gage, even the men's packs, being left behind at Ninety-Six. Greene was, however, fo well acquainted now with the character of his enemy, and fo well guarded againft furprize, that the British troops had fcarcely pafied the Saluda, when he moved with the utmoft expedition from Buth River. Lord Rawdon purfeed him with the utmoft rapidity; and arrived at the fords of the Ennoree, forty miles from Ninety-Six, within two hours of the time that Greene's army had paffed them. The troops were fo fpent with fatigue, and overcome by the heat, that it was impoffible to do more; but Greene was fo apprehenfive of his enemies, that he continued his retreat, or rather flight, with out ceafing, until he had paffed both the Tyger and the Broad Rivers. The British commander found it neceffary to abandon the post of Ninety-Six; but as he would not omit any mark of attention to the loyalifts of that country, much lefs, have it imagined that they were abandoned, he ordered that the principals fhould be convened, and propofals made to them-That if they would keep together, and undertake the defence of the diftrict against their own difaffected inhabitants, a fmall party fhould be left to keep them in countenance, with the farther encouragement, that detachments from the Congarees fhould at all times be fent to their support, equivalent to any force which Greene might dispatch to invade their territory; and that on the other hand, care fhould be taken to provide for the removal of fuch families as fhould prefer to be fixed upon the abandoned plantas tions, within the new frontier, which was now intended to be eftablished.-The refult was, that the loyalifts determined, for the fecurity and prefervation of their families, to bring them away under the protection of the army; with the farther view, when they were fettled within the affigned limits, that the men fhould be embodied, in order to make incurfions into the difaffected fettle ments. As Lord Rawdon's impatience to profecute the business of the campaign, would not admit of his waiting for this determination, he left Colonel Cruger behind, with much the greater part of his force, for the purpose of carrying it into execution; while he marched himfelf, with 800 infantry, and fixty horse, for the Congarees. He had previously written, when on his way to Ninety-Six, to Col. Balfour, ftating the expediency of fending a ftrong corps from Charles-Town to Orangeburgh, as a provifion against any finister. event that might poffibly happen. Upon Balfour's application to Colonel Gould, he immediately granted a battalion of his corps for that purpofe; and Lord Rawdon, before his departure from Ninety-Six, had, in confequence, received advice from the commandant of Charles-Town, not · only of Gould's compliance, but that the 3d regiment was under orders to arrive at Orangeburgh by a fpecified day, and there to wait his inftructions; and, as if it were to remove every poffibility of doubt, he received a fucceeding letter from Col. Stuart, who commanded that regiment, with informa-, Information, that he was already confiderably advanced on his way to Orangeburgh. This information, and a full confidence in the expected support, were the grounds upon which Lord Rawdon founded his immediate plan of operation; and were particularly the caufe of his leaving fo great a part of his force behind, and advancing with rather an unequal corps to the Congarees. In the fame perfuafion, he difpatched a number of meffengers by different routes, to meet Colonel Stuart at Orangeburgh, and appointing their junction at the Congarees on the 3d of July. Through fome error or mifapprehenfion, which has not been explained, Colonel Stuart was not only flopped on his march by orders from Charles-Town, but was fo far recalled, that he fell back to Dorchefter, on his return to that place. It may be obferved, that the expectation and ap-, prehenfion of a French fleet and army on the coaft, in order to co-operate with Greene, and to put a final end to the war in that quarter by the reduction of CharlesTown, had a great influence on the operations of this campaign, and on the conduct and movements of the commanders on both fides; it may not therefore be un-. reasonable to fuppofe, that this apprehenfion, perhaps revived by fome new report, occafioned the recal of Col. Stuart. Eut, however that may be, it certainly was a meafure which, under other circumftances, might have proved fatal in the event to Lord Rawdon; and which was attended with no fmall danger even in the prefent inftance. Greene had early information of the ftate of force in which the British commander marched from Ninety-Six; and had the fortune likewife to intercept a letter from Colonel Stuart, fignifying the change that had been made in his inftructions, and the confequent impoffibility of meeting him at the time and placé appointed. These circumftances led him to the defign of furrounding Lord Rawdon fo effectually that he could not extricate himself, while he continued lingering in the vain expectation of a reinforcement which was not to arrive. Lord Rawdon by forced marches, in order to furprize a body of militia, of which he had received fome intelligence, arrivJuly ift. ed at the Congarees two days before the appointed time; a rapidity of movement, which probably had no fmall effect upon. the iffue of Greene's fcheme. He foon difcovered that the enemy's light troops were in the neighbourhood, and took the neceflary precautions on that account; but his cavalry, regardless of expreís orders to the contrary, went out by themfelves to forage on the morning of the very day upon which Col. Stuart was expected. They were foon furrounded by Lee's legion, and two officers, with forty dragoons, and their horfes, were all taken without a blow. This, which in other circumftances would not have been much thought of, was in the prefent a moft grievous ftroke; and more particularly fo, as the means of procuring intelligence in this crifis of fo much danger, was thereby cut off almost entirely. This lofs, with the unexpected affem affemblage of the enemy, which had already been difcovered in the neighbourhood, and the unexpected failure on Stuart's fide, happily laid open at once to Lord Rawdon, all the danger of his own fituation. He accordingly determined instantly to begin his march towards Orangeburgh; and to meet or find Stuart wherever he was. His route lay acrofs Congaree Creek, at about three miles diftance; a broad piece of water, in moft parts deep, and enclosed by difficult banks. Colonel Lee, who had been appointed to the guard of this paffage, having deftroyed the bridge, and felled trees to render the fords impracticable, had then pofted himself behind the creek, with a confiderable body of cavalry, and fome infantry of his legion. The intense heat of the fun about noon, which seemed almoft to difable every fort of motion, and in every fpecies of animal, had thrown the Americans off their guard; and the unexpected arrival of the British forces, in that critical period, ferved much to facilitate the paffage. After the exchange of only a few ineffectual fhots, a body of infantry were thrown over, who having difperfed the enemy without trouble, the troops foon cleared the fords, and paffed them without interruption. was received, that Greene had While the British forces were impatient for that wifhed event, their difpofition and countenance had produced a directly contrary effect. For Greene had abandoned his camp, and retired with fuch expedition in the night, and his movement was fo long and effectually covered by his numerous light troops, that he had fecured his paffage back across the Lord Rawdon was joined on Congaree, before Lord Rawdon the day after his arrival at O- had received notice of his retreat. rangeburgh by Col. Stuart, with An unfuccefsful attempt made his own regiment; but was great- by Sumpter, Lee, and Marion, ly disappointed at finding that he upon the 19th regiment at Monk's was unaccompanied by a body of Corner, along with this retreat of cavalry, which had been promifed, Greene, clofed the campaign in and which were fo particularly South Carolina; the intemperatewanted. At the fame time advice nefs of the climate, for a feafon, overcoming the violence of man. Greene being joined by Marion and the reft, took poft on the high hills of Santee, to the eastward of that river. The Santee, the Congaree, and the Edifto, were the established boundaries on the British fide. It is impoffible to do justice to the fpirit, patience, and invincible fortitude, difplayed by the commanders, officers, and foldiers, during thefe dreadful campaigns in the two Carolinas. They had not only to contend with men, and thefe by no means deficient in bravery and enterprize, but they encountered and furmounted difficulties and fatigues from the climate and country, which would appear infuperable in theory, and almoft incredible in the relation. They difplayed military, and, we may add, moral virtues, far above all praife. During renewed fucceffions of forced marches, under the rage of a burning fun, and in a climate, at that feason, peculiarly inimical to man, they were frequently, when finking under the moft exceffive fatigue, not only deftitute of every comfort, but almost of every neceffary, which feems effential to his exiftence. During the greater part of the time, they were totally deftitute of bread, and the country afforded no vegetables for a fubftitute. Salt at length failed; and their only resources were water, and the wild cattle which they found in the woods. Above fifty men, in this laft expedition, funk under the vigour of their exertions, and perifhed through mere fatigue. We must not, however, confine the praise entirely to the British troops, as a detachment of Heffians, which had been lent upon this occafion by General de Bofe, defervedly come in for their proper share. The fame juftice requires, that the Americans fhould not be deprived of their fhare of this fatal glory. They had the fame difficulties to encounter, joined to a fortune in the field generally adverfe. Yet, on the whole, the campaign terminated in their favour: General Greene having recovered the far greater part of Georgia, and of the two Carolinas. It is a melancholy confideration, that fuch talents, bravery, and military virtue, fhould have been exercifed in vain. This inaufpicious war, was the only one, in which they would not have produced their proper effect. VOL. XXIV. [G] CHAP. attack CHAP. VI. Great lofs fuftained by the Spanish flect in a hurricane, on its way to the of West Florida. Is refitted, and again proceeds from the HaTannah. Penjacola intefted by fea and land. Gallant defence. Principal redoubt blown up by accident, which compels Governor Chefter and General Campbell to jurrender. Weft Indies. Ineffectual attempt on the land of St. Vincent. Dutch island of St. Eustatius taken by the British fleet and army, under Sir George Rodney and General Vaughan. Prodigious booty. Ilands of St. Martin and Saba furrender. Dutch man of war and convoy on their return to Europe, pursued and taken. The jettlements of Demerary, Iffequibo, and the Berbices, on the coast of Surinam, make a tender of Jubmillion to the British government, and are granted favourable conditions. Difcontents, complaints, and law fuits, occafioned by the confifcation of private property at St. Eustatius. M. de Graffe arrives with a ficet and great convoy in the West Indies from Europe. Engagement between him and the Admirals Sir Samuel Hood and Drake, in the Channel of St. Lucia. Sir George Rodney departs from St. Eustatius to oppole the progress of the enemy. Ineffective attempt made by the Marquis de Bouille on the island of St. Lucia. French incafion of the island of Tobago. Vigorous defence. Public Spirit of the planters. Surrendered by capitulation. M. de Graffe, having escorted a raft convoy on its way to Europe, proceeds with his fleet to the Chefapeak. Sir George Rodney returns to England; and Sir Samuel Hood fails with a jiuadron to counteract the defigns of De Graffe at the Chefapeak. WH 7HILST Englishman was thus fighting against Englifhman in the Carolina's and Virginia; ftill farther to the fouth ward, Spain was profecuting her views with effect against England in Weft Florida. We have already fhewn the fuccefs that had attended Don Bernardo de Galvez, Governor of Louisiana, in his different expeditions, in the years 1779, and 1780, first against the British fettlements on the Miffiffippi, and afterwards against the town and fort of Mobille. Thefe fucceffes, and the confequent reduction of General Campbell's small force, naturally extended his views to the taking of Fenfacola, and thereby completing the con queft of the province. The involved ftate of the British affairs (which were every day, and in every part of the globe, becoming more embarraffed) afforded every encouragement that could quicken him in the prosecution of that defign. After fome unfuccefsful attempts in the last year, which had failed in the outfet, Don Galvez went himself to the Havannah, in order to forward, and take upon him the command, of a great expediton from thence, which was intended for the beginning of the present. Fortune feemed at first to smile upon Penfacola; but unluckily no means were, or probably could be afforded, to profit of the occa |