The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-08-30
Rlcssfosn, AaR 20. .,7sl-
Sta


their numbers are DO, yet preci,ey known to us
They landed at Burwels ferry below Willan,i,urgh
and near the mouth, Of Chikahcm;ny above il; this
latter c;rcuniianee OBLIGED Col lnues who command.
ed body OF Militia tatioped that de of the river
to cover the country from depreciation to retire up.
wards left he ihoulG be placed between TIER two
bodies. One OF tEo!e entered Williamsburg on the
3oth and the other proceeded, ipyard we had OF,
Chiclahom;ny. What injury they did there, ! an,
not YET informed take for granted they have
burnt an unfnilhed twenty gun nip, we lad there
iuch OF the flores belonging the yard as were ove-
able had been carried fome miles higher nm the river
Two fma gallies retired alto up the river; whether
by this either the ,allies flores were favcd is as vet
Unknown am jult informed by private hand
tina, they left Williamf1urgi yeGerday moruug. If
this iudcen departure was no, 10 conecuence of ioe
crcumitance of alarm unknown 20 US their espediti-
on to Williamsburg has been una,countablr There
were no public ftores there, but thoe neceiiary for
the daily fubihencc of the men there Where they
mean to aicend next, the alone can determine
be!ides harrallng militia with this kind of war;
their being taken from their at their nterelny
leaion OF planting will have unfortunate effect
on the crop Of the enfuing year. have heard moth
ing from gen. Green except that his head quarters
were Oil the l1th on Little river.
TIL: JEFFERSON.
On the sth of May he addreiTed the prefident of
Congreis in the following terms from Richmond:
SINCE the laft letter had the honor of addrellng
10 your exeeency the military movements in this
isate have fcarcely nierited communication except
very late one. The enemy after leaving Wiainf-
nurg came directly up James river, and landed at
City point, being the point of land on the fou,ern
hde OF the confluence of Apporatox and James ri
yer. they marched up to Pe,efburg where they
were received by Mayor Baron Steuben, with bo-
dy OF militia iomewhat under 1000 men, who tho
the enemy were $500 ftrong, dilputed the ground
very handsomely; during the whole time the enemy
gained only one mile and that by inches. Our troops
were then ordered to return over a bril-
which they did in perfect good order Our
lois was between iixty and feventy in killed and
wounded and 81 taken, The enemy's is unknown
but 1t muR be at lean equal to ours for their own
honor they muff cnrfeis this for they broke twice
and were like Eieep until fupported BY frefh troops
an nfeTiory OF numbers obliged our force to with
draw about miles upwards, till more Militia fhould
be atlembled. The enemy burnt the tobacco in the
warehouses of Petersburg and its neighhourhood.
They afterwards proceeded to ofbornes, where they
did the fame, and alto defroyed the refidue of the
Pubie armed veiiels and fevers Of private property
and then came to Marchefer, which is on the hill
oPPoiite this place. BY this time, Mai. Gen. Mar
gus Ia Fayette having been advifed Of our danger,
mad by forced marches got here with his detachment
OF continental troops, the enemy finding we were a.
bic to meet them equal footing, thought proper
TO burn the warehoufes and tobacco at Manchester.
and retire to Warwick, where they did the fame.
ii'-arIned and untred Militia, who never faw the
lace OF an enemy have ometmes during the coure of
the war, given occafion of e1ul.ation to our enc
mics; hut TRY afforded as while at Warwick little
iatisiaction IN the fame way Six or eight hundred
oi their picked infantry, with gen. Arnold at their
head, having cro1ed the river at Warwick fed from
a Pstrole OF l6 horfe, fone putting North, fome
3ouh as their fears drove them Their whole force
then proceeded to the Hundred, being the poin, of
land within the confluence of the two rivers: en-
parked and fell down the river. Their foremoa vef-
fels had got below Burwels ferry on the xth infant,
when the arrival Of boat from Portfmouth, and
iignal given. the whole crowded fail up tie river
again and with fair wi I'd and tide came to anchor
at Brandon. There fix days proviiion wer. dealt
out to every man. They landed and had orders to
march all hour before day the next morning. We
have not yet heard which way they went or whittier
they are gone, but having about the fame time re.
ceved authentic Information, that Lord Cornyyan;s
had on the Sth infant advanced from Win,neten
half way to Halifax, we have no doubt putting all
circumstances together but that thee two armies are
Tor forming junction. We are nrenptheppo orr
hands with Militia far as arms either public or
private can be collected but cannot arm a force
which may face the combind armies of the enenv
II will therefore be Of very grea, Importance that
gen. Wayne's forces be prefed or with the utrnoit
difPatch. Arms and naval force however nnul uti-
inatey fave us. This movement. of our enemies we
cnnder as mott peri,ous its coniequ-nces Our la
ten advices from gen. Green were of the GOTH He
was before Camden; the works & garriion of which
were ftronger than he had expected.
(Synety THOMAS JEFFERSON.
II the Prccipieate retreat of Arnold from Manchef
ter be itfe an unqueaionable proof of the vigilance
and activity of the governor Of Virginia, the argu-
ment Willie Till more ronp y confirmed by aretropee-
i've view cfour Military reiourcesatthat period. When
Arnold left Richmond in January, he had taken re-
iuge IN Elizabeth River from fuperior French
iquadron, where he continued until the 9Th of A :
pril when he was relieved by powerful reinforce
men under Philips. " was Immediately before this
period that Virginia had lent her full quota Of troops
to South Carolina: and that fhe had alto furnGhed
the army OF gen Green with 1000 men. In 1880
fhe had difpatched 1000 men, and as many nand Of
arms to Carolina Was il after fich Ggnal exertians
had been ma lie 20 fuconur her Gher naes that Vir-
ginll could be expected to be in the ben polible f.
tuation for defending herfelf? Drained as nie thus
was Of her internal refources, ooudit be expe g ed
that The would be competent to repe an unexpea-
ed enemy, full Of Nreugth full Of fprs eqipt with
arms, and buoyed UP by the animang idea, that the
prowefs 1T regular troops tobe refhed by an
imdhcipiined Militia Let il alto be taken into the
account that there were than ten DAYS from
the time ut Arnod's departure from Elizabeth river
th his return towards the Capital; an interval in
which it was inpoibc provide the nece6ary means
OF defence, through almoft indefinite extent Of
country and to rPlii him AZ yerv nom, NJ, ,L;. l.