ The enemy difeovered ourapproach, and fired from the
ships upon us, which our people returned, and killed seve
ral that were in a barge. Our scheme was no longer to be
accounted an enterprize, it might have been perhaps prudent
to have retreated, but no one would propose it we endeavor
ed to penetrate through a swamp to tne town, and avoid the
Dipping, but had no idea of the difficulties we were to sur
mount in the mire, otherwise the way by the flipping would
have been preferred. We waded three hours through the
mud about mid deep in general, the men failing, and in the
diltrefs above mentioned, we every moment expected to get
through and find some good ground -to form on, but were de
ceived. The Second division, under Col. Wayne, saw a part of
the enemy and attacked them ; Capt. Hay of our regiment,
with his company of riflemen, assisted, and behaved nobly.,
Col. Wayne advanced, the enemy's light-infantry were drove
from their ground, and the Indians on the flanks were silenced.
The great body of the enemy, which we knew nothing of,
confining of two or three thousand men, covered with en
trenchments, and assisted with the cannon of the Dipping and
several field pieces, began a furious fire and continued it up.
on our troops in the front ; it was so heavy that the division
gave way, and from the badness of the ground could not sud
denly form again. Col. St. Clair's division advanced, but
the fire was too heavy. Part of Col. Irvin's division (especially
the riflemen) went 'up towards the enemy. Lieut. Col.
Heartly understanding the army was in confufion, led up the
reserve within a Short distance of the enemy, Capt. M'Clean
and Grier's companies advanced with Spirit; M'Clea 's men
took the best situation, and within eighty yards of the enem.fr,
exposed to the fire of the Shipping. Not a man of M'Cleans
behaved ill ; Griers company behaved well ; several of the
enemy were killed in the attack of the reserve. Under all
these disadvantages our men would fight, but we had noground
for it. We had no covering, no artillery, and no pr Sped of
succeeding, as the number of the enemy was so much superior
to ours. Col. Wayne and Allen rallied part of our men,
and kept up a fire against the English from the swamp; the
enemy in the mean time detached a Strong body of men to cue
off our retreat to the boats, which was observed, and, as the
enterprize had failed, it was thought expedient by several of
the officers to retreat. Our General and Col. Irvin were not
to be found, they had both gone up in a very hot fire.—=
[Num. 230.