The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1815-04-08

landed repeatedly on Sharp's Island, & made
general sweep of the stock, affecting, howe
yer, to pay for part IF it. J)
On the Sd OF May, 1918, the town of Havre
de Grace was pillaged and burnt, by a force
under the command of Admiral Cockburn.
The British officers, being admonished, "that
with civilized nations at war, private proper
~ had always been respected" hastily re-
Piled, that as the Americans wanted war.
they should now feel its effects; and that the
town should be laid in ashes" They broke
the windows of the church; they purloined
the houses of the furniture they stripped
women and children of their clothes & when
an unfortunate female complained, that she
could not leave her house with her little chill
dren, she was unfeelingly told, " that her
house should be burnt with herself 8, children
in It." (gl :.
On the 9Th of May. 1918, Fredercktown
and Georgetown, situated OH Sassafras river.
in the stateof Maryland, were pillaged and
burnt, and the adjacent country was laid
waste, by force under the command of adj
miral Cockburn /; and the officers were the
most active on the occasion. az
On the 22d Of June, 1918, the British forces
made an attack upon Craney Island, with a
view to obtain possession of Norfolk, which
the commanding officers had promised, in
case OF success, to give up to the plumber of
the troops. ~ The British were repulsed but
enrased by defeat and disappointment, their
course was directed to Hampton, which they
entered on the of June. The scene,
that ensued, exceeds all power of description
and detail of Facts would be offensive to
the feelings Of deCorum, as well as of huma-
nifty. "a defenccless and unresisting town
was given up to indiscriminate pillase; tho
civilized war tolerates this only, as to FORTH
ed places carried by assault, and after sum
mons. individuals, male and female, were
stripped naked; sick man was stabbed
twice in the hospital another sick man was
shot in his bed, and in the arms OF his wife,
who was also wounded, long after the retreat
OF the American troops and females, the
married aud the single, suffered the extremi-
~ ofpersonal abuse from the troops of the c.
nemy, and from the infatuated negroes, at
their instisaton." ID The fac. that these
atrocities were committed, the commander of
the British fleet, admiral Warren, and the
commander OF the British troops, sir Sidney
Beckwith. admitted without hesitation M
but they resorted, as on other occasions. 10
the unworthy and upavai,ing pretext of JUS
Unable retaliation. 1t was said, by the Bri-
fish general, that the excuses at Hampton,
were occasloned by an occurrence, at the re-
cent attempt upon Craney Island, when the
British troops in barge, sunk by the Ameri-
can guns, chung to the wreck of the boat -
but several Americans waded off from the is
land, hred upon, and shot these men," The
truth OF the assertion was denied the act, if
1t had been pcrpetrated by the American
troops, was promptly disavowed by their COM
mander; and a board of officers appointed
to investigate the facts, after stating the evil
dence, reported " an unbiased opinion, that
inc Charge against tine america troops was
unsupported and that the character of the
American soldiery for humanity and magma
nimity, had not been committed, but on the
contrary confirmed" % The result Of this
enquiry was communicated to the British ge-
neral PREPARATION was demanded but it was
soon perceived, that whatever might per-
sonaliy be the liberal dispositions of that Off
Ger, no adequate PREPARATION could be made,
as the conduct OF his troops was directed and
sanctioned by his government. I'M
During the period of these transactions. the
village OF Lewistown, near the capes of the
Delaware, inhabited chiefly by fishermen and
pilots, and the village of Stonington, seated
upon the shores OF Connecticut, were unsuc
ceSsfully bombarded. Armed parties, led by
officers CT rank, landed daily from the Bri-
fish squadron, making predatory incursons
INTO the open Country rifiing & burning the
houses and cottages of peaceable and retired
families .pillaging the produce of the plan
ter and the farmer; their tobacco, their
grain, and their cattle J committing violence
on the persons ofthe unprotected inhabitants
--seizing upon slaves, whereverthey could be
found, as booty of war--and breaking open.
the collins of the dead. in search OF pinnder,
or committing robbery on the affairs of a
church at CHI ptico, St. Inagoes, and Tappa-
hammock, with sacrilegious rage.
But the contamination Of British outrage.
yet remains to b, stated, from the awful and
imperis able memorials of the capital at
Washington. 1t has been already observed.
that the massacre of the American prison
ers. at the river Rassin, occurred in January.
1873; that throughout the same year, the de-
solating warfare Of Great Britain, without
once alledging retsliatory excuse, made the
shores OF the Chesapeake, and Of its tributa
'ry rivers, general scene of ruin and di tress
and that in the month Of February, 1914
SIR George Provost himself, acknowledged
that the measures Of retaliation, for tn. nm
authorized burning Of Newark, in December
1879, and for all the excuses which had been
imputed to the American army, was at that
time, tull and complete. The United States.
Indeed, regarding what was due to their own
Character, rather than what was due to the
Conduct OF their enemy, had forborne to au-
thorize just retribution and even disdaio-
ei tn place the destruction of Newark to re-
tahatory account, for the general pilIsge and
?, () s. the deI1isitiohs OF Fiisby Anderson, and
Cotdeia p ,nington. '''
~ See Jacob Gibsoa's deposition
(g) See the deposition Of William r. RiIlpstisk
Ja'nes Wood, Rosamns Moore, and g. MansfieId.
(h) See the dPuOsticT,S of tohn g,aveIv Ng:f;.-.