The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1779-09-21 00:00:00, page 2

, L O N DOM
H ° U SE OF COMMO N S.
Tuesday May n.
AFTER the private brflnefs wa fettled, the or
de# or the day was read for a Committee of
enquiry iaroihs c,nduft of the American war; Mr.
Montague took the chair; and Lord H^e m;v;d,
that Sag Andrew H.mmoad of the navy fhoald be
called to the bar. H.s L.rdfh p found mu.(elf obli
ged to call upon this officer, in order to eppofe his
evidence to me impita.ioa thrown out a ;an:l Sir W.
Howe by Lord George Germaine in a former debate,
for having faded to Cnefipea'^ Bay when he might
have landed hi# army on the baiks of the Delaware.
Str Andrew, in the course of his examination, af
fened, that a v^y great danger would have attended
a landing in tha. river, as well fr< m the rapidity of
the aQes, which fl ;w three miles and an haif an hour,
as frurti the force of the enemy, which confined of
hail a d<<^n frigates Optioned in different places,
twelve row gainer, and between 25 and ; o fires rafts.
Tec ^allies he had fought two dayi furceffively,
o.edy for five hours, the other fix. F.cm these
d,fficul it# and obtregions, and frem the motions of
Wufh ng Ou's armytowards Wilmington, he thought
theexpeduivn to the Head cf Elk very expedient
anu v„ p.ndent He however, admitted that the
C.m.&,df s in C tef mud have been acquainted
w^o al there c.fficult'es before they fat cd frera
Neu Y^ for the Delaware; he admitted that an
-J} mict Carta idy have larded in tie Delaware;
bn; wn;le he a:?m.led the ptffibj.iy clinch a mea
f^^ he denied tre tx,<d'±ncy cf it.
Sr Andre^ being rfcd,-Whe her Washington
m ^^' " oi have marched from Wilmington to epp fe
the landing at th^ Head cf E k, as well as he could
have nr^c. : 1 to the Delaware to opp Te it bo h
paces being equally d^ant from WdmiQon? Tie
wit ^u replied, th-t he wa : n^t (efficiently acquaint
ei w;h tie march of armies, to be able m aufwer
t^a; queftoa.
To fh^w the greet inconvenience of landing in the
face if £ e enemy at Newcaf"e, S r Andrew, in an
ft, :r to quetben put by Sir William H w?, inform-
Lu <.e Committee, tnat little ufo could h ve been
mud; cf he heof battle ships as it was generally
fi.i.i :.m .be sh pi boats were manned to land the
army: 1 .ete we.e feveny-five boa's with twelve
mo fed a? officer in each, in all 975 employed in
tfa: fuvic< ; and no more than 3,375 Gldigrs, could
be htied at o^e trip; he admit cd. however, that
near t: t Elk the miftia of the three lower counties on
DJ.wire, each corp; between four and five han
dled firing, were in force under the command of a
Blind er General.
A e^h: c'c'c.S: Andrew withdrew, and Col,
Montrefor, w.lO 2died as chief Engineer in America,
was cJ:ed Q
H„ in adriver to qn flion^p-p fed, oLfe,vid that
the lines on L>^ 111 aid wete io very firong, that
the morning they were evacure^ it was with g 7 eat
d:ffi ulty that he and a corporal's pLrcle cf fix men
cx, Jd ret into them :o view them. They wt.t fine
ly d^fij^d, so were all 'he works he fa # taled by the
tebzu but not judicio fly executed. The works
co.ld not be taken by affxult or florm ; they called
torse;ilar approaches. I would be a forlorn.hope
to commit naked men to ftorra redoubts without
fafcam, fearing ladders, &c. I they had attempted
and got possession of the intermediate part cf the hues,
they could not live an instant in them, so long a# the
redoubts on the flanks were held by the enemy.
They extended in front about two thoufai d yards,
from the swamp on the left to the water. Oz being
rfkd if the 23d regiment and the grenadiers cf tze
army might have penetrated ? he fad there wa^not
room- for a tingle nun to pafi between the end cf the
line and the swamp ; but if the swamp had not been
impassible, there would be no living for naked teoops,
under the fire of the redoubts. The lines were eva
cuated in the night of the 28th, and he difcovired it
at four o'clock the next morning, with the patrcle
already mentioned. H: saw the rear embarking and
feveial boats (four or five) palling ever to Yok-
Iftand. Tne bringing up fafeines, ladders &o.
would have been the work of feme hours; and if
they were at hand, he did not think that the lines
cored be taken by affrult without hazarding a defeat,
or at icaft purchasing a vdory very dearly, arid by
a great loft oflives rior in any manner, in his cpi
nion. bu. by regular approaches.
Relative tc W..lhi% to..'s position, in the moun
tain ab; ve Quibble-Town, he did not think it advife
able to force his carrp: He thought the rifque and
danger greatly outweighed t c probability of luccefs.
T-e General could take no new'pofition, to draw
Wash agton from his camp, without manifeft hazard;
the exp « i; of New-Y^k, or of being cut off from
hi# c mm nicatioas both with that city and the
New- River.
On bc?~d ' he Continental sleep Argo, August 27, 1779
SIR
I failed f L m Prav'dence in the State of Rhode-
Iflind, ty ord^r cf Major General Gates, on a cruize
afriinu the enemies of the United States the 2d inst.
and on the sth, I saw a fail and gave chace to her,
afier ccm n.ip &jth fir and bringing her too, I
found her to be a fchoooer mounting fopr carriage
gun^ nam'd the Count D'E^aing, a prize to the
brig Rug G or^e, immedii e ? y after manning her,
I made fad, and flood he course that I was informed
by the pnfoners, the King George bore
On the 7 b.^'two o'clock, P. M. I obfervtd a
fail handing so, us, and bore away tor her\ on ap
proaching each other, she difeovered us to be a vefhl
of force, and dec! red sticking us, and made oft
with all the fail she could p ck, before the wind, but
after four hours ciace I came up with her. She
then made ready toen^ageus a?^l foci got along
fide pfher, ffie sited three broadfide^, which I did
ret think pie per to return, being determired to board
her, and rifque an z&ion in that vy rattier than
engage at long ffiot, fir fear during die allien, she
fhuuld bring me by the wind : and in that case; I
wii cenvn.- d fhejvould make her (fop. I carri
ed her without 3 left of a man ; she mounts ten four
pounders, besides el gin, and fv^veh, and was com
mar.ded by Stanton Hazard, of New Port. I earn,
ed her in<o New London, and larded my prisoners,
thirty in number---The fcbocnes got into Bedford:
I immediately stood out 10 feaa^ain. On the 24th
!, to °h in , ro ^y wlth tbe ^P Revenge, fiom'
New London; the fbop Adventure, Thomas frek
fon, master, frern lobr^o, bound to New Yprk; she
As er three hours and an half elofe eximißation, a
m^pw w^ made for calling in CSl.ri3 riftur; but it
' '" '",.''" negative without a d.vilija, and the
House adjourned at eleven o'clock.
Thur sda y, May 13.
M D- Gey obfeived,o the houfc. t^at as a num
ber of rt-xneff.s had been furumoned to attend the
C.mm tee on the American papers, 10 give evidence
on on,.fi le of thequeftion, it was but fair that evi
dence fhobld be produced on the other fide, and for
t^is pUrpofe he moved for the attendance of Maior
Gneral Rcbmfcn Major-General J:cu, Col. D.xdn,
Major Stanton, Lieut. Cel. Maxwell, the late Attor
ney General of Pennsylvania, the late Speaker oftte
Aiembly of Penufylvania, and the CJkaer of the
Cattonis of that Province.-
f; 1 , motion produced a convention in which
Munition were charged with haying at length taken
up the characters of accusers by mkng cut two
fide^ in the business; but with having done it rather
la e, as it would have been more candid and geni
rous to have intimated their intention eather to call
evidence to cr.mtr.ate the Commander in Chief.
Lord G. Germaine dtfehiined the name of accuser;
and declared, that if the Commanders had not devi
ated 4.0 m mete m litiamv.fixation, in the course cf
the przfent er.q ury, he would not have called a fin
£ie evidence; and he heped, that when be fiood ac
cufed, and produced witnefles to txc^'p^e^m, the
House would deem him «&ng on the dtferfive, and
noi with a; y intention to criminate others, Tode
fcatJe evidence already given in at the bar wafwhat
he owed to hims-ls, and to the many loyal Ameri
cans w 0 now crowd our fireets, bariffird their conn
try, and robbed cf their property for their attach
nient ioour cenfinution; ai d he was no left held than
happy to fay that he war able to prove the reverse
cfevery thing that win advanced at the bar as mat
terefep nion ; and that though ATC^.^anas repre
fer^d a. Portal 7 unanimous airlift Great Britain,
yet it icaliv (warned wt ip^pb whu :ere her^ly
and zealously attached to the mother country. This
he find without ihel-s^i mteniioo to ca'l in queffion
the ve.aciry of t e nib< Lwd and honourable Gen
tleman who had appeu&d at the bar, it was their
op a onr only he inicnded io prove to be erroneous
a. d ill founded.
Aef me li.tie conv^rfition, the motion passed
inbcdffi mafve.
PHILADELPHIA S T 2.
REIURN j. P In^s taken a P.^l^-Hok, on
the morning 0; the 19b<fA ^uft, 1779
64 b reg m:nt, 1 Captain, G.r/rfj.llegimcot, 6
S^j^r*, 67,ank ^d fi - B.fk rkT ditto 1 Sur
geon. I Sur eoaT Mt ? , I Qiar e, Mafttr. 4 Sub
atens,2 S^j^aats 39 rank a;d file. Heflins 1
S<jeant, 10 ;ank arid file. Art ficers, 2. Inhabit
tarn, 10. A i!le y 1 Serjeant, 1 Corporal, 2 Gaa
nea 9 Mrirrff^ Tuitl 158.
The Surgeon on pare!;?.
By order f M?jor Lee,
ROBERT FORSYTH Captain,
• P. L. D a 00ns.
P^bt shed by crd<r cf ConfreG,
CHARLES THOMSON, Sec'ry.
had on board 94 bogfiitads cfrum, I manned her,
and ordered her 0 port. 25th, I took, in con-pi y
with she above mentioned flrcp, the brigantine Elli
ot, from London, for New Y rk; a hrge ve^el,
mbtinring fix fix poundetr, full flowed, het cab n net
excepted, with dry goods, flour, butter, chetfe and
I^mmo&x ; I manned her and-sent her into port, un
der the convoy cf the Revenue Tie fame day I
fell in with th brigantine Sara oga, forces Munroe,
Cp ain, an American cruizer, and at ii o'clock.
P. M. fe^l in with and was fijed upon by a cutter
from New Y^k. Upon da. it ^as agreed that 1
should run down to the leeward cf her, and bring on
the attack whikt the Saratoga lay a hull, in order to
make the Captain cf the cutter fuepofe tLat she was
not a valid ifforce until I had prevented a pcffibili
ty of ner cicapbg, by getting to leeward of her. I
begun the alien with her and continued it threo
flake#, before the Saratoga could came up to our af
fittaace. Ihe reason of this delay was, that in fhp
ping her tiller, by m:Eake, it was only entered into
the judder case, infeed of the rudder head, by which
means the bng under all Lil, went off before the
wind fiem us and it was along time before any per
son could dneever the re<fjn, that the bri± would
not tteer to answer her helm. Up?n the Saratoga's
comilig up and giving ter a broac fide, they cried for
quarter with great earnestness. She mounts ten dou
bte formed four pounders and had when the action
began (as they fay) fifty two men, but we reduced
them down to fortyeight, and several of them were
wounded, she was commanded by Phenix Fa,in. I
had one man killed and fix went did. 26th; I took
in company with the Saratoga, the brigantine Chance,
fumLondon bound to New York. She had on
bca d, 100156 k? bread 447 bufhds a^d 4 gallons
( ' P™ 337 et sh k ,and teur gallons cf ca meal,
25528 b. cf beef, 2?qoolb. of pork 213801 b. fluur,
712 71b. ratlins, 34s gallons and 7 pounds cf olive
<4, 901 gallons of vinegar, and 8026'b. butter,
lit Cutter and brig Chance, I have brought in with
me. Ips ied with the Adventure and Elliot within
cue day's ftri of New London; with a fair wind to
get n. I have brought in with me seventy piformers,
in the a&ipn with the Cutter, I received a shot
thrcug my mast ;my boom is much wounded, my
sq are fail yard 1$ almost cu 1 two, and my fails
a^d rigging much damaged. The damage I had re
ceived, ar d the lar^e number of prisoners I had on
board, made mejud^e it prudent to make the fnft
harbour in my power.
I ock two letters in the Adventure, directed to
General Clinton, frern which I have extracted the
following “ Certain it is, that the Jflinds of St.
Vincent and Grenada are in peffeffion of the French,
and I fear thro' the bad condeß cf Admiral Byron.
1 here has been an a&ion between Byron and C^unt
D'EHaing, but our fleet got cff with the loss only cf
the Lyon." It is like wife added, that Admiral Bar
rington was wounded fl ghtly, and that it was his
squadron only that engaged ; that Byres declined
engaging the Count, and that it was thought the
command would betaken from Admiral Byron by
hiscfficets. I ffiould have transmitted these letters
to your Excellency, were it in my power ; but I had
sent them, together with the invoices of the Chance
and Adventure, to Gen Gates, before I had any ex
piaaticns of putting into this harbour,
I am, your Excellency's most obedient;
and most humble servant
SILAS TALBOT.
John Jay, Esq;
Published by order of Congreft,
CHARLES THOMSON, Sec'ry.
Extract of a hotter frem the best authority, dated
Wililam Ibsrgh, August 21, 1779.
" Two days ago arrived here, a small vessel in
14 days from St. Euftatia, the Captain's report con
firms all that has been already published, relative to
the advantage gained by the arms cf Frar ce, over
those of Great Britain ; he adds, that the greateff
praise is riven to the manoeuvres and condu& of the
Count L'E?ain,, and that this Vice Admiral, hav
ing in vain provoked Admiral Byron to leave his
flation in the riland cf St. Christopher, and come
cut to fight him, had fleered his course for Antigua;
where he met with a British man of war, of 74 guns;
who had under her convey a very large ship, loaded
with miffs and rising, and took them both. Se
veral letters confirm the fame.
Lafl&vening was sent into this port, by the schoon
er Mars, Captain Taylor, the privateer Sleep ARive#
mounting twelve four pounders, late commanded by
Laughlin M Guire. During the a&ion, she loft two
men killed, and the gunner mortally wounded.
September 5.
Extract ofa letter from Col. Shreve, commanding
Fort Sullivan, to his friend near this city, August
3°, \779-
•• On Sunday last, an engagement ensued between
our army and the cclk&ive forces under Butler,