to avoid greater future difficulties; and being likewife full of confidence in the zeal and gallantry of Brig. General O'Hara, and of the brigade of guards under his command, which formed the head of the column, he determined on the attempt; and directly ordered them to march on through the river, and, to prevent confufion, charged them not to fire, until they had gained the opposite bank. The guards, and their commander, fully juftified the high opinion which Lord Cornwallis had entertained of them. The terrors and difficulties of an untried river, upwards of five hundred yards wide, with a strong current, a rocky bottom, water up to the middle, and expofed through the whole paffage, to the deliberate aim, and continual fire of the enemy, were equally incapable of making any impreffion on their cool and determined valour, and of, in any degree, affecting the excellency of their difcipline. The light infantry of the guards, being the fint that were landed, inflant ́ly formed, and in a few minutes Killed or difperfed every thing that appeared before them. Gen. Davidion, who unexpectedly, and for himself unfortunately, had arsived at this poft, with 300 militia on the preceding evening, was, with fome other officers, found among the flain. Colonel Hall of the guards was the only officer who fell on the British fide; and though a good many private men were wounded, yet the lofs in every relpect would appear incredibly all to thofe, who are not accustomed to confider the prodigious difference between real and eftimated danger, in many parts of military action. In the mean time, the rear of the column being come up, and the whole paffed with the utmost expedition over the river, Colonel Tarleton was dispatched with the cavalry, apported by the 23d regiment, in purfuit of the fugitives, and likewife to fcour and examine the country. Having received intelligence from the prifoners, that three or four hundred of the militia were to affemble that day at a place about ten miles diftant, he eagerly feized that opportunity, as well of avenging, as of effacing the memory of the late difafter. He therefore, immediately quitting the infantry, proceeded thither at the head of his cavalry with the utmoft expedition; his arrival being fo fudden and unexpected, that a complete furprize, great execution, and total difperfion, were almoft the inftantaneous confeqlences. This fevere ftroke, along with the preceding defeat at the ford, had fuch an effect upon the militia, who had hitherto only heard of the rigours and dangers of war, that they not only immediately abandoned all their pofts on the river, but were fo totally cowed and difpirited, that they did not once after, in any manner. make the smallest attempt to interrupt the progrefs of the army in its march to the Yadkin, although its courfe lay (to use Lord Cornwallis's own words) through one of the moft rebellious tracts in America. Though the enemy had abandoned Beattie's Ford, yet the continual fall of rain, and swelling of the river, had rendered the pas fage HISTORY OF Intelligence being received, that Morgan having fecured the boats en the other fide, and the ford through which he had paffed his waggons and cavalry being now rendered impallable by the fudden EUROPE. [61 The rife of the river, Lord Cornwallis between both armies, which should firft gain the northern frontier. The British fucceeded, and cut Greene off from the upper fords; and Lord Cornwallis being affured, that the lower were impracticable, and that the country could not afford any number of boats, at all fufficient for the paffage of Greene's army, thought he could not now efcape without a decifive blow, and accordingly pursued him with. the utmost expedition. This was, however, impeded by great and numerous difficulties. The intelligence to be obtained, was not only extremely defective, but feems to have been intendedly delufive; the want of light troops was now feverely felt; and the enemy by their abundance of them, were enabled to break down all the bridges in the line of march, and to throw numberlefs other impediFeb. 15th. ments in the way of the army. Upon their arrival at Boyd's Ferry, they difcovered to their inexpreffible grief and vexation, that all their toil and exertions had been vain, and that all their hopes were fruftrated. The enemy had been furnifhed with boats fufficient (in direct contradiction to all the intelligence received by the British general) to convey their whole army and baggage, on the preceding day and night, over the ri ver. Nothing ever exceeded, except the vigour and perfeverance with which they were encountered and furmounted, the hardships, and difficulties, which the army endured in this long courfe of march, from Salisbury to the Dan, and then in the purfuit of Greene to Boyd's Ferry. Their wants and diftreffes were not lefs than their toils and fatigues. They traversed a coun→ try, which was alternately a wild and inhofpitable foreft, or inhabited by a people, who were at leaft highly adverfe, however they might venture, or not, to be hoftile. When to these we add all the posfible incommodities, incident to bad roads, heavy rains, want of cover, and the continual wading through numberless deep creeks and rivers in the depth of winter, we shall still form only very faint and inadequate ideas of the fufferings which they endured. The army being in no condition to venture the invafion of fo powerful a province as Virginia, in the prefent circumftances, and North Carolina being in a state of the utmost disorder and confufion, Lord Cornwallis, after giving the troops a day's reft, led them by eafy marches to Hillsborough, where he erected the royal standard, and iffued a proclamation, inviting all loyal fubjects to repair to it, and to take an active part in affifting him to restore order and conftitutional government in the colony. During these transactions, Colonel Balfour, who commanded at Charles-Town, equipped a fmall force for an expedition to Cape Fear River, not only to co-operate with Lord Cornwallis by a diverfion on that fide, and by gaining poffeffion of Wilmington, but likewife to make that way a conveyance for the furnishing his army with thofe neceffary fupplies, which, in the prefent ftate of the war, could fcarcely be done in any other manner. Major Craig, with about 300 land forces, was difpatched upon this fervice towards the latter end of January; and the men were were convoyed and fupported by Capt. Barclay, in the Blonde frigate, with the Otter and Delight floops of war; the marine force and the troops, being equally partakers in the fortune of the enter prize. unluckily, that a part of the enemy's light troops had entered the country on one fide, at the very time that the British detachment entered it on another; and that they fell in with a body of about 200 of these people, who, under the conduct of a Colonel Pyle, were on their way to join the royal army at Hillsborough. Thefe unfortunate royalifts, who had notice of Tarleton's approach, mittaking the enemy for his detachment, and not being yet apprehenfive of the wiles and circumvention of war, fuffered themfelves, without the smallest effort, to be enclosed and furrounded; when, without refiftance, and, it is faid, crying out for quarter, a number of them were moft inhumanly put to the fword! Capt. Barclay landed all the marines, in order to fupply the weakness of the land force, about nine miles fhort of Wilmington; the inhabitants fent a deputation to propofe terms, which were not liftened to; and the town being abandoned by its defenfive force, confifting of about 150 men, was taken without refiftance. The inhabitants delivered up their arms, were admitted to parole, and fecured in their property. The Britifh commanders being informed, that feveral veffels loaded with provifions, ammunition, and the effect of those who were in arms, as well as of fome Spaniards and French, who had lately fettled at Cape Fear, had efcaped up the north-eaft branch of that river, parfued them both by land and water; four or five were accordingly taken, and fome others burnt by the enemy. The batteries being too diftant to afford counteing clofed in, and the works repaired or completed, Wilmington was made a poft of fome fort of ftrength, and continued for fome little time to be of import ance. Lord Cornwallis being informed, that a confiderable number of loyalifts inhabited the country between the Haw and the Deep rivers, he dispatched Col. Tarleton with the cavalry, and a fmall body of infantry, to prevent any interruption in their ailembling or moving. But it happened moft In the mean time, Lord Cornwallis having received intelligence, that Greene being reinforced in Virginia had repaffed the Dan, he thought it neceflary to collect his force by recalling Tarleton; and forage and provifions growing fcarce in the neighbourhood of Hillborough, and the pofition be nance and protection to the well affected upon the advance of the enemy, he thought it expedient to make a movement to the Haw River, which he paffed, and encamped near Allemance Creek ; having pushed Tarleton a few miles forward towards the Deep River, with the cavalry, the light company of the guards, and 150 of Webster's brigade. Greene's light troops foon made their appearance; upon which Tarleton received orders to move forward, and, with proper precaution, to make what discovery discovery he could of the motions and defigns of the enemy. Tarleton had not March 2d. advanced far when he fell in with a confiderable corps of the enemy, whom he inftantly at tacked, and foon routed; but being ignorant of their force, how they were fupported, and grown circumfpect from experience, he with great prudence reftrained his ardour, and defifted from the purfuit. He foon learned from the prifoners, that those he had defeated were the corps called Lee's legion, with three or four hundred Back Mountain men, and fome militia, under a Colonel Prefton. He likewife difcovered through the fame intelligence, that Greene, with a part of his army, was at no great distance. It appeared afterwards, though it does not feem to have been then known to the British general, that Greene had yet only received a part of the reinforcements he expected; and that a more confiderable body were then on their way to join him from Virginia. This induced him to fall fuddenly back . to Thompson's Houfe, near Boyd's Ford, on the Reedy Fork. It is remarkable, and deferving of particular notice, that although this part of the country, where-the army now was, was confidered and diftinguished, as being peculiarly and zealously attached to the Britifh caufe and intereft; and yet, that Lord Cornwallis fhould have had occafion pathetically to complain, that his fituation was amongst timid friends, and adjoining to inveterate rebels; and, that between them, he had been totally deftitute of information; by which means, he loft a very favourable opportunity of attacking the rebel army. 6th, Though Greene had thus fallen back with his main body, he left his light troops and militia to forage and occupy the country in the front of the British army; and thofe, in defiance of repeated examples, which might well have ferved to keep them conftantly alert and upon their guard, feeming totally to forget the fort of enemy, to whofe eye and obfervation they were expofed, were difperfed, and pofted carelessly at feveral plantations, confulting only their convenience, and the facility of fubfiftence. This fituation induced Lord Cornwallis to put the army fuddenly in motion; with a view, not only of beating up their quarters, and driving them in upon the army, but of attacking Greene himself, if any fair opportunity fhould offer. He completely fucceeded in the first part of his defign; and at Weitzell's Mill, on the Reedy Fork, where they ventured to make a ftand, the Back Mountain men, and fome Virginia militia, fuffered confiderably; and the fecond part only failed, through Greene's making a timely and precipitate retreat over the Haw River. The vicinity of the fords on the Dan, which lay in the rear of the enemy, and the extreme difficulty of fubfifting the army, in the intermediate exhaufted country, rendered it in vain for the British general to pursue them over the Haw, under any hope of being able to force them to action. He thought therefore, the moft eligible courfe which he could in the prefent |