The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg, Va., 1776-09-13 00:00:00, page 2

opposition of this nature, sanctisicd by the
principles of the constiluiion, aided by the
powers of magistracy, countenanced by
precedems, and founded on the base of
blick virtue, such an opposition must
carry all before it.
The departure of lord Stormont to
France is postponed for some private rea
sons, which have not yet transpired.
NEWPORT, August 14.
GENTLEMAN from the haltward in—
." - forms, that the Hancock privateer
of Philadelphia has taken and carried 'mssto
Marblchead a large trunlport from England ,
with 250 Hesiizm troops on board . (she has
l1fo taken a jamaica ship, laden with 400
hogsheads ossugar, and too punchcons of
rum, and carried her into Newbury Port.
ss Augu/l 22. Bcty a gentleman from
,Dartmouth, we are assured that a priva
teer belonging to Fairhaven had taken a
very large jamaica ship with no hogshcads
sios sagar; zoo hogsheads of rum, and a
large quantity of cotton. This ship was so
valuable, that the capta'm of the privatecr,
who was the best pilot of any on board,
determined to carry the ship in himself,
and was parted with by the privateer last
Snnduy week. The privatecr is arrived
with more prisoners than men belonging
ib her.
_PROVIDENCE, August 17.
EDNESDAY last arrived here, fxom
a short cruisc of a month, the pri
_vasstecr flpop Diamond, capt. Chose, of
th?! port, and brought in a prize ship from
'Dominica bou'nd to Bristol. The sol'bw
'ssssing pasihngers were on board, viz. a youth
' about 7 years of age, son to the governour
,ofDominica; mr. Hutch'mson, a member
of*thc council of that isiand; and mr.
Charles Hobby Hubbartsi, ofBoston. This
'chlemzm arrived at Antigua from Eng
' and in chembcr last, in a transport ship,
_ .sswherc, on account of his attachment to
the Amcrican cause, he was apprehended
_and confined in jzhil upwards of six months,
great part of the time in a dungeon.
Another prize ship, taken by the Dia
fmond, arrived here on Saturday last.
_ Capt. Chasc informs, that a privateer
from Bedsord has talsscen a vcsiel from the
'_Wcst lndies, bound to Newsuundland,
having sson board, beside: a good cargo,
5'00 johannesses .
, ——-———-—'
NEW L-ONDON, Augusi 23.
sssiLAST Saturday a French fl00p arrived
. ]: e from the West lndies, loaded
pith yf, molosses, and coffee, and a
few articles oFEuropcan goods.
. Sinfctour last three vessels have arrived
here from New York, with Torsiies collect
ed from that city and Long lflsimd, who
ssace sent into the country towns.
. By means of the great number of prize!
carried into different ports at the Eastward,
]amaica rum is suld at 45. 4d. per gallon
by the hogshead, and sugar at five dollars
per mowt. m Boffon.
I
PHILADELPI'llA, Ssi'pt. 3.
ATURDAY's post brings us the agree
able intelligence of general Washing
ton having effected a safe retreat for our
army out of Long [Hand, in spite of the
gredt numbers there commanded by
Howe. They have Brought every thing
off with them, except some very large
cafinon. which they spiked up, and a few
out sentries. ln the skirmishes, which
have been for these several days past, the
enemy have lost upwards of 1000, and we
not much more than 500. They have sent
a flag os truce, offering to exchange gene
ral Suffivan and lord Stirling [in two gene—
rals they have missing; but as we have
them not, it, is supposed they are killed.
'l'hc mannerin which our rctl'eat was per
formed ;cflccts the highest credit upon our
commandcr in chief, and the officers in
eneral. —
Extract of a letter from New York , Aug. go .
" [11 3 council of war held yesterday, it
was determined that our lines on Long
lshnd were not tenable, and therefore the
council concluded to evacuate them.
" Lord Stirlsimg and general dullivan
are prisoners. General Howe allowed
)cteneral Sullivan a Bag, by which he in
pormed us of this, and that he wassipolitcly
treated."
Exiract of a letter datcd Cape Francois,
Augu/i lo.
" Although Our government appears
here in : prosound tranquillity, letters of
undoubted authority, just arrived from
France, inform us, that an armamcnt is
now fitting out at Brest of 20 fail of the
line, 12 frigatcs, and 14,oco land forces,
whose destination, it is presumed, is for
this lace. I think this armament will
occasion no uneasiness to your continent,
as France has from the beginning shewn
such a partiality in favour of your cause,
and now does in a more 0 en manner.
You have none but zealous friends in this
ifiand; and is there be any Tories, the
are from your parts. The American ve -
sels have our ports open to them, and they
will be orotected."
Extract'osaktterfi'om New York, Aug. 31.
" You are no doubt surprised to hear
of our sudden retreat from Long lsiand,
but it was thought absolutely essentia] srom
our situation. We were under a necessity
of marching out and attacking. them upon
their own ground, or suffering ourselves to
have been ltarved into a surrender : First,
because they were intrenching within 500
yards osour lines, which were very Weak,
and incapable of withstanding their heavy
cannon, and our men, from their situati
on, began to grow very uneasy ; and se
condly, because their shipping might have
run up the East river, and cut off our re
suurces of previsions, and every other ne
cf ssary. The retreat was conducted with
the greatest secrecy, and by 6 o'clock in
the morning we had every thing embarksi
ed. There never was a man that behaved
better upon the occasion than general
Washington; he was on horseback the
whole night, and never left the kerry stairs
till he had seen the whole of his troops em
barked ." '
Extract of a letter from Crown Point,
Augq/Z 27. -
" Our fleet, conhsting of 3 schooners,
! large floop, 4 gondolas, and 4 gals'les,
now lie in Lake Chamsiplain, near Crown
Point, and expect to sail in three days;
they lay in a narrow passage of the lake,
to prevent the. enemy from passing. We
have insoxmatlon that the enemy are on
their way to this place from St. ]ohn's,
but they have no other cras t than batteaus .
If they come I trust We shall give them a
warm reception, as our fleet is well fitted
and manned. We have now at Ticonde
roga about 3500 essective men, and more
coming in daily. The sort, and every
height and point about it, are well sortifi—
ed. Besidcs,, we have the command of
the lakes." .
Extract of a letter fi-om New York, Sept. 1 .
" Last Monday morning we went over
to Long llland, and about midnight
were alarmed by the return ossssome of our
scouting parties, who advised us that the
English were in motion, and coming up
the ifland with several field pieces. It was
generally thought not to be the main body,
but only a detachment, with a view to
possess themselves of some advantageous
heights; upon whichnear 3000 men were
ordered out, consiffing— chicflyof the Penn
sylvania and Maqland troops, to attack
them on: their march. About sunrise, we
cam'c up with a very large body of-thcm.
The Dclaware and Maryland battalions
made one party. Col. Atlee, with his
battalion a little before us, had lsscttken pufl
in an orchsin'd ;tnd bthintl a hast], ut-tt bu
the approach us the enemy he gsitve them
a very sense fire, utnch he bitutly kch
up for ac0nlidemble t'nncte, un it 'thty Were
near surrounding hnn, when he retrcatetl
to the woods. 'l'he enemy then udutnczd
towards us, upon which lord dtitling, who
commanded, immediately drew Ua up in
a line, and offered them battle in the nue
English taste. The British army then ad
vunced within about goo yards of us, and
begun a very heavy fire from their (xix.-non
and murtars, for both the balis utu' lhtlls
flew very fast, now and then takit ;; Lllssa
head. Our men stood it amzsizingl) well, _
no't even one ot'them shewing tt unyofition
to shrink. .
" Our orders were not to fire until the
enemy came within 50 yards ot us, but,
when they perceived we flood their she so
coolly and reiblutcly, they declined cum
ing any nearer, although treble our num
ber. In this situatiun we shsiod srum sun
rise till 12 o'clock, the enemy fixing upbn
us the chiefpart of the time, when the
main pody of their army, by a ruute vssc
neverdreamed of, had entirely ["in-sounded
us, and drove within the sillCd, or scattcr
ed in the woods, all our men, except the
Delaware and Maryland batlulitms, who
were ltandingvat bay with double thtir
number. Thus fituated, we were ordered
to attempt a. retrcat, bysifighting our wa
throu it the enemy, who had poltcd
them elves, and nearly filled ever) held
and rocttd between us and our lines.- W (:
had not retreated a quarter ut'a usi'uc before
we were fired upon by an advattCed pan)!
of the enemy, and thole upon our tear
were playing upon us with that anillery.
Our men fought with more than Romzctn
Virtue, and ] am cunvmch would hsine ss
flood until they were shot down to a man.
Wesorced the advanced party, which first
attacked us, to give way, through which
opening we got apassctge down to the hde \
of a mztrsh, seldom before wadcsid over, !
which we passed, 'and then swan] over a ;
narrow river, all the time exposed to the '
fire of the enemy. The companies com—
manded by captains Ramsay and Scntt
were in the sront, and sultained the s] si:
fire ot'the enemy, when hardly a man fell. ss
" The whole of the right wiug of our
battalion, thinking it impossible to pass
through the marsh, attempted to tutcc
their. way through the woods, where they
were almost to a man killed or taken.
The Maryland battalion has lost 2 59 men ,
amongst whom are 12 officerr: (;uptains
Veazey, and Bowcy, the first certainly
killed31ieutenants Butler, Stcrrett, Dcm,
Coursey, Muse, Pruwl; enfigns Coats and
Feruandes. Which oksschem arc killed, or
who prisoners, is yet uncertain. Many \
of the officers lost their swords and gusins.
We have since entirely abandoned Lon
lfland, bringing offall our military ltorcs.
" Generals Sullivau and Stirling arc
both prisoners. Culs. Atlec, Miles, and
Pipes, are also taken. There are about.
1000 men misiing in all. ' We took a few ,
prishners. By a lieutmant we took, we
understand they had about 23,ooo men on
the ishmd that morning. Must of our
generals were upon a high hill in our lines,
viewing us with glailes. When we begun
our retreut, they could see the enemy we
had to pass through, thuugh-we could
not. Msimv ofthex-u thought vxe— would
surrender in a body, Wilhuut firing.
\N hen wc began the attack, general
Washington wrung his hands, anu cr'uc'.
out, Good God, what brave jectlmw: ] n-zg/s
this day lo/L'I' Maujor Gucll Cunnusi'mhcc!
the Niaryland buttahcm, the. colmni zmcl
]icutenam—oolmu] being bmh at \'c>1k.
Captains Adamsancl Lucazzwcz (. lfck. 'l'hc.
m 1jor. cnpc. liamssiy. 11!=dli;ut.l'lul.kctt,
were snrenmst, and v- iih'm 40 ynhls uk'tl-c
euemy's muzzles, when they were iircd