The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1778-07-21 00:00:00, page 1

TUESDAY, July 21, 177^ THE h [Nvmb.7%^
CONNECTICUT COURANT,
AND TH®
WEEKLY I NTELLIGENCE R.'
From thePENNSYLVANIAPACKET.
~Mr. DUNLAP,
PE pleased to print the following Let
ters from his Excellency General Waih
irgton, together with the return of killed,
Mounded, &c. for the information of the,
good people of these United States.
I am, Sir, Your most humble servant,
p^h, HENRY LAURENS,
%/> 4, 1778. President of Congress.
L%tyb^wn, fa miles from Monmouth,
June 28, 1778, Wf after 1 1, A. M.
SI R,
J WAS duly honoured with your favor
of the 20th instant, with the report to
which it referred, and trust my situation
will apologize for my not answering it
before.,
I am now here with the main body of
the army, and preying hard to come up
With th- enemy. They encamped yester
day at Iwa mouth Court house, having
almofi the whole of their front, partial
hriy their left wing, Retired by a mAh
and thick wood, a id their rear by a very
difficult defile, from whence they moved
very early this morning. Our advance,
from the rainy weather, and the interne
heat when it 'was Air, (tho ? these may
have been equally di advantageous to them)
has been greatly delayed. Several of our
men have fallen iick from theie caches,
and a few unfortunately have feinted and
died in a littletime after. He have afe
led and strong detachment more forward
under the general command of Major Ge
neral Lee, with orders to attack their rear
if potable. veilether the detachment will
be able to come ip with it is a matter of
question, especially before tney get i^to
ftronggrounds. Befidesthis Morgan witli_
his corps and some bodies of militia are
on their flanks. I cannot determine yet
at what place they intend to embalm ;
some thinkthey will pufnfor Sandy Hook,
while others suppose they mean to go to
Shoal Harbour. ' The latter opinion seems
to be founded in the greater probability,
as, from intelligence, several yodels and
.craft are lying off that place. We have
made a few prifoneri, and they have loft
a good many men by defection. I cannot
afeertain their numbers, as they came into
our advanced parties and pushed imme
diately into the country ; I think five or
fix hundred is the Icaft number that have
come in in the whole ; they are chiefly
foreigners.'
I have the honor to be, with great refped,
Sir, your most obedient servant,
G. WASHINGTON-
Übe Hon. Henny Laurens, Efc,ire,
Pnfaknt of Congress.
Folds near MonmoHtb Court bo^fe,
SIR, 29:^%% I^7B.
I HAVE the honor to inform you that
about fe.ven o'clock yetterday mornings
both armies advanced one^hother. About
HARTFORD: Printed by WATSON and GOODWIN, near the Great Bridge.
twelve they met on the grounds near
Monmouth Court house, when an a&ion
commenced, We forced the enemy from
the field and encamped on the ground.
They took a Strong post in our front, fe
cured on both flanks by morasses and thick
wooks, were they remained till about 12
at night, and then retreated. I cannot
at this time go into a detail of matters ;
when opportunity will permit I Shall take
the liberty of trahfmiting to Congress a
more particular account of the proceed
ings of tne day.
I have the honortobe, with great refpe&
Sir, your most obedient servant,
G. WASHINGTON.
The Hon. Henry Laurens, Efqwre,
Preft ent of Corgrefs
SI R, Enchfoto^m. July 1, i„8 :
I EMBRACE this firft moment of lei
sure to give Congress a mere full and
particular account of the movements of
'the army under my command, finee its
paging the Delav arc, than the Situation
of our affairs wouN heretofore permit.
I had the honor to advise them, that on
the appearances of the enemy's intention
to march through Lrfev becomingferious,
IMdde^hcd Gt^lMaxwell's brigade,
in conjunction with the militia of that
State,"to interrupt and impede their pro
grefs, by every obftru&ion in their pow
er, so as to give time to the army under
my command to come up with them, and
take advantage of any favourable circum-
Rances that might prelent themfeWes. The
army having proceeded to Coryell's Ferry,
and eroffed the Delaware at that place, I
immediately detached Colonel Morgan,
with a fele& corps of fix hundred men to
reinforce General Maxwell, and marched
with the main body towards Princetown.
The flow advance of the enemy had
greatly the air of design, and led me,
with others, to fafped tnat General Clin
ton, desirous of a general a&ion, was en
deavouring to draw us down into the
lower country, in order by a rapid move
ment to gain our right, and take poffefiion
of the strong grounds above us- This
confederation, and to give the troops time
to repose and refresh themselves from the
fatigues they had experienced from rainy
and excessive hot weather, determined me
to halt at Hopewell township, about five
miles, from Princeton, where we remain
ed till the morning of the 25th. On the
preceding day I made a fecohd detachment
of 1500 chosen troops, under Brigadier
General Scott, to reinforce those already
in the vkinity of the enemy, the more
^dually to annoy and delay their march.
The next day the army moved to King
fton,and having received intelligence that
the enemy were prosecuting their ' route
towards Monmouth Court House, I dist
patched a thousand felcd men under Brig-
General Wayne, and sent the Mar-
quis de la Fayette to take the command,
of the whole advanced corps, including
Maxwell's brigade and Morgan's light
infantry, with orders to take the firft fair
opportunity of attaekig the enemy's rear.
In the evening of the. fame day, the whole
army marched from Kingston, where cut
baggage wa ^ left, with intention to pre
serve a proper distance for flipporting the
advanced corps, and arrived at Cranberry
early the next morning. The intense
heat of the weather, and a heavy fo:m
unluckily coming on, made it impossible
to resume our march that day without
great inconvenience and inj, ry to the
troops. Our advanced corps being differ
ently circumstanced, moved from the po
sition it had held 'the night before, and
took post the evening on the Mexi outh
road, about five miles from the enemy's
rear, in expectation of attacking them
next morning, on their march. The
main body having remained at Cranber
ry, the advanced corps .was found to be
too remote,- and too far ,upon the right,
to be fJpperted either in case of an attack
upon or from the enemy, which induced
me to fend orders to the Marquis to filei
off by hi# left towards Enghfh Town,
which he accordingly executed early H
the morning of the 27th.
The enemy in marching from Allen
town had changed their difpofitian, and
their best troops in the rear, confiding of
grenadiers, light infantry, and chafleurs
of the line. This alteration made it ne
ceffury to increase the number of our ad
vanced corps § in confeqiience of which
I detached Major General Lee with two
brigades to join the Marquis at English-
Town, on whom of course the command
of the whole devolved, amounting to a
bout five thousand men. The main body
marched the fame day and encamped with
in three miles of that place. Morgan's
Corps was left hovering on the enemy's
right flank,and the Jersey militia,amount
ing at this time to about seven or eight
hundred mtn, under General Dickinion,
on their left.
The enemy were now encamped in ^
strong position, with their right extend
ing about a mile and an half beyond the
court house, in the parting of the roads
leading to Shrewsbury and Middletown,
and their left along the road from Allen-
Town to Monmouth, about three mile $
cm this fide the court house. Their right
flank lay on the fkht of a final! Wood,
while their left was Secured by a very
thick one,a morass running towardstheim
rear, and the whole front covered by a
wood, and for a eonfiderahle extent fr
wards the left with a morass, inthis fitu
atiorithey halted till the morning of th^
28th.
Matters being thus Situated, and hav
ir^ had the ^ft information^ that if £^