The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1780-02-22 00:00:00, page 1

From the LONDON GAZETTE, Oa, 6,
Whitehall, October 5, 1779.
Copy of a letter from General Sir Henry Clin
ton, to Lord George Germaine, dated Head
Quarters, Dobb's Ferry, July 25, >779°
J Have the honour to inclofe, for your
Lordflfp's information, a copy of my
Inftrußions to Major General Tryon (who
was detached on a, desultory expedition
into the Eaft.Sound, with.a view to draw
Mr. Washington from the ftrojng post
which he occupied in the mountains into
Connecticut) together with a,copy of his
Report, &c. to which I refer. J have
also the honour to transmit the copy of a
Report made to me by Lieutenant. Colo
nel Tarleton, of the Legion, whom I de
tached in hopes of furprizing a regiment
of the enemy's cavalry at Pound Bridge,
to 'which I beg leave to refer your Lord
ship for the success of this latter excursi
on. -;
Extras of a letter from Major General Tryon
to General Sir Henry Clinton, dated New
York, Jul, 20,1779.. T, ,„,
HAVING on the, 3d inst joined the
troops assembled on board the trans
ports at White Stone, Sir George Collier
got the fleet.under way the fame evening;
but the winds being light, we did not reach
the harbour of Newhaven until the sth
in the morning.
The firft divifi m, confiding of the flank
companies of the guards, the fuzdeers,
54th regiment, and a detachment of the
Jagers, with 4 field-pieces, under Briga
dier General Garth, landed about fve o'
clock (A. M.) I mile south of Weft Ha
ven, and began their march, making a
circuit of upwards cf seven miles, to head
a creak on the western fide of the town.
The second division could not move
till the return of the boats, but before
noon I difimbarked with the 23d, the
Hessian, Landgrave, and King's Ameri
can regiments, and two pieces of cannon,
on the eastern fide of the harbour, and in
stantly began the march of three miles, to
the ferry from New Haven East, toward
Branford. e
We took a field piece which annoyed
us at our landing, and possessed ourselves
of the rock battery of three guns, com
manding the channel of the harbour, a
bandoned by the rebels on our approach.
The armed vessels then entered, and drew
near the town.
General Garth got into the town, but
not without opposition, loft, and fatigue,
and reported to me, at half past one, that
he should begin the conflagration, which
he thought it merited, as soon as he had
secured the bridge between us over Neck
Creek.
The collection of the enemy in force,
on advantageous ground, and with hea-
TUESDAY, February 22, 1780. THE NUMBER 787.
CONNECTICUT CQU RANT,
AND THE
WEEKLY I NTELLIGENCE R.
HERTFORD: Printed by HUDSON and G OODWIN,
vier cannon than his own, diverted the
General from that passage ; and the boats
that were to take off the troops being not
up, I went over to him, 'and the result
of our conference was a resolution, that,
with the firft division, he Should cover the
north part of the town that night, while,
with the second, I should keepthe heights
above the rock fort. In the morning the
firft division- embarked at the south east
part of the town, and crossing the ferry,
joined us on the East Haven fide, except-,
ing the 54th, which were sent on board
their transports. r ^
In the progress of the preceding day
from Weft H«ven, they were under a con
tinual fire ; but by the judicious, conduct
of the General and the alternefs of the
troops, the rebels were every where re
pulsed.-.-The next morning, as there was
not a shot fired to molest the retreat, Gen.i
Garth changed his design, and destroyed
only the publie stores, some vessels. and'
ordnance, excepting fix field pieces, and
an armed privateer, which were brought
off. 1
The troop's re embarked at Rock-Fort
in the afternoon, with httle molestation ;
and the fleet leaving the harbour that e
vening, anchored the morning of the Bth
off the village of hairfield. . r.
The boats being not fuffieient for the
whole of the firft division, I landed only
the flank companies of the guards, one
company of the Langrave's, and the King's
American regiment, with two field pieces,
east of the village, and south east of the
Black-Rock battery, which commands
the harbour. ; : ; r 4:
We pursued our. march (under a can
nonade without effect) towards the vil
lage, but in our approach received a smart
fire of mufquetry. The rebels fled before
the rapid advance of the guards, and left
u 3 in possession of it, and of the heights
in the weft, until General Garth, who
landed two miles in the south, joined us
with the remainder of the troops in the
evening. j
Having laid under arms that night, and
in the morning burnt the greatest part of
the village, to resent the fire of the rebels
from their houses, and to mafic a retreat,
we took boat where the second division
had landed, the enemy throwing only a
weak scattered fire on our flanks ; the re
giment de Landgrave, by a very proper.;
disposition, having effedually covered
our rear. If
Wanting some fapplies, we eroffed the
Sound to Huntingdon, and there conti
nued till the iith, and repaffing that day,
anchored five miles from the Bay of Nor
walk.
The fun being nearly set before the
54th, the Landgrave's regiment, and the
Jagers were in the boats, it was near nine
in the evening when I landed with them
at the Cdw Pasture, a peninsula on the
east of the harbour, within a mile and an
half of the bridge, which formed the com
munication between the east and weft parts
of the village, nearly equally divided by
a salt creek.
u The King's American regiment being
unable to join us before three next morn
ing, we lay that night on our arms. In
our march at the firft dawn of the day,
the 54th led the column, and soon fell in
with the rebel out post, and driving the
enemy with great alacrity and spirit, dif
poffed them of Drummond Hill, and the
heights at that end of the village east from
and commanding the bridge. ^-^
n It being now but four o'clock in the
morning, and the rebels having taken post
within random cannon shot upon the hills
upon the north, I resolved to halt- until
the second division, landing at the Old
Wells, on the weft fide cf the harbour,
had advanced and formed the junction.
General Garth's division passed the
bridge by nine, and at my desire proceed
ed to the north end of the village, from
whence, especially from the houfe r , there
had been a fire for five hours upon our
advance guards., '^- # ? ' ^ 1 '
The fuzileers, supported by the light
infantry of the guards, began the attack,
and soon cleared the quarters, pushed the
main body and an hundred cavalry from
the northern height,and taking one piece
of their cannon. : w ^
After many salt pans were destroyed,
whaleboats, carried on board the fleet,
and the magazines, stores, and vessels set
in flames, with the< greatest part of the
dwelling houses, the advanced corps were
drawn backhand the troops retired in two
columns to the place of our firft debarka
tion, and unaffaulted, took fhp, arid re
turned to Huntingdon Bay.f
We were waiting only for frefh supplies
of artillery, and force adequate to the prc
bableincreafe of the rebels, by the decrease
of the objects of their care, and the alarm
of the interior country, when I was hon
oured, on the 13th, with your command,
of the # i2th, for the return of the troops
with the fleet to White-Stone.•
Tht rebels in arms at New-Haven were
considerable, more numerous at Fairfield,
and ftili more so at Norwalk.
4 Two hundred and fifty Continental
tro ps had now joined their militia, un
der General Parsons, and t gether were
fa°d to be upwards 2000. The accounts
of their IoE are vague, it could not be
trifling.
The general efte& of the printed Ad,
dress from Sir George Collier and myfelf,
to the inhabitants, recommended by your
...NEAR. THE , GrJAT-BrIDGE.