The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-03-26 00:00:00, page 2

A copy of a letter from his Excellency General Washington,
to Brigadier General Lord Sterling at New-York.
" My Lord, Cambridge, March 19, 1776.
" I am now to acknowledge the receipt of your favor of
the nth inst. to give you my congratulations upon your ap
pointment by the Honorable Congrefs —If the intelligence is
true, and to be depended on, which was brought by the gen
tleman to New-York, I think, with you, that we shall have
an opportunity of securing, and putting the Continent in a
tolerable posture of defence ; and that the operations of the
summer's campaign will not be so terrible as we were taught
to exped from the accounts and denunciations which the Mi
nistry have held forth to the public.
“ I have the pleasure to inform you, that in the morning
of the 17th inst. General Howe, with his army, abandoned
the town of Boston without destroying it, an event of much
importance, which must be heard with great fatisfadion ;
and that we are now in full possession. Their embarkation
and retreat were hurried and precipitate, and they have left
behind them stores, of one thing and another, to a pretty
considerable amount; among which are several pieces of
heavy cannon, and one or two mortars, which are spiked.
The town is in a much better situation, and less injured than
I expected, from the reports I have received; though to be
sure, it is much damaged, and many houses defpoilcd of
their valuable furniture.
last the 17th inst. about 9 o'clock in the forenoon, the Mini
sterial army evacuated the town of Bolton, and that the forces
of the United Colonies are in actual possession thereof. I beg
leave to congratulate you, Sir, and the Honorable Congress
on this happy event; and particularly as it was effected with
out endangering the lives and property of the remaining un
happy inhabitants.
“ I have great reason to imagine their flight was precipi
tated by the appearance of a work which 1 had ordered to be
thrown up last Saturday night on an eminence at Dorchester,
which lay nearest to Boston Neck, called Newk's-hill. The
town, tho' it has fuffered greatly, is not in so bad a date as
l expe&ed to find it.
“ As soon as the Ministerial troops had quitted the town, I
®rdered a thousand men (who had had the small pox) under
the command of Gen. Putnam, to take possession of the
heights, which I shall endeavour to fortify in such a manner
as to prevent their return, should they attempt it. But as
they are kill in the harbour, I thought it not prudent to
march off with the main body of the army until I should be
fully fatisfied they had quitted the coast. I have therefore
only detached five regiments, besides the rifle battalion, to
New-York, and shall keep the remainder here till all suspi
cion of their return ceases.
" The situation in which I found their works evidently
difeovered that their retreat was made with the greatest preci
pitation. They have left their barracks and other works of
wood at Bunker's-hill, &c. all handing, and have destroyed
but a small part of their lines. They have also left a number
of fine peices of cannon which they spiked up, a so a very
large iron mortar, and (as lam informed) they have thrown
another over the end of your wharf.
“ I have employed proper persons to drill the cannon, and
doubt not I shall save the most of them. lam not able to
procure a exad lift of all the dores they have left; as soon as
it can be done, I shall take care to transmit it to you : —From
an estimate of what the Quarter-Master-General has already
difeovered, the amount will be twenty-five or thirty thousand
pounds."
152
" The fleet is Hill in King and Nantafket roads, and where
they intend to make a descent next, is altogether unknown ;
but, supposing New-York to be an object of great impor
tance, and to be in their view, 1 must recommend your most
strenuous and active exertions in preparing to prevent any
designs or attempts they may have formed or make against it.
I have detached the riflemen, and five battalions from hence
to your assistance, which will be followed by others, as cir
cumstances will allow,—Thefe, with what forces you have
and can assemble, if there should be any occasion, I trust, to be
lufficient to hinder the enemy from possessing the city, or mak
ing a lodgment, till the main body of this army can arrive,
I am, my Lord, with great esteem,
Your most obedient and humble fercant,
G. WASHINGTON."
The courier, who was himfelf in Boston, reports, we
hear, that the enemy left there about forty horses almost starv
ed, and that, before they went off, they difmafted all the
vessels in the harbour. General Putnam was arrived at New-
Haven, on his way to New-York.
Extract of a letter from a gentleman in North-Carolina to
his friend in this city, dated March 10, 1776.
" Dear Sir,
" I have it in my power to give you a few lines by the ex
press.—Yesterday afternoon we received a letter from Col.
Cafwell, giving an account, in a full manner, of a battle be
tween his troops, Col. Lillington's, off Cape-Fear, and the
Highlanders and Regulators, about twenty miles above Wil
mington, at Moore's creek bridge, which is between the
North Well and North East rivers. The insurgents had made
many attempts to escape the vigilance of our troops, and get
down to Governor Martin. Col. Cafwell was after them many
days; at length they made an attempt to cross at this
pals, about the break of day, on fuefday the 27th of lalt
month.
Col. Cafwell had very wifely ordered the planks to be
taken off the bridge, so that in passing it they met with many
difficulties; a very heavy firing came on. Our troops reserved
their fire till within a small distance, which did great execution.
Many passed the bridge. General M'Cleod and Captain.
Campbell were instantly fliot dead. M'Cleod had nine bul
lets and twenty-four swan {hot through him and into his body.
Twenty-eight more are killed and mortally wounded ; and
between twenty and thirty prisoners; amjtgft them his Ex
cellency General Donald M'Donald, who is on his way to us,
and is expected here tomorrow. We had only two men
wounded, one of them mortally. The insurgents retreated
with the greatest precipitation, leaving behind them some
waggons, &c. They cut the horses out of the waggons,
and mounted three upon a horse. Many of them fell into
the creek and were drowned. Tom Rutherford ran likealuffy
fellow, he and Felix Kenan of Duplin county were in arras
against us; they by this time are our prisoners, as is Lieut.
Colonel Cotton, who ran the firft fire. The battle lasted
only three minutes. The Colonels Cafwel and Lillington
had under their command one thousand men. The High
landers and Regulars sixteen hundred. The account is cer
tain as to the number of the insurgents, for Col. Cafwell had
it from Gen. M'Donald himfelf. Col. Moore sent off ex
presses to the main army, confining of between five and fix
hundred men, under the Colonels Martin, Polk, Thackfton,
and Long, in and about Cross creek, to secure the whole of
the Highlanders and Regulators ; not a man of th^n has a
probability of making his escape.
^ Governor Martin has threatened the deftrudion of Wil
mington, if they do not fopply him with provisions. The